Chapter 345 Lips Are Sealed

　　When he saw Master Zhao rushing over, Li Changshou counted the days and roughly guessed something

　　If he was not wrong, the Goddess of Golden Light, who had changed her clothes and style, must have fainted near the Luofu Cave. Master Zhao, who had returned home, happened to find her and hurriedly brought her back to the cave to treat her.

　　Then, the two of them were alone. At that moment, Master Zhao seemed to have suddenly understood something and captured the beauty of the Goddess of Golden Light… When he came back to his senses, Master Zhao realized that he had never experienced such subtle emotions before. He did not understand what was going on and quickly looked for someone to discuss…

　　Guess!

　　Those were just reasonable guesses that Li Changshou made based on his understanding of Master Zhao’s personality! It was definitely not a brilliant plan!

　　After all, Li Changshou was very respectful to Master Zhao and was so “grateful to the immortals of Jie School. He also disliked getting involved in other people’s karma… Zhao Gongming walked over hurriedly and pulled Li Changshou’s paper effigy to sit on the chair. He frowned and hesitated. Then, he told Li Changshou the truth…

　　Yes, it was as Li Changshou had guessed.

　　“Changgeng! I thought that my Junior Sister, the Goddess of Golden Light was injured in a battle with someone, so I brought her back to the cave to treat her injuries… In the end… Changgeng, what should we do? I did not feel anything previously, but suddenly…” Zhao Gongming was in a dilemma. His beautiful beard was in a knot. “At this moment, she is in my Cave Abode. My Disciple-Niece, the Goddess of Fire Spirit has already gone to take care of her so I had a chance to run out. If others ask, how should I explain?”

　　“Just tell them the truth.” Li Changshou smiled and asked in return. A Divine Envoy gave him tea at the side. Li Changshou used his immortal power to hold the teacup and gestured for the Divine Envoy to leave.

　　Zhao Gongming was a little conflicted. He pondered for a while and sighed.

　　“I didn’t think so before. When I suddenly saw Junior Sister Jinguang today, I felt like she had become another person just because she had changed into a different dress… This feeling is really, really strange.” Li Changshou took a sip of tea and thought for a while. Then, he smiled and said,

　　“Brother, what do you think about the Dao companion tradition of Qi Refinement cultivators?”

　　Master Zhao smiled and cleared his throat. He said loudly, “It’s just… The two of them offered to send each other back. Then, the two of them looked at each other and left as if there was no one else around… Tsk, tsk, tsk.”

　　Li Changshou did not know whether to laugh or cry. He said, “Fairy Yun Xiao and I are not Dao companions yet. It’s mostly because of the incident in the peach blossom forest. Brother, in ancient times, there was a saying about Dharma, wealth, companionship, and land. At that time, Dao companions were very pure. At the end of the ancient times, the human race rose. Most of the human Qi Refinement cultivators were Dao companions who were husband and wife. Therefore, the mortals had the intention of being husband and wife. Even if Fairy Yun Xiao and I become Dao companions, we will still sit and discuss the Dao, chat, and support each other.”

　　Zhao Gongming kept nodding when he heard that. He said, “However, I’ve always felt that Jinguang doesn’t seem to want to be my Dao companion… Moreover, the people who have become Dao companions on Golden Ao Island are also concerned about their children.”

　　Li Changshou was rendered speechless. “That’s a troublesome question.” Zhao Gongming hurriedly asked, “Changgeng, how should I tell Junior Sister Jinguang this time?” Li Changshou put down his teacup and said seriously, “When it comes to feelings, just let nature take its course. Moreover, it’s hard to predict the changes too. Last time, you did not have any feelings for the Goddess of Golden Light. Today, you came to me and said… that you think the Goddess of Golden Light is actually not bad. Brother, it’s indeed very difficult for me to do that. You have to confirm your feelings first. Do you reject her or accept her? Do you mean it intentionally or not? I can help you only after you tell me, right?”

　　“Changgeng, you make sense.”

　　Zhao Gongming stroked his beard and sighed. He pondered carefully and slowly shook his head. “At this moment, I’m actually a little confused! Changgeng, do you have anything to do? If you don’t have anything to do, why don’t you accompany me out for a walk? Let me think of a way to sort out my feelings.” Li Changshou’s heart skipped a beat. “I happen to be going to the North Continent to visit the land of the Magi. Why don’t you come with me to the North?”

　　“Alright!”

　　Zhao Gongming agreed readily. As long as he did not return to the Luofu Cave, he would be fine wherever he went.

　　Li Changshou asked Zhao Gongming to wait for a while. He used Earth Escape to go to the paper effigy vault below and took some paper effigies as backup. Then, he and Zhao Gongming embarked on the journey to the North Continent. Li Changshou had to admit that he did have the intention to let Zhao Gongming enter the Heavenly Courts in advance to become an immortal. That way, he could help Master Zhao avoid the Great God-Conferment Tribulation.

　　However, the possibility of that idea succeeding was very low. Li Changshou did not dare to plot too much. He could only take advantage of the situation and guide them. He had to let Zhao Gongming leave a good impression on the Heavenly Courts first. Only then would he have more room to maneuver…

　　It could not be helped. Zhao Gongming’s death was the turning point of the Dao Sect’s decline.

　　The more Li Changshou analyzed the route to becoming a god, the more he felt that it would be difficult to save Master Zhao. Even though he had already taken away the Copper Coins of Treasurefall and helped Master Zhao gain some merit, he was still not confident.

　　After all, he still had to consider the power of restraining fate, calamity, and luck…

　　The biggest Life Gate, the Seven Arrows Book, was still in Daoist Lu Ya’s hands.

　　Speaking of Daoist Lu Ya… Recently, the black leopard couple did not dare to worship mindlessly. Lu Ya’s memorial tablet had been removed. They did not know how Daoist Lu Ya was doing On the cloud path, Li Changshou smiled and asked, “Brother Zhao, how much do you know about the female Saint?”

　　Zhao Gongming, who was deep in thought, answered casually, “She is the Mother of the human race, a Daoist guest in Purple Cloud Palace… Why are you suddenly asking about that?”

　　“I just suddenly thought of something.” Li Changshou stood with his hands behind his back and looked at the mountains that were rapidly getting further in the distance. “If a huge battle breaks out between the human race and the demon race, I wonder if the Saint will take care of the human race or be biased towards the demon race.”

　　Zhao Gongming said, “Changgeng, you’re thinking too much. Why would the Saint care about such trivial matters?”

　　“That’s true.” Li Changshou smiled and agreed. He continued chatting and laughing with Zhao Gongming and rushed to the North Continent at a moderate speed. At the same time… in Luofu Cave of Mount Emei, a white cloud flew over hurriedly and entered the outer array formation familiarly. It arrived at the entrance of the cave and shouted, “Junior Brother Gongming, is Junior Brother Gongming at home?”

　　He heard a soft gasp from inside the cave. The jade pendants on the wall rang, and the Goddess of Fire Spirit walked out of the cave.

　　She was dressed in a long dress that looked like it was formed from flames. She had a tall figure, a slender neck, and a beautiful face.

　　The Goddess of Fire Spirit looked up and saw an old Daoist priest dressed in an earthen-yellow robe standing on the cloud in front of the cave. She pinched her slender fingers in her sleeve and quickly recalled who that person was. “Fire Spirit of Jie School greets Uncle-Master Huang Long.”

　　According to the order of entry for the disciples of the three sects, the master of the Goddess of Fire Spirit, Daoist Duobao, had become a disciple of the Three Pure Ones before Huang Long did. Huang Long cupped his hands and frowned. “Is Junior Brother Gongming in the cave?”

　　The Goddess of Fire Spirit smiled and said, “Uncle-Master Zhao has something to do and went to look for the Sea God… No, she went to look for the Water God. She asked me to stay here to look after the house. Aunt-Master Huang Long, do you have any instructions?”

　　“Water God…”

　　Perfected Huang Long could not help but frown. He looked at the jade token in his hand and sighed dejectedly. Why did I go into seclusion all of a sudden?! Over the years of cultivation, I hadn’t gained enlightenment for a long time. Yet, I just had to gain such enlightenment before the incident in the East Ocean, causing me to miss the message from the Water God. I could not go to the four seas to help… He was there to look for Zhao Gongming because he wanted Zhao Gongming to accompany him to Anshui City and ask if there were any ways to make up for it. He was too ashamed to go over! Thinking about that, Perfected Huang Long sighed again and said, “In this case, I’ll take my leave now. Sorry for disturbing you.” After saying that, Perfected Huang Long bowed to the Holy Mother of Fire Spirit and left.

　　Strange… The Goddess of Fire Spirit blinked and shook her head slightly. She turned around and returned to the Luofu Cave.

　　There was a fairy who pretended to be injured and did not dare to move. She was waiting for her to go back and discuss what to do next. In the Aparagodānīya Continent, under a tree in the spiritual mountain, a strange divine beast was lowering its head and talking about the simple conversation between the Goddess of Fire Spirit and Perfected Huang Long. Putting everything else aside, the appearance of the divine beast was extraordinary. It had the head of a tiger, the body of a dragon, the tail of a lion, the horn of a dog, and the feet of a Qilin. It was more than 30 feet tall.

　　A young Daoist sat cross-legged at the foot of the divine beast. He was dressed in a tattered robe and was slowly opening his eyes. “The Goddess of Fire Spirit is in the Luofu Cave?” The Daoist smiled and said that it was interesting. He took out a jade token and wrote a few words on it. The divine beast behind him asked again, “Master, why did you use such underhanded methods to plot against me?”

　　“It’s just a scheme. How can it be considered a show-off?”

　　The young Daoist pushed the jade token gently. The jade token turned into a stream of light and flew to another corner of the spiritual mountain.

　　His slender fingers were like that of a woman. They were clean and looked very delicate.

　　“It’s a good plan if I can achieve my goal. If just one or two sentences can allow us to test and find out how large the gap between the two sects is and lure more schemes, why not?”

　　“Yes,” replied the divine beast. His head slowly sank. The young Daoist closed his eyes again and meditated quietly. A light blue lotus flower circled behind him. Wisps of peaceful Dao runes spread everywhere.

　　In one of the Primordial Continents in the North Continent, the North Continent was connected to the North Ocean, and the area between the South Continent and Middle Continent was covered by a poisonous miasma that had not dissipated for years. It was dark everywhere.

　　In the ancient battle, the Magi and demons had declined. In order to prevent the destruction of the race, the Magi had made an oath to live in the North Continent forever. After that, the remaining Magi all entered the cold North Continent. It was unknown how long they had remained there.

　　After the human race prospered, the North Continent gradually became the “natural treasure vault” of the human Qi Refinement cultivators. Although there were many poisonous insects and spiritual herbs there, the demons wreaked havoc at the border between the North Continent and the Middle Continent. There were many demon kingdoms. Although this place was dangerous, there were opportunities.

　　In order to help his master transcend the tribulation, Li Changshou had taken the risk to come to the North Continent once. At that time, he had only been moving around in the periphery. His cultivation level was too low, and he did not dare to delve too deep.

　　This time, Li Changshou did not need to prepare those talismans and pills. Not to mention that he was only a paper effigy incarnation. Take the eldest disciple of Jie School, who could fight and lie down, for example…

　　What was there to be afraid of?

　　Zhao Gongming pinched his fingers and deduced. Then, he took the initiative to release his pressure and rode a cloud to bring Li Changshou to the north. Along the way, the poisonous insects and beasts buried their heads. No matter how arrogant the Great King of the Demon Mountain was, he could only pretend that he did not see anyone flying in the sky. The poisonous miasma gradually became thicker before getting thinner. Not long after, Li Changshou saw the Northern Essence Winter Pine Trees. He knew that they were almost at the place where the Magi lived. He recalled the trip to the North Continent, where he and his toxic junior sister were waiting for the immortals in the sect to help them. She had even asked him about the uses of the Northern Frost Pine Wood that he had burned.

　　Perhaps it was the blessing of the Great God Pangu to the Magi. After the Magi entered the North Continent, the Northern Essence Cold Pine, which could isolate the poisonous miasma, was discovered by the Magi and became a barrier for the Magi to resist the miasma.

　　Li Changshou scanned his surroundings with his immortal senses and discovered a long “Northern Essence Cold Pine Barrier”. It spanned two to three thousand kilometers and was hundreds of kilometers wide.

　　Behind the protective area, there was a wasteland. Li Changshou originally thought that he could see a few powerful Magi tribes, but all he saw were abandoned stone houses and remnants of camps. Zhao Gongming sighed softly. “It’s not easy for the Magi.”

　　“That’s right.” Li Changshou sighed. “It’s formed from the bloodline of the Great God Pangu. Why is that so?”

　　“There are too many things involved.” Zhao Gongming shook his head. “The past is over. The Magi and demons have declined. However, compared to the Magi, the demons are really lucky.”

　　Li Changshou thought for a while and said, “Not necessarily.”

　　“Oh?” Zhao Gongming said seriously, “Although the demons are not as powerful as humans, they seem to be in a good mood. There are many demon kings everywhere. There are also many experts from the older generation of demons. Moreover, it is difficult to distinguish between demons and spirits. Many of our fellow disciples and experts of the demon race are related. How can the demons be unstable?”

　　Li Changshou smiled and said, “Where is the destiny of the demons?”

　　“This…”

　　Li Changshou continued, “The luck of the Magi is protected by the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Their bodies have turned into the Great Virtue Earth of the Six Paths, leaving behind a flame for the Magi.”

　　“The destiny of the demons had long collapsed. They are like ashes left behind by a dying fire. Now, they rely on their foundations to support themselves.”

　　“At the end of the day, the Saint is the Goddess of the human race. She only cares about a portion of the demons.”

　　“Besides…”

　　Zhao Gongming blinked. “Don’t keep me in suspense.” Li Changshou smiled calmly. “The Heavenly Courts will recruit troops and train the Heavenly Soldiers. The first ones to be used to establish the dominance of the Heavenly Courts are the demons.” Zhao Gongming stroked his beard and smiled. “As expected of a minister of the Heavenly Courts. You’re really domineering.”

　　“Brother, the Heavenly Courts will definitely be the ruler of the Three Realms. This is the Heavenly Courts’ fate.” Li Changshou smiled and said, “The Heavenly Courts have just been established and have already received the help of the dragon race. Later, as long as it develops steadily, it will change almost every hundred or thousand years.” Zhao Gongming nodded slowly and listened carefully. However… he did not show any signs of being tempted.

　　Li Changshou was rendered speechless. I can’t persuade him. Next.

　　Let’s talk about serious matters. While Li Changshou and Zhao Gongming were chatting, they had already arrived at a relatively large Magi tribe. Looking down, he realized that this place might not even be as good as the gathering place of the Magi in a small city in the mortal world of the South Continent. At least, there was some hope. There were more than ten children wrapped in beast hides. Each of them carried a huge tree that was as thick as their waists. They were laughing, running, and playing happily. From time to time, they would send a few round stones that were five feet in diameter flying…

　　Zhao Gongming smiled and said, “Shall we go down and take a look?”.

　　Li Changshou thought for a while and said, “Brother Zhao, why don’t we find a place to have a drink?”

　　Zhao Gongming did not know what was going on, but he did not reject it. At that moment, Li Changshou rode a cloud and landed in the forest. He skillfully set up a roasting rack and took out a large piece of frozen delicious spiritual beast meat. He lowered his head and got busy. Not long after, an alluring fragrance of meat floated up from the forest. The dozen or so children who were playing with stone balls smelled the fragrance and looked from afar. Li Changshou’s ears twitched. He heard the words of the Magi using the Wind Speech Incantation. After some deductions, he understood the meaning of those words…

　　“Quickly go and find Father and Mother! Another demon is here to poison us!”

　　At an immortal banquet held at a certain place in Kunlun Mountain.

　　Perfected Du’e, who was dressed exquisitely, was feeling uneasy. He sat together with more than ten good friends whom he was close to. He kept thinking about the incident where he had made a mistake after drinking and caused the Great Daoist Master of Ren School to be criticized.

　　I can’t drink alcohol in the future…

　　“Fellow Daoist, Fellow Daoist?”

　　A shout came from the side. Perfected Du’e hurriedly smiled and turned around. He saw his good friend, who he had known for thousands of years, approaching with a wine glass.

　　The person lowered his voice and smiled. “Something major has happened. I just heard from the people of the Jade Void Palace that Perfected Huang Long was complaining to someone.” “Oh?” Perfected Du’e could not help but be interested. “What big matter?”

　　“This matter is related to the eldest disciple of Jie School and the grand-disciple of the Saint. I don’t dare to spread it!”

　　“Don’t worry. Don’t you know me? I will keep my lips sealed!”