Four streams of water weaved through the chaotic deep-sea city, passing by Seahorse House, darting across Starfish Boulevard, heading straight for where Ao Yi was surrounded.

Various parts of the city had turned into a roiling pot of seafood stew;

Experts from both sides were engaged in combat, with Ao Yi’s strongest ally, the dragon-headed elder, now surrounded by more than ten sea tribe experts…

The Merfolk Tribe continuously called for external aid, but the city was completely isolated, having lost contact with the outside world.

However, it didn’t matter…

The Steady Sect—ahem, the Human Dao Sect’s two rather steady ‘experts’ were already here, and wouldn’t let anything happen to Ao Yi.

Great Master Xuandu was a true powerhouse in the world, one of the few below the Sage level, and could summon treasures like the Taiji Diagram and Xuanhuang Tower at any time. Forget subduing this place, he could easily subdue the entire Merfolk Tribe.

Li Changshou, now dragged here by the Great Master to do the heavy lifting, had his calculations…

Although this was just an impromptu response, he had already thought of a fairly comprehensive solution that could achieve three or four goals with one stone, pushing forward the [Dragon Tribe’s Ascension to Heaven] matter a small step.

At this moment, Li Changshou stood in the courtyard, eyes closed in concentration, controlling four paper avatars.

Beside him, Great Master Xuandu watched with interest, wanting to see how Li Changshou would eliminate the enemy;

However, as he watched, Great Master Xuandu couldn’t help but smile.

The four paper avatars employed water escape techniques to sneak near Ao Yi’s position, without alerting anyone on either side.

At this time, Ao Yi had thirty to forty guards around him, and because Golden Immortal realm experts were battling near the palace, the sea tribe guards around Ao Yi were at most mid-stage True Immortal realm.

The small group of sea tribe rebels surrounding and attacking Ao Yi had more than ten True Immortals and over fifty Real Immortals.

Li Changshou detected that several True Immortals among these rebels had strange auras, somewhat similar to the blood mosquito puppets from years ago.

That Mosquito Daoist must be hiding somewhere, secretly watching this scene from the shadows…

How to let her discover that the Great Master was here?

He wondered if the Great Master could find Mosquito Daoist’s traces and directly eliminate this dangerous person—that would be most stable.

Clearing the way for Ao Yi didn’t require much of Li Changshou’s mental energy; ordinary paper avatar tactics would suffice.

The four paper avatars appeared on the outskirts of the surrounding area, each waving their sleeves, releasing…

Another batch of sixteen paper people in total…

Seeing this, Great Master Xuandu couldn’t contain his laughter and said teasingly:

“Paper people releasing paper people, how many paper people there are!

You fellow, you’re quite interesting.”

Li Changshou turned back with a ‘shy’ smile, taking this as the Great Master’s praise for his paper-person tactical system.

The sixteen original divine ability-crafted paper people directly charged into the rebels’ rear, with lightning speed that left no time to cover one’s ears, directly hugging the enemy True Immortal realm experts, and before the other side could react, directly self-destructed, releasing streams of poison mist!

In an instant, the seawater was filled with bursts of turbid mist!

The remaining four paper avatars darted left and right.

In their hands, what seemed like swords were not swords, what seemed like flutes were not flutes, the pipes in their hands were not pipes, and the “Is this melon ripe?” knife in their hands was not a blade…

They were all poison-spreading magical tools!

The poison pills that took Li Changshou two years to refine and were worth six high-grade immortal treasures in total were scattered in an instant!

What the four paper avatars needed to do was just fully control the direction of the poison mist and powder’s spread.

In a moment, over a hundred rebels surrounding and attacking Ao Yi fell one after another.

Most of them didn’t even have time to look back to see who their attackers were before their primordial spirits and souls were corrupted by the fierce poison.

The paper avatar in the form of an elderly woman shouted:

“Those protecting Prince Ao Yi, don’t move recklessly! You’ll be poisoned! This old woman has no antidote!”

The group of sea tribe experts protecting Ao Yi fell silent like frozen cicadas, shrinking into a cluster around Ao Yi.

The four paper avatars’ movements were slightly synchronized—this was Li Changshou conserving mental effort.

They each released storage treasures, collecting the seawater mixed with poison powder, which could be used once more later.

Afterward, the four paper avatars released eight soul-capturing pearls, quickly absorbing remnant souls around the battlefield, and scattered seeds of True Samadhi Fire.

The seawater only slightly weakened the True Samadhi Fire’s power; burning these corpses was still very easy.

As flames surged, the four paper avatars each released three paper people, transforming into twelve kind-faced Daoists;

They respectively held wooden fish, soul-pacifying bells, and wooden clappers, beating and striking around while chanting the Salvation Scripture, Rebirth Mantra, and Disaster-Dispelling Prayer.

A group of sea tribe experts looked at each other in bewilderment, and Ao Yi also had a dazed expression…

Seeing this scene for the first time, they clearly felt their own shallowness of experience, like fish observing the sky from a well, today they had seen a new world…

“Who are these four Daoist friends?”

“Why did they help us?”

“They must be humans, they’re… so particular!

After killing enemies, they directly handle the corpses, even chanting those mantras, performing crossing-over rituals along the way!”

“We can’t learn this, we can’t learn this.”

Those corpses were quickly consumed by True Samadhi Fire, and the remaining ashes were waved away by the four paper avatars in unison, dissolving into the seawater.

Next life, be a good fish.

Afterward, the four paper avatars turned and withdrew.

The entire process happened very quickly, not only leaving the sea tribe soldiers around Ao Yi bewildered, but even Great Master Xuandu watching from the side couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.

Could the Daoist Heavenly Fortitude Thirty-Six Divine Abilities’ paper-cutting people be used like this?

Ao Yi, holding the Merfolk princess, called out to the four paper avatars: “Respected seniors, please wait, let me express my gratitude!”

The elderly woman turned and smiled, leaving these words:

“We came by His Majesty’s command, merely to help the Second Prince escape danger, no thanks needed.”

After speaking, she turned and left using water escape techniques, not lingering.

The four paper avatars didn’t go far, transforming into four streams of water, finding a sea tribe civilian residence in the chaotic battlefield to hide in, waiting for later use.

Surrounding them, large groups of rebels were still coming to surround and attack Ao Yi, sea tribe soldiers were sniping from various locations, and Ao Yi’s group had begun to move…

If the paper avatars stayed constantly around Ao Yi, they would also be caught in the encirclement, losing initiative;

Continuing to hide and counter-surround was an effective way to inflict damage on strong enemies.

Li Changshou quickly tallied the paper avatars’ losses:

Twenty percent of poison pills consumed, two-thousandths of immortal power consumed, and four magical tools temporarily unusable, needing to be refilled with poison.

Overall, the results were quite good.

In the courtyard, Li Changshou opened his eyes, made a bow to the Great Master, and stood back behind him.

Great Master Xuandu was still savoring what he had seen…

He could understand what Li Changshou had his paper avatars do—it was nothing more than methods for handling remnant souls.

It’s just…

“Changshou,” the Great Master smiled, “you perform these actions so smoothly, do you often engage in combat?”

Li Changshou quickly replied:

“This disciple cultivates in the mountains year-round, rarely moves about, and never actively makes enemies.

But the primordial world is dangerous, and when this disciple goes out, visiting towns to purchase medicinal herbs, he can be targeted by powerful individuals.

This disciple deeply feels that [Scattering ashes takes but a moment, daily practice takes a hundred years].

To quickly resolve enemies when ambushed, and leave no future troubles, I regularly practice several combat steps.

Just now, pressed for time, I skipped several steps.”

Great Master Xuandu smiled and said: “If you mention this, I’m quite interested—what were those skipped steps?”

“Great Master, please look at this little thing I’ve worked out.”

Li Changshou took out a miniature formation disc and several paper people playing funeral music and wailing.

Great Master Xuandu: …

This junior brother must have him!

Then, Great Master Xuandu gently said: “So, why did you have the paper people leave ‘by His Majesty’s command’ without directly specifying ‘Jade Emperor’s command’?”

“Thank you Great Master for the question…

This disciple felt that directly mentioning the Jade Emperor would instead make the Dragon Tribe wary. Better to use the words ‘His Majesty,’ leaving room for the Dragon Tribe’s imagination.

This disciple’s four paper avatars all have human forms and appearances, with living person aura, and without someone of your unparalleled ability here, Great Master, it’s difficult to recognize them as paper transformations.

The term ‘His Majesty’ is rarely used in the primordial world except by the Dragon Tribe, already allowing them to imagine fully, while also lowering their wariness toward the Jade Emperor.”

“Mm, well answered,” Great Master Xuandu squinted and smiled lightly, “you’ve grasped my meaning well.”

Li Changshou: …

The daily life of a Human Dao Sect disciple, is basic operation, nothing special.

…

At this moment, that group of sea tribe experts protected Ao Yi as they rushed toward the formation barrier at the city’s edge;

But now this Merfolk great city was wrapped in layers of formations, space itself was isolated, and with their power alone, they simply couldn’t break open the formation barrier.

Li Changshou understood that the Great Master wasn’t in a hurry to act; if this place could hold out until Dragon Tribe experts arrived, the Great Master wouldn’t appear at all.

Most sea tribes generally had slightly lower intelligence than land creatures;

And the personalities of these sea tribes were mostly…

[When encountering difficulties they become afraid, and smiling isn’t a solution]

They kept charging forward, but Ao Yi’s surrounding guards had decreased by more than ten people, making Li Changshou shake his head…

Sea tribes were difficult to rely on heavily.

When the second wave of rebels surrounded Ao Yi’s group again, Ao Yi protected the Merfolk princess while glaring at their surroundings.

Ao Yi wasn’t coveting this princess’s beauty.

As a responsible Dragon Palace Second Prince, Ao Yi feared something happening to the Merfolk princess would affect relations between the Merfolk and Dragon tribes.

Now with much unrest in the Four Seas, the Merfolk Tribe was an important subject and ally of the Dragon Tribe. Even if it meant Ao Yi had to marry this princess to gain the Merfolk Tribe’s full support in suppressing the sea tribe rebellion, Ao Yi wouldn’t hesitate for a moment.

Seeing Ao Yi trapped again, Li Changshou’s four paper avatars appeared once more;

However, after another demonstration of the paper-person tactical system, this small group of rebels again turned to ash…

But the troubles weren’t over.

The rebels’ main target was Ao Yi, and after two consecutive waves failed to capture him, those commanding troops from the shadows immediately adjusted their approach.

At the palace, the dragon-headed elder fought with all his might, sometimes transforming into dragon form, sometimes returning to human form, not only being surrounded but also tying down several rebel Golden Immortals.

This dragon-headed elder only needed to continue delaying, holding out until Dragon Tribe experts arrived for support, and they would win this battle.

However, those rebel Golden Immortals suddenly withdrew one person, who turned and pounced toward Ao Yi;

The dragon-headed elder immediately became furious, transforming into a thousand-zhang azure dragon, directly demolishing the magnificent palace!

This old dragon immediately wanted to chase after that rebel Golden Immortal, but was firmly blocked by the other rebel experts each using their divine abilities!

Ao Yi felt the pressure of that rapidly approaching Golden Immortal, lightly exhaled, his eyes showing determination as he pushed the Merfolk girl in his arms away and directly rose into the air!

Urging his techniques, concentrating his spirit!

Ao Yi immediately went to fight this Golden Immortal to the death!

In the courtyard, although Li Changshou wanted to criticize his Second Master for being hot-blooded, being able to stand up to face a Golden Immortal realm expert was indeed admirable.

He was seasoning… ahem, showing promise as a commander.

“Changshou,” the Great Master smiled and said, “this Golden Immortal’s foundation is unstable, realm insecure, seeming to be borrowed cultivation. Why don’t you try handling it?”

This kind of Golden Immortal seemed similar to the Three Severances Sect cultivators who attacked their Crossing Immortal Gate years ago…

‘The Great Master must be testing my power limit.’

Li Changshou pondered for a few moments, then said seriously: “This disciple is willing to try, but please keep watch over this disciple, Great Master.”

“Good,” Great Master Xuandu smiled and nodded, casually pointing at Li Changshou.

A beam of immortal light condensed into the phantom of a pagoda on Li Changshou’s back.

Some mysterious Dao resonance directly protected Li Changshou’s primordial spirit and physical body, quickly hiding within him…

The Great Master smiled and said: “This is a supreme defensive treasure, the power of the Xuanhuang Linglong Tower, lent to you for half an hour. Without an Innate Spirit Treasure in hand, even a Daluo Golden Immortal couldn’t harm you.”

Li Changshou’s thoughts turned, his gaze somewhat complex, as he quietly sighed in his heart.

Why only half an hour!

A true blood-locking buff trial version!

But back to the matter at hand.

Li Changshou controlled the four paper avatars to pounce toward Ao Yi, the elderly woman instantly pinning Ao Yi down, while three paper avatars rushed forward, each taking out chessboard-sized miniature formations and deploying them ahead.

In the courtyard, Great Master Xuandu curiously walked to the side, tilting his head to watch Li Changshou’s series of actions…

Li Changshou rubbed his face with both hands, slightly altering his appearance, then took out a thin mask, transforming himself into a middle-aged man’s appearance.

Transformation techniques, further adjusting form and appearance;

Several illusion techniques were naturally better than few.

All this was completed in an instant, with Li Changshou’s left hand reverse-gripping a counterfeit Judge’s Brush, a magical tool pouch containing two spirit pill-grade consciousness poison pills [Heart Fire Burn] hanging at his waist, his right hand gripping two golden talismans.

The twelve treasure pouches sewn into his sleeves had all opened a small gap…

To deal with this kind of ‘false Golden Immortal,’ even with his blood-locking buff, would be very difficult, after all, the opponent was in that realm, and very possibly still had Mosquito Daoist remotely controlling them.

Sigh, probably this time…

He would have to expose more than one-fifth of his combat trump cards.