Chapter 554: Maitreya Western Vulgar Language

After leaving Shengmu Palace with Jin Peng, thirty-five years passed.

At Tian Wai Xuan Du City.

"Tsk."

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi frowned as he gazed at the murky aura ahead, where streams of Yu Wai Tian Mo were gathering endlessly. He felt a touch of annoyance.

Did they really think he had no temper after waking up?

This was going too far.

In recent decades, the attacks had escalated—from a few years between assaults at the start, to every few months a decade ago, and now several times a month!

Were the Yu Wai Tian Mo in some kind of breeding season, using Xuan Du City to get rid of their surplus?

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi was utterly baffled. He had been guarding Xuan Du City since ancient times and had never encountered such a situation before.

In his free time, he used to wander around, exploring the Three Thousand Worlds when he grew tired of them, or even venturing into the Chaos Sea for adventure.

But lately, over these past few decades...

He recalled that more than thirty years ago, he had heard news that his junior brother's original sect, Du Xian Men, had been schemed against by Mi Le, the senior brother of Western Teachings. Xiao Ji had fallen in battle, hundreds of disciples were killed or injured, and his junior brother had finally lost his composure, storming off to smash the mountain gate of Western Teachings.

As for Mi Le of Western Teachings, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi knew him well. Mi Le had become a disciple before the two saints of Western Teachings attained sainthood.

He was a disciple of the ancient saints.

During the Witch-Demon Great War, Mi Le had caused trouble, but his character was lacking. In the Second Witch-Demon Great War, he secretly controlled several Yao Clan experts and shifted the blame onto the Ren Clan.

At that time, the Ren Clan was weak, struggling to survive between the Witch and Demon clans, so Xuan Du Da Fa Shi had no choice but to intervene, chasing Mi Le for over a decade. That forced Mi Le to lie low and stop stirring up trouble.

Now, after countless yuan hui, Mi Le had resurfaced and started targeting his junior brother.

Was he trying to vent the grudges from ancient times on his junior brother?

That would be like kicking an iron plate and bringing trouble upon himself.

Provoking Xuan Du Da Fa Shi might just result in a physical transcendence—a swift end with one slap.

But provoking his junior brother was far from simple!

His junior brother would surely cover his face and shout,

"Oh no, I can't win!

This is too cruel!

I'm no match for you, but I must uphold justice on behalf of the Heavenly Way!"

All while pinning the opponent down, feeding them a feast of shrimp and pig heart before the transcendence...

In terms of underhanded tactics, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi had never seen anyone dirtier than his junior brother!

And that was meant as praise.

When he heard the news over thirty years ago, Xuan Du Da Fa Shi had wanted to return and check if his junior brother needed any help.

Jokes aside, Mi Le was quite powerful, a genuine ancient great power.

But then these Yu Wai Tian Mo suddenly started causing chaos, ramping up their attacks on Xuan Du City as if desperate to enter the Great Desolation World, leaving Xuan Du Da Fa Shi with no chance to slack off.

In recent years, he couldn't even get a proper sleep!

Xuan Du City sat at the very edge of the heavens and earth, isolated from news, and with Xuan Du Da Fa Shi unable to leave, the Heavenly Way obscured by great calamities, he had no idea what was happening elsewhere.

It was only about a decade ago, when the battles at Xuan Du City grew intense and his teacher sent the Taiji Diagram to aid him, that he learned his junior brother had been carrying out a bit of petty revenge against Mi Le over the years.

From what the Taiji Diagram said, it seemed his junior brother had just splashed some dirt on Mi Le; Xuan Du Da Fa Shi didn't ask for details.

As long as his junior brother was fine, early retirement was still possible.

Today, standing on the ancient, weathered walls of Xuan Du City,

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi watched the waves of black mist mixed in with the Chaos Sea's aura, while the Taiji Diagram spun steadily behind him.

Amid the ruins of the city, groups of Dao soldiers were hurriedly preparing spare array bases, ready to replace them during the battles.

Xuan Du City had no shortage of precious materials or spirit stones. The Dao soldiers were merely products of divine powers—unfatigued, unfeeling about life or death, driven only to fulfill their missions.

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi couldn't help but sigh lightly:

"It seems I need to teach these creatures a lesson if I want any peace and rest."

The Taiji Diagram sent a faint spiritual sense: "Charge into the array?"

"Taiji old one, guard this place," Xuan Du Da Fa Shi said as he stepped forward. "I'm getting fired up from these ugly things. Time to vent some anger."

With that, he stepped forward, and black and white qi surged from behind him!

In a flash of light, two figures materialized, identical to him in appearance—one in black robes, the other in white robes.

One Qi Transforming into Three Purities—a streamlined version!

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi snorted lightly. His true self and the two incarnations raised their right hands simultaneously, and three streaks of light flew from Xuan Du City, transforming into a rusty long spear, long sword, and long bow, which they grasped.

One step, then three steps!

Three streaks of light shot into the Chaos Sea. Swords cleaved the void, spears commanded dragons, and bowstrings thrummed endlessly, instantly churning the black ocean into chaos...

The battle raged for months, and the Tian Mo army was routed.

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi looked at the trembling black shadow cowering before him, a faint smile on his lips.

He had caught a big fish.

It had been so long since he had stretched his limbs like this...

After the ancient great wars, as the senior brother of Daoism, he rarely had chances to fight; usually, just showing up was enough to make a statement.

The experts among the Yu Wai Tian Mo were tricky, many lacking physical forms, requiring secret techniques to handle, which prolonged the battles.

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi raised his hand to cover a yawn, and the black shadow seemed to spot an opening, transforming into a black light shooting toward his brow!

He casually grabbed it, clutching the black light in his palm. His eyes, once lazy, suddenly sharpened, fixing on the trapped shadow.

Green light surged in his eyes, and the shadow convulsed, emitting piercing screams that could shatter the primordial spirits of ordinary Jin Immortals.

The Yu Wai Tian Mo's demonic heart fell instantly!

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi searched the demonic heart, his face full of disgust, as if probing a filthy sewer.

Soon, his eyes lit up. He crushed the black light in his hand and reached out again, using the Yin-Yang Taiji Great Dao to impose order on the current spirit and define it, seizing a fragment shimmering with seven colors.

This fragment was equivalent to the remnant soul of a Yu Wai Tian Mo, but transformed by his divine powers to make it comprehensible.

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi glanced in the direction his two incarnations had pursued, quietly recalled them, and stepped back to the walls of Xuan Du City, sitting behind the Taiji Diagram.

During the battle, the Yu Wai Tian Mo had tried to assault the city, but with the 'experts' held back and defeated by Xuan Du Da Fa Shi, their offensive was firmly blocked by the Taiji Diagram.

This counterattack would ease the pressure on the city's great arrays, allowing the Dao soldiers to better handle the next wave of battles...

The Taiji Diagram's spiritual sense reached him: "What is this?"

"A bit of interesting memory," Xuan Du Da Fa Shi said with a smile, toying with the fragment in his hand. After a moment's thought, he formed a hand seal with his right hand and pointed at the fragment.

With a ping, the fragment shattered, scattering stardust that projected a blurry image.

In a dim corner of the ordered Chaos Sea, near an indescribable, grotesque, bloated Tian Mo that exuded ugliness, countless Yu Wai Tian Mo floated.

From the bloated Tian Mo, clumps of black gas continuously drifted out, quickly forming new Yu Wai Tian Mo...

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi was slightly surprised: "Has the Tian Mo Zun recovered?"

"Still the one from ancient times?"

"It should be—one of the innate gods who survived the Creation Calamity."

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi clicked his tongue in amazement, formed another hand seal, and the image suddenly filled with sounds like 'squeaks', 'croaks', and 'buzzes'.

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi looked puzzled, but the Taiji Diagram could decipher the voices, sending spiritual senses to him that made his eyes widen gradually.

"Kill Tai Bai, destroy Jin Xing!"

"Kill Tai Bai, destroy Jin Xing!"

"The saint will not tolerate slander; Tai Bai Jin Xing must pay the price!"

"When have we Yu Wai Tian Mo ever been bullied like this! Kill Tai Bai!"

"If you ruin my heaven, I will stab your backbone! Destroy Jin Xing!"

"Huh?"

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi was stunned. "What has Changshou done? How did he draw the hatred of the Yu Wai Tian Mo?"

The Taiji Diagram remained relatively calm, asking, "The Tian Mo Zun seems to be a female spirit?"

Xuan Du Da Fa Shi had black lines on his forehead and felt unwell all over.

Half an hour later, a specially crafted jade talisman, wrapped in Yin-Yang qi, flew into the vortex at the center of Xuan Du City, returning to the Great Desolation World. It crossed the Three Thousand Worlds and shot toward the Heavenly Court.

"What exactly has my junior brother been up to these years?"

Meanwhile, at the edge of the Three Thousand Worlds, in a certain great world,

A large green-furred dog bound by immortal ropes turned its head to glance at the tens of thousands of heavenly soldiers and generals behind it. Feeling the pressure from the Exorcism Sword held by the Jin Chi Da Peng bird nearby, it couldn't help but sigh softly.

Thirty-five years—already thirty-five years!

Gazing toward the Netherworld, with no word from its master!

Whether Tai Bai Xing Jun was the strongest orthodox god in the Heavenly Court, Di Ting didn't know, but he was certainly the most ruthless.

This outing had helped the Heavenly Court eliminate hordes of lurking Yu Wai Tian Mo at the edges of the Three Thousand Worlds, and it had unwittingly accepted its role as a 'Heavenly Court treasure beast'!

Life as a beast was tough, as could be seen.

As for the Yu Wai Tian Mo's schemes over countless yuan hui...

What did that have to do with Di Ting?

If those behind-the-scenes innate gods had the guts, let them come to the Great Desolation World for revenge—the Heavenly Way's purple heavenly thunder would teach them a lesson in no time!

Thinking this way, it felt joining the Heavenly Court wasn't so bad after all.

Di Ting tried to rally its spirits but sighed again, opening its eyes and transmitting the abnormalities it had heard to the Jin Chi Da Peng bird.

Jin Peng's eyes flashed, and his figure vanished instantly.

In mere moments, blood light soared, and the divine sword displayed its might.

Strands of black gas were rapidly purified as Jin Chi Da Peng bird maintained his human form, golden wings extending from his back, his shadow casting over various parts of this great world.

"By heavenly decree, with permission from His Majesty the Jade Emperor, holding the order of Tai Bai Xing Jun!

Today, we eradicate the lurking Yu Wai Tian Mo in this realm to protect the heavens and earth! If any cultivators encounter Yu Wai Tian Mo, slay them and collect the demonic qi, and you may claim rewards at the Heavenly Court!"

The world fell silent, and Jin Chi Da Peng bird's figure flashed as he led his troops away, entering a second round of sweeps.

The Yu Wai Tian Mo were cunning; one search was far from enough.

Jin Peng took out the jade slip containing his teacher's "Thirty-Six Styles of Exorcism" from his embrace, his eyes full of admiration.

Di Ting, lying on the throne with a chain around its neck, caught a glimpse of the jade slip in Jin Peng's hand and instinctively trembled all over.

This leisurely immortal life lately...

At Taibai Palace, on Xiao Qiong Peak, Li Changshou stretched lazily on a rocking chair in front of the pill room, letting out a yawn as his immortal sense flowed out like water.

The poker room had gained new guests in the past decade or so, and his disciple Long Ji now had permission to enter Xiao Qiong Peak.

This was because Long Ji was Ling E's closest friend in the Heavenly Court, and Li Changshou wanted to ensure Ling E didn't feel bored during her cultivation, so he arranged for Long Ji to keep her company.

Speaking of Long Ji, one thing left Li Changshou quite speechless.

Her Jin Immortal tribulation...

Honestly, he had never seen such blatant favoritism from the Dao Ancestor!

When he, as a grand-disciple, underwent his tribulations, not only were no tribulations spared, but he was also hit with heavenly punishments—thunder, wind, fire, and water all came at him, aiming to leave him gravely injured!

And afterward, whenever his friends or family underwent tribulations, bolts of tribulation lightning would turn into heavenly punishments and sneak in a few strikes on him...

But what about Xiao Long Ji's tribulation?

That day, Long Ji suddenly said, "Teacher, I think I'm about to undergo a tribulation. There's a voice in the dark telling me to prepare."

Li Changshou immediately realized this was the Heavenly Way's reminder to her, likely giving face to the Jade Emperor.

Long Ji then flew to Yao Pond and reached the pre-selected tribulation site. Tribulation clouds gathered in the sky in a short time.

Long Ji bowed to the sky and said clearly,

"Heavenly Court Long Ji thanks the Heavenly Way for taking time out of its busy schedule to strike."

Then...

"Hmm."

The clouds in the sky actually responded with a hum!

The tribulation clouds manifested scenes of nine heavenly palaces, surrounded by auspicious clouds, with immortal music already playing in the distance!

Was this... over already?!

Long Ji waited for a while, and the first bolt—a powerful pink heavenly thunder—struck down, grazing her forehead and landing on her shoulder.

She staggered slightly, and the tribulation energy above halted, waiting quietly for a moment.

Yes, waiting for a moment.

That 'moment' was quite deliberate!

Later, Li Changshou nearly couldn't hold back his complaints.

He had never seen a tribulation where the subsequent four thunderbolts each had intervals of over two hours!

Was the heavenly tribulation afraid of injuring the Jade Emperor's beloved daughter and upsetting him?

After Long Ji's tribulation, she tidied her disheveled hair, and hundreds of Yao Pond fairies rushed to her side, each holding peaches or carrying spiritual pills and elixirs, afraid to be a second late...

Li Changshou thought: ...Well, she's part of the Heavenly Court's family.

The Dao Ancestor had clearly interfered with this great tribulation, going easy on his 'granddaughter.'

If Long Ji had an official god position, she might not even need a full tribulation—perhaps just a symbolic strike, with the tribulation energy directly refining her Dao body.

Composing himself, Li Changshou stopped dwelling on it. Long Ji's successful ascension to Jin Immortal was a good thing.

Ling E's tribulation couldn't follow this example; he needed to make thorough preparations. He didn't have connections as strong as the Jade Emperor and the Dao Ancestor.

Glancing at the poker room, he saw a playful figure among Long Ji and Ling E—a petite and lively one.

Xiong Lingli.

After being tempered by the blood of the Ancestral Witch and fully mastering the transformation technique, Xiong Lingli's proportions had finally returned to normal.

Now, transformed to human size, she looked like a youthful girl, with short twin tails, carrying two large copper hammers, and wearing her standard Laojun-brand spirit treasure armor. She was quite eye-catching wherever she went.

Li Changshou had already started arranging for her to become a heavenly general, guarding the Tian Men to help the Heavenly Court through its shortage of experts.

At human size, she could only exert about half her strength; for full power, she needed to revert to her original form...

His immortal sense continued to flow.

Outside Taibai Palace, heavenly soldiers and generals patrolled with serious expressions, a hint of pride on their faces.

In the former Water God Mansion, Ling Zhu Zi was playing jump rope with Jade Rabbit; their brotherly bond grew stronger by the day, touching heaven and earth.

In the adjacent room, You Qin Xuanya, who rarely returned for secluded cultivation, was in closed meditation, becoming even more ethereal, with an added layer of pure and jade-like grace.

The Heavenly Court's female war god, her fame spreading through the Three Realms, had exceeded expectations in publicity.

However, due to recent disturbances in the Five Parts of the Continent by some mysterious expert targeting the Heavenly Court, Li Changshou had cautiously ordered You Qin Xuanya's unit of heavenly soldiers to stay put.

Who was this elusive troublemaker hiding in the shadows?

Naturally, it was Mi Le.

Mi Le must have felt quite aggrieved, even stifled, over these thirty-plus years.

After returning from Shengmu Palace, Li Changshou presented a memorial drafted by Bai Ze and refined by himself multiple times in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, petitioning before the heavenly immortals and gods.

The Jade Emperor's expression was full of anticipation, hoping Li Changshou's memorial would give him something to do.

But after Li Changshou's impassioned speech, the Jade Emperor's mouth twitched slightly.

Why the sudden recounting of the ancient Yao Shi Kun Peng's crimes?

Still, the Jade Emperor agreed with the matter and immediately issued an order: A wanted notice for Yao Shi Kun Peng throughout the Three Realms, listing his thirty-six great crimes.

He also approved Li Changshou's second memorial, directly requisitioning Di Ting and placing it under Jin Chi Da Peng bird's command with the Exorcism Sword to purge Yu Wai Tian Mo at the edges of the Three Thousand Worlds.

The Jade Emperor's gaze clearly asked, "Is that all?"

Li Changshou smiled awkwardly and bowed, proclaiming the Jade Emperor's wisdom.

On the surface, those were the arrangements, but the developments that followed were far from simple.

Because the Heavenly Court suddenly listed Kun Peng's crimes, many of which were ancient secrets known only to great powers, it sparked a massive 'trial' of Kun Peng across the Three Realms.

Various ancient and prehistoric cases began to trace back to Kun Peng.

One pot after another, old and new, was piled on Kun Peng's back.

As long as Kun Peng was mentioned, no conversation or boast would lack material...

When this great discussion among immortals and gods reached its peak, someone conveniently raised a doubt:

Why did the Heavenly Court specifically mention Kun Peng during the great calamity and convict this one who supposedly fled to the Chaos Sea? Could it be that Kun Peng had returned?

The winds of the Great Desolation shifted abruptly, with immortals in the Three Realms speculating whether Kun Peng had secretly slipped back into the Three Thousand Worlds.

Rumors and gossip spread like wildfire.

Just as the buzz was about to fade, several pieces of news, mixing truth and falsehood, circulated throughout the heavens and earth.

The true news, for example:

Why did Western Teachings attract so many Yao Clan experts? It was because, before the Yao Court fell in ancient times, Yao Shi Kun Peng had seized the soul imprints of numerous Yao Court elites and traded them to Western Teachings.

And the false news, for example:

Knowing he had committed too many evils and would be hunted by saints, Kun Peng had sent only a false body into the Chaos Sea. His primordial spirit used the Tian Mo Mind-Transfer Technique to shift into another being. Judging from the circumstances, it was likely Western Teachings' senior brother, Mi Le.

In just a few months, these messages spread like wildfire through the Three Realms.

Western Teachings tried to explain multiple times, but to no avail—their voices were drowned in the waves of public opinion.

At the right moment and place, the Heavenly Court issued a formal summons to Western Teachings.

The content was quite mild, simply stating: Please have Mi Le come to the Heavenly Court to 'assist in the investigation,' and the Heavenly Court would clear his name.

But how could Mi Le dare to go?

From start to finish, Mi Le didn't even show his face, just hiding in the shadows.

This evasion only made the rumors solidify.

And that wasn't the end. In various market towns of Zhong Shen Continent, performances began to appear, depicting the life of Yao Shi Kun Peng, always ending with a mention of Mi Le.

In just a few years, the idea that Mi Le was Kun Peng's second primordial spirit became an open secret in the Great Desolation.

Western Teachings' reputation plummeted repeatedly, Mi Le vanished without a trace, and the two saints of Western Teachings never made a statement...

'Public opinion is a double-edged sword; it can't be overused.'

Li Changshou pulled his thoughts back, stretched, and took out a newly improved paper effigy from his sleeve. He transformed it into the appearance of the elderly Tai Bai Jin Xing and rode the clouds out of Xiao Qiong Peak.

His true body hidden in his sleeve, the Pagoda Lord by his side as he wandered.

Exiting the Tian Men and heading to the East Sea, Li Changshou pretended to visit the East Sea Dragon Palace to discuss the assessments of river gods, lake gods, and well gods, while his true body used an escape technique to drift toward San Xian Island.

Pursuing a relationship couldn't always leave the woman taking the initiative.

On the way, he pondered the matters at hand.

Chaos was brewing in Zhong Shen Continent, and the battles in the Three Thousand Worlds were growing more intense, beyond control...

'Oh, right, Yang Jian's Three-Pointed, Two-Edged Spear—Lord Lao Zi has sent it via Xiao Jin and Xiao Yin. Should I arrange for its use?'