Chapter 298: Chang Geng Receives an Imperial Order to Tease the Black Panther

At the gates of Du Xian Men, immortal light swirled and auspicious clouds blanketed the area, as a beam of celestial radiance descended from the sky and enveloped Ling'e.

Ling'e stood with her left hand resting on her sword, quietly poised atop a cloud shaped like a lingzhi mushroom. Around her, fairy maidens danced and immortal elders offered congratulations, but she gazed off into the depths of the sky, lost in her own thoughts.

"She must be contemplating the elevation of her life's realm," Li Changshou thought to himself. As figures on clouds passed by him one after another, his paper effigy quietly slipped away.

The immediate priority was to escort his main body back to Xiao Qiong Peak.

Wandering around while injured was far too dangerous.

"Is this the realm of an immortal?"

Ling'e stared into the void, gazing at the gateway to the Great Dao that had opened before her, though her mind wandered elsewhere.

"Now that I'm an immortal, if Senior Brother and I were to have children in the future, would they be immortals too..."

Senior Brother... children...

Oh, what am I thinking? How embarrassing!

Ling'e's face flushed red, and she let out a soft murmur, a wisp of white smoke rising from her head and drifting up through the immortal light.

After becoming an immortal, the steam production had clearly increased.

Oh, right—where's Senior Brother?

Hearing the distant laughter of her grandmaster, Jiang Lin'er, approaching, Ling'e set aside her inner reflections for the moment and turned on the cloud to search.

Instinctively, she rose up on her toes, but all she saw were the figures rushing toward her...

These people, whether familiar or strangers, friends or mere acquaintances, were nowhere near as important as that vanished figure.

"Hmph, that annoying Senior Brother..."

Not even a word of congratulations!

Ling'e pouted in grievance, but her heart warmed at the memory of Senior Brother's constant reminders before and during the tribulation, and she smiled lightly with delight.

Soon, waves of enlightenment surged over her...

It was as if Ling'e's Dao heart had gained a spiritual spring, with insights she had never experienced before flowing forth continuously.

The Great Dao resonated clearly, like strings of a qin and se in harmony.

A thoughtful look appeared in Ling'e's beautiful eyes. She bowed in greeting to the many relatives, friends, and fellow disciples flying toward her, then gathered her skirts and sat cross-legged, enveloped in dense Dao rhythms.

At that moment, a question arose in Ling'e's mind.

"What is my Dao?"

From the beginning of her cultivation until now, her methods of practice, the paths she followed, and the answers to any problems she encountered—all had come from Senior Brother.

Even the principles her master had initially taught had been corrected by Senior Brother later on.

So, was her Dao merely an imitation of Senior Brother's?

Not entirely.

Senior Brother had said:

The Great Dao arises naturally, moving without spirits, advancing without intent.

One's own Dao comes from the heart, not born of heaven and earth, but true and fundamental.

Every living being has their own Dao, born from within themselves. The guidance and insights Senior Brother provided simply made the process of comprehending the Great Dao and forming one's own path as straightforward as possible.

Now, with the profound gate opened before her, the traces of the Dao lay in plain sight.

Ling'e's mind was utterly serene as she accepted, experienced, and felt it all, her thoughts lingering on Senior Brother's form, gradually immersing herself in the Great Dao...

Behind Ling'e, the multicolored immortal light coalesced into a book, which slowly turned a page, radiating waves of brilliance.

Heavenly flowers drifted down, and colorful clouds swayed gently.

"Don't go near her—Ling'e is in the midst of ascension. Don't disturb her."

Jiang Lin'er transmitted her voice to everyone, and the extraordinary phenomena around Ling'e made the immortals of Du Xian Men halt in their tracks, not daring to approach...

In the end, the sect leader, Ji Wuyou, personally intervened, setting up an immortal barrier to send Ling'e directly back to the gates of Du Xian Men and on to Xiao Qiong Peak.

Having already retrieved his main body, Li Changshou set out from Xiao Qiong Peak and carefully moved the Ling'e, who was deep in her state of enlightenment, back to the thatched cottage by the lake. He activated layers of restrictions to allow her to meditate in peace.

The Ninefold Heavenly Tribulation was no trivial matter.

The entire sect, from top to bottom, was thoroughly stirred. Many peak masters and elders brought their proud disciples to Xiao Qiong Peak to offer congratulations.

Li Changshou followed behind his master, Qi Yuan, who in turn followed their grandmaster, Jiang Lin'er, constantly greeting and seeing off guests. Xiao Qiong Peak was unusually lively for once...

But Li Changshou's full attention was not there.

He was multitasking: besides healing himself, part of his mind was focused on a Golden Immortal realm paper effigy, secretly keeping watch over that pair of demon couple.

And because of this, the doubts and shocks in Li Changshou's heart only grew.

What was the background of this leopard demon?

Perhaps because he had endured heavenly punishments many times and was now a proper heavenly official of the Heavenly Court, Li Changshou had become especially sensitive to certain special Dao rhythms related to the Heavenly Way.

In particular, through his close interactions with that enthusiastic Daoist friend surnamed Hua whose name he didn't know, he often sensed a hidden "Heavenly Way protective force" on that friend...

At first, when Li Changshou saw the black leopard, he only felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

But after secretly tracking it for a while, his heart trembled!

He detected a faint trace of Heavenly Way protective force on this black leopard!

A black-furred leopard demon...

Protected by the Heavenly Way...

Could it be that he had accidentally discovered that extraordinary instigator of great calamities?

But if this was Shen Gongbao, the "child of tribulation" from the Investiture of the Gods, why would he appear here and now, carrying a female demon and frolicking in the fields?

And where did that initial sense of familiarity come from?

What should he do...

Li Changshou began to deliberate carefully.

He had already stepped out of the Investiture of the Gods, so the great calamity had nothing to do with him. Even if this black leopard was indeed Shen Gongbao, there was no need to plot against him.

There wasn't much to plot anyway.

Such massive karma was best avoided altogether.

To play it safe, he would just pretend he hadn't seen the black leopard.

Li Changshou's paper effigy stopped its earth escape and used his immortal sense to observe the black leopard a few more times before turning to leave.

Suddenly, it felt as if a string in Li Changshou's heart had been gently plucked.

A ethereal, effortless true intent emerged.

This familiar obscure Dao rhythm, this familiar method of transmission, this familiar frequency of Dao vibration...

A single word formed in Li Changshou's heart.

Go.

Li Changshou's spirit surged. He emerged from the earth, bowed toward the sky, and then turned resolutely to chase after the black leopard.

The Saint had issued an order!

This long-absent Saintly Dao rhythm, this eagerly awaited command from the Saint!

Finally, Li Changshou was certain that the Lord Taiqing Saint was paying attention to him, a minor disciple, and his own safety factor soared!

That said, the Saint had only given this one word "go"—what exactly did it mean?

Li Changshou pondered deeply and soon gained some insight.

The Saint likely wanted him to proceed with what he had previously intended, or perhaps to follow this black leopard and help him through some disasters...

What had he wanted to do before?

Nothing more than confirming the true identity of this black leopard.

But now, with the Saint's order, it already verified the black leopard's identity.

This fellow must be Shen Gongbao from the Investiture of the Gods—the one who exhausted himself, racked his brains, and jumped back and forth to ensure more true experts of the Daoist sects ended up in Heavenly Court positions!

After thinking it through and deliberating for several hours, Li Changshou finally decided to act in the spirit of that "go" command and complete a few things he had in mind after discovering the black leopard's Heavenly Way protection...

By now, it was deep into the night, with a sparse scattering of stars and a thin veil of mist and clouds.

Li Changshou calculated the path the demon couple would take and sent his Golden Immortal realm paper effigy ahead, leaving an older version of a paper effigy along the way.

When the black leopard, carrying the young woman, arrived, Li Changshou's paper effigy transformed into the form of a slightly plump elderly man. He stepped out from behind a large tree, holding a fly whisk, and appeared in the black leopard's line of sight with a smile.

"Daoist friend, please stay."

The black leopard quickly halted its dash, nearly throwing its companion off its back.

The demon couple tensed like enemies, and the young woman leaped lightly from the leopard's back, gripping two daggers with a cold expression.

The black leopard stood up on its hind legs and shifted into the form of a middle-aged man, shielding the young woman behind him as he eyed Li Changshou warily.

Li Changshou's paper effigy rode the clouds forward, chuckling as he flicked his fly whisk.

"Why are you two daoist friends here, and where are you headed?"

The couple exchanged glances, both showing uncertainty and surprise.

This unfathomable elder... wasn't going to kill them?

"D-Daoist friend."

The black leopard demon bowed his hands forward and said, "My wife and I are just passing through. We've harmed no one and seek no treasures. We only wish to go south... to visit family."

Visit family?

Li Changshou narrowed his eyes with a light smile and asked, "And where do you come from? Do you have names?"

"We are just mountain spirits who cultivated human forms," the black leopard said, glancing tenderly at his wife.

"I'm called A Bao, and she is Miao Miao.

This senior, could you perhaps let us go this time?

We really aren't going to Nan Zan Bu Continent to harm anyone—we just want to visit family."

The female demon stepped forward, linking her arm with the black leopard demon's, leaning against him as if no one else were there.

Li Changshou thought to himself...

He had just been fed dog food by Shen Gongbao?!

A Bao...

Was this really the future piece on the Saint's chessboard who would stir up storms among the three teachings?

Why had the Lord of his own Saint arranged for them to meet?

Regardless, he should first forge a good karmic tie with him.

"Daoist friend, there's no need to be tense. Neither of you carries any karmic stains, so I have no intention of slaying demons.

The reason I revealed myself is simply that I feel we've met somewhere before, evoking a sense of familiarity.

Here, take this."

As he spoke, Li Changshou produced two storage treasures, each containing a couple of mid-grade immortal treasures and some spirit stones, and sent them over with his immortal power.

"This..."

The A Bao couple stared at each other in bewilderment, unsure whether to accept the floating treasures.

"Husband," the water demon Miao Miao gently tugged at the black leopard demon's arm, "that person is gone."

The black leopard looked up to see that the figure ahead had vanished.

After hesitating, the black leopard demon picked up the two bracelets and, seeing the treasures and spirit stones inside, felt a surge of excitement.

"Wife, we have immortal treasures to use now!"

"Yes, this must be from your past life's good karma, right?"

Past life?

Hidden in the shadows, Li Changshou's eyes lit up, quickly seizing on that key phrase.

"This... I can't quite remember, I only recall bits of my past life memories," the black leopard demon sighed softly, his eyes full of emotion. "But for this esteemed senior to treat me this way and say I look familiar...

Ah, never mind. May he have a lifetime of good fortune!"

"Husband!"

The water demon Miao Miao hurriedly covered the black leopard's mouth and urged, "You just—"

The black leopard froze, then slapped himself across the face in realization.

"Oh, this mouth of mine! I keep forgetting!"

Underground, Li Changshou's paper effigy slowly formed a question mark on his forehead.

What was going on?

At that very moment, in the underground chamber of Xiao Qiong Peak, Li Changshou's main body spat out a mouthful of blood, staring in astonishment at the suddenly disrupted flow of immortal energy, utterly baffled.

Why had he suddenly vomited blood?

After all these years, as a disciple of Human Teachings who had "steady" etched into his bones, he had never made a mistake in his cultivation cycles. Now that he was a Golden Immortal, how could such a basic error occur?!

Then, Li Changshou's paper effigy overheard the female demon's scolding...

"Husband, you must be careful with your words! They carry power!

You said you'd stay with me forever, and the next day, a female demon showed up claiming to be your old flame.

You said we'd be safe and sound, but three days later, a great demon arrived and seized our cave dwelling...

Oh, you! You'd be better off cursing that senior just now."

The black leopard sighed. "Wife, my mouth's ability only works when it's unintentional, not when I try to force it."

Upon hearing this, Li Changshou had a rough idea.

As expected of the child of great calamity.

That phrase "Daoist friend, please stay" truly wasn't something just anyone could say effectively...

But Li Changshou didn't fully believe it and immediately conducted several tests.

For the first test, he staged a scene where two Human Teachings cultivators fought, evenly matched until they both ended up severely wounded and immobile.

The A Bao couple witnessed this but merely dodged and left without greedily moving in for the kill; instead, they tried to take a detour.

Seeing this, Li Changshou had the two paper effigies feign death and deliberately expose some treasures.

The couple discussed it briefly, though reluctant, and quickly departed...

Just for this caution, Li Changshou held them in high regard.

In the second test, Li Changshou arranged for paper effigies disguised as Human Teachings cultivators to ambush the couple, capturing them outright. The black leopard demon cursed angrily.

Meanwhile, the injuries on Li Changshou's main body from the heavenly punishment began to heal faster amid those curses!

It really worked?

Then, a masked expert radiating demonic energy appeared, driving away the Human Teachings cultivators and rescuing the A Bao couple, even giving them some pills.

As the black leopard was about to offer a blessing in gratitude, the water demon quickly reminded him, interrupting his "casting."

Li Changshou keenly detected a trace of Dao rhythm circulating...

He could now confirm the black leopard's talent.

Heavenly Way reverse blessing!

Absolute Heavenly Way reverse blessing!

After careful thought from every angle, Li Changshou realized he absolutely had to keep his distance from this black leopard.

This ability was too unpredictable and impossible to guard against—it was best not to let the other know his name and to stay as far away as possible.

But with the Saint's order, Li Changshou didn't dare leave easily, so he followed secretly.

The black leopard led the water demon Miao Miao in evasion, making their way through various dangers until they crossed the territories of many immortal sects in Dong Sheng Shen Continent and, after half a month, reached their destination.

—A certain forest at the border of Nan Zan Bu Continent, Dong Sheng Shen Continent, and Zhong Shen Continent.

By now, Li Changshou had figured out that the black leopard was here to search for treasures—some "inheritance" from his past life.

The treasure hunt went smoothly. The black leopard found a stone wall in the center of the forest valley, fiddled with it, and opened a hidden stone door, leading the water demon Miao Miao inside...

Li Changshou heard the black leopard shout excitedly upon finding a large stash of spirit stones and treasures:

"Wife! We can cultivate here in peace from now on!

These spirit stones are enough for both of us to reach the Heavenly Immortal realm!"

But no sooner had the black leopard spoken than Li Changshou's immortal sense detected several demon experts flying in from the direction of Nan Zan Bu Continent, chatting as they headed back to the valley...

In the underground chamber of Xiao Qiong Peak, Li Changshou couldn't help but press his hand to his forehead, inwardly admiring the situation.

Then, a flash of inspiration struck him—he suddenly thought of something that might actually make use of this leopard's golden mouth...

Heavenly Court, demon extermination.