Behind Xuandu City’s composite formation.
Li Longshou stood silently on the city wall, gazing at the endless primordial chaos, slightly lost in thought.
Behind him, several figures were busy in various places.
Zhao Gongming, True Person Yellow Dragon, and other masters from both schools had arrived here years ago. Quan Dong had brought large quantities of precious materials and spirit stones on this trip, personally expressing the Heavenly Court’s support for this matter.
Outside the city, a five-colored flower bloomed silently, drifting through the primordial chaos;
Two figures stood side by side on this flower, naturally the Great Law Master and Kong Xuan, standing close together, setting up some special formation bases with laughter and conversation.
Progress was quite smooth, except…
When he had just arrived, the Great Law Master had transmitted a complaint, saying that since Kong Xuan’s arrival, he hadn’t been able to get a good night’s sleep for a long while.
It rather felt like the Great Law Master was showing off something.
One thought blooms a flower, and one thought awakens the Dao.
Li Longshou chuckled softly, beginning to contemplate the overall calculation.
Where else might problems arise? Where were the arrangements not yet secure enough?
He had already considered every step, every participant’s temperament, skills, and abilities, and had left sufficient ‘room for expression’ for his senior brothers and sisters and the ancient worthies of Fire Cloud Cave.
Li Longshou had just felt a strand of Dao resonance actively transmitted by Patriarch Tongtian, his heart full of emotion.
A Saint, an existence at the pinnacle of creation!
To come to Xuandu City ten years early to set up defenses, based on the suggestion of his junior disciple!
What spirit was this?
This was the spirit of Primordial Saintly Socialism showing a Saint’s selfless love for their junior disciple!
The chances of success this time were indeed ninety-eight percent.
If Kun Peng could escape from such arrangements… such words shouldn’t be spoken carelessly, and such flags shouldn’t be raised recklessly.
Even though preparations had been made to this extent, he wouldn’t speak with absolute certainty.
Try his best, give it his all!
‘Hum~~’
Suddenly feeling a premonition, that familiar sound resonated in his heart.
His consciousness shifted to the Southern Sea, and though the sensing was somewhat weak, the connection with his paper avatar hadn’t broken.
After the paper avatar drilled out from the ground, a blood mosquito landed on his shoulder, murmuring a few words, quickly dispersing into a bloody mist.
Li Longshou’s eyes narrowed, his expression turning somewhat cold.
This Maitreya had indeed made his move.
This account would be settled later. The urgent matter at hand was to quickly complete Xuandu City’s arrangements while the masses weren’t paying attention to it.
Li Longshou hadn’t expected to hold Kun Peng with formations alone;
The main purpose of the formations here was to stabilize the potentially chaotic situation in Xuandu City the instant when their group of masters made their move.
If they could, on this foundation, delay Kun Peng for a few moments, that would naturally be ideal.
“Changgeng, how should the formations here be arranged?”
At Zhao Gongming’s call, Li Longshou leaped down from the city wall, rolled up his long robe sleeves, and lifted the hem of his Daoist robe, throwing himself into Xuandu City’s formation construction with urgent dedication.
Li Longshou couldn’t determine the exact situation in the Chaos Sea, nor did he dare to probe carelessly, fearing he might alert their target.
Kun Peng’s cunning was renowned throughout creation, and Li Longshou didn’t dare be careless in the slightest.
Hmm, later he would go provoke Black Panther, see if Black Panther could be made to say something like “The Heavenly Court always loses, Taibai must fail.”
Reverse curse, indirect lethality.
…
Seven years countdown to the planned battle at Xuandu City.
Throughout creation, rumors surrounding Fire Cloud Cave and the Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos grew increasingly intense.
Certain forces with ulterior motives spread messages about ‘this all being a Heavenly Court conspiracy,’ but faced with this great momentum, were completely crushed, leaving not even dregs behind.
Of course, that force was the Western Teaching.
The Western Teaching openly spread messages denying the authenticity of the ninth strand of Purple Qi, while secretly deploying masters to occupy the area around Fire Cloud Cave;
When this was exposed, it only added fuel to the rumors’ fire.
As Li Longshou had said, because Western Teaching had exhausted its credibility and its reputation had become negative, its positive calculations would instead become an aid to this matter.
Moreover, the two great forces of the Immortal Alliance and the Divine Countries of Worship from the Three Thousand Worlds ceased their warfare over this, with large numbers of masters rushing to the Five Continents.
Throughout creation, friction and conflicts between cultivators continued to rise, frequently resulting in incidents of “Why are you looking at this poor Daoist?” and “This poor Daoist is a Golden Immortal, what of it?”
Of course, more conflicts were along the lines of…
“Just wait, this poor Daoist will call friends over.”
“Are we afraid of you? This poor Daoist’s friendships are also quite extensive!”
Soon after, when two groups met, both sides would eye each other for a while, until they inevitably found an acquaintance and immediately gathered around.
“Blessed be the Patriarch’s spirit, isn’t this Brother Niu whom this poor Daoist met gathering herbs in the Northern Continent years ago?”
“Oh, isn’t this so-and-so? Stop fighting everyone, we’re acquainted!”
Thus they would sit and discuss the Dao, in perfect harmony.
That same year, the Heavenly Court, which had been avoiding and never responding to this matter, suddenly increased their troops in the Fire Cloud Cave area.
However, several hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals, without sufficient masters to protect them, didn’t dare approach the current Fire Cloud Cave, only ‘standing guard’ in the high heavens.
Inside Fire Cloud Cave, Emperor Yellow Emperor’s generals all emerged, firmly guarding the entrance and exit of Fire Cloud Cave.
This group of generals started at the Golden Immortal realm, most were Hero Spirit bodies, ancient human race war souls, with shocking battle power, making various independent cultivators afraid to approach.
This year, Master Zhenyuan and more than ten genuine powerhouses of creation paid a joint visit to Fire Cloud Cave, and actively released news that causing trouble at Fire Cloud Cave meant making enemies of more than ten idle cloud-riding old Daoists.
The Fire Cloud Cave forces officially stepped onto creation’s grand stage, but this force had long since retired to nurture their old age, having little impact on creation’s situation.
Just a small backing for the human race.
A year’s countdown.
Phase two of Xuandu City’s formation project was completed, various Dao School masters quietly withdrew, and Li Longshou’s main body exercised transformation methods, hiding with the Jade Emperor’s avatar Quan Dong in a corner of Xuandu City.
He was the trump card of this plan.
As for the Jade Emperor’s avatar… that was naturally the backup’s backup, the trump card’s trump card, absolutely not some soy sauce-carrying passerby!
However, what could be done was indeed not much.
All the supernatural phenomena within creation were false, all arrangements would point to this place.
When masters like Zhao Gongming and True Person Yellow Dragon, who had been arranging formations in Xuandu City, made an appearance at Fire Cloud Cave, Li Longshou controlled his paper avatar standing guard in the Heavenly Court to issue two jade talismans and organized two voice transmissions, fully launching the subsequent plan!
First, in the Crystal Palace of the Heavenly Court, Chief Minister Dongmu Gong reported to the Jade Emperor about the rumors of the Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos from the past dozen or so years.
The Jade Emperor, in front of all immortals and gods, sensed the Heavenly Dao and calculated briefly, saying he hadn’t detected any abnormalities in the Heavenly Dao, and the ninth strand of Purple Qi hadn’t reached its time to manifest.
Subsequently, Chief Minister Dongmu Gong petitioned the Jade Emperor, earnestly requesting the Jade Emperor to ask the Heavenly Dao to bestow the ninth strand of Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos, rewarding it to the chief among the Heavenly Court’s officials, Star-Lord Taibai.
The Jade Emperor merely smiled without speaking, not agreeing to this matter, only saying:
“This is something even I cannot decide.”
These were naturally all scripted, and this story also spread out as rumors.
But the Heavenly Court’s denial at this time didn’t have any cooling effect, instead making various cultivators fully exercise their ‘reverse psychology,’ feeling this was the Heavenly Court deliberately releasing hints.
Truth often had to be taken opposite to what the Heavenly Court announced.
Creation’s population of ‘clever rogues,’ when all was said and done, was still affected by that wishful thinking that always expected meat pies to fall from the sky directly into their hands.
Regarding this, Li Longshou only smiled and moved past it, steadily advancing his various plans.
Five years countdown.
A “drunken slip of the tongue” by Human Sovereign Fuxi pushed Xuandu City to the forefront of attention.
[This poor Daoist has calculated for a long time, peering through the layers of the Great Tribulation’s concealment, glimpsing that strand of Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos.
The ninth strand of Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos might, within ten years, take advantage of the Great Tribulation’s force’s counteraction against the Heavenly Dao, and break free from within the Heavenly Dao.
This strand of Purple Qi is a variable, the Heavenly Dao doesn’t allow its existence and will drive it out of creation into the Chaos Sea to dissipate at the first moment of its manifestation.
This is precisely the principle that of the fifty of the Great Dao, heaven evolves forty-nine, with one escaping to become the variable.]
Instantly, many cultivators who felt they had no hope at Fire Cloud Cave bustled toward Xuandu City, but before they could approach the entrance, they were blocked by Heaven’s Punishment Divine Thunder.
Xuandu City was an important place outside heaven, often troubled by demons and monsters, and ordinary beings couldn’t approach.
Just then, a large number of Outer Heavenly Demons gathered again outside heaven, and following Li Longshou’s previous suggestion, the Great Law Master opened a lengthy bronze mirror broadcast.
He showed these cultivators rushing to Xuandu City how he usually fought with Outer Heavenly Demons, protecting creation’s safety.
Sometimes, merit had to be demonstrated like this.
For a time, the Great Law Master’s heroism spread throughout creation.
This broadcast continued for several months until various cultivators withdrew…
The Great Law Master had given them a direct demonstration of what true ‘quasi-saint’ power was, and those endless Outer Heavenly Demons also made ordinary Great Luo Immortals step back in trepidation, not daring to approach easily.
Li Longshou secretly controlled the creation’s situation, constantly fine-tuning and micro-managing, while also handling the spread of various messages.
Setting up the layout ten or more years in advance was also a timing he had carefully considered;
The timing of each rumor’s spread was carefully controlled by Li Longshou.
He hadn’t chosen to suppress ordinary cultivators’ interest in the Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos from the very beginning.
Although there weren’t any stories of ‘defying heaven to change fate’ in creation, nor had there been instances where a group of old monsters fought over some heaven-defying opportunity only for it to fall into the hands of some small fry, cultivators all had a “what if” in their hearts.
What if their fortune came?
These ten-plus years were for these cultivators to cool down.
Let them recognize that the risks to be borne didn’t match the benefits that could be obtained;
Let them realize that even if they obtained that strand of Purple Qi, they would instantly meet the same fate as Ancient Red Cloud Elder, and even more tragic than Red Cloud Elder, probably not even able to reincarnate.
Most cultivators began to distance themselves from Fire Cloud Cave.
Four years countdown.
The situation tended toward stability, with only a batch of Golden Immortal realm masters and Great Luo realm old monsters remaining near Fire Cloud Cave.
Someone had secretly arranged various formations, counting to several thousand in total, completely locking down Fire Cloud Cave’s surroundings.
In the hidden conflicts, one person or one force appeared in various positions around Fire Cloud Cave, being considered most likely to obtain the Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos.
Along with this, they hadn’t given up on Xuandu City.
Masters entered the Chaos Sea from other directions, circled outside creation, and arrived outside Xuandu City to observe.
They naturally couldn’t see Xuandu City’s changes, as Outer Heavenly Demons constantly attacked Xuandu City’s formations, with the Great Law Master and Kong Xuan’s two figures standing outside Xuandu City’s great battle, their peerless bearing leaving an extremely deep impression.
Three-year countdown.
Kun Peng grew anxious.
Li Longshou could feel that Kun Peng had started to become anxious.
The meaningless formation attacks by Outer Heavenly Demons were called off, but countless demon armies were arranged outside Xuandu City, vast and endless, boundless and limitless, turning this area’s primordial chaos qi black.
True ‘black clouds pressing on the city.’
But Kun Peng also knew his hope was extremely slim.
This fellow very much wanted to rush to Fire Cloud Cave to ambush, but couldn’t appear within creation, placing all bets on the Xuandu City gap.
Even if the Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos successfully escaped from creation, trying to snatch it from the Great Law Master’s hands would be harder than ascending to heaven.
Unless the Great Law Master wasn’t interested in achieving quasi-sainthood.
But Kun Peng was also an old vicious character of creation, and following the principle of never giving up or abandoning, he continued to lurk in the Chaos Sea outside Xuandu City.
Opportunity favors the prepared fish—this was Kun Peng’s creed, and also…
The conclusion Li Longshou had reached after studying Kun Peng’s past deeds.
[Kun Peng fears death and is greedy, but as long as there’s even a one in ten thousand chance, he absolutely won’t give up.]
What was somewhat contradictory was that he was also a madman who dared to take risks and gamble with his life at crucial moments.
Li Longshou sometimes couldn’t help but think that if he had been born in ancient times, as a strategist for the human race, a confrontation with Kun Peng would probably have been the most exhausting and difficult battle.
Countdown, final eighteen months!
Li Longshou’s various arrangements had all been implemented, ordinary cultivators of creation had lost their enthusiasm to participate, and the topic of the Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos began to fade.
Instead, the Western Teaching began laying out heavy arrangements, occupying nearly half the territory near Fire Cloud Cave.
The Dao School masters were also enthusiastic, with nine of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Teaching Sect having shown themselves, and half of the Eight Great Disciples of the Severing Sect having visited Fire Cloud Cave.
Powerhouses inquired with the human race’s worthies inside Fire Cloud Cave about how to handle this ninth strand of Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos.
The worthies had only one answer:
“Let Heaven decide.”
This was quite intriguing.
Countdown, final six months.
The masters around Fire Cloud Cave had abundant patience, but the supernatural phenomena around Fire Cloud Cave had diminished.
The Heavenly Court again denied rumors, saying they hadn’t monitored any disturbances in the Heavenly Dao, laying enough groundwork for clarification after capturing Kun Peng.
In calculating this matter, Li Longshou naturally wouldn’t aim at just one target.
While achieving the main objective, being able to achieve several secondary small objectives along the way would make for a perfect calculation.
As time continued to flow, Li Longshou also began to grow tense.
He stretched his divine consciousness to its limit, his main body hiding in Xuandu City, his avatar hiding in Taibai Palace of the Heavenly Court, secretly observing every movement in creation.
No need to worry too much about how lively things were at Fire Cloud Cave; by now there were no fewer than twenty powerhouses of creation active near Xuandu City.
This was just what he could ‘passively’ sense.
There weren’t many ancient and primordial fierce ones hiding in the Chaos Sea, not because they had passed up such an opportunity, but because they had no source of information.
Unless Kun Peng sought them out, they were just lonely beings of creation drifting in the Chaos Sea.
Kun Peng didn’t want several more potential competitors.
Those terrifying large eyes stared fixedly at Xuandu City.
Looking back now at this great calculation that spanned twenty years, Li Longshou felt somewhat emotional.
But he also knew that now was far from the time for celebration, they had merely crafted the fishing rod, hook, and line…
Shortly after, half of the Dao School masters he had arranged with would arrive early at Xuandu City, half would ambush in the Chaos Sea, and Senior Brother Duobao’s void earth tunnel would soon demonstrate its trump card effect.
Patriarch Tongtian had long been lurking in the Chaos Sea;
The Heavenly Court played an open and righteous role in this matter, consistently persuading everyone this wasn’t real;
And besides him and the Jade Emperor’s avatar, no Heavenly Court personnel were directly involved in this matter. Of course, this wasn’t something they could participate in.
His teacher had also tacitly approved his actions this time, bestowing the Ground Flame Light Banner, enhancing Li Longshou’s protective capabilities;
Black Panther’s reverse curse was in place;
He hadn’t raised any flags;
Cloud Maiden, Jade Maiden, and several Severing Sect masters acted together, they were responsible for side interception, bearing relatively smaller risks;
Everything progressed step by step toward that day.
Countdown fifteen days, Dao School masters took their positions.
Countdown…
A moment!
…
“Changgeng, why are you sweating?”
In a quiet corner of Xuandu City, two stubborn stones were engaging in weak divine thought communication.
“Is it that obvious?”
Li Longshou replied with a bitter smile, “That’s dew, just dew.”
“Don’t be nervous,” Quan Dong smiled and said, “Even if we fail it’s not a big deal, at least you tried your best to eliminate this calamity for creation. Looking at the time, things should have started at Fire Cloud Cave, right?”
“Yes, it’s this time, but there should still be a moment.”
“Don’t be too nervous, let’s talk about how to promote General You Qin. If someone’s talented, we should make good use of them, we can’t avoid promoting the worthy just because they’re close to us, right?”
Li Longshou: …
Bringing His Majesty along as supervisor felt like a rational but incorrect choice.
The tense atmosphere that had been so carefully built up was diluted by half with just two sentences!
Li Longshou pondered for a moment and said: “There are several difficult points, let me sort through them again, Your Majesty please check if there are any oversights.”
“Good! Speak!”
And so they muttered back and forth.
Quan Dong’s stone remained silent for a while, but asked a key question:
“How can we make that strand of Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos move directly from Fire Cloud Cave to near Xuandu City? Let’s not even mention all the masters at Fire Cloud Cave now, just considering the vast distance from the Five Continents to Xuandu City, for the Purple Qi to cross it in a short time, it could only use a space transfer formation—even the Golden Peng couldn’t achieve such extreme speed. But as soon as formations are used, won’t it be seen through at a glance? How to ensure Kun Peng doesn’t have any powerhouses acting as inside agents in creation?”
“Your Majesty’s question is very on point,” Li Longshou said seriously, “Actually it’s very simple…”
At the same time!
Five Continents, Fire Cloud Cave!
The originally clear sky suddenly filled with thunderous roars, purple-red divine thunder crashed down from the heavenly dome, and thick Heavenly Dao force transmitted from within Fire Cloud Cave.
The heavenly thunder came from the Hall of Heavenly Punishment;
The Heavenly Dao force came from the formation at the bottom of Fire Cloud Cave’s small world, the one suppressing Suiren.
But inside and outside Fire Cloud Cave, countless pairs of eyes couldn’t distinguish the sources of the heavenly thunder and Heavenly Dao force—it all looked exactly like the Heavenly Dao showing abnormalities!
The world suddenly darkened, dozens of great stars appeared in the sky showing phenomena of mutual collision—
The force of the Great Tribulation colliding with the Heavenly Dao!
It was fulfilled, all the wonders that Human Sovereign Fuxi had calculated were fulfilled!
Outside Fire Cloud Cave, boundless auspicious light surged from the great marsh, illuminating the world brightly, and a hundred-zhang diameter whirlpool appeared spontaneously on the marsh’s surface.
Space trembled, Dao principles intersected!
Figure after figure rushed out of Fire Cloud Cave’s entrance, seven of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were alarmed!
Masters from all paths moved upon hearing the news, countless figures directly pounced toward where the marsh showed abnormalities.
But everyone’s movements were half a moment too slow…
A golden light suddenly flew out from the great marsh, and when this golden light emerged, the world nearly froze. Various powerhouses focused their gaze to look, barely able to see that it was a somewhat blurry golden light sphere.
Within the light sphere, a strand of purple qi twisted and coiled, emanating boundless mystery, containing the rhythm of the Great Dao.
Like a key that could open creation’s treasure vault.
Like a great door that, when pushed open, would lead to a bright and smooth path!
“Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos!”
“Come ou-“
Bang!
Some master only got halfway through shouting “Come out” when the light sphere that was about to rush out of the whirlpool suddenly shattered, causing all the powerhouses to be stunned simultaneously.
The Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos… just shattered like this?
Was it truly that the Heavenly Dao wouldn’t allow it, or that creation wouldn’t permit it?
This…
“Why are there no remains?”
“Look southeast! Southeast!”
A great supernatural being shouted urgently, and countless gazes looked southeast, seeing a weak purple light flash past in an instant under the boundless dark clouds.
“The Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos escaped!”
“The direction of Xuandu City, it really is the direction of Xuandu City! We guarded the wrong place, how could the Heavenly Dao allow us to intercept the Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos within creation, only outside heaven is there a glimmer of hope!”
An old Daoist cried out in anguish, stamping his feet.
However, compared to such shouting, more masters were people of action, streams of light nearly tearing apart space, waves of pressure shocking creation’s beings, surging forward in pursuit.
Unfortunately, they were destined to chase emptiness…
Xuandu City, corner.
Li Longshou finished the latter half of his words with a smile: “We prepared two fake Purple Qis of Primordial Chaos, one to directly shatter, then lead purple light toward Xuandu City;
One is currently being released by Golden Peng at the predetermined location.
Your Majesty, please look, have the Outer Heavenly Demons moved again? That side has completed the crucial step, and Kun Peng has received the news in time.
He feels hope has come.”
Quan Dong’s ‘eyes lit up’ and he couldn’t help but laugh heartily, then said: “The Heavenly Dao has responded, Kun Peng is rapidly approaching creation! Coming with overwhelming force! Hahaha!”
“He came, Your Majesty please look.”
Li Longshou projected the somewhat blurry scene into Quan Dong’s mind.
It was beside a great thousand worlds, where space split open a crack and a light sphere of gold mixed with purple leaked out from within, circled once, and then flew toward Xuandu City.
Having secretly completed these actions, the Golden Peng bird followed far behind from the side, making a show of pursuit.
This path had no obstructions and was only tens of thousands of li from Xuandu City.
Several figures immediately flew out from the side of the great thousand world—they were Zhao Gongming, Golden Spirit Holy Mother, and Wudang Holy Mother.
Zhao Gongming shouted: “Master’s calculations were correct, it is here, chase!”
The three masters pursued rapidly, openly, and righteously escorting the Purple Qi of Primordial Chaos, preventing it from being intercepted halfway and letting the big fish slip off the hook.
This plan was nearly perfect.
So many details, so many arrangements, every step carefully considered, and detailed calculations for every participant’s abilities and temperament.
Li Longshou had racked his brains, alarming half of creation just to deceive Kun Peng.
Although there are no perfect calculations in the world, and the Heavenly Dao could never achieve true perfection, unless Kun Peng had some heaven-defying means, this time he was unable to turn things around!
But there was one point that Li Longshou had considered before every active calculation, yet could take no measures against.
Nothing else but that 0.2 percent chance of the Heavenly Dao having a fit.
And this time, Li Longshou’s constant worry became reality…
At the same time as Golden Peng released the fake Purple Qi Zhao Gongming and others gave chase, at the same distance from Xuandu City but in another direction, in the quiet void;
Space rippled layer upon layer, and a golden light sphere identical to the fake Purple Qi leaked out from the rippling waves.
It transformed into a stream of light, moving slightly faster than the fake Purple Qi, heading toward Xuandu City’s entrance.
This path needed no escort—it could avoid the detection of all things in the world and could circumvent all dangers…
Almost at the instant it appeared.
In Spirit Mountain’s secret place, two old Daoists suddenly opened their eyes, furrowed their brows, and calculated with finger formations, their forms simultaneously dispersing from where they stood.
In the Nine Heavens Supreme Clarity Observatory, that emaciated old Daoist suddenly awakened from the void meditation state, frowned toward Xuandu City’s direction, pondered briefly, his form transforming into a wisp of green smoke, similarly disappearing.
On Mount Kunlun, the Three Pure Ones’ small courtyard was empty;
In Nüwa Palace, by the pool, the goddess swayed her elegant snake tail, her lips curling slightly, continuing to read the little people book in her hand, sighing emotionally.
In the Chaos Sea, in a place separated from the Heavenly Dao, a certain big shot stared blankly in the direction of Xuandu City.
“Ha… ha… ah…”
Why hasn’t little Geng Geng started yet, this poor Daoist’s Extinction of Immortals Formation is already desperately eager.
Being a Saint is still not as comfortable as soaking in a bath and watching a show.