Chapter 396: Heaven Overcomes

Pink smoke filled the air, and the great hall seemed to be undergoing some kind of change. Outside the hall, the enormous Houtu statue suddenly transformed into a towering giant tree, standing tall in the boundless sea of sand.

The trunk of the giant tree was quite peculiar, resembling a woman kneeling on the sandy ground, her hands crossed over her chest, with the canopy extending like her long hair.

But at that moment, Li Changshou, the Xuan Du Great Mage, and the two Yan Jun inside the hall had no way to pay attention to these changes.

It was simply because, the instant the pink smoke appeared, strands of profound Dao rhythm enveloped them, directly bypassing the physical bodies of the two men and two witches, wildly assaulting their Yuan Shen.

The reason the Xuan Du Great Mage furrowed his brows deeply wasn't because he sensed any danger;

It was mainly that, although he easily blocked this assault on his Yuan Shen, he was still affected by this Dao rhythm.

His Dao heart seemed to develop a massive emptiness, a sense of "longing" spreading through his body and eroding his Yuan Shen.

Suddenly...

"Ah!"

Chujiang Wang threw his head back in a furious roar, a long sword appearing in his hand as rolling blood energy surged over his body. He turned and charged straight out of the hall.

"Wu! We are the masters of the earth! Who can stop me?

Damn it! I'll kill all you despicable demons!

I'll roast you all! Wahhh!"

With these shouts, this Yan Jun raced toward the distant sand dunes, his hair and beard flying wildly, his aura overwhelmingly majestic!

Is he really this fierce?

Li Changshou and the Great Mage both thought in perfect unison, offering the same silent praise.

Then they heard Qinguang Wang turn and bellow: "I! Must awaken my bloodline! I want to become an existence like the ancestors, transforming into the Pangu God!

Hahaha!

Pangu God, I'm coming for you! I want to become the second supreme force in the heavens and earth!"

He's really incredibly fierce.

Li Changshou and the Great Mage praised in unison again. After the embodiment of desire made its move, they were no longer flustered.

Speaking of which, relying on the Wu clan's Yuan Shen power...

Under this onslaught of resonating seven emotions, the two Yan Jun managing to hold out for a few moments was already quite impressive.

A slight smile tugged at Li Changshou's lips; he felt these two Yan Jun weren't here to help at all, but purely to amp up the atmosphere and add some flair.

However, this embodiment of desire, now freed from Houtu Niangniang's suppression, didn't seem all that strong. Even a Golden Immortal with a firm Dao heart could resist it for a while.

Not to mention, right beside him was the chief disciple of Ren Jiao, the senior brother of Daoism, the Xuan Du Great Mage, whose Dao realm was unfathomably deep...

"Ha, ha—"

The Great Mage covered his mouth and nose, letting out a deep yawn. This Dao rhythm had stirred up the only desire in his heart, and his eyelids began to flutter incessantly.

"That... Changgeng ah."

Li Changshou turned at the sound and saw the Great Mage skillfully summoning back the Taiji Chart and releasing the "evil thought" girl.

The Taiji Chart slowly expanded to about a yard in diameter. The Great Mage pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve, tied it over his eyes, and lay down on the chart, with the soft yin and yang energies serving as his perfect bed and pillow.

The Great Mage called out feebly: "Changgeng, I'll leave the rest to you.

Ah, only beautiful dreams and peaceful sleep are not to be wasted, huh—"

Li Changshou: ...

The "evil thought" girl: ...

Don't fall asleep!

Get up and fight, senior brother!

Is your only desire really just to sleep? Don't you have any other ambitions?

Even those two dim-witted leaders out there blasting away at the sand would do!

Don't you have any aspirations for attaining sainthood?

The Yao Huang and Ming He Laozu, who indirectly met their end because of you, must be dying with their eyes wide open!

In Li Changshou's heart, Tower Lord was already laughing uncontrollably.

Just then.

"Heh~"

A charming voice echoed in Li Changshou's mind, and most of the surrounding smoke converged toward him.

In the smoke, a ethereal and graceful figure slowly emerged, circling lightly around Li Changshou and whispering continuously in his ear.

This woman was much more mature than Xiao Ai, wearing only a light purple silk robe that barely concealed her alluring figure. Her slightly curled long hair exuded a wonderful sense of lazy charm.

The "evil thought" girl, now free from the yin and yang energies' restraints, narrowed her eyes with a smile, a small dagger appearing in her hand. She bounced over playfully, her light footsteps sounding like drumbeats.

"It's my turn now? Disciple of Taiqing."

The figure in the smoke gradually drifted away, appearing on the throne in the hall. She crossed her slender, luminous legs, letting her satin-like skirt slip to the side, and smiled seductively.

"He's still resisting his own desires' invasion, so be careful he doesn't turn the tables on you."

The "evil thought" girl jumped back at these words, frowning as she stared at Li Changshou's face, and said coldly: "You can't even handle him?"

"His situation is a bit special, but don't worry," the embodiment of desire chuckled lightly. "If there's no desire, how can it be a living being?

He's just got a tougher state of mind, that's all."

The little evil girl nodded, standing quietly to the side, her small fingers idly scratching her chin, as if pondering how to toy with these two fresh playthings.

The embodiment of desire leaned forward and gently blew a breath toward Li Changshou, sending layers of Dao rhythm rippling out like waves, repeatedly washing over him.

For a moment, various thoughts surged in Li Changshou's mind. That seductive, enchanting voice, laced with a Dao rhythm like a demonic melody, murmured endlessly in his ear: "Do you want power? Just a mere third-rank orthodox god of Heaven.

With a simple nod, the six paths of reincarnation will be at your command, and countless living beings will submit to you. You could become the emperor of the three realms..."

Emperor of Heaven?

What's so great about that? He's just an ordinary minister in Heaven now, and in terms of overall influence in Daoism and Heaven, he's not far behind the emperor.

But he'd be under the Heavenly Dao's watchful eye all the time, with almost no personal freedom, forced to use incarnations to wander aimlessly, losing all choice in his own life. Even if he descended to the mortal world for some fun, he'd be watched closely by Wangmu.

Li Changshou muttered, "Next one."

The woman on the throne narrowed her eyes and smiled, while the "evil thought" girl paused for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"How interesting."

The embodiment of desire's wide robe shimmered slightly as a purple beam shot out, directly hitting Li Changshou.

The Xuanhuang Pagoda flew out on its own, hovering above Li Changshou's head; but the beam ignored the pagoda's barrier, shining straight onto his Yuan Shen.

"You really want Gong De, don't you?"

Gong De?

Li Changshou murmured, "Actually, Gong De is just for self-protection."

"Do you want to be invincible in the three realms?"

"True invincibility means others don't know my name, my Dao, or my existence, while I stand beyond all living beings.

Invincibility in Dao realm and cultivation is ultimately just an illusion, and the stronger you get, the more beings close to your level will see you as a threat.

Dao friend..."

Li Changshou opened his eyes, a hint of helplessness in them, as he gazed at the embodiment of desire on the throne. "You're fixated."

"Is that so?"

The embodiment of desire narrowed her eyes and smiled, her face resembling Xiao Ai and the little evil girl by about seventy or eighty percent, still exuding that seductive charm.

Without warning, her figure suddenly dispersed into strands of colorful light, rushing toward Li Changshou and vanishing into his chest in an instant.

Li Changshou immediately closed his eyes. He hadn't considered escaping earlier, but he quickly judged that he couldn't evade this embodiment of desire's attack.

This wasn't a divine ability or a spell;

The lights and shadows he saw were meaningless, and those streams of light were like illusions; the opponent was directly influencing his mind.

Outside the hall, the two Yan Jun were darting around chaotically under that "peculiar" giant tree, their fists and feet smashing cracks into the ground.

They kicked up sandstorms everywhere, as if they were back in ancient times, battling demon kings.

Inside the hall, the Great Mage lay on the Taiji Chart with his eye cover on, snoring away;

Not far from him, Li Changshou sat cross-legged, eyes closed in concentration, occasionally frowning or letting out a light hum, as if enduring a trial of the mind.

The embodiment of desire kept assaulting his Yuan Shen, probing his heart to unearth his deepest longing.

Li Changshou fought back with all his might against the swelling of his mindset, reminding himself to stay humble and modest—reckless wandering leads to death.

The desire of the seven emotions wasn't just about lust; it could be understood as "longing."

A moment later, wisps of purple smoke overflowed from around Li Changshou, forming into a slender woman—the embodiment of desire.

She looked quite displeased, her earlier composure gone, and she subconsciously stepped back half a pace as she stared at Li Changshou.

The little evil girl hopped over and asked curiously, "This human really has no desires?"

"No, he does," the embodiment said gravely. "I saw a massive desire in his Yuan Shen—that's his extreme longing and pursuit—but I can't stir it up."

"Why?"

"If I stir this desire, he'll gain the power to defeat me."

"Huh?" The little evil girl's forehead was full of question marks. "What do you mean?"

"His desire is... a kind of... hard to describe..."

"What is it exactly? Can you just say it clearly?"

The embodiment of desire pressed a hand to her forehead and said lowly, "It's stability, the 'stable' in seeking stability. That's what he wants most!"

The little evil girl froze for a second, then her cheeks puffed up as she burst out laughing, rolling on the ground.

Li Changshou secretly observed this scene, carefully analyzing it in his mind.

Earlier, when he tricked this little evil girl, he had deliberately misspoke, calling Houtu's seven emotion embodiments "seven extreme emotions";

But in reality, they were seven complete personalities with certain biases.

For example, the little evil girl was now feeling happy, excited, and amused; and this embodiment of desire was feeling frustrated and annoyed...

How could he use them to meet Houtu Niangniang?

Did he have to subdue the two embodiments?

If a real fight broke out here and the little evil girl lifted her suppression, he might not be able to handle it.

After careful thought and consideration, Li Changshou quickly formed a plan in his mind. He opened his eyes again and leisurely sized up these two seven emotion embodiments, who were manifestations of the same being yet shared few similarities.

The little evil girl gritted her teeth and snapped, "What are you looking at? Keep staring and I'll carve a turtle on your face!"

"I want to see Houtu Niangniang," Li Changshou said.

"Hehehe," the embodiment of desire slowly reclined in front of Li Changshou, biting her lip slightly. "Aren't we the Houtu Niangniang you're looking for?"

The little evil girl scoffed dismissively, "If we let you see that main body who only bullies me, won't you try to wipe us out?

Hmph! Dream on!"

"So we're just going to stalemate like this?"

Li Changshou smiled. "I have treasures for protection, and you two can't harm me. Why not let me see Houtu Niangniang, and my senior brother and I will leave right away.

You two are also part of Houtu Niangniang, but you've each veered to the extremes of the seven emotions.

This isn't about killing or destroying you; you're all one. I just want to see the Houtu Niangniang with a balanced state of mind."

"No, you're wrong," the embodiment of desire said with a narrowed smile.

Li Changshou's smile gradually faded, and he asked seriously, "Where did I go wrong?"

"Can I not harm you?"

The embodiment of desire's figure slowly rose, as if swimming through water.

She raised her hand and gently pointed at the little evil girl, then dissolved into clouds of pink smoke that enveloped and seeped into Li Changshou's body, leaving behind just one sentence: "Today, I'll grant you desire and become your desire. How will you resist?"

Granting heart's desire? Is that even possible?

Li Changshou's mind tensed, and he quickly called out to his senior brother in his heart, but suddenly, a series of indescribable scenes appeared before his eyes.

Waves of heat surged from around Li Changshou, turning into scorching blasts that swept through the entire hall.

Li Changshou's face, ears, and even his neck flushed red, veins bulging...

Just then, he heard a shout.

"What did you do to me!"

The little evil girl's face was red as she scolded, "Believe it or not, I'll destroy you! I'm also Da De Houtu! How could you make me do something like this?

Don't I have any shame!"

As she spoke, the little evil girl bit her lip hard, her eyes already rippling slightly; she took half a step toward Li Changshou uncontrollably, her breathing growing hot.

Though she was trying desperately to hold back, she was on the verge of mental collapse.

In Li Changshou's mind, the embodiment of desire let out a triumphant laugh, flooding his thoughts with those indescribable scenes and influencing his Yuan Shen.

Even so, Li Changshou, who held immense respect for Da De Houtu and wanted no offense, couldn't help but think...

Is that all?

The Xuanhuang Pagoda emitted a burst of brilliant light, its Xuanhuang aura cascading down and first pushing the little evil girl away.

Li Changshou held his breath and calmly pulled a scroll from his sleeve, slowly unrolling it...

Look at this exquisitely painted "Hundred Beauties Aged" scroll, with figures so lifelike they almost leap from the page...

Li Changshou seemed to hear a crisp bell ring, instantly restoring his calm as those scenes in his mind were completely shattered.

"Humph!"

The embodiment of desire snorted coldly, and the heart's desire surged back like a tide.

Li Changshou slowly exhaled and swapped another scroll from his sleeve, this one even more intense—the "Steel Mecha Hundred Beauties Aged" scroll...

Buzz—

Li Changshou's Dao heart instantly solidified, a golden halo appearing behind his head.

The embodiment of desire screamed in his mind, as if severely wounded.

She gritted her teeth and cursed, unleashing her full power!

But...

Life is about learning to enjoy the scenery along the way at any moment.

In our leisure time, we sit on the cool floor, under the Xuanhuang Pagoda that claims to be impervious to all laws, and slowly unroll a fresh scroll in hand.

Ah, the story of "Steel Mecha Hundred Beauties Aged Battle Against Toothless Old Zombies" is truly...

"Urgh!"

Li Changshou turned away and retched, his entire body erupting in golden light!

This was the pure light of yang!

In this golden light, a graceful figure was flung out, filled with disbelief, letting out a sharp shriek;

Li Changshou suddenly looked up, lunging forward, his right hand formed into a sword finger, its tip pressing against the forehead of that unformed figure!

Found you!

The embodiment of desire's shriek abruptly stopped.

It was as if Li Changshou had pushed open a door, his Yuan Shen rushing into a brilliant starry sky...

At that moment, in the corner of the hall, the little evil girl, still wrapped in Xuanhuang aura and pushed aside, sat slumped on the ground.

She hung her head, her light pink hair slowly falling, one small hand grasping the longevity lock around her neck. Her sweat-drenched face was full of intense resentment.

"Damn it!

Does this lady have no charm at all? I'm also Da, De, Hou, Tu!"

Crack...

The longevity lock shattered instantly, and waves of black aura condensed out of nowhere in the hall, surging madly toward her!