Chapter 274: Seasoning is the Romance of Men

Before, without any comparison, Li Changshou knew that Niutou and Mamian were formidable, but he hadn't expected them to be... so strong.

Were the Ba Bi Shura really that insignificant in the Youming Jie?

As soon as Niutou and Mamian appeared, one Ba Bi Shura was smashed straight into the ground, and the other three lost their earlier aura of cold, ruthless killers.

Li Changshou didn't dare to definitively judge the strength of the Shura, but he was sure they weren't weak.

However, the Wuzu experts were truly ferocious!

For Yuan Shen Dao cultivators, immense power could manifest in aspects like aura and Dao rhythm.

For those who cultivated the physical body, their strength was mostly hidden within their flesh, giving off an impression of being sturdy warriors.

On the surface, Li Changshou remained very calm, but in his heart, he was filled with endless admiration.

He couldn't help but imagine the ancient era, before the Six Saints had emerged, during the chaotic wars between witches and demons—how brilliant that great age must have been!

Of course, it had nothing to do with him.

Li Changshou felt that using the term "see you" for Niutou and Mamian was a bit inappropriate. Although they were all part of the "Heavenly Dao establishment," they weren't in the same system for now.

Li Changshou smiled and said:

"Thank you both, my fellow Daoists, for coming to assist!

I was just worrying that these Shura might harm the mortals in the city, and thankfully, you two stepped in!"

This wasn't just polite talk; he was genuinely grateful for these two helmeted experts who had dropped from the sky.

But when his words reached Niutou and Mamian's ears...

The two Wuzu males glanced at the swarm of immortal soldiers surrounding the Haishen Temple, then at the group of elderly immortal-skinned incarnations before them...

This Haishen was clearly just saving face for them.

Niutou and Mamian exchanged a look, their eyes communicating silently through their helmets.

In Wuzu tradition, respect was earned through force.

Niutou cupped his fists and said:

"Haishen, please wait—we'll go clean up these Shura remnants! Moo!"

Mamian added:

"They usually hide in the Blood Sea, and we never get a chance to catch them! Neigh!"

Li Changshou replied:

"I appreciate your help! Make sure these Shura don't harm the innocent!"

"Got it!"

The two Wuzu agreed, then suddenly turned, their eyes flashing with ferocity as waves of blood energy rose like smoke, changing the very color of the heavens and earth!

The three Ba Bi Shura, seeing that Niutou and Mamian meant business, made an instant decision—

Strategic retreat!

One Ba Bi Shura turned and dashed toward the outside of the Haishen Temple, while the other two plunged directly into the cracks in the ground!

With a moo and a neigh, Niutou and Mamian left afterimages in their wake and vanished at incredible speed!

Beneath Li Changshou's incarnation, the stone steps instantly turned to powder, but the damage only spread to about ten zhang in radius...

What precise control of power.

Though impressed, Li Changshou didn't hesitate and acted swiftly.

He flicked his dust whisk, unleashing full power!

Underground, over a dozen paper Daoists surged toward the Qiankun Transfer Array at the bottom of the crack, blocking the escape route.

In the air, the swarm of immortal bean soldiers fired a barrage of arrows, while the pea shooters spat in unison!

The eighteen elderly immortal-skinned paper Daoists soared upward, whipping up whirlwinds on the ground and scattering wisps of colorless, odorless poisonous powder into the air.

Li Changshou maximized his mind power!

In the height of the ancient Shura clan's prosperity, they were synonymous with relentless blood battles and unyielding spirit, ranking high on the list of ancient second-tier races for sheer toughness.

But later, their old ancestors fell, their leaders perished, their princess fled, the Blood Sea dried up, and the cycle of reincarnation was established...

Now, as they scrambled to flee, they looked just like everyday folks trying to survive.

Still, only about one in ten might escape...

The saturation firepower from the immortal bean soldiers was overwhelmingly fierce against the four-armed and two-armed Shura.

Right then, a series of booming explosions echoed, and the ground in front of the Haishen Temple's main hall trembled violently. Dozens of fissures split open, toppling nearby houses and walls.

Amid the collapsing earth and flying debris, fists and legs blurred in a frenzy, sending the four massive Ba Bi Shura hurtling into the sky!

Youming Ascending Ox Dominance and Ground Horse Meteor Kick!

The four Ba Bi Shura, now airborne, had powerful forces surging through their bodies.

But these forces were directed straight upward, clearly because Niutou and Mamian had internalized Li Changshou's guidance to avoid harming mortals, channeling their power vertically.

In the next instant, two afterimages flickered lightly from the ground and appeared in the air a hundred zhang high, intercepting the four figures.

Niutou's iron fists and Mamian's flying legs.

The two Wuzu experts seemed to casually throw punches and kicks, yet they produced a storm of fist shadows and leg images, accompanied by rhythmic moos and neighs.

The four Ba Bi Shura weren't completely powerless to fight back...

At first, they each unleashed surges of formidable energy, struggling fiercely, but their speed and power were clearly outmatched by Niutou and Mamian!

How could the Wuzu battle techniques be mere reputation?

Once suppressed, there was no turning the tide!

In the blink of an eye, the two Wuzu experts had unleashed countless strikes, shaking the Qiankun and dispersing the clouds in the sky, as the bodies of the four Ba Bi Shura were gradually torn apart...

Niutou's voice boomed from the air:

"Haishen, do you want them alive or dead?"

Li Changshou answered:

"Finish them off completely!"

"What's that mean..."

Li Changshou clarified:

"Destroy them!"

"Alright!"

Niutou laughed heartily and replied, positioning himself with Mamian—one on the left, one on the right—as they appeared in midair.

Then, Niutou stamped his foot and Mamian flipped his body, charging forward with tremendous force, their movements deceptively slow but incredibly swift!

Soon, the sky erupted in a shower of blood rain as the four Ba Bi Shura were swiftly ripped to shreds by the two Wuzu experts...

The scene was quite brutal.

Immediately, paper figures sprang into action, gathering the blood chunks and the remains of the other Shura, fusing them together.

Niutou and Mamian didn't stop there, dashing upward like tigers among sheep, quickly dispatching the Shura surrounded by the immortal bean soldiers and smashing the sixteen vortices.

Li Changshou looked up at the two figures...

When it comes to physical cultivation, the Youming Jie's Wuzu generals are the best!

A moment later, Niutou and Mamian leaped back down, their clothes spotless and fists unharmed, grinning at Li Changshou.

Li Changshou said with a smile:

"Please, both of you, come inside and rest for a bit. I'll handle these bodies and take care of the aftermath, then properly entertain you."

Niutou quickly responded:

"You go ahead, you're busy!"

With that, Niutou and Mamian headed obediently toward the main hall.

But as soon as they took a couple of steps, a creaking sound echoed, and the front hall of the Haishen Temple swayed like a drunkard, holding on for a few moments before collapsing with a boom!

A cloud of dust billowed up, leaving Niutou and Mamian frozen in place.

Niutou whispered:

"Uh, what do we do? It seems like we accidentally damaged the foundation of this hall."

"Shh! Keep it down!

How can we admit that? Can you afford to pay for it?"

Li Changshou interjected:

"The hall was already old and in disrepair; it needed rebuilding anyway. No problem at all—just wait here for a moment, you two."

Fortunately, the back hall was intact, probably protected by the Taiji Tu.

Li Changshou promptly began cleaning up, using eight incarnations to lead the immortal bean soldiers toward the South Sea for reinforcements with the dragon clan guardians.

Meanwhile, he had four paper Daoists stand by the pile of corpses, which now formed a small mountain, and they raised their hands to unleash streams of Samadhi True Flame, starting the standardized corpse disposal process.

As the true flame ignited, a dozen Soul-Capturing Pearls spun rapidly, and the paper Daoists took out wooden clappers, soul bells, and wooden fish, tapping and ringing while reciting scriptures.

Due to the growing tensions with Western Teachings, Li Changshou had replaced the Rebirth Mantra with the Jade Purity Soul-Soothing Mantra.

It was all just for handling the lingering souls, anyway.

To Li Changshou, this was a trivial matter, but Niutou and Mamian watched with great interest.

Niutou folded his arms and muttered:

"Haishen is making this... quite ceremonial, moo."

Mamian, holding his small comb, groomed his silky mane and said:

"The Shura are acting up again; seems like they've regained their strength. We should remind the clan about this later."

"Don't worry, the Great Witch Priest knows everything. We'll round up some buddies and patrol the Blood Sea a few times. That'll do it."

"You're right."

Li Changshou approached and said with a smile:

"Is there still fighting between the Blood Sea and the Difu?"

"Pretty much every ten thousand years or so, we have a scrap," Niutou said, rubbing his hands and chuckling as he chatted with Li Changshou about the Difu conflicts.

Before long, the true flame began to die down.

Li Changshou shifted most of his focus to the paper Daoist waiting nearby, gently pushing with his hand...

The feel of it, the slight resistance in the air, the soft friction of his sleeve against his arm, the sense of solidity as the ashes floated up...

Ah, so satisfying.

"Great Witch?"

In a corner of the South Sea, near the edge of an undersea volcano, Jin Chan Zi sat in the shadows at the mountain base, his eyes closed and brows furrowed, a hint of confusion on his refined face.

How was this Haishen connected to the Wuzu?

As a primordial fierce beast once hunted by the Wuzu, Jin Chan Zi harbored an indescribable aversion and wariness toward them.

He vividly remembered those years when the dragon clan was suppressed in the Four Seas, the phoenix clan was decimated, and the ancient hundred clans were on the rise—the Wuzu were incredibly powerful, savage, and...

Edible!

Countless fierce beasts that once roamed the Honghuang lands were driven out by the Wuzu, fleeing into the Chaos Sea.

Now, the Wuzu in Beiju Luzhou were likely half-wasted, with only the Difu's underworld retaining some experts...

"Could the Difu be leaning toward the Heavenly Court?"

Jin Chan Zi pondered carefully.

The importance of the Haishen to the Heavenly Court was undeniable.

If he could locate the Haishen's true body and eliminate it discreetly, the Heavenly Court would lose a major threat, and he'd have more opportunities to claim merits...

But the Haishen was hidden too deeply, and with the protection of the Taiding Saint, this was just wishful thinking, impossible to act on.

Jin Chan Zi glanced through the vast sea at the massive formation of immortal bean soldiers approaching in the South Sea skies, snorted coldly, stood up, and casually waved his hand through the seawater, vanishing from the volcano's edge in an instant.

This probe had yielded little—just a bunch of flashy tricks.

'I don't believe it.

Can you hide forever, Haishen?'

The battle that suddenly erupted in the South Sea came and went quickly.

By the time the dragon clan reinforcements arrived, with the immortal bean soldiers flanking and ambushing, the Shura who had been lying in wait to attack the true dragon guardians were swiftly wiped out.

The dragon clan was furious, but with the Four Seas far from the Blood Sea and the Youming Jie, they couldn't launch an attack there. They could only keep apologizing to Li Changshou, saying their protection had been late.

Li Changshou comforted the leading dragon clan elder and simply showed him the devastation of the Haishen Temple.

The elder immediately decided: They would rebuild the Haishen Temple, expanding it tenfold, add various protective arrays, and send a large team of craftsmen tomorrow to help!

Even so, Li Changshou still felt the loss.

The consumption of thirty thousand immortal beans and poisonous pills and powders had only netted him four Blood Fiend Pearls...

—These were refined from the Ba Bi Shura's blood fiend energy, which even Samadhi True Flame couldn't burn away.

If Li Changshou hadn't deduced from the Dan Dao that these four pearls could be used to create poisonous pills and tools against Golden Immortals, he would have been at a real loss...

After chatting with Niutou and Mamian, Li Changshou ruled out the possibility that this was a Difu scheme.

It was basically confirmed that Western Teachings were behind it.

They were probably trying to shake things up, giving him a hard hit to destroy his temple and eliminate his incarnation.

But they hadn't anticipated that two burly warriors would show up midway and easily crush the Shura.

The paper Daoist by his master and grandmaster continued to pretend to be in seclusion.

The Du Xian Men recruitment trip was now in the mortal world, observing the character and aptitude of the uncle-master's reincarnation...

He didn't need to interfere much there; just staying vigilant was enough.

In the back hall of the Haishen Temple, Li Changshou chatted and laughed with Niutou and Mamian, catering to their tastes by having his divine messengers fetch the city's best ten chefs to prepare a feast of meat dishes.

When Li Changshou offered spirit stones, treasures, and pills, Niutou and Mamian politely declined, saying, "It's our duty," "You're too kind, Haishen," and "We don't really need these things; our divine power is innate."

But when the grilled, roasted, fried, and sautéed delicacies were served...

Their helmets were practically steaming...

Half a day later, the ten mortal chefs collapsed at their stations, and the two Wuzu experts patted their rounded bellies, letting out satisfied sighs.

Niutou chuckled awkwardly and said:

"Well, Haishen, you carry on with your business.

If there's nothing else, we'll head back."

Li Changshou laughed and said:

"Why not stay here and enjoy yourselves for a few months? There are endless delicacies in the human world!"

Niutou muttered:

"The flavor's great, but the texture still isn't quite like..."

Mamian kicked Niutou, and the latter quickly chuckled.

The two had originally slipped out through the well without informing the Difu, so they couldn't stay away too long.

Li Changshou felt truly grateful to these two Wuzu experts. As they prepared to leave, he had his divine messengers buy a huge pile of simple-to-cook meat ingredients and stuffed them into several storage treasures.

Although the Wuzu had weak Yuan Shen, they could still use ordinary storage treasures.

Niutou and Mamian accepted the heavy gifts, their eyes welling with tears, treating Li Changshou as a sworn brother, a true lifelong friend!

"Haishen, if you need anything, just call through the Chenghuang! We'll be there in a flash!"

"We'll keep an eye on the Blood Sea and make sure they don't bother you again!"

Li Changshou could only keep thanking them, not knowing what else to say.

He had previously promised Niutou and Mamian to visit the Wuzu tribes in Beiju Luzhou, and he needed to put that on the agenda soon.

He was cautious, but he still had a conscience.

After seeing off Niutou and Mamian, Li Changshou continued overseeing the temple's reconstruction and began planning in his mind how to strike back at the Western Teachings' peripheral forces.

Courtesy demands reciprocity!

The kind are bullied, and the gentle demons are ridden roughshod over by immortals!

If he appeared too weak, it wouldn't fit the current situation.

Well, the Haishen Cult solemnly promises that, under normal circumstances, they won't use something as destructive as "Zhao Deye."

If Li Changshou remembered correctly, the Western Teachings still had a group of deep-sea great demons as subordinates...

It was time for the Heavenly Court to boost its prestige.

However, what Li Changshou didn't expect was that the two Wuzu experts he had just seen off took a detour...

And flew toward Dongsheng Shenzhou.

"Niutou, how can we find that friend of the Haishen, Li Changshou? Why didn't we ask him about this earlier? Neigh!"

"Mamian, how could I ask the Haishen something like, 'I messed up your temple, ate your food, took your stuff, and now I want to scam your friend'? Moo—"

"But we're just going for some seasonings..."

"Do you think seasonings that make food taste that good come cheap? Let's think about what we have to trade for these treasures."

"A fast-track to reincarnation?"

"Yeah, that could work..."