Chapter 624: Fifth Qi Realm, Third Layer

Since Li Yi moved into Wuji Palace, six days had passed.

During these six days, the incense belief power of his position as State Preceptor reached its peak, and his cultivation underwent a earth-shattering transformation: not only did he break through to the Fifth Qi Realm's second layer, but he also successfully opened thirty-six acupoints; if all went well, he could break through to the Fifth Qi Realm's third layer.

Yet the absorption of Wood Qi was slow; even using the Heaven-and-Earth Absorption Technique aided by incense belief power, he had only filled eight acupoints so far, with four still unfilled.

Estimating by this cultivation pace, Li Yi could leap straight into the Fifth Qi Realm's third layer.

Therefore, the speed of opening acupoints must be accelerated.

He must open all sixty acupoints required for the Fifth Qi Realm; once he left this world of incense deification and returned to Earth—or traveled to another world—he would never again have such an opportunity.

"The power of incense belief has reached the absolute limit I can currently obtain. To increase it further, I must launch the Plan to Shatter Mountains and Destroy Temples," Li Yi thought inside Wuji Palace, sensing his incense ceiling had been reached; though incense power still trickled in over the next two days,

its rate had slowed considerably.

The later the acupoint opening, the greater the incense required; even if he could open them without sufficient incense, the speed would drop—now his pace of opening new acupoints had already slowed, but fortunately he had not yet hit his limit; according to his estimate, opening another twelve acupoints should be no problem.

"Immortal Lady, how are you faring?"

Li Yi took a brief rest and realized all the pills inside his Five Elements Bracelet were gone—whether Spirit Blood Pills, the precious Kuilong Pills, or any other blood-replenishing substances, all had been consumed.

The sheer number of opened acupoints had made his body's demand for blood qi enormous.

This world of incense deification lacked sufficient heavenly treasures to sustain him, so his acupoints remained unfilled with divine blood, still in a state of hunger.

He believed this problem could not be solved in this world—he must go to the Wildlands or the Demon God Realm to resolve it.

Those two worlds harbored strange beasts and great demons, ideal for refining the physical body.

"I've roughly mastered the Great and Small Transformation Technique—it's truly exquisite. No wonder the experts of Tianyi Sect never fully learned it; even with incense belief power to guide my deduction, it took me six full days. But to master it completely, my current incense power is still insufficient. Taiyi, you must gather more incense."

On the Yuan Shen Flower, Xiang Xiangzi's primordial spirit was clearly visible—she sat with closed eyes, her body entwined with incense energy, like a deity of incense; now she opened her eyes, a faint look of frustration crossing her face.

"Mastering the Great and Small Transformation Technique in six days is already remarkable. Immortal Lady, don't be discouraged," Li Yi said.

Xiang Xiangzi replied: "I've also learned the Bald One's Summon Rain Technique. As for the Technique to Upturn Seas and Reverse Rivers, I'll study it later. Taiyi, I'll transmit the Great and Small Transformation and Summon Rain Technique to you now; the rest, I'll teach you once I've mastered them."

"Then I'm in your debt, Immortal Lady," Li Yi said.

"Our primordial spirits are one—what need is there for distinction?"

As she spoke, a clear light descended from the Yuan Shen Flower, flowing straight into Li Yi's skull and merging with his soul.

Instantly, the mysteries of the Great and Small Transformation Technique and the Summon Rain Technique flooded his mind.

The various Dao arts intertwined, allowing him to grasp these new techniques in a short time.

"Primordial spirit transmission of techniques is truly unbelievable," Li Yi murmured in astonishment.

"Naturally. If I've learned it, you've learned it—my primordial spirit seed exists only because it's rooted in your soul power, needing your soul to nurture it into bloom. But this situation is extraordinary: I awakened prematurely due to incense belief power, an unprecedented event. Moreover, incense power has tightly bound our primordial spirits. Under normal circumstances, by the time your Three Flowers bloom, my primordial spirit would be powerless, unable to interfere with yours or perform primordial spirit transmission."

Xiang Xiangzi continued: "Why aren't you continuing your cultivation? The incense power is still abundant."

"My body is hungry. I'm resting. All my Five Elements Bracelet's supplies are gone—my body's demands are too great. This world likely cannot satisfy my blood qi consumption," Li Yi said.

The drawback of cultivating multiple arts lies precisely here: the resource consumption is immense.

"Then break through to the Fifth Qi Realm's third layer in one go, leave your seclusion, exterminate this world's incense deities, gather all the incense, and then cross over," Xiang Xiangzi said.

"That's exactly what I'm thinking. Four acupoints remain—I'll strive to forge them all at once," Li Yi said.

After a brief rest,

Li Yi once again activated the Heaven-and-Earth Absorption Technique and pulled out a seven-colored stone.

Immediately, green Wood Qi surged into his body, faster than before.

Yet as his acupoints multiplied, Li Yi felt his life force reach its zenith; even in hunger, his Long Hu power was over ten times stronger than before—without even moving, a single punch could shatter mountains. If he fully perfected the Fifth Qi Realm and filled his acupoints with divine blood, he could truly attempt to punch the heavens and reverse rivers and mountains.

For martial artists of the Four Seas and Eight Provinces to reach this level was truly unbelievable.

During this cultivation period, the Embroidered Uniform Guards and Golden Eye Guards stationed near Wuji Palace also gained great blessings: bathed in celestial spiritual energy, they evolved; many who had been in the Spiritual Insight Realm broke through to the Spiritual Awareness Realm, and after several shifts, they had helped over a hundred others ascend.

Though they had solid foundations, this was still astonishing.

As a result, both the Embroidered Uniform Guards and Golden Eye Guards now clamored to be assigned to Wuji Palace, eager to experience this celestial energy purification.

During these final four days of cultivation,

inside the Yongchang Palace of the imperial court, Emperor Li Jiye had prepared himself—he gazed daily at Wuji Palace, sensing the increasingly powerful aura, and felt deeply satisfied: everything unfolded exactly as he had foreseen—the incense of the State Preceptor's position would propel Xiao Yi's strength forward at lightning speed.

Yet reality surpassed even his expectations.

Li Yi's advancement was astonishing—even from afar, he could feel the earth-shaking Long Hu power and invincible, vast magic power.

"Cultivating multiple arts—his potential is truly immense," Li Jiye thought inwardly. He himself had received Li Yi's gift: a cultivation technique called the Ninefold Immortal Transformation.

Though only six transmutations were available, limited to Tribulation Crossing, it granted a lifespan of thousands of years.

The incense path combined with this immortal technique had greatly benefited Li Jiye—he had been reborn, his potential boundless.

Even the incense power of the imperial throne now felt insufficient to him.

Both father and son understood: the Plan to Shatter Mountains and Destroy Temples was imminent. They must swiftly gather all incense, stabilize this world—only then would they have the strength to face the crises awaiting them upon returning to Earth.

"Your servant pays homage to Your Majesty."

At that moment, a dignified woman in court attire slowly entered the emperor's chamber.

Li Jiye sat cross-legged atop a purple divine stone, his vertical pupils flickering as he regarded her: "Empress De, have you uncovered the truth?"

"As Your Majesty predicted, the Yin Lord sensed an unusual aura and decided to execute Taiyi True Person," Empress De replied calmly. "The sole reason: ancestral incense must not be granted to others. At the court assembly ten days from now, the Hidden Official will pressure Your Majesty to strip Taiyi True Person of his State Preceptor title and execute him immediately."

Li Jiye sneered: "Ancestral incense must not be granted to others? If that were true, no other incense deities should ever have been enfeoffed—only the Yin Lord should receive incense worship. The real reason they want to kill Taiyi True Person is that these old fools feel threatened—a Daoist who cultivates through incense could shake the very foundation of all incense deities."

"But these old fools aren't wrong—I do intend to do exactly that. Empress De, how are the Embroidered Uniform Guards?"

"Three thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards have been assembled—all elite. Horses, grain, weapons, and armor are all ready. They await only Your Majesty's command," Empress De said.

Li Jiye's expression eased slightly: "Good. Three days from now, send the Golden Eye Guards to Wuji Palace with a message: instruct Taiyi True Person to lead the three thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards out of the capital, travel north to south, and begin the Plan to Shatter Mountains and Destroy Temples. I'll assign Heishan Jun and the Golden Eye Guard's Flower Maiden to assist him. For now, you need only fulfill your duties."

"If things go awry, I've arranged an escape for you—go with Taiyi True Person. He will protect you."

"Your servant's loyalty is sworn to Your Majesty alone. If this plan fails, as planned, execute me to quell the people's rage," Empress De said, kneeling low; behind her, a fluffy white tail emerged from her court robe.

It was a fox tail.

And this Empress De was, in truth, a fox spirit—now enfeoffed, receiving incense, her cultivation profound and extraordinary.

Li Jiye's gaze flickered: according to plan, this was indeed how it would go—if the Plan to Shatter Mountains and Destroy Temples failed and the ministers erupted in fury, he intended to blame Empress De as a fox demon who had brought ruin to the state, publicly execute her, and appease the masses to preserve his throne.

Though cruel and heartless, such was the way of emperors.

But now it was different.

He had his son, Xiao Yi—and a future. There was no need to sacrifice an innocent fox spirit.

So if failure came, he would still protect Empress De.