Chapter 331: It's You, Li

Why is Yudi moving so quickly this time?

This is nothing like the Heavenly Court, absolutely nothing like the Heavenly Court.

Normally, issuing a decree takes at least several decades, and a promotion to a divine position takes ten to twenty years. Even an ordinary heavenly general needs two or three days just to pass through the Tianmen Gate!

Even if eliminating the remnants of the previous dynasty is the top priority, Hua Ri Tian mobilizing troops must still follow some procedure, right?

The Sun Star operates outside the heavens, and right now the sun is setting in the west. Bringing soldiers from the Heavenly Court would still take some time on the journey, wouldn't it?

Not to mention, Yudi's incarnation needs to hide his tracks, wait for the right moment to launch a surprise attack, and also prepare some backup plans to kill Lu Ya Dao Ren...

From the look on His Majesty Yudi's face just now, it seemed like he was going to make his move right away?

Fortunately, based on Yudi's reaction, I managed to hold him back at the crucial moment...

In the Lingxiao Hall, Li Changshou waited quietly, his face full of feigned confusion, as if to say, "Who am I and where am I?"

A look of utter bewilderment.

Yudi closed his eyes and focused his mind, his thoughts reaching towards Hua Ri Tian's location. The troops had quietly departed from that immense Sun Star.

The Sun Star, formed from Pangu's left eye, is the origin of the yang energy of heaven and earth.

In the era before the Heavenly Dao was complete, the Sun Star was pulled across the sky by the goddess Xi He in her solar chariot, moving from east to west in an endless cycle.

In ancient times, the Jinwu clan, born on the Sun Star, reached their peak. Xi He became the demon queen of the demon race, and the demon emperor Di Jun built the Jinwu Palace as their residence for Xi He and the ten princes.

From then on, the operation of the Sun Star was taken over by the Heavenly Dao.

At the end of ancient times, during the final stages of the Witch-Demon War, the human army toppled the demon court, and the demon emperor met his end.

Then, a million immortals besieged the Jinwu Palace, Xi He took her own life, and most of the palace was destroyed.

Now, standing outside the Sun Star and looking inward, beyond the natural barrier of the Lihuo Great Array, you can still see vast stretches of ruins. Countless treasures have been scorched by the Sun True Fire, turning into dazzling, hardened debris.

Originally, the groups of soldiers and generals led by Hua Ri Tian had already passed through the outer Lihuo Great Array of the Sun Star.

But Li Changshou submitted his memorial in time, and Yudi changed his mind. Hua Ri Tian spread the word everywhere, warning that there might be an ambush, and they temporarily withdrew.

His troops immediately went on full alert, yet they withdrew in an orderly manner without panic.

At the same time,

deep within these ruins, in a grand hall that had collapsed by half,

an old Daoist sat cross-legged in a corner, surrounded by layers of barriers.

His face was pale, his aura trembling chaotically, and his Daoist robe was stained with blood. Judging by the direction and shape of the bloodstains, it seemed like...

it had all been coughed up.

The hall was surprisingly cool, as if some array had isolated the pervasive heat waves of the Sun Star.

In front of the old Daoist, the sprayed blood had formed a small stream, circling around him.

If anyone else saw this, they would surely think he was practicing some kind of demonic art...

The old Daoist was completely unaware that the group of heavenly generals had come and gone outside the Sun Star; he was in an extremely poor state right now.

"Why is this happening? What on earth is going on?"

The old Daoist opened his dim eyes, but his aura began to tremble erratically again, forcing him to close his eyes and calm the fluctuations in his heart.

His initial injury came from his own precious treasure, the Zhanxian Flying Knife.

When he was refining the Zhanxian Flying Knife, its spirit suddenly awakened and nearly severed half his life with a single strike.

This left him with no choice but to temporarily seal the flying knife and hurry to heal his wounds...

But then...

Even a simple session of meditation invited heart demons.

Even a cautious attempt to comprehend his own Dao triggered a rare tremor from the Great Dao, shaking his foundation...

When he tried to find a pill for healing, he somehow grabbed the wrong storage treasure and, in a daze, swallowed a poisonous pill.

"Cough! Cough cough!"

The old Daoist held back another mouthful of blood and opened his eyes again.

This time, he carefully took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve, double-checking that it was the one containing his healing precious pills.

A slight smile appeared on his face, but when he removed the seal on the bottle, his smile froze instantly.

He tilted it out, and a pile of pill fragments fell into his hand, with the last bit of medicinal potency quietly dissipating...

The pills... they shattered?!

Although there is such a thing as pills shattering if their energy goes out of control, this...

The old Daoist's lips trembled, and two tears slowly slid down his aged cheeks...

What in the world is going on?

As soon as these misfortunes began, the old Daoist became alert and immediately thought—

Could it be that I've lost my luck?

But when he carefully calculated with his fingers, he found that his luck was still intact, and the remnants of the demon race's luck had even transformed into a resurgence aura, gathering on him.

Or maybe I've accumulated some karmic debt?

The old Daoist took out his second treasure and examined it closely.

It was a book of curses, refined by experts from the demon court, with the overall concept proposed by the demon master Kun Peng, as a secret technique to punish unruly demons.

The book was called the "Ding Tou Qi Jian Shu," and it was publicly claimed that as long as you knew a spirit's name and birth details, you could curse them to death.

In reality, that was just a front; casting the Ding Tou Qi Jian method was extremely difficult.

First, you needed a wisp of the target's primordial spirit and a wisp of their aura—both absolutely essential. Then, you had to infuse them into the book, create a straw effigy, and perform the ritual daily at set times, shooting arrows.

The cost of casting the Ding Tou Qi Jian Shu was enormous, and most importantly, it either consumed merit or luck.

If the ritual was halted midway due to insufficient merit or luck, the caster would be backlashed by the curse, turning directly into a pool of blood...

In the demon court's heyday, merit was plentiful, and the Ding Tou Qi Jian Shu hung over the heads of all demons like a hidden arrow.

But now, for this old Daoist—also known as Lu Ya Dao Ren—this book was just...

a memento.

For enemies he could defeat in battle, he wouldn't need this treasure. For those he couldn't defeat, trying to curse such experts without enough merit or luck would be tantamount to mutual destruction.

Once he confirmed it wasn't this item causing his bad luck, Lu Ya Dao Ren fell into even greater confusion.

And up to today, his injuries showed no sign of improvement, his foundation teetering on the edge of collapse, his situation growing more wretched...

Could it be that Heaven itself wants me dead?

Lu Ya Dao Ren looked up at the sky, but all he saw was the shattered ceiling of the hall and the sky woven from flames outside.

He let out a bitter laugh, shakily stood up, picked up the large gourd beside him, slung it over his back, and stumbled deeper into the hall.

In just a few dozen zhang, he fell several times, spat blood several times, felt heart demons stirring, and his strength seemed utterly drained.

The old Daoist made his way to a corner of the hall, barely mustering a wisp of immortal power to activate an array there, and collapsed into it.

In the next instant, his figure vanished from the spot and appeared within the core of the Sun Star.

But that array suddenly malfunctioned and, in a flash...

burned up.

Inside the star core, a small palace was hidden amid the multicolored Sun True Fire.

Lu Ya Dao Ren's figure tumbled to the ground in front of the palace, flames swirling around him, transforming into a three-legged Jinwu, which then shifted into a handsome young man in brocade robes. He dragged the large gourd along, staggering inside.

The palace was empty, with only a crystal coffin placed within.

Outside, it was the scorching spring of heaven and earth, but here, a chill akin to that of the Taiyin Star's core lingered.

This chill enveloped the crystal coffin, inside which lay a beautiful woman in white robes, as if merely asleep, still exuding a faint aura of majesty.

The young man in brocade robes took a few steps to her side, bent his knees, and knelt down. He took a deep breath and said sorrowfully:

"Mother... please tell your child, what have I done wrong this time, that Heaven wants to destroy me so..."

The woman was just a corpse, with no spirit or soul, so naturally, there was no response.

Lu Ya Dao Ren gave a bitter laugh, sensing his injuries about to flare up again. He stood up, slowly walked to the side of the crystal coffin, and leaned against his mother.

His eyes gradually closed, his entire body radiating misery, and he hummed an old folk song from his lips...

"From Tanggu I emerge, wandering the skies... Returning to Yuyuan, bathing in the sweet abyss..."

"Ah."

Suddenly, a sigh came from beside him. Lu Ya Dao Ren's spirit lifted, and he murmured "Niangniang," but a white shadow flashed by, and his figure vanished with it.

At the same time, near the border of Nanbuzhou and Dongsheng Shenzhou, in a certain valley,

a black panther, who was with his wife and whose name meant "worship at every turn," suddenly let out a low roar, rolled its eyes, and slowly collapsed.

The characters "Lu Ya Dao Ren" on the wooden plaque above it vanished into thin air.

"Husband! Husband, what's wrong with you!"

The water demon Miao Miao cried out in panic.

With her low cultivation, she couldn't see the black lingzhi mushroom that had appeared above the black panther's head; it was rapidly disintegrating, its mysterious Heavenly Dao power dissolving into nothingness.

In the blink of an eye, the lingzhi was only a tenth of its original size...

Meanwhile, Li Changshou's paper effigy, hidden hundreds of li away, witnessed the entire scene.

The black panther had merely suffered a shock to its demon soul and fainted on its own, without any real injury.

What was going on with that black lingzhi?

'Did it backfire?'

In the Lingxiao Hall of the Heavenly Court, Li Changshou furrowed his brow slightly, constantly calculating in his mind.

Could it be that the Lord of the Heavenly Dao thought this guy was too toxic and forcibly weakened him?

Or maybe Lu Ya Dao Ren's luck was too strong for the black panther to handle?

The scene of the black lingzhi shattering seemed to indicate that the black panther's toxicity had been reduced...

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, then burned the paper effigy that had been in front of the black panther and sent a new one to continue monitoring.

In any case, whatever the situation, it had nothing to do with him as the minor Water God of the Heavenly Court.

"Changgeng."

On the throne in the Lingxiao Hall, Yudi opened his eyes and smiled.

"I've had them return.

From what I see in your memorial, you mentioned that the underworld could be placed under the Heavenly Court's management and integrated into the three realms' order. How should we proceed with that?"

Li Changshou replied with a smile: "The dragon race has the Dragon Kings, and the underworld has the Yan Kings. When the time is right, Your Majesty could also enfeoff Grand Virtue Houtu. Although the underworld doesn't lack merit, the yin officials there still have their own concerns."

"Oh?"

Yudi's interest was piqued. "It seems you've done your homework, my dear minister. Please explain in detail. Compared to dealing with the remnants of the demon court, this is truly the great matter of revitalizing the Heavenly Court!"

Li Changshou bowed in salute, paused to organize his thoughts, and spoke eloquently.

This would start from a small detail—cough, or rather, from the witches of Beijuluzhou!

The final outcome of their discussion was as he expected—he became the executive director of the next big play and received Yudi's appointment decree.

Another wave of great merit was beckoning to him from ahead, as if calling out, "Come on, immortal..."

Fortunately, Yudi didn't set a deadline and even advised him to rest for a few years and not overexert himself.

Li Changshou naturally accepted the order with gratitude, carefully agreeing to it.

Half a day later,

in the underground chamber of Xiaoqiong Peak, Li Changshou slowly opened his eyes, a hint of fatigue in them.

In the past half day, he had been drinking and chatting with Zhao Gongming and Huanglong Zhenren on one side, discussing with Yudi how to bring the underworld under Heavenly Court control on the other, while also keeping an eye on the black panther's condition and calculating what had happened to it.

Once his Water God paper effigy returned to the Water God Mansion, Zhao Gongming and Huanglong Zhenren had their fill of wine and conversation, bid farewell, and left. Just then, the black panther happened to wake up...

Li Changshou suddenly found himself with some free time and could only eavesdrop on the intimate chatter between the black panther and the water demon.

"Husband, what happened to you?"

"Wife, just now, it was as if I saw a ball in front of my eyes. The ball flashed, and I lost consciousness, with only the words 'don't worship anymore' echoing in my heart."

"Don't scare me like that. The characters on that wooden plaque have already disappeared."

"Oh? Could it be... that my divine ability isn't just activated by words?"

Li Changshou frowned deeply.

A ball?

He listened a bit longer, but the conversation between the black panther and the water demon quickly lost its substance and became rather explicit.

Li Changshou withdrew his focus and pondered carefully.

Could it be that Lu Ya Dao Ren was nearly killed by the black panther's overdone effect and was saved by the owner of the ball...

And then the owner of the ball intervened, warned the black panther, and erased most of its toxicity?

If the black panther is a tool of the Heavenly Dao, serving the great calamity to come,

then the owner of the ball stepping in like this would owe a karmic debt to the Heavenly Dao, inevitably getting drawn into the great calamity later, right?

Li Changshou sensed the Taiji Diagram's aura on himself and finally relaxed a bit.

He never expected that his initial whimsical little scheme would end up involving a saintly lady.

How did he suddenly get the feeling that the Lord of the Heavenly Dao had arranged this for him again...

Li Changshou sat there, lost in thought.

Since it involved a saint, he had to be extra cautious. This time of contemplation lasted two days and three nights.

He went to his thatched hut and spread out the scrolls one by one, carefully revising some details.

The Fengshen Great Calamity, the schemes of the six saints...

He absolutely couldn't gamble on this; he had to bind himself tightly to the Heavenly Court, intervene in the Fengshen Great Calamity on a small scale, and make limited changes to mitigate some of Daoism's tragedies.

With the Luobao Money already in hand, Lu Ya Dao Ren would soon face Yudi's scheme.

If he could intercept and eliminate Lu Ya Dao Ren in advance and keep a close eye on Ran Deng, that "traitor chief," there would be much room to maneuver in the Fengshen matter.

Without the Dinghai Divine Pearls, what could Ran Deng use to establish the Twenty-Four Heavens?

Li Changshou sat in the thatched hut, meticulously calculating.

After reaching the Golden Immortal realm, he was less sensitive to the passage of time. This systematic bout of thinking took five or six years in the blink of an eye.

During these five or six years, Li Changshou naturally had to attend to matters outside.

Helping the Heavenly Court, coordinating with the dragon race, assigning divine positions—many things required his involvement, and the vacation Yudi promised him seemed more distant than ever.

The Xiaoqiong Peak relocation plan was also proceeding vigorously.

Ling E had organized all the details of Xiaoqiong Peak, and Li Changshou had selected a substitute peak in a mountain range in Nanbuzhou, beginning comprehensive modifications.

Priorities must be set; he planned to wait until the Xiaoqiong Peak relocation was complete before delving into the underworld affairs.

Only by moving next door to Laojun could he plan other matters with peace of mind.

"Senior Brother."

In the bright sunlight, Ling E floated over from outside the thatched hut, carrying tea and snacks.

Li Changshou set down his brush, stretched, and covered the scroll in front of him to keep Ling E from seeing it and getting involved in the karma.

These years, he hadn't been in seclusion, so the thatched hut was open to Ling E.

Earlier, Jiu Shu had also come by for a visit. Seeing that Li Changshou seemed to be "writing a book," she hadn't dared to disturb him much.

Ling E knelt by the low table and offered the tea, saying softly: "Senior Brother, don't overwork yourself."

"Mm, it's nothing," Li Changshou took a sip of tea. "Human effort has its limits, and I might overlook things. I just need to consider everything as thoroughly as possible and check for any loopholes repeatedly."

Ling E pursed her lips, not knowing how to help her senior brother with his burdens.

Li Changshou smiled and said: "There are already so many young people outside the mountain gate wanting to become disciples..."

"Mm," Ling E responded and shared some interesting stories she'd heard in the sect lately.

About which elder had discovered a good seedling and taken them as a disciple, or which disciple had connected with a sect immortal through a distant relative after a thousand years.

Li Changshou listened with a smile, his immortal sense scanning the young people gathered outside the mountain gate, checking for any extraordinary talents.

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him.

Li Changshou focused on a boy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, dressed in rough cloth, who looked quite mature for his age.

The boy was bruised and swollen, with minor injuries on his body, as if he'd rolled down the steps in front of the mountain gate. Now, he was hugging a piece of dry rations and eating it, his gaze firm and steady, evoking a sense of pity.

Who was this?

The fact that it triggered his intuition meant this boy might be someone fated for the Fengshen Great Calamity.

Li Changshou's interest was piqued, and he sent a voice transmission into the boy's ear:

"Who are you?"

The boy was startled and looked around.

Li Changshou transmitted again: "Don't look around. I'm in the mountains, speaking to you through a spell."

The boy jumped in surprise, quickly stood up, and knelt toward the mountain gate, shouting loudly:

"I... I am Li Jing! From the human race of Nanbuzhou!

My hometown has been invaded by demons repeatedly. I beg the immortal to teach me the Dao, pass on immortal arts, so I can protect my homeland and bring it peace!"

Li Jing?

Mm, the boy had it tough—his cloth shoes were worn through, and the ones in his bundle were all soles gone. He had the cultivation of the Qi Refining realm, probably having run straight here from the southern continent.

Unfortunately, his aptitude wasn't exceptional, so the sect probably wouldn't...

Accept...

Wait, what did he say his name was?