To be fair, even Li Changshou, the Sea God himself, had to admit that today’s Sea God ceremony in Anshui City… was being conducted quite well.

Just the fact that they could gather such a large congregation at the edge of the mortal realm, along the South Sea coast, was already quite remarkable. Although the crowds inside and outside the city were indeed numerous, appearing somewhat chaotic at first glance, there wasn’t any disorder anywhere, with followers spontaneously maintaining order… This point was particularly commendable.

However, Li Changshou’s goodwill toward the Sea God Church hadn’t even had time to warm up… The former Bear Village chief, now the Sea God Church’s High Priest, wearing a black bear fur coat in the scorching summer heat, sat on a gilded throne carried by four strong men… This village chief was already strong and sturdy; this scene looked exactly like they were carrying out a black bear spirit!

Li Changshou: …

Indeed, better to destroy the Sea God Church quickly.

The Sea God statue was carried to a hillside ten li outside the city, with over a hundred thousand followers from the entire city following. Li Changshou’s immortal awareness constantly covered this area, and he quickly discovered some rather interesting scenes.

Along the way, flower-adorned young women held hands and sang hymns while wearing garlands; Strong young men were all energetic, and when they saw girls they fancied, they would shout “Hai-lo-hai” – a fisherman’s work song – while showing off their sturdy physiques.

Such large-scale celebrations were also great opportunities for young people to flirt with… ahem… to get to know each other and develop impure male-female relationships.

The elderly who walked slowly all had young strong men supporting them on the side; Lively running children were held tightly by their parents.

Throughout the crowd, there were also some women in long dresses with solemn faces; They scattered dew-moistened flower petals and green leaves among the crowd, this was the Sea God Church’s blessing to its followers.

Most followers sang missionary songs with smiling faces, together pursuing the Sea God’s shadow… The entire celebration’s atmosphere was harmonious and warm.

After the statue was settled, the eight divine envoys from Bear Village were exhausted and drenched in sweat. They quickly steadied their breathing, clasped their hands behind their backs, spread their legs, and stood in formation on both sides of the statue.

Over a hundred more burly young men from Bear Village, wearing black short shirts and tied leg-length trousers, carrying great sabers, dual hammers, and other ‘heavy’ weapons, surrounded the statue protectively…

“Time to go over.”

Li Changshou murmured, his form slowly disappearing from the small courtyard, using earth tunneling to head toward the statue.

The timing was about right.

Watching these followers rushing to the hillside with his immortal awareness, Li Changshou could only apologize in his heart. He wasn’t an expert who could protect a region; the primordial world was too vast and too dangerous. Now, he hadn’t even obtained his long-life dao fruit, even if he continued being this Sea God, he couldn’t truly protect these followers.

Taking these merits from worship meant having to protect those who worshipped him – this was Heaven’s rule. Today, let him break these followers’ illusions…

‘Great demons?’

Underground, just about to emerge, Li Changshou’s movements suddenly paused.

The paper avatars Li Changshou had placed on the outskirts captured an unusual sight on the horizon with their immortal awareness.

Sure enough, they came.

This Sea God Church celebration was the largest in years; And because the Sea God Church was accelerating its expansion, it had already come into conflict with other sects this year; That today’s celebration ceremony would attract some demons and spirits to cause trouble was within Li Changshou’s predictions.

For the small sects around the South Sea, Li Changshou always felt there was likely the Western Teaching’s shadow behind them.

Today at this Sea God Church ceremony, someone probably wanted to test things out, to probe the Sea God Church’s foundation…

“Good thing I’m here. Otherwise, if you started a massacre, how much karmic retribution would that add?”

In the Crossing Immortals Sect of East Victory Divine Continent, in Little Jade Peak’s pill-refining chamber; Li Changshou’s true body opened his eyes, raised his hand to retrieve a box from the corner of the chamber, took out three talismans with red characters on a black background from within, and secretly attached them to his sleeve.

Afterward, his hands immediately formed seals, making the Crossing Immortals Sect’s Lotus Spirit-Stabilizing Treasure Seal; Streams of immortal light stabilized his primordial spirit, strengthening his mental connection to the paper avatars…

Meanwhile, about one thousand two hundred li northwest of Anshui City, three black shadows rolled up a mass of dark clouds, flying rapidly toward Anshui City.

These dark clouds were still far away, not yet discovered by the mortals of Anshui City.

Li Changshou slowly closed his eyes, his consciousness simultaneously returning to several paper avatars.

This time was different from before.

Upon discovering these three great demons, he had already decided to act, without any hesitation.

What needed to be considered had already been considered beforehand.

Of course, the most crucial point was that Li Changshou had made adequate preparations for this South Sea trip.

Regarding anti-detection, he had done his utmost; The paper avatars had ‘divine abilities’ to instantly self-destruct and automatically scatter to ash if they encountered any experts; Additionally, the Crossing Immortals Sect had just undergone tribulation, with the Human Teaching disciple True Immortal Du’e appearing, officially making the Crossing Immortals Sect recognized by the Three Teachings as inheriting the Human Teaching’s dao.

Although the Human Teaching’s first disciple, Grand Master Xuandu, hadn’t directly appeared, there were rumors within the Crossing Immortals Sect saying the Grand Master had gone to Golden Turtle Island and reasoned with several major disciples of the Severing Teaching.

Having backing gave Li Changshou some… courage to secretly take a side glance at the Western Teaching…

He didn’t dare kick them, even looking made his heart pound.

To be safe, the paper avatars killing demons next had to pretend to be passing human cultivators.

If he allowed these three True Immortal realm great demons to disturb Anshui City’s celebration, every mortal killed would count as a thread of karmic retribution for him.

This was already reason enough for him to act.

The power behind sending these three great demons was bullying ‘humans too much…

In the eyes of some innate spiritual beings, mortals were perhaps just dharmic devices that could provide merits from worship, just like rice and wheat.

Gathering his thoughts, Li Changshou quickly began intercepting.

In the direction facing the three great demons, Li Changshou controlled a [Divine] character paper avatar, using earth-tunneling to meet them three hundred li out, appearing in an uninhabited forest.

First using illusion techniques and transformation arts, he disguised himself from that kind-looking hemp-clothed old Daoist into a middle-aged Daoist.

Then he released five paper people with original divine abilities, quickly setting up isolation formations here and preparing for later transcendence matters.

Next, Li Changshou’s form shot into the sky, directly facing the black clouds rolling in from the northwest, openly blocking the three great demons’ path, holding a long sword in his hand!

Different from before, this time Li Changshou first drew this sword from its scabbard, cold light flashing for a moment.

This actually… was a real sword!

However, don’t be deceived by appearances, this was still a poison-spreading dharmic device.

Calling it a dharmic device wasn’t quite accurate, this should be counted as a fairly good quality dharmic treasure.

A true poison-spreading specialized dharmic treasure.

The three great demons hiding in the black clouds flew closer, letting out a thunderous roar:

“Get lost!”

Li Changshou retorted: “In broad daylight, in this flourishing land of our human race, how dare you demons cause havoc!”

After speaking, he threw the dharmic sword forward!

He had gained inspiration from You Qin Xuan Ya’s sword case, figuring out simple sword-controlling techniques; At this moment his hands formed sword seals together, continuously making one sword seal after another, looking quite proper.

In an instant, that dharmic sword split into three, and three transformed into nine, carrying streams of sword light, attacking the three great demons in the black clouds!

These three demons clearly sensed Li Changshou’s paper avatar’s True Immortal realm cultivation; They didn’t dare be careless either, each taking action while maintaining their demon forms, raising several treasure lights.

However, when the dharmic swords flew attacking, these three great demons endured several hits and were suddenly stunned.

This sword-controlling technique, looked so impressive, why was its power so… weak?

The three great demons each let out a cold laugh, using black clouds to wrap themselves, fiercely charging toward Li Changshou, actually ignoring those nine constantly weaving sword shadows.

However, amidst the sword shadows’ trembling, streams of colorless and odorless poison mist scattered from the sword blades, penetrating into these three great demons’ bodies, and approaching their demon souls…

This black cloud had barely charged to Li Changshou’s front when it strangely stopped…

Those three great demons each floundered twice in the black cloud, without even making any howls, their three enormous bodies fell toward the forest below, just happening to crash into the isolation formation.

Li Changshou: …

Much easier than he had imagined.

Raising his hand to summon, that dharmic sword stained with demon blood returned to his hand.

Li Changshou coldly snorted, “Just with you three little demons, you couldn’t force out this poor Daoist’s Lonely Twelve Swords!”

After speaking, he carried the sword falling toward below, naturally having an expert’s bearing.

Moments later, inside the isolation formation;

Li Changshou scattered those three piles of bone ash, retrieved the paper people, pinched the soul-capturing treasure pearl, and quickly searched the remaining images within.

Sure enough, they were Western demons.

Slightly shaking his head, Li Changshou broke the formation, this paper avatar quickly sank into the earth, rushing back toward his original hiding place.

Next…

How are there more?

One wave not settled another rises, Li Changshou’s immortal awareness captured another black cloud floating over from due north!

Within it were black crows, and these crows seemed to all have some cultivation…

At the bottom of the hillside, just about to jump out and knock over the Sea God statue, Li Changshou’s mouth corner twitched slightly.

He moved most of his consciousness to a paper avatar in the north, continuing to exterminate demons…

Today, was he here to destroy his divine church, or to protect it?

Karmic retribution was troublesome!

Outside Anshui City.

By now many followers had reached the statue, each kowtowing and paying respects before reading aloud their Sea God Church teachings in unison.

Li Changshou had part of his consciousness attached here, listening to the tens of thousands chanting outside, his heart also somewhat moved…

Although he had never managed this Sea God Church, after these few days of observation, he had come to understand some things.

This was quite a good merit-from-worship sect.

Except for the divine envoys in the church being somewhat greedy, the Sea God Church itself had played a positive role in maintaining regional stability…

Otherwise, the Heavenly Dao Lord wouldn’t have given him so many merits from worship.

The Sea God Church’s teachings weren’t complicated, with songs passed down orally, besides how to worship the Sea God, it promoted ‘kindness’, ‘peace’, ‘don’t give up when encountering desperate situations at sea’, ‘the Sea God is always with you’…

And so forth.

Among them was one teaching that Li Changshou judged was an important reason for the Sea God Church’s rapid development.

[The Sea God will take lost souls at sea to reincarnation, letting them appear beside us again after many years]

This was someone from Bear Village borrowing from the Underworld’s reincarnation matters;

But the existence of this teaching made Sea God Church followers have an extra fighting spirit and will to live when facing some adverse environments at sea.

Because of this, many fishermen have endured disasters.

The Sea God Church itself hadn’t done anything out of line at all, but just because the merits of worship here were occupied, there were powers secretly sending demons to cause chaos…

This time acting more quickly;

Li Changshou used his paper avatar to launch a sneak attack, burning that group of demon crows to ash with one blast of Three Realm True Flame.

Quickly disposing of these crows’ ashes, Li Changshou’s consciousness again focused on the paper avatar hiding near the statue.

The timing was ripe.

Not daring to delay further, Li Changshou directly released the earth-tunneling;

This paper avatar maintained the form of a middle-aged Daoist, hands behind their back, stepping on clouds, appearing a hundred zhang behind the statue, and slowly rising into the air.

The huge hillside was packed with human figures, yet at this moment you could hear a pin drop!

A woman pointed at this middle-aged Daoist and let out a scream:

“A manifestation! The Sea God has manifested!”

“Everyone run quickly!”

“Run what run! This is the Sea God!”

“Everyone should kowtow quickly! Thank the Sea God for blessing my wife and child with safe delivery!”

“Thank Sea God for blessing my son’s survival from disaster at sea!”

The scene instantly became chaotic!

“Everyone don’t kneel!”

Suddenly the Bear Village chief shouted: “This is a demon, look how he resembles our Sea God!”

“Foolish! How could there be a Sea God in the South Sea!”

Li Changshou let out a great shout, his voice carrying a hundred li.

With a wave of his long sleeve, striking out a palm, Li Changshou’s immortal power condensed into a huge blue palm, striking down toward the statue!

Sorry, everyone…

When I find a way to return these merits from worship to you, we’ll be even…

Li Changshou sighed inwardly, realizing he felt somewhat lost, and couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

The palm shadow was about to land!

Li Changshou’s eye corner suddenly glimpsed streams of earth-yellow light rapidly gathering at the statue’s side…

The next instant, the shadow of a giant axe, without any warning, strange and sudden, appeared above the statue.

This giant axe was gripped by an equally light-formed large hand, directly chopping down on the palm shadow Li Changshou had casually struck out.

This palm shadow Li Changshou had casually struck out, equivalent to an ordinary immortal’s strike, was actually… instantly destroyed by the giant axe…