Chapter 405 - A Divine Beast
Chapter 405 A Divine Beast
Putting aside the fact that Li Changshou did not do anything during the first test, he pondered about the Eight-Nine Arcane Art and the transformation of the Magihumans in the mountains and waited for the demons to react. In the northwest of the South Continent, in an ordinary mortal city, two figures were strolling by the lotus pond in the backyard of a huge mansion that occupied a vast area. There were two obscure Dao runes on their bodies.
Daoist Lu Ya had restored his original appearancethe well-dressed and handsome young Daoist. The “chef” beside him changed into a long robe and smiled as he introduced the beautiful scenery of the manor that he had personally set up for Daoist Lu Ya. He explained the unique designs. Lu Ya could not help but ask, “Senior, why did you go to the wine shop to be a chef? Why didn’t you…”
The middle-aged Daoist asked, “Why can’t I be a chef?”
“Well…”
“Is it because when I served the former Emperor, I used divination as the knowledge of living beings, and now that I’m living in seclusion, I have to be a fortune-teller that matches him? Hahaha!”
The middle-aged Daoist pinched his goatee and smiled.
“This is just your preconceived thoughts, Your Highness. Actually, I’m quite interested. It’s far more than divination, observation, and array formations.”
Lu Ya sighed and said, “I only know that you are living in seclusion here. When I saw the mortal fortune-teller, I thought that it was an incarnation of you. Senior, are you willing to meet me? Are you willing to help me?” “This is the only thing I can’t agree to.” The middle-aged Daoist shook his head decisively. There was a look of pity in his eyes.
“I thought that Your Highness came here today to ask about the method to live. I didn’t expect that Your Highness still had such thoughts. If that’s the case, why don’t you leave now, Your Highness? No matter what I say next, it’s useless to you.” Lu Ya frowned and said, “Senior, are you implying that I’m in danger of dying?” The middle-aged Daoist looked at Lu Ya seriously. His eyes suddenly turned pale yellow, and a glint flashed in his eyes.
“The calamity is not far away.” Lu Ya’s Dao heart trembled slightly. In the middle-aged Daoist’s eyes, he saw a fleeting scene… In the image, he was lying on a lake covered in blood. He did not know if he was dead or alive, but he was in an extremely miserable state.
If it were anyone else who said those things to Lu Ya and let him see them, Lu Ya might have directly asked the treasure to turn around and cursed, “How dare you confuse me!”
However, the middle-aged Daoist in front of him was the only one that Lu Ya could not help but respect. Back when the Demon Court was destroyed, Lu Ya had survived because of the middle-aged Daoist.
Among the ten demon generals of the demon race in the past, the only one who could clear his karma and escape unscathed from the Great Magi-Demon War was the middle-aged Daoist.
One of the ten demon generals of the ancient demons, Bai Ze.
Bai Ze was a Connate Spirit Beast. It was good at deduction and divination. It knew Yin and Yang, understood life and death, and was best at currying favor and avoiding danger. It understood the feelings of all living beings and understood the appearance of all living beings. It was a trusted subordinate of the Demon Court’s Demon Emperor.
It was also an important strategist for the Demon Emperor to balance the authority of the Demon Master Kun Peng. The “Bai Ze Spirit Painting’ written by Bai Ze became an important foundation for the demon race to rule in ancient times. Lu Ya’s forehead was covered in cold sweat. He sighed softly and bowed to Bai Ze.
“Senior, please save me!” “Forget it.” Bai Ze shook his head and chuckled. “Although Your Highness is obsessed with me, I still owe the former Emperor a favor. I have to repay it to Your Highness. Does Your Highness know who wants to kill you?”
“Water God of the Heavenly Courts!”
Lu Ya blurted out those words, but after shouting them out, he felt that something was amiss. Bai Ze smiled and said, “That’s right. It’s the Water God. The Heavenly Emperor wants to kill you because you’re the Crown Prince of the Demon Court. The Water God wants to kill you because you’re Daoist Luya.” Lu Ya hurriedly asked, “Why? Do I have a deep feud with the Water God?”
“I don’t know either.”
Bai Ze stopped in his tracks and stood beside the lotus pond with his hands behind his back. He looked at the lotus leaves on the water surface and his gaze became distant…
“I have been trying to figure out the Water God for a long time. In the end, I can’t figure him out. Your Highness, you also know that although I have some slight mystical abilities and know the appearance of everything, I can’t really deduce all living beings. Otherwise, my Dao heart will be destroyed instantly. I’m now idling around and living in seclusion in the mortal world.
I will only observe the living beings that I’m interested in. When I first noticed the Water God, he only had five or six temples. However, at that time, I could not see his appearance and true identity clearly. He had already taken precautions and did not relax his guard for a day. I have been secretly observing the Water God and I still can’t see through him…”
Bai Ze paused and sighed.
“The Water God is extremely patient. His actions are so thorough that it makes one’s hair stand on end. Furthermore, he is vengeful. Does Your Highness know about the matter of the dragon race’s sea eye being broken?”
“Of course,” Daoist Lu Ya said. “The Heavenly Courts and the Western Sect schemed against the dragon race. In the end, the dragon race chose to submit to the Heavenly Courts. The Western Sect used the dragon race to establish their might, destroyed the Sea Eye of the East Ocean, and snatched the East Ocean’s treasure vault.”
“At that time, the person in charge of this matter was the disciple of the Great Sage of the Western Sect, Ksitigarbha.”
Bai Ze smiled and said, “However, not long after Ksitigarbha and his Little Truth Listener became proud of themselves, the immortals of the three sects went to the spiritual mountain together.
The immortals of the three sects forced the spiritual mountain to lower its head and admit its mistake. They even killed the disciples of the spiritual mountain in front of the spiritual mountain. Great Daoist Master Xuan Du even used the Connate Cardinal treasure Taiji Painting to fight the two Saints of the Western Sect. That scene was really beautiful…
Ahem, do you know the cause of that incident, Your Highness?”
Daoist Lu Ya frowned and said, “Senior, please enlighten me.” “Ksitigarbha used his Truth Listener ability to spread rumors about the Goddess of Fire Spirit and Zhao Gongming of Jie School. He used the name of Perfected Huang Long of Chan School to spread the news.”
Bai Ze smiled and said, “In just half a day, the Heavenly Courts’ Water God had already decided on a counterattack plan and contacted the Eldest Senior Brother of the three sects. Just because of this small matter, the prestige that the spiritual mountain had obtained from the dragon race was directly repaid.
It allowed the relationship between the three sects to be eased, and at the same time, it also slapped the Western Saint’s face. He had also caused Ksitigarbha and Truth Listener to be reprimanded by the Saint and lose the Saint’s trust.
This scheme…
In short, I will definitely not be enemies with the Water God.”
Lu Ya was a little dissatisfied. He said, “Isn’t the Eldest Senior Brother of the Three Sects deliberately facilitating this matter?” Bai Ze smiled and did not say anything. He brought the topic back to Lu Ya. “Your Highness, other than the battle between the West Ocean and the Demon Ascension Mountain, have you provoked the Water God?”
“I did not.” Lu Ya’s gaze was calm. “When I was at the Demon Ascension Mountain, I rushed to the Demon Ascension Mountain from Nuwa’s Palace. I was half a step late. Otherwise, I would not have let the Water God succeed so easily.”
Bai Ze frowned and said, “Your Highness, the residence of the Goddess is called Goddess Nuwa’s Palace. The Nuwa Palace was named by the demons themselves. If the Saint did not pursue the matter, he would really think that the Saint had recognized the name of the demons. In the ancient times, before Goddess Nuwa became a Saint, the former Emperor was afraid that Fuxi and Goddess Nuwa would seize power and force the siblings away.
The Goddess of Mercy had protected you previously because she had a close relationship with you. Now, the Water God has gone to the Goddess’s Palace twice. It is unknown if the Goddess will still protect you.”
“The Water God went to the Goddess’s Palace twice?”
Lu Ya could not help but be shocked. He hurriedly asked, “When did this happen?”
“The first time was after the battle at the Demon Ascension Mountain. Recently, this time, it was because the Lady of Earth suffered a calamity not far away.”
Bai Ze twirled his goatee and said calmly, “It seems that His Highness has been muddled by those so-called old officials. The Goddess was the Goddess of the human race. Back then, the human race was slaughtered by the demons. The Goddess did not appear because the Demon Master Kun Peng had schemed against her.
Although I don’t know the reason, the Goddess had bestowed countless treasures to the Water God. This was not a secret in the Goddess’s Palace. Your Highness, the demons have already ceased to exist when the Demon Court was destroyed. Why are you still thinking about the
past?”
Daoist Lu Ya was silent and his face was rather gloomy. Bai Ze continued to persuade him. “Back then, I followed the two former emperors and saw with my own eyes that the thousands of races who were unwilling to be preyed on by the Magi gathered at the top of the Buzhou Mountain and established the ancient Heavenly Courts.
I obtained great luck from the Heavenly Dao and fought with the Magi. At that time, the Heavenly Courts was the Heavenly Courts, and the saints were the saints. After that, I saw it with my own eyes. When the Saints occupied the sky and suppressed the Magi, the Saint race gradually fell. There were endless battles and fights. The large races swallowed the small races. The strong enslaved the weak. At that time, although the Heavenly Courts were still the Heavenly Courts, the saints were already demons.”
He sighed.
Bai Ze sighed endlessly.
“The fall of the Demon Court is a trend that no one can reverse. However, it is not a tragedy. This is karma that we deserve. Your Highness, are those people who are still calling themselves the tyrants of the Demon Court really considered demons? They are just rotten. However, they forced the thousands of races that had transformed after the ancient times to return to the demon race. They used the name of the demon race to enslave and suppress them. Let me ask you, if the one who survived back then was not Your Highness but Your Highness’s brother, how would these so-called demon kings treat him?”
“Yes…”
“It will be no different from the way they treat Your Highness.”
Daoist Lu Ya frowned and pondered. Then, he sighed sadly. “That’s true. I’m just a flag that they raised.” Bai Ze smiled and said, “It’s good that Your Highness can wake up in time.” “Senior!”
Daoist Lu Ya turned around and bowed. “I want to live. Senior, please teach me!”
“Actually, you have been forced to a dead end by the Water God,” Bai Ze said seriously. “There’s only one way to break out of this situation.”
“Senior, please enlighten me.” Bai Ze said, “Call the various demon kings to rise and rebel. Only then can we have a 30% chance of survival.”
Lu Ya was puzzled. Clearly, he had indigestion.
Bai Ze said slowly, “The current Heavenly Emperor is afraid of you because he is afraid of the demon prince. If the so-called revival of the demon race is gone, and the old demon kings of the demon race sacrifice to the heavens, the demon race will not be able to threaten the Heavenly Courts. The Heavenly Emperor’s fear will naturally disappear.
You only need to show mercy and admit defeat to the Heavenly Courts when the time is right. The Heavenly Emperor will use you to show the Heavenly Courts’ benevolence. Not only will he spare your life, but he will also admit your background. At that time, you can freely roam the world. However…”
Lu Ya hurriedly asked, “But how?”
“I’m just afraid that when the Water God admits defeat to the Heavenly Courts, he will throw a knife in front of you and fulfill your reputation of being merciful. He will definitely do that.”
Lu Ya immediately felt a lump in his throat. “Why is this Water God targeting me?” “I don’t know either.” Bai Ze sighed softly. There was a glint in his eyes that Lu Ya could not see through. “The Water God’s schemes are so deep that I can’t reach him. He often does unexpected things. He treats pride like nothing, and treasures were like smoke to him.
What I admire the most is that he does not forget about righteousness when he sees benefits. Although I have never met this Water God before, I seem to have known him for a long time…” “Senior,” Daoist Lu Ya asked softly, “Can’t you think of a way to get rid of the Water God?”
“Touch him?” Bai Ze smiled and said, “The first thing that landed on your head should not be the Taiji Painting or the Four Immortal Vanquishing Swords. Instead…”
“What?”
“Purple Heaven Divine Thunder.”
Bai Ze patted Lu Ya’s shoulder. “Don’t think too much. Now, the Water God is using the power to move. Behind him is the Heavenly Dao, the Dao Ancestor, and an existence that can destroy us with a flick of his finger. Instead of thinking about that, it’s better to think about how to make the demon kings rise up and rebel against the heavens to express their goodwill to the Water God.”
Daoist Lu Ya’s eyes were filled with helplessness as he fell into deep thought.
A moment later, Lu Ya asked, “Senior, can you help me greet the Water God?” “Impossible. I can’t do it. Don’t even think about it.”
“Uh, Senior, why did you reject so decisively…” “Don’t joke like that.” Bai Ze pursed his lips. Even his goatee looked a little disdainful. “For example, the Water God is afraid of Little Truth Listener and not Ksitigarbha.
If the Water God was given a chance, Little Truth Listener, a little beast that could listen to the hearts of all living beings, would definitely be eliminated.
Let alone an ancient demon like me, who is slightly more capable than Little Truth Listener. If I meet the Water God, there will only be two outcomes.”
Lu Ya’s Dao heart was already numb. He asked softly, “What are the two?”
“Either he kills me, or I swear an oath to become his mount.”
Bai Ze raised his head and sighed. His eyes were filled with depression. “He hasn’t touched me now mainly because his cultivation is shallow and his accumulation is insufficient. When he condenses the Golden Body of Merit, he will probably target me.” Lu Ya hurriedly asked, “Senior, are you not going to escape?”
“Where can we escape to?” Bai Ze smiled bitterly. “Now, we can only try the trick of pretending to be dead. At that time, we can’t escape. However… it should not work.”
“Why?”
“The Water God is extremely good at killing. He will not leave any souls behind after killing the spirits.” Lu Ya frowned. “Senior, aren’t you exaggerating? If the Water God is really that powerful, why didn’t he suppress the spiritual mountain? Why didn’t he destroy the demons?” “You have to give him some time.”
Bai Ze said slowly, “At this moment, I can tell you about the Water God. Even though he has been cultivating until now, he can severely injure you in the battle at the Demon Ascension Mountain. It will not be more than five hundred years. Don’t ask about anything else. I don’t dare to get involved with his karma.”
Lu Ya wanted to say something but hesitated. Bai Ze shook his head with a smile and did not say anything else.
“Your Highness, remember my warning.”
“Senior, please speak. I will remember this in my heart.”
“When immortals fight, the Saints are not involved,” Bai Ze said in a low voice. “What the Heavenly Courts are afraid of is that the demons still have extraordinary strength. Your Highness, you must not join forces with the Western Sect.”
Lu Ya bowed again. “I will remember Senior’s teachings!”
Bai Ze’s figure suddenly turned faint.
Lu Ya looked up and saw Bai Ze dissipating with the wind. The entire residence instantly fell silent.
“I’ll take my leave first. Your Highness, take care. We have already returned the favor. We will not see many of them in the future.” Lu Ya closed his eyes and smiled bitterly. He bowed three more times before turning around and leaving.
A few months later, the Crown Prince of the ancient Demon Court, Lu Ya, appeared at the southern border of the North Continent. He raised his arm and shouted at the heavens.
In a day, 325 demon kings responded. They gathered millions of demon soldiers and thousands of demon experts. They said that the Heavenly Courts persecuted the demons and innocently suppressed the races of all living beings. They resisted the Heavenly Courts’ orders.
The five continents of the Primordial World were in an uproar. The Heavenly Courts prepared for battle. The demons from all over the world rushed to the border of the North Continent to strengthen the prestige of the demons. The human Qi Refinement cultivators also sharpened their knives and headed to the North Continent.
A demon king shouted and clamored to set up a demon court again. However, the demon king soon fell silent.
On the day that Lu Ya denounced the Heavenly Courts, in the quiet bamboo forest of the Immortal Du Sect’s Little Qiong Peak…
Li Changshou put down the scroll in his hand and stared in the north-west direction. He pondered for a while.
Could this Lu Ya have gotten an expert to help? He could even think of a way to advance and retreat.
He had to be steady. The Jade Emperor and Queen Mother were not in the Heavenly Courts now. The demons were only resisting the orders and had not officially launched their troops. I shall let the declaration spread for a while and see if the demons would be arrogant enough to attack the Heavenly Courts.
As long as there are demonic soldiers… No, a wisp of demonic aura! As long as a wisp of demonic aura arrived in front of the Heaven Gate, Li Changshou could make use of it to make a fuss. He could let General Dongmu go to the Jade Void Palace, the Green Touring Palace, and the Tushita Palace to cry for three days and three nights. He said that the demons would bully the Heavenly Courts while the Jade Emperor was undergoing the tribulation.