MSBITRS Chapter 54 v1

“Wait a moment!”—A sentence that could decide life or death!

Except this time, the one being “sentenced”… seemed to be himself.

The moment Li Changshou uttered, “Wait a moment,” a realization stirred deep in his heart.

And when that immense pressure descended from the sky, he immediately understood.

In this situation…

Well, to be fair, he did deserve half the blame.

As for the other half? That should go to the so-called all-knowing Heavenly Dao!

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

A strange humming filled the air as ripples appeared in the sky, layer upon layer.

The terrifying pressure spread over a hundred-mile radius, leaving every living creature trembling in fear, not daring to move an inch.

Boom!

Li Changshou lifted his head again, only to see that an ominous black cloud, spanning only a few dozen feet in diameter, had appeared in the sky.

At the center of the cloud, two cracks slowly opened—like enormous eyes gazing down at him. The entire cloud formed the outline of an elderly Daoist’s face, devoid of emotion, staring at him with an empty, soulless gaze.

The Heavenly Dao?

The Dao Ancestor?

Li Changshou felt an unbearable sense of exposure, as if every inch of his being had been laid bare. A powerful sense of danger surged through his heart.

His spiritual intuition wasn’t just warning him anymore—it was practically shrieking, like a kettle at full boil!

Even the immortal light that had been shimmering around his upper body was now forcibly suppressed, retreating into his body.

What to do?!

If the Heavenly Dao considered his existence a deviation, a loophole in the grand scheme, he could be erased on the spot!

Even if he had done nothing.

Even if he had never meddled in fate.

Gritting his teeth, Li Changshou had no time to overthink.

Enduring the pressure, he raised his voice:

“This disciple of the Dao harbors no intention of offending Heaven’s majesty! It was merely a careless mistake, an unintentional oversight!

I humbly ask the great Heavenly Dao to wait for a moment!”

Wait… what the hell was he saying?

Did he just tell the Heavenly Dao to wait?

Oh shit—he was about to get blasted by divine thunder.

Panicked, Li Changshou hurriedly loosened his Daoist robe, stripping off the inner garment beneath—a short vest patched with sixteen hidden pouches—before stashing it away into his bracelet.

He never expected to be forced into revealing one of his trump cards in a situation like this.

He had prepared so many precautions for lightning tribulation, but he never imagined…

That the Heavenly Dao wasn’t paying much attention to him in the first place.

Around his left upper arm, near the shoulder, was a simple cloth string tied around a small fragment of jade. The jade emitted a faint, obscure Daoist aura.

[Nameless Fragmented Jade]:

When Li Changshou was five years old, a band of grave robbers passed through his tribe, bartering stolen artifacts for cattle and gold. This piece of jade was mistaken for an ordinary gemstone until young Li Changshou noticed it bore an ancient inscription of the word “fire.” He pestered his elders until they let him have it.

Effect: Unknown.

But ten years after joining his sect, he secretly placed the jade near his master and attempted to use his beginner-level divination techniques. Strangely enough, he could no longer track his master’s whereabouts—something he had been able to do before.

Thus, he deduced that the jade could obscure divination attempts. Ever since, he had kept it on his person.

[Cloth String]:

Originally a piece of linen, stained with blood, retrieved from the pages of an ancient beast-hide scroll. The scroll contained records of legendary human ancestors, suggesting that this fabric belonged to a great figure of the past.

Effect: Said to provide the blessing of human sages, but this is likely just psychological comfort.

Without hesitation, Li Changshou yanked off the cloth string and jade fragment, tossing them into his bracelet.

At that moment, the overwhelming pressure from the sky slightly lessened.

Li Changshou’s heart leaped, but he quickly calmed himself and turned to look at his left shoulder.

There, tattooed directly onto his skin, was an ancient rune, flickering faintly with light.

Gripping a dagger from his bracelet, Li Changshou sliced across the corner of the rune. It shattered instantly.

Fortunately, once his wound healed, the rune would naturally regenerate.

[Ancient Wu Tribe Seal]:

A protective charm against disasters, calamities, and divination techniques, created by the ancestral witches to counter the demon race.

Properly inscribed on beast hide, it would function as intended. Etched into flesh, its effects were even stronger.

Another identical seal was inked onto his right side, just below the ribs. Li Changshou slashed through that one as well.

The sky’s oppressive force weakened once more.

But that still wasn’t enough…

Li Changshou had caught onto the key term—“obscures divination.”

Without hesitation, he began removing all other objects on him that could interfere with divination.

Like the two small ancient coins sealed in his pouch—

Said to be from the first currency ever issued by humankind, imbued with a trace of merit, and rumored to block divination and ward off misfortune.

Or the sliver of monster bone tied around his ankle, the colorful fish scale affixed to his thigh…

All in all, seven peculiar objects, which he had painstakingly gathered and tested on his master, proving their ability to evade tracking techniques.

None of them were actual magical artifacts—just obscure relics, difficult to find but easy to obtain.

In the grand scheme of the Primordial Era, few things were as notorious as divination techniques.

Powerful cultivators who mastered this art could borrow the Heavenly Dao’s power, calculate events happening tens of thousands of miles away, and immediately perceive them with absolute clarity.

Li Changshou himself was a walking anomaly, reborn into this world with memories of his past life. Naturally, he was deeply cautious.

With great effort and a little luck, he had collected these odd trinkets as a safeguard.

Yet never, in his wildest dreams…

Did he imagine that they could fool the Heavenly Dao itself?

Now, the overwhelming pressure had nearly vanished.

The elderly Daoist face in the black cloud slowly faded away, though the cloud itself still loomed above.

Cold sweat drenched Li Changshou’s back. If not for his strong mental fortitude, he would’ve collapsed right then and there.

He had only ever gathered these items to prevent others from tracking him through divination.

He never once considered defying the Heavenly Dao itself.

“When one’s cultivation is too low, any deliberate concealment may instead attract the attention of greater powers, inviting disaster.”

This truth, he had understood for a long time.

That was why, within his sect, he had always blended into the background, acting as unremarkable as possible.