Upper Immortal Wangqing was indeed formidable, with profound cultivation, fierce divine abilities, and numerous magical treasures;

Most importantly, his methods were ruthless.

Upper Immortal Wangqing sparred with the Golden Tortoise Island cultivator outside the mountain-protecting grand formation. The aftermath of their magical battle caused the formation to sway back and forth, with spiritual energy turbulent for hundreds of miles around…

Yet hundreds of miles outside the sect gates, a certain Earth Immortal cultivator who had transformed into a tree stump was still sound asleep, completely undisturbed…

Li Changshou deeply admired his master’s ‘composure’ and ‘single-minded focus.’

This battle of Upper Immortal Wangqing’s, fighting with imposing momentum and displaying his prowess, gave Li Changshou many insights into ‘mid-level immortal combat.’

Not counting the Sect Master and various Supreme Elders who stayed in closed cultivation year-round, Upper Immortal Wangqing was considered Du Xian Sect’s number one fighter;

However, after cultivating for ten thousand years, Upper Immortal Wangqing still hadn’t broken through to the Golden Immortal realm. Even within the East Victory Divine Continent’s scope, he couldn’t be considered a master.

Celestial Immortals still had lifespan limits. No matter how strong their divine abilities or how many magical treasures they possessed, before the years they couldn’t escape becoming dust.

Only Golden Immortals…

Only eternal life…

Only by relying on one’s way to protect oneself, breaking free from the fate of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and living as long as heaven and earth – only then could one be considered to have taken the first step in the primordial world.

This was merely the first step;

It only represented having the qualifications to barely receive a glance from true masters.

Li Changshou, who had been observing the battle by the lake with his hands behind his back, had some insights after watching, but he quickly accepted these insights fully while suppressing his realm breakthrough rather than going along with it.

This minor realm wasn’t solid enough yet.

Although the “Scripture of Non-Action” advocated following nature and achieving by non-action, this was mainly to prevent practitioners from forcefully pursuing realms and cultivating impatiently;

Li Changshou’s pursuit of minor realm perfection didn’t violate the true meaning of the “Scripture of Non-Action.”

His long sleeves brushed lightly, a wisp of breeze passed by, and there were no more anomalies.

Turning around, his little junior sister’s figure was nowhere to be seen;

Li Changshou’s immortal awareness swept past and saw Ling’e sitting at her dressing table, looking at herself self-pityingly in the crystal mirror he had given her…

“Narcissist.”

Li Changshou chuckled softly and turned towards the pill refining room.

He fully activated all the formations around the pill refining room and erected several wooden signs outside the grand formation, all carved with:

[If you have a business please enter the formation directly, in the closed cultivation consolidating realm, will sense your presence]

Sitting cross-legged behind the pill furnace again, he gripped the control-stabilizing jade tablet.

Li Changshou calculated for a while about possible future changes but could only shake his head helplessly in the end.

Karma was intertwined, making calculations unclear.

Just because of his trip to the Northern Continent, making that one move triggered this subsequent series of endless incidents.

And because he went out to undergo his tribulation, making a second move, it ended up causing the South Sea Sea God to matter…

Oh right, how much incense and merit did he have now?

Li Changshou sensed his merit power and could faintly see a light golden auspicious cloud around his primordial spirit.

Calculating with his fingers, Li Changshou’s breath surged up inversely, and he nearly burst out cursing!

It had only been a few years, how were there already over six hundred statues?

Over six hundred villages and towns were conducting useless Sea God worship.

Was worldly incense this easy to earn?!

He carefully sensed again, then started grinding his back teeth…

Inhuman!

This Bear Village was too inhuman!

They actually stopped producing anything, the whole village self-proclaimed themselves as the South Sea Sea God’s envoys, going around showing off their exaggerated muscles, spreading the word of the South Sea Sea God’s divine abilities, and using this to make a fortune!

‘Believe in the Sea God, gain great strength!’

Great strength your sister!

Li Changshou’s mouth twitched repeatedly as he hurriedly thought of countermeasures.

This couldn’t continue developing like this, otherwise this Sea God religion would gain momentum!

Although the Western Religion hadn’t come looking for trouble all these years, and he had earned a lot of incense merit…

But it was a huge hidden danger!

Yet in this matter, what could he, the ‘Sea God’ in question, do?

He couldn’t show his face – showing his face would very likely make him a target;

He must stay far away from the South Sea region, staying in the East Victory Divine Continent, in the Du Xian Sect, under the eyes of the Sage Lord Laozi.

Never mind that Du Xian Sect had suffered several great disasters before, such as when Elder Wan Linyun made his name – that was because sect immortals killed demons, provoking a group of demons to sneak attack Du Xian Sect;

When the Du Xian Sect was first established, they fought with other immortal sects over spirit veins, leading to a great sect war…

Why would the Sage Lords care about conflicts of this level?

Even if Du Xian Sect’s claimed founding master True Person Du’e didn’t have much ‘motivation’ to appear.

But if the Western Religion dared to send masters to the Du Xian Sect over the South Sea matter, the Human Religion’s masters would certainly respond.

This would be a matter of Sage Lords’ face, naturally different.

“Still need to go pay more respects at the Hundred Mortals Hall.”

But ultimately, wasn’t this because the Western Religion itself wasn’t capable enough?

A group of people working on gaining incense, scheming painstakingly, yet they couldn’t even compete with a Sea God who never showed his true form!

Li Changshou raised his head and sighed deeply, then felt somewhat powerless to mock.

If this matter truly caused trouble in the future, he could only say one thing…

‘The one you’re looking for is the South Sea Sea God, what does that have to do with me, Du Xian Sect disciple Li Changshou?’

Closing his eyes and concentrating, his consciousness returned to his paper avatar. Li Changshou observed the surroundings of the town district for a while before quickly getting busy.

After finishing these pills, exchanging them for enough spirit herbs and precious materials, he would go into closed cultivation in the mountains for twenty years!

The matter of accumulating wealth would have to be temporarily set aside.

After all…

Life was most important.

…

Li Changshou was ‘in closed cultivation’ worrying in the pill refining room, unaware of what his little junior sister was experiencing.

At this time, in Ling’e’s heart…

She felt helpless, lost, and confused.

“Senior Brother actually…”

Doesn’t like young ones,

Doesn’t like mature ones,

Doesn’t like those like Senior Sister Youqin, ice beauty on the outside but pure passionate heart inside,

Also doesn’t like gentle and virtuous, understanding, completely obedient, well-behaved little junior sisters like me…

But instead likes…

“Old ones!”

Ling’e covered her face with both hands, groaned softly at the dressing table, then let out a long breath and collapsed on the table playing dead.

She probably was destined to be a salted fish dried in the sun.

“What to do, my appearance is already set…”

When cultivators break through to the Divine Soul realm, they could already influence their appearance changes.

— Therefore, among the younger generation in the sect, most women were beautiful and most men weren’t ugly ducklings.

With profound cultivation, they would also pay attention to their face reflecting their heart;

But, like those Dao companions in the sect, or cultivators who had someone in their hearts, they would all carefully lock their appearances…

Most men would maintain an appearance of their thirties, handsome while not lacking maturity and steadiness;

Women varied, if they cared about these things, they would ‘lock’ their figure and appearance at whatever age they felt most beautiful.

As Ling’e knew, she, Youqin Xuanya, Liu Yan’er, Senior Sister Jiujiu, and several other close senior and junior sisters, had all already locked their appearances and figures for the long years to come…

This led to…

Ling’e now finding it very difficult to age naturally even if she wanted to.

Although she knew it would be difficult to enter Senior Brother’s heart, that becoming Senior Brother’s beloved would require countless hardships, she hadn’t expected—

It would be THIS difficult!

“What should, I do?”

Ling’e sighed softly, thinking of the contents she had seen in that painting scroll earlier, pondering countermeasures in her heart.

Soon, Ling’e sat up, took out her few rouge powders and water, and held her chin with her left hand, showing a thoughtful expression.

She could only start with makeup…

Since Senior Brother pursued stimulation, as his junior sister, she would go all the way!

This, truly deserved to be called, Senior Brother’s junior sister!

Thus, half a month later…

…

Li Changshou had a full harvest this time in Coastal Town. Because he decided to temporarily pause his wealth accumulation plan, he focused on collecting precious materials for setting up grand formations, reducing his accumulation of spiritual medicines and herbs.

One couldn’t have both fish and bear paws – given the current situation, Little Qiong Peak’s defense system was the highest priority.

The paper avatar successfully slipped back from Coastal Town this time, drawing a slanted figure ‘8’ in its return path.

When he found his master…

By that tree stump, he heard rhythmic snoring.

The paper avatar looked at the sensing stone and found no one was probing this area, then searched the surroundings in detail;

After confirming the area was safe, the paper avatar returned to the tree stump, its form swaying, mouth chanting ‘small, small, small,’ transformed into its original appearance – a thick paper person…

The paper person carrying that bulging backpack held the square box above its head, ran to the tree stump, let out a “heiya” shout, and threw the box out, lightly hitting the tree stump.

“Hm?”

The sleeping tree stump immediately transformed into a cloud of smoke, and Old Daoist Qi Yuan stretched lazily as he stood up from within, seeing the square box at his feet.

“Master brought back the box.”

“All done?” Qi Yuan smiled and said, putting the box in his sleeve as he headed towards the sect gates.

Li Changshou’s consciousness immediately returned to his true body, continuously transmitting to his master about what had happened before.

That is, the Golden Tortoise Island cultivators coming to the sect to discuss Dao, his victorious sparring with Ao Yi;

Qi Yuan listened with regret, saying he had missed such lively events…

“Master, there’s no rush to go out later,” Li Changshou advised, “Master, you should focus on closed cultivation too, try to avoid going out.

In the last Dao discussion, the Jie Dao disciples lost all three battles to Upper Immortal Wangqing and the disciple’s hands, there might be follow-up incidents.”

Qi Yuan looked at the distant sect gates and muttered softly: “What incidents could there be?

Jie Dao wouldn’t make trouble with our Human Religion’s Dao inheritance over such a small matter.”

Li Changshou transmitted: “It’s not fear of Jie Dao, but fear of people using this matter to create issues.

Now friction between Jie Dao and Chan Dao increases daily, who knows if someone wants to…”

“Wants to what?”

“Use another’s knife to kill.”

Old Daoist Qi Yuan couldn’t help shuddering, and muttered: “Changshou, should we warn the sect about this?”

Li Changshou transmitted: “Master, we are of humble position and our words carry little weight. To be safe, we should just observe quietly.

Moreover, what disciple can think of, how could the many masters in the sect not think of?”

“That’s true.”

Qi Yuan thought about it and indeed it was this reasoning.

Li Changshou, sitting in meditation in the pill refining room, sensed his junior sister was about to enter the formation and continued transmitting a reminder to his master: “Master, let’s discuss this matter when you return, disciple has another matter to report to master.”

After speaking, Li Changshou deactivated the outer formation of the pill refining room to let Ling’e in;

But his immortal awareness kept watching until his master entered the sect gates before slightly relaxing.

Master’s cultivation was too shallow, making going out nerve-wracking.

Li Changshou sat there, carefully calculating whether Ao Yi’s group coming to the sect to discuss Dao would be exploited by others.

He had heard many people in Coastal Town discussing this matter, which made him notice the subsequent impact of this incident;

Of course, those discussing this matter all talked about how formidable Upper Immortal Wangqing was, none mentioned that young disciple who liked to use earth escape techniques for sneak attacks.

This made Li Changshou quite satisfied.

Li Changshou had always felt that among the many factors causing the Investiture of the Gods catastrophe, the Western Religion occupied quite a large proportion.

Because looking at the results of the Investiture catastrophe, Western Religion gained far too many benefits.

Converting people, grabbing treasures, fishing out pets…

Then, would the slight conflicts produced between the Three Schools after the Three Pure Ones separated, which kept being magnified and causing friction, also involve calculations by the Western Religion’s two Sage Lords?

This question…

“Senior Brother~”

A coquettish call suddenly came from outside.

Junior sister came again, doing this meaningless thing every so often.

Li Changshou looked towards the sound and immediately saw Ling’e at the front of the pill refining room, raising her left hand and using her long dress’s wide sleeve to cover her face as she slowly entered the room.

“Junior Sister, I’m pondering important matters, what’s wrong with you?” Li Changshou smiled, “Did you get stung in the face by the Hundred Poisons Bee?”

“Senior Brother you’re mean!”

Ling’e lightly complained, then showed that shy manner again, lowering the sleeve covering her face to reveal…

To reveal…

A face with heavy makeup, paper strips pasted on to make wrinkles…

An old face.

Seeing her Senior Brother’s dumbfounded expression, Ling’e smiled smugly in her heart, gracefully bowed forward, and deliberately said in a coarse voice:

“This old lady pays her respects.”

Li Changshou opened and closed his mouth, sitting on the rush cushion unable to move, his whole person frozen like stone.

…

In the South Sea, on a desolate island a hundred miles from land, three Daoists were trembling as they knelt on a reef, faces pale.

Buzz—

A mosquito-like sound became increasingly clear among the waves. The three people all had True Immortal cultivation, but cold sweat kept falling from their foreheads.

Suddenly, a formation appeared out of thin air here, wisps of grey qi drifting about, making the surroundings dark and gloomy.

Streams of blood light gathered at the side, forming the silhouette of a woman in a blood-red dress.

This woman was beautifully demonic, formed too alluringly, her figure somewhat exaggerated, wearing only this blood robe inside and out, barefoot as she walked before the three people.

She extended a slender finger, pointing it at one person’s forehead, just closing her eyes and taking a gentle breath, a streak of blood light passing across her bewitching face…

That True Immortal couldn’t even make half a scream before instantly turning to ash, scattering in the wind.

This woman let out a light snort from her nose, admiring her long fingers, and said in a slightly hoarse seductive voice:

“This taste is truly awful.

I let you search the South Sea for that so-called Sea God’s true form, yet you only kneel here begging for mercy from this seat.

What, do you think this seat won’t feed just because this seat isn’t hungry?”

The remaining two Daoists hurriedly lowered their heads, their whole bodies trembling violently, not daring even to breathe heavily.