HomePull StringsChapter 709: Breaking Through the Great Tribulation!

Chapter 709: Breaking Through the Great Tribulation!

While laughter and chatter filled the Divine Ascension Platform, Li Changshou stood quietly outside for a moment before turning back toward the Central Heaven Gate.

His elder brother had gone drinking, leaving him—a mere minister of the Heavenly Court—to handle the aftermath.

Arranging the Twenty-Four Heavens didn’t require much of his attention. He only needed to guide them near the Heavenly Court, and the great formation would automatically解 incorporate them, swallowing these twenty-four vacant celestial layers.

After several hours of falling immortal lights and exquisite special effects, the Heavenly Court became thicker and more expansive.

With the Nine-Layered Heaven Palace as its core, each layer gained three additional regions. The highest ninth layer remained unchanged, known as the Pure Heaven, where the Supreme Clarity Temple resided.

With the emergence of the Thirty-Three Heavens, the Heavenly Dao approached perfection, its effect second only to having all proper divine positions filled.

As one side waxed and the other waned, the Heavenly Dao had completely surpassed the Five Sages. If it wished, it could now restrain four of the Five Sages, establishing the Heavenly Court as the Three Realms’ sole foundation of order.

Of course, in Li Changshou’s analysis, there was a 98% chance that Honored Lord Hongjun wouldn’t consider such drastic measures.

Everything could change silently, achieving maximum benefit with minimal effort.

By now, deep contradictions existed between the Sages, giving the Heavenly Dao countless opportunities to maneuver.

As for Li Changshou himself…

Watching the changes throughout the Eighth Heaven, Li Changshou slowly rode his cloud toward the Jade Imperial Palace.

Previously, many immortals and deities would “coincidentally pass by,” exchange greetings, and try to become familiar faces before the Star-Lord.

Before today, the name “Venus Star-Lord” represented power and authority—the pinnacle of civil officials.

But starting today…

He was now the Heavenly Court’s strongest combat force!

The Sage-Slayer, Heavenly Court Minister, Supreme Clarity’s favorite disciple, Cloud Maiden’s designated husband, Chang’e’s senior fellow apprentice—Li Changgen!

Li Changshou didn’t feel much about this.

Killing a Sage was nothing worth making a fuss about.

It was merely a necessary step toward the final destination.

It had just happened earlier than expected, allowing the Heavenly Dao to break free from the Six Sages system’s constraints ahead of schedule.

Then what?

What more could the Heavenly Dao, or rather the Primordial Lord, do?

Wouldn’t they continue pushing forward the Great Tribulation, following their predetermined script, step by step locking away the clamor of living beings into the past?

Ahead, clouds and mist filled the air as celestial soldiers and generals bowed deeply, with even more reverence in their eyes than before.

Li Changshou rode his cloud with hands behind his back, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

He had to admit that his previous emotional state had borrowed from Elder Brother Gongming’s mood—his anger hadn’t reached its critical point due to the suppression and dissolution of his Void-Clarity Heart Dao.

This was a flaw in his character that Li Changshou had long known about and had found a way to overcome.

Looking back at his elder brother’s situation, everything had been within his calculations.

One reason for killing Illuminated Sage was for Zhao Gongming’s sake.

Obtaining Illuminated Sage’s weakened version of the Heaven-Earth Ruler was specifically to help Zhao Gongming develop the Twenty-Four Universal Cycles.

Sometimes, people fall into limited thinking, believing that stepping forward means facing immense resistance.

At such times, simply turning around can transform that resistance into momentum.

The matter of Zhao Gongming and the Golden Spirit had now reached its conclusion.

Li Changshou quietly sorted through this thread that had run throughout his journey, considering what shortcomings there might have been.

Initially, Li Changshou thought that just finding the Treasure-Falling Copper Coin would save Zhao Gongming from his death tribulation. His thinking then couldn’t reach deeper levels, his perspective was limited.

Later, as his understanding of the Heavenly Dao gradually deepened, Li Changshou began to discover that Elder Brother Zhao’s situation was nearly a dead end, seemingly completely unsolvable.

First, his connections were too broad, with a reputation for righteousness throughout the Severing Sect.

Then there was the sworn brotherhood between this gentle breeze and the three immortal clouds, with deep sibling affection—Zhao Gongming’s troubles meant half of the Severing Sect’s Eight Great Disciples would enter the tribulation.

Most importantly, Zhao Gongming’s Ocean-Calming Zhenzhu was a crucial item for completing both the Heavenly Court and the Heavenly Dao.

Long ago, Elder Brother Zhao had been marked with the character of “danger,” wandering between Heaven and Earth.

Li Changshou wanted to save Elder Brother Zhao partly to prevent the Three Cloud Maidens from entering the tribulation, and partly because he felt the elder brother was a good person who didn’t deserve to die and ascend to divinity.

Therefore, he had practically snatched the Treasure-Falling Copper Coin from Illuminated Sage’s hands.

Therefore, he had schemed for Illuminated Sage’s Heaven-Earth Ruler and secretly passed it to Zhao Gongming through backdoor means.

Therefore, Li Changshou had prepared that strand of Primordial Purple Qi early on, and after using it to steal many insights from the Heavenly Dao, he had put this “waste” to use as the key to Elder Brother Zhao’s integration with the Dao.

What changes had he undergone during this process?

It was simple really—he had gradually abandoned all illusions about the Heavenly Dao.

Taking the Treasure-Falling Copper Coin and killing Illuminated Sage had merely negated a certain “form” without addressing the essence of the problem.

Li Changshou had been troubled by this matter for the past few years, especially when Zhao Gongming and Golden Spirit married, his worries had grown even heavier.

The more important Zhao Gongming became in the Severing Sect, the greater the danger of the Heavenly Dao using him as a fuse to ignite.

At that time, Li Changshou had pondered for a long in his thatched cottage.

Every path he projected led to death tribulation.

Every step forward was full of resistance.

There were too many factors to consider, and completing an ultimate reversal against the Primordial Lord within his own game rules seemed an impossible condition.

There wasn’t much inspiration at the time, but following his principles, after determining all forward approaches wouldn’t work, he switched to his second state.

Taking the opposite approach.

The Taiji diagram on the chessboard, viewed from left or right, seemed to occupy yin and yang, black and white respectively, but what essential difference was there between the two?

Black and white, yin and yang were merely human definitions. The Taiji diagram essentially illustrated one principle:

[Yin and yang generate and overcome each other, they can both annihilate each other and give birth to all things.]

The Dao exists in one, manifests in two, and hides in three.

In that instant, Li Changshou had an epiphany, thoughts arising rapidly in his mind, quickly forming into a plan.

He had previously unconsciously placed the Heavenly Dao in opposition to himself, constantly thinking about not benefiting it, but upon careful consideration, such insistence was meaningless.

Let Zhao Gongming complete the Heavenly Dao!

Let Elder Brother Zhao become a high-ranking existence in the Heavenly Dao sequence, gaining some authority over it!

Let the Heavenly Dao and Primordial Lord benefit directly, trading this for Zhao Gongming’s survival. His odds against the Heavenly Dao wouldn’t be affected, and instead, he would plant a hidden thunderbolt within the Heavenly Dao.

Li Changshou had set this direction then, without making detailed plans, only preparing some contingencies.

What truly went beyond control was Yang Jian sparing Golden Light, who was forced to take his own life.

At that moment, Li Changshou had felt the impulse to slay a Sage.

[Zhao Gongming developing the Twenty-Four Heavens was within the plan, but killing Honored Lord Zhunti was purely a beautiful accident.]

Li Changshou gave a light laugh, then dispersed this joy.

Reactivating his Void-Clarity Heart Dao, maintaining his sage moment, he gradually analyzed the current situation and how Zhunti’s death would affect his subsequent plans.

Before entering the Jade Imperial Palace, in the deepest part of Li Changshou’s Heart Dao, that stone tablet was summoned by his small primordial spirit figure, who erased the character “five” and wrote down a “seven.”

Odds of defeating Heaven: seventy percent.

Still not enough, far from enough, and even in a somewhat dangerous position.

In his previous life, he had seen plenty of matches with seven-three odds get reversed.

The upcoming Investiture of the Gods Tribulation should have already deviated from its original trajectory.

Soon, he would order an investigation in his capacity as a Heavenly Court authority into cultivators interfering with mundane royal power shifts in the Southern Continent.

The Shang-Zhou War in the Southern Continent being the stage for the Investiture Tribulation had always been rumored, a default “unwritten rule.”

The Heavenly Court had never officially acknowledged this, and there had long been heavenly laws stating cultivators couldn’t interfere with mortal affairs.

Li Changshou had been holding onto this chess piece without using it, and now was the perfect time to use it to divert the Heavenly Dao’s attention and smoothly pass through this dangerous period.

And he was only ordering an investigation, not investigating or taking action against anyone, maintaining complete flexibility.

“Changgen! Hahaha! How delightful, how delightful!”

Ahead, the white-robed Jade Emperor laughed heartily atop his platform, closing the gates of the Jade Imperial Palace and breaking into laughter at Li Changshou.

This Zhunti had certainly “won people’s hearts.”

“Ah, Changgen, how did it feel fighting a Sage?”

“Not bad, just a bit hard. I almost got bounced away at the time, needed to handle the recoil force properly.”

“Hahaha! That final move where you threw the God-Slaying Spear and pinned Zhunti to the tree trunk was satisfying!”

Li Changshou smiled, “Your Majesty, I should first discuss the benefits of the Twenty-Four Heavens to the Heavenly Court, and the subsequent arrangements for each layer.”

“That’s not important! First, tell me how you confronted Zhunti.

This Zhunti!

He truly let the Heavenly Court vent some anger!”

Li Changshou: …

Also unable to hold back, Li Changshou gave a light laugh as the Jade Emperor pulled him to sit on the steps, beginning to narrate his extremely angry “emotional journey.”

Heavenly Court, sharing your freshly composed story.

In the Three Friends Courtyard of the Jade Void Palace.

Rarely, all Twelve Golden Immortals had arrived here, but each wore a gloomy expression, hanging their heads and barely daring to breathe.

Honored Lord Original Beginning sat on a meditation cushion beneath a tree, eyes closed in concentration, seemingly brewing a wave of anger.

In this Ten Ultimate Formation affair, the Orthodox Teaching couldn’t say whether they had won or lost.

They had indeed broken through the Ten Ultimate Chain Formation, killed the Ten Heavenly Lords, and Zhao Gongming and Golden Spirit Mother’s physical bodies had entered the Divine Ascension Platform, preventing their future participation in the Investiture Tribulation.

From this perspective, they had certainly won this battle.

But the Western Teaching, their secret allies, had lost a great pillar of support. Their side’s advantage over the Severing Sect had completely vanished. From this angle, they had purely lost.

Who could have imagined that the Heavenly Court minister already possessed the power to slay a Sage?

He had hidden it too deeply.

The False Administrator of the Divine Investiture:

Kind-faced and white-haired, carrying a duster brush everywhere to mediate, mainly responsible for comforting the emotions of ascending deities and conducting immortal training work.

The True Administrator of the Divine Investiture:

Robes flying open, loving none! Mystical power protecting his body, making Sages look ordinary!

The current Heaven and Earth still had Six Sages.

Supreme Clarity’s disciple Li Changshou’s power, influence, and deterrence had completely replaced that of the original Sixth Sage, even surpassing him.

Crimson Essence softly asked, “Master, pardon my boldness, but I wish to ask about Junior Fellow Changgen’s cultivation. How could he face the Sixth Sage head-on with just the Balanced Dao? It seems too incredible.”

Honored Lord Original Beginning slowly exhaled, saying calmly, “Even I cannot see through him.

Or rather, before today I could see through him, but when he took action today, at the moment I thought I had seen through him, I discovered that what I had seen before was merely his disguise.

Based on my observation when he last visited the courtyard, he had four layers of disguise in his cultivation and dao realm, one wrapped within another, with only the bottom layer visible to me.

Today, I only saw three layers of his disguise.”

The Orthodox Teaching immortals exchanged glances, their faces helpless.

Honored Lord Original Beginning continued, “My disciples, do not fear because of this. As I often say, cultivation is about cultivating your dao heart and dao realm, not about your ability to fight and compete.

If you conform to the Heavenly Dao’s will and follow natural trends, you can remain safe and secure.

Even Sages will face destruction if they act recklessly. Therefore, cultivating the body, nature, and dao have no difference in importance—they should all be pursued together.”

The Orthodox Teaching disciples bowed together, saying they would carefully follow their master’s teachings.

Honored Lord Original Beginning waved his hand, saying calmly, “Return to your cultivation. Guangcheng and Yuding, stay behind.”

Master Guangcheng and True Lord Yuding remained standing while the other immortals slowly left the courtyard, discussing the Sage-slaying battle on their way back.

Among them, True Lord Taiyi was the most pleased.

He was Changgen’s close friend.

Future group activities would give me 30% more confidence!

True Lord Taiyi’s eyes brightened as he looked at Manjusri, whose face was as dark as a pot bottom. He tucked his large hands into his sleeves and rode his cloud over.

“What a pity, ah what a pity, such a great loss this time.”

Manjusri frowned, “What does Senior Fellow mean?”

“Ah, nothing, just suddenly feeling emotional,” True Lord Taiyi sighed softly, saying, “To force the death of the mere Golden Light of the Ten Heavenly Lords, it ended with the Sixth Sage losing his life.

Isn’t that a huge loss?”

“Hmph!”

Manjusri snorted coldly, transforming into a red light and shooting away, disappearing in an instant.

True Lord Taiyi squinted and smiled lightly. Just as he was about to return to the Jade Void Palace to rest, he saw Yellow Dragon looking troubled, riding his cloud away from the Jade Void Palace toward the Central Divine Continent.

Taiyi tilted his head, then decided to follow.

After all, they had a good relationship, and he roughly knew what Yellow Dragon was depressed about—it was nothing more than matters concerning treasures.

Meanwhile, in the Azure Lotus Palace.

Treasure Master Dao Person was playing with his previously high-priced purchased ‘souvenirs,’ growing more delighted the more he looked, making the surrounding male immortals’ eyes glow green with envy.

Good items indeed, though they were all fragments.

Heh, look at this purple-gold plate, originally a purple-gold bowl—the Sage might have drunk from it.

Look at these few charred wooden beads, feeling round in the hand, creating an irresistible urge to roll them.

There was also half a meditation cushion, a burnt lotus platform, and a sword with only its hilt remaining.

A Sage’s treasury wasn’t as rich as his own.

The Western Teaching’s two Sages had been crying about their Western poverty since ancient times, who knew… they were quite honest.

No wonder the Western Teaching disciples were so lacking—their masters barely had any decent treasures!

Fortunately, he had been cunning enough back then. When the Primordial Lord was distributing treasures and only some minor items remained, when it came to his turn, he had a flash of inspiration.

‘Hehe, Ancestral Master, can I have this Treasure Distribution Cliff? This is a treasure too, right? I happen to need a storage-type magical artifact.’

He remembered how the Ancestral Master’s face had darkened then, but still gave it to him.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have looked good.

A group of male immortals gathered the courage to approach, smiling and saying, “Senior Brother, let us play with them too?”

“Go away! Don’t cause trouble! This poor dao hasn’t played enough!”

The male immortals left dejectedly.

Shortly after, Turtle Spirit Holy Mother brought several immortal maidens over, asking softly, “What’s this?”

“Ah, Honored Lord Zhunti’s relics, all good treasures, just can’t be used now,” Treasure Master Dao Person showed an honest and sincere smile, “Come, Junior Sisters, touch them, let’s all feel them.”

Black lines immediately covered the male immortals’ foreheads.

So that’s why the Severing Sect had so many immortal maidens—there was a reason.

“Ahem!”

A light cough came from the high platform. The many disciples who had just returned from the Southern Continent and been summoned looked up, quickly arranged themselves in formation, and bowed with lowered heads.

“Greetings to Master.”

“Mm.”

Sovereign of the Dao of Heaven stood with hands behind his back, looking at these dozens of disciples he had personally taught, and said calmly:

“At this point in the Investiture Tribulation, our Severing Sect and the Orthodox Teaching have both suffered losses.

Now, thanks to Gongming completing the Heavenly Dao’s deficiency with his body, and Changgen joining forces with Gongming to strike down that unvirtuous Sage… whose name need not be mentioned hereafter.

The Great Tribulation no longer requires a life-and-death struggle between Orthodox and Severing, and the situation need not be as tense as before.

Master announces three matters.

First, from today forward, our Severing Sect disciples in the Southern Jambudvipa Continent shall act with a low profile. Those who have joined the Shang army should serve it wholeheartedly but without fighting to the death or being too inflexible.

Second, various immortals need not limit themselves to the overseas immortal islands anymore. Go walk about the Central Divine Continent more. If you encounter matters, don’t fear them—the Severing Sect must remain united.

Third, from this moment forward, the Immortal Execution Platform is established.

Within the Severing Sect, any disciples or followers with improper hearts or heavy karmic obstacles, who incite Severing Sect immortals to fight, shall have their physical bodies executed and their souls reincarnated.

Those willing to enter the Divine Ascension Platform or serve the Heavenly Court may go to the Heavenly Court themselves to seek Changgen.

These are no longer ancient times, and the Heavenly Court is no longer a demon court. Joining the Heavenly Court gives you some chance of survival—there’s nothing shameful about it, but it depends on whether the Heavenly Court will accept you.

Master will no longer accept disciples, and none of you may accept disciples within a thousand years.

That is all.”

The Sovereign of the Dao of Heaven waved his hand, his form disappearing with the wind. The Severing Sect immortals each lowered their heads in agreement, their faces showing contemplation.

Master…

Had become proactive.

In the Heavenly Court, atop Small Jade Peak.

After returning from the Jade Imperial Palace, Li Changshou sat back in his rocking chair before his elixir room, closing his eyes to rest, and letting out a light breath.

What opportunities remained ahead to increase the odds of victory?

There were some, right on the path ahead.

Those options in his heart were each erased, and Li Changshou carved a new phrase in his heart.

“Analysis of the Common Origins of Orthodox and Severing Teachings’ Doctrines and Proposals for Managing Differences.”

His thoughts remained exceptionally clear. The direction he needed to strive for now was a new path drawn after breaking free from previous mental constraints.

Downgrade the Dao School to the Primordial Dao Religion, and preserve the final karmic fortune, with Human, Orthodox, and Severing teachings’ doctrines coexisting, different streams, different sects.

This was the merger of Orthodox and Severing.

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