Chapter 78: Burning Incense to Honor Oneself (Fifth Update Delivered, Please Add to Your Collection and Vote for Recommendations)

They followed Chrysanthemum all the way, then bought two whole roasted chickens, handing one to Xu Cheng and carrying the other himself, which made Yan Mengdie’s mouth water at the sight.

The three walked until they reached the deserted outskirts of the town.

Chrysanthemum arranged the memorial tablet he carried, placed the roast chicken before it, lit an incense stick, and bowed reverently to the “Spirit Tablet of Chen Andao.”

After a while, he leaned over the chicken and took several deep breaths. The roast chicken decayed rapidly before their eyes, turning into nothing but bones.

Seeing Xu Cheng unmoved, Chrysanthemum urged, “Right Envoy, do as I did! Didn’t you want to taste the flavors of the mortal world?”

“What…what is going on here?” Xu Cheng was still perplexed.

“Right Envoy, we are now denizens of the Netherworld. If you wish to savor earthly delicacies, someone must offer them to you, or you must offer them to yourself. Only then can you taste them—there is no other way!” Chrysanthemum explained solemnly.

So this was the method of “eating,” Xu Cheng mused, puzzled.

No wonder the old man at the paper shop fainted in fright. He was elderly, experienced, and ran a shop dealing with funerary goods—he had surely seen all manner of strange things. Most likely, he took Xu Cheng and Chrysanthemum for ghosts.

Only now did Xu Cheng learn Chrysanthemum’s true name: Chen Andao. He had always called him “Chrysanthemum” for convenience, tired of the formal “Chrysanthemum Gentleman.”

Following suit, Xu Cheng took out a spirit tablet inscribed with his own name, set out the roast chicken, lit incense, and began to offer sacrifices to himself.

He bowed repeatedly to his own tablet while muttering prayers, and, as the incense burned, he inhaled deeply toward the chicken. The rich aroma filled his soul, and he felt a sense of fullness—indeed, this allowed him to taste earthly food.

But the pleasure was brief; before long, the roast chicken before him was reduced to a pile of bones.

“This way of eating truly is peculiar! But I did taste the roast chicken’s flavor,” he said, still craving more and contemplating buying additional offerings for himself.

“Right Envoy, are you not satisfied yet?” Chrysanthemum asked, unable to resist.

“Of course not! One roast chicken isn’t nearly enough,” Xu Cheng replied, frowning.

“You’re just being wasteful!” Yan Mengdie protested, dissatisfied.

Xu Cheng, however, was in charge. The three returned to town and bought a large assortment of food: meat buns, spiced beef, roast duck, fruit. Without the mystical power of the Small Sleeve World technique, they would never have managed to carry it all.

They proceeded once more to a secluded spot for another round of offerings.

Chrysanthemum was so exuberant, he danced with joy—more excited than after consuming a dozen spirit-restoring pills or gaining tens of thousands of merit gold light, as if he had become immortal.

Xu Cheng felt much the same; as the incense burned, he inhaled deeply, and the fragrant beef, buns, roast duck, and other foods gradually disintegrated, at last becoming nothing but a handful of dust.

His soul felt a fullness akin to an ordinary person’s stomach after a heavy meal.

“How delightful!” he exclaimed after a long while, rising to his feet, feeling as if even the sunlight smiled upon him.

“Chrysanthemum, this method truly is marvelous!” Xu Cheng said, stretching, at last sensing a hint of earthly warmth.

“Of course. I discovered this technique by accident years ago while cultivating with Yun Sheng. Never thought I’d actually need it now!” Chrysanthemum replied, his tone self-mocking.

“The affairs of life are unpredictable; best to let things take their course,” Xu Cheng consoled him.

“You’re right. Qing Shu is still waiting for me—I must find her and rekindle our bond!” Chrysanthemum declared with sudden determination.

In him, Xu Cheng glimpsed the shadow of Master Tian Gui—so many are devoted in love.

Suppressing his own thoughts, Xu Cheng refrained from further reflection and joined the others in finding a guesthouse to rest. The situation was unclear, and it would be unwise to attempt to assassinate the Summer Dynasty’s Nascent Soul masters too hastily.

The presence of a hidden folk expert in these wilds had caught Xu Cheng off guard.

Ordinarily, the enemy’s enemy should be a persuadable ally.

All would have to wait and see.

Their room was on the second floor, and fortunately Yan Mengdie had cast a spell to make their bodies light; otherwise, climbing the stairs might have collapsed the entire guesthouse.

The day passed without incident.

The second day, still nothing.

The third day, again nothing.

…

Seven days in succession—true to the adage, “If the enemy remains still, so shall I,” Xu Cheng made no move.

He focused on cultivating, strengthening his own abilities. He realized that ghostly immortal techniques were secondary; the essential foundation lay in the Yellow Springs arts.

If he could master the Six Paths Immortal Technique of the Yellow Springs, then the Yellow Springs Forgetting River Immortal Technique, the Yellow Springs Reincarnation Immortal Technique, and the Six Paths Immortal Technique would merge their manifestations into one, granting him unrivaled power.

The Six Paths Immortal Technique of the Yellow Springs consisted of three thousand six hundred patterns, each containing tens of thousands of talismanic symbols.

To condense them quickly, Xu Cheng estimated he would need to expend all the over three thousand merit gold light he had accumulated.

Without consuming merit gold light, he could condense only about fifty patterns a day.

Over these days, he had managed to condense just over two hundred.

Anticipating possible crises, he couldn’t help but spend all his merit gold light, and in just three days, he fully condensed the Six Paths Immortal Technique with its three thousand six hundred patterns.

A patch of golden scales formed on the forehead of his soul; the patterns compressed so tightly, they appeared as scales upon his spirit.

On the eleventh day, still no change.

Twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth.

On the fifteenth day, just as Xu Cheng resolved to move against the six Nascent Soul masters, the Summer Dynasty authorities unexpectedly gained another Nascent Soul expert.

This was because Xu Cheng, in his spare time, carefully examined the residences of the six Nascent Soul masters and discovered black lotuses scattered around.

If anyone were to unwittingly touch one, the Blackwater Sect member would immediately detect it and kill the intruder!

Carefully avoiding the black lotuses, Xu Cheng was finally able to gather intelligence.

Being blind to the enemy’s situation was a grave mistake.

Seven Nascent Soul cultivators—the delicate balance among them seemed to have shifted. It remained to be seen whether the seven from the Summer Dynasty would seek vengeance on the unknown master.

Indeed, that night, as soon as they sensed a fluctuation of magical power, Xu Cheng, Yan Mengdie, and Chrysanthemum sprang into action, heading straight for the site of the conflict.

Xu Cheng transformed their hiding place into a netherworld state, enveloping them in darkness, so neither side of the fight noticed their presence.

The seven from the Summer Dynasty immediately launched a coordinated attack, fusing into a form with seven heads and fourteen arms—a clear sign of how seriously they regarded the unknown master.

The three were still some distance from the combatants; both sides moved with extraordinary speed, their figures flickering and indistinct.