Streams of light rose from various immortal islands in the East Sea, converging toward Golden Tortoise Island;
From all directions across the Three Thousand Worlds, scattered streams of light hurried toward the four corners of the earth.
The “Nth Severing Sect Golden Immortal Dao Discussion Assembly and Deity Listing Catastrophe Grand Strategy Conference” was about to be held on Golden Tortoise Island.
Senior Brother Multittreasure’s urgency showed in his hasty messages. The situation had clearly reached a critical point, and those immortals of the Severing Sect who had been traveling, cultivating, settling down, visit—*ahem*, making outstanding contributions to the efficient circulation of primordial spirit stones, all hurried back.
Within just a few days, Golden Tortoise Island was covered with flying banners, fluttering flags, resounding gongs and drums, and connecting streams of immortal light.
The situation was so grand that the Heavenly Court had to dispatch two armies to maintain full vigilance in the skies above the East Sea.
On Three Immortals Island, Li Changshou and Ling’e had still not left.
At this moment, Li Changshou sat on Lady Yunxiao’s usual meditation cushion, both hands supporting his forehead, his eyes filled with deep contemplation.
Everything was developing in a “better” direction, yet why did he still feel uneasy?
The Severing Sect, Western Sect, Enlightened Sect…
In the struggle between the three sects, striking first meant advantage…
The Enlightened Sect’s possible reactions, the Grand Old Master’s potential thoughts, how the Heavenly Court should respond, how to handle it if saints passed by and a battle erupted?
Information and possibilities flickered constantly in his mind.
Mental energy at full capacity, calculating frantically.
Beside him, Yunxiao was like a scroll painting of gentle clouds and flowing water—just standing there silently, embodying what it meant to be peaceful through the ages.
However, Yunxiao now showed slight apologetic resignation, her autumn pupils gazing at Li Changshou as if speaking something.
Zhao Gongming paced back and forth nearby, his Dao heart somewhat unsettled.
Ling’e knelt on the meditation cushion before the screen, holding a teacup and taking small sips, creating an air of elegant tranquility, a calm suggesting that nothing concerned her.
She had no connection to the Deity Listing catastrophe to begin with.
The room fell silent for a while, and even the paintings hanging on the walls seemed somewhat restless.
Zhao Gongming couldn’t help asking: “Changgeng, is something wrong with this matter?”
“Can’t say exactly,” Li Changshou slowly exhaled, “I just feel something isn’t quite right. Was it Senior Brother Multittreasure who actively proposed dealing with Spirit Mountain this time?”
“Of course.”
Zhao Gongming said: “Big Senior Brother couldn’t possibly be affected by catastrophic fate; he went to discuss with Master, and after consideration, Master gave us the kill order. Master’s meaning should be that if we move, we move for total annihilation. Completely remove the Western Sect from the great catastrophe!”
Yunxiao suddenly asked: “Shou, was this arranged by you?”
“No, though I had this idea, the Western Sect has been very stable lately, couldn’t find a suitable opportunity.”
Li Changshou shook his head: “This is the consequence of them constantly suffering small losses from me before—they’ve become quite cautious now. What makes me uneasy seems to be… things are progressing too smoothly.”
“Isn’t smoothness good?”
Zhao Gongming smiled: “It would be wonderful if everything could go smoothly.”
Li Changshou hummed softly but couldn’t give a good answer.
Yunxiao said gently: “If things go too smoothly, perhaps there are others’ calculations involved, pushing things along.”
Ling’e blinked slightly.
She wanted to say that when cultivating in the mountains, about eighty percent of good things appeared too smooth to her senior brother.
But considering her shallow cultivation and limited experience, in the eyes of these mighty experts, she was just her senior brother’s little accessory. It would be wisest to continue being dignified, elegant, obedient, and cultured while drinking tea.
Yes, to be safe, saying less meant making fewer mistakes.
Whoosh—
A jade light flashed as a message talisman flew in, caught by Zhao Gongming’s raised hand.
After reading its contents, Zhao Gongming said softly: “Changgeng, Big Senior Brother is urging us, asking for your suggestion on what pretext we should use to start a war with the Western Sect. Master just called Big Senior Brother back, telling him to find a sufficient excuse.”
Li Changshou: …
They hadn’t even thought this through before slapping their thighs wanting to fight the Western Sect!?
The Western Sect had so many scandals, from Incense Fire Divine Nations to Incense Fire Divine Sects, to the chaos of the three Dao sects in the Central Divine Continent, plus all those years of sowing discord between the three Dao sects—weren’t reasons for war right on the tip of the tongue?
Suddenly, Li Changshou understood the key point.
The Severing Sect feared starting a war without just cause would affect their reputation, earning them a name for bullying the weak.
Different saint lords had different ways of thinking; for saints, “appearance reflects the heart” was no joke.
Patriarch Tongtian had a youthful appearance, cared about face, valued righteousness, and wasn’t pretentious;
Lord Original Commencement had a middle-aged appearance, was deep, thoughtful, and had great ambitions.
Master Supreme Clarity had the appearance of a withered elder, knew everything, understood everything, got tired from any movement, and maintained peaceful non-action.
As for Lady Nüwa—”This Queen is the most beautiful, no objections accepted”?
That was about right.
Thinking of this, Li Changshou couldn’t help but laugh.
Yunxiao beside him asked gently: “Have you thought of some clever plan?”
“No,” Li Changshou smiled: “For now I can’t catch the Western Sect’s little tail, it seems we can only build momentum first, mustn’t be too hasty. I suggest the Dao Discussion Assembly proceed normally, take it slow, and have more time for preparation and positioning.”
“Alright!”
Zhao Gongming agreed and turned to get busy.
Yunxiao sighed softly: “Starting a war without just cause will still trouble the Dao’s heart.”
“This is the struggle between the Dao sects and the Western Sect,” Li Changshou said seriously. “If the Western Sect had acknowledged being the fourth Dao sect back then, it wouldn’t have come to this. The hearts of the Western Sect’s two saints were too ambitious, wanting to establish a sect equal to the Dao sects, yet lacking the resolve to face the Three Pure Ones’ suppression, while also bearing considerable karmic debt to the Heavenly Dao…”
Li Changshou’s words halted, his eyes widening for an instant before he quickly masked his expression and closed his eyes in concentration.
Dao resonance trembled, and the Dao’s heart unsettled.
He suddenly thought of a possibility.
Was his path of rising by stepping on the Western Sect also within the Heavenly Dao’s calculations?
Saints were the foundation stones of the Heavenly Dao, but saints were only bound to the Heavenly Dao because of the Primordial Purple Qi; saints’ Great Dao maintained the Heavenly Dao’s operation, but their own will could influence the Heavenly Dao.
If—Li Changshou could only hypothesize!
Supposing the Heavenly Dao possessed will similar to living beings, what would it need to further strengthen itself?
Based on Li Changshou’s understanding of the Heavenly Dao, he could now give precise answers: four paths, and three directions.
The first path: The Heavenly Dao cultivates more saints, thereby consolidating itself and maintaining heaven and earth’s stability, but the Heavenly Dao itself, would also be influenced by saints’ will, thus adding many restrictions to itself.
The second path was what was currently happening.
The Deity Listing catastrophe cultivating proper deities!
Through forcibly incorporating Dao sect experts into the Heavenly Dao sequence, transforming part of living beings’ power into the Heavenly Dao’s order power!
The third path: The primordial world expanding outward, controlling wider regions of the Chaos Sea, transforming more chaos qi into spiritual qi—the primordial world’s “energy form”—incorporating it into heaven and earth’s grand cycle.
Li Changshou had observed the Chaos Sea’s boundaries; this was happening, but progress was very slow.
There was also a fourth path, the most terrifying one.
Consuming the saints.
Or rather, assimilating the saints, incorporating these foundation stones into itself!
Who was the weakest among the six saints?
Indeed it was Zhunti, especially now that Master had swept away two layers of his Dao skills, with the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree missing two branches.
Moreover, the merit by which Zhunti achieved sainthood came from making great vows, essentially just writing blank checks, with the Heavenly Dao bestowing sainthood merit, making Zhunti the sixth saint.
Could this be the Heavenly Dao’s grand calculation!?
Letting Zhunti “weaken” to a certain degree, then assimilating him, directly incorporating him as part of itself.
The saint’s Great Dao that restricted the Heavenly Dao would weaken, and the Heavenly Dao’s own order power would strengthen, thereby breaking the core balance of the current [Heavenly Dao · Six Saints · Grand Old Master] in one move?
Li Changshou’s Dao heart trembled slightly as he suddenly recalled Master’s warning to him many years ago.
‘Saints cannot die.’
Perhaps Master hadn’t said the latter half.
Which was…
The Heavenly Dao would lose control!
Li Changshou’s whole body trembled several times as he sat there deep in thought, sighing slightly in his heart.
All this was built on the premise that the Heavenly Dao possessed an existence form similar to living beings.
So, did the Heavenly Dao have it?
The grey shadow that had gazed at him when he was comprehending the Dao of Balance inside the Primordial Golden Measure while Qi Yuan was being blasted to ash by Luya;
The same grey shadow that appeared when he tried to approach the Sky-Mending Spirit Stone at Flower Fruit Mountain;
And most crucially, the same story he had heard through various channels, in [Senior Lang’s Death], where both the saints and the Grand Old Master himself said the same thing: [The Grand Old Master and Heavenly Dao joined forces to kill that taboo].
It could be confirmed that the Heavenly Dao possessed a thought pattern similar to his own.
But was that all there was to it?
What exactly was the relationship between the Grand Old Master and the Heavenly Dao?
What calculations did the Grand Old Master have when the Western Sect’s two saints achieved sainthood back then?
Even today, the feeling remains the same.
This primordial world was simply too perilous.
…
Two hours later, above Three Immortals Island.
“Why the sudden rush to leave?”
Zhao Gongming muttered, looking at Li Changshou and Ling’e, the brother and sister disciples standing before him, wishing he could send his second sister along too.
The geographical advantage was insufficient.
Li Changshou smiled and said: “I’ve been away for quite a while. His Majesty the Jade Emperor has gone to the Purple Void Palace to request the Grand Old Master to issue detailed rules for protecting mortals during the upcoming catastrophe. I should return to preside over the Venus Palace, lest troublemakers cause problems. Besides, I can’t help much here.”
Yunxiao said gently: “Be careful on your way, don’t be careless.”
“E’er, come in and hide.”
Li Changshou spread his Dao robe sleeve. Ling’e’s cheeks reddened slightly as her form transformed into a stream of light, diving into her senior brother’s sleeve. When she reappeared, she had become a three-inch-tall tiny immortal, clinging to her senior brother’s sleeve edge, waving gently to Lady Yunxiao.
“Sister, I’ll head back first.”
“Mm,” Yunxiao said softly, “We’re in the midst of the great catastrophe now, so I shouldn’t keep you here long. If anything troubles you, or if you suffer any grievances, you can send me a message anytime.”
“Sister should take care as well…”
The two exchanged soft words of concern, back and forth, parting reluctantly.
Zhao Gongming took the opportunity to transmit to Li Changshou: “Changgeng, do you have any usable tactics against the Western Sect now? They don’t need to be too clever, just enough to maintain face.”
“It’s simple yet not simple, mainly requires thick skin.”
Li Changshou joked: “Even if the Severing Sect directly announced that the Western Sect was developing some secret mantra targeting Dao sect cultivation methods, capable of large-scale harm to Dao sect immortals, then launched a strong attack, and afterward announced the secret mantra had been destroyed. No one could say anything about that.”
Zhao Gongming’s eyes lit up as he praised: “You’re still the clever one, Changgeng. How did Big Brother not think of this?”
“Don’t use it,” Li Changshou said seriously. “This is the worst option, merely finding an excuse to cover the shame of bullying the weak. We should start with facts. The Western Sect has done many dirty deeds. Although they’ve tucked in their tail now, catching their faults is certainly not difficult.”
Zhao Gongming stroked his beard and hummed softly.
He truly felt this approach was reliable, the concept quite ingenious.
Li Changshou convinced Zhao Gongming and Yunxiao not to see them off further, taking Ling’e back toward the East Heaven Gate.
On the way, Li Changshou deliberately flew slower, contemplating in his heart how to help shield the Severing Sect, while beginning to re-examine each footprint he had left along his path.
The night wind blew, and Ling’e sat on his shoulder swinging her feet, humming a tune, gradually calming his Dao’s heart.
His series of plans still weren’t stable enough; he needed to put more thought into perfecting them.
“Immortal Ling’e,” Li Changshou teased, “What gains did you make from this trip?”
“So many gains,” Ling’e smiled proudly, then sighed softly in admiration, “So this is how beautiful heaven and earth can be.”
“Knowledge and experience are also forms of cultivation.”
“Yes!”
Ling’e said happily: “When there’s another chance later when everything is peaceful, can Senior Brother take me around to various places again?”
“Of course.”
Li Changshou said seriously: “Though it’s possible we won’t be able to visit too many places before leaving the primordial world. This is for safety’s sake, though not absolute.”
Ling’e hurriedly said: “Senior Brother, you don’t need to change your original plans because of these things. Wherever you go, I’ll go.”
“Good awareness,” Li Changshou’s finger moved to his shoulder, gently poking the three-inch-tall little immortal, who hugged his fingertip and pummeled it, letting out a series of giggles.
After their playful moment, Li Changshou’s Dao heart had completely settled.
Regarding the Severing Sect’s intention to deal harshly with the Western Sect, Li Changshou naturally supported it with both hands and feet, but he still needed to seek the Master’s guidance on this matter.
However, the primordial world had a rule: A saint’s silence implies consent.
To be safe, Li Changshou still needed to ask personally.
Yes, just ask one question, get the answer, and run, not giving Master a chance to build up power—it shouldn’t take too long.
As long as Master nodded, Li Changshou could freely deal with the Western Sect.
First, establish a plan, provoke the Western Sect to act, create conflict between the Western Sect and Severing Sect, and give the Severing Sect just cause.
Secretly watch the Western Sect’s experts closely, especially that batch of saint disciples, identify the most dangerous ones, like Maitreya and Xu Puti, prioritize surrounding and killing them.
Maitreya was now hiding in the Chaos Sea; as long as they had his position, he couldn’t escape Kun Peng’s pursuit.
And this positional information likely lay hidden within the Western Sect.
The Heavenly Court would control public opinion, reduce this matter’s impact on the primordial world, then invite the Grand Law Master and Sister-in-law Kong Xuan to secretly return, guard against Zhunti directly moving against Severing Sect disciples.
What he needed to do was stabilize the Enlightened Sect.
However, Li Changshou now firmly believed he couldn’t stop the Enlightened Sect.
On the surface, the Severing Sect was attacking Spirit Mountain, but in essence, they were still competing with the Enlightened Sect;
The Western Sect’s greatest capital was their two saints—as long as these two saints didn’t fall, the Enlightened Sect would have sufficient motivation to aid Spirit Mountain.
At most, he could delay the timing of their aid.
Should he let Yang Jian join in the excitement? Resolve the unfinished karma with Spirit Mountain?
Li Changshou quickly dismissed this idea.
Yang Jian was already quite miserable, and with such a strong personality, now being a Heavenly Court superstar and bronze mirror celebrity, he would feel quite uncomfortable caught between the Enlightened Sect and Heavenly Court.
A discarded successor was still a successor.
Returning to Venus Palace, Li Changshou sent Ling’e back to Small Jade Peak, then rushed without delay to the Supreme Clarity Temple above the Nine Heavens.
This time, he came hurriedly and left hurriedly.
Bowing at the door, bowing inside, directly stating his purpose, inquiring about Master’s view on the Severing Sect matter, whether he should get involved.
The saint lord nodded slowly, just about to speak, when Li Changshou had already bowed to indicate his understanding.
“Master, do you have any other instructions? If not, this disciple will return to make arrangements.”
Supreme Clarity Lord revealed a gentle smile and said:
“Don’t get too tired, rest often.”
Li Changshou’s nose tingled, nearly lying down for a nap right there.
Joking, joking.
These past three years, he had been in a semi-relaxed state, multitasking didn’t drain his spirit much, and he had fallen asleep many times by Ling’e’s side.
The clothed kind.
“Master, this disciple will return first.”
Li Changshou bowed in a Dao salute. Supreme Clarity Saint seemed to raise his hand with some effort, the Taiji Diagram slowly floating over, landing behind Li Changshou, accompanying him as he left the small courtyard.
Master had approved! No more doubts!
Li Changshou descended straight through the Nine Heavens, returning to Venus Palace. After several days of contemplation, he sent out several jade talismans, summoning Ao Yi, Golden Peng, and Little Dragon Princess.
This matter had nothing to do with the Heavenly Court; Li Changshou was purely standing from the Dao sects’ position.
The Severing Sect needed an excuse to strike the Western Sect; Li Changshou would give them such an excuse.
“Golden Peng, quickly go to the Three Thousand Worlds, follow the steps recorded in this jade talisman, and maintain utmost secrecy.”
“Yes! Master, rest assured!”
Golden Peng acknowledged, taking the jade talisman Li Changshou handed over into his arms, saluting before turning to leave hurriedly.
“Ao Yi, disguise yourself as Ke Le’er or someone else, you must go personally to spread the news in this jade talisman among the immortal islands of the South Sea. Remember, you must go personally, don’t use others’ hands, this is of great importance.”
“Yes!”
Ao Yi firmly accepted the mission, similarly turning to leave.
Dragon Princess’s eyes were full of expectation as she held her breath, waiting for Li Changshou’s instructions.
However, Li Changshou smiled gently and said: “Go to the Jade Void Palace for me, deliver some gifts. Remember to dress beautifully, and bring more Jade Pool immortals.”
Hm?
Dragon Princess blinked gently. Although she couldn’t understand why, she still crisply agreed.
With Spirit Pearl gone, the errands had fallen to her.
As Dragon Princess took the treasure bag Li Changshou gave her and slowly floated away, Li Changshou stretched lazily, about to continue with subsequent arrangements.
“Report—”
Suddenly hearing a celestial soldier’s call from outside the hall, Li Changshou raised his hand, condensing a cloud mist phantom outside the hall, asking gently what urgent matter there was.
“Reporting to the Star Lord! The Severing Sect cultivator Holy Mother Guiling requests an audience outside the East Heaven Gate!”
Guiling?
Li Changshou was somewhat puzzled, not knowing why this immortal who usually spoke so gently and held a status within the Severing Sect similar to Bixiao had suddenly come to seek him.