Chapter 218: Nine Turns Pill Enters the Trump Card Library

With the retreat of Wen Jing Dao Ren and her band of vicious foes, the Long Clan experts finally had their hands free. They dove into the fray like dragons among fish, swinging their blades from south to north, then from north to west.

The entire Sea Clan rebellion and deep-sea demon clans lost their core leadership, collapsing in defeat like a mountain crumbling.

To preserve a spark for future schemes, the Western Religion side took away many high-ranking officers from the Sea Clan rebellion who held significant influence and strong cultivation.

As for the deep-sea demon clans, they were simply abandoned on the spot, left as complete pawns.

The six saint disciples of Western Religion wandered around the edge of Dong Hai, missing their chance to enter the scene, and had no choice but to hide their tracks and return to Xi Niu He Zhou.

Such crude words from Western Religion.

Li Changshou didn't care about how furious they were or how they assigned blame among themselves.

What concerned Li Changshou now was that Senior Zhao Gong Ming had accumulated too much enmity with Western Religion.

This was not a good thing.

Although Zhao Gong Ming didn't mind, Li Changshou still felt indirectly responsible for dragging the elder into it.

This enmity should have been borne by Ren Jiao.

Li Changshou glanced at the Grand Mage, hesitating as if he wanted to speak.

The Grand Mage seemed to see through Li Changshou's thoughts and said warmly,

"Are you worrying about Zhao Shidi?"

"Ah," Li Changshou sighed with a bitter smile, "I'm afraid Western Religion might plot against Senior Zhao Gong Ming."

"Then I will handle it myself. You don't need to worry about it."

Xuan Du Grand Mage chuckled lightly, gazing at the scene in the crystal mirror, then sighed softly and stood up.

"With no major issues here, I should return to Dou Lu Palace.

Longshou, would you like to come back with me?"

"I must trouble the Grand Mage to drop me off halfway," Li Changshou said with a smile. "As a junior disciple of Du Xian Men, it's not appropriate for me to show myself here."

"Why?" the Grand Mage asked. "Half of the Long Clan's crisis today was resolved because of you. When did you start being so modest? Why not claim some rewards from the Long Clan?"

Li Changshou bowed in a Daoist salute and said seriously,

"What matters to me is only how our Ren Jiao members view me. I don't seek anything else.

The Dragon Palace affair was ultimately a scheme. Since I've already received your reward, Grand Mage, and the honors from Tian Ting, I shouldn't greedily eye the Long Clan's treasures."

"Hahaha! I just love how well you speak."

Xuan Du Grand Mage laughed with his hands behind his back, lightly tapping his fingers toward Li Changshou as he said, "If you had been born a few yuan hui earlier, my cultivation days wouldn't have been so lonely.

Longshou, what are your thoughts on the Long Clan's future matters?"

Li Changshou pondered for a moment and replied,

"Though the Long Clan won today, they've exposed many problems.

I expect that in the coming period, the Long Clan might become a bit... overconfident. Tian Ting shouldn't engage with them too much right now.

For now, Tian Ting should keep its distance and not reveal any intentions of recruiting them. I'll continue guiding the Long Clan indirectly through my identity as the South Sea Sea God.

My plan is to give Ao Yi some merit from Tian Ting, setting an example for the Long Clan and luring them with the promise of merit."

Xuan Du Grand Mage nodded slowly. "Since you've figured it all out, I won't advise you further."

Li Changshou smiled. "Thank you for the reminder, Grand Mage."

"Hahaha," Xuan Du Grand Mage waved his hand. "You mentioned the Long Clan exposed many problems—what are the main ones?

This isn't a test; I'm just curious."

Li Changshou thought for a moment and said, "Grand Mage, why not stay here for another couple of hours? You'll see for yourself soon enough."

"Oh?"

Xuan Du Grand Mage perked up with interest, pulling Li Changshou to sit down. "Then let's watch for half a day and see what other dramas unfold."

Is he really not busy?

There are indeed more shows to come, but they'll take a full day—wait until the Long Clan's wedding reaches its end, with the newlyweds sent to the bridal chamber.

As everyone knows, after sending the newlyweds to the chamber, the next step is always... the raucous chamber games.

But let's get back to the main events.

Outside Dong Hai Dragon Palace, the Long Clan forces had repelled the strong enemies without pursuing them further and were now cleaning up the battlefield.

Although Ao Yi's wedding had missed the auspicious time, it didn't matter much, and the proceedings resumed, continuing as planned.

With battles raging outside and the wedding inside, the blue waves stained with blood served as an unexpected blessing.

The Long Clan experts who had just fought, along with the commanding generals and the newly arrived reinforcements, all gathered toward the Water Crystal Palace.

At this point, the "problems" Li Changshou mentioned became clearly visible.

Among the Long Clan experts, those who had fought the hardest and had mid-level cultivation were seated at the back of the ceremony.

The more prominent seats were occupied by certain Long Clan "nobles" who hadn't lifted a finger earlier or had only stood far back to supervise.

As for the large number of Xianjiao soldiers and generals, they weren't even allowed inside the Water Crystal Palace; they had to observe from a distance outside.

Pointing to the scene in the image, Li Changshou whispered,

"Grand Mage, please look—this is the Long Clan's fatal flaw."

The Grand Mage's expression turned serious. This time, he didn't calculate with his fingers but thought for a moment.

The human heart can't be divined.

The Grand Mage shook his head slightly and said calmly, "Those in power don't match their strength; those who bravely fight are treated like servants.

The Long Clan still follows the old ways from ancient times, valuing bloodline above all.

Unfortunately, the Long Clan traces back to ancient eras, and the direct bloodline of Zu Long has been depleted too much from sealing the sea eyes, so they can no longer suppress these Xianjiao and transformed dragons."

Li Changshou whispered, "The real difficulty for the Long Clan is that they can't delegate power to these transformed dragons and Xianjiao soldiers.

If they did, the first to rebel against the Dragon King would be those sitting right beside him now."

"Tsk," the Grand Mage frowned. "The Long Clan truly needs a strong remedy. Although Western Religion hurt them this time, it wasn't harsh enough."

Li Changshou added, "After this battle, the Sea Clan will likely need at least a few centuries to recover. The only ones who can pressure the Long Clan afterward are the experts from Western Religion itself.

If someone exploits this internal conflict in the Long Clan..."

"It's already being exploited," Xuan Du Grand Mage said, pointing his finger. The image quickly focused on a dark-skinned, burly man outside the hall.

This was a Xianjiao soldier general, a genuine Jin Xian realm expert with a robust aura and formidable strength.

Xuan Du gently grasped at the mirror, and the burly man's body seemed to turn transparent. On his Jiaolong Yuan Shen, a blood mosquito was clearly attached.

Li Changshou pondered and whispered, "Grand Mage, this seems to be the work of our own people—it's a puppet."

"Is it that seductive woman who did it?"

"Probably. I've seen this blood mosquito a few times before."

The two exchanged glances and smiled knowingly, choosing not to dwell on the topic and continuing their discussion on the Long Clan's future affairs.

Grand Mage: I get it, I get it.

Little mage: Sort of, yeah.

Today, the Long Clan barely claimed a great victory, leaving most of them in high spirits.

Of course, a few, like Ao Yi, who had a conscience, felt heavy-hearted over the deaths of their kin.

The Grand Mage watched the Long Clan wedding for a while longer, until the part where guests presented gifts, then decided not to linger and took Li Changshou away.

As they left, Li Changshou put away the crystal mirror.

Although its divine powers would soon fade, he had other uses for it later.

With the Dou Xian soldiers' protection, the forty thousand Tian Ting soldiers suffered relatively few casualties.

The soldiers had already left Dong Hai and were regrouping in the skies above, preparing to return to Tian Ting.

Dragon Palace sent several turtle immortals to invite the commanding Tian generals to a banquet, but the generals simply replied, "We have duties to attend to and cannot enter."

When the Dragon Clan brought out large quantities of treasures, the Tian soldiers and generals didn't even glance at them, having received strict orders from Dong Mu Gong not to take so much as a thread from any living being in the Three Realms.

As the group of Tian soldiers and generals flew into the high skies on clouds, they left behind...

A faint legend about Tian Ting.

Li Changshou was dropped off by the Grand Mage three thousand li outside Du Xian Men.

As before, the Grand Mage left with a few hearty laughs, and Li Changshou still couldn't see how he departed.

Composing himself, he checked his condition.

His anti-divination tools were all in place, and the Turtle Breath Equalizing Qi technique was operating normally. Only then did he ride the clouds back to the immortal sect.

He smoothly entered Du Xian Men, returned the mountain-exit jade talisman to the Hall of a Hundred Matters, and slipped a spirit beast ball—each containing a well-raised, ready-to-slaughter spirit beast—to each of the external affairs elders. Finally, he rode the clouds back to Xiao Qiong Peak.

To sum up this trip simply:

He intercepted Western Religion's scheme, helped Tian Ting make its first show of power, and gave the Long Clan a preliminary favorable impression of Tian Ting.

He boosted the Grand Mage's goodwill and completed a crucial step toward the Long Clan's ascension to heaven.

He saved his paper effigy legion and a large batch of poison pills—unused meant saved.

And he had two spirit pills from the Grand Mage...

Li Changshou resisted the urge to open them along the way and only took out the jade bottle once he was back in his pill room.

He wrapped himself in over ten layers of immortal energy, placed the jade bottle three zhang away, and carefully removed the stopper...

There was no fragrance, no immortal light, but a profound aura containing a sense of perfection slowly spread out.

Li Changshou immediately sealed the jade bottle with immortal energy and retreated several zhang, nearly crashing out of the pill room...

As long as I back away fast enough, the aura and insights can't catch me!

What was that just now...

Li Changshou stared at the jade bottle, a somewhat absurd thought crossing his mind.

Nine...

Nine-turn level spirit pills?

No doubt about it!

These were definitely nine-turn level spirit pills—the aura of perfection was beyond seven-turn or even eight-turn.

Li Changshou carefully drew in a wisp of the aura and experienced it, feeling stunned for a moment before breaking into a grin.

Nine-Turn Golden Pills!

Refined by Tai Shang Lao Jun himself!

Rounding it off, these were the highest-level pills made by a saint!

They could revive the dead, heal flesh and bone, reverse life and death, and manipulate creation. The Grand Mage had given him two at once!

What was this?

Two extra lives!

As long as he wasn't instantly turned to dust by a powerful enemy and could hold on to a breath, he could use the Nine-Turn Golden Pill to save his life!

A life-saving cheat confirmed—full health resurrection isn't just a dream!

Li Changshou wanted to shout to the skies, 'I wholeheartedly serve the Saint, Lao Jun, and the Grand Mage!'

Of course, he couldn't actually shout it—the saints might sense it and assign him tasks.

Li Changshou stood there laughing for a while before composing himself and placing the two Nine-Turn Golden Pills in his "Shou" trump card pouch, right at the innermost spot.

After taking a few deep breaths, Li Changshou closed his eyes and gradually calmed his mindset.

His chances of surviving the Jin Xian tribulation had now risen to ninety-three percent!

With another one or two centuries of preparation, he could basically attempt the tribulation and attain the fruit of immortality.

'The Grand Mage has been so generous to me!'

Li Changshou smiled and thought to himself, 'From now on, I'll do my best for any tasks the Grand Mage assigns.

As long as they don't conflict with what Tai Qing Saint has instructed...

Oh, and except for anything involving Mosquito Dao Ren.'

Though his mood was great, Li Changshou didn't let his guard down. He quickly hid his true body and shifted most of his focus to Ao Yi's wedding.

Now, watching the newlyweds bowing to the Zu Long image, Li Changshou felt a touch of joy.

The Zu Long bowing ceremony was quite elaborate, and watching it made Li Changshou a bit bored. He signaled the beautiful sea nymph musicians nearby, dismissed his music-playing paper effigies, and returned to his seat beside Yue Lao.

"Sea God."

Hearing the voice transmission, Li Changshou looked over to see the Tian general played by the Jade Emperor's incarnation.

The general raised his wine cup and transmitted,

"Your strategies are truly extraordinary, Sea God. Today, I witnessed how you used immortal beans to slay demons and demons and stabilized the four seas with clever plans.

His Majesty Jade Emperor is truly fortunate to have you by his side."

Li Changshou smiled and, treating the man as an ordinary Tian general, replied via transmission, "Tian Ting's great fortune comes from the warriors' bravery. I wouldn't dare claim credit for myself."

The general laughed. "I'm sure His Majesty will reward the soldiers who descended today."

That "I'm sure" felt a bit redundant—His Majesty's acting still had some flaws.

But it was clear that His Majesty Jade Emperor was in an excellent mood... his eyebrows were practically dancing.

The other Tian generals nearby also raised their cups to Li Changshou, having vaguely heard from Mu Gong that this man, not yet ascended to Tian Ting, already enjoyed deep trust from Jade Emperor.

Once the heavenly decree was solidified and he officially entered Tian Ting, he would surely be one of His Majesty's favored.

An hour later, Ao Yi and Jiang Si Er finally finished bowing to Zu Long and began a break, waiting for the next round of ceremonies.

The guests started mingling, with those wanting to network approaching to offer toasts and chat.

The Tian Ting group also saw more guests coming over, and the glances from around the hall held less disdain and more respect.

Yue Lao kept standing to exchange pleasantries with unfamiliar experts, handling it with ease and flawless manners.

He must attend a lot of banquets in his daily life!

Ao Yi, who wanted to find his teacher brother, could only look over from afar without moving, as there were still about three hours of ceremonies for him and Jiang Si Er to complete step by step.

However, an unexpected scene unfolded three hours later...

After the wedding ceremonies ended, during the Dragon Palace's thank-you to the guests, as Ao Yi and Jiang Si Er went around offering toasts;

The Dong Hai Dragon King, who hadn't budged even when the Water Crystal Palace was nearly overturned, led a few dragon elders with two golden goblets of jade wine and headed straight toward this area.

And the old Dragon King's gaze was fixed not on Yue Lao, but on that...

Jade Emperor's incarnation.

Just as Li Changshou was about to enjoy the show, a wisp of immortal sense transmission suddenly reached him.

"That... Changgeng, my dear minister, help me block this.

My incarnation has been in Tian Ting for tens of thousands of years. If it's exposed, it would damage... the dignity of the Heavenly Emperor."

Li Changshou: ...

So, it wasn't just a whim for you to send an incarnation to watch the fun;

You directly placed an incarnation among your ministers to monitor their every move?

What kind of behavior is that?

Is the Eastern and Western Factories and the Jinyi Guards all handled by Your Majesty alone?

Li Changshou turned to glance at the Jade Emperor's incarnation, deliberately showing a hint of shock in his eyes...

The latter still smiled, but blinked at Li Changshou repeatedly.