Chapter 633

It is said that one drum inspires courage, the second weakens it, and the third exhausts it.

At this moment, the Marquis of Champion, the Heavenly Might Supreme General, the Green Pine Daoist, and the Lord of Black Mountain had arrived together in grand fashion, their presence like divine retribution descending to strike fear into hearts—but after the great fire, their momentum was shattered; they were dusty and humiliated, their arrogance extinguished.

The Wind Summoning Art, with its lessons of humility and restraint, had cleared their gazes; many threats went unspoken, and their haughty demeanor had been tempered.

Facing this True Person of Taiyi once more, they now wore grave expressions and felt deep caution.

"Who just shouted 'Taiyi the Demon Daoist' from the clouds? If I'm a demon, what are you all—bodies without souls, or perhaps wood spirits turned into monsters?" Li Yi's gaze turned icy as he swept the Prince's Sword across them. "Do you really think a mere handful of you can kill me? Where did you get such audacity?"

"Very well. Today, this humble Daoist shall show mercy and send you all on your way, sparing the world the trouble of your noisy, boastful antics later."

As he spoke, he scanned them, deciding whom to strike down first when the battle began.

"True Person Taiyi, you possess such power—why betray the imperial court? Why lead three thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards to hunt down incense gods? Why not become the revered State Preceptor, basking in the nation's incense offerings?"

The Marquis of Champion Zhao Zhen Shan spoke, knowing full well that fighting such a ferocious man was no wise course—the best path was to offer amnesty.

On the battlefield, when strength cannot be judged, launching an attack is suicide.

He was no mindless brute who only knew slaughter; at critical moments, he could bend and endure.

"Indeed, if the True Person halts his campaign, I too shall vouch for you." The Green Pine Daoist immediately added.

"True Person Taiyi, you are indeed powerful—but you cannot stand against the whole world. A better path exists; you should choose it." The Heavenly Might Supreme General spoke, yet his long blade glinted with cold light, brimming with lethal intent, as if ready to take his life at any moment.

The Lord of Black Mountain remained silent; in this situation, the more he spoke, the more he erred.

After all, he had a mission to fulfill.

Li Yi laughed at these words: "How naive. Still thinking of amnesty now? If I truly agreed, how would you report back to those behind you? They wish me dead. If I live, many will lose sleep. No more talk—this battle is inevitable. Either you bring back my head to fulfill your orders, or you, these incense gods, vanish from this world forever. There is no third way."

Their eyes flickered.

His words were not untrue.

Yet they had no confidence they could capture this True Person Taiyi—even if they won in the end, two or three of them would likely die. No one knew who he would drag down with him.

The risk was immense.

As incense gods who had long attained divinity, none wished to perish senselessly on this vast Taihu Lake.

"Kill!"

Yet they hesitated—Li Yi did not wait. He roared, transforming into a streak of golden light as he lunged forward, forming a single fist seal. An astonishing fist intent erupted, momentarily manifesting as a wrathful Buddha. On his fist, Daoist principles churned, condensing into ultimate radiance.

The fist struck straight toward the Heavenly Might Supreme General.

"Bold indeed."

The General flew into rage—Li Yi had chosen him first, clearly seeing him as the weakest, the easiest to crush. Why not strike the others first?

Without hesitation, he raised his blade. Incense energy coiled, heavenly energies converged in an instant—then a blade of light, cleaving the heavens, materialized. The great sword descended, slashing toward the fist-light, aiming to shatter his foe in one blow.

Facing such a threat, the so-called Heavenly Might Supreme General dared not slacken, dared not hold back.

BOOM!

The fist-light met the blade-light. The shockwave spread, churning the lake into towering waves.

But then—

The blade-light shattered. A piercing fist-light pierced through the blade and struck the General's body.

One punch shattered his form—but his body was not flesh and blood. It was a Golden Body, composed of golden statues, forged from countless incense energies, giving the illusion of flesh.

From the shattered Golden Body, another figure emerged. He reassembled the incense, swiftly gathering the broken pieces, and soon restored himself.

Yet the cracks on his face remained, unerasable.

"One punch shattered the Heavenly Might Supreme General's Golden Body statue? Attack together—no more hesitation! Or we all die here today!" The Marquis of Champion Zhao Zhen Shan cried, stunned and furious. The True Person Taiyi's ferocity surpassed all expectations—earlier, the fire had not been his full power.

"There is no other choice now."

The God of Shoushan and the Green Pine Daoist gritted their teeth, pulling out a seal carved from Shoushan stone, saturated with incense energy, already sentient. When thrown, it would fall like Mount Shoushan itself—none in the world could withstand it.

"Go."

He hurled the seal. With incense and heavenly spiritual energy combined, a colossal phantom seal materialized in the sky—not solid, yet blotting out the heavens. As it descended, it seemed as if Mount Shoushan itself was crashing from the heavens.

"Excellent!" The Marquis of Champion Zhao Zhen Shan rejoiced.

Such a technique was truly extraordinary.

"He's even mastered the art of crafting artifacts? This God of Shoushan has some skill." Li Yi saw the descending seal and immediately recalled his own Xuan Huang Seal—but remembering its fate, he swiftly pulled a Divine Wood Bow from his Five Elements Bracelet.

He drew a golden arrow—a high-grade magic treasure.

Against incense gods of this world, he did not need the Black Gold Arrow.

He drew the bowstring.

A roar of dragon and tiger echoed—but even at his Fifth Qi Realm, third layer, Li Yi could not fully draw this divine bow. Only when he achieved the Five Qi in Harmony would its true power be unleashed.

But this was enough.

The golden arrow shot forth.

Its speed exceeded mortal sight.

A jagged tear ripped through heaven and earth. In an instant, the colossal phantom seal exploded into a storm of scattered incense energy; the seal itself shattered into fragments, spraying across the lake, sinking into the water and vanishing.

"My Shoushan Seal!" The Green Pine Daoist screamed, teeth grinding.

He could not believe it—his seal, refined for countless years, saturated with incense and spiritual energy, already sentient—shattered the moment he drew it. His heart clenched; he nearly spat blood.

"Don't bring out such trash to show off," Li Yi said coldly.

But before he finished speaking, the Marquis of Champion Zhao Zhen Shan lunged forward with his great spear, arriving at Li Yi's side in an instant. He expected victory—but when the spear struck the True Person Taiyi, the impossible happened.

The Marquis's weapon, forged in countless battles, crumbled like paper. It failed to pierce the True Person's Crimson Jade Purple Gold Armor; the spearhead snapped, the shaft shattered in sequence.

"How is this possible?" The Marquis of Champion Zhao Zhen Shan could not believe it.

But Li Yi understood.

Ordinary weapons are ordinary weapons—they endure only because of incense energy. Without it, they rot away. Only Dao Treasures, with spirit, become immensely powerful when infused with incense. Other weapons cannot fully channel incense power.

This is the flaw of this world.

Incense Dao, when combined with any cultivation method, is a bomb. Alone, it is a dead end.

Li Yi did not bother explaining. He held the bow in one hand, clenched a fist in the other. Dragon-Tiger power erupted; three layers of magic force coiled around his fist as he struck.

The Marquis of Champion absorbed the blow, reeling backward—within moments, he was hurled over ten miles away. His body cracked and peeled apart as he flew. He was no Golden Body statue—he was a clay figure, shaped by incense and heavenly energy to resemble a human.

After this punch, his form collapsed entirely, unable to hold together.

"Damn it."

The Marquis of Champion reassembled his incense, manifesting his true form. He stared at the distant True Person Taiyi—and for the first time, felt a crushing sense of helplessness.

This man's power was immense—but his weapons and armor were terrifyingly strong.

And his ranged attacks, close combat, and even overwhelming numbers were useless. He was born for battle—with no weakness.

Of course—he cultivated multiple methods. Even if some had flaws, he had long since repaired them. His only remaining deficiency now was that his soul had not yet transformed into a Primordial Spirit, and thus could not detach from his body to exist eternally in the cosmos.