Chapter 381: The Most 'Gentle' Ancestor Who Guards the Wu Clan

At the heart of Fengdu City's inner city, a fairy island hovered above the abyss, enveloped in rosy clouds and featuring an upright circular disk.

In this dim and low-hanging world, countless streams of light, like fireflies on a summer night, flew in from all directions and were absorbed by this massive disk.

Meanwhile, a steady stream of souls continued along the ten enormous black chains, being escorted endlessly by the underworld officials from the Ten Yanluo Halls to the front of the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk...

Li Changshou was no stranger to such scenes.

Once again, he witnessed the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk in operation, sending beings into rebirth, but his mindset this time was entirely different.

The last time, he had felt a quiet sense of relief and joy while sending his master Jiang Yu Shibo to be reincarnated, resolving a long-held concern and fulfilling the regrets in his master Zhuoxian's limited immortal life.

This time, however, it just felt irritating.

Extremely irritating!

“Moo, Water God sir, when that lord went to undergo his tribulation, were you the... this from Tian Court?”

“Don't speak nonsense!”

Li Changshou looked at the thumb pointed toward him and said seriously, “Tian Court exists to maintain the stability of the heavens and earth and to uphold the order of the Three Realms. You must not speak of it that way!

Divine positions do not equate to authority; we are merely beings assisting in the operation of the Heavenly Dao.”

Niutou and Mamian quickly nodded, trying to come up with some flattering words but finding it too challenging for them as witches...

To be honest, if it weren't for giving them a legitimate reason to be straightforward, why would Pangu Shen have granted them strong bodies and the ability to hunt powerful prey without much thought?

The three of them were flying along the massive iron chain below the Yanluo Halls toward the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk.

After thinking for a moment, Li Changshou decided to first...

Inquire a bit.

He sent a voice transmission: “My two fellow daoists, how should one describe Houtu Niangniang? Is she a certain type of elder?”

How to describe her?

Niutou frowned and muttered, “Water God, you asking us out of the blue, we don't know how to answer, moo.”

Mamian, stroking his smooth mane beside him, explained, “Water God sir, we only saw Niangniang during ancient times. After the underworld was established, we've just heard her speak a few times.

But don't worry, Niangniang is the gentlest ancestor of our witch clan!”

The gentlest ancestor...

That was reassuring, Li Changshou thought, letting out a slight sigh of relief.

Well, the last Niangniang he encountered was just an exception; Houtu Niangniang should be similar to someone like Daoism's Yunxiao Xianzi.

The great virtuous Houtu, who transformed into the Six Paths to benefit countless beings!

He wondered what her demeanor and grace were like!

With this faint anticipation, Li Changshou was led by Niutou and Mamian onto the fairy island.

He could clearly feel the space here being extended and expanded.

What appeared cramped from the outside was actually vast; the eighteen levels of hell suppressed beneath it were like eighteen small worlds.

“Sir, please come this way.”

Mamian gestured invitingly, leading Li Changshou toward the side of the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk.

To meet Houtu Niangniang, they couldn't use the reincarnation passage.

Beside the seven-colored disk, heavily guarded by underworld forces, stood two massive stone statues: one male and one female, representing yang and yin, both kneeling on one knee and towering over several thousand zhang, like mountains.

They seemed to serve as the base of the disk, their contained dao rhythms giving Li Changshou a slight stir.

The statues bore the weight of the disk on their backs, as if shouldering the burden of all beings' reincarnation.

Then...

Where to go next?

Li Changshou frowned at the statue in front of him, his immortal sense scanning back and forth without detecting any portal, array, or restriction.

Niutou and Mamian continued leading the way, guiding Li Changshou to the edge of a 'cliff';

If Li Changshou's common knowledge was correct, this should be the tip of the base statue's big toe.

Mamian took out the stone plaque granted by Qin Guang Wang and gently waved it in front. Then Niutou and Mamian exchanged glances, their eyes showing a hint of gravity as they took a deep breath.

“Niutou, are you ready?”

“Mamian, don't forget about Huier, moo.”

Were these two battle witches about to perform some witch clan secret incantation?

Li Changshou immediately perked up, always having a strong interest in those witch clan secret spells that could influence the great dao without relying on yuan Shen power!

In the next instant, he heard the two soul-hook marshals open their wide mouths and roar in unison:

“Niangniang! The Tian Court Water God sir seeks an audience! He has important matters to discuss!”

A beam of light shot from the smooth cliff above, landing on Li Changshou's paper daoist body and drawing it away.

Right at that moment!

Everything went dark before Li Changshou, and he completely lost contact with that paper daoist...

His paper daoist had lost connection with his main body?!

Back at Duxian Gate, Li Changshou's main body emerged from a shadowy corner in the pill room and began calculating with his fingers.

It wasn't that his incarnation had been destroyed; this was purely a technical issue.

The Six Paths Reincarnation Disk contained a special small world with no exchange pathways to the main Honghuang world, so his 'mental connection' type of paper daoist incarnation would lose all sensing upon entering that space!

What was he to do?

The strand of Yudi's divine soul was still on that paper daoist!

Should he go to the Youming Underworld in person? Enter an unknown, unfamiliar, completely sealed-off small world that might even block the perception of saints?

Although the great virtuous Houtu was compassionate and reasonable, she probably wouldn't harm him, but...

What if?

Rushing there with his main body was anything but steady!

As Li Changshou pondered how to handle this, after a moment of hesitation he still couldn't decide.

Suddenly, he regained his connection to that paper daoist, and his mind shifted over instantly!

In the Youming Underworld, beside the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk,

Niutou, Mamian, and the surrounding underworld officials watching the spectacle all tilted their heads, staring at the shallow black vortex that had appeared on the mountain wall.

A light hum came from the vortex, and an old daoist with white hair and beard was 'spat' out, rolling on the ground twice with his immortal power seeming on the verge of collapsing!

The vortex then vanished...

The area within three li fell silent.

Niutou's face turned pale as he shouted, “Niangniang! Think twice, moo! This is a Tian Court divine official, moo!

The immortal most trusted by Yudi, and a new disciple of the Renjiao sage, a close friend to all the big shots in Daoism, moo!”

Mamian stared blankly at the scene, his smooth mane tossed about in the cool breeze.

“It's over, we're at war with Tian Court...”

Fortunately, the old daoist on the ground trembled his fingers in time, slowly getting up as immortal light flickered over him, quickly recovering from his disheveled state to his usual immortal demeanor.

Li Changshou immediately checked his items; Yudi's divine soul was intact, and his spare paper daoists were fine.

But...

Why were there two transparent holes in the soles of his feet?

And several tiny needle pricks on his fingers?

The two strands of hair on his back seemed to have been braided into small pigtails...

Li Changshou's mouth twitched slightly, a not-so-pleasant premonition rising in his heart.

“Ahem!”

He cleared his throat, using immortal power to fill the holes in his feet, and smiled:

“It was just an issue with my incarnation;

My two fellow daoists, could you please have a Yanluo come and ask Niangniang about this on my behalf?”

Niutou and Mamian exchanged glances and quickly agreed; Niutou turned and dashed off, kicking up dust as he went.

Li Changshou continued examining his paper daoist from head to toe, recalling in his mind:

‘Niangniang is the gentlest ancestor of our witch clan.’

Was that... certain?

Before long, Qin Guang Wang and Chu Jiang Wang hurried over, seeing Li Changshou standing there unharmed and both letting out a sigh of relief.

“Water God, please don't take offense,” Qin Guang Wang said with a smile, “It was our oversight; we didn't consider that your incarnation is so unique.”

—What he meant by unique was that most incarnations in Honghuang had some independent awareness.

But Li Changshou's paper daoist followed a different path, with only the main body as the 'brain' and the rest mere puppets.

The two methods of external incarnations each had pros and cons, and Li Changshou's self-created paper daoist technique was clearly more suited to his own situation.

Li Changshou smiled and said:

“Could the two Yanluo please enter and consult with Niangniang on my behalf?”

Qin Guang Wang and Chu Jiang Wang looked at each other and nodded immediately, saying:

“Of course, of course.”

“If we've offended you in any way before, Water God, please don't hold it against us. We only have gratitude toward you, which is why we allowed you to approach Niangniang directly.”

“It's fine,” Li Changshou returned the courtesy with a daoist bow. The two Yanluo turned to the cliff and shouted aloud, then were drawn in by beams of light.

A true voice-activated door.

Li Changshou pondered this carefully and realized there seemed to be a small scheme at play from the underworld officials.

It appeared they really wanted him to meet the great virtuous Houtu.

Li Changshou sighed inwardly; if that was the case, he probably wouldn't see this ancient powerhouse again anytime soon...

Unless absolutely necessary, he couldn't move his main body carelessly.

After just a few breaths, another vortex appeared on the mountain wall, and Qin Guang Wang and Chu Jiang Wang jumped out, giving Li Changshou an apologetic look.

Chu Jiang Wang said, “Water God, Niangniang is aware of this matter.

The Six Paths Reincarnation Disk is prepared and ready for entry at any time.”

Qin Guang Wang also smiled and said, “Water God, don't dwell on today's incident; we truly didn't know...”

“Let's not mention it further,” Li Changshou chuckled, gesturing politely. He resolved to mind his own business, focus on the task, and return to Tian Court to report as soon as possible.

Qin Guang Wang gestured back, and Li Changshou returned the courtesy, asking the two Yanluo to lead the way as they headed back to the Yanluo Halls.

However, as soon as the two Yanluo turned, Li Changshou's forehead was instantly covered in black lines.

There, on Qin Guang Wang's back, was a light green turtle made of immortal power, vividly drawn!

And on Chu Jiang Wang's back was a suggestive painting of a woman lying sideways—quite detailed, to the point where the image almost seemed alive!

‘Niangniang is the gentlest ancestor of our witch clan.’

Niutou and Mamian shuddered at the sight and rushed forward, causing a small commotion on the spot.

Li Changshou looked up at the solemn giant stone statue and felt a wave of relief in his heart—for not impulsively bringing his main body to the underworld.

If one overlooked that minor mishap in between, Yudi's divine soul reincarnation had gone quite smoothly.

The rich and fulfilling life trajectory set by the ten Yanluo for Yudi was something Li Changshou was very satisfied with after reviewing it.

After reincarnation, Yudi would be born in an ordinary mortal city lord's family in Nanzhanbuzhou, as the city lord's only son—talented in both civil and military arts, handsome, with a childhood sweetheart and beautiful young women around him...

Interestingly, this city lord was also surnamed Hua.

Was this perhaps the Heavenly Dao subtly granting a favor to Yudi's incarnation, Hua Ritian?

Li Changshou suddenly felt that Yudi's move might have been orchestrated by the Heavenly Dao itself!

After Li Changshou finished reviewing the script, Qin Guang Wang recorded it in the Book of Life and Death. Then, the ten Yanluo mobilized to temporarily clear the area around the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk.

Li Changshou held the brocade box and brought the strand of divine soul to the light gate of the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk.

His heart remained calm as he closely sensed the mysteries of reincarnation under the gaze of the ten Yanluo, then flicked the point of light into the disk with his finger.

A rumbling thunder echoed—

The Youming Realm suddenly resounded with muffled thunder, and streaks of purple-red lightning dragons appeared in the low sky.

Countless ghosts trembled, underworld officials were terrified, and a brilliant golden light shot from behind the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk, soaring upward and vanishing into the depths of the Youming Realm.

The Blood Sea churned, fierce beasts roared, and the creatures of the Youming Realm fell into panic.

In Nanzhanbuzhou, rays of auspicious light appeared across the heavens and earth, with various omens of good fortune everywhere; legendary auspicious beasts frolicked and galloped along the horizon.

In Tian Court, immortal lights swirled in various places, and the Lingxiao Treasure Hall was enveloped in a curtain of thunder...

At that moment, before the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk in the underworld, beams of golden light descended, wrapping around the ten Yanluo and Li Changshou simultaneously.

Merit!

And a substantial amount of it!

Li Changshou quickly realized that Yudi's divine soul reincarnation had filled a gap in the Heavenly Dao, perfectly linking the Three Realms, so the Heavenly Dao had bestowed merit as a reward to those who facilitated it.

But most of the ten Yanluo were confused about what had happened, and Chu Jiang Wang muttered in bewilderment:

“We helped with cheating, so how did we end up aligning with the Heavenly Dao?”

This made Li Changshou chuckle.

While sending Yudi for reincarnation, Li Changshou had already arranged for a paper daoist to secretly guard Nanzhanbuzhou.

With his duties as the Tian Court Water God completed, he thanked the ten Yanluo and bid farewell, rendezvousing with Ao Yi and the heavenly soldiers to return grandly to Tian Court.

In the carriage, Li Changshou took out an ancient text on talismans and read it carefully, but his mind kept replaying the miserable state of his paper daoist after the disconnection.

When his paper daoist was isolated from his main body, it had retained a portion of yuan Shen power, but that portion hadn't recorded anything.

It seemed that anyone with the title 'Niangniang' was an extraordinary existence.

Well, except for Yunxiao Niangniang.

During the decades Yudi would spend experiencing life, Li Changshou would need to devote more effort to Tian Court matters.

Tomorrow, he'd go meet Dongmu Gong, check in at Tongming Hall, and as for any crises in Tian Court...

With Laojun of Doushuai Gong around, nothing major would happen.

His 'century-long vacation' was about to turn into overtime again.

Back at the Water God Mansion, he didn't see Longji Gongzhu and didn't think much of it, assuming she had left for some matter.

But as soon as he sat in his study, preparing to shift his mind back to Xiaoqiong Peak to chat with his master, Longji hurried over on clouds, entering the mansion and calling out:

“Teacher, teacher! Mother requests your presence at Yaochi!”

Li Changshou thought of the 'collusion' with Yudi earlier, and this scene was actually within their expectations.

He just hadn't anticipated it happening so quickly.

“Very well,” Li Changshou calmly stood up and went out to greet her.

Longji stepped forward quickly, lightly furrowing her brows, and seeing no one around, sent a voice transmission: “Teacher, Mother seems quite angry. When I arrived, her face looked quite frightening.”

Li Changshou smiled slightly, “Don't worry, Niangniang won't trouble a minor Water God like me.”

At worst, he'd just have to betray his teammate—who asked Yudi to make such a big fuss with his divine soul reincarnation?