Chapter 69: Don't Force Me to Draw My Sword

At first, transferring his consciousness into this Zhi Dao Ren body, Li Changshou found it hard to adjust.

It was that kind of feeling...

As if he were very thin, very light, very fragile, very helpless, with no defenses, and absolutely no sense of security...

But after moving around for a bit, he got used to it.

Once he left Fang Zhen, and confirmed he was being followed, Li Changshou pretended not to notice and flew on his cloud toward the predetermined location.

Because the area around Linhai Town was covered by an anti-five elements array that prohibited casual teleportation, he had to put some distance between himself and the town before he could use Tu Dun to escape.

The "suspicious burly men" tailing him had already sent two ahead, setting up a few array traps in the dense forest.

"It must have been when I took out the superior Ling Shi that these people targeted me."

Li Changshou thought to himself, feeling a bit helpless.

Ling Shi served as the hard currency in Dongsheng Shenzhou and Zhongshenzhou, because it had the widest range of uses, was in high demand among Qi refiners, and had a stable supply.

Superior Ling Shi, on the other hand, was only produced at the core of spirit veins, making it rare and precious, with much higher value than ordinary Ling Shi.

The dense forest three hundred zhang ahead was likely where they planned to strike.

It was just beyond the edge of the anti-five elements great array, the boundary where he could use Tu Dun to leave...

Clearly, they had planned this carefully.

The combat ability of his Zhi Dao Ren was questionable, especially in defense—it was only about as strong as a Hui Xu realm Qi refiner;

But the Xianli within it was directly infused from his own body, allowing him to cast powerful spells...

This place was close to Fang Zhen, though secluded, so any intense Yuanqi fluctuations would definitely attract a lot of Qi refiners.

Moreover, if the Zhi Dao Ren used up too much Xianli, it might "run out of fuel" and not make it back home.

This Zhi Dao Ren was carrying one-third of his assets, after all.

Although he had backups like Zhi Dao Ren Number Two and Number Three, it was better not to lose any if possible...

He had to end this quickly and make sure none of them touched him!

The closer he got to their trap, the stronger the sensation of eyes fixed on him became.

Since his true body wasn't there, he had no spiritual sense to warn him;

Li Changshou glanced at the diamond-shaped gem on his waist—it was his second-most satisfying refining creation, the Detection Stone.

—His first was the Soul-Capturing Pearl.

Over the past six years, besides adding restrictions like "anchoring the divine soul" and "stabilizing Xianli" to the Zhi Dao Ren, he had only made this little gadget.

Now, the gem glowed purple-red, indicating that more than three strands of immortal or spiritual senses were locked onto him.

In the forest ahead, the two figures hiding behind the trees watched him warily.

And there was another one lurking in the clouds above, seemingly just passing by, but maintaining the same flying speed and direction as Li Changshou...

So blatant?

Fang Zhen was indeed chaotic, full of scattered cultivators and all sorts of people, and once you left, there were no rules.

He was now a hundred zhang from their trap...

Fifty zhang...

Ten zhang...

Li Changshou suddenly stopped his cloud and muttered, "I forgot to buy some things."

With that, he turned to head back toward Fang Zhen.

Suddenly, a burst of treasure light smashed down from above, while two figures appeared from behind and two from in front, rushing at Li Changshou with flashing treasures in their hands!

Li Changshou's mouth twitched slightly, but he quickly put on a look of panic and dove straight into the underbrush below.

"You!What kind of people are you!"

Just barely avoiding it, a three-foot-tall square seal came crashing down with the force of thunder, right in front of him!

The fierce wind hit his face, making the long hair of this Zhi Dao Ren flutter wildly!

As soon as he landed, the five figures pounced from front, back, and above.

Li Changshou retreated two steps, gripping the sword hilt on his shoulder, and shouted,

"Hold on!We can talk this out!"

But the five showed no sign of stopping—two cast spells, two hurled treasures, all charging at Li Changshou.

Li Changshou's eyes narrowed, and he drew his long sword three inches from its sheath, sending out wisps of colorless, traceless powder propelled by his Xianli toward the five.

He executed exquisite footwork, narrowly dodging the incoming treasures, spells, and talismans, his movements appearing quite awkward.

The attacker in the air, the one with the highest cultivation, extended his left hand toward Li Changshou;

Ripples of mysterious energy suddenly appeared around Li Changshou, slowing his movements.

That treasure seal came smashing down again!

Li Changshou's aura erupted, revealing his Yuanxian level cultivation, forcefully breaking through the ripples, and once more narrowly evading the seal's strike!

With anger in his eyes, he roared, "Don't make me draw my sword!"

In the air, the middle-aged Daoist in the early Zhenxian realm sneered and retrieved the seal, only to throw it again, aiming straight for Li Changshou's forehead;

The other four unleashed spells and divine abilities, sealing off his retreat completely...

In the Great Wilderness, the way of smashing with stone tablets had been popular for ages.

Suddenly, among the group, the weakest one—a Gui Dao realm Qi refiner—stammered, "Little..."

The others turned to look, but all at once, their vision blurred.

The Zhenxian in the air turned pale, about to turn and flee, but his body staggered inexplicably, and he plummeted from the sky!

The four on the ground fell even faster, collapsing in the forest in an instant.

Li Changshou raised his left hand, and the Luotian Treasure Umbrella soared upward, deploying a barrier array.

He, who had been retreating while gripping his sword hilt, paused, then suddenly dashed forward along the ground, finally drawing his long... sword?

What kind of sword was this!

The hilt had only half a blade below it, the blade was blunt, and the tip split into seven strands of treasure ropes!

Li Changshou swung this strange sword, and the ropes instantly extended like the dusters of Qi Yuan Laodao, quickly wrapping around the still-falling Zhenxian and the other four!

With a pull, Li Changshou yanked the five figures toward him!

At the same time, from his sleeve, three Zhi Dao Ren somersaulted out and transformed into three stern old Daoists before even hitting the ground.

Zhi Dao Ren Number One pulled out a demon-exorcising wooden fish, Zhi Dao Ren Number Two held a soul-summoning gold bell and produced two jars of Incinerating Immortal Powder, and Zhi Dao Ren Number Three pounced like a hungry tiger...

The five piled up in front of Li Changshou like a human tower, and Number Two immediately scattered the Incinerating Immortal Powder as Number Three snatched their storage treasures;

From Li Changshou's palm, several clusters of Sanmei True Flame burst forth, wedged between the five.

Flames erupted in an instant...

The wooden fish began to knock, the bell rang out, and chanting echoed.

Li Changshou kept his eyes fixed on the direction of Fang Zhen, noticing people peering over, but none approached.

His immortal sense scanned the surrounding ten li, alert to any disturbances, while the thrown Soul-Capturing Pearl started spinning rapidly, absorbing the remnants of the five souls.

From his counterattack to leaving only ashes on the ground, it took less than the time for a cup of tea.

Li Changshou activated Tu Dun, sheathed his sword on his back, and the Zhi Dao Ren jumped back into his sleeve one by one;

He collected the half-destroyed treasures on the ground into a special bag for disposing of trash.

Finally, with a shake of his sleeve, the ashes scattered in the wind, turning into nutrients for the local plants;

He retrieved the improved Luotian Treasure Umbrella and stepped into the flowing sand on the ground, his figure speeding northward.

Those investigating the area only caught a glimpse of his retreating back and heard him mutter...

"I told you not to make me draw my sword."

What a formidable sword cultivator...

...

Li Changshou checked the Xianli reserves in the Zhi Dao Ren—they were still sufficient—so he headed north for ten thousand li, then veered east for a while before returning to Duxianmen.

The earlier situation had been truly dangerous...

Fortunately, that Zhenxian had been careless and overconfident, relying on smashing with treasures and not bringing out his full strength, so he was taken down by the poison powder Li Changshou released.

Now, Li Changshou had a new mi yao to replace Soft Immortal Powder—mi xin zui hun san.

The poison powder he released when drawing his sword included six types; by the time that Zhenxian fell from the sky, he was already half-dead, and what the Sanmei True Flame consumed was just his twitching Yuan Shen.

"If I had been that careless, I would have been the one finished."

Li Changshou reflected inwardly, taking it as a lesson;

He felt no joy at all from winning the fight and gaining their possessions.

There was nothing to be joyful about—it was his own lack of caution and rash behavior that had gotten him targeted.

He'd write a self-criticism when he got back and have his master go out for a stroll more often next time.

But...

Looking at the storage bags in his sleeve, filled with spiritual herbs, poisons, and spirit beast cubs, he figured he'd be busy for three to five years.

Time to get rich!

Wealth protects the Dao!

After hurrying along, Li Changshou returned to the secret forest at the agreed time.

He quietly poked his head out from the earth, quickly placed the square box, and checked his Detection Stone, which was faintly glowing.

Li Changshou soon located his master, Qi Yuan Laodao, hiding ten li away, and sent a voice transmission: "Master, please retract your immortal sense first."

Qi Yuan Laodao, who was curiously examining the Zhi Dao Ren, immediately complied and withdrew his immortal sense.

The diamond-shaped gem stopped glowing.

The Zhi Dao Ren's figure swayed and shrugged, muttering,

"Little, little, little..."

Strands of Xian light swirled around it, and the reinforced Zhi Dao Ren reappeared, its small shoulder bag bulging, agilely jumping into the box and pulling the lid shut behind it.

"All set, Master. Just take the box as if nothing happened, and we can head back to the mountain.

Next time, we'll find a good reason to go out for a stroll."

Qi Yuan Laodao chuckled lightly and flew over on his cloud to retrieve the box.

Li Changshou's mind returned to his true body in the Dan room, and he let out a long sigh of relief.

That feeling of fragility, helplessness, weakness, and pitifulness finally vanished.

His true body was still the most comfortable...

And safe.

...

"Exactly what would Senior Brother Changshou like?"

In Duxianmen, on Potian Peak, not far from the residence of the Nine Immortals with the character for 'wine,' there was a modest-looking cave dwelling.

Though plain from the outside, the interior was elegantly arranged.

Stepping inside led to a refined hall, with a one-zhang square lotus pond on the left, its bottom lined with spirit jade, the water glowing softly, and occasional glimpses of ornate carp beneath the lotus leaves;

On the right was a spacious reception area with meditation cushions, a low couch, screens, and curtains on either side, with a few landscape paintings hanging on the walls.

Further in, two paths branched off: one led to the quarters where the owner, the Zhenxian Jiang Jingshan, meditated and lived;

The other went to the boudoir of Jiang Jingshan's personal disciple, Youqin Xuanya, the leading disciple of Duxianmen's younger generation.

At that moment, Youqin Xuanya had just emerged from a state of enlightenment and was pondering this very question...

Her master had once said that exchanging gifts was an effective way to build closer relationships.

She wanted to give Senior Brother Changshou a gift and, in return, receive one from him, proving that he also considered her a 'friend.'

True friends required ongoing interaction and deepening bonds—people with whom you could share everything, a state that Youqin Xuanya greatly admired.

Unfortunately, she had none so far.

"My cultivation isn't high; I only have this one skill in Tu Dun, which might make people laugh if I mention it."

Tu Dun.

Youqin Xuanya blinked gently, her eyelashes fluttering as an idea struck her.

She turned toward the wardrobe nearby.

The room's furnishings were simple, but the pieces were all of exceptional material.

From the wardrobe, she took out a jewelry box, and as soon as she opened it, it radiated brilliant light, with various spiritual glows flickering inside.

These were gifts from her father and mother the emperor before she came to Duxianmen to seek immortality;

Although the mortal world of Nanzhou was filled with turbid Qi, and human emperors and kings were entangled in heavy karma—with few Qi refiners daring to interfere with a ruler's lifespan or destiny—

That didn't stop these rulers from obtaining Qi refining methods through various means.

Nearly half of the mortal human kingdoms had ways for their rulers to extend their lives, and Youqin Kingdom was a prime example of immortals and mortals mixing, with rulers and generals all possessing cultivation, rivaling a small immortal sect.

Youqin Xuanya rummaged through the box for a while and soon picked out a earthy-yellow treasure pearl.

This wasn't a magical treasure but a pearl formed naturally in a spirit vein, containing pure five elements earth power. Though not a major treasure, it provided some enhancement to earth-based spells.

And it worked the same for Tu Dun.

Such naturally formed pearls were over a hundred times more valuable than magical treasures or tools with similar effects.

"Would Senior Brother think the gift is too light?"

Youqin Xuanya pondered for a moment before deciding, placing the pearl into a delicate brocade box.

After thinking it over, she took out a square handkerchief, hesitated for half an hour, and finally wrote on it:

"Gift for Senior Brother Changshou."

She folded the handkerchief to cover the pearl, closed the brocade box, and smiled softly, her steps feeling lighter as she moved.