Chapter 279: The White-Clad Heavenly Emperor Develops Killing Intent

The grand army set out, marching straight for Xi Hai.

Li Changshou's Zhi Dao Ren incarnation stayed close to Yu Di's incarnation, but he was multitasking, constantly pondering matters related to Lu Ya Daoist.

In the alchemy chamber on Xiao Qiong Peak, Li Changshou took out a wooden plaque from his simulated life array, sighed, and tossed it back.

I'm in such a tough spot.

Really too tough.

In the Feng Shen Great Calamity, Lu Ya Daoist was on par with Ran Deng Daoist, constantly stirring up trouble and chaos, directly causing the death of Zhao Gongming, that honorable elder, yet managing to escape unscathed. And now, at this point in time, I've run into him!

He's just a novice disciple of Ren Jiao, having recently entered the Jin Xian realm after only a few centuries of cultivation!

Running into him is one thing, but our opposing positions mean we must confront each other head-on...

Worse still, I'm no match for Lu Ya Daoist right now, and I can't seize the opportunity to take him out and sever this karma.

I need to find a way, must find a way!

'Which faction does this Lu Ya Daoist belong to at the moment?'

Li Changshou pondered silently, mulling it over in his heart.

Or perhaps Lu Ya Daoist has relied on the Yao Clan's accumulated resources for his cultivation and hasn't aligned with any faction?

Though the Yao Court has fallen, the Yao Clan's heritage is not to be underestimated, such as the Chaos Bell—also known as the Dong Huang Bell—that escaped into the Chaos Sea.

If Lu Ya Daoist is truly the former crown prince of the Yao Court, he's very likely inherited the Yao Clan's 'wealth.'

In the primordial era, when Pangu the Great God opened the heavens and earth, his eyes transformed into the sun and moon, becoming the Tai Yin Star and Sun Star, which suppress the yin and yang energies of heaven and earth.

According to ancient legends, Di Jun and Dong Huang Tai Yi of the Jin Wu Clan were born from the Sun Star, both incredibly powerful and each possessing supreme treasures, later becoming the Yao Emperors.

Di Jun and his consort Xi He had ten sons, the ten princes of the Yao Clan; each of these princes had a Jin Wu true form and could briefly transform into the Sun Star.

The Wu-Yao Great War dragged on for half of the ancient era, with battles erupting intermittently, sometimes raging and sometimes pausing.

During a lull in the Wu-Yao Great War, one of the Yao Clan princes made a bet with the Wu Clan great shaman Kuafu, competing in speed and endurance, which led to the legend of Kuafu chasing the sun.

As recorded in human texts, Kuafu was on the verge of winning the bet when the ten Yao Clan princes cheated, flying out from the Fu Sang Tree and turning into ten suns, scorching the earth and secretly hindering Kuafu, ultimately causing his death from thirst.

This gave rise to the legend of the ten suns in the sky.

The Wu Clan had a master archer named Hou Yi, who drew his bow and shot down nine of the Jin Wu princes in succession; Yao Clan experts arrived just in time to save the tenth.

This is the origin of the Hong Huang legend of Hou Yi shooting the suns.

It's worth noting that Hou Yi's actions weren't exactly as human lore describes, motivated by the Yao Clan's ten princes having burned countless humans to death, fueling his rage.

That version is simply how humans later retold the story, centering it on humanity.

After Hou Yi shot the suns, the Wu-Yao Great War erupted again, plunging the world back into endless flames of war.

As for the 'Jin Wu tenth prince' who escaped that calamity, he vanished from records afterward, and after the Yao Court's destruction, his whereabouts became unknown...

Today, during the heavenly court's campaign against the demons of Xi Hai, Lu Ya Daoist stepped forward to obstruct them, inadvertently revealing his true origins.

In retrospect, the Lu Ya Daoist of today is full of scheming but lacks composure, nowhere near comparable to the Ran Deng Daoist, deputy leader of Chan Jiao.

'Lu Ya, meaning six crows?

The Yao Clan prince who escaped back then might not have been the youngest tenth son.'

In the alchemy chamber on Xiao Qiong Peak, Li Changshou stood up and paced back and forth, carefully reflecting on the events in Xi Hai and analyzing their potential future impacts.

If Li Changshou could have avoided stepping forward earlier, he certainly would have.

Rushing to block the Zhan Xian Fei Dao was no impulsive act; it came after thorough weighing and consideration...

The key issue was that Li Changshou couldn't be entirely sure about the relationship between Yu Di's incarnation and his true self.

Based on the most common incarnation methods in Hong Huang, if the incarnation is destroyed, the true self would suffer significant damage. If Yu Di were injured for no reason, the consequences would be hard to control.

In the mild case, Yu Di might fly into a rage, going all out to eliminate Lu Ya Daoist, which could drastically alter the script of the Feng Shen Great Calamity and alert the sages in advance;

Drawing from the incident with Wen Jing Daoist last time, it might even trigger other karmic repercussions.

In the severe case, Yu Di could break down in tears and head straight to Zi Xiao Palace to complain to the Dao Ancestor.

'Oh, master! Some nobody is bullying your disciple—being Yu Di is just too humiliating!'

Then, the Feng Shen Great Calamity would arrive early, entangling the three Daoist sects in calamity, with the three sages casting their gentle gazes upon both me and Lu Ya Daoist...

Just the thought is terrifying!

Yu Di has a temperament that meets force with force, so swallowing this insult is unlikely.

This is happening in my Sea God's territory, and Yu Di's incarnation was essentially 'invited' here because of my memorial. If something goes wrong, I couldn't shirk the responsibility.

The reason Li Changshou dared to use his Zhi Dao Ren to block the Zhan Xian Fei Dao was due to the unique nature of his Zhi Dao Ren.

—His Zhi Dao Ren only contains a small amount of Yuan Shen power but can maintain real-time connection with his true Yuan Shen, allowing his mind to project onto it regardless of distance or ordinary barriers.

The principle behind this is hard for Li Changshou to explain clearly.

When he first developed Zhi Dao Ren, it was through trial and error, and he stumbled upon this feature, so he just started using it.

But after years of working with Zhi Dao Ren, Li Changshou has a thorough understanding of its characteristics.

He only charged forward because he had a certain level of confidence.

Moreover, magical treasures don't strike without a trace.

If the Zhan Xian Fei Dao directly took a head, his Zhi Dao Ren would be destroyed; if it targeted the Yuan Shen directly, his Zhi Dao Ren had no Yuan Shen to target.

Li Changshou had naturally considered the slim possibility that this infamous killer from the future Feng Shen Great Calamity could trace back through the 'connection'...

So, in the instant his Zhi Dao Ren blocked Yu Di's incarnation, Li Changshou had a Nine-Turn Golden Pill ready in hand and was prepared to call out to the sages at any moment!

After the first Zhi Dao Ren was destroyed, Li Changshou quickly summarized his findings and realized that the Zhan Xian Fei Dao wasn't as fearsome as he'd imagined.

First, it's indeed a weapon that severs the Yuan Shen.

It immobilizes the Yuan Shen first, then slays it, and finally takes the head.

When the Zhan Xian Fei Dao struck, Li Changshou saw surging blood waves, and his Zhi Dao Ren couldn't fight back—it was already doomed.

But his true Yuan Shen back on Xiao Qiong Peak remained unharmed, only leaving a faint sense of dread in his heart.

It's like if his Zhi Dao Ren could withstand 'ten' units of damage, the Zhan Xian Fei Dao inflicted 'nine hundred ninety-nine,' utterly destroying the Zhi Dao Ren without any other effect.

Thus, Li Changshou grew a bit bolder. In the end, to make Lu Ya leave sooner, he even made an unusual boast...

The Lu Ya Daoist of today is quite different from that 'mysterious daoist' in the Feng Shen era who casually caused Zhao Gongming's demise on his sickbed.

Before encountering Lu Ya Daoist, Li Changshou already held immense wariness toward this daoist with the Zhan Xian Fei Dao in one hand and the Ding Tou Seven Arrows Book in the other.

After this unexpected clash in Xi Hai, Li Changshou's wariness not only didn't diminish but grew even stronger.

The current Lu Ya Daoist undoubtedly has room for further growth!

The Zhan Xian Fei Dao also seems imperfect; its Yuan Shen immobilization technique needs improvement, which is likely a prerequisite for its activation.

And that somewhat mystical Ding Tou Seven Arrows Book...

'To be honest, should I devise a plan to have Zhao Gongming take out Lu Ya Daoist early?'

As soon as this idea surfaced, Li Changshou stroked his chin and immediately dismissed it.

If I really did that and Zhao Gongming failed to kill Lu Ya Daoist, instead forging a feud and karma with him, wouldn't that just align with Zhao Gongming's destined fate?

To play it safe, I shouldn't meddle too much in Feng Shen matters at this stage.

Li Changshou had been grappling with this issue and now had some clarity.

To save Zhao Gongming's life, I absolutely can't interfere too much or too early. I must let him walk into his ordained calamity in the Feng Shen era and only make a slight adjustment when he's about to be listed on the Feng Shen Bang.

There's a lot of nuance here.

If he's killed and his Yuan Shen ascends to the Feng Shen Bang, he'll become a puppet of the Heavenly Dao, forced to obey any decree from Yu Di.

But if his physical body ascends to the Feng Shen Bang, it's like my situation—serving in the Heavenly Court, free to come and go with basic autonomy.

Of course, the worst case is being killed without ascending to the Feng Shen Bang—that's just a meaningless death.

The most secure time to act and save Zhao Gongming is right before his destined calamity in the Feng Shen era.

That way, I can minimize karma and only slightly alter how he ascends...

'For now, my position in the Heavenly Court isn't stable yet, so I should focus on doing a good job as the Sea God. Those other matters can wait.'

Li Changshou let out a soft sigh, burying these thoughts deep in his heart, and devoted himself fully to his current duties.

Protect our own Supreme Commander of the Day!

Wherever Yu Di's incarnation goes next, Li Changshou's incarnation will follow.

This is a merit golden body, a detached merit golden body...

Even a scratch would scatter merit gold dust everywhere!

Li Changshou was eager to discuss with Yu Di—help me support the Dragon Clan in joining the Heavenly Court, and in return, I don't ask for much; just have Your Majesty customize a merit golden body for me!

He craved it, oh how he craved it.

The Heavenly Court and Dragon Clan's allied forces pressed forward, slaughtering the Xi Hai demon horde. The demons put up a token resistance before scattering in all directions.

But the paths leading out of the Hong Huang realm were completely sealed off, so their frantic escapes only added more marching for the heavenly soldiers.

In the official Heavenly Court account—

This battle was fierce and intense, a life-or-death struggle where both sides fought to the heavens' brink, with the sea waters teeming in excitement.

Soon, the blood-soaked Yu Di incarnation, sword in hand, suddenly turned and looked at the elderly immortal who had been sticking close within three zhang...

Yu Di's incarnation transmitted his voice:“Chang Geng, my beloved minister, you...!”

“Pay no mind to me, Your Majesty; just focus on your battle,” Li Changshou replied with a smile, transmitting back: “I'll stay by Your Majesty's side to guard against that daoist launching a surprise attack.”

Yu Di's incarnation transmitted:“Beloved minister, don't worry... Forget it.”

Faced with this kind and smiling elder, Yu Di couldn't maintain his imperial demeanor and turned to continue leading the charge.

Li Changshou thought for a moment, then took two Zhi Dao Ren from his sleeve and tossed them out, transforming them into two silver-armored warriors. One on each side of Yu Di, they wielded sword and spear, engaging the enemies fiercely and guarding Yu Di's incarnation.

Providing full, nanny-style combat service!

During the battle, Li Changshou also spotted a few promising heavenly generals.

For instance, his second master, Ao Yi, silently led a group of Dragon Clan soldiers, tackling the toughest foes and slaying the strongest demons, his Qing Long true form churning continuously.

That 'love-at-first-sight' Marshal Tian Dou, Bian Zhuang, had risen to the rank of a minor general this time, commanding two thousand heavenly soldiers in relentless assaults.

Surprisingly, in the midst of battle, Bian Zhuang showed real manly spirit, his Nine-Tooth Nail Rake proving a formidable weapon.

It was unclear if Bian Zhuang had water-combat divine abilities, but his movements were even more agile underwater, and under his rake, few demons could withstand even one exchange—except for the seasoned old ones!

Li Changshou noted all this down mentally, planning to report it later to Yu Di.

Talented people should be put to good use; the Heavenly Court needs exactly that right now.

However, Li Changshou later realized that recording these was completely pointless.

Half a day later, the Xi Hai conflict paused, with heavenly soldiers and Dragon Clan forces merging and then sweeping south and north through the Xi Hai depths.

Yu Di's incarnation finally satisfied his craving for commanding an army and returned to the central camp to take his seat, which let Li Changshou breathe a sigh of relief.

I need to think of a way to stop Yu Di from pulling these 'personal expeditions' in the future...

This army patrolled the Four Seas for half a month, slaughtering or capturing the deep-sea demons and even raiding a few Sea Clan rebel outposts along the way.

The Dragon Clan's trust in the Heavenly Court grew deeper, and the Dragon Clan elders now looked at the heavenly soldiers with full goodwill.

Dong Mu Gong declared: “The deep-sea demons have been expelled, and the Four Seas are now at peace!”

Thus, the Heavenly Court's first military campaign, lasting just sixteen days, concluded in a blaze of glory.

No sooner had Dong Mu Gong spoken than golden lights appeared across the heavens, as the Heavenly Dao bestowed merit, transforming into a shower of golden rain that fell upon the Heavenly Court and Dragon Clan armies!

The weary heavenly soldiers, touched by the golden rain, instantly felt revitalized;

The Dragon Clan immortal soldiers and shrimp and crab troops, sprinkled with the fine mist, were overcome with excitement.

The Heavenly Dao's merit was distributed based on each individual's contributions in the campaign and their divine rank.

Among the Dragon Clan, Ao Yi received the most merit, a beam of golden light enveloping him, slightly elevating his cultivation realm.

The other Dragon Clan elders and experts each gained a dozen or so golden 'feathers,' cleansing a bit of their karmic burdens and showing clear signs of exhilaration.

Though the merit was scant, it represented hope.

One Dragon Clan elder shouted: “The Heavenly Dao has responded, granting merit! Our Dragon Clan is finally recognized by the Heavenly Dao again!”

In the midst of the field, only Hua Ri Tian and Li Changshou were untouched by these golden lights.

Yu Di had no use for such merit, and the Heavenly Dao wouldn't grant it to him separately for this.

As for Li Changshou...

On Xiao Qiong Peak, a golden light beam descended from the sky, piercing through the Du Xian Men's mountain-protecting array and landing directly on Li Changshou's head.

Though the golden light flashed briefly and vanished in an instant, it still drew considerable attention.

Fortunately, Sect Leader Ji Wuyou flew out from Du Xian Hall in time, hovering above Xiao Qiong Peak. Amid the probing immortal senses, he muttered to himself:

“Not bad, this golden light array I've set up here is effective.”

Thus, he covered for Li Changshou.

Ji Wuyou had no choice; the situation clearly indicated that Xuan Du Great Mage was bestowing merit on Little Changshou.

Ah...

Having deep roots is just blissful.

Meanwhile, on the return journey to the Heavenly Court, Commander Hua Ri Tian deliberately slowed his pace on the cloud path and invited the Sea God to walk with him.

“Chang Geng, my beloved minister, this Lu Ya is a troublemaker. I see his destiny is strong, likely bolstered by the lingering fortunes of the Yao Clan's revival. He's bound to be a thorn in our side going forward.

Why don't we discuss now and devise a complete plan to eliminate him early...”

Marshal Ri Tian raised his hand lightly, a hint of killing intent in his eyes.

Li Changshou blinked, quickly understanding the source of Yu Di's killing intent.

Tsk, a former crown prince.

(The end of this chapter)