Chapter 450: Five-Character Killing Immortal Elder

Yunhua Xianzi was lost in dreams of affection, waking to find her jade pillow soaked with tears. Her eyes were filled with obsessive longing, and she seemed somewhat absent-minded.

This was a clear sign of entering a tribulation.

At that moment, Li Changshou had two paper effigies active in the Tian Court. One was broadcasting live from the Yuegui Palace, while the other was keeping watch around Yunhua Xianzi.

Li Changshou had a major doubt weighing on his mind.

This Fu Yuan Laodao was far too obvious in his actions—it was practically like self-sabotage.

If this had been before the battle in the North Continent miasma, Li Changshou would have analyzed it from standard angles, such as the workings of tribulation, Fu Yuan's position, potential consequences, and the worst-case outcomes.

But now, he considered several additional directions to make his analysis as comprehensive as possible.

First, could Fu Yuan have been turned into a puppet midway, rather than being an original traitor?

Second, was there something wrong with Yang Tianyou's origins?

Third, had a Sheng Ren directly intervened?

Fourth, was this possibly a decoy to draw his attention and cover their real scheme?

And so on.

Fu Yuan Xianweng was an veteran immortal in the Tian Court, having entered around the same time as Mu Gong. He had been there for a long time and risen to a high position, though his title "Fu Yuan" was adopted later and carried no impressive origins.

If Fu Yuan had been planted as a pawn early on, the timing of his rebellion seemed off.

At this point, the Tian Court was on the rise amid the great tribulation, so why hadn't he betrayed Yu Di earlier when there were plenty of opportunities?

After comprehensive analysis, the most likely scenario was that Fu Yuan Laodao had been controlled mentally or even replaced entirely.

If that were the case, the possibility of a Sheng Ren acting directly was around twenty percent.

As per the old rule: if I were the one manipulating Fu Yuan, what would I be scheming with him?

A flash of insight struck Li Changshou's mind, revealing a key point.

Testing the waters.

The opponent's actions likely lacked a clear goal— at minimum, to annoy Yu Di, and at best, to damage Yu Di's authority and achieve other objectives.

With the great tribulation's aura descending, the world was like a murky pool. A single stone could create ripples, potentially triggering a chain reaction.

The most probable culprit behind this was the Western Teach, though the Chan Teach couldn't be ruled out entirely.

Of course, there was a slim chance it could be the Jie Teach, but that seemed unlikely.

Still, maintain skepticism and avoid jumping to conclusions.

Above all, be rigorous!

Glancing with his immortal sense at Yunhua Xianzi, who sat quietly lost in thought at her dressing table, Li Changshou shook his head silently and shifted his focus elsewhere.

He dispatched a paper effigy disguised as a Tian general, under his orders, to the Di Fu to investigate Yang Tianyou's origins.

Meanwhile, his main Shui Shen paper effigy, for the first time in two years, left the Taiyin Star and moved openly through the Tian Court to investigate matters related to Yunhua Xianzi.

This was another layer of his elaborate plan.

Li Changshou first visited Yunhua Xianzi, advising her not to worry too much, and sent Tian soldiers to the Yao Pond to request additional attendants, assigning her six maidservants.

Thus, Yunhua Xianzi became the second immortal in the Tian Court—after Wangmu Niangniang—to have more than two fairy attendants.

Not even Yu Di enjoyed this privilege, given the separation of male and female immortals in the Tian Court.

Next, Li Changshou went to the Yin Yuan Hall and examined Yunhua Xianzi's red string of fate. Pointing to the red string connecting Yunhua Xianzi and Yang Tianyou, he erupted in anger:

"Yue Lao, why is this?

Yunhua Xianzi is Yu Di's sister from his tribulation incarnation—how could she be tied to a mortal with a dead knot!"

Yue Lao trembled in fear and haste, replying:

"This— this absolutely wasn't done by me! Shui Shen, please see clearly!"

Li Changshou frowned and asked:

"Then tell me, where are we?"

"The Yin Yuan Hall..."

"And who are you?"

"I am Yue... Lao..."

Yue Lao's face suddenly turned deathly pale. He stumbled back a few steps, staring at the red string now locked in a dead knot, and instinctively reached for his golden scissors.

Li Changshou flicked his dust whisk to stop him, whispering:

"The aura of tribulation is already evident in the world. This matter reeks of trouble, Yue Lao. Are you really going to cut it?"

Yue Lao shuddered again, his heart in turmoil like fifteen buckets—seven up and eight down. He muttered, "It's over, it's over," and paced anxiously in front of Li Changshou.

"Shui Shen! Shui Shen, save me!"

"This isn't something I can resolve," Li Changshou sighed. "Just remember to insist that this wasn't your doing, and that knot wasn't tied by you. Be prepared to swear a great oath on the Dao.

Yu Di is benevolent and magnanimous, and you've served the Tian Court diligently, so you won't be blamed.

As for this, I really need to investigate it thoroughly.

Yue Lao, do you remember who has visited the Yin Yuan Hall in the last twenty years? Write down their names for me."

"Yes, yes! I'll write it right away!"

Li Changshou added:

"To prevent any secret attacks on you, I'll use a recording orb to capture the entire process from behind you. Make it as detailed as possible."

"Ah! Thank you, Shui Shen!"

Yue Lao sighed deeply, inviting Li Changshou to a side hall. He recalled, pondered, and narrated everything, jotting down the details.

For the past twenty years—which immortals, at what times, and what they discussed—Yue Lao explained it all clearly, allowing Li Changshou to...

Unexpectedly gather blackmail material on over a dozen Tian Court immortals.

These were minor matters, and Li Changshou had no intention of targeting his colleagues.

Half a day later, Li Changshou collected the seven recording orbs from various angles, gave Yue Lao a few instructions, and advised him to seal the hall soon and bar anyone from entering. Yue Lao agreed immediately.

No sooner had Li Changshou left than Yue Lao shut the doors of the Yin Yuan Hall and sent his two attendants outside with signs:

Yue Lao is not in the hall;

Tian Dao protects this place.

Moving openly and without hiding, Li Changshou continued his visits around the Tian Court.

He left the Yin Yuan Hall and headed toward the Yao Pond.

Li Changshou warned Longji not to leave the Yao Pond recently and exchanged a few overt "coded" words with Wangmu Niangniang, asking her to keep a close eye on Yunhua Xianzi.

Then, as if struck by sudden inspiration, Li Changshou veered off course on purpose, passing by Fu Yuan Xianweng's residence and pacing outside his gates for a while.

In the end, Li Changshou turned and left without entering, proceeding to meet Mu Gong.

Li Changshou chatted with Mu Gong about Tian Court affairs, employing his "dual-voice synchronization technique."

While speaking aloud, he secretly transmitted a message with his immortal sense:

"Mu Gong, who selected you as the head of male immortals to check Yu Di's authority?

If it was a Dao Men Sheng Ren, laugh once; if a Western Sheng Ren, sigh; if you don't know, blink rapidly."

In response, Mu Gong raised his hand to his eye corner and muttered:

"How am I feeling a bit uneasy?"

Then he blinked frantically, at a terrifying frequency.

Li Changshou smiled inwardly and continued his casual conversation with Mu Gong.

After bidding farewell to Mu Gong, he returned to the Yuegui Palace, sat behind the bronze mirror, and resumed watching Chang'e's dance rehearsal while enjoying the delicacies at hand.

Another half day later,

The Di Fu reported back results. Through Yan Jun and the Book of Life and Death, Li Changshou checked Yang Tianyou's previous eighteen lives and found nothing amiss—just a normal true spirit undergoing reincarnation.

Combined with the list from the Yin Yuan Hall,

Fu Yuan Xianweng had visited three times in the last twenty years, drinking and socializing with Yue Lao, deliberately building ties.

The second visit aligned perfectly with the event where Hua Youming entrusted his mother and sister to Yang Tianyou at age nineteen.

Clearly, the move involving Yunhua and Yang Tianyou had been planted before Yu Di's tribulation incarnation returned to the Tian Court.

At this point, with enough logical connections, a six-percent plausible storyline emerged clearly in Li Changshou's mind.

Li Changshou smiled faintly, his eyes narrowing as he picked up a freshly grilled spirit beast meat and chewed it slowly.

In reality, he was reviewing the various details hidden behind this seemingly simple game, checking for any oversights.

Self-reflection didn't need to wait until things ended;

If he spotted flaws early, he could still remedy them in time.

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Yuegui Palace,

A pair of rabbit ear decorations peeked out, followed by a small head showing only the forehead and eyes, spotting Li Changshou's expression from afar and shuddering involuntarily.

Suddenly, a woman's gentle call came from behind:

"Little rabbit, what are you hiding here?"

The Jade Rabbit girl trembled all over, quickly retracting her head and making a shushing gesture to the beautiful fairies approaching on clouds. She then mimed slitting her throat, choking, and sticking out her tongue.

The fairies covered their mouths and giggled.

One fairy said:

"Little rabbit, don't be like that. Shui Shen is a wonderful immortal. Haven't you noticed in the past two years?"

"That's right. Shui Shen was just teasing you before. The way he looks at you is very kind."

"Kind?"

Jade Rabbit thought of her encounters with the Tian Court Shui Shen over the past two years, crouching down and hugging herself pitifully.

*When Darkness Falls, Only I, a Rabbit, Have Discovered the Truth About the Great Demon King*.

"Could you give this to Shui Shen for me? I don't dare go over..."

Jade Rabbit said tearfully, holding out an invitation with both hands to the fairies.

The fairies took it without hesitation and, chatting and laughing, flew into the hall and placed it before Li Changshou.

The Jade Rabbit girl peeked out again, quietly watching.

She saw Li Changshou pick up the invitation, glance at it, and say with a laugh:

"Taiyin Star Lord is inviting me to a banquet? I'll pass. That Guanghan Palace is so devoid of life—I'm really not used to it."

As he spoke, Li Changshou looked toward the hall entrance, catching only a faint shockwave—that was probably from a rabbit kicking off.

Heng'e inviting him to a banquet?

Li Changshou didn't know what that implied, but he had no intention of becoming the first man to enter the Guanghan Palace since ancient times.

And so, the feasts in the Moon Palace continued endlessly, with the scenes in the bronze mirror uninterrupted.

As spring turned to autumn in the mortal world, another half year passed.

Yunhua Xianzi could no longer hold back. After consulting her attendants and visiting Wangmu Niangniang once, she boldly and secretly descended to the mortal realm.

Throughout this process, Yu Di, Wangmu, Li Changshou, Mu Gong, and a few elite Tian Court experts closely monitored her movements.

When Yunhua Xianzi produced a jade talisman, disguised herself as a Tian general, and slipped out through the Tian Gate,

Yu Di's face in the Lingxiao Hall darkened completely, but he restrained himself and did not intervene.

He was Yu Di.

With the tribulation aura upon them and the Tian Court rising, interfering would disrupt the great tribulation and might even affect the court's ascendancy.

The rest of the story became somewhat clichéd.

Yunhua Xianzi met Yang Tianyou in the mortal world. Their years of longing, stirred by the red string of fate, led them to embrace upon locking eyes.

Yang Tianyou was a responsible man. He didn't want to hinder Yunhua Xianzi's future because of his mortal status and kept holding back, holding back...

In the end, he couldn't hold back.

Li Changshou, secretly following, enveloped the Yang residence with a barrier, signaling the matter was settled.

In the Lingxiao Hall, Yu Di shook his head and sighed.

His sister had grown up and was getting married—what more could he say as her brother?

It was just the complicated entanglements afterward that gave Yu Di headaches.

At that moment, Li Changshou's paper effigy, in the form of a young Daoist, joined Yu Di's incarnation. They found a scenic immortal mountain, shared a drink, and pondered the next steps.

Yu Di wanted to bless Yang Tianyou and Yunhua Xianzi, so he tossed the problem to Li Changshou, adding:

"If Changgeng can come up with a solution before this cup of wine is finished, I will grant you a treasure."

Li Changshou smiled slightly, pretending to think;

As soon as Yu Di lifted his cup for a sip, Li Changshou produced his pre-prepared plan.

"Got it."

Yu Di nearly spat out his drink, covering his mouth and staring at Li Changshou: "Got what?"

"The method you wanted," Li Changshou laughed. "I checked Yang Tianyou's previous eighteen lives and asked Yan Jun to conceal the records in the Book of Life and Death.

With heavenly secrets in chaos and divination forbidden, we can freely fabricate a romantic story to explain their connection."

"Oh?" Yu Di perked up. "What kind of story?"

Li Changshou pulled out a few scrolls from his sleeve. "Please take a look, Your Majesty. I've prepared them in advance, just in case this situation arose."

Yu Di examined the scrolls, seeing titles like *Three Lives, Three Worlds, Finding You*, *Immortal Love Unending*, and *You on the Left, Me on the Right*.

Yu Di's forehead veins bulged as he glared at Li Changshou and scolded:

"When I was incarnated in the mortal world, why didn't you bring these out?"

"Ahem," Li Changshou chuckled awkwardly, "Yours was a custom story. These are my own creations, so they're bound to differ somewhat."

Yu Di reviewed the scrolls carefully and quickly selected one, which matched Li Changshou's guess—the "three lives, three worlds" and "golden boy, jade girl" theme.

Yu Di then asked: "Fabricating such a story for them—how does that help?"

Li Changshou explained methodically:

"Your Majesty, in a few years, rumors will spread in the Tian Court, saying Yunhua Xianzi privately descended and married a mortal, shaming the court's dignity.

At that time, I can release this story to counter some of the fallout.

You can also put on a show, ordering Yang Tianyou to give away his wealth and endure some hardships...

Many Tian Court immortals are sentimental types. They won't dare speak openly but will sympathize with Yunhua Xianzi and Yang Tianyou in private.

Then, seize the right moment to capture them back to the Tian Court. Strip Yunhua Xianzi of some cultivation, punish her by sacrificing lifespan, and fulfill their fated union as a warning to others. The matter can then conclude smoothly."

This was Li Changshou's middle strategy: ensuring Erlang Shen Yang Jian's smooth birth while balancing all interests.

Yu Di slowly exhaled and nodded in agreement, pulling a jade brush from his robe and handing it to Li Changshou.

"Thank you, Your Majesty. I'll accept it graciously."

"I always feel like you're deliberately setting me up," Yu Di said with a hint of disdain in his eyes.

Li Changshou smiled calmly and raised his cup in a toast to Tianzhu.

And so, seven years later,

Events unfolded exactly as Li Changshou and Yu Di had predicted. The first six years were quite peaceful.

In the first year of Yunhua Xianzi's descent, the Yang household welcomed a second son;

In the third year, they welcomed a third daughter.

The Yang family's life was something immortals envied, lovebirds would resent, and mortals couldn't even imagine.

But good times didn't last. A sudden upheaval struck.

First, rumors erupted in the Tian Court, spreading almost overnight. Even the low-ranking Tian soldiers knew about Yu Di's sister, Yunhua Xianzi, secretly marrying a mortal and dishonoring the court's authority.

The Tian soldiers and immortals didn't see it as a big issue—they were just enjoying the gossip.

Li Changshou promptly released the story that "Yang Tianyou is a golden boy reincarnated, destined to be with Yunhua Xianzi," quickly turning public opinion around.

However, some immortals continued exaggerating the severity, led by Fu Yuan Xianweng, escalating the matter to the Lingxiao Hall.

Yu Di calmly ordered a team of Tian soldiers to descend and capture the Yang family of five, bringing them to the hall for judgment.

The problem arose in this step.

Li Changshou had anticipated everything and wouldn't overlook this key point.

His paper effigy hid underground at the Yang residence, waiting for the Tian soldiers to arrive.

The soldiers descended, proclaimed Yu Di's decree, and bound Yang Tianyou and his family.

Yang Tianyou remained calm, having expected this, and protected his wife and children as the immortal ropes restrained them.

Suddenly, a change occurred!

A Tian soldier, just half a zhang from Yang Tianyou, had his eyes overflow with golden light and slapped toward Yang Tianyou's skull.

Yunhua Xianzi wasn't skilled in combat and couldn't react in time;

But a white shadow flashed from the side, barely blocking in front of Yang Tianyou, with flowing beard and hair, eyes wide in fury.

Li Changshou's paper effigy struck back, shouting:

"Who are you?"

But as soon as he spoke, Li Changshou lost contact with that paper effigy, feeling a Dao rhythm forcibly destroying his yuan Shen power within it!

In a flash, Li Changshou shifted his mind to the paper effigy in his sleeve, activating a backup, but it was too late...

That Tian soldier shattered Yang Tianyou's skull with a palm, and another soldier killed Yang Tianyou's eldest son with a strike.

Li Changshou managed to block the palm aimed at Yunhua Xianzi with his dust whisk, his immortal power surging and whipping up a gale.

When the wind died down and the dust settled, the courtyard was in chaos.

The remaining Tian soldiers stood stunned, staring at the corpses of Yang Tianyou and his son.

The six-and-a-half-year-old second son of Yang Tianyou clutched his sister tightly, his calm expression mixed with confusion, a streak of splashed blood on his face.

Li Changshou's paper effigy left a voice transmission for the soldiers, ordering them to withdraw.

Another paper effigy took Yunhua Xianzi away, back to the Tian Court.

The other paper effigies stayed, guarding Yang Jian and Yang Chan.

Meanwhile, thunder boomed outside the Lingxiao Hall. Li Changshou's paper effigy from the Yuegui Palace flew through the lightning, his face cold as ice, striding into the hall straight toward Fu Yuan Xianweng.

Yu Di looked puzzled, and the immortals were confused, but they all sensed Li Changshou's rage.

Mu Gong hurriedly asked: "Shui Shen..."

Li Changshou didn't respond, already facing Fu Yuan Xianweng eye to eye. The latter looked equally baffled, as if unaware of what was happening.

Li Changshou's lips moved, transmitting five words.

Fu Yuan Xianweng was first startled, then trembled violently, his immortal body deflating like a punctured balloon.

In an instant, he turned to ashes, his soul scattered!

The Lingxiao Hall fell silent enough to hear a pin drop. The immortals stared at Li Changshou in terror.

Only Yu Di had heard those five words, his eyes thoughtful, divine light swirling within.

"Overboard, Shishu."