Chapter 210 - 239: 5 Killing Intents, a Rising Calamity: [Heaven-Seeing Eye] and Power of Incense
The purple-robed elder let the pieces fall.
He looked dazed.
’Ascension to Immortality!’
Such a Realm was far beyond his cognition and understanding.
It was said that any Martial Arts Strongman who could step into such a Realm would easily see their lifespan exceed ten thousand years, allowing them to watch the vast seas turn to mulberry fields.
The Great Sect Elder, however, just smiled and said no more.
Then, with a flick of his embroidered robes, a chessboard materialized before the two of them.
At the Great Sect Elder’s invitation, they began to play.
Unlike the Great Sect Elder, the purple-robed elder was somewhat distracted, his mind seemingly lost in deep thought.
A moment later, the Great Sect Elder placed a piece and said with a light chuckle, "Fellow Daoist Ning, you have lost this game."
The purple-robed elder glanced at the board with a complicated expression, then sighed and nodded. "I’ve lost."
"This junior has lost this game..."
His words seemed to be about the chess game, yet they also seemed to hint at something more, carrying a deeper meaning.
The Great Sect Elder seemed to have seen through the purple-robed elder’s thoughts. He smiled faintly and said, "You have been cultivating the Martial Dao for a thousand years now."
"A thousand years have passed. Are there still some things you haven’t seen through?"
"At our Realm, climbing any higher is almost impossible."
"Rather than struggling with this for a lifetime, why not relax your Heart Spirit, enjoy yourself, live out the rest of your days carefree, be kind to others, and forge good karmic bonds?"
"You could also secure a blessing for your descendants."
The purple-robed elder was silent for a moment before saying with a bitter smile, "Elder Ye, you speak truly."
"On this path to long life, this junior..."
"...has been too obsessed."
The Great Sect Elder smiled faintly, then waved his hand to dismiss the chessboard. He stood and said, "Well then."
"Being able to see you and win a game has made this trip worthwhile."
"I shall return to the Imperial City now."
"Who knows when I will awaken next..."
The Great Sect Elder gazed at the beautiful scenery, sighed, and was about to take his leave with a flick of his sleeve.
But just then, the purple-robed elder, seated high in the sky, slowly raised his head and suddenly spoke.
"Elder Ye, why the rush?"
"Why not stay and play another game with this junior?"
The Great Sect Elder turned, his brow furrowed, his gaze deep as he looked at the purple-robed elder.
He seemed to have sensed something, and his voice grew somewhat cold.
"Why?"
"Because..."
The purple-robed elder, who had been respectful just moments ago, slowly stood up.
On his once-kind face, a deep trace of Demonic Qi suddenly appeared!
Thick, black, foul-smelling liquid began to slowly ooze from his right cheek.
It was like a ghastly demon mask!
"I’m afraid that if Elder Ye leaves just like this, this junior might never have the chance again..."
"...to play a game with you."
The moment his voice fell, from deep within the Cloud Sea...
One terrifyingly powerful and world-shaking aura after another suddenly surged forth, like hidden dragons emerging from the abyss!
In the blink of an eye, a series of figures with terrifying might completely surrounded the Great Sect Elder!
Amidst the vast clouds and mist, several figures could be seen, flickering in and out of view.
There was a white-haired old man with a kind face, seated upon a black lotus.
There was a colossal, indistinct blood shadow holding a black Great Halberd, its killing intent soaring to the heavens.
There was a Demon Path Venerable Master sitting on a black Jade Chair, his surging Evil Qi intimidating all in his presence.
There was also a Daoist in green robes, stepping on ghastly white bones and holding a cyan Jade Bell.
And even a terrifying Demon Lord, a thousand zhang tall, that blotted out the sun and sky!
Five figures with heaven-shaking auras occupied the surrounding area.
The qi emanating from each figure was as vast as an abyss, as if they represented the might of heaven and earth itself.
The Great Sect Elder’s icy gaze swept across all directions.
He immediately felt the undisguised, surging killing intent from the five individuals.
When he came to his senses, the purple-robed elder, who had been right beside him, had already distanced himself.
He was now staring coldly at him.
"So you chose this path in the end..."
The Great Sect Elder clasped his hands behind his back, ignoring the five others present, and looked at him with a blank expression.
"Elder, you possess the Dragon Turtle Scripture. Your lifespan is many times our own. Naturally, you cannot understand."
"You cannot know what it’s like to watch death approach day after day."
"So, you joined the Demon Saint Sect and became a puppet, at the mercy of others?"
the Great Sect Elder said in a low voice.
"Heh heh... For eternal life, to keep on living."
A sinister, cold, and wicked smile slowly crept across the purple-robed elder’s face.
"So what if I must become a Fierce Ghost!?"
His words were bone-chillingly cold.
His eyes held a hint of madness!
The moment the purple-robed elder finished speaking.
The Demon Path Venerable Master on the black Jade Chair spoke with a light laugh, "Even a Dragon Turtle’s life must end!"
"Elder Ye has lived for several thousand years. Shouldn’t that be enough?"
"Today, we shall send you on your way!"
"I remember you."
The Great Sect Elder glanced at him indifferently, then narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "You Little Ghost from the Red Flame Demon Sect!"
"Back then, you knelt before me for seven days, begging me for a bit of guidance."
"I never expected that after a thousand years, you’d still be the same as you were back then."
At this, the Great Sect Elder paused, not continuing his sentence.
"The same what?"
The Demon Path Venerable Master gripped the armrests of his Jade Chair, Demonic Qi swirling around him, his face dark and grim.
"Just as useless."
BOOM!
At these words, the Demon Path Venerable Master instantly shattered the Jade Chair with a palm strike, his expression as dark as water, his heart a raging inferno of fury!
"Enough nonsense with him."
At that moment, the indistinct figure holding the black Great Halberd spoke in a buzzing voice.
"Send him on his way!"
"Then we can go kill that Dao Palace Realm junior."
"Only then will this trip be a success."
’So that’s who they’re after.’
A look of realization dawned on the Great Sect Elder’s face.
Just then, the five figures surrounding him began to unleash their boundless power!
Between heaven and earth, countless waves of clouds churned!
The rosy clouds were torn asunder!
"Five ants, and you dare try to overturn the heavens?"
Facing the five’s surging killing intent, the Great Sect Elder stood with his hands behind his back and spoke softly.
However, the next moment...
An indifferent voice sounded from high above the clouds,
shattering them completely!
"Ye Xiaoqing."
"What if you include this ancestor?"
The moment the voice fell, high in the dome of the sky...
A black Emperor’s Throne...
came soaring through the heavens!
...
「Inside the Imperial City, on a certain street.」
After accumulating for three days, and from killing some experts while previously cleaning out the followers of the Black Lotus Sect, Su Bai had managed to kill a few experts.
As a result, he had now saved up tens of millions of Experience Points.
He first raised his own Realm to the Sixth Level of Dao Palace Realm.
Then, he spent the remaining Experience Points on the Divine Technique [Ears of Discernment].
As the level of the Divine Technique increased, [Ears of Discernment] also began to change significantly.
Until finally, the Divine Technique underwent a transformation!
[Divine Technique: Heaven-Seeing Eye! (Ninth Grade!) Realm: 12th Layer! (20 million Experience Points)]
It was early morning.
Su Bai walked down the street, hearing the sounds of chanting and the beating of wooden fish all around him.
And in Su Bai’s eyes, wisps of mist were constantly rising from the roofs of the commoners’ homes.
This mist was silver-white and invisible to the naked eye.
It couldn’t even be detected with one’s Divine Thoughts.
However, by using the Divine Technique [Heaven-Seeing Eye], Su Bai could see it very clearly.
After a moment of thought, he knew what it was.
These wisps of white smoke were all Incense!
Within the vast Imperial City, about a third of the households were wreathed in Incense and Candle Qi.
It rose in curling tendrils!
But the places it gathered were all different.
Some flowed east, some west, some south...
Several thousand streams of Incense and Candle Qi even converged into Su Bai’s body.
Listening closely, he could clearly hear...
"I beg Elder Boxing Saint, please bless my family with peace!"
"I beg Elder Boxing Saint, please bless me so I may succeed in the imperial examinations!"
"I beg Elder Boxing Saint, please bless me so I can find a wife!"
...
and thousands of other devout whispers.
The rest were a motley collection of all sorts of requests.
Su Bai still didn’t understand the specific function of this accumulated Incense and Candle Qi.
He observed for a while and found that this Incense and Candle Qi gathered in his Merit column.
His Merit Points increased, but the rise was too small for Su Bai to notice.
In his estimation, this Incense and Candle Qi was similar to Merit Points, equivalent to a kind of "Celestial Dao Currency."
But in terms of quality, it was much lower than Merit Points.
If he wanted to exchange it for Merit Points...
’I’m afraid even a million streams might not be enough to exchange for a single Merit Point.’
Su Bai pondered this as he walked in the direction of the prison.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.
He looked up at the horizon.
His gaze darkened!