Chapter 104: This Script is a Bit Wrong

Speaking from the heart, even Li Changshou, this Hai Shen himself, felt that today's Hai Shen ceremony in An Shui Cheng was...

Quite well done.

Not to mention, gathering such a large number of followers on the edge of the human world, right on the shores of the South Sea, was already incredibly difficult in itself.

Although the crowds inside and outside the city seemed a bit chaotic at first glance, there were no disturbances anywhere, and the followers were spontaneously maintaining order...

This was truly remarkable.

However, Li Changshou's favorable impression of the Hai Shen cult hadn't even settled in yet when...

The former village chief of Xiong Zhai Village, now the high priest of the Hai Shen cult, wrapped himself in a heavy black bear skin coat despite the scorching summer heat, sat on a gilded throne, and was carried onto the stage by four burly men...

This village chief was already stout and strong, making the scene look just like a black bear spirit being hauled out of the city!

Li Changshou: ...

Indeed, it was time to destroy the Hai Shen cult as soon as possible.

The Hai Shen statue was moved to a hillside ten li outside the city, with hundreds of thousands of followers from the city trailing after it.

Li Changshou's Xian Shi continuously enveloped the area, and he quickly noticed some rather interesting sights.

Along the way, young women in colorful attire, holding flower garlands and linking hands, sang folk songs;

Sturdy young men were full of energy, and whenever they spotted a girl they liked, they would shout out "Hey ho hey" — the chant used during fishing — while showing off their muscular builds.

Such a large-scale celebration was also a great opportunity for young people to connect, or rather... to develop impure romantic relationships.

The elderly who walked slowly were supported by young adults at their sides;

Playful children running around were held tightly by their parents.

Scattered throughout the crowd were women in long skirts with solemn expressions;

They scattered flower petals and green leaves damp with dew among the people, as a blessing from the Hai Shen cult.

Most followers sang the cult's hymns, wore smiles on their faces, and pursued the shadow of the Hai Shen together...

The entire atmosphere of the ceremony was harmonious and warm.

Once the statue was securely placed, the eight divine envoys from Xiong Zhai Village were drenched in sweat from exhaustion.

They quickly steadied their breathing, stood with hands behind their backs and legs apart, lining up on either side of the statue.

More than a hundred robust young men from Xiong Zhai Village, dressed in black short shirts and tied leggings, carrying heavy weapons like large blades and double hammers, formed a protective circle around the statue...

"It's time to go."

Li Changshou murmured, his figure slowly vanishing from the small courtyard as he used Tu Dun to head toward the statue.

The timing was just right.

With his Xian Shi watching the followers heading to that hillside, Li Changshou could only offer an apology in his heart.

He wasn't a master capable of protecting an entire region; the Great Desolation was simply too vast and too dangerous.

Right now, he hadn't even attained his own eternal Dao fruit, so even if he continued as the Hai Shen, he couldn't truly safeguard these followers.

Accepting the incense merit meant he had to protect those who worshiped him — that was the rule of the Tian Dao.

Today, he would personally shatter the illusions of these followers...

'Great demon?'

Just as Li Changshou was about to emerge from underground, he suddenly paused.

One of his paper daoist placed on the outskirts detected an anomaly in the sky.

As expected, they had arrived.

This year's Hai Shen cult ceremony was the largest in history;

And because the Hai Shen cult had expanded rapidly, it had already clashed with other sects this year;

Such a celebration today would likely attract some demons and monsters to cause trouble, which was within Li Changshou's expectations.

He always suspected that the numerous small sects near the South Sea were backed by the Western Teachings.

Today, someone was probably testing the waters, probing the foundations of the Hai Shen cult...

"Good thing I'm here.

Otherwise, if you lot went on a killing spree, how much karma would that add?"

In the Dan Room of Xiao Qiong Peak at Du Xian Men in Dong Sheng Shen Zhou,

Li Changshou opened his eyes, waved his hand to summon a box from the corner of the room, and took out three talismans with black backgrounds and red characters, secretly tucking them into his sleeve.

Then, he quickly formed hand seals, creating the Du Xian Men's Lian Hua Wen Shen Bao Yin;

Strands of Xian light stabilized his primordial spirit, enhancing his mental connection to the paper daoist...

Meanwhile, about 1,200 li northwest of An Shui City, three dark shadows whipped up a black cloud, speeding toward the city.

This black cloud was still far away and hadn't been spotted by the mortals of An Shui City yet.

Li Changshou slowly closed his eyes, shifting his mind back to several paper daoist at once.

This time was different from before.

Upon discovering these three great demons, he decided to act without any hesitation.

He had already thought through everything he needed to consider beforehand.

Of course, the most crucial point was that Li Changshou had made thorough preparations for this trip to the South Sea.

In terms of defenses against detection, he had reached his personal limits;

The paper daoist had a divine ability to self-destruct and turn to ash instantly if encountered by any expert;

Additionally, Du Xian Men had just survived a calamity, with Ren Jiao disciple Du E Zhen Ren appearing, officially establishing Du Xian Men as a recognized lineage of Ren Jiao under the Three Teachings.

Although Ren Jiao's chief disciple Xuan Du Shi hadn't shown up directly, there were rumors in Du Xian Men that the master had gone to Jin Ao Island to reason with several key disciples of Jie Jiao.

With this backing, Li Changshou felt a bit more confident... to sneak a sideways glance at the Western Teachings...

He wouldn't dare to kick them, and even looking made his heart race with fear.

To be safe, when the paper daoist killed demons next, he had to pretend to be a passing human cultivator.

If he let these three Zhen Xian realm great demons disrupt the An Shui City ceremony, every mortal killed would add to his karma.

This was already reason enough for him to intervene.

The forces behind these three great demons were being far too overbearing...

In the eyes of some innate beings, mortals were perhaps just tools for providing incense merit, no different from crops like rice or wheat.

Composing himself, Li Changshou quickly moved to intercept.

Facing the direction of the three great demons, he controlled one paper daoist with the character "Shen" and used Tu Dun to advance 300 li, emerging in an uninhabited forest.

First, he cast an illusion spell and shape-shifting technique, transforming from the kind-eyed old Daoist in hemp robes into a middle-aged cultivator.

Then, he released five original-version paper figures to quickly set up an isolation array here and prepare for the subsequent soul deliverance.

Immediately after, Li Changshou's figure shot into the air, boldly blocking the path of the black cloud from the northwest, gripping a long sword in his hand!

Unlike before, this time Li Changshou drew the sword from its sheath first, sending a flash of cold light.

This was actually...

A real sword!

However, don't be fooled by appearances; it was still fundamentally a poison-dispensing treasure.

To be precise, it wasn't even accurate to call it a treasure; it was more like a high-quality magical tool.

A genuine poison-dispensing magical tool.

The three great demons hidden in the black cloud flew closer and let out a thunderous roar:

"Get out!"

Li Changshou retorted:

"In this bright and clear world, in the flourishing lands of humanity, how dare you demons wreak havoc!"

With that, he threw the sword forward!

Inspired by You Qin Xuanya's sword box, he had developed a simple sword-controlling technique; now, with both hands forming sword seals one after another, it looked quite impressive.

In an instant, the sword multiplied into three, then nine, streaking with sword light as it attacked the three great demons in the black cloud!

These three great demons clearly sensed that Li Changshou's paper daoist was at the Zhen Xian realm;

They didn't dare underestimate it and each struck out, maintaining their demonic forms and unleashing several bursts of treasure light.

However, as the swords assaulted them, the three great demons took a few hits and were stunned.

This sword technique looked so majestic, but why was its power so...

The three great demons each sneered and wrapped themselves in the black cloud, charging fiercely at Li Changshou, completely ignoring the nine darting sword shadows.

Yet, amid the sword vibrations, wisps of colorless, odorless poison mist dispersed from the blades, seeping into the three great demons' bodies and approaching their demonic souls...

The black cloud halted abruptly just as it reached Li Changshou...

The three great demons thrashed twice inside the cloud without even crying out, their massive bodies plummeting to the forest below, right into the isolation array.

Li Changshou: ...

This was easier than he had imagined.

With a wave of his hand, the sword, now stained with demonic blood, returned to his grasp.

Li Changshou snorted coldly, "You three minor demons aren't even worth forcing me to use my Solitary Twelve Swords!"

With that, he brandished the sword and descended below, exuding the air of a lofty expert.

A moment later, inside the isolation array;

Li Changshou scattered the three piles of ashes, retrieved his paper figures, held a soul-capturing treasure bead, and quickly scanned the lingering images within it.

As expected, they were demons from the Western Teachings.

Shaking his head slightly, Li Changshou dismantled the array, and this paper daoist sank into the earth, hurrying back to its original hiding spot.

Next...

How could there be more?

No sooner had one wave passed than another arose; Li Changshou's Xian Shi detected another black cloud approaching from the north!

Within it were flocks of pitch-black crows, each seeming to possess some cultivation...

At the base of the hillside, just about to emerge and topple the Hai Shen statue, Li Changshou's mouth twitched slightly.

He shifted most of his mind to another paper daoist in the north, continuing to eliminate the demons...

Was he here today to destroy the cult himself or to protect it?

Karma was truly a hassle!

Outside An Shui City,

Many followers had already arrived near the statue by now, bowing in worship and reciting the cult's doctrines in unison.

Li Changshou allocated part of his mind here, listening to the thousands chanting outside, and felt a slight sense of emotion...

Although he had never managed the Hai Shen cult, after observing it for the past few days, he had gained some understanding.

It was actually a pretty good incense-based cult.

Aside from the divine envoys being a bit greedy, the cult itself had a positive effect on maintaining peace in the region...

Otherwise, the Tian Dao wouldn't have granted him so much incense merit.

The cult's doctrines weren't complicated and were passed down through songs and rhymes, aside from how to worship the Hai Shen, they promoted concepts like "kindness," "peace," "never give up when facing peril at sea," and "the Hai Shen is always with you"...

And so on.

One particular doctrine stood out to Li Changshou as a key reason for the cult's rapid growth.

The Hai Shen will guide lost souls at sea to reincarnation, allowing them to return to our side after many years.

This was clearly inspired by the affairs of the underworld's cycle of rebirth;

But its existence gave the cult's followers an extra will to fight and survive when facing harsh conditions at sea.

As a result, many fishermen had endured disasters.

The Hai Shen cult hadn't done anything outrageous, yet because it occupied this incense merit, some forces had secretly sent demons to disrupt it...

This action was even quicker;

Li Changshou launched a sneak attack with his paper daoist, incinerating the flock of demonic crows with San Mei Zhen Yan.

After swiftly handling the ashes of these crows, Li Changshou focused his mind again on the paper daoist hiding near the statue.

The timing was ripe.

Not daring to delay, Li Changshou dispelled the Tu Dun;

This paper daoist maintained the form of a middle-aged cultivator, hands behind his back and stepping on clouds, emerging from a hundred zhang behind the statue and slowly ascending.

The vast hillside was packed with people, yet it fell utterly silent, as if a pin could drop and be heard!

A woman pointed at the middle-aged cultivator and screamed:

"It's a manifestation! The Hai Shen has manifested!"

"Everyone, run!"

"What's there to run from? It's the Hai Shen!"

"Everyone, bow quickly! Thank the Hai Shen for keeping my wife and child safe!"

"Thank the Hai Shen for saving my son from the sea disaster!"

The scene turned chaotic in an instant!

"Don't bow!"

The village chief of Xiong Zhai Village roared: "That's a demon! How does it look anything like our Hai Shen?"

"Ignorance! Since when is there a Hai Shen in the South Sea?"

Li Changshou thundered, his voice echoing for a hundred li.

With a flick of his long sleeve, he struck out with a palm, forming a massive azure hand from his Xian force, slamming it down toward the statue!

My apologies, everyone...

Once I find a way, I'll return this incense merit to you, and we'll be even...

Li Changshou sighed inwardly, detecting a hint of disappointment in himself, and couldn't help but chuckle bitterly.

Just as the palm shadow was about to land!

From the corner of his eye, Li Changshou spotted wisps of earthy yellow light rapidly converging beside the statue...

In the next instant, a massive axe shadow appeared out of nowhere, strangely and suddenly, gripped by a similarly luminous giant hand, and it directly cleaved into Li Changshou's palm shadow.

This palm strike, equivalent to an ordinary immortal's attack, was actually...

Instantly shattered by the giant axe...