Chapter 88: New Funeral Services
Chapter 88: New Funeral Services
Qiyuan glanced at Li Changshou, who was sitting cross-legged, slightly puzzled, then turned his head and glared at Ling'e.
"You said your senior brother was unconscious? But he seems perfectly fine!"
Ling'e blinked and suddenly pointed behind Qiyuan.
"Master, look! Senior Brother's soul is projecting!"
"Huh?"
Qiyuan turned around to see his eldest disciple, offering him a slight apologetic smile.
Before he could react, a refreshing scent filled his nostrils, and before Qiyuan could fully comprehend, the medicinal effect took hold of his soul.
Being a relatively weak Immortal to begin with, Qiyuan's eyes rolled back, and he slowly collapsed.
Quick as lightning, Li Changshou grabbed a beast skin bag and swiftly enveloped his master inside it.
"Small!"
This bag, made from the hides of over a dozen spirit beasts, a custom-made version for his master, instantly shrunk to the size of a purse, which Li Changshou handed to Ling'e.
Sealing the bottle in her hand, Ling'e voiced her unease.
"Senior Brother, are we really going to deceive Master like this? Won't he be furious afterwards?"
Li Changshou stood with his hands behind his back, and conveyed through telepathy:
"You know Master's temperament. If formidable enemies attack, he'll be the first to charge. I'll explain everything to him later. As we've practiced before, you stay here for now. When the bell rings inside the gate, disciples will rush to Piaotian Peak. You'll use earth shifting to take Master and me half a step ahead to the Earth Vein. I'll assist with paper figures while my focus is elsewhere."
Ling'e, showing determination, responded:
"Understood! Senior Brother, you can trust me to take care of you and Master!"
"Don't worry too much. I'll be right beside you and Master, even if we can't protect the sect this time, I'll protect you both."
Ling'e bit her lip, whispering:
"Senior Brother, I'm still a bit uneasy... What's your current cultivation level?"
Li Changshou smirked.
"Eighth stage of Returning to the Void."
"Oh," Ling'e pursed her lips, refraining from further inquiry.
Li Changshou chuckled, no longer wasting mental energy, as there were plenty of tasks ahead...
As the paper figure sat in front of the alchemy furnace, closing its eyes, Ling'e knelt beside her senior brother, tying the bag containing their master around her waist, quietly awaiting the toll of the bell.
Though uncertain of the imminent danger, if her senior brother said so, then it was likely true...
Perhaps, the other 20% chance was that this was a test from her senior brother!
...
As this brother and sister team worked together to incapacitate their master;
Three thousand miles away, in two directions, two groups of 'enemy forces' had already penetrated the densest part of the poison formations.
From an aerial perspective, one might witness some 'strange scenes.'
Two swarms of black shadows raced along the ground, stopping and starting intermittently, their formations occasionally disrupted;
In various terrains ahead and on both sides, there would suddenly erupt a dense fog or a gust of powder without warning.
Even though they were on guard, each time the poison formations erupted, several figures inevitably fell to the ground.
Seeing this situation, Li Changshou couldn't help but marvel...
'These guys still haven't realized what's happening.'
Logically, once these puppets detected the first poison formation, they should have realized they were exposed;
What Li Changshou had feared most was that these puppets would fly directly into the air and pounce on the sect's main gate, rendering the subsequent poison formations ineffective...
However, as Li Changshou had hypothesized, after becoming 'puppets,' these demons, humans, and spirits had lost much of their cognitive ability and simply followed orders.
This gave the poison formations ample room to play.
Calculating the distance between the two groups of formidable enemies and the sect's main gate, it was already close to two thousand five hundred miles.
Li Changshou sighed inwardly, using the hands of two paper figures to fully activate the remaining poison formations in the two directions.
If he had known the enemies were this stubborn, he would have set up ten times the number of poison formations in several directions simultaneously, which might have resolved most of the crisis for the sect...
Oh well, there weren't that many poisonous pills given by the elders, and wishful thinking was useless.
Inside tree trunks and at the bottom of ponds, the two paper figures who had completed their tasks quietly disappeared, while Li Changshou's focus...
Instantly shifted to the third and fifth paper figures labeled with 'Explosion'!
In a matter of moments, a few miles away from the protective mountain formation, in a dense forest and along a stream, two stern-faced old Daoists appeared;
They flew straight up into the air and hovered, overlooking the Immortal Gate in the southwest and northwest directions respectively.
Their auras trembled, and their bodies surged with immortal energy.
Within the Immortal Gate, waves of immortal awareness probed out, immediately drawn to the positions of these two old Daoists.
One elder murmured the collective thoughts of the immortals:
"What are these two fellows up to? They seem so unfamiliar..."
Crack!
In the darkness, Li Changshou snapped his fingers, swiftly retracting his focus from the two paper figures.
"Open your eyes and look!"
The two old Daoists each let out a loud roar, erupting with dazzling immortal light from within...
And then, outside the protective formation;
They both exploded on the spot!
A thunderous boom, like rolling thunder, and the burst of immortal energy transformed into surging waves, crashing and shaking the protective mountain formation!
Every member of the Immortal Gate who witnessed this scene...
Was utterly baffled.
What on earth was going on?
Two Daoists suddenly appeared, roared twice, and then blew themselves up, just to shake the protective mountain formation?
Just to make some noise?
Even the sect leader, startled from his meditation...
Surveyed the two directions with his immortal awareness, immediately spotting the two groups of shadows rapidly approaching the Immortal Gate.
"This is bad!"
The middle-aged Daoist priest stepped out of his seclusion, appearing atop the Broken Sky Peak. He looked to the northwest, then to the southwest, and shouted loudly, his voice carrying for thousands of miles.
"Whoever you are, daring to attack our Gate of Transcendence! Elders and disciples, listen up! Prepare for battle and defend the mountain gate!"
At the side of the main hall, two anxious true immortals immediately grabbed hold of the big bell and vigorously rang it, its sound echoing throughout the gate.
Inside the gate, everyone, whether meditating, practicing, playing chess, chatting, or enjoying Daoist life, was awakened by the shout from the gatekeeper. Daoist figures rushed out from every peak.
Meanwhile, the two groups of puppet-like mosquitoes, still over two thousand miles away, finally realized that they had been exposed.
With a mask of dried wood on his face, Daoist Yuanze, along with two other 'pseudo' Golden Immortals, gave orders in both directions. The figures, which had been skimming the ground, now rose into the air like thick clouds, speeding towards the Gate of Transcendence.
As the battle unfolded, the Gate of Transcendence began organizing its defenses. True immortals and celestial immortals from each peak converged towards the Broken Sky Peak, then split into two formations, heading towards the southwest and northwest, respectively.
The immortals of the Yuanxian realm gathered atop the Broken Sky Peak to prepare the formation. Disciples from various peaks were guided to gather at the Hundred Mortals Hall, led by Qin Xuanya and several others.
This wasn't the time to flee immediately. The Mountain Guard Array was the first line of defense, followed by the experts inside the gate. If the situation became dire, these disciples and some Yuanxian would be sent underground to be transported away via the earth's veins.
Although most of the immortals at the Gate of Transcendence were bewildered by the sudden attack, they wouldn't just sit idly by. Some glared angrily at the approaching enemies, while others, with grim expressions, began to feel anger rising within their hearts.
While some were nervous and worried, most of the gate's paper figures remained steadfast.
At Little Qiong Peak, with the layered formations set up by Li Changshou already activated, the area had become treacherous. Meanwhile, Ling E carried 'Paper No. 3' with her, transporting her unconscious master through the earth veins towards safety.
At this moment, she bore the weight of Little Qiong Peak's future on her slender shoulders. Her playful nature gave way to constant vigilance, her eyes sharp and alert.
In the empty alchemy room, a bamboo box was pushed aside, and another paper figure appeared, labeled with the words 'Heaven · Eight'. The figure transformed into the appearance of Daoist Qi Yuan, holding three control formation jade plaques.
Li Changshou kept a portion of his attention here to observe the battle inside the gate. Then, focusing on multiple tasks, he retrieved the two paper figures controlling the poison formations thousands of miles away from their hiding spots in tree trunks and water pools.
Their work was far from done.
The two paper figures moved almost synchronously, each summoning original paper figures from their sleeves. Then, using earth evasion, they made their way to the sites where the poison formations had previously erupted.
Meanwhile, four other paper figures, disguised as men and women of various ages, followed closely behind, clearing away the poisonous mist to prevent any repercussions.
While the enemy puppets paid no attention to their fallen comrades, Li Changshou couldn't afford to ignore them. Besides dealing with the corpses, the paper figures began to neutralize the scattered poisonous mist to avoid any further consequences.
Protecting the environment of the Primordial World was their responsibility.
In total, eight original paper figures, each empowered with divine abilities, labored at their tasks. Two figures, empowered by Li Changshou's divine energy, remained hidden underground, avoiding exposure.
Their task of preventing mosquito attacks required constant vigilance.
The eight paper figures worked efficiently and smoothly, clearing away the poison, destroying untriggered poison formations, collecting corpses, and discreetly looting treasures from the enemy's bodies.
Midway through their tasks, thunderous sounds emanated from the Gate of Transcendence. Beyond the Mountain Guard Array, five Golden Immortals engaged in combat, their clashes shaking the earth.
Li Changshou continued to monitor the situation, waiting for a while until the corpses on both sides had been incinerated, and the scriptures had been recited. Then, the ground was left covered in two large piles of black ashes.
At this point, the four paper figures acted simultaneously, dispersing the ashes.
In these special circumstances, sacrificing a bit of ritual was necessary. After all, there would be plenty of opportunities for rituals after the battle.
The eight paper figures finished their tasks, and using earth evasion, they returned underground to the two paper figures awaiting them. If the Gate of Transcendence held its ground, there would be a chance for them to be retrieved. Otherwise, they would be destroyed without a trace.