Chapter 384
Chapter 384
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: The Incense Fire Conferment Path
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Although it was unbelievable, Lu Yang tested a few more times until the old man was on the verge of his soul scattering before finally confirming that the other party had truly been secretly sabotaged by him.
There was nothing more to say.
Act, soul search!
Fortunately, after leaving the land temple, the other's status plummeted, dropping directly from false Foundation Establishment to Qi Refining perfection with a great divine ability cultivated.
Dealing with Qi Refining meant no need to activate the overdrive.
Soon, as Lu Yang's divine sense poured in, fragments of the old man's memories surged forth all at once, revealing his lifetime accumulation of cultivation experience.
"This Land God's origins were surprisingly just the first village head of Bai Village. Back then, he led dozens of households to reclaim wasteland in the Taiyue Mountains, founding Bai Village. After his death, the villagers spontaneously offered worship and incense conferment, allowing him to become the current Land God of Taiyue Mountain."
"Incense conferment?"
Lu Yang lowered his eyelids and quickly unearthed the most crucial part from the Land God's memories—the current cultivation system of Seven Luminaries Heaven.
Seven Luminaries Heaven's cultivation could be summed up in eight words.
Incense conferment, five steps to heaven!
With initial conferment and worship from one village's populace, one could become a Fortune Village Deity, also known as a Land God. In barren realms, this equated to false Foundation Establishment level.
That said, these incense gods faced severe restrictions. The greatest was their governed territory—for instance, this Land God wielded false Foundation Establishment strength within his own land temple, but once outside, his status dropped to merely Qi Refining perfection bearing a great divine ability.
"Even so, it's still outrageous."
False Foundation Establishment was still Foundation Establishment. Having a status outclassed having none.
More crucially, this path advanced at astonishing speed. Gain mortal worship, receive incense empowerment, and ascend to the heavens in a single bound!
Take this Bai Village Land God—wasn't he proof? A mere mortal in life, yet after death a false Foundation Establishment great cultivator. In barren realms, countless Qi Refining cultivators would envy him to death.
"Above Land Gods come City Gods."
City Gods had four tiers.
County City God, State City God, Prefecture City God, and the paramount Capital City God, corresponding to Foundation Establishment early, mid, late, and grand completion respectively.
As the names implied, a County City God drew incense from one county—but in practice, a hefty share was siphoned upward to birth State City Gods, and so on to Prefecture City Gods, culminating in the Capital City God overseeing all the realm's City Gods.
Layer upon layer, like tribute taxes.
This formed an impregnable City God system blanketing the world, with all of Seven Luminaries Heaven's Central Vast Lands under its domain.
"Similar to the Dao Court, but far inferior."
Lu Yang mused inwardly. This populace-based system resembled the Jiangdong Dao Court, but the City Gods hinged on incense, rendering them heavily reliant on the masses.
The Dao Court's official positions bore no such chains, bestowed outright by the Dao Court Sovereign. The populace need only sustain the numbers.
The Dao Court was far stricter besides.
No loose cultivators under Dao Court rule—every force required departmental records, or cultivation itself became impossible.
By contrast, the City God system's flaws abounded.
The greatest? Human hearts wavered. Incense could be stripped away easily—not all would faithfully worship City Gods.
Hence, heretical cults emerged.
"So-called heretical cults establish faiths apart from the City God system, confer divine status, and even seek to topple it."
"Most lack strength, hunkered in the Central Vast Lands' fringes, untrod wilds where mighty incense gods prove hard to raise. Two exceptions: the White Lotus Cult worshiping the Eternal Unborn Mother, and the imperial ancestral temple."
Here, Lu Yang's eyes sharpened.
"This incense god path... prime opportunity!" Simplest faith turned mortal thoughts to incense power, boosting cultivation and status—tailor-made for him!
He had the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner!
In his view, Seven Luminaries Heaven's City Gods were naively benevolent, forever earning incense by safeguarding mortals.
Such hassle unnecessary.
A dash of mind enchantment sufficed.
The White Lotus Cult grazed the edge with its bewitchments to amass incense, but paled beside the Banner.
Their followers could defect.
Banner spirits? Utterly loyal!
Lu Yang schemed: "Per Bai Village Land God's memories, world incense sustains at most three Capital City Gods now."
Shared among City God system, White Lotus Cult, and imperial temple.
Rivals in power grabs, they balanced delicately—no fourth equal desired.
Simple counter: cap population.
Incense gods rooted in people. More heads, more faith, more incense, more gods sustainable.
Control populace, thwart fourth Capital City God.
"Conversely... drive Seven Luminaries Heaven's masses to breed furiously, explode the population—three? Nine Capital City Gods feasible!"
Nine Foundation Establishment grand completions!
"My breakthrough!"
Chill glinted in Lu Yang's eyes. Achieve this, and return to the barren realm beckoned!
Calm soon returned.
Starts hardest. Ideal bountiful, reality lean. Pursue incense god path? Fundamental hurdle lingered.
Not local!
Hongyun's tweaks made Seven Luminaries Heaven outsider-tolerant, but equal local treatment? Unlikely.
'Even my banner spirits—non-natives, no fruit positions. Loyal or not, no incense faith from void. Incense path demands Seven Luminaries Heaven embrace me as kin.'
How?
Lu Yang rubbed his chin. Like Wanwu Realm—bribe the realm spirit—or forever outsider.
Bribe how?
'Earth vein qi... no, a full earth vein!'
Eight Hundred Li Skull Mountain!
'Recalling now, should have seized it in Jiangbei—overlooked it entirely.'
Lu Yang smacked his forehead. Red flag then, Skull Mountain's vein prime treasure—yet forgotten utterly. Retrospect: heaven and earth likely meddled via immortal spirit body!
Anger swelled.
"Heavens unkind... fault me not for ruthlessness."
Decision crystallized: poach heaven's foundations—strike Eight Hundred Li Skull Mountain first. Else, no progress in Seven Luminaries Heaven?