Chapter 395: The Desire to Unlock the Shackles

Li Changshou had a few ideas.

For example, using the complete cycle stories presented to Nüwa Niangniang, if a hot-blooded manga protagonist suddenly burst in, lifted the embodiment of sorrow—who was lost, melancholic, and despairing—and shouted, "Someone does care about you!"...

It might work...

No, there was no doubt about it—the result would definitely be that the person would be directly assimilated by Hou Tu Niangniang's embodiment of sorrow!

This sorrowful persona still possessed Hou Tu Niangniang's Dao realm, although its specific combat strength was unknown. From what he could see, it wasn't even capable of fighting back; it would just lie there passively, even if killed...

But its Dao realm and the Dao rhythm it emitted were absolutely at the level of a great power!

Supported by such a Dao realm, the embodiment of sorrow could constantly evoke an extremely strong resonance of sadness in living beings, akin to a supreme divine ability that directly attacked the mind!

The most troublesome part was that no one could be sure what kind of impact injuring the embodiment of sorrow would have on the Liu Dao Lun Hui Pan or on Hou Tu Niangniang herself...

Through this encounter, Li Changshou wasn't entirely without gains.

The persona of Hou Tu's sorrow was filled with negative, despairing, and idealistic emotions, but it wasn't completely hopeless.

From their earlier conversation, Li Changshou had actually gathered a lot of useful information...

First, Xiao Ai hoped someone could convince her and free her from endless sorrow;

Second, Xiao Ai could communicate with living beings and had a tendency to be a bit chatty.

Third, the seven emotions incarnations were clearly influenced by Hou Tu's own personality, not just pure collections of emotions.

Facing Xiao Ai was essentially facing Hou Tu Niangniang, but with only the sorrowful aspect stripped out.

Try unleashing a verbal barrage?

Li Changshou dismissed the idea without a second thought.

In Honghuang, preaching about "the material world being universally connected and eternally developing" would probably get him wiped out directly by the Tian Dao and the saints!

This "Hou Tu's Sorrow"... well, let's just call it Xiao Ai.

To give Xiao Ai hope and pull her out of the abyss of despair, it might really require that hot-blooded manga approach—finding a group of fiery, passionate emotions to fill her empty and collapsing heart.

Suddenly, he heard from beside him:

"Changgeng, maybe we should just forget it."

After pondering for a while, Xuandu Dashi spoke up: "Don't force yourself."

They were currently at the deepest level of the Shi Ba Ceng Di Yu, outside the forty-nine layers of great array restrictions.

Chu Jiang Wang and Qin Guang Wang, who had been wiping away tears nonstop, became even more sorrowful upon hearing this and hurried over, weeping profusely with tears and snot streaming down their faces.

—This was the lingering effect from being influenced by Xiao Ai earlier.

"Xuandu Dashi! Shui Shen! You absolutely can't give up now!"

"Zu Po has done so much for all living beings, and now she's trapped in this torment. Why won't anyone help her...

Oh, Zu Po, you're suffering so much! I don't even want to keep living like this!"

Seeing the two usually imposing Yan Wangs pounding their chests and stamping their feet like this, Xuandu Dashi was a bit overwhelmed.

"Shi Xiong, let's try again."

Li Changshou looked up, his white robe swaying gently. "I want to know what state Hou Tu Niangniang is in right now, so I can determine if we can help at all..."

Xuandu Dashi said seriously: "Very well, we'll enter the Liu Dao Lun Hui Pan together."

"Thank you, Shi Xiong!"

Li Changshou bowed in a Daoist salute, and Xuandu Dashi smiled and waved it off, his eyes clear and bright.

Chu Jiang Wang and Qin Guang Wang, upon hearing this, were overjoyed. They quickly wiped away their tears, suppressed their emotional turmoil, and bowed deeply.

"You two, please lead the way," Li Changshou said. "And give us a detailed account of the situation inside the Liu Dao Lun Hui Pan."

"Shui Shen, rest assured, we'll tell you everything we know.

In the Di Fu, only three or four beings are aware of this matter. Inside the Liu Dao Lun Hui Pan, we can always see the Zu Po, but we can't truly contact her—only her malevolent incarnation."

As Qin Guang Wang spoke in a low voice, Li Changshou analyzed every word, also deducing whether there was any concealment.

It mostly matched what he had heard from Nüwa Niangniang.

At that moment, Hou Tu Niangniang was working hard to suppress her seven emotions incarnations to prevent them from going berserk.

Xiao Ai was the first of the seven emotions incarnations to be born. Although it had a powerful Dao realm, because of its inherent nature—it was so sorrowful that it just lay there motionless—Hou Tu didn't have to worry about it much. She simply sent it out of the Liu Dao Lun Hui Pan and suppressed it beneath the Shi Ba Ceng Di Yu.

It was quite remarkable, really.

Before long, they left the Shi Ba Ceng Di Yu and arrived near the Liu Dao Lun Hui Pan, at the place Li Changshou had visited before.

Chu Jiang Wang ordered the Di Fu's yin spirits to guard the area strictly—no one was to approach without a Yan Wang's command.

Then, Qin Guang Wang and Chu Jiang Wang bowed toward the front and called out:

"Zu Po, it's us!

Two Dao friends from Ren Jiao have come to pay their respects!"

Four beams of light shot out, enveloping Li Changshou, Xuandu Dashi, and the two Yan Wangs.

Xuandu Dashi suddenly stepped back, pulling Li Changshou with him. Under the somewhat bewildered gazes of the two Yan Wangs, they weren't taken away by the light pillars.

"Shi Xiong, what is it?"

Li Changshou was a bit puzzled—he had just mentally prepared himself to take the risk and enter the Liu Dao Lun Hui Pan!

"Let's try entering with the Taiji Tu," Xuandu Dashi said with a smile, as yin and yang energies swirled in his palm.

Ahead of them, the murky and chilling aura of the Di Fu churned, and a deep vortex appeared out of nowhere, with faint golden light flickering inside.

Xuandu Dashi and Li Changshou stepped forward together, now without any hesitation, and entered it simultaneously.

Xuandu Dashi had deliberately tested this to confirm whether the xiantian zhibao Taiji Tu could freely access the small world inside the Liu Dao Lun Hui Pan.

The result was surprisingly reassuring, preserving the great reputation of the Taiji Tu.

Streams of light flashed around them, and before they knew it, the two had entered a thick fog where their xian shi couldn't extend beyond a hundred zhang, and visibility was poor.

Li Changshou lost his connection with his zhi ren, and various worries arose in his heart...

Xuandu Dashi moved closer to Li Changshou and placed a hand on his arm; waves of black and white aura overflowed around them, completely enveloping the two.

"This place lacks the Wu Xing and has disordered yin and yang, but it's filled with strong nian li," Xuandu Dashi said.

"Mm," Li Changshou replied with a word of thanks in his heart, and together with Xuandu Dashi, they pressed on.

Suddenly, points of flowing light appeared in the fog, as if guiding them forward, and vague images began to condense in the mist.

These seemed to be memories of someone who had fallen here.

Li Changshou's eyes darted around, taking in each image without missing any. After carefully sensing that they posed no harm and carried no information he couldn't bear, he focused on their content.

These were...

Hou Tu Niangniang's memories!

The first image showed a reflection on the water's surface: Hou Tu in her Zu Wu form—human body with a snake tail, multiple arms front and back, holding a soaring snake, curiously examining herself in the water.

Interestingly, in the corner of the reflection, a Fenghuang shen niao could be seen gliding across the sky, with several strangely shaped Wus jumping up to chase it...

Ah, this was the warm and relaxed daily Wu clan hunt from ancient times.

The second image was still a water reflection, but now Hou Tu had transformed into a xiantian Dao body—that of a human.

She had a slender and graceful figure, exuding an indescribable natural beauty, wearing a earthy yellow long skirt. By the river, she quietly combed her long hair, her smooth feet dipping into the cool river water, humming a light tune.

The following images were all like this, showing Hou Tu by the water.

Until the thirteenth image, which depicted a surging sea of blood, with countless remnant souls swirling and wailing above it, only to be swallowed by the rising blood waves!

Among these souls were Wus, humans, and spirits of all races—that is, the Yao clan.

"Minghe Lao Zu!"

It seemed a shout full of anger echoed in Li Changshou's heart, and then the image shattered...

When it reformed, Li Changshou was startled.

He saw a Taiji Tu, the familiar figure standing on it, and below it, the half-body corpse of an old Daoist...

Then, the young Daoist on the Taiji Tu turned around, the Xuanhuang Pagoda above his head and the Qiankun Ruler in his hand, and said softly:

"Hou Tu Qianbei, my teacher has asked me to deliver a message to you."

The image cut off abruptly, and the surrounding fog dissipated.

Li Changshou and Xuandu Dashi found themselves on a shallow yellowish sand dune, with misty fog behind them and an endless sea of sand ahead.

"Shi Xiong?" Li Changshou looked at Xuandu Dashi beside him. "Were you involved in that incident back then?"

"Ha—"

Xuandu Dashi let out a long yawn and waved his hand dismissively. "It's not worth mentioning, just a minor achievement, and it was my teacher who sent me.

At the time, Hou Tu Niangniang had no treasures and could only fight Minghe Lao Zu with Wu clan shen tong.

Minghe Lao Zu had the advantage of the blood sea, claiming that as long as the blood sea didn't dry, he wouldn't die. He was protected by the twelve-grade Karma Fire Red Lotus and wielded the Yuan Tu Jian and A Bi Jian as killing weapons, with the Ashura clan aiding him...

Back then, Minghe Lao Zu truly had the strength to challenge the Tian Dao.

So my teacher ordered me to go and lend Ren Jiao's treasures to suppress the Karma Fire Red Lotus and those two swords, allowing the Tian Dao to smoothly send down the Zixiao Shen Lei and strike that old fellow down..."

Li Changshou asked again: "Shi Xiong, what was the message you conveyed to Hou Tu Niangniang back then?"

Xuandu Dashi said: "Follow your own heart, and you will achieve perfection. Don't worry about what comes after."

Li Changshou pondered this carefully, his face darkening at first, then he covered his forehead with his hand and stuffed his hands into his sleeves, slowly squatting down.

"What's wrong?"

Xuandu Dashi asked in surprise, "Are you suddenly moved by Da De Hou Tu?"

Li Changshou sighed softly, stood up, and swept away the gloom in his heart.

All his schemes and strategies, and he was still outmaneuvered by his own saint teacher!

Everything had been arranged in that single word!

The saint teacher had him wait in Honglin Guo, calculating that he wouldn't ignore Qin Xuan Ya's father!

And knowing his nature of avoiding karma, he would only protect that old king's soul!

Originally, Li Changshou thought the saint teacher's consideration was limited to "the black bird gives birth to Shang"...

But now, the bigger plan was in the Di Fu!

When he sent the old king to the Di Fu and the gate of the Shi Ba Ceng Di Yu opened, the aura of the Taiji Dao on him was sensed by Hou Tu. Hou Tu Niangniang then drew him step by step to this place!

And it all started from ancient times, with Taiji Lao Zu's promise to Hou Tu—

"Go ahead and do what you think is right; we'll handle the rest."

What is a saint's scheme?

It's on a completely different level from someone like him, Li Changshou, a minor immortal in Honghuang!

Xuandu Dashi chuckled lightly: "You'll get used to it."

Get used to it...

Xuandu Dashi added: "Xian shi are hard to deploy here; I've already calculated the location of the two Yan Wangs. Let's head there first."

"Mm," Li Changshou agreed, and Xuandu Dashi rode the clouds, carrying him toward the depths of the sand sea.

In this place, Li Changshou's xian shi range was suppressed by ninety percent, and the ling qi his Yuan Shen could mobilize was minimal.

A Yuan Shen path refining cultivator here could probably only exert about thirty percent of their strength.

Li Changshou asked Lord Pagoda, and he calmly replied: No effect at all...

From this perspective, the Honghuang custom of valuing treasures over shen tong had some justification.

After flying for a while, the dim yellow sky was like a curtain being pulled back.

It was as if the atmosphere had vanished, revealing a profound blackness overhead dotted with endless stars, while below was a vast golden sand sea stretching to unknown horizons.

A colorful "star river" hung in the middle of the sky, flowing through the sea of stars.

A flash of insight came to Li Changshou's mind...

That was the Liu Dao Lun Hui.

"Shi Xiong, the scenery here is quite nice."

"This should be the manifestation of Hou Tu Niangniang's mind platform, essentially her sea of consciousness," Xuandu Dashi said warmly. "Hou Tu Niangniang's physical body became the Liu Dao Lun Hui Pan; this is her final resting place."

Li Changshou suddenly understood. If the Liu Dao Lun Hui Pan was Hou Tu Niangniang's body, and this was her mind platform, it explained why this place was completely isolated from the outside world, with no exchange of ling qi with the main Honghuang realm...

As he thought this, a lava lake suddenly appeared ahead, turning the area into a sea of flames.

Xuandu Dashi frowned slightly and said:

"This one is even more troublesome than the last."

Li Changshou tensed up. "Malevolence or desire?"

No sooner had he spoken than a whooshing wind came from behind. Li Changshou turned to see dozens of stars falling from the night sky, transforming into massive fireballs hurtling toward Xuandu Dashi and him!

"Go."

Xuandu Dashi shouted softly, grabbing Li Changshou's arm with his left hand and flickering forward repeatedly, each flash covering hundreds of li!

They narrowly escaped the bombarded area, as those tiny stars "plowed" the surrounding thousands of li of lava ground again.

The scene was quite spectacular, making Li Changshou's scalp tingle.

Then, stone giants and beasts crawled out of the lava lake; Xuandu Dashi shook his head helplessly, swept his sleeve, and those stone giants shattered instantly.

"Trivial tricks," Xuandu Dashi said, as the Taiji Tu spun slightly in his palm, and he flashed again with Li Changshou.

This time, they directly crossed an unknown distance and appeared in a ruined palace.

The lively scene inside the palace froze, as if someone had hit pause...

Chu Jiang Wang stood tearfully by a wooden tub in the corner, wrapping his fierce horns with a colorful headscarf and holding two vibrant flowers in his hand. Though he was a rugged and imposing Wu clan man, he was now applying rouge to his cheeks, plucking the petals and scattering them into the tub...

At that moment, Chu Jiang Wang's eyes were full of despair, as if saying "it's over," but his hands kept moving.

As for Qin Guang Wang...

The head of the Shi Dian Yan Luo and the current leader of the Di Fu lay on a bed of sharp black spikes, with a massive stone slab placed on his body.

Above the slab was a pair of delicate jade feet—skin fair and translucent, but nails dyed a blood-red like fresh blood.

The Hou Tu seven emotions incarnation they saw now, if Xiao Ai represented the most vibrant years of a twenty-one or twenty-two-year-old woman, this one was like a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl.

With light red hair and dark red eyes, her short skirt and top had nothing to do with modesty, yet she exuded no charm or tenderness—only a striking sense of...

Fierceness.

A longevity lock hung around her neck, flickering faintly.

Before coming, Qin Guang Wang had mentioned that the malevolent and desirous incarnations were suppressed by Hou Tu Niangniang with a fa qi, which was clearly this longevity lock.

"Hey, you."

The girl put down the iron hammer in her hand, tilted her head, and gestured to Xuandu Dashi with her chin. "Come over and lie on Xiao Qin."

Xuandu Dashi's forehead creased with black lines as he cupped his hands: "Disciple of Ren Jiao..."

"You're not willing, huh?"

The girl said coldly, and with a tap of her bare foot, her figure vanished in a flash!

Xuandu Dashi's sword-like brows furrowed into a river character, and he waved his long sleeve, manifesting the Taiji Tu behind him as it spun gently.

With a muffled groan, the slender figure stumbled out from behind Li Changshou, a gleaming sword pointed at his neck, the tip just three inches away!

Li Changshou: ...

This aggressive?

He hadn't even said a word, and just because he looked easy to target, he was locked as an attack objective?!

Good thing he brought Xuandu Dashi!

Otherwise, facing Hou Tu Niangniang's malevolence in her mind platform, Li Changshou really didn't know how many holes he'd end up with!

The yin and yang energies from the Taiji Tu swirled, directly binding the girl and pinning her to the diagram.

Xuandu Dashi and Li Changshou turned with a slight smile, as Qin Guang Wang pushed away the stone slab on him, and Chu Jiang Wang hurriedly removed his headscarf and scarf, rushing over.

"Xuandu Dashi, show mercy! The Zu Po has suppressed most of her malevolence herself. She's just playing around and won't really hurt anyone."

Li Changshou looked down at the sword on the ground, noticing it wasn't made of metal and had already deformed into something soft...

Xuandu Dashi nodded but didn't withdraw the yin and yang energies.

"How can we see the Zu Po's true form?" Li Changshou asked.

"This," Qin Guang Wang frowned, "requires the Zu Po's consent."

"Beg me," the girl bound by the Taiji Tu sneered, turning her head calmly to the side.

"I'm Da De Hou Tu, and Da De Hou Tu is me. No matter how much evil I do, no one dares to eliminate me.

Is this what you Daoists call slaying demons and eliminating evil?

Hah, worthless."

"Zu Po!"

Qin Guang Wang and Chu Jiang Wang rushed forward, offering all sorts of flattery and persuasion.

But Li Changshou stared at the longevity lock around the girl's neck for a while, deep in thought.

As he had said, Hou Tu Niangniang herself was influencing the seven emotions incarnations, especially this fierce girl, who was still suppressed by Hou Tu's fa qi.

Soon, the girl grew impatient and cursed: "Fine, fine, disgusting! Follow me!"

Xuandu Dashi released her bindings, exchanged a glance with Li Changshou—each seeing the word "careful" in the other's eyes—and the group, including Qin Guang Wang and Chu Jiang Wang, who breathed a sigh of relief, followed the girl out of the ruined palace and flew onward.

After a short flight, a large array appeared ahead.

The array covered about several dozen li, enclosing a massive Hou Tu statue, with two treasure halls in front, exuding boundless solemnity.

The girl hummed a faint tune gruffly and led them straight to the array.

"Go in; I can't open this place."

Xuandu Dashi pointed his finger, and the Taiji Tu manifested, binding the girl again while easily melting an opening in the array ahead.

Xuandu Dashi made a inviting gesture, but the girl, now called "E," seemed furious, grinding her teeth and cursing, though she turned her head away in disdain.

It was only after Qin Guang Wang and Chu Jiang Wang did some coaxing that they convinced her to lead the way...

Thus, the five figures carefully entered the array and flew toward the great hall.

But just before the hall doors, Li Changshou suddenly raised his hand to signal a stop, gazing at the girl bound by yin and yang energies, and smiled bitterly as he said:

"Niangniang, even with your malevolence suppressed, it shouldn't show such clear emotions like anger, frustration, or resignation.

The seven emotions each have their incarnations, pushed to extremes. Compared to sorrow, your malevolence doesn't seem pure."

The girl walking ahead turned around, her smile fading, her face turning cold and lonely, yet she wore a somewhat sinister smile.

"Is that so? But you've realized it too late."

Xuandu Dashi seemed to notice something and extended his right hand, drawing a stream of light from the hall that landed in his palm.

It was a longevity lock, the same style as the one around the girl's neck, but this one was opened and no longer glowing.

Chu Jiang Wang and Qin Guang Wang trembled instantly, their faces turning pale.

"Oh no!"

"Quick, you two get out!"

Before they could finish, seductive sounds echoed through the hall, and waves of pink mist drifted in. A light hum of dissatisfaction made listeners' bones go soft and blood rush.

Xuandu Dashi furrowed his brows tightly, but Li Changshou nodded calmly, showing no sign of abnormality.