Chapter 344: First Hearing of the Enemy's Name

Breaking news! Xuandu Dashifa massacred the Shura Clan, pursued the Luosha Princess to Ling Mountain, and right in front of the Western Religion's Zhunti Sheng Ren, executed her with a single strike from the Qiankun Chi, utterly destroying her divine soul!

Honghuang Update: Less than two hours after the upheaval at Donghai Dragon Palace, massive waves surged in the Blood Sea. The ancient Shura Clan, already severely weakened, was cleansed by the Ren School's Dashifa for reasons unknown. The scene was utter chaos, with reports that over ten thousand hidden experts of the Shura Clan were crushed directly by the Taiji Tu. The clan's resurgence fortune was completely extinguished by the Dashifa.

Decoding the secrets—In the past, the Yuan Tu Sword of the Blood Sea's Minghe Laozu had fallen into the hands of the Western Religion!

Li Changshou had just finished writing his memorial and hadn't yet gone to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall to "submit and confess his faults" when Dongmu Gong sent messengers with several uplifting pieces of news.

Was the Dashifa really that fierce?Did he go and take on the Blood Sea single-handedly?

When Li Changshou first heard this news, he was genuinely shaken. He had thought the Dashifa had been struck by a sword in Donghai, felt embarrassed about it, and gone back to Doushuai Palace to sleep...Cough, or rather, to cultivate.

Unexpectedly, the Dashifa had gone straight to the Youming Blood Sea and chased the expert wielding the Yuan Tu Sword all the way to Ling Mountain.

Chased to Ling Mountain?

Li Changshou keenly caught the key point.

Based on his understanding of the Dashifa, this couldn't be anything but the Dashifa deliberately letting that Luosha woman go to Ling Mountain and killing her right in front of the Western Religion's sages and disciples.

Highly likely!

Otherwise, with the Taiji Tu alone, the Dashifa could have suppressed the Blood Sea outright. Why would he have called in the Xuanhuang Ta and Qiankun Chi before the battle?

The fact that his own sage lord didn't stop it could be seen as the Dao School issuing a warning to the Western Religion.

As for the Yuan Tu Sword ending up in the Western Religion's hands...

This innate spiritual treasure is a weapon of slaughter, with the primary trait of "killing without incurring karma." It was originally under the Western Religion's control, just hidden in the shadows.

Now that it's out in the open and known to all, with the treasure returned to Ling Mountain, it's effectively limiting its future appearances.

Li Changshou looked at the memorial in his hand, a hint of relief showing in his eyes.

With this warning from the Dao School, the chances of the Western Religion behaving themselves had increased significantly compared to before.

—Of course, this was just a probability; Li Changshou wouldn't make any rash assertions.

Picking up the memorial and his horsetail whisk, Li Changshou adjusted his expression to look a bit worried and helpless, then rode a cloud toward the Lingxiao Treasure Hall.

By now, the immortals and gods in the Lingxiao Hall had dispersed, and the Jade Emperor sat on his throne, flipping through memorials as if nothing had happened.

Li Changshou approached from outside the hall, sighing first at the door before walking quickly inside.

But as soon as he reached the platform, before he could speak, the white-robed Jade Emperor on the throne let out a soft sigh...

“The accumulation of one and a half yuan hui...My dear minister, how are the final casualties of the Dragon Clan?”

Li Changshou replied solemnly, “Though their vital energy is damaged and their foundations shaken, the losses are the minimum possible under these circumstances, all thanks to the sacrifice of Hua Ritian Yuan Shuai.Your Majesty, this humble god's calculations were insufficient, my strategies lacking, and my arrangements inadequate. I request that Your Majesty impose punishment!”

“Why must you take all the blame upon yourself, my dear minister?”

The Jade Emperor said gently, “The fault lies with the evil spirits causing chaos, with Heaven's Court being weak, and with the Dragon Clan's old ways. You have already done your utmost, but the forces Heaven's Court provided you were far from enough to handle such a formidable enemy.This matter is my fault.”

“Your Majesty...”

“Enough, what are you trying to prove?”

The white-robed youth stood up, smiling as he walked around the jade table and descended the steps.

He glanced at the hall doors, and the roof of the Lingxiao Treasure Hall burst into brilliant light, enveloping the entire hall and isolating the guards and heavenly soldiers outside.

The Jade Emperor sighed and sat down on the steps of the platform, patting the white jade stone beside him...

“Changgeng, my dear minister, come, sit.Today, let's not talk about the Heavenly Emperor or the Water God—just chat about the path of Heaven's Court.”

Li Changshou hesitated for a moment before walking up the steps and sitting two levels below the Jade Emperor.

Seeing this, the Jade Emperor smiled and moved down one step himself, saying,“Changgeng, when do you think the Western Religion will rise greatly? And if they do, how should our Heaven's Court respond?Don't use formalities; I just want to hear your honest thoughts.”

“Your Majesty, your question puts this humble god in an awkward spot. The Western Religion is currently suppressed by the Dao School, and the fortunes of the world are limited. If the Dao School rises, they certainly won't allow the Western Religion to rise greatly.”

The Jade Emperor asked, “Do you think there must be a great war between the Dao School and the Western Religion?”

Li Changshou: ...

From the current time and place, following the trends of Honghuang, the next great calamity would indeed shift from racial wars to conflicts among the great teachings.

But the reality was...

The Dao School as a whole didn't take the Western Religion seriously. The Dao School's fortunes were too strong, leading to the Fengshen calamity due to their peak decline, with internal chaos among the three teachings. The Western Religion took advantage by poaching followers and acquiring mounts, and later hooked into the human race through the Xiyou calamity, thereby rising greatly.

This was the script of the Heavenly Dao, and he didn't dare speak carelessly. For now, he could only say:“What Your Majesty said aligns greatly with what this humble god thinks, with just a 'small' difference.”

The Jade Emperor immediately showed a satisfied smile, but then sighed again.

Today, the Jade Emperor was indeed quite downcast.

“Your Majesty,” Li Changshou asked quietly, “Is it because you're upset about that merit golden body?”

“If it were you, wouldn't you be... Cough, yes,” the Jade Emperor nodded slowly, “But my merit golden body is just for moving around Heaven's Court and serving as a supervisor.”

Li Changshou pulled a treasure pouch from his sleeve and said, “Your Majesty, this humble god has prepared a little something for you.”

“Oh?”

The Jade Emperor perked up, opened the pouch, and found a large “pill” inside, imbued with the forces of the five elements and yin-yang. Behind it was a paper figure about a foot long...

Li Changshou smiled and said, “This is the highest-quality incarnation I use, specially offered to Your Majesty.”

The Jade Emperor pushed the pouch back, then raised his hand and pointed a beam of golden light forward, saying, “My dear minister, please take a look.”

The golden light transformed into a imposing, burly man who clasped his fists at Li Changshou and said in a rough voice:“This humble general, Zhao Dezhu, pays respects to the Water God!”

So many merit golden bodies?

Li Changshou focused his gaze and felt a twinge of sympathy.

This was just an ordinary incarnation, with strength at the early Golden Immortal stage, merely coated with a layer of merit...

But regarding the Jade Emperor's behavior of putting on a brave front, Li Changshou didn't dare say anything. He simply stood up, returned the courtesy, and threw in a couple of compliments.

It seemed the Jade Emperor was determined to uphold Heaven's Court's discipline to the end.

The Jade Emperor retracted the incarnation and asked with a smile, “Changgeng, when can I attend your wedding banquet with Yunxiao Shizhi?”

“Your Majesty, Fairy Yunxiao and I can be considered close friends...”

“Hmm, back when I and my shimei first came to Heaven's Court, we started as close friends too. Now, so many years have passed, and Longji is almost grown up.”

“Your Majesty, this humble god has a memorial here. Would you like to review it first?”

“Changing the subject isn't like my Heaven's Court Water God's style!”

The Jade Emperor's eyes twinkled with mischief as he casually took the thick memorial from Li Changshou and read it carefully.

Soon, he looked at Li Changshou and frowned, saying,“Changgeng, are you angry at the Western Religion because of the Dragon Clan incident?”

“Why would Your Majesty ask that?”

Li Changshou was a bit taken aback.

The Jade Emperor held up the memorial and said, “Look at what you've written: A six-step plan to expand the heavenly soldiers by a million within a century...An analysis of the importance of the underworld's yin courts and reincarnation to the Heavenly Emperor's authority...An initial version of the plan to incorporate and reform the underworld...Six strategies for recruiting great Qi refiners from the three thousand worlds...Changgeng, are you planning to elevate Heaven's Court's strength to a new level within a few centuries?And earlier, when you had Mu Gong report on the Dragon Clan matter, you deliberately omitted the Western Religion and only mentioned those rampaging evil spirits.At first, I thought you had too many concerns and didn't want to provoke the sages.But it turns out, you're holding back your anger and want to cut off one of the Western Religion's arms first!”

Li Changshou stood up, bowed with a dao salute, and said seriously,“What this humble god has written in the memorial is purely for the wish that Heaven's Court may prosper early and no longer suffer today's humiliations, with absolutely no personal motives for revenge!”

“Don't be hasty, Changgeng. I was just impressed by how well this memorial is written and couldn't help teasing you a bit.”

The Jade Emperor said warmly, “What you've outlined here was already roughly mentioned in your twelve strategies from back then, and it's something I've been pondering for years.Let's discuss this memorial today. Come back and sit down!”

“Yes,” Li Changshou obediently returned to his seat.

The Jade Emperor unrolled the memorial and pondered for a moment before going through it point by point with Li Changshou...

Li Changshou silently wiped away a bead of sweat.

Fortunately, when he wrote the memorial earlier, he hadn't focused on making it rhyme or sound fancy with hard-to-explain phrases.

Soon, the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, enveloped in its array, grew quiet, filled only with the sounds of their ongoing discussion and occasional laughter...

The next morning at dawn, on Xiaoqiong Peak.

Li Changshou stepped out of the alchemy room, stretched in the sunrise, and looked a bit tired.

Having an in-depth discussion with the Jade Emperor and finalizing Heaven's Court's first five-hundred-year plan on the spot had truly drained him.

Being a high minister of Heaven's Court was no easy task...

With his immortal sense, he scanned the teahouse and easily saw what was happening inside.

This scene felt all too familiar...

In the upstairs room, wine jugs were strewn about, candied fruits scattered everywhere. Ling'e was leaning against the bed, dozing off, while Youqin Xuanya was passed out drunk, lying on the bed with Jiujiu.Jiujiu's little hand was hugging Youqin Xuanya's jade foot, her mouth smacking away as her passive skill fully activated...

Just look!Look at this!

These three fairies, hailed as the Golden Immortal seedlings of Duxian Sect—one carefree and unrestrained, one icy and aloof, one graceful and elegant in public—but behind closed doors, they drink and play all day, neglect their cultivation, get drunk for fun, and dress sloppily!

Now, compare that to the new female Qi refiner downstairs in the quiet room—the ever-diligent Master Jiu Yushi!

She maintains an extremely upright attitude, rarely goes out, and devotes herself entirely to cultivation, seeking the great dao!

Uh, but Master Yushi, why did you hit a bottleneck so early...

Li Changshou's mouth twitched slightly.

Oh well, he'd pretend he saw nothing.

After basking in the sun for a while, Li Changshou lay back in his rocking chair, closed his eyes, and relaxed his mind.

From the Donghai setback, Li Changshou had already done his self-reflection, concluding that he hadn't been steady enough.

For every scheme from now on, the first priority must be to know both oneself and the enemy.

How could he achieve victory in every battle if he had no real grasp of the Western Religion's strength?

Moreover, Heaven's Court's trump cards were far too few; expanding their arsenal was essential...

In the past, his steadiness was limited to himself;Now, it needed to extend to the forces he belonged to and could influence, so he could keep up with the changes of the Honghuang era and always stand on undefeatable ground.

The underworld would be Heaven's Court's next key target.

Li Changshou had a premonition that the Western Religion would soon make moves on the underworld as well.

This feeling wasn't baseless.

First, the Western Religion had already interfered in the Youming Realm and even subjugated the Shura of the Blood Sea;Second, from his previous life, he knew of the concept of "Buddha Lands," and the quickest way to establish them in the three thousand worlds was to influence the six paths of reincarnation—gathering and reincarnating believers in one place;Third, the resources available in the world were limited, and controlling the Dragon Clan and the underworld could lead to great prosperity!

With the Dragon Clan now under Heaven's Court, and Heaven's Court using this incident to greatly shorten the time needed to integrate the Dragon Clan's forces, their strength would see rapid growth in the coming centuries.

Now, the only place left in the three realms with merits and fortunes to seize was the underworld.

That mastermind from the Western Religion who planned the Donghai attack had likely already set their sights on the underworld's yin courts.

Li Changshou no longer harbored any underestimation; he didn't think incorporating the underworld into Heaven's Court's rule would be straightforward.

He needed to plan carefully, step by step.

Tomorrow, he would send a paper effigy to Beiju Luzhou to investigate the Wu Clan's situation...

Buzz, buzz.

Wen Jing?

Li Changshou perked up, a touch of suspicion arising, as his paper effigy appeared in the inner hall of the Sea God Temple and pointed at the beam, allowing the Taiji Tu to protect the area.

The blood mosquito that had flown in from the main hall transformed into the curvaceous Wen Jing Daoist, still in her favorite blood-red gown, though the neckline was more modest now.

This small detail made Li Changshou quite pleased.

Before he could speak, Wen Jing Daoist trembled slightly, covering her mouth and nose with her wide sleeve, and murmured softly,“The Dashifa is truly... too unsettling!”

Li Changshou said calmly, “About the Dashifa's attack on Ling Mountain?”

“Yes!”

Wen Jing Daoist took small, quick steps forward and asked coyly, “Great Water God, when will you let this humble one see the Dashifa again?”

What for?To let tears of emotion overflow like a flood?

“The Dashifa is usually cultivating in Doushuai Palace; it's not appropriate for me to take you there.”

“Oh, of course not,” Wen Jing Daoist hurried to say, “This humble one isn't ready yet...”

Li Changshou suppressed his urge to retort and asked, “Who was behind the scheme against the Dragon Clan?I suddenly feel like the Western Religion has a new person in charge behind the scenes, and this one has a strong grasp of the overall situation.”

Wen Jing Daoist replied, “It's a sage disciple named Dizang, who just came out of seclusion recently.”

Dizang?Dizang Bodhisattva? And the Ting Shen Beast?

Li Changshou asked, “Does he have a... rather impressive mount?”

“I'm not sure about that,” Wen Jing Daoist blinked, “But I've heard people say that whenever he appears, he's riding a mount...”

“I see.”

Li Changshou smiled faintly, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“Hell not empty, swear not to become Buddha”?

From this perspective, it seemed he would indeed have to face off against the Western Religion in the underworld.

But...

Considering the current state of Ling Mountain, why did he interpret a sense of helplessness in those eight words?

Could it be that during the Western Religion's name change, internal turmoil, and power reshuffle, this sage disciple was accidentally pushed out of the power center and forced to make a grand vow to protect himself?

And linking it to the transformation of Hu into Buddha...

Interesting!

Wen Jing Daoist silently stepped back two paces.

For some reason, she suddenly felt that the Western Religion's sage disciple, Dizang, might be...

In trouble?

Just then, a white cloud hurried in from the west—it was Zhao Gongming arriving on his cloud.

Li Changshou glanced at Wen Jing Daoist, and she immediately bowed, her form turning into a wisp of blood mist that evaporated rapidly in the air.

As soon as the Taiji Tu's protection lifted, Zhao Gongming landed hastily, striding forward with an anxious expression:“Changgeng, quick! Help me think of something! This time, something big has happened!”