"I thought through all twenty-four Heavenly Do God-level beings above, but couldn’t figure it out."
"Lao Yun, what if it wasn’t the twenty-four Heavenly Do God-level beings who did this?"
"It shouldn’t be. I can distinguish the thods of the Daoists." Yun Ziliang said, "Daoists are guided by Heavenly Do Divine Silk, and these silks beco part of their cultivation. When they act, Divine Silk will manifest."
"The Divine Silk above the Heavenly Do is bright red. But if certain sects employ their thods, they beco the Red Silk, such as the Witch Sect. How do you distinguish them?"
Zhou Xuan had seen Divine Silk and had also seen the Witch’s Red Silk.
If judged solely by the appearance of the silk... how can one differentiate between Daoists and Witches?
"I’ve thought about it, but Witches don’t have that many high-incense practitioners."
Yun Ziliang remarked.
"Not in the Human World, but what about the Ti Realm?" Peng Sheng asked Yun Ziliang.
"The Ti Realm cannot directly enter the Human World." Yun Ziliang replied, but on second thought, reconsidered: "Since Gods can descend from the Heavenly Do to the Human World, it’s reasonable to think people from the Ti Realm might have their own thods."
The conversation opened up everyone’s thinking.
"I never considered the Ti Realm because I assud they were all Daoists."
Yun Ziliang slapped his forehead, feeling a bit regretful.
"However, the destruction of Hidden Dragon Mountain by people from the Ti Realm is rely a hypothesis for now and cannot be taken as fact. At best, it’s a fallback explanation."
"For now, let’s not dwell on who destroyed Hidden Dragon Mountain," Yun Ziliang said. "As for the issue of the Kongming Mirror, it must not spread, or it will attract those black-clothed villains."
"It’s already spreading."
Zhou Xuan spread his hands and said nonchalantly.
"What?!"
"The Traveling Gods in all of Mingjiang Prefecture have already activated the mirror. The Music Masters, Painters, who are advancing to eight-incense levels, and the Witch Sect’s Shang Wenjun and Hua Qingying are already at levels close to eight."
"Uh..."
Yun Ziliang froze montarily and then slamd his hands on the table, scolding, "It’s over. The Traveling Gods of Mingjiang Prefecture are dood. That bloodbath night might very well replay in Mingjiang Prefecture."
"The Music Masters and Painters are Human World demigods at eight-incense level. With them around, they should be able to resist those black-clothed figures you ntioned, right?"
"Take a guess at how high my incense-level was at its peak?"
"Eight incense?"
"Nine incense." Yun Ziliang stated:
"I began my cultivation with the acupoint school. After reaching four incense, I envisioned the Human Golden Dragon, then abandoned incense cultivation to start afresh in the Ganying Sect. The Ganying Sect does not involve incense. In the Secret Realm, there is only one Golden Dragon."
"The Golden Dragon initially appeared as a small White Dragon, which evolved over ti. After two incense, the White Dragon turned into a Red Dragon with thick scales. The transformation continued until, upon the eighth transformation, the Golden Dragon coiled in the Secret Realm, granting nine-incense elevation."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan rembered his own Dragon Seeking Incense, which had originated from the Golden Dragon.
"Many rumors claim I swept through the Taoist sect at four incense. Utter nonsense! I reached nine incense in the Human World. And with over a thousand Mountain practitioners, all were massacred by those black-clothed figures. Do eight-incense Painters and Music Masters suffice?"
Yun Ziliang’s words left Peng Sheng speechless.
But Zhou Xuan said, "What about the Peach Blossom Ancestor Tree? Brother Peng once used the tree’s blessing to temporarily resist Peng Hou, a Heavenly Do God-level being. Now we have two eight-incense practitioners. With the Ancestor Tree’s blessing, shouldn’t it be possible to hold off one Heavenly Do God-level being?"
"The Ancestor Tree has not reached its peak yet." Peng Sheng replied.
After the calamity in Mingjiang ended, the Ancestor Tree’s power was depleted and retreated back into the Great Mother Star Pit.
"Let’s invade the Tattoo Forbidden Land, bring the Ancestor Tree back to Peng Town. Wouldn’t it return to its peak then?"
"What if those black-clothed figures arrive before we can act?"
"Would they act that quickly?" Zhou Xuan asked.
"That remains unclear. Let’s take it step by step." Yun Ziliang responded.
Zhou Xuan headed upstairs, saying, "I’ll undertake a Divine Soul Day Trip, inform the Painter and Music Master to avoid leaking the Kongming Mirror’s Awakening Technique."
If the black-clothed figures truly possess such elevated cultivation as Yun Ziliang described, then Mingjiang Prefecture indeed faces an unbearable calamity.
If their killings are aid at controlling the spread of the Kongming Mirror, then Zhou Xuan’s current priority is to prevent the excessive dissemination of the mirror and avoid drawing too much attention from the black-clothed figures.
"It’s best not to spread it. Mingjiang Prefecture doesn’t stand a chance against the black-clothed figures as things currently stand—everyone’s too weak." Yun Ziliang sighed and murmured.
...
In the second-floor bedroom, Zhou Xuan consulted Li Chengfeng to locate the current venue of the disaster relief eting and then embarked on a Divine Soul Day Trip.
...
The disaster relief eting was held in the first-floor conference room of Li Yuan Building.
Attendees included Mingjiang Prefecture’s Traveling Gods, Lady Hong Guan, and several officials from the prefectural office.
The prefectural officials proposed relief and recovery plans, while the Painters and Music Masters evaluated their feasibility and made final decisions.
Most etings were lengthy and monotonous,
Lady Hong Guan, through repeated proposal reviews by the prefectural officials, was on the verge of dozing off.
What kept her awake was the Painter’s promise to teach her the Kongming Mirror’s "Awakening Technique" after the eting.
This magical skill greatly fascinated Lady Hong Guan. With just a mirror, the Painter and Music Master had gained profound insight into their sect’s thods, ascending to eight-incense levels.
"This saves years of incense cultivation,"
Lady Hong Guan eyed the eight-incense Painter with envy,
And at that mont, Zhou Xuan’s voice echoed in the conference room.
"Prefectural officials, please wait outside. I have urgent matters to discuss with Mingjiang’s Traveling Gods."
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