Chapter 350: Longevity, Not Even Showing Face

In the blink of an eye, Dizang had regained his composure.

If mishandled, today could become his fatal disaster!

The situation had shifted far too quickly, leaving Dizang completely unable to determine whether the Daoist sect had deliberately targeted this unknown figure like him, or if it was all just a coincidence...

At this moment, Dizang could only gamble, betting that his teacher would protect him.

He had previously offered the strategy of secretly taming Hong Meng's ferocious beasts for his own use, and now he had the merit of planning the East Sea war to bolster his sect's foundations...

Thinking of this, the young Daoist felt an immense sense of frustration in his heart.

He had been cultivating for several *yuan hui* and had always stayed out of the spotlight. Recently, he had returned from traveling through the three thousand worlds, ready to make his mark, but unexpectedly, after just two moves, he had encountered such a crisis!

Could it be that he truly...

Debuting in the Honghuang era meant starting at the peak?

The East Sea war plan, which he had thought would be the beginning of his grand ambitions, might end up as the swan song of his scheming ways?

Dizang sighed softly and slowly sat down.

Chi Ting shifted its massive head and transmitted a message: "Master, aren't you going to do something more?"

Dizang transmitted back: "At this point, we must have already alerted the teacher. If I act further, I'm likely to make mistakes. Better to wait quietly and let everything follow the teacher's arrangements."

Chi Ting lay there, listening to the chaotic thoughts from afar, its thick tail swaying gently as it transmitted: "Master, I think you're done for this time. Remember to find me a good new owner. Your Western Teachings have a few female disciples who aren't bad."

Dizang smiled helplessly, sat there with his eyes closed in meditation, quietly awaiting the storm...

If anyone was truly upset, it was the group of elders on Ling Shan.

They had been watching the spectacle with the mindset of "a Daoist sect civil war is great fun" and "no war in the Daoist sect means no trouble," but how had it suddenly...

Turned into a fire burning on their own heads, leaving them at a loss!

As shown in the Cloud Mirror Art, the Chan and Jie sects had already gathered over a thousand immortals, following Xuan Du Da Fa Shi, Duo Bao Dao Ren, and Guang Cheng Zi, marching grandly toward the West!

Their expressions were all unfriendly, their eyes filled with menace.

These weren't just immortals from the central divine states; they were ones who had listened to saints' lectures and come from saints' *dojo*, with a host of experts among them. If one didn't consider the saints' intervention, they could flatten Ling Shan a hundred times over!

"What on earth can we do?" one elder panicked.

"How can they smear our innocence so baselessly?" another elder said indignantly.

The hunchbacked elder frowned and asked, "Who schemed this matter?"

All the elders fell silent, each shaking their heads.

Just then, three flashes of golden light appeared, and three more elders materialized, landing before the group. The golden light on them gradually faded, revealing their ragged, tattered clothing.

From the extent of the damage to their clothes, it was clear they had reached the absolute core of power in the Western Teachings!

—After all, their garments barely covered the essential parts.

Sure enough, the elders by the treasure pool addressed these three as senior brothers.

These three were disciples serving the two saints, and their simultaneous appearance meant the situation had truly become critical.

The three spoke in succession, their voices echoing in the hearts of the elders present, kicking off the Western Teachings' traditional tactic...

Shifting the blame.

After explaining it this way and that, once all the Ling Shan disciples understood how to handle the aftermath, a few elders hurried off and brought back a middle-aged Daoist, leading him to the treasure pool.

The middle-aged Daoist was somewhat bewildered, thinking he was finally about to rise in the sect and gain recognition. Suddenly, one elder struck, pointing a finger at the back of his head.

The middle-aged Daoist's body trembled and went limp; then, a flash of golden light passed, and he abruptly opened his eyes, standing straight up. His expression and gaze were identical to that of the elder who had just acted!

"Soul possession..."

Dizang murmured: "In this way, I must thank the teacher."

Chi Ting, the divine beast, lowered its head with a sigh and transmitted: "Master, if you ever can't hold on, you should set me free early and let me find another good home. Your sect really doesn't treat living beings as living beings."

Dizang frowned and said: "Watch your words."

Chi Ting slowly turned its head and continued listening to the noisy thoughts growing closer to Ling Shan, saying no more.

Meanwhile,

On the vast cloud heading toward Ling Shan,

The immortals of the three sects were not flying quickly—one, to maintain formation, and two, to put more pressure on the West.

At that moment, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi stood at the forefront of the Daoist immortals, and naturally, he felt some pressure;

After all, he was used to being laid-back and hadn't led so many junior brothers and sisters on such matters before.

Now, the decision-making power rested with him, Duo Bao Dao Ren, and Guang Cheng Zi. Every step required careful consideration and analysis of the consequences.

Since the rise of the human race and the fall of the demon emperor, the great mage had rarely exerted himself like this, and his thoughts were a bit muddled.

But it didn't matter!

There was still the human sect's top junior brother, the Jade Emperor's trusted minister, the one even Lao Jun praised, the treasure of the Daoist sect from the start—cough, the quasi-junior brother!

If not now, when?

So, the great mage sought out the paper Daoist hiding in Huang Long Zhen Ren's sleeve and transmitted: "Chang Geng, what do you think the West will do in response?"

Li Chang Geng pondered his words and replied: "If they are clever, they won't admit to this at all. They might quibble or act shamelessly to let the matter fizzle out."

The great mage was puzzled and asked: "That seems like the most straightforward idea—why call it clever?"

Li Chang Geng explained with a smile: "Great Mage, you always pose such challenging questions. This approach looks simple, but it's a sign they're withstanding the pressure from the Daoist sect. Relying solely on calculations to get a result isn't real evidence, and stirring things up can easily confuse the issue, since it all started from just a rumor. This way, the West's reputation remains intact, and their sect will unite even more over this."

"Hmm?"

Duo Bao Dao Ren suddenly turned and looked at the great mage, transmitting: "Xuan Du Senior Brother, are you discussing with Chang Geng? Why don't we all join in?"

The great mage nodded with a smile, and Duo Bao Dao Ren pulled out a conch-shaped spiritual treasure from his sleeve.

This treasure extended a wisp of Dao rhythm to the great mage, Huang Long Zhen Ren, Guang Cheng Zi, Li Chang Geng's paper Daoist, and Zhao Gong Ming, allowing them to communicate via heart voice, very secretly.

Li Chang Geng's eyes lit up—this was a fine treasure!

The great mage repeated the earlier question, and Li Chang Geng explained it again.

Zhao Gong Ming asked: "So, what are the less clever strategies?"

Li Chang Geng laughed: "Old brother, the middle strategy is to find someone to take the blame, have him claim he was bullied by you, Zhao old brother, and sought revenge by spreading rumors, taking full responsibility. That way, we can't pressure Ling Shan anymore. But this shows they're afraid of the Daoist sect, which harms their internal morale and directly damages the West's face."

"And the worst strategy?" Huang Long Zhen Ren frowned and asked, "Would it be sealing Ling Shan with a great array and just hiding like turtles?"

"Huang Long Senior Brother, you've hit the nail on the head—that's indeed one of their possible worst moves," Li Chang Geng said seriously. "If we force an attack on Ling Shan, we'd be challenging the saints, and they could turn around and bite us."

The great mage laughed: "Chang Geng, do you have any clever plan for this trip to Ling Shan, so we can make them suffer without complaining, boost our own prestige, and avoid making the Western Teachings hold a grudge?"

"Senior brother..."

Li Chang Geng swallowed the words "I'm just an ordinary person" and thought, The boss has given the task, so even if it's difficult, I have to rise to the challenge!

As Li Chang Geng pondered, Zhao Gong Ming's eyes lit up.

This question—he knew the answer!

"How about we all just lie do—"

"Old brother!"

Li Chang Geng quickly interrupted.

Not in front of so many immortals from the three sects, and with the six saints of heaven and earth watching, they couldn't casually accuse others.

Li Chang Geng said: "In my humble opinion, whether we succeed today depends on controlling the 'degree' of our actions. We're going to Ling Shan under the pretext of the rumor, seemingly to hold them accountable, but really to assert our authority. Lately, the West has been increasingly bold and reckless, pulling shady deeds against our three sects openly and in secret. This is a perfect chance to make them back off. So, later, we just need to make their saint disciples bow their heads and ensure they don't dare act rashly again."

Guang Cheng Zi asked with a smile: "How can we make them bow their heads?"

"Thank you for the question, senior brother!"

Li Chang Geng thought for a moment and continued: "It really depends on their reaction to finalize the plan. Generally speaking...

If they act shamelessly and stubbornly, we'll need to act decisively to intimidate them, perhaps injuring a few. If they use a scapegoat, we'll insist there's more behind it and demand they hand over the real masterminds. If they hide away, that's simple—just mock them a bit, spread the story across the Honghuang, and we've already achieved our goal of asserting authority. That would mean they've admitted to it, and we can pour more dirt on them, tarnishing their reputation for compassion and affecting the West's destiny!"

After these words, the great mage, Guang Cheng Zi, and Duo Bao Dao Ren all nodded in agreement.

Guang Cheng Zi praised: "As expected of the one the Jade Emperor trusts most. With just a few words, you've arranged everything for the West."

Duo Bao Dao Ren laughed: "When it comes to scheming, you're the expert, Chang Geng. Turning a simple rumor into a blow to their face and dragging in masterminds—impressive."

"Ah, senior brother, you can't say it like that!"

Zhao Gong Ming immediately stepped up: "Chang Geng is doing this for the Daoist sect's reputation! Besides, based on my understanding of him, these methods are restrained; he hasn't even brought out the harsher ones. Right, Chang Geng?"

Li Chang Geng: ...

Saints!

They were heading to a place with saints!

Harsher methods!

This time, they were just seizing the opportunity to knock the Western Teachings down a peg—overturning Ling Shan entirely would cost him, a mere heavenly court minister, his life!

Still some distance from Ling Shan, the great mage proactively moved to Huang Long Zhen Ren's side, letting Li Chang Geng's paper Daoist slip into his sleeve.

After all, as a human sect disciple, it was more convenient for Li Chang Geng to offer advice from the great mage's side...

Jin Ling Sheng Mu noticed and transmitted to Duo Bao Dao Ren: "Senior brother, are you all discussing in secret?"

Duo Bao Dao Ren nodded with a smile and briefly relayed Li Chang Geng's strategies for dealing with Ling Shan.

Jin Ling Sheng Mu thought for a moment, then asked Duo Bao Dao Ren a few key questions, like "What if the saints appear?" Duo Bao Dao Ren answered based on Li Chang Geng's earlier plan.

Jin Ling Sheng Mu praised: "This future Dao companion of Yun Xiao's sister is so thorough. We Jie sect members should interact with him more."

"Of course," Duo Bao Dao Ren said with a smile, transmitting: "I'll find a chance to lure him to Bi You Palace to meet our master. From what I can tell, he's only paid respects to Lao Jun, not yet to Tai Qing Guan."

"Oh?" Jin Ling Sheng Mu nodded noncommittally.

She suddenly thought of something, glanced at the great mage's sleeve, shook her head with a light laugh, her beautiful eyes full of realization.

Duo Bao Dao Ren transmitted: "What is it?"

Jin Ling Sheng Mu replied softly: "Nothing, I just realized this heavenly water god is quite the character. He single-handedly secured the dragon race's place in the heavenly court. Earlier, when the West struck and the East Sea eye was breached, causing heavy dragon losses, he was one step short and couldn't stop it. But in just a few days, he seized this minor leverage from the West—a mere rumor-spreading scheme—and turned it into this grand event, stirring the three sects and bringing out the three sect leaders to suppress Ling Shan...

Incredibly, this not only boosts the Daoist sect's prestige and unites the three sects but also avenges the dragons and lets him keep a clear conscience, free from guilt... Even others can only praise him for his dedication to the Daoist sect. Yun Xiao's sister truly has good taste!"

Duo Bao Dao Ren turned to Jin Ling Sheng Mu and whispered: "Are you overthinking it, junior sister? This was actually decided after discussions among Chang Geng, me, Huang Long junior brother, Gong Ming junior brother, and Xuan Du senior brother..."

Jin Ling Sheng Mu shook her head and glanced again at the great mage's sleeve.

"That's his most brilliant move. He's not even showing his face, yet we're indebted to him, and the West's resentment won't touch him at all. Of course, I don't see anything wrong with this—it's just that his depth in scheming is truly formidable... In the future, if you have any uncertain sect matters, senior brother, feel free to consult him. Yun Xiao's sister's Dao companion is a resource we shouldn't waste."

"Got it!"

Duo Bao Dao Ren agreed with a laugh and said no more.

As the clouds parted and mountains passed, a peak bathed in golden light appeared on the horizon. Even from thousands of *li* away, they could feel the peaceful, stable Dao rhythm of the saints.

Ling Shan—they had arrived.

The great mage transmitted to everyone: "Look fierce."

The Daoist immortals first smiled, then put on stern faces, each exuding killing intent as they pressed toward Ling Shan in a grand formation.

They halted a thousand *li* away.

Duo Bao Dao Ren stepped forward first, a gleaming sword in hand, shouting at Ling Shan: "We, as Daoist disciples, will not intrude on a saint's *dojo* for now. You Western Teachings—let the saint disciples in charge come out to face me!"

The first half sounded respectful, but the second half was so aggressive that the elders on Ling Shan gritted their teeth, furious but speechless.

After a moment, golden light blazed on Ling Shan!

The great array opened a gate, and hundreds of figures flew out, rising to the same height as the Daoist group.

Three elders stepped forward, leading the way, each laughing loudly as they advanced several hundred *li* with the Ling Shan cultivators.

However, the custom of meeting with "ha ha" laughter was based on mutual non-hostility.

Today, no matter how much the Western Teachings' cultivators laughed like geese, the Daoist immortals remained coldly silent, standing in a line on the clouds, their faces stern.

This made the laughing side feel quite awkward...

One elder spoke: "This is our Western Ling Shan. Fellow Daoists of the Daoist sect, why have you come in such force? What is your advice?"

"Advice?"

Duo Bao Dao Ren stepped forward again...

No choice—among the three sects' senior brothers, he was the youngest, while Guang Cheng Zi had entered earlier, and the great mage held higher status.

Duo Bao Dao Ren glared and scolded: "Your Western Teachings spread rumors and slandered my disciple's reputation, nearly causing chaos in the Daoist sect and almost sparking a war between the two sects! If you don't give us an explanation today, this won't end!"

The three leading elders simultaneously used the "play dumb" trio:

"Oh? Is that so?"

"We had no idea."

"This must be some misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?"

Zhao Gong Ming snorted coldly and stepped forward, stroking his beard; most of the Western Teachings' elders changed color, their eyes flashing with anger.

Fortunately, Zhao Gong Ming stood firm on his legs today and just scolded: "We three sects' fellow disciples used a heavenly treasure to calculate, and the rumor-monger is in your Western Teachings, even protected by the Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus!"

One elder replied: "Fellow Daoist Gong Ming, you're mistaken! Our Western Teachings always act openly and honestly, keeping our teachers' guidance in mind. The rise of the West has come step by step—why would we scheme against the Daoist sect and invite more karma?"

Zhao Gong Ming, having received a transmission, laughed and scolded: "Your Western Teachings act openly and honestly? You say that without shame! Turn around and ask your fellow disciples—which of them doesn't have one or two deeds they daren't speak of? If anyone claims they don't, step forward and swear an oath to heaven as proof!"

The Western Teachings' crowd fell silent.

In secret, Li Chang Geng smiled slightly. In the Sea God Temple's back hall in An Shui City, his paper Daoist quickly added a line under Zhao Gong Ming's role: Master-level tool against the West!

Then, an elder from Ling Shan shouted: "This must be some misunderstanding! Fellow Daoists, please stay calm while I inquire!"

With that, the elder turned to the hundreds of disciples and said: "Among you, who did this? If anyone did, step forward and admit it openly—don't shame our Western Teachings' name!"

All the Ling Shan cultivators remained silent.

In secret, Li Chang Geng waited...

In his earlier advice, he had held back a bit, not mentioning one possibility:

Dizang stepping forward to confess and punish himself to quell the Daoist sect's anger.

If that happened, Li Chang Geng would directly raise Dizang's threat level several notches!

However, after a moment of silence in the Western Teachings, a middle-aged Daoist flew out, sighing dejectedly: "This was my doing."

Li Chang Geng breathed a sigh of relief...

Good, Dizang wasn't stepping forward now, probably out of self-interest, giving him more chances to scheme against him later.

The Daoist leaders—the great mage, Duo Bao Dao Ren, and Guang Cheng Zi—all smiled inwardly, thinking "middle strategy."

How to handle the middle strategy?

Zhao Gong Ming's aura surged, his power overwhelming the sky as he shouted: "Just you, daring to scheme against the Daoist sect? Tell me—was anyone behind you, instigating you to disrupt the three sects' relations?"

At that moment, Duo Bao Dao Ren heard a transmission and stepped forward two paces, saying coldly: "Gong Ming junior brother, bring out your oath scroll and make him swear this was his doing! If heaven detects a lie, he's definitely covering for those behind the scheme!"

Hearing this, the Ling Shan cultivators' faces changed.

This scene—they felt like they'd seen it before...