Chapter 137 Southern Frontier Skirmish, Longevity Pays Homage to the Holy Image
Watching their own deity statue smashed right before their eyes, Li Changshou remained calm inside, with no extra emotions stirring.
Yet, he couldn't help but feel a tad sorry for Ao Yi.
Ao Yi's deity statue, made from expensive materials, was dismantled into pieces on the spot by the common folk, bearing a tragic look all over.
This situation right now was precisely why Li Changshou had contemplated destroying the temple of the faith previously.
At this moment, with the dragon clan's ambush set up and all units in position, Li Changshou had made all the arrangements he could...
Yet, a part of his heart still hung in the air, restless. Notions like 'sitting on a mountaintop watching the world, palm imprinting divine tactics' were definitely not what Li Changshou had in mind.
Being a commander, what's the use? Surviving is what really matters, and longevity is a lifetime's great concern!
So, even before the conflict erupted at the Southern Sea Cult, Li Changshou had begun contemplating post-war matters...
For every step taken, one must foresee several... or ten.
If this time's turmoil escalated too much, hurting the Western Teachings, the Southern Sea Cult would surely draw even more attention from them.
Though the probability of a sage stepping in to deduce the Southern Sea Cult's involvement in this matter was low, such a scenario still had to be considered...
The Western Teachings didn't only have two sages; there were also many disciples of the two sages;
These disciples' reputations might not compare to the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Profound Orthodox or the Eight Major Disciples of the Ten Jiao, but their strengths might not be far off.
Especially with a certain Mosquito Daoist... Upon careful consideration, Li Changshou realized that he hadn't even attained the status of a Golden Immortal yet, yet he had to secretly contend with these 'elders' from the background.
Doing this kind of thing repeatedly, Li Changshou figured, would probably leave him with some psychological shadow.
With his spiritual consciousness borrowing the eyes of the Paper Taoists to survey various locations:
The dragon clan's army was laying in ambush underground, while Ao Yi and a few dragon clan experts led three thousand dragon soldiers in gathering in the Southern Sea.
Dozens of dragon clan experts were converging towards the site where the deity statue was smashed, and they would arrive at the temple in a moment;
If all went according to plan, they should be ambushed by the Western Teachings.
These dragon clan experts had already received Ao Yi's orders in advance on how to break out and protect themselves if ambushed. In terms of baiting themselves.
Once Ao Yi's three thousand troops moved, it would be the time when the enemy's black hand was exposed...
What followed would depend on how well his 'junior' Second Patriarch of the faith performed
; Li Changshou had already given detailed strategies and tactics for each step to Ao Yi.
The shamans from the Bear Tribe were assembling more than three hundred people at this time;
Li Changshou's two Paper Taoists disguised themselves as strong men, mingling among the shamans, hiding in a valley where the dragon clan was ambushed.
They would join the battle later, but immediately withdraw after causing a commotion.
Even though the enemy's whereabouts hadn't appeared yet, Li Changshou had a rough judgment on the course of this battle.
What Li Changshou was most worried about now was the Western Teachings investigating his Southern Sea Cult...
After a brief moment of contemplation, Li Changshou flew towards the Broken Sky Peak Hundred Mortals Hall.
Just as he arrived in front of the Hundred Mortals Hall, a glimmer of realization emerged in his mind: It's starting.
Li Changshou turned around and stood with his hands behind his back in front of the sculpture of the 'Three Gallant Heroes,' his spiritual consciousness focusing on several Paper Taoists, envisioning scenes in his mind...
Observing the battle: The temple of the Sea God was smashed, the dragon clan guardians rushed over, and several azure dragons revealed their true forms, roaring angrily in the sky.
The common folk of the neighboring Lema Sect were immediately thrown into chaos, swiftly dispersing like birds and beasts, with a small fraction kneeling down...
Converting to the faith of the Sea God...
This process did not increase karmic burdens.
As the crowd dispersed, a sudden change occurred! Several dark shadows hidden among the Lema Sect disciples soared into the sky, launching a surprise attack on the dragon guardians!
Just as Li Changshou was about to shift his 'gaze' to this scene, he saw countless dragon claws waving in the sky, hundreds of divine lights flashing...
Each of the sea god's dragon guardians summoned over ten divine lights on average, smashing those dark shadows to pieces in an instant!
Li Changshou:...
Indeed, they're the big shots of the primordial dragons, doing whatever they please.
But following that, a hint of suspicion arose in Li Changshou's mind.
What was the point of those dark shadows, two Immortals and three Celestials, charging out directly?
No, this situation, Li Changshou seemed to... have seen it somewhere... Mosquitoes!
As soon as these two words emerged in Li Changshou's mind, a golden dragon in the sky suddenly raised its head and roared angrily, its eyes turning blood-red, and it lunged at the dragons next to it! Three azure dragons consecutively showed abnormalities, and the dragon guardians fell into chaos.
Just then, among the 'common folk disciples' who had initially fled, hundreds of figures dashed towards the sky;
Among them were not only those in the Celestial Realm but also those in the later stages, with mixed auras of humans, demons, and spirits...
Witnessing this scene, even Li Changshou, who was hundreds of miles away, couldn't help but show a bitter smile.
What grudge is there?
Is the Mosquito Daoist intentionally picking a fight with him?
If he had the power to protect himself in the primordial era, he would surely have dealt with this Mosquito Daoist.
By the way, where does the Mosquito Daoist find these 'materials' for his puppets?
If Li Changshou's speculation was correct, they should be plundered from the three thousand worlds, for her use.
The dragon guardians, with their anger provoked, and with the previous command of the Second Prince still fresh in their minds, a dragon guardian shouted: "Fall back!"
So, these dozens of dragon guardians did not linger in battle, immediately breaking out and leaving behind a few dragon corpses and three dragons whose minds were controlled, fleeing in the direction of the southeast.
The group of blood mosquito puppets behind them pursued relentlessly, but the dragon guardians were good at flying and soon opened up a gap.
After flying swiftly for a while, the dragon guardians suddenly encountered an ambush ahead; After being ambushed, the dragon guardians immediately turned towards the northeast, escaping in a very embarrassed manner.
At this moment, these dozens of dragon guardians were truly aggrieved;
If it weren't for the strict orders from the Second Prince earlier, which they had to follow, they would have really fought these guys to protect the dignity of the dragons!
Thousands of miles to the south, the three thousand dragon soldiers of the dragon clan had already arrived in force.
At the same time, in a certain valley hundreds of miles away, dark shadows rose, numbering three to four thousand...
These dozens of dragon guardians had become double-sided bait. ...
"Everything is indeed as Brother Changshou... as the master behind predicted!"
Flying through the air with two dragon experts, Ao Yi couldn't help but feel a wave of emotion.
But upon careful consideration, Ao Yi found that this statement wasn't quite appropriate.
If one could foresee the enemy's moves in advance and reveal it with a word, that would truly be divine foresight;
Li Changshou's behind-the-scenes expert from the Renjiao sect simply listed out several possible scenarios and provided countermeasures for each one. So, Ao Yi couldn't help but change his tune once again:
"That Renjiao expert sure knows how to play it safe!"
As the subsequent battle unfolded, it closely followed one of the twenty-six scenarios outlined previously.
Dozens of dragon protectors barely managed to escape to the remote and rugged hills where the dragon army lay in ambush. But then, thousands of enemies swarmed towards them.
Ao Yi led three thousand immortal dragons and dozens of dragon experts to their timely rescue, engaging the enemy head-on in a fierce battle.
As the two sides clashed, the shockwaves of their battle reverberated for thousands of miles.
Suddenly, three thousand immortal dragons emerged from the surrounding mountains, cutting off the enemy's retreat. In a flash, the sky was filled with the roars of dragons and the battle cries of immortal dragons.
Six thousand immortal dragons, along with over a hundred dragon experts, surrounded the three to four thousand blood mosquito puppets and gave them a thorough beating.
The air was filled with falling figures like dumplings from the sky...
Before the battle began, the dragons had already noticed that the enemy had a technique for controlling their minds.
After all these years in the Primordial Era, how could they not have a way to deal with it?
The battle quickly turned in their favor, but the blood mosquito puppets' fearlessness and ferocious counterattacks posed a significant challenge to the dragons.
At this moment, in a secluded cave in the mountains at the border between Nanshan and West Niuhou Prefecture, Wenjing Daoist furrowed his brows lightly.
Why did some of these dragons not seem like dragons at all?
"They've set up another ambush," Wenjing Daoist sneered.
She felt no remorse for the injuries and deaths of the thousands of puppets. As long as she wished, she could control another batch at any time.
"But if this is all they've got, you're still doomed to die today. When it comes to holding back, how can you compare to me?"
Wenjing Daoist smiled enchantingly, producing a blood-red jade disc from her hand. With a gentle slide of her finger, a buzzing sound emanated from the disc. Wenjing Daoist slowly spoke:
"Children, go and exterminate these little dragon dragons."
The buzzing sound from the jade disc grew louder...
In the southwestern part of Nanshan, above the dragon army's ambush, more than half of the thousands of blood mosquito puppets had already been killed or injured.
In a barren mountain a thousand miles away, swarms of black "giant mosquitoes" flew out of the forest and surged towards the battlefield in the sky.
When the mosquitoes reached the sky, they transformed into figures with similar faces and wore black armor.
In the blink of an eye, there were over ten thousand of them, silently arrayed in the sky. They were ancient monsters — the Bloodwing Black Mosquito Swarm!
As individuals, a Bloodwing Black Mosquito was equivalent to a human True Immortal in Qi Refining stage, and there were many masters among them! But their most terrifying aspect was their collective strength in battle!
At this moment, the black cloud exuded a bloody aura as it swarmed towards the battlefield where the dragon race was about to achieve a complete victory.
However, the dragons did not panic. Ao Yi made a decisive decision, ordering all units to strike with all their might, killing the enemy in front of them and immediately preparing to face the new threat.
As the swarm of mosquitoes approached, over five thousand immortal dragons formed a solid defensive formation, while Ao Yi secretly sweated...
Just moments later, the swarm of mosquitoes descended upon them, and the two sides were about to engage in battle.
Suddenly, bursts of immortal light erupted from the forests below, and a giant formation like an overturned bowl enveloped the surrounding hundred miles of mountains and hills!
The sound of drums reverberated from deep within the earth, and groups of immortal dragons emerged from underground, soaring into the sky!
From all directions!
From the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths!
The five thousand immortal dragons, who had previously been holding their positions, suddenly revealed their ferocious dragon claws and launched a fierce attack.
All of them were ancient dragons who had survived from ancient times, and they were not afraid of these pesky mosquitoes at all!
With a total of twenty thousand immortal dragons and over three hundred dragon experts, they launched a second wave of encirclement and suppression...
During the aerial battle, three hundred strong men suddenly rushed out from the forests on one side.
Half of them had their arms transformed into normal thickness, with glowing lights surging on them, forming longbows and arrows, shooting at the mosquitoes!
The other half were shouting and shouting, calling out continuously.
And there were even two strong men carrying two spirit beast bags, releasing jade-like little frogs everywhere...
To add a touch of vitality to this great battle.
The overall situation was settled!
Standing under the command flag, Ao Yi, who was observing the situation, suddenly remembered something.
He took out a bamboo slip from his arms, on which was written:
"Step 27 of the 26 Steps of Retreat - The Dust Rising Chapter."
It was time to open this scroll...
...
In the Duxian Gate of Dongsheng Shenzhou, in front of the Bai Fan Hall of the Broken Sky Peak.
"Why are there so many mosquitoes?"
Li Changshou rubbed his forehead and pondered slightly.
If the Mosquito Daoist wanted to destroy his South China Sea Divine Sect, she could easily launch a sudden attack with just a few thousand blood mosquito puppets...
Why did over ten thousand black-clad Daoists suddenly emerge?
Fortunately, he had previously acted prudently and allowed the dragons to stabilize things...
Although he couldn't quite figure it out, Li Changshou saw that the situation was already stable, with the dragon race on the verge of a major victory.
He decided not to worry about it anymore. He took a few steps back and knelt down honestly under the painting of the saint in front of the Bai Fan Hall.
"Respected Leader of the Renjiao sect, I, Li Changshou, sincerely... seek your protection."
Originally, Li Changshou had only come here to find some peace of mind.
He neither recited any prayers nor brewed any emotions. He just followed the tradition and lit incense here.
But what Li Changshou didn't expect was...
Today...
One corner of the painting swayed lightly, and a hint of Daoist rhyme flowed out, falling on him.