Chapter 703: Ten Absolutes Linked Heavenly Evil Life-Breaking Formation

I have to admit, directly confronting the Tiandao avatar exposed some of my surface-level trump cards prematurely.

While the impact isn't significant, I still need to be vigilant.

After all, recklessness is the greatest enemy of caution!

On his way back to the Five Parts Continent, Li Changshou changed into a Daoist robe, wiped the mysterious blood from his forehead, and refined it back into vital energy.

These days, his mysterious blood is as potent as that of the ancestral witches, so he cannot afford to waste any of it.

In fact, Li Changshou had long suspected that Nüwa Niangniang was under Tiandao's restrictions.

Whether it was arranging the spirit stone on Huaguo Mountain or initiating the Fengshen Dajie by targeting the Shang Kingdom, it all carried a strong Tiandao influence.

Especially this time, with the Fengshen Dajie contradictions reaching a critical point, Nüwa Niangniang summoning him at just the right moment could be interpreted in two ways.

The first was that Nüwa Niangniang had seen his various arrangements and was expressing her determination to challenge Tiandao, fearing he might follow the reckless path of his predecessor and drag the human race into disaster. So, she temporarily imprisoned him with a time-stopping divine ability.

The second was that Daozu had ordered Nüwa Niangniang to hold Li Changshou temporarily.

Both factors were likely at play, just to varying degrees.

But seeing Nüwa Niangniang's actual condition, Li Changshou truly couldn't accept it.

How could Tiandao, which prides itself on being impartial, act like this?

Even if Daozu's stance is firm, using the human race as leverage and persecuting the Holy Mother of humanity—isn't that completely without principles?

And those calls of "teacher"—can Daozu really accept them without shame?

Stay calm, keep your cool, don't throw away all your previous efforts.

That Tiandao avatar, embodying the will of the great calamity, was only at the level of an ordinary Daluo in terms of personal strength, but it had extremely high Tiandao authority, making it inherently difficult to deal with and hard to gauge.

However, every force has its counter; when faced with someone like him, whom Tiandao's power couldn't erase, the opponent was actually quite limited.

Li Changshou deliberately got injured and slapped it to death, but he wasn't sure if that exposed his fundamental strength to Daozu's eyes.

After all, it's Daozu—he must think carefully and proceed with utmost caution.

As the Five Parts Continent came into view in the distance, Li Changshou pondered slightly in his heart.

What you see is only what Daozu wants you to see; what you hear is only what Daozu wants you to hear.

That saying isn't entirely wrong.

The world he sees today is the one Daozu modified by altering the memories of many beings, isn't it?

Of course, that's understandable—who asked that bold predecessor to lose back then?

After leaving the vicinity of Shengmu Palace, Li Changshou concealed his figure and used his paper effigies to monitor various parts of the Honghuang. Naturally, he learned about the specific situation in the southern continent's war and continued to follow his previously set plans.

On the way back, Li Changshou began to think about a very mature question.

When did his earliest influence on the Fengshen Dajie begin?

He recalled that time when the Jie Jiao immortals came to Duxianmen to offer apologies. He had no idea what that Jin Xian combat unit, the Wuyou Sect Leader, was thinking—he actually took the chain arrays from Xiaoqiong Peak and showed them off.

When Li Changshou snapped back to reality, he was almost stunned.

One enters, one is trapped; a pair enters, a pair is trapped.

The chain array is inherently unsolvable, like a Möbius strip structure with no starting or ending point. The only way to break it is to destroy the entire array.

Among the Ten Heavenly Kings, the eldest, Qin Wan, took a keen interest in Li Changshou's chain array.

Unable to resist the sect leader's persistent hints, Li Changshou handed over an outdated version of the chain array solution to Qin Wan.

At the time, Li Changshou thought to himself, with this little butterfly flap of his wings, wouldn't the Fengshen Dajie stir up massive waves?

Oh, the butterfly effect indeed.

Later, Li Changshou learned that Tiandao's corrective force was incredibly powerful, suffocating all beings and leaving no room for boundaries, so he didn't pay much attention to the Ten Heavenly Kings' array matters.

Those Ten Heavenly Kings were just mid-level experts in Jie Jiao, their strength comparable to the earlier Magic Family Four Generals or the Four Sages of Jiulong Island.

Even if the Ten Absolute Arrays incorporated some elements of the chain array, could that overshadow the brilliance of the Twelve Golden Immortals?

The Twelve Golden Immortals' key achievement was, under the leadership of Deputy Leader Ran Deng, using a battle formation to send cannon fodder one by one to break the Ten Absolute Arrays.

At most, it would create some minor troubles for the Twelve Golden Immortals.

But Li Changshou never expected...

On the first day the Ten Absolute Arrays were set up, they injured Wucheng Wang and confused young Nezha.

On the second day, they trapped Yang Jian, scared off Lei Zhenzi, and killed several Chan Jiao immortals.

It was only because Nezha had so many treasures and escaped quickly, with an unshakeable Dao heart;

And Yang Jian had already mastered the Bajiu Xuan Gong, so even trapped in the array, his defenses weren't breached;

That prevented Li Changshou's carefully nurtured heavenly court successors from losing their physical bodies and being forced into godhood.

Look at that Ten Absolute Array!

The Heavenly Absolute Array shifts unpredictably, with the three talents in harmony and boundless spiritual power.

The Earth Fierce Array is ferociously powerful, with raging earth fire and endless toxic flames!

The Wind Roar Array engulfs with heavenly winds, the Cold Ice Array with thousands of profound ice blocks.

The Golden Light Array has countless immortal mirrors that blind the eyes.

The Blood Transformation Array uses vicious black sand to destroy the primordial spirit, the Fierce Flame Array with roaring flames of unending true fire.

The Soul Falling Array confuses the heart, blurring life and death; the Red Water Array has deadly waters, and the Red Sand Array with flying stones and sand.

These are just the basics, but the entire Ten Absolute Array is interconnected, linking front to back, so anyone entering must face not just one array's dangers but nearly all ten at once!

Moreover, the Fierce Flame, Wind Roar, and Golden Light Arrays form a triangular defense; the Cold Ice, Blood Transformation, and Earth Fierce Arrays connect and interact; the Soul Falling, Red Water, and Red Sand Arrays link left and right; and the Heavenly Absolute Array channels endless spiritual energy to continuously replenish the Ten Absolute Array!

The Ten Heavenly Kings have been practicing their individual arrays since the ancient Honghuang era, and in the last few centuries, they've perfectly integrated the concepts of the chain array into them...

If the original Ten Absolute Array was like a wall a few zhang high, which you could climb with ladders,

The current Ten Absolute Chain Heavenly Evil Life-Breaking Array is like a hundred-zhang-high city wall, piled with oil, logs, boiling water, and itching powder!

It's completely different!

Anyway, when Li Changshou had just shattered the Tiandao avatar and was leaving Shengmu Palace to return to the Five Parts Continent, the first thing he saw through his paper effigy was Huanglong Zhenren hanging at the gate of the Golden Light Array, bound like a dumpling, his Daoist robe in tatters, slowly spinning in place.

This time, Huanglong was really in a bind.

The Jie Jiao side was quite smug, calculating the hundred-day deadline. If Chan Jiao didn't surrender or admit defeat, they might as well wipe out this Zhou army and leave the Zhou Kingdom in ruins.

The Ten Heavenly Kings had discussed this before arriving, willing to take on these karmic burdens to alleviate the immense pressure Jie Jiao was facing.

The Chan Jiao side was quite troubled, already contacting Yuxu Palace for more support, ideally an array expert to break the Ten Absolute Array.

Huanglong was hung there for half a day before Yang Jian, skilled in escape techniques and transformations, rescued him.

This Twelve Golden Immortal felt quite ashamed, bowed to Yang Jian in thanks, and then started pondering how to adjust his posture next time he was bound—to make it more elegant and comfortable.

This time, he escaped death but gained no blessings.

Yuxu Palace was dragging its feet, and Guangchengzi couldn't think of a good way to break the situation, still discussing with his fellow disciples and sisters.

Meanwhile, Biyou Palace had gained some vitality.

As Li Changshou had predicted, Jie Jiao's disciples had indeed argued among themselves and were scolded by Tongtian Jiaozhu.

Tongtian Jiaozhu issued a strict order: no disciples were to enter the great calamity, or they'd turn to ashes if they did.

The Ten Heavenly Kings were defying orders, but after deep consideration, they took the risk to boost Jie Jiao's morale here.

By the way, before the Ten Heavenly Kings set out, Shen Bao tried his best to persuade them not to leave the island.

Who knows if Shen Bao's innate divine ability had mutated—the more he advised, the more determined the Ten Heavenly Kings became.

Especially Jinguang Shengmu, who had been in a bad mood lately and feeling quite depressed, wanted to pick a fight with someone...

Honestly, with the Ten Absolute Array set up like this, Li Changshou didn't know how Chan Jiao could counter it. They couldn't just have his second uncle step in personally—that would ruin Chan Jiao's reputation entirely.

And potential external aids for Chan Jiao, like Lu Ya Daoist or Deputy Leader Ran Deng, who was quite skilled in arrays, had already been eliminated by Li Changshou in advance.

With this decline on one side and growth on the other, Chan Jiao was already in a tough spot.

So, Li Changshou wasn't in a hurry at all.

He quietly entered the Underworld and made his way unhurriedly to the Wheel of Reincarnation Tower.

First, he checked the tower's condition, confirming that the spiritual core of the Heavenly Demon Venerable and the ancient mysterious old Daoist's stone coffin were safely suppressed. Then, he floated up to the top floor.

This time, he came to the Underworld specifically to borrow a mount from Lao Zang, which he would use for something important later.

"Awoo, awoo awoo."

Diting called out twice toward the window, then slumped dejectedly on the warm stone slab, letting out a soft yawn.

Life in the Underworld was just too peaceful.

With the great calamity unfolding now, it didn't dare listen or think too much. Watching the battles between Chan Jiao and Jie Jiao was pretty boring.

Both sides were holding back on the surface while fighting dirty in secret. Whenever one gained an advantage, the other would immediately raise the stakes and strike back, round after round.

It was nothing like the sheer boldness when Jie Jiao wiped out Ling Mountain back in the day.

Everything was so dull because that man wasn't showing up—it was all just sneaky schemes.

Yet, its master made it compile a summary of the current situation every day and report it on schedule.

It was a mount, one of the top ten divine beast mounts in the world, and it had its pride and reputation!

Did its master have any respect for it at all, making it do all this nonsense?

On the central cushion at the top floor, the handsome-faced Lord of the Wheel of Reincarnation Tower, Dizang, opened his eyes and asked,

"How's the fighting going today?"

See, here we go again.

"The same old story," Diting sighed. "Chan Jiao is still stalling and not dealing with the Ten Absolute Array. They're probably planning to drag it out for a hundred days, let the Ten Heavenly Kings start killing mortals, and then wear down their own destiny.

"The Ten Heavenly Kings aren't fools either. They're secretly discussing that if the hundred days pass, they'll just give another hundred-day deadline and spread the word across the world, completely tarnishing Chan Jiao's reputation.

"Oh, and yesterday, Qin Wan from the Ten Heavenly Kings set up ten wooden signs with 'Lost?' written on them in the Ten Absolute Array. Not sure what that's about."

Dizang nodded slowly and said, "Are there any anomalies in other areas covered by the calamity?"

"Still the same, sigh. They're fighting without really fighting, wanting to retreat but not daring to."

Diting complained listlessly:

"Master, watching all this is useless. You're stuck here and can't go out, so everything's restricted.

"Western Teachings are almost completely gone now. Why not just live quietly?"

"Hmph!"

Dizang snorted coldly: "If we don't pay attention to these things, we might not even know when disaster strikes."

"Then why not be like that wise and mighty Xingjun and create more incarnations to roam around?" Diting grumbled reluctantly. "Listening to the inner voices of all beings is exhausting work—and we're doing it for you every day for free!"

Dizang glared at Diting and huffed in annoyance, then closed his eyes to meditate on the laws of reincarnation.

Just then, a light laugh came from outside the window, making both Dizang and Diting perk up.

Dizang frowned;

Diting's blue fur stood on end as it looked up toward the window, then quickly lowered its head, trembling all over.

Why did he have to show up right now?!

Li Changshou, who had been listening outside, stepped inside, cupped his hands to Dizang, and smiled. "Tower Lord, how have you been lately?"

"Thanks to Xingjun's blessings, I'm doing alright for now," Dizang frowned. "With the great calamity raging, why are you here?"

Li Changshou got straight to the point: "I need to borrow Diting for a bit."

Before the words were fully out, Li Changshou felt a furry head rubbing against his feet.

Dizang: ...

Although he really wanted to tell it to get lost, he ultimately gave in to divine authority and his own solitude.

Dizang smiled and said, "In these turbulent times, with Jie Jiao and Chan Jiao clashing so fiercely and on the brink of all-out war, what do you need Diting for, my friend?"

Li Changshou looked at Dizang seriously and said, "It seems you're trying to mock me?"

"The Daoist pact of non-aggression."

Dizang laughed: "I'm just feeling sorry for you. You've done so much for the unity of the three teachings, yet in the end, it's all in vain as the great calamity arrives.

"The calamity's fate can't be changed, and it descends on its own. With your ability to calculate the heavens, what can you really do?"

Li Changshou replied, "When do you think I first learned about the Fengshen Dajie?"

Dizang's smile faded as he furrowed his brow and thought for a while.

"I don't know."

"From the moment I set foot on the path of cultivation."

Li Changshou showed a warm smile and said softly,

"I knew early on that things would come to this, but I still wanted to try. If I had to do it over, I'd do the same things again.

"Some matters must be attempted, and through my efforts, I've already changed so much.

"For you to make me doubt myself with a few words is underestimating me a bit too much."

Dizang fell silent for a moment.

"I'll wait for you outside, Great Xingjun."

Diting muttered softly and flew out of the Wheel of Reincarnation Tower first.

Li Changshou cupped his hands to Dizang and said, "I'll return it in three months."

With that, he turned and chased after Diting. He ignored Diting's excessive flattery and attempts to get him to ride it, simply signaling for Diting to follow behind him.

Dizang shook his head gently, sat on his cushion, and stared blankly for a while, though he didn't say the words "don't get too disheartened."

In the distance, he could still hear the conversation between Li Changshou and Diting, which made him grit his teeth and pull out a whetstone.

"Great Xingjun, what do you need me for this time?"

"A major matter—I want you to help me search for Maitreya's whereabouts."

"This...Great Xingjun, Maitreya is my master's senior brother. Though they aren't close, they're still fellow disciples..."

Dizang immediately smiled with satisfaction.

As expected of his divine beast—it slacked off daily, but it was strong on principles.

Diting: "Extra meals!"

"Alright," Li Changshou laughed. "As long as you find Maitreya, I won't let you go without treats."

"Thank you, Great Xingjun, thank you! I'll start searching for Maitreya's traces right away!"

Dizang: ...

Time to sharpen the knife.

The sharper it is, the smoother the cut, without ruining the meat's texture.

And so, three months later.

Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!

The long horns blared, the drums beat rapidly, and figures dashed about.

The military camp in the early morning was full of life and energy.

This was in the northwestern region of the central area of the Southern Jambu Continent, where the Shang Kingdom's army had the Qi Mountains completely surrounded. The Zhou Kingdom's army camps stretched along the high grounds of Qi Mountains, with signs declaring a truce.

And today was the final deadline set by the Ten Heavenly Kings.