The clouds were warm, and the winding path was fragrant.
In a pavilion on the Three-Immortal Island, seven figures were standing or sitting. They were all the eldest disciples of Jie School.
The immortals’ expressions were different.
Daoist Duobao was the calmest. He smiled and slowly savored the hot tea.
Zhao Gongming and the Goddess of Golden Spirit were slightly anxious. They were pacing back and forth in the pavilion.
Yun Xiao sat in the corner of the pavilion. Her long hair was tied up in a bun, and she was dressed in a light Confucian dress. Her face was cold and beautiful, but she did not reveal much emotion. She was always gentle and watched her two sisters.
Qiong Xiao was dressed in a light yellow dress, Bi Xiao was dressed in a short skirt and a jacket, and the Goddess of Turtle Spirit favored light green muslin dresses. The three fairies gathered on both sides of the stone table in the middle of the pavilion. Qiong Xiao and Bi Xiao were playing chess, and the Goddess of Turtle Spirit was “pointing” at them… The three of them had the most relaxed expressions, as if the matter had nothing to do with them.
The crisp sound of a stone landing mixed with the chirping of birds and insects that came with the wind made the pavilion rather peaceful.
Outside the pavilion, Zhao Gongming turned around and wanted to say something. However, he only sighed and continued to pace with his hands behind his back.
Qiong Xiao looked at the chessboard and pinched a round chess piece with her slender fingers. She smiled and said, “Brother, just say what you want to say. We’re here to discuss the countermeasures. If you don’t say anything, how can we discuss?”
“Ah…”
Zhao Gongming sighed and said, “What can I say about that? Changgeng is on good terms with us. However, he is a disciple of Ren School after all. Moreover, he is going to be in charge of this great tribulation… I actually know that Changgeng has always been worried that we will enter the tribulation. As long as we obtain merit, he will call us along so that we can have more security during the calamity. He has already done enough for Jie School. We can’t rely on Changgeng for everything.” “Um… Huh?”
The Goddess of Turtle Spirit, who was dressed in a light green dress, said in surprise, “There’s such a good thing like picking up merit?”
Qiong Xiao rolled her eyes. Her expression was the same as Bi Xiao’s. There was a hint of smugness in her disdain.
Qiong Xiao said, “I haven’t touched it many times anyway.”
Bi Xiao said, “That’s right, that’s right! The disciples of Ren School are all biased!”
Beside him, Daoist Duobao smiled and squinted. Just as he was about to tease him, he subconsciously looked at Yun Xiao…
Bear with it. Bear with it.
As the Eldest Senior Brother of Jie School, he had to pay attention to his demeanor and rigorous words.
The Goddess of Turtle Spirit thought carefully and asked softly, “Didn’t we discuss how to snatch the Blood Sea Red Lotus? Why are we caught up on the topic of Junior Brother Changgeng?” Zhao Gongming explained, “If the matter regarding the red lotus is true, we have to fight for it. There’s an 80% chance that Chan School will fight for it. There’s nothing wrong with that. There’s no reason for them to say that such a treasure can only be obtained by Jie School. In that case, Changgeng’s attitude is very important.”
“Yes.”
The Goddess of Golden Spirit added, folding her jade-like arms and leaning against the railing at the side.
Her beautiful figure was naturally charming, but unfortunately, it was completely covered by her pressure.
The Goddess of Golden Spirit said, “If you don’t work with Changgeng, it will be difficult to sense his power. He can predict the enemy’s initiative and determine their path. Then, he can give a comprehensive response. Even if he were to face the Saints’ schemes, he can use his own intelligence to deal with them. Such a figure can borrow the few treasures of Uncle-Master Taiqing to protect himself at any time. He also has the unpredictable Great Dao of Equalization and is the current leader of the Great Tribulation, the authoritative god of the Heavenly Courts. Moreover, to a certain extent, the attitude of this junior brother is like that of Uncle-Master Xuan Du. If he is won over by Chan School, our chances of obtaining the red lotus to suppress the sect’s luck will be extremely slim.”
The Goddess of Turtle Spirit pursed her lips and blinked. She fell into deep thought.
Bi Xiao muttered softly, “Is Brother-in-law already so powerful?”
Qiong Xiao said, “Sister, what did you say in the letter you just sent him?”
Yun Xiao said gently, “I just told him not to make things difficult for him. From the perspective of a disciple of Ren School, don’t affect your own judgment because of your personal feelings.”
The Goddess of Golden Spirit frowned slightly when she heard that. She was a little dissatisfied and asked, “Junior Sister Yun Xiao, are private matters not important? He and you are already about to become Dao companions. Why can’t you use this opportunity to get him to lean towards Jie School? You are the disciple of the Saint of Jie School and he is the disciple of the Saint of Ren School. If we become a match made in heaven, Ren School and Jie School should be closer. Why can’t we gain some benefits from him?”
Fairy Yun Xiao said softly, “Senior Sister might not know that I have nothing to do with him. We are just happy and peaceful. Due to my matter, he has already done too many things that he should not have done. How can I use this relationship to make him change his mind?”
There was a hint of sharpness in the Goddess of Golden Spirit’s eyes. “Junior Sister, could it be that you only care about the relationship between the two of you and don’t care about the ties of the sects?”.
“Romance is one thing, but the relationship between the sects is another. Why do the two have to be mixed up?”
Yun Xiao stood up. Her plain white dress flowed like water without any creases. Her gentle voice was filled with determination.
“Just as I said in the letter I gave him, if Eldest Senior Brother orders later, we will go to the Blood Sea to search for the twelfth-grade negative karma red lotus. I will naturally do what a disciple of Jie School should do. If you mix your personal feelings with ties, you won’t achieve either.”
The Goddess of Golden Spirit was about to speak again when Zhao Gongming and Daoist Duobao rushed forward and interrupted at the same time.
Zhao Gongming hurriedly said, “I think what Second Sister said makes sense, but what Jinling said is not wrong.”
“Junior Sisters, don’t argue. Don’t argue,” Daoist Duobao said with a smile. “The red lotus has yet to be born. Perhaps the entire matter is a scheme of the Second Sect Master of the Western Sect to make us argue with Chan School.”
Bi Xiao snorted softly. “Chan School does not lack treasures to suppress the destiny of the sect. Why are they fighting with us?”. The Goddess of Golden Spirit said calmly, “They naturally don’t want to see us live in peace. The few disciples that I had sent to the Blood Sea to search for the whereabouts of the red lotus had discovered traces of the disciples of Chan School. If the Great Tribulation is destined to harm the Longevity Immortals of the three thousand sects, Chan School will naturally hope that the share of the Trichiliocosm will land on Jie School and the Western Sect.”
“Ah.” Qiong Xiao pinched the chess piece and gently tapped her pretty face. “Who wants me or my fellow disciples to die? That’s reasonable. There’s no need to blame Chan School.”
Daoist Duobao chuckled.
“Everyone, aren’t you thinking too far ahead? Now, before things have even begun to take shape, he’s already thinking about what benefits we can obtain from snatching the red lotus? In my opinion, it’s best if we have this twelfth-grade red lotus this time. If we don’t, I won’t worry. Anyway, it won’t make the current situation worse. Why should I be worried?”
“Eldest Senior Brother, you’re just being carefree!”
The Goddess of Golden Spirit shook her head and did not say anything else.
Zhao Gongming said, “In that case, the few of us are too familiar with Changgeng. Don’t appear directly this time, lest Changgeng feels awkward. Eldest Senior Brother, Junior Sister Turtle Spirit, why don’t the two of you go to the Netherworld and discuss this matter with Changgeng? I reckon that Chan School should send someone over.”
“I’ll go too. Can I, Sister?”
Qiong Xiao asked and did not forget to slowly place her chess piece. The wind and clouds on the chessboard changed. The chess pieces made of jade emitted sparkling immortal light.
The five consecutive strikes had already won!
Bi Xiao patted her forehead in frustration. This plaything from the Little Qiong Peak had made the Three-Immortal Island much more interesting
Fairy Yun Xiao pondered for a while and nodded slightly.
The six disciples of Jie School discussed for a while again. In the end, they decided that Daoist Duobao, the eldest disciple of Jie School, would bring the Goddess of Turtle Spirit and the eldest disciple of the outer sect, Qiong Xiao, to the Netherworld to discuss the matter of the twelfth-grade red lotus with Li Changshou. Qiong Xiao changed into a dignified long dress and washed up seriously. She carried a “bright and beautiful little fairy”.
When Qiong Xiao was done packing, Duobao opened the hole in the ground. Qiong Xiao and the Goddess of Turtle Spirit entered. The three of them quickly left Three-Immortal Island and rushed to the Netherworld.
Yun Xiao walked to the edge of the pavilion and looked at the sky. A breeze blew a wisp of black hair beside her ear. Her slender hand hidden in her soft sleeve was pinching the warm copper coin.
“Junior Sister Yun Xiao.”
A soft voice sounded from behind. The Goddess of Golden Spirit said in a low voice, “I’m not unhappy with you just now. We’ve known each other for many years. I know your personality. Don’t take it to heart.” Yun Xiao turned around and smiled. Zhao Gongming said, “I wonder if the matter regarding the twelfth-grade Red Lotus is true. The timing is too subtle.”
“Someone must be plotting behind the scenes,” the Goddess of Golden Spirit said. “It might be the Western Sect, a Saint, or someone we don’t know. Don’t be careless.” Fairy Yun Xiao muttered to herself, “I wonder how he should deal with it.”
With a low murmur, the thought followed her gaze to the clouds and drifted to the horizon, turning to Li Changshou’s ear.
Ding!
Ding, ding, ding…
On the wooden stairs leading to the top floor of the Reincarnation Pagoda.
The green-furred dog, which had shrunk its body by more than half, was holding a tray filled with teacups. It trembled and slowly climbed to the top floor.
Truth Listener ran to Li Changshou’s side and handed him a cup of tea with its immortal power. It chuckled and said, “Lord Water God, have some tea.”
A vein popped up on Ksitigarbha’s forehead.
Then, Truth Listener turned around and ran to Bai Ze. It squatted in front of him and held a cup of tea with its front paws. “Lord Bai Ze, have some tea. Have some tea.”
Green veins popped out on Ksitigarbha’s forehead. Truth Listener did not notice it. It used its immortal power to push two cups of tea to the Golden-Winged Roc and Wei Shenmo. It said warmly, “My humble abode is simple. It’s been hard on the two Marshals.”
The two Heavenly Courts’ marshals thanked him.
Finally!
Truth Listener trembled as it held the last cup of tea in front of the burly man in the form of a green ox.
“Senior, have some tea! Everyone in the Three Realms wants to be at your level and be able to ride the Saint everywhere!”
The green ox smiled calmly and took the teacup. He raised his hand and touched Truth Listener’s head.
In an instant, Truth Listener’s green and white fur turned pink. It ran behind Li Changshou and stood up to help the Water God massage his back.
Wei Shenmo frowned and looked at this scene. He was a little… stunned. Is this the Divine Beast Truth Listener that can listen to the hearts of all living beings in the Three Realms?
Crack, crack, crack!
There was also the young Daoist who was sharpening his saber and setting up an iron pot. Was he really the Lord of the Reincarnation Pagoda, Ksitigarbha, whom the previous incarnation had seen in the Netherworld and was touched by?
“Uh.” Wei Shenmo could not help but rub his glabella. He was a little uncomfortable. Li Changshou said slowly, “Does Truth Listener know about the red lotus?”
Truth Listener hurriedly said, “Lord Water God, the matter regarding the red lotus should be true. However, I don’t know where the red lotus is hidden.”
“Previously, the Western Sect searched the Blood Sea. Did you find anything?”
“The Western Sect has sent…”
“Ahem!”
Ksitigarbha coughed hard and lit up the short knife in his hand.
Truth Listener trembled a few times and turned to glare at its master. Then, it continued, “Lord Water God, don’t mind him. My master still has feelings for the Western Sect. I will definitely not tell you, Lord Water God. The Western Sect has sent thousands of living beings, from the disciples of the Saints to the Primordial Beasts and the negative karma demons. They entered the sea of blood and searched for a long time. They left after finding nothing. Then, there was news that the twelfth-grade Red Lotus was about to be born.”
Ksitigarbha snorted and threw the short knife in his hand away. He said calmly, “Water God, why don’t you stay for a meal today? I heard that Mr. Bai Ze has good skills. I wonder how many times he has braised divine beasts!”
Truth Listener grinned and ran back to its hiding place before calmly climbing down.
Bai Ze smiled. “This cooking is harmful to the heavens… Fellow Daoist Ksitigarbha, since you have already entered the Heavenly Dao sequence, why do you still consider yourself a disciple of the Western Sect?”
“Originally, I felt that I was free and unfettered when cultivating the Dao and asking about longevity. It was only when I understood it thoroughly and looked back that I realized that everything stemmed from two words.”
Ksitigarbha said slowly, “Just like the Water God, ever since we stepped into a door and cultivated a mystical ability, we have been imprinted with such an indestructible mark. Many mortals cannot walk for hundreds of kilometers in their lifetimes. As for you and I, immortals, although we can travel the Trichiliocosm and even explore the Chaos Sea, we still have to remember where our roots are. Otherwise, our hearts will be in chaos.”
Li Changshou gave him a thumbs-up. “Fellow Daoist, you seem to be really free recently. You actually have so many immortal life insights.”
“Hmph.” Ksitigarbha stopped smiling. “I will definitely not help you find the twelfth-grade Red Lotus today.”
“Really?”
Li Changshou, Bai Ze, the young man, Wei Shenmo, and the Golden-Winged Roc all looked behind their hiding place.
There, Truth Listener held a wooden sign in its mouth. There were a few crooked words drawn on it.
Hell, negative karma evil spirits.
Red Lotus is absorbing negative karma.
“Huh?”
Ksitigarbha turned his head and looked. The wooden sign beside Truth Listener’s mouth swished and was quickly swallowed by Truth Listener. It calmly chewed a few times.
“What are you eating?”
“Master, in order to express my respect for Senior Azure Ox, I’m trying to figure out the unique abilities of the Ox Clan. I’ll chew the food that I ate last time.”
Ksitigarbha looked disgusted and shifted to the side.
Li Changshou stood up and smiled. “Since Fellow Daoist Ksitigarbha is unwilling to help, forget it. Let’s go.”
The other four experts agreed and stood up to bid farewell to Ksitigarbha and Truth Listener.
Ksitigarbha did not get up. He just sat there and closed his eyes to rest.
After leaving the Reincarnation Pagoda, Li Changshou frowned and pondered. He was thinking about the method that Truth Listener had given him.
The more he pondered, the more he felt that this method was really feasible.
If he could find a ferocious soul with enough negative karma in the Eighteen Levels of Hell, which was not strong enough, wouldn’t it be equivalent to marking the negative karma?
Then, as long as he followed the direction of the negative karma power and threw in more samples, he might be able to find the whereabouts of the twelfth-grade negative karma red lotus!
It was better than waiting there. Wei Shenmo asked, “What does the hint that Truth Listener gave mean?”.
Li Changshou smiled and explained the solution that he had just thought of in the Primordial World’s Daoist language. Apart from Bai Ze, the other three looked enlightened.
The green ox smiled and said, “Truth Listener is really smart.”
“Ksitigarbha should be reminding us,” Li Changshou said. “However, Ksitigarbha still has his own persistence that he is unwilling to let go. Therefore, he used Truth Listener.”
Wei Shenmo smiled and said, “Why can’t Truth Listener make the decision on its own?”
“Marshal,” Li Changshou said warmly. “There are no restrictions on the wooden sign. Ksitigarbha has his immortal senses.”
Wei Shenmo patted his forehead and smiled emotionally. “Let’s go to the Eighteen Levels of Hell to pick…”
Li Changshou paused and looked at the streams of light in the sky above Fengdu City. He smiled and said, “Let’s split up. The senior brothers of Chan School have arrived. Please take my token and choose a suitable negative karma soul, Mr. Bai and Golden Roc. I’ll receive the senior brothers here.”
“Okay.”
“Teacher, don’t worry!”
Bai Ze and the Golden-Winged Roc agreed and turned to rush to the Reincarnation Immortal Island of Fengdu City.
The few streams of light that flew over turned into four figures. They were Chi Jingzi, Perfected Huang Long, Perfected Taiyi, and Perfected Yu Ding. A faint figure flew out of Perfected Taiyi’s sleeve. It was Ling Zhuzi.
Perfected Huang Long seemed to be afraid that the atmosphere would be awkward. As soon as he landed, he began to laugh. He vividly displayed the social etiquette of the Primordial World.
Both parties bowed. Wei Shenmo and the green ox stood behind Li Changshou and did not make their presence known.
Chi Jingzi looked at Perfected Taiyi. The latter had his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky without saying a word.
Li Changshou took the initiative to say, “Senior Brothers, you should be here about the red lotus.”
“That’s right.” Chi Jingzi revealed a gentle smile. Just as he was about to continue speaking, a circular hole suddenly collapsed beside them. Three figures immediately jumped out.
The slightly plump Daoist at the front smiled calmly. “It’s better to come at the right time. What a coincidence.”
Chi Jingzi frowned slightly and immediately led a few immortals of Chan School to bow. They addressed him as “Senior Brother Duobao”.
The Goddess of Turtle Spirit and Qiong Xiao did not greet him. They only nodded. The representatives of the three sects were caught off guard.
Although it was not raining, the atmosphere was not too harmonious.
Li Changshou pondered for a while and was about to invite them to the Heavenly Soldiers’ camp to discuss the Dao…
“Uncle-Master Changgeng!”
Ling Zhuzi took the initiative to jump in front of Li Changshou and smiled innocently. “I want to return to the Heavenly Courts to continue cultivating for a while!”
“That’s right.” Li Changshou raised his hand and patted Ling Zhuzi’s shoulder. He encouraged him, “Don’t forget to work hard and play it well.”
Perfected Taiyi pursed his lips. “Indeed, raising a disciple is like raising a daughter. You can even be abducted.”
Chi Jingzi immediately smiled.
The three immortals of Jie School looked at each other and felt a little pressure.
At that moment, Qiong Xiao smiled and jumped in front of Li Changshou naturally. She bowed slightly to Li Changshou and naturally reached out two slender hands to grab Li Changshou’s arm.
She licked her lips and gritted her teeth.
“Brother-in-law ~ I also want to go to the Heavenly Courts to play.” Li Changshou’s body stiffened, and his hair stood on end. He wanted to struggle, but he could not. At that moment, every move of his could be overly interpreted.
Chi Jingzi and Perfected Huang Long were speechless. They subconsciously looked at Perfected Taiyi.
Go, I can’t lose!
Perfected Taiyi immediately took half a step back and hid behind Perfected Yu Ding.
“What are you thinking about? Heng’e is not my sister!”
The corners of Li Changshou’s mouth twitched crazily. He felt that he had been unified for some reason. There was a “danger” on his forehead.
The two hands that seemed to be hugging his arm were pinching and twisting…
Fortunately, the paper effigy that was moving outside was only the ‘high-level main body’ paper effigy. The main body was hiding in the sleeve of another paper effigy and did not feel any pain.
