Chapter 435: 劫运初起

When the heavenly secrets are in disarray, a great calamity is on the horizon.

Li Changshou, who held several "weathervanes" for the Fengshen Great Calamity, was truly caught off guard.

The bolt of lightning that struck near Bai Ze not only made Bai Ze break out in a cold sweat, but also shook Li Changshou's dao heart.

This thunder was no mere coincidence—it was a genuine Zixiao Divine Thunder warning!

The Heavenly Dao was warning Bai Ze to tread carefully when divining heavenly secrets or calculating fortunes, for interfering with the calamity's course would bring the real Zixiao Divine Thunder crashing down.

Li Changshou crossed his arms and pondered, a strange thought bubbling up in his mind.

Why was this happening now?

Wasn't the Fenghen Great Calamity supposed to start when the Jade Emperor was insulted by the Three Teachings' disciples, leading him to complain at Zixiao Palace, where the Dao Ancestor intervened?

From this perspective, it seemed the vital energy of all beings in the world had reached a critical threshold, triggering the Heavenly Dao to unleash the great calamity. But the calamity was still brewing, with its form and content yet to be finalized.

The room for maneuver in this situation...

Another bolt of thunder, as thick as a thumb, appeared out of nowhere, illuminating Black Pool Peak and striking right at the tip of Li Changshou's toes!

This...?!

Not even thinking about it was an option?

Li Changshou immediately dismissed his bold idea from his mind, bowed remotely toward the sky, and broke out in a full-body sweat.

After a while, Li Changshou and Bai Ze squatted by the pond, both tucking their hands into their sleeves, wanting to speak but hesitating.

What if they said the wrong thing...

"Mr. Bai," Li Changshou began, and Bai Ze trembled instantly, looking around with eyes full of alarm.

Bai Ze whispered, "Water God, what were you thinking just now?"

"Is this something we can say..."

"Oh, right, right, if we say it, we'll both turn to ashes," Bai Ze sighed softly, now speaking with extreme caution, unsure how to continue.

Li Changshou asked again, "Mr. Bai, do you have any urge... to leave this place?"

"Not at all," Bai Ze carefully sensed his feelings and shook his head earnestly. "I find it quite comfortable here."

"Based on your divine powers?"

"Yes, this place feels incredibly at ease."

Li Changshou felt a weight lift slightly from his heart.

At that moment, Du Xian Men seemed free of any immediate danger, but Bai Ze's divine powers were closely tied to heavenly secrets. It couldn't be ruled out that the chaos in heavenly secrets had caused some misperception...

Bai Ze studied Li Changshou for a moment and smiled. "Is the Water God a bit panicked?"

"Not really, just a bit caught off guard," Li Changshou chuckled and continued squatting in thought.

No matter what, the calamity's aura had already emerged.

With heavenly secrets obscured, methods of calculation and divination were unreliable, and the Heavenly Dao had just directly warned him and Bai Ze.

All signs pointed to the road ahead being extremely difficult.

The two squatted for a while longer before Bai Ze said, "How about we go consult a Sage?"

"If the Sages have matters, they instruct me directly.

Forget it, I'll head back to Heaven first to check the situation. Mr. Bai, please keep an eye on Du Xian Men for me."

"The Water God needn't worry too much," Bai Ze said seriously. "The great calamity's arrival is still some time away; it's only just forming the calamity's aura now.

Surely, those skilled in divination who are currently divining have already sensed the changes in heavenly secrets.

The Three Teachings of the Dao Sect have many experts, so they should all have noticed this difference."

"I'm just going to Heaven to see if there's anything unusual. Mr. Bai, don't worry— I know the principle that acting rashly leads to more mistakes."

Li Changshou nodded with a smile and rode the clouds back to Xiao Qiong Peak.

He first sent a voice transmission to instruct his master and junior sister not to go out for the time being, and if they had any strange ideas, they must discuss it with him before deciding.

Then, Li Changshou shifted his mind among his paper effigies, heading first to Heaven.

Heaven was a key domain of the Heavenly Dao, so if there were any upheavals or changes in heavenly secrets, Heaven should be the first to feel it...

His immortal sense spread from the Water God Manor, and Li Changshou saw Ne Zha happily wrestling with heavenly generals, patrols of heavenly soldiers passing by in the distance, and groups of fairies chatting and laughing...

Everything seemed normal.

There were no anomalies at Lingxiao Treasure Hall either, with golden light surrounding it and auspicious signs abundant, as the Jade Emperor's true form lay quietly inside, experiencing a "real dream."

Li Changshou held his whisk and rode the clouds out of the Water God Manor.

If not for worrying about unsettling the heavenly generals guarding the manor, he would have multitasked, sending several paper effigies to scout quickly around.

He checked the banks of the Tianhe River, the Tianmen Gate, Doushuai Palace, and the Heaven's large-scale immortal bean cultivation center...

Everything was as usual, with no abnormalities or differences.

Heaven, with its limited number of experts, hadn't yet noticed the chaos in heavenly secrets—it wasn't easy to detect such things.

'Was I just being too sensitive?'

Li Changshou mused to himself.

If the Fengshen Great Calamity was still eight hundred to a thousand years away, the appearance of calamity clouds and the sealing of heavenly secrets now might be normal.

Perhaps the Heavenly Dao had activated an advanced "great calamity" mode beyond its usual energy-saving, normal, or performance modes?

From that earlier thunder, it could be inferred that the Fengshen calamity was already set by the Heavenly Dao...

To be safe, Li Changshou's paper effigies sprang into action.

One went to find Zhao Gongming and Huanglong Zhenren, another hurried to the East Sea to visit the Dragon Palace and Sanxian Island.

His mind divided across various places, searching along the shores of the South Sea and in the mortal world for the answers he sought.

A moment later, one of Li Changshou's paper effigies rode the clouds high in the sky, looking down at the earth below.

This was in the northeastern part of Jambudvipa, and the paper effigy had just "awakened." As his immortal sense probed outward, he discovered the situation.

On a vast plain, large groups of mortals were lined up, following a river and marching northwestward.

Half of them wore leather or bronze armor and carried long spears and blades.

The other half were in ragged clothes, herded like cattle and sheep.

Slaves?

Although the mortal world of the South Continent had existed for tens of thousands of years, its vast size and the limited mobility of mortals meant development varied greatly by region.

Most tribes and nations hadn't abandoned the slave system; war captives often became slaves, and their descendants followed suit.

The mortals being escorted below were slaves captured after a battle, being sent to a rising tribe—

Li Changshou's immortal sense swept over and saw that in the Shang tribe, a grand sacrificial ceremony had just concluded. A burly man was helping a beautiful female priestess down from the altar.

In recent years, due to the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother's tribulations, Li Changshou had neglected surveillance here. But with Kong Xuan as the big sister keeping watch, nothing unexpected should happen.

From the Shang tribe to the Shang nation, there still hundreds of years to go.

Was the emergence of the calamity's aura related to this?

Li Changshou observed discreetly for a while, then withdrew his mind as the other paper effigies reached their destinations, and began visiting his friends.

It didn't take much effort; under Li Changshou's subtle hints, Zhao Gongming and Huanglong Zhenren each tried to calculate with their fingers, and were astonished to find heavenly secrets in chaos.

Both Zhao Gongming and Huanglong Zhenren were ancient spirits who had survived two great calamities, but their levels of shock differed greatly.

Zhao Gongming was calm, as Tongtian Jiaozhu had already hinted at this.

Huanglong Zhenren was flustered and hurriedly left his cave with Li Changshou; this paper effigy of Li Changshou returned to Jambudvipa, while Huanglong Zhenren rushed straight to Yuxu Palace on Kunlun Mountain to alert the Chan Sect experts.

All of this was within Li Changshou's expectations.

What surprised Li Changshou was that before he even reached Sanxian Island, having just left the Dragon Palace, Yunxiao Xianzi was already waiting on the sea surface...

Before he could speak about it, Yunxiao Xianzi said softly,

"The situation feels off; heavenly secrets are obscured, and the calamity's aura is brewing. I don't know where it will manifest."

Li Changshou couldn't help but smile warmly.

He had intended to inform Yunxiao Xianzi, but instead, she was the one advising him.

She said it was likely the great calamity approaching and urged him to minimize outings; it would be best if his true body could stay in Heaven.

Li Changshou agreed with a smile, listening carefully to her words of concern.

Since it was a paper effigy here, Li Changshou didn't chat or stroll with Yunxiao; instead, he transformed the effigy into a paper figure and let it drift into her hand.

The paper figure transmitted Li Changshou's voice:

"I've been pondering for years on creating a Qiankun treasure for sending messages, but haven't quite figured it out yet.

For now, use this paper figure for communication. If anything urgent comes up, contact me immediately."

Li Changshou spoke earnestly, and Yunxiao Xianzi listened sincerely.

She placed the paper figure in a treasure box and kept it on her person.

Withdrawing his mind, Li Changshou turned the paper figure into a tool for transmission, not for spying... ahem, it was still important to maintain some distance and mystery.

Bidding farewell to Yunxiao Xianzi, Li Changshou's mind returned to the secret chamber on Xiao Qiong Peak.

All those years of preparation were finally coming into play!

Though he couldn't openly write a "Fengshen Great Calamity Encyclopedia Guide," the plans he had made could now be gradually implemented.

First, draw up a detailed activation plan...

"Hmm?"

Li Changshou's immortal sense caught movement by the Spirit Lake pavilion; his master, Qi Yuan Daozhang, had changed into a fresh indigo daoist robe, holding a whisk as he flew out of his hut toward the pill room.

From the neighboring hut, Ling E poked her head out the window, puzzled by their master's departure.

Was Master going out?

An alarm bell rang in Li Changshou's mind. He emerged from the secret chamber and welcomed his master into the pill room.

"Changshou," Qi Yuan Daozhang laughed, "I'm heading to Heaven for my routine report. You sent a voice transmission earlier about being cautious, so I came to tell you first."

Going to Heaven? For a report? At a time like this?

Li Changshou quickly said, "Master, you don't have to report. I can put in a word for you at Tongming Hall."

"How can that be?"

Qi Yuan frowned. "Heavenly matters must follow protocol! Am I not even allowed to leave the mountain gate now?"

Li Changshou was at a loss for words and explained, "Heaven is quite busy these days, Master. Why not wait a bit...

Go ahead, go ahead, but don't glare and reach for your whisk every time."

Qi Yuan said, "I'm just going to Tongming Hall to file a report. You're a heavenly official, so I need to show some dignity as your master!

Changshou ah..."

"This disciple is here."

"I've suddenly seen things clearly," Qi Yuan laughed, flicking his whisk lightly. "Better to live freely than to mope around. Let's go out and see the world.

How we live is how we live, so why dwell on past troubles?

Look forward— I still have plenty of time to roam and enjoy the wonders of the Great Wilderness."

Hearing this, Li Changshou first felt a wave of relief, then a slight wariness.

With the great calamity brewing, his master might be influenced by the calamity's aura. Given his lower dao heart realm, this restlessness could be even stronger.

Tie Master down on the mountain?

That... might not be appropriate...

Right away, Li Changshou assigned two Golden Immortal realm paper effigies to protect his master.

He also pulled his master to Bai Ze, asking Bai Ze to fully sense whether it would be auspicious or dangerous for his master to go out.

This wasn't Qi Yuan's first time meeting Bai Ze, and knowing Bai Ze as a skilled chef with impressive cultivation, Qi Yuan was quite polite to him.

Bai Ze understood the importance Li Changshou placed on his master Qi Yuan and junior sister Ling E.

So, Bai Ze transformed into his auspicious beast form, extending a long feather toward Qi Yuan's chest.

Qi Yuan was a bit confused but didn't object, letting Li Changshou and Bai Ze proceed.

Soon, Bai Ze smiled and said,

"If I imagine going out with you, I feel no worry in my heart.

If my divine powers are accurate, it seems there's even a fortuitous encounter waiting for you to claim."

Li Changshou's eyes lit up. "What kind of encounter?"

Bai Ze, about to habitually calculate with his fingers, froze and chuckled awkwardly. "This... it's hard to say for sure."

"What sort of encounter could I have?"

Qi Yuan smiled. "Perhaps it's getting some reward in Heaven, which would already be a rare boon for me."

Bai Ze smiled without responding, while Li Changshou still felt uneasy.

But with his master insisting on going to Heaven, and Bai Ze saying so...

"Master, let me send you to Heaven."

"Why should you send me!" Qi Yuan sighed. "I'm not a three-year-old child!

You stay here. I'll take your paper effigy along and be back in half a day."

With that, Qi Yuan Daozhang slowly rode the clouds, passing through the heavy arrays on Black Pool Peak, heading toward the mountain gate and then to the East Heaven Gate.

Li Changshou didn't dare be careless.

With the calamity's aura just emerging, and his master suddenly wanting to report to Heaven for no clear reason, how could he let his guard down?

A paper effigy disguised as a spirit bird took flight, following Qi Yuan.

The journey was uneventful; Qi Yuan arrived smoothly, presented his mountain god seal, and passed through the East Heaven Gate.

Li Changshou breathed a sigh of relief, with the paper effigies in Heaven continuing to track his master's movements.

Then, a thought struck Li Changshou. Once his master entered Tongming Hall, he split some of his mind to check on the "major supporting character of Fengshen."

That lovesick black panther—who knew if it was affected by the calamity clouds and might change now.

But Li Changshou was soon disappointed; the black panther was still cultivating in its cave, its cultivation having improved, but with no unusual signs.

After observing for a while and seeing no intention for it to emerge, Li Changshou shifted his mind back when a small disturbance arose in Tongming Hall.

There, Dongmu Gong was pulling his master Qi Yuan Daozhang by the wrist, stepping out of the hall as the two chatted animatedly.

"Qi Yuan my friend, let me see you off!"

"Dongmu Gong, you're so busy; I can return on my own."

"Ah, that won't do," Dongmu Gong leaned in with a laugh. "We're both close friends of the Water God."

Qi Yuan Daozhang smiled awkwardly, trying to pull away but not daring to, enduring the curious gazes around them as he walked beside Dongmu Gong.

Dongmu Gong summoned a squad of heavenly soldiers for escort, making Qi Yuan even more ill at ease.

Li Changshou chuckled quietly in secret, the disguised bird following nearby, with two Golden Immortal realm paper effigies and one Tianxian realm paper effigy hidden in his master's sleeve.

They left the East Heaven Gate and headed toward Dongsheng Shenzhou.

Along the way, Dongmu Gong and Qi Yuan Daozhang engaged in awkward small talk, which Li Changshou watched with amusement.

It gave him a strangely paternal feeling...

Wait, no, that was disrespectful.

Just then!

Li Changshou's ears caught a peculiar xun flute sound, his spiritual senses trembling as if danger loomed.

His immortal sense suddenly detected a streak of white light shooting upward from below, straight toward Dongmu Gong!