I come to see Bai Yujing today

Chapter 271 The Crown Prince of the Nine Offices of Incense Offering
We humbly hope that the General will recognize this humble sincerity and that he will forever enjoy the offerings of incense from the people; we further hope that his divine might will be vast and everlasting, ensuring the peace and tranquility of our land!
These few lines of text were perceived by Chen Zhian's divine essence.

Chen Zhian was deeply shaken.

He killed Chu Xiubai at the foot of Qijing Mountain and left behind a proclamation.

Chen Zhian believed that this proclamation to kill the traitors would surely be destroyed by the Huanglong Prefecture government and no one would know about it.

Unexpectedly, someone in this riverside town built a shrine for him.

They did not know his name or appearance, so they offered him a long knife and a plaque.

The four characters "Amazing General" on the plaque, along with the lengthy sacrificial text, are enough to prove just how sincere the person who carved the shrine and offered incense was.

Chen Zhian took a deep breath.

His divine essence touched the plaque and the wooden sword at that moment, and the strange golden aura in the shrine finally merged with Chen Zhian's wisp of divine essence.

Chen Zhian extended one hand, and a golden thread-like aura floated in his hand, shimmering with light, mysterious and profound.

"This is the power of incense offerings..."

Chen Zhian was curious and wanted to try to refine the incense smoke with his own divine essence and true essence, but he found that neither his divine essence nor the power of his true essence could bear the incense smoke, but he could not refine it at all.

"That's strange..."

Chen Zhian turned his head to the side and pondered carefully.

The scent of incense is indeed mysterious. Wen Lichu on Wohuang Hill used the scent of incense from hundreds of thousands of people to recover from her injuries and try to break free from her shackles. She also allowed the two equally mysterious copper coins to unleash their mystical power.

Jiao Xiang Gong of Mount Xipenglai wanted to transform from a dragon into a dragon in order to attain enlightenment.

However, due to the harmful effects of blood sacrifice to the Daoist, they had no choice but to raise tens of thousands of people at the foot of West Penglai Mountain to worship him daily and gather incense offerings in order to counteract the harm caused by the transformation of the dragon into a dragon.

The incense offerings received by the people from the sacrifices relieved his suffering.

At the very least, Jiao Xiang Gong successfully transformed into a dragon and stepped into the Heavenly Realm.

Today, Chen Zhian also received this incense offering, but he didn't know how to use it.

Chen Zhian pondered in his heart.

Just then, his eyes suddenly changed.

At this moment, the scent of incense floated on his left hand, and only he could see this golden thread.

However... just as Chen Zhian was pondering, something strange happened to his left hand!

Chen Zhian's usually dormant left hand seemed to have its dragon vein opportunity awakened by this golden thread, and a greenish-blue dragon vein spiritual energy rose up.

The dragon vein's spiritual energy, swirling like mist, enveloped this golden aura of incense.

Chen Zhian's eyes brightened slightly. He stared at his left hand and clearly saw that the green dragon vein spiritual energy completely devoured the wisp of incense, and then returned to silence.

The dragon vein opportunity in his left hand did not change at all, and no matter how much Chen Zhian's divine sense swept over it, he did not sense anything.

"It seems that this dragon vein opportunity wants to devour the incense offerings."

However… a mere wisp of incense smoke seems like a drop in the ocean compared to the opportunities presented by this dragon vein.

Chen Zhian frowned, pondering the connection between the dragon vein opportunity and the incense offerings.

A few breaths passed.

Chen Zhian seemed to have heard something, and looked towards Qijing Mountain, but his figure quietly retreated and disappeared into the shadows.

Half an hour passed.

But then they saw many mountain people carrying sickles and axes, dressed in coarse linen clothes, and carrying dry food, coming in groups and passing by this shrine.

They bowed down to the shrine quite naturally, and one of the better-dressed young men even lit an incense stick in front of it.

A dozen or so people bowed down, then turned back and left.

Without much thought, these simply dressed, seemingly ordinary and even impoverished people were the mountain dwellers of Qijing Mountain.

Chu Xiubai killed innocent people and claimed credit for it; the people he killed were mountain people from the border region.

The manifesto written by Chen Zhian when he killed Chu Xiubai also clearly mentioned the identity of the victim.

It was probably after these mountain people saw the proclamation and witnessed the astonishing general avenging the unknown mountain people that they carved this shrine and worshipped it every day.

"It can be considered as a testament to the sincere hearts of these mountain people."

Chen Zhian watched them leave, then stepped out of the shadows.

"The wisp of incense smoke, like a golden thread, was swallowed up by the Dragon Vein opportunity, but the Dragon Vein opportunity in my hand remains unchanged."

"If there were thousands of incense sticks burning, I wonder if they could cause any changes to the dragon vein's destiny."

Chen Zhian pondered this in his heart, but then shook his head.

When he was drinking with Wen Lichu at Wohuang Hill, Wen Lichu once told him that the incense offerings were not the right path and were not tolerated by the Dao.

Constantly consuming large amounts of incense smoke is harmful and not beneficial to spiritual practice.

and……

"The fragrance of incense comes from the sacrifices and worship of living beings."

The reason why people worship me at the foot of Qijing Mountain today is because I once slew demons and ghosts and made meritorious contributions. The mountain people spontaneously built a shrine for me and worshipped me.

Such a lingering fragrance of incense is rare and hard to come by.

If I were to become obsessed with the path of incense offerings, I would inevitably go astray, just like that Jiao Xiang Gong, or many other figures from the six great Yu clans, who kept living beings captive, blinding their minds, and thus collecting the essence of incense offerings.

Upon realizing this, Chen Zhian understood that the need for incense offerings could not be forced.

He shook his head, banishing all the chaotic thoughts from his mind, before climbing to the top of Qijing Mountain and sitting cross-legged.

He closed his eyes to rest, and his true essence simultaneously circulated two kinds of heavenly techniques.

One of them is the Purple Pure Mysterious Subtle Elucidation of Truth, which Chen Zhian has been cultivating for a long time.

The other type is called [Huangfu Xuanwei Chanzhen].

This method was obtained by Chen Zhian from Zhong Yu, a true disciple of the Daoist Xuanzong sect.

Chen Zhian killed two Dao Xuan Sect disciples who attempted to seize the Dragon Transformation Diagram, and gained a considerable amount of wealth.

For example, the formula for the Ginseng Elixir collected by Gu Mei.

This Huangfu Xuanwei Chanzhen is precisely the celestial skill that Zhongyu cultivates.

This technique, along with the Purple Clarity Profound Subtle Elucidation True Technique, is a fourth-grade Heavenly Technique, making it extremely precious.

However, the truly rare aspect of this method lies elsewhere.

"The purple aura and the yellow court flow together. The Purple Clarity Profound Subtle Elucidation and the Yellow Palace Profound Subtle Elucidation seem to be two different heavenly arts, but in fact they intersect and merge with each other. If one has the comprehension and talent to cultivate both heavenly arts at the same time, it is equivalent to cultivating a third-grade heavenly art."

Chen Zhian's eyes flickered...

"And this Purple Clarity Yellow Mansion Profound Mystery Heavenly Art, when integrated into one, is not the end point of this Heavenly Art."

A slight smile appeared on his face.

"According to the profound mysteries of this Heavenly Technique, and the many hidden aspects of its flow, this Heavenly Technique of the Dao Xuan Sect is a fusion of four techniques into one."

Ziqing and Huangfu are two of them.

If one can obtain the remaining two manuals of the "Chanzhen Method," and possesses the talent and comprehension to master them, then one can obtain a first-grade Heavenly Skill.

As Chen Zhian thought of this, his smile grew even wider.

"But this first-grade Heavenly Technique is still not the end. The Dao Xuan Sect has a profound foundation, and the secret lies hidden in the Dragon Transformation Diagram!"

If one can fully obtain the opportunities within the Dragon Transformation Diagram, one will be able to learn about the extremely profound Daoist Dragon Transformation Scripture.

Chen Zhian sat high on the mountaintop, carefully cultivating the two celestial arts.

The two celestial arts merged and gradually evolved into a brand new third-grade celestial art.

Chen Zhian's original purple true essence gradually began to show some yellow, as heavy as the earth.

With purple and yellow hues intertwined, Chen Zhian's cultivation speed increased rapidly, and his true essence became increasingly condensed.

"Currently, I have not yet fully comprehended the Purple-Yellow Profound Mystery Heavenly Technique, nor have I completely refined my own true essence into Purple-Yellow true essence. Once my own true essence has completely transformed into Purple-Yellow, I should be able to expand the Heavenly Gate, build the Profound Tower, step into the Heavenly Palace Profound Realm, and become a Profound Tower cultivator."

With this technique, my cultivation speed has indeed increased significantly.

Chen Zhian sat cross-legged in the mountain, his divine essence merging with the wind and waves, subtly flowing throughout the surrounding ten miles.

He, on the other hand, diligently cultivated his spiritual practice and refined his true essence.

Two days passed by in a flash.

The twenty-third year of the Great Zhi era is about to pass, and there are only two or three days left until New Year's Eve.

That night.

Chen Zhian suddenly opened his eyes and looked into the distance.

But then, in the distance, shrouded in mist, a phantom appeared out of nowhere.

The phantom was enormous, probably ten zhang in size.

Its enormous body crouched on the clouds, its two eyes burning like will-o'-the-wisps as it looked down at Chen Zhian.

Chen Zhian stood up and bowed to the terrifying phantom.

The illusory figure remained silent, staring intently at Chen Zhian without moving.

Chen Zhian looked surprised and shook his head, saying, "I thought I was waiting on Qijing Mountain."

When the senior sees me, he will surely be surprised at first, and then he will attack me fiercely.

But to his surprise, there was no murderous intent in the senior's eyes.

The mysterious phantom took a deep breath and then exhaled.

The mist that shrouded the void was suddenly blown away by him, revealing his true form.

This is a black fox, with jet-black fur and a height of ten zhang (approximately 33 meters). Only its two eyes burn with flames, like stars in the night sky.

He didn't speak, but his voice boomed like a river crashing on the table, like mountains collapsing, resounding in Chen Zhian's ears.

“I came to Dayu when I was young, and fifty years have passed in the blink of an eye.”

“I once traveled to Longxi and entered the Xie family’s Washing Dragon Hall. I saw the green jade bamboo in the winding corridor and the twelve thunder-shielding trees.”

Xie Minghe hadn't even been born yet, but Xie Zuoliang had already entered the Four Thousand Platforms and become a celestial observer.

"Chen Zhian... The Xie family is not easy to deal with. In the Heart Sutra Pavilion and the Xishan Courtyard, there are countless Tianduan and Xuangang members."

Fifty years have passed, and I still haven't seen through the Xie family of Longxi. At most, I've seen through Xie Minghe and that useless Xie Maoxing.

"Xie Zuoliang invited me to the capital, and you are blocking my way here today. You must want to kill me?"

Chen Zhian looked at the fox with some surprise.

The fox's voice was like the roar of mountains and rivers, yet its eyes were remarkably calm, and one of its tails pierced the clouds, stirring up wind and rain.

But in the nearby Huanglong Mansion, it seemed that no one could see him.

Chen Zhian stood up, thought for a moment, and nodded frankly: "Xie Zuoliang has his own plans, and I don't want to investigate them further."

But I am currently lacking a Heavenly Primordial Spirit!
This primordial spirit is of great importance to me. The senior has long served under Xie Minghe and can be considered my greatest enemy.

That's why I came here in person to wait for you, senior."

The black fox, perched on the cloud, finally nodded.

"Xie Minghe has already transformed into a dragon. He has sensed my bloodline, so Xie Zuoliang wrote to him, and he agreed to send me here."

"If I die, it will suit his purposes perfectly."

"As for Xie Zuoliang... he was once called the 'Cloud-Covering Man' of the Xie family by the Xie family patriarch. He was cunning and rarely showed his true colors. He also lived in the Astronomical Observatory for a long time. I suppose he saw something from those stars."

The fox named Xu Fengqu spoke with increasing calmness, and even the sound of his voice, which was filled with divine energy, gradually changed from the surging of mountains and rivers to the gentle breeze!

Chen Zhian listened to the fox's words with a frown, but found them obscure and difficult to understand. He didn't know the fox's origins or its connection with Xie Minghe and Xie Zuoliang.

Just at this moment...

The flames that were already burning in Xu Feng's eyes burned even brighter, and he cast two clear beams of light onto Chen Zhi'an.

"General Chen! I once entered the tomb of the Xie family's ancestor and was nailed into a causal anchor by Xie Yaoguang, an elder of the Xie family."

Xie Zuoliang and Xie Minghe thought I was unaware of this matter.

But they were unaware that my bloodline was special and that they had already discovered some clues.

Today, they want to lure you into killing me, to nail the "causal anchor" into your primordial spirit's karma, to destroy your opportunity, break your bloodline, and bring about the Xie family's downfall.

"Now that I've told you this, General Chen, do you still dare to kill me?"

Xu Feng's eyes flickered with fire as he stared at Chen Zhi'an.

Chen Zhian was even more surprised. He looked Xu Feng up and down and felt that this fox was also quite mysterious.

"Whether what this fox said is true or false, he knew I was going to kill him, yet he remained so calm, like someone who remains unfazed even when thunder strikes..."

Chen Zhian's eyes darted around, and suddenly he flicked his sleeve, and a table and a pot of fine wine appeared in front of him.

"Why don't you transform into human form, senior, and share a drink with me?"

Chen Zhian extended an invitation.

Xu Feng shook his head.

He tilted his head back and opened his mouth to spit it out.

Suddenly, a beam of golden light shot out from his mouth.

Golden light soared! Just like a star suspended in the sky.

Chen Zhian stared intently and saw a golden light rise into the sky and then fall back down, completely enveloping Chen Zhian's location.

The next instant, the black tail behind Xu Feng suddenly dispersed into seven tails, each of which emitted a drop of essence blood.

The seven drops of essence blood merged into one in the sky, and then transformed into a knife.

The blade was jet black, gleaming with light, and at a glance, there was still blood flowing on it!

The black fox transformed into human form, becoming a rather ordinary-looking middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man stepped down from the void and suddenly flicked his sleeve.

The long sword hanging in the sky suddenly transformed into a beam of light, shooting straight towards Chen Zhian, and then hovering in front of him.

Chen Zhian remained expressionless, without even blinking, and simply drank a glass of wine.

"What is this, senior?" Chen Zhian asked.

Xu Feng suddenly bowed to Chen Zhian and said, "I ask General Chen to wield this sword, kill my physical body, kill my primordial spirit, and receive the karmic anchor in my Heavenly Palace!"

Chen Zhian rubbed his temples, looking somewhat distressed.

Xie Zuoliang of the Astronomical Observatory...

Xie Minghe, who transformed into a dragon...

Adding to the confusion was the old fox who spoke in a cryptic manner, leaving Chen Zhian momentarily speechless.

At this very moment, on the astronomical platform of Xuantianjing.

Xie Zuoliang, dressed in white, exuded a powerful and surging aura.

Though separated by thousands of miles, this Lingtai official, who had not yet ascended to the level of Creation, seemed to hear Xu Feng's conversation with Chen Zhian.

But he didn't seem to care.

"A subtle clash, the star trails become clear!"

"The Nine Princes! Chen Zhi'an! Both are demons of my Longxi."

(End of this chapter)