Chapter Ninety-Eight: Incense Burned to Welcome Guests, the Dao Debated in Search of Immortals

The moon hung high overhead, and the night lay heavy and still.

The entire city of Jinhua Prefecture was wrapped in a hushed calm.

It was the third watch. Two elderly night watchmen rubbed their bleary eyes and yawned as they struck the brass gong in their hands to mark the hour.

Dong—dong, dong!

“Third watch, midnight!” cried one after three measured strikes, his voice thick with sleep.

Beside him, the other let out a long yawn and called, “All is well!”

They had just finished patrolling a street and were about to find somewhere to doze when, in the distance, they suddenly caught sight of a dark shape flickering.

Could it be a thief?

The two of them instantly woke up, their eyes brightening with delight.

If they caught a thief, not only would the authorities reward them, but the bitter apricot saplings planted in their courtyard might even grow a little taller.

Yet before they could step forward, the black figure abruptly rose into the sky and stood suspended in midair, as though searching for a direction.

Once he had chosen one, he cast out a bamboo staff, which transformed into a small flat boat and carried him toward the mountains beyond the city.

The two watchmen were struck dumb at once, both thinking they had simply been too sleepy and were now seeing things.

So they rubbed their eyes hard, trying to look more clearly.

But soon they saw more than a dozen figures rising one after another from all parts of the city into the night sky. Some were wreathed in clouds and mist; others were protected by halos of multicolored light.

In an instant, marvels blossomed in every direction, and countless hues of spiritual radiance nearly lit up half the heavens.

Among these people, who seemed almost like immortals, were old and young alike: beautiful maidens, white-haired elders, and even a burly man with a tiger-striped robe and a mane of bristling whiskers.

The two watchmen happened to meet this man’s gaze, and in that instant it was as though they had seen a stern king touring the four quarters of the world.

Terrified, their eyes rolled back, and they fainted on the spot.

Those people also seemed not to have expected so many fellow cultivators in this place. After exchanging nods, they each wrapped themselves in spiritual light and followed the intoxicating strange fragrance in the air toward the mountains outside the city.

And in the direction they were heading, high atop a mountain peak, a pillar of incense was already reaching straight into the blue void above, carrying an unfathomable and mysterious meaning, guiding countless cultivators toward the road up the mountain.

Burn incense to welcome guests, and seek enlightenment through debate!

Even if they had never heard of welcoming incense before, the moment they caught its fragrance, all manner of understanding rose in their hearts.

The master of Red Pine Dojo was holding a grand Dharma assembly and inviting all fellow Daoists to come taste pills and discuss the Dao!

“Welcoming spiritual incense! The master of Red Pine Dojo? Such a figure exists? In this land bereft of spirit, there is actually a spirit pill capable of convening a great pill assembly?”

The instant they smelled the welcoming incense, both Clear Lock and his junior sister flashed with shock.

Their Pure Mist Heaven inherited ancient traditions, and they were naturally familiar with the welcoming spiritual incense used by cultivators of old, but that had always been reserved for orthodox discussions among true inheritors of the Dao foundation.

The effect of this incense was comparable to that of a spirit pill. It could open wisdom, enhance understanding, and help one comprehend the Dao. Within Pure Mist Heaven, it was often impossible to buy no matter how much one was willing to pay.

For inner sect disciples like them, there was no way they would spend precious contribution points on pricey incense. They would exchange them for spirit pills instead, which could even help them refine a few more strands of magic power.

Yet compared with the welcoming incense, what shocked them most was the information hidden within it.

A pill assembly!

How long had it been since they last heard that term?

Or rather, such gatherings existed only in ancient books.

Their Pure Mist Heaven had inherited its legacy from antiquity and stood apart from the present world, avoiding the great calamity of the age of fallen law. Though spiritual vitality still lingered there, even so no cultivator would be so extravagant as to host a pill assembly.

Even when a true inheritor broke through into the Mystic Pill stage, at most they would invite three or five fellow Daoists to discuss mysteries and debate the Dao, holding only a small pill-tasting gathering.

In the end, it still came down to a shortage of resources.

The spiritual energy within Pure Mist Heaven could replenish itself, but it had long since failed to keep pace with the needs of its cultivators, and it was also steadily drying up.

Under such circumstances, it was already fortunate not to have one’s spirit pills seized by others; no one would ever host a gathering that brought them no benefit at all.

“Senior Brother, should we go?” The woman’s eyes flickered with interest. If it was true, then would they not be missing out on a rare opportunity by staying away?

Clear Lock pondered for a moment, then nodded. “Let us go and pay our respects to this Jade Morning Daoist and see what sort of person he truly is.”

Anyone who could afford spiritual incense would never use a few worthless pills to pass themselves off as spirit pills. To do so would only invite ridicule.

So this pill assembly was very likely the real thing.

Conveniently, since they had come to this gathering of cultivators, they could also test their luck and see whether they might find some decent treasures.

If they were to play the pig to eat the tiger and seize a few spirit weapons along the way...

A thought flashed through Clear Lock’s mind, but he immediately dismissed it.

This time, their journey should not be complicated by unnecessary incidents. If anything went wrong, the fury of an elder of the Mystic Pill stage, who was on the verge of breaking through into the Embryonic Soul realm, was not something the two of them could bear.

“We’ll go and take a look as well!”

Clear Lock considered it briefly, then made up his mind.

This was the perfect chance to come into contact with the cultivators of the ancestral lands and see how strong they were. That way, when the time came to take the Void-Origin Cauldron, they would be prepared.

Thinking of this, both of them conjured talismans in their hands.

As their magic power surged, the two talismans transformed into two magnificent giant eagles, their green feathers layered like scales and their eyes gleaming like lightning.

Each of them leapt onto the back of a giant eagle. As the birds spread their wings and soared upward, they carried the pair away toward the distant mountains.

Their display drew the attention of many, but since the giant eagles carried only a faint aura, the wandering cultivators paid them no further mind.

Within the night, streams of escaping light flashed across the heavens like meteors tearing through the sky.

On the ground as well, many cultivators chose to travel by carriage or on horseback in order to conserve their magic power, and in fact this group made up the majority.

After all, in this age of fallen law, spirit herbs were scarce. To be able to refine even a little magic power was already a remarkable stroke of fortune, let alone spending it to fly through the air.

...

At that moment, within a convoy moving over the ground, a great banner emblazoned with a pill cauldron was especially eye-catching.

Though the carriages were made with fine steeds and carved ornaments, exquisite and luxurious to the utmost, the Daoist Hu Sheng sitting within still wore a gloomy expression.

After all, everyone else had flown freely through the heavens and earth, while he, like those rough-handed wandering cultivators, had to travel by carriage.

It made him feel as though he had been born a head shorter than everyone else.

But there was nothing to be done. This time he had not only brought his disciples, he had also hauled along the enormous furnace from the Cauldron Sect. If he were to waste his own magic power carrying all of that through the air, he would never agree to it.

Watching a streak of sword light pass across the sky, Daoist Hu Sheng’s eyes were filled with envy. He turned and barked at the disciples behind him, “If any of you dare embarrass me later, I will refine you into Human Pills! Understood?”

“Yes, Sect Master!”

The disciples answered meekly, heads bowed and eyes lowered, not daring to provoke Hu Sheng’s bad temper.

Only Zhao Fan looked toward Red Pine Mountain in the distance, a flash of excitement passing through his eyes.

Thanks to the generous gift of one hundred coins from the user named “Listening to a single sentence as though it were a single sentence”!

Many thanks to all fellow Daoists for your support with monthly tickets!