Chapter 153: The Birth of the Heavenly Immortal Level Paper Daoist

Twelve years in advance…

Was this intentional?

The sect leader, Wuyou Daoist, and those elders in the know must have deliberately targeted him, right?

Initially, the news about the San Jiao Yuan Liu Da Hui reached Wuyou Daoist first.

Li Changshou had secretly observed that a few days earlier, a Chuan Yun Ling Jian had flown in, prompting the sect leader to summon several elders for a meeting.

Because he was always monitoring Xianlin Peak, Li Changshou had naturally extended his surveillance to the entire sect…

However, with the Feng Yu Zhou’s passive detection, all he could hear was that today, they would gather the disciples at the Bai Shi Tang for a discussion…

No matter how he analyzed it, this had to be a “pre-departure” assembly, didn't it?

No matter how he pondered, the time between summoning the disciples for instructions and actually setting off shouldn’t exceed two or three years at most, right?

They were just going to recite some sect rules, warn the disciples to behave, and make sure they didn’t embarrass the sect outside…

But warning them twelve years in advance—weren’t they afraid people would forget?

For the last Long Gong Da Hui, how long had they summoned the disciples in advance?

Why was it different this time?

“Never mind.”

Li Changshou had calculated everything, but misjudged the depths of human nature;

He knew that the sect’s leader and elders placed great importance on the San Jiao Yuan Liu Da Hui, since Du Xian Men barely qualified to attend;

But he never expected them to take this seriously!

Outrageous! Their intentions are as vile as pigs’!

Lying on his straw bed, Li Changshou let his thoughts slowly settle into calm, then quickly began searching for countermeasures.

This mishap was just a minor setback in life;

On the path to seeking longevity and aspiring for Da Luo, how could it be smooth sailing without any obstacles?

After Jiu Wu and Youqin Xuanya left, Ling’e held back for a long time, almost biting her lip, but in the end, she couldn’t help bursting into muffled laughter…

Li Changshou glanced at her;

Ling’e immediately suppressed her smile and put on a pitiful, innocent expression, her eyes full of sympathy.

Ling’e whispered, “Shixiong… as your shimei, my heart aches for you.”

Li Changshou calmly transmitted, “Go cultivate. Right now, I’m tempted to change my strategy and make you lie here instead.”

“Excuse me!

Farewell!

Call me if you need anything!”

Ling’e bowed hastily and rushed out of the thatched hut, covering her mouth as she giggled, then dashed back to her own hut like the wind.

It was truly rare to see her shixiong suffer a setback like this!

To keep up the act to the end;

Li Changshou forced himself to stay in bed for three whole years before finally getting up and returning to the alchemy room, intensifying his study of the Waizhi Fenshen technique.

The San Jiao Yuan Liu Da Hui was still a relatively safe event, with Daoist heavyweights gathered and the main conflicts between Jie Jiao and Chan Jiao.

Du Xian Men was basically just there to make up the numbers…

But that place would become, in twelve years, the nexus where the entire Hong Huang world’s karmic ties converged!

Even a casual encounter with a major figure could trigger a chain of events…

Li Changshou no longer needed to draw attention from other San Jiao experts.

He had already connected with Xuan Du Da Fa Shi and had a task assigned by Tai Qing Sheng Ren, so as long as he stuck to the eight-character principle of "Wu Wei, Bi Shi," his future was secure!

At this assembly, several of Chan Jiao’s Shi Er Jin Xian were likely to appear;

In response, Jie Jiao might send some of their inner or outer sect senior disciples to Zhong Shen Zhou.

The purpose of this grand assembly was to resolve the growing conflicts among the San Jiao and promote greater prosperity for the Daoist path.

Li Changshou wanted to avoid it because he had foreseen the massive karmic entanglements it might bring…

In fact, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Li Changshou saw further into the future than any expert below the saints!

This San Jiao Yuan Liu Da Hui aimed to trace roots, recall hardships, and have the San Jiao set aside their previous conflicts temporarily, with Jie Jiao and Chan Jiao exercising restraint, each developing in their own territories, recruiting disciples, and spreading teachings, leading to a more prosperous era for all three.

Subsequently, as the San Jiao’s influence expanded, posing a threat to the stability of heaven and earth, the Tian Dao would brew an immeasurable calamity…

And thus, the Feng Shen catastrophe would arrive.

Regarding the Feng Shen calamity, Li Changshou had already grasped the rope to safety and had no need to get involved.

So, in recent years, Li Changshou had prioritized refining the “Gui Xi Jue” three times, developing this feigned cultivation method to near perfection!

All this effort was for staging his illness!

Who knew…

Oh, well, no point dwelling on it.

With nine years left until the San Jiao Yuan Liu Da Hui, he had to make a decision now.

To go or not to go—this was a serious question.

During his three years of bed rest, Li Changshou hadn't been idle.

Some of his Zhi Ren were busy accumulating wealth and setting up "safe houses" outside the sect;

Others were rotating defenses along the edges of the Nan Hai, ready to deal with threats from Xi Fang Jiao, the Long Zu, and Dong Mu Gong.

Of course, he never neglected his cultivation;

In his spare time, Li Changshou dedicated these three years to developing the Waizhi Fenshen technique.

Using the divine ability granted by Xuan Du Da Fa Shi, he perfected the Zhi Ren method.

This path wasn’t easy; true Waizhi Fenshen techniques were hard to cultivate and couldn't be compared to Li Changshou's previous makeshift Zhi Ren approach.

But if he could realize his current ideas, the Zhi Ren would undergo a qualitative transformation!

He always kept one principle in mind:

For safety, the Zhi Ren must have no independent consciousness—they should be mere divine tools.

Li Changshou wouldn't leave any hidden dangers around himself…

In this regard, what inspired Li Changshou was a classic TV drama from his past life—"My Bald Master Is Clearly Weak but Full of Romantic Luck."

There was a famous scene: "Bai Gu Jing tricks the imperial brother three times, and the Shi Hou angrily swings his staff."

In that story, the Bai Gu Jing kept changing her form using demonic arts, harming mortals…

The Zhi Ren method Li Changshou wanted was similar—like changing clothes.

Only his true self would have the single mind and consciousness, shifting back and forth.

Thus, instead of directly cultivating that Waizhi Fenshen divine ability, Li Changshou put in more time and effort to improve his Zhi Ren method.

These three years in bed had yielded very good progress.

In the secret chamber beneath the alchemy room, Li Changshou sat in a wicker chair, gently tapping his fingers on the table.

Should he attend the San Jiao Yuan Liu Da Hui as an ordinary disciple from a remote branch of Ren Jiao, or cause some incident before departure to excuse himself?

The sect summoning disciples twelve years in advance… Li Changshou realized something felt off, as if the entire sect was targeting him…

Li Changshou quickly decided not to make a final choice yet.

He would wait another four years, until his “injuries healed,” and go to the Bai Shi Tang to offer incense to the saint again.

If Tai Qing Sheng Ren had influenced Du Xian Men and arranged this, there might be other hints…

And so, four years later, one afternoon.

“The weather today is quite nice.”

Li Changshou rode a cloud back from Dan Ding Feng, his immortal sense sweeping over the spirit beast enclosure, where he spotted Ling’e and his junior uncle sneaking around…

Ling’e didn't need to go to the assembly, while his junior uncle, as the sect's Tian Xian representative, had to attend.

Du Xian Men was once again filled with a tense atmosphere, even more so than before the sect's grand competition.

The San Jiao Yuan Liu Da Hui was drawing near; in another three or four years, the delegation from Du Xian Men would set off.

Today was the day Li Changshou's “injuries” healed.

He had deliberately gone to Dan Ding Feng first to visit the lonely elder, Wan Linjun, chatting and walking with him for a few hours before returning to Xiaoqiong Peak.

Elder Wan didn’t see through his act…

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, looking down at his hands, and formed a new plan.

He flew over Xiaoqiong Peak without landing, maintaining an appropriate height as he headed to Potian Peak’s Dao Scripture Hall…

Half an hour later, Li Changshou returned from the Dao Scripture Hall, a fleeting smile at the corner of his mouth, and hurried back to Xiaoqiong Peak.

He had gone to visit Elder Qi Ling and thank him for treating him during his illness.

Then, thickening his skin, Li Changshou chatted with Elder Qi Ling for a while and finally confirmed—

His new version of the Zhi Ren hadn’t been detected by Elder Qi Ling!

‘The divine ability from the Da Fa Shi is truly powerful.’

This new-type Zhi Ren had taken him half a year of hard work; it now had a lifelike aura and layers of disguise for low, medium, high, and peak cultivation levels, like a detachable armor suit.

For Li Changshou, the biggest upgrade was that the Zhi Ren’s maximum cultivatable power had reached the early Tian Xian realm!

In other words, with his multitasking skills, Li Changshou could control three to four combat units with Tian Xian-level strength simultaneously.

This had given him the idea of forming a Zhi Ren elite squad, using their coordination for attacks, support, poisoning, and distracting enemies to take down powerful Tian Xian without injury…

Of course, only if the situation called for it.

This Zhi Ren still had a fatal flaw, one that Li Changshou couldn't overcome with his current realm—

Its immortal energy couldn't regenerate on its own.

Moreover, crafting this new-type Zhi Ren required three times more spiritual tree sap than before, plus various spirit beast essences and more of his own primordial spirit power.

If this Zhi Ren self-destructed or was destroyed, Li Changshou would feel a bit heartbroken.

But the necessary restrictions still had to be in place;

The benefits of self-destruction had already proven themselves to him, so he was hooked and unwilling to give it up…

After returning to Xiaoqiong Peak, Li Changshou rested for half a day before heading back to Potian Peak.

This time, he went in his true form and offered three sticks of high-grade incense before Tai Qing Sheng Ren’s portrait, whispering:

“Disciple Changshou has doubts in his heart; I wonder if I can fulfill my duties on this trip to Zhong Shen Zhou.”

Several outer affairs elders nearby overheard his murmur and smiled, nodding in approval, which increased their goodwill toward Li Changshou.

The saint's portrait showed no movement, and no Daoist rhymes appeared.

But suddenly, strands of unfamiliar insights emerged in Li Changshou’s heart, condensing into eight simple characters that slowly surfaced in his mind before quickly dissipating, as if they had never been there.

Stillness, heart, inaction.

Begin with one, end with stability.

This was…

A saint’s guidance!

The saint not only recognized him but had personally given instructions!

Li Changshou was instantly invigorated, his heart set on a decision. After three deep bows, he stood and left.

At the same time, in the backyard of Dou Shu Gong, under that tree, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi blinked, his eyes full of pure innocence.

“Teacher’s method of transmitting insights through the Great Dao…

It really works.”

In Zhong Shen Zhou, at one of Ren Jiao’s few branches, Xiaoyao Xian Sect.

Inside the reinforced but smooth protective mountain array, on a bustling peak…

An old Daoist carried his dust whisk and floated toward the "stone hut" where his beloved disciple practiced daily.

As soon as he approached, the old Daoist, who was at the Tian Xian realm, shivered and instinctively set up several layers of immortal energy barriers around himself;

After thinking for a moment, the old Daoist pulled out a heart-protecting mirror and strapped it to his chest, then took out a suit of armor glowing with immortal light and put it on…

Fully armed, the old Daoist carefully pushed open the stone hut’s door and called out:

“Lingli, your master is here to tell you something.”

Whoosh—

A rush of wind came from inside, and a burly figure like an iron tower swung a long staff relentlessly.

This staff, weighing three thousand jin and forged from earth profound spirit iron, was as light as wutong wood in her hands!

The old Daoist shouted again, this time infusing his voice with immortal energy:

“Lingli, your master has something to tell you!”

The burly figure turned around, revealing a cute girl’s face, and lit up with joy at the sight of the old Daoist.

“Oh, Master! You’ve come to see me!”

Before she finished speaking, perhaps from excitement, the staff flew out of her hand straight toward the old Daoist's face, making him turn pale in an instant…