Chapter 636: Seven-Colored Body

As the world's top experts failed to subdue True Person Taiyi, the imperial court issued an official edict, and the campaign to destroy mountains and temples proceeded, along with the erection of temples and statues of True Person Taiyi across the land—Li Yi now once again gathered the power of incense and belief, and this force was more than ten times stronger than before.

A vast torrent of incense power continuously converged upon him from every corner of the world, and as time passed, this force continued to rise, as if without end.

Only now did Li Yi truly feel the wonder of receiving the incense devotion of all under heaven—it felt as though nothing in the vast world was beyond his reach.

The first to benefit from this immense incense power was the Primordial Spirit seed within Li Yi's body.

The Primordial Spirit flower bloomed once more; in but a fleeting moment, it split into twenty-four petals, giving birth to a Primordial Spirit, which then grew from small to large, from ethereal to tangible, taking the form of a Daoist nun whose body was entwined with incense aura and clad in a Daoist robe.

"Incense power truly comes easily and departs easily—my Primordial Spirit once awakened through incense power, then fell back into dormancy when it was lost, and now it has revived again, but this time more thoroughly than before, granting me the feeling of returning to my former peak."

At Li Yi's side now appeared Xiang Xiangzi's Primordial Spirit, gazing at her incense-formed body with a sense of unreality.

Li Yi, accompanied by three thousand Embroidered Uniform Guards, smashed mountains and destroyed temples, now seated atop a golden auspicious cloud in midair, breathing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, gathering incense devotion from all lands, and once again beginning his transformation.

"Immortal Lady, since this is so, why not remain in this world, receive its incense power in my stead, cultivate through borrowed means, and reclaim the Three Flowers Realm? Perhaps one day you may ascend even higher, for I will inevitably depart this place after some time."

He offered this suggestion aloud.

Xiang Xiangzi's eyes shifted: "It is indeed a fine idea. Our Primordial Spirits are one; remaining here would allow you to retain the incense power, and with this force, I could fully restore myself in no time—even surpass my former strength. But—"

"But what?" Li Yi asked.

Her incense body circled around him as she smiled sweetly: "But the path of Taiyi cultivation is so arduous—how lonely it would be without me by your side. Moreover, my Primordial Spirit flower still offers you great aid, helping you swiftly pass the Five Qi Realm and comprehend wondrous techniques."

Li Yi said: "Your Primordial Spirit flower has indeed aided me greatly, but I cannot let that cause me to miss your chance at resurrection. Besides, haven't you been beside me these past days? Why not teach me the remaining Dao methods, then let me depart this world without distraction?"

"Your words hold merit," Xiang Xiangzi murmured. "Yet after you cross over, who knows when we shall meet again?"

"When you succeed in cultivating through borrowed means and restore your Three Flowers Realm, I will cross over myself and bring you back to Earth—or even to the Dao world, let you choose," Li Yi said.

"Why would I return to that lifeless Dao world? So many sisters and brothers died before my eyes in those years. Earth has its pleasures, yet none compare to the freedom of following Taiyi."

"Still, if I leave this world and sever the incense source, I shall likely fall back into slumber and be of no help—so staying here is indeed better."

Li Yi said nothing, instead using the incense power to swallow the celestial and terrestrial energies, opening the acupoints within his body, striving to cross the threshold of the Five Qi Realm—at least open the sixty major acupoints, or else, once he left this world, he might never open them.

A long silence.

Xiang Xiangzi's incense Primordial Spirit spoke again: "If so, I must forge a divine statue to house my Primordial Spirit. Taiyi, I must ask you for something—will you part with it?"

"Immortal Lady, name anything within my Five Elements Bracelet."

Li Yi was generous—Xiang Xiangzi had saved his life, and such material things held little value to him.

"I need the Seven-Colored Stone—the one imbued with the Five Phases and Yin-Yang energies, forged from the blood of a powerful lifeform. If used to reshape the statue, it may, over time, awaken and become true flesh and blood. With good fortune, it might even inherit that lifeform's Seven-Colored bloodline."

Xiang Xiangzi lightly licked her alluring lips.

She had always been formidable, gifted beyond measure. Now resurrected and re-cultivating, she refused to tread the old path—she wished to blend incense cultivation with her bloodline, to surpass her past and reach a peak never before seen.

"Very well. I bestow this Seven-Colored Stone upon you, Immortal Lady."

Without hesitation, Li Yi drew the strange object from within his Five Elements Bracelet.

Instantly,

Seven-colored light flared, and astonishing energy radiated outward.

"Grow or shrink as I will—change!"

Xiang Xiangzi immediately pointed a finger and cast the Dao technique.

She truly was a Dao prodigy—having learned the Technique of Size Alteration, she wielded it effortlessly. With a single incantation, the Seven-Colored Stone, no larger than a fist, swelled—but not uniformly. Some parts expanded, others shrank, gradually forming a seven-colored humanoid statue.

"Can the Technique of Size Alteration be used like this?" Li Yi mused.

"Changing size is easy; changing according to one's will is hard. This supreme Dao technique is not easily mastered. It seems simple, yet is harder than my sect's Dragon-Taming and Tiger-Subduing Art. The essence of the Technique of Size Alteration lies not in size, but in alignment with my will," Xiang Xiangzi said.

Soon,

The seven-colored humanoid statue formed facial features—a woman's visage, mature and dignified, yet subtly alluring, lifelike as if alive, though her skin remained seven-colored, not the ordinary hue of a mortal woman. "Though the stone's size changed, its energy remains unchanged," Li Yi noted.

"Once this art is perfected, even the energy of the artifact can grow—but the magic power required is immense. Even if I regained my peak strength, I could not truly enlarge this stone. It is not the technique's flaw—it is that a single Flower of Magic Power provides insufficient power," Xiang Xiangzi shook her head.

"Perhaps, when your Flower of Magic Power blooms, you will elevate this Dao art to a height never before seen."

Li Yi nodded slightly.

Xiang Xiangzi spoke, then her incense body instantly dissolved, transforming into streams of Primordial Spirit light that streamed into the seven-colored statue before her.

As the Primordial Spirit returned to its place, incense power coalesced.

The seven-colored stone statue slowly opened its eyes, awakening. Its seven-colored radiance faded, gradually transforming into snow-white skin. Though it lacked breath or heartbeat, it now bore the semblance of a human.

"It still requires nurturing—through incense power, to transform the false into the true, becoming a true flesh-and-blood body: the Seven-Colored Dao Body."

Xiang Xiangzi moved her limbs—stiff as a marionette—but she was not displeased; instead, she delightedly examined her new form.

She felt spiritual energy and cosmic forces surging toward her wildly. The fusion of incense power and the Seven-Colored Stone triggered a qualitative transformation—merely by inhabiting the Primordial Spirit, she possessed immense power, as if restored to her peak, every gesture unleashing Dragon-Tiger magic power.

!

This power was intoxicating—and unreal.

As Xiang Xiangzi familiarized herself with her new body, Li Yi, using the incense belief force, opened his sixtieth acupoint in a short time.

Though his realm remained Five Qi Level Three, his potential had reached Five Qi Great Perfection. With this incense power, he was confident he could match a Three Flowers Realm expert in combat.

"True Person, ahead lies Anshan—the mausoleum of a Yin Heavenly Emperor. Shall we disturb the late Emperor?"

At that moment, Hua Nü, a Golden-Eyed Guard, flew up to the golden auspicious cloud and respectfully reported the situation to Li Yi.

"Mausoleum?"

Li Yi looked up and saw a lush mountain, its peak crowned with swirling incense aura like an imperial canopy, lingering for long. Faint dragon and tiger shapes coalesced above it—clear signs of heavenly emperor aura.

This power had long coalesced, saturating the entire mountain. The mountain itself seemed sentient—ordinary in appearance, yet brimming with danger and lethal intent.

This lethal intent targeted not ordinary mortals, but powerful cultivators—or incense deities.

"Which emperor's mausoleum is this?" Li Yi asked.

Golden-Eyed Guard Hua Nü replied: "It is the mausoleum of Emperor Shen Zong."

"Shen Zong? Tell me more." Li Yi asked—he knew nothing of this world's imperial titles.

"Emperor Shen Zong was the sixth emperor of the Zhao imperial dynasty. In life, he loved Dao cultivation and sought to ascend to godhood through his imperial body. But for reasons unknown, he failed. Thus, after death, he was posthumously named Shen Zong and buried in Anshan, receiving the incense of the nation's fortune," Hua Nü continued. "Since his death and deification, Emperor Shen Zong has secluded himself in Anshan, cultivating in silence. Even the Hidden Officials struggle to contact him."

"An emperor who devotes himself to cultivation? Forget it. Let him be. We'll bypass Anshan and continue destroying mountains and temples elsewhere," Li Yi said.

The matter of past Yin Heavenly Emperors was peculiar—better to leave it to my father's arrangements. As long as he doesn't actively obstruct me, I'll let it be.

"Yes, True Person." Hua Nü bowed and swiftly departed.

Li Yi, riding the golden auspicious cloud, slowly veered around Anshan, drifting onward.

Yet he wished to spare this Yin Heavenly Emperor—but the Yin Heavenly Emperor did not wish to spare Li Yi.

As Li Yi prepared to leave, a beam of light, invisible to mortals, shot skyward from Anshan, intertwining with the incense canopy above the mountain, like a blazing sun rising—yet thick with subterranean yin energy. The heavens immediately changed.

One moment, clear skies; the next, dark clouds rolled, thunder rumbled.

As if a long-dormant emperor had been awakened, furious, ready to descend upon this world.

"Hmm?"

Li Yi's expression shifted. His golden auspicious cloud halted as he turned toward Anshan.

(End of Chapter)