Invincible Dad
Chapter 877: Ascending to Emperor Through Incense
"..."
Sikong Jiu hesitated to speak for a moment.
Him.
Previously known as Jiu Kongsi.
Once a prominent figure of the First Era, a dignified Heavenly Dao sect on Earth, now had to frighten a little girl in her dreams, and yet couldn’t make her cry.
If this gets out.
It’s utterly disgraceful!
Yet he could not refuse an assignment from The Supreme Emperor and had to reluctantly accept it.
"By the way, don’t use my name, use Tian Gui Yuan Yin’s."
"Yes, The Supreme Emperor."
Black lines appeared on Sikong Jiu’s forehead; The Supreme Emperor was really too petty, how was this different from a five-year-old child?
Of course.
He dared not say this aloud.
"Many in the Emperor Realm rely on incense fire to become emperors or progress further. I have never used any of it, giving it all back to the devotees."
Xu Lai sighed softly, "I always felt incense fire was unreliable. If they believe in you, you’re strong. The more who believe, the stronger you are. But if one day they no longer believe, who... are you then."
Sikong Jiu pondered, "In the past hundred eras, there were many who became emperors through incense fire, some even created golden statues of incense fire. It’s uncertain if they’re still alive today."
"As long as devotees exist, the golden statue remains. As long as it remains, the thoughts don’t dissipate."
Xu Lai squinted his eyes, "Where do you think they would be?"
"...Where?"
Sikong Jiu cautiously replied; he genuinely did not know the Supreme Emperor’s intentions for coming here and responded with caution.
"Naturally, in a place I can’t see."
"The Supreme Emperor, you are perceptive! In such a short time, you’ve discerned where they might be hiding, truly admirable—"
Sikong Jiu was about to flatter but was stopped by Xu Lai’s calm gaze, causing him to pause and seriously consider:
"Could it be like Great Emperor Jiu Feng, hiding in the farthest corner of the Four Immortal Domains?"
"Currently in the Immortal Domain, which Great Emperor has the most incense fire?" Xu Lai asked again.
"Naturally, it’s you."
Without any hesitation, Sikong Jiu replied, "Even at the peak of the Ninety-second Era’s Great Emperor Wangmu or the Thirty-eighth Era’s Great Emperor Shifeng, they couldn’t compare to you."
To become an emperor through incense fire.
It is one of the simplest and smoothest paths in the Emperor Realm, achievable by amassing enough believers.
Great Emperor Wangmu and Great Emperor Shifeng were the leaders among them, slightly weaker were Great Emperor Chi Huo and Great Emperor Jin Shi.
After becoming emperors, those incense fire emperors used absolute power to cut off the incense fire routes of all the Holy Lands, allowing only themselves to be venerated in the Immortal Domain.
Even so.
Their incense fire followers were not as numerous as Xu Lai’s now.
Without absolute magnanimity, it’s impossible to truly embrace all, to let countless races jointly venerate, and truly regard it as faith for eternal offering.
Forcibly suppressing can only cause the Four Immortal Domains to gradually become divided and unethical.
A hundred eras are coming to an end.
Many Great Emperors still have followers venerating them, but among those incense fire emperors who were once worshipped in every corner of the Immortal Domain, how many are still venerated today?
Few.
Very few.
"If you were them, if you were still alive, where would you choose to hide to draw incense fire?" Xu Lai softly asked.
"???
Sikong Jiu was stunned, his scalp tingling.
He suddenly turned to look at the statue of Great Emperor Qingfeng, constantly worshipped by the devotees, with the power of incense vaguely visible being absorbed from their bodies.
Sikong Jiu inhaled sharply, "They shouldn’t have the guts to hide in a star system under the Heavenly Court’s jurisdiction, stealing your power of incense fire."
"The most dangerous place is the safest place."
Xu Lai stood up, lightly tapped the prayer mat he had just sat on with the tip of his foot, straightening its position.
This scene.
Instantly caught the attention of the host of the Incense Fire Temple.
This host was quite elderly, looking to be about eighty, with white hair and a hunched back, yet his voice was clear as a bell:
"Benefactor, why do you enter the Qingfeng Temple without paying respects to Great Emperor Qingfeng?"
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh"
The many followers in the hall simultaneously turned their gaze, staring intently at Xu Lai, their eyes faintly hostile.
"What is there to admire? Just a mere mortal," Xu Lai calmly said.
"Who are you? How can you understand the contributions Great Emperor Qingfeng has made to the Immortal Domain!"
"Please leave Qingfeng Temple; otherwise, don’t blame us for being impolite."
"..."
The followers remained relatively rational.
Although angry, they remained calm.
If the atmosphere weren’t off, Sikong Jiu, who always liked to stir up trouble, would definitely have shouted from the side: Yep, what does he know about Xu Qingfeng!
Considering that saying it might gain the favor of everyone from the host to the followers in Qingfeng Temple but might also get him punched by The Supreme Emperor, he silently kept quiet.
Xu Lai turned to leave.
Sikong Jiu was dumbfounded and quickly followed in small steps: "The Supreme Emperor, why are we leaving so soon?"
"The fish has bitten the hook; now we just wait."
Xu Lai leisurely walked to a nearby tavern, ordered a few small dishes and drinks at a window seat on the second floor, and ate quietly.
Sikong Jiu looked towards the Qingfeng Temple, which was just under three li away, scratching his head.
Time slowly passed.
In a blink, it was night.
Under the bright moon, the host of the temple closed the main door of Qingfeng Temple, then carefully activated the barrier formation, straightening his hunched posture, and his previously cloudy eyes became clear.
The host of the temple looked at the offering box and kicked it over.
"Clatter"
Various spirit stones and different denominations of currency scattered across the floor.
The host of the temple pouted, "Only three mid-grade spirit stones, one high-grade spirit stone, and the rest are all flawed low-grade ones..."
"Better than nothing."
The host of the temple placed all the spirit stones into a storage ring, while those worldly currencies were burned to ash with a fireball technique.
"A bunch of idiots; Great Emperor Qingfeng is way up high, how could he possibly hear your prayers?" the host muttered to himself.
But he didn’t know.
Tonight, a cute little girl cried in her dream, chased all night by a monster with a terrifying appearance claiming to be Great Emperor Tiangui, with the monster shouting at her not to cry...
About an hour later, the barrier fluctuated.
A man in a red robe appeared in the temple hall, and the elderly host knelt and bowed upon seeing him:
"Greetings, senior."
"Hmm, today’s incense fire isn’t bad."
The man in the red robe casually tossed over ten high-quality high-grade spirit stones, bringing a bright smile to the host, who hurriedly bowed again:
"It all belongs to you, senior; please, as you wish."
"Haha."
The ordinary-looking man in red robe chuckled, "You’re the host of Qingfeng Temple, collecting incense fire on behalf of The Supreme Emperor. Yet you turn around and sell the incense, aren’t you afraid he’ll find out?"
As he spoke.
He pointed at the statue of Great Emperor Qingfeng.
"The Supreme Emperor is the sky of the Immortal Domain; he’s so busy, how would he care about a mere Nascent Soul Realm ant like me."
The host flattered, "But you, senior, your skills are extraordinary, and surely it won’t be long before you step into the Immortal Venerable Realm, becoming a significant figure."
The smile on the red-robed man’s face gradually faded: "The sky? Yes, this era, Xu Qingfeng indeed is the sky."
The host wasn’t sure which of his words was wrong, but he could clearly sense the unreserved killing intent emanating from the other, immediately dropping to his knees, "Senior, please spare me!"