Chapter 88: New Gift Funeral Service

Qi Yuan looked at Li Changshou, who was sitting cross-legged, and was slightly taken aback. He turned his head and glared at Ling E.

"You said your senior brother was unconscious? He's perfectly fine!"

Ling E blinked and suddenly pointed behind Qi Yuan, exclaiming, "Master, look, Senior Brother's Yuan Shen has left his body!"

"Hmm?" Elder Qi Yuan turned around and saw his eldest disciple giving him a smile tinged with apology.

A faint, invigorating fragrance wafted into Qi Yuan's nose, and before the elder could react, the medicinal effects had already taken hold of his Yuan Shen.

Already weakened as a turbid immortal, Qi Yuan's eyes rolled back, and his body slowly toppled over...

The "Li Changshou" figure acted swiftly, pulling out a beast skin sack and covering their master with it in one smooth motion.

He softly commanded, "Shrink!"

This sack, crafted from the hides of over a dozen spirit beasts and custom-made as the "Master Exclusive Version," instantly shrank to the size of a pouch. "Li Changshou" handed it to Ling E.

Ling E sealed the porcelain bottle in her hand and said uneasily, "Senior Brother, are we scheming against Master like this? Will he scold us to death later...?"

"Li Changshou" stood with his hands behind his back and transmitted his voice, "You know Master's temperament. If a strong enemy attacks, he'd rush to the front lines. I'll explain everything to him afterward.

Just like in our previous rehearsals, stay here and wait. When the sect's bell rings and the disciples head to Broken Heaven Peak, use earth escape to take Master and me to the earth veins first.

I'll use paper effigies to help in the battle, so my mind won't be here."

Ling E's expression turned serious as she replied, "Understood! Senior Brother, you can count on me! I'll take good care of you and Master!"

"There's no need to worry too much; I'll always be watching over you and Master," "Li Changshou" transmitted. "Even if we can't hold Du Xian Men this time, I'll make sure to protect you both."

Ling E bit her lip and asked softly, "Senior Brother, I still feel a bit uneasy...

What realm are you in right now?"

"Li Changshou" smirked. "Returning Void eighth stage."

"Oh," Ling E murmured, pursing her lips without asking more.

Li Changshou chuckled softly, not lingering as he needed to conserve his mental energy for what lay ahead...

This paper effigy sat down in front of the Dan furnace and closed its eyes.

Ling E knelt beside her senior brother, tying the sack containing their master to her waist, and quietly waited for the bell to ring.

Although she didn't know exactly what the strong enemy was about, if her senior brother said there was one, it was almost certainly true...

And the other twenty percent possibility?

It might just be another little test from her senior brother!

...

While this senior brother and sister duo were working together to knock out their master;

Three thousand li away, in two different directions, two groups of "enemy forces" had already charged into the areas dense with poison arrays.

From above, one could see some peculiar sights.

Swarms of shadows, like locusts, skimmed along the ground, but they kept stopping and starting, their formations frequently disrupted.

Without warning, thick fog would erupt from the terrain ahead and on their sides, or clouds of powder would swirl up.

Even though they were on guard, each time a poison array activated, several figures inevitably collapsed.

Li Changshou couldn't help but feel a bit impressed by this...

'The other side still hasn't realized what's happening.'

Logically, they should have known they were exposed from the first poison array.

What Li Changshou had worried about most was that these puppets might fly straight into the air and head directly for the Du Xian Men mountain gate, rendering the subsequent poison arrays less effective...

But as Li Changshou had assumed, after becoming puppets, these demons, humans, and spirits had lost most of their ability to think, acting only on orders.

This gave the poison arrays plenty of room to work.

Calculating the distance of the two enemy groups from the mountain gate, they were now approaching two thousand five hundred li.

Li Changshou sighed inwardly and, through his two paper effigies, fully activated the remaining poison arrays in those directions.

If he'd known the enemy was this stubborn, he might have set up ten times as many poison arrays in several directions at once—perhaps resolving most of the sect's crisis.

Oh well, the elders didn't provide that many poison pills, and wishful thinking was pointless.

From the tree trunk and the bottom of the pond, the two paper effigies that had completed the first half of their mission vanished into hiding, temporarily withdrawing.

And Li Changshou's mind...

Shifted instantly to Paper Effigy Explosion Number Three and Number Five!

In mere moments, from a dense forest just a few li from the protective mountain array and from a stream, two stern-faced elders flew out.

They soared straight into the air, positioning themselves perfectly to overlook Du Xian Men from the southwest and northwest directions.

These two elders' auras fluctuated wildly, with immortal power surging through their bodies.

From within Du Xian Men, various immortal senses probed out and were immediately drawn to these two figures.

An elderly elder murmured what was on everyone's mind:

"What are these two Daoist friends up to? They look so unfamiliar..."

Snap!

In the darkness, Li Changshou snapped his fingers and quickly withdrew his mind from the two paper effigies.

"Open your eyes and see!"

The two elders each threw back their heads and roared, bursting forth with dazzling immortal light from within...

And with that, they self-destructed right outside the array!

The thunderous booms echoed like rolling heavenly thunder, the surging immortal energy turning into shockwaves that crashed forward, making the protective mountain array tremble violently!

This left the immortals of Du Xian Men, who had witnessed the scene, completely baffled.

What was going on?

Two Daoists suddenly appeared, shouted a couple of lines, and then self-destructed—just to shake the protective array? To make some noise for them?

Even the Du Xian Men sect leader was jolted awake from his meditation...

His Golden Immortal sense swept along those two directions and immediately detected the swarms of shadows rapidly approaching the sect!

"Oh no!"

This middle-aged Daoist leaped from his seclusion spot, appearing atop Broken Heaven Peak. He looked toward the northwest, then the southwest, and bellowed, his voice carrying for thousands of li:

"Which evildoers dare attack Du Xian Men?

All peak elders and disciples, heed my command!

Prepare for battle and defend the mountain gate!"

Beside the main hall, the large bell's striker was seized by two flustered true immortals, who hammered the sect's great bronze bell with all their might!

Throughout the sect, those in seclusion, cultivation, playing chess, chatting, or enjoying Daoist companion activities were all shaken awake by the sect leader's roar!

Figures burst from various peaks...

Meanwhile, the two groups of mosquito-like puppets, still over two thousand li away, finally realized their traces had been exposed...

Elder Yuan Ze, wearing a withered wood mask, along with the other two "false" Golden Immortals, issued orders simultaneously in both directions!

The figures that had been racing along the ground now rose in ranks into the air, forming two thick clouds as they hurried toward Du Xian Men.

These three Qi Ao Island cultivators, who had been concealing their forms and auras, fully unleashed their Golden Immortal pressures!

From within Du Xian Men, the sect leader and another Golden Immortal aura soared into the sky in response!

Li Changshou observed secretly and noticed that the other Golden Immortal aura came from the Daoist Scripture Hall...

Was that...

Elder Qi Ling?

Tsk, that Daoist title is indeed suspicious!

Before Li Changshou could think more, roars echoed from the various peaks.

Sixteen of the taller peaks shot beams of light into the sky, channeling endless spiritual energy into the protective mountain array!

The array, once thin and smooth, now thickened and strengthened, operating at full power!

From the southwest and northwest, two ominous dark clouds charged forward menacingly, their speed not much faster than their earlier ground flight...

A full-frontal assault, no holds barred!

Since the enemy had been detected in time, Du Xian Men began to organize its defenses methodically.

The true immortals and heavenly immortals from each peak gathered at Broken Heaven Peak and were then divided into two groups, flying to the southwest and northwest to guard the outer peaks.

The primal immortals assembled on Broken Heaven Peak to form arrays.

The disciples from each peak were quickly led to the Hall of a Hundred Affairs on Broken Heaven Peak.

Youqin Xuanya, along with several Broken Heaven Peak disciples, busied themselves directing these non-combatants to assemble orderly in front of the hall.

For now, there was no rush to evacuate.

The protective mountain array was the first line of defense.

The sect's experts were the second layer.

If the battle turned dire and it came to life or death, these disciples and some primal immortals would be sent underground via the earth vein teleportation array...

At this moment, most of Du Xian Men's immortals were confused, unsure why they were suddenly under attack.

But they wouldn't just surrender!

The immortals of Du Xian Men shed their usual kindness and smiles.

Some gritted their teeth, glaring at the distant intruders who had disturbed their peaceful cultivation.

Others had faces like iron, their eyes filled with fury, anger stirring in their Dao hearts.

Though a few showed signs of tension and worry, most held firm without faltering...

Meanwhile, on Little Qiong Peak.

The multiple layers of arrays Li Changshou had set up were now active, turning the place into a danger zone.

Ling E, carrying "Human Number Three" and with their dazed master in tow, used earth escape to make her way toward the earth veins...

On her slender shoulders rested the future of Little Qiong Peak!

In this moment, she set aside her usual playfulness, her eyes flashing with keen alertness, far beyond the ordinary.

In the empty alchemy room, on a bookshelf in the corner,

A bamboo box was pushed open, and another paper effigy emerged, with "Heaven · Eight" written on its back.

The paper effigy jumped to the ground, wobbling as it transformed into Qi Yuan's appearance, holding three array control jade plaques in its hand.

Li Changshou left a small portion of his mind here to observe the sect's battle.

Then, he multitasked, retrieving the two paper effigies that had been controlling the poison arrays from the tree trunk and pond.

Their work was far from done.

The two paper effigies moved in near-perfect sync, and from their sleeves leaped several original paper effigies.

The paper effigies then used earth escape to head toward the areas where the poison arrays had activated,

While the two groups—each with four paper effigies—transformed into men and women of various ages and followed closely above, flying forward...

The puppets had abandoned their fallen comrades' bodies, but Li Changshou could not.

Beyond collecting the bodies, the paper effigies began to disperse the lingering poison fog, to avoid leaving any traces that might invite new karma.

Protecting the Honghuang environment is everyone's responsibility.

In the two directions, eight original paper effigies with divine abilities worked efficiently and in coordination.

The two paper effigies powered by Li Changshou's Yuan Shen stayed hidden underground, not daring to surface...

There was no choice—anti-mosquito precautions were essential!

The eight paper effigies divided tasks clearly, cooperating seamlessly with high efficiency and stability.

They used poison-absorbing treasure pouches to collect the scattered toxins,

Destroyed any untriggered poison arrays,

Gathered the bodies and conveniently took the storage treasures from them...

Halfway through, thunderous sounds erupted at the Du Xian Men mountain gate.

The five Golden Immortals were now clashing nearby, their battle waves coloring the sky and shaking the earth.

Du Xian Men's sect leader faced two opponents in the southwest, while Elder Qi Ling blocked another Golden Immortal in the northwest, preventing the three Golden Immortal foes from approaching the protective array.

Treasures flashed in all directions as they smashed into each other like bricks!

But outside the array, the swarm of aggressive heavenly immortals had begun bombarding the array wall...

Li Changshou didn't interfere, as it wasn't yet time for his heavenly paper effigy to appear. Breaking the array would take time.

The paper effigies sped up their work and managed to gather the enemies' bodies and clear the poison gas before the array was breached.

Then, two Luotian treasure umbrellas were tossed into the air, opening to form isolating barriers.

Four paper effigies each threw out a soul-gathering pearl, conducting a high-intensity search for remnant souls, and pulled out a wooden fish, a copper bell, a wooden clapper, and a suona.

The one with the wooden fish recited the Degree of Persons Sutra,

The one with the clapper recited the Disaster-Averting Prayer,

The one with the copper bell recited the Rebirth Mantra,

And the two with the suona sprinkled three flavors of true flame, igniting the bodies of the demons, humans, and spirits in both locations. Then, they took a deep breath and blew a mournful tune toward the sky...

Now, in addition to forced deliverance, they offered funeral services!

The five Golden Immortals battled near Du Xian Men, filling the sky with radiant lights and making the ground rumble.

Li Changshou monitored the situation briefly, and after a while, the bodies in both places had burned to ash, and the scriptures had been fully recited, leaving two large piles of black ashes on the ground.

In these special circumstances, the four paper effigies acted together to scatter the ashes...

They had to sacrifice a bit of the ritual's solemnity.

Anyway, there would be more opportunities in this battle...

Once the traces were cleared, the eight paper effigies used earth escape to dive underground and return to the sleeves of the two paper effigies.

Those two paper effigies, having officially completed their tasks, headed back to their original hiding spots, waiting to be recovered or destroyed by Li Changshou.

If Du Xian Men held firm, there might be a chance to recover them—paper effigies weren't easy to make.

If Du Xian Men fell this time, there was no helping it; all the paper effigies and paper figures would have to be completely destroyed, leaving no trace...