Chapter 258 - 285: Desolate State Mansion, Chief Mu, Qingming Daoist, Birthday Invitation
"To think there are such strange and powerful people in the world?"
In the rustic inn, Linjiang Daoist sighed softly as he watched the figures depart.
"Strange and powerful people?"
Nianxin Daoist Child scratched his head, failing to see what was so strange or powerful about them.
Linjiang Daoist had no intention of explaining. Instead, he tested his disciple, "The Daoist Palace condenses a Dharma Aspect, the Dragon Mansion gives birth to a Dragon Gate, and the Nine Tribulations Derive Creation. Of these subsequent major Realms in the Martial Dao, which is the most important?"
Nianxin Daoist Child replied without hesitation:
"Condensing the Daoist Palace Dharma Aspect, of course!"
This was true for all paths of cultivation, whether for humans, gods, Demon Fiends, or immortals. Cultivators, and even the more knowledgeable commoners in large cities, understood the importance of condensing a Daoist Palace Dharma Aspect.
If one failed to condense a sufficiently powerful Dharma Aspect in the Dao Palace Realm, their Martial Dao foundation would be inherently weaker. How could they possibly break through to the next Realm?
"Indeed. The Daoist Palace Dharma Aspect is of the utmost importance. It is like a bird to the sky, a fish to the river, or Blood Bone and sinews..."
Linjiang Daoist’s gaze was profound.
"What if someone could condense a ten-thousand-zhang Dharma Aspect in the Dao Palace Realm?"
"That would be unprecedented and peerless!"
Nianxin Daoist Child replied.
In the Dao Palace Realm, hundred-zhang Dharma Aspects were the most common, making up almost ninety percent of the total. Thousand-zhang Dharma Aspects were far rarer; each person who achieved one was a talent of dazzling brilliance.
As for a ten-thousand-zhang Dharma Aspect?
’I must be truly ignorant,’ he thought, ’for I’ve never even heard of anyone condensing such a thing.’
He recalled that even the great figures recorded in the ancient texts had not, he believed, condensed a ten-thousand-zhang Dharma Aspect in the Dao Palace Realm.
"Indeed. A ten-thousand-zhang Dharma Aspect... how rare. It is virtually nonexistent in the present age, and I’ve never seen it mentioned in any ancient texts..."
Linjiang Daoist looked outside the inn and muttered to himself:
"And yet, that man... he seems to have condensed a Dharma Aspect of ten thousand zhang—no, one that far surpasses ten thousand zhang..."
He cultivated a special Daoist Secret Technique that allowed him to perceive the foundation of living beings.
In that fleeting glimpse just now, he thought he had seen such a scene from Su Bai...
If he had to summarize it in a single phrase...
It would be...
Karmic Fire roils, a Tripod Prison hangs across the sky!
"What?"
Nianxin Daoist Child leaned in closer, as if he hadn’t heard clearly.
"It’s nothing."
Linjiang Daoist came back to his senses. He glanced at the three busy Demon Ghosts, his eyes finally settling on the steaming food and wine on the table.
"We should eat. Otherwise, the food will get cold."
Nianxin Daoist Child rolled his eyes at his master.
"Then you’d better enjoy it yourself!"
...
The Prefecture City of Desolate Province was the face of the province. Naturally, it was extremely prosperous, with a huge population and a vast footprint.
Most of the people who flocked here from all directions, seeking to enter the city, were concerned for their own safety.
After all, which was safer: a village surrounded by mere iron fences, or the majestic city walls built from what seemed like Golden Jade? The answer was obvious.
Besides, how many powerful Martial Artists could one find in a small town or mountain village?
But a large city, a Prefecture City, was different. With its many Martial Dao masters, it was far safer.
The Prefecture City before them was as immense as the surrounding mountain villages were tiny.
At this moment, the sky was just beginning to brighten. The horizon showed the first fish-belly white of dawn, streaked with a wisp of cloud. The thick city gates seemed to have just opened.
Mountain folk and Martial Artists from the many nearby county towns and villages were already swarming in.
Everything from small items like firewood and charcoal, medicinal herbs, and wild game, to large ones like rare treasures and even Heaven and Earth Spirit Roots, flowed into the Prefecture City in an endless stream.
The mountain folk would trade their Mundane Items for a few silver taels and necessities like grain and cloth, then hurry back home.
Martial Artists brought all kinds of treasures into the city to sell, hoping to trade them for some Elixirs or Secret Manuals. A successful trade could make their entire day.
This massive Prefecture City siphoned the life and energy from a thousand li around, concentrating it all in one place. Its prosperity surpassed that of Jin Yun City dozens of times over; it was simply incomparable to a small mountain village.
"This Prefecture City gathers a sea of human energy. It is indeed different from an ordinary large city."
At the end of the wide official road, Su Bai gazed up at the sky above the Prefecture City.
As he blinked, ten thousand kinds of auras appeared in his vision. Among them, a pure white aura made him pause.
Within that white aura, he could sense countless stray thoughts: desire, fear, prayers, laments, sorrow, pleas for children, pleas for a wife, pleas for safety...
These emotions layered on top of each other, converging into a massive amount of Incense and Candle Qi.
This Incense and Candle Qi came from all directions, ultimately gathering at a single point within the Prefecture City.
And that place, he reckoned, was the Desolate State Prefecture.
Having viewed the memories of so many criminals, he was well aware that there were special Dharma Gates that could use the Power of Incense to extend one’s lifespan.
And for the Lord of the State, the ruler of the entire province, such Dharma Gates that used the Power of Incense to extend life were naturally easy to obtain.
"The Prefecture City is nice, but it’s not an easy place to live!"
Old Daoist Cui Yanliang said, shaking his head as he watched the people hurrying about.
A place everyone wants to go is, naturally, not a place everyone can enter.
It was extremely difficult to live in the Prefecture City; the average mountain folk or Martial Artist could spend their entire life trying and still fail to establish themselves there.
Especially after he heard that the Lord of the State harvested people’s blood and marrow to extend his own life.
Looking at the Prefecture City now, his face couldn’t help but twitch.
In a daze...
He felt that every one of these mountain folk and Martial Artists, their faces filled with joy as they entered the Prefecture City, looked like lambs willingly walking into a demon’s maw.
Lost in thought, the group entered the city.
Compared to a remote mountain village, the Prefecture City was indeed much livelier, and much safer.
Walking among the crowds, Su Bai almost felt as if he were back in Xia Imperial City.
But in the end, this was not Xia Imperial City.
CLIP-CLOP-CLOP!!
Suddenly, a fine steed galloped down the wide street. Its rider, a middle-aged man, brandished his whip and shouted:
"Wanted by the State Mansion! Wanted by the State Mansion! The great thief Xu Tianqing has committed another bloody massacre!"
The steed flew by, and the many pedestrians on the street hastily made way.
They let the middle-aged man gallop past, all the way to a giant golden wall in the center of the street.
On that wall were posted hundreds of portraits, all of them so lifelike and vivid they seemed like real people. It was clear the artist who drew them was exceptionally skilled.
Xu Tianqing’s portrait was one of them, and its clarity seemed a cut above the rest.
"Chief Mu! What great crime has this Xu Tianqing committed now?"
Someone squeezed forward to ask the middle-aged man who was posting a wanted notice.
This middle-aged man wore black robes with a long saber at his waist. He had a slender build, a strong Physique, and a powerful presence. He was none other than the State Mansion’s Chief Constable, Mu Linyun.
"A State Mansion prisoner transport carrying a key criminal was ambushed and its occupants killed on the official road yesterday!"
Mu Linyun finished posting the wanted notice and turned to scan the crowd of commoners that had gathered.
"During this time, you all need to be wary of any outsiders. That great thief Xu Tianqing is proficient in the arts of transformation and concealment. If you’re not careful and he kills you, I won’t be able to save you."
"You speak the truth, sir!"
"Thank you for your hard work, sir. Our Prefecture City is only this safe because we rely on you."
"Chief Mu, these are freshly baked flatbreads. You must be tired from all that riding. Would you like a couple?"
The crowd of commoners circled around him, some flattering, others fawning.
Mu Linyun wasn’t shy. He casually grabbed two flatbreads, swung himself onto his horse, and galloped away.
"Sigh! Even the Prefecture City isn’t safe anymore. I heard a lot of people have died in the nearby villages. Who knows if they were killed by bandits or eaten by Demon Fiends and ghosts..."
"The lives of common folk are worthless! If that Xu Tianqing hadn’t killed some officials, I doubt he’d even have a warrant out for him."
"That’s not entirely true. Didn’t something big happen in Shanyun County? Tens of thousands died, and the Lord of the State is sending people to hunt down the culprits!"
"SHH! Quiet down. It wouldn’t be good if someone overheard."
The crowd of residents stood around the wanted poster, whispering about the various things they’d seen and heard.
But these people had limited knowledge. Their talk always circled back to who had died in which nearby county town or mountain village. Though most of them sighed, few showed any real fear. It seemed they had grown accustomed to it all.
Su Bai and the others listened for a while before turning to leave.
Su Bai casually spent some silver taels to buy a secluded courtyard residence within the Prefecture City.
Before, if he hadn’t seen that ocean of Incense, he might have already made a move to suppress those Officials.
But now, Su Bai had some ideas about this Power of Incense.
Furthermore, in his perception, the aura of the Lord of the State felt somewhat illusory, as if his true body was not in the Prefecture City at all.
Therefore, he would have to plan carefully for these two matters: suppressing the Officials and absorbing the Incense.
Time slowly passed.
Night fell.
As the night deepened, candlelight sprang up within the house, casting a brilliant glow.
At a certain moment, a cluster of dark clouds drifted in with the wind, obscuring the overcast sky and dimming the starlight.
"Hm?"
A moment later, Su Bai, who was sitting upright in his room, seemed to notice something, but he quickly returned to his calm state.
WHOOSH~
Under the dim night sky, a shadow drew near, almost blending into the falling dusk as it slipped silently into the courtyard.
Then, it approached the master bedroom.
The old Daoist Cui Yanliang was sleeping on his side.
DING!
At that moment, the bell hanging from his waist suddenly trembled.
"Hmph!"
Cui Yanliang was exhausted. Seemingly oblivious, he rolled over, his eyelids twitching slightly.
He had lived for nearly a hundred years and had encountered his fair share of Demon Ghosts. He was always on guard.
The moment the bell moved, he was wide awake.
He was only pretending to be asleep.
In truth, his mind was on high alert.
WHOOSH WHOOSH—
The wind blew outside the door. After a while, nothing had happened.
’Am I just being paranoid?’
The old Daoist Cui Yanliang muttered to himself. In his peripheral vision, he saw a shadow slip in through a crack. Then, a mass of shadow enveloped his body.
’A sinister Little Ghost?’
Just as Cui Yanliang was about to shake the bell at his waist, an ethereal voice echoed in his mind.
"Daoist Cui! I am this city’s Qingming Daoist, Chen Tianhua. My birthday is approaching, and I wish to host a banquet for my fellow Daoists!"
This ephemeral voice carried a heavy sense of authority, and a dense aura of Incense filled his mind.
’Qingming Daoist?’
’Inviting fellow Daoists to a banquet?’
Cui Yanliang was astonished. In a daze, he saw a Little Ghost holding a large, red invitation card, bowing deeply to him.
An invisible ripple spread out from the gesture.
Cui Yanliang wanted to refuse and prepared to shake his bell.
Suddenly, Su Bai’s voice rang out in his mind:
"Don’t be so quick to refuse. Let’s follow it and see what’s going on!"