Chapter 509: Banana Fan

After the blood-red light pillar from the Twelve-Grade Red Lotus collapsed, another half an hour passed.

The area around the Asura Ancient City had quickly returned to calm.

Once the aura of Minghe Laozu vanished, the surrounding Asura clanspeople wailed and shouted while fleeing in panic. The Dao Sect disciples and followers did not pursue them aggressively; instead, they were instructed by the experts of the two teachings to immediately leave the city, return to the Five Parts Continents on their own, and avoid using immortal senses to probe carelessly.

Earlier, the second group that had arrived, consisting of over twenty Chan Jiao and Jie Jiao immortals who had stormed into the grand hall half an hour ago, now stood with grave expressions at the edge of the area covered by the Taiji Diagram...

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.

The floating corpses of the Asura clan scattered at various heights added a heavy weight to the scene.

"What should we do?"

Chijingzi asked in a low voice.

Qiongxiao Xianzi's almond eyes sparkled with determination as she said firmly, "What happened today must not be leaked outside!"

"That's right," replied Lingbao Dafa Shi, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Jiao. "We should make a pact among ourselves and never reveal the situation here!"

All the immortals nodded in agreement, each voicing their promise before making a simple oath.

Huanglong Zhenren whispered, "Senior Brother, what should we do next? Should we... take them back?"

"No, let's go back on our own," Chijingzi shook his head. "Pretend we never came here. Leave the rest to Changgeng to explain."

"Very well."

"Agreed!"

"That's the way!"

With that, the experts from Chan Jiao and Jie Jiao who had come to assist exchanged glances, gave a few instructions to Li Changshou, and then departed separately on clouds, hurrying away.

Perhaps, tens of thousands of years later, when future historians study the rise and fall of the Dao Sect, they might notice traces related to this event.

In the shadows of major Dao Sect records, such as the non-combat agreement at the Wheel of Reincarnation Tower and the joint sealing of the Red Lotus, they could discover the mysterious Three Teachings secret pact involving the Asura Ancient City.

Future generations might wonder, exhaustively research, and wildly speculate about what it represented and what truly happened.

However, under the layers of refraction in the lens of history, the truth would have long been distorted, becoming nothing more than an empty, amusing anecdote to tantalize even later descendants.

'Ancestral Master, do you remember that incident from that year?'

'It's not to be spoken of, not to be spoken of.'

'Was it really the remnant soul of the Demon Ancestor summoning a hundred thousand demon soldiers to seize that Red Lotus, only to be repelled by everyone together?'

'More or less, more or less.'

Li Changshou: ...

This... wasn't it just the three senior brothers of the Three Teachings getting caught in a mishap at the same time, making a fool of themselves?

Why make it so formal?

Can't anyone have a slip-up now and then?

Were the three senior brothers of the Dao Sect really that petty?

Gazing at the Twelve-Grade Red Lotus floating before him, Li Changshou furrowed his brow slightly.

Next up was how to handle this Red Lotus...

He probably had some running around to do.

The ordinary Asura clanspeople who had been under the control of divine powers were like startled schools of fish, already vanishing without a trace in this sea domain.

As Li Changshou had said, the vast majority of the Asura clan had no direct connection to Minghe Laozu anymore. They were born from the rebirth of the Six Paths of Reincarnation in the Sea of Blood and were recognized by the Heavenly Way as living beings.

The real troublemakers among the Asura clan were the ancient survivors from the primeval era or the new Asura talents taught by these old ones, who harbored dreams of the clan's former glory.

These were two groups within the same race but at different levels. Even if the ordinary Asuras sacrificed themselves in great numbers, the followers of Minghe Laozu wouldn't bat an eye.

The remnant soul of Minghe Laozu had been sealed together by over twenty Chan Jiao and Jie Jiao immortals led by Chijingzi.

The Twelve-Grade Red Lotus had also been severed from its connection to the Sea of Blood, still a few steps away from its own perfection.

After Chijingzi and the others left, the Asura Ancient City fell silent once more.

The eight top Dao Sect experts remained peacefully asleep.

Li Changshou, Bai Ze, Taiyi Zhenren, and Qiongxiao Xianzi stood around the slowly rotating Red Lotus, each with different expressions.

Among them, Li Changshou's face was the calmest, as everything had been under control, with no "point zero two" incidents occurring.

Qiongxiao looked at the lotus and muttered with a hint of disdain, "Would Master really use this lotus to suppress the sect's destiny?"

Bai Ze chuckled, "We can't judge a treasure like that. As long as we deal with the remnant soul of Minghe, the Saint Lords should have a way."

"Difficult," Taiyi Zhenren clicked his tongue with a smile. Fortunately, Li Changshou was quick-handed and bumped Taiyi Zhenren, preventing him from blurting out the second half of that sentence about the Saint Lords not being all-powerful.

Qiongxiao whispered, "Brother-in-law, what did you do to that Asura princess?"

"What do you mean?"

Li Changshou blinked, turning his head toward the wall corner about a hundred zhang away.

There, the silver-haired girl was curled up, leaning against the broken wall and sitting blankly, her arms crossed over her knees, her eyes lifeless with tear stains around her sockets.

The Yuan Tu Sword lay beside her, unsealed by Minghe Laozu himself and now awakened as a true treasure of slaughter. It emitted a faint blood light, as if forming a gentle hand stroking the silver-haired girl's forehead.

Qingniu sat nearby in meditation, his eyes tinged with guilt, saying nothing more at the moment.

A faint flute melody drifted over, seemingly comforting the silver-haired girl...

Following the sound, one could see Guiling Shengmu standing on a nearby broken wall, her long hair swaying in the wind. Her crystalline fingertips danced lightly, playing a tune that made this Sea of Blood realm feel like a mortal world's dusk.

Li Changshou smiled and asked, "Mr. Bai, can you guess what I did?"

"Water God's schemes are always flawless," Bai Ze pondered carefully before replying, "But the human heart is the hardest to fathom—this is truly beyond my understanding."

"Actually, I didn't do much."

Li Changshou took out two recording orbs from his sleeve and handed them to Qiongxiao and Taiyi Zhenren, saying seriously, "Later, if Senior Brothers and Sisters want to know what happened, you can watch these. They contain detailed records."

Taiyi Zhenren frowned as he took the orb, puzzled. "Did you have time to record this back then? Weren't you afraid your paper effigy would be destroyed on a whim?"

Li Changshou explained, "Precisely because the paper effigy is weak, it's the safest. They were unsure of themselves and wanted to negotiate with us.

Originally, I planned to use the recording orb to capture my conversation with Minghe Laozu and explain the meaning of life to this Princess Tieshan afterward.

But when Minghe Laozu took the Yuan Tu Sword, Princess Tieshan broke free from the mirage illusion and woke up. That was something I didn't anticipate."

Qiongxiao murmured softly, "That sword must mean a lot to her."

Bai Ze added, "If we speculate a bit, Princess Tieshan should have been born after the primeval era.

Previously, when Dafa Shi was chasing the previous holder of the Yuan Tu Sword to Ling Shan, the sword ended up in the hands of Western Teachings.

Later, the Asura clan likely sent Tieshan to Ling Shan to take charge of the Yuan Tu Sword.

Tieshan has acted against you before, Water God, and appeared several times... This also explains why she came alone without joining the Asura experts."

Taiyi Zhenren interjected, "And she got bumped by the cow on the way."

Qingniu, not far away, frowned and glared at Taiyi Zhenren.

Li Changshou quickly changed the topic: "This Minghe Laozu still follows the old primeval ways.

The moment I entered that grand hall, he showed a ferocious look and, right in front of me, devoured a human soul to threaten that he'd trouble the human race after reviving.

Maybe that's just the temperament of those ruthless figures from the old era—solely self-centered, death to those who oppose them."

Bai Ze sighed with emotion, "From the primeval chaos to now, who knows how many such vicious beings have existed in the Great Wilderness.

The two ancient demon emperors could gather the myriad races partly because of their reputation for benevolence among the Jinwu.

Of course, their later slaughter of the human race was anything but benevolent."

Taiyi Zhenren asked again, "Changgeng, how did you manage to make Tieshan turn against Minghe Laozu? The more I think about it, the more... well, it's quite terrifying."

Li Changshou made a shushing gesture and transmitted his voice:

"Actually, once I figured out how to break the mirage here, today's overall situation was already stable at ninety-eight percent.

With the three teachers watching from behind and the Heavenly Way monitoring this place, Minghe Laozu escaping was a pipe dream. Even if the Asura clan suffered more losses, the karmic burden would fall on Minghe Laozu.

So, I shifted my focus to another matter...

Helping Tieshan break free from the Asura clan's constraints.

Naturally, I was a bit angry about how purely evil Minghe Laozu was, so I deliberately provoked him with words when he was at his wit's end, giving him no dignity.

As for persuading Tieshan, it mainly came down to three points."

"Oh?" Bai Ze asked quickly. "Which three?"

Li Changshou continued transmitting:

"First, I laid the groundwork continuously. When Senior Brother Qingniu explained his relationship with Tieshan to me earlier, I asked in detail, and when I heard he once told her to 'stay true to herself,' I got inspired and guided along that line.

In my conversation with Minghe Laozu, I mostly led him to say things like 'Asuras are mere weeds.'

When Minghe Laozu abandoned the ordinary Asuras and used them as supplements for his blood god children, he brought ruin upon himself.

But Tieshan's previous actions showed she wasn't just a puppet; she had her own convictions and attachments.

Second, at the critical moment, I provoked Minghe Laozu to act desperately, making it seem like he was willing to turn all Asuras into his own power regardless of cost.

This pushed Tieshan to the brink—she was thinking either die with her people and return to the ancestor, or choose between the ancestor and her clan.

Third, I used a somewhat underhanded method, influencing her mind with divine thoughts to guide her step by step toward rebellion.

Because the opportunity was fleeting, I couldn't slowly explain these principles to her; I had to let her act first and reflect later.

The important thing wasn't how much damage she did to Minghe Laozu's remnant soul—she couldn't hurt it anyway.

What mattered was that she broke free from her former self and developed the will to resist.

Even the one who created a race should show basic respect for it and not treat every individual as their personal possession.

That's probably what makes Nüwa Niangniang most admirable."

Bai Ze's eyes were full of emotion: "Water God... it's just like you."

Taiyi Zhenren rarely gave a direct compliment: "This was quite impressive on your part."

Qiongxiao looked at Li Changshou thoughtfully and whispered, "Now I finally understand why my sister praises you so much."

Li Changshou laughed, "Don't overpraise me. I just couldn't stand seeing certain things and happened to fix them with little effort.

If there had been any real difficulty today, I would have chosen another way to persuade Tieshan."

Pausing, Li Changshou added:

"No time to delay. I'll head to Taiqing Temple now to ask Teacher how to handle this Red Lotus. For now, leave it here under the suppression of the Taiji Diagram and Old Tu.

I might need to go to Yuxu Palace afterward, so I'll be back at the earliest in half a day.

When Jinpeng returns, tell him not to wander off and wait for me here."

Bai Ze smiled, "You've worked hard, Water God."

Li Changshou chuckled lightly and stood up.

As he was about to use the water escape technique, Guiling Shengmu's flute stopped, and the silver-haired girl crouching by the broken wall suddenly looked up at Li Changshou. Her eyes showed a glimmer of light as she grabbed the Yuan Tu Sword and rushed over.

Qiongxiao's figure flashed like thunder, appearing in front of Li Changshou with the Jinjiao Scissors in hand, glaring at the oncoming Tieshan.

Qingniu shuddered and stepped in front of Tieshan, spreading his arms:

"Tieshan! If you're going to strike, strike me!"

Tieshan frowned slightly, her tear-streaked face showing a touch of helplessness as she whispered, "I'm not here to fight."

Qingniu smiled awkwardly and stepped aside.

But Qiongxiao remained vigilant, staying in front of Li Changshou, momentarily forgetting that he had the Kunlun Ruler and Xuanhuang Pagoda on him, with the Taiji Diagram above his head.

Tieshan walked up to Li Changshou, lowered her head, knelt on both knees, and held up the Yuan Tu Sword with trembling hands:

"Water God, I beg you to spare the Asura clan. I offer this sword in exchange for their peace."

Li Changshou raised an eyebrow, and Qiongxiao shrugged before stepping aside.

The Yuan Tu Sword let out a sword hum, retracting its blood light to show its "unwelcome" toward Li Changshou.

This treasure of slaughter, which killed without accumulating karma...

Li Changshou's eyes flickered slightly, then he laughed, gripping the sword's sheath and calmly taking it.

Tieshan instinctively tightened her grip on the blade but quickly let go. She wanted to look up at the sword but lowered her head again.

"Thank you, Water God, for your grace!"

Li Changshou said warmly, "I've agreed not to pursue the Asura clan's matters, as a disciple of Taiqing.

You know there are stubborn spirits among the Asura. If they oppose the Dao Sect, the Heavenly Court, or the human race in the future, I won't hold back.

But as long as the Asuras stay peacefully in the Sea of Blood, I won't act against them."

"Thank you..."

Tieshan's voice trembled slightly.

Li Changshou smiled, casually tossing the Yuan Tu Sword aside, where it landed in Qingniu's arms.

"Senior Brother, keep this sword for now. Your temperament is gentle and refined, your actions steady and composed—you won't use it to kill innocents indiscriminately.

Also, since Tieshan has no treasure to protect her now, remember to show some gesture!"

With that, Li Changshou winked at Qingniu and transformed into a stream of water, vanishing in an instant.

Qingniu stood there with a baffled expression on his forehead.

But as the mount of a Saint, on par with figures like Wuyun Daxian of Jie Jiao, he quickly reacted, bowing repeatedly toward the direction Li Changshou had escaped.

Tieshan knelt there in a daze for a while, tilting her head slightly, still processing what had happened.

Qingniu chuckled, squatting beside her and handing over the Yuan Tu Sword.

The silver-haired girl frowned lightly, huffed, turned her head away, and puffed out one cheek, her pretty face showing a bit of stubbornness.

Qingniu scratched his head, placed the Yuan Tu Sword in his lap, and pulled out two small fans, each about two inches long, whispering:

"Would you use this for protection? They're good treasures.

This one is yin-attributed and can summon the Supreme Yin Profound Wind, sending a Golden Immortal flying for tens of thousands of li, perfect for countering fire-based treasures.

This one is yang-attributed and fans out the Supreme Yang Fire, one of the few things that can counter my nose ring.

Which one do you want..."

"No thanks, we're neither kin nor friends."

"Ah, no rush, no rush. As Senior Brother Changgeng said, take things slow. Think of it as me lending it to you, heh."

"I don't want it."

"At least take one. Or look at these? I have over a dozen other treasures refined by Laojun."

Nearby, Taiyi Zhenren and Bai Ze exchanged glances; the latter's eyes were full of amusement, while the former looked at his Jiulong Shenhuozhao and inexplicably wanted to smash his head into it.

At that moment, having already traveled tens of thousands of li away, Li Changshou's immortal sense caught this scene, and his lips twitched as he sighed...

Indeed.

Reflecting on his schemes this time—dealing with Minghe Laozu and the Red Lotus probably involved about six layers of planning.

But for Senior Brother Qingniu's happiness, he had layered it over a dozen times!

If Teacher didn't give him some reward, it would be utterly unreasonable!

This trip was worth at least eight out of ten points—not exaggerating at all.

Before leaving the Netherworld, Li Changshou first went to Fengdu City.

He handed over the remaining souls in the spherical artifact to the Yan Monarchs and specifically kept that scholarly ghost who had "balanced" with Minghe Laozu, thinking it might come in handy later.

Li Changshou then thanked the four Yan Monarchs and learned that the dream-possessed grudge souls had been settled outside the city. He rode a cloud to visit them.

This successful handling of Minghe Laozu's remnant soul was largely thanks to these grudge souls' efforts.

—Li Changshou's earlier paper effigy sent for help had confirmed that these grudge souls entering dreams posed no issues; they could even drink Meng Po Soup in their dreams without affecting the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

However, as soon as Li Changshou was about to appear before the vast expanse of sleeping grudge souls on the mountain, three figures chatting and laughing drifted over.

It was Bian Zhuang, missing the beautiful female grudge souls of the Netherworld, who had insisted on coming to see for himself. He invited the "Netherworld regular" Lingzhuzi as a guide and sneaked out from the heavenly soldier camp...

Ao Yi had followed to keep an eye on Bian Zhuang, not for any joyride—he was still a responsible heavenly court general.

These three clearly noticed the sleeping grudge souls everywhere; Bian Zhuang looked around, constantly admiring and commenting on the beautiful female ones.

Li Changshou's lips twitched, and he transmitted a message to the trio before riding his cloud away.

"I was planning to find you, and here you are.

These dream-possessed grudge souls helped the Dao Sect greatly, so you three can repay me by reciting sutras here to cleanse their resentment and aid their entry into the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Finish it within a month."

Ao Yi, Bian Zhuang, and Lingzhuzi stood there stunned, a cool autumn wind blowing past with two fallen leaves swirling away.

Li Changshou didn't linger. He left the Netherworld, ascended straight along the Heavenly Pillar to the Ninth Heaven, and then followed the celestial canopy to Taiqing Temple.

As a proper god of the Heavenly Court, he wasn't blocked by the peripheral Heavenly Way forces and arrived unobstructed at the small temple above the Ninth Heaven.

He bowed outside the temple gate and called out loudly:

"Disciple Changgeng pays respects to Teacher and seeks guidance on how to handle the Red Lotus!"

The familiar, aged voice responded: "Enter... that's it."

Li Changshou pushed open the wooden door, lifted the hem of his robe, and entered with his head bowed. He intended to bow again but was compelled by a single word "sit" onto the cushion beside the emaciated elder.

The Taiqing Saint's lips curved into a faint smile...

This was probably a smile—Li Changshou had seen it before.

Laozi asked, "What do you think should be done with it?"

Li Changshou replied quickly, "Disciple believes we should eliminate the remnant soul of Minghe inside it, preserve as much of the Red Lotus's power as possible, and then give this karmic Red Lotus to Tongtian Shishu.

But I don't know how to explain it to Ershishu."

Laozi nodded slowly and began to ponder, seemingly thinking about how to prevent his two younger brothers from arguing.

Li Changshou felt a bit relieved in his heart. It seemed his idea didn't go against Teacher's...

Wait!

Teacher was pondering!?

Li Changshou pressed his lips tightly, watching his Teacher, who had now closed his eyes, and his dao heart throbbed repeatedly.

Thus, after eighteen cycles of day and night...

"Changgeng?"

"Disciple is here!"