Chapter 373 Hunting the Water God

　　One hour later, the mortal cities in the territories of the 162 Sea God Sects were attacked.

　　All 162 temples had been destroyed. The statues had been smashed, and more than ten thousand mortals had died. Most of them were rushing to protect the disciples of the Sea God Sect.

　　Twenty-three Divine Envoys of the Sea God Sect had died…

　　Those were the results of Li Changshou’s paper effigy army arriving in time and putting out fires everywhere. The Heavenly Courts had also gone all out to help.

　　What gave him a headache was…

　　The demons that the other party had sent this time were all demon immortals that were only comparable to the Essence Immortal realm, as well as ferocious demon beasts that had many negative karma. When a golden pillar of light appeared in the sky, the Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals descended to the mortal world to eliminate the demons. The demons that had harmed the mortals of the various cities were unable to retaliate. Even the ferocious demonic beasts were quickly eliminated.

　　However, the mortal casualties they caused were still irreversible.

　　The other party had caused a huge commotion at the smallest price. It involved tens of thousands of Heavenly Soldiers and many of his paper effigies… This time, the other party’s attack was completely different from before. There were soldiers, horses, cannons, carriages, and many other details. It was a little like the battle in the East Ocean.

　　Before the Sea Eye of the East Ocean was broken, every time Li Changshou fought with the Western Sect, it was like… the ten-person competitive online game that he often played in his previous life. It was clearly a five-on-five battle, but one or two people from the other party’s side would jump out and shout at them.

　　“I’ll take care of you.”

　　However, the West had stopped their confusing behavior. Their actions had become capable and ruthless.

　　It was indeed difficult to deal with.

　　What was even stranger was that the other party had set a fire on the South Ocean and then quietened down.

　　When Li Changshou was killing those little demons, he had used the Soul-Bewitching Pearl to collect their remnant souls and memories. He had not found any valuable fragments. These little demons were casually captured and thrown into the city on the South Ocean to cause trouble.

　　The experts who had captured them had not been discovered at all… Is this a test?

　　No, it is definitely not as simple as that. There are a few more hidden meanings to it. There was a high chance that the other party’s actions in the South Ocean were just feints. However, they could not rule out that destroying the Sea God Sect was their main target for revenge.

　　He would have to analyze it from the perspective of motive.

　　In a dark corner, Li Changshou closed his eyes. Cities that were filled with thick smoke appeared under his feet. His mind was spinning at high speed.

　　Not long after, instructions flew to the South Continent, the Netherworld, the East Ocean Dragon Palace, and the Heavenly Courts’ Heavenly River through the paper effigies from various places… In less than half a day, the Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals of the Heavenly Courts began to gather at the Five Heavenly Gates. They mobilized more than 600,000 troops and set up defensive formations.

　　The Netherworld mobilized the Netherworld soldiers and the Magi to guard the vital areas of Fengdu City.

　　The current Netherworld did not have much control over the Netherworld. As long as they could protect Fengdu City, the Netherworld would not suffer any losses. The Four Seas Dragon Palace also entered a highly vigilant state.

　　The East Ocean Dragon Palace acted as a fire rescue team. The other experts of the Three Ocean Dragon Palace were stationed near the Sea Eye. The Black Dragon Soldiers, who had been renamed by the Immortal Flood Dragon Soldiers, were patrolling everywhere. The Sea Clan also started to mobilize.

　　In the Sea God Sect’s territory of the South Continent, the temples of the Sea God Sect were all sealed. The various cities announced that there were demons causing trouble and asked mortals to go out of the city to hide. At the very least, they should not go near the Sea God Temple.

　　Li Changshou had always been clear about that.

　　If the temple is gone, we can rebuild it. If the mortals die, there will be negative karma. A human life should not become a brick in a temple. As an immortal, I cannot be heartless and cheat the living beings who give me incense merit. The dragon race had also sent hundreds of experts to the edge of the South Ocean. They hid in the seawater and waited for Li Changshou’s orders. In the Pill Chamber of Little Qiong Peak… Li Changshou flew out from the corner and put away the paper effigy used for refining pills. He turned into a wisp of green smoke and went to the Cave Abode in the mountain. Li Changshou walked to the master bedroom that he had left behind. He opened the secret compartment in the corner and activated the mechanism there, revealing a well-decorated secret chamber. The candlelight flickered, and the smoke was indistinct. Li Changshou walked to the portrait hanging in front of him, lit the incense, and bowed. After obtaining the Dao that the Grand Pure One had imparted to him, Li Changshou had copied a portrait of the Grand Pure One and hung it there. When he was free, he would offer incense and pay respects.

　　Li Changshou had come to pay his respects today purely to seek peace of mind. He did not have any bold and immature thoughts.

　　However, before he could look up, he felt a slight ripple in the universe. A familiar spiritual will lingered in his heart, and something heavy fell on his head… With a soft thud, Li Changshou held his head and smiled bitterly. The small pagoda beside him shook wildly.

　　“Little disciple! Wahahaha!”

　　Uh, is this matter that serious?

　　The Grand Pure One had taken the initiative to send the Mysterious Yellow Pagoda to protect him! Li Changshou was not nervous when the Western Sect suddenly began to “perform”. After all, the Western Sect had clearly failed to perform well previously. Now, that was the only way to fit the role of a disciple of a large sect.

　　But now… The Grand Pure One, who was the best among the six Saints, took the initiative to smash the Exquisite Mysterious Yellow Pagoda above his head! Li Changshou instantly became nervous.

　　This matter is probably not trivial.

　　He had no choice but to activate the highest-level defense system!

　　At the same time, in the northwest of the Aparagodānīya Continent.

　　A few streams of light shot from the south to the north. They stopped in front of a cliff and turned into three figures, two women and one man.

　　Just as the three of them were about to “crash” into the mountain wall in front of them, they suddenly heard the sound of a mosquito. Their expressions changed slightly, and they took two steps back. They either lowered their heads, cupped their fists, or bowed slightly. A sanguine glow lingered. Daoist Wen Jing, who was dressed in a sanguine dress, revealed her enchanting figure. Daoist Wen Jing nodded slightly at the three people beside her and took two steps forward. The stone wall in front of her rippled slightly and engulfed Daoist Wen Jing. The three Primordial Beasts behind her looked at each other and lowered their heads to follow.

　　There was a huge hall in the illusion. Golden light flickered inside, and a peaceful aura circulated in all directions. A treasure flag was suspended in the middle of the hall, covering everything that happened there… Wen Jing arrived slightly later. She looked around and saw that the entire place was filled with Primordial Beasts that were about the same size as her. The corners of her mouth twitched slightly as she walked towards the empty meditation cushions in the front row.

　　Are you testing us again, or are you trying to do something big? She pondered carefully and recalled the warning she received from the Water God twenty years ago. She immediately became wary. Most of the Primordial Beasts were alone. The hundreds of figures sitting there remained silent. No one sent a voice transmission or asked questions. Suddenly, she heard a chuckle coming from the depths of the hall. Two lantern-sized green beast eyes lit up in the corner. There seemed to be flames surrounding them. The Truth Listener divine beast slowly took two steps forward, but then it lay on the ground and let the young Daoist on its back move forward alone. It’s him again?

　　Wen Jing sneered in her heart and immediately understood something.

　　Ksitigarbha gestured for the beasts to not get up. He sat on the meditation cushion in front of him and smiled.

　　“Fellow Daoists, sorry for the wait.”

　　Responses echoed in the hall.

　　After a while, Ksitigarbha raised his hand and gestured. The entire hall quickly fell silent.

　　Ksitigarbha smiled and said, “I invited all of you to gather here today because I have something important to ask of you. Secondly, I’d like to thank all of you for your hard work over the years. Although the Western Sect cannot let you stand in front of the stage because of your backgrounds, the two teachers have seen the contributions you have made. After the Western Sect prospers, you will be given the due merit and reputation.” Daoist Wen Jing spat in her heart and thought to herself, How shameless. Ksitigarbha said loudly, “Let’s not talk too much. I invited everyone here today mainly to discuss something before doing anything. Do you know what I have done in the past twenty years?” Ksitigarbha squinted and smiled. “I’m searching for the whereabouts of the Heavenly Courts’ Water God and have found something.” Daoist Wen Jing’s fingers trembled slightly, but her expression was normal and her aura was stable.

　　In the corner, azure light flickered around the Truth Listener divine beast. Ksitigarbha said slowly, “The Heavenly Courts’ Water God whose name is Li Changgeng, has foiled the Western Sect’s plan several times and caused us to suffer heavy losses. However, that person’s origins are rather mysterious. Even in the Heavenly Courts, he only uses his incarnation to move around. There is no need to talk about the various Sea God temples. All that could be found were his incarnations. What is he afraid of? It’s obvious that he’s afraid that his true body will be exposed. As long as his true body is exposed, he might be doomed!” At that point, the light in Ksitigarbha’s eyes was extremely dazzling. However, the corners of Daoist Wen Jing’s mouth twitched…

　　It was obvious that there was a misunderstanding there. That fellow was purely afraid of death. His real body would always follow that man when he went out for a stroll. A ferocious beast said in a low voice, “This Water God has been hiding all this while. Could it be that he has once committed endless negative karma?” “That makes sense. If that’s not the case, why didn’t Ren School announce to the public that he is a disciple of the Saint?” “I’m afraid that’s not all… Is it possible that the Water God is a woman?” The ferocious beasts contributed their imaginations. Daoist Wen Jing found a chance to interject and said, “Perhaps the Water God of Ren School is just like us.”

　　Ksitigarbha smiled and shook his head. He said, “Everyone, there’s no need to make wild guesses. From the Water God’s previous actions, we can determine that he belongs to the human race.

　　This can be deduced from the teachings of the Sea God Sect and their daily activities.”

　　After saying that, Ksitigarbha sighed softly. “It’s hard to find a rootless tree in the world. It’s very likely that the Water God’s background is in Ren School. According to the information that I had obtained from the dragon race, it is very likely that the Water God was chosen by the Great Daoist Master of Ren School because of his extraordinary talent and comprehension. He established the Sea God Sect to accumulate merit from incense offerings. The matter of the dragon race is Ren School’s test for him. However, what puzzled me was that in the past eighteen years, I had relied on Truth Listener’s ability to monitor the six immortal sects of Ren School but I did not obtain anything. It seems that the entire Ren School does not know that the Water God is a disciple of Ren School. Therefore, I decided to change my mind and use a slightly more intense method… Wen Jing?”

　　“What instructions do you have, Sir?”

　　Daoist Wen Jing blinked gently, her eyes filled with eagerness. Ksitigarbha smiled and said, “I want to choose someone from the Immortal Sect to cause trouble and force the Water God to appear. Then, I will use the karma between the demons and the Water God to get everyone and the experts of the demons to attack and kill the Water God. Wen Jing, you have fought with the Water God. Which of the six Immortal Sects of Ren School do you think will be the easiest to deal with?”

　　Besiege the Water God? Daoist Wen Jing smiled and said, “Of course I have to choose the most important immortal sects to the Ren School, such as the Carefree Immortal Sect and the Freedom Sect. However, I have something to ask you to consider.” “Oh?” Ksitigarbha smiled and said, “Just say it.” Wen Jing frowned and said, “The Water God is definitely not easy to deal with. He has the Golden Cicada’s Broken Wings in front of him and the battle of the Demon Ascension Mountain. His Spirit Explosion mystic technique is indeed a little scary.” “Hahahaha!” Ksitigarbha clapped and laughed. Then, he smiled and said, “Wen Jing, your worries are quite reasonable. However, Wen Jing, have you thought about it? We took the initiative to attack the Immortal Sect of Ren School this time. If he uses his incarnation to self-destruct, wouldn’t he destroy the city wall?”

　　Daoist Wen Jing looked enlightened. She smiled and said, “I was overthinking.”

　　Ksitigarbha waved his hand. “I won’t hide it from you. While you and I are discussing here, my plan has already begun. This time, the Immortal Sect that is going to lure the Water God to appear in the East Continent that I have chosen is… the Immortal Du Sect.”

　　A ferocious beast asked, “Lord, why did you choose such a remote sect? Even if the Immortal Sect of Ren School is destroyed, I’m afraid the Ren School will not react.” “Wrong,” said Ksitigarbha calmly. “Don’t underestimate the Immortal Du Sect. According to the information I obtained in the Immortal Du Sect, Wen Jing had once tried to destroy the sect. In the end, she seemed to have been defeated?”

　　Daoist Wen Jing immediately said, “That time, it was to plot against the Three Sects’ Meet. I wanted to destroy this Little Immortal Sect and give them some fun. Unexpectedly, Perfected Du’e rushed over in time and even alarmed the eldest disciple of the Saint of Ren School. The latter had almost tracked me down. Lord, are you prepared to deal with that Eldest Senior Brother of the Dao Sect?” “It’s a small matter.” Ksitigarbha smiled and said, “I have already ordered 100,000 demons to attack the Carefree Immortal Sect in an hour. If the Great Daoist Master wants to appear, he will appear in the Carefree Immortal Sect.” Another ferocious beast asked, “What if the Great Daoist Master goes to the Immortal Du Sect? What should we do?”

　　The beasts expressed their worries.

　　“That’s right, Lord. The Great Daoist Master is powerful. It would only take a moment for him to rush to the Immortal Du Sect!”

　　“The Great Daoist Master took the Dharma treasure of the Saint that day…” “Lord Ksitigarbha, should we take our time to think about this? This is just sending us to our deaths.”

　　Ksitigarbha said calmly, “If the Great Daoist Master abandoned the Carefree Immortal Sect and went to help the Immortal Du Sect, there would obviously be something wrong with the Immortal Du Sect. In that case, we can conclude that the secret of Ren School is hidden in the Immortal Du Sect.

　　Wouldn’t the Water God’s background be confirmed?

　　Everyone, don’t worry. I will not let you appear in advance. The demons will scout the way.

　　As long as I can find where the Water God is hiding, I will plan again in the future.” “Sir, you’re really brilliant.” Daoist Wen Jing covered her mouth and chuckled. “If I’m not wrong, I’m afraid that what happened today is just part of your plan, Sir. Find the Water God and see if we can use the karma of the demons to get rid of him. Then, we can use this to push the demons into a corner and make them have no choice but to join our Spirit Mountain in the future. However, Lord Ksitigarbha, I have a question…” “Speak.” Wen Jing frowned and said, “Are the abilities of those demons trustworthy?” “Don’t worry.” Ksitigarbha smiled and said, “I have already arranged every step for those demons. They only need to follow my plan and nothing will go wrong. Wen Jing.” “I’m here.”

　　Ksitigarbha smiled and said, “Sometimes, it’s not a good thing to be too smart.”

　　Daoist Wen Jing’s smile stiffened. A cold glint flashed in her eyes.

　　Ksitigarbha’s smile did not change. He pretended that he did not see the ferocious glint in Daoist Wen Jing’s eyes and began to arrange for the ferocious beasts to attack next.

　　At that moment, the queen looked tough and worried.

　　Today, Ksitigarbha had repeatedly called her name because he clearly wanted to test her. With the troublesome fellow, the Truth Listener, beside her, she had to be wary.

　　However… Why did Ksitigarbha underestimate that fellow when he said that nothing would go wrong? Wen Jing was not sure if Ksitigarbha was human, but the Water God was real…

　　Ahem, I can’t say.

　　In the forest 15,000 kilometers southwest of the Immortal Du Sect in the East Continent where the Immortal Sects’ territories intersected, waves of aura that were hidden at all costs quietly gathered and surged towards the huge holes on the ground. In the Pill Chamber of Little Qiong Peak… Li Changshou paced back and forth with his hands behind his back. He looked at the images in his heart and felt a little troubled.