Chapter 618: Incense Divine Art

"In a world where incense worship grants divinity, belief's power uses illusion to cultivate truth—so this is how it works."

"I never imagined such a miraculous world existed. So you, Taiyi, were appointed Imperial National Teacher by the current emperor, receiving the dynasty's incense and belief power—no wonder I benefited too, my Primordial Spirit flower bloomed early. I thought you'd already broken through to the Three Flowers Realm."

"Taiyi, you're too kind. How could the incense belief of a single National Teacher satisfy you? You should've used the Great Method of Dividing Rivers into Land the moment you met the emperor, slaying him outright, then employed the Subduing Dragon and Taming Tiger Art to crush the civil and military officials, seizing the throne directly. Then all the incense belief of the realm would belong to you."

At this moment, Li Yi sat inside a gilded carriage, eyes closed, sensing the vast incense belief power surrounding him. Yet Xiang Xiangzi, whose Primordial Spirit had revived, chattered incessantly in his mind—first reasonably, then eventually inciting him to kill the emperor and rebel.

But he found nothing strange about it.

It fit Xiang Xiangzi's nature perfectly.

"Immortal Lady, I shall manage the incense belief matter myself. But compared to that, you should first consider how to harness this power," Li Yi replied.

"Well said. No matter how much incense power you have, if you can't use it wisely, it's useless. Taiyi, wait a moment while I ponder this."

At this moment, Xiang Xiangzi's Primordial Spirit sat cross-legged atop a crystal-clear flower. In mere moments, her Primordial Spirit's outline had grown far more refined, enveloped in incense aura, resembling a spirit of the blossom—vivid and lifelike. Hearing Li Yi's question, she immediately propped her chin in thought.

Li Yi, too, was not idle. He now combined this vast incense belief power with his soul force to perform the Great Method of Harvesting Heaven and Earth Qi.

The range of this technique, when cast again, was truly astonishing.

Like a vast net, it captured spiritual energy from five hundred li around. As this energy flooded in, brilliant clear light burst from his body, forming rings of radiance that spread outward from him in successive waves—each one clearer than the last, visible even to ordinary eyes.

At this moment, Li Yi resembled a complete marvel, radiating an immense energy field.

Such a terrifying convergence of heavenly and earthly qi made the two Golden-Eyed Guards driving the carriage feel every cell in their bodies rejoicing—even without cultivating, their strength rose steadily.

"How is this possible?"

The two Golden-Eyed Guards exchanged glances, utterly stunned.

They turned back in disbelief. Beneath their pale golden eyes, brilliant clear light poured from the carriage, enveloping at least several hundred meters in twelve distinct, layered rings. Because they were so close, they were affected most intensely.

If they cultivated in this environment, they would surely break through to the Soul Realm in no time.

"It must be the method of True Person Taiyi—unbelievable, truly divine."

"This is the Heavenly and Earthly energy the emperor spoke of. Now it's all rushing here, gathering in one place—even common folk without spiritual eyes can see it."

"Bad— the horses can't withstand this much heavenly energy. Their bodies are breaking down."

The two Golden-Eyed Guards whispered quietly, but soon noticed the carriage horses writhing in agony, blood seeping from their skin, eyes blazing red, desperately struggling as if trying to break free from the reins. Their cells were being corroded by intense energy, causing them to wither and die.

It was like radiation—bodies too weak could not endure such an energy baptism.

Though the carriage horses were specially bred variants, they too could not endure it. If they didn't leave this energy field soon, they would die.

Not just the carriage horses—the imperial guards' mounts nearby suffered the same fate: screaming in pain, drenched in blood, frenzied and wild.

With the horses out of control, the carriage behind them rocked violently.

The two Golden-Eyed Guards could only use their strength to forcibly subdue the beasts, preventing chaos in the procession and preserving the imperial dignity.

"Combining incense belief with soul force has made this technique more than ten times stronger than before. The sensation is unbelievable—as if every difficulty vanished instantly, leaving me with an unreal sense of overwhelming power. And this is near the imperial city, where the Dragon and Tiger qi suppresses such energy," Li Yi suddenly opened his eyes.

He immediately withdrew the Great Method of Harvesting Heaven and Earth Qi, dispersing the vast cosmic energy, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Since gaining the position of National Teacher and the incense belief power, Li Yi felt his cultivation and spellcasting had undergone a qualitative leap. Previously, his Summon Wind Art could only cover a hundred li; now, it rivaled the power of a Three Flowers Realm cultivator—spanning a thousand li in an instant, terrifyingly potent.

And as time passed, with incense belief continuously gathering, this power continued to grow stronger.

All his previous diligent cultivation now seemed like nonsense.

No wonder this world, despite possessing cosmic energy, never developed a cultivation path.

Compared to the slow grind of seated Qi refining and gradual evolution, becoming a god through incense worship was the true path. You cultivate for a hundred years and still lose to a god who's spent one year gathering incense—why bother? Everyone rushes to accumulate incense and become a god directly. No wonder this world is distorted—it's simply too tempting to take the shortcut.

Li Yi took several deep breaths, calming himself. He realized he must not be deceived by this temporary power—he must still adhere to cultivating truth through illusion, and not be bound by incense belief.

As the surrounding cosmic energy dispersed, the commotion outside quieted.

The Golden-Eyed Guards driving the carriage finally exhaled in relief, then urged the horses forward, eager to deliver this immortal to the palace for audience with the emperor, lest more trouble arise.

Meanwhile, inside the Ming Palace of the imperial capital.

This was where the Son of Heaven held court and received his ministers.

At this moment, Emperor Li Jiye, clad in black-and-gold dragon robes and crowned with a beaded headdress, sat upon the Dragon Throne. His face was stern, his aura majestic. His golden vertical pupils scanned the court with calm, dragonlike intensity. Though silent, his presence chilled the ministers, leaving them speechless.

Even under the emperor's overwhelming authority, one elderly minister still braved the pressure and stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I believe appointing a mountain hermit as National Teacher is improper. Not only do we doubt whether Taiyi possesses true ability, but to call him an immortal? I find that utterly unbelievable. Throughout history, no immortal has ever appeared. This Taiyi is surely a fraud, impersonating an immortal to deceive the people and steal the nation's incense belief. Your Majesty must not be deceived."

The speaker was Grand Tutor Zuo Hanyuan, a three-generation elder statesman, a cultivator who had mastered the art of preserving youth. Though he appeared only fifty, he was over a hundred years old, yet remained sharp-eyed, keen-eared, and brisk of step.

Upon Grand Tutor Zuo Hanyuan's words, several officials immediately stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I agree with the Grand Tutor. This Taiyi is unknown, merely performed minor tricks in the capital and was instantly hailed as an immortal. He's been in the city for only a few days—how could he be so famous? He must have long planned this, spreading rumors secretly to deceive the people and mislead the court. I recommend stripping him of the title True Person Taiyi, arresting him immediately, and executing him publicly as a warning."

"Your Majesty, I also support the Grand Tutor. This Taiyi has surely exploited Your Majesty's longing for the Dao to deceive you. Such a demonic Daoist must be executed swiftly, or he will bring chaos to the court."

One minister after another stepped forward.

Every single one spoke the same words!

They were outraged, viewing Li Yi as a demonic Daoist, a villain, eager to see him destroyed.

Not for any other reason.

Li Yi's appearance threatened too many interests.

The ministers would not allow a mountain hermit to suddenly be appointed National Teacher and tower over them.

The Yin Emperor would not allow a National Teacher to appear and siphon incense power—so they would urge the new monarch to eliminate this demonic Daoist and prevent the nation's fortune from draining away.

Sitting on the Dragon Throne, Emperor Li Jiye remained silent, calmly observing his ministers.

He knew his reign was still new, his authority still weak. Though he had trained the Embroidered Uniform Guards and Golden-Eyed Guards, fully controlling the court in this incense-divinity world within a short time remained difficult. This bold move—appointing Xiao Yi as National Teacher—was bound to provoke outrage.

But to overturn this system and begin the path of shattering temples and toppling mountains, he had to face this challenge sooner or later.

"Crown Prince, do you have anything to say?" the emperor asked calmly.

At once, Crown Prince Zhao Jing stepped forward and bowed. "Father, I have only one word: for the peace of the realm, execute the demonic Daoist Taiyi."

"Your Majesty, execute the demonic Daoist Taiyi!" As soon as the Crown Prince spoke, dozens of officials immediately joined in.

Clearly, while the emperor had long resided in Yongchang Palace, Crown Prince Zhao Jing had quietly gathered many ministers, forming a powerful, undeniable faction.

The emperor did not respond, but asked further: "Beyond this, Crown Prince, what other advice do you offer?"

"Father, my younger brother, Prince Xin, entered the capital without imperial summons, violating royal decree. He must be sent to the Imperial Clan Court for severe punishment," said Crown Prince Zhao Jing.

Prince Xin, seated in the hall, felt as if needles pierced his back. He stared in shock at his elder brother Zhao Jing.

After years apart, how had his brother become so alien? He hadn't been like this before.

The emperor smiled. "Prince Xin is your brother. Won't you plead for him?"

"Father, in court, there are no brothers—only the law," replied Crown Prince Zhao Jing solemnly. "Precisely because I am the elder brother, I must not show favoritism. If justice is not strictly enforced, how can the people of the realm trust the throne?"

"The Crown Prince speaks wisely," Emperor Li Jiye nodded slightly. "But Prince Xin's matter shall be set aside for now. True Person Taiyi was personally appointed by me, and his identity as an immortal is genuine. If you doubt it, you shall see for yourselves soon."

He did not rage in court, but secretly ordered the Golden-Eyed Guards to record every name on a small ledger—later, each would "accidentally" drown in a river.

The ministers fell silent, assuming this was merely the emperor's delaying tactic.

But if they could just expose a flaw in Taiyi's performance, cast doubt on his immortal status, then demand his execution again, even the emperor would have no reply.

Instantly, they began thinking—how could they trap the demonic Daoist Taiyi and force him to reveal his true nature?

(End of Chapter)