At Breaking Sky Peak, in Immortal Jiu’s residence.

When Li Changshou returned from the Crossing Immortal Hall, he didn’t see Jiu Wu and Jiu Shi, nor any other Jiu immortals;

They had all gone to attend to matters around the mountain gate.

Junior Uncle was still sleeping drunkenly by the bed, and Li Changshou didn’t disturb her.

Move Junior Uncle from the floor to the bed?

Such an improper act that could easily be misunderstood was naturally something he wouldn’t do.

Moreover, Li Changshou briefly studied the area around Uncle’s tower, quickly understanding the principles behind the protective formations arranged there.

Li Changshou connected the formation bases of this place, activating the formations around her tower to protect Junior Uncle’s unrestrained sleeping posture…

The formations here were clearly arranged by Elder Brother Jiu Wu, bearing the strong style of the ‘Short Daoist.’

Afterward, Li Changshou found a miscellaneous duty disciple and took two bottles of pills suitable for the Nascent Soul realm;

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Changshou asked him to relay a message when Junior Uncle woke up, saying that he and Ling’e had returned to Small Jade Peak.

After completing these tasks, Li Changshou finally took Ling’e, letting his junior sister lie on the cloud, flying at his most familiar altitude toward Small Jade Peak.

To be honest, Small Jade Peak’s presence was truly too faint.

Although Li Changshou was quite satisfied with this…

But his master had been missing for so long, yet no one from the immortal sect had come to actively inquire!

This made some of the small details Li Changshou had prepared completely useless!

Of course, not needing to use them was naturally a good thing…

Fortunately, on the two newly erected ‘martyr’ stone tablets at the Hundred Ordinary Hall, Li Changshou hadn’t found his master’s name, otherwise, he truly wouldn’t have known how to explain it to Master.

Those three paper-person statues, no matter how long they were worshipped, shouldn’t cause any other incidents.

This kind of ‘memorial’ was purely commemorative, with no incense merit being generated…

Returning to the thatched cottage, Li Changshou first woke up Ling’e.

After the brother and sister disciples discussed for a while, they decided to proceed according to the first [Stabilize Master] plan they had previously set.

Li Changshou lay back on his bed, lips withered and eyes lifeless, with traces of lingering attachment to the world in his gaze.

Lan Ling’e ran to her master’s thatched cottage, knelt on the meditation cushion, and…

Let Master out.

“Who dares to scheme against this poor Dao master?

Take my magical treasure!”

Old Daoist Qi Yuan jumped out of the bag, raising his whisk and glaring around angrily, then looked down to see his little disciple kneeling on the ground.

Ling’e’s eyes reddened, she gently bit her lip, secretly pinched her thigh, and even used some true cultivation power.

“Master…”

Qi Yuan was stunned and then remembered that he had been knocked unconscious by his two disciples earlier.

Scanning with his immortal consciousness, Qi Yuan immediately saw his senior disciple lying in the neighboring thatched cottage and hurriedly asked:

“Ling’e, what’s wrong with you?

Your senior brother… what happened to him?!”

“Master, earlier many demons were attacking the mountain gate. Senior Brother was worried you would rush up to fight the demons to the death, so he and the disciple together knocked Master unconscious and took you away…

Senior Brother in this great battle…”

Before Ling’e finished speaking, Qi Yuan had already hurried over to Li Changshou’s bedside;

Seeing this heavily injured disciple, Old Daoist Qi Yuan was immediately filled with remorse, quickly taking out a pile of medicine bottles, but momentarily not knowing which one would be suitable.

Li Changshou opened his eyes, lifeless, and said softly: “Master.”

“Ah, Master is here!” Qi Yuan responded with a trembling voice, “Master is here, say what you need to say.”

“I’m fine,” Li Changshou said hoarsely, letting out a faint sigh, “Master, disciple earlier knocked you unconscious…”

“This doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter, you were also thinking of Master’s wellbeing, how could Master not understand?”

Old Daoist Qi Yuan sat by the bed, raising his hand to hold Li Changshou’s wrist, carefully examining.

In an instant, the old Daoist’s expression changed.

The immortal power within his senior disciple was much purer and clearer than his own, this was indeed the Original Immortal realm power.

But at this moment, these powers, in Old Daoist Qi Yuan’s perception, were extremely thin;

Li Changshou’s internal qi was now completely chaotic, his heart meridians as turbulent as beating drums, and looking carefully, it was actually…

Like playing music with drums, very rhythmic!

Li Changshou forced a smile and said: “Master, disciple is fine, Master need not worry.”

Qi Yuan’s gaze was full of guilt as he sighed: “Alas, it is Master who is incapable, unable to protect you and Ling’e, and even made you and Ling’e worry so much.”

“Disciple knocked Master unconscious first, otherwise Master would have… cough, cough cough…”

Old Daoist Qi Yuan hurriedly said: “This counts for nothing, Master doesn’t blame you, doesn’t blame you.”

Li Changshou coughed weakly twice and smiled bitterly: “Master, words alone aren’t proof, disciple truly feels unbearable guilt in his heart.”

“Master, Master… right, Master swears, this time absolutely won’t blame you!”

“Master, what do you swear upon?”

“Naturally upon the Great Dao…”

“Master, without reciting the [Gratitude Name Oath], the Great Dao won’t respond.”

“Good, Master will right now!

Hm?”

Old Daoist Qi Yuan paused, looking at Li Changshou on the bed;

The latter had half-closed eyes, a failing breath, and weakly coughed twice more.

This old Daoist looked at Ling’e hiding outside the cottage door, his immortal consciousness also sweeping around Small Jade Peak for half a circle, immediately understanding.

Qi Yuan said coldly: “Changshou, your Turtle Breath Qi Calming Art seems to be capable of more than just concealing cultivation.”

“Master, disciple…”

“Pfft!”

Suddenly from outside came the sound of someone who, after trying hard to hold it in, finally couldn’t help but laugh.

Old Daoist Qi Yuan’s forehead was covered in black lines.

Li Changshou coughed once, silently sat up, and gave Master a sincere smile.

“Master, disciple is really fine.”

“You rascal!”

Qi Yuan raised his whisk to strike, Li Changshou fled for his life, but was caught at the door by Junior Sister’s ‘evil cat pounce’!

“Senior Brother, don’t blame Junior Sister for being cruel!”

Ling’e smiled with squinted eyes, hurriedly calling into the house: “Master, I caught Senior Brother!

All these things were Senior Brother forcing me to do them!

I originally said that Master going out to fight enemies could fulfill your responsibility as a Crossing Immortal Sect cultivator, but Senior Brother said you would just rush headlong into fighting people when you went out, not knowing to use strategy!”

Li Changshou glared at Ling’e, while Qi Yuan had already rushed up from behind, raising his whisk with a shout and striking toward Li Changshou’s backside.

If he wanted to run, Li Changshou could naturally have disappeared in a flash;

At this moment he was just giving Master a way to save face, letting Master vent some anger.

With several ‘pah pah’ sounds, that familiar place became familiarly swollen once again…

Li Changshou truly had it rough;

When Master struck with the whisk, he had to strongly suppress his internal immortal power from counterattacking Master, lest it cause Master some harm.

A moment later…

Li Changshou and Ling’e knelt neatly before Master;

Qi Yuan sat in the circular chair, frowning as he listened to Li Changshou’s eloquent explanation.

From initial anger to later confusion, to current enlightenment, Old Daoist Qi Yuan’s expression went through a series of changes.

After Li Changshou finished his long explanation, Old Daoist Qi Yuan muttered: “So that’s how it is?”

For a moment…

Something felt not quite right, but he couldn’t say what.

“Master, it is indeed so,” Li Changshou and Ling’e nodded together, while Qi Yuan showed a thoughtful expression.

Beside them, Ling’e secretly twisted her mouth, completely understanding that in such a situation, Senior Brother absolutely must not be given a chance to speak!

Otherwise, Senior Brother could truly make black into yellow, could make pink into green!

It was them who had ambushed Master, but now Master felt that he should have been knocked unconscious…

This way they could avoid creating gaps in their own battle formation during the great battle, causing a situation of ‘a thousand-mile dike breaching from ant holes.’

Old Daoist Qi Yuan sighed and quickly flew to the Hundred Ordinary Hall according to Li Changshou’s words.

As the peak master of Small Jade Peak, he had to at least make an appearance and ask if there was anything he could do…

As soon as Master left, Ling’e felt a chill coming from the side, and couldn’t help but shudder.

“Sen-Senior Brother…”

“Junior Sister,” Li Changshou’s smile was very kind and gentle, “your wings have hardened, hm.”

Ling’e shrank her neck, giggling and saying softly:

“Isn’t it all what Senior Brother taught me, two deaths aren’t as good as one death… Senior Brother, I was wrong!”

“Hmph!”

Li Changshou slowly stood up supporting his bottom, circulating immortal power to dissolve the superficial injuries Master had just inflicted.

“Senior Brother, do you want help applying medicine?”

“No need…”

Just as Li Changshou was about to tease and take revenge on Ling’e, he suddenly had a premonition in his heart and couldn’t help but frown.

With his right hand hidden in his sleeve making divination gestures, Li Changshou’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

This time, it wasn’t that Elder Brother Jiu Wu had gotten into trouble again, and he hadn’t given Elder Brother Jiu Wu any more of those ‘little toys.’

Seemingly without reason, Li Changshou’s heart suddenly arose with some warning signs…

He looked at his junior sister and said: “Ling’e, you go play outside first, I need to meditate on some matters.”

“Oh,” Ling’e could also see that Senior Brother seemed to have serious business, and although she was somewhat dissatisfied with the word ‘play,’ she still obediently responded and quickly left Li Changshou’s thatched cottage.

Activating the surrounding formations, Li Changshou sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion and began continuously sensing and deducing in his heart.

Something had happened…

Something had happened with the Southern Sea Divine Teaching.

One of his statues had been smashed.

Li Changshou first felt happy, after all, this way his one thousand six hundred plus statues would successfully ‘reduce by one.’

But afterward, he couldn’t smile at all…

In the village temple where people worshipped him, two groups of mortals were hacking at each other with knives, blood splashing everywhere.

This was a sectarian conflict, which Li Changshou had sensed before, but he hadn’t expected things would escalate so much, becoming so serious that mortals were already giving their lives for the Southern Sea God…

However, Li Changshou quickly discovered that a wisp of light black qi had wrapped around his primordial spirit, finally binding to his wrist.

This seemed to be…

Karmic burden!

Li Changshou hurriedly took out a strand of the incense merit he had always kept hidden, brought it close to this black qi, and the two intertwined before gradually disappearing.

Merit and karmic burden cancel each other out.

“What kind of situation is this?”

Li Changshou sat there somewhat between laughter and tears, quickly beginning to think carefully.

Incense merit came from ‘protecting’ and ‘educating’ mortals.

The existence of the Southern Sea Divine Teaching, to some degree, made that small area’s villages unite and help each other, slightly benefiting the stability of Heaven and Earth;

Plus with continuous incense worship from various places, this was equivalent to the Heavenly Dao recognizing him as this ‘wild’ god.

This was forced worship forcing benefits;

Now this karmic burden was because sectarian conflict had led to mortals killing each other, and part of the karma from deaths and bloodshed had turned into a karmic burden, seeking out Li Changshou…

“This matter must be resolved.”

Li Changshou sat there deep in thought.

He now had paper people, barely qualifying as ‘entry-level’ external incarnations, and as long as he borrowed some flying and earth-burrowing magical treasures, he could also save immortal power traveling to the Southern Seashore.

What should he do to collapse his own Southern Sea Divine Teaching?

This bit of incense merit was actually not as good as going to the Heavenly Court to earn merit, where the merit was pure and worry-free.

Not like this, where there was always the risk of being cleaned up by Western Teaching.

Thinking carefully, being a worshipped ‘wild god’ yet wholeheartedly wanting to collapse one’s divine teaching, this was probably unique.

“Hm, must plan carefully.”

Li Changshou breathed out gently, sitting there and beginning to think carefully.

That Bear Village that was single-mindedly accumulating wealth, really needed to be given a good scare!

A few days later, at Breaking Sky Peak.

The just-awakened Jiu Jiu stood before the opened wooden door, making several magical gestures in succession, but the formation light barrier outside had no response.

Hm?

Jiu Jiu turned her head to look around the room, which felt somewhat unfamiliar because the Fourth Senior Sister had cleaned it too thoroughly.

This…

Was this her own nest?

Junior Uncle Jiu Jiu’s beautiful brows furrowed, discovering that things seemed not so simple.

…

On Golden Tortoise Island.

“Hanzhi, you can’t go on like this.”

Ao Yi looked at the haggard young woman and said softly: “Why don’t I accompany you to walk around?

If you’re tired of the East Sea scenery, let’s go tour the West Sea, and go to the South Sea.

There are beautiful sights throughout the Four Seas, you really can’t keep being depressed like this.”

“Alas,” Hanzhi smiled bitterly, “my master…”

“This isn’t a bad thing,” Ao Yi said, “After Senior Brother Yuanze reincarnates, he can surely cultivate again.

What’s wrong with being a demon?

He just lacks some destiny and fortune, but can still transform and continue pursuing the Great Dao.

And, think about it…”

Ao Yi pondered for a moment, his eyes turning, “After Senior Brother Yuanze reincarnates, he definitely won’t be able to speak for a long time, so won’t he be unable to attract trouble?”

Hanzhi blinked, realizing: “That’s true!”

With Ao Yi’s continuous persuasion, Hanzhi’s mood gradually improved somewhat.

She sighed gently and said softly: “Then let’s go out for a walk, I also want to clear my mind, thank you, Uncle, for always accompanying Hanzhi.”

“It’s what I should do,” Ao Yi revealed a slight smile.

I will take good care of you in your master’s stead!

Soon after, these two figures flew out from Golden Tortoise Island, randomly choosing a direction and slowly wandering out.