Chapter 276: Incense Offerings
Dongsheng Divine Continent!
Zhou Yi repeatedly asked, making sure he had not heard wrong, and instinctively wanted to turn tail and scamper away.
"With Fu Ling Mountain ahead and Dongsheng Divine Continent behind, is this truly the land where gods and buddhas fill the skies and Demon Gods are everywhere? Wouldn't my mere Golden Core self be coming here to court death?"
No matter how dangerous the Nine Continents were, they were merely the domains of the Golden Corpse Demon Lord and the remnants of Corpse Immortals.
At worst, he could hide in Kunlun Cave Heaven, wait a few tens of thousands of years, until the Golden Corpse either expired naturally or ascended to the Immortal Realm.
Then Zhou Yi could come out to clean up the aftermath, raise tomb mounds, bully the juniors, light-hearted and pleased.
"Old man, are there any immortals in this Dongsheng Divine Continent?"
The old man nodded: "Of course there are immortals!"
Zhou Yi felt even colder at heart, asking uncontrollably, "Is there a Great Tang? The Great Sage Equal to Heaven? Or even the Heavenly Court and the Netherworld?"
"This..."
The old man scratched his head: "I'm just a fisherman, with limited knowledge; I've never heard of these things."
Zhou Yi slightly let out a breath of relief, Dongsheng Divine Continent was vast and boundless, perhaps he hadn't heard of things like the Great Saint of the Great Tang, or perhaps the time had not yet come, but the Heavenly Court and the Netherworld should always be known to the world.
His Divine Sense swept across the old man, sensing that his Mana was profound and balanced, surely a practitioner of the Xuanmen Orthodoxy.
The Qi Refinement Realm cultivation was not high; in the mortal world, it was equivalent to the level of an Innate Grandmaster but was only a fisherman, in both appearance and temperament unlike a hermit or a reclusive mountain dweller who had seen through the world's vanities!
Zhou Yi then asked, "Old man, with your Mana so profound and mysterious, on which immortal mountain did you cultivate?"
"I dare not deceive my senior, this way of Qi Refinement was inadvertently learned."
The old man explained, "About ten years ago, while cutting firewood in the mountains, I inadvertently overheard an immortal preaching scriptures. I remembered a few words and had an epiphany. During my free time, I practiced and thus, acquired some Mana."
Zhou Yi nodded slightly: "An unstructured method and self-taught practice, to reach the late stage of Qi Refinement in ten years, are quite gifted. Why not seek out immortals to inquire about the path to eternal life?"
"At home, I have an elderly mother and young grandchildren; how can I bear to leave them?"
The old man mentioned his family with a smiling face: "Often hearing that cultivating immortality promises eternal life, yet I've never seen it. Rather than chasing the illusory, it's much better to care for my mother and play with my grandchildren!"
"Indeed it is."
Zhou Yi had seen many forsake familial love to pursue the path of immortality, abandoning home and profession, depleting their life essence to no avail.
Realizing their mistake at life's end, they returned home only to face the tombs of their parents and distant, estranged descendants. Truly, ending up empty-handed.
"Old man, do you perhaps know the origins of that immortal? I would like to pay a visit or two."
"My cultivation of Mana made chopping wood faster and fishing more productive, I was exceedingly grateful to the immortal for passing down the teachings, so I went back to the place where I heard the scriptures and offered my worship."
The old man said, "By chance, I encountered a patrolling Mountain General, and only then I learned that the one preaching was none other than the Deity of Mount Qi Wu. Since then, my family offers incense morning and evening, not daring to slack off."
Mount Qi Wu Deity!
Zhou Yi pondered for a moment but still decided to go and take a look; without the Heavenly Court and a plethora of gods and buddhas everywhere, the dangers seemed significantly reduced.
"Thank you, old man."
Having said that, he put away his dark boat and, summoning a cloud under his feet, flew away.
The old man watched the technique of riding the clouds but displayed no envy; suddenly a jade slip fell from the heavens into his hands.
Attempting to probe it with Divine Sense and Mana, he found it contained more than twenty basic Five Phases Spells.
The old man, who had diligently cultivated Mana for many years without a proper spell inheritance, was naturally gifted. After a brief understanding, he was able to cast a Spell named the Water Dragon Technique.
With a flick of his fingers, a ten-foot-tall water dragon rose from the sea's surface, swirling up dozens of fish and dropping them into the boat.
"Fishing like this is surely relaxed, yet it lacks a certain pleasure."
The old man caressed his sleeve, tucking away the jade slip, and continued rowing the oars while singing aloud.
"All people say being an immortal is wonderful..."
...
Mount Qi Wu.
Sparse vegetation, towering boulders.
Stretching thousands of miles, half protruding into the Eastern Sea.
Zhou Yi cast an Invisibility Technique and, from tens of miles away, he could make out a cave dwelling in the mountain.
It was called a cave dwelling but really looked more like a temple.
A winding stone staircase led from the base of the mountain straight to the main gate, where two figures in colorful feathers were greeting and receiving worshippers.
The front hall housed a several-meter-tall idol with the head of a bird and the body of a dragon, enshrouded by incense and emanating solemnity and reverence.
The rear hall was shrouded in mist, too hazy to make out anything clearly.
Zhou Yi was about to use his Divine Eyes to penetrate the Formation and Prohibition when he sensed a powerful Divine Sense sweeping over from the rear hall.
"Such strong demon aura, the Mountain God is a Demon Emperor!"
At this thought, wings sprouted from his back, and he immediately employed the Blood Burning Escape Technique to take flight.
Half a month later.
After fleeing for tens of thousands of miles, passing through numerous mountains, rivers, and streams, Zhou Yi encountered many temples with bizarre shapes.
The idols within were both gods and demons, their cultivation varying from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core, and he saw no Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.
"This region is most likely just another place with the same name; this way, I also save the trouble and don't need to flee back to the Nine Continents. First, I'll blend in with the common world for some years to better understand Dongsheng Divine Continent, then search for a path to continue my cultivation!"
Having made up his mind, Zhou Yi cast some divinations and, seeing no danger, slowed his escape.
This day.
Passing by a small city, he saw the word "Linyang" on the city gate.
He descended from his swift flight, transformed into a young scholar, and, with familiarity, found his way to the pleasure district.
"Places of pleasure come and go with visitors, and information flows like a torrent!"
One month later.
Zhou Yi had gained a general understanding of the region; Linyang County was under the jurisdiction of Qingyun Prefecture, and above it was the Daheng Dynasty.
"Eternal, long-lasting."
The Daheng Dynasty had been established for over two thousand years, its vast territories inherited over a long time, all because the Li Imperial Clan was an immensely powerful cultivator family!
"Dongsheng Divine Continent is rich in Spiritual Energy, even the mortal realm compares to minor places like Xiao Dan Mountain or Righteous Sun Abyss, to the extent that commonplace people are not unfamiliar with the pursuit of immortality."
"This is indeed a continent where the Immortal Dao flourishes!"