"Look! Those ghosts are smoking!"
"What happened to them?"
Beneath the World-Building Tree, in the agarwood grove, everyone watched the projection in the sky in astonishment. Black smoke rose from the demons and ghosts within the mirage, and most began burning as though scorched by raging flames.
For a time, the twisted, misshapen monsters all wore expressions of terror. Their plight was gruesome and horrifying enough to send chills down one's spine.
But unlike bodies truly consumed by flames, once the black smoke rose from them, their forms became far cleaner and purer. Even the translucent ghostly figures lost their murkiness, turning into faintly gray-black mist.
After great pain and suffering came profound enlightenment. Like people who had fallen into demonic depravity abandoning their evil habits and washing their hearts clean, they finally found release.
"Master is purifying them with the methods of the Incense Path!"
Shu Changsheng blurted it out.
The other disciples either watched with furrowed brows or clenched their fists in encouragement, silently concerned about their master's actions.
This was clearly a move aimed squarely at the Ye Family's Old Ancestor. The Old Ancestor had manifested a mirage to unsettle the disciples here, and Li Ling returned the favor, using his own Incense Path methods to steep the other side in fragrance.
"Hmph..."
Naturally, the Ye Family's Old Ancestor would not simply watch Li Ling work. He raised his sleeve, and a pool's worth of water essence flew up, becoming a torrential downpour that descended upon the entire Market Ward.
"Water Demon Manifestation!"
Sentient beings could be born from wombs, eggs, moisture, or transformation. This method of manifesting water demons actually drew upon the latter two forms.
He infused the pool water with his own Dharma power, triggering a transformation driven by the mind. In an instant,