Incense is Poison

Incense Is Poison. The Two Human Emperors seemed to have returned, but in truth, they possessed grave flaws.

To heaven and earth, they were like unregistered residents. Once they lost the shielding of Faith Power, they would suffer heaven and earth's annihilating assault.

"Are the returned Two Human Emperors their former selves, or some special existences born of faith?" Chen Zhao was somewhat puzzled.

This time, the return of the Two Human Emperors had relied on the power of faith.

There were also the Emperor Dao Laws within their two Ancient Emperor Weapons, along with the ancestral imprints and fragments of life contained in the blood of their descendants.

When Jiang Taixu and Ji Zi of later generations returned with the aid of Faith Power, they faced no restrictions from heaven and earth.

"Could it be that they failed to return completely because the Two Human Emperors were beings of the Emperor Dao Domain?" This thought arose in Chen Zhao's mind.

There was an immense difference between Emperors and those who were not Emperors; the levels of their lives were as far apart as heaven and earth.

Heaven and earth did not permit Emperor Dao experts of the past to return.

Chen Zhao was not disheartened by this. It had only been one of his experiments to begin with.

Though the Two Human Emperors had not returned completely due to heaven and earth's restrictions, they could still be considered resurrected from death.

Moreover, bolstered by the faith of all living beings, so long as the incense never ceased and faith remained unextinguished, the two of them could endure in this form for a very long time.

Faith Power was extremely peculiar. It was a power of the mind, and as time passed, faith would ultimately fade.

That was also why Chen Zhao had built temples in various places to gather faith.

This era was not far removed from the deaths of the Two Human Emperors. The two great Human Emperor lineages were still enlightening the people, while the foundational chapters of the two great ancient scriptures, Taiyin and Sun, circulated widely.

Thus, this was the era when the people's faith in the Two Human Emperors stood at its most flourishing.

But as time flowed on, if no divine miracles appeared for too long, even the greatest achievements would be worn away by the years, and all living beings would forget you.

Just like in later generations—if the Dark Turmoil had not descended, who would think of the Human Emperors in the face of mortal peril?

No one knew what the Two Human Emperors had said, but the Two Emperor Sons left with dejected expressions.

Upon seeing the contemplative Chen Zhao, the Yin Human Emperor said, "Fellow Daoist, my current state is exceedingly strange. I can hear the calls and prayers of all living beings. Yet the thoughts of all living beings are eroding my True Spirit at every moment."

"I, too, can hear the calls of all living beings. Faith Power truly does possess the power to turn decay into wonder."

"But our relationship with all living beings is reciprocal as well. Whatever we gain, we must also pay for." The Sun Saint Emperor's tone was full of emotion.

"This reminds me of a special kind of existence recorded in an ancient text," the Yin Human Emperor recalled.

"The records say that in a distant era, there were once tribes and nations that devoutly worshipped Sacrificial Spirits. While accepting worship, the Sacrificial Spirits also sheltered all living beings."

"I never expected the records in those texts to be real. Our current state is somewhat similar to that of Sacrificial Spirits."

After hearing the Two Human Emperors' account, Chen Zhao came to an understanding.

Their True Spirits were constantly being eroded by the thought power of all living beings.

Faithful Thought Power originated from all living beings, and all living beings were not a single individual.

Though Faith Power gathered from the faith of countless creatures possessed the power to turn decay into wonder, it was also incomparably complex, containing the thoughts of living creatures.

This was probably what his previous life had called: incense is poison.

If one could not resist these thoughts of all living beings, one's True Spirit would be eroded and become a puppet controlled by their thoughts.

"Although these thoughts of all living beings erode our True Spirits at every moment, with our strength, we can easily contend against such erosion," the Sun Saint Emperor said.

As Emperors of an era, it was exceedingly difficult for all living beings to erode their True Spirits.

"We have accepted the faith of all living beings. Should they encounter calamity in the future, we must act to shelter them. Otherwise, a great terror will occur." The Yin Human Emperor's tone was complex.

"To shelter all living beings was our wish to begin with. To exist in this form is also a great fortune."

Both wore complicated expressions. They had risen during an era when the Human Race was weak, and throughout their lives, they had sheltered the Human Race.

Even after death, they could return and continue to endure in a special form, sheltering the Human Race. It could indeed be called a great fortune.

Chen Zhao sighed. "If my strength were sufficient, I could help you two Fellow Daoists break the Heavenly Shackles and walk the world."

"Fellow Daoist, there is no need for this. You helped us return; rather, I owe you Great Karma. Why speak this way?" The Yin Human Emperor waved his hand.

"For us to return after death and remain in our homeland to shelter the Human Race is already the best outcome. In the end, it is we who owe you," the Sun Saint Emperor echoed.

Chen Zhao did not bring up the matter again. Instead, he asked, "Could you two Fellow Daoists tell me about the Undying Heavenly Emperor back then?"

Sure enough, once Chen Zhao mentioned the Undying Heavenly Emperor, the expressions of the Two Human Emperors turned livid. In the end, they let it go, their faces returning to calm.

"The Undying Heavenly Emperor was extremely powerful. I never expected that he had always been hiding behind the scenes. When the Path to Immortality opened, Forbidden Zone Supremes whose Lifespans were nearly exhausted emerged. I entered as well, only to suffer an ambush later on the Path to Immortality."

"Even though I had lived out a Third Life, I had ultimately gone through a great battle and was already in my later years. I could only fall in sorrow." The Yin Human Emperor sighed.

"At that time, the Undying Heavenly Emperor was equal to me in strength. So much time has passed now; he may have made a new breakthrough."

At this point, the Sun Saint Emperor said, "During my Late-Life Transformation, I was constantly on guard against the Undying Heavenly Emperor and set down countless measures, yet he still sabotaged my transformation."

"The Undying Heavenly Emperor was not as powerful as Fellow Daoist Yin described. Perhaps it was because Fellow Daoist Yin had grievously wounded him."

Chen Zhao nodded. "According to the clues I have traced, the Undying Heavenly Emperor has embarked upon a path of Bathing in Emperor Blood."

"Bathing in Emperor Blood? Using another's Great Dao to temper one's own origin and undergo transformation—this is a road of no return. In the end, it will surely suffer backlash."

"If it is truly as you say, Daoist, then after bathing in the Emperor Blood of Sun Daoist and me, the Undying Heavenly Emperor is likely undergoing a transformation," the Yin Human Emperor said.

"I too searched for traces of the Undying Heavenly Emperor, but in the end, I found nothing." Chen Zhao was somewhat disappointed.

If he could find the Undying Heavenly Emperor in Nirvana, he could snuff out this hidden danger in advance.

"The Undying Heavenly Emperor is exceedingly cautious. He will only strike in your Late Years, when he is certain of victory. Thus, only when you reach your Late Years will he reveal himself," the Sun Saint Emperor reminded him.

"Having attained the Dao as a Chaos Body, Daoist, your Lifespan will likely be extraordinarily long—long enough for you to find the path of transformation."

His and the Yin Human Emperor's goal had been to become Chaos Bodies. Who would have thought that the Chaos Body of old would appear right before him?

"Oh, right, Daoist. Back when I went to the Big Dipper to investigate the lingering Dao traces of that Chaos Body from the Mythological Era, I came to a conjecture," the Yin Human Emperor said.

"That Chaos Body from back then did not die. It may have gone into hiding."

When the Yin Human Emperor voiced this matter, even the Sun Saint Emperor was somewhat astonished.

However, Chen Zhao had long known of this.