Chapter 94: Seeking Stability

Muttering and rustling sounds filled the air.

'Li Changshou' and Ling E stood before Youqin Xuanya, with Ling E and Youqin Xuanya whispering quietly to each other, while 'Li Changshou' simply nodded or shook his head gently.

In reality, it was 'Li Changshou' secretly transmitting his voice, and he subtly passed a porcelain bottle to Youqin Xuanya.

Youqin Xuanya responded via voice transmission: "Senior Brother Changshou, why don't you step forward and handle this yourself? I know you don't wish to be burdened by fame, but the recognition that should be yours ought to go to you."

'Li Changshou' smiled and transmitted back: "Junior Sister Youqin, if you could see what I see and hear what I hear, you wouldn't ask such a question."

Youqin Xuanya was clearly taken aback.

She gazed at Li Changshou, then nodded slightly to the fellow disciple before her, whose smile was always so gentle.

It seemed she had understood something.

Though Li Changshou himself didn't quite know what she had grasped.

But she probably had understood something.

Li Changshou felt he was gradually mastering some small techniques for dealing with this Junior Sister Youqin.

Many disciples around noticed the scene but had no idea what the three were discussing.

"Who is that fellow disciple?"

"Isn't he Ling E's senior brother? He fought against the Qi Refiners from Jin'ao Island and the prince of Long Gong before, right?"

"Oh... the wolf-tooth club! How could I have forgotten that? My memory is truly terrible."

Li Changshou transmitted: "Junior Sister Youqin, we shouldn't delay. The enemy might find us any moment now."

Youqin Xuanya quickly nodded, slung her great sword over her back, and rode the clouds into the air, looking down at the chaotic crowd below.

Youqin Xuanya shouted:

"Everyone, time is pressing, so please hear me out!

"I have a method to repel the strong enemy.

"The invaders are using Peng Yao for transportation and are following the ground veins to attack. Escaping this place is no longer possible!"

The crowd of disciples below simply looked up in silence.

Fortunately, Youqin Xuanya stood on a white cloud that no one could see through.

She held up the porcelain bottle and called out:

"Everyone, look here! This is an unparalleled poison pill granted by Elder Wanlin Jun, capable of slaying Tianxian realm experts!

"Shortly, I will join several senior brothers and sisters to set up an array with this poison pill and see if we can severely wound the enemy!

"Please retreat to the earth cave and wait near the ground veins.

"Esteemed elders, I ask you to heed my words!

"If we senior brothers, sisters, and I fail, then it will be up to you elders to fight with your lives to protect the disciples!"

Youqin Xuanya's words were impassioned and full of genuine emotion.

If Li Changshou hadn't already arranged the subsequent battle plan, and if he hadn't already gauged the strength of the Tianxian realm elder who attacked the mountain gate earlier—with a 99 percent certainty of defeating the intruder—he might have been moved by her speech himself.

Incidentally, that remaining 0.1 percent chance of failure was, as per convention, attributed to the unpredictable whims of the Heavenly Dao.

One must always show proper respect to the Heavenly Dao!

Several elders immediately stepped forward, intending to take the poison pill in Youqin Xuanya's place.

Elder Tian said: "Xuanya, a Tianxian is no trifling matter..."

"Elder!" Youqin Xuanya's eyes seemed to sparkle like stars as she said firmly, "Please trust me!"

"This..."

"Xuanya, how about I and Elder Tian stay here to assist, and you join us in the defense? What do you think?"

Another Zhenxian realm outer affairs elder added: "Then the two of us can guard the disciples and set up another array in the earth cave as a second line of ambush."

Youqin Xuanya pondered briefly, then, hearing Li Changshou's voice transmission, agreed at once.

The elders called out a few instructions, and the disciples who had just emerged from underground quickly flew toward the earth cave deep in the valley.

Today, these pre-immortal disciples were truly in a sorry state.

In a corner nearby, Ling E muttered softly: "This works?"

'Li Changshou' stood with his hands behind his back and transmitted: "Some people and some things can't be understood through ordinary logic."

Ling E immediately adopted a thoughtful expression, looked up at her senior brother, and whispered:

"What about you, senior brother?"

"Be serious. There are still many troubles to handle next."

Li Changshou transmitted that and stepped back half a pace to avoid the line of sight from the earth cave direction.

"Ling E, make sure to stay close to me later. Don't wander off."

"Understood!"

Ling E reached out carefully and grasped the hem of Li Changshou's robe; even in danger, a slight blush crept onto her face.

Li Changshou transmitted calmly: "Let's set some ground rules."

"Hmph," Ling E stepped sideways, clasped her hands behind her back, and stood there as if she weren't very familiar with her senior brother.

At this moment, no one paid much attention to this attractive but low-cultivation female disciple.

Many disciples approached Youqin Xuanya, insisting they wanted to stay and fight alongside her.

But Youqin Xuanya, recalling Li Changshou's earlier instructions, repeatedly declined, and in the end, only kept Li Changshou and Ling E behind on the grounds that 'Xiao Qiong Peak disciples are skilled in earth escape'.

Before long, the elders worked together to quickly set up a concealing array at the earth cave entrance.

This also blocked any external probes into the earth cave interior.

The strong enemy could arrive at any time, likely still tracking along the ground veins, which had delayed them slightly.

'Or perhaps, they have other schemes? We must guard against that.'

Li Changshou pondered continuously in his heart, glanced at Ling E, and continued to guide Youqin Xuanya secretly.

Since he had chosen to use Youqin as a tool in this situation, he would maximize her role.

Later, he would need to take some care to ensure she wasn't exposed.

The two Zhenxian realm outer affairs elders, along with their three disciples, flew directly out of the valley and positioned themselves on a prominent gentle slope nearby, deliberately revealing their auras.

This was to draw the enemy's attention.

At that moment, one of the elders turned and glanced at Li Changshou and Ling E, about to warn them to be careful, but in the end, only sighed softly:

"You two are skilled in earth escape. If things go wrong, prioritize your own safety!"

Li Changshou and Ling E exchanged a look and bowed their heads in acknowledgment.

Soon, two trapping arrays and protective arrays were set up on the slope, looking quite convincing.

The two Zhenxian realm elders also took the poison pill and carefully examined it.

It was indeed a pill refined by Elder Wanlin Jun; as they probed it, their spiritual senses trembled, recognizing it as an extraordinary item.

In truth, it was just a sedative—a mind-bewildering soul-scattering powder.

Thus, the elders' gazes held a bit less worry and resolve, replaced by a glimmer of hope.

While they were setting up, Li Changshou led Ling E to hide behind a large boulder, focusing his mind on the battle at the mountain gate.

The burly paper daoist made his second appearance, but the effect was not ideal.

By then, the blood mosquito puppets had caught on and did not immediately pursue; instead, they launched a frenzied assault on Potian Peak.

After all, the previous batch of 'fellow daoists' had been silently wiped out on a peak, which was suspicious no matter how you looked at it.

Most of the Du Xian Men immortals assumed that the burly man's disheveled return meant he had fought a bloody battle and slain so many great demons, which was truly admirable.

The burly man continued to curse and shout, but all he got in response were divine powers and treasures; for a time, he couldn't lure the enemy away.

'Forget it.'

Leading too many enemies to Xiao Qiong Peak once or twice could be coincidence, but doing it repeatedly would be hard to explain.

The battle at Du Xian Men's main peak was stabilizing, and the blood mosquito puppets had lost their momentum.

Du Xian Men was still under pressure, but the rate of casualties had slowed considerably, with the roles of Elder Wanlin Jun, Master Wangqing, and other experts becoming more prominent.

Yet the situation wasn't entirely secure.

Now, it all hinged on the outcome of the Jin Xian battle above; that was the key.

If, before the Ren Jiao experts arrived, either the Du Xian Men sect leader or Elder Qi Ling lost, then Du Xian Men would still face total defeat.

'How could I possibly intervene in a Jin Xian level confrontation?'

The thought crossed Li Changshou's mind, and he furrowed his brow, reflecting on himself.

Was he overstepping his bounds?

This issue clearly exceeded his current capabilities and wasn't something he absolutely had to do.

Could some kind of karmic tribulation be entangling him?

Otherwise, why would such a ridiculous idea occur to him?

Li Changshou didn't dwell on it further. After clarifying his thoughts, he continued with his own plan.

A moment later,

The Ren Zi No. 3 paper daoist beside Ling E sensed the demonic aura of the Peng Yao. Though it had taken a detour, it was still 'successfully' closing in.

Immediately, Li Changshou controlled the three paper daoists swiftly flying in the mountain gate; the burly man and the senior brother-sister pair actively charged toward the main array of the mosquito puppets.

The three 'people' quickly fell into dire straits, beyond saving.

But they fought valiantly and fearlessly, ultimately rushing into the densely packed area of great demons and self-destructing instantly!

The Du Xian Men immortals watched and cried out loudly, "Fellow daoists, no!", with many reclusive elders sighing to the sky.

However,

Both sides felt that this scene seemed oddly familiar, as if they'd seen it before.

Li Changshou felt a pang of heartache.

These three paper daoists were, after all, the highest quality he could currently produce, using the most paper.

But there was no choice; they had fulfilled their roles and were tainted with karma.

Especially the burly one's incarnation, who had cursed the demon race so freely—it might cause issues if some big shots related to the demons, like Lu Ya Dao Ren, dug up old grudges later.

But with their self-destruction, that was the end of it.

The demon emperor was the one the burly man cursed; what did that have to do with a Ren Jiao peripheral disciple like Li Changshou of Xiao Qiong Peak?

Glancing secretly at the various anti-divination trinkets on himself, Li Changshou didn't think about it anymore.

In fact, the demon race had long since withdrawn from the Honghuang stage. Back then, the demon emperor had slaughtered humans on a massive scale to create a heaven-defying treasure against the witches, nearly wiping out the human race and forging an unending feud.

Fortunately, the Nuwa Saint, who already held a grudge against the demon emperor, along with Daoist experts, had protected the human bloodline.

As a human, mocking the demon emperor like this was nothing; even dancing on his grave wouldn't be rude.

—And such things had indeed happened.

At the end of antiquity, after the third decisive battle of the Wu-Yao War, the demon race was severely weakened. Humans seized the opportunity for a great victory, and a human tribal leader ordered dances and music at the fallen demon court for decades as celebration.

The rise of humanity wasn't just from worshiping heaven and earth or revering the three religions' leaders.

It came at the cost of countless lives, proving how difficult it was.

Later, when humans spoke of those events, they would say, 'The discord between witches and demons was against the heavenly order,' thereby highlighting humanity's rise as aligned with heaven.

From this battle onward, Li Changshou felt deeply.

Just a single behind-the-scenes manipulator trying to scheme against Du Xian Men had led to so many Zhenxian and Tianxian deaths.

Concealing and severing karma were equally important.

In the future, it wasn't about whether to hide or not.

It was about hiding as deeply as possible.

At that moment, the Tian Zi No. 2 paper daoist was lurking underground at Potian Peak.

The Tian Zi No. 8 paper daoist, disguised as Master Qi Yuan, was sitting quietly in the alchemy room, secretly controlling the Xiao Qiong Peak array.

Li Changshou devoted most of his focus to the Ren Zi No. 3 paper daoist, guarding his junior sister and master, preparing to strike and eliminate the incoming Tianxian elder, thus protecting Du Xian Men's 'branches and leaves'.

The battle around Potian Peak no longer needed his intervention.

From the start of the war to now, not much time had passed, but Li Changshou felt he had done more than enough.

Everything in moderation.

The Du Xian Men immortals mostly felt only guilt and gratitude toward the three 'warm-hearted fellow daoists' who had been besieged and self-destructed, their souls presumably destroyed.

That was sufficient.

Of course, Li Changshou never imagined that some supreme elders were already planning to erect monuments in their honor—a rather absurd notion.

Six thousand li east of Du Xian Men, the great Qing Peng demon soared through the air, circling for a while before two immortal senses locked onto the group below.

Li Changshou transmitted to Ling E: "Stay closer to me. It's fine even if you use me as a shield."

"Huh?"

Ling E blinked, quickly hid behind her senior brother, and 'Li Changshou' fully shielded her.

Youqin Xuanya and the two outer affairs elders were on high alert, with their surrounding arrays ready to activate at any moment.

Underground, Ling E whispered curiously, her face slightly flushed: "Senior brother, why are you acting this way today..."

"Watch and learn, speak less."

'Li Changshou' said that, and Ling E nodded obediently, feeling a bit tense.

Suddenly, several streaks of light shot down from above; the two elders joined forces, triggering the surrounding arrays to barely block them.

Then, the Peng Yao folded its wings and dove from the sky with incredible speed!

But the figure on the Peng Yao's back remained hovering in the air.

This Tianxian elder, controlled by the blood mosquito divine power, had a profound impression of the 'poison' immortals.