Chapter 170: How about, Great Mage, you make an oath...

Hmm? Didn't the Great Mage already leave? Why is he back...

By the lake, amid the crowd, Li Changshou sat on his putuan, listening to that voice transmission in his heart.

"Head east for thirty thousand li, wait for you in the small grove."

Is this really the Great Mage?

His own Great Mage wasn't one to be so playful. Could someone be imitating the Great Mage's dao rhythm to lure him out?

Li Changshou pondered this silently, then mouthed six words without making a sound:

"Still, please, sense, and, transmit, voice."

Thirty thousand li away, in that small grove, the white-robed Xuan Du Da Fa Shi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

This little Li Changshou was still as amusing as ever.

What, did he think that if someone impersonated him, he wouldn't be able to sense or calculate it?

At that moment, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi gathered his energy, flicked his finger lightly, and strummed the Tai Qing Dao like plucking an invisible string. A wave rippled through the Great Dao, reaching Li Changshou's heart and forming a single character:

Li Changshou.

Only then did Li Changshou believe it about ninety percent. After thinking it over carefully, he said to Xiong Lingli, who was reading nearby,

"You stay here and don't wander off. I'll go hunt some game for you."

Xiong Lingli nodded quickly, her eyes full of gratitude as she looked at the Sea God.

Then, Li Changshou went to find his sect leader, Ji Wuyou. After weighing things in his heart, he used the excuse of having some insights and wanting to go out to seek a breakthrough, and asked for leave.

Ji Wuyou insisted that a true immortal attendant accompany him away from the assembly grounds. Li Changshou thought for a moment and asked Jiu Wu Shi Bo to go with him.

Jiu Wu rode the clouds, carrying Li Changshou along a secluded path as they left the basin valley.

With so many qi refiners gathered here, people were coming and going constantly, so the two of them didn't attract any attention.

Jiu Wu flew with him for several thousand li. Once Li Changshou saw that his detection stone was no longer flickering, he found an excuse to separate from Jiu Wu for a moment.

When he returned, it was naturally a new type of paper daoist.

This paper daoist of Li Changshou smiled and said,

"Insights are flooding my mind, Master. I'll meditate here for a while—please wait a bit."

"Alright," Jiu Wu nodded with a smile and set up a simple array around Li Changshou.

Then, Jiu Wu found a large stone about three feet high, jumped on it, sat cross-legged, and quietly stood guard for Li Changshou.

Meanwhile, Li Changshou's true body had already used earth escape to hurry toward where the Great Mage was.

As soon as they met, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi laughed and scolded,

"Why all this hiding and dodging? It's such a hassle just for you to come see me!"

Li Changshou gave an awkward smile and said seriously,

"My cultivation is shallow, my path of cultivation is short, and my foundations are insufficient... To survive in the Hong Huang, I have to add a few more layers of disguise to feel even a little secure.

If I could have a stable environment, I wouldn't need to go to such lengths."

Never mind the rest—first, give a strong hint!

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi nodded with a smile and waved his hand, summoning a white cloud beneath Li Changshou's feet. He said,

"It's good to be careful. Come on, I'll take you to a place."

Li Changshou thought: ...

Oh well, opportunities can't be forced. Just go with the flow and see what happens.

A good magic treasure user knows what an excellent magic treasure should do.

Li Changshou didn't ask where Xuan Du Da Fa Shi was taking him. He just stood behind the Great Mage, keeping his eyes from wandering and his ears from listening, waiting for the Great Mage to speak.

In no time, Li Changshou felt they had passed over mountains and great peaks. Looking down, they were already above the vast blue waves...

"We're almost there," Xuan Du Da Fa Shi chuckled lightly. As the sea water parted unnoticed, he led Li Changshou silently into the depths, heading downward.

By now, Li Changshou had figured it out—the matter likely involved the dragon race.

And the reason the Great Mage brought him here was probably to have this little disciple step in, while the Great Mage himself stayed hidden and avoided karma.

But how could that work?

Wasn't that just wasting their high-end combat power for nothing?

Li Changshou pondered inwardly, thinking about how to persuade the Great Mage later—cough, how to cleverly convince him to act while he himself just played a supporting role.

At the same time, Li Changshou prepared for both possibilities, checking his usual combat cards: paper daoists, micro array bases, poison pills, poison powders, and full funeral services...

Just in case he couldn't refuse and ended up in a mess.

Surrounded by flowing lights and shadows, Li Changshou had no mind to admire the undersea wonders. After a while, he heard the Great Mage say,

"We're here."

Li Changshou looked up and saw they had arrived at a large undersea city.

The deep sea was like a profound curtain. An "island" hung above a seabed volcanic vent, about a thousand zhang from the surface.

Molten lava churned below, while the island above was enveloped in a great array's light barrier. The glow illuminated the surrounding hundreds of li of sea, where schools of sea creatures played.

With his immortal sense, Li Changshou scanned the protective array and saw a small disturbance underway.

About several hundred sea race rebels were being surrounded and suppressed by sea race soldiers in uniform armor. The unrest was clearly about to be quelled.

Many strange and varied sea races lived here;

Some were sea creatures that had gained spiritual intelligence and still retained their original forms, like seahorses, sea fish, or sea donkeys; others had transformed into shapes closer to human bodies, mostly keeping features like gills, scales, tails, or fins.

There were even more bizarre ones, using the path of transformation to cross racial boundaries, creating odd beings...

Li Changshou also spotted some beautiful jiao ren on this trip, which broadened his horizons.

—Jiao ren were a major sea race clan, closely related to the dragon race.

The two stood in the sea water, with a faint dao rhythm swirling around Xuan Du Da Fa Shi, concealing their presence.

"Great Mage," Li Changshou said softly, "Earlier, I submitted a memorial to the Jade Emperor of Heaven as the Nan Hai Sea God, reporting the matter of subduing the dragon race, and I received the Jade Emperor's approval."

"Hmm, well done."

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi smiled and nodded. "Wait and see. I just calculated that something would happen here that requires you to show up and resolve. It looks like we arrived a bit early."

Hearing this, Li Changshou felt a surge of emotion in his heart.

What level of cultivation was this? What kind of divination was this? Could the Great Mage truly foresee the future?

Thigh—hold on tight!

The two waited for about half a shichen. The rebellion in the city had been suppressed, but Li Changshou keenly sensed an undercurrent still lurking within the city.

And this feeling was very familiar to him...

"Great Mage," Li Changshou whispered, "Do you know the origins of those blood mosquito puppets that attacked Du Xian Men back then?"

"That was the Western side's doing," Xuan Du Da Fa Shi said with a laugh. "Longevity, clashing with a great teaching that has saints overseeing it is quite troublesome.

Even if we're in the right, we must still consider the saints' face.

For those two shishu in the West, it's just a casual scheme with a flick of their fingers.

Those demons and monsters they use are disposable pawns.

Saints are eternal and beyond calamity.

So, when we dismantle the Western schemes, we must leave some leeway—win, but also save face for the saints."

Li Changshou pondered this carefully, then bowed and said,

"I will remember the Great Mage's teachings!"

Although he had already considered all this when planning his follow-up strategies earlier, he still said,

"If not for your timely reminder today, Great Mage, I might have made a big mistake."

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi waved his hand, his smile growing even more relaxed.

Going out with little Li Changshou was truly more interesting and comfortable than going alone...

Just then, the sea parted hundreds of li away, and a Jiao dragon carriage descended, escorted by several hundred Xianjiao soldiers, heading toward this undersea city.

The dragon race was a bit late—if they arrived any later, the streets here would have been cleared out.

With his immortal sense, Li Changshou quickly detected a very familiar aura.

The second Sea God cult leader, Ao Yi.

So, this trip was about Ao Yi...

Li Changshou shook his head inwardly. He had warned Ao Yi many times not to show himself easily...

Oh well, with the dragon race in the midst of tribulation, fate was unstoppable, no matter who tried.

What followed was hardly surprising—just a typical "traitor" plot.

Ao Yi had been cultivating steadily on Jin Ao Island, but he wasn't here of his own accord. A dragon race expert had invited him to come and offer condolences to the jiao ren clan.

After hesitating, Ao Yi chose to leave Jin Ao Island, rendezvous with a small elite dragon force, and rush here for aid...

They hadn't even entered the city when the rebellion here was already quelled.

The city's lord and nobles led the soldiers out to welcome them, escorting Ao Yi into the city and to the grand palace...

This was obviously a trap.

Li Changshou considered warning Ao Yi, but with the Great Mage right here, he didn't need to interfere.

Just do his job as a magic treasure.

Soon, a banquet began in the palace, with sea maidens dancing, immortal music playing, and several sea race youths and maidens flirting outside the hall, exuding an air of extravagance.

At the banquet, a young jiao ren princess was invited to sit beside Ao Yi and serve him wine.

It seemed they were testing whether the East Sea Dragon Palace's second prince was interested in taking a consort...

Dragon life was filled with tedium.

Halfway through the banquet, trouble suddenly arose.

The protective array turned into a black smokescreen, and thousands of experts charged toward the central palace complex.

The dragon race expert who had invited Ao Yi suddenly betrayed him, attacking Ao Yi. Fortunately, an elderly dragon-headed figure appeared beside Ao Yi and struck the attacker away...

"Protect him! Protect him!"

"Guard Ao Yi!"

The several hundred elite Xianjiao soldiers and the sea race experts reacted swiftly, surrounding Ao Yi and the jiao ren princess, activating the palace array, and urgently mobilizing the city's forces.

The entire city fell into chaos!

Dark blood-colored array patterns emerged from several corners of the city, and two more layers of arrays sealed the area, blocking external detection and temporarily obscuring the heavenly secrets.

The palace array was quickly breached, and the sea race experts escorted Ao Yi to break out, while the elderly dragon-headed figure held off many enemies.

Ao Yi, even in this moment, didn't forget to shield the jiao ren princess in his arms, his face showing no panic, fully embodying the grace of the Dragon Palace's second prince...

Soon, Ao Yi was trapped in a heavy encirclement.

By now, Li Changshou and Xuan Du had unknowingly appeared in a residence within the city, not far from where Ao Yi was besieged.

"Go on, save your second cult leader."

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi said with a light laugh.

But Li Changshou hesitated for a moment and frowned. "Great Mage, since you're already here, dealing with these petty foes would be as easy as lifting a hand..."

"These petty foes aren't worth my effort."

"Great Mage, I actually think," Li Changshou said, "it's wise not to underestimate any enemy.

If you act, it's reliable and swift, and it would showcase the might of Ren Jiao.

If I act, it might seem forced, and there's a risk I could mess it up. They've already shown several golden immortal experts—if there are more hidden ones, I might not be able to handle it."

Hearing this, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi nodded slowly.

"You have a point.

Go ahead. If any experts show up, how could I not save you?"

Li Changshou frowned inwardly, though he didn't dare directly refute. He said softly,

"Great Mage, I still feel... it's a bit improper.

Though I know you wouldn't harm me, if there's a safer way, why choose the uncertain one? My heart couldn't bear it..."

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi was a bit amused and exasperated. He said warmly, "Go show your skills, and I'll know your strength better, so I can assign you tasks in the future."

Seeing Li Changshou still hesitate, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi added,

"To make it fair, I won't just watch your display for nothing, so you don't feel shortchanged.

If you can save this young dragon prince, I'll grant you one thing within my power. How about that?"

Li Changshou furrowed his brow in thought, then said,

"Great Mage, I'll be bold in asking.

If I can save Ao Yi, could you protect me when I undergo my golden immortal tribulation?"

"Agreed!

Now, hurry up and go!"

Li Changshou nodded, raised his hand to rub his face and alter his appearance slightly, then turned and said,

"I still feel uneasy in my heart. How about... you make an oath to ensure you'll rescue me in time..."

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi pretended to lift his foot as if to kick him.

Li Changshou quickly bowed and accepted the order, but he didn't leave the courtyard. Instead, he reached into his sleeve and pulled out a stack of paper daoists, scattering them casually.

The paper daoists instantly transformed into a middle-aged male immortal, a young maiden, a sturdy old man, and a kind old woman—all radiating the aura of early heavenly immortal realm.

Then, with a wave of his sleeve, Li Changshou sent the four paper daoists using water escape, turning them into streams of water that darted out of the courtyard.

Behind him, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi couldn't help but rub his forehead.

This little disciple was just too cautious.

Wait a minute...

If he hadn't shown himself and just summoned Li Changshou here, throwing him into this situation—after all, Ao Yi was Li Changshou's second cult leader and a key figure in the dragon race's ascension to heaven—how could Li Changshou not save him?

Realizing this, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi couldn't help but twitch his mouth.

It seemed, without noticing, he had been subtly maneuvered by this little disciple and ended up making an extra promise...