Having successfully implemented the [Subduing Birds with Virtue] plan, Senior Master Li naturally put away his many backup plans.

Like the scene of the Golden-Winged Great Peng being frightened away by the Demon-Slaying Sword before storming Heaven;

Or the scene of the Great Peng hanging from some nameless ancient tree on the Moon Star, being pointed at and discussed by passing immortal maidens;

Or even the scene of the Great Peng crashing bloodily through the linked formations in the Fourth Heaven…

Now that he had become one of their own, these embarrassing moments naturally needed to be partially destroyed, keeping only some key content for future needs.

The news that the Golden-Winged Great Peng had been successfully recruited by Heaven and taken Water God Changgen as his master had not spread throughout the world.

Senior Master Li had asked the immortal officials to keep it secret, and those within Heaven who knew of this matter had all been in the Celestial Palace that day.

With the great tribulation looming, even those Heaven officials who might normally side with outsiders had to consider their situation.

Thus, discussions about this matter in various towns across the Five Continents quickly died down…

“Didn’t that Phoenix Clan’s Golden-Winged Great Peng say he was going to storm Heaven? How come there’s been no news after so long?”

“Probably just seeking attention, using this method to gain fame. How could Heaven be so easy to storm?”

“Something’s not right, something’s strange about this.”

The Western Teaching also played dumb.

Senior Master Li calculated that they must already know about the Great Peng’s situation, but they dared not mention it carelessly, lest they give the Jade Emperor an excuse to explode in anger.

Senior Master Li arranged for the Golden-Winged Great Peng to cultivate in his Water God Palace, bestowing upon him two spiritual treasures and the nominal position of Heaven’s Golden Peng Marshal.

What Senior Master Li found somewhat ironic was that the fortune Kong Xuan had painstakingly accumulated by caring for the Shang tribe was not as much as what the Golden-Winged Great Peng gained when being appointed Heaven’s Marshal…

One could easily see who was Heaven’s favored child.

With Heaven gaining a great general, the Jade Emperor was naturally delighted and wanted to host a banquet for the Great Peng, but was promptly dissuaded by Senior Master Li.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng shouldn’t be praised too much, nor consistently complimented.

Though the Great Peng had gained some understanding of the linked formations, his basic character hadn’t completely transformed. Too much praise could easily lead to renewed arrogance; he needed regular tempering.

A month later, Senior Master Li formally requested a mission to the Celestial Palace before all of Heaven’s immortal officials.

The Jade Emperor waved his hand, appointing Senior Master Li as Heaven’s Special Envoy to lead several Heavenly Generals in organizing and supervising the Immortal Alliance Conference across the Three Thousand Worlds.

Senior Master Li accepted the command and secretly worked to spread this news quickly throughout the Five Continents and Three Thousand Worlds.

This move was mainly to boost the Immortal Alliance’s morale and lock down its power structure in advance, preventing any Alliance Leader from suddenly getting ideas about their authority.

Three days later.

Senior Master Li’s paper avatar, leading several Golden Immortal rank Heavenly Generals and a large contingent of Heaven’s soldiers, grandly departed from the Eastern Heaven Gate.

—They were expected to arrive at the conference venue just one day before the Immortal Alliance Conference began.

Meanwhile, in the World’s Edge Secret Realm.

Senior Master Li’s paper avatar left together with General Lu Yue, directing the secretly recruited immortal soldiers of the World’s Edge Palace to construct the venue for the first Immortal Alliance Conference.

Though Senior Master Li expected this Immortal Alliance would “peak at debut” and be “strongest at its first meeting,” they still needed to handle things carefully this time to avoid any mishaps.

Three more days passed.

At the Sea God Temple on the South Seashore.

A white cloud slowly drifted over, carrying two figures who made quite a matching pair from afar.

The male immortal had a fine beard and commanding presence, his handsome features carrying a certain rugged quality, his light red battle armor adding to his dignity – it was the Severing Sect’s outer disciple, the Ten Thousand Porcelain King of the primordial world, Old Zhao himself.

At Lord Zhao’s side was Golden Spirit Holy Mother, the fake senior sister of the Severing Sect whom Senior Master Li had specially invited.

Today she wore light makeup, showing less of her usual heroic spirit and more natural charm;

Her tall, graceful figure wrapped in a light gold phoenix-embroidered dress, her aura fully opened, carrying considerable presence.

Senior Master Li had gone out early to welcome them, using his Water God appearance of Heaven, but his true body stood at this location.

Initially, when Senior Master Li conceived the Immortal Alliance Conference, he had only planned to hold it secretly and unite various forces, naturally not needing his true body to attend, as paper avatars would suffice.

But after repeated calculations, Senior Master Li realized this matter couldn’t be done secretly, and decided to actively drag Burning Lamp into the situation as a tool;

But dragging in Burning Lamp, Senior Master Li discovered he must invite two trusted Severing Sect experts in case a swift strike became necessary.

With both Lord Zhao and the Golden Spirit Holy Mother invited, it wouldn’t be right for his true body to hide away…

Therefore, Senior Master Li had the Ground Flame Light Banner protect Little Jade Peak, carried the Taiji Diagram, held the Black-Yellow Pagoda, brought the Heaven-Earth Ruler, wore the Heart-Piercing Lock, and carefully left Little Jade Peak.

There was no help for it – the primordial world was too dangerous.

With his Merit Golden Body being blocked twice, Senior Master Li constantly felt a deep sense of crisis.

“Hahaha!”

Zhao Gongming stroked his beard and laughed heartily: “Changgen, you’re truly wicked, actually inviting Burning Lamp Daoist to be the Alliance Leader. Aren’t you putting that old coffin on the fire to roast?”

Senior Master Li’s smile carried some casualness as he said: “Just a small scheme, Senior Brother and Senior Sister please don’t mind.”

“No matter,” Golden Spirit Holy Mother’s lips showed a faint smile, “I didn’t quite understand your arrangement at first, but after Gongming explained a bit, I understood your clever thoughts.”

When did Lord Zhao become so clever?

Most likely he took a trip to Three Immortal Island and asked about this matter.

But none of that matters!

Gongming?!

Where’s the honorific?!

Had these two Severing Sect bigshots’ relationship progressed so rapidly? Would Lord Zhao’s heart, unlocked by the Golden Light Holy Mother, ultimately move in with the Golden Spirit Holy Mother?

Such wonderful interactions between primordial world powers.

Senior Master Li led the two into the main hall, where attendants brought hot tea and fragrant drinks.

They were familiar enough to skip pleasantries, and when Zhao Gongming asked when they would depart, Senior Master Li smiled and said:

“Let’s wait here a moment. I just notified Vice Patriarch Burning Lamp to join us. It would be best to go together later.”

Zhao Gongming’s mouth twisted, “Traveling with Burning Lamp truly won’t be pleasant.”

But Golden Spirit Holy Mother said: “Regardless, he is openly a senior figure in our Dao Sect. We should give him a proper face in front of outsiders.

But if he doesn’t know his place, hmph!”

“Senior Sister, we should still prioritize harmony.”

Senior Master Li said warmly, exchanging a glance and slight smile with Zhao Gongming.

Golden Spirit Holy Mother snorted and turned to drink her tea.

Zhao Gongming asked: “Where did Master White go?

I earlier took a walk outside your mountain peak but couldn’t sense Master White’s presence, so I left on my own.”

Senior Master Li smiled and said: “He said he went to visit friends. Best not to ask too much about this matter.”

“Understood,” Zhao Gongming stroked his beard with a smile, lightly changing the topic, “Changgen, didn’t I hear earlier about a Golden-Winged Great Peng who declared he would challenge Heaven? How come there’s been no movement since?

Could that Golden-Winged Great Peng truly have just been seeking attention?”

Senior Master Li said seriously: “Elder Brother, don’t think that way. The Golden-Winged Great Peng was born with extreme speed and is quite formidable.

That day he did go to Heaven, even reaching before Vast Cold Palace.”

“Oh?”

Zhao Gongming and Golden Spirit Holy Mother exchanged a glance, each expressing concern, but clearly focusing on different points.

Zhao Gongming first asked: “What happened after?”

But Golden Spirit Holy Mother frowned and said: “Do you truly have some unusual relationship with Maiden Chang’e of Vast Cold Palace, as the rumors say?”

Senior Master Li hurriedly said: “Senior Sister, don’t believe such rumors!

I have very little interaction with the Moon Star-Lord. I can enter Vast Cold Palace only because I have some authority in Heaven.”

Golden Spirit Holy Mother pondered carefully; these words did seem reasonable.

Zhao Gongming asked again: “What exactly happened to that Golden-Winged Great Peng?”

“Elder Brother, look there,” Senior Master Li pointed at the servant standing in the corner of the inner hall, “Isn’t he right here?”

That servant turned around, smiling with relaxed brows. Though he still had his hawk-like nose and chiseled features, he no longer gave off such a sharp impression.

Sunlight streaming through the window gilded him with a faint halo, making his smile like a spring breeze, gentle with a touch of shyness.

Zhao Gongming: …

Golden Spirit Holy Mother: …

Just as Senior Master Li was about to make formal introductions, suddenly a streak of light came breaking through the void from the northwest.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng’s sword-like brows furrowed. Leaving several afterimages in place, his form shot out of the inner hall with extreme speed and soared into the sky, grasping that streak of light in his palm a hundred li away, then retreated back, perfectly merging with his previously left afterimages.

In just one or two breaths, the Golden-Winged Great Peng was standing before Senior Master Li, respectfully bowing and presenting a jade talisman.

“Master, I’ve verified it. There are no schemes or tricks.”

“Good.”

Senior Master Li nodded with a smile, taking the jade talisman with immortal power-wrapped hands and probing its message with his immortal consciousness.

Senior Master Li sighed lightly: “Vice Patriarch Burning Lamp is truly extraordinary, saying he’s at a crucial moment in comprehending the Dao and asking us to go ahead, promising he won’t be late for the Immortal Alliance Conference.

He’ll also bring Cihang Daoist along then, asking me to reserve a Vice Leader position for Cihang Daoist.”

Zhao Gongming looked at the Golden-Winged Great Peng with great curiosity and smiled: “Burning Lamp is quite crafty indeed.”

“Then let’s go,” Golden Spirit Holy Mother stood up, “Getting there early allows better preparation. Let’s see what tricks the Western Teaching will play this time!”

Senior Master Li rose and said: “Golden Peng, I’ll have to trouble you this time.”

The Golden-Winged Great Peng hurriedly said: “Whatever Master commands.”

After speaking, he quickly left the inner hall and revealed his true form in the back courtyard – a golden-feathered great peng with wings spanning just over ten zhang.

At this time, three meditation cushions materialized from immortal power on the Golden Peng’s back – one in front, two lined up behind;

The front cushion was like a lotus treasure platform, its exquisiteness comparable to the treasures of mortal emperors; the two cushions behind were simpler, like tree stumps.

Senior Master Li frowned and said: “Golden Peng, your mental state is unstable.”

Golden Peng started, then carefully pondered, his bird face full of shame.

“Golden Peng has disappointed Master. I’ll restore Master’s throne in front to…”

“No need,” Senior Master Li stepped aside with an inviting gesture and smiled: “Please, Senior Sister Golden Spirit, take the front seat.”

Golden Spirit Holy Mother gave a light laugh without saying more. As her dress fluttered, she was already sitting cross-legged on that exquisite throne cushion. Senior Master Li and Zhao Gongming settled on the two cushions behind, exchanging smiles.

Senior Master Li said: “Thanks to Golden Peng’s extreme speed, we have the chance to look around various places. Let’s go see those divine kingdoms of incense smoke.”

The Golden-Winged Great Peng’s high cry pierced through the high clouds. With a gentle flutter of his wings, he shot skyward with a fierce wind, almost instantly vanishing at the horizon, leaving only a faint trail of afterimages.

Feeling the slight pressure from heaven and earth, Zhao Gongming couldn’t help but transmit to Senior Master Li:

“How did you manage this?

According to rumors, that Golden-Winged Great Peng was proud and arrogant, how did he… how did he become so docile!”

Senior Master Li transmitted back: “Simply winning him over with virtue.”

“This?”

Zhao Gongming looked down at the Golden-Winged Great Peng, “Is there such a difference in our virtue? I at least have a reputation for loyalty as vast as the clouds, how come I never encounter such a formidable mount?”

Senior Master Li smiled without speaking, while Zhao Gongming clicked his tongue in wonder.

Along the way, worried that the Golden-Winged Great Peng might tire, Senior Master Li borrowed two strands of Yin-Yang qi from the Taiji Diagram, forming a Taiji phantom image supporting the Golden-Winged Great Peng…

Nearly moving the Golden-Winged Great Peng to tears.

Unexpectedly, Senior Master Li discovered that this simple gesture helped the Golden-Winged Great Peng break through his speed limit.

The Taiji Diagram could reduce heaven and earth’s resistance, which made sense.

And the Golden-Winged Great Peng, enjoying the pleasure brought by his new speed limit, flew with even more vigor, his gaze growing more determined.

Now to the main matter.

“This is the Western Teaching’s handiwork?”

At the edge of a great world, Zhao Gongming frowned as he watched a great temple of incense smoke ten thousand li away.

The temple was built on a mountain peak, with hundreds of priests chanting scriptures inside, golden light radiating from all around.

From outside the temple down to the mountain foot, even in plains and forests where the temple could be seen, countless mortals knelt in worship, most showing signs of hunger on their faces.

Above the temple, vast merit from incense smoke condensed into golden mist, finally disappearing into the depths high above.

There seemed to be a crack there…

Golden Spirit Holy Mother coldly snorted, summoning a long sword and preparing to wreck the place, but was stopped by Zhao Gongming.

“Why are you stopping me!”

“Golden Spirit, if you strike like this, destroying the temple here, those mortals won’t thank you but will resent and hate you instead. Why seek such displeasure?”

Golden Spirit Holy Mother cursed: “Why should I care about mortals’ views? This place worships wild gods like that fierce beast Taotie, I truly can’t stand it!”

But Senior Master Li said: “Let Senior Sister strike, don’t refrain from small acts of goodness.”

“Look,” Golden Spirit Holy Mother slightly raised her head, her toes lightly tapping as her form transformed into a golden light shooting into the high sky.

Several booms and screams were heard as a palace appeared in the high sky, figures tumbling within as Golden Spirit Holy Mother, without even showing her law body, fought with a sword in hand, making the opponents fall into chaos.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng asked: “Master, why do mortals believe in such wild gods?”

It was Zhao Gongming who answered:

“Mortals are weak, living barely a hundred years. They will always have a sense of awe and worship for powers beyond their understanding.

Destroying an incense smoke divine kingdom is also troublesome, not because those Western Teaching qi refiners are hard to deal with, but because of how to handle these mortals.

Changgen, have you considered this difficulty?”

“Naturally,” Senior Master Li said warmly, “There are mainly two approaches.

First is establishing another religion to replace it, showing quick results and letting these mortals worship a different deity;

Then using relatively gentle teachings to persuade mortals to focus on farming and production, rather than thinking daily worship will let them ascend to immortality.

But this approach has some future troubles, as those in power easily fall prey to personal desires, walking the old path of incense smoke divine kingdoms.

The second is more troublesome.”

Zhao Gongming smiled: “I’d like to hear the details.”

Senior Master Li gazed at the palace in the high sky where the killing had gone wild, and said slowly:

“The second approach is educating mortals, using books to carry knowledge, recording mortal wisdom, broadening the horizons of all beings, letting them understand what is heaven and earth, what is real and false, reducing their ignorance, guiding their thoughts, thus avoiding the disaster of incense smoke divine kingdoms.

Unfortunately, the second approach is too one-sided, just my random thoughts.”

Zhao Gongming slowly nodded, saying: “If everyone cultivated, it might be another disaster for heaven and earth.”

“Therefore, all things need balance, and this matter is the same.”

Senior Master Li put his hands in his sleeves and said softly: “I intend to use Heaven’s incense smoke to replace these incense smoke divine kingdoms, letting all beings respect the Emperor of Heaven and Earth Mother, distinguishing good and evil, establishing justice, understanding life and death, making cultivation an outside pursuit, with Heaven’s soldiers rotating regular stations in all directions of heaven and earth.”

Zhao Gongming gave a thumbs up, and Senior Master Li said no more.

Elder Brother Zhao Gongming wasn’t born human, so it was hard for him to empathize, which was understandable.

The Golden-Winged Great Peng suddenly said firmly: “Master, disciple understands!”

Under…

Understands what?

Just then, a silver-white sword light flashed across the sky, cleaving that palace in two, its ruins falling from high above, crashing towards a desolate wheat field.

Streams of light appeared beyond the sky, but Golden Spirit Holy Mother merely snorted coldly, not even glancing at these lights as she returned directly to the Golden Peng’s back.

Golden Spirit Holy Mother cursed: “Not even half a sage’s disciple among them, killing more is pointless, just dirtying my sword.”

Senior Master Li said: “Let’s go, let’s visit other places.”

The Golden Peng raised a high cry, instantly flying away from this great world, leaving those who wanted to chase far behind.

Thus, they took a roundabout route to visit eighteen incense smoke divine kingdoms, with Golden Spirit Holy Mother striking three times before growing tired of continuing to act.

Senior Master Li gathered some ‘evidence’ with his Image-Capturing Sphere and then gave Golden Peng a direction.

It took just half a month from the South Sea shore before Senior Master Li’s group arrived at a certain small world, seeing the water-blue color permeating this small universe from far away.

This small world was dominated by the water element of the Five Elements, containing only sky and sea.

The venue for the Immortal Alliance Conference was here, already properly arranged; Senior Master Li had borrowed from the dragon clan ceremony he had once attended, designing the main venue in the shape of a treasure lotus.

But it must be said, it still couldn’t compare to the dragons’ casual arrangement back then in grandeur…

Limited budget, limited budget.

Senior Master Li’s paper avatar here reminded General Lu Yue before secretly withdrawing;

General Lu Yue, who had been bored sitting in meditation here missing his easy days in the World’s Edge Secret Realm, hearing that Zhao Gongming and Golden Spirit Holy Mother had arrived, immediately perked up and jumped to his feet, actively going to welcome them at the horizon, his face showing a “junior brother’s smile.”

Senior Master Li had already ordered Golden Peng to transform into human form and hide his aura, preparing to give Burning Lamp and the Western Teaching people a surprise later.

What other arrangements to make?

Senior Master Li surveyed the surroundings, considering whether to set up some flying magical devices to hang two banners, writing things like [Warmly Welcome Elder Burning Lamp as Immortal Alliance Leader, Elder Burning Lamp, and Western Teaching Are Mortal Enemies].

That scene should be quite interesting.