Chapter 171: Ordinary Duel Mode

Four streams of water darted through this chaotic deep-sea metropolis, passing by Hai Ma Zhi Jia, darting through Hai Xing Da Dao, and heading straight to the place where Ao Yi was trapped.

The entire city had devolved into utter chaos, like a boiling pot of seafood mishmash; experts from both sides were locked in fierce struggles, with the strongest elder bearing a dragon head on Ao Yi's side now surrounded by over ten sea clan masters.

The Jia Ren clan repeatedly called for outside aid, but the city was completely isolated, cut off from all external communication.

However, that was no problem.

The two rather steady "experts" from Wen Jiao—cough, meant to say Ren Jiao—were already on site and would ensure nothing happened to Ao Yi.

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi was a true powerhouse in the world, one of the few below the saints, and he could summon treasures like the Tai Ji Tu and Xuan Huang Ta at any time. Suppressing this place would be trivial, let alone the entire Jia Ren clan.

Li Changshou, who had been dragged here by the great mage to do the heavy lifting, had his own calculations in mind.

Although this was just a temporary response, he had already devised a fairly comprehensive plan, one that could achieve the effect of killing three or four birds with one stone and advance the matter of the Long Zu ascending to heaven by a small step.

At that moment, Li Changshou stood in the courtyard, eyes closed in concentration, controlling four paper daoist puppets.

Nearby, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi watched with great interest, curious to see how Li Changshou would deal with the enemies.

But as he watched, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi couldn't help but chuckle.

The four paper daoist puppets used water escape to reach the area around Ao Yi without alerting anyone from either side.

At that time, Ao Yi was surrounded by some thirty or forty guards, and with the Jin Xian realm experts battling near the palace, the highest cultivation among the sea clan guards around Ao Yi was only mid Tian Xian realm.

Meanwhile, the small group of rebel sea clan forces attacking Ao Yi included over ten Tian Xian and more than fifty Zhen Xian.

Li Changshou detected that several of the Tian Xian among these rebels had an unusual aura, similar to the blood mosquito puppets from years past.

That Mosquito Dao Ren was likely hiding in the shadows, secretly observing the scene.

How could he make her notice that the great mage was here?

He wasn't sure if the great mage could track down Mosquito Dao Ren's traces and directly eliminate that vicious threat once and for all.

Rescuing Ao Yi didn't require much of Li Changshou's focus; a standard paper daoist tactic would suffice.

The four paper daoist puppets appeared at the outskirts of the battlefield, each fluttering their sleeves to release.

Another batch of sixteen paper people in total.

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi burst into laughter at the sight and teasingly scolded:

"Paper people releasing paper people, so many paper people!

You, this guy, are quite something."

Li Changshou turned back with a somewhat bashful smile, taking it as the great mage's praise for his paper daoist tactical system.

The sixteen original paper people, crafted with divine abilities, charged straight into the rear of the rebels, moving with lightning speed to grab hold of the enemy's Tian Xian experts. Before the enemies could react, they self-detonated, releasing clouds of toxic mist!

In an instant, murky fog billowed through the seawater!

The remaining four paper daoist puppets darted left and right.

In their hands, the swords were not quite swords, the flutes not quite flutes, the tobacco pipes not quite pipes, and the blades inscribed with "is this melon ripe"—well, not quite blades either.

They were all poison-dispensing treasures!

Li Changshou scattered the toxic pills he had refined over two years, each worth the equivalent of six superior Xian Bao, in the blink of an eye!

The four paper daoist puppets' only task was to fully control the direction of the spreading toxic mist and powder.

Soon after, over a hundred rebel attackers besieging Ao Yi collapsed one after another.

Most of them didn't even have time to glance back at their assailants before their Yuan Shen and Yuan Hun were overwhelmed by the deadly poison.

The paper daoist puppet in the form of an old woman shouted:

"Those protecting Ao Yi, do not move recklessly! You'll be poisoned too! This old one has no antidote!"

The group of sea clan experts guarding Ao Yi froze in fear, huddling together around him.

The four paper daoist puppets moved with slight synchronization—this was Li Changshou saving some mental effort.

They each deployed storage treasures, collecting the seawater mixed with toxic powder for later reuse.

Then, the four paper daoist puppets released eight Soul-Capturing Pearls, which swiftly absorbed lingering souls across the battlefield and scattered seeds of San Mei Zhen Yan flames.

The seawater only slightly weakened the power of San Mei Zhen Yan, making it easy to incinerate the corpses.

As the flames surged, the four paper daoist puppets each released three more paper people, transforming into twelve benevolent-looking daoists.

They held wooden fish, soul-calming bells, and wooden clappers, knocking and ringing around the area while reciting scriptures like the Du Ren Jing, Wang Sheng Zhu, and Xiao Zai Qi Fu Zhu.

The group of sea clan experts exchanged bewildered glances, and Ao Yi looked utterly confused.

Having never seen such a scene before, they all felt the limits of their knowledge, like frogs at the bottom of a well glimpsing a new world for the first time.

"What kind of divine beings are these four daoist friends?"

"Why are they helping us?"

"They look like people from the Ren clan—they're so meticulous!

After killing the enemies, they even handle the corpses and recite those incantations to perform the rites!"

"We couldn't pull that off; it's beyond us."

The corpses were quickly consumed by San Mei Zhen Yan, and the four paper daoist puppets jointly scattered the remaining ashes into the seawater, where they dissolved.

May they be good fish in their next life.

Afterward, the four paper daoist puppets turned and withdrew.

The entire process was incredibly swift, leaving not only the sea clan soldiers and Ao Yi stunned, but even Xuan Du Da Fa Shi watching from the side sighing in admiration.

Could the Dao Men Tian Gang Thirty-Six Divine Abilities' Paper into Human technique be used like this?

Ao Yi, holding the Jia Ren clan's little princess, called out to the four paper daoist puppets: "Esteemed predecessors, please wait! Allow me to express my thanks!"

The old woman puppet turned with a smile and said:

"We come on His Majesty's orders to aid the Second Prince in escaping this predicament. No thanks are necessary."

With that, she turned and used water escape to leave without delay.

The four paper daoist puppets didn't go far, transforming into four streams of water and hiding in a sea clan residence amid the chaos, waiting for the next opportunity.

Around them, large numbers of rebels continued to surge toward Ao Yi's location, with sea clan soldiers intercepting them everywhere as Ao Yi's group began to move.

If the paper daoist puppets stayed constantly by Ao Yi's side, they would also get caught in the attacks and lose their initiative.

Hiding and counter-surrounding was the way to effectively eliminate the strong enemies.

Li Changshou quickly tallied the losses for his paper daoist puppets: two-tenths of the toxic pills consumed, two-thousandths of immortal power used, and the four treasures temporarily unusable, needing refilling with poison.

Overall, it was a decent outcome.

In the courtyard, Li Changshou opened his eyes, bowed to the great mage, and stepped back to stand behind him.

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi was still mulling it over.

He understood the reasoning behind what Li Changshou had his paper daoist puppets do—it was just a method to handle lingering souls.

But still.

"Changshou, you handle this so smoothly, like flowing water. Do you often engage in battles?"

Li Changshou replied hastily:

"This disciple spends most of his time cultivating in the mountains and doesn't venture out much. I've never actively made enemies.

But the Hong Huang world is dangerous, and when this disciple goes out to gather herbs in the markets, he might be targeted by bandits.

This disciple deeply believes that raising dust happens in an instant, while a hundred years of effort can vanish in a day.

To quickly resolve enemies and leave no hidden threats when ambushed, I always practice these battle steps repeatedly in daily life.

What happened just now was an emergency measure, and I even skipped a few steps."

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi laughed: "If you're saying that, you've piqued my interest. What were those steps you skipped?"

"Great mage, please take a look at this little gadget I've come up with."

Li Changshou produced a miniature array disk and several paper people designed to play mournful music and weep.

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi: ...

This junior brother—he had to have him!

Then, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi said warmly: "So, why did you have the paper daoist puppets say 'on His Majesty's orders' earlier, instead of directly specifying 'Yu Di His Majesty'?"

"Thank you, great mage, for the question.

This disciple thought that if we directly mentioned Yu Di, it might make the Long Zu wary. Better to use 'His Majesty' and leave some room for their imagination.

These four paper daoist puppets have the form and aura of living Ren clan people, and with no supreme figures like you, great mage, present, it's hard for anyone to recognize them as paper incarnations.

The term 'His Majesty' is rarely used in Hong Huang outside of the Long Zu, so it lets them fully speculate while reducing their vigilance toward Yu Di His Majesty."

"Well, that's a good answer," Xuan Du Da Fa Shi said with a narrowed-eyed smile. "It aligns with my intentions."

Li Changshou: ...

Just the daily routine for Ren Jiao disciples—basic operations, nothing special.

At that moment, the group of sea clan experts escorted Ao Yi toward the array barrier at the city's edge.

But the Jia Ren metropolis was now enveloped in multiple heavy arrays, isolating the Qian Kun, and they had no way to break through the protective barrier.

Li Changshou understood that the great mage wasn't in a hurry to act. In fact, if they could hold out until the Long Zu experts arrived, the great mage might not even reveal himself.

Most sea clan members had intelligence slightly lower than land-based creatures.

And their temperaments were mostly...

They get scared at the first sign of trouble, and smiling doesn't help.

They kept charging forward, but Ao Yi's guards had already lost over ten more people, making Li Changshou shake his head at the sight.

The sea clan was unreliable for major tasks.

As the second wave of rebels surrounded Ao Yi and his group again, Ao Yi protected the Jia Ren clan's little princess and glared defiantly at those around him.

Ao Yi wasn't after the little princess's beauty.

As the responsible second prince of the Long Gong, he feared that any harm to the Jia Ren princess might damage relations between the Jia Ren clan and the Long Zu.

With troubles brewing across the four seas, the Jia Ren clan was a key vassal and ally of the Long Zu. Even if it meant Ao Yi marrying the princess to secure their full support and suppress the sea clan rebellion, he wouldn't hesitate for a second.

Seeing Ao Yi in trouble again, Li Changshou's four paper daoist puppets reappeared, and once more, the paper daoist tactic wiped out this small group of rebels.

But the trouble didn't end there.

The rebels' main target was Ao Yi, and after two failed assaults, those orchestrating the attacks adjusted their strategy.

At the palace, the dragon-headed elder fought fiercely, shifting between dragon form and human shape, not only holding his ground but also tying down several Jin Xian rebels.

If this elder could keep stalling until the Long Zu reinforcements arrived, they would win this battle.

However, one of the rebel Jin Xian suddenly broke away and charged toward Ao Yi.

The dragon-headed elder roared in fury, transforming into a thousand-zhang-long green dragon and smashing the magnificent palace to rubble!

The old dragon tried to pursue, but the other rebel experts unleashed their divine abilities, blocking him dead in his tracks!

Ao Yi sensed the incoming pressure from the Jin Xian and let out a soft breath, his eyes flashing with determination as he pushed the Jia Ren princess away and soared into the air!

He channeled his power and focused his mind, ready to fight the Jin Xian to the death!

In the courtyard, although Li Changshou wanted to comment on his second teacher's impulsive nature, facing a Jin Xian like this was indeed commendable.

He was quite a talent.

"Cough, a capable leader."

"Changshou," the great mage said with a smile, "this Jin Xian has an unstable foundation and shaky realm, as if the cultivation was borrowed. Why don't you try handling it?"

This Jin Xian seemed similar to the San Jiao cultivators who had attacked Du Xian Men years ago.

'The great mage is probably testing my limits.'

Li Changshou pondered for a moment and said seriously: "This disciple is willing to try, but please keep a close eye on me, great mage."

"Very well," Xuan Du Da Fa Shi nodded with a smile and pointed at Li Changshou.

A beam of immortal light formed the shadow of a treasure pagoda on Li Changshou's back.

A profound dao rhythm enveloped his Yuan Shen and physical body, quickly merging into him.

The great mage laughed: "This is the power of the defensive supreme treasure, Xuan Huang Ling Long Ta. I'll lend it to you for half a shi chen. Without a Xian Tian Ling Bao, even a Da Luo Jin Xian couldn't harm you."

Li Changshou's thoughts raced, his gaze turning slightly complex as he sighed inwardly.

Why only half a shi chen?

It was like a locked blood buff, trial version!

But back to the matter at hand.

Li Changshou controlled the four paper daoist puppets to rush toward Ao Yi. The old woman puppet instantly restrained Ao Yi, while the other three charged forward, each pulling out chessboard-sized miniature arrays and hurling them at the enemy.

In the courtyard, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi curiously stepped aside, tilting his head to watch Li Changshou's actions.

Li Changshou rubbed his face with his hands, slightly altering his appearance, then donned a thin mask to transform into a middle-aged man's face.

He used Hua Xing Shu to further adjust his form and features; a few illusion spells were always helpful.

All this was done in the blink of an eye. Li Changshou gripped a counterfeit Judge's Pen in his left hand, hung a pouch containing two Ling Dan-level immortal sense toxic pills ignited by heart fire at his waist, and clutched two golden talismans in his right hand.

The twelve treasure pouches sewn into his sleeve were already slightly opened.

Dealing with this "fake Jin Xian" would be tough, even with the locked blood buff, since the opponent was at that realm and likely under remote control by Mosquito Dao Ren.

Sigh, he probably had to reveal over one-fifth of his battle cards this time.