Chapter 500: Returned, All Returned

"Shier Pin Hong Lian?"

In a remote Daqian World, within a grand and solemn great hall shrouded by layers of barriers in a secluded corner...

Bai Ze furrowed his brow and murmured softly. He glanced at the paper effigy of Li Changshou before him and pondered for a moment:

"Is this truly a scheme by Jiejiao?From the perspective of who benefits, Jiejiao certainly needs such a treasure right now. But Tongtian Jiaozhu acts with uprightness and integrity; there's no reason he would secretly engage in such deeds.Given Tongtian Jiaozhu's temperament, even if the snow lotus seed must root in Xuehai, he could simply mobilize all his immortals to set up a grand array there.With Jiejiao's current strength, as long as no saints intervene, even the combined forces of Western Cult and Chan Jiao wouldn't easily shake them."

"That's right; this matter is indeed full of suspicions."

Li Changshou said, "In ancient times, who obtained that third lotus seed? Do you know, Mr. Bai?"

Bai Ze instinctively moved to calculate with his fingers, but quickly remembered that the heavenly secrets were obscured by calamity's fate, so he just shook his head.

"I've never heard of such an event. I'm not sure if Ditian has any information on that side."

"Ditian can't be fully trusted."

Li Changshou crossed his arms and pondered for a while. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly let out a soft exclamation and looked toward the layers of barriers outside.

Hundreds of streams of light flew in from outside the hall, transforming into men and women wrapped in snow-white cloaks. They bowed their heads and rushed into the hall.

Their footsteps sounded like raindrops on banana leaves, quite melodious.

These figures moved with agile steps and steady auras; most were at the Zhenxian realm, with the front rows uniformly at the Tianxian realm, and a few Jinxian mixed in among them.

From the deepest part of the hall, a figure arrived slowly amid a shower of petals. Li Changshou focused his gaze, and his incarnation nearly self-immolated.

Jiu Ji Shishu?

She's only been the Shengnu of Lin Tian Dian for a few years, and I've been so busy with the Immortal Alliance affairs that I've only sensed the 'spiritual aura' here to ensure it's normal, without paying close attention. How did she...

Become a completely different person?

What a shift in style and approach!

Looking at Jiu Ji, her light red inner jacket on top still struggled under its burden—a tremendous sin—but it felt less out of place than before.

Her clothing style had changed dramatically; the eternal shorts and skirt were gone, replaced by a matching long skirt with the inner jacket, its fluffy hem trailing half a zhang behind her...

Her slender waist was so delicate it could be grasped with one hand, yet modestly covered by the long skirt for the most part. Her jade feet were in a pair of thickened 'wedge cloth boots,' which compensated for her slight height disadvantage, making her figure more natural and harmonious.

Add to that her faint makeup, her elegantly piled-up hair, the striking red lips peeking through the thin veil, her long and fair neck, and her eyes carrying a hint of tipsiness and laziness...

Li Changshou truly wanted to ask:

With such a Shengnu, how could Lin Tian Dian not prosper?

As the skirt hem danced and the red veil fell, accompanied by a touch of immortal light, Jiu Ji had already settled sideways onto a soft couch, receiving the single-knee kneel from the hundreds of figures below...

Her somewhat languid voice emerged from her lips and teeth, echoing throughout the hall:

"Are there any urgent matters from the various branches in the North Division?"

Immediately, a middle-aged Daoist below stood up and bowed to report on the daily affairs of Lin Tian Dian.

In the back rows, many young Daoists couldn't help but steal a glance at the graceful figure on the throne, only to quickly lower their heads, as if looking any longer would cost them their eyes.

Li Changshou remarked with admiration, "This rate of growth is truly astonishing."

Bai Ze nodded with a smile and said,

"Following what you suggested earlier, Water God, we've made adjustments across the board, shaping Lin Tian Dian entirely as a righteous immortal sect. We're attracting them with ideals of cultivation and abundant resources.Inspired by your Super Heavenly Soldier Plan, we've also turned Shengnu Jiu Ji into the face of our Lin Tian Dian for recruitment. The results have been excellent!"

"Is that so?"

Li Changshou smiled but didn't correct Bai Ze's words. He took a few more looks at his Shishu Jiu Ji and felt a bit dazed.

Who would have thought Jiu Ji Shishu had so much room for improvement!

Only by restraining her most prominent trait could she achieve all-around enhancement.

Such is the way of the Dao, in harmony with nature.

Li Changshou hadn't expected that admiring an immortal's beauty could lead to his own enlightenment...

"Mr. Bai, do you have a method for creating incarnations?"

Bai Ze laughed and said, "After wandering the Honghuang for so many years, how could I not have an incarnation divine ability?"

"Leave an incarnation here and come with me to tour Xuehai."

"Very well," Bai Ze agreed readily. He stepped sideways, leaving a residual shadow in his original spot.

The shadow quickly solidified, taking on Bai Ze's appearance. Then, both the incarnation and the original body bowed to Li Changshou.

"If not examined closely, it's impossible to tell the difference between your incarnation and your true body, Mr. Bai."

Li Changshou gave a symbolic word of praise, then transformed into a paper figure and drifted into the sleeve of Bai Ze's incarnation, staying behind.

Li Changshou added, "Be cautious on the road, Mr. Bai. Don't rely too much on your divine abilities."

"Don't worry, Water God," Bai Ze replied warmly. "I'll return safely and try not to delay the affairs of the Five Divisions Continent..."

After chatting with Bai Ze for a few more sentences, Li Changshou shifted his mind back to Xiao Qiong Peak.

At that moment, he was in the underground chamber, glancing at the bath tub that no longer had immortal mist. He adjusted the temperature of the water around him.

Time for a bath to quickly repair the damage to his Dao body from the heavenly punishment.

As for the Hong Lian, his teacher had told him to 'go,' but hadn't specified to what extent...

It was always like this; his teacher truly trusted him too much!

So, whose scheme was this Hong Lian?

If it wasn't planted by Tongtian Jiaozhu, then his goal should be to destroy the Hong Lian or seize control of it.

This Shier Pin Industry Barrier Hong Lian was a treasure of the same rank as Western Cult's Shier Pin Golden Lotus, and they were mutually opposing, each capable of suppressing a great sect's destiny.

In the current Honghuang, such supreme treasures were incredibly precious. Even if the four major sects went to war over it, Li Changshou could understand...

Treasures of Honghuang had always been like this.

In truth, whether or not it was planted by Tongtian Jiaozhu was no longer important;

The real issue now was that once Jiejiao got wind of it, they would inevitably want this Hong Lian to suppress their sect's destiny.

Chan Jiao, however, wouldn't want to see Jiejiao—with its already overwhelming strength and multitude of immortals—truly stabilize their destiny. In the upcoming great calamity, Chan Jiao would face even greater risks.

Because of this unknown Hong Lian, the conflict between Chan Jiao and Jiejiao would escalate sharply.

And this was the most ingenious part of Jun Ti's scheme this time...

The matter of Xu Potuo was just a casual mention by Jun Ti; if it could be resolved, that would be ideal, but if Heavenly Court refused, there would be no extra loss.

In fact, they could later groom Xu Potuo as a scapegoat for Western Cult, shifting the sins of the incense god nations onto him.

A saint is truly a saint; even on the fringes, their moves are extraordinary.

Compared to that, whether in Dao realm or sheer audacity, Li Changshou was still far from matching a saint in scheming.

"So, what can I do?"

Splash—Splash—

Li Changshou scooped up some warm water with a gourd ladle, dried his restored, elegant long hair, and sat in the tub, pondering slightly.

His teacher probably wanted him to intervene at a critical moment, doing his best to prevent a full-scale war between Chan Jiao and Jiejiao, and drag everything until after the discussions in Zixiao Palace.

As for this Hong Lian, should he destroy it or preserve it?

If that choice were put before him, how should he decide?

Li Changshou carefully mulled it over, analyzing the various scenarios that would arise if the Hong Lian fell to Jiejiao, or was destroyed, or ended up with another force.

Personally, he hoped Jiejiao could obtain the Hong Lian to suppress their destiny, giving him a better chance to save those he wanted to save in the future.

But if Jiejiao got the Hong Lian, Chan Jiao would suffer greatly...

Just as Jun Ti had deliberately said in Lingxiao Hall, Jiejiao harbored hidden evils, with quite a few ancient beings carrying karmic burdens joining the sect.

Back when Tongtian Jiaozhu lectured on the overseas islands, a few treacherous and cunning individuals had sneaked in to listen, and now they posed as his named disciples, tying their destiny, karmic burdens, and merits to Jiejiao's fate.

Now that the great calamity was upon them, if Jiejiao could 'streamline' some of its disciples, they might fare better.

Unfortunately...

Tongtian Jiaozhu Shishu probably wouldn't do something so detrimental to his disciples.

He should gather more helpers for later, to help with mediation.

So, Li Changshou began reaching out—up to the Nine Heavens and down to the deep seas—asking all the non-Daoist experts he could for assistance.

Wen Jing Daoist was still a high-ranking member of Western Cult, so he couldn't mobilize him for now;

Kong Xuan, his elder sister figure, was occupied somewhere unknown and shouldn't be disturbed; just keeping an eye on the Shang tribe for the Seven Emotions reincarnation was already a huge help.

He could ask Brother Niu from Doushuai Palace.

—If Laojun wasn't out and Qingniu had some free time.

Li Changshou went to Wu Gang, but Wu Gang was bound by his duties and couldn't leave the laurel tree too far.

Heng'e Xianzi didn't need much consideration; she was essentially under heavenly restriction here, and if she left Taiyin Star without permission, heavenly punishment would strike immediately.

That was the influence of Lang Senior, so there was no way around it.

As for the only readily available force in Guanghan Palace, Little Jade Rabbit... she was better off just dancing; fighting wasn't her thing.

The Dragon Clan was the only major Honghuang power Li Changshou could rely on right now.

He activated a paper effigy hidden near the East Sea Crystal Palace, transformed into the appearance of Heavenly Court's Water God, and used water escape to head to the Crystal Palace, carrying his unique Dao rhythm.

Before he even reached the palace gates, several Dragon Clan elders sensed his aura and came out to welcome him.

The Dragon Clan was immensely grateful to Li Changshou.

From helping them improve their destiny with incense offerings, to his 'Sea God' days aiding them in securing divine positions and gradually aligning with Heavenly Court, and assisting in suppressing the East Sea sea eye...

The entire Dragon Clan held a heart of gratitude toward him.

In fact, if Water God requested, hordes of young dragon maidens would willingly become servants in his mansion, even for nightly entertainments.

Walking over the ground paved with precious jewels and stones, into the vast and somewhat monotonous great hall, accompanied by the gentle immortal music played by sea maidens, the East Sea Dragon King was already waiting below the high platform.

The two deities met and exchanged bows.

The Dragon King invited Li Changshou up to the platform, where sea maidens brought a chair inlaid with treasures and placed it beside the Dragon King's throne.

After some polite exchanges, the East Sea Dragon King said, "Water God, you haven't visited the Dragon Palace much lately!"

"Heavenly Court affairs are overwhelming, and I have to handle Human Teachings matters; it's truly exhausting, and I can't find the time."

Li Changshou sighed, then got straight to the point, explaining his purpose.

For a moment, the Dragon King's dragon face was full of hesitation.

"Water God, even if you asked to borrow a group of experts, or even mobilize all of Dragon Palace's forces, that would be fine.But to mediate a potential conflict between Chan Jiao and Jiejiao...The three Daoist sects are ones the Dragon Clan truly can't afford to offend. If we end up resented by any side, the Dragon Clan could be in grave danger."

Li Changshou laughed and said, "Rest assured, Dragon King; I'm borrowing forces in the name of Heavenly Court, so the stance is Heavenly Court's, not the Dragon Clan's.Besides, the great calamity has only just begun a few decades ago, and the day Daozu summons the six saints to Zixiao Palace is still far off. Those saint lords are incredibly wise and powerful; how could they allow their disciples to truly fight?This is just a formality, to bolster Heavenly Court's prestige and increase our say in the matter."

"Well..."

The East Sea Dragon King pondered for a while.

If Li Changshou had asked to borrow troops to attack Ling Mountain, the Dragon King wouldn't have hesitated at all, but involving Daoist internal affairs made him extremely cautious.

As an ancient being of Honghuang, the East Sea Dragon King quickly pinpointed the key issue:

"Water God, what will ultimately happen to that Shier Pin Hong Lian—will it be destroyed or what?"

—This was asking about Human Teachings' stance: siding with Chan Jiao or Jiejiao.

Li Changshou replied, "This needs to be analyzed based on the specific situation; I can't give you an accurate answer yet, Dragon King.But as a Daoist disciple, I certainly don't want to see Daoism's strength weakened by internal strife."

"Very well," the East Sea Dragon King stroked his beard and thought for a moment before finally agreeing.

The first batch of reinforcements was thus secured!

Li Changshou, of course, didn't stop there.

He went ahead to the Underworld to discuss the Blood Lotus matter with several Yan Lords, gaining the support of the Wu Clan of the Underworld. He also recalled the demon soldiers who had been wandering in the three thousand worlds.

Most importantly, he successfully contacted the Grand Mage and got his promise to return to the Five Divisions Continent in time.

What followed was a game of strategy and calculation.

Adhering to a practical approach, Li Changshou dispatched paper effigies into Xuehai to investigate the situation there.

In less than half a day, he encountered two groups from Western Cult, but Li Changshou evaded them from a distance, avoiding any conflict.

Xuehai was even more lively than he had imagined.

After wandering aimlessly for three days, Li Changshou encountered countless experts and even detected many familiar auras.

For instance, the Ashura Clan, now excited after receiving news from Western Cult, had sent out all their experts!

They were practically turning Xuehai upside down, searching every nook and cranny for the Hong Lian.

Western Cult's experts hadn't withdrawn either; they were still scouring the area, clearly intending to pick up any overlooked opportunities.

If they couldn't get the Shier Pin Hong Lian, they could claim they fully assisted the Ashura Clan, forcing the Ashura to feel indebted; if they did get it, it would be 'fated to Western Cult,' and the Ashura would be oppressed even more harshly afterward.

Beyond that, Jiejiao experts were already paying attention to the area, as were those from Chan Jiao.

Li Changshou pondered for a long time but couldn't determine which way events would turn.

He spent another five days arranging for Heavenly Court's one hundred thousand elite troops, along with the Underworld's three hundred thousand yin agents and ghost soldiers, to station at Xuehai's edge.

A large number of Dragon Clan and Wu Clan experts were mixed in among them.

He adopted a strategy of stillness to counter movement, observing from the sidelines.

A few days later, Bai Ze stepped on waves of water-blue ripples and slowly flew in from the horizon of the Underworld, landing in the Heavenly Court-Underworld allied camp.

Seeing Bai Ze, Li Changshou felt much more at ease. He notified the Golden-Winged Great Peng and the Qingniu he had previously arranged to come to Xuehai.

A true mount could hold up half the sky!

This time, he couldn't rely on Chan Jiao and Jiejiao; he had to resolve it himself.

However, Li Changshou and Bai Ze had only exchanged a few words.

A shrill cry suddenly echoed from the sky—

Li Changshou was smiling as he introduced the new Human Teachings member to Bai Ze, but as soon as he said, "Mr. Bai," he realized the person beside him had vanished.

Looking closely, he saw that Bai Ze had already transformed into his auspicious beast form, striding forward with elegant steps from a distance.

He was determined to personally defend the title of Human Teachings' first mount!

"Things in the Underworld have been quite unsettled lately."

In the Wheel of Reincarnation Tower, a young Daoist standing by the window and gazing far into Xuehai asked absentmindedly.

Ditian, huddled in the corner, opened his eyes and said, "It's all because of that Hong Lian stock; the Underworld is about to see major events."

The young Daoist didn't seem to care and gazed absentmindedly at the low horizon of the Underworld in the distance.

"Ditian, how do you think Water God will win this time?"

Ditian rolled his eyes and said, "Still thinking about scheming against Water God? Can't you just take it easy, master?"

"Hmph!"

The young Daoist flicked his sleeve. "I'm just a bit curious; everything outside this place has nothing to do with me. Go with what you said!"

Ditian made a face, then closed his eyes again, listening to the spirits of the three realms and monitoring Xuehai.

He, too, was searching for the Hong Lian.

If he could find it first and do a favor for Heavenly Court's Water God, that would be a real windfall...