Chapter 425 Clear Line Between Rewards and Punishment

　　Calm down!

　　There must be a trap!

　　What did the word ‘stable’ mean?

　　As long as I’m thick-skinned enough, I would be able to ignore the words ‘my husband is my Senior Brother’!

　　I have to remain calm and not act rashly. If the other party does not admit to his mistake, it would be a training that Senior Brother has arranged for me.

　　Ling’e calmly put away the two poisonous Dharma artifacts that were hidden in her sleeves and had locked onto Ao Yi. She stood up under the surrounding gazes and used her immortal power to push the jade bracelet and tray back. She stared at the familiar “fairy” in front of her. “Fellow Daoist, you and I really don’t know each other.” Ling’e released the fluctuations of the aura of the Heaven Immortal realm that she had disguised and took half a step back. “Fellow Daoist, what is your agenda for getting so close to me?”

　　Ke Le’er sighed softly. Her eyes were filled with apology and worry. “Sister-in-law, can we talk in private? Brother is not deliberately fooling around. Sister-in-law, let’s talk privately somewhere else. How about that?”

　　Ling’e frowned and became even more vigilant.

　　Is this woman really Senior Brother’s paper effigy? That’s not right. There is no aura or falsehood unique to the paper effigy. This should be a real living being. I have definitely seen it before.

　　“Sister-in-law, please…”

　　Ke Le’er made an inviting gesture and sent a voice transmission. “I’m here on Brother Changshou’s orders. There should not be many people who know the name ‘Brother Sect Master’. Brother Sect Master forgot to bring you Spirit Stones and specially asked me to give you some. At the same time, he wants to test your vigilance. Sister-in-law Ling’e, you’re already doing well. You can show that you’ve seen through my disguise. Don’t mention the fact that Ao Yi had let the cat out of the bag, to Brother Sect Master.”

　　Ao!

　　Lingle’s pupils constricted, but her expression remained unchanged. She did not reveal any flaws. With a soft snort, she flung her sleeves and left. Ke Le’er carried the tray and followed. The two burly elders of the dragon race, who had transformed into elders, emitted their own pressure, causing the interior and exterior of the tea house to instantly quieten down.

　　Golden Immortal realm experts are acting as guards!

　　In an instant, the immortal senses that were probing Ling’e and Ke Le’er were reduced by more than half.

　　A moment later, in a private room of a restaurant, a few elders of the dragon race set up an immortal power barrier. Ke Le’er put down the tray. Ling’e changed her expression and smiled. “Thank you, Your Highness.” “Oh?” Ke Le’er’s eyes lit up and she sighed. “Sister-in-law actually recognized me.” Ling’e blushed and hurriedly said, “I was just talking nonsense. Senior Brother and I are not married yet. Don’t tell my Senior Brother about this. It’s embarrassing.” “Hahaha.” Ke Le’er transformed into Ao Yi’s youthful appearance and bowed to Ling’e.

　　Ao Yi said, “Since Ling’e has seen through me, I won’t hide anymore. It’s rare for you to go out to train. Do you want to go to the Dragon Palace?” “No, I’m going out to train. I still have to complete the mission that Senior Brother gave me.” Ling’e shook her head gently. She appeared natural and poised. “Can you bring me out of this town later? After what happened just now, I’m really going to be targeted.”

　　Ao Yi smiled and nodded. It was a small matter to have the help of a few old dragons.

　　Li Changshou and Bai Ze looked at each other.

　　Bai Ze smiled and said, “Ling’e is impressive. She can actually deduce His Highness Ao Yi’s identity with a hint.”

　　Li Changshou rubbed his chin and muttered, “I keep feeling that Ao Yi is going easy on me.” “Why does the Water God like to use such malice to judge others?”

　　“This is not a malicious guess. It’s just a reasonable deduction based on my understanding of Ling’e.” Li Changshou smiled and said, “Forget it. She passed. After all, I made a mistake previously and forgot to prepare more Spirit Stones for her.” Bai Ze laughed and looked at the pond with Li Changshou.

　　The image of the pool appeared.

　　Ling’e, Ao Yi, and a few experts of the dragon race fled at the same time and parted at the East Ocean. Ling’e changed her makeup and put on a thin mask. She used Earth Escape to escape thousands of kilometers away and appeared in an uninhabited valley.

　　She carefully checked her surroundings and rested by the river for a while. She soaked her feet and took out the jade bracelet that Ao Yi had given her.

　　The first step was to check if there were any additional restrictions on the storage Dharma treasure.

　　The second step was to wrap the storage Dharma treasure with immortal power and push it dozens of feet away. His immortal senses tried to undo the restrictions.

　　The third step… “Wow!”

　　Ling’e exclaimed softly and quickly covered her mouth. Her eyes flickered and tears fell. The Spirit Stones that could fill up the storage Dharma treasures!

　　Ling’e’s eyes were filled with grief and indignation. She gritted her teeth and kept counting with her fingers. “Stupid Senior Brother, you clearly have so much money, but you make me spend it carefully every day!”

　　Beside the pool, Bai Ze looked at Li Changshou in disdain and chuckled meaningfully. Li Changshou said calmly, “I just don’t care about it usually. She doesn’t need these in the mountains. She doesn’t lack usage.”

　　“A little, a little.”

　　However, Ling’e’s subsequent performance made Li Changshou feel gratified.

　　When she was about to reach the first training ground, she ran to the town again. This time, she was much more confident.

　　After shopping in the city for half a day, Ling’e chose two expensive immortal treasures for her master, Qi Yuan. She bought a large amount of cloth and prepared for the trial venue that she was going to go to next. She bought a large number of pills that could satisfy her hunger and were of lower quality. This situation was very similar to that of an elder who had gone out to purchase items for a newly established small sect… When Ling’e left the town, in order to prevent herself from being plotted against, she chose to use a fake strategy to hide her true body in the sleeve of the ancient paper effigy. When the paper effigy left the city, her main body quietly separated. In the end, the paper effigy was not robbed. It was buried in the forest near the town by Ling’e for future use. Bai Ze was amazed, but Li Changshou smiled. It was a little like his demeanor back then. When Ling’e arrived near the border of the South Continent on a cloud…

　　Li Changshou asked, “Mr. Bai, do you think that the human race and the demons can coexist now?”

　　“Why do you suddenly ask that, Water God?”

　　Bai Ze waved his fan and smiled. “Unless there are only humans left in the world, how can the demons be extinct? Even if they are enemies, they are just coexisting.” Li Changshou asked again, “Is the existence of the Heavenly Dao really to make the world more stable?” “Do you think that the Heavenly Dao is deliberately lowering the overall strength of the living beings in the world?” “Yes.” Li Changshou nodded slowly. “I’ve been comprehending the Great Dao recently and suddenly sensed something. If the Heavenly Dao were to classify Postnatal lifeforms, how would it be determined?”

　　Bai Ze pondered for a while and answered, “Humans, demons, Magi, dragons, and spirits?” “You’re wrong, Sir.” Li Changshou smiled and said, “It would be divided into humans, immortals, spirits, demons, fiends, and ghosts.” “Oh?” Bai Ze lowered his head and pondered. He pinched his fingers and deduced. He looked puzzled and his forehead started to sweat. Soon, Bai Ze stood up and bowed. “Please explain.” Li Changshou’s voice was a little ethereal. “This is the conclusion I came to when I comprehended my Dao in the past two years and resonated with the Heavenly Dao. In today’s world, the human race has an absolute advantage. The human race is one of a kind. The non-human living beings are all included in the ranks of spirits, such as the dragon, phoenix, magi, and demons. If humans and spirits cultivate and protect the righteous path, they would become immortals. Immortals can be human immortals, but they can also be fox immortals, ox immortals, dragon immortals, tree immortals, and so on. If a person’s nature is not right, they are evil. Those who have twisted morals and kill the innocent are demons. There is no need to mention ghosts. They are what humans and spirits become after they die. What do you think about that, Mr. Bai?”

　　Bai Ze lowered his head and pondered for a long time. Li Changshou waited quietly by the side and watched his junior sister rushing through the pool. What he had said just now was indeed comprehended while comprehending the Dao. Or rather, it was a hint given to him by the Heavenly Dao, telling him, an ordinary minister of the Heavenly Courts, which direction he should guide the Heavenly Courts to work towards.

　　General Dongmu felt offended again.

　　This time, Li Changshou did not just want Ling’e to go to Chentang Ancient Town to train. He also wanted Ling’e to go on his behalf to “inspect and research”.

　　Li Changshou’s words just now were actually to set the rules of the world in the future. It was to set a set of standards for the Primordial World and completely escape from the shadows of the ancient era. However, the most important thing to do was to separate the immortals and mortals.

　　Chentang Ancient Town had existed for a long time. Although it was said to be an ancient town, it was actually a rather large walled city. Why did Li Changshou let Ling’e go there to train? That was a long story. The demons lived in the gaps between the continents. It sounded pitiful, but because the Primordial World was too vast, the gaps were either continuous mountains or endless forests.

　　To mortals, those were hard to cross. They were also a paradise for demons to reproduce. The Chentang Ancient Town was a frontline of the human race that was constantly in conflict with the demons. It was also isolated and helpless for a long time.

　　Ever since Yu the Great returned to seclusion in the Fire Cloud Cave, the position of ruler in the world had only been passed down for less than a thousand years. The imperial authority had been lost, and the South Continent had fallen into a chaotic situation that had lasted for tens of thousands of years. With the rise of the Dao Sect, the power of the “immortal sects” began to rise. The number of humans increased rapidly, and there were more and more mortals who did not have the potential to cultivate. The mortal world gradually became unsuitable for Qi Refinement cultivators to cultivate in, so there was gradually a distinction between immortals and mortals. However, the relationship between the Middle Continent and the mortal world was still complicated. Most of the disciples of the Immortal Sect were from the mortal world.

　　Although mortal wealth was just icing on the cake for the immortal sects, many medium-sized immortal sects valued this wealth. As a result, the factions of the mortal world, such as the Fang Nation and the tribe, had the shadows of the immortal sects behind them. When the factions were in conflict, there were often fights between the immortal sects.

　　Li Changshou’s so-called separation of immortals and mortals was to sever that connection and take action. The “merchant” of the tribe that Big Sister Kong Xuan was currently protecting in the South Continent was an important pawn to change the chaos. Due to the existence of the “three immortal contracts”, the separation of immortals and mortals would be more than half completed after the King of Shang unified the prosperous areas of the South Continent!

　　However, there are two sides to everything.

　　The immortal sects secretly colluded with the mortal countries to exploit the mortals. At the same time, the immortal sects were also protecting the mortals, preventing most mortals from being threatened by the demons.

　　Li Changshou had no choice but to consider that question. After the immortals and mortals were separated, the immortal sect’s influence in the mortal world would decrease. How could the human Qi Refinement cultivators protect the mortal world better?

　　Just as Bai Ze had said, demons could not be killed completely. Ten thousand spirits could absorb the essence of the sun and moon to cultivate, and they would transform into demons. There would always be evil demons that would harm mortals.

　　That highlighted the importance of Chentang Ancient Town.

　　Chentang Ancient Town was located in a remote place. The demon race forces that they faced were not very strong. They could not attract the attention of the human experts…

　　All kinds of factors caused it to wander outside the Fang Nation’s tribes. It almost could not obtain any help from the mortal world.

　　However, they relied on themselves and a small number of human Qi Refinement cultivators to resist the demons’ invasion for thousands of years.

　　Li Jing had come to the Immortal Du Sect to become a disciple. It was actually a path that all the young disciples in the Chentang Ancient Town, who had potential and could cultivate, had to take.

　　They had left their hometown and were hoping to learn the Immortal Ascension technique as soon as possible and return to the town to kill demons. While Li Changshou was investigating Li Jing’s background, he discovered the situation in Chentang Ancient Town. He wanted to find the answer or inspiration to how to protect the mortal world after the immortals and mortals separated… That was the reason for Ling’e’s experiential training this time. Beside the pool, Li Changshou was slightly lost in thought as he looked at Ling’e, who was flying on a cloud. Bai Ze, who was at the side, pinched his fingers and deduced. He deliberated carefully and finally decided to say, “Water God, you’re raising the status of the human race a little by doing so.” Li Changshou looked up and was about to argue when a small gray cloud suddenly floated over from the Black Pool Peak.

　　The gray cloud arrived suddenly. Without any warning, it condensed in the Black Pool Peak’s array formation and floated above the pool. Just as Li Changshou recalled the fear of being controlled by the Heavenly Punishment, the “muscle memory” of his Dao Body was awakened again. His essence soul shone brightly! The gray cloud produced a bolt of lightning that was as thick as a thumb and struck Bai Ze’s head! After the lightning, another wisp of golden light scattered from the gray cloud and entered Li Changshou’s Dao body.

　　Merit!

　　Merit that could condense into a small toe of the Golden Body of Merit! Li Changshou was shocked. He looked at himself internally and looked up at Bai Ze at the side. He immediately laughed. At that moment, Bai Ze’s long hair was disheveled, and his forehead was charred. A wisp of black smoke emerged from his head, and he looked at the sky with grief and indignation… “That’s too unreasonable! I’m just saying!”

　　“Mr. Bai, be careful with your words.”

　　Li Changshou hurriedly stopped Bai Ze from complaining. He raised his head and bowed to the dissipating gray cloud. “I have already made up my mind to go through the Dao tomorrow. I will definitely speak for the Jade Emperor as soon as possible. I will benefit the common people and protect the stability of the world!”

　　When he looked up again, the gray cloud had already disappeared without a trace.

　　Li Changshou could not help but smile and narrow his eyes. He stood with his hands behind his back and looked at Bai Ze, who was filled with grief and indignation.

　　“Mr. Bai, did I win this debate?”

　　Bai Ze turned around and sighed at the pool. “I got the title of auspicious beast for nothing. A new generation changes the old.” Li Changshou smiled and did not say anything. The doubts in his Dao heart about that matter disappeared. It would be good if he could give Ling’e some merit… After pondering for a while, Li Changshou stopped smiling and fell into deep thought by the lake. Six hours later, Ling’e arrived near the ancient town. She happened to see a small-scale “armed melee” between the human guards and the demons. She secretly released some poison. Ling’e quickly discovered the few Perfected Immortal realm demon “experts” hiding behind.

　　In this place, Perfected Immortals were considered experts.

　　Ling’e thought about it carefully and was not in a hurry to attack. Instead, she sent out the paper effigy and began to secretly investigate the demons.

　　When she saw that there were many injured soldiers in the town, she entered the ancient town as a Qi Refinement warrior who was traveling around the world. She took the initiative to treat the injured soldiers.

　　The trial in Chentang Ancient Town was actually less difficult. It was also quite easy for Ling’e to deal with

　　Li Changshou could not help but smile in relief when he saw Ling’e getting busy around the pool. He then recalled the two subsequent missions that he had hidden in the jade token. “Mission Two: Head to an island in the East Ocean and ‘save’ your fellow disciple, Youqin Xuanya.” “Mission Three: According to the map, go to the Five Village Temple and hand this jade token to the owner of the Five Village Temple.” It was not easy for Ling’e to go down the mountain. Naturally, she had to do her best… Ahem.

　　It was not easy for Ling’e to go down the mountain. Naturally, she had to let her gain enough experience and grow better.