Chapter 452: A Little Bit, Small Counterattack

Li Changshou truly hadn't expected that after he entered the Liu Dao Lunhui Pan for just half a day, the Tian Ting would descend into complete chaos.

At that moment, the 108 Mo Bing were sitting beside the Liu Dao Lunhui Pan, surrounded by a large group of Di Fu Yin Cha.

Li Changshou had originally planned to bring one Mo Bing Tongling and seven previously recovered Mo Bing—who were in the best condition—to enter the Liu Dao Lunhui Pan and attempt to restore their seven emotions and six desires...

No sooner had he stepped onto the soft soil of the Lunhui Xian Dao and reestablished his spiritual connection with his various Zhi Dao Ren than he sensed the turmoil at the Tian Ting Shui Shen Fu.

Several Tian Bing and Tian Jiang were shouting at the top of their lungs toward the study, summoning Li Changshou to appear in the Lingxiao Baodian.

It seemed Yu Di was urging him urgently, and Ao Yi had rushed to the Yue Gong. Even Bian Zhuang, who had unexpectedly mastered "water warfare" after soaking in the Tian He for three years, was leading people to search everywhere...

Li Changshou had entered the Liu Dao Lunhui Pan earlier, cutting off all external contact, so they naturally couldn't get a response.

Half a month had passed since the Yunhua Xianzi incident—why was Yu Di acting up now?

Was it a case of enduring a moment only to grow angrier?

Or stepping back and feeling even more at a loss?

In the Di Fu, Li Changshou bowed toward the Liu Dao Lunhui Pan, signaling for the Mo Bing to rest there, then sat down cross-legged and directed his mind back to the Tian Ting Shui Shen Fu.

He was just an employee, after all, and when the big boss summoned him, he had to hurry over.

A moment later, Li Changshou flew straight into the Lingxiao Baodian on his cloud, where Yu Di—in white robes—was pacing back and forth. Yu Di raised his hand to activate the heavy restrictions of the Lingxiao Baodian.

With a hint of drunkenness, Yu Di tried several times to speak but only managed heavy sighs, finally stamping his foot and cursing:

"I can't stand this anymore!

Changgeng, you think of a way for me—get back at them right now! Figure it out immediately!

If not, I'll go stir up trouble at their Ling Shan myself. I'll kill a few of their disciples, make them pay for their arrogance! Make that so-called saint go around killing mortals! Where's the justice in that? Is there any reason left?

My teacher says the Six Saints are the foundation of the Tian Dao, but is this the foundation? Are these the saints?"

"Your Majesty..."

Li Changshou wanted to advise him, but seeing Yu Di in a rage and a bit drunk, he could only wait quietly below.

What was there to get so angry about...

Everyone with any cultivation in the world knew what the Sixth Saint was like. A line like "I see your whole family has ties to the West" was the ultimate essence of the Western Teachings.

Never overestimate the enemy's moral standards.

Yu Di vented with his drunken outburst for over half an hour, but seeing Li Changshou remain silent, he started to lose steam. Frowning, he asked:

"Changgeng, what's with that expression? Do you think I'm wrong?"

"Your Majesty is absolutely right, but..."

Li Changshou smiled. "Your Majesty venting in front of me is one thing, but please don't say such words outside.

The Six Saints are the Six Saints, even if their temperaments, characters, and cultivations differ greatly. Once they reach the saint realm, it's like entering another level entirely.

If you criticize a saint for their misconduct, the other saints might feel offended too."

Yu Di frowned and nodded slowly, whispering:

"I know that well. Senior Brother Taiqing, Senior Brother Yuqing, Senior Brother Shangqing—they're all incarnations of Pangu Dashen's primordial spirit, with temperaments that are either noble or free-spirited, like clear streams in the Hong Huang.

Niangniang Shengmu is full of great virtue and compassion, creating humanity and mending the heavens—every act is boundless merit!

Even Senior Brother Jiyin, though deep in thought, doesn't act so recklessly or without any saintly dignity!

As for Zhunti—he's just relying on his saint status to act so outrageously!"

Li Changshou: ...

What could this be called?

He could predict the follow-up, and it would likely involve Zhunti Saint stirring things up, like the "Emperor Xin and the Shengmu Temple with lewd poems"—that was the real matter affecting the great fortunes of the heavens and earth.

Li Changshou bowed. "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Anger solves nothing."

"It's not anger—it's frustration building up inside me!"

Yu Di gritted his teeth and cursed: "I thought you, Changgeng, could strike back, but now half a month has passed, and the Hong Huang is full of slander against you. The Western Teachings are fanning the flames, saying that I and Changgeng are sacrificing Tian Ting's dignity by deliberately persecuting Yunhua Xianzi.

That I'm using my own sister to uphold heavenly authority!

Absurd! Outrageous!"

Li Changshou frowned. "Your Majesty, please don't let emotions cloud your judgment. Yunhua Xianzi did have faults from the start, and Tian Ting must punish her to maintain order—that's the foundation of managing the Three Realms. Don't lose sight of that.

I know Your Majesty feels stifled, being bullied like this... If you want to strike back, I have three strategies: lower, middle, and upper."

Yu Di's eyes lit up. He sat at the highest point of the jade steps and adjusted his sleeves. "Speak!"

"The lower strategy is straightforward: continue investigating the Fu Yuan Xianweng matter all the way."

Li Changshou said calmly, "Your Majesty just needs to stay in Tian Ting and use the Tian Dao's power to envelop it, so no one can impersonate Tian Ting immortals anymore.

In that case, we can call black white if we want. I have some evidence of Fu Yuan Xianweng's schemes.

We can fabricate other evidence as needed and find reliable immortals to testify, recording their statements with Yingqiu Balls to pressure the West.

I thought of this lower strategy before but abandoned it."

Yu Di frowned. "Why abandon it?"

"Without the power to slay saints, no matter how hard we try, it's just a minor embarrassment for the saint," Li Changshou sighed. "That lord dares to act this way because he knows he's untouchable, no matter how shameless he is.

Besides, does he even care about such things?

And the other saints wouldn't start a saintly war over this...

So, this strategy is all bark and no bite."

Yu Di had calmed down a bit by now and continued, "What's the middle strategy?"

"Ask Daozu to intervene... but even if Daozu just scolds him a few times, what's the use?"

"And the upper strategy—what is it?"

"Wait for the right moment and strike back."

Li Changshou's eyes sparkled with starlight as he looked up at Yu Di and whispered:

"There's something I need to report to Your Majesty. Seven years ago, I deduced that Zhunti Saint might have already interfered in the Yunhua Xianzi matter.

Your Majesty doesn't know yet, but among Yunhua Xianzi's children, her son Yang Jian has extraordinary destiny!

I secretly checked his immortal cultivation aptitude—it's not unique in history, but it's on par with the earliest humans of ancient times.

When Yang Jian was born, I realized what Zhunti Saint was planning. He wants to turn Yang Jian against Tian Ting, then secretly arrange for Yang Jian to enter the Chan Jiao for cultivation. Once Yang Jian achieves great power, he'll incite him to wage war on Tian Ting!

Just yesterday, Yang Jian was discovered by a 'chance-passing' Chan Jiao immortal.

Your Majesty, please note that this 'chance' is no real chance.

Now, Yang Jian has taken Yuding Zhenren as his master. Yuding Zhenren was recently studying the Ba Jiu Xuan Gong given by Niangniang Houtu, and he's already a great power in the Hong Huang.

I predict that in a few centuries, Yang Jian will become a formidable expert!"

Yu Di suddenly understood. "So, that's why you had Yunhua imprisoned—to make Yang Jian bow to Tian Ting later?"

"Your Majesty, how could a grudge of patricide and maternal imprisonment be resolved so easily?"

Li Changshou smiled and took out a Bao Nang from his sleeve, using his immortal power to send it to Yu Di in white robes.

Yu Di opened the Bao Nang curiously and found more than a dozen Yingqiu Balls inside, labeled with numbers like "one, two, three, four."

Yu Di picked up the first Yingqiu Ball and probed it with his immortal sense, startled.

It showed scenes from the Muhua Shuyuan: Yang Tianyou, Xia Ningshuang, and Hua Youming attending class together, with Hua Youming turning to toss a small illustrated book to Yang Tianyou in the back seat.

Black lines appeared on Yu Di's forehead as he muttered:

"Changgeng, why did you record this? Did you use treasures to capture all this back then?"

Li Changshou chuckled awkwardly.

He always needed to keep some leverage, in case Yu Di and Wangmu blamed him for the Mu Qinghua matter, so he could present convincing evidence.

"Your Majesty, please continue watching."

Yu Di picked up the "two" Yingqiu Ball, which showed Li Changshou bringing Yunhua Xianzi back to Tian Ting, including her farewell words to Yang Tianyou.

The "three" Yingqiu Ball was recorded by Longji, depicting scenes of Yunhua Xianzi wandering and playing in Tian Ting.

The "four" Yingqiu Ball showed Yunhua Xianzi in the Yue Gong, discussing her desire to descend to the mortal world with Li Changshou, who reminded her that it violated Tian Ting's rules...

As Yu Di watched each Yingqiu Ball, the contents seemed unrelated at first, but when pieced together, they formed the story of Yunhua Xianzi and Yang Tianyou.

The most crucial ones were: one in the Lingxiao Baodian, where Yu Di ordered the capture of Yunhua Xianzi's family back to Tian Ting;

Another from inside the Yang residence, filmed from a corner of the Hua residence, showing Li Changshou protecting Yunhua Xianzi and the sudden golden light flashing in the eyes of those Tian Bing...

The second-to-last Yingqiu Ball was from the Lingxiao Baodian, where Li Changshou repeatedly asked Yunhua Xianzi if she knew her crimes, and she knelt down, begging Tian Ting to spare Yang Jian and Yang Chan.

The final Yingqiu Ball depicted a long night, with the two young ones huddling together under ragged blankets at a street corner...

"This..."

After watching, Yu Di was silent for a long time. He put the Yingqiu Balls back into the Bao Nang and pondered while holding it.

Li Changshou added:

"For now, we just need to wait a few centuries. Once Yang Jian gains the power to tear apart Jin Xian, he'll become a blade in the Western Teachings' plot against Tian Ting.

As long as the Western Teachings push this plan forward, we'll go along with it.

Of course, I'll continue to interfere subtly, ensuring Yuding Zhenren doesn't reveal the truth to Yang Jian.

I'll be bold and share some thoughts with Your Majesty.

After seeing Yang Jian's aptitude and destiny, I started plotting against the Western Teachings, using their hand to plant an obsession in Yang Jian's heart. That way, he might reach the Jin Xian realm in just centuries.

Though obsessions and hatred are dangerous, in ancient times, the human race used them to forge Mo Bing and defeat the Yao Ting...

So, I didn't set up full protections at the Yang residence. I foresaw the death tribulations of Yang Tianyou and Yang Jiao, but based on my brief interactions with Yang Tianyou, I tried to save them as much as I could, without forcing it.

When Yang Jian rises and attacks Tian Ting, Your Majesty can arrange for the Xiandou Soldiers to meet him first, blunt his edge, then I'll step in to lead him to Yunhua Xianzi and show him these scenes, making it like she's standing in the prison cell.

Even if Yang Jian's dao heart is firm and his obsessions deep, he should waver.

If he still hates Tian Ting, I have one more trump card.

At that point, if Your Majesty wants to strike back at the Western Teachings, send Yang Jian to cause chaos at Ling Shan, and I'll rally the Daoist forces to pressure the West!

If Your Majesty wants to safely protect Yang Jian, just persuade him to see his true enemy and reward him and his mother.

That's the upper strategy I've come up with."

After Li Changshou finished, Yu Di on the jade steps gripped the Bao Nang and let out a soft breath.

Yu Di held the Bao Nang, wanting to laugh but unable to, his expression a mix of conflict and relief.

"Changgeng, how do you... come up with all this?"

Li Changshou smiled helplessly and sighed: "In truth, I'm also a schemer behind the scenes.

But the Western Teachings are scheming against the Chan Jiao, against Tian Ting, against the greater trend.

I'm scheming to give Tian Ting another fierce general.

It's always me, a civil official, handling the battles—it's really not fitting."

Yu Di was startled, then burst into laughter, clapping his hands.

Li Changshou hesitated, carefully weighing his thoughts, and finally decided to reveal the other parts of his scheme.

The timing was just right.

Li Changshou smiled: "Your Majesty wouldn't think my schemes end here, would you?"

Yu Di was taken aback. "Changgeng, what else do you have planned?"

"Your Majesty," Li Changshou pointed to the sky and made a shushing gesture.

Yu Di understood, waving his sleeve to envelop the Lingxiao Baodian in dense Tian Dao power. "Go on."

"Your Majesty, don't forget the Zi Xiao Gong conference on the Feng Shen matter in ninety years."

"Oh?"

"While recovering, I thought about this for a long time. Your Majesty must fight for one thing."

"What?"

The Feng Shen Bang!

Of course, he couldn't say that directly. Li Changshou continued: "The right to lead the Feng Shen great tribulation!"

Yu Di pondered and nodded slowly. "Explain in more detail."

"Whoever holds the leadership of the Feng Shen will be better positioned to plan the great tribulation."

Li Changshou said: "If one of the Three Teachings' saints takes it, Tian Ting will be constrained, and that saint won't want too many of their disciples in Tian Ting.

Originally, I planned for Your Majesty to argue from two angles: 'This is for sealing gods in Tian Ting, so Tian Ting should decide who gets the god positions,' and 'If any one teaching's saint controls it, it won't be fair.'

I even prepared a backup—if Your Majesty can't secure it, I'll suggest in front of the Six Saints and Daozu that Senior Brother Taiqing take it.

But now, the West has given us the perfect reason."

"What reason?"

"A saint lacking virtue," Li Changshou said. "Your Majesty, when the time comes, bring up the Yunhua Xianzi matter, present the Yingqiu Balls I gave you, expose the hidden rules, but don't directly name Zhunti Saint.

Just say that a saint has dao but no virtue—how can they act on behalf of the Tian Dao to seal gods?"

Yu Di asked puzzled: "Why not name him? Wouldn't cursing him directly be more satisfying?"

Li Changshou couldn't help but feel a headache.

Ever since he came to Tian Ting, Yu Di's way of thinking had become simpler and simpler...

Li Changshou smiled: "If you name him, Your Majesty would be comparing the other saints to this unethical one, and they might not like it.

By hinting at it, Your Majesty maintains the other saints' dignity while making them dissatisfied with the Sixth Saint.

Saints don't enter the tribulation and aren't afraid of it—that's his confidence.

But the Tian Dao has its prices clearly marked, and now that the tribulation is coming, their divinations are interfered with.

His move against Tian Ting was clever and unexpected, but not unbeatable—and it left a vulnerability.

He might not enter the tribulation, but what about his teachings, his dao, his disciples?

Your Majesty!

I request your permission!

Once we secure this leadership, no Western Saint disciples can enter Tian Ting's official god positions!

I predict that in the great tribulation, dying and entering Tian Ting as gods will be the last path to survival.

As for the West...

Let them handle it themselves."

"Excellent! Let's do it that way!"

Yu Di stood up, his earlier anger transformed into excitement, wishing the years would fly by.

Li Changshou sighed inwardly.

It was easy to say, hard to do. All these plans needed detailed steps, and some things said here couldn't be said outside—he couldn't even discuss them with Bai Xiansheng.

Thus, after about ninety breaths...

Li Changshou left the Lingxiao Baodian and returned to the Shui Shen Fu to meditate, while his incarnation in the Yue Gui Gong assumed a cross-legged pose.

He gathered his mind back to the You Ming Di Fu and began leading the Mo Bing into the Liu Dao Lunhui Pan to study how to restore their normal emotions...

What Li Changshou didn't know was that as soon as he entered the Liu Dao Lunhui Pan and lost contact with the outside, a distinguished guest arrived at the Yue Gui Gong.

This guest bowed and called to Li Changshou several times, but receiving no response, left in annoyance, sparking a curious tale in Tian Ting.