Chapter 339: The Strongest Assist King in the Primordial Era

Li Changshou stood on the ruins of Shui Jing Gong, looking at the deep pit in front of him, and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Why run?

Why did they all run?

Originally, with Niu Tou and Ma Mian as "supporting guests," Li Changshou felt that this time he could play it safe without needing to act himself. He had a high chance of success in delaying, breaking out, and escaping.

But when the first plan was halfway through, his shixiong suddenly gave the order, so as the prospective shidi, he had to go along with it passively, change his approach, and show off the traditional skills of a Ren Jiao disciple, Tian Ting civil official, and Xuandu Xiaofashi.

Now, the problem seemed to be how one person could handle thousands of experts properly.

In reality, though, the real issue was how he, with a ninety-eight percent certainty of escaping at any time, could face these thousands of experts lacking great divine abilities and casually make them realize that they couldn't break his defenses.

The main reason Li Changshou decided to switch plans so decisively was that he had already prepared this backup scheme in advance, feeling confident before making his move.

Secondly, there were no Sheng Ren disciples here.

Among the Hong Meng ferocious beasts, there were strengths and weaknesses, and Wen Jing and Jin Chan Zi were among the most vicious. The batch at Xihai Dragon Palace was clearly weaker.

Furthermore, this group of Long Zu here had all been controlled by Xi Fang Jiao's curses, altering their minds. Although each of these old dragons was powerful, accumulated over the long years of Xihai Dragon Palace, there was no true ancient powerhouse like Xihai Long Wang, and no ancient war dragons guarding the sea eye had appeared.

Otherwise, Li Changshou wouldn't have dared to act so boldly!

Now, let's see how he did it...

First, he used the gourd spirit doll-shaped paper effigy to counterattack, then endured the assaults from dozens of Long Zu elders, creating psychological pressure and establishing an image of a great expert.

Throughout, he kept his target locked on the main instigator, "Prince Ao Shi," using words to pressure, treasures for protection, and escape techniques for a surprise attack, successfully capturing Ao Shi.

In this plan, the most difficult part wasn't using escape techniques to reach Ao Shi's side, but how to escape smoothly from the encirclement of dozens of Long Zu experts.

Li Changshou's method was simple:

Just don't go in.

In the instant he transformed into scattered water streams, his true body had already used escape techniques to dodge to one side, activating the power of Tai Ji Tu to conceal himself. Then, with dozens of water streams to distract them, he secretly deployed Qian Kun Dun Fa to send a Jin Xian realm paper effigy to Ao Shi's back.

Li Changshou's mastery of Qian Kun Dun Fa was far inferior to his other long-practiced escape techniques, causing significant hindrance and leaving traces when used on his true body.

But sending a paper effigy to a specified location with Qian Kun Dun Shu was something he had long mastered.

Once the paper effigy struck with Da Yu Zhi Shui Tu, trapping Ao Shi, Li Changshou immediately used remote object transfer to return the treasure map to his true body. Then, his true body appeared to draw attention, while covertly activating the Di Sha Ling Bao array on the Jin Dan realm paper effigy...

The entire plan unfolded smoothly, like flowing water, with each step linking perfectly and no major flaws.

Li Changshou only needed to time it right, creating an illusion of "coming and going freely," leaving people dazzled and overwhelmed, thus deepening their psychological shadows.

The so-called "danger" during this time was merely an illusion for the enemies and onlookers.

What puzzled Li Changshou was that after this Ling Bao explosion, the enemy forces...

Just retreated like that.

They retreated quickly; the explosion's aftermath hadn't even dissipated before the rebel dragons turned and fled from Shui Jing Gong en masse.

As they left, many ferocious beasts and rebel dragons cursed aloud, shouting about how Tian Ting civil officials were like this or that, and even claiming that Tian Ting military generals were just a facade, with the real tough ones hiding among the civil officials to enjoy life.

This was clearly smearing the amiable image of Tian Ting's immortals and gods!

But their swift retreat left Li Changshou with a slight regret, as he had prepared to sacrifice more than three Jin Xian realm paper effigies today.

—Though the number of existing Jin Xian realm paper effigies had an upper limit, they could be made again once destroyed.

Why did they retreat?

Weren't these rebel dragons controlled by the West and supposed to fight fearlessly?

The explosion hadn't caused much damage—it mainly tore apart most of the old dragons within the "Qian Kun Seal core area."

A few still had intact bodies left.

But due to the dense positioning of these traitorous dragons and the Qian Kun Seal, the explosion's power was reduced, leaving only about thirty percent of the thousands of experts injured, with seventy percent mostly unharmed.

The outer rebel forces suffered heavier casualties, mostly Zhen Xian realm Xian Jiao soldiers, fully embodying the precise definition of "cannon fodder" in Hong Meng.

When retreating, it wasn't just these thousands of experts; the surrounding hundreds of thousands of troops also fled back to Xi Niu He Zhou in a panic, completely disregarding their formations and fleeing in utter disarray.

Li Changshou didn't have time to pursue; he relied on his newly forming Shui Shen divine position to calm the roaring Xihai, reducing casualties among sea creatures and avoiding extra karmic burdens for himself.

Then, he reviewed the follow-up operations of this plan in his mind, feeling a bit regretful.

He couldn't use them now.

In the end, he still couldn't accurately calculate the "hearts of living beings."

This time, he miscalculated the enemy's psychological endurance.

At that moment, with Li Changshou as the center, the fan-shaped area behind him had half of Shui Jing Gong still intact.

Clearly, during the explosion, Ta Ye had intervened to protect the remaining spark of Xihai Dragon Palace.

Ao Shi, now restored to human form, lay behind Li Changshou, covered in wounds, barely breathing, and severely injured.

To be cautious, Li Changshou struck with immortal power, adding dozens of layers of seals to Ao Shi's dragon soul to prevent self-destruction.

Li Changshou then scouted the area, activated some paper effigies, and guided the incoming Long Zu experts from three directions, helping them avoid encounters with the rebel main forces to prevent unnecessary casualties.

The light membrane of the Wu Xing Great Array slowly retracted as the gourd spirit dolls put their small gourds back on their heads and transformed into paper figures, flying toward the gourd vine and entering the cracked gourds one by one.

Li Changshou extended his left hand, and the gourd vine drilled back into his sleeve. He glanced at the deep pit in front of him, sighed lightly, and turned to walk toward Xihai Long Wang.

The hundred-plus Xian Jiao soldiers instinctively stepped back half a pace, and the Long Zu experts clustered around the throne wore complex expressions.

Behind the throne, two figures in headgear, Zhan Wu, squatted there with their hands in their sleeves, muttering quietly:

"This is the delay Shui Shen mentioned?"

"Exactly."

Niu Tou chuckled.

"By killing all the enemy forces, we're buying time for our own reinforcements to arrive. That counts as delaying time."

"Should we still collect souls?"

"How can we? There are no souls left. Shui Shen is coming—let's go, quick!"

As they muttered, the two Zhan Wu jumped behind Li Changshou, arms folded and dragging chains, and walked up to Xihai Long Wang.

Supported by the dignified and elegant Long Mu, Xihai Long Wang shakily stood up and bowed.

"Thank you, Shui Shen, for saving my life."

"There's no need for such formality, Long Wang," Li Changshou replied quickly, taking out two bottles of pills. "Have you been poisoned?"

"Indeed," Xihai Long Wang said, feeling quite ashamed. "Shui Shen had warned me before, but I was careless and fell into their scheme. I never imagined that Xi Fang Jiao had completely hollowed out my Dragon Palace."

Li Changshou gently waved his left hand, placing the now barely recognizable Ao Shi in front of Long Wang and Long Mu.

Long Wang's eyes widened as he struck out to kill Ao Shi on the spot.

From the side, Dragon Palace generals and elders murmured softly, "Your Majesty..."

Long Mu also reached out to stop him, but as her hand lifted, she only managed to say, "Your Maj—"

And then stopped.

Ao Shi could not live.

But Li Changshou stepped forward and sighed softly. "Long Wang, you must not kill him now."

Long Wang's eyes were bloodshot as he whispered, "Why should Shui Shen plead for this traitor?"

"It's not pleading," Li Changshou said. "Ao Shi has committed rebellion and attempted patricide—his crimes are grave and deserve execution.

But both you and Ao Shi are in the Tian Ting divine hierarchy. Wouldn't it be more appropriate to take him to Tian Ting for Yu Di to decide his fate?

Once His Majesty orders it, if Ao Shi is to be executed, he can be brought to the Tian Ting Zhan Long Tai. The Tian Dao guillotine will fall, severing his dragon head, and Tian Dao will naturally dispel the heart demon curse on him.

If he truly repents then, perhaps His Majesty might show a touch of mercy, allowing his true spirit a chance for reincarnation."

Li Changshou paused, and Xihai Long Wang, Long Mu, and the surrounding elders all looked at him with gratitude.

Ao Shi's actions today, even if under mind control, warranted death; otherwise, Long Wang's authority would be utterly lost.

By stepping in to stop it, Li Changshou first avoided the tragedy of a father killing his son, second upheld Tian Ting's dignity, and third created an opportunity for Tian Ting and Di Fu to have their first formal contact.

Just a few words, yet they involved many considerations—this was a bit of Li Changshou's small wisdom.

Li Changshou then asked, "Long Wang, why did Ao Shi and his forces surround you without attacking?"

"They were pressuring me for Xihai's treasury," a Long Zu elder sighed softly.

Li Changshou nodded slowly, deciding not to probe further.

To avoid any misunderstanding of his intentions.

Suddenly, waves of dragon roars echoed as dozens of Cang Long rushed into the sea from south and north, heading this way.

At that moment, thunder rumbled above Dragon Palace, and a golden light descended, from which ranks of Tian Jiang flew out...

—This was the "rescue" and "cover" team that Li Changshou had arranged earlier, arriving right on time.

The scene became a bit awkward.

Soon after, over a hundred experts from Nan Hai and Bei Hai Dragon Palaces, along with the Tian He 100,000 water troops, surrounded the ruins of Shui Jing Gong. Looking at the empty "battlefield," they fell into frantic self-doubt.

Was their help even needed?

Half an hour later,

Xihai Long Wang led the remnants, along with reinforcements from the three seas, to temporarily defend Xihai Sea Eye.

Li Changshou ordered the Tian He water troops back to Tian Ting, preparing for a second wave at Bei Tian Men.

Then, Li Changshou looked at the two large jars of Long Wang blood in front of him, his eyes full of delight.

What a treasure...

This was the blood he had gathered while detoxifying Xihai Long Wang, containing a large amount of the potent poison from his body!

Raw material for poison pills!

Jin Xian level poison!

From Li Changshou's initial judgment, this poison likely came from a Hong Meng ferocious beast, an innate deadly toxin so fierce that even a veteran Da Luo Jin Xian like Xihai Long Wang nearly couldn't withstand it.

Although he had exposed the "gourd spirit dolls" as a trump card, his arsenal of hidden tools would soon expand!

Li Changshou carefully placed the three treasure pouches, layering them three times over, and stored the two jars of Long Wang blood inside.

The conditions here were too rudimentary to handle such deadly poison safely; he'd have to wait until the Long Zu conflict settled and use a paper effigy to deal with it in some remote mountain.

"What's this stuff for?"

Ta Ye asked lazily in his mind, lecturing earnestly, "Just blow it up! Explode and be done with it! Poison's no big deal! It's not fit for proper company!

You're the man who's mastered the spirit explosion secret technique!

Blow up a few more times, and Yun Xiao Xian Zi will surely fall for you."

Li Changshou just smiled without responding, accustomed to Ta Ye's wild talk.

"Shui Shen," Niu Tou asked timidly nearby, "where to next?

We've memorized all the lines you gave us!"

Ma Mian quickly added, "We of Di Fu Yin Si are forever your companions, Shui Shen!"

Li Changshou nodded with a smile. "I truly appreciate the help from you two dao friends; otherwise, the situation could have spiraled out of control."

"Don't say that," Niu Tou muttered. "If Ma Mian and I hadn't insisted on coming, those Dragon Palace rebels probably wouldn't have escaped so easily!"

"That's not quite right..."

As Li Changshou started to explain the situation's changes, a familiar Tai Ji Tu appeared in the nearby sea water.

Li Changshou and Niu Tou, Ma Mian immediately swam over and vanished into it.

After they left, several figures flew in from all directions and began working at the deep pit, finishing off the corpses one by one and using She Hun Zhu to collect the lingering souls.

They then gathered the bodies, ignited San Mei Zhen Yan, and recited scriptures—the Du Ren Jing, Xiao Zai Qi Fu Mantra, and Tai Qing Ding Hun Mantra.

A paper effigy in the sea water created a bubble, gathered the ashes, scattered them, and inside the bubble, played the suona, instantly filling the ceremony with solemnity...

In the Hai Shen temple,

Shixiong, Yun Xiao Xian Zi, Li Changshou, Niu Tou, and Ma Mian appeared one after another, as if they had never left.

Li Changshou closed his eyes and focused, using his paper effigies to monitor the movements across the four seas.

For Xi Fang Jiao, although they hadn't found the "dragon treasures" in Xihai, their losses were minimal due to the quick retreat, so they likely wouldn't give up today.

At that moment, Nan Hai and Dong Hai were in turmoil, with sea race rebels launching fierce attacks, putting the Long Zu front lines under pressure...

Shixiong saw Li Changshou frowning and asked, "Chang Geng, how is it?"

"Chaos has erupted everywhere," Li Changshou said. "The paper effigies I arranged have spotted that Xihai Long Zu rebel force; they're moving north and south along the edges of Xi Niu He Zhou.

It seems they're aiming for Bei Hai and Nan Hai.

Xi Fang Jiao's goal is clear—they want the accumulations from Dragon Palaces over countless years as the foundation for their great prosperity."

Shixiong frowned. "For Xi Fang Jiao to prosper like this, what does it mean for our Dao Men? Unacceptable!

Yun Xiao Shimei, you protect Chang Geng and go to Nan Hai; I'll go to Bei Hai to hold the line and must thwart Xi Fang Jiao's schemes!

This is for the prosperity of Dao Men qi yun!"

With that, a Tai Ji Tu appeared behind Shixiong, and he stepped into it.

The quietly standing Yun Xiao Xian Zi blinked lightly.

It seemed she had been assigned a task.

Li Changshou quickly said, "Shixiong, this matter!"

But the Tai Ji Tu flashed and vanished, with Xuandu Shixiong gone.

Yun Xiao couldn't help but chuckle softly and said gently,

"What Xuandu Shixiong said makes sense; opposing Xi Fang Jiao isn't just a Ren Jiao affair."

Li Changshou smiled helplessly, then added, "Just now, in the fight, I must have seemed laughable to you."

"Your moves are steady when you act, like a mountain collapsing," Yun Xiao said with a smile. "It's just that you were born late; if you'd started cultivating in ancient times, you'd already be a great expert."

Li Changshou shook his head and smiled. "As long as you don't think my methods are unscrupulous."

Yun Xiao tilted her head slightly, a hint of thought in her eyes, and asked softly, "Do you think I only know cultivation and not the dangers of Hong Meng?"

Li Changshou smiled warmly and shook his head slowly. The two exchanged a glance, feeling they understood each other a bit more.

In the corner,

Niu Tou whispered, "Ma, we're pretty out of place here."

Before Ma Mian could "whinny," a Tai Ji Tu appeared behind them, and two large hands reached out, pulling the pair into it.

Shixiong's voice came from the Tai Ji Tu:

"Chang Geng! Catch!"

A dark light flew over, landing directly in front of Li Changshou, which he caught with both hands.

The innate merit spirit treasure, that Qian Kun Chi refined by Tai Qing Sheng Ren!

This ruler, shaped like a blunt sword, had once struck the Dong Huang Zhong and smashed Kun Peng's soul—it was one of Ren Jiao's rare offensive treasures!

Of course, like Xuan Huang Ta, it was only borrowed, not given.

To say borrowed might be too formal; this was more like Ren Jiao's signature—shared spirit treasures!

Qian Kun Chi trembled slightly, and a wisp of its spirit echoed in Li Changshou's mind, chatting with Xuan Huang Ta like old friends.

"Let's head to Nan Hai Dragon Palace," Yun Xiao Xian Zi suggested. "We shouldn't delay the important matters."

"Dragging you into this karma..."

Li Changshou said apologetically.

"Not afraid," Yun Xiao said, hands behind her back. "Just put in more effort with your arrangements so I don't have to act."