Chapter 24: Suspected to be the Reincarnation of an Immortal God [12] (Seeking follow-up reads, seeking collections)

Deep in the mountain forest.

Clouds follow the green, wind brings the color of pines.

Giant trees grow in clusters, moss covers the ground, quiet and secluded.

Wood was carved into a platform, and Fang Longye sat cross-legged upon it with his eyes closed. Above his crown, cloudy water-like clear light floated, his primordial spirit dharma image shifting within it, brimming with Dao Rhyme.

A string of beads, like twenty-four bright moons, circled around his primordial spirit, shining brilliantly.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and looked toward a valley in the distance.

There, demonic aura billowed, and a pillar of pure Taiyin energy appeared.

His primordial spirit scanned it, and a fierce aura rushed into his brow, permeated with bone-chilling cold.

Yet to Fang Longye, this aura was nothing more than a spring breeze brushing his face.

A moment later, a figure emerged from the valley, looking like a human with a centipede head and multiple arms, radiating a light like the Taiyin moonlight amidst its ferocity.

It was precisely the Golden Centipede avatar, which had already recovered seventy percent of its injuries.

Fang Longye looked at the avatar with satisfaction.

He had lingered in this place for half a month.

During this time, the avatar had not only been healing but had also thoroughly refined this Golden Centipede body once more.

The impure Dharma power had become pure, and the medicinal residue that had accumulated from the original owner's reckless consumption during cultivation was completely refined, greatly advancing his Dharma power.

Even though only seventy percent of its injuries had recovered, it was still better than before.

Fang Longye tossed the Golden Scale Armor—which he had previously refined into a Dharma Treasure but which had lost its potential and was now retired—to the avatar, handed it two large axes cast entirely from cold iron, and then departed.

He left the Golden Centipede avatar behind to continue recovering from its injuries at the former cold iron mine.

Riding the clouds and wind, he looked down at the mountains and dense forests beneath his feet with high spirits.

No longer strolling to view the scenery as before, he traveled at full speed and did not take much time to see the outline of the Qingshe Mansion.

Getting closer, he saw a graceful figure standing in front of the entrance to the Green Snake Demon Mansion.

It was Caidie; her hair was coiled up, with strands of hair left loose on both sides, combed into two wisps.

Her expression was bright and beautiful, and she was toying with a jade bead in her slender, jade-like hands. Her right wrist, soft as if boneless and white and delicate, wore an inconspicuous bracelet.

Seeing Fang Longye, her eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a smile, and two shallow dimples faintly appeared on her cheeks.

"It has only been six or seven years, yet I never expected that Brother Dao's cultivation would have refined to such a degree~" As the distance between them closed, Caidie sensed Fang Longye's aura and exclaimed in surprise, clicking her tongue in wonder.

She was not very clear about other aspects, but she was proficient in the Illusion Dao and clearly perceived that Fang Longye's cultivation in illusionary supernatural powers was no less than her own, and even faintly surpassed it.

This was somewhat shocking.

"I have merely been training in populated lands for a long time and gained some insights," Fang Longye replied with repeated modesty.

He then took out a bracelet with seven bright pearls from his Qiankun Bag and gifted it to Caidie.

It was something he had refined from seven of the thirty-one Millennium Clam Pearls he had obtained earlier. The bracelet itself was not extraordinary, but each pearl was a Dharma Treasure containing a Heavenly Dipper Restriction.

"I obtained some spiritual materials suitable for refining into Dharma Treasures that complement the Illusion Dao. I know that Fellow Daoist Caidie is proficient in the Illusion Dao, so please take this Dharma Treasure as a reward for your help in looking after the Jinsha River during these days~"

"This~" Caidie hesitated.

"Accept it, just take it as a token of my sincerity~" Under Fang Longye's persuasion, Caidie accepted the Dharma Treasure, refined it slightly, and wore it on her left wrist.

After exchanging pleasantries along the way, they arrived before Qingshe.

"Greetings, Cuiwei Fairy~" Fang Longye cupped his hands and bowed slightly.

"It has only been six years, and I never expected you to have cultivated to this point. Caidie achieved her primordial spirit over a hundred years before you, and she hasn't even stepped into the Ascension Realm yet!"

"However, I observe that you have not yet transformed into a flood dragon, have you? I suppose you returned to the mountain this time to ask me how to handle the Incense Vow Power?" Qingshe's beautiful eyes turned, and a smile rippled between her dark eyebrows.

"The Fairy's perception is as sharp as a needle." Fang Longye did not hide his intentions.

Qingshe smiled faintly. Anyone scanning him with a primordial spirit and seeing him suffused with this incense could guess his intent.

"It seems you have stirred up quite a storm in those populated lands, to the point that even the Incense Vow Power is so dense."

At this moment, her expression shifted, as if she had remembered something, and she asked, "You haven't rashly absorbed this Incense Vow Power, have you?"

"That I have not," Fang Longye replied honestly.

"It is good that you haven't. Although practitioners of the Heavenly Immortal Path are indeed unaffected by concurrently practicing the Divine Immortal Path, it does not mean one can absorb Incense Vow Power recklessly. The optimal solution is still to condense an Incense Golden Body," Qingshe advised.

"Incense Golden Body?"

"That's right, Incense Golden Body," Qingshe paused and continued to explain, "The specific method is to use an exclusive technique to extract and construct a virtual yet real Divine Dao Talisman from the good thoughts of believers within this Incense Vow Power. Then, use this Divine Dao Talisman to absorb the Incense Vow Power, thereby condensing a golden body consistent with the image in the believers' minds."

"Afterward, this Incense Golden Body will replace you in practicing the Divine Immortal Path."

"This is somewhat similar to a dharma image?"

"Correct. In fact, this is the way Divine Immortal Path practitioners cultivate their dharma images. It is just that, in the end, a Divine Immortal Path practitioner's Yin Spirit will merge within it, treating the Incense Golden Body as their physical body for the next stage of cultivation."

"But for a Heavenly Immortal Path practitioner, this Incense Golden Body is like a clone of yours. All karma is borne by the golden body, indirectly connected to you. It is said that when one reaches an unfathomable level of cultivation, one can completely sever this clone, and all karma will be eliminated."

"Then couldn't an Earth Immortal Dao practitioner cultivate this way as well?" Fang Longye asked, drawing inferences from the example.

"Indeed, but you must know that before an Earth Immortal transcends the limitations placed on their form and spirit by their dwelling place, they fear incurring karma the most."

"And how could one concurrently practice the Divine Immortal Path without incurring karma? Practitioners of the Heavenly Immortal Path do not care about the slight karma indirectly connected to them through the Divine Golden Body. Earth Immortal Dao practitioners are different. Even a little bit of karma is enough to give them a massive headache."

After Qingshe finished explaining, she passed a Divine Immortal Path technique to Fang Longye, letting him ponder it himself.

Fang Longye was naturally full of gratitude, then rose to take his leave, preparing to return to the Jinsha River to first deal with the Incense Vow Power around him before considering other matters.

Qingshe led Caidie to see him off to the entrance, staring at his retreating back and standing still for a long time.

Only then did she turn and return to the mansion.

"My Lady, why must you be so humble and condescending toward him?" As soon as Caidie followed Qingshe into the inner chamber of the Cave Abode, she could not wait to ask.

Her words were full of indignation.

She was completely unaware that she was still wearing the bracelet Dharma Treasure that Fang Longye had gifted her on her wrist~ In the inner chamber, a bright pearl hung high, shining brilliantly, its light dancing and reflecting, illuminating the surroundings.

The strange stones and flowers dotted throughout cast mottled shadows, leaving the ground covered in fragmented darkness.

"How many times have I told you? Do not call me 'Niangniang', call me 'Sister'~" Qingshe did not pay heed to Caidie's indignation, but instead turned her head to correct her form of address~ "Niangniang," Caidie was about to argue. Seeing Qingshe's expression turn slightly cold, she had no choice but to say: "Alright, Sister~" Her face was troubled, but her heart was full of emotion.

Only then did Qingshe become pleasant and amiable.

"Niang—Sister, why do you value him so much? Even if he has transformed into a flood dragon, what point is there that is worth Sister lowering yourself so much? Sister is an Origin Immortal after all!"

"What's more, he even snatched away the Incense Vow Power that you had originally reserved for yourself—if it weren't for the fact that you planned to wait until everything in this Small World had settled and there were no more dangers before acting, how would it ever be his turn to collect the Incense Vow Power in this populated land?"

Qingshe felt the indignation that Caidie still could not smooth over, and smiled broadly: "Then take a guess as to why I value him so much?"

Caidie pondered for a moment, looked up at Qingshe, and said: "Ever since his spiritual intelligence became clear, his strength has improved too quickly—even with the baptism and catalysis of that previous Diluojiang, it is still abnormal; it is still too rapid. There is a big problem in this regard!"

On her bright and beautiful face, where was there any trace of the innocent and naive appearance she showed in front of Fang Longye?

"Indeed, Caidie, you possess the Green Jade Phantom Butterfly Bloodline. In terms of cultivation aptitude, you are currently still higher than him by quite a bit, yet in terms of cultivation base, you have already been left behind by him. Is this normal? Of course it is not normal—but the biggest abnormality lies in the fact that his spiritual intelligence broke free from the influence of the Enlightenment Art and recovered its clarity."

Qingshe chuckled, her eyes dark, wood-type Qi rising from her body like clouds and mist, her sleeves fluttering like an immortal.

"Ever since you awakened your spiritual intelligence, you have lived in this Small World, and my guidance to you could not cover everything. Therefore, there are naturally some gaps in your common knowledge."

"Do you know that even those boy attendants enlightened by great beings still find it difficult to supplement their spiritual intelligence, and still need to undergo reincarnation to make up for the defects in their wisdom?"

"So?"

"So, this 'King Longye' of ours is no wild dragon at all; he is clearly a True Dragon lurking in the abyss—"

"I had my suspicions when he stepped into the Chengdan Realm earlier. After all, merely stepping into the Chengdan Realm eliminated the defects in his soul caused by the Enlightenment Art."

"Even his behavior and conduct changed as if he were a different person. How could this be explained by mere spiritual clarity? It is more like he is gradually awakening the wisdom of his past life."

"And now, I have finally confirmed his origin."

Qingshe gathered the fragrance of the hundred flowers in the inner chamber, forming a crystal-clear jade-colored white lotus, frost-white as snow, light as a dream.

She reached out to gather it and sniffed its fragrance.

She smiled: "There are some Divine Immortals in this world who, whether due to cultivation or conflict, have no choice but to reincarnate and fall into the mortal world."

"And this 'King Longye' of ours, in my view, clearly belongs to this type of reincarnated Divine Immortal."

"As long as such Divine Immortals gradually awaken their past wisdom, their souls will naturally become incomparably powerful due to the cultivation of their past lives. Clearing away the influence of the Enlightenment Art cast by a small Origin Immortal like me is naturally a trivial matter."

"Only by carrying the cultivation Dharma and power of his past life in his soul could he be so rapid in his current cultivation—"

Caidie took over the unspoken meaning in Qingshe's words and said: "And to be able to meet the various conditions Sister mentioned, he must be at least a reincarnated Golden Immortal. After all, existences below the Golden Immortal Realm cannot, like a Golden Immortal, hide the fruits of their own cultivation deep within their soul before reincarnation to feed back into their next life."

She paused and continued: "They can only go naked and be born naked. Only by attaining the Golden Immortal Realm can one retrieve the memories of one's past life."

"Unlike those Divine Immortals above the Golden Immortal Realm, who only need to cultivate a little to trigger the means they left in their souls in their past lives, awaken their past wisdom, and obtain the legacy of their past lives."

"Am I right? Sister—"

"You are indeed clever, keeping all the various cultivation knowledge I taught you in your heart—" Qingshe cast a satisfied look at her.

This praise made Caidie feel as if she were drinking sweet dew, like a good student showing off to a teacher, and she continued to narrate her own understanding.

"If this type of reincarnated Divine Immortal were reincarnated for the sake of cultivation, there would naturally be someone to guide and look after them, and it would certainly not be the case that they would be reincarnated into a crocodile demon body."

"Only those Divine Immortals who died due to conflict would be reincarnated into a crocodile body without any preparation."

"That's right, a reincarnated Divine Immortal who is at least in the Golden Immortal Realm, and who also lacks a guide to enter the Dao. For a True Immortal, this is a not-insignificant opportunity." Qingshe nodded and smiled.

She said with irrepressible joy, "And now I have encountered this opportunity; is this not destiny!"

"Adding flowers to brocade is not as good as sending charcoal in snowy weather," Caidie chimed in and agreed.

"If the former were reincarnated just for cultivation, not to mention whether one could forge a good cause, for us of the Demon Clan, just approaching them might result in being crushed by the other party's protector."

"Even if it were a senior Demon Immortal reincarnated, as long as there is a protector, it is impossible for us to gain good fruit in return for our favors for nothing."

She pondered Fang Longye's current behavior and conduct and smiled: "Only the latter type of reincarnated Divine Immortal who died due to a Calamity in their past life would be happy to accept a guide and protector like Sister, and be filled with gratitude."

"Only by planting a good cause can one reap a good fruit. In the future, when he returns to above the Golden Immortal Realm, Sister will also receive the other party's return and support by virtue of this causal favor."

"Little sister is here to congratulate Sister in advance on your prospects of becoming a Golden Immortal!" As she spoke, she smiled and bowed in greeting—"Alright, stop acting up! It's not even a sure thing yet! Right now, he is trapped in the Origin Spirit Ascension Realm and unable to make progress, which, speaking of it, was caused by me when I enlightened his original body—what's more, he has only just begun to awaken his past wisdom, and his memories are not complete. Didn't you see him asking me about the cultivation method of the Divine Immortal Path? I estimate that only after he becomes an Immortal will he be able to fully recover the memories of his past life."

Although she refuted Caidie's congratulations, Qingshe's face was always filled with a beaming smile, clearly in a very good mood.

Still two chapters today, about seven thousand words. The second chapter will be posted in the evening. Thank you all for your support—those who haven't clicked to invest, please feel free to do so.

(End of chapter)