Chapter 388: Give Me... a Face

As soon as Ran Deng appeared, our side's equipment was already in place. It wasn't just life-saving gear; we even had the Qian Kun Chi for attacking.

What could the Saint be asking me to do?

Was it to face off against the enemy, disrupt their schemes, and warn this old Daoist to behave?

Today, it seemed I was meant to give Ran Deng a good thrashing; otherwise, the Saint wouldn't have given me the Qian Kun Chi.

But I couldn't take the opportunity to eliminate Ran Deng entirely; if that were the plan, the Saint would have sent the Tai Ji Tu as well. Without it, I didn't consider myself a match for Ran Deng.

Li Changshou remained calm and composed, riding the clouds to the area above the Du Xian Men immortals. His eyelids were half-closed, his white hair stirring slightly, with faint Xuanhuang energy slowly descending around him. He had tucked the Qian Kun Chi into his sleeve.

In his mind, a spiritual thought flickered, and the message from Tower Master turned into a shout:

"Little apprentice, what's the move this time? Just go straight for Ran Deng?"

"I've been itching to smash that broken coffin and that coffin lamp for ages. Today, with the boss's tacit approval, we have to blow them to pieces!"

"Tower Master, hold on a bit; there's another expert coming to help soon," Li Changshou replied with a smile in his heart. "Ran Deng is the deputy leader of Chan Jiao, after all. It's not quite proper for us to strike first. Let's see if we can provoke him into making the first move, then counterattack."

Tower Master asked in confusion, "Who's coming? Your senior apprentice is just lying under a tree watching the show; he doesn't seem interested in joining."

"But speaking of which, don't underestimate Ran Deng."

"In ancient times, this guy was quite cunning, with a real air of hidden depths. The boss is watching, so don't capsize here."

Li Changshou thought: ...

That confirms it—Tai Qing Saint is watching the drama from home!

Another spiritual thought arrived, this time from the Qian Kun Chi itself, speaking in Li Changshou's mind: "You know it, eh? That Ran Deng is really something else—totally shameless!"

Li Changshou thanked it and became even more vigilant...

Although his caution toward Ran Deng was already at maximum.

How many times had this been? Their direct confrontations, not counting remote ones.

The first time they clashed head-on, even after I gained the upper hand, he retreated smoothly, showing an impressive thickness of skin.

Today, no need to guess—since Ran Deng chose to face me directly, it would be one part straightforward, two parts evasive, and three parts deceitful, with four or five or six layers hidden in his words...

Yet, Li Changshou was unhurried, and in this exchange, he didn't even bother vying for verbal dominance with Ran Deng.

Sure enough, as soon as Ran Deng arrived above the Dao Wei Xian Zong immortals, his face—seemingly upright and solemn but actually gaunt and withered—showed a hint of dissatisfaction. He spoke:

"Though it's a dispute among the three teachings' sects in the mortal world, it shouldn't harm the harmony among the three teachings. Why has the Water God himself appeared?"

The entire night sky suddenly fell silent. The immortals from both sides dared not move or speak, their immortal senses and gazes all converging on the figure above, the high expert of Ren Jiao and the Heavenly Court Water God, who held a small tower.

What...

No response?

Li Changshou stood there quietly, eyelids half-lowered, as if his mind were elsewhere.

On the ground, You Qin Xuan Ya, who had been sitting in meditation, opened her eyes curiously at that moment. But glancing at Li Changshou standing beside her with hands behind his back, remembering her senior brother's earlier instructions, she closed her eyes and continued regulating her breath.

In the night sky, a trace of awkwardness lingered.

Ran Deng Daoist showed no sign of discomfort and spoke again:

"Since the Water God remains silent, that means you've acknowledged this matter. For your Ren Jiao sect to bully my Chan Jiao like this—how should this be settled?"

The immortals from both sides waited a while longer, but the Water God still stood there motionless.

If not for the Xuanhuang Tower in his hand slowly rotating, the immortals might have thought it was a frozen scene...

What's going on?

On the other side, Ran Deng's brows furrowed deeply, his eyes flickering with divine light, as if in that short moment, he had thought and calculated a great deal.

"Water God," Ran Deng's words now carried a hint of anger, "do you think this poor Daoist, as the deputy leader of Chan Jiao, isn't worthy of speaking with you? Do you need to summon the leader of Chan Jiao himself?"

Li Changshou answered none of the three questions, and even Ran Deng, with his strong patience, had to show anger now.

But Li Changshou just stood there quietly, as if he had fallen asleep.

This...

Above the heads of the Dao Wei Xian Zong and Du Xian Men immortals, question marks filled the air, wondering what the Heavenly Court Water God was up to.

Strangely, the immortals suddenly felt that Ran Deng, who had asked three questions without a response, looked rather awkward...

Dao Wei Zi, who was cultivating in Yu Xu Gong, quickly stepped forward, flicked his dust whisk, bowed toward the "Water God," and said:

"Water God senior brother, Teacher Ran Deng is asking you—why don't you answer?"

Li Changshou slowly lifted his eyelids, a flash of divine light in his eyes, as if waking from a dream, and "came to his senses."

"Oh? Has Deputy Leader Ran Deng already arrived? His flight speed is incredibly fast!"

Li Changshou smiled and cupped his hands. "My apologies, my apologies. This is my fault, entirely my fault.

Originally, I set a restriction on this incarnation so that my mind would turn to it immediately upon seeing someone bow.

But I forgot that Deputy Leader Ran Deng claims to be of the same generation as the Saints and wouldn't normally exchange courtesies with others.

This is indeed my mistake. I was so engrossed watching a silly deer rolling in the snow through another incarnation that I didn't notice Deputy Leader Ran Deng's arrival.

What did Deputy Leader Ran Deng just say?

Could you repeat it?"

Beneath the night sky, silence reigned, even deeper than before.

The immortals of Dao Wei Xian Zong were both shocked and angry; as disciples of Chan Jiao, they couldn't stand seeing their deputy leader treated with such disdain.

The immortals of Du Xian Men, however, felt that this Heavenly Court Water God was quite formidable, showing no regard for Ran Deng, that ancient powerhouse.

Was this the confidence of Ren Jiao?

Ji Wu You, the leader of Du Xian Men, had a thoughtful look in his eyes at that moment, carefully pondering the deeper meaning in the Water God's words.

In such a confrontation among experts, every word carried layers of intent.

"The Water God seems to be indirectly criticizing Ran Deng for lacking manners, but on a deeper level...

Hmm, he might be calling Ran Deng a silly deer!

But why?"

Ji Wu You maintained a calm exterior, but in his heart, like a few other qi refiners here, he was filled with various doubts.

Ran Deng's face turned ominously dark, and this time, he was genuinely annoyed.

"Water God, why lower yourself like this? Engaging in such nonsense here! Aren't you afraid of being ridiculed?"

"How do you mean, Deputy Leader Ran Deng?"

Li Changshou furrowed his brow slightly, and without realizing it, he had seized control of the conversation again. He declared:

"Please watch your words, Deputy Leader Ran Deng!

I know you're deeply resentful—cough, I mean, extremely protective—of the unity of the three teachings. Seeing this tense situation, you're probably anxious, leading to careless speech.

But I'm now a third-rank orthodox god of the Heavenly Court, overseeing water affairs in the three realms. My status isn't about rising or falling.

If you say I'm stirring up trouble and bringing ridicule, isn't that implying that water affairs in the three realms are all nonsense, and the Heavenly Court itself is a joke?

Hiss—

Deputy Leader Ran Deng, are these words of yours discontent with the Heavenly Way, unable to tolerate the Heavenly Court, or even subtly criticizing the Dao Ancestor who decreed its establishment?

That would be a grave offense!"

Hearing this, Ji Wu You's mouth twitched wildly.

What was escalating? This was true escalation!

Ran Deng had only said "stirring up trouble," and it was twisted into insulting the Dao Ancestor!

Ran Deng dared not delay and shot back: "The Water God's skill in quibbling has truly reached new heights.

I hold immense respect for the leaders of the teachings and infinite reverence for the Dao Ancestor!"

"Really?"

Li Changshou smiled faintly and said leisurely: "Why don't I believe it? If you revere the Dao Ancestor so much, why didn't you attend the lectures at Zixiao Palace three times?

Tsk tsk, such inconsistency from a deputy leader makes one suspect that today, while shouting about the unity of the three teachings, you're secretly plotting to divide them and weaken the Dao Gate!"

"Don't spout blood!

The Water God has targeted this poor Daoist, the deputy leader of Chan Jiao, time and again, slandering my reputation everywhere—what are your intentions? What are you after?"

Ran Deng's eyes flashed with cold light, truly stung.

"Me, spouting blood?"

Li Changshou produced a blank scroll in his hand. The scroll gleamed with golden light and emitted a faint aura of the Heavenly Way.

He held it high and proclaimed:

"Deputy Leader Ran Deng, you secretly instructed Dao Wei Zi to set up arrangements around Hong Lin Nation more than twenty years ago, scheming for today's attack to cut off Du Xian Men's livelihood. I have already extracted the full heavenly secrets from the Heavenly Way!

Do you dare swear before the Heavenly Way right now, with the Saints as witnesses, to prove your loyalty to Chan Jiao and that you've never schemed against the three teachings?"

Ran Deng replied calmly: "And does the Water God dare swear before the Heavenly Way that you've never targeted this poor Daoist, the deputy leader of Chan Jiao?"

"Are you afraid, Deputy Leader?"

"It seems the Water God is the one who's afraid."

"You're right, I am afraid..."

Afraid... he admitted it?

Ran Deng's brows knitted, and just as he tried to gain the upper hand in this verbal duel, Li Changshou suddenly changed tack, leaving him behind again.

Li Changshou's gaze grew dim, his face showing inexplicable sorrow. He took two steps forward, holding the scroll and slowly unfurling it, gazing at the dense Heavenly Way power upon it.

He made subtle movements as if reading from right to left, top to bottom, but after just the beginning, flames of San Mei True Flame surged from his hands, instantly burning the scroll to ashes!

Li Changshou sighed slowly:

"I am afraid, Deputy Leader Ran Deng...

The Dao Gate has been nurtured for so many ages, with the Saints preaching the Dao and their disciples toiling in the three realms, spreading the seeds of the Dao Gate across heaven and earth, leading to its great prosperity today.

Even if Deputy Leader Ran Deng has a hundred faults, a thousand schemes, ten thousand thoughts, you are still the deputy leader of Chan Jiao.

If I act against you over this, it would affect Chan Jiao's fortunes and the Dao Gate's destiny.

Alas..."

That sigh carried half grief, and the white-haired, white-bearded figure evoked a sense of helplessness and indignation.

At that moment, gazes turned toward Ran Deng, filled with confusion, doubt, and even outright resentment...

Ji Wu You gazed at the Water God's back with admiration, his heart stirred by waves...

What realm was this?

Was this the Heavenly Court Water God?

Ji Wu You couldn't guarantee that he fully understood the earlier exchange. He could roughly grasp the steps the Water God had taken: starting with silence to avoid the edge, then shifting to reality to seize the initiative, followed by escalating to completely disrupt Ran Deng's rhythm...

The most brilliant move was this "creating something from nothing," burning the scroll before the other side could demand to see it, and using it to splash a basin of murky water.

Now, Ran Deng could only stay silent; anything he said would be wrong.

At this point in the confrontation, Ren Jiao had won and successfully shifted any potential conflict between Chan Jiao and Ren Jiao into doubts about Ran Deng, the Chan Jiao deputy leader...

Recalling that Ran Deng was neither a Saint's disciple nor recorded by the Dao Ancestor, essentially an "outsider," Ji Wu You suddenly realized that the Water God's words hid such a lethal strike!

Killing the heart without shedding blood—that was it.

Dirty, utterly dirty!

Then, Ji Wu You began to wonder what move the Water God would make next.

Right then!

A somewhat peculiar cold hum echoed in the immortals' ears, like thunder exploding, making the weaker immortals dizzy.

From the horizon, five-colored auspicious lights emerged, like a divine bird spreading its wings, arriving in an instant and transforming into a slender figure.

The newcomer wore a green cloth robe and a golden phoenix crown, striding forward with an aura like chaos itself, surrounded by five faint divine lights. With a long neck and handsome face, it was impossible to tell at a glance whether it was male or female...

It took a few steps forward, its gaze locking onto Ran Deng.

Ran Deng was fuming inside and coldly met the gaze, their sights clashing in the air, revealing mutual hostility.

Then, the Heavenly Court Water God muttered softly from afar: "Kong Xuan Dao friend, don't be so aggressive. This is the deputy leader of Chan Jiao, with a very high status in the teaching."

" Ran Deng?"

Kong Xuan lifted his chin slightly, a touch of disdain at his lips. "Isn't he just the ancient spirit coffin maker, that old Daoist from Lingjiu Mountain who wanders around scamming food and drink with a coffin?"

"Kong Xuan Dao friend," Ran Deng clearly recognized who he was.

But as Li Changshou had initially planned, Ran Deng didn't know Kong Xuan's current strength.

The anger Ran Deng had stirred up found an outlet...

Ran Deng said firmly: "Don't bring karma and disaster upon yourself. Considering you're one of the few bloodlines of the Feng clan, leave quickly, or this poor Daoist will have to act and hurt you."

"Karma and disaster? Act and hurt me?"

Kong Xuan narrowed his long phoenix eyes. "Do you really think that becoming the deputy leader of Chan Jiao makes you part of the Dao Gate family?

Besides, your position as deputy leader was just something you shamelessly begged from the Saint. Every living being from ancient times knows that."

"Oh?"

Li Changshou stroked his dust whisk and asked innocently from the side: "Is that true? That can't be, right? Deputy Leader Ran Deng has profound cultivation and many spiritual treasures—how could he do such a thing?"

Kong Xuan shrugged and said: "If you don't believe it, ask around."

"You bold peacock! This poor Daoist will oblige you today!"

Ran Deng suddenly roared, and golden light shook the heavens, turning the night sky as bright as day.

He manifested a six-zhang tall dignified Dharma body, raising his hand to throw a green light at Kong Xuan, which contained a section of a long ruler.

The ruler instantly grew to hundreds of zhang long and smashed down toward Kong Xuan.

Kong Xuan's face turned stern, without a hint of tension. He raised his right hand high, and the five-colored divine lights around him flashed together, condensing into a massive multicolored hand in front of him, grabbing toward the ruler's illusion.

In that instant, the five-colored divine light hand directly caught the ruler thrown by Ran Deng. The innate five elements energy whirled in the palm, and the ruler trembled violently.

Ran Deng's Dharma body swayed backward, his dignified face changing color, completely losing contact with his Qian Kun Chi!

The hand and the ruler's illusion vanished outright, and the ruler shrank to two chi long, now pinched in Kong Xuan's fingers and spun lightly.

Kong Xuan laughed: "As expected, you're useless."

Ran Deng was both shocked and furious. Normally, he would have retreated, but with so many immortals watching, losing his treasure and fleeing would mean he could never show his face in the great wilderness again.

He formed a giant palm and smashed it remotely at Kong Xuan. Kong Xuan's five-colored divine light turned into a rainbow, enveloping himself as he charged straight at Ran Deng's Dharma body.

Ran Deng's shoulder spirit coffin lamp blazed with light, making the surrounding space like a quagmire, and he pointed a finger at Kong Xuan from afar, rippling the space...

Kong Xuan wouldn't take it head-on. His figure flashed to the left, extending his left hand as the five-colored divine light brushed toward Ran Deng's body.

In a flash, divine lights glittered and golden light intensified.

The spirit coffin lamp erupted with seven-colored glow, barely blocking the five-colored divine light, but the glow was disintegrating at a visible speed.

Just then, a whooshing sound pierced the air, and another bronze ruler appeared from behind Ran Deng!

This ruler resembled Ran Deng's Qian Kun Chi in form, but the power it emitted far surpassed his!

The Water God had struck directly!

In Li Changshou's heart, Tower Master was roaring angrily:

"Smash his lamp! Smash his lamp!"

The Qian Kun Chi released layers of ripples, and in the moment before Ran Deng could react, it smashed straight into the spirit coffin lamp!

The seven-colored glow flashed and dimmed instantly, the lamp's wick left with only a faint spark, and the lamp itself was sent flying by the Qian Kun Chi!

The five-colored divine light swept toward Ran Deng, who quickly dispersed his Dharma body, barely escaping the divine light and rushing after his flying treasure lamp.

But at that moment, Ran Deng heard a shout that nearly made his immortal power go berserk:

"You two! Stop fighting!"

Li Changshou shouted from the side, "Give me, the Water God, some face!"

As he spoke, he summoned the innate spiritual treasure Qian Kun Chi back with his right hand and threw it again, aiming at Ran Deng's flying treasure lamp, hitting it before Ran Deng could and sending it flying once more!

The five-colored divine light swept in from the side again. Ran Deng's eyes were full of resentment as a glazed treasure tower appeared above his head. He used the tower to withstand the divine light, but his figure staggered, and his protective immortal light flickered unsteadily.

If not for Ran Deng's profound realm and strong foundation, he might have had his five elements disrupted and cultivation sealed right then!

The glazed treasure tower was affected by the five-colored divine light, its immortal light rapidly dimming.

Li Changshou recalled the Qian Kun Chi and shouted again:

"Kong Xuan Dao friend, don't get too angry. I'll apologize on behalf of Deputy Leader Ran Deng!

Whatever you do, don't brush away his other treasures first—that might really leave Deputy Leader Ran Deng unable to withstand your divine light!"

Kong Xuan narrowed his eyes and smiled. He hadn't wanted to fight two against one and take someone else's treasures with his divine light anyway, though he could.

Since the Water God said so, he would play along. He aimed at the glazed treasure tower, and the five-colored divine light went and returned, easily bringing the tower back.

Ran Deng was on the verge of spitting blood, but now he had to focus on his life-bound treasure lamp and roared:

"You two, don't push it too far!"

His voice cut off abruptly as space was completely sealed.

Whoosh—

A wave of water rippled through space everywhere, turning the starry sky into a vast blue, with twenty-four massive stars shining in the high sky. The profound Dao rhythm directly immobilized Ran Deng, who had no treasure to protect him!

A loud shout came from the air:

"Deputy Leader Ran Deng, don't be afraid! This poor Daoist has got you covered! Everyone, give me Zhao Gong Ming some face and stop fighting."

Li Changshou was about to retrieve the Qian Kun Chi when he heard Zhao Da Ye in the air exclaim, "Oh no, why won't this treasure of mine budge? It's not listening!"

In the air, Ran Deng, frozen in a forward lunge, had a gaunt face twisted with rage, his eyes nearly bulging...