Chapter 532: Chang Geng Crew, Online

Lingli is now much stronger than Ling Zhuzi and Ao Yi.

With the essence blood of the Zu Wu, combined with her Wu Ren bloodline, and the accumulation from all the pills I've been feeding her, she's been forged into a combat expert who can flatten a Jin Xian just by relying on her physical body.

A true powerhouse born from eating.

The current challenge is to teach Xiong Lingli how to control her transformations in size, so she can grow large enough to carry mountains and leap across the North Sea, or shrink small enough to dance like a swallow in the palm of a hand—that's when she'll truly graduate.

Then, equip her with a pair of Xuan Hua axes and a pair of large copper hammers, assign her a divine position in the Heavenly Court, and she'd make an excellent gatekeeper!

Beyond the East Sea, at the edge of the world;

On a white cloud drifting outside the Eastern Heaven, Li Changshou pondered this, a calm smile playing on his lips.

Of course, the one moving now was just one of his paper Daoist avatars, transformed into the form of an old woman, while his true body was hidden inside the snake-headed staff she held.

It had been only a few years since the discussions at Zi Xiao Gong about the Investiture of the Gods, and if he got too absorbed in cultivation, he might blink and find a message from his teacher arriving out of nowhere.

Priorities must be set.

Although cultivating Xuan Gong was incredibly satisfying, with insights coming one after another and his physical body growing stronger, creating a false sense of security;

At this moment, Li Changshou had to prepare for the Zi Xiao Gong matters and, along the way, collaborate with the two Zhen Ren of Chan Jiao to make some discreet arrangements.

He left the East Sea and headed straight for the great thousand world he had previously selected.

For this operation, he had spent twelve years planning during his cultivation;

Now, venturing out, he had summoned the Li Di Yan Guang Flag to stay by Ling E's side for protection, while Master Pagoda and the Qian Kun Chi accompanied him, giving him about a 98 percent chance of self-defense in ordinary situations.

Traveling through the void on clouds, he covered thousands of miles in an instant, passing through three hundred realms.

Li Changshou's figure entered that great thousand world, familiarly finding a barren mountain and burrowing underground.

His immortal sense swept the area, revealing that this great thousand world was quite peaceful. Everywhere suitable for mortals to live had villages and towns, where people farmed, gathered, hunted, and fished, living in prosperity and contentment.

In these towns and villages, statues of gods stood everywhere—some plated with gold and jade, majestic and imposing; others crudely made from clay, with simple features—but all of them generated a steady stream of incense merit.

A celestial palace hidden in the sky gathered all this incense merit into itself.

Indeed, this was one of the Western Cult's incense god realms.

After being repeatedly targeted by Li Changshou for treating the human race as merit livestock, the Western Cult had made adjustments, slowing their harvest of incense merit and transforming the great thousand worlds they controlled into paradises on earth.

Li Changshou felt somewhat gratified by this.

Though he couldn't claim credit for it, it had indeed improved the living conditions for countless mortals and prevented the Western Cult from openly exploiting the people in the three thousand worlds.

Unfortunately, this situation wouldn't last long.

First, the Western Cult's arrangements were partly to avoid giving ammunition before the Zi Xiao Gong discussions on the great calamity, preventing the Dao Sect from using it as an excuse to attack.

Second, with the Western Cult's ranks mixed with good and bad, in order to consolidate forces in the three thousand worlds, they had resorted to various underhanded methods and made many shady promises.

In that celestial palace, mortals were still playthings for the immortals.

The countless mortals here remained livestock for the Western Cult to gather incense, just dressed up to look more appealing.

Overturning an incense god realm was a weighty task, and Li Changshou was thinking more about whether a new order would bring fresh disasters after disrupting the old one.

The story of the dragon-slaying youth becoming a dragon himself was nothing new.

Shadows flickered before his eyes as he reached the depths of this great thousand world, a thousand zhang below the surface, where a barrier formed by the power of the Heavenly Dao and a saint condensed.

This barrier enveloped the entire great thousand world to prevent its collapse.

Li Changshou followed the path from his memory, weaving through the rock layers, traveling several thousand li more until he found a shallow, bluish stream that existed between reality and illusion.

This stream was several thousand zhang long, embedded in the rock layers, beginning and ending in nothingness, filled with blue light points—each representing a soul ready for reincarnation.

Here was the end of the six paths of reincarnation, distributed in every great thousand world with complete five elements and balanced yin and yang.

Li Changshou carefully extended his immortal sense to probe the surroundings, heading toward the "treasure" he had buried more than a decade ago.

Suddenly, a faint, elusive aura appeared from the side ahead, and Li Changshou immediately halted, fully suppressing his presence and entering a state of heightened alertness—both his paper Daoist and true body on high alert.

A dark shadow arrived at the stream's starting point, opened the sack on its shoulder, and released numerous pale blue light points, merging them into the stream and making the light there several times denser.

Li Changshou watched quietly, knowing this was a Western Cult expert secretly abducting souls about to reincarnate from other great thousand worlds and placing them here.

Ever since the Wheel of Reincarnation Tower was locked down by Li Changshou and turned into a backup for the six paths disk, they had been doing this in secret.

The direct harm was that the great thousand worlds losing these souls would see pregnant women miscarrying, while here, couples easily had children.

They dared to do this because the place was remote, with thin Heavenly Dao power, and the six paths disk had weak detection here.

Soon, that expert quietly left.

Li Changshou didn't act rashly, guarding against a possible return, and waited silently for three days and nights.

Finally, he stealthily approached the "shore" of the stream, retrieved two superior-grade recording orbs, tucked them into his sleeve for a closer look, and then swiftly departed.

He repeated the same process in seven more great thousand worlds, recovering a total of fourteen post-heavenly spirit treasure-grade recording orbs.

This provided solid evidence for the sixth major crime of the Western Cult to use at the Zi Xiao Gong discussions.

If the Western Cult stayed silent, that would be fine, but if some saint tried to deny it shamelessly in front of the Dao Ancestor, Li Changshou would ask the Jade Emperor to let them "get what they asked for" with the evidence.

Of course, he absolutely wouldn't reveal himself.

Li Changshou was clear about his role: he was just working for the Heavenly Court and running errands for the Dao Sect. Attending something as grand as Zi Xiao Gong was already an honor in his immortal life—he wouldn't be the one speaking.

Still, to be safe, he needed to prepare in case he had to speak, or speak on behalf of his teacher.

After finishing the main business, Li Changshou thought it over and used his escape technique to head toward a great thousand world under the Immortal Alliance's influence.

After decades of development, the Immortal Alliance had prospered, becoming the second-largest immortal Dao force in the three thousand worlds.

The largest, of course, was the incense god realms.

Every few years, the Immortal Alliance organized attacks on the incense god realms, successfully rescuing mortals from four great thousand worlds and, following Li Changshou's template, separating immortals and mortals while promoting Heavenly Court divine positions for incense.

But as more immortal Dao forces joined the Immortal Alliance, it became a mix of all sorts, with internal power struggles increasing, which Li Changshou found regrettable.

It was truly regrettable.

If the Immortal Alliance operated well, it could become one of the Heavenly Court's agents in the three thousand worlds.

Yet human desires are boundless, and immortal desires are no different—in fact, even more inflated. The speed of the Immortal Alliance's internal corruption was alarmingly fast.

Better to focus on developing the Lin Tian Hall instead.

Speaking of Lin Tian Hall, Li Changshou felt a touch of admiration for Bai Ze.

Under Bai Ze's leadership, Lin Tian Hall had become a renowned force, controlling two great thousand worlds and four small thousand worlds.

Of course, this rapid growth was entirely due to the hidden support from the Heavenly Court.

With Dong Mu Gong overseeing it secretly, the Heavenly Court provided spirit stones, treasure materials, cultivation methods, and pills—almost to the point of sending troops to clear enemies for Lin Tian Hall.

Add to that the destiny bestowed by the Heavenly Dao, the framework Li Changshou provided, Bai Ze's strategies tested in the ancient great calamities, and the growing fame of Lin Tian Hall's holy maiden spreading far and wide...

Cough, the last one wasn't a key factor; it was just the icing on the cake.

Li Changshou recalled a saying from his previous life: "Stand at the wind's mouth, and even a pig can fly."

That was exactly Lin Tian Hall's situation.

Notably, Lin Tian Hall now had two Da Luo Jin Xian realm "supreme elders," firmly under Bai Ze's control, serving as the hall's external deterrent.

However, the hall master, Wang Fugui, felt immense pressure.

A few days later, Li Changshou's paper Daoist arrived at the rendezvous with Bai Ze, and the coachman paper Daoist transformed into an ordinary young Daoist.

Holding a sheathed treasure sword, with his outer strength disguised as late Tian Xian realm, he entered a city where immortals and mortals mingled.

After wandering the city for half a day, taking several turns, he reached a secluded courtyard and pushed the door open.

Ahead, bamboo groves cast dappled shadows, and a winding path led deeper into the woods.

Closing the gate, Li Changshou stepped forward.

The sound of a zither tinkled from the side, revealing Bai Ze in the form of a middle-aged Daoist, dressed in white, sitting on a green stone in the grove, playing the instrument.

From the elegant pavilion at the path's end, a familiar laugh echoed—his master ancestor, Jiang Lin'er, urging,

"Xiao Jiu, what are you waiting for? Isn't he here?"

The wooden door opened, and a figure was pushed out, stumbling awkwardly before quickly straightening up and giving Li Changshou an embarrassed grin.

Li Changshou blinked in surprise.

He had thought that after all these years, his first formal meeting with Shishu Jiu would feature the Lin Tian Hall holy maiden he had secretly admired several times—graceful, captivating, and standing proudly above the mundane world.

But the one before him was still the same Shishu Jiu in her hemp short jacket and skirt, straw sandals on her feet, looking a bit guilty as if owing centuries of wine money.

The difference was the bright flower on her forehead and her once short hair now grown long and styled into an exquisite updo...

From inside, Jiang Lin'er urged again, "Say something!"

Jiu Jiu clasped her hands behind her back, her short jacket straining under the pressure, and muttered softly, "Good... long time no see."

"How have you become so formal with me, Shishu?"

Li Changshou chuckled, dismissed his paper Daoist to reveal his true body, and from his sleeve, pulled out a jade pot of pills, tossing it over.

Jiu Jiu's eyes lit up. She leaped up, caught the pot, sniffed it, and her eyes sparkled.

"Wow, sixth-grade spirit pills—wine-infused sugar beans!"

Li Changshou stepped forward with a smile, reminding her, "Don't eat too many; they have a strong aftereffect."

"Mm!"

Jiu Jiu sneakily gave a thumbs-up, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Li Changshou smiled warmly and glanced toward the grove.

Bai Ze looked up with a sigh, his gaze on Jiu Jiu tinged with disappointment, set his zither on the stone, and bowed to Li Changshou.

"Bai Ze pays respects to the Star Lord."

"No need for such formality, Mr. Bai. Didn't I say to keep calling me Water God? It sounds better."

"Yes, Water God!"

From the pavilion, Jiang Lin'er, Wang Qing Shang Ren, and Jiu Yiyi emerged. Jiang Lin'er pounced on Jiu Jiu, grabbing her neck and shaking her vigorously.

"At the crucial moment, you drop the ball! All that preparation for years!"

Jiu Jiu's eyes rolled back from the shaking, while Jiang Lin'er's gaze drifted toward Li Changshou.

Li Changshou pretended not to understand, smiled, and bowed to Wang Qing Shang Ren and Jiang Lin'er, steering the conversation to business.

"Mr. Bai, is everything prepared in secret?"

Bai Ze smiled. "Rest assured, Star Lord; they're all trustworthy people. Where is the Jade Emperor's nephew now?"

Li Changshou checked the scene in his mind and shook his head. "He hasn't left Yuquan Mountain yet—something delayed him. But don't worry; Jade Ding Zhen Ren and Tai Yi Zhen Ren are guarding him there and will escort him secretly later to this great thousand world."

Bai Ze nodded with a smile, then hesitated, as if wanting to say more.

Li Changshou said, "Mr. Bai, speak freely. There's no need to hold back between us."

Bai Ze chuckled. "Let's go inside to talk. Since the Jade Emperor's nephew hasn't set out, we're just killing time here anyway."

Bai Ze gestured for them to enter, and Li Changshou, hands behind his back, walked into the pavilion's main hall.

The hall was spotlessly clean, the flower vases polished to a shine, and the cushions on the seats dust-free.

Li Changshou didn't stand on ceremony, inviting Wang Qing Shang Ren to the main seat, while he and Bai Ze sat to the side. Jiang Lin'er and Jiu Yiyi sat opposite, with a certain fairy from dozens of the three thousand worlds' residences serving tea.

In terms of seniority at Du Xian Men, Li Changshou was the youngest, but now, as a disciple of the Ren Jiao saint and the second-in-command of the Heavenly Court, as well as the behind-the-scenes patron of Lin Tian Hall, he couldn't act as a junior anymore.

"Water God," Bai Ze chose his words carefully and whispered, "I know you have high hopes for the Jade Emperor's nephew and want to cultivate him into a great general for the Heavenly Court, but doing it this way... isn't it a bit inappropriate?"

Jiang Lin'er muttered, "This is my first time hearing of a young disciple's trial where all the stories and hardships are pre-arranged by elders."

Li Changshou laughed. "It's just for safety's sake."

Bai Ze asked, "Safety from what? With the two Zhen Ren of Chan Jiao protecting him, isn't that enough?"

"Protecting him is sufficient, but for a child of destiny who will come of age in a few centuries, guidance isn't enough—we need to shape it."

Li Changshou pondered seriously and said,

"The trials we've designed are like a book laid out for him to read.

The content presented in the book is something we can control, and the guidance we give can be corrected at any time.

According to Jade Ding Shixiong, Yang Jian harbors resentment toward the Heavenly Court, and his nature is resilient and patient—which is actually troublesome because once he sets his mind on something, it's hard to change.

Time waits for no one; the great calamity could descend anytime. Strengthening the guidance for Yang Jian is crucial for the stability of the Dao Sect and Heavenly Court.

We absolutely cannot give external demons any opportunity!

The reason I asked Lin Tian Hall to handle this is to avoid him realizing it's the Heavenly Court behind it.

Before his cultivation reaches its peak, that resentment toward the Heavenly Court can still be a useful tool for his growth."

Jiang Lin'er and Wang Qing Shang Ren exchanged glances and remained silent; this was beyond their comprehension, and Li Changshou's reasoning seemed solid, hard to refute.

Jiu Jiu couldn't help but whisper, "Changshou, do you have some deep grudge too?"

"Hmm? Why ask that suddenly?"

"I just feel your cultivation has advanced so quickly," Jiu Jiu said, blinking a bit guiltily, wondering if she'd said something wrong.

Li Changshou replied calmly, "Nothing special; I've just had more insights."

Bai Ze stroked his beard in thought and asked, "But what if he sees through the truth? How do we handle that?"

Li Changshou frowned. "Didn't we prepare five or six contingency plans already?"

"Well, yes..."

"And I'm here to back him up," Li Changshou said with a smile. "Mr. Bai, relax. With us working together, what can't we accomplish? Especially since it's deliberate versus unsuspecting, and his master will fully cooperate."

Bai Ze laughed. "Then we'll follow the Water God's orders. Is there anything else we need to watch out for?"

"Let's refine the script together again."

Li Changshou produced a scroll and said seriously,

"We need to design this with layers, so Yang Jian feels there's effort and reward, insight and emotion—a double elevation of his Dao heart and will.

Make sure he goes through several fierce battles, gains some Zu Wu essence blood that benefits him greatly, and ensures the whole process feels authentic..."

Thus, in the afternoon in the pavilion, a script workshop began under Li Changshou's direction.

Meanwhile, in the Hong Huang five continents, at Yuquan Mountain.

A young Daoist packed his bags, held a long sword, looked at his small cave dwelling room, and sighed softly.

He was Yang Jian, a third-generation disciple of Chan Jiao, under the tutelage of Yuquan Zhen Ren, about to embark on his first trial after cultivation.

This was the fifth time in the past month that he had prepared to leave his cave.

Thinking of what lay ahead, the young man's starry eyes flashed with determination.

This time, he absolutely had to!

"Ge!"

A soft call came from the cave entrance, and Yang Jian's eyes sharpened. He hid the sword behind him and looked helplessly at the graceful figure at the door.

The slender, delicate girl sighed lightly and whispered, "Ge, you're still leaving, aren't you?"

"Xiao Chan, I'm just going for some trials."

"Then why can't you take me with you?" She stepped forward. "I've become an immortal too..."

Her lips quivered, tears welling up as she said softly,

"Ge, I don't want to be apart from you. Wherever you go, can't you take me? Leaving me here alone, I'm always scared."

Yang Jian, who thought his heart was made of iron, felt his furrowed brows relax, his expression softening instantly.

"I'm only going for trials; I'll be back in a few months; it's not like I'm leaving for good."

"Ah..."

"Shifu has been waiting for me for a month; I can't keep delaying."

"Hiss..."

"Fine, fine, I won't go. Don't cry; I'll stay with you."

Outside the cave, on the clouds, Jade Ding Zhen Ren's mouth twitched slightly, but he said nothing. Nearby, Tai Yi Zhen Ren rubbed his brow and suddenly laughed.

Every family has its own troubles; whose disciple doesn't have quirks?

Every family has its own hard-to-recite sutra.