Chapter 534: Glimpsing the Saint

In his previous life, Li Changshou had grasped a truth: life is full of unexpected turns, and one experience is inevitable—"baldness."

Therefore, one should learn to be grateful to oneself, grateful to fate for its random twists, and grateful to oneself for twisting fate in return.

For instance, at that very moment, Li Changshou was truly thankful for the grand primordial drama he had orchestrated over the past decade or so—"Yang Jian Descends the Mountain"—which had allowed him...

To find some common ground with his saintly teacher!

On the twenty-first day since arriving at Taiqing Temple, Li Changshou had nearly all of his mental energy focused on his main body, ensuring he could provide correct, timely, reasonable, and aligned responses whenever his teacher spoke.

Communicating with a saint was incredibly challenging.

For one thing, Li Changshou strongly suspected that his teacher had transcended the rules of the primordial world, leading to a certain disorder in the concept of time.

Three years felt like "imminent" to him.

The intervals between each utterance were consistently around "half a month."

A mortal's fleeting decades must seem like the brief life of a mayfly in his teacher's eyes.

The endless ages since the creation of the world had likely caused his teacher to forget the original scale of time.

Li Changshou sighed inwardly, suppressing his deep reflections.

Strangely, he felt even more admiration and respect for his Taiqing teacher.

How serene and smooth must one's Dao heart be to let time flow by unnoticed, without any ripples?

Is this what it means to stand at the pinnacle of all beings?

"Yang Jian, not bad."

Hearing his teacher speak suddenly, Li Changshou pondered for a moment, offered a slight smile, and subtly bowed his head, replying warmly, "He has good character, is resilient and steady, and is indeed an excellent rising star in the Daoist sect."

Taiqing Shengren transmitted his voice: "Your arrangements are quite good."

Li Changshou gave an awkward smile, about to respond, when two streams of yin and yang energy flew from Taiqing Shengren's sleeve, forming a faint Taiji Diagram. Within it appeared an incredibly clear image.

Truly, billions of pixels.

What shocked Li Changshou the most was that this innate treasure, part of the set that opened the heavens, was now so docile and smooth, with the dignity of the Diagram's elder completely gone.

The scene in the image was something Li Changshou had envisioned many times before, feeling quite familiar.

That handsome young Daoist, the future heavenly general Yang Jian, held a treasured sword and faced over a dozen demons shrouded in black energy, maddened and charging toward a distant village. Faint golden light surged from his body, and divine radiance shone in his eyes.

Suddenly, he raised his sword, slicing his palm, and drops of blood glowing with golden light scattered out!

"Come on!"

Yang Jian roared angrily, and the dozen or so demons, stimulated by his profound body blood, frenziedly attacked him.

Yang Jian stamped his feet on the ground, leaving cracked furrows, and shot forward like a released arrow or a falling comet!

Sword light flashed explosively as his figure pierced straight through a bat-like demon, charging into the demon horde. He tore open his robe with one hand, revealing a lightly golden, muscular Daoist form, and lowered his head with a roar, swinging his sword to chop!

That sword now seemed so fragile, like a piece of paper or a wooden blade!

Eight-Nine Profound Art?

No, this was clearly the Eight-Nine Tearing Clothes Profound Art!

It extended the battlefield rule—usually for fairies, where less clothing means higher defense—to male immortals, making them more confident, standing tall as true men!

This was the true essence of the Eight-Nine Profound Art that Li Changshou had comprehended over many years!

Due to Yang Jian's outstanding performance, Li Changshou finally had a topic to bring up, and he whispered, "Teacher, what do you think of this Eight-Nine Profound Art?"

"Passable."

Taiqing Shengren's lips curved into a faint smile. "Though it's a body cultivation art, it protects the primordial spirit."

Li Changshou said, "This profound art is something I've practiced a bit myself. Teacher, please take a look."

As he spoke, Li Changshou rolled up his sleeve, and his hand from palm to wrist began to change. His originally fair skin gradually turned a light gold, which then brightened and dimmed, finally shifting from dark gold to the original yellow of the human race.

His hand resembled a sturdy spiritual treasure, as if it could pierce the heavens and crush the earth.

Taiqing Shengren nodded slowly and added, "Without the essence blood of ancestral witches, this profound art is only average."

"Teacher, you saw the flaw in this profound art at a glance, while I've been comprehending it for decades."

Li Changshou smiled and continued, "Houtu Niangniang created this profound art by blending witch clan battle methods, intending to make a perfect technique. But by trying to cover everything, it lacked the word 'extreme.'

Without reaching the extreme, it can't break limits. The Eight-Nine Profound Art allows rapid achievement in a few hundred years, but it can never produce experts like Senior Brother Gongming.

The essence blood of ancestral witches can make up for it, but such essence blood is far too scarce."

"Good."

Taiqing Shengren's smile grew more comfortable as he responded, then fell into a long silence.

Was his teacher pleased, or did he think Li Changshou was talking too much?

Li Changshou pondered this inwardly and realized that this "good" from his teacher likely meant approval and contentment, and his earlier words weren't excessive.

Exchanging with a saint was truly the most difficult skill in the primordial world.

Whether Taiqing Shengren had forgotten to dismiss it or intended for Li Changshou to keep watching, the Taiji Diagram still locked onto Yang Jian's figure, displaying the clear scene.

A fierce battle ensued; Yang Jian was injured but protected the mortal village, earning the villagers' gratitude. He was gifted an ancestral broken spiritual treasure spear from there.

This was, of course, a small gift arranged by Li Changshou.

Yang Jian was still young and delighted to receive a treasure. He galloped for two days within a thousand li of the village, eliminating various threats, before heading toward the "ominous place" based on the information he'd gathered.

If Li Changshou remembered correctly, this path still had heartwarming side stories, like the little girl selling stars and the old man by the river waiting for his son's soul to return.

Basic trials only make the trial-taker feel the threat of death, struggling to survive and pushing their limits.

Advanced trials build on that, adding elements of human nature and kindness in the gaps between fierce battles, so the trial-taker feels some emotional touch, even if they guess it's a pre-arranged script.

To be honest, at that moment, with his mind focused and watching the broadcast via the Taiji Diagram as a simple "audience," Li Changshou gradually felt a subtle sense of pleasure.

It was like appreciating an artwork he had painstakingly created.

After thirteen or fourteen days and nights, Taiqing Shengren slowly spoke:

"The Dragon Clan is corrupt and needs thorough rectification."

Li Changshou was startled, unsure what his teacher was thinking, but he quickly pondered and grasped the thread, replying, "Teacher, the Dragon Clan's corruption has built up over years. During the previous sea clan rebellion and Western Cult's schemes against them, many dragons were awakened, but overall, the effect was limited.

Are you worried that with the rise of the Heavenly Court, many dragons will sink back into their ancient dreams, even claiming credit for the Heavenly Court's rise, thereby disrupting the order of the world?"

Taiqing Shengren... smiled again.

"Not bad."

Li Changshou thought for a moment and said, "Teacher, rest assured. In this great calamity, I will arrange some conflicts to knock the Dragon Clan back to reality and help them recognize their place."

Taiqing Shengren nodded slowly, uttered another "good," and with a smile, closed his eyes, entering...

The next conversation cycle.

What would his teacher ask next?

Li Changshou couldn't help but wonder inwardly, sitting to the side and frantically predicting.

However, after another half month, Li Changshou deeply realized the fundamental gap between himself and his teacher in terms of life levels...

This time, it wasn't the saint initiating, but Taiqing Shengren slowly raising his hand and gently pointing at the Taiji Diagram. The images on the diagram began to jump and shift rapidly, with the speed increasing!

Li Changshou's eyes had been following the scenes back and forth, but after just two breaths, the frequency of his pupils trembling couldn't keep up with the changes!

The scenes presented by the Taiji Diagram turned into a blur of light and shadow.

A massive influx of information rushed in, making Li Changshou's eyes ache and his Dao heart fill with images, his mind buzzing as he nearly lost consciousness!

Fortunately, Taiqing Shengren noticed in time that Li Changshou was still just a "weak being," and raised a hand to press on Li Changshou's back.

Li Changshou let out a light breath, his face pale as he sat there, trying to digest the information he had just received.

It seemed Taiqing Shengren had just been monitoring the entire Three Realms, searching for a trace of "disturbance."

Among these scenes were various mortal cities, the kingdoms of celestials in the lower three heavens of the Ninefold Heavenly Palace, and the places in the underworld where countless souls underwent reincarnation.

Li Changshou saw...

Ling E, wearing a floral skirt, sitting by the lake with a fishing rod, perched on a small stool, chin in hand, staring blankly at the water.

For some reason today, she had tied her long hair into two buns, wrapped in fabric matching her skirt.

She was probably experimenting with different styles.

He also saw...

On Sanxian Island, Yun Xiao standing by the window with eyes closed in meditation, strands of profound Dao rhythms swirling around her.

She seemed to have some insight, though not very deep, and the window faced the direction of Duxian Gate.

It probably wasn't just his imagination.

He could also see:

The hustle and bustle of three thousand worlds, the red dust like a dream in a jar.

In the immortal realms, endless schemes unfold, yet cultivating qi to seek truth is hard for eternal life.

Taiqing Shengren had glanced over countless mortal affairs in a short time, searching for the source of that "disturbance."

The information Li Changshou had just absorbed was merely a tiny fraction transmitted through the Taiji Diagram.

As he closed his eyes to digest these messages, he could feel flashes of light beyond his eyelids, with his saintly teacher still scanning the Three Realms.

At a time when heavenly secrets were obscured, his teacher was achieving this solely with his own means, without borrowing the power of the Heavenly Dao?

Li Changshou's freed portion of mind was now filled with shock...

It was worthy of the strongest saint.

Not daring to keep his teacher waiting, Li Changshou focused entirely on absorbing these messages, like sifting sand from water, discarding the useless and storing the meaningful scenes as memories.

Once his Dao heart stabilized, Li Changshou felt a wave of weakness from within.

The impact of that information on his mind would have made ninety percent of Daoist experts outside the Three Teachings' senior brothers faint on the spot. Li Changshou enduring it was thanks to his ongoing efforts to temper his mind.

—All for simultaneously detonating more Earthly Fiend and Heavenly Stem paper effigy explosion arrays.

When Li Changshou opened his eyes, he heard Taiqing Shengren's sigh from beside him, surprisingly carrying a hint of emotional fluctuation.

Slightly disappointed.

What was going on?

Li Changshou looked up to see his teacher with eyes closed, his withered face showing a faint helplessness—the usually still-as-an-ancient-well strongest saint now seemed...

"Teacher," Li Changshou asked softly, "is there anything I can do to help alleviate your concerns?"

Taiqing Shengren shook his head slightly, his eyelids opening halfway, his gaze falling on Li Changshou's face as he pointed at the Taiji Diagram again.

The yin-yang fish slowly rotated, but the image that appeared was somewhat blurry. Still, Li Changshou recognized at a glance where it was and felt the familiar obscure Dao rhythms.

Kunlun Mountain, behind Yuxu Palace, the Three Friends Courtyard!

The Daoist saint Yuan Shi Tianzun and the Western Cult saint Jieyin Daoist!

Li Changshou's heart was sixty percent shocked, the rest chilled, and he quickly understood why his teacher looked so helpless.

The only things that could trouble his teacher were probably these two saintly brothers.

"Teacher," Li Changshou said, "perhaps it's just that the great saint of the Western Cult trying to persuade..."

He left the sentence hanging, as even he didn't fully believe it.

If Yuan Shi Tianzun had no intention of allying with the Western Cult, Jieyin probably couldn't have entered the Three Friends Courtyard.

Taiqing Shengren sighed slowly again, and the image in the Taiji Diagram faded.

"Changshou."

"I am here!"

Li Changshou responded promptly.

"In Zixiao Palace, you stand with the Heavenly Court."

"Yes," Li Changshou bowed his head in agreement, understanding his teacher's decision.

The Ren School would remain neutral between the Jie School and the Chan School.

That scene in the Three Pure Ones' courtyard made Li Changshou feel the dangers and unpredictability of the upcoming great calamity, and the uncontrollability of saintly games.

Yet, that scene was enough to sadden Taiqing Shengren and enrage Tongtian Jiaozhu.

If the Daoist sect fights internally, it's just a family matter...

Li Changshou still didn't want to believe it inwardly and pondered whether this was Jieyin's deliberate attempt to divide the Three Pure Ones.

But then, Li Changshou noticed two details.

First, through the Taiji Diagram, he could sense the Dao rhythms of the two saints because Yuan Shi Tianzun and Jieyin Saint had jointly concealed the heavenly secrets and blocked detection...

Second, both Jieyin Saint and Yuan Shi Tianzun were seated.

"No need to worry."

Taiqing Shengren spoke warmly.

Li Changshou, enduring his mental fatigue, asked, "Teacher, may I see where the two Western Cult saints are?"

"Good."

Taiqing Shengren pointed again, and this time the Taiji Diagram effortlessly displayed a clear image.

It was likely in some corner of Spirit Mountain, where Zhunti Saint sat before a golden cauldron, hands in the lotus mudra, eyes fixed on the flames dancing in the cauldron.

"Hmph."

Taiqing Shengren let out a breath from the corner of his mouth.

Was that disdain?

He was probably expressing disdain.

Indeed, in the art of alchemy, his teacher's incarnation, Taishang Laojun, stood at the peak, so he had every right to mock Zhunti Saint.

Back to the point.

Zhunti and Jieyin weren't together, proving that the scene in the Three Pure Ones' courtyard wasn't self-directed by the Western Cult.

Though the possibility was low, it couldn't be ruled out before.

"Teacher, may I see where Third Uncle-Master is?"

"Good."

Taiqing Shengren gently moved his finger, and the yin-yang fish on the Taiji Diagram spun for a while before showing a barely clear image, shrouded in mist.

Splash, splash—

Water sounds came through as the view slowly zoomed in, revealing a familiar hot spring pool where Tongtian Jiaozhu sat, with Duobao Daoist behind him and Zhao Gongming behind Duobao.

Each held a white towel, scrubbing the back of the one in front while chatting about manly topics.

"Gongming, when do you plan to marry Jinling?

I'll handle the arrangements for you properly and even have Changgeng come to officiate. We'll drag over your second senior brother's disciples to watch.

Let them see—he only likes taking male disciples, and then they'll be stunned!"

"Master, don't rush. Jinling doesn't want me to speak of it outwardly; she's shy..."

"Master," Duobao Daoist added, "I think we should wait until after the great calamity to handle this, to bring some good luck."

"Ah, who knows how many little ones won't make it through this calamity," Tongtian Jiaozhu sighed deeply. "Bribe Changgeng more, have him help arrange more remnant souls into the Heavenly Court.

When I go to Zixiao Palace, I'll fight for you all. Worst case, I'll make a scene with the teacher—after all, I'm the youngest in seniority..."

Tongtian Jiaozhu's voice faded with the sound of water, and the image on the Taiji Diagram dissipated.

Third Uncle-Master was clearly about to be schemed against by Second Uncle-Master; they were already contacting external aid over there, while here they were still discussing how thin-skinned Jinling Saint Mother was.

Weariness hit, and Li Changshou couldn't help but yawn, quickly covering his mouth with his hand.

"Don't sleep too long; recover your mind."

Taiqing Shengren said warmly, and Li Changshou was indeed at his limit. He showed a ashamed expression, bowed his head in thanks, but before he could lift it, his mind gradually closed off.

The indescribable sense of security beside his teacher allowed Li Changshou's mind, which had been tense for hundreds of years, to finally relax completely.

At that moment, the Qiankun Ruler flew out on its own, transforming into a firm pillow behind Li Changshou.

The Xuanhuang Pagoda sprinkled strands of xuanhuang energy, like a thin blanket covering him, gently pushing him to lie down.

The cushion beneath Li Changshou expanded, turning into a narrow "bed," letting him lie comfortably.

Taiqing Shengren pointed out a wisp of Dao rhythm, wrapping it around Li Changshou's cheek, guiding him into a deep sleep, then continued to gaze at the Taiji Diagram.

Li Changshou had a dream.

He dreamed that Jieyin Saint and Yuan Shi Tianzun parted on bad terms, that Zhunti Saint's cauldron exploded, and a charred golden cicada jumped out.

He dreamed that while Tongtian Jiaozhu was scrubbing Duobao Daoist's back, he advised Duobao to lose weight to avoid the three highs.

The dream shifted to a vast white world, where the snake-tailed Saint Mother Nuwa lay by a pool, gulping down immortal brew while reading a comic book, tears streaming down her face as she gritted her teeth and cursed:

"This damn Li Changgeng, how dare he write off such a cute sister! Believe it or not, I'll send you a sword!"

In his sleep, Li Changshou shivered a few times.

Dreaming of a saint sending complaint letters—truly a nightmare.