Chapter 496: Poison Immortal Eternal Tribulation, Will Visit Heaven

Beneath the already clear and cold great lotus platform, the shimmering water surface reflected a white cloud slowly drifting from north to south.

Li Changshou maintained the appearance of an old immortal with white eyebrows and white hair, keeping a distance of exactly seven *chi* from Cihang Dao Ren.

He kept his gaze straight ahead and his ears closed to distractions, though he had set up a transparent and permeable immortal energy barrier around them, one that would not cause any misunderstandings.

At the edge of the lotus platform, Zhao Gongming stood with his arms folded, pondering aloud,"Lü Yue, my junior brother, why do you think Cihang, our junior sister, wanted to speak alone with Changgeng?"

"Senior brother, I truly have no idea."

Lü Yue sighed. "I've only heard that among the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Jiao, Cihang is gentle and upright, and her cultivation is quite impressive."

Jin Ling Sheng Mu snorted. "It's probably nothing good."

"You're right," Zhao Gongming said. "Now that things are becoming clear, Changgeng is the central figure in this great calamity.

He's a Daoist disciple and a powerful god in the Heavenly Court, even earning merit debt from the Heavenly Dao itself. The connections are getting too tangled to sort out, so it's only natural for Chan Jiao to try to win him over."

Upon hearing this, Lü Yue began to worry. "Could it be that Chan Jiao is planning to..."

Zhao Gongming and Jin Ling Sheng Mu exchanged glances, their expressions turning serious, showing they took the matter very seriously.

Zhao Gongming said gravely, "Lü Yue, my junior brother, I need to ask you something, and you must answer truthfully."

"Senior brother Gongming, just ask, and I'll tell you everything I know."

Zhao Gongming whispered, "In the Tianya Secret Realm, exactly..."

Jin Ling Sheng Mu's treasured sword slid out of its sheath by three inches, her eyes full of warning.

Zhao Gongming's throat bobbed, and he quickly changed the subject. "Has Changgeng ever made any mistakes?"

"How could he have?"

Lü Yue hurriedly added, "Senior brother, I can vouch for it with my Dao heart. Changgeng has been in the Tianya Secret Realm for so many years and has never laid a hand on any fairy.

Even that Elder Bian, who is now the seventh-ranked deputy alliance leader and the pavilion master of Tianya Pavilion, asked me several times through intermediaries if we should arrange some entertainment for Changgeng to help him relax amid his busy duties, but I refused outright!

Changgeng stayed in the Tianya Secret Realm to accomplish great things, all for the sake of the world's common people!"

Zhao Gongming nodded in satisfaction. "And then?"

Lü Yue's face flushed red. "Elder Bian was just too enthusiastic, and every time, she ended up arranging things for me..."

Jin Ling Sheng Mu's long sword emerged from its sheath, its blade rippling with clear waves.

Lü Yue shrank back, tightly pressed his legs together, and instinctively hid behind Zhao Gongming.

"Hmph!"

Jin Ling Sheng Mu sheathed her sword and turned her gaze downward.

Zhao Gongming stood with his hands behind his back and bumped his shoulder against Lü Yue, who let out a long sigh of relief and stood tensely at the side.

After all, Lü Yue was the top poison expert of Jie Jiao. He might not hesitate in battles against great masters or top experts, scattering poison pills to bury hordes of Golden Immortals.

But in front of the Eight Great Disciples of Jie Jiao...

He was just a junior brother.

Just then, a flash of golden light streaked across the sky as the Golden-Winged Great Peng returned through the air, landing beside Zhao Gongming and the others without interrupting.

Zhao Gongming asked, "Did you find any trace of that False Puti?"

"No," the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird shook his head in disappointment. "It seems we were just a step short, and he escaped ahead of time."

It was clearly a great merit as Teacher Shuishen had said.

"This is indeed a formidable character."

Zhao Gongming gazed at the sun, now sinking in the west, and sighed. "When he struck earlier, I was truly sweating for Changgeng."

Jin Ling Sheng Mu said, "We should have killed him the moment his incarnation appeared."

Lü Yue, however, added, "Senior sister, Changgeng probably wanted to use the pressure from that thief to voice those earlier words, thereby fully winning over the various forces in the Immortal Alliance."

"Is that so?"

Jin Ling Sheng Mu replied dismissively, "I thought Changgeng nearly turned a clever plan into a mess."

Zhao Gongming laughed. "Changgeng is full of wisdom and rarely miscalculates."

"Exactly!"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird chimed in. "Teacher is the wisest person I've ever met!"

The three great figures of Jie Jiao each shared a knowing smile.

Zhao Gongming chuckled,

"Now, every scheme from the Western Cult seems to cost them nearly a saint's disciple.

False Puti is entangled in calamity and wanted by the Heavenly Court across the Three Realms—who knows what fate awaits him.

Why do they even bother fighting? They should just wait for the great calamity to fall."

Jin Ling Sheng Mu smiled faintly. "If every scheme from the Western Cult results in one of their saint's disciples being outmaneuvered by Changgeng, that wouldn't be so bad."

Lü Yue pondered for a moment and said, "Based on what False Puti said today, the Western Cult still has quite a few capable people. We mustn't let our guard down."

Jin Ling Sheng Mu looked down at the water below, where Li Changshou and Cihang were deep in conversation.

At that moment, Li Changshou appeared to be frowning in thought, as if troubled, while Cihang Dao Ren's eyes showed a hint of guilt.

"What on earth are they talking about?" Jin Ling Sheng Mu seemed quite curious.

Zhao Gongming was about to pull out a few listening treasures he had gotten from Master Duobao,

But down below, Li Changshou said a few words to Cihang Dao Ren, who smiled and agreed, then bowed to him before turning to ride a cloud away, leaving only a soft sigh.

Li Changshou returned the bow to Cihang Dao Ren's retreating figure, also sighing lightly, then rode a cloud back to the lotus platform.

"What happened?" Zhao Gongming asked directly.

"Just some Chan Jiao matters," Li Changshou said with a smile. "Nothing serious. Let's head back to the Five Divisions Continent.

The Immortal Alliance has been established today, and we've taken the hardest step. Now, it's up to them to operate on their own...

Lü Yue, my senior brother, may I ask a favor of you?"

Lü Yue perked up and laughed. "Just say it—why use the word 'ask'?"

"For the follow-up, I might need you to stay in the Tianya Secret Realm regularly," Li Changshou said seriously.

Hearing this, Lü Yue was initially pleased, but then he caught sight of Li Changshou's senior brothers and sisters behind him, especially the sharp gaze from Jin Ling Sheng Mu...

"Well," Lü Yue hesitated, whispering, "Changgeng, my junior brother, I also need... to take a break."

He suddenly understood why there was such a thing as the "Zuo Huai Bu Luan Dan."

Li Changshou frowned. "I'm worried the Western Cult might cause trouble in the Tianya Secret Realm later, and it will become a hub for information exchange among the Immortal Alliance's forces.

Without you guarding it, things would be quite troublesome."

"Ahem, since it's official business—"

Lü Yue drew out his words and glanced weakly at Jin Ling Sheng Mu.

"Why are you looking at me?" Jin Ling Sheng Mu said indifferently. "Just be more careful when you're out. Your reputation is growing, and every action represents the demeanor of us Jie Jiao saint's disciples.

If too many rumors spread, don't blame me for disciplining you!"

"Yes, yes. Senior sister, rest assured, I won't let any messages leak out..."

"Hmm?"

"I, Lü Yue, will never do anything that tarnishes our Jie Jiao's reputation!"

That day, when Lü Yue made that promise, he was resolute and utterly sincere.

If not for Li Changshou's paper effigy witnessing it firsthand—how Lü Yue had barely sat still for two days before accidentally wandering into a pavilion full of charming women—Li Changshou might have actually believed him...

The Immortal Alliance assembly passed without major incidents, Lü Yue returned to guard the Tianya Secret Realm, and Bai Ze and Jiu Wu had already left with the crowd.

The Ling Tian Hall had entered a phase of rapid development, and with Bai Ze in charge, Li Changshou felt relatively at ease.

At that moment, the Western Cult's attention in the Three Thousand Worlds was focused on the Immortal Alliance, which was Li Changshou's primary goal—and now, it had been perfectly achieved.

Borrowing the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird's speed, and at Jin Ling Sheng Mu's suggestion, they went around disrupting the Western Cult's incense kingdoms in various places, taking out experts as they went.

Until Jin Ling Sheng Mu lost interest, they finally set off on their return journey.

A month after the successful Immortal Alliance assembly, in the back hall of the Sea God Temple by the South Sea.

Jin Ling Sheng Mu bid a cheerful farewell and left first.

But Zhao Gongming was still uneasy. He used the excuse of staying for tea, deliberately sent the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird away, and asked Li Changshou again,

"What did that Cihang from Chan Jiao really want with you earlier?"

Li Changshou sighed with a smile. "It was simple. She was pleading on behalf of Ran Deng Dao Ren, asking me not to target him anymore. I didn't agree."

"Just that?"

"Just that," Li Changshou said seriously. "Cihang and I have only met twice—what else could it be?"

Zhao Gongming stroked his beard and sighed. "Then I'm relieved, old brother. Time to head back, time to head back!"

Li Changshou could only shake his head.

What did they think he was?

After Zhao Gongming left, Li Changshou specifically summoned the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird and asked, "Jin Peng, do I seem like the kind of person who would be easily swayed by women?"

The Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird laughed. "Teacher, you're joking. How could you be tempted by such things?"

"What about now?"

Li Changshou turned around, transforming into the image of a young Daoist, similar to his original form in about seventy percent of ways.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird pondered for a moment. He...

Though the process of "taming" the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird had Li Changshou's full involvement, and he trusted him about fifty or sixty percent,

He still couldn't let the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird know about his true body's whereabouts.

Once the Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird returned to the Water God Mansion in the Heavenly Court for cultivation, Li Changshou first wandered around the South Sea, checking on the "fish" there, then strolled outside the heavens for a bit, before quietly returning to Xiao Qiong Peak.

This trip had taken quite some time, and Li Changshou thought Ling E might be worried.

But upon quietly returning to Xiao Qiong Peak, he found Ling E happily swinging in the spirit beast enclosure with Xiong Lingli...

A certain Water God of the Heavenly Court silently pulled out the array diagram for Xiao Qiong Peak's composite great array, planning to have Ling E review her lessons later and require her to draw it in one go!

As for the Immortal Alliance's affairs...

In the following two years, the Western Cult remained anything but peaceful.

On the surface, their various incense kingdoms tightened their defenses and stopped expanding their influence.

The scattered forces of the Western Cult quickly consolidated into these incense kingdoms, strengthening their fortifications.

The Immortal Alliance, under the "guidance" of the Heavenly Court's Water God, trained immortal soldiers, gathered experts, and prepared for the first major battle.

In secret, the Western Cult continued their deceptions without pause, trying to undermine the Immortal Alliance through covert attacks, bribery, division, and sowing discord.

The Immortal Alliance, still under the "guidance" of the Heavenly Court's Water God, began promoting Heavenly Court incense, gradually eroding the edges of the incense kingdoms.

By wresting incense believers from the kingdoms, they could shake the foundations of those kingdoms while preventing the mortals' beliefs from collapsing into tragedy.

The two sides clashed openly and covertly, though the Western Cult's saint disciples had completely gone silent, and no major experts appeared in the kingdoms.

Wen Jing Dao Ren had come to the Sea God Temple once in those two years to deliver intelligence, and the information was quite valuable.

—The Western Cult had sent many experts into the Blood Sea, seemingly searching for some treasure.

Li Changshou quickly connected this to that blood-colored lotus...

Unfortunately, Wen Jing Dao Ren only had partial knowledge of the matter, as the Western Cult hadn't involved her, from the Blood Sea, in the search.

On this, Li Changshou could only tell Wen Jing Dao Ren not to worry about it—he had his own plans.

The three great treasures of Ren Jiao—Taiji Tu, Qian Kun Chi, and Xuan Huang Ta—had stayed by his side for two years; he had even placed them in front of his teacher's portrait earlier, but the teacher hadn't taken them back.

This spoke volumes.

Thus, due to the great calamity's affairs and considering things from various angles, Xiao Qiong Peak, which had become somewhat quiet with Bai Ze and Jiu Ji managing Ling Tian Hall, had been quite lively these past two years.

Li Changshou and Ling E's spiritual platforms were like two "chat groups," with Taiji Tu, Qian Kun Chi, Xuan Huang Ta, Chuan Xin Suo, and Yan Guang Qi chatting about all sorts of things every day.

They talked about the saints' early escapades, discussed battles they'd fought, and debated the spirituality of various treasures.

Though it broadened Li Changshou and Ling E's horizons, listening for too long was quite tiring.

Especially since Master Ta had been egging Li Changshou on, urging him to bring Hun Yuan Jin Dou and Jin Jiao Jian over to live together and expand the treasure chat group.

Fortunately, Li Changshou had strong resolve.

Given the subsequent great calamity, from every perspective, it wasn't wise to advance his relationship with Yun Xiao Xianzi to a deeper level at this stage, lest she become distracted during the calamity or be exploited by its forces.

That day, Li Changshou was in the pill room, firing up the furnace to refine pills, holding a porcelain bottle containing Lü Yue's "Zuo Huai Bu Luan Dan," carefully analyzing its properties.

It was indeed a "divine pill" with the same "tactical value" as his heart fire!

If used together with the series of Bai Mei Lao artifacts, it might even purify the "evil energy" in Lü Yue's primordial spirit!

After pondering for a while, Li Changshou put away the pill and stared absentmindedly at the flickering flames in the black pill furnace...

Should he go into seclusion for a period and wait for the Zi Xiao Gong discussions on the Feng Shen?

Yet, the tree may desire calm, but the wind will not stop—the Western Cult was bound to stir up more trouble, as the current situation was quite unfavorable for them.

Regarding that blood-colored lotus, though Li Changshou didn't want to get actively involved, he remained very attentive.

Based on the information he had, he could infer that the lotus was likely the seed from the destroyed twelve-grade Industry Fire Red Lotus, a backup for Ming He Laozu's revival.

According to Wen Jing's report, the Western Cult held a seed from the twelve-grade Red Lotus, which was a major reason the Asura clan had sided with them.

But the Western Cult wouldn't hand it over easily.

—Reviving Ming He Laozu against the heavens would invite boundless karma.

Moreover, considering that the Western Cult was probably also searching for this lotus, it was most likely not them behind this.

So, where did this blood lotus come from? And who was scheming behind it?

The Asura clan acting on their own?

Even less likely.

With the great calamity already bringing down its forces, the Asura clan would have to be out of their minds to let their old ancestor revive during such times...

For a long time, Li Changshou's gaze had shifted back and forth between Daoism, the Western Cult, and the Heavenly Court.

But on this blood lotus matter, he felt he needed to think outside the usual framework and stay extra vigilant.

"For now, let's just observe and wait," Li Changshou said with a light laugh, beginning to douse the flames and prepare to collect the pills.

Just then, a surge of Heavenly Dao power condensed in the Du Xian Men, making Li Changshou's hand tremble and nearly ruining a furnace of pills.

What was this?

Li Changshou looked toward the gourd-shaped peak enveloped by the Heavenly Dao power and smiled slightly.

Elder Wan had finally broken through.

Meanwhile, in a secret realm somewhere in the Ling Mountain of West Niu He Continent.

"Please, save me, my two teachers! Please, save me!"

Before the treasured images of the two saints, an old Daoist with graying hair kowtowed repeatedly, a strand of dark green-black calamity clearly visible on his forehead.

"Ah."

Saint Jie Yin sighed and slowly closed his eyes. "Junior brother, why not go to the Heavenly Court for a visit?"

"Senior brother is right," Saint Zhun Ti said, holding a basin of vibrant, seven-colored potted plant, with a smile. "It's time to pay a visit to the Heavenly Court and meet the current Heavenly Emperor."