Chapter 538: Incense Becomes Divinity

As the sky gradually brightened.

The people in the Mountain God Temple were both relieved and joyful; they had finally survived a very dangerous night. If not for Li Yi's presence, Old Liu believed that they would likely have disappeared mysteriously like those before them, dying in this wilderness.

After last night's events, everyone was especially respectful toward Li Yi, believing him to be a high person who knew magic. As long as he was around, the ghosts and monsters in the mountains would not dare to approach.

"Daoist priest, it's dawn. Should we continue our journey? If we are late, I fear we won't be able to pass the Three-Way Junction ahead, and we'll have to spend another night in the wilderness. With your ability, Daoist priest, you naturally don't need to worry, but we are mere mortals and dare not take such risks."

After everything was packed, Old Liu respectfully approached Li Yi to ask.

The others also looked at Li Yi with eager eyes, hoping this Daoist priest would travel with them. That way, the rest of the road would surely be very safe, and they wouldn't have to worry about any accidents.

Li Yi slowly opened his eyes, ending his day of cultivation, and said, "You want me to protect you for a stretch?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare, I just want to follow you for a while and bask in your light, Daoist priest." Old Liu hurriedly said.

Li Yi looked at the statue in the temple and said, "Come to think of it, you encountered danger last night partly because of me. Very well, I have no fixed abode anyway; I will travel with you, wherever it leads."

Upon hearing this, the scholar Lu Yue and the other travelers were all overjoyed.

"Daoist priest is benevolent; we are deeply grateful." Old Liu bowed politely.

"No need for such courtesy. Since everything is ready, let's set off." Li Yi stood up, patted his Daoist robe, and without delay, walked out of the Mountain God Temple.

At this moment, the sun was rising, clouds and mist swirled among the mountains, and green hills rolled in the distance. With every breath, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered toward him, making his body feel comfortable and his spirit refreshed.

Although the cosmic energy here was average, as long as there was no pollution, the speed of cultivation would not be slow.

It was just that Li Yi had not yet opened his fourteenth meridian point and could not yet absorb the heaven and earth metal Qi into his lung meridian. However, after a night of cultivation, he had made some progress, though it still required time to hone. Still, he wanted to come into contact with the practitioners of this world to see what their cultivation methods were like and whether they could be of help to him.

As Li Yi stepped out of the temple.

Old Liu hurriedly told the others to keep up and not fall behind.

Li Yi's pace was vigorous, his posture light. Although he was just walking down the steps, he gave the feeling that he could take flight at any moment, possessing an indescribable agility. Yet, when walking on flat ground, his pace was like a dragon or a tiger, and his gaze held a great majesty that made people look on with awe.

The crowd hadn't seen clearly yesterday evening, but in the daylight, they realized just how graceful and extraordinary this Daoist priest was.

The group walked down the mountain along the mountain path. On the way, there was truly no danger at all; they didn't even hear the sounds of wild beasts in the corners of the mountains.

"Old Liu, look at that mountain."

Suddenly, the scholar Lu Yue noticed something. His expression changed, and he hurriedly took a few quick steps to pull Old Liu, pointing at a mountain peak not far away: "That mountain shouldn't have looked like that yesterday, right?"

Old Liu glanced over, then jumped in shock, horror appearing in his eyes.

He saw that the perfectly fine mountain peak now had a crack in the middle. That gap ran through the mountain body, neat and straight, as if it had been sliced open by some divine weapon. Moreover, the crack extended all the way from the mountain peak to the foot, finally aligning with the Mountain God Temple behind them.

"That mountain peak must have been split open by lightning when Daoist priest Tai Yi was subduing demons last night." He was very certain, yet filled with a bit of trepidation: "The rumbling sound last night was the movement of rocks rolling down. No wonder all the ghosts and monsters disappeared after the Daoist priest acted. Seeing this scene, who would dare stay there?"

Lu Yue looked again, also shocked: "From that mountain top to the Mountain God Temple, although it looks close, it's at least ten miles. To be able to split a mountain from such a distance? Is he really human?"

Old Liu remained silent. He had never encountered such an outrageous thing in his life; today, he had truly seen it all.

As the group descended the mountain, they reached the main road.

Although it was a main road, it was easy to lose one's way because the ancient trees on both sides were lush and green, and wild grass covered the ground everywhere. With their line of sight blocked, one couldn't tell east from west. Occasionally, encountering a fork in the forest path, one wouldn't know where it led.

There were no signposts or markers on the road.

To successfully pass through this territory, an experienced guide was indispensable. Travelers only needed to pool some money to hire someone like Old Liu to lead them out safely and avoid the risk of getting lost. Of course, there were bold ones who didn't hire anyone and tried to cross it themselves, but whether they could walk out successfully was unknown.

At this point, everyone remained silent, burying their heads and hurrying along.

Because talking disrupted breathing and wasted energy; if one couldn't keep up and fell behind, no one would be willing to stand in place and wait for you.

It had to be said that the people of this world had truly good stamina; they walked over ten kilometers without anyone stopping, and even the two women didn't complain of fatigue.

"The ancient trees here touch the sky, the mountain ranges roll, and spiritual veins are hidden. I don't know how many monsters have been nourished here. Although it is somewhat dangerous for ordinary people, it is very suitable for me to collect wood Qi here." Li Yi was observing the surrounding environment, having made a mental note; it might be useful in the future.

They walked for another stretch.

At this time, everyone was a bit tired.

But Old Liu shouted: "We are about to pass the Three-Way Junction ahead. Once we pass that, we will enter the territory of Xinzhou. Everyone, put in some effort, don't rest, let's cross it while the sun is high at noon."

The group felt a boost in spirit and hurriedly quickened their pace.

Although they had heard that the Three-Way Junction was dangerous, it was their first time passing through, and no one knew what the situation ahead was like. But since the guide said it was bad, there must be a reason. Although they had the Daoist priest leading the way, they still didn't want to encounter any strange events; after all, the Daoist priest was a high person, but they were not.

Li Yi also saw the so-called Three-Way Junction.

It was indeed dangerous.

A main road suddenly narrowed, entering the mountain forest. The surrounding light dimmed instantly, and the middle of the road was wrapped by three large mountains, making the road winding and tortuous, impossible to see what was ahead. Besides that, the main road split into two, and there were many fork roads on both the left and right sides.

Each of those fork roads led into the dense forest; some were shortcuts around the mountain, and others were unknown ancient paths.

Entering them by mistake—easy to get in, hard to get out.

"Woo woo!"

A damp, cold wind blew from the mountain stream, and strange noises were constant.

Fortunately, it was daytime. If it were night, one would be startled, lose their way, and who knows where they would end up.

However, just at this moment, the older woman in the group suddenly felt her body go limp as she walked, as if all her strength had been drained. Her eyes rolled back, and she fell straight toward the ground. The young girl walking alongside her hurriedly tried to support her, but it was to no avail.

Soon, the older woman lay on the ground unconscious.

"No, no, it's bad, she fainted." The young girl hurriedly called out.

Old Liu, Lu Yue, and the other two travelers in front stopped their steps and looked back.

Old Liu's expression changed, and he hurriedly turned back to check, immediately saying: "This lady has heatstroke; if it's not handled well, it could be fatal."

"How can there be heatstroke in such a cool mountain stream?" Another traveler asked in surprise: "Could it be that she is possessed?"

"Heatstroke has two types: heat-stroke and cold-stroke. I won't be mistaken; this lady has cold-stroke. She was walking too fast earlier, and she was sweating. Now, hit by the cold wind of the mountain stream, the combination of cold and heat has trapped the sweat inside her body, and she has immediately collapsed. This illness is very urgent; if she doesn't get medical treatment, she will die very quickly."

Old Liu said: "The year before last, I saw a few travelers who also reached the Three-Way Junction. Because they were thirsty, they drank a few mouthfuls of spring water from the mountain stream. The cold air hit them, and they immediately collapsed. Although someone carried them out of here, they breathed their last not long after entering the Xinzhou territory."

"Then do you have a way to save her?"

The scholar Lu Yue hurriedly asked: "We can't just watch this lady die in this wilderness. When traveling, it's not easy for anyone."

Old Liu shook his head and said: "I don't know the method to save her. There is another guide, Old Gen, who knows how to treat it, but he led a group of people away from this territory two days ago. It won't be easy to run into him."

"It's nothing, her Qi and blood are just blocked; once cleared, she will be fine." Suddenly, Li Yi walked back. His eyes were glowing, and he observed her for a few moments.

"Daoist priest, do you know how to treat her?" Old Liu asked pleasantly surprised.

Li Yi said: "I don't know medicine. I only learned a few small magic spells and practiced a bit of martial arts; I haven't studied medicine. However, illness is complex in appearance but simple in reality; it is nothing more than a deficiency or blockage of Qi and blood."

As he spoke, he extended a finger, then channeled his Qi and blood, and a strand of invisible Qi and blood wrapped around his fingertip.

Then, he flicked his finger, and this strand of Qi and blood entered the woman's body.

Nourished by this strand of Qi and blood, the woman's meridians were instantly cleared, her Qi and blood became robust, and she spat out a mouthful of turbid air. She soon opened her eyes and regained consciousness.

"Thank, thank you, Daoist priest, for saving my life." After waking up, the woman immediately regained her strength and said with great gratitude.

"You truly should thank the Daoist priest; otherwise, you would never have walked out of this Three-Way Junction and would surely have become a pile of dry bones by the roadside." Old Liu sighed with emotion.

Traveling is just this arduous; encountering a sudden illness means dying in the wilderness, unable to survive at all.

Li Yi just smiled: "It's fine as long as you're okay. I used a strand of Qi and blood to clear all your meridians and left that strand in your body. As long as you don't encounter any danger in the future, it will ensure you are free from all illnesses and live a long life."

"There is such a stroke of fortune?" The crowd was filled with envy upon hearing this.

The woman felt amazed, but she truly felt a warm current wandering through her body. She, who had been weak and powerless just a moment ago, was now full of energy, as if she could walk another twenty miles without a problem.

Li Yi was just about to say something when his eyes suddenly saw strands of invisible Qi from these people gathering toward him.

"This is..."

He was curious and reached out to try to grab it, but he couldn't touch it.

This strand of Qi was not essence, nor was it spiritual energy; it was more like a power of belief.

Although the power of this belief was very weak, after gathering on Li Yi, it seemed to have a mind of its own. The surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth was attracted by this power of belief and poured into his body on its own.

Such a scene was somewhat similar to the mountain god statue he had seen in the Mountain God Temple.

"This is just the belief of five or six people added to me, and there is such a change. If the belief of thousands, tens of thousands, or hundreds of thousands of people were added, what would happen?" Li Yi's expression froze; he seemed to have inadvertently touched upon the cultivation method of this world.

Moreover, this cultivation method must have a system; that statue was the best proof.

"Perhaps I should go to a more prosperous place with more people to see."

He then had some ideas.

Because the more people there were, the more opportunities there were to obtain belief, and the stronger the power of belief would be.

It was just that how to obtain the power of belief still needed to be studied further.

After curing the woman, the group continued their journey.

Although the Three-Way Junction was dangerous, with Li Yi opening the path and Old Liu as the guide, they didn't encounter any danger. It took about half an hour to successfully pass through this mountain stream.

And after leaving the mountain stream, the further they went, the flatter the terrain became.

Gradually, they walked out of the wilderness, and at the same time, other travelers began to appear on the main road. They were gathering from other small mountain paths, all moving in the same direction.

With the presence of people, the tense mood of the group relaxed significantly; at least they didn't have to worry about encountering mountain monsters anymore.

However, they hadn't walked far.

By the side of the main road stood a boundary marker with the two characters "Xinzhou" written on it, though Li Yi didn't recognize the characters; he learned this from the scholar Lu Yue.

And a few dozen meters in front of the boundary marker, there was also a small temple.

"That is the Earth Temple of Xinzhou. After worshipping the Earth Temple and offering incense, you will have entered the territory of Xinzhou. My job as a guide can be considered finished." Old Liu smiled at this moment.

The Earth Temple was not large, but there were quite a few people sitting nearby.

There were merchants passing by taking a rest, and guides waiting for work. Besides that, there were herbal tea stalls and pancake shops on the left and right.

The group arrived at the Earth Temple, took three free sticks of incense, lit them, and after sincerely offering them, they paid the remaining money to Old Liu according to the price they had discussed beforehand.

However, Li Yi stood in front of the Earth Temple, looking at the statue inside.

The incense in front of the statue was flourishing, and the statue was emitting radiance. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered nearby without dispersing, and vaguely, a human figure appeared.

At this moment, the mud statue seemed to come alive, a pair of eyes staring at Li Yi, seemingly observing him.

"Belief... incense, statue? So that's how it is." Li Yi was lost in thought.

Offering incense was actually just a form, but the belief generated by people during the process of offering incense was very important. Once the statue obtained it, it could automatically gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and under the nourishment of this energy, the statue would have cultivation and strength.

But, a statue was just mud; even with the addition of belief and the gathering of spiritual energy, it shouldn't be able to manifest a human form.

Unless there was a soul residing in the statue. Only then could it obtain the addition of belief and cultivate to become stronger.

Thinking of this, Li Yi immediately revealed a smile, because he could now be certain that his father must be living very well in this world. Because an Evolver at the Soul Realm who crossed over could completely parasitize a statue if he couldn't find a physical body, using the belief of the masses to maintain the survival of his soul, and then absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to strengthen himself.

Therefore, this was a place very suitable for soul cultivation.

"Where did this mountain Daoist come from? Entering my temple, neither offering incense nor kneeling, what is the meaning of this? Are you trying to plot against my incense? Get out quickly, or I will detain your soul."

Suddenly.

At this moment, someone shouted, and then an illusory figure slowly floated out from the statue.

The person looked like a middle-aged man, wearing wide robes, with a sallow complexion and eyes wide open in anger, looking very majestic.

"The soul obtains the addition of belief and the gathering of spiritual energy; it really can achieve detachment from the physical body and exist long in heaven and earth." Li Yi's gaze flickered: "This cultivation method is indeed very special and unique."

As he spoke, he also attracted the attention of others nearby.

Many people thought this Daoist was crazy, actually talking to the statue.

Because in the eyes of ordinary people, they couldn't see that Earth God; after all, souls, belief, and spiritual energy were things that could only be seen after opening one's spiritual sense.

"Actually still babbling here, not putting me in your eyes at all. I'll give you wild Daoist a lesson so you know how powerful I am." This middle-aged Earth God was furious. He grabbed with his hand and took a whip from his waist.

That whip was condensed from some kind of evil Qi and combined with the essence of the sun and moon, emitting radiance and looking very extraordinary.

The Earth God swung the whip in his hand, striking toward Li Yi.

This whip was called the Soul-Striking Whip; it didn't hurt the physical body, but specifically harmed the soul.

An ordinary person struck by this whip would definitely have their soul severely damaged, either falling into a coma or becoming an idiot, beyond medical help.

But the next moment.

Something that shocked the Earth God happened. A ball of red mist Qi surged into the sky from Li Yi's body. When the Soul-Striking Whip struck it, it was like encountering a raging fire, instantly bursting into flames.

That red mist Qi was extremely hot, burning along the Soul-Striking Whip toward him. Before it even got close, it had already scorched his palm black.

"This, what magic is this?" The Earth God was shocked, hurriedly dropping the whip and retreating repeatedly.

"What a weak god, can't even withstand a strand of heart-fire Qi." Li Yi said.

However, his heart-fire Qi was the most effective against souls and Primordial Spirits; even the Nascent Soul of a practitioner would turn to ash if burned by it, let alone a small, minor god.

A weak god?

The Earth God was both shocked and afraid: "Wild Daoist, stop being fierce. This is the territory of Xinzhou, where countless gods are worshipped. If you dare to act, I will ensure you don't live past tonight."

"Not much ability, but a big mouth. After being worshipped for a long time, you really think you are a high-and-mighty god? You are just a wandering soul who was lucky enough to move into a statue and obtained the addition of belief, becoming a little bit of a climate. Today, I will give you a lesson so you learn how to behave." After Li Yi finished speaking, a murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

Rumble!

A clap of thunder rang out on flat ground. In an instant, a silver lightning bolt fell from the sky and accurately struck the Earth God statue.

The statue shattered and collapsed, turning into a pile of mud.

Others nearby were startled by this.

They looked at the Earth God statue, then at the sky, looking at each other in dismay, not knowing what had happened.

"It's that silver lightning again..."

Only Old Liu, the scholar Lu Yue, and the other travelers who had come with him realized some of the reasons.

They all looked at Li Yi.

They didn't understand why this Daoist priest wanted to use lightning to destroy the statue in the Earth Temple. ===== CHAPTER 539 =====