Chapter 610: The Price of Making a Show

　　“This is really troublesome.”

　　On Bai Ze’s back, the paper effigy, Taibai Jinxing, sat quietly. His main body was hiding in the paper effigy’s collar.

　　Li Changshou was not happy at all. Instead, he frowned and gestured for Bai Ze to not fly too quickly.

　　Bai Ze frowned slightly. He, who had been watching from the side just now, roughly understood why Li Changshou said that it was troublesome.

　　How could the matter today be summarized as troublesome?

　　That would be quite troublesome.

　　In other words, the Heavenly Courts were rising and challenging the authority of the Three Sects of the Dao Sect. Li Changshou was caught in it. He had to take into account the position of the disciples of the Dao Sect and the authority of the Heavenly Courts.

　　Fortunately, Li Changshou had long thought of a solution. Before he attacked, he would kowtow and flatter them. He would consider Ju Liusun for his own selfish reasons and do his best to protect Chan School’s reputation.

　　However, Bai Ze could clearly sense…

　　However, it was far from enough to extinguish the anger of the entire Heavenly Courts and Jie School.

　　Although he was one of the twelve Golden Immortals of Chan School and was also a great mystical ability expert in the Primordial World, he had also gained the prestige of Chan School and increased the luck of the Heavenly Courts.

　　However, it was still a little lacking.

　　Are they really going to kill Ju Liusun?

　　That was unrealistic. If he really killed the personal disciple of the two Saints of the Dao Sect, the Saints would definitely take revenge on him in the future.

　　Who could guarantee that there was no deep master-disciple relationship between the two Saints of the Dao Sect? Moreover, if the Saints did not take any action, a series of crises would be triggered within Chan School.

　　Even Saints could not turn around easily when they stood at the peak of the waves.

　　Bai Ze predicted that at most, he would suppress Ju Liusun or count his crimes and chase him out of the five continents.

　　Or, he could hand over Ju Liusun to the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning. The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning might punish him severely for the sake of the reputation of Chan School.

　　The anger of the immortals of the Heavenly Courts could not be appeased.

　　This was originally a good opportunity for the Heavenly Courts to become the center of power in the Three Realms. It all depended on how they dealt with their descendants.

　　That’s probably the trouble the Water God mentioned.

　　Bai Ze sighed in his heart. He had already begun to think of a solution in that direction. He was thinking of giving some constructive opinions later.

　　That was also his responsibility as a mount of Ren School.

　　Behind Bai Ze, Yang Jian carried the unconscious Ju Liusun and slowly flew forward.

　　Yang Jian looked expressionless, but his eyes were filled with thoughts.

　　How did I expose myself?

　　I had clearly made some progress in studying the transformation technique recently.

　　Yang Jian naturally understood the difficulties of today’s matter. He hid in the dark and watched for a long time, worried that Chan School and the Heavenly Courts would fight.

　　He did not have much approval for Chan School. He had been cultivating in the Jade Spring Mountain for most of the time. However, his master had given him the backing of Chan School. Yang Jian naturally had the position to protect Chan School.

　　However…

　　Seeing Li Changshou face hundreds of immortals of Chan School alone, Yang Jian felt indignant.

　　For some reason, Yang Jian only felt respect for the authoritative god of the Heavenly Courts who had slapped him on the cloud and could not dig him out.

　　Although he had been clearly and thoroughly arranged by this Uncle-Master who liked to pretend to be old, he could not cause any trouble at all, causing his Dao heart to almost go berserk.

　　However, he could face the Western Saints.

　　He could retort Guang Chengzi today.

　　He could work so hard to establish the Heavenly Courts’ authority and protect the weak. He even expressed his noble aspirations today…

　　Yang Jian could not help but reflect in his heart. In order to save his mother, he had been too willful previously.

　　Maybe.

　　I should apologize to Uncle-Master Changgeng when I have the chance.

　　Uncle-Master Changgeng directly used his authority to order him to bring Ju Liusun back to the Heavenly Courts. It was not in violation of his words of “listening to the tune but not listening to the declaration”. That was the order of the Heavenly Courts.

　　As Yang Jian was thinking, he arrived at the Middle Heavenly Gate.

　　Bai Ze suddenly stopped, and Yang Jian immediately stopped.

　　On Bai Ze’s back, Li Changshou raised his hand and retracted the Heart-Piercing Lock. He changed to an immortal rope and trapped Ju Liusun again.

　　“Yang Jian?”

　　“I’m here!”

　　Li Changshou said, “I’ll bring Ju Liusun to the Lingxiao Hall and ask to see the Jade Emperor. I’ll say that Ju Liusun is the culprit behind this matter. However, I have to interrogate him carefully and ask him about the past and various details. Only then can I tell the Three Realms.”

　　“Yes!” Yang Jian answered firmly. Then, he frowned and asked, “Where are you going, Lord Taibai Jinxing?”

　　“To find a secluded place.” Li Changshou sighed and said, “Think about what to do next. I’ll go over later.”

　　At that moment, Li Changshou waved his hand and pushed the bronze mirrors floating around him to Yang Jian. He rode Bai Ze and swayed into the Middle Heavenly Gate.

　　The Heavenly Soldiers landed on one knee and lowered their heads to express their respect.

　　Yang Jian carried the Ju Liusun forward. The Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals immediately stood up and glared fiercely at Ju Liusun. They wished they could skin him alive.

　　Putting aside the fact that Yang Jian was dealing with Ju Liusun, he rushed to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall under the support of the Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals.

　　Li Changshou and Bai Ze quickly returned to the Great White Palace.

　　After entering the Grand White Hall, Li Changshou got off the goat and instructed Bai Ze to transform into a human and wait in the corner.

　　A moment later, the Jade Emperor’s incarnation, Quan Dong, rushed over. Li Changshou immediately activated the heavy array formation. Seeing that Quan Dong was overjoyed and his eyes were filled with joy, he splashed Chang’e, who had spent the winter, water on her feet.

　　“Your Majesty, this matter is serious.”

　　Quan Dong was stunned. Bai Ze smiled knowingly.

　　He naturally knew the difficulties of the Water God.

　　Bai Ze bowed with a Dao salute. Quan Dong nodded and replied. He hurriedly asked, “Changgeng, didn’t we… cause this matter?”

　　“He has already lost control.”

　　Li Changshou sighed. There was a hint of worry in his eyes. His voice was faster than usual.

　　“Senior Brother Guang Chengzi is too anxious. He can’t calm down at all! Now, not only are we in a passive position, but he is also in a passive position.”

　　Bai Ze was puzzled.

　　Quan Dong was speechless.

　　Quan Dong said, “Although Guang Chengzi stood up at that time to pressure the Heavenly Courts, from the perspective of the Eldest Senior Brother of Chan School, he had to do it. If he doesn’t stop you and lets you bring him back, his prestige as the Eldest Senior Brother will be gone.”

　　“Your Majesty, you might not know the details,” Li Changshou said seriously. Just as he was about to speak, he raised his hand and gestured.

　　Quan Dong understood and immediately activated the power of the Heavenly Dao to envelop the place, isolating all possibilities of inspection apart from the Heavenly Dao.

　　Li Changshou even paced back and forth to express his frustration.

　　He walked for a while, sorted out his thoughts, and dispersed his clear Dao heart. Then, he explained the serious problem.

　　“On the surface, Chan School is peaceful, but they are actually divided into factions! Senior Brother Guang Chengzi was one of the twelve Golden Immortal heads of Chan School and a disciple of the Jade Void Palace who had been attacked by the Golden Bell. However, he was not Second Uncle-Master’s eldest disciple. Second Uncle-Master’s eldest disciple was an South Pole Immortal. He rarely appeared and did not participate in the matters of the world. According to the information that Senior Brother Taiyi had revealed to me, Chan School is at least divided into three factions. One faction is neutral, one faction listens to Guang Chengzi, and one faction listens to Deputy Sect Master Randeng of Chan School. Guang Chengzi is the Eldest Senior Brother in name. His status is on par with Daoist Duobao. He is slightly inferior to my Senior Brother Xuan Du in the Dao Sect. As for Randeng, he is a mighty figure of the older generation who is on good terms with Second Uncle-Master. He has a wide network and is not upright. He is biased towards the Western Sect. The twelve Golden Immortals have to call him Teacher. The two sects have been fighting. Randeng intends to make Chan School and Jie School go against each other. Guang Chengzi does not support this matter nor express his stance. It’s difficult for us to see the meaning behind it. This time, there was definitely the shadow of Randeng behind him. This kind of scheming method was commonly used by Randeng and Maitreya. My initial guess was that it was Randeng!”

　　Quan Dong was puzzled. “Then, I’ve already captured Ju Liusun. Later, when I interrogate him and find out that it was Randeng’s instructions, what’s wrong?”

　　Bai Ze gasped.

　　“Your Majesty, although Randeng’s character is not good, he is indeed the Deputy Sect Master of Chan School, who was personally conferred by the Saint. It could be seen that he was afraid that Ju Liusun would be controlled by the calamity and did something foolish. However, if he grabbed Randeng, the matter would blow up completely. Is the Water God so uncontrollable?”

　　“No.”

　　No!

　　Bai Ze blinked and suddenly felt… a little awkward.

　　“Capturing Randeng has long been part of my plans. I have a way to capture him even if he doesn’t say anything.” Li Changshou shook his head. “The problem lies with Guang Chengzi. This senior brother is really too impatient! At that time, he asked me to wait and gave me a look. I immediately understood and knew that he wanted to be the Eldest Senior Brother. However, he was too dramatic!

　　He completely ignored the fact that there was not much room for reconciliation. It was so shallow that he could only put down a fish and prawn! He completely ignored the emotions of the Heavenly Courts and the immortals of Jie School!”

　　“I caught the inhumane Ju Liusun. It’s fine if he just says a few words. Later, when I brought some people to catch Randeng, he was furious and turned the conflict between me and him to a dispute between Chan School and the Heavenly Courts.”

　　“Then, the two of us will find an opportunity to meet and wipe away the enmity between us. It will be a good story, but it will also minimize the damage to Chan School’s reputation.”

　　“However, just now, he had already taken out the Dao Sect’s agreement to not fight. He still insisted on taking the Dao Sect’s agreement!”

　　“What can he say if I catch Randeng again? Draw a line with Randeng? Then, he, the Eldest Senior Brother of Chan School, would have gone overboard! The first step he took was only so big. He had completely sealed off the areas that he could ease. How could he advance? We have to take his threat seriously. Why is Eldest Senior Brother, who is ranked in the top three below the Saints of the three sects, not stable at all!?!”

　　Bai Ze and Quan Dong looked at each other.

　　A certain mount silently slapped its essence soul in its heart.

　　Quan Dong asked in a low voice, “Why didn’t you send a voice transmission to him back then?”

　　Li Changshou sighed and said, “We have to deal with this matter openly. We can’t be biased. Otherwise, we will be adding fuel to the fire and suffer a backlash. Moreover, the senior brothers and sisters of Jie School are at the side. Although Senior Brother Duobao did not come, who can be sure that his Dharma treasure, which can detect others’ voice transmissions and telepathic thoughts, is present?”

　　As he spoke, Li Changshou smiled bitterly.

　　“This is my fault. After I injured Ju Liusun, I should have interrogated him and asked if there was anyone behind him. I should have brought him back to the Heavenly Courts together.”

　　“Now, if we do not catch Randeng next, all our previous efforts would have been in vain. The matter can only be resolved weakly. It is already a good thing that the Heavenly Courts can maintain their current dignity, let alone increase it.”

　　“However, as long as we grab Randeng, Senior Brother Guang Chengzi would be forced to the edge of the cliff by himself. He has to express his stance and protect the dignity of Chan School.”

　　“Today is the day that Chan School and Jie School will fall out with each other. There would definitely be a deviation between the Heavenly Courts and the three sects. Chan School would openly contact the Western Sect. The Heavenly Dao is already formed. The three sects are divided into the left and right factions. The strength of both sides is almost balanced. The battle will definitely be extremely tragic…”

　　Bai Ze asked softly, “Could this be a scheme of the Western Sect?”

　　“The probability is very low.” Li Changshou shook his head. “Guang Chengzi is not an ordinary mighty figure. He is deep and shrewd. He is just too eager to show off his Eldest Senior Brother. At the end of the day, it was because of the conflict between the factions of Chan School. I reckon that this senior brother has yet to react and is still happy. He feels that this matter can be resolved.”

　　Quan Dong asked, “What if I don’t let Xiongliu say Randeng and point the spearhead at the Western Sect?”

　　“The personal disciple of the Saint secretly colluded with the Western Sect? Chan School is the real joke. I’m afraid that I won’t be able to kill Second Uncle-Master even if I leave a few of my descendants alive. I’m afraid that I’ll leave 80% of my descendants alive. I really will use Randeng to make us retreat.”

　　Hence, in the Grand White Hall, the number of people pacing back and forth increased from one to three.

　　The three of them thought about it and came up with a plan.

　　At that moment, Li Changshou realized how difficult it was to control the overall situation. He had to be “openly scheming” and not do any secret transmissions.

　　The more he thought about it…

　　The Heavenly Dao is so scary.

　　The Dao Ancestor is so scary.

　　Second Uncle-Master, who is sitting in the small courtyard of the Three Pure Ones and watching everything from the beginning to the end, is also afraid.

　　Among the three of them, Quan Dong was the first to be eliminated. He gave up thinking and sat quietly at the side.

　　At that moment, Bai Ze finally looked a little like an ancient demon general and the number one strategist of the Demon Court. The few suggestions that he gave made Li Changshou feel that he had been enlightened.

　　All of a sudden…

　　“Changgeng, I’ll interrupt you first.” Quan Dong pondered for a while. “Previously, in front of the Jade Void Palace and in front of the bronze mirror, you said that you would retreat after the Great God-Conferment Tribulation. Is that true?”

　　Li Changshou smiled and nodded. “Of course.”

　　“You! No, I won’t allow that!”

　　“Your Majesty!”

　　Li Changshou bowed and said the words he had prepared for more than 200 years.

　　“After the Great God-Conferment Tribulation, the righteous Divine Generals of the Heavenly Courts will increase in number. I am the person who presided over the Great Tribulation. I am the person who appointed them on behalf of the Heavenly Dao. In the future, these righteous gods will definitely have a very close relationship with me. If I stay in the Heavenly Courts, how will His Majesty establish his might? However, Your Majesty, don’t worry. I will slowly fade out of the Heavenly Courts. Moreover, I will not be too far away from the Heavenly Courts. If you want to summon me, you can do so at any time.”

　　Li Changshou paused and smiled. “Your Majesty, you have to understand a principle. Starting a business is completely different from keeping a job. I’m not good at keeping a job.”

　　Quan Dong looked hesitant. He closed his eyes and sighed.

　　Bai Ze’s eyes flickered. He looked at Li Changshou like he was looking at the most precious and delicious dish in the world.

　　It was not easy to ascend the mountain.

　　It was even more difficult to descend the mountain.

　　…

　　Half a day after being brought into the Heavenly Courts by Yang Jian…

　　In the Flying Waterfall Pavilion at the rear mountain of the Jade Void Peak, Guang Chengzi, Chi Jingzi, Perfected Taiyi, Perfected Yu Ding, and Perfected Huang Long were seated. The other immortals of Chan School had already returned to their Cave Abodes.

　　Perfected Huang Long said, “This farce is finally over.”

　　“I once helped to cover up what happened after I was afraid of leaving Junior Brother Sun behind,” Chi Jingzi said softly. “At that time, I don’t know what to think. I just felt that if this matter was discovered, it would damage the reputation of Chan School. However, I did not expect the Heavenly Courts to take this matter so seriously. Even Junior Brother Changgeng had to ask his Uncle-Master. Eldest Senior Brother, should I go to the Heavenly Courts later and talk about killing those itinerant cultivators?”

　　“There’s no need.” Guang Chengzi waved his hand. “Changgeng is smarter than both of us. He will naturally make a decision when he discovers anything unusual. Previously, I only gave Changgeng a look. He immediately understood that no matter how I pressured him, he would not let me. That way, we can protect our reputation. I’m afraid that Junior Brother Ju Liusun would do such a thing. I can’t escape the blame. I will seek Teacher’s forgiveness later.”

　　“Beg for forgiveness?” Perfected Taiyi pursed his lips. “Please credit me, Senior Brother.”

　　Guang Chengzi frowned and said, “Junior Brother Taiyi, why do you say that?”

　　“It’s fine. I was just casually saying.” Perfected Taiyi picked up the cup of tea beside him and took a sip. “Let’s talk about it. Senior Brother, you’re too emotional this time. Actually, I shouldn’t have mentioned the agreement between the three sects.”

　　“No…”

　　Perfected Yu Ding suddenly opened his eyes and looked at Guang Chengzi. He asked in a low voice, “Eldest Senior Brother, do you have any other plans?”

　　Guang Chengzi frowned and said, “What schemes can I have? It’s just for the reputation of Chan School.”

　　Yu Ding sighed and said, “Eldest Senior Brother doesn’t have any other schemes. I’m afraid something will go wrong with Eldest Senior Brother’s pressure on Changgeng.”

　　Every team would inevitably have one or two simple-minded people.

　　For example, Perfected Taiyi, Guang Chengzi, and Chi Jingzi were deep in thought.

　　Huang Long spread the tradition of the dragon race, which was to ask questions when in doubt. He asked in confusion, “Does Junior Brother Changgeng have emotions? Will he side with Jie School?”

　　Perfected Taiyi said, “Senior Brother, the atmosphere is not suitable for jokes.”

　　“Why would I joke about such a huge matter? Junior Brother Yu Ding, what happened?”

　　Yu Ding slowly exhaled and asked in a concise manner, “If Ju Liusun reveals that someone is behind this, the Heavenly Courts will not be able to appease everyone’s anger. They will definitely send troops to ask for him. What should we do?”

　　Chi Jingzi looked shocked. Guang Chengzi’s expression immediately turned extremely gloomy. Perfected Taiyi also looked enlightened.

　　Perfected Huang Long finally realized the seriousness of the problem. He said softly, “Can’t Changgeng handle this matter?”

　　“The public’s anger cannot be appeased.” Guang Chengzi spat out those words.

　　Perfected Taiyi sneered. “Changgeng is a disciple of Chan School? Does he have to consider everything for us?”

　　Huang Long began to panic.

　　The person who can instigate Ju Liusun and make him talk about it must be Randeng…

　　Chi Jingzi said in a low voice, “Junior Brother Ju Liusun should know that this matter is not trivial. How can he continue to blow this matter up?”

　　“Are his bones very tough?” Perfected Taiyi sighed and said, “If they’re very hard, they won’t drift with the wind and sway left and right.”

　　As if to verify the Perfected Taiyi’s words, he had just finished speaking!

　　Boom! Boom!

　　Lightning suddenly erupted in the sky above the Jade Void Palace. The five experts of Chan School who were discussing there suddenly stood up.

　　The power of the Heavenly Dao quickly became rich. Dozens of golden dragons roared. A black cloud rushed over with vast Heavenly Might. On it were the Heavenly Emperor’s carriage, several Heavenly Courts ministers, and hundreds of thousands of Heavenly Soldiers!

　　The Jade Emperor had arrived!