Chapter 106: Li Changshou's Uncertain Grasp

In the forest, beneath the isolation array, an orange-red bonfire blazed skyward, its flames rapidly consuming the bodies of six great demons.

These flames soared over thirty feet high, radiating waves of heat and wisps of spiritual energy, illuminating Li Changshou's somewhat vacant eyes.

He lifted his hands slightly, as if sensing the warmth of the true flames.

Yet his heart felt utterly cold.

Three paper figures transformed into an old man, a young man, and a youth, standing in a triangular formation around the fire, chanting scriptures.

They recited the Rebirth Mantra, the Sutra of Salvation, and the Disaster-Averting Prayer, beating wooden fish and clappers while shaking soul-calming bells.

This place was deep in a desolate valley, seven hundred *li* northwest of Anshui City.

He had intercepted the six great demons, engaged in a fierce battle, and used some poison pills to slay them here.

Meanwhile, the paper daoist that Li Changshou had hidden beneath Anshui City extended its immortal sense to observe the unfolding events.

The people of Xiong Village were descendants of shamans, which already gave Li Changshou a major headache.

But that issue could still be resolved.

However, the sudden appearance of the dragon clan, looking ready for a fight—especially with Ao Yi present—made Li Changshou seriously consider cutting off these karmic ties once and for all.

Impulsivity was a demonic obstacle; he couldn't let it cloud his judgment.

Silently reciting the *Jing* of Stability in his mind, Li Changshou quickly pondered countermeasures.

The most pressing problem now was that Ao Yi knew him, and the South Sea Sea God could be linked to the mediocre immortal seedling Li Changshou of Duxian Sect.

The simplest solution would be to kill them all and be done with it.

But that was the most brutal, reckless, and karma-laden approach, and it would be handled far too crudely.

In situations like this, he couldn't rush; he needed to come up with a relatively sound plan in time.

Waiting passively had never been Li Changshou's style.

Charging ahead to win was the way of his junior uncle, the Wine Immortal, who was protected by the aura of "might makes right."

Attempting schemes without sufficient strength was like walking a tightrope over a sea of blades and fire...

Li Changshou always adhered to the principle of "achieving longevity through stability, seeking fortune through caution," which had become a mental restraint for him—he refused to take any risks.

The issue now was that the risks weren't ones he chose; they were closing in on him like layers of fiery rings.

Li Changshou felt a slight sense of relief that he had discovered this problem in time.

The dragon palace group's visit was likely drawn by the Sea God Festival and had nothing to do with whether he came here or not.

If he hadn't come, he might have...

Vanished without even knowing how.

"Earlier, when I was repairing the arrays for my junior uncle, I suddenly had a premonition that something was about to happen, and now it all fits."

As ideas formed in his mind, Li Changshou began multitasking on three fronts—

His main body flew out of the pill room toward the lake;

The *shen* character paper daoist here continued disposing of the corpses;

The *tian* character paper daoist hidden under Anshui City stood ready to strike with hallucinogens to subdue the dragon palace group.

Anshui City had not yet erupted into full-scale war, but tensions were high, with both sides on the brink.

When the dragon palace group first appeared, the village chief of Xiong Village looked timid, clearly intimidated.

But when the old village chief saw over a dozen immortal flood dragon soldiers swooping down to smash the Sea God's statue...

For many mortals, destroying someone's livelihood was like killing their parents.

The old village chief erupted in anger, shouting,

"Grab them all for me!"

The twenty-plus tribesmen beside him opened their mouths wide, spewing earthy glows that transformed into arms, legs, and fierce god heads, each unleashing their innate divine abilities.

This caught the group of immortal flood dragon soldiers completely off guard...

Several soldiers were knocked down, and seven or eight were forced back, all injured.

A crowd of burly men swarmed forward, pinning down the fallen soldiers and pummeling them relentlessly.

Shamans possessed the power to subdue dragons and phoenixes as an inborn divine ability.

With tens of thousands of mortals present, the hills teeming with Sea God cult followers, they were invigorated by the divine envoys' prowess.

The scene turned chaotic in an instant, with many adults covering children's eyes and telling them not to look...

Fortunately, no major riots broke out, and no trampling incidents occurred.

In the sky, Ao Mou was startled by the ferocity of the Xiong Village shamans and unconsciously retreated behind Ao Yi...

Thankfully, the old village chief still had some sense and shouted,

"Don't harm their lives!"

This saved the lives of those soldiers, who were on the verge of being torn apart.

In the forest, Li Changshou continued tending the fire—well, continuing to handle the six great demons' corpses.

Once the scriptures were nearly chanted and the flames began to die down,

A paper figure transformed into a burly man pulled out a *suona* and blew a mournful tune.

Another paper figure turned into a woman, reciting poetry while burning yellow paper to soothe wandering spirits in the wilderness...

Gazing at this funeral service he had so carefully designed, Li Changshou couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself.

What good was resolving this minor karma?

He had already entangled himself in a massive one, and if he mishandled it, he might not escape death and the end of his dao path.

But he wasn't backed into a corner yet.

The Great Dao comprises fifty paths, with forty-nine derived, leaving one thread of hope for stability...

And he still had a chance to steady the situation.

Li Changshou narrowed his eyes slightly, waving his hand to scatter the pile of ashes before him, feeling a faint sense of comfort.

Bouyed by this comfort, his thoughts became clearer.

With hands clasped behind his back, he multitasked...

His immortal sense monitored the situation there, where the upper flood dragon soldiers were about to charge down but were halted by Ao Yi's shout of "Stop!"

The old village chief also yelled,

"Let them go!"

Only then did the Xiong Village men toss the beaten soldiers aside, allowing the bruised and swollen flood dragon soldiers to fly back to the clouds...

Ao Yi seemed to notice something and flew on a cloud to the front of the statue, examining it closely.

His handsome face quickly showed signs of shock.

Time was running out for Li Changshou...

"In that case, I'll take the initiative."

Li Changshou exhaled softly, his gaze firm as he multitasked on three fronts!

In the depths of the desolate valley's forest, this paper daoist burrowed underground, heading toward Anshui City.

The paper daoist under Anshui City had already stealthily reached the base of the statue, preparing to channel immortal power at any moment.

Meanwhile, at Duxian Sect's Xiaoqiong Peak, by the lakeside thatched hut,

Li Changshou called his junior sister Lan Ling'e and woke his master, who had dozed off during cultivation.

He then activated the hut's array, lifted the hem of his daoist robe, and knelt before his master, startling both Lan Ling'e and Qi Yuan.

"Senior brother, what's wrong?"

Lan Ling'e panicked.

She had never seen her senior brother with such a solemn expression, even during the sect's previous crisis, when he had remained calm and composed.

Qi Yuan frowned and said,

"Longevity, just speak your mind."

"Master, this disciple is unworthy," Li Changshou bowed his head. "Today, I have incurred a tremendous karma that may implicate you and Ling'e in the future.

If this matter is exposed one day and powerful figures seek to end me, please, Master, and you too, Ling'e...

Do not intervene on my behalf."

Qi Yuan hurriedly said,

"Longevity, don't scare your master—you're fine right now, aren't you?"

"Senior brother, what's going on?"

Lan Ling'e rushed forward, kneeling beside Li Changshou and grabbing his arm, her eyes welling up with tears. "Can't we just flee to the ends of the earth?"

"This time, there's nowhere to hide."

Li Changshou shook his head and sighed. "Master, junior sister, time is short—please agree for now."

Qi Yuan let out a long sigh, his expression warm and gentle as he smiled.

The old daoist said,

"If my disciple stirs up trouble, how can I, as master, ignore it?"

Li Changshou's face darkened as he replied, "If I handle this poorly, it might involve Da Luo immortals or even major sects,

And bring endless karma and calamities."

Qi Yuan chuckled, "I'm just a minor turbid immortal—what's there to fear?"

"Master!"

Li Changshou felt a warmth in his heart, his eyes glistening.

"Ah, my disciple!"

Qi Yuan raised his hand and gently patted Li Changshou's shoulder, filling the thatched hut with a sense of warmth.

Beside them, Lan Ling'e blinked curiously.

If? Might?

She whispered, "Senior brother, is this something... you haven't done yet?"

Li Changshou nodded. "Correct, I'm about to do it."

"Cough, you!"

Qi Yuan's breath caught, and he raised his dust whisk as if to strike. "You haven't done it yet! Why raise such a fuss?"

Li Changshou dodged back slightly, a faint smile on his lips.

"To be thorough, I came to inform you and junior sister before proceeding.

If things go wrong later, don't worry about me—just expel me from the sect and sever ties.

Master, consider that as your agreement. I'll head back now and can't afford distractions."

With that, Li Changshou turned to leave. Qi Yuan hesitated to speak, but Lan Ling'e chased after him, calling,

"Senior brother! How confident are you this time?"

Li Changshou didn't look back but sent a voice transmission: "Not very."

Lan Ling'e pressed, "Exactly how much?"

"Probably, eighty percent or so."

Li Changshou sighed softly, his figure vanishing into the forest.

Lan Ling'e furrowed her brows—eighty percent wasn't very high...

"Hmm?"

She blinked again, sensing something off about her own thinking, but couldn't pinpoint the issue.

Back in the pill room, Li Changshou activated various maze arrays, trapping arrays, concealing arrays, and warning arrays, then hung up the sensing stones.

He lit a fire in the pill furnace and placed a paper figure to guard it, while focusing his mind on the situation in Anshui City.

The human-dragon conflict there was on the verge of exploding;

Ao Yi had fully recognized the Sea God's statue, his expression hesitant and filled with disbelief.

Using smoke escape, Li Changshou burrowed underground, passed through the massive stone passage, pushed open the wooden door, and sat in the armchair behind his desk in the underground chamber.

Come on;

Let's decide this!

In that instant, Li Changshou's resolve solidified, his thoughts clear as he analyzed all possible outcomes.

His crisis lay in the imminent exposure of his South Sea Sea God identity;

He couldn't kill Ao Yi directly, as it would provoke the dragon clan's mad revenge...

Beyond that, the South Sea God Cult's envoys were shamans, and Western Cult experts were already targeting the cult...

Before Li Changshou, it was as if swaying ropes appeared—one was the safe path, leading upward on the road to longevity;

Pulling any other would bring down blades and poisons...

The ropes swayed, but Li Changshou's mind was at peace, a slight smile on his lips.

It was as if he had already grasped one...

"Since my previous ideas won't work, I'll scrap them and try a new approach."

Li Changshou actively sensed inward, following the incense fire, and soon projected a wisp of his mind onto the statue outside Anshui City on the South Sea coast, where massive amounts of incense merit were gathering.

At the same time, outside Anshui City,

Ao Yi stared at the statue, having already recognized it as his "Longevity brother," his heart shocked and filled with chaotic thoughts.

Why had Longevity brother become the South Sea Sea God?

Was this a scheme of Renism?

But why a disciple like Longevity brother, who hadn't even become an immortal?

Longevity brother was certainly outstanding and refined, but still...

Suddenly, Ao Yi froze again.

He felt the statue come alive, gaining a touch of spirituality.

Below, the Xiong Village men had coordinated their plan, glaring fiercely at the clouds, determined to defend the Sea God's honor.

Ao Mou had steeled his resolve, ready to order the immortal flood dragon soldiers to attack and teach the South Sea God Cult a lesson.

But then, a sudden change occurred!

The ground trembled slightly, and the two-*zhang*-tall stone statue shook before slowly rising into the air, surrounded by immortal light, with a glow flickering on its forehead!

From within the statue came faint sounds of chanting...

—These phenomena were, of course, orchestrated by the paper daoist underground.

In an instant, the dragon palace group exchanged bewildered glances;

The tens of thousands of mortal cult followers on the hills bowed in unison, from eighty-year-old women to teenage girls, all showing ecstatic expressions.

As Ao Yi was about to speak, a voice transmission entered his ear first...

"Ao Yi, how much do you know about the dragon clan's current predicaments?"

Ao Yi stood stunned on the clouds.