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Chapter 836 The Incense of the Spiritual Connection, the Strange Divine Statue
In the Futu Mountains.

Since someone can address her by her given name, they must be someone whose cultivation is on par with that of Master Jinlian.

In an instant.

A ripple, like waves, echoed from the void.

In an instant, a lotus flower condensed, and a middle-aged cultivator with a dignified appearance emerged from it, possessing the cultivation level of the Great Perfection of the Nascent Soul stage.

He addressed the Golden Lotus Master.

"Fellow Daoist Golden Lotus, do you perhaps believe that I have stolen your incense offerings?"

"I'm also worried about who will take the blame for my lost incense offerings."

The visitor was none other than Wuxin Daoren from Hanshan Temple.

Master Jinlian secretly asked telepathically, "What do you mean?"

To be honest, the two of them were originally good friends. However, after receiving a transmission of the path of incense cultivation, they parted ways because they took different paths.

For hundreds of years, the two have occupied the Futu Mountains and shared the incense offerings of Duchenwu. Although there have been open and covert struggles, they have lived in peace.

However, what has puzzled and bewildered them for the past ten years or so is that the incense offerings and the prayers of believers at Jinlian Temple and Hanshan Temple have inexplicably decreased significantly.

It's important to understand that this is despite the number of believers increasing every year.

This bizarre situation actually made Jinlianzi and Abbot Wuxin quite uneasy, unable to eat or sleep.

The two of them often wondered if some high-level cultivator had set their sights on Duchenwu.
But then I thought about it again, and realized that this was just a small, isolated place in the Tianfan Domain.

There are no spiritual veins, no resources; all that's available is the power of the believers' wishes.

Those major sects naturally wouldn't bother with such trivial matters.

Moreover, this lineage of cultivation incense can only be cultivated up to the Nascent Soul stage at most. Other high-level cultivators would definitely not be interested in their meager possessions.

"This matter can no longer be delayed. I have a plan with a small chance of finding out the reason behind the decline in incense offerings. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Jinlian would be willing to give it a try?" Abbot Wuxin stroked his beard and said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Master Jinlian looked extremely surprised and immediately asked, "Since you had a way, why didn't you say so earlier?"

"Hmph, I only recently came up with this method myself," said Abbot Wuxin indifferently.

"Fellow Daoist Wuxin, please come to my residence for a chat."

Upon hearing this, Guru Jinlian immediately sped up the process and quickly ended the Dharma assembly, leaving the worshippers who had come to pay homage feeling a sense of unfinished business.

It's only been open for two days.

In previous years, the Dharma assembly would not have ended so hastily; it would usually last for one or two months.

However, Guru Jinlian had no time to think about such things now, as his incense offerings had been stolen.

Lately, I've been thinking all day about how to find this despicable guy.

Otherwise, he would also be unable to eat or sleep properly.

The Dharma assembly has ended.

In the Zen monastery behind Jinlian Temple, the Jinlian Master, looking sullen, was talking with the Wuxin Daoist.

"Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me your plan."

The Daoist Wuxin smiled slightly, raised his hand and casually waved his sleeve, and a cyan spiritual incense stick appeared on the table.

Master Jinlian picked up the incense stick. It looked no different from ordinary incense, but upon closer inspection, it was quite different.

The cyan spiritual incense was about three inches long, interspersed with some fine transparent crystals, and had naturally formed yin and yang spiral patterns on its surface, emitting a faint and elusive sensing power.

Master Jinlian finally showed a look of surprise and said:
"It's actually the Spiritual Rhinoceros Incense! Where did you get it? This item is extremely rare and uncommon; isn't it supposed to be used in pairs?"

The Heartless Taoist took out another stick of incense and said, "To obtain this, I, the abbot, paid a considerable price. It is said to be made from the rare Spirit Rhinoceros Insect from the insect swarm, and it is colorless and odorless."

"If such a thing exists, it might actually be possible to find the person who stole the power of incense offerings," Master Jinlian said slowly, nodding.

Subsequently.

The two then began to secretly devise a detailed plan.

……

Duchen Dock.

Qin Ming was in his shop, seeing off two regular customers, when he saw Liu Guangyuan from next door walking over from across the street.

So he casually asked:
"Fellow Daoist Liu, didn't you go to attend the Dharma assembly at Jinlian Temple? Why are you back so soon?"

Liu Guangyuan waved his hand rather dejectedly and said, "Sigh! Don't mention it. I don't know what happened to this Dharma assembly, but it ended prematurely."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ming's heart stirred. It seemed that his Seven Emotions and Six Desires Tree was absorbing too much power of vows, causing Master Jinlian to become completely uneasy.

'Looks like I need to tone it down a bit,' he thought to himself.

However, during their casual conversation, Qin Ming noticed something unusual in Liu Guangyuan's expression.

However, since they had been neighbors for many years, he didn't pry into it since the other party didn't want to talk about it.

A short while later, a bustling group of cultivators came to Qin Ming's shop to buy spirit rice.

Liu Guangyuan was envious of Qin Ming's thriving business.

After saying goodbye to Qin Ming, he did not return home, but instead followed the winding streets and disappeared into a dark alley.

Upon entering a courtyard, he found a figure already waiting for him.

After they met, they did not speak, but instead opened a secret passage to enter the room, which was heavily guarded with various restrictions and isolation barriers.

The two of them followed the long corridor into a secret room at the very back.

The place was empty and devoid of any decorations. On the wall stood a pitch-black statue whose face was obscured, exuding an eerie aura.

In front of the statue, a ball of pitch-black flames burned in mid-air.

After entering the place, Liu Guangyuan first made a strange gesture in front of the statue and worshipped it with utmost piety.

Then he bowed to the person in the darkness and said, "Greetings, Lord Black Flame Envoy!"

After saying that, he took out several black, transparent round beads from his pocket, inside which were sealed streams of incense and prayer power.

Although the beads are small, they contain a great deal of incense offerings and blessings.

The figure in the darkness took the item from Liu Guangyuan's hand and showed a very satisfied expression.

He was then given a dark-colored pill.

"Hmm, you've done well. Continue to lie low and collect incense offerings and prayers, and seize the opportunity to spread the word about my 'Black Fire Sect' and find suitable cultivators to join. If you do well, I will grant you a Foundation Establishment opportunity."

Liu Guangyuan accepted the pills and was visibly excited upon hearing the other party's promise.

But after hearing what followed, he hesitated and said:

"My lord, but yesterday Master Jinlian suddenly ended the Dharma assembly in a hurry. Could it be that she discovered our theft of incense offerings and our secret preaching in Duchenwu?"

"If that's the case, then that's not good."

Upon hearing this, the figure in the darkness pondered for a moment and replied calmly, "It shouldn't be possible. The amount of incense and vows you secretly stole at the Dharma assembly was not enough for Master Jinlian to notice."

"So what if we are discovered? The Sect Leader will be right inside the Dust Crossing Pavilion. The Sect Leader is at the Nascent Soul stage. Not to mention Master Golden Lotus, even if Master Wuxin and he were to attack together, they would definitely not be a match for the Sect Leader."

"At that time, the entire Dust Crossing Dock will fall into the hands of our Blackfire Sect!"

Upon hearing this news, Liu Guangyuan was greatly relieved, and the anxiety he had been feeling immediately dissipated.

Suddenly, a thought struck him: a good candidate to win over.

……

Soon after.

A force called the Black Flame Holy Cult began to spread secretly in Dust Crossing Dock.

Many people were even lured into joining them.

Those ordinary mortals who desperately wanted to obtain the opportunity to cultivate immortality initially maintained a skeptical attitude.

However, as time went by, the Black Flame Holy Sect introduced the idea that "one can cultivate immortality even without spiritual roots," completely breaking the ironclad rule of the cultivation world.

Countless ordinary believers immediately joined them.

at the same time.

Master Jinlian and Daoist Wuxin also began performing rituals on their respective mountain peaks, lighting the 'Lingxi Qianji Incense' in their respective temples, and then waiting quietly for the changes to occur.

Although this kind of spiritual incense is miraculous, it has no effect on some cultivators with high cultivation levels, so the two of them were not very confident.

However, during this period, a third force, the Black Flame Cult, has shown signs of emerging in Duchen Dock.

The two decided to give it a try. If they could find the person who stole the incense, that would be the best outcome. At the very least, they could uncover the Black Flame Cult's stronghold and nip it in the bud.

The two gazed in the direction of the giant cauldron's spiritual fragrance, where wisps of gray spiritual scent seemed to be guiding them in a certain direction.

……

This day.

Qin Ming was watching over the shop, observing the crowds coming and going outside.

In recent days, stalls selling incense, candles, and paper money have gradually increased in number.

It's estimated that the two sects in the Futu Mountain range will be holding another large-scale Dharma assembly.

To his surprise.

Liu Guangyuan from next door came over for another visit, and he did it in a very secretive way.

“Fellow Daoist Li, I have an extraordinary opportunity to share with you. Please move to another place to discuss it.”

Liu Guangyuan's first words to Qin Ming made him lose his composure.

'Is this going to be another huge trap?'

Qin Ming thought to himself, and every time he heard such words, he had a bad feeling.
as predicted.

Liu Guangyuan led him through the streets and alleys, making several turns until they arrived at a dark alley and entered a small courtyard.

Then, they even entered a dark, secret room.

Inside, there were numerous restrictions, and a statue of a deity from the Black Flame Cult was enshrined. A figure stood with his back to the two of them, appearing somewhat unfathomable.

Such a bizarre scene was something only Qin Ming dared to follow in; an ordinary Qi Refining stage cultivator would probably not have been able to stand firm.

"My lord, Fellow Daoist Li has delivered this to you."

Liu Guangyuan bowed deeply to the figure in the darkness and said...

Qin Ming feigned surprise and asked Liu Guangyuan, "Fellow Daoist Liu, didn't you say you were going to give me a great opportunity? But what is this now?"

"Hehehe! Young friend Li, there's no need to panic. It's truly your time to shine. Would you like to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage?" The figure turned around, revealing an unexpected face.

"This is Steward Liu!" Qin Ming said, feigning surprise.

It was none other than Liu Guangyuan's relative from Hanshan Temple, surnamed Liu!

This person is quite well hidden; as a follower of the Black Flame Cult, he has even infiltrated the Cold Mountain Temple.
Although Qin Ming had already known the identities of the other party through his divine sense, he wanted to see what these two wanted to do by dragging him into this.

Therefore, he did not disturb the two people in front of him.

The fact that Steward Liu of Hanshan Temple agreed to Liu Guangyuan recruiting Qin Ming into the Black Flame Sect was actually due to some considerations.

First of all, when Qin Ming first arrived at Duchenwu, it was Steward Liu who personally rented the courtyard for him, so his background was completely clear.

Secondly, Deacon Liu originally thought that Qin Ming, like everyone else, would soon be defeated by the environment here.

But Qin Ming persevered and even managed to run the shop very successfully.

This is also why Deacon Liu values ​​Qin Ming.

"As you can see, this is a branch altar of the Black Flame Sect. After careful evaluation, we would like to invite Fellow Daoist Li to join our sect," Deacon Liu said with utmost solemnity.

"Huh? Now?" Qin Ming asked, feigning surprise.

Deacon Liu nodded, then took out a deep blue Foundation Establishment Pill from his storage bag and said to him in a gentle and persuasive manner, "As long as you are willing to join, you can obtain this item immediately."

Qin Ming knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

So he asked again, "It's a Foundation Establishment Pill! What are the benefits of joining the Holy Church? And what do I need to do?"

This kind of miraculous medicine, capable of changing the fate of cultivators at the bottom, shows that the Black Flame Sect is truly willing to invest heavily.

Upon hearing this, Deacon Liu said, "The Holy Sect is more powerful than you can imagine. Your future path to immortality is limitless. The sect will provide you with resources, including but not limited to cultivation techniques, pills, magic weapons, and secret arts. All you need to do is secretly infiltrate the Dust Crossing Dock and develop a following of believers."

Qin Ming feigned interest and asked, "Then how do I persuade others to convert to the Holy Church?"

At this point, Deacon Liu took out a round bead and a three-inch-tall black statue from his storage bag, showed them to Qin Ming, and continued:
"You only need to have the believers worship this statue, and this mysterious pearl will automatically absorb the power of incense offerings. In addition, it can also absorb the power of incense offerings that come near this object."

Qin Ming stared intently, and although the image of the black statue was blurry, he had a feeling that he had seen it before.

gradually.

A flash of inspiration struck him, his pupils dilated instantly, and he suddenly remembered!
'Isn't this the appearance of the Six Paths Saint Ancestor from the Ancient Demon Realm?'

Qin Ming was instinctively startled. He had originally thought that this so-called Black Flame Sect was just a small force that had emerged from some obscure corner.

Unexpectedly, the background behind it was incredibly powerful.

When Liu Guangyuan saw Qin Ming's surprised expression, he assumed that he was intimidated by the prestige of the Holy Church.

He immediately smiled and said:

"Well? Fellow Daoist Li, will you agree?"

"Besides, you've already followed me and seen everything here; it would be difficult for you to refuse."

His words were, in a way, a reminder to Qin Ming.

But at this moment.

On the altar where the black statue of a deity was originally enshrined in the secret chamber, wisps of gray threads began to float from several black beads.
Seemingly sensing something from the other end, some kind of response connection emerged.
next moment.

A thunderous, furious voice suddenly rang in the ears of the three people present:
"Well, so it was you Black Flame Cult who did this!"

"You've got some nerve! You dare to steal the incense offerings and prayers of our sect, and you even dare to try to spread your teachings in Duchenwu!"

"I'm really tired of living!"

"And you, not only did you betray this temple, but you also stole the incense offerings and prayers! I will use your soul to light the heavenly lantern!"

"Only then can I relieve the hatred in my heart!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than a deafening roar came from above the secret chamber, followed by a terrifying force that blew the entire courtyard away, exposing the secret chamber to the outside.

(End of this chapter)