Chapter 607: Entering the Capital

Feeling the powerful aura emanating from Li Yi, the Guardian General Zhang Lei had no doubt that if this Daoist truly fought, he could indeed destroy the capital; though in the end the Daoist would surely perish, the cost would be devastating.

As a god born from incense worship, his image must never collapse—if the people saw the Guardian General unable to protect the capital's safety, his fate would be horrific.

For a moment.

Guardian General Zhang Lei hesitated, even daring not to issue threats to provoke the Daoist, fearing the situation would spiral into its worst possible outcome.

"Daoist, are you truly unafraid of death? This is the capital—three other Guardian Generals have yet to appear, and countless princes, nobles, and past dynasties' Yin Emperors still linger. If you dare strike, you'll face the entire nation as your enemy; even if you flee to the ends of the earth, death is certain."

Zhang Lei said seriously: "I urge you to reconsider, do not stray down the wrong path."

Li Yi smiled at this: "With my own strength, I could drag an entire dynasty down with me—this deal isn't a loss. But whether I strike or not depends not on me, but on you."

"If the Guardian General permits me to enter and leave the capital freely, I naturally won't act recklessly. But if you insist on blocking me, then what I just said will become reality. That's all I have to say—Guardian General, be on your way."

He ignored him further, his crimson auspicious cloud lifting both Prince Xin and himself around the incense god, continuing toward the capital.

Should this Guardian General dare block him again, Li Yi would start a battle here—whether he could win was uncertain, but at least he'd make the opponent pay the price of striking first.

At this moment, Zhang Lei hovered amid blue smoke, his gaze flickering uncertainly as he watched Li Yi boldly carry Prince Xin straight into the capital; he felt humiliated, yet dared not act, for a full-scale battle would cost him more than he could bear—unless he could instantly kill the Daoist and prevent him from casting spells to destroy the city.

Yet as he gazed upon the crimson-feathered purple-gold armor and the divine wooden greatbow in the Daoist's hand,

Zhang Lei realized he could not kill him instantly—he'd likely need a prolonged battle to subdue him.

"That Daoist understands incense gods intimately—he saw right through our weakness. If a real battle erupts, he'll target my statue; if it's destroyed, the incense faith collapses, my power plummets, and I might not win at all—perhaps even be slain."

Then he grew wary again.

"Enough. Let him enter the capital. Though dangerous, once inside, this Daoist must restrain himself—he won't dare cause major trouble, or he'll never leave alive."

After some thought, Zhang Lei chose compromise, watching helplessly as Li Yi headed toward the capital.

"The Guardian General actually let him pass?"

Prince Xin was stunned—in his mind, Zhang Lei, one of the southern Guardian Generals, was upright, hated evil, fiercely loyal; any ghost or demon he intercepted met a terrible end.

Yet today he chose to bend the law.

Li Yi said calmly: "He had no choice—incense gods are too flawed; their power relies entirely on the people's faith. Unlike me, whose strength stems from within, allowing me to act without restraint. He can't afford the cost of fighting—even if stronger, he can only glare helplessly."

With the Guardian General no longer blocking them,

he and Prince Xin soon reached the capital's skies.

But as soon as they entered the capital, Li Yi felt an inexplicable oppression—as if his magic power were shackled, restricted, and the cloud-walking technique felt like carrying a mountain, so heavy he had to rapidly descend to reduce magical drain.

"Is this due to that dragon-tiger energy?"

Li Yi looked up at the true dragon aura shrouding the heavens.

Formed from the people's collective faith and countless spiritual energies, this dragon symbolizing the dynasty's fortune possessed immense divine power—likely rivaling a Three Flowers realm expert. Yet this dragon aura had form without spirit, able only to passively protect the capital, unable to manifest actively to strike down enemies.

Such vast incense faith was being wasted—if properly harnessed, the entire nation could forge a true god.

"The power of incense faith combined with dynastic fortune can even influence Daoist arts—utterly inconceivable."

Li Yi noticed that the heavier his approach to the capital's core, the heavier the invisible shackles on his magic power became; though his arts didn't fail, their strength was greatly diminished.

Yet his martial cultivation and the dragon-tiger power within his body remained unaffected.

It seems cultivating both paths has its advantages.

"Even I, a Daoist, am so severely affected—those incense gods must be worse off. They likely can't even enter the capital's core, or they'd be crushed by dynastic fortune, powerless. That eases my mind," Li Yi thought.

Since cloud-walking was so difficult, he abandoned it entirely, simply plummeting straight down from midair.

Soon, he and Prince Xin landed openly on a major avenue.

Around them, lanterns blazed brightly, crowds bustled incessantly. Seeing this Daoist arrive on crimson clouds, they weren't afraid—they were excited and thrilled.

"Look, look! A celestial being has arrived on auspicious clouds!"

"Truly a celestial being—I saw him float down from the sky!"

"Celestial being, I'm a wealthy merchant of the capital—I have considerable wealth. Please come to my home—I'll offer you ten thousand taels!" Someone, sensing opportunity, shouted wildly toward Li Yi.

"A mere merchant has no right to serve a celestial being! My father is a Minister of the Court—I invite you to my home," said a brocade-clad man, striding forward with a respectful bow.

Li Yi ignored them. Before he'd even touched ground, a crowd had gathered—men, women, young, old—all faces alight with strange excitement, as if witnessing something miraculous.

Beside him, Prince Xin explained: "In the capital, the pursuit of immortals and Daoist arts runs deep. Any Daoist who knows even minor magic is revered and pampered. Your descent on crimson auspicious clouds is indistinguishable from a true immortal—once seen, you're inevitably surrounded."

"I see," Li Yi understood.

Yet within the capital's dragon aura, ordinary Daoists couldn't even cast spells—this naturally filtered out most frauds and incompetent practitioners. Only those with real ability could display even a fraction of their power here—and such people, outside the capital, would be even stronger.

Prince Xin said: "I have a mansion in the capital. If you seek someone, you need a place to stay. Why not come with me first?"

Li Yi glanced at him: "You're stalling?"

No error, no omission, no content missing!

"I dare not."

Prince Xin immediately said: "It's the third watch of night, and you've traveled far from Xinzhou. Where can you possibly find someone right now? The capital spans three hundred li—on horseback it would take days. Rest first. In these days, I'll contact old acquaintances, send people to search, and arrange a meeting once the person is found."

"I don't trust your words. The one who wrote the poem lives in the capital—he must have a residence. Take me there directly," Li Yi said, seizing his hand and striding forward.

"Celestial being, celestial being, please grant me some wealth! Years ago I borrowed heavily to buy a house in the capital, and now I can't pay the interest—please help me settle my debt, I'll be eternally grateful!" Someone blocked Li Yi's path, kneeling and weeping.

Li Yi's face darkened. You took out a mortgage, can't pay your loan, and you're asking me?

He wanted to refuse, but considering his celestial identity might help gather incense faith, he decided to test it: "I'll teach you a method. Mortgage your current house to a moneylender, take the cash, buy another house, then mortgage that second house for more cash to buy a third—and so on. Soon, you'll own countless properties."

The man trembled, terrified: "Celestial being, won't that leave me deeper in debt? One house already requires fifty years of nonstop labor—I can't repay even one, let alone several! I'll never escape this debt in lifetimes!"

"Foolish. The capital spans three hundred li, yet houses are limited. The more you buy, the higher prices rise. Sell your first house for double or triple its original price, use that money to repay later debts, repeat the cycle—you'll become immensely wealthy in no time," Li Yi said.

At these words, many nearby people were stunned.

Could you really do that?

Yet upon reflection, it seemed plausible.

The man's face flushed crimson with sudden enlightenment—he knelt and banged his head on the ground repeatedly.

"Celestial being, your grace is beyond repayment! Please tell me your name—I'll worship you for generations!" He rose eagerly to leave, but after a few steps, knelt again and bowed once more.

Li Yi said: "I am Taiyi. Go. If you grow wealthy, do good deeds—never commit evil."

"I humbly heed the teachings of Immortal Taiyi," the man said, then fled in ecstatic haste.

Others, witnessing this, suddenly awakened.

If he can do this, why not me?

For a moment.

Dozens around him departed—crowds thinned instantly.

Seeing the path clear, Li Yi continued pulling Prince Xin forward.

Prince Xin wished desperately to delay, but could only sigh helplessly.

"Celestial being, I am thirty-eight and still unmarried. May I ask—where is my destiny in love?" Another man knelt before Li Yi, blocking his path, bowing repeatedly. He was short, ugly, naturally unattractive to women.

Your profile? You're making this hard on me, Li Yi.

But Li Yi thought a moment: "Leave the capital, head south. Pass through wastelands and ruined temples—worship and offer there. Perhaps your fate will come to you."

Since no living woman will have you, seek ghosts or spirits—they won't care about your face.

(End of chapter)