Chapter 336: West Sea Matters Arise, Fairy Accompanies

Li Changshou looked down at his appearance and transformed into the form of 'Shui Shen Changgeng'.

Listening to the murmurs of Niutou and Maimian through the mist in the Great Mage's palm, he learned that the Wu Clan of the Difu were so aware of current affairs and actually wanted to directly pledge allegiance to the Tian Court...

This made Li Changshou even more worried.

It was a bit too proactive.

If the Difu was really as Niutou and Maimian described— not only not resisting the Tian Court but also eager to join its system— then as Shui Shen, he would shift from being the one scheming to becoming a tool manipulated by the Difu.

The nature of this matter would fundamentally change, easily arousing suspicion from the Jade Emperor.

His Majesty the Jade Emperor was not as carefree and unrestrained as the Great Mage...

Furthermore, if he put in almost no effort in the Difu matter, how would the Heavenly Way grant him great gongde?

At the moment, his gongde was only enough to condense a small half of a jin shen. He couldn't really end up with a 'disabled jin shen', only protecting vital areas during battles, could he?

Of course, that was just a joke. The Heavenly Way wouldn't allow such a jin shen to exist, as jin shen also implied the completion of gongde.

In short, any Tian Court duties not aimed at achieving a jin shen were just playing tricks on him, Li Changshou!

Hmm, the script for 'Dragon Clan Ascending to Heaven' clearly didn't suit the Difu and needed to dig into new points of conflict.

He had to overcome all difficulties, help integrate the Difu into the Tian Court system, and assist the Tian Court in establishing a foundation for controlling the Three Realms.

If there were no difficulties, then he would create them and face them head-on!

As he pondered how to handle the Difu matter, a faint fragrance wafted into his nose. Li Changshou instinctively looked up toward the inner hall entrance...

The subtle scent spoke without words, as the graceful figure approached.

She wore a simple white long dress, which looked so fitting on her, revealing not a hint of her curves, yet overflowing with immortal charm, evoking a silent sigh in the heart:

'Who else could this be but the one from my dreams?'

Yunxiao had arrived.

Li Changshou stepped forward with a smile and performed a dao salute, and Yunxiao returned the gesture with perfect understanding.

Then, their eyes met, and Yunxiao's usually cool and serene face became more lively, like a delicate plum blossom on a frosty branch.

Li Changshou took the initiative to speak.

"Immortal, I hope you have been well."

— This was no longer Peach Blossom Forest, and with the Great Mage nearby, he couldn't address her by name directly.

Yunxiao replied,

"Dao friend, have you been safe lately?"

"I've had no major issues near or far, just a lot of travel in my cultivation," Li Changshou said warmly, then suddenly grew serious. "These five hundred years have passed in a flash, truly without a sense of time's change."

Yunxiao hadn't expected Li Changshou to jest about this and couldn't help but smile, her cool demeanor melting away completely.

The Great Mage, watching from the side, silently gave a thumbs-up behind them.

The tower spirit protecting Li Changshou trembled repeatedly, muttering in his heart:

"Face, oh face, little Changshou!

How can you lose your way over a woman? This is karma, karma!

Eh? There's a scent like Jin Dou's sister... Oh? Is that Yunxiao Immortal?

Oh—

Impressive, Changshou, even daring to woo Yunxiao Immortal! Quick, bring Jin Dou's sister into our Renjiao family!"

— The spirit treasure only conveyed spiritual thoughts, and the specific words were Li Changshou's interpretation, so the tower spirit often sounded a bit rambling.

Li Changshou had no time to respond to the tower spirit. After Yunxiao smiled, she deliberately put on a stern face and said softly,

"In that case, I'll head back. Let's pretend we never met, and we can see each other again in four hundred and eighty-two years, alright?"

Li Changshou quickly made a welcoming gesture. "Since you've come, we can recalculate the time.

Immortal, please come in. Coincidentally, Xuandu... Senior Brother is here too."

"Um," Yunxiao agreed, then stepped forward to greet the Great Mage with a salute.

Yunxiao said,

"Xuandu Senior Brother."

Xuandu smiled and replied,

"Yunxiao Junior Sister."

Yunxiao said no more and turned directly to Li Changshou.

Yunxiao said,

"I came out this time because of Xuandu Senior Brother's matter.

It seems someone in the Five Parts Continent is spreading malicious rumors about Xuandu Senior Brother, and the accusations are subtly pointing toward you.

I'm worried you've fallen into a scheme, so I came to warn you."

"This..."

Li Changshou laughed. "It's just rumors, perhaps with some behind-the-scenes pushing, but since Xuandu Senior Brother doesn't mind, it's nothing serious."

"In that case, it's good," Yunxiao said gently. "Seeing you're fine, I'll return to the island for cultivation."

Xuandu Great Mage suddenly spoke up from the side,

"Junior Sister, why rush back? Since you're here, there's a good show later. Why not stay and observe together?"

Li Changshou interjected,

"Xuandu Senior Brother, it's not suitable for the immortal to get involved."

"Don't worry," the Great Mage laughed. "I'll just have Yunxiao Junior Sister watch from the side; I won't let her act rashly.

Besides, every time I follow you, Changshou, I've always thought about stepping in to protect you when you're overwhelmed, but in your thrilling battles with strong enemies, you've never given me a chance.

How about this time— are you afraid Yunxiao Junior Sister will see you fight and think you're not skilled enough?

You're underestimating Yunxiao Junior Sister!"

Li Changshou: ...

What a master move! Absolute mastery!

The Great Mage had used provocation, self-deprecation, and reverse psychology in just two sentences!

Why aren't you this dedicated to serious matters!?

Yunxiao asked,

"Are you going to fight someone?"

Li Changshou laughed. "It's nothing major, immortal. No need to worry..."

"Changshou!"

Xuandu Great Mage frowned and lightly scolded, "How can you be so evasive now?

The two saints of Western Teach are involved— how are they not major enemies?

This isn't like your usual self."

Li Changshou's heart twitched wildly, and the tower spirit in his heart burst into a string of 'ha ha ha'...

The Great Mage was ruthless.

Yunxiao gently furrowed her brow and said softly,

"If you don't want me to watch, I won't. But I'm still worried, so I'll have to use mirror techniques to observe from afar."

Li Changshou said, "Immortal, you really don't need to get entangled in such karma."

Yunxiao replied, "Then I'll just watch without acting— that shouldn't count as karma. If things get troublesome, I can quickly go to Doushuai Palace to deliver a message."

"Alright," Li Changshou said with a relieved smile, not refusing further. He said warmly, "Come sit over here first.

There are two friends from the Difu's Yin Division arriving soon; I'll send them off first."

The Great Mage's eyes narrowed with a smile.

Yunxiao didn't think much of it and quietly took a seat on the wooden chair beside Li Changshou, her figure enveloped in mist.

Just then, a booming shout came from outside the hall:

"Congratulations to Shui Shen! He Xi Shui Shen! The Great Mage of Renjiao has a daughter! Men giving birth are truly amazing! Moo!"

"Heh!"

A light laugh came from the mist, and Li Changshou also smiled.

The Great Mage's mouth twitched slightly, but he said nothing.

Li Changshou quickly called out,

"You two, don't shout! That's a rumor!"

"Rumor?"

Niutou and Maimian, who had just arrived at the door and were about to hold up red congratulatory couplets, froze.

Only then did they notice the Great Mage's figure and trembled simultaneously...

Li Changshou frowned. "How did such a rumor spread to the Difu? Where did you two hear it?"

"This," Niutou scratched his head, "sometimes when we're bored, we stop passersby going to Fengdu City and ask the qi refiners about any new oddities in the Honghuang."

"Neigh!"

Maimian bumped Niutou with his shoulder, and the two Wu warriors hurriedly stepped forward, bowing with fists clasped toward the Great Mage at the inner hall entrance.

The Great Mage nodded with a smile, not speaking.

Li Changshou smiled and took a treasure pouch from his sleeve. "Though it's a rumor, you two meant well.

As per the old rule, it's all inside."

Niutou said, "How can we take your gifts for nothing, Shui Shen?"

But he had already taken the pouch with both hands.

Maimian rolled his eyes from the side, looking disdainfully at the scene.

At that moment, the Great Mage lowered his head to calculate with his fingers and frowned slightly.

Li Changshou noticed this detail with his immortal sense and said directly, "You two, I have matters to attend to..."

"What matters?"

Niutou seemed not to catch Li Changshou's signal to leave and asked back,

"Is there anything we brothers can help with?

Don't mention scheming or calculations— we're not great at that— but fighting, killing, or ambushing, that's our Wu Clan specialty!"

"That's right," Maimian added, looking at Li Changshou with eager eyes.

Li Changshou pondered briefly.

Niutou and Maimian's enthusiasm was likely due to their earlier discussion— trying hard to please him as Shui Shen to bring the Difu into the Tian Court.

Regardless of other factors, if Difu experts could assist in the Dragon Clan matter, it would indeed be beneficial for the Difu.

No matter how he schemed for the Difu's submission later, this would be a solid first step.

So, Li Changshou said, "Do you know that the Four Seas Dragon Clan has submitted to the Tian Court?"

"Of course," Niutou laughed. "Shui Shen, you masterminded it all, helping the dragons ascend. That's spread all over the Difu.

Our Great Wu Priest has never praised anyone in his life, but he praised you three or four times! Saying you're full of schemes, deep and cunning, and that so many old dragon spirits weren't your match!"

"Get lost!"

A horse hoof flew over, kicking Niutou away.

Maimian scolded angrily, "The Great Wu Priest said Shui Shen is full of wisdom and strategy, with everything planned in advance! Even the ancient overlords like the Dragon Clan were perfectly arranged by Shui Shen!"

Niutou glared. "Isn't that the same thing?"

"You two, you two, stop arguing," Li Changshou said quickly. "Let me ask Xuandu Senior Brother if I can bring you along."

As soon as he finished, Xuandu Great Mage stood up and said,

"You decide. There's a Dao fluctuation at Xihai Dragon Palace— probably experts fighting. Changgeng Junior Brother, shall we go check?"

Li Changshou thought for a moment and nodded immediately.

"It must be the start of trouble against Xihai Dragon King. The situation looks dire; please step in, Senior Brother."

"Very well."

Xuandu Great Mage's sleeve fluttered, and a swirl of water and fire condensed into a large Yin-Yang Water-Fire Taiji Diagram.

The Great Mage stepped in first, and Yunxiao emerged from the mist, standing nearby to wait for Li Changshou, then entered with him.

Niutou and Maimian exchanged glances, their eyes full of shock.

Though they didn't recognize Yunxiao and couldn't see her face, their Wu warrior instincts told them clearly:

This immortal was a top expert;

Probably only slightly weaker than the Great Mage of Renjiao!

With two major Dao experts mobilizing, were they heading to Ling Mountain to preach Dao principles?

Niutou and Maimian felt a bit apprehensive, but since they'd already spoken, they could only lower their heads and follow behind Li Changshou, thinking that if things went south, they'd use their Wu Clan's secret technique.

Head Cover Escape: In chaos, just remove the head cover, lie in a pile of corpses, and escape instantly.

To their relief, when they stepped through the Water-Fire Taiji Diagram, they didn't arrive at the golden-ringed Ling Mountain but were enveloped by the cold sea water...

Though the Wu Clan wasn't skilled in water spells, they wouldn't drown.

Back in ancient times, they had secret methods to let Wu warriors sink into the sea and run freely— just with a bit more resistance and less grip from their big feet.

And in those ancient days, the only thing hindering the Wu Clan from hunting in the sea...

Was just the fish bones.

Li Changshou made a hand signal ahead, and Niutou and Maimian immediately stopped, standing obediently behind him.

A faint Dao rhythm enveloped their three figures, blending them seamlessly into the sea water and hiding them completely.

The Great Mage and Yunxiao had vanished, but Li Changshou could sense them protecting him from left and right.

This treatment...

Was unmatched.

By now, they were near Xihai Dragon Palace.

Li Changshou's immortal sense swept over a thirty-thousand-li radius, seeing large groups of immortal flood dragons and soldiers mobilizing everywhere. These forces vaguely surrounded Xihai Dragon Palace, but their weapons were pointed outward.

Xihai Dragon Palace was wrapped in layers of arrays. The small tower in Li Changshou's yuan shen vibrated lightly, and his immortal sense pierced through effortlessly, revealing the situation inside the palace.

These traitors had indeed made their move!

At that moment, Xihai Dragon King, the Dragon Mother, and the Dragon King's last group of loyalists— dozens of experts and over a hundred immortal flood dragon soldiers— were holding out in the main hall of Xihai Dragon Palace.

The main hall's grand array was on the verge of collapse, surrounded by crowds.

Xihai Dragon Palace's Crown Prince Ao Shi, along with the elders, had staged a coup, citing the Dragon King's misconduct.

Those who appeared were dragons of the Dragon Clan, but lurking in Xihai Dragon Palace were dozens of shadowy figures with thick karmic stains...

Li Changshou's eyes lit up— a group of Hongmong fierce beasts!

Glancing at the main hall, Xihai Dragon King seemed off. His aura appeared strong but felt hollow inside.

Li Changshou quickly deduced that Xihai Dragon King had been poisoned by some 'Dao poison', deepening his wariness of Western Teach.

The golden immortal poison pills he had imagined— Western Teach already had them, and they could even harm a far ancient 'Daluo' like Xihai Dragon King!

Li Changshou transmitted to Niutou and Maimian, "If danger arises later, come to my side immediately."

Niutou and Maimian blinked.

Who was he looking down on?

Before they could argue, Li Changshou used his immortal power to carry them toward Xihai Dragon Palace.

They swam openly past groups of immortal flood dragon soldiers without exposing themselves at all.

As they approached the layers of arrays, faint Taiji Diagram marks appeared on the arrays, allowing their three figures to merge in effortlessly.

Seizing this brief opportunity, Li Changshou gathered messages from his paper dao people everywhere.

Donghai, Xihai, and Beihai Dragon Palaces had reacted, with experts secretly rushing to Xihai.

The three dragon palaces had begun 'hastily' assembling troops as per their prior plan, pretending to rush to aid Xihai.

In reality, the main forces of each palace were hidden, and for Xihai, they only needed a group of experts to rescue the Dragon King and Dragon Mother.

By now, Li Changshou had made his judgment and knew exactly what to do.

One word: delay.

Delay until the experts from the three dragon palaces arrived, delay until the Tian Court forces created a diversion outside, and rescue Xihai Dragon King, Dragon Mother, and the loyalists here— that would be the first stage victory!

With the Xuan Huang Tower protecting him and the Great Mage nearby, he was safe. But since the Great Mage wouldn't act, rescuing people with just his own strength would be too difficult.

— Yunxiao was not part of his considerations.

After analyzing the situation, Li Changshou formulated several plans.

To delay time in this scenario, the first step was to draw attention— make the enemy cautious, confused, and hesitant.

Li Changshou quickly transmitted instructions to Niutou and Maimian, and seeing they were a bit slow, he simply said,

"The situation is urgent; follow my voice commands!"

Niutou and Maimian nodded vigorously!

Heads could be broken, blood could flow, but no thinking was needed.

Immediately, Li Changshou quickly outlined a simple script. Relying on the Taiji Diagram's power, he led Niutou and Maimian around the groups of experts and smoothly reached the outer area of the inner hall.

The coup leaders were also aware time was short...

This Xihai Dragon Palace Crown Prince was quite ruthless, his body wrapped in golden light and his aura impressive, as if his strength had been forcibly enhanced.

The rebel dragons worked together to break the last layer of the main hall's array. Ao Shi led a large group of experts into the hall, sword pointed at his elderly father on the throne.

"Father, you're old; it's time to rest!"

Xihai Dragon King's dragon whiskers trembled, his long dragon eyes filled with pain. He roared lowly, about to speak!

"Neigh—"

A clear horse neigh echoed through the main hall, followed by a deep cow moo.

The dragons in the hall frowned, both sides bewildered.

Suddenly, a series of iron chain scraping sounds drifted through the hall.

The hundreds of illuminating pearls in the main hall began flickering, and on the walls on both sides, two burly figures appeared!

They looked like two giants, each holding chains, emerging from the shadows.

"Who!"

A rebel elder shouted, "How dare you play tricks here!"

In response, there were only two cold laughs.

"Neigh, we're playing tricks?

You're wrong; we are the tricks."

"Ha ha ha! Since you've asked sincerely, we'll graciously tell you!"

Crack!

A thunderclap exploded, and two black shadows suddenly descended from the sea water above the hall!

These two figures each folded their arms, their bodies swelling with surging blood energy, wrapped from neck to ankles in circles of chains, slowly descending from above.

If they just dropped straight down, they'd likely be chopped down in three feet.

So, under Li Changshou's voice guidance, they began alternating lines, each speaking one, with full momentum—

"To prevent the disruption of yin-yang order!"

"To guard the peace of the reincarnation great dao!"

"To guide you to the lost filthy soil!"

"Under the direction of the great virtue Houtu!"

"I, Niutou!"

"I, Maimian!"

"Yin Division messengers of the Difu, reporting in!"