Hm? Hadn’t the Great Master already left? How come…

By the lakeside, among the crowd, Li Changshou sat on a meditation cushion, listening to the voice echoing in his mind.

‘Three thousand Li east, waiting in the small grove.’

Was this truly the Great Master?

His Great Master wasn’t usually this playful. Could someone be mimicking the Great Master’s Dao resonance to lure him out?

Li Changshou pondered silently, then without making a sound, mouthed six words:

‘Please, demonstrate your transmission technique.’

Three thousand Li away, in a small grove, the white-robed Great Master couldn’t help but… laugh out loud.

This little Changshou was still so amusing.

What, did he think that if someone were impersonating him, he wouldn’t be able to sense it or calculate it?

At that moment, Great Master Xuandu contemplated briefly, then flicked his finger, plucking at the Great Dao of Supreme Clarity. Like strumming an invisible string, a ripple of energy resonated through the Dao, reaching Li Changshou’s heart and condensing into a single character:

【Steady】

Only then did Li Changshou believe it ninety-five percent. After careful consideration, he said to Xiong Lingli, who was reading nearby:

“Don’t wander off from here. I’ll go hunt some game for you.”

Xiong Lingli quickly nodded, her gaze full of gratitude toward the Sea God.

Afterward, Li Changshou went to find his Sect Master. After weighing his options, he requested leave under the pretext of ‘This disciple has some insights and wishes to step out to seek a breakthrough.’

Season Wuyou said a True Immortal Steward should accompany him away from the assembly grounds. Li Changshou thought for a moment and invited Elder Brother Jiuwu to accompany him.

Then, Jiuwu conjured a cloud and carried Li Changshou, leaving the valley basin through a secluded path.

Since many cultivators were gathered in this area, people were constantly coming and going, so these two didn’t attract any attention.

Jiuwu flew with him several thousand Li until Li Changshou noticed his sensing stone no longer flickered with light. He then found an excuse to separate from Jiuwu briefly.

When he returned, it was naturally a new type of paper avatar.

Li Changshou’s paper avatar smiled and said: “This disciple is experiencing numerous insights. I will meditate here, please wait a while, Elder Brother.”

“Alright,” Jiuwu smiled and nodded, setting up a simple formation around Li Changshou.

Then, Jiuwu found a three-foot-tall boulder, jumped on top, sat cross-legged, and quietly kept watch over Li Changshou’s meditation.

Meanwhile, Li Changshou’s true body had already employed earth escape techniques, hurrying toward the Great Master’s location.

…

As soon as they met, Great Master Xuandu laughed and scolded:

“Why all this hiding and sneaking about? It’s such trouble just to meet with me!”

Li Changshou smiled awkwardly and said seriously: “This disciple’s cultivation is shallow, my time cultivating brief, my accumulation insufficient… Surviving in the primordial world requires multiple layers of disguise, only then can I feel somewhat at ease.

If this disciple had a stable environment, there would be no need for such effort.”

【First things first, drop some heavy hints!】

Great Master Xuandu smiled and nodded, waving his hand to summon a white cloud beneath Li Changshou’s feet. He smiled and said: “Being cautious isn’t bad. Come, I’ll take you to a wonderful place.”

Li Changshou: …

Well, opportunities indeed couldn’t be forced. Let nature take its course and see what happens.

A skilled user of paper avatars knows what an excellent paper avatar should do.

Li Changshou didn’t ask where the Great Master was taking him, he simply stood behind the Great Master, neither looking around nor listening to his surroundings, waiting for the Great Master to begin his instruction.

In just moments, Li Changshou felt they had passed over mountains and great peaks. Looking down, they were already above vast azure waves…

“We’re almost there,” Great Master Xuandu chuckled, and while the seawater wasn’t paying attention, brought Li Changshou silently into the sea, heading toward the deep.

Li Changshou now understood that what could move the Great Master must be related to Dragon Tribe matters.

And the Great Master bringing him here must mean… he wanted his little disciple to take action, while the Great Master himself remained hidden, untouched by karma.

This…

How could this work?

Wouldn’t this be wasting their side’s high-end combat power?

Li Changshou secretly calculated in his heart, thinking about how to persuade—ahem, how to convince the Great Master to take action, while he played a supporting role.

Meanwhile, Li Changshou also made backup preparations, beginning to check his several sets of trump cards for combat: paper avatars, miniature formation bases, poison pills and powders, dragon funeral services…

In case he couldn’t decline, he didn’t want to be caught unprepared.

Surrounding them were flowing lights and phantom images. Li Changshou had no heart to appreciate the sea’s wonders. After another moment, the Great Master finally said:

“We’re here.”

Li Changshou looked up and discovered they had arrived at a great city in the sea.

The deep sea was like a profound curtain, and an ‘island’ hung above a seafloor volcano, about a thousand zhang from the sea surface.

Below, seafloor magma rolled, while above, the immortal island was wrapped in formation light barriers. The formation’s radiance illuminated several hundred Li of surrounding sea territory, where groups of sea creatures could be seen frolicking nearby.

Li Changshou’s divine consciousness swept over the area, and within the city’s great formation, there was a small disturbance.

About several hundred sea tribe rebels were being surrounded and suppressed by sea tribe soldiers wearing uniform armor. This disturbance would be put down.

Many strange and varied sea tribes lived here;

Some were sea creatures who had gained spiritual awareness but maintained their original forms of seahorses, fish, sea donkeys, and such, while others had transformed into nearly human Dao bodies, mostly retaining characteristics like gills, scales, tails, and fins.

There were also many more bizarre beings who had used transformation techniques to cross species barriers, producing strange creatures…

Li Changshou also saw some beautiful merfolk, making this trip quite eye-opening.

—Merfolk were a major tribe among sea folk, with very close relations to the Dragon Tribe.

The two stood in the seawater, with slight Dao resonance flowing around the Great Master, concealing their traces.

“Great Master,” Li Changshou said softly, “This disciple has already used the identity of South Sea God to submit a memorial to the Jade Emperor of Heaven, reporting the matter of subduing the Dragon Tribe, and has received the Jade Emperor’s permission.”

“Mm, well done.”

Great Master Xuandu smiled and nodded, “Wait and watch a bit. I only calculated that some events requiring your appearance to rescue would occur here.

Looking at this situation, we seem to have arrived a bit early.”

Hearing this, Li Changshou felt deeply moved.

What level of cultivation was this? What kind of divination method was this? Could the Great Master truly know future events?

Must hold tight to this thigh!

They waited for about half an hour. The rebellion in the great city had been suppressed, but Li Changshou keenly detected that there seemed to still be an undercurrent hidden in the city.

Moreover, this feeling was very familiar to Li Changshou…

Li Changshou said softly: “Great Master, do you know the background of those blood mosquito puppets that attacked our Crossing Immortal Gate back then?”

“That was the West’s hidden handiwork,” Great Master Xuandu smiled and said, “Changshou, contending with great sects that have Sage Lords presiding is quite troublesome.

Even when we’re in the right, we must still mind the Sage’s face.

For those two Uncle Masters in the West, this was just a calculation made with the movement of their fingers.

These demons and monsters they use are just pawns they can discard at any time.

Sage Lords are indestructible through countless kalpas.

Therefore, when we dismantle Western calculations, we must also leave some leeway. We must both win and preserve the Sage Lords’ dignity.”

Li Changshou pondered carefully and quickly bowed, saying: “This disciple will carefully remember the Great Master’s teachings!”

Although he had already considered all this thoroughly when formulating subsequent plans earlier, he still had to say:

“If not for the Great Master’s timely reminder today, this disciple might have made a grave mistake.”

Great Master Xuandu immediately waved his hand, his smile growing more relaxed.

Going out with little Changshou was truly more interesting and comfortable than going out alone…

Just then, they suddenly saw the seawater part several hundred Li away, and a dragon carriage descend, with several hundred celestial dragon soldiers protecting it all around, heading toward this great sea city.

If the Dragon Tribe had come any later, the streets here would have already been swept clean.

Li Changshou’s divine consciousness swept over and quickly discovered a very familiar aura.

The Second Master of the Sea God Sect, Ao Yi.

So, this journey was meant for Ao Yi…

Li Changshou shook his head secretly. He had warned Ao Yi many times not to appear easily…

Well, now the Dragon Tribe was also amid calamity. When disaster strikes, no one can stop it.

…

The subsequent development of events wasn’t particularly twisting or strange, just a general ‘traitor’ drama.

Ao Yi had originally been cultivating peacefully on Golden Tortoise Island and hadn’t wanted to come here himself, but was invited by a Dragon Tribe expert to come to comfort the Merfolk Tribe.

After some hesitation, Ao Yi still chose to leave Golden Tortoise Island, joining a small elite Dragon Tribe force to rush here to provide aid…

Before they entered the city, the rebellion here had already been suppressed.

The city lord and nobles of this sea city, leading many soldiers, came out to welcome them, bringing Ao Yi into the city to the magnificent palace…

This was naturally a trap.

Li Changshou wanted to warn Ao Yi but then thought since the Great Master was here, he didn’t need to interfere much.

Just do the duty of a paper avatar.

Soon, a banquet began in the palace, with sea maidens dancing and immortal music flowing. Several young sea tribe men and women were flirting outside the hall, showing an atmosphere of extravagant pleasure.

At the banquet, a Merfolk princess was also invited to serve wine beside Ao Yi.

It seemed they wanted to see if the East Sea Dragon Palace’s Second Prince might be interested in taking a consort…

A dragon’s life is filled with tedium.

Halfway through the banquet, sudden changes occurred.

The city’s great formation suddenly turned into black smoke, and thousands of experts rushed out from the city, surrounding and attacking the central palace complex.

The Dragon Tribe expert who had invited Ao Yi suddenly turned traitor, attacking Ao Yi, but fortunately, an elderly dragon-headed figure appeared beside Ao Yi and directly knocked away this expert…

“Protect the Prince! Protect the Prince!”

“Protect Prince Ao Yi!”

Those several hundred elite celestial dragon soldiers and the local sea tribe experts reacted quickly, surrounding and protecting Ao Yi and the Merfolk princess, activating the formation around the palace, and hurriedly mobilizing the city’s troops.

The entire city immediately fell into chaos!

Blood-colored formation patterns surged out from several corners of the great city, and two more formations sealed off the area, blocking the external investigation and temporarily obscuring the heavenly mechanisms here.

The palace formation was quickly broken through. Many sea tribe experts covered Ao Yi’s retreat, while the elderly dragon-headed figure was surrounded but also tied down by many of the enemy’s experts.

At this moment, Ao Yi still didn’t forget to protect the Merfolk princess in his arms, his expression showing not the slightest panic, fully displaying the bearing of the Dragon Palace’s Second Prince…

Soon, Ao Yi was deeply surrounded.

By this time, Li Changshou and Xuandu had unknowingly appeared in a civilian residence in the city, not far from the corner where Ao Yi was surrounded.

…

“Go on, save your Second Master.”

Great Master Xuandu said with a smile.

But Li Changshou pondered for a few sounds and frowned, saying: “Great Master, since you’ve already come, eliminating these petty villains is just the matter of raising your hand…”

“How could such petty villains be worth my action?”

“Great Master, this disciple rather feels,” Li Changshou said, “that not underestimating any enemy is the correct principle.

If you act, it would be both stable and quick, and would further display our Human Dao Sect’s might.

If this disciple acts, it would seem forced and risk bungling this matter. The enemy has already revealed several Golden Immortal realm experts, and if they have more Golden Immortals hiding in ambush, this disciple fears he would be inadequate.”

Hearing these words, Great Master Xuandu slowly nodded.

“What you say does have some reason.

Just go then, if the enemy has experts appear, how could I not save you?”

Hearing this, Li Changshou secretly frowned. Although he dared not directly contradict, he said softly:

“Great Master, this disciple feels… it’s slightly inappropriate.

Although I know Great Master you certainly wouldn’t harm this disciple, but when there’s a proper method available, taking an unstable path, this disciple’s heart… cannot pass this barrier…”

Great Master Xuandu was somewhat between laughter and tears, and said gently: “You go show your abilities, so I can know your strength, and better arrange tasks for you in the future.”

Seeing Li Changshou still hesitating, Great Master Xuandu added:

“How about this, I won’t just watch your divine abilities for nothing, lest you feel unhappy.

If you can save this little dragon prince, I’ll grant you one thing within my power, how about that?”

Li Changshou frowned in thought, then said:

“Great Master, this disciple boldly requests.

If this disciple can save Ao Yi, could the Great Master protect this disciple when crossing the Golden Immortal tribulation, to prevent anyone’s schemes?”

“Good!

Go quickly!”

Li Changshou nodded, and raised his hand to rub his face, changing his appearance slightly. He smiled inwardly, then deliberately turned and said, as if joking:

“This disciple’s heart is still somewhat uneasy, how about… you make an oath, promising to rescue this disciple in time…”

A certain Great Master immediately raised his foot as if to kick.

Li Changshou hurriedly bowed to accept the command but still didn’t leave the courtyard, only taking out a stack of paper avatars from his sleeve and casually scattering them.

The paper avatars immediately transformed into a middle-aged immortal man, a young maiden, an honest old man, and a kindly old woman, all uniformly showing True Immortal realm initial stage aura fluctuations.

Then, Li Changshou waved his sleeve, and these four paper avatars employed water escape techniques, transforming into four streams of water, and quickly darting out of the courtyard.

Behind Li Changshou, Great Master Xuandu couldn’t help but raise his hand to rub his brow.

This little disciple was truly too steady.

Eh, wait…

If he hadn’t appeared and had just grabbed Li Changshou and thrown him here since Ao Yi was Li Changshou’s Second Master and an important figure in the Dragon Tribe’s ascension to Heaven, how could Li Changshou not save him?

Understanding this point, Great Master Xuandu’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch a few times.

It seemed that, unknowingly, he had been led around by this little disciple before him, giving a promise for nothing…