The Ascension Staircase, Shadow Wood Incense Burner (Fifth Watch)

Xu Yi learned more about the Night Roaming Gods, and his heart stirred with excitement.

"First step?"

Jing Tao hesitated, gathering her thoughts before she spoke.

"Legend has it that there exists an Ascension Staircase in this world. If a Night Roaming God can climb it step by step, they can eventually shed their mortal shell and become a 'true deity'."

Xu Yi recalled the information Jing Tao had shared with him previously and interjected.

"If a Ghost Messenger climbs to the very top of the Ascension Staircase, can they become the Yin Son of Heaven?"

This remark gave Jing Tao a fright.

She hurriedly made a "hush" gesture, her tone turning nervous.

"You mustn't speak such blasphemous words!

Three feet above one's head dwell the gods; who knows if They are listening to us right now?"

Xu Yi thought of the two points of divine light that had once hovered above his head, and his heart tightened. He immediately shut his mouth.

Jing Tao caught her breath and confirmed Xu Yi's speculation.

"Logically speaking, your guess is correct.

But no one has ever proven it.

In fact, we are currently in the legendary Age of Dharma Decline. Various powerful Hundred Night Miasmas emerge one after another; some have never even appeared in history. They entrench themselves in human society, possessing power and status, and their spirituality is far stronger than that of most Night Roaming Gods.

The number of high-ranking Night Roaming Gods is extremely scarce.

To become a high-ranking Night Roaming God, one must slay high-level Hundred Night Miasmas, obtain their superior spirituality, and convert it into divinity to ascend to the next level—to 'climb high.'

The Hundred Night Miasmas of this era are too strong. Countless high-ranking Night Roaming Gods have died on the path of ascension..."

Jing Tao's gaze dimmed.

"My master ended up in his current state precisely because he failed while hunting a Hundred Night Miasma..."

She did not elaborate on this topic.

Xu Yi sensed that his master's past was a sensitive subject, so he did not press for details.

He was not deterred by this bad news in the slightest; his eyes still shone with fervor.

"Then... what is a Ferryman?"

Jing Tao had no reason to guard against Xu Yi, so she explained.

"Master has some powerful ghosts under his command.

At the same time, he maintains good relations with some formidable ghost-type Hundred Night Miasmas in Puxi City.

His divinity allows him to ferry ghosts to the other shore of the Yellow Springs for reincarnation, so the ghost-type Hundred Night Miasmas are all eager to curry favor with him and befriend him.

At the very least, they won't provoke him.

What if one day they don't want to be ghosts anymore and wish to reincarnate?

If they want a safe reincarnation, they have to find my master!"

This was the divine ability of the [Ferryman]!

Xu Yi felt an intense itch of curiosity and asked again.

"Is that incense burner also a Spirit Remains?"

Jing Tao confirmed his guess once more.

"Yes, it is a Spirit Remains, but I don't know which era it comes from, nor which lineage of Night Roaming God inheritance it belongs to.

The spirituality within it is already very faint; it can only be used to temper the spirituality of those who have yet to enter the profession, and no other abilities have been developed from it."

Jing Tao could not provide any deeper knowledge.

As the two were chatting, a cold wind suddenly blew through.

The newspaper Xu Yi had taped to the window was blown open by the gust.

After the newspaper fell before Xu Yi and Jing Tao, Jing Tao's master—the old man Xu Yi had seen that morning—appeared out of thin air before them!

Xu Yi had a favor to ask of him, so he was naturally eager. He hurriedly stood up, cupped his hands in a salute, and addressed him as "Senior."

Jing Tao stood up happily, supporting her master's arm and inviting him to sit in the seat of the Lingtong Hall proprietor.

The master had been somewhat displeased to see Xu Yi and Jing Tao together; he had practically watched Jing Tao grow up and had looked after her life for many years. To Jing Tao, he was both a mentor and a father figure.

How could an old father be happy seeing his daughter standing with a street thug?

Now that Jing Tao had offered her seat, the master felt a bit more comfortable. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and a faint, indiscernible smile appeared on his weathered, furrowed face.

He looked at Xu Yi, his eyes involuntarily showing a hint of approval.

Beyond that approval, complex emotions welled up within him. He looked at Xu Yi and murmured softly:

"The heroes of this world are truly as numerous as carp crossing a river..."

In a single day, he resisted the spiritual erosion within the Spirit Remains, refined divinity, and became a Night Roaming God?

Even in the ancient texts left behind in the inheritance, no one so outrageous had ever appeared!

Xu Yi could not hear clearly:

"Huh? Old man, what did you say?"

His master coughed once:

"My surname is Yan, and my given name is Luo."

Hearing this name left Xu Yi stunned.

The same name as the King of Hell?

Giving oneself a name similar to a deity's title... wouldn't that be considered blasphemy?

What Yan Luo said next made Xu Yi feel somewhat nervous:

"That incense burner is the Spirit Remains of a mid-tier Night Roaming God, known as [Shadow Wood].

Legend has it that when that person was cultivating, their divinity went out of control, and they accidentally refined themselves as the source of the fragrance, thus creating these Spirit Remains.

Because that incident occurred in a previous dynasty, so long ago, the original nature of the spirituality within these remains can no longer be verified.

I only know that the residual spirituality in these remains can merge with a person's own spirit to temper it.

As long as one can withstand the spiritual erosion of these remains, the user's spirit will become stronger.

Once the spirit is strong enough, it can accumulate into something significant and ascend into divinity."

Jing Tao, standing to the side, added:

"The probability of refining divinity on the very first use of these Spirit Remains is truly minuscule."

Hearing Jing Tao's praise, Yan Luo felt a bit sour, yet he had to admit:

"That is true.

This kid might just be a natural for this line of work."

Xu Yi slowly asked Yan Luo:

"So, the visions produced by the spirituality of the [Shadow Wood] incense burner are all fake?"

Xu Yi felt extremely uneasy inside.

The other me I saw in the incense mist... that psychopathic killer, was it real or fake?

Yan Luo replied:

"Perhaps not entirely fake.

Anything involving spirituality is hard to say for certain.

It might be fake, or it might not be.

Spirituality is a thing that can sometimes indeed foretell certain events; as for whether those events are truly real or fake, no one can predict."

Xu Yi accepted this answer, cupped his hands toward Yan Luo, and spoke earnestly:

"Senior, what exactly is the nature of my inheritance?"

When Yan Luo spoke these words, he looked somewhat embarrassed:

"The branch of inheritance that suits you is a bit fragmented."

Although he felt awkward, he told Xu Yi everything he knew:

"Within your branch of inheritance, the Night Roaming Gods have included perfumers who served emperors throughout various dynasties.

But according to my investigations, these so-called 'perfumers' should be positioned in the middle of the Ascension Staircase, not the high ranks."

"In your branch of inheritance, the lowest-tier Night Roaming God is known as [Sniffer].

As for what lies beyond [Sniffer], I do not know."