Actually…

For this treasure hunt, the arrangements Elder Li had made went far beyond what was visible.

At this moment, across the Middle Divine Continent and Southern Blessed Continent, there were seven or eight locations with the “Headless Mountain-Great River-Valley” terrain, where varying numbers of paper avatars and immortal bean soldiers were buried.

These places were all in uninhabited areas, but Elder Li would create scenes suggesting the aftermath of great battles, and leave behind traces of “destroyed sects.”

These were all protective measures.

Elder Li had previously considered things quite thoroughly.

“As long as I search for treasures, I’ll leave traces behind. Moreover, trying to take the Bull Demons’ tribal treasure without alerting them would be too difficult. And the four great seniors – Fu Xi, Xuan Yuan, Shen Nong, and Da Yu – know the treasure-hunting route. Unavoidable disturbances will be made, unavoidably becoming known to others, so the risk of exposing my true form will always exist.”

Therefore, after comprehensive consideration, Elder Li had only two choices.

Either abandon the treasure hunt and find other ways to strengthen himself, such as studying the profound methods Senior Xuan Yuan had given him;

Or make more arrangements and directly use his identity as the “Heavenly Court Sea God” to search for treasures in multiple areas, leaving behind misleading information to minimize the possibility of exposing his true form.

This way, those who didn’t know his treasure-hunting path would only know that the Heavenly Court Sea God was causing trouble;

Those who knew his treasure-hunting path couldn’t directly determine where Elder Li’s true form was when he entered Fire Cloud Cave.

Although he still had to consider factors like “Mount Du being the Human Dao’s inheritance,” Elder Li also had contingency plans for Little Qiong Peak.

It wasn’t that Elder Li didn’t trust these four retired Human Sovereigns; the key was that Fire Cloud Cave didn’t just contain the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, but also their three thousand consorts…

To coordinate with the overall plan, Elder Li couldn’t cause too many demon casualties in Chi Tie City and the Bull Demon Valley.

Even upon seeing the Bull Demons’ treasury, Elder Li had already decided not to touch those treasured materials and weapons, only seeking “the destiny meant for him.”

But now, these thorough arrangements and carefully planned preparations had been completely…

Wasted.

Why…

Elder Li was now repeatedly asking himself these three words.

Why exactly?

He had used so many resources, launched an all-around feint attack, and even sacrificed a Golden Immortal paper avatar, and the only gain was…

[Ding, you’ve discovered the Highest Elder of the Severing Sect’s quirk]

Who could he complain to about this?

Having seen all kinds of bizarre situations under social pressure in his previous life, Elder Li didn’t find this kind of thing shameful. Great figures were living beings too, and all living beings were imperfect – this was the natural Way.

But no matter how he rationalized it, why did Duo Bao appear?

He was just searching for a post-celestial treasure, how could the difficulty be so high? Did he have to defeat Senior Duo Bao?

Elder Li sighed softly, realizing he was getting somewhat worked up, and immediately recited the Heart-Clearing Mantra, quickly cooling his mind.

There had been an unexpected situation, naturally, there would be contingency plans.

Though earlier he hadn’t considered…

Forget it, he truly hadn’t been able to consider this kind of situation before!

Just then, the Purple-Gold Bowl descended from above, sealing off a thousand-li area.

Elder Li’s paper avatar looked up, immediately making the most rational decision.

Destroy!

At this moment, the immortal bean soldier army was still some distance from Chi Tie City.

The immortal bean soldiers were like timers – the time before they reached Chi Tie City’s outer formation was Elder Li’s “operation time.”

Unfortunately, they were now useless.

Elder Li gave the immortal bean soldiers the command to stand still. The twenty-some paper avatars mixed among the immortal bean soldiers made a uniform motion—

Hands raised to the heavens!

Streams of Samadhi True Flame surged from these paper avatars’ palms, transforming into fire dragons that raged in all directions. In the blink of an eye, they completely ignited the tens of thousands of immortal bean soldiers!

This army responsible for the feint attack and pressure was all made of magical products;

Now infected by the true flame condensed from Elder Li’s Golden Immortal power, they were instantly consumed by fire, turning to ashes along with the twenty paper avatars!

Elder Li wasn’t particularly pained by such losses.

The immortal bean soldiers could only exist for at most twelve hours; once the time was up, they would disperse their immortal power and self-destruct.

The non-Golden Immortal paper avatars only consumed spirit trees from Little Qiong Peak.

Next, taking advantage of the Purple-Gold Bowl’s descent, the immortal bean soldiers’ self-immolation, the confusion of the city’s demons, and the anxiety of the three Golden Immortal great demons outside the city;

The three Golden Immortal paper avatars entangled with the three great bull demons simultaneously burst with immortal power, each shaking off their respective bull demons!

These three paper avatars immediately turned and used wind escape techniques, instantly disappearing from their opponents’ vision and immortal sense.

Elder Li’s paper avatars had a notable characteristic – their combat ability was average, but their escape techniques were absolutely superior among their peers…

In the wind, only the “human woman’s” fierce words remained:

“You’re formidable indeed!”

The three bull tribe experts were all bewildered.

How were they formidable?

They had only exchanged a few moves, weren’t they still in the probing stage of battle?

Not just at Chi Tie City, but at the Bull Demon Valley, the paper avatars that hadn’t appeared immediately used earth escape techniques, hiding toward the depths of the earth, and entering the ground veins.

The paper avatars that had already appeared uniformly activated their self-destruct restrictions, instantly turning to ashes, water stains, lightning, and flying feathers.

Thus, the bull demons fell into deep confusion.

One moment ago, Chi Tie City and the valley treasury were in imminent danger, with human cultivators showing overwhelming momentum;

The next moment, ashes floated everywhere, strong enemies had vanished without a trace, and a Purple-Gold Bowl covered a thousand li.

Was it a dream?

Or some kind of illusion formation?

What sinister plots did the humans have?!

Several bull demon tribe “wise ones” couldn’t help but cover their foreheads, feeling their bull heads were about to explode.

“Mother! What are these humans doing?”

“I understand! Tens of thousands of humans sacrificed themselves to heaven to perform such evil magical arts!”

An old bull pointed at the bowl that was like a prison, shouting: “Our bull tribe is in danger! Chi Tie City is in danger!”

Thus, miserable cries once again spread throughout the city…

As the crowd of demons felt the pressure emanating from the Purple-Gold Bowl, sensing the vast magical power contained within it that made demons despair, the entire Chi Tie City and Bull Demon Valley fell into a new round of panic…

These things no longer had anything to do with Elder Li.

At this time, Elder Li had already gathered his five Golden Immortal paper avatars together, with one paper avatar storing the other four, hiding in the depths of the earth.

There was no choice; Elder Li’s paper avatars were also trapped within the bowl.

Originally, Elder Li had prepared to destroy all five Golden Immortal paper avatars;

But just as he was about to act, feeling the immortal sense locked onto himself, and looking again at the bowl above…

If he destroyed everything now, then the karmic ties with Senior Duo Bao would be officially established.

Who was Duo Bao?

The Great Elder of the Jie Sect, Supreme Lord Tong Tian’s senior disciple – he was a Dao realm great figure who could sit at the same table and drink with his own Grand Master.

Having inadvertently glimpsed a bit of his privacy, how could one live in peace?

Moreover, this time he had directly used the “Sea God package,” and Senior Duo Bao would naturally lock onto the “Heavenly Court Sea God” when his calculations were blocked by the Taiji Diagram.

Think of a solution, quickly think of a solution.

If all else failed, he could make a Great Dao oath, promising never to spread this matter.

No, that wouldn’t be enough…

“Sigh…”

Digging for treasures impoverishes three generations, and seeking treasures ruins one’s life.

In the future, he should avoid having random thoughts about “enriching himself” and just focus peacefully on developing magical arts, formations, and alchemy.

What a profound lesson!

Later, he would copy the “Scripture of Stability” nine thousand… well, three thousand times, and invite Junior Sister to supervise, reflecting on why he suddenly developed a desire for spiritual treasures – mere external possessions.

“Ahem! Hey there!”

Suddenly, Elder Li’s paper avatar heard a transmitted voice.

“Little Sea God, no, Friend Sea God, why don’t you come back to the treasury for a chat?”

Elder Li controlled his paper avatar to make a Daoist salute, looking at the formation surrounding the Bull Demon Valley.

Just as he was hesitating, Senior Duo Bao’s transmitted voice reached his ears again.

This time, he pointed out a hidden passage – the treasure-hunting path that Senior Duo Bao had previously excavated.

…

A moment later, in the bull demons’ treasury.

Two figures stood facing each other three zhang apart, time seeming to freeze once again in this place.

On the left, a middle-aged cultivator’s straight figure wrapped in a dark Daoist robe – naturally Elder Li’s paper avatar.

On the right, Senior Duo Bao wore a light yellow Daoist robe and held a horsetail whisk, his entire being emanating a rich Dao rhythm, his slightly chubby face maintaining a somewhat stiff smile…

They again fell into an inexplicable awkwardness.

And the Human Dao disciple who usually had quite some achievements in livening up atmospheres couldn’t find a single appropriate and relaxed thing to say at this moment.

Duo Bao: “Sea…”

“Oh?” Elder Li’s expression showed slight surprise as he smiled and asked, “Senior, how are you here?”

“I… Hahaha!”

Senior Duo Bao threw back his head in great laughter, lightly swishing his horsetail whisk as he laughed, “This poor Daoist happened to be passing by. Friend Sea God, are you seeking treasures here?”

“Hahaha… What a coincidence, Senior, you also discovered there were treasures here?”

“Caught a whiff of them by chance,” Senior Duo Bao smiled with narrowed eyes, holding his whisk as he moved closer to Elder Li.

Elder Li instinctively wanted to step back half a step, but at this moment forced himself to actively step forward half a step instead. “Since Senior has taken a liking to the treasures here, this junior should take his leave!”

“Hey!”

Duo Bao chuckled, raising his hand to grip Elder Li’s arm. “Our meeting today is also fate. How could this poor Daoist, being Master’s senior disciple and the Great Elder of the Jie Sect, compete with Friend Sea God for treasures? Come, come, let this poor Daoist assist you somewhat, don’t let you leave empty-handed! Though this demon tribe isn’t famous, there are indeed several good treasures hidden here!”

Elder Li muttered inwardly.

It seemed Senior Duo Bao didn’t intend to pursue the earlier matter.

After speaking, Duo Bao pointed his horsetail whisk at the mountain of treasures, and these precious materials instantly transformed into streams of light, flying to various empty corners of the treasury, returning to their original positions.

Without Elder Li having to say anything, Senior Duo Bao had already volunteered:

“The various magical treasures and implements here probably won’t catch your eye. Come, look at that important treasure here!”

Elder Li also grew somewhat energized, following where Senior Duo Bao’s whisk pointed, and immediately saw…

A bronze bull statue half a zhang tall.

This bronze bull maintained a head-raised posture, its tail also lifted, its four hooves stepping on cloud mists cast in bronze, its two bull eyes protruding left and right.

This was precisely the bull demon tribe’s supreme treasure, the Frolicking Bull… ahem, the Stone-to-Gold Bronze Bull Statue!

Senior Duo Bao smiled and said: “In ancient times, there was a demon expert who was transformed from the primordial demon beast Chi Tie. His most proud ability was swallowing ordinary precious materials into his stomach and producing various refined metals. Later Chi Tie perished in ancient times, but his demon core was preserved inside this bronze statue. Therefore, this bronze statue also has this function. Though not used for combat or protection, it is still an extremely rare wealth-generating item.”

Elder Li: …

Though this treasure was good, he couldn’t take it back to Little Qiong Peak, so it was useless to him.

“Um,” Elder Li pondered for a moment before asking, “Senior, are there other treasures here? To be honest, this junior received guidance from a great figure, learning that there was a treasure here with ties to my fate, which is why I went to such lengths to enter this place.”

“Oh?”

Senior Duo Bao blinked, immediately becoming energized, “What kind of treasure are you seeking? When it comes to treasure hunting in these Five Continents, below the Sage Lords, this poor Daoist can be considered quite skilled.”

“Well, this junior doesn’t know,” Elder Li looked at the bronze bull statue, “but it should be a protective treasure.”

“No hurry, let this poor Daoist lend you a hand!”

At once, Senior Duo Bao’s left hand rummaged in his sleeve with a series of clanking sounds, and he quickly took out several ice-blue butterflies.

“These are Treasure-Seeking Spirit Butterflies.”

After this brief introduction, Senior Duo Bao released these jade butterflies – one flew to the bronze bull statue, and two flew to the left and right corners, landing on a treasure armor and a short bow.

But the fourth jade butterfly flew towards the outside of the mountain cave…

Elder Li glanced at the treasure armor and long bow, hurriedly saying: “Senior!”

“No rush, let this poor Daoist first make the beings here unconscious,” Senior Duo Bao swished his horsetail whisk, and a light blue ripple surged from it.

The ripple slowly spread out, and the entire bull tribe valley instantly became extremely quiet.

Elder Li extended his immortal sense and discovered that demons everywhere, regardless of cultivation level, all lay sleeping on the ground, leaving him quite amazed.

At once, Senior Duo Bao eagerly chased out of the mountain cave, with Elder Li following behind.

That jade butterfly was unafraid of formations and ignored restrictions, flying over the somewhat chaotic ground in front of the treasury, passing various stone houses and tall buildings, floating towards a wooden house at the edge of the valley, and finally entering the wooden house.

When Elder Li and Duo Bao arrived, they found the jade butterfly had stopped on a dirty cloth bundle. Elder Li reached out to take the bundle, turned it over, and several wooden puppet toys fell out, with two copper coins landing in his palm.

This was!

It was!

At this moment Elder Li’s dao heart trembled, and he was utterly convinced of Senior Fu Xi’s divination arts!

“Come, let this poor Daoist see!”

Senior Duo Bao peered over from the side.

Elder Li quickly ran through several thoughts in his mind, then cupped the copper coins in both hands, “Please appraise them, Senior.”

Senior Duo Bao’s expression became very serious as he picked up the copper coins and carefully examined them for a while, before exclaiming in admiration:

“Good things, good things indeed! These are your human race’s first two copper coin prototypes, which established matters of buying and selling in markets, containing large amounts of merit. Though now the treasures are covered in dust, not showing themselves before people, after nourishing them with one’s merit, they can naturally reveal their true form!”

Senior Duo Bao placed the copper coins back in Elder Li’s palm, “Congratulations, friend, congratulations! These treasures can be used to protect the Dao!”

Elder Li’s heart immediately settled down, and he made a Daoist salute to Senior Duo Bao: “All thanks to Senior’s help, this junior is endlessly grateful!”

“Hey, what help or not help, you’re being too formal!”

Senior Duo Bao smiled with narrowed eyes, “This poor Daoist will be presumptuous and call you Chang Geng. Chang Geng has obtained treasures today, a great joy! This poor Daoist must give a congratulatory gift!”

Elder Li hurriedly said: “Having received Senior’s help, how could this junior take Senior’s congratulatory gift again?”

Duo Bao’s eyes widened, “What? Could you be looking down on this poor Daoist? This name ‘Duo Bao’ was bestowed by Master!”

Elder Li: …

He was determined to give him hush money.

“Come come come!”

Senior Duo Bao opened his sleeve, “Choose freely from these several thousand spiritual treasures inside. If you can’t take treasures equal to your height, that would be not giving this poor Daoist face. This poor Daoist can also get angry, you know.”