Chapter 621: Intercepting the Chaos Bell

Going to the Hun Dun Hai this time, finding a reason to conceal the true purpose was not difficult at all.

Li Changshou had always kept a hidden contingency in place, waiting to fulfill his promise to Tongtian Jiaozhu by using the Kun Peng ark to trap the Hun Dun Zhong.

As the dignified leader of the Steady Teach, he would never go into battle without preparation.

But this trip would take at least fifty years before he could return...

Li Changshou felt quite worried.

The start of the Feng Shen calamity was not far off, and if he left the Hong Huang world for too long, any changes in the situation that he couldn't respond to in time would mean losing the bigger picture over a trivial matter.

In his view, catching the Hun Dun Zhong was indeed a "minor" affair.

This wasn't because he looked down on the Hun Dun Zhong—after all, it was one of the three treasures from the creation of the heavens—and if he underestimated it even slightly, the Tai Ji Tu Elder would teach him a lesson in an instant.

It was purely because Li Changshou didn't have high hopes for this venture. He estimated that he and Tongtian Jiaozhu had at most a thirty percent chance of capturing the Hun Dun Zhong.

There was a seventy percent chance of failure; rounding it off, it was basically a wasted effort.

The more he communicated with the Tai Ji Tu Elder, the more Li Changshou understood the extraordinary nature of these creation treasures and knew that the Pangu Sky Axe, which had once followed Pangu, was no ordinary artifact.

The Pangu Banner had the sharp edge to cleave through the Hun Dun Hai;

The Tai Ji Tu established the rules of Qian Kun, yin and yang, positive and negative;

Only the Hun Dun Zhong, which had been wielded by Dong Huang Tai Yi in ancient times, had its exact powers unknown to anyone—it was merely rumored that it could shuttle through the river of time.

If that rumor was true, it was truly terrifying.

Back then, Dong Huang Tai Yi seemed to use the Hun Dun Zhong merely as a supreme defensive treasure.

Yet the Hun Dun Zhong had been outwitting Tongtian Jiaozhu time and again, taunting with "Ha ha ha ha, you can't catch me," and evading saints in the Hun Dun Hai for several yuan hui...

Li Changshou figured that this treasure was more than just sentient; even with the Kun Peng ark, the outlook was not optimistic.

How should he handle this matter?

When he had promised Uncle-Master Tongtian earlier, he hadn't expected the master to delay it until now.

“What's wrong, Changgeng? Is there some difficulty?”

“No, there isn't any difficulty,” Li Changshou quickly made up his mind and smiled. “This matter, your disciple has already prepared for it, just waiting for you to call upon me, Uncle-Master.

Although the timing is a bit late now, at least it's not during the descent of the calamity.

But Uncle-Master, your disciple has two requests. First, set a time limit for how many years we must return, as I'm worried about the Heavenly Court losing control.

Second, try not to make this public; I'm concerned that if word of your disciple leaving the Hong Huang gets out, the Western Cult might target the Heavenly Court again, just like last time.”

Tongtian Jiaozhu laughed. “Good, Changgeng, you handle things so steadily. You arrange it.”

“Thank you, Uncle-Master.”

The pool water rippled, and Li Changshou sat at the edge, cupping his hands in salute. In his heart, he secretly mobilized his paper effigies to bustle about in various places.

Half a day later, Li Changshou left the Bi You Palace and exchanged a few lighthearted words with the escorting Duobao Daoist before turning toward the heavenly gate in the sky, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

In the Bi You Palace, Tongtian Jiaozhu vanished once more.

Just before leaving, he summoned Jin Ling Shengmu, though no one knew what he instructed her.

A moderately staged drama quietly played out on the grand stage of the Hong Huang.

Half a month later, in the Tai Bai Palace.

The Jin Peng bird hurried back from the Three Thousand Worlds, reporting that foreign heavenly demons had been causing trouble there recently. From the edges of the Three Thousand Worlds to the slightly inner regions, there had been hundreds of incidents of these demons attacking cultivators.

Thus, Li Changshou drafted a memorial and presented it in the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall, addressing the matter openly before the immortals of the Heavenly Court.

The Jade Emperor had already received Li Changshou's secret report and turned a blind eye to Tongtian Jiaozhu's plan to seize the Hun Dun Zhong, approving the presentation of this matter—

Subjugating the foreign heavenly demons.

This sounded very much like something the Heavenly Court would do.

But this subjugation was no ordinary affair; it wasn't sending heavenly soldiers to fight in the Hun Dun Hai, as anyone below the Jin Xian level couldn't withstand the crushing force of the chaos aura.

To resist the chaos aura, one needed a complete personal Dao, and the third grade of Jin Xian was the minimum threshold for entering the Hun Dun Hai.

The Jade Emperor appointed the Jin Chi Dapeng bird as the marshal, Ao Yi, the deputy commander of the Tian He Water Army, as the vice-marshal, and Mei Wen Hua, Mei Di Xian, Mei Mao Bing, and Mei Xin Qing as the generals. They were to depart from Xuan Du City, enter the Hun Dun Hai, and hunt for the demon lords.

In front of everyone, Li Changshou gave the Jin Peng bird a stack of paper effigies and several treasure pouches, admonishing him to make thorough preparations when venturing into the Hun Dun Hai and not to rush into reckless actions.

That demon lord was an innate god-demon, one of the survivors from under Pangu's divine axe; just based on that background, it was extremely formidable.

Soon, this "major event" spread throughout various parts of the Hong Huang.

Foreign heavenly demons were the nemesis of most Yuan Shen path cultivators, so the Heavenly Court's actions earned praise from many cultivators.

With great fanfare and beating drums, Jin Peng and Ao Yi led the Four Mei Generals and thirty thousand elite heavenly soldiers, marching majestically toward Xuan Du City.

A month later, the Heavenly Court expedition arrived at the entrance of Xuan Du City. The thirty thousand heavenly soldiers camped on site to guard the entrance.

Ao Yi stayed in Xuan Du City to serve as backup.

Only the Jin Peng bird, carrying the Four Mei Generals, dove into the Hun Dun Hai and quickly vanished without a trace.

“What is the young junior brother up to?”

The Grand Mage gazed in the direction where the Jin Peng bird had disappeared, standing on the city wall with a slight look of confusion.

Beside him, Kong Xuan, dressed in a light blue thin skirt that exuded a charming and gentle aura, thought for a moment and smiled. “Why didn't you just ask him directly?”

“Ahem,” the Grand Mage straightened his chest and said calmly, “I have to maintain some dignity as the senior brother.

Besides, he only sent a voice transmission to remind me of a few words and didn't show himself before hurrying into the Hun Dun Hai, so he must have something urgent.”

“You're really enjoying your role as senior brother.”

Kong Xuan said softly, “You spend your days here sleeping and cultivating, without having to worry about the affairs of the three teachings.”

“Capable people should bear more responsibilities.”

The Grand Mage stretched lazily, replacing the lounge chair on his back with a soft couch, and lay down comfortably.

Kong Xuan stepped forward lightly, her slender fingers tapping near the Grand Mage's legs, and his cloth shoes slipped off on their own.

Then, she sat in meditation in the corner of the soft couch that had been left open.

The Grand Mage yawned. “The Hong Huang is so vast; you might as well go out and explore more instead of staying here.”

Kong Xuan smiled slightly. “I'm not getting in your way, so just sleep as you like.”

“I'm just worried you might get bored.”

The Grand Mage smiled with his eyes narrowed, then quickly closed them and began to snore.

Kong Xuan lowered her head, gazing at the Grand Mage's face, and brought a slender finger close, stopping just a fraction away without touching. She slowly traced along his contours.

“If only I could enter your dreams.”

She murmured softly, her beautiful eyes full of tenderness, as she leaned sideways on the armrest of the soft couch, lost in thought.

Down below the city wall, Ao Yi thought to himself: ...What kind of divine couple is this?

Is the Ren Teach really that short on true disciples?

Anyone they casually produce could take on the entire Western Cult below the saints!

Although as the brother most trusted by the Teach Master, Ao Yi knew he shouldn't think this way.

But seeing how Kong Xuan and the Grand Mage interacted, Ao Yi couldn't help but feel... sorry for the Western Cult!

Truly sorry.

Shaking his head, Ao Yi looked at the yin-yang great array on the ground beside him and perked up, staying alert for any potential enemies.

The Teach Master brother had emphasized that this unassuming array was no trivial matter.

Ao Yi didn't know its exact function—it wasn't for defense, killing, teleportation, or scouting. It contained the Dao of yin and yang, with an obscure and profound rhythm...

To be safe, Ao Yi didn't try to comprehend it. He sat cross-legged nearby and set up a simple concealing barrier around it.

Another seven or eight days passed in the Hong Huang world.

In the Hun Dun Hai, a dark shadow spread its wings and glided through, where the chaotic Dao principles made it impossible to describe its massive size or incredible speed.

In short, it was enormous.

If any of the Hong Huang experts who had once competed for the Hong Meng Purple Qi in Xuan Du City saw its form, they would be utterly shocked—why had Kun Peng returned to its original state?

The Kun fish had transformed back into the Kun Peng.

Inside the Kun Peng ark, in an ancient stone hall near the heart pulse, Jin Peng stood quietly, with the Four Mei Generals kneeling on either side.

Li Changshou, who shouldn't have been there, sat on a meditation cushion, frowning at the slowly rotating Tai Ji Tu in front of him.

The yin and yang energies rotated gently, and blurry images began to appear within the Tai Ji Tu, gradually clearing to show the scene at Xiao Qiong Peak.

Li Changshou focused his intent, and the image enlarged slightly, revealing Ling E sitting by the pool, hugging a stone slab and chuckling "hee hee hee."

Half of the Steady Scripture was carved on the slab, but the rest had been replaced with carvings of Li Changshou's figure.

This girl...

Well, he'd just punish her more when he got back.

He focused his intent again, and the yin and yang energies guided the Tai Ji Tu to show a two-hundred-zhang-tall statue of an immortal maiden on San Xian Island.

—This, of course, was with Yun Xiao's consent.

His intent shifted once more, and the images in the Tai Ji Tu began to switch rapidly, like fleeting illusions.

From the South Sea Sea God Temple's demon barracks, to the major tribes of the Wu Clan in the North Continent, from the front of the Ling Xiao Hall in the Heavenly Court, to the eighteen levels of hell in the You Ming Feng Du.

Strands of yin and yang energy scattered throughout the world became Li Changshou's eyes.

To fulfill his promise to Tongtian Jiaozhu, Li Changshou had specially borrowed the Tai Ji Tu from his Tai Qing teacher, precisely to monitor the Hong Huang at any time with its power.

And that wasn't all.

The Tai Ji Tu controlled the Dao of yin and yang, and fragments of the yin-yang and Qian Kun Daos were scattered in the Hun Dun Hai.

Li Changshou would collect these fragments along the way, piling them in various spots and wrapping them with the chaos spirit array created by Senior Lang.

This way, if anything changed in the Hong Huang, Li Changshou could ride the Tai Ji Tu and wield the Qian Kun Ruler to return as quickly as possible.

On top of that, Li Changshou had prepared some small gadgets, the most important being timing instruments.

Inside the Kun Peng, unaffected by the disordered Dao principles, these instruments could function normally.

Ding-a-ling—

Suddenly, a copper bell rang softly nearby. Li Changshou raised an eyebrow, slowed the Kun Peng ark's flight, and said to Jin Peng, “Go and pick up a few senior brothers and sisters from Jie Teach for me.”

“Yes, Teacher!”

Jin Peng cupped his fists in response, turned into a golden light, and flew out of the stone hall through the Kun Peng's internal passages to its back.

Soon, Jin Peng returned in its true form, carrying three figures on its back: Zhao Gongming, Jin Ling Shengmu, and Gui Ling Shengmu.

These three Jie Teach experts looked around east and west, and upon confirming it was the former demon master Kun Peng, their jaws nearly dropped.

After rendezvousing with Li Changshou, they couldn't help but ask questions nonstop.

Li Changshou wouldn't mention Senior Lang at all; he simply explained that Kun Peng had been subdued by him and now lacked normal consciousness, functioning like a treasure ship.

Gui Ling Shengmu praised, “Even someone as ruthless as Kun Peng fell to Changgeng junior brother—truly... I don't know what to say.”

Zhao Gongming stroked his beard and laughed. “This place is quite good. You all chat about the main matters; I'll find a corner to cultivate. I've been pondering that treasure Changgeng gave me and am starting to see some insights.”

“Elder brother, don't rush. Is the Qing Ping Sword here?”

“It's with me,” Jin Ling Shengmu said, flipping her hand to reveal the sword surrounded by green light in her palm.

Li Changshou bowed to the Qing Ping Sword and said, “Please point us in a direction. We'll go after Uncle-Master Tongtian right away and try to return as soon as possible.”

The Qing Ping Sword trembled lightly and floated up on its own, its tip pointing upward at an angle.

Li Changshou took out the jade talisman to control the Kun Peng ark, tapped it a few times with his fingers, and the stone hall shook gently as the Kun Peng spread its wings and soared deeper into the Hun Dun Hai.

Li Changshou added, “When we come back, don't forget to catch that demon lord. We have to play the whole act.”

Jin Peng bowed his head in acknowledgment. The Four Mei Generals didn't dare move, just kneeling there and emitting a holy glow.

In the corner of the stone hall, Zhao Gongming had already entered a state of enlightenment, with the weak Qian Kun Ruler slowly rotating around him.

Jin Ling Shengmu smiled. “It's rare to see him so diligent.”

“It's all about seizing opportunities,” Li Changshou chuckled softly, murmuring quietly, “I thought Yun would come too.”

“Master specifically instructed not to bring Yun Xiao junior sister this time.”

Jin Ling Shengmu said with a hint of mischief in her eyes, teasing him, “This is serious business, and Master is afraid you two might get too caught up in romance and let the treasure slip away.”

With that, she winked at him, then led Gui Ling Shengmu to sit beside Zhao Gongming for cultivation.

Li Changshou shook his head with a light laugh.

Really, didn't they know the principle of "men and women working together doubles the efficiency"?

Li Changshou sat back on his meditation cushion, half his mind comprehending the Hong Meng Purple Qi in Kun Peng's yuan shen, and the other half focused on the Tai Ji Tu, observing various parts of the Hong Huang.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, he could proceed with the next stage of his mind force training.

Now that his Dao realm improvements had slowed, no longer achieving small breakthroughs every few months, it was time to tap into his own potential in various aspects.

The Hun Dun Hai was vast and boundless, and no one knew where the Hun Dun Zhong was hiding. Tongtian Jiaozhu had searched for it in the Hun Dun Hai for so long before, so the journey to catch up wouldn't be short.

As per the previous plan, Li Changshou continued leaving "buoys" made from Dao fragments, letting the remnant array from Senior Lang shine a bit more.

Thus, twenty-three years later.

Buzz! Buzz!

The Qing Ping Sword suspended in the center of the hall suddenly flashed with brilliant sword light, waking everyone inside.

Li Changshou stood up and followed the sword's guidance, directing the Kun Peng to change course.

Intercept the Hun Dun Zhong!

A strange sky, a strange land, strange hills.

“Where is this?”

A gentle breeze blew, stirring the old Daoist's form and leaving him somewhat disoriented.

Fragments of images surfaced in his mind—these seemed to be his memories, but they were incomplete and disjointed.

It appeared his memories had once shattered into pieces, with only a small part reassembled.

Qi Yuan?

That seemed to be his Dao title.

The old Daoist pondered quietly, his lifeless eyes reflecting the golden sphere floating in the treasure pool before him. He looked down at his own faint, ethereal self.

A soul? A yuan shen?

He vaguely remembered being engulfed by a ball of flames, after which he lost consciousness.

“Master!”

“Master!”

“Changshou... Ling E...”

The old Daoist murmured softly, and images of a man and a woman, from childhood to adulthood, flashed in his mind.

Just then, a soft golden light drifted from the side, enveloping the old Daoist's ethereal form. His furrowed brow gradually relaxed, and the images in his heart arranged themselves like a dream, playing out in sequence.

“Did I not die?”

Qi Yuan, the old Daoist, fell into deep self-doubt. He had clearly been burned by the Jin Wu's true fire, his turbid immortal body and yuan shen as fragile as thin paper.

No, even more fragile than the thin paper his own great disciple used for paper effigies.

He sighed inwardly. His memories were still mostly missing, but the key ones remained...

“Dao friend has already passed on.”

A gentle voice suddenly sounded in his ear. Qi Yuan was startled and turned to see a female immortal standing on the distant hill. He quickly stood and bowed in respect.

“Qi Yuan, a cultivator from Du Xian Gate, pays respects to the senior and thanks you for saving my life!”

“Dao friend, no need to be so polite,” Houtu said warmly. “I am merely repaying a favor to Changshou Dao friend.”

“May I ask who you are, senior...”

“The Houtu of the Wu Clan.”

“Great virtue! Hic!”

Qi Yuan's eyes widened, his legs went weak, and he knelt down on the spot.

But soon, a sense of relief showed in his eyes.

Having experienced life to death, soul scattering, and then death to life with his remnant soul reassembled, his Dao heart had undergone significant changes.

Houtu raised her hand in a virtual gesture of support, helping Qi Yuan up from afar.

“Dao friend, no need for formalities. This place is within the Six Paths of Reincarnation Disk. Though your soul is intact now, you can stay here for a while longer to accumulate some blessings and absorb the merit that Changshou Dao friend gave you.

Changshou Dao friend has always been concerned about your situation, so this will put his mind at ease.”

“Ah, yes,” Qi Yuan replied obediently, then quickly asked, “Senior, are Changshou and Ling E safe?”

Houtu replied, “They are both fine. Changshou Dao friend is now ranked tenth in the Heavenly Dao sequence, his position in the Heavenly Court second only to the Jade Emperor and Wangmu.

Ling E Dao friend seems to have gone to the Heavenly Court as well, cultivating in Changgeng Dao friend's Tai Bai Palace and rarely appearing.

However, there is one matter you should consider yourself.”

“Please go on, please go on.”

“Now that Changshou is in charge of the Feng Shen calamity and acts on behalf of heaven to enfeoff the gods, as his master who raised him, the Heavenly Dao shows that after your reincarnation, you will enter the calamity and become one of its more important figures...”

Qi Yuan looked a bit dazed, as if struggling to process this information.

After Houtu explained further, Qi Yuan said straightforwardly, “Senior, why don't you just tell this junior what would be best for Changshou?”

“Drink a few more bowls of Meng Po Soup before reincarnation to forget your past life.”

Qi Yuan agreed at once. “Senior, rest assured, this junior will drink as many bowls as needed without issue.”

“Dao friend, take your time to rest,” Houtu said gently. “When he comes next time, you can proceed to reincarnation.”

“Thank you, Great Virtue Houtu, for your guidance.”

“Mhm.”

Houtu responded softly, her figure dissipating with the wind, vanishing from sight.