Chapter 511: The Saint of Jiejiao Sect Actually with the Heavenly Court Water God

At the edge of the Honghuang world's five continents, a golden light leisurely streaked across, heading towards Jin'ao Island.

Where was Biyou Palace located? Li Changshou had no idea, but following the three leading disciples of Jiejiao, he couldn't possibly lose his way.

Along the journey, Bai Ze chatted enthusiastically with Zhao Gongming and Duobao Daoren, mostly discussing the skills of battling deities. This Mr. Bai seemed to have completely forgotten about the Honghuang "dark group" that he needed to lead.

Glancing at Yunxiao Xianzi beside him, she was sitting cross-legged about half a zhang away, her thin skirt draped around her, holding a scroll and reading it intently. This was her way of covering up the slight embarrassment from earlier.

When they reached the vicinity of Jin'ao Island, Duobao Daoren stood up and walked a couple of steps on the Jinpeng's back, then waved his sleeve to unleash a multicolored glow that opened a portal in the heavens.

The cloud palace shimmered with golden radiance, and layers of immortals emerged in crystalline light.

Jinpeng spread its wings and flew into the portal, causing a gentle tremor in the surrounding qi of the universe, entering a small world created by a saint, similar to Nüwa Niangniang's Shengmu Palace.

However, the Dao rhythm flowing here was full of sharpness and resonance, also embodying unyielding and upward spirit, making it quite dazzling.

Yunxiao Xianzi put away her scroll and gracefully stood up, softly advising Li Changshou, "When you meet my master later, don't be too formal, or he might not like it."

"Alright," Li Changshou nodded in agreement, though he smiled inwardly.

Was he supposed to address Tongtian Jiaozhu as a brother and casually call him "father-in-law" here and "son-in-law" there? That would be far too frivolous.

He still needed to observe the basic etiquette of a junior; at the very least, show the proper respect for a saint.

As Jinpeng flew past the layers of cloud pavilions, it alerted the Jiejiao immortals who had returned earlier, and streaks of light headed towards the main hall of Biyou Palace, where two or three dozen figures stood in front.

Li Changshou held the Taiji Tu in his left palm, from which the red lotus slowly emerged, transforming into a palm-sized lotus that rotated gently.

There was a detail from before: when Chijingzi and over twenty experts from the two sects rushed into the ruins of the Asura Ancient City's grand hall, Li Changshou immediately self-immolated his paper effigy and did not participate in what followed.

Why did he do that? It was due to a rather tricky issue.

At that time, the remnant soul of Minghe Laozu and the twelve-grade red lotus were under control. The question was whether to let the red lotus continue absorbing the karmic power of the blood sea to reach true perfection and restore its peak, or to seal it immediately to avoid future troubles.

This matter involved the conflict between Chan and Jie sects, and Li Changshou truly couldn't decide, so he chose to stand aside as a spectator.

He had already done enough at the time, showing no bias or debt to either Chan Jiao or Jie Jiao—he had fulfilled his duty as a Daoist disciple and a Renjiao disciple.

In the end, the immortals from both sects joined forces to seal the twelve-grade red lotus, severing its connection to the blood sea, leaving it slightly less powerful than its ancient counterpart...

Li Changshou could only pretend not to know about this. After personally presenting the red lotus to Tongtian Jiaozhu, he would wash his hands of the matter.

Upon arriving in front of Biyou Palace, several holy mothers led the Jiejiao immortals forward to offer greetings and thanks. Li Changshou and Bai Ze returned the courtesies repeatedly.

Qiongxiao and Bixiao, who had specially come to wait here, were looking at Li Changshou with eyes full of admiration.

This future brother-in-law was impressive!

Duobao Daoren laughed heartily, "Master! Changgeng has brought the red lotus!"

A light laugh came from within the hall, and the figure of Tongtian Jiaozhu gradually solidified from the mist.

Li Changshou bowed with a Dao salute to the Jiejiao immortals in front of the hall, and his gaze caught sight of a certain middle-aged Daoist in the corner with long ears and a benevolent face.

This was the biggest traitor of Jiejiao, Chang'er Dingguang Xian.

"Brother-in-law!"

Qiongxiao suddenly shouted, "Now that you're at Biyou Palace, why not change out of that old man's appearance?"

Yunxiao Xianzi looked over, and Qiongxiao quickly shut her mouth, shrank her neck, stepped back, and hid behind Zhao Gongming, executing the whole motion smoothly.

Zhao Gongming calmly stroked his beard and smiled... then casually stepped aside, exposing Qiongxiao.

As the chief outer disciple of Jiejiao and a paragon of loyalty, Zhao Gongming couldn't handle this.

Yunxiao Xianzi was about to speak up and scold her, but Li Changshou interjected first, laughing, "Whether old or young is just a matter of appearance. If the xianzi wants to see, why not?"

With that, Li Changshou flicked his right-hand whisk, and his white hair gradually turned black. His face transformed into a version that was seventy percent similar to his true appearance, his figure straightened, and his eyes held a few star-like glints.

Now standing beside Yunxiao Xianzi, Li Changshou truly looked like a perfect match, worthy of praise.

Jinling Shengmu chuckled lightly and urged, "Hurry inside, don't keep the master waiting."

Li Changshou entered the grand hall smoothly, holding the red lotus in both hands. Accompanied by Zhao Gongming and Yunxiao Xianzi, he paid respects to the leader of Jiejiao, Tongtian.

Bai Ze stayed outside with the Jinchi Dapeng Bird.

In the hall, Tongtian Jiaozhu sat upright on the high platform throne. After all, this was Li Changshou's first visit, so he needed to maintain some dignity.

Playfulness was one thing, but a saint's decorum was no joke.

"Disciple Changgeng pays respects to Uncle-Master Tongtian!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Tongtian Jiaozhu's serious expression immediately broke into laughter. He raised his hand to stroke his beard but realized he didn't have one, so he adjusted his robe collar instead.

This youthful Daoist, who appeared to be around the same age as Li Changshou, stood up at once and said warmly,

"Nephew Changgeng, in the Luohun Tower, you facilitated a non-combat agreement for the Daoist sects.

In the blood sea, you single-handedly thwarted Minghe Laozu's resurrection and were the first to resolve the mirage crisis, restoring the Daoist sects' reputation.

Now, you've delivered this red lotus to Biyou Palace to stabilize Jiejiao's destiny!

What reward would you like, Nephew Changgeng? Your uncle-master won't be stingy with you!"

As he spoke, Tongtian Jiaozhu glanced at Yunxiao Xianzi, and seeing her calm demeanor, his smile grew even warmer.

Li Changshou kept his head lowered and replied with a smile,

"Disciple was merely acting on Teacher's orders and dares not ask for any reward from Uncle-Master.

Uncle-Master, before coming here, disciple first visited Taiqing Guan to pay respects to Teacher, then went to the small courtyard behind Yuxu Palace to see Second Uncle-Master and inquire about the red lotus.

Second Uncle-Master specifically instructed disciple to bring the red lotus to Yuxu Palace for use in stabilizing Jiejiao's destiny!"

"Oh?"

Tongtian Jiaozhu said gently, "Did Second Senior Brother really say that?"

"In the presence of a saint, disciple would never utter a single falsehood."

Li Changshou said seriously, "With the great calamity descending and the Purple Xiao Palace's discussions imminent,

Teacher does not wish to see the Daoist sects exploited by outsiders and has reminded disciple multiple times.

Second Uncle-Master also mentioned this when admonishing disciple...

May I ask, Uncle-Master, what is your view?"

"Ha ha ha! Are you trying to get me to make a statement, Changgeng?"

Tongtian Jiaozhu laughed a few times, clasped his hands behind his back, and strolled down the steps leisurely,

"In the future, just say things directly.

If you keep beating around the bush, your uncle-master might not understand.

Among the three Daoist sect leaders, I am the youngest, so I naturally stand with my two senior brothers, advancing and retreating together.

Though I don't get along with Second Senior Brother, that's just our private squabbles behind closed doors. If anyone dares to break in, we'll beat them first."

"In that case, disciple can reassure Teacher."

Li Changshou gently pushed the red lotus forward, and the Taiji Tu retracted its yin-yang aura back into his palm.

Tongtian Jiaozhu beckoned with his right hand, layer by layer lifting the seals on the red lotus, and specks of light floated around it.

Suddenly, the red lotus erupted with intense blood light, and a shadowy figure appeared before Tongtian Jiaozhu, frowning at him.

It was Minghe Laozu!

At that moment, Minghe Laozu said firmly,

"Tongtian Daoyou, do you truly disregard our shared bond as ancient beings and commit this act of forceful seizure?

Search your conscience—are there any unresolved karmic ties between us?"

Tongtian Jiaozhu furrowed his brow slightly, a hint of hesitation in his eyes.

Just then, Yunxiao Xianzi stepped forward, her Hunyuan Jindou emitting two golden lights that struck the remnant soul of Minghe Laozu on the back.

The soul, which had been sealed, caused Minghe Laozu's shadow to shrink to three inches, floating in the center of the red lotus.

Yunxiao Xianzi said softly, "Master, the great calamity is upon us."

From the side, Jinling Shengmu drew a white jade sword and moved to slash the shadow on the red lotus.

Li Changshou quickly interjected,

"It's better if Uncle-Master handles this. The red lotus and Minghe Laozu's remnant soul have merged as one."

Tongtian Jiaozhu pondered for a moment, arms folded,

"What Minghe said is true—we have no karmic ties...

Directly destroying his remnant soul and seizing his treasure seems a bit improper."

If it were someone else in Li Changshou's position, they might argue that Minghe Laozu was a great villain or an existence rejected by the Heavenly Dao.

But Li Changshou wouldn't say that.

The doctrine of Jiejiao was to intercept a thread of life for living beings.

Why intercept a thread of life? It could be understood as the Heavenly Dao binding and controlling the fates of beings, and Jiejiao's doctrine itself was imbued with the spirit of contending against heaven.

Among the saints, Tongtian Jiaozhu was likely the one who cared least about the Heavenly Dao.

Several ideas flashed through Li Changshou's mind, and he selected the most fitting and prudent one, saying with a smile,

"Uncle-Master, disciple dares to remind you:

Minghe Laozu is exploiting your upright nature to beg for his life.

He says there are no karmic ties—how can there be none?

Disciple dares to ask further: Do you have a red lotus seed in your possession?"

"Indeed, I do have one."

Tongtian Jiaozhu shook his left hand slightly, and a shriveled lotus seed appeared in his palm. He said,

"It was long ago when your uncle-master was searching for the Chaos Bell in the Chaos Sea and encountered an ancient enemy I killed. I got it from him...

Hmm? Why is this seed shriveled?"

The Jiejiao immortals all had black lines on their foreheads.

It turned out you hadn't paid attention to this at all?!

A classic Honghuang scene: *I Want to Change My Saint Master*.

Li Changshou had no more doubts in his heart, and his various conspiracy theories collapsed.

He continued, "As disciple understands, there are three red lotus seeds in total. One is in the hands of the second leader of Western Jiaojiao and was displayed in Heaven before.

One is in your possession.

The other was planted in the blood sea, turning into this red lotus.

From disciple's observations, four vicious beings lurking in the Chaos Sea assisted Minghe Laozu.

Uncle-Master, may I summon Tianpeng Yuan Commander from Heaven?"

Tongtian Jiaozhu agreed, "Very well."

The Jinchi Dapeng Bird received Li Changshou's transmission and transformed into human form, grabbing a black spear out of thin air. Holding it in both hands, he entered and bowed to Tongtian Jiaozhu.

Li Changshou said, "Jinpeng, tell us about the origins of the demon you pursued that day."

"Yes!"

Jinpeng said firmly, "As that demon was dying, it begged me to spare its life, claiming to be the son of an ancient demon general!"

Guiling Shengmu chimed in crisply,

"Master, I was there helping that day. When the demon begged for mercy, it indeed said that.

Among those assisting Minghe Laozu were two fierce beasts, one seeming to be the ancient Taotie, which swallowed the divine ability I unleashed.

Unfortunately, they escaped in the chaos."

At this, Guiling Shengmu looked a bit disappointed.

Li Changshou followed up,

"With the son of a demon general, the fierce beast Taotie, and resurrection timed perfectly with the great calamity...

This clearly shows it was arranged by Minghe Laozu in ancient times.

This calamity targets our Daoist sects, and Minghe Laozu chose this moment to stir trouble—isn't that scheming against us?

Moreover, it was because of his perverse actions and refusal to fade away, forcibly resurrecting with the red lotus, that nearly caused a major conflict between Chan and Jie sects. Isn't that karma?

In disciple's view, this karma is deeply entangled."

"Ha ha ha!"

Tongtian Jiaozhu's laughter was hearty. He praised, "You're quite something, Changgeng, turning it around like that.

Very well, for the sake of the sect's destiny and my disciples' lives, I'll go against my conscience this once.

Qingping Sword, come."

A clear sword cry rang out as a rift opened in the universe, and a sheathed treasure sword fell into Tongtian Jiaozhu's palm.

This strongest youth of Honghuang drew the sword, facing the red lotus, and concentrated his energy.

Li Changshou and the Jiejiao disciples held their breath, watching intently, not wanting to blink.

Suddenly, a sword flash streaked across the red lotus, containing profound heavenly principles that made Li Changshou's Dao heart tremble repeatedly!

Amid the sword's hum, the Qingping Sword vanished from Tongtian Jiaozhu's hand.

The red lotus remained still, but Minghe Laozu's remnant soul on it rapidly weakened, like a flickering candle in the wind, on the verge of extinguishing.

Yet, it did not extinguish.

Duobao Daoren frowned, "Master, you couldn't sever the connection between Minghe Laozu's remnant soul and the red lotus?"

Tongtian Jiaozhu sighed, "The moment I struck, I knew that if I destroyed the remnant soul, the red lotus would shatter."

The surrounding Jiejiao immortals were quite disappointed.

After all the busyness for over half a month, it ended like this.

But then, Tongtian Jiaozhu smiled and said,

"Don't look so downcast. What's meant to be yours will be; what's not, won't.

This lotus was obtained through Changgeng's efforts anyway. Without it, will Jiejiao fall?

Duobao, take your junior brothers and sisters and study here to see if there's a way to resolve it.

Changgeng, come with me for a walk?"

Though puzzled, Li Changshou immediately bowed, "Disciple obeys."

"Master," Yunxiao Xianzi asked softly, "May disciple accompany you?"

"No," Tongtian Jiaozhu waved his hand, "This is a conversation between men; it's not suitable for a woman to hear."

Yunxiao Xianzi pursed her lips and bowed, "Yes."

Sensing the worry in Yunxiao Xianzi's eyes, Li Changshou inexplicably began to feel nervous...

A moment later,

Li Changshou had imagined that when he visited Biyou Palace, Tongtian Jiaozhu might invite him for tea;

If he were bolder, perhaps sharing drinks and chatting.

But this...

Splash—

In the northwest corner of the small world where Yuxu Palace was located, at the top of an immortal mountain shrouded in mist, there was a three-zhang-square hot spring pool.

Tongtian Jiaozhu sat in the pool and glanced at Li Changshou, who stood hesitantly at the edge, urging,

"Why not? Your uncle-master invites you for a soak, and you won't honor it?"

Li Changshou felt a headache coming on. He bowed, removed his robe and boots, left on his long pants and short shirt, folded his clothes into neat blocks beside him, and reluctantly entered the pool in the farthest corner from Tongtian Jiaozhu...

Tongtian Jiaozhu frowned, "Do you bathe with clothes on?"

Li Changshou felt his face inexplicably flush. Amid the increasingly wild laughter from Old Man Tu, Tower Lord, and Ruler Bro, he had no choice but to strip off his clothes...

"Not bad, not bad."

Tongtian Jiaozhu squinted and smiled, arms folded, saying casually, "Treat my Yunxiao disciple well in the future. I won't interfere in your affairs, so Yunxiao won't complain about me anymore."

"Ah, yes, certainly..."

Li Changshou agreed a few times and, following Tongtian Jiaozhu's example, summoned some mist to cover himself.

Tongtian Jiaozhu asked, "What did your Second Uncle-Master say to you?"

"This..."

"Did he say that my Jiejiao disciples are too numerous and miscellaneous, and quite disdainful?"

Li Changshou replied, "More or less."

Tongtian Jiaozhu sighed, conjured a towel out of thin air, wet it, and placed it on his forehead.

This sect leader leaned back, elbows propped on the pool edge, making himself more comfortable, and murmured with eyes closed,

"He's been going on about this for years. If it weren't for his persistent nagging back then, would I have argued with him and gone everywhere to spread the Dao..."

Li Changshou seized the opportunity to ask the long-standing question,

"Uncle-Master, since you lacked a suitable treasure to suppress destiny and the great calamity is part of heavenly fate, why did you back then..."

"That was just in a fit of anger. Later, realizing I'd spread the Dao too widely, I became a bit resigned, thinking that with numbers on our side, we could tough out the calamity."

Li Changshou: ...

Tongtian Jiaozhu sighed, "With the calamity coming, my disciples will likely all be drawn into it. Even if I order them to cultivate in the mountains, the calamity will force them out.

They call me master, and many I've watched grow step by step. It's truly heartbreaking to see them face this.

Changgeng, do you have any way to handle that red lotus? Even if it only protects a few, that would be good."

Li Changshou pondered for a while. Though moved by Tongtian Jiaozhu's words, he ultimately decided...

To play it safe.

"Disciple does have a method, but only three—no, one—percent chance of success."