While he was talking to Zhao Gongming, Li Changshou had already sorted out his thoughts.
The so-called way of adaptation was not just based on the immediate effect.
Even though he was pressed for time, he had to think carefully about the possible future trajectories of matters. He had to figure out the one that would be the least harmful to him.
Other than that, there were a few principles that were extremely important.
He had to uphold his status as a disciple of the Dao Sect and firmly stand on the side of the Dao Ancestor and the Three Pure Ones.
He had to uphold the principle of the three sects being one family and one Dao Sect.
He had to maintain the interests of Ren School. He had to take care of the pride of any Saint or top-tier expert. He could not afford to cause trouble for himself.
Other than the three “persistences”, there were five “mandatory preparations” and the “Nine Action Plans”.
Lastly, and most importantly… he could not show off.
Showing off was a taboo in the Dao.
In Li Changshou’s previous life, the most striking memory of his was the historical story of Yang Xiu being killed. He took the initiative to show off and ended up dying.
After arriving in the Primordial World, the primordial fable that had the greatest impact on him was the one about the black turtle getting slashed.
The turtle was not guilty. Its body was too big, so its legs were severed to support the sky.
That was the best description of a passive show-off!
If the Black Turtle had hidden normally or went to the Chaotic Sea early to hide in the void, the Saints would probably use the troops of other sects to refine the Heavenly Pillars. It would not be convenient for them to kill the turtle.
Therefore… he would not expose himself if he could.
If no one knew about him, he would definitely not give them any clues about himself! In the early stages of self-defense, I have to find a reliable backer and not reveal any traces. It would be best if my name is not known in the Three Realms.
My intermediate self-defense ability would be the combination of the Merit Golden Body, the backing, and the fact that I’m not known in the Three Realms…
Otherwise, wouldn’t I be letting down the Saint’s efforts to cover up for me?
In the future, apart from Daoist Changgeng’s alias, Li Changshou decided to use the name “Young Daoist Master Xuan Du” and “Young Master Xuan Du” to avoid karma. Of course, those matters had to be planned carefully.
Now, I must resolve this crisis…
Zhao Gongming beat up the disciples of the Saint of the Western Sect. The Sea God Sect is involved. I’m afraid they will settle scores later. There are three difficulties in this matter.
I can’t kill this Saint’s disciple.
It is possible that the other party would take revenge on the South Sea Divine Sect in the future, and even use the Saint’s pride as an excuse.
It was his first time meeting Zhao Gongming. He did not know the specifics of his personality. It was possible that he might get more confused the more he thought about it. He also had to pay attention to the pride of both parties…
Hence, Li Changshou chose the most reliable solution based on his principles, persistence, preparation, and actions. He used his immortal senses to send a voice transmission to Zhao Gongming…
And so on.
Zhao Gongming frowned when he heard the immortal senses.
However, Li Changshou’s clever words brought out the matter regarding the life of the brothers and sisters in the sect, which was the most important thing to Zhao Gongming. Zhao Gongming quickly nodded and agreed.
When Li Changshou finished speaking, Zhao Gongming even felt that it would be troublesome to deal with him in such a manner and that it even seemed a little cunning…
However, he felt that if he could really achieve the effect that the Sea God mentioned, it would indeed be much better than killing him directly!
Zhao Gongming thought to himself, This Sea God of the South Ocean seems to be a fellow disciple of Ren School…
It’s such a pity. If he can get back at Jie School, he will be able to earn merit and is capable enough to come up with ideas.
He’s much more reliable than the ten Heavenly Lords.
Hence, in the Sea God Temple, Li Changshou’s paper effigy was hiding deeper underground. He was prepared to “scatter” at any moment.
He used his spiritual will to observe the two experts in the courtyard. Then, he communicated with Ao Yi, who had been watching from the side, and gave him a few hundred reminders.
An hour later, Li Changshou sent a voice transmission with his immortal senses and said, “I’m ready. I’ll have to trouble you, Senior.”
In the courtyard… Zhao Gongming nodded and waved his sleeve. He put away the twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Pearls and looked down at the hunchbacked Daoist. He gritted his teeth and said,
“Get up and go to your spiritual mountain with me!”
The hunchbacked Daoist on the ground frowned and glared at Zhao Gongming. The Daoist said coldly, “How dare you follow me to the spiritual mountain!?!”
“Why wouldn’t I dare?”
Zhao Gongming barked, “Today, you bullied my Dao Sect. I want to ask both your Uncle-Masters for an explanation!”
Li Changshou pondered for a while and felt that Master Zhao’s mood was still a little foul. He should have been a little sad.
That was the first step-forcing the matter into a conflict between the Dao Sect and the Western Sect.
The hunchbacked old Daoist priest immediately jumped up when he heard that. He held the cane in his hand and looked like he wanted to hit someone…
Zhao Gongming took half a step forward. The gaze in his eyes was threatening, and his beard fluttered.
The hunchbacked old Daoist priest subconsciously shivered and took a few steps back. His eyes were filled with fear.
The place was still sealed by Zhao Gongming. The hunchbacked old Daoist had just experienced the power of the outer sect disciples of Jie School. He knew that he could not escape. The hunchbacked old man cursed, “Today, it was your sect that set me up! How can you turn the tables and accuse me!?! Look at how miserable I am now! I’m going to go to your Green Touring Palace and complain!”
“You’re miserable?”
Zhao Gongming sneered. He recalled the method that the Sea God had used to send a voice transmission from the South Ocean just now, and his interest was piqued.
Suddenly, without any warning, Zhao Gongming let out a wail. He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. He clutched his chest and coughed violently…
At the same time, Zhao Gongming’s aura was weak and his Dao runes were scattered. His original aura disappeared immediately as if he was seriously injured.
Zhao Gongming gritted his teeth and said, “I was clearly injured by your numinous treasure. When we were fighting, you injured my Dao base. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to recover in less than tens of thousands of years! Come, follow me to the spiritual mountain. We’re not done for today!”
The hunchbacked old Daoist priest widened his eyes. Even though he had schemed against people, he had never encountered such a situation.
Li Changshou, who was observing with his statue, heaved a sigh of relief. That was the most difficult step.
He had to admit that the way Master Zhao reacted on the spot was quite outstanding, as expected of a wily old fox who had lived since the start of the Primordial World now…
The second step was— ‘Sneakily changing the concept, play the ruse of self-injury to seize the high ground of logic’.
The third step was divided into six different situations and six corresponding countermeasures.
Zhao Gongming wiped the blood from his mouth and scolded, “Who can have it worse than Fellow Daoist Sea God? His incarnation was forced to die by you! It was not easy for him to cultivate an incarnate. How many Dao bases and Dao skills did he lose? How are you going to settle this matter!?!”
The hunchbacked old Daoist priest scolded, “You are being unreasonable! You are slandering me!”
Zhao Gongming cursed, “I have injuries as evidence. You are the culprit! Follow me to the spiritual mountain for a confrontation!”
“You, Zhao Gongming! Do you still have any shame?”
The hunchbacked old Daoist priest cursed and suddenly thought of something. He picked up his walking stick and smashed it onto his own shoulder.
The sound of thunder could be heard within fifty kilometers!
One of the arms of the hunchbacked old Daoist drooped down. His shoulder was shattered. He sneered and said, “You are the culprit! Go to the Green Touring Palace!”
Seeing this, Zhao Gongming gritted his teeth and took a few steps back. Suddenly, he raised his head and spat out blood…
The hunchbacked old Daoist priest made up his mind and raised his hand to slap his own chest ruthlessly. The two of them seemed to be competing.
All of a sudden, Zhao Gongming’s body trembled. The blood that he spat out instantly evaporated. His aura returned to normal, and he became energetic again. His beard was still clean.
He took out a Shadow Sphere that wrapped in layers of immortal power from his sleeve. He calmly raised the twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Beads and opened the Shadow Sphere.
Immediately, a shadow appeared in front of Zhao Gongming. It was the image of the hunchbacked old Daoist who was hitting himself…
The hunchbacked old Daoist immediately reacted and was about to attack.
However, the twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Pearls unleashed their power and once again froze the old Daoist priest, who had been twice-injured!
That was the third step for the fourth situation-“Frame the other party and get dirt on them.”
It was beyond Li Changshou’s expectations that things could go so smoothly. Zhao Gongming looked at the hunchbacked old Daoist and said calmly, “Fellow Daoist, why are you hurting yourself in front of me? Do you want to smear my name for no reason? You want to start a conflict between the Dao Sect and Western Sect with this matter? Seems like I can only use this item to look for some good friends to observe. If I remember correctly, Fellow Daoist, you said that you are the third disciple of the Western Sect.”
He continued, “I know that it’s not easy for both your Uncle-Masters to pull up the lineage of the spiritual mountain. However, using this method to extort the treasures of others is a little too disgraceful isn’t it?”
“You! You!”
The hunchbacked old Daoist priest’s lips trembled continuously. He suddenly lowered his head and spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes were filled with grief and indignation.
“Zhao Gongming, everyone says that you have a genuine personality and straightforward character. I’ve experienced it today! I have really experienced it!”
Zhao Gongming looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back. He sighed in his heart.
I did not expect that he would do such a thing…
However, the Sea God of the South Ocean was right. He is loyal to his brothers and sisters of the Dao Sect, not to disciples of the outer sect. Perhaps, he’s also cunning in order to prevent the Dao Sect from getting into a conflict with the Western Sect, so as to protect his fellow disciples.
After that, Zhao Gongming remained silent and waited for the hunchbacked old Daoist priest to speak.
At that moment, the hunchbacked old Daoist seemed to have understood something. He suppressed his anger and said coldly, “Fellow Daoist, what do you want to do?”
“What do I want to do? You have humiliated me today. What else can I do?”
Zhao Gongming said calmly, “Let’s be more straightforward. Fellow Daoist, do you want this matter to be resolved? Should we settle it privately or continue to blow the matter up?”
The hunchbacked old Daoist priest was so angry that his body was trembling. He wanted to raze the surroundings that were within a fifty-kilometer radius away from him, but he did not want to waste his merit…
Although he was being suppressed by the Sea-Calming Divine Pearl, he could not stomp his feet casually.
The hunchbacked old Daoist said coldly, “So what if we settle it in private? So what if I blow things up?”
“Fellow Daoist, if you want to settle it in private, I’ll make things clear today. Fellow Daoist, please swear an oath to the Great Dao and I will immediately crush this item.”
Zhao Gongming waved the Dharma treasure, the Shadow Sphere in his hand. “If you want to blow things up, I can only take this and let my three sisters watch the show. Then, I’ll go to the places where the Qi Refinement cultivators of my sect gather at Golden Ao Island and Peng Lai Island. I’ll give them an eyeopener and let them be wary. There are many more tricks in the current world as compared to ancient times. In the end, if nothing works, I’ll visit the Jade Void Palace and the Heavenly Courts. I’ll walk around the Middle Continent.”
Zhao Gongming paused. The Sea God’s advice echoed in his head…
Although he did not understand what was going on, the matter had already developed to that juncture. It was all in accordance with the Sea God’s plan.
If it was not for the consideration of the fellow Daoists in the sect, I would not have done such a thing.
However, this feeling… is not bad.
Hence, Zhao Gongming said, “I don’t have any intention of caring about what you’ve done in the four seas. I’m only here to chat with the Sea God of the South Ocean.”
The hunchbacked old Daoist priest’s eyes flickered when he heard that. He had already made a decision. He said in a low voice, “Regarding this matter… I was wrong.
I will swear a Great Dao oath.”
“Wait, wait.” Zhao Gongming smiled and said, “Please wait a moment.” The hunchbacked old Daoist priest was a little confused. Just as he was about to speak, a low dragon’s roar came from the South Ocean.
An old man with a dragon’s head came over on a cloud. He bowed in the air and delivered cloth to Zhao Gongming using his immortal power.
The dragon-headed elder did not say anything and left on the cloud.
That was the fifth step of Li Changshou’s plan-“Distract the other party and make him focus his hatred on the dragon race and Jie School.”
lal
How could the hunchbacked old Daoist not understand?
It turned out that Jie School and the dragon race had targeted him and laid a trap!
The dragon race was indeed unwilling to give up!
Zhao Gongming threw the cloth over. The hunchbacked old Daoist priest unfolded the cloth that contained immortal power. There were many small words on it.
The first step was to recite the incantation…
The content was a statement of his, which stated that he would not make things difficult for Jie School, the dragon race, and the Sea God Sect in the future. He would pretend that nothing had happened today. Otherwise, if he was abandoned by the Great Dao, his merit would be reduced to zero, and his destiny would not exist!
How ruthless…
What a detailed oath!
Zhao Gongming waved the Shadow Sphere Dharma treasure in his hand and smiled. “Fellow Daoist, what are you waiting for? Is a simple Dao oath that troublesome?”
At that moment, the dignified face of the disciple from the outer sect of Jie School was actually so evil in the eyes of the hunchbacked old Daoist.
The hunchbacked old Daoist priest gritted his teeth. The contents of the oath were only to restrict him. From then on, he would have to withdraw from the plot against the dragon race and never visit the place again. He would also have to not mention it to anyone else.
He would have to never interfere with the plans of the Western Sect…
In fact, even if he did not take that oath, the hunchbacked old Daoist would not mention it to anyone else.
He was a disciple of a Saint and obviously cared about his pride.
However, it was unknown how much he was hiding at that moment. He reckoned that the owner of the paper effigy that was about to reach the vault of heaven in Hell would only recognize that thing.
Li Changshou told Ao Yi to follow the format of Ao Yi’s oath back then and added sixty percent of the settings. He considered everything that he could think of. That was the reason that he formed the oath and sent the experts from the South Ocean Dragon Palace to that place.
Soon, the hunchbacked old Daoist priest sat down cross-legged and read the oath. A top-tier expert like him made an oath and the Heavenly Dao could sense it immediately. Waves of heavenly might descended, and the Heavenly Dao recorded the oath of the hunchbacked old Daoist.
Zhao Gongming, who was standing at the side, could not help but blink. As he listened to the contents of the oath, he used his mystical abilities to look at the dense handwriting on the cloth. His mouth twitched.
This Sea God of the South Ocean…
I should be friends with him and not make him an enemy.