Chapter 338: Heavenly Court Civil Official, Not Good at Fighting

In the main hall of the Xihai Longgong, Li Changshou spoke with assurance, describing the unique features of his seven gourd spirits in a rather understated manner.

Just dozens of zhang away from Li Changshou's true form, beyond the boundary filled with seawater, the Grand Mage was squinting and smiling, occasionally glancing discreetly at Yunxiao Fairy in the distance.

The Grand Mage had thrown himself into this conflict with an enthusiasm he had never shown before...

However, his focus was somewhat unusual, centered entirely on Yunxiao Fairy's reactions.

If Yunxiao happened to disapprove of anything Li Changshou did, or misunderstood him as being too impulsive...

The Grand Mage would immediately send a voice transmission to remind Li Changshou, urging him to show the side of himself that had fearlessly detonated the spirit explosion against Jinchanzi.

Although Li Changshou had looked quite disheveled while being chased for thousands of miles by Jinchanzi,

Once the grand array immobilized Jinchanzi, Li Changshou's figure—turning away without a second glance at the explosion behind him—was indeed a bit cool.

This was the top priority!

Yet, the Grand Mage soon realized he had been overthinking it.

Yunxiao's eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if she truly appreciated Li Changshou's actions...

Especially when the nearly lifelike gourd incarnations appeared, Yunxiao revealed a faint smile, her gaze carrying a hint of anticipation.

So, the Grand Mage transmitted a message to Li Changshou:

“You're doing quite well; Yunxiao is growing more appreciative of you. But don't overdo the deception, or it might come across as frivolous and reckless.”

Li Changshou: ...

Wasn't this all just normal strategy on his part?

Dispersing the enemies' attention, disrupting their attack rhythm, and achieving the goal of delaying time without fighting.

Oh well, since the Grand Mage thought it wasn't quite right, he should respect the opinion of this senior figure from Renjiao.

Li Changshou paused his speech, quickly calculating the timing for the three Dragon Palace experts to arrive, and slowly descended from midair.

His long hair and sleeves swayed in the water, enveloped in a faint aura of Xuan Huang energy, as he stood in front of the seven gourd spirits.

“Everyone,” Li Changshou swept his gaze over the enemies and smiled, “would you like to test the wonders of my gourd vine?”

As the main act's lead, Ao Shi was about to speak, but several shadowy figures had already darted out from beside him, their cloaks flying off to reveal figures that were either handsome or alluring.

The transformations of Hong Meng ferocious beasts were always so full of deceit.

Li Changshou's smile remained calm and composed. Though outnumbered, he still had some confidence...

Well, to give credit to the tower spirit, he now had about nine-tenths of it!

Although these ferocious beasts were fierce, Li Changshou had experience from clashing with Jinchanzi and was familiar with Wenjing Daoist, so he knew their true strength.

The Hong Meng ferocious beasts had been abandoned by the Heavenly Dao, their cultivation realms locked in place since ancient times, with no further progress possible on the Great Dao.

What was truly troublesome were their innate divine abilities and racial talents.

Like Wenjing Daoist's blood mosquito puppets and his blood-sucking extinction technique,

Or Jinchanzi's natural Qian Kun escape and his memorable “Golden Cicada Shell Shedding”...

These were the main reasons these beasts were hard to deal with.

At that moment, several of the humanoid ferocious beasts launched their attacks first...

It was clear they just wanted to ignite the battle and deny Li Changshou more time to speak.

Their strikes were restrained; even though they were only a hundred zhang away, they halted midway and unleashed their assaults.

Several beams of dark light and a pool of black water rained down on Li Changshou.

Li Changshou stood still, utterly composed, and these attacks didn't even harm a single hair on him.

The black water turned into faint smoke and evaporated in an instant.

What level of cultivation was this?

The attacking ferocious beasts and the experts watching from behind were all startled, and by the time they reacted, Li Changshou had already begun his counterattack.

After all, combat wasn't turn-based.

Among the seven gourd spirits, the first through fifth stepped forward in different directions!

Traces of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—emerged, and in an instant, the five big-headed, big-eyed, crew-cut spirit children executed five entirely different escape techniques!

The ferocious beasts sneered; these escape methods were swift, but not traceless... or were they?

How could this be?!

The remnants of the five elements escape techniques lingered, creating faint ripples in the surrounding ten zhang of Qian Kun, and the auras of the five gourd spirits vanished completely!

For what felt like the umpteenth time, the hall fell into pin-drop silence.

But this silence lasted less than a breath!

Without warning, five chubby little hands appeared simultaneously behind the ferocious beasts, each clutching a handful of silver needles, stabbing them into the beasts' necks with lightning speed!

The hands struck and retreated in a flash, vanishing just as quickly.

Several low roars followed as the five humanoid ferocious beasts either erupted in brilliant light or spun around, smashing with fists and palms!

But all they could grasp were those faint Qian Kun ripples!

Qian Kun escape!

No, wait...

Those five spirit children had just grabbed silver needles and jabbed them...

A strange, scorching heat surged from the needle points on the ferocious beasts, instantly sweeping through their bodies without giving them any chance to resist!

The five beasts' eyes suddenly turned blood-red, their expressions becoming... indescribably meaningful.

“Mmm...”

One beast, transformed into a woman, bit her lip and hummed softly, her forehead beaded with sweat, her eyes growing hazy.

She suddenly turned and flew toward the palace entrance, her aura trembling wildly.

The other four beasts followed suit immediately, not saying a word, vanishing through the palace gates faster than the last.

This left the two-faced dragons and the bewildered ferocious beasts exchanging confused glances.

Li Changshou chuckled lightly as the first through fifth gourd spirits returned to his side, resuming their innocent appearances.

The scene was truly bizarre and inexplicable.

In an instant, the group of Hong Meng ferocious beasts, who had been so aggressive, now faced the divine abilities of the Heavenly Court Sea God and showed clear signs of retreat.

Ao Shi took a deep breath, drew his sword, and stepped forward, his golden robe gleaming brightly.

He, as the lead, had to step up.

“Water God, you have impressive skills, but today, I absolutely cannot let you disrupt the great destiny of the Dragon Clan!”

No sooner had Ao Shi spoken than a low roar echoed from outside the hall, and various immortal senses probed out, leaving many Dragon Clan experts and Hong Meng ferocious beasts with changed expressions.

What they saw in the distant seawater was a chaotic, indescribable scene— their former allies were now acting out of control, like mindless beasts.

Li Changshou stood there calmly and said,

“Everyone should know that I am a disciple of Renjiao and skilled in alchemy.

Last time, to deal with that Six-Winged Golden Cicada, I prepared some backups, and unexpectedly, they came in handy today.

Please rest assured; I only have a few dozens of these silver needles laced with love flower poison. If you trust me, feel free to come at me.

Don't be afraid— I'm just a civil official in the Heavenly Court, not a general.”

He was telling the truth; those needles were originally meant for Jinchanzi but hadn't been used.

The effects of the poison on the needles had been fully activated just now, leaving nothing behind.

The so-called love flower poison was derived from the raw materials of the Male Ambition Pill, and he only had those few dozens of needles— once used, they were gone...

But the more casually Li Changshou spoke, the more chaotic and indescribable the distant scene became, making these enemies even more...

Distrustful.

The Grand Mage, watching from the shadows, couldn't help but twitch his mouth, and Yunxiao Fairy covered her forehead with her hand.

In Li Changshou's mind, the tower spirit was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, hurling various jests and scoldings at him.

Ao Shi snapped back to his senses and gritted his teeth.

“Where are the elders?”

“Prince Ao Shi,” Li Changshou said calmly, “besides calling others to charge ahead, do you have any other skills?”

With that, Li Changshou stepped forward, his eyelids slightly lowered.

Behind him, the first through fifth gourd spirits leaped up and positioned themselves around the Xihai Dragon King, the loyal dragons, and the immortal flood dragons, forming a pentagonal array. They each removed the gourds from their heads.

These small gourds turned out to be array foundations, activated by the spirit children to form a Five Elements Protective Array. It drew on the water spirit energy to manifest the five elements' power, creating a translucent light barrier.

Though the gourd vine was a bit playful, it was indeed one of Li Changshou's trump cards— just a tad quirky in appearance...

Meanwhile, the sixth and seventh gourd spirits sat cross-legged within the array; the transparent sixth was doing something unknown, while the seventh projected a water-fire Taiji diagram, enhancing the array.

Without looking back, Li Changshou took a few more steps forward, his gaze fixed on Ao Shi, exuding an indescribable aura of authority.

Five steps, six steps...

Li Changshou faced thousands of experts alone, his eyes locked only on the golden-clad Ao Shi.

“Prince Ao Shi, do you still remember the essence of your own Dao?”

Ao Shi furrowed his brow, instinctively wanting to retreat,

But he knew that if he backed down, he would become a pawn of the West, so he had to stand his ground.

Dozens of the nearest Dragon Clan experts surged forward, releasing their pressures toward the Heavenly Court Water God.

Li Changshou advanced unperturbed, step by step.

Ten steps, twelve steps...

“How dare the Water God act so arrogantly!”

An elder dragon roared in anger, raising his claw to grab at Li Changshou from afar, summoning a phantom dragon claw dozens of zhang wide to smash down on him!

Li Changshou stood firm, and the claw shattered on impact.

This stirred up a storm— dozens of dragon elders attacked simultaneously, shaking the Xihai Longgong violently. Divine abilities erupted, spiritual energy surged, and the Qian Kun trembled, shattering many luxurious ornaments in the crystal palace.

But...

After the chaos, Li Changshou still stood there, surrounded by faint Xuan Huang energy, not a hair out of place.

However, Li Changshou realized that when enduring these attacks, he was stuck in place.

Perhaps everything had its balance— this might be the Heavenly Dao's restriction on the Tiandi Linglong Xuan Huang Pagoda.

“Have you all had enough?” Li Changshou asked, his eyelids half-closed as he exhaled lightly.

One dragon elder awoke as if from a dream and shouted, “He must have a supreme treasure protecting him!”

In an instant, the dozens of dragons who had attacked felt somewhat relieved but furrowed their brows even more.

Hiding in the crowd, Ao Shi yelled, “Then trap him and kill Ao Run first!”

Ao Run— that was his father's title.

In the Five Elements Array, the Xihai Dragon King sighed with his eyes closed.

Li Changshou, standing alone against thousands, showed a hint of helplessness in his eyes and said calmly, “This Soul-Cursing Spell is truly powerful, erasing one's true nature to this extent.”

“Attack!”

Ao Shi's handsome face twisted with ferocity. As he shouted, the dozens of dragon elders pounced on Li Changshou,

While the thousands behind them split into two groups, trying to bypass him and rush toward the Xihai Dragon King...

This was the moment Li Changshou had been waiting for!

More divine abilities and spells hurtled toward him, but Li Changshou's figure silently dispersed, letting them all miss.

One dragon elder immediately shouted, “Water escape!”

At that very moment, dozens of fist-thick water streams collided head-on with the group of dragon experts!

Though these old dragons reacted swiftly, bombarding the streams with dragon force, half of them still slipped through, converging on Ao Shi.

The streams suddenly accelerated several times over!

Ao Shi's mind reeled, his spiritual senses screaming in alarm!

“Your Highness, retreat quickly!”

The traitorous dragons swarmed toward Ao Shi, unleashing divine abilities to intercept the streams.

The twenty-odd streams transformed again— some turned to metal, others to wind, some triggered Qian Kun ripples, and some became ice spikes thrusting forward...

Escape techniques!

All escape techniques!

It was dazzling and disorienting, with no way to pinpoint the Water God's true form!

The traitorous dragons were quick too, surrounding Ao Shi in a tight formation, using their bodies to block every direction and forming a spherical barrier...

But...

“Tsk tsk.”

The dozens of dragon experts facing outward suddenly heard a light chuckle from behind, making their hairs stand on end.

Right in front of these experts, in the center of their “sphere,” in the blink of an eye...

A treasure map appeared out of nowhere, unleashing shadows of dozens of rivers that suppressed Ao Shi and swallowed him into the map.

Li Changshou's figure emerged from a cluster of ice-blue flames, standing amid the encirclement, casually tucking the treasure map into his sleeve.

Almost no one noticed the faint Qian Kun ripples appearing in his sleeve...

“Save His Highness!”

“Seal the Qian Kun— don't let him escape again!”

In the blink of an eye, the dozens of dragon elders used their dragon force to suppress the Qian Kun, sealing off the surrounding hundred zhang.

Then they heard...

“Everyone.”

Li Changshou's voice suddenly came from the direction of the throne, startling all the experts in the hall!

They looked at the spot surrounded by the dragon elders— there was a white-haired, white-robed Heavenly Court Water God.

Then they looked toward the Five Elements Array— another white-robed, white-haired...

Heavenly Court Water God!

It was no secret that the Water God excelled in incarnations.

But when had the switch happened? When had he swapped positions? When had he shifted forms?

And how could the Qian Kun escape be so silent and seamless?

Li Changshou chuckled lightly, took out the treasure map from his sleeve, and tossed it casually, releasing the unconscious Ao Shi, who had been suppressed by the Dayu Flood Control Map, onto the ground.

Ao Shi wasn't particularly strong to begin with; his cultivation had been forcibly elevated, barely matching an ordinary Golden Immortal like Kong Xu Palm Master.

Grasping Ao Shi's neck with his left hand, Li Changshou said calmly,

“Even without a supreme treasure, what can you do to me?

Oh, and by the way, my incarnation isn't just any incarnation.”

With the Qian Kun still sealed, the dozens of dragon elders turned to look at the incarnation Li Changshou had left behind...

Under its robes, seventy-two light spots appeared!

What's more, in its abdomen, the golden core— which had absorbed dozens of strands of spiritual energy— was now trembling violently!

A surge of Heavenly Dao power manifested, and the golden core exploded instantly!

The Ground Evil Spirit Explosion Array— Golden Immortal core enhanced version!

A dazzling “sun” rose up, and Li Changshou lifted Ao Shi in front of him, using immortal force to pull the stunned Ox-Head and Horse-Face into the Five Elements Array.

In his mind, Ao Yi's words echoed, and Li Changshou's fingers blurred in a series of shadows, instantly striking three points on Ao Shi's spine, tailbone, and back of the head.

Ao Shi's forehead horns flashed with light, and his body suddenly expanded, transforming into a black dragon hundreds of zhang long in the golden light. Li Changshou coiled it up and used it as a shield in front of the Five Elements Array...

That day, it was as if the sun star had plummeted into the sea.

On the surface above the Xihai Longgong, a water sphere a hundred li in diameter slowly bulged, with beams of spiritual energy piercing through the sky...

“As I said, I'm not skilled in combat— just a civil official in the Heavenly Court.”