At Little Jade Peak, within the bean-planting formation;
Li Changshou, who was researching new hybrid fairy bean technology, suddenly felt an inexplicable flutter in his heart.
He carefully examined this feeling, only sensing that something seemed to be happening around him…
This flutter came suddenly and departed quickly, disappearing before he could properly experience it.
Was someone plotting against his small disciple?
Li Changshou put down his hoe and stopped his farmwork, his expression very serious.
Such a flutter typically indicated schemes that could threaten his very being…
Currently, he only used paper avatars for external affairs, and regarding defense against divination, he not only had various small objects but also had Great Sage Taiqing personally helping him obscure heavenly secrets.
Could it be that someone within the sect was targeting him?
That seemed unlikely;
Within the sect now, broadly speaking, no one could directly threaten him anymore.
—His self-severed dao realm wasn’t achieved for nothing; ordinary Golden Immortals no longer held any pressure over him.
Moreover, Li Changshou has been monitoring the sect;
Any True Immortals or Heavenly Immortals who might potentially conflict with him were basically all within the scope of his ‘regular assessments’…
A cultivator’s spiritual intuition and heart’s flutter certainly wouldn’t come from nowhere.
Li Changshou tidied up the area, quickly inspected various parts of the formation, then shifted his consciousness back to his true body, manipulating his fingers to begin careful calculations.
After just a few breaths, he had results and decisively abandoned this meaningless behavior, taking out paper and brush to analyze point by point.
There was no help for it—the divine ability of calculation was related to one’s age, cultivation realm, and distance from the heavenly dao, essentially consulting heavenly secrets.
What caught Li Changshou off guard was that the flutter quickly appeared again, but then vanished once more.
Moments later, Li Changshou experienced a third wave of spiritual trembling…
What was going on?
Could it be that this person who could threaten him was still hesitating?
Li Changshou frowned deeply, looking at the intersecting storylines he had drawn on the white paper, unable to help to mutter to himself a few times.
Currently, there were only four ways that could threaten his true body—
First was if a powerful being suddenly became angry and wanted to destroy the Degree Immortal Sect;
Second, was finding his true body through loopholes left by the paper avatars;
Third was his little iron buddy Ao Yi, who could connect the relationship between ‘Degree Immortal Sect disciple’ and ‘South Sea God’.
The fourth was rather absurd but possible: if his family’s Sage Lord took a dislike to him and blew him into scattered ash with a breath…
Among these, the second and third possibilities were the highest.
He could first use the process of elimination.
Li Changshou immediately used divine thought to contact Ao Yi, their divine thoughts connecting between the deity statues in Anshui City’s main temple, entering into a dream state.
Li Changshou carefully ‘interrogated’ Ao Yi, making the Second Sect Master quite nervous.
Fortunately, the Second Sect Master withstood this inspection…
Li Changshou also asked Ao Yi several questions about the current ‘public opinion trends’ on Golden Turtle Island.
According to what Ao Yi personally witnessed, after Golden Light Holy Mother returned to Golden Turtle Island, she gathered many friends to speak about the ‘karmic connection’ between the South Sea God and theSevering Sect, explaining clearly that the South Sea God had not intentionally schemed against their Senior Brother Gongming.
Golden Light Holy Mother even praised the South Sea God for ‘single-mindedly serving the dao path without entangling in countless karmas’, somewhat recovering the South Sea God’s reputation within the Severing Sect…
Cutting off divine thought, Li Changshou once again stared at the white paper before him.
The probability of the third option had decreased significantly.
So the most likely scenario…
Had the Great Law Master let something slip?
Ahem, the paper avatars might have problems…
Paper avatars weren’t some perfect divine ability. Although Li Changshou had exhausted his efforts to perfect them, they still inevitably left many hidden dangers;
And these dangers, Li Changshou had known about from the beginning, and had made some preparations against them.
“It seems the preparations weren’t enough.”
Li Changshou pondered for a moment, glanced at those two Nine Transformations Golden Pills, closed his eyes, concentrated, mobilized paper avatars from various locations, making those that could hide deeper go deeper, and directly destroying those that weren’t quite secure.
Soon, Li Changshou had completed a self-inspection.
And that flutter in his heart appeared again…
“Still haven’t made up your mind?”
Li Changshou’s brows furrowed slightly. If he had the Great Law Master’s divine abilities, he would truly want to tear open the cosmos and peek through to ask the other party if they wanted to make their move.
Of course, it would be best if they never moved at all…
Meanwhile, in an unremarkable cave dwelling at the foot of Spirit Mountain.
Wen Jing Daoist reclined on her treasure couch, looking at the constantly trembling blood cocoon in her palm, her delicate brows sometimes furrowing, sometimes relaxing…
She was indeed hesitating.
Not between the Human Religion and Western Religion;
Anyone, as long as they hadn’t lost their mind, would make the wise choice.
In her current view, this bunch of waste in the Western Religion, whether openly or secretly, couldn’t possibly match those few people of the Human Religion.
She could clearly feel that in the Western Religion, she, this Queen, was already a chess piece that could be discarded at any time…
Just take this arrangement from Sage’s disciple.
Yesterday Sage’s disciple gave her this blood cocoon, and even spoke of things like ‘important use’…
‘Does he think this Queen is some inexperienced young girl, so easily deceived?’
No matter who it was, except for the Sage Lord personally taking action, any attempt to divine the South Sea God’s background would result in a Taiji Diagram warning.
What did this indicate?
It showed that the South Sea God held an important position in the Human Religion and could receive direct protection from a Sage!
Not even considering her current identity as the Human Religion’s ‘beautiful leg double agent’…
Having her use this butterfly to find and eliminate the South Sea God’s true form was essentially equivalent to throwing her into the Eight Trigrams Furnace in Doushuai Palace;
If she acted and succeeded, how could that man—Great Law Master Xuandu—not kill her?
Moreover, currently, the South Sea God, the Human Religion’s Little Law Master, was her only contact with the Human Religion. How could she do something that would destroy her own path to survival…
Wen Jing Daoist wasn’t worried about how to handle this matter;
She only needed to tell this to the South Sea God, and he would naturally have a way to resolve it.
What she was hesitating about now was…
‘Should I use this thing to find this Little Law Master’s true form and tease him a bit?’
Wen Jing Daoist’s slender phoenix eyes narrowed again, her eyes carrying some playfulness and mischief.
She had been schemed against too many times by this South Sea God, to the point where she had some resentment in her heart…
“Hmph, what could happen if this Queen does as she wishes?”
Thereupon, Wen Jing Daoist sat up for the sixth time, her fingertip seemingly about to pierce this blood cocoon immediately, but just a hair’s breadth away, her delicate finger stopped again…
Although finding this fellow’s true body and teasing him a bit would certainly vent some anger, this would be losing the greater for the lesser, and more likely to anger the South Sea God…
Fear?
She naturally wasn’t afraid, it was just that based on rational thinking, she was a tiny bit cautious.
Wen Jing Daoist’s mind kept replaying her several encounters with this Human Religion’s number three figure…
Each time, she had discoveries;
Each time, this fellow made her heart grow a few more measures of wariness.
Moreover, it was very possible that this Little Law Master wasn’t simply a member of the Human Religion, that the Sage behind him wasn’t only Great Sage Taiqing.
[Fine, I should first discuss this matter with him secretly…]
Just as Wen Jing Daoist was about to withdraw her finger, traces of annoyance flashed through her eyes, and she raised her hand to pierce the blood cocoon.
Who was she?
She was the Queen of the Blood-Winged Black Mosquito clan, once a generation’s powerful being who roamed the blood sea [corners]!
The blood cocoon split open directly, strands of blood light gathered, and a butterfly flickering with cold green light and a semi-transparent body danced lightly, landing on Wen Jing Daoist’s fingertip.
‘Hmph! Just wait until I find you!
At worst I’ll just apologize, you couldn’t possibly kill me, could you?’
…
It’s here!
In the underground secret chamber, Li Changshou’s spirit jolted—at this instant, the flutter in his heart was extremely clear.
The other party had still made their move!
Li Changshou held his breath, immediately stood up, and used the smoke movement technique that Spirit Maiden had mentioned years ago to leave the underground secret chamber, his true body hurriedly riding clouds toward Breaking Heaven Peak.
Arriving at the Hundred Mortal Hall, walking under the Sage’s portrait, Li Changshou took out three thick and long premium incense sticks from his sleeve, continued the offering to the Sage Lord, then sincerely knelt and prayed, saying in his heart:
‘This disciple seeks nothing, only coming to offer incense to you, seeking peace of mind.’
Just like his routine incense offerings every three months, the portrait showed no abnormality.
The various External Affairs Elders were already used to this sight.
Li Changshou closed his eyes, quietly waiting for danger to arrive, his divine consciousness fully open, monitoring several key locations with all his might:
The Degree Immortal Sect’s mountain gate, the main temple of the Sea God Temple in Anshui City by the South Seashore, and the hiding place of the paper avatar corps in the East Sea.
But after Li Changshou’s spirit remained tense for an hour, his heart suddenly received a light warning!
Li Changshou’s divine thought immediately descended upon an unremarkable small Sea God temple…
But he came half a step too late, only catching sight of a burly figure riding away on clouds, the other party’s cultivation not weak, disappearing at the horizon in the blink of an eye…
There were indeed enemies.
Li Changshou immediately wanted to activate paper avatars to intercept and probe, but his heart moved, and he suppressed this thought.
Couldn’t be hasty.
If his guess wasn’t wrong, the other party deliberately alerting him might be trying to draw out his avatar…
Habitually playing it safe, watching what moves the other party would make next.
Another half hour…
That figure appeared again in a Sea God temple in some major city, also just touring around before leaving, deliberately revealing their realm.
Peak of the Heavenly Immortal realm?
Conservatively estimated, it could be a Golden Immortal disguising themselves.
This intention of drawing out his avatar was a bit too obvious…
‘Hope it’s not the West making moves again.’
Li Changshou pondered for a few moments, his heart more firmly set on the notion of avoiding showing himself.
Over the next half day, the other party appeared six consecutive times, even deliberately conflicting with the Bear Village divine envoys once, injuring two divine envoys.
However, Li Changshou’s avatars today completely refused to show themselves, continuously…
Playing it safe.
“Still not taking the bait?”
In a crack in the seabed somewhere in the South Sea, Wen Jing Daoist couldn’t help but twitch the corners of her mouth a few times.
Indeed worthy of being the Sea God who could subdue her, even harder to deal with than she had imagined, with such keen intuition.
“Today I truly want to compete with you once more.”
Thereupon, Wen Jing Daoist’s lips revealed a few alluring smiles, and she began to plot… something big.
Meanwhile, on Breaking Heaven Peak of the Degree Immortal Sect; Li Changshou stood up, leaving from before the Sage’s portrait.
He couldn’t keep kneeling here forever, half a day of worship was the limit each time.
But, at such a dangerous moment, he couldn’t move locations.
In the dangerous and dark environment of Hongmeng, only the backyard of Doushuai Palace and before the Sage Lord’s portrait could give him enough warmth.
Li Changshou let out a light hum, his brows slightly furrowed, dao rhymes lightly trembling around his body, making the appearance of about to break through a realm…
He hurriedly asked: “Elder, may this disciple temporarily close off for cultivation here?”
“Quick, breakthrough is a major event!”
“Thank you, Elder,” Li Changshou made a Daoist salute, and immediately sat cross-legged not far from the left side of Sage’s portrait, arranging a layer of law force barrier around himself.
Two True Immortal realm External Affairs Elders at the side lent their hands, adding two layers of immortal force barriers…
The usual spirit fish and spirit meat hadn’t been served in vain.
For the next half month, Li Changshou remained in closed cultivation in the Hundred Mortal Hall, his cultivation realm seemingly about to break through a small level, yet appearing to lack the final push.
In reality, he was just secretly contending with that unseen opponent…
The other party’s offensive came wave after wave, with various methods, but seemed somewhat like a paper tiger.
What made Li Changshou curious was that the other party always stopped short each time, as if fearing something…
Most puzzling.
After just three days, the other party’s trouble-making had reached the point of nearly causing mortal casualties, which would add karmic obstacles for Li Changshou.
Li Changshou weighed it in his heart—even a bit of karmic obstacle didn’t matter—and remained steady as a mountain, completely unmoved.
The other party seemed to only be putting on an act, not actually harming mortals, each instance of trouble-making ending up all show and no substance…
Did the other party also fear karmic obstacles? Li Changshou pondered secretly.
Another three days passed, and the person in the shadows, seeing they couldn’t draw out the Sea God’s avatar, seemed to temporarily give up…
However, how could Li Changshou lower his guard?
He had patience in abundance, and now he had only played it safe to the fifth degree…
Suddenly, Li Changshou was startled to find his primordial spirit seemingly being peered at!
His heart’s warning surged, divine thought immediately descending upon a Sea God statue in a temple…
He saw a green butterfly, flying up from his statue’s nose tip, landing in the palm of that burly man…
This man smiled coldly, turned around riding clouds, hurriedly leaving this Sea God temple.
Li Changshou: …
Just… this?
That green butterfly should be a strange beast capable of tracking primordial spirit power, perfectly matching one of the scenarios Li Changshou had previously deduced.
Li Changshou’s heart relaxed… one-tenth, shifting his divine consciousness to the main hall of a certain Sea God temple, quietly waiting for the other party to come.
Two hours later, this burly man came riding clouds, following the butterfly in his hand, landing in this large temple’s back courtyard, and seeing an old man quietly sweeping fallen leaves in the corner.
This burly man said indifferently: “You, are the South Sea God?”
The old man didn’t answer, raised his head with a slight smile, and nodded gently, but his form was suddenly enveloped in flames, instantly turning to ash.
This was an ordinary paper person;
It just contained a drop of Li Changshou’s essence blood, mixed with weak primordial spirit power and his dao rhymes…
The burly man stood stunned on the spot, the butterfly flapping its wings again, pointing in another direction;
This burly man snorted coldly, and once again rode the clouds up, heading toward the next Sea God temple.
And so…
Over four or five days, this burly man followed the butterfly, circling the South Sea shores, visiting exactly eighteen Sea God temples, witnessing…
The self-destruction of eighteen ordinary paper people.
“Ah! You inhuman creature!”
In a crack somewhere at the bottom of the South Sea, Wen Jing Daoist forcefully grabbed two locks of her beautiful hair, grinding her teeth, her pretty face contorted—these past few days she had cursed in Western vulgarities countless times.
This South Sea God, this Human Religion’s Little Law Master—she dared not conclude if he was a fierce and merciless person, but he was someone cunning to the extreme!
They say a cunning rabbit has three burrows, but what was this?
He must have three hundred burrows!
Like this, the West still wanted to contend with the Human Religion? Just surrender directly, they were completely outmatched!
Suddenly, through that blood mosquito puppet, Wen Jing Daoist heard a familiar voice transmission…
“Had enough fun? Wen.”