Can't Afford to Offend the Great Bandit, Still Afraid of You, Little Bandit

The Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao was still gestating. While it seemed abundant, it was a mere drop in the bucket compared to the beings searching for it within Wangwu Mountain. Those who managed to obtain some were the luckiest of the lucky.

Why was this the case?

The answer was Yuan Tianzong!

The more Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao he absorbed and refined, the closer his connection to heaven and earth became, and the faster his mental transformation accelerated.

Perhaps this was a shortcut to increasing his cultivation during this Awakening stage. With a strong and incredibly stable mental foundation, Yuan Tianzong seized the opportunity, relentlessly traveling everywhere to seize all the Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao.

Because of his existence, the already scarce Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao was even less likely to fall into the hands of other beings, becoming even rarer.

Yuan Tianzong's "plundering" behavior earned him countless curses in secret.

After the two nicknames "Refiner" and "Dao Heart Breaker," another was added: "Bandit."

Curses and complaints aside, people were increasingly shocked by Yuan Tianzong's mental foundation, unable to imagine how stable his mind truly was.

One lucky individual obtained a wisp of Divine Smoke and experienced its mental impact, nearly being driven mad. After a difficult struggle, they finally achieved a mental transformation.

Upon Awakening, he immediately left Wangwu Mountain, having no further desire for the Divine Smoke. He believed he couldn't withstand such an impact again.

With this comparison, Yuan Tianzong's terrifying prowess was naturally highlighted.

Based on his traces, some people roughly estimated that he had obtained over thirty wisps of Divine Smoke, though the exact number was unknown.

The consequences of absorbing all of it were unimaginable.

For a time, the reputation of "Refiner" became synonymous with invincibility within Wangwu Mountain; everyone bowed their heads upon seeing him.

While Yuan Tianzong dominated Wangwu Mountain and harvested the Divine Smoke, Huaxia and even the entire world erupted due to the appearance of the Divine Smoke.

Incense ash and strange soils appeared in major mountains and rivers, and even within some cities, sparking fierce competition among various beings.

It was precisely because of the Divine Smoke's appearance that countless people suddenly realized how many ancient monsters and young prodigies were hidden within the cultivation world.

This led to a heated discussion online, causing traffic to explode.

Several top-tier mutants were very active, diligently refining the Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao.

Veteran mutants like the Dragon King, Flying Heaven, and Black Tiger led their teams, clashing with numerous mountain sects and clans.

Someone even revealed that the Dragon King had clashed with members of a more mysterious sect near Mount Tai, suffering serious injuries before fleeing to Mount Tai to continue his battles elsewhere.

While the veteran mutants had considerable influence, the newly emerged mutants were even more formidable.

One individual, known as the "Bull Demon King," with horns on his head and a physique as robust as an ox, was extremely powerful. Upon hearing of the Dragon King's setback at Mount Tai, he aggressively entered the fray, vowing to establish his own mutant martial arts hall there!

The human factions were locked in constant conflict, and the Evolved Beasts were not idle either.

Extremely powerful Evolved Beasts emerged from various regions, their previous hiding places unknown.

These Evolved Beasts seemed to rule the world, leading large numbers of followers in their wake, challenging powerful mutants, contending with major sects, and showing no fear of ancient clans.

Veteran powerhouses and newly emerged top-tier figures, along with various other strong beings, all made their grand appearances, making this period appear extremely chaotic yet pregnant with brilliant vitality.

Netizens were dazzled and, unable to participate in the competition for the Divine Smoke, chose to open another battlefield: fan wars!

To each their own, countless netizens spontaneously became fans of a certain powerful being, promoting their chosen figure's strength online and refuting opponents, spreading the flames of war far and wide.

"What's the Dragon King? Didn't he get kicked out of Mount Tai?"

"Lord Bull Demon King is the real powerhouse, charging into Mount Tai to reclaim his territory! Major sects have to step aside!"

"Major sects are mysterious and unfathomable, how can they just step aside? Where's the proof? No pictures, no truth!"

Everyone spewed nonsense, each boasting louder than the last.

Looking at the replies, one realized that Earth could no longer contain these various powerhouses.

Amidst this environment of rampant boasting, someone from Wangwu Mountain sneered, "What Dragon King, what Bull Demon King, and all those other messy major sects are just stray dogs in front of our Refiner!"

"Refiner? What's that?"

"Are you daring to compare some random cat or dog to my Dragon King?!"

"Tch, if your Dragon King met my Refiner, I bet I could pull out his dragon tendons, believe it or not?"

"I don't believe it. Call him out for a stroll, let's see?"

"See? No more words."

Compared to the chaotic fan wars among netizens, the major factions remained silent, fully focused on competing for the Divine Smoke.

Many people had already discovered a fact but had not spoken of it—the Divine Smoke of Entering the Dao would condense secret items in the spiritual realm.

One wisp could aid in mental Awakening.

Three wisps could condense into an incense stick, standing tall in the spiritual realm, mysterious and unknown.

Nine wisps could form an incense cauldron.

Twenty-seven wisps would result in a divine platform.

Within the small circle of top experts, this was the most crucial battleground.

The prodigies of a major sect had already withstood the impact of nine wisps of Divine Smoke, condensed an incense cauldron, and retreated to their sect to await unknown changes with peace of mind.

The Bull Demon King was incredibly powerful, fighting without retreat against the sect members in Mount Tai. Twenty-one wisps of Divine Smoke were absorbed into his body as he sought to surpass numerous old and new powerhouses, aiming to condense a Divine Platform, which caused many to frown in secret.

"My talent is peerless, and I've gained fortune from a powerful exotic fruit. Who can contend with me!" the Bull Demon King boasted arrogantly in Mount Tai.

Elsewhere, within the sect, which was advancing unstoppable, many elders protected a young man, fighting for Divine Smoke for him. They guarded his path while he absorbed it, suppressing the mental shock with an inherited formation to help him absorb more Divine Smoke, hoping he could condense a Divine Platform.

A Divine Platform?

Yuan Tianzong paid no attention to the situation online. Under internal observation, three Divine Platforms condensed from Divine Smoke already stood tall in his spiritual realm, exuding an unknown mystery.

When the Divine Platforms appeared, he felt his connection to heaven and earth become more intimate.

The absorption and refinement of Divine Smoke caused his spirit to soar like a rocket. If he had followed the conventional path of cultivation, it was unknown how much time it would have taken.

He could still handle it, so he continued to plunder Divine Smoke.

While others were struggling at the brink of collapse, their spirits enduring the impact like a tidal wave, trying to condense a Divine Platform, he had already absorbed over fifty wisps of Divine Smoke, without anyone guarding his path.

The strong were fighting for Divine Smoke, eating the meat.

The weak could only settle for second best, fighting for incense ash.

"Dig faster, the price of incense ash has skyrocketed!"

"Just a small pinch is enough to make you rich for generations!"

A small team of five was ecstatic, gathered around a patch of exotic land no bigger than a few square feet, and began collecting incense ash.

In a corner, Bone crept closer, skillfully broke off a rib with extreme hardness, raised it high, and aimed at the back of one person's head.

Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!

The excited five took successive blows to the head and fell to the ground with dull thuds.

Bone quickly put down the jade box on his back, instinctively spat twice on his bone palm – a purely instinctive action without saliva – then swung his shovel, clearing all the incense ash from the exotic land in a flash.

Not long after, the five woke up, clutching their heads.

They exchanged glances, instantly knowing what had happened.

"Little Bandit!"

Refiners were the big bandits, specializing in stealing Divine Smoke.

The Little Bandit was another figure recently circulating around Wangwu Mountain, specializing in stealing incense ash. His reputation was extremely bad, even more hated than Yuan Tianzong.

Many had fallen victim to his ambushes, their heads swelling with lumps that took days to subside. The pain made them grit their teeth and unable to sleep at night.

"Damn it! Which dark-dwelling beast is this!"

"Don't let me catch you! I'll skin you alive and break your bones!"

Soon, the five people with lumps on their heads found their main group. Looking at the lumps on each other's heads that hadn't subsided for days, they were furious.

The Alliance of Victims continued to expand, determined to find the guy who dealt the blows.

"Find the Little Bandit and kill him!"

"We can't afford to offend the Big Bandit, but why should we fear this Little Bandit who dares not show his face!"

"Get him!"