Chapter 305: On the Saint

In the autumn of Nan Zhou, gathered at the shore of Nan Hai.

The sole disciple of the Ren Jiao Saint, the first humans crafted by the hands of Nu Wa, the eldest and most senior pure yang figure in Hong Huang, and the chief senior brother of the Dao Men three teachings—Xuan Du Da Fa Shi—warmly met with the Ren Jiao hidden agent, Wen Jing Dao Ren.

During this unremarkable meeting in Hong Huang history, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi, with his gentle smile and strong charisma, left a deep impression on Wen Jing Dao Ren.

The scene was warm and inviting, filled with birdsong and floral scents.

As the witness and facilitator of this event, the Nan Hai Sea God, the junior mage of Ren Jiao, the minor disciple of Ren Jiao Du Xian Gate, and the most favored treasure holder of the Ren Jiao Saint—Li Changshou, the candidate for Tian Ting's Yue Lao, the wielder of the Xiao Xiang Si Bao Tree, and the guardian of longevity...

Was truly breaking into a cold sweat.

Drooling over Da Fa Shi!

What, did she want to steam or braise Da Fa Shi alive?

Fortunately, Li Changshou was there, chuckling and smoothing things over, turning Wen Jing Dao Ren's obvious "Da Fa Shi, I'm your biggest fan" into "This is how the Hong Meng vicious mosquito shows respect."

Otherwise, if Da Fa Shi had struck down this blood mosquito, Li Changshou would have completely understood.

To prevent Wen Jing Dao Ren from losing her composure entirely, Li Changshou got straight to the point and said:

“Wen Jing, I called you here this time because of Jin Chan Zi.

Earlier, at the Xi Hai, Jin Chan Zi injured my incarnation and was acting arrogantly and aggressively.

Today, I've invited Da Fa Shi to come in person to settle the score with Jin Chan Zi!”

Thankfully, once they got to business, Wen Jing Dao Ren seemed a bit more normal...

Or perhaps not quite.

She suddenly exuded an air of righteousness and said firmly:

“Does this require me to take action?”

Li Changshou: ...

She was calling herself "slave" earlier, and now it's "subordinate."

Tsk, what a fickle and ruthless woman.

“No,” Li Changshou said, “You have more important tasks over there, so stay hidden and wait for the right moment.

Just tell me everything you know about Jin Chan Zi, so I can have a better plan.”

“Understood,” Wen Jing Dao Ren replied, then began pacing back and forth in front of Da Fa Shi.

She held her head high, accentuating her figure, and let out a few deliberate soft hums, trying to show her mature and intellectual side. Every move, every expression, every glance was carefully calculated.

But it always gave Li Changshou a strange sense of déjà vu, like Li Mo Chou trying to impersonate Xiao Long Nu.

Before long, she parted her red lips and said softly:

“From my perspective...”

Li Changshou and Da Fa Shi both leaned in to listen intently.

“Um...”

Wen Jing Dao Ren blinked at Li Changshou and sent a mental message: “Is this about that six-winged Jin Chan Zi, Sea God?”

Li Changshou stumbled, nearly falling over.

“Yes, get on with it!” Li Changshou gritted his teeth and replied mentally.

Wen Jing Dao Ren blinked again, paced a bit more, pondered for a moment, and finally blurted out two safe words:

“Very difficult.”

The inner hall of the Sea God Temple fell silent for a few moments, with Da Fa Shi and Li Changshou both sporting frowns.

Wen Jing Dao Ren turned aside, bit her lip, and closed her eyes, wishing she could slap herself.

Where had all her usual cunning and ruthlessness gone?

She couldn't squeeze out a single bit when it mattered most!

“That's quite insightful,” Li Changshou said with a laugh, “So, Wen Jing, do you know where Jin Chan Zi's cave is or what his weaknesses are?”

Wen Jing Dao Ren quickly recovered and said:

“Jin Chan Zi's cave should be near Ling Shan. I haven't interacted with him much, so I haven't scouted it.

As for weaknesses, they're hard to find.

Beings like him and me—innate spirits born from Hong Meng—who've survived so many disasters have some means of self-preservation, and we don't show them openly.

However, I recently outmaneuvered him. After you, Sea God, had me escort him away, I secretly took two strands of his yuan shen.

To avoid raising his suspicions, I destroyed one right in front of him, adding to his injuries and preventing him from causing you more trouble.

This... is the remaining one.”

Wen Jing Dao Ren gently waved her hand, and a wisp of blood energy swirled at her fingertips, forming a tiny blood mosquito.

Li Changshou gave Wen Jing Dao Ren an approving look and said with a smile: “Your work truly puts me... and Da Fa Shi at ease.”

Beside them, Da Fa Shi nodded with a smile.

Though he felt an urge to comment, 'You two are playing such dirty mind games,' he just needed to keep smiling for now.

Li Changshou flicked his duster, and the blood mosquito floated toward Da Fa Shi.

“Da Fa Shi, is this of any use?”

“Not really,” Da Fa Shi said with a laugh, “Finding out where he is isn't hard. It's better to leave this with Wen Jing.”

“Understood,” Li Changshou replied respectfully, and handed the blood mosquito back to...

Uh, the mosquito?

Looking at the lingering shadow left in place, Li Changshou's head filled with question marks.

Da Fa Shi nodded toward the hall's entrance, and Li Changshou turned to see Wen Jing Dao Ren had run outside again, peeking in with her head around the door, her whole demeanor oddly... flirtatious.

Was it because Da Fa Shi had called her name?

Li Changshou sent a mental message with a sigh: “Come back and discuss the real matters. Why keep running out?”

“Buzz.”

“Speak properly.”

“Blah blah blah.”

Li Changshou quietly pulled a scroll from his sleeve and tossed it out, scolding:

“Take a moment to calm down.”

Da Fa Shi asked curiously: “What's that?”

Li Changshou replied with a smile: “It's just a drawing of mine, to see if it can help her get back to normal.”

“Oh?”

Da Fa Shi suddenly became interested...

“Da Fa Shi, it's not something to get excited about,” Li Changshou quickly interjected.

From outside came a few tearing sounds as the scroll was ripped to shreds by Wen Jing Dao Ren.

A short while later, Wen Jing Dao Ren floated back in. Though she was still acting a bit coy and avoiding eye contact with Da Fa Shi, she was now able to communicate normally.

And so, in this manner, she shared everything she knew about Jin Chan Zi in detail.

Li Changshou used this information to make slight adjustments to his battle plan.

Wen Jing Dao Ren stayed for an hour before reluctantly leaving, bowing deeply to Li Changshou as she departed.

Though Da Fa Shi had captured all of Wen Jing Dao Ren's attention today, before she left, she still noticed something unusual.

The blood energy around Sea God seemed denser and purer than ever...

His true form?

Wen Jing Dao Ren's heart stirred, and she quickly pieced it together.

If not for Da Fa Shi being there, Sea God's true form probably wouldn't have appeared...

'This is probably what Ren Jiao is all about.'

With a soft sigh, Wen Jing Dao Ren silently left Nan Shan Bu Zhou and returned to where her incarnation was.

If her guess was right, a great show was about to unfold.

It might even alarm the Xi Fang Saints.

She had mentioned earlier that she'd overheard some Xi Fang Jiao deputy leaders, disciples of the Saints, discussing how Jin Chan Zi was crucial to the great rise of the West, and the Saints intended to take him as a disciple to cleanse his vicious beast origins.

How to cleanse those origins?

It was actually quite simple.

Before the ancient Hong Huang heavens were shattered by the dragon and phoenix wars, there was no such thing as "vicious beasts." It was only in the early ancient era that surviving innate spirits were categorized.

Those with strength, background, treasures, and wide connections were still called innate spirits.

But those with strength, no background, no treasures, solitary natures, and tainted with karmic sins were labeled "Hong Meng vicious beasts," abandoned by the Heavenly Dao and gradually purged by the ancient hundred races.

As long as Jin Chan Zi successfully became a Saint's disciple, he could transform from a vicious beast into an innate spirit.

Wen Jing Dao Ren didn't envy this at all.

It was just a title, after all—nothing compared to even a fraction of her Da Fa Shi's importance.

“Wen Jing... Hmph, next time, I'll make you call me Queen! Ha ha ha ha!”

Buzz—

After Wen Jing Dao Ren left, Da Fa Shi and Li Changshou both fell into thought.

“Most likely, touching Jin Chan Zi will draw out the two Western Masters,” Xuan Du Da Fa Shi said with a slight frown. “In that case, you have to be the one to eliminate him, Longevity.

If the Western Saints appear, I can hold them off with the Tai Ji Tu for a bit.

But remember, as soon as a Saint's dao rhyme shows up, pull back immediately, so we don't lose face with them.”

Li Changshou nodded solemnly.

Though he really wanted to say, “Maybe we should just forget it.”

This was a task assigned by the Saint, and he couldn't enjoy the Saint's protection without giving anything in return.

The risks he had to take were necessary.

All he could do was give it his all and turn this into his own opportunity...

“Da Fa Shi,” Li Changshou said, “What level of strength are the Western Saints at?”

“Well,” Da Fa Shi pondered, then raised his hand and pointed at the beam, revealing the shadow of the Tai Ji Tu and completely sealing the area.

Da Fa Shi said seriously: “Since we have this chance, I'll explain the Saints' strength to you.

When Hong Huang heavens were first opened, the strongest Saint was Pan Gu, but Pan Gu bore the burden of opening the heavens and sacrificed himself to perfect the countless true spirits in the Chaos Sea, thus creating our current Hong Huang world.

Pan Gu achieved Hun Yuan from the Chaos, reaching the Dao Hun Yuan Wu Ji Saint realm—the only one known in Hong Huang, a Dao Wu Ji Saint.

Now, our teacher and the two Masters, as well as the Western Jie Yin Master, are all striving toward that path...”

Li Changshou couldn't help but ask: “What about the other two Saints?”

“Don't rush, let me explain carefully—it's about time I told you this.”

Da Fa Shi took a sip of tea and continued:

“After Pan Gu fell, the Great Dao manifested directly in the primordial world, and there were six strongest beings pursuing the Dao Saint realm.

These six had their own levels of power: Dao Zu Hong Jun and Mo Zu Luo Hu were the strongest, followed by Zu Long and Shi Feng.

The names of the other two have been erased from the Great Dao by someone, but according to our teacher, they were likely innate gods and demons that slipped through when Pan Gu opened the heavens.

At that time, our Dao Men's three Masters had only recently begun cultivating, though they had the merit of opening the heavens for protection, their realms were still a step below those six.

The initial dragon-phoenix calamity was stirred up by Mo Zu Luo Hu behind the scenes; he used the resentment of living beings to forcibly cultivate by seizing true spirits.

After the dragon-phoenix war ended and Hong Huang shattered, Mo Zu Luo Hu revealed his true ferocity, intending to destroy Hong Huang and trace back to the Great Dao for his own enlightenment.

It was then that the ancestor of our Dao Men, who had been cultivating in seclusion and ignoring the world, stepped forward and battled Luo Hu, ultimately slaying him in what is now Xi Niu He Zhou.

West Continent was devastated by that war, with all its spiritual roots and veins shattered. It's only thanks to Dao Zu's great power that it was pieced back together.”

Li Changshou nodded slightly, noting these secrets that weren't found in ancient texts.

He listened as Da Fa Shi continued:

“When the six Masters became Saints in ancient times, the two Western Masters used grand vows to borrow Heavenly Dao merit, achieving Sainthood on the spot.

The most important part of those vows wasn't empty talk about saving all beings, but revitalizing the West.

That's why the two Western Masters are desperately trying to expand and strengthen the West, even resorting to any means necessary—because they owe a huge karmic debt to the Heavenly Dao!

You might think the Western Cult's use of vicious beasts and demon clans to cause chaos is excessive?”

Li Changshou blinked, wondering if there could be something even worse.

Da Fa Shi laughed: “In ancient times, those two Masters dug up spiritual roots from Zhong Shen Zhou, drained spiritual energy from great thousand worlds, and whenever they saw a treasure or an innate spirit, they'd say, 'I see you have a connection with the West,' or 'This item has a connection with the West,' and force it away.

If not for the third Master brandishing the Zhu Xian Four Swords, half of the Jie Jiao immortals might have ended up as Western converts!

Ha ha ha ha!”

Li Changshou: ...

This matched what he knew.

He asked: “Da Fa Shi, is there a big difference in strength among the six Saints?”

“It's hard to say exactly; it depends on their strength before becoming Saints and the innate supreme treasures they wield.”

Da Fa Shi cleared his throat and smiled as he went on:

“After the final great war in ancient times, our Dao Men's ancestor gained the opportunity for Sainthood.

I heard from our teacher that Dao Zu could have forcibly broken through the Heavenly Dao before it fully manifested, stepping into the Hun Yuan Dao Saint realm, but doing so would have caused Hong Huang to collapse rapidly...

So, Dao Zu gave up the Hun Yuan Dao Saint position, used the Zaohua Yu Die to perfect the Heavenly Dao, and gradually merged himself into it, filling its gaps and protecting Hong Huang and the three thousand worlds.

Thus, Dao Zu is both a Saint and not a Saint; he can be called a Heavenly Dao Saint, the most unique one.

The six Masters are all disciples of Dao Zu, though the Western two are just nominal ones.

In ancient times, Dao Zu distributed the Hong Meng Zi Qi in Zi Xiao Palace, which is the key to Sainthood. At that time, the one closest to the Dao Saint realm was our... ahem, my teacher.

Our teacher didn't want to merge with that strand of Hong Meng Zi Qi, but to reach the Dao Saint realm, he'd have to break through the Heavenly Dao's barriers, which meant directly opposing Dao Zu.

Left with no choice, at that critical moment, our teacher merged with the Hong Meng Zi Qi and established his teaching to become a Saint.

Because of this, our teacher is almost unbound by the Heavenly Dao and can do as he pleases. After symbolically taking me as a disciple for Ren Jiao, he washed his hands of it all.

Compared to our teacher, the second and third Masters are at a similar level, just slightly weaker, so they're not heavily bound by the Heavenly Dao either—especially since they have the merit of opening the heavens.

The Western Jie Yin Master should be on par with our two Masters in terms of realm.

But Jie Yin lacks killing treasures like the Zhu Xian Four Swords or Pan Gu Banner, and protective treasures like the Tai Ji Tu or Xuan Huang Pagoda, so his strength is a notch below.

The Holy Mother has her Red Embroidered Ball, which injures Saints on contact and kills Da Luo on a brush, and though she relied mostly on merit to become a Saint, her overall strength is only half a step behind Jie Yin.

As for the other one, Zhun Ti Master...”

Li Changshou quickly added: “If we encounter a Saint this time, it's probably him.”

Da Fa Shi pondered and said: “Yes, Zhun Ti Master's Seven Wonders Treasure Tree is quite unique.

But... don't be afraid. Just go ahead and do what you need to.”

In his heart, Li Changshou now had a clearer picture.

This time, it seemed like another test of his escape techniques...

Meanwhile, at the Dong Hai Dragon Palace.

Ao Yi, who had just returned, didn't waste a moment. He handed over his troops and hurried back to his palace.

He removed his armor, dismissed the attendants, walked to the corner where his desk was carved from a single piece of jade, and slowly unrolled the scroll in his hand.

This...

This is!

“Uh, 'The Scripture of Stability'? Anonymous?”

Ao Yi blinked, and with a mindset of giving it a try, he began to read it attentively.