Chapter 123: He Who Knows My Mind, Is the Sea God of the Southern Sea

Chapter 123: He Who Knows My Mind, Is the Sea God of the Southern Sea

Li Changshou hardly hesitated and chose— The third option!

To blend in, not reveal the person's identity, and boost the favorability of the Sea God Sect.

In that moment, Li Changshou analyzed the worst-case scenario of actively forming cause and effect.

He was completely unfamiliar with this person in white robes, unaware of their character or temperament;

Moreover, Li Changshou had to consider his background as a disciple of the People's Teaching.

If he were too proactive, would it displease the skilled practitioners of the People's Teaching...

In a swift change of mind, the paper Taoist figure of Li Changshou slowly transformed into that kind and elderly man with white hair and a benevolent expression.

This was the form he used when he came to investigate the Sea God Sect previously.

The old man held a dusting brush and emerged from a grove, deliberately concealing part of his trail while revealing some spiritual disturbances.

In front of the Sea God Temple, a group preparing to stroll into the city immediately noticed the trace of Li Changshou's paper Taoist figure.

The gray-clothed old man stepped forward and whispered a few words to the young man in white robes.

The latter smiled faintly and led his group towards the town as if they hadn't noticed the sudden appearance of the old man.

Li Changshou immediately understood something and, holding the dusting brush, flew forward on the clouds, thinking about how to "strike up a conversation."

He couldn't just say, "Friend, please stay";

Nor could he randomly approach with a brick and say, "Friend, did you drop this brick?"

That would probably lead the eight guards to tear apart his incarnate figure.

As Li Changshou pondered, the group approached closer and closer.

Soon, Li Changshou noticed a small detail:

Among these ten people, the eight guards and the old man had their shoes enveloped in immortal energy, appearing to walk but not touching any ground impurities.

Only the young man in white robes had his white boots stained with mud. Inside the gate, the preliminary rounds of the competition were underway.

Li Changshou's matches for today were already over, with a record of ten wins and two losses, firmly securing his place in the top 360...

Ling'e also had eight wins and three losses, ensuring her entry into the next round regardless of the outcome of her next match.

With divided attention, Li Changshou naturally focused most of his mental energy on this incarnate figure.

This matter was indeed very important to him.

Li Changshou had been planning to avoid the calamity of becoming a god for a long time.

The most reliable plan before was to send himself, his master, and his apprentice sister to the Heavenly Court to serve as minor officials.

However, this was not completely secure; If he couldn't secure the position of a true god before the calamity of becoming a god began, theoretically, he wouldn't be able to completely avoid the calamity of becoming a god.

Based on Li Changshou's observation of the general situation of the world, the calamity of becoming a god was likely to be divided into two parts.

The main part would naturally involve the immortal figures of the three teachings descending to the South Sham Continent to select the "true gods" through the matter of King Wu's conquest of King Zhou.

The secondary part would be to clear out the increasingly bloated Taoist sects of the Central Divine Continent, causing a great calamity and taking away most of the experts of the immortal sects to serve as celestial soldiers and generals in the Heavenly Court.

Although Li Changshou's cultivation level was not too high at the moment, he had been planning this matter before reaching immortality.

In the great calamity, most of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Orthodox Sects were either deprived of their top three flowers or weakened in their cultivation.

As for the Jie Sect, there were deaths and injuries...

He must take the initiative and break free from the calamity of becoming a god!

Li Changshou had never expected that the Sea God Sect could attract such opportunities.

Moreover, listening to the conversation between the two main figures, it seemed that they were "inspecting" the offerings of these wild gods everywhere and recruiting one or two wild gods to expand their own influence.

This train of thought...

It was flawless and indeed in line with the current situation of the Heavenly Court.

However, he had to consider everything carefully.

The People's Teaching, the Taoist sects, the Heavenly Court, the Dragon Clan, all aspects had to be carefully considered.

Today, with a mindset of trying it out first, it would be best to establish a good relationship without expecting or plotting too much.

At the same time, Li Changshou reminded himself inwardly:

[Even though the opportunity is good, it cannot be forced, and one must not bow down or stoop, lest they lose face in front of the People's Teaching.]

"Friend?"

In front of the city gate, the kindly old man descended on a cloud, holding a volume of the Sea God Sect teachings, and called out to the young man in white robes.

"Is this book yours, friend?"

After some thought, Li Changshou still used this method of striking up a conversation.

"A book?"

The young man in white robes turned around to look, and Li Changshou also "saw" this person's appearance.

Handsome... somewhat ordinary, yet with a difficult-to-describe aura.

Especially those eyes, as if they had gone through vicissitudes, polished by the worldly experiences, seeming to be able to see through all the confusion of the world.

Several guards immediately stepped forward, but Li Changshou had stopped ten yards away, holding the dusting brush and bowing politely.

On the other side, the gray-clothed old man also bowed, returning the gesture to the young man in white robes.

The young man in white robes smiled and said, "I have never seen this book before, so how could it be mine?"

Li Changshou: ...

Playing dumb?

He had received nine years of compulsory education in his previous life and had learned so many teachings of the People's Teaching in this life, so he was somewhat of an expert in this matter.

At that moment, the paper Taoist figure pretending to be the old man smiled and said, "If the friend has not seen this book, how would he know if he dropped it?"

The young man in white robes smiled slightly. Upon closer inspection, this sentence was profound and unfathomable, with hints of destiny and fate.

"Well," the young man in white robes reached out his hand.

Li Changshou enveloped the book with immortal energy and passed it over; this also saved those guards from stepping forward.

There were still many pedestrians and passersby outside the city gate, all ordinary people.

But the young man in white robes and his group seemed to have used some kind of divine technique.

The surrounding ordinary people seemed to not see half of them.

Occasionally, someone would cast a glance, but they would quickly look away as if everything was normal and then look elsewhere.

A wise man doesn't speak in riddles.

Li Changshou also wanted to employ such a divine technique...

The young man in white robes took the book "Sea God Sect Teachings - Deluxe Edition" and carefully examined a few pages.

Then he nodded slowly and said with a smile, "This book does indeed have a connection with me. Did the friend come to deliver this book, recognizing who I am?"

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, unexpectedly finding that the other party... was really into this kind of cryptic style.

Catering to his preferences would be fine.

So Li Changshou said again, "I recognize your intentions, but not your identity.

Friend should have been in the Nine Heavens, yet you appear here. I assume you must have come for our Incense Cult."

Upon hearing this, the young man in white robes raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, "Since you've appeared before me, could it be that you intend to join us?

If so, why didn't you come in person, but rather with this paper figure?" Paper figure?

The expressions of the several celestial guards changed slightly.

Li Changshou sighed inwardly, acknowledging that this person was indeed the Dao Ancestor and the junior brother of the saints, able to see through the origins of his incarnation.

Of course, it was also possible that it was as the gray-clothed old man had said...

Li Changshou said, "It's beyond my control, Your Majesty's understanding."

Here, he wanted to directly confirm the other party's identity.

"Oh?"

The young man in white robes suddenly looked playful.

He glanced around and then said, "It's somewhat inappropriate for us to chat here.

How about going somewhere else?"

With that, the gray-clothed old man took out a scroll from his sleeve and slowly unfolded it.

Inside was a landscape painting.

With a step, the young man in white robes disappeared in front of the landscape painting;

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, checking the self-destructive and self-immolating prohibitions on the paper Taoist figure, as well as the items for preventing deduction on his body, before floating forward with the dusting brush.

Approaching the landscape painting, Li Changshou felt a pulling force...

The light and shadow flickered, and in a trance, he arrived at the location in the painting.

In a pavilion nestled in the mountains, the young man in white robes and the gray-clothed old man, who should have been holding the scroll outside, sat and stood in the pavilion.

Li Changshou contemplated how he should arouse the other party's curiosity, establish a good relationship, and avoid involving other causes and effects...

Flying closer, he already had a plan in mind.

First, make a few cryptic remarks and see how it goes... ...

Several hours later, late at night.

Three streams of light flew out of the landscape painting.

The kind old man in paper form, representing Li Changshou, bowed and said, "I won't disturb the friend's mood any longer."

"Please," the young man in white robes made a gesture of invitation, his eyes showing a hint of reluctance. He added, "Please think carefully about what I said earlier."

"You should already know my difficulties."

"Sigh," the young man in white robes sighed with emotion and made a shallow bow to the person in front of him.

Li Changshou calmly returned the courtesy with a deeper bow and then took his leave, flying on the clouds towards the nearby Sea God Temple.

As he left, the aura that had concealed their movements around the ten people became even denser.

The young man in white robes gazed at them for a while and sighed, "I never expected that he who knows my mind would turn out to be a wild god!

Dongmu Gong, what do you think of this person?"

"He hides his thoughts well, possesses extraordinary intelligence, and understands the trends of the world exceptionally well, analyzing them with great insight."

The gray-robed old man, also known as 'Dongmu Gong', whispered behind, "The twelve admonitions that this Daoist friend presented to His Majesty, in the old minister's opinion, are indeed invaluable."

"Yes, most of them align with my inner thoughts, coincidentally. There are a few admonitions that I hadn't considered before," the white-robed young man reminisced, feeling quite enlightened after their lengthy conversation over the past few hours.

But he also felt that there were many mysterious aspects that he couldn't fully grasp. That phrase 'coincidentally aligning' was just for show. Judging from any angle, the leader of the South China Sea God Religion was quite formidable. His ability to manifest outside of his body was not something to be taken lightly. There were still many hidden figures in the vast world of the primordial universe.

Thinking of this, the white-robed young man said leisurely, "Such virtuous individuals, if they could accompany me for a long time, the challenges of the Heavenly Court would be solved for thousands of years."

"But, Your Majesty..." Dongmu Gong hesitated, "The old minister carefully pondered, but we completely failed to grasp what this person's identity is. We only know that he is the leader of the South China Sea God Religion, with some connections to the Dragon Clan and a bit with the Witch Clan. Everything else... we know nothing about."

"I previously deduced that the innate treasure Taiji Diagram suppressing his luck was from the people of the Religion," the white-robed young man smiled slightly, "This person's identity is not simple, it's understandable that there are concerns. Today, he came to meet me in person, presumably wanting to establish good relations with me. Dragon Clan, Witch Clan, and Religion... this South China Sea God Religion is quite interesting. Let's go back. This trip has been quite fruitful. Later, remember to submit a memorial, stating the intention to recruit the various wild gods of the South China Sea to ascend to heaven, and then bring this matter up with the South China Sea God Religion. Among the wild gods, only this South China Sea God Religion is truly remarkable."

Dongmu Gong bowed, "I will obey your orders, Your Majesty."

...

At the Duexian Gate, on the gentle slope beneath the Peak of Breaking Heaven.

Li Changshou slowly breathed out a sigh of relief, feeling like his primordial spirit was almost blown away. Did he go overboard today? Did he accidentally reveal something or express something unclearly that might cause misunderstandings?

Li Changshou carefully thought it over, repeatedly self-checking. Today, not everything he said was a bluff; he also provided some useful insights, mainly about how to reorganize the Heavenly Court's internal troubles and ease external pressure. By the time he mentioned the third item, the following nine items were already clear in his mind.

Judging from the other party's reactions, it seemed that he had achieved his goal of building good relations and hadn't sought anything else. The worst outcome of this matter would be what? Li Changshou thought carefully. It would probably be that he was discovered by the skilled members of the Religion, subtly advising the Jade Emperor.

But the Religion itself was supporting the Heavenly Court. Currently, under the protection of Taiqing Sage, as a disciple of the Religion, advising the Jade Emperor was justifiable.

The benefits of this matter were manifold...

"Senior Brother?" Ling'e suddenly asked softly beside him, "What's wrong with you? You're sweating profusely."

Li Changshou wiped his forehead casually, but realized that he was sweating all over without realizing it.

He smiled, "I encountered some bottlenecks in my cultivation, nothing to worry about."

Ling'e blinked, her eyes full of concern, but she remembered the three rules of engagement and didn't say much.

Li Changshou discreetly dissipated the cold sweat, speculating on the possible development paths of this matter. Hazy and fiery, acting like a big shot... He seemed to have really convinced this young Jade Emperor...