Illusion Trap

The Red Spirit Worm urged the Spirit Devouring Jar forward, chasing after the Golden Light Divine Lord—it had been gone for quite some time now.

The Red Spirit Worm was formed by a secret method Chen Ming had refined; the two were connected in mind and spirit. If any mishap occurred, Chen Ming would naturally sense it.

"The Golden Light Divine Lord is a cultivator of the Divine Path, with his foundation entirely in the Divine Soul. The Red Spirit Worm specifically targets the Divine Soul to take effect—the Golden Light Divine Lord should be unable to withstand it!"

"But now, with him delayed and not yet returned, could he be trapped inside the Golden Light Divine Lord's Divine Domain Dojo?"

Thinking this, Chen Ming summoned a strand of Azure Wood Life and Death Gas, split it in two, and turned it into two azure talismans that landed in Song Yu and Wang Xiu's hands. He instructed, "You two take these talismans and guard the head. If she wakes and the yin qi erupts again, press the talisman onto the head!"

"Yes, Temple Master!"

Song Yu and Wang Xiu received their orders, took the talismans, and carried the head away to keep watch.

Following that, Chen Ming twisted his magic art, and the Poisonous Smoke turned back into a faint haze, concealing the Taoist Temple.

On second thought, Chen Ming changed his magic art again, and the smoke spread, hiding even the Mountain Climbing Stone Steps that led to the summit.

Having done all this, Chen Ming's form paused, and he sat cross-legged atop the Spirit Tree.

"You shall guard for me," Chen Ming said calmly.

Hearing this, the Spirit Tree stirred without wind, its branches stretching and swaying, and Chen Ming's figure atop the tree vanished.

This was the Spirit Tree's illusion technique; Chen Ming still sat cross-legged on the Spirit Tree, merely with his form and aura obscured.

Chen Ming's Divine Soul sat cross-legged on the Creation Lotus Platform within his Sea of Consciousness, silently reciting incantations, reaching through the void to connect with the Red Spirit Worm.

Driven by the incantations, the Creation Lotus Platform radiated light, protecting Chen Ming's Spiritual Sense as it traveled through the void.

The distance between the Golden Light Divine Lord's Divine Domain Dojo and Cuiping Mountain was not far. Following the connection with the Red Spirit Worm, Chen Ming's Spiritual Sense quickly located the Red Spirit Worm's position.

Inside a mortal temple, a speck of Golden Light was hidden within the left eye of a divine statue.

That speck of Golden Light was the location of the Golden Light Divine Lord's Divine Domain Dojo.

It appeared as merely a speck of Golden Light, but within the light, there was no concept of large or small—it was entirely shaped by the Golden Light Divine Lord's will. As long as Incense and Fire Thoughts were sufficient, even thoughts could become reality.

Rumor had it that some Great Cultivators of the Divine Path could even evolve their Divine Domain Dojos into a true realm.

However, such power was not something the Golden Light Divine Lord could possess.

Trapping Chen Ming's Spirit Devouring Jar and Red Spirit Worm in his Divine Domain Dojo had already cost him considerable effort and a significant amount of Incense and Fire Thoughts.

"This magic tool of Xuan Mingzi's—I don't know what demonic methods were used to refine it, but it's incredibly hard to destroy!"

The Golden Light Divine Lord dared not slack off. He drove the Incense and Fire energy, transforming it into various Supernatural Abilities that struck the Spirit Devouring Jar.

But his Supernatural Abilities were all formed from Incense and Fire energy. Against any other magic tool, they would have already destroyed it.

However, the Red Spirit Worm inside the Spirit Devouring Jar had the ability to return things to their origin, and Incense and Fire energy was itself nothing more than thoughts born from human Souls—differing only in purity or impurity.

The Red Spirit Worm could devour even Divine Souls, let alone Incense and Fire Thoughts.

The Supernatural Abilities formed from the Golden Light Divine Lord's Incense and Fire energy fell into the jar and were immediately turned back into Incense and Fire energy by the Red Spirit Worm, then devoured.

The Golden Light Divine Lord was not foolish. Seeing that his Incense and Fire-based Supernatural Abilities were useless, he switched to using his magical power to fix the Spirit Devouring Jar in place within the Divine Domain Dojo, preventing it from escaping.

"This magic tool is immune to Incense and Fire Supernatural Abilities—it's a rare treasure. Once that Xuan Mingzi is killed by the Female Cultivators of the Chayi Sect, I'll find a way to refine this tool for myself. That would be a fine turn of events!"

"By then, the Incense and Fire at the foot of Cuiping Mountain will also be mine. Whether it's Xuan Mingzi or Ling Yangzi, if they block my path, they deserve to die!"

The Golden Light Divine Lord manifested his Dharma Body, his face cycling endlessly through joy, anger, sorrow, and delight.

But the Golden Light Divine Lord noticed nothing amiss.

"His own Divine Soul has been defiled by Incense and Fire Thoughts. Once his soul sinks into depravity, he'll be burned to death by the incense fire of sentient beings, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell!"

Chen Ming's Spiritual Sense had quietly settled inside the Spirit Devouring Jar, using the Red Spirit Worm as a medium to observe the Golden Light Divine Lord within the Divine Domain Dojo.

"It seems the Golden Light Divine Lord has also fallen into a scheme. If he becomes an empty shell, wouldn't that be just like the Spirit God condensed from the Spirit Tree in the temple absorbing Incense and Fire?"

"Is someone plotting to devour both the Golden Light Divine Lord and the Spirit Tree in the temple? Isn't this method exactly the technique Ling Yangzi tried to use to reach the Spirit Condensation Realm?"

Seeing the Golden Light Divine Lord's condition, Chen Ming gained a vague understanding and realized what the schemer behind the scenes was after.

"This method appears clear and seems like a shortcut, but I suspect it's not that simple."

"Although I won't practice this method myself, since I've entered the Divine Domain Dojo, how can I return empty-handed and let that schemer behind the scenes succeed?"

At this moment, the Golden Light Divine Lord's state was extremely abnormal. His Divine Soul was gradually sinking into ignorance, no longer clear-headed.

Those Incense and Fire Thoughts were chaotic and impure, never refined to purity, yet the Golden Light Divine Lord directly refined them into his Dharma Body.

His expression shifted between ferocious and serene, completely out of control, clearly tainted by the desires within the Incense and Fire Thoughts.

Taking advantage of this, Chen Ming silently recited his incantation, and the petal mark on the Red Spirit Worm's forehead faintly glowed.

Invisible ripples spread from the Spirit Devouring Jar. The Golden Light Divine Lord, battered by the desires within the Incense and Fire Thoughts, noticed nothing.

In an instant, the Golden Light Divine Lord fell into the illusion constructed by Chen Ming and the Red Spirit Worm.

In the Golden Light Divine Lord's eyes, the Spirit Devouring Jar before him let out a "crack," forming fissures, and its rate of devouring Incense and Fire slowed.

The Golden Light Divine Lord's eyes lit up, and he laughed, "This magic tool has finally reached its limit!"

"Let me add a bit more force to shatter it completely, take its core, and refine it anew with Incense and Fire. Even if that Xuan Mingzi doesn't die, he'll never reclaim this tool!"

The Golden Light Divine Lord's Dharma Body suddenly swelled, and his Divine Domain Dojo expanded along with it.

In the mortal world, every statue of the Golden Light Divine Lord—whether cast in gold, molded from clay, or merely a wooden spirit tablet—all emitted a faint golden glow at this moment.

The accumulated Incense and Fire within them was instantly drawn out, traversing the void to reach the Divine Lord's Divine Domain Dojo!

Countless streams of Incense and Fire swirled around the Divine Lord's swelling Dharma Body, exalting him like a celestial god, his majestic might unfathomably profound.

"Gather!"

The Divine Lord's Dharma Body roared, and the entire Divine Domain Dojo trembled.

Countless Incense and Fire burrowed into his Dharma Body, refined in the blink of an eye.

"Still not enough!"

"I never expected to enter such a wondrous state today—this is the perfect moment to break through. I can no longer wait to accumulate enough Incense and Fire!"

"Nothing left but to burn the boats!"

The Golden Light Divine Lord's Divine Soul was clouded by the desires of Incense and Fire. Trapped in an illusion without realizing it, he believed he had fallen into a profound state of enlightenment and was on the verge of breakthrough.

"Once I break through, my Dharma Body will be pure, fully united with my Divine Soul, and I will suppress the Divine Domain Dojo. Even if I encounter the Chayi Sect's master, Fairy Caiyi of the Spirit Condensation Realm, she will have to address me as a revered god!"