Chapter 281: Incense
With the fall of the Buddha Lord, the theft of the Thief Sage, and the destruction of the Boundless Mountain, a series of shocking events spread quickly from the Sacred Land of Brahma. The Boundless Mountain had countless disciples with complex backgrounds and entanglements, and news traveled swiftly across various states and cities.
Shortly after Li Hao and Li Muxiu left, two dark figures appeared on the ruins of the Boundless Mountain. Seeing the destroyed spiritual mountain and sensing the lingering power of the Great Dao in the air, their expressions changed.
Soon, they disappeared like smoke.
Outside Dayu State, in a hidden mountainous region shrouded in mist with few inhabitants.
Two figures appeared quietly, like ghosts, landing in a secret temple on a mountain peak.
"Honored Demon Ram, we just received news and went to investigate. The Buddha Lord, who previously sought our cooperation, is dead!"
A young man in a black robe spoke in a low voice.
Beside him was a graceful woman with purple patterns on her cheeks. If Li Hao were present, he would recognize these two as the wild gods he had encountered outside Qingzhou City.
In front of them was an old man with a large body, hunched back, and a massive hump as if carrying a heavy stone. He held a dark, twisted cane resembling an ancient tree, with a human face at the top. The face's eyes kept darting around, occasionally squinting with a strange smile.
"The Buddha Lord?"
Hearing the young man's words, the old man turned around, his drooping eyelids full of wrinkles. He looked at the young man in the black robe and asked, "Really? What about the demon?"
The young man replied in a deep voice, "Unless a saint intervened to obscure our senses, there's no mistake. The demon is also dead. We sensed lingering demonic energy and fading Dao power there. He must have merged with the demon."
"Fusing the ultimate Dao hearts of both Buddha and demon? He was indeed greedy. No wonder he remained at the Peaceful Dao realm for two thousand years, aiming to become a saint in one step and even a top-tier saint."
The old man's eyes narrowed, and the layers of wrinkles on his eyelids seemed to lift slightly.
The young man and the woman exchanged a glance, both showing solemn expressions.
Fusing the ultimate Dao hearts to cross a major realm and become a saint?
Such a figure would be considered extraordinarily talented even in the land of saints.
"He must have been forced to merge prematurely. There were only remnants of the Great Dao, no saintly aura," the young man said.
The Demon Ram elder snorted, "Naturally. He sought our cooperation to seize the incense of the Dayu Dynasty, indicating his accumulated incense wasn't enough. That's normal; the Dayu Emperor wouldn't allow anyone to usurp the incense gathered by his Jiang family. His premature fusion made him a stillborn, unable to become a saint, a truly unjust death!"
"Incense?"
The woman with purple patterns looked puzzled.
"You haven't reached the Dao Law realm yet, so you can't sense it."
The Demon Ram elder explained, "In the path of cultivation, one seizes the creation of heaven and earth. Below saints, everyone is an ant, struggling against fate. But saints face the three heavenly tribulations, needing incense to overcome them. Otherwise, why do you think the Jiang family left the Great Desolate Heaven and came here?"
"Do you really believe they lost the battle for the Ancient Saint Clan and were driven out of the Great Desolate Heaven? Ha, the Jiang family merely took advantage of the situation, using this dynasty to accumulate incense and revive their Jiang family saint!"
Hearing this, the two were stunned, looking at him in shock.
The Jiang family was scheming to resurrect their ancestral saint? Such ambition was terrifying.
"Honored Demon Ram, must one have incense to become a saint? What about us…"
The young man's eyes flickered.
"You should focus on reaching the Dao Law realm first. If you want to plan ahead, know that we demons and monsters cannot obtain human incense. Who would worship demons? Even through coercion, without sincere hearts, it is useless. What we call incense is actually the power of wishes, the collective aspirations of sentient beings!"
"We can only obtain this power from other demons. The Holy Son has promised that once we conquer Dayu, he will build demon temples for us across the land, where you can drive demons to offer sacrifices."
The Demon Ram elder said.
Hearing him mention the "Holy Son," the two showed a hint of reverence.
The woman with purple patterns asked, "Is there no other way to become a saint besides incense?"
"There is, but it's almost impossible. That path was cut off long ago and requires unimaginable comprehension…"
The Demon Ram elder shook his head. "In short, these matters are too distant for you. Even at the Dao Law realm, you might not comprehend the way of saints, let alone gather incense. Without extraordinary talent, planning ahead only serves others, like the Buddha Lord."
The two looked at each other, both feeling a sense of fear.
Becoming a saint—who wouldn't want that? But despite their desire, they had no confidence. It was indeed too far away.
They first had to comprehend the Dao Law, then establish their own Great Dao, which was incredibly difficult.
"Back to the point, although the Buddha Lord failed to become a saint, the forced fusion of Buddha and demon might have pushed him to the Enlightenment realm or even the Dao Law realm!"
The Demon Ram elder brought the conversation back, his eyes cold and fierce:
"That kid was able to kill someone at the Dao Law realm. Are you sure that when you fought him in Qingzhou, he was only at the Four Stands realm?"
The two were stunned, a trace of fear in their eyes.
The Buddha Lord directly reached the Dao Law realm? When they investigated afterward, they only sensed intense Great Dao remnants and couldn't determine if he controlled Dao Law.
But hearing so much from the Demon Ram elder, they understood that the Buddha Lord was also an extraordinary talent. Even if born prematurely, he couldn't have been an ordinary True Master.
Even at the True Master level, he must have been top-tier.
"We are certain. During the battle in Qingzhou, his aura was exposed, and he only fought with his domain. There's no way he hid his cultivation; otherwise, it would be too absurd…"
The young man in black spoke with a changed expression.
The woman with purple patterns added, "Perhaps our battle helped him comprehend something and break through? But we've been cultivating for millennia and only reached the True Master realm…compared to him, we might as well have lived in vain." The Demon Ram elder's face darkened. "A sixteen-year-old at the Four Stands realm—isn't that already absurd? Have you ever seen another sixteen-year-old at the Three Immortals realm?"
Hearing his words, the two were speechless, unable to refute.
Indeed, a sixteen-year-old at the Three Immortals realm was already exceptional. Now he was just more exceptional.
"Is that boy really human? Could he be a reincarnated saint?"
The young man couldn't help but ask, thinking of the "Holy Son" they had just mentioned.
The Demon Ram elder's eyes flickered. It was indeed possible, but even a reincarnated saint wasn't usually this monstrous unless a saint was directly pretending.
But if that were the case, they would have been annihilated long ago. There wouldn't be any chance for them to talk here.
"Some peerless talents are incredibly exaggerated, training a day for what others achieve in a year. That boy is likely one of them."
The Demon Ram elder sighed. Their plans had been disrupted by one person, which was hard to imagine.
"Blame the Buddha Lord for being too greedy. If he had chosen to join forces with us to ambush that boy, even with three heads and six arms, he couldn't escape the Boundless Mountain. But he feared we would become a stain on him, affecting his incense, so he died a deserved death!"
The woman with purple patterns spoke coldly.
"Perhaps it wasn't just about the incense. He might have been wary of us, too. After all, we entered the Boundless Mountain…he would have had sleepless nights," the young man said.
"Now, without the Buddhist support, does this mean our plan must change again? We failed in Liangzhou because of that boy!" The woman with purple patterns gritted her teeth, showing hatred.
"Now, we can only make use of a failure."
The Demon Ram elder's face turned grim. "In the battle outside Qingzhou, I told you to handle that boy directly, but the Buddha Lord insisted on handling it himself, resulting in a blunder that cost him his life. He intended to use the Thief Sage to lure that boy and ruin his reputation, causing a rift with the court."
"Instead, he forced himself into Buddha-demon unity and got killed. How foolish."
The young man remained silent. Even the wisest make mistakes. No one expected that boy to be so terrifying, capable of slaying a Dao Law realm expert.
When intelligence is mismatched, all schemes seem laughable.
In their long-term planning, everything had gone smoothly, with the conquest of Dayu within reach. But that boy emerged like a sudden knife, disrupting everything.
Who could have predicted that?
If they had known Dayu would produce such a monster, their plans would have accelerated, even at greater cost.
"Although the Buddha Lord is dead, we can still use his blunder. His death can better instigate a rift between that boy and Dayu, letting the Buddhist disciples' countless tongues drown him in spittle!"
The Demon Ram elder sneered, "When that boy can't stand it and slaughters the Buddhist disciples, I don't believe others won't be afraid. That boy is Dayu's sharp blade, but a sword cuts both ways. Let them realize this blade can hurt them too!"
The young man and the woman nodded slightly.
That boy's ability to kill the Buddha Lord had already shocked them. They couldn't match him.
Inwardly, they felt fortunate the Buddha Lord's blunder had delayed them. Otherwise, if they had confronted the boy directly, they might have been doomed.
"But that boy can kill Dao Law realm experts. Will Dayu really break with him?" the young man asked.
The Demon Ram elder sneered, "As an emperor, would you be happy or afraid to have such a ruthless person in your domain?"
The two exchanged a glance, having the answer in their hearts.
Humans, though clever in cultivation, were foolish in other matters. Even emperors couldn't escape the chains of human nature.
"Even with us watching like tigers, some foolish humans would rather build high walls than allow a potential threat nearby. That's human nature."
The Demon Ram elder's eyes seemed to see through everything. "Moreover, with his current strength and age, he is likely arrogant and unwilling to endure grievances. The world is vast; he can wander freely. Why would he stay here? Do you think he will swallow his pride?"
"So, a break is inevitable?"
The two's eyes brightened.
If there was a rift, they wouldn't need to worry about that boy while attacking Dayu.
Defeating an enemy doesn't always mean killing them. Sometimes, diverting them is enough.
"Now, you need to have the Heavenly Jade Hall contact the Buddhists to pressure the emperor and make him suspicious!" the Demon Ram elder ordered.
"Understood."
The two nodded.
The Demon Ram elder sneered, "In this world, the strong are respected, but humans like to pretend fairness and justice. Though they divide people into ranks, they want the lower classes to believe in fairness and justice. Thus, they must appear reasonable. The Buddha Lord was the same, constrained by this, seeking incense by pretending to be good. We don't need human incense."
The two laughed at this.
"Go, the Holy Son is growing impatient."
The Demon Ram elder's eyes turned deep. "If we delay any longer, it will ruin our plans when those prodigies from a thousand years ago return from the immortal gates. Only the Holy Son can resolve this."
Hearing this, the two felt a shiver and quickly disappeared.
Meanwhile, the news had already reached Qingzhou City.