Chapter 187 A Hefty Gift to Trick Li Changshou

　　What happened tonight?

　　In the Immortal Du Sect, Toxic Junior Sister sneaked to Little Qiong Peak.

　　In the City God Temple of Anshui, Fairy Yun Xiao appeared quietly in her white dress. She held her hands behind her back in the empty hall and admired the murals on the walls…

　　Is Li Changshou really that charming?

　　Uh, it was just a coincidence…

　　The four delusions of life— ‘I’m very charming’, ‘My parents must have hidden their identities as tycoons to temper my personality’, ‘I’m definitely going to profit and not make any losses.’, ‘This man in front of me definitely isn’t a paper effigy.’

　　Li Changshou would not lie to himself.

　　Suddenly, he heard Fairy Yun Xiao in the Sea God Temple ask softly, “Are you really young?”

　　She seemed to be teasing him.

　　Li Changshou immediately felt a headache. He had expected Fairy Yun Xiao to know about his background…

　　No matter how toxic Youqin Xuanya was, to Li Changshou, it was just a small problem in his social circle.

　　As for Fairy Yun Xiao, she was a true big shot who could easily kill him!

　　Therefore, Li Changshou did not hesitate and decided to deal with the trouble in the Sea God Temple first.

　　Youqin Xuanya had just flown near the Pill Chamber when she heard Li Changshou’s voice.

　　“Junior Sister Youqin, stay in the Pill Chamber for a while. I suddenly have some realizations. I’ll digest them first.”

　　After saying that, Li Changshou laid on the rocking chair in front of the door of the Pill Chamber. He closed his eyes and focused as if he was trying to gain Dao enlightenment. An obscure Dao rune floated around him.

　　Youqin Xuanya immediately nodded and agreed. She quietly landed in front of the Pill Chamber and looked at Li Changshou.

　　Then, she took out her meditation cushion and sat outside. She enjoyed the night breeze as she quietly waited for Li Changshou’s cultivation to end.

　　Li Changshou focused his attention on Yougin Xuanya and realized… she was in a daze while gazing at the moon and her expression was a little depressed.

　　He sighed and thought, I’ll have a good talk with this junior sister later.

　　If it really doesn’t work, I’ll just become Youqin Xuanya’s guide for once… Following that, Li Changshou activated the paper effigy under the Sea God Temple and continued to observe Fairy Yun Xiao’s every move through the main god statue.

　　Not long after, Fairy Yunxiao said softly, “These stories are quite interesting.”

　　Li Changshou immediately began to analyze the meaning behind her words, her tone, the emotions in her voice, and the intent she had.

　　Soon, he came to a conclusion.

　　Fairy Yun Xiao… Yes, she seems to be in a good mood.

　　Li Changshou heaved a sigh of relief.

　　The murals that Yun Xiao was looking at were not casually made by the believers of the Sea God Sect. They were also drawn by Li Changshou.

　　In the early stages of the development of the Sea God Sect, in order to increase the cohesiveness of the Sea God Hall’s believers, the old village chief of Xiong Village, the ‘Strong, Fast And Money-Making Divine Envoys’, made up various stories about the Sea God that were full of loopholes.

　　Examples like ‘The Ten Must-Tell Stories of the Sea God’ and ‘That Night, The Sea God Slept With Me’ were once popular in the southwest of the South Continent.

　　Li Changshou took over the Sea God Sect. When he reorganized the internal affairs of the Sea God Sect, he made a series of arrangements regarding that problem.

　　He had cut off more than half of the stories and legends that were similar to each other. He had removed all the classics such as ‘The Sea God’s Three Comforts The Widow On West Street’, ‘The Sea God and the Seven Seas Immortal’s Daughter’.

　　Soon after, Li Changshou chose twelve fables from the stories that were spread all over the world. He kept detailing and evolving those stories to make them sound more reasonable. Then, he used the power of the Sea God Sect to intervene and promote them.

　　Li Changshou’s thoughts were as clear as ever.

　　Since he could not resist fate, he would lie down and accept all the mockery that was subjected to him. He would turn his fate around and grasp his destiny to shape it!

　　Since he had decided to manage the Sea God Sect, he would hold the entire sect in his hands and reduce the risk!

　　The reputation of the Sea God could not be tarnished for no reason!

　　The twelve huge murals on the walls of the Sea God Hall of Anshui City corresponded to the twelve fables.

　　Every mural there was provided by Li Changshou, who had gathered many skilled craftsmen among the mortals. They took months to painstakingly create and were of high artistic value. They had also become the model of the various temples in various places.

　　Among them, ‘The Old Man and the Sea God’, ‘The Sea God Persuades The Guards Thrice’, and ‘The Sea God Sells Bulls’ were the most favored by devotees and disciples. They were also continuously developed and continued…

　　Yun Xiao looked at the murals one by one. From time to time, she would nod slightly. Occasionally, she would even smile slightly. It seemed that she was only there to watch and check in…

　　In the huge main hall, she was the only one walking slowly.

　　The door of the hall was tightly shut. The few Divine Envoys standing outside naturally could not see the figure of the mighty figure.

　　While preparing the paper effigy, Li Changshou secretly observed Fairy Yun Xiao through the statue. He praised her in his heart.

　　She looks elegant and beautiful.

　　She was dressed in a white dress with flowing clouds, and the hem of her dress was hanging by her feet. When she walked, she looked just like a white cloud floating in the sky, giving off a comfortable and elegant vibe.

　　Yun Xiao did not tie her hair up today. She simply combed it into a bun that was secured with a hairpin. Compared to the last time she appeared on Three-Immortal Island, she looked less dignified and more elegant.

　　Just like that, she walked slowly in front of Chief Zhu with her hands behind her back. Her eyes were bright and clear as if she could see through the confusion in the people’s hearts…

　　Fairy Yun Xiao, what are you doing here?

　　Li Changshou could not be bothered to admire the beautiful scenery. He kept thinking. Did she come to give me a gift because of what happened previously?

　　There must be a deeper meaning behind this… Or maybe Yun Xiao wants to get closer to the Ren School through me?

　　As the Sect Master of the Sea God Sect and the Little Daoist Master Of Ren School, Li Changshou had to consider that problem.

　　Although he admired Yun Xiao, it did not affect his judgment. After all, Yun Xiao was a top-notch mighty figure below the Saint. Her words and actions had a deeper meaning.

　　The two of them were acquaintances who had only met once. Besides, Li Changshou did not think that he had the chance to befriend that mighty figure…

　　Master Zhao, the Primordial World expert who had such a temperament, was purely an accident in the Primordial World.

　　Most of the time, there were traps and schemes.

　　Li Changshou did not dare to let Yun Xiao wait for too long. The paper effigy that was disguised as an old immortal appeared in the backyard of the Sea God Temple. He immediately rode a cloud to the main hall and said to the few Divine Envoys, “You can leave first.”

　　“Okay!”

　　The Divine Envoys of Xiong Village immediately received the order and lowered their heads to retreat.

　　Following that, Li Changshou flung his horsetail whisk and the doors of the hall slowly opened.

　　Li Changshou entered with a smile and immediately bowed with a Dao salute.

　　The fairy who was enjoying the mural turned around and nodded at Li Changshou.

　　The details…

　　Clearly, Fairy Yun Xiao had confirmed that he was a junior of the Dao Sect.

　　Li Changshou took the opportunity to say, “Senior, I’m sorry for not welcoming you in a grand manner. Please forgive me.”

　　“Fellow Daoist, you’re too polite.” Yun Xiao replied gently and took a step forward. “Actually, I think I’m not behaving like a guest. I did not know that you would come here directly, Fellow Daoist.”

　　Li Changshou smiled and nodded. He sighed softly in his heart.

　　Speaking of which, Fairy Yun Xiao’s gentle voice sounds really nice…

　　Unfortunately, I do not dare to have more interactions with the Three Xiao Immortals.

　　“Senior, you visited at night. Are you here for something?”

　　“It’s nothing important,” Yun Xiao said gently. “Previously, Fellow Daoist, you helped me in time and saved my elder brother and third sister. I’m very grateful, so I wanted to return your favor.”

　　Li Changshou gave that fairy a thumbs-up.

　　Clearly, Yun Xiao did not want to be involved in karma with others. That was somewhat similar to him.

　　It was a good thing that he took the initiative to sever karma.

　　“Senior, you’re being too serious.” Li Changshou said seriously, “Senior, you’ve already given me a lot of face by coming to this place. You don’t need to mention any previous favors.”

　　Yunxiao slowly shook her head and said, “If you don’t accept this gift, I’m afraid my heart will not be at peace. I hope you can help me, Fellow Daoist.”

　　“Well… Then I’ll be impolite.” Li Changshou bowed and muttered to himself.

　　What kind of thank-you gift would Yunxiao give me?

　　Yes, as long as it is not a huge karmic treasure like the Golden Chalice or the Golden Scissors, he could… barely accept it…

　　He saw Yun Xiao reaching her hand, which was like white jade, forward. A foot-long portrait appeared in her palm.

　　Yun Xiao smiled and said, “I heard from the Second Sect Master of the Sea God Sect that you love paintings. I’m not a refined person. I only know about cultivation, but I have also collected a few paintings. I’ll give this painting to you as a form of returning the favor.”

　　“Thank you, Senior.”

　　Li Changshou bowed and held the portrait with both hands. He heaved a sigh of relief.

　　Since it was just a painting… there was not much karma.

　　He wanted to put it away, but Yun Xiao said gently, “Don’t you want to open it?”

　　Li Changshou chuckled. He was just a paper effigy. He was not worried about his safety. At most, he would give up a small portion of the power of his essence soul.

　　Li Changshou put away his horsetail whisk and used his immortal power to support the portrait. Then, he carefully untied the cloth rope and slowly opened the painting.

　　It was a painting of mountains and rivers that were painted with ink.

　　At first glance, Li Changshou felt that the strokes were rich, fresh, elegant, and artistic. However, Li Changshou’s mind was quickly drawn into it.

　　Amazing!

　　As he looked at the water, the water ripples rippled and flickered with a faint light.

　　The mountain ranges were stacked, making it easy for people to mistakenly think that they were traveling on clouds in the mountains…

　　As he watched, Li Changshou suddenly realized that the water seemed to be moving. Rays of light flowed inside, and white clouds flew out from the mountain. They shone into his heart.

　　A Dao rune flowed from the painting and surrounded Li Changshou’s paper effigy.

　　At the same time, Li Changshou’s main body in the secret underground chamber of Little Qiong Peak was also entangled by a Dao rune.

　　This is…

　　This scene suddenly appeared in Li Changshou’s heart.

　　A tall figure stood in the vast world. He raised his hand and slashed his sword at the sky. A Small World appeared in the sword beam…

　　T-this is…

　　All of a sudden, Li Changshou felt a wave of enlightenment in his heart. His inspiration surged out like a mountain, and his realm was rapidly rising! Not only that, Li Changshou’s main battle mystical ability ‘Sutra Creation’, was transforming on its own. It was as if it had fused directly. That figure slashed at the sky!

　　What is… the origin of this painting!?!

　　In the Sea God Temple, Yun Xiao was slightly surprised when she saw the Dao rune appear.

　　She thought to herself, This Sea God is so powerful at comprehension.

　　The painting was bestowed by her teacher, the Three Pure Ones, and the Sect Master of Jie School. It was a masterpiece by the Grandmaster of Heaven. Although it did not contain any mystical abilities, the Grandmaster of Heaven had entrusted a wisp of the Dao rune in it.

　　Fairy Yun Xiao had given the painting to the Sea God only because she had heard from Ao Yi that the Sea God especially liked paintings.

　　However, she did not expect that the mysterious Sea God would be able to sense the Dao rune left behind by her teacher the first time he looked at the painting…

　　Upon hearing the voice of thunder from the body of the Sea God’s incarnation, Fairy Yun Xiao immediately revealed a gentle smile…

　　It was a sign of a breakthrough.

　　In the secret underground chamber of Little Qiong Peak, Li Changshou suddenly opened his eyes. Green rays of light shone around him, and a twelfth-grade lotus flower condensed in the green light. It surrounded him and kept blooming.

　　Under the effect of the Dao rune, he had perfected the Dao of Heaven Immortal!

　　However, at that moment, the mysterious and obscure Dao runes were still continuously giving him enlightenment and stimulating the spiritual light in his heart. His cultivation level was still breaking through the threshold and rushing towards the peak of the Heaven Immortal realm!

　　What is this painting? Wouldn’t I have to face the Golden Immortal Tribulation if I directly reached the peak of the Heaven Immortal realm? Isn’t Yun Xiao just creating trouble for me!?

　　I have just started preparing for the Golden Immortal Tribulation. I have three thousand years of preparation time left, and I know nothing about the Golden Immortal Tribulation!

　　Now, I only have a seventy percent chance of transcending the tribulation. In the future, I would have a ninety-five percent chance of success. Wouldn’t this be the same as courting death for nothing!?! How could that do!?!

　　Li Changshou shouted frantically in his heart, but the Dao runes were too powerful. They were about to pull him to the Golden Immortal Tribulation…

　　What is going on?

　　Li Changshou made up his mind and immediately activated the emergency plan. He immediately formed hand seals with both hands and waves of immortal power emerged, instantly destroying the desk and bookcase in the secret underground chamber!

　　Li Changshou sat three feet above the ground and shouted, “Grand Pure One Severing Dao! It’s as urgent as a rule!”

　　A huge green sword suddenly appeared in front of him. In the middle of the sword was a Taiji Painting.

　　Li Changshou recited the ‘Great Pure Dao’ and forcefully pushed away the powerful Dao runes in his heart. He controlled the rhythm of his breakthrough and took advantage of the situation to increase the intensity. He took out the jade talisman and revealed the full volume of the ‘Great Pure Dao’ before his eyes. He quickly finished reading it! At that moment, Li Changshou finally understood why he had so many insights.

　　This painting must have come from the Grandmaster of Heaven!

　　That unreasonable Dao rune was the Dao of the Boundless Chaos of the Grandmaster of Heaven!

　　Who can I reason with!?! Yun Xiao was only returning a favor, yet she directly exposed the old Saint’s true identity?!

　　At that moment, the Dao runes of the two Saints intertwined in his Dao heart. Li Changshou’s comprehension was as vast as smoke. His cultivation level instantly reached the peak of the Heaven Immortal realm!

　　A violent gust of wind suddenly appeared on Little Qiong Peak. The starry sky was instantly covered by dark clouds, and a vast heavenly might descended!

　　However!

　　In the secret underground chamber, Li Changshou suddenly raised his hand and held the Green Light Sword in front of him. He shouted softly, “I still have some regrets about this Dao. I’m not willing to become a Golden Immortal today. I only hope to attain the perfected Great Dao in the future and reach the Zenith Heaven! First slash, the loophole of the Dao base! Second slash, an obscure spot! Third slash, where the void is unstable!”

　　Li Changshou held the sword in his hand and slashed at his forehead, producing the sound of a huge drum!

　　The Great Dao trembled and thunder rumbled inside the Little Qiong Peak!

　　“Pfff…”

　　Li Changshou opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood that was filled with seven-colored immortal light. As he spat out that mouthful of blood, his cultivation level rapidly dropped from the peak of the Heaven Immortal realm to the mid-stages of the Heaven Immortal realm!

　　Wisps of smoke were emitted from the blood, which formed Li Changshou’s figure.

　　Li Changshou waved his hand and shattered the shadow!

　　At that moment, the vast heavenly might outside the Little Qiong Peak disappeared!

　　He wanted to achieve perfection in Dao Execution. He wanted the truth!

　　The realization in his body was still growing. He pushed his cultivation level up once again and quickly rushed into the late-stage of the Heaven Immortal realm. He was approaching the perfected stage again…

　　Finally, he was a step away from perfection. The Dao runes of the two Saints dissipated.

　　Just now… he had severed his realm and consolidated his Dao base.

　　The name of that technique was ‘Dao Execution’. Its purpose was to perfect the Dao base. It was widely spread in the Primordial World and was not a powerful mystical ability.

　　When one’s Dao was constantly growing, it was inevitable that there would be flaws and useless things. There would also be some hidden dangers.

　　That was something countless Qi Refinement cultivators wanted to do but did not dare to. Li Changshou decided to do it today… In fact, he had already deduced that if he could not suppress his realm, he would have to kill himself. At most, he would only fall to the early-stage of Heaven Immortal realm.

　　If it were an ordinary cultivator in the Heaven Immortal realm, using that technique would cause their Dao Realm to fall drastically and destroy their own Dao bases.

　　However, before Li Changshou became an immortal, his Dao base was solid and his foundation was stable. He cultivated the Great Dao that was passed down by the Grand Pure One. He had only dropped to the mid-stage of the Heaven Immortal Realm by using the self-Dao-Execution technique. He even borrowed the Dao runes of two Saints and recovered his original cultivation level…

　　That was not for nothing.

　　At that moment, Li Changshou’s Dao base was as sturdy as a rock. His Dao Realm was extremely stable. His essence soul contained wisps of green light, and a clear aura surrounded it.

　　Although his cultivation realm was the same as before, his strength had increased by at least 30%. Furthermore, his chances of surviving the Golden Immortal Tribulation had increased significantly…

　　It was a blessing in disguise. He had accidentally discovered a good way to suppress his cultivation realm. Compared to the power of his essence soul, the merit from incense offerings was somewhat turbid.

　　Finally…

　　However, Li Changshou did not have time to relax. He instantly reacted and sensed the changes that had happened to the two paper effigies.

　　In the Sea God Temple, the paper effigy had already collapsed to the ground and turned into a piece of paper. The immortal power within it rapidly dissipated.

　　The paper effigy in front of the Pill Chamber of Little Qiong Peak was the same. He revealed his true form and laid on the dissipating immortal power.

　　Fairy Yun Xiao hurriedly called out for “Fellow Daoist”, while Youqin Xuanya looked confused and was at a loss…

　　At that moment, a golden ray of light flew out from the Heaven-Breaking Peak and shot towards the Pill Chamber of Little Qiong Peak…

　　Li Changshou was so happy!