Chapter 547

As Li Yi spat out a breath of golden energy and severed the Daoist's head, everyone present realized that the Daoist before them was a truly dangerous figure who would take a life without a second thought, and his strength was also terrifyingly high; even a high-level expert capable of using a flying sword was no match for him.

"Ah!"

Seeing the headless corpse spraying blood, the maids in the Invitation Star Tower screamed and scattered like birds and beasts.

At the same time, teams of armored soldiers heard the commotion and quickly climbed the stairs, wanting to protect Prince Xin and capture the assassin.

But the wandering knight, fox spirit, white ape, and scholars present remained silent, not daring to make the slightest move, fearing that the golden flying sword would land on them and instantly take their lives.

Prince Xin's face changed upon seeing this scene. Although he had no cultivation, he could see that the young Daoist's strength was extraordinary; no one present seemed to be his match, and even if he called all the armored soldiers of the Prince's mansion, it would likely be of no use.

Thinking of this.

He immediately shouted: "What kind of decorum is this, making such a racket? All armored soldiers, maids, and servants, withdraw! This has nothing to do with you; don't embarrass this Prince here."

The Prince's order was given.

The armored soldiers who had just rushed up the stairs were stunned for a moment, but then they cupped their hands, acknowledged the order, and retreated the way they came. The maids and servants also lowered their heads in terror, not daring to make a sound, and followed the stairs down.

In just a moment, the Invitation Star Tower became quiet.

"Daoist Tai Yi, let's talk things over; please do not harm the Prince's life."

At this moment, the wandering knight guarding in front of Prince Xin took a slight breath, gathered his courage, and tried to negotiate with the dangerous Daoist before him. He felt that this Daoist probably didn't come just to kill, otherwise, he wouldn't have said so much.

Li Yi glanced at him: "This has nothing to do with you; move aside."

"I am entrusted by others, and I must be loyal to their affairs. I cannot agree to this." The wandering knight did not move. He had been invited to the banquet today, and now that the host was in trouble, how could he retreat in the face of battle?

"Your courage is not bad, but in this world where one becomes a god through incense, a wandering knight is destined to have no way out," Li Yi said calmly.

At this moment, Prince Xin patted the wandering knight's shoulder and said: "It's fine. This Daoist is likely not here to assassinate this Prince; otherwise, that flying sword just now would have already taken my head. Let me talk to him and see what he really wants; I cannot let you lose your lives."

The wandering knight's expression shifted, and he moved aside, but he still waited on the sidelines, gripping his sword hilt, prepared to fight for his life at any moment.

Although he didn't know if he would have the courage to draw his sword against the enemy at the critical moment, there was no reason to retreat.

Prince Xin regained his composure at this moment. He was calm and unhurried, slowly opening his mouth to say: "Daoist Tai Yi, if you are willing to restrain your killing intent and not kill the guests indiscriminately, I can agree to any condition as long as it is within my power."

"That depends on whether the others are sensible. People of cultivation who cannot even distinguish the strength of their opponent and attack recklessly deserve to die," Li Yi said calmly. "I still have the same question: who exactly wrote that verse?"

"Is the Daoist only here for this question?" Prince Xin asked.

Li Yi said: "Otherwise, why do you think I would suddenly appear in the middle of the night? I have other things to do tonight; I have no time to play house with you here."

Prince Xin's eyes moved, and he gave a wry smile: "Although I don't know why you are obsessed with the origin of that verse, you are not wrong; that verse was indeed not written by me. I don't have the literary talent to create such a famous line that will be passed down through the ages. It's just that the origin of that verse is indeed unusual. It's not that I am unwilling to tell you, Daoist, but this matter involves deep implications, and I dare not reveal it lightly."

As he spoke, he turned and returned to the main seat, then sat down slowly, pouring himself a cup of wine and drinking it in one gulp.

"Not unwilling? But dare not?" Li Yi said calmly: "Even a prince like you has things you dare not do. This poem likely comes from the imperial palace in the capital. Do you think I guessed correctly?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Prince Xin's face stiffened slightly, and then he simply admitted it generously: "That is correct; it does indeed come from the imperial palace in the capital."

"As I thought," Li Yi said to himself.

Regardless of whether the person who wrote the poem was his own father or another cross-dimensional traveler, the fastest and best way to collect incense after coming to this world was either to rebel or to infiltrate the imperial palace.

But he had observed this world for a day and could be certain that no one in the world had rebelled in recent years, so the cross-dimensional traveler had likely chosen the second method.

"Knowing the location makes things easier. Later, you will accompany me to the capital for a trip; I want to see the person who wrote that poem," Li Yi added.

Prince Xin gave a bitter smile: "Without an imperial decree, a prince is not allowed to leave his fiefdom, or it is considered rebellion. Daoist, if you insist on this, then you might as well just kill me. If I die at your hands, I might still be granted a position as a righteous god by the imperial court and enjoy human incense. If I rebel, that is truly dying without a burial place."

"Tell me the name of that person, and I can spare you," Li Yi said.

Prince Xin shook his head: "I cannot do this either. Since you already know this poem comes from the capital, why not go find it yourself? With your abilities, Daoist, finding the source should not be difficult."

"Why waste time finding it myself when someone can lead the way? Since you won't agree to this and won't agree to that, don't blame me for being unreasonable. Tonight, you will accompany me to the capital; once the matter is settled, I will naturally send you back." As he spoke, Li Yi's gaze shifted, and he stepped forward again.

The dragon aura on Prince Xin sensed this. Although it was suppressed by the dragon and tiger aura, it still roared and rushed out, wanting to block Li Yi and protect its master.

"A mere dragon aura wants to turn the sky? Get lost!" Li Yi shouted.

A tiger's roar surged into the sky, and silver light spilled over the heavens, transforming into a variegated fierce tiger. With one swipe of its claw, half of the dragon aura's body exploded, turning into incense energy that filled the sky.

However, the incense energy condensed again, the dragon's body reformed, and it once again entangled the variegated fierce tiger, fighting with it.

But the dragon was no match for the silver fierce tiger; it was torn to shreds in just two moves and pinned to the ground, wailing incessantly.

Yet the dragon was invincible in battle; no matter how many times it was torn apart, it would still reform. This was different from other incense gods. "So that's it; as long as the throne is not lost, the incense will not cease." Li Yi saw the reason.

As long as this Prince Xin was still a prince and had not been stripped of his title by the imperial court, the incense energy would not dissipate; even if it were crushed, it could quickly recover.

It seems this path of becoming a god through incense is not entirely without advantages.

The air exploded, and a clap of thunder rang out between heaven and earth. Silver lightning bolts intertwined, instantly obliterating everything in front of him.

"Stop!"

The wandering knight on the side roared. At this moment, he steadied his mind and finally drew his precious sword. He slashed with one sword, wanting to intercept that arm and prevent him from attacking Prince Xin.

But the precious sword shattered and broke instantly upon touching the silver energy, and the powerful force sent him flying directly.

Clearly, he was too weak; he couldn't even withstand a single strand of silver energy.

As for the white ape and the fox spirit, they dared not move at all. They were spirits who had attained the Dao and were very sensitive to auras. It wasn't that they didn't want to help Prince Xin, but the pressure of the dragon and tiger aura made their bodies go soft; being able to steady themselves was already good enough. If they attacked, they feared even their spells would fail.

Immediately, Li Yi had already grabbed Prince Xin, and auspicious clouds grew beneath his feet, intending to take him away.

But then he stopped his steps and released the person he had just grabbed.

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Prince Xin was shocked and uncertain, not knowing why this Daoist had grabbed him only to let him go.

"It seems the matter in the capital will have to be delayed; I have some other things that need to be handled," Li Yi said, looking outside.

At some point, dark clouds had covered the moon outside, and rolling thunder rumbled like drums from far to near. Then, between the clouds and high in the sky, a towering figure clad in armor appeared.

"Demonic Daoist Tai Yi, you have committed heinous crimes. I have received an order to come and capture you; why don't you come out and submit to execution?"

The voice was loud, reaching into the room and shaking one's soul.

"It's the Mountain God of Mount Taiyue."

Hearing this voice, the bewitching fox spirit's face changed drastically, and she immediately recognized him.

Because in the Xinzhou region, the Mountain God of Mount Taiyue had the greatest reputation, and he had stained his hands with the blood of countless spirits. Even though she had hidden in the Prince's mansion, seeing this Mountain God in person made her heart tremble.

"A god of incense? Very good. I'll use you to test my blade and see what you're made of."

Li Yi's expression remained unchanged. He didn't hide or avoid, but simply stepped on the auspicious clouds and flew out of the Invitation Star Tower. His figure rose higher and higher, and before long, he had entered the nine heavens, as if standing alongside the bright moon.

"Your Highness, hurry and leave."

At this moment, the scholar hurried over, grabbing Prince Xin's hand and signaling him to take this opportunity to slip away.

Prince Xin shook his sleeve and broke free, giving a calm smile: "If even a righteous god appointed by the imperial court cannot capture this Daoist, then where can this Prince escape to? Instead of that, it's better to watch right here in the Invitation Star Tower and see how they fight; it will broaden my horizons."

"This, this..." The scholar turned and thought about it, then gave a bitter smile.

This seemed to be correct.

This Daoist could ride the clouds, spit out swords, and take objects from a distance; his abilities were high. If he could defeat the righteous god appointed by the imperial court tonight, there was indeed no need to escape.

The fox spirit and the white ape also looked into the sky, wanting to witness the Daoist's true abilities.

The god of incense in the sky was clearly not comparable to other mountain spirits or wild temple gods. His towering body just stood there, and the spiritual energy of the heavens gathered toward him. Moreover, the incense energy he absorbed was immensely vast, and the divine image he condensed was even more majestic.

"It looks a bit like the ghost and god manifestations of the Four Seas and Eight Continents," Li Yi observed slightly. "But his strength is even greater. As expected, this world is also distorted; there is a world of difference between a god who has obtained massive amounts of incense and one who has little."

"What a demonic Daoist, daring to sneak into the Prince's mansion and threaten a prince; you are truly bold!" The Mountain God of Mount Taiyue's eyes were like two lanterns, shining with divine light as he stared at Li Yi.

Li Yi glanced at him: "Just you, a god of incense? What about the local City God? Hasn't the Underworld Decree already spread in all directions?"

"That's fine." Chen Nian nodded: "However, this matter should be reported to the top and not concealed, so that we won't be unable to take responsibility when the investigation comes later."

Seeing that he was being so despised, the Mountain God of Mount Taiyue was instantly furious and immediately swung the two golden hammers in his hands, smashing them down toward his head.

With just one strike, the heavens rumbled with thunder, and fierce winds raged all around.

Countless incense beliefs gathered, like two mountains pressing down.

No monster or demon could withstand the Mountain God of Mount Taiyue's angry hammer strike.

"Very good, you have some ability, but if you want to take my life, you're still lacking." Li Yi let out a long whistle, and a breath of heart-fire energy surged into the sky. In an instant, the firmament was dyed red, and the rolling dark clouds seemed to be burning fiercely, making the original night as bright as day.

(End of chapter)