In the seawater, Li Changshou continuously used the water travel technique, heading toward the ambush formation laid out by his paper avatar army.

A lesson in counter-encirclement.

Through small tricks like ‘paper fish,’ Li Changshou had already confirmed that there were about three hundred sea creatures currently pursuing and attempting to intercept him;

Among them were forty-two Celestial Immortal realm cultivators, while the rest were True Immortal realm, all pure sea clan members, most with human bodies and fish heads.

The most eye-catching were several alluring fish women, their thick fish lips smeared with some unknown bright red ointment, which was somewhat…

Stimulating.

Li Changshou had already avoided their interception several times;

Whenever these people tried to surround him, Li Changshou’s water travel technique would suddenly increase in speed, allowing him to just barely ‘break free’ from their encirclement.

Unconsciously, Li Changshou’s direction of travel had changed from southeast to southwest…

He had long since split his attention to control multiple tasks simultaneously;

His paper avatar army had arrived at a desolate island in the East Sea, investigating the situation within several thousand miles, while two transport paper avatars dispersed dozens of poison-spreading paper avatars in different areas, ready for later use.

Li Changshou had been analyzing throughout the journey why he was being ambushed.

But after analyzing back and forth, among the several possibilities he could deduce, the most likely was simply that he had been targeted by the sea clan rebel forces…

Though he couldn’t rule out that this was Western Teaching’s arranged revenge, targeting just one of his avatars seemed somewhat unreasonable.

Moreover, if it truly was Western Teaching taking action, they would only need to arrange for one Golden Immortal realm expert to ambush him, and this avatar would have no way to respond…

Most likely, it was at the dragon palace banquet, where many people called him Sea God, which brought about this trouble.

This couldn’t be helped.

At the time, with Heaven’s people nearby, if he had concealed his identity, he couldn’t have served as the ‘friendship bridge’ between the dragon palace and Heaven.

Li Changshou gradually adjusted his water travel speed, giving them the illusion that his previous consecutive accelerations were the result of using some secret technique.

Now that the technique’s effect seemed to be fading, these sea clan rebels thought their opportunity had come.

At present, within a thousand-mile radius, these hundreds of figures began their final encirclement…

Out of respect for his enemies, Li Changshou’s thoughts raced wildly, arranging three tactics and six backup plans, instantly maximizing his mental capacity.

Six paper avatars had quickly prepared for battle, spreading colorless and odorless anesthetic drugs that would take some time to take effect into the waters around the desolate island.

Subsequently, this targeted paper avatar of Li Changshou ‘happened’ to run into several of their experts’ ambush…

As soon as the sea battle began, Li Changshou immediately retreated at first contact, giving them no chance to attack;

Those sea clan Celestial Immortals skilled in water warfare surprisingly couldn’t hold him down.

This was the result of years of continuous practice and refinement of the water travel technique!

Though there wasn’t much to be proud of, it was just because he was too poor to have spiritual treasures and could only rely on divine abilities.

Moments later, this paper avatar of Li Changshou stood on that desolate island;

Whirlpools appeared on the sea surface around the island, and hundreds of figures approached from all directions, simultaneously surrounding him.

Their vigilance was seriously lacking, completely failing to notice the peculiarities of this area, and even more so failing to notice the dozens of paper avatars lurking at the sea bottom…

Li Changshou’s gaze swept around, this paper avatar’s remaining immortal power was entirely used for defense, enveloping himself.

Because of this, his early-stage Celestial Immortal cultivation was revealed.

The fish people around him mostly wore cold smiles, looking triumphantly at the surrounding human…

When these sea clan members were tracking Li Changshou, they had momentarily suspected that this South Sea God they were ambushing and surrounding today might have been a loach spirit from some terrestrial marsh!

But finally, their efforts had paid off, and they had managed to surround this slippery fellow!

The sea was their home turf!

At this moment, Li Changshou, surrounded by several hundred sea clan members, slightly furrowed his brow.

On the other side, these sea clan cultivators began to glare at Li Changshou with hateful gazes.

As if Li Changshou had committed some grave offense against them, like slicing them up or dipping them in wasabi!

Most sea clan members in the primordial world had human bodies with fish heads;

Only the Jiao people had human upper bodies and fishtails.

And those split half-human, half-fish down the middle…

The Heavenly Dao would not allow such existence.

Li Changshou’s mind was completely clear, though his eyes showed deep apprehension, and his expression appeared somewhat flustered as he looked around.

After the sea clan members had surrounded him, Li Changshou said coldly:

“Fellow Daoists, what is the meaning of this?”

“South Sea God!”

A peak Celestial Immortal realm female sea clan member, holding a steel trident, shouted angrily: “You help the dragon clan oppress our sea clan, today shall be your end!

Accept your death!”

“Wait!”

Li Changshou frowned and called out, mentally calculating the time needed for the anesthetic to take effect and analyzing whether there were any hidden experts among them;

Meanwhile, he secretly controlled other paper avatars to subtly mix soul-destroying poisons into these fish-people’s auras.

To be safe, Li Changshou needed to stall for some time to let the poison take full effect, so he continued:

“You’re looking for the South Sea God, what does that have to do with me, Sea Cucumber Daoist?”

“Sea… Sea Cucumber Daoist?”

That fish woman was stunned, frowning as she said: “Are you not the South Sea God?”

Li Changshou shrugged, “Did you perhaps hear someone at the dragon palace calling me ‘sea cu-, sea cu-‘? And mistook it for ‘sea god’?

To be honest, I’ve seen the South Sea God, he’s kindly-looking, an elderly senior, completely different from me.

I’m not using any illusion techniques either, so I definitely couldn’t fool you with my appearance, right?”

“Hmm?”

Several peak Celestial Immortal realm fish-people exchanged glances, doubt in their eyes.

Had they made a mistake?

One fish said: “Better to kill wrongly than let him escape.”

“Right! Humans are just as hateful as the dragon clan! Don’t let this one go either!”

Li Changshou: …

Did they believe his random nonsense?

Though he had known before that sea clan members generally lacked spiritual nature and wisdom, and were simple-minded, Li Changshou never imagined they could be simple to such an extent!

No wonder they were fooled by the Western Teaching!

Life under the sea must be much more leisurely than on shore, no wonder so many people in his previous life chose to go to sea…

*Ahem*, getting off track.

“Everyone,” Li Changshou frowned and said, “We humans have a saying that it’s better to resolve grudges than to create them.

I can pretend nothing happened about you surrounding me today.

But if you attack me, you will certainly face some retaliation, and this retaliation will come very quickly.”

“Hmph! We don’t even fear the dragon clan, why would we fear you!”

That lead fish-woman shouted coldly, her fish eyes emanating an eerie light as she commanded: “Stop talking with him! Kill him!”

“This general will go!”

A sea clan general with large pincers for hands jumped directly from the sea surface to the edge of the desolate island, immediately moving to attack Li Changshou.

Li Changshou didn’t hesitate either, stepping back twice before suddenly raising his hand to press down, shouting:

“Thousand Poison Soul-Destroying Palm!”

A dense green smoke flew out from Li Changshou’s sleeve, pushed by immortal power into a giant palm shadow, pressing down toward that crab general.

The opponent treated it as a grave threat, spitting out mouthfuls of dense ink…

One wondered if this crab general’s master was perhaps an octopus Daoist, as this divine ability truly seemed to pollute the environment.

The dense ink spread instantly, surging like waves, directly covering the dense smoke Li Changshou had released and sweeping toward him!

Li Changshou quickly retreated, but most of his attention was on controlling the six paper avatars in the sea.

The poison’s effect was nearly perfect!

Without any warning, the ink-spitting crab general suddenly hiccupped, his head swayed, and he suddenly fell backward.

In an instant, most of the figures standing on the sea surface fell toward the water;

The other minority with deeper cultivation were now also dizzy and confused, their consciousness suddenly unclear…

“What’s happening!”

“This sea is poisoned!”

“No good, we fell for it…”

In just two breaths’ time, the several hundred sea clan members who had been standing on the sea surface either sank into the seawater or floated on the surface, all falling asleep.

Poisoning is also a technical skill.

Li Changshou had only immersed himself in this art for two hundred years, receiving guidance from masters and having some self-created poisoning concepts, barely qualifying as a senior scholar in this technical field of the primordial world.

The key point of multi-target poisoning lies in calculating the timing of the poison’s effect based on the target’s cultivation, soul strength, and resistance;

If one falls and the others immediately become alert, with chances to escape or take emergency measures, then the poisoning technique cannot be considered skillful.

Li Changshou dusted off his hands. Done.

‘Should I tie them up and take them to the dragon palace?’

Li Changshou pondered briefly but rejected this idea.

That would bring too many future troubles and risk exposing the poisons he used.

At present, Li Changshou raised his hand to deploy a miniature formation base, erecting an isolation formation;

This type of formation consumed spiritual power slowly, and the miniature formation base could sustain it for a moment.

Li Changshou controlled several paper avatars to busy themselves, both purifying the anesthetic from the local seawater and precisely poisoning to thoroughly kill these entranced sea clan members.

One corpse after another of sea clan experts was quickly thrown onto the desolate island, piling up like a small mountain.

Li Changshou had originally prepared more than forty paper avatars, along with three thousand poison bean soldiers…

Unexpectedly, the opponent gave him no chance for extra moves, promptly lying down as one.

This time, it would be more appropriate to follow proper procedures.

Three paper avatars were arranged on the desolate island, taking out wooden fish, soul-catching bells, and wooden sticks, beginning to chant the Soul-Crossing Sutra, Rebirth Sutra, and Disaster-Dispelling Prayer.

Two paper avatars took decisive action, releasing streams of Samadhi True Flame that completely engulfed the corpses…

Shortly after, orange flames shot into the sky, rapidly dissolving the corpses within.

Four paper figures emerged from one paper avatar’s sleeve, playing suona horns and beating large drums;

These weren’t specially prepared, but were the Heaven’s entrance special band from before, making a guest appearance.

Since the sea clan had no custom of grave-sweeping and burning paper money, Li Changshou skipped the mourning steps, watching these premium ingredients turn to ashes while releasing over ten soul-catching beads to collect the remnant souls.

Throughout it all, his heart remained completely unmoved.

“I told you, I’m Sea Cucumber Daoist.”

Li Changshou shook his head, and after the flames died out, he raised his hand to scatter the large pile of ashes into the sea.

The paper avatars had already assembled completely and now split into two routes.

One group with abundant immortal power carried the poison bean soldiers back to their original hiding positions;

Another group returned to this paper avatar’s sleeve, following back to Anshui City, to be secretly sent back to Mount Du Xian later…

To recharge immortal power.

…

Just as Li Changshou was providing fish elimination service with complimentary ash scattering…

In front of the dragon palace gates, several elders and stewards from Horizon Tower gathered around the dispirited young Daoist, quietly trying to persuade him.

“Young Master, most of the dragon palace guests have left, we should return as well.”

“We’ve inquired for you, Friend Ke Le’er was punished by her parents for killing many sea clans’ great demons in Horizon City last time, confined for a thousand years without being able to leave.”

“Where is Le’er’s home?”

“Young Master, the dragon palace won’t say, we truly cannot find out.”

“Ah,” Bian Zhuang let out a long sigh, his gaze carrying some emotion, “Heaven and Earth’s eternality has its end, I wish this love could be known to my beloved.

Why, why must Le’er’s parents punish her? If punishment is needed, confine me by her side as well.

Never mind a thousand years, even three thousand years, thirty thousand years, I am willing…”

Several guests who were just leaving couldn’t help but snicker, while the Horizon Tower stewards’ faces grew awkward, repeatedly apologizing to those around them.

“Young Master, let’s, let’s return first, otherwise it seems the dragon palace will take action against us.”

Bian Zhuang remained unmoved.

“If you stay here, you really won’t be able to find Friend Ke Le’er!”

Bian Zhuang jumped up with a start, pulling an elder’s arm and saying quietly: “Uncle Fu, let’s go quickly.”

These people were caught between laughter and tears as they hurriedly led Bian Zhuang away from the East Sea Dragon palace.

The group quickly flew above the sea surface, boarding a treasure ship and rushing toward the end of the world.

What the Horizon Tower steward had said truly wasn’t just to scare Bian Zhuang.

The dragon clan already had many criticisms of Bian Zhuang, and if not for Young Master Ao Yi’s previous instructions, dragon clan experts would have long since taken action to throw this wastrel out of the Crystal Palace.

Throughout the entire wedding, this Bian Zhuang just stood guard at the gate, guarding for twelve years in total!

Though his heart was steadfast, he was truly annoying.

Previously, Bian Zhuang had the dragon palace invitation as a protective talisman, but now, with the wedding over, the invitation’s effectiveness was greatly diminished…

Fortunately, their group did not encounter any trouble from the dragon clan and successfully reached the vicinity of that majestic heavenly pillar.

The magnificent and vast but chaotically laid out Horizon City could be seen in the distance, but an elder suddenly frowned deeply, raising his hand in a gesture to stop.

A figure came flying on a cloud from afar, an elderly woman with white hair.

Bian Zhuang suddenly became excited, shouting: “Le’er, it’s Le’er!”

Black lines appeared on all these elders’ and stewards’ foreheads.

Their Young Master had been pining for… such an elderly sister?

This must be some evil technique, right?!

Fortunately, before these Horizon Tower experts could take action to kill directly, Bian Zhuang shouted the second half:

“It’s the elderly granny who was with Le’er that day!”

Those around him immediately breathed sighs of relief, truly having been given a fright by their Young Master.