Being a Teaching Master wasn’t peaceful at all.

Just as the strategy barrel was showing promise, Li Changshou could only hang up a ‘Cat Immortal Not Home’ wooden sign, and sat in the pill room, carefully calculating in his heart.

What he sensed this time was an ominous sign accompanied by blood light;

Why would he have such a sensation?

Li Changshou couldn’t say for certain, but it could be understood as the Heaven’s Way protecting those guarded by merit;

If thinking more broadly, it might even be the Dao Teaching Sage Lord giving him a subtle hint in the mysterious void.

Sitting in the pill room, Li Changshou assumed a cultivation posture, calculated the incense merit power on his body, condensed these incense merits around his primordial spirit, making a thin…

Pair of boxer shorts.

No choice, the current incense merit wasn’t too much, accumulation insufficient, and the primordial spirit had no concept of vital points, the whole thing was just the sublimation of the soul.

Putting clothes on the little primordial spirit person naturally had to start with the first piece, couldn’t possibly start with socks…

Let’s discuss the main matter.

Li Changshou first carefully investigated the entire South Sea God Teaching’s situation through his connection to the divine statues.

Everything was stable everywhere, no disasters;

A large area of the South Jambu Continent’s South Sea coastline and a small area of the East Sea coast were now South Sea God Teaching’s incense territories.

The Dragon Clan had stationed over ten Dragon Clan experts in various places, with two Golden Immortals and twelve peak Celestial Immortal realms, all were South Sea God Teaching’s dharma protectors, and could also receive some incense merit.

Li Changshou wouldn’t let them work for nothing.

Although the Dragon Clan’s main purpose was to protect Second Prince Ao Yi of the East Sea Dragon Palace.

‘Could this ominous sign be about the Heaven Court?’

Now, the South Sea God Teaching’s Heaven Court appointment was imminent, with only one or two hundred years of procedures left to walk through, the Jade Emperor had spoken of this matter in the Jade Pure Palace…

Could someone not want to see the Heaven Court grow stronger, and thus want to move against the South Sea God Teaching?

No logic to it, opposing the Heaven Court meant opposing the Jade Emperor;

Opposing the Jade Emperor meant opposing the Dao Ancestor.

If judged by the Dao Ancestor as ‘defying heaven’s will’, this biggest winner of the primitive ancient times wouldn’t even need to act personally, the Three Pure Ones could scatter the schemer behind this…

No, one strike of Purple Imperial Divine Thunder, and not even ashes would remain!

No matter how you looked at it, the Jade Emperor was a life-saving talisman for the South Sea God Teaching.

Although the heavenly mechanisms of the Canonization Calamity hadn’t been shown yet, who would target them because of a small South Sea God Teaching being pacified by the Heaven Court?

Moreover, the Heaven Court’s influence was too low at this time, having no presence before the Great Sage Teachings…

Although Li Changshou couldn’t rule out this possibility, he only gave it a one-tenth probability.

The remaining nine-tenths, Li Changshou left for the worst-case scenario—

The Western Teaching was about to make their move.

‘If it is them, what would the motive be? Simply grabbing incense?’

Li Changshou felt his thoughts were somewhat clouded, activated Little Qiong Peak’s internal formations and went to the underground secret chamber.

Taking out paper and brush and laying them on the ground, he began carefully analyzing and writing.

Unable to mention the sages’ names, naturally unable to write down the sages’ names, Li Changshou used some ‘code names’, understanding in his heart what they meant.

If his deductions involved his own Supreme Pure Sage, he used a chicken leg to represent it, indicating this was the thigh.

For matters involving the Sovereign Lord of Primal Beginning and Lord of Emptiness, he used a luminous cup and bamboo basket to represent them;

For the Western Teaching’s two sages, Take-Joy was a wild orchid grass, and Complete-Brightness was a slingshot.

These had no actual meaning and avoided the possibility of people associating them with the sages.

Even when calculating the sages’ schemes against each other, it was just the wild orchid grass brushing against the slingshot, the slingshot shooting away the luminous cup…

Of course, Li Changshou wouldn’t do such calculations, he was just doing some possibility analysis and predictions about himself and the South Sea God Teaching.

Only by understanding what the enemy wanted to do could he find good ways to respond.

Li Changshou wrote and drew with his brush, quickly falling into deep thought.

However, Li Changshou hadn’t anticipated this time that he had miscalculated once, getting the causal relationship wrong…

Three days later…

…

In An Water City, at the South Sea God Teaching headquarters, in that now splendid grand temple.

In the deep night, pilgrims were gone from this place;

The Sea God Great Hall’s doors had been closed by strong divine messengers, with six divine messengers keeping night watch here.

That three-zhang tall gilded Sea God statue gradually emitted a strand of immortal light, which quickly withdrew.

From the blurred face of the Sea God statue, there seemed to be a gaze flying out, this ‘gaze’ even made a turn, falling on the two-zhang tall [Jade-inlaid gold, coral base, armored and cloaked] Second Teaching Master statue beside it.

‘Ao Yi…

Ao Yi?’

Between the two statues, strands of divine thoughts were quietly transmitted.

Meanwhile, at the treasure pool beside Golden Turtle Island where the South Sea and East Sea met.

Ao Yi, who was sitting on a lotus platform quietly cultivating, suddenly opened his eyes at this moment, then thinking of something, immediately closed them again.

Hazily and dimly, Ao Yi arrived at a dream realm where clouds and mists danced, seeing a huge Sea God statue.

Li Changshou stood at this statue’s feet, waiting for him in the distance…

This situation also confirmed Li Changshou’s identity as a ‘merit proxy’, with the real expert still behind the scenes…

Just a small detail.

Ao Yi hurried forward, made a Daoist bow to Li Changshou, and said happily: “Greetings, Teaching Master Brother!”

Li Changshou showed a worried expression, however, and said softly:

“No time for pleasantries, let’s discuss the main matter.

Brother Yi, the Dragon Clan is in danger.”

“This, what calamity is coming?” Ao Yi was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly asked, “Please, Teaching Master Brother, enlighten me!”

Li Changshou sighed inwardly.

He didn’t want to deceive Ao Yi, but this matter required the Dragon Clan’s effort, so he could only modify some words.

In Li Changshou’s calculations, the upcoming ominous sign was most likely the Western Teaching moving to ‘reclaim lost incense territory’, launching both mortal and immortal offensives.

Mortal believers’ conflicts and experts’ sneak attacks to destroy Sea God temples, two paths proceeding simultaneously…

Telling the Dragon Clan this directly, they might withdraw from the South Sea God Teaching out of fear of the Western Teaching’s sages.

So, Li Changshou could only be underhanded this once, to keep this strong support of the Dragon Clan stable.

If the Dragon Clan suffered too great losses, he would later give them four-tenths of the South Sea God Teaching’s incense as compensation for this matter…

Li Changshou said: “Brother Yi, do you know those two existences in the west have long been eyeing the Dragon Clan?”

Ao Yi was stunned for a moment, in his heart surfacing some words he had heard two old dragons discussing at a Dragon Clan banquet.

The Western Teaching had tried to pacify the Four Seas Dragon Palaces, wanting the Four Seas Dragon Kings to become the Western Teaching’s protective heavenly dragons, promising to use twelve-grade golden lotuses to suppress the Dragon Clan’s fortune.

But how could the Dragon Clan not know that those twelve-grade golden lotuses currently suppressing fortune had already suppressed who knows how many experts recruited by the Western Teaching!

No matter how strong an innate spiritual treasure was, it still had limits;

The Dragon Clan’s great fortune and their Western Teaching couldn’t suppress it, nor could they.

Thus, the Dragon Clan directly refused.

—This had happened just a few years ago.

Now that Li Changshou mentioned this, Ao Yi immediately reacted and thought of many things…

“Brother Changshou, what do you think?”

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, then said seriously:

“Using both kindness and might is the way of submission.

If they act both openly and secretly, secretly wounding the Dragon Clan, then revealing themselves at the critical moment to save the Dragon Clan, how could the Dragon Clan not submit?”

These words were spoken so well that Li Changshou almost believed them himself.

Ao Yi immediately drew in a sharp breath, pacing back and forth in the dream realm.

He wasn’t a foolish person either, although, at ages ten and teens, he had two dragon life blemishes…

Soon, Ao Yi said softly:

“Could they…

Want to use the South Sea God Teaching as bait? Lure our Dragon Clan experts to come, ambush and kill them, or surround them, then have their overt forces come to rescue?”

“Correct!

It should be so, the South Sea God Teaching will soon suffer a bloody disaster, it should correspond to this matter.”

Li Changshou said: “Brother Yi, time is of the essence, please quickly contact your father king to report this matter.

I have two plans.

First is for our two families to abandon the South Sea God Teaching, the Dragon Clan can preserve itself.

If they come to attack, I will directly dream-guide the divine messengers and followers to protect themselves and yield, not contending with them.

Second, if the Dragon Clan is unwilling to give up these merits and wants to clash with them, we can plan early, prepare in advance, close the door to beat the dog, and strike the enemy hard!”

Li Changshou paused and said: “Time is of the essence, Brother Yi should quickly contact the Dragon Palace, and let them make an early decision.”

Ao Yi immediately nodded and agreed, exchanging Daoist bows with Li Changshou, and the dream realm quickly dispersed.

In the underground chamber of Little Qiong Peak’s pill room, Li Changshou opened his eyes, slightly relieved.

The decision was left to the Dragon Clan…

This was also scheming against the Dragon Clan once, owing some favors.

Let’s get through this ‘great ominous sign’ first, then discuss other matters.

Li Changshou didn’t stop, continuing to spend mental energy, using the statues to start dream-guiding the South Sea God Teaching’s divine messengers with real power.

Village Chief Xiong, old gent… ahem, old divine messenger, was naturally a priority person for dream transmission.

Whatever happened, prepare responses first;

Let Xiong Village’s divine messengers move first, constrain followers, contract power boundaries, and prepare for conflicts that could break out at any time.

The South Sea God Teaching’s power distribution was rather long and narrow, making defense quite troublesome.

Even if this blood light ominous sign was actually just a small religious conflict, treat it as a disaster drill…

After dream-guiding, Li Changshou still had a pile of things to do, seven-tenths of his paper dolls and paper people had already been dispatched, rushing to the South Sea God Teaching in the South Jambu Continent.

His teaching, he naturally had to help protect.

Next, he needed to go find those old trees’ descendants, squeeze a bit of sap, and make it into paper dolls and paper people for backup.

Li Changshou could sense that the dark shadow extending dirty hands toward the South Sea God Teaching was not far from the South Sea God Teaching.

To prevent the smallest possibility;

The large batch of Spirit Food Jade Frogs on Little Qiong Peak were also mostly brought by paper dolls in spirit beast bags to reinforce the Sea God Teaching this time.

…

Meanwhile…

In a certain secret forest in the Western Bull Celebration Continent, in a valley under several layers of great formations.

Over ten figures flew in successively from various directions, landing in the valley, most with cultivation at the Celestial Immortal realm.

They included both men and women, mostly with aged faces, each with some vigilance in their gazes.

These people were all somewhat familiar with each other, and they all had one identity—

Western Teaching merit proxies.

Their respective divine statues were distributed in the southwest of the South Jambu Continent, near the South Sea God Teaching’s sphere of influence.

Being summoned now, these people could all vaguely deduce that this was about moving against the South Sea God’s Teaching.

So-called merit proxies meant establishing religious teachings in their names, developing believers, and absorbing incense merit, but ninety-five percent of this incense merit had to be extracted.

But being able to keep this little bit was already a huge benefit for them, not to mention having Great Sage Teaching’s backing…

“Oh? Everyone’s here?”

A light call and a charming figure appeared in the valley;

Wearing a pink gauze dress, hair falling to the waist, just looking from afar was quite enchanting.

This figure took one step and arrived before these ten-plus people, startling them all at once.

This was naturally Wen Jing Daoist.

At this time, Wen Jing Daoist took out a golden token from her bosom and lightly waved it, and these ten-plus people immediately lowered their heads, not daring to look directly.

“No need to know who this seat is, no need to ask where this seat comes from.

This seat just wants to discuss a small matter with you.”

Just as the ten-plus people were about to speak, they found their throats felt like being pricked by needles, unknowingly each already soaked in cold sweat.

A feeling of terror and fear slowly arose in their hearts.

Wen Jing Daoist’s lotus steps swayed lightly, her charming figure swaying three times with each step, her narrow phoenix eyes sweeping over these people one by one…

“Spirit lacking a bit, but merit not little counts as delicious.

But don’t worry, since you have responsibilities, this seat won’t use you as snacks, there’s an even more sumptuous feast waiting for this seat later.

I let you do one thing, one month later, simultaneously incite mortals to smash and loot the South Sea God Teaching.

At that time, I will have some puppets cooperate with you.

Your goal is to draw out those Dragon Clan dharma protectors in the South Sea God Teaching, kill half of them, keep half, and then lure more Dragon Clan experts to rush there.

At that time, what you need to do is continue inciting mortals to go obstruct these dragons…”

Wen Jing Daoist’s words paused, not continuing to say more.

Sweeping her gaze over these ten-plus people, Wen Jing Daoist only then discovered they had been scared speechless by her dao rhythm.

Giving a cold laugh, Wen Jing Daoist said indifferently:

“For what I just said, those who object can step forward half a step.”

An old woman showed hesitation, stepped forward half a step, and was about to speak.

But Wen Jing Daoist’s figure flickered, already appearing before this old woman, her slender finger flicking.

This old woman who was already at half-step Golden Immortal realm transformed into strands of black dust, gently scattering.

“Now, who agrees, who objects?”

The remaining ten-plus people were pale-faced, each lowering their heads not daring to show any expression.

Wen Jing Daoist laughed lightly, in her heart involuntarily surfacing that figure seen through the water curtain…

“Hmm…”

Compared to these food sources, that was what could be considered a true spirit being.