Chapter 41 The Dragon Clan Visitors: The Crystallization of Incense Offerings
Since the Lei, Yun, and Yu clans led a portion of the human race out of their ancestral land, the atmosphere among humans had become much more somber.
However, this also spurred many members of the clan to diligently cultivate, striving to become stronger as soon as possible and escape the weakness of the human race.
On this day, Feng Zichen was cultivating when he suddenly sensed two familiar auras rapidly approaching. He quickly rose to greet them.
Not far along, Feng Zichen saw Ao Xue and the Water Dragon Lord. They hadn't maintained their dragon forms but had transformed into dragon bodies, riding on clouds.
"Why do you have time to come to the human realm?"
Feng Zichen asked, somewhat puzzled, upon seeing the two.
After the Ancestral Dragon returned, deeply feeling that the dragon race's strength was far inferior to before, he preached and taught across the four seas, enlightening countless aquatic creatures and expounding the Great Luo Dao. A dragon like the Water Dragon Lord, possessing the cultivation of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, should have received the Ancestral Dragon's attention and stayed by His side to listen to His teachings. Why would they have time to come to the human realm?
As for Ao Xue, after the Ancestral Dragon returned, he took her and her brother Ao Yi under his wing and personally taught them; there was no reason for them to appear among the human race.
"It's a letter from the Heavenly Court, inviting His Majesty the Ancestral Dragon to attend a grand event. His Majesty the Ancestral Dragon wasn't interested, so he sent the two of us as his representatives to the Heavenly Court to attend the event."
Seeing the confusion in Feng Zichen's eyes, the Water Dragon Lord took out a golden invitation and explained.
"Then what is the Dragon Lord doing here?"
Hearing the Water Dragon Lord's explanation, Feng Zichen was even more puzzled. Why don't you go to the Heavenly Court? What are you doing here among the humans?
"It was His Majesty the Ancestral Dragon's order. Before leaving, His Majesty specifically instructed me to ask you, fellow Daoist, if you would like to come along."
After explaining, the Water Dragon Lord said with some envy,
"His Majesty the Ancestral Dragon is very attentive to you, fellow Daoist! This is the treatment of a dragon's son and grandson, truly enviable!"
"Yes, Grandfather has been praising you to my elder brother and me, often saying things like, 'The future of the Human Race's Zi Chen Clan is limitless, and in the vast Dragon Clan, there is not a single dragon that can compare,' things that would infuriate any dragon."
Ao Xue also said sourly from the side, and at the end, she even threatened Feng Zi Chen in a childish manner,
"My elder brother has said in secret many times that next time he sees you, he will definitely teach you a lesson and see what's so extraordinary about the Human Race's Zi Chen Clan."
Feng Zi Chen shook his head with a wry smile. It seems that the matter of creating the acquired divine path had a great influence on the Ancestral Dragon, as he had even said such things.
However, he was also somewhat proud. The Ancestral Dragon was an ancient overlord, and even He praised him like this, which showed how extraordinary he was.
"Well, fellow Daoist, would you like to go to the Heavenly Court with me?"
Seeing Feng Zichen's silence, the Water Dragon Lord pressed on.
"Yes, why wouldn't I go!"
Feng Zichen replied firmly, then added somewhat apologetically,
"Dragon Lord, could you wait for me for a while? This trip to the Heavenly Court will likely take a thousand years, and I need to arrange matters within my clan."
"Of course, I will wait for you for a hundred years."
The Water Dragon Lord nodded, indicating his understanding.
"Thank you!"
After thanking him, Feng Zichen led the two dragons into the welcoming hall and then ran towards the Zichen Cave Heaven.
What human matters did he need to handle? This was merely an excuse to delay.
The Heavenly Court was the closest place to the celestial sphere, greatly beneficial to Feng Zichen, and he definitely needed to go.
However, if he went so openly, with his powerful Ziwei Star Force, he would likely be killed by the demon god guarding the South Heavenly Gate as soon as he arrived.
Therefore, Feng Zichen planned to disguise himself and conceal his Ziwei Star Force. Upon arriving at Zichen Grotto, Feng Zichen sat cross-legged and took out the incense smoke he had accumulated over the years. Since returning to the human race, he had retracted his divine avatar, transforming it back into a ball of incense smoke. After a moment of contemplation, Feng Zichen summoned the Suiren Lamp and lit it on the incense smoke.
The fire was not blazing; on the contrary, it was just a small flame, emitting a hazy glow. However, when the fire touched the incense smoke, it ignited the entire ball of incense smoke.
A single spark can start a prairie fire!
Although the fire was just a small flame, it was the fire of humanity, an inextinguishable fire. Nothing in the world could withstand its flame.
"Sizzle! Sizzle!"
As the fire burned, wisps of seven-colored mist flew out from the incense smoke, drifting in all directions.
The seven-colored mist was illusory and real, hazy and indistinct, emanating emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and desire, stirring up a variety of emotions in Feng Zichen.
In an instant, Feng Zichen's thoughts raced, and his eyes gradually glazed over. Just then, the Hongmeng Dao Seal began to flicker, startling him awake.
Coming to his senses, Feng Zichen broke out in a cold sweat and quickly summoned the Chaos Pearl to absorb the seven-colored mist, daring not to let it near him again.
This seven-colored mist was the energy of the seven emotions and six desires, most capable of disturbing the mind. As the saying goes, the seven emotions injure the spirit, and the six desires confuse the heart. Sure enough, Feng Zichen, caught off guard, almost succumbed to it.
All sentient beings possess the seven emotions and six desires, giving rise to countless thoughts, and the incense smoke is the manifestation of these thoughts.
These thoughts, whether good or evil, blessings or curses, prayers or complaints, all arise from the seven emotions and six desires, collectively forming the incense smoke.
Therefore, besides pure faith, the incense smoke also contains a large amount of the impure thoughts of sentient beings. Prolonged use of incense smoke for cultivation will cause mental instability and easily lead to demonic possession.
This led to the later saying that incense is poisonous.
Feng Zichen originally only intended to purify the incense's energy to cultivate a fake primordial spirit. Unexpectedly, the incense could refine out the impurities of all living beings—a truly unexpected delight.
Several months later, the impurities of all living beings within the incense's energy were completely refined by the incense, leaving only a pure source floating in the air.
This was a crystal-like object, filled with auspicious meaning, like the most beautiful thing in the world. It had no attributes, yet could transform into any attribute—truly a wondrous thing.
Holding it in his hand, Feng Zichen understood its essence: formed from the auspicious meaning of all living beings, possessing incredible power. It could turn the impossible into the possible, distort rules, and create things out of thin air.
As long as there was enough incense crystal, it could create all sorts of acquired things, even life!
With a flick of his finger, the incense crystal ignited, radiating spiritual light that surged towards Feng Zichen's sea of consciousness, forming a phantom figure.
Once the incense crystal burned out, the figure in his sea of consciousness had completely solidified.
This was his primordial spirit, a spirit Feng Zichen had conjured out of thin air using incense crystals. Its aura was identical to his own, as if it were something he had cultivated himself.
Taking out the Nuwa essence blood he had forced out in the Dragon Transformation Pool, Feng Zichen infused it into his primordial spirit.
A flash of creation light appeared, and the primordial spirit transformed into a human body with a dragon's tail, radiating a dense aura of creation that completely obscured the power of the Ziwei Star.
After a moment's thought, Feng Zichen sealed off the Heavenly Dao space, leaving only a wisp of true spirit power outside to control his primordial spirit.
Now, no one could discern his connection to the Ziwei Star.
(End of Chapter)