The Golden Light Divine Lord

"Hm?"

"It had already been taken!"

Ling Yangzi had occupied this place for many years. There were traces of Spiritual Items having been taken from dozens of places, both large and small.

"Could Ling Yangzi really have used up all the Spiritual Items from those dozens of places?"

"Where could he have hidden them?"

Chen Ming had already searched the temple from top to bottom, but hadn't found anywhere that stored Spiritual Items.

When Ling Yangzi died, the only thing left behind was the Spirit Devouring Jar.

Even if the Spirit Devouring Jar could store things, he had already refined it anew.

If the Spiritual Items had been inside the Spirit Devouring Jar, Chen Ming would have discovered them long ago.

Just as Chen Ming was puzzling over this, his Spiritual Sense detected a sharp golden light flying toward Cuiping Mountain.

The golden light was suffused with a dense aura of Incense and Fire, unlike that of an ordinary cultivator.

The golden light landed on the mountaintop and turned into a middle-aged Daoist with dignified features. He frowned as he looked at the temple hidden in the mist.

This Daoist was known as the Golden Light Divine Lord. He cultivated the Divine Path and had condensed a Golden Light Dharma Body with Incense and Fire.

Those who followed the Divine Path had mostly abandoned their physical bodies and cultivated only their Divine Souls.

The temples and shrines where people worshipped them were their bodies.

They absorbed and refined Incense and Fire Qi to perform divine arts, but could not stray far from their idols.

Only after reaching the Dharma Body Realm could they escape those constraints. With their crafted Dharma Bodies, they could roam the world freely, and their strength was comparable to that of the Contemplation Realm.

"Is Daoist Ling Yangzi here?" The Golden Light Divine Lord infused his voice with a trace of magical power. It passed through the mist and entered the temple.

"This Divine Path cultivator—I wonder what his relationship with Ling Yangzi is!"

"I may as well meet him. If he proves troublesome, I can just kill him!"

As Chen Ming's thoughts shifted, his figure appeared and disappeared within the mist.

"This place no longer belongs to Ling Yangzi. What business brings you here, fellow Daoist?" Chen Ming asked coolly.

"Oh?"

The Golden Light Divine Lord knitted his brows slightly and made a divination gesture. Whatever he glimpsed was unclear.

After a moment, he said, "Since this place has a new master, discussing things with you is just as well. It makes no difference whether Ling Yangzi is here."

As he spoke, the Golden Light Divine Lord drew in his aura, showing that he meant no harm.

Seeing this, Chen Ming turned his hand through a Magic Art. A wisp of mist drifted forth and led the Golden Light Divine Lord into the temple.

The Golden Light Divine Lord didn't resist. He entered the temple openly and without reservation.

"Golden Light greets you, fellow Daoist. May I ask your name?" the Golden Light Divine Lord said politely upon meeting Chen Ming.

Chen Ming sized up the Golden Light Divine Lord. A thought crossed his mind: It's time I gave myself a Daoist title. Cultivators have all manner of methods; if my real name gets out, I might fall into someone's trap one day.

"This poor Daoist is the Temple Master of the Creation Life and Death Temple, Xuan Mingzi!"

Chen Ming casually borrowed a Daoist title and introduced himself.

The Golden Light Divine Lord noticed Chen Ming's wariness and dropped the pleasantries, speaking directly:

"My Divine Domain is not far from Cuiping Mountain. I had an agreement with Ling Yangzi: I gave him the Magic Art for condensing and gathering Incense and Fire, and in return, he would provide me with the Spiritual Items that appeared on Cuiping Mountain.

"Furthermore, after ten years, I was to gather Incense and Fire in the city beneath the mountain to refine my art. He promised to close the mountain gates and not interfere!"

"Now the ten-year term has arrived, and Cuiping Mountain has a new master. What do you say?"

At this, Chen Ming finally understood. No wonder he couldn't find any of the Spiritual Items on Cuiping Mountain.

Ling Yangzi had taken them all in exchange for the Magic Art for gathering Incense and Fire.

Ling Yangzi's method of using Incense and Fire Qi to refine the Spirit Tree had come from the Golden Light Divine Lord.

Though the Golden Light Divine Lord was a cultivator of the Divine Path, perhaps he had other methods in his collection as well!

From the looks of it, the Incense and Fire at his own Divine Domain had reached a bottleneck. He needed the Incense and Fire offered by the mortals in the city below Cuiping Mountain!

Chen Ming had no need for Incense and Fire now. Letting the Golden Light Divine Lord gather some wouldn't be a big deal.

Although Chen Ming had glimpsed the method for gathering and condensing Incense and Fire Qi in the Spirit Tree's Wood Heart, that was between the Golden Light Divine Lord and Ling Yangzi. Chen Ming knew nothing about it!

Chen Ming's thoughts turned. His expression cooled as he said, "Golden Light, I'm not saying I can't agree to you gathering the Incense and Fire beneath the mountain to refine your art!"

"But I know nothing about what happened before, and I never received any Magic Art. When I came to Cuiping Mountain to cultivate, I too wondered where all the Spiritual Items that appeared here had gone.

"Golden Light, you say I should close the mountain gates. But what am I supposed to do without the resources I need to cultivate?"

At Chen Ming's words, the Golden Light Divine Lord's furrowed brows relaxed.

He wasn't afraid of Chen Ming making demands; he was afraid Chen Ming would refuse outright.

Making demands meant there was room to maneuver. They could discuss things.

The city beneath Cuiping Mountain was densely populated, and the Golden Light Divine Lord's Divine Domain was the closest to it.

The other places were either controlled by major sects or occupied by Divine Path cultivators.

Only the cultivator on Cuiping Mountain didn't follow the Divine Path and had no use for Incense and Fire Qi. Exchanging a Magic Art for it was the most worthwhile deal!

"Daoist Xuan Mingzi, how about I give you another copy of the Magic Art for condensing Incense and Fire?" the Golden Light Divine Lord offered.

He had already given the Magic Art to Ling Yangzi once. Giving another copy to Xuan Mingzi made no difference and wouldn't affect him.

"But I have no use for that Magic Art!" Chen Ming refused at once.

The Golden Light Divine Lord's brows furrowed slightly again. What exactly did this Xuan Mingzi want?

If he hadn't left his own Divine Domain, where his strength was greatly diminished, and if crafting a Dharma Body weren't so difficult—if damage to it didn't require vast quantities of Incense and Fire to repair—he wouldn't be here humoring him.

Within his own Divine Domain, the Golden Light Divine Lord was accustomed to being a lofty Spirit God. Keeping his temper and speaking so civilly already took considerable restraint.

His previous deal with Ling Yangzi hadn't been like this. He had traded a single Magic Art for the Incense and Fire from the city below, and even received the Spiritual Items from Cuiping Mountain as well.

Now, the Golden Light Divine Lord was thoroughly displeased. But he had spent years preparing to refine his art, and all that remained was to gather the Incense and Fire from this region and condense it.

If he fell out with Chen Ming, a cultivator of the Contemplation Realm, even victory might damage his Dharma Body. He still wouldn't be able to refine his art, and it simply wouldn't be worth it.

The Golden Light Divine Lord had no choice but to ask again, "What would you like, fellow Daoist?"

Chen Ming smiled faintly. "It's simple enough. Return the Spiritual Items from Cuiping Mountain. Also, do you have a Magic Art for contemplating the Qi of the Void?"

The Golden Light Divine Lord's brows knitted even more deeply.

After a long while, he said, "Very well. I can give you the Spiritual Items. I also have two Magic Arts for contemplating the Qi of the Void, and I can give you those as well!"

"However, both the Spiritual Items and the Magic Arts are in my Divine Domain."

"My Divine Domain isn't far from here. Why don't you come with me to retrieve them?"

At this, Chen Ming's expression turned a little colder.

Once a Divine Path cultivator had forged a Dharma Body, their strength was not far from that of someone in the Contemplation Realm.

But if a Divine Path cultivator was in their own Divine Domain, that was another matter entirely.

Just as Chen Ming had laid out many methods in this temple, who knew what sort of arrangements the Golden Light Divine Lord had made in his Divine Domain?

If Chen Ming entered the Golden Light Divine Lord's Divine Domain, he might never get out!