Chapter 409: Must Admit, There Is a Gambling Element in This

Water God Shui Shen presents:

I have heard that the human race is on the rise, and the Heavenly Court Tian Ting is to be established. There are wise and capable individuals from the human race who have entered the heavens to assist His Majesty the Jade Emperor Yu Di, excelling in strategy and planning, and playing a key role in supporting the dragon's ascent to the heavens. Recently, they resolved the crisis of the great virtue Houtu. This humble Daoist holds them in the highest regard.

This humble Daoist achieved the Dao in ancient times and once followed the two Demon Emperors in establishing the ancient Heavenly Court. However, due to the ancient Heavenly Court's many unjust acts of persecuting living beings, this humble Daoist grew disheartened and gradually withdrew from it. Fortunately, the Heavenly Dao permitted this, and I avoided being tainted by the karmic burdens of the demon race.

The matter began half a year ago, when Lu Ya came to seek a way for me to save his life.

This humble Daoist had promised the Demon Emperors to assist their son in three matters, and this was the third. Considering the demon race's disrespect toward the current Heavenly Court, I devised a plan that serves both sides.

For the Heavenly Court, the demon race's rebellion provides a rightful excuse to eliminate their remnants.

For Lu Ya, as the son of the ancient Demon Emperors, he might use this to beg His Majesty the Jade Emperor for his life.

This humble Daoist has no intention of opposing the Heavenly Court or causing trouble for you, fellow Daoist.

I can swear a great Dao oath that I will never reveal your origins to anyone, and I can also swear a great Dao oath that I will not interfere in the slightest with Heavenly Court affairs. I humbly ask you to show mercy and spare my life.

If you are willing, this humble Daoist would like to befriend you, share wine, and enjoy good conversation.

Life is long—surely there are kindred spirits.

If you choose not to pursue this matter, please crush the jade talisman, and I will sense it, allowing my heart to find peace.

Bai Ze, respectfully.

“Hmm…”

Li Changshou pondered, about to crush the jade talisman with a casual gesture, but his eyes gleamed as thousands of thoughts raced through his mind.

With a slight smile, he held the jade talisman in his hand and toyed with it.

This Bai Ze seemed to understand him very well… which instantly led Li Changshou to consider many angles.

Ling'e asked softly, “Senior Brother, is this Bai Ze the auspicious beast mentioned in the ancient texts that you discussed with the Grand Mage?”

“Yes,” Li Changshou nodded with a smile. “I didn't expect Bai Ze's divine ability to sense fortune and avoid disaster to be so sharp. The Grand Mage had just started tracking him, and here he is, seeking mercy.

“Actually, no—this jade talisman was probably written long ago; it's just being delivered now.

“It's impressive that a great ancient demon commander would lower himself so much to beg for survival.”

Ling'e chuckled lightly and said, “It feels like you're the one who's too intimidating, Senior Brother.”

“Hmm?”

“Scaring beasts, scaring beasts,” Ling'e stuck out her tongue. “Senior Brother, let's quickly inform the Grand Mage. Since Bai Ze has come forward like this!”

Li Changshou countered, “If the one who sent the message really is Bai Ze, why would the Grand Mage be chasing him elsewhere?”

A flash of insight struck Ling'e, and she suddenly realized something, exclaiming:

“Does that mean he found the Way Immortal Gate? So, Bai Ze already knows your origins, Senior Brother?

“Is this Bai Ze threatening us indirectly—if we go after him, he'll expose your background?”

Li Changshou shook his head with a laugh and said, “What Bai Ze is after is far more complex than that—ten times more. This communication jade talisman is truly clever…

“Look, even a master like him, who survived the Witch-Demon War unscathed, is still entangled in demon race karma. I always teach you to avoid karma as much as possible—is that wrong?”

“Everything you teach is absolutely right, Senior Brother!”

Ling'e thought for a moment and then asked, “Does this Senior Bai Ze have the ability to foresee the Grand Mage's actions?”

“No,” Li Changshou replied. “The Grand Mage has the Taiji Diagram to conceal him, and he doesn't even have a true name, so he's beyond heavenly secrets.

“If Bai Ze already knew the Grand Mage was hunting him, he wouldn't have worded this message like that.”

Ling'e felt a bit dizzy and quietly sat on the meditation cushion beside her senior brother, gazing at his profile as he concentrated.

The alchemy room fell silent, until Ling'e couldn't help but cover her mouth and yawn. Only then did Li Changshou slowly exhale.

“It seems the Grand Mage will be here within a day, bringing the second jade talisman from Bai Ze.”

“Why is that?” Ling'e asked, puzzled.

Li Changshou smiled without answering and crushed the jade talisman in his hand. “Wait here. Let me know if there's any news. I'll go arrange things for those seniors first.”

“Oh…”

Ling'e agreed, and Li Changshou closed his eyes, shifting his mind to the southern continent of Jambudvipa.

In Anshui City, Li Changshou summoned the village chief of Bear Village, who was Xiong Lingli's father, Xiong Laosan.

He instructed Xiong Laosan to buy two rows of houses in the busiest part of the city and arrange for the 108 demon soldiers to stay temporarily in the mortal world.

Li Changshou repeatedly emphasized to Xiong Laosan that each senior should have three guards and two attendants, ensuring they were not treated poorly.

Xiong Laosan naturally agreed at once—this was no burden for the Sea God Cult.

After Xiong Laosan hurried off to handle the arrangements, Li Changshou called the two demon soldier commanders to him.

Although the Grand Mage had said these two were not the strongest among the 108 demon soldiers, Li Changshou could sense two towering mountains radiating faint pressure before him…

They were truly survivors of the human army that shattered the demon race's Zhou Tian Star Array!

“May I ask how I should address you two seniors?”

“Tian Zi Yi,” the burly man replied in a low voice.

“Yu Zi Yi,” the scarred woman said softly.

Li Changshou bowed with his hands clasped and said seriously, “Seniors Tian Zi Yi and Yu Zi Yi, please settle here for now.

“This is the mortal world of the southern continent, with few cultivators. The temples in the city are ones I established for incense offerings.

“You can move around the city freely or go anywhere you like. The mortals here are particularly bold—they won't be afraid at the sight of immortals or dragons.

“With human nations flourishing and no supreme ruler, cultivators mostly gather in the central continent, keeping things generally stable.

“Experiencing some worldly energy here might help with your recovery, seniors.”

“Thank you,” Tian Zi Yi replied with a fist salute.

Yu Zi Yi added, “If you need us on the battlefield against the demon race, just command us—it's our duty.”

“It's fine,” Li Changshou said. “This is a war between the demon race and the Heavenly Court. If the demons attack humans directly, the countless immortal sects in the central divine continent could overwhelm their lands in an instant.

“You two don't need to worry. Just rest in the mortal world. My incarnation is in the great temple here—if anything comes up, have them inform me.”

The two demon soldier commanders didn't say more and saluted in response.

Li Changshou said, “I have other matters to attend to today, so I won't stay longer. Please rest well.”

With that, Li Changshou took his leave, leaving the witch-human race's divine messengers to handle the rest.

As his mind shifted away, Li Changshou caught a scene at the street corner:

Two female demon soldiers stood blankly in front of a stall selling women's hair accessories, just standing there quietly.

The female vendor wanted to speak but didn't dare, her expression one of utter awkwardness…

With these 108 demon soldiers in Anshui City, Li Changshou could worry a bit less about the place—it was like a small bonus.

Later, he would assign some meticulous divine messengers and temple masters to specifically handle the daily needs of these 108 ancient humans.

For some reason, Li Changshou suddenly felt like he had opened a prehistoric retirement home.

Returning his mind to Little Qiong Peak, Li Changshou immediately began analyzing how much of a threat Bai Ze posed to him.

Ling'e was nearby…

At first glance, she seemed to be meditating, but on closer look, she was dozing off.

This girl…

Li Changshou looked at her with concern, placed a note by her hand with the words “three hundred times” written on it, and then sat by the alchemy furnace, lost in thought.

A schemer like Bai Ze, who sent this jade talisman, must have already set everything in motion.

How much information could one jade talisman provide?

Was his true form the one delivering the message, hiding near the Way Immortal Gate?

Li Changshou dismissed that idea immediately—Bai Ze, with his flawless calculations, wouldn't put himself in danger.

Of course, to be safe, Li Changshou quickly mobilized his paper incarnations outside the mountain gate to search everywhere thoroughly, but found nothing.

Both he and Bai Ze would anticipate each other's predictions, leading to an endless loop of calculations.

This ancient demon race strategist was truly exceptional.

Facing such a master in this invisible contest required doubting one's own snap judgments;

Perhaps even his current thoughts were being subtly guided by the other side…

Li Changshou took out a scroll and began writing and drawing, as if chains were flying out from Little Qiong Peak, spreading across the prehistoric world;

And as if countless shadows existed in the heavens and earth, hiding a single truth within them.

A few hours later…

“Huh?”

Ling'e opened her eyes, thinking she was dreaming, and pinched the back of her hand to confirm it was real.

The alchemy room had somehow sunk into the mountain, and now scrolls floated around, covered in dense writing and maps.

Ling'e looked carefully for a while, feeling dizzy—it seemed her senior brother was analyzing where Bai Ze might be hiding.

Li Changshou stood before a simple map of the five continents of the prehistoric world, hands behind his back, brows furrowed.

“Awake?”

“Ah,” Ling'e jumped up at once, saw the note in her hand, opened it, and sighed softly.

Li Changshou remarked, “This Bai Ze is truly a master.”

“Senior Brother, is Bai Ze that impressive? He just sent us a jade talisman—what's there to deduce?”

“No, as long as you integrate all the information, analyze it, break it down, and reassemble it from different angles, you can draw many conclusions.

“The information he gave is just right.”

Ling'e tried her best to follow his line of thinking and asked, puzzled, “But if he didn't know we were discussing how to deal with him in the valley, wouldn't sending this letter be deliberately exposing himself?”

“Exactly, he did it on purpose.”

“Why?”

“Because of fear, and because of his past service to the demon race.”

“I'm absolutely opposed to the demon race. With such a powerful figure still alive and inevitably tied to demon karma, how could His Majesty the Jade Emperor and I allow him to live?

“He must know that, to be safe, I might ask the Grand Mage to strike first and eliminate him.

“So, Bai Ze wanted to get ahead by sending this jade talisman, showing submission and goodwill, testing if he could turn an enemy into a friend and find a confidant, thereby avoiding disaster.”

“Why not see it as a threat to us?”

“Because it doesn't amount to a threat,” Li Changshou said. “If he exposes our origins, we can just openly admit it and move next to the Tushita Palace.

“That would turn my wariness of him into outright hatred, cutting off his path to survival.”

Ling'e rubbed her forehead and asked, “So, Senior Brother, what should we do now?”

“Wait for the Grand Mage…

“I just mentioned the Grand Mage, and here he is.”

Li Changshou took out a jade talisman and slowly raised the alchemy room from the mountain, smiling. “If I'm right, the jade talisman the Grand Mage brings will definitely have a message from Bai Ze.

“This letter will either be more passive, saying he's leaving the prehistoric world to wander in the chaos;

“Or more proactive, proposing a bet with us—if we find him, he'll serve the Human Teachings or the Heavenly Court; if not, we'll let him go.

“Or even riskier, pretending to oppose us step by step to fake his death and escape.

“And this letter was surely written half a year ago.”

Ling'e pursed her lips, feeling that her copy of the Steadfast Sutra was for nothing.

“Senior Brother, why doesn't he just hide quietly?”

“It's not that he doesn't want to—it's that he can't.

“In the prehistoric world's divination arts, the top five, excluding the Heavenly Dao and the Dao Ancestors, are: first, our Human Teaching Saint; second, the innate treasure Taiji Diagram; third, the other five Saints; fourth, the Grand Mage wielding the Taiji Diagram; fifth, Fuxi Emperor with the Eight Trigrams.

“Bai Ze's ability lies in perceiving danger.

“Unless he completely leaves the range of the Heavenly Dao, he has no choice but to act this way—who asked him to be the well-known ancient demon commander?

“Karma isn't something he can shake off just by wanting to.

“I speculate he's either not skilled in combat and doesn't dare leave the Heavenly Dao's protection,

“Or he can't bear to leave this bustling world for eternal solitude in the beyond.

“Most likely the former.”

There were a few loud booms as the alchemy room resurfaced on the mountain, and the surrounding arrays faded.

The Grand Mage was standing nearby, marveling at it.

Li Changshou bowed to the Grand Mage and said with a smile, “Senior Brother, did you bring back the message left by Bai Ze?”

“You guessed it right,” the Grand Mage said, a bit embarrassed. “I tracked him for half a day, wandering through various great worlds, and found sixteen places where he had appeared, along with many pleas for mercy.

“This auspicious beast is incredibly good at hiding—the Taiji Diagram kept being misled by him.

“But if I keep going, even if it takes ten or eight years, I'll catch him eventually.

“At the most recent spot, he left a jade talisman and asked me to bring it back for you to see, saying everything would be decided then.”

Li Changshou asked, “Did you look at it on the way?”

“Ha, ha, ha, just out of curiosity,” the Grand Mage waved it off. “I opened the jade talisman just a moment ago, and it destroyed itself.

“The content is quite interesting. He said he's hiding in the five continents, with four decoys and one true location.

“If we find his true body within half an hour, he'll let us do as we wish and be willing to give his all for the Human Teachings.

“If we can't find him, he asks us to spare him this time, and he'll hide in the Sea of Chaos for three thousand years.

“He said the only clue he can give is that his hiding place is the safest spot.”

Ling'e couldn't help but cover her forehead and whisper, “Senior Brother… you and this auspicious beast should just live together.”

Li Changshou said seriously, “So, that means we have about fifteen minutes left?”

The Grand Mage gave a thumbs-up. “Believe in yourself—you've got this, Changshou!”

“I…”

Li Changshou took a slow breath and said with a smile:

“Senior Brother, Ling'e, let's deduce together where his true body is hidden.

“We don't need to worry about the decoys—they're just distractions. As for the 'safest place' he mentioned, I've already listed about 126 possible locations…”

“Excellent.”

“Senior Brother, do you want me to join in?”

“Yes, Ling'e, you're crucial right now—use all your wit!”

The three entered the alchemy room.

Li Changshou sat in the center on the meditation cushion, the Grand Mage paced in front of the scrolls filled with Li Changshou's writing, and Ling'e stroked her chin, deep in thought.

Soon, Li Changshou wrote down seven place names and said, “Pick one from these.”

Ling'e quickly asked, “Senior Brother, why isn't the Heavenly Court on your list of seven?”

The Grand Mage laughed. “The Heavenly Court has the Old Lord residing there, and it's not far from the Taiqing Temple.”

Ling'e hurriedly hid behind Li Changshou and whispered, “I spoke out of turn, Grand Mage, please don't mind.”

“These seven are the most likely hiding spots.

“We'll each say the one we suspect most, all at the same time, based on our gut feelings. I'll count down… three, two, one…

“The reincarnation site of the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother!”

The Grand Mage said, “He might be blending in among the mortals in Anshui City.”

Ling'e said, “Kunlun Mountain, in our Way Immortal Gate ancestor's cave!”

“Senior Brother, let's go!”

Li Changshou stood up at once. “We'll follow Ling'e's lead and head to True Person Du E's residence!”

“Oh? Why follow her?”

The Grand Mage was confused, and Ling'e was utterly stunned, pointing at herself and stammering.

“Fo-follow me?”

“No time to explain—Senior Brother, activate the diagram! I'll clarify later!”

“Tsk, so in the end, this poor Daoist played dirty.”

On Kunlun Mountain, in a certain cave that was empty because its owner had gone out to visit friends;

In a side chamber filled with various styles of “clouds”;

The middle-aged Daoist with a goatee lay sideways on a white cloud, stroking his beard and chuckling lightly.

Half an hour was almost up.

If anyone understood the Water God better, Bai Ze thought, it would only be the Water God himself.

This time, Bai Ze had gone all out.

Following the Water God's habits and reasoning methods, he spent half a year deducing all possible options the Water God might consider, then reversed them, and set the game rules with the phrase “the safest place”…

In this contest, Bai Ze was sure to win!

If the Water God's choices were on the tenth floor of a building, and an average clever person would think on the fifth…

He should have been clashing with the Water God on the tenth or ninth floor, but he deliberately stepped back to the fifth.

Anything too high or too low wouldn't work—only here, which didn't align with the Water God's thinking, was the “safest place”!

“Ha, ha, ha, ha!”

Bai Ze laughed heartily as he lay there, his goatee gleaming, his expression full of contentment.

He couldn't wait to see the face of this incarnation master when he found the decoys!

Half an hour was up!

“Senior Brother, is this the ancient demon commander?”

A voice like a hundred spirit birds rang out strangely behind him, making Bai Ze's hair stand on end and his primordial spirit freeze.

Then came a soft sigh from a male voice.

“It seems we bet right. Please handle it, Senior Brother… just scatter his essence.”

“Very well.”