Incense

With the Buddha Master's death, the Thief Saint was kidnapped, and Boundless Mountain was destroyed.

A series of messages spread from the Brahma Heaven Realm. There were many disciples of Boundless Mountain, and the forces behind these disciples were complicated and intertwined. The news quickly spread to all states and cities.

Not long after Li Hao and Li Muxiu left, two dark figures appeared on Boundless Mountain. When they saw the dilapidated Spirit Mountain and sensed the residual power of the Great Dao in the air, their expressions changed drastically.

Soon, they vanished like wisps of smoke.

Outside of Great Yu Province, in a secluded Mountain Range.

The surrounding area was shrouded in mist, and there was little human habitation.

Two figures appeared silently, landing like ghosts in a secluded hall on a mountain peak.

"Demon Sheep Venerable, we just received news that the Buddha Master previously sought our cooperation is dead!"

One of the Black-robed Youth whispered.

Beside them stood a graceful woman with purple markings on her cheeks. If Li Hao were here, he would recognize them as the two Desolate God who had been Qingzhou City earlier.

Ahead of them, a large old man squatted on the ground, his hunchback high as if he were carrying a thick stone. He held a dark, curved cane like an ancient tree, with a human face at the top of the cane. The eyes kept moving, occasionally narrowing and revealing a strange smile.

"Buddha Master?"

Hearing the young man's words, the old man turned around, his eyes drooping with deep wrinkles. He glanced at the Black-robed Youth and said:

"Really? What about Mara?"

The Black-robed Youth said in a low voice, "Unless it was Sage who intervened and deceived our senses, there is absolutely no way we could be wrong. That Mara is also dead. There are residual demonic energy and lingering Dao Power there. He should have Unity with Mara."

"Buddha-Demon Unity, two extreme Dao Heart —he's truly greedy. No wonder he's still in the Great Peace Dao Realm after two thousand years; he's trying to become a saint in one step, and even a top-tier Sage."

The old man narrowed his eyes slightly, and the layers of wrinkles under his eyes seemed to lift a little.

The two Black-robed Youth exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.

Achieving ultimate Dao Heart Fusion, transcending a major realm to directly become a Saint?

Such a person, even in the Lands of the Saints, would be considered an exceptionally talented individual.

"He must have been forced to merge prematurely; there's only residual Great Dao Aura there, no Aura of Sage," the Black-robed Youth said.

The Demon Sheep Venerable sneered, "Of course! He sought cooperation with us to plunder the Incense of the Great Yu Dynasty, which means he hadn't Incense enough. That's normal; the Great Yu Emperor wouldn't allow anyone to usurp his throne and plunder the Incense his Jiang Family had planned. His premature fusion is like a premature baby; he can't become a saint, so he died unjustly!"

Incense?

The Purple-Patterned Woman looked puzzled.

"You haven't reached the Dao Law Realm yet, so you can't sense it."

The Demon Sheep Venerable said, "On the path of cultivation, one must seize the Creation Heaven and Earth. Below the level of Sage, all are but ants. One can only defy the heavens through one's own abilities. However, the Saint Realm is subject to the Three Heavenly Calamities, and one needs Incense offerings to overcome them. Otherwise, why do you think the Jiang Family would leave the Great Wasteland Heaven and come here?"

"Do you really think they were defeated in the battle for the Ancient Sacred Clan and squeezed out of the Great Wasteland Heaven? Ha! The Jiang Family is merely taking advantage of the situation, attempting to use this Dynasty to accumulate Incense and resurrect that Jiang Family Sage!"

Upon hearing this, both of them froze, staring at him in astonishment.

The Jiang Family is actually plotting to resurrect the Progenitor Sage?

This ambition is rather frightening.

"Demon Sheep Venerable, is Incense necessary to become a saint? Then let's..."

The Black-robed Youth's eyes flickered.

"You should first comprehend the Dao Law Realm before making any plans. You can try to scheme ahead of time, but we Monster-Demon Race cannot receive Incense from Human Race. Who would worship Demon? Even coercion won't work. Sincerity is useless. What we call Incense are actually Wish Power, the aspirations of all living beings!"

"We can only obtain this power from Demon. The Saint Child Xu Nuo us that once we defeat Great Yu, he will build Demon Temple for us in various places. At that time, you can drive the demons to come and worship."

"That's what the Demon Sheep Venerable said."

Upon hearing him mention the words "Saint Child," the two men's eyes narrowed, revealing a hint of awe.

The Purple-Patterned Woman asked, "Is there no other way to become a saint besides Incense?"

"It's possible, but practically impossible. That path has long been closed; it requires unimaginable comprehension..."

The Demon Sheep Venerable shook his head. "In short, these things are too far removed from your Dao Law Realm may not be able to comprehend the Sage or create their own Great Dao, let alone collect Incense. Without such extraordinary talent, any advance planning will only benefit others, just like this Buddha Master."

The two exchanged a glance, both feeling a deep sense of sympathy.

To become a saint, who wouldn't?

But while they thought about it, they weren't really confident; it was indeed too far off.

One must first comprehend the Dao Arts, and after comprehending the Dao Arts, one must then forge one's own Great Dao —it's incredibly difficult.

"On another note, although the Buddha Master did not achieve sainthood in one step, Buddha-Demon Unity and was forced into the Dao Inquiry Realm, and it's even possible that he reached the Dao Law Realm!"

The Demon Sheep Venerable steered the conversation back on track, his eyes flashing with a cold, sharp light:

"That kid was able to kill someone at the Dao Law Realm. Are you sure that when you fought him in Qing Prefecture, he only Aura of the Four Establishments Realm?"

The two were stunned, a look of horror appearing in their eyes.

Did the Buddha Master directly reach the Dao Law Realm?

When they investigated afterwards, they only sensed a strong Aura of the Great Dao, but could not determine whether the Dao Arts had Mastery.

After listening to so much from Demon Sheep Venerable, they understood that the Buddha Master was also an exceptionally powerful figure. With such a scheme, even if it was premature, he could not possibly be an ordinary True Person Realm.

Even if we assume it's just the True Person Realm, it would still be the very top level.

"We are absolutely certain of this. During the previous battle in Qing Prefecture, he revealed his Aura and fought using only his Dao Domain. It's impossible for him to have concealed it, otherwise his cultivation level would be far too exaggerated..."

The Black-robed Youth's expression changed, and he spoke in a low voice.

The Purple-Patterned Woman said somberly, "It's possible that his battle with us led him to some breakthrough. But we've cultivated for ten thousand years and are only at the True Person Realm... Compared to him, haven't we lived in vain?"

Demon Sheep Venerable's face darkened as he said, "Isn't a sixteen-year-old at the Four Establishments Realm of the Qi Refining Realm enough of an exaggeration? Let alone the Four Establishments Realm, have you ever seen a sixteen-year-old at the Third Stage of the Three Immortalities Realm?"

Upon hearing his words, the two exchanged a glance, both speechless and unable to respond.

Indeed, Three Immortalities Realm at sixteen was already incredibly powerful; now it's just even more so.

"Is that boy really human? Could he be a Sage reincarnated?"

The Black-robed Youth couldn't help but ask, thinking of the "Saint Child" they had just mentioned.

Demon Sheep Venerable's eyes flickered. It was indeed possible, but he had never heard of such Prodigy as a reincarnation of Sage, unless it was Sage directly disguising himself.

But if that were true, they would have already wiped them out; there wouldn't be a chance for them to speak here.

"I've long heard of some unparalleled Prodigy, whose abilities are so exaggerated that one day of cultivation is equivalent to a year for an ordinary person. That kid must be one of them."

Demon Sheep Venerable sighed softly. Their plans had all been disrupted by one person; it was hard to imagine.

"It's all because that Buddha Master was too greedy. If he had chosen to join forces with us to ambush and kill him, even if that kid had three heads and six arms, he wouldn't have been able to escape Boundless Mountain. Unfortunately, he was afraid that we would become a stain on his reputation and affect his Incense. Now he deserves to die!"

The Purple-Patterned Woman said coldly.

"It might not be that he's afraid of affecting the Incense; he might be keeping an eye on us. After all, we've all entered Boundless Mountain... He's probably having trouble sleeping and eating," the Black-robed Youth said.

"Now that there's no Buddhist Sect support, won't our plan have to change again? We already failed miserably in Liang Prefecture, that kid really drove us crazy!"

The Purple-Patterned Woman gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with hatred.

"Now, we can only make use of it."

The old man Demon Sheep Venerable, had a gloomy face and said, "In the battle Qingzhou City earlier, I True Form you to go and deal with that brat yourselves, but that Buddha Master insisted on doing it himself. As a result, he made a foolish move and got himself involved. He originally wanted to use that Thief Saint to lure that brat Past, ruin his reputation, and make him break with the court."

"In the end, he forced himself into Buddha-Demon Unity, and then got killed. He was incredibly stupid."

The Black-robed Youth remained silent. Even the wisest can make a mistake. No one had expected that kid to be so terrifying, capable of killing even Dao Law Realm.

When Intelligence is mismatched, all scheming becomes laughable, like that of a clown.

In their long-term plan, everything was proceeding smoothly, and the gradual annihilation of Great Yu was just around the corner. But that kid suddenly appeared out of nowhere, like a sharp knife that had entered from the sidelines, disrupting everything.

Who could have predicted that?

If they had known earlier that Great Yu would give birth to such Prodigy, they would have planned ahead of time, even at the cost of greater sacrifices.

"Although the Buddha Master is dead, we have no choice but to continue using his foolish move. Moreover, his death will make it easier for that kid to break with Great Yu, and let the millions of the Buddhist Sect disciples drown him with their spittle!"

The Demon Sheep Venerable sneered, "When that brat can't take it anymore, we'll slaughter everyone again, wiping out all those Buddhist Sect disciples. I don't believe the others won't be afraid then. That brat is the sword of Great Yu, but a sword is double-edged. Now let them realize that this sword can also hurt them!"

The two Black-robed Youth nodded slightly.

That kid was able to kill the Buddha Master, leaving them utterly astonished; he was someone they couldn't even match.

The two were actually somewhat relieved. Fortunately, the Buddha Master this foolish move to stop them; otherwise, if their True Form had gone to find the boy, they might both be in trouble now.

"But that kid is now capable of killing beings at the Dao Law Realm. Will Great Yu break ties with him?" the Black-robed Youth asked.

Demon Sheep Venerable sneered, "As an emperor, would you be happy or afraid if such a ruthless person appeared in your territory?"

The two exchanged a glance, each knowing the answer in their hearts.

Although Human Race have always been exceptionally intelligent in cultivation, they have been quite foolish in other matters. Even emperors cannot escape the shackles of human nature.

"Even with us watching us with predatory eyes, some foolish Human Race would rather build high walls than allow anything that could threaten them to exist nearby. That's human nature."

Demon Sheep Venerable's eyes seemed to see through everything. "Besides, given that kid's current strength and age, he's at the age where his ego is inflated. He can't stand even the slightest grievance. He can roam freely anywhere, it's not like he has to stay here. Do you think he won't swallow his anger?"

"So, a complete break was inevitable?"

The two men's eyes lit up when they heard his words.

If they were to break ties, then when they attacked Great Yu, they wouldn't need to worry about that kid anymore.

Defeating the enemy doesn't necessarily mean killing them; if that's not possible, luring them away will suffice.

"What you need to do now is to have the Tianji Hall contact the Buddhist Sect and have Buddhist Sect put pressure on His Majesty, making him suspicious!" said the Demon Sheep Venerable.

"Clear."

The two nodded.

The Demon Sheep Venerable chuckled coldly and said, "In this world, the strong are respected, but the Human Race likes to pretend to be fair and just. There are clearly distinctions between officials, nobles, and Aristocratic Clan, dividing people into different classes, but they always want the people at the bottom to feel that there is still justice and fairness. As a result, they have to pretend to be reasonable on the surface. Even the Buddha Master is the same, constrained by this, but he can only pretend to be benevolent in order to win a share of Incense. We don't lack Incense from the Human Race."

Both of them laughed upon hearing this.

"Go on, the Saint Child is getting impatient."

The Demon Sheep Venerable's eyes were deep as he said, "If this drags on any longer, we'll be in trouble when those Heavenly Prodigy who entered the Immortal Gate a thousand years ago return. Only the Saint Child can resolve this."

Upon hearing this, both of them felt a slight chill run down their spines. They agreed and then disappeared.

Meanwhile, the news had already reached Qingzhou City.