Stealthily cultivating in the chaotic world of demons and martial artists
Chapter 945 - 801: Lose Me and Dao Hua

Chapter 945: Chapter 801: Lose Me and Dao Hua

"Azure divine power, ascending to heaven in a single step?"

Lord Xu gazed at the scene in disbelief, rubbing his eyes, before saying, "Quick... Send the order, we must leave the Black Cloud Mountain Range immediately, we cannot be enemies of the Black Cloud Mountain God!"

Only he, a former high official of the Taoist Court, knew just how terrifying the azure divine power was.

Such beings, even within the Taoist Court, were regarded as significant figures!

"How can the mere Black Cloud Mountain Range have the virtue and capability to nurture such fortune?"

Lord Xu couldn’t comprehend it at all, but that didn’t stop him from making an immediate exit.

"Your son obeys..."

The middle-aged man, even if he gnashed his teeth into pieces, had no other choice.

Now that the Black Cloud Mountain God held his position, it meant that all the Xu Family had invested had been in vain.

Any noble family facing such a situation would probably harbor the desire to kill, no, to slay a god!

—Had the Black Cloud Mountain God merely been of the seventh divine rank or lower, Lord Xu might have taken direct action himself!

By killing the mountain god and seizing the godhood talisman, he could then refine the divine position and ascend to godhood himself, and as long as the Taoist Court acknowledged it afterwards, all would be well.

But now, just a mere thought from that mountain god could bring about the destruction of the entire Xu Family.

"The fortune of Black Cloud Mountain was originally ours..."

The middle-aged man reluctantly uttered a complaint.

"Now, it will likely become that of the Taoist Court..."

But Lord Xu’s eyes were clear as if he had seen through the ways of the world: "No matter what fortune the Black Cloud Mountain Range holds, if the Black Cloud Mountain God cannot keep it, neither can we... We, the Xu Family, will not meddle in these troubled waters."

The so-called wisdom that comes with age, along with his experiences of ups and downs within the Taoist Court, had endowed Lord Xu with such decisiveness.

Even if his investments were substantial and hard to let go... compared to the downfall of his family, it meant nothing at all.

It didn’t take long for the entire Xu family fort to begin mobilizing, disregarding even the winter offerings.

Lord Xu slowly walked out of the fort, looking at the mountain range where the phenomena were gradually dissipating, a cold smile appeared at the corner of his mouth: ’You took my fortune but also spared me a disaster... Black Cloud Mountain God, I really don’t know whether I should resent you or thank you.’

If the fortune of Black Cloud Mountain had been his, Lord Xu was very clear that he would not have been able to keep it!

...

"To ascend to the heavens in a single stride and become a greater deity above the fifth rank?"

Above Panlong Lake, a group of deities of the Water Tribe were rendered speechless.

It was only after a long while that a turtle attendant murmured to himself.

"Such a rare situation indeed... for a mere hundred miles of Black Cloud Mountain, at most it could support a mountain god of the seventh domain or lower..."

Lord of Panlong Lake’s dragon eyes gleamed brightly, "If this were an ennoblement by the Taoist Court, or a deity formed by the gathering of mortal incense... it would probably be from beneath the seventh rank. This godhood bestowed by heaven, or perhaps that the mountain god himself is the spirit of the mountain, endowed with preferential treatment, only then can somehow reach the full seventh rank... But now, the situation is far different."

"Dragon Lord, I fear there is a great secret beneath the Black Cloud Mountain Range," suggested a serpent spirit, jealousy flashing in her narrow face.

"If there were a hidden major dragon vein beneath Black Cloud Mountain, how could the former mountain god have failed to perceive it?" Lord of Panlong Lake scoffed at the idea.

For them, as mountain gods and water gods, their sensitivity to their domains was incredibly acute—they would never overlook any treasure or slightest anomaly...

Within an array, a black loach yawned lazily, turning over on its side, while nearby a Bell Girl, as though broken, was weeping softly...

"According to my estimation, the Black Cloud Mountain God himself must have an issue, either a reincarnation of someone with great merit, inherently profound attributes, or possession of a supreme treasure... Of course, the most likely scenario is the combination of all three," postulated the Lord of Panlong Lake before bursting into hearty laughter: "Such a significant event, the Taoist Court’s ennoblement is likely just around the corner, what a spectacle that will be..."

In his eyes, there was a look of intense anticipation.

...

Fang Xi’s divine incarnation was deeply immersed in thought.

His consciousness soared infinitely, as if merging with the entire Black Cloud Mountain Range.

For others who ascended to divinity in one step, this might be an incredibly novel experience, but for him, embodying a mountain was commonplace.

The entire mountain range felt as if it were his own body.

And this was naturally the doing of the ’Mountain Pearl.’

This object was left by the supreme figure of the black market, an otherworldly being whose life essence coalesced within it.

If it were only used for refining an external incarnation, that would be a complete waste of its significant reputation.

’The incarnation of the Mountain Pearl is a natural earth spirit body, born a sixth rank, and with a little cultivation, breaking through the seventh rank is not at all a problem...’

’And it seems that in this divine world, there is no talk of the heavenly tribulation...’

After all, deities simply comply with nature, acting as heaven’s shepherds of the people. How could heaven and earth still bestow calamities upon them?

"When it’s time for me to cross the Mahayana Immortal Thunder Calamity, this world may serve as a haven..."

The most dangerous part of the Immortal Thunder Calamity for Cultivators who have achieved Perfect Integration, or rather the Major Heavenly Tribulation, is that the Heart Demon Tribulation virtually arrives in tandem with the Heavenly Thunder Calamity!

It doesn’t even allow Cultivators time to catch their breath!

But if, during the tribulation, one were to move to the God Path world, maybe the Thunder Calamity could be mitigated?

Then, focus solely on getting through the Heart Demon Tribulation, recover from injuries, and familiarize yourself with the surged Magic Power and Divine Skills.

Once fully restored, return to the Earth Immortal Realm. Even if the Heavenly Calamity still converges, the chances of overcoming it will at least increase by fifty percent!

More effective than any Crossing Tribulation Treasure or Secret Skill!

An idea emerged faintly in Fang Xi’s mind; perhaps he could try it out in the future.

At this moment, within his Sea of Consciousness, a cyan-golden Divine Talisman emerged.

The entire talisman was as green as jade, with golden Divine Texts on it, flowing like dancing dragons and phoenixes, bearing the inscription—"Fourth-Grade Black Cloud Mountain God."

"Just Fourth-Grade, is this heavenly disdain towards me?"

A hint of a smile lingered on Fang Xi’s lips.

With his current early-stage Returning to Emptiness strength, in this world, probably only the Emperor could compare.

Even the Emperor’s divine power relies heavily on his Godhood Position and his every action must follow the rules; if he incurs the displeasure of heaven and earth, or if he is demoted by the Heavenly Court and loses his divine position, then he would be worse off than a commoner.

How can he compare to an Immortal Cultivator whose mighty power is his own?

"Being granted a Fourth-Grade Divine Position is naturally because I’ve restrained myself... Otherwise, if my Magic Power had been sky-high, perhaps I would’ve shot straight up to Primordial First-Grade, even alarming the Heavenly Court and being directly granted a Heavenly Rank?"

"Then being forced to ascend and become an immortal would truly be troublesome."

"Now, with the Fourth-Grade Divine Position, although still somewhat troublesome, and likely to raise suspicions of having a great fortune, those covetous gaze will be limited within this world..."

Inside the cavern of Black Cloud Mountain.

With a flash of golden light, Fang Xi’s figure appeared.

He snapped his fingers, and a streak of golden divine light shimmered, transforming into a floor-standing mirror.

Reflected in the mirror was a young deity.

He had broad shoulders, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and an air of authority about him.

He was also wearing a set of golden cyan court attire, with a blue light adorning his head and divine prestige emanating from him.

"Apart from that, there are Divine Skills..."

Fang Xi closed his eyes slightly, and like instinct, various Divine Skills became clear at a glance, seemingly inherent Divine Skills.

But mainly they were animating spirits, commanding fierce beasts, Earth Escape, earthquakes, whipping up sand and moving stones, moving mountains and reclaiming seas—such skills were merely average in power, far from matching the inherent talents of the Mountain pearl incarnation.

Of course, if other Fourth-Grade mountain gods knew that Fang Xi naturally possessed the Divine Skill of ’moving mountains and reclaiming seas,’ they would be far from calm.

"The Mountain Pearl innately possesses an ’Earth Spirit Body,’ and beyond that, its most important innate Divine Skill is ’Five Mountain True Form,’ which can transform into a mountain range, suppress all enemies, or turn into a mountainous giant... In this small world, there likely wouldn’t be any opponents."

"Moreover, infused with the Five Mountain True Form, the defense is also top-notch..."

Fang Xi looked at his own chest, where, through the cyan-golden court attire, he could see five mountain talismans on his chest, glittering and intricate with profound mystery.

"Aside from the Divine Skills, how to promote subordinate mountain patrolling deities, or animate Underworld Soldiers and Underworld Generals, construct a Divine Domain, and even gather the offerings of incense, and refine Divine Tools, are all crystal clear..."

"And indeed, does the God Path naturally come with inherent weaknesses?"

Feeling the information that comes with the Fourth-Grade Divine Position, Fang Xi’s expression couldn’t help but grow solemn.

This information carried by the higher-ranked divine position was so much more than what the lower ranks had provided before.

On the matter of the weaknesses of the divine path, it had certain descriptions as well.

"Firstly, pure incense-fire deities, if they lose their offerings of incense, might suffer a great loss of divine power, or even fall from their divine rank... and stepping outside the divine domain’s range also would severely diminish their strength."

"These are just common issues. The key point is the Poison of Incense Fire!"

Fang Xi had already sensed some of this, and after being infused by the divine position, he further understood the implications.

"The faith of the people, while being the source of a god’s mighty power, is also a shackle and even a poison... Faith will gradually shape a deity in the image that people hold, and what’s more terrifying is that the deity may unknowingly change as well, coming to believe that they were always meant to be as such..."

"This applies to incense-fire gods, and while mountain and water gods, nurtured by the essence of a place, may fare a bit better, they still face similar influences... For example, mountain gods tend to enjoy raw meat and blood, and though Dragon Lords might not be naturally lascivious, due to common legends asserting that dragons are innately licentious, most Dragon Lords end up with countless wives and concubines, even fond of accumulating women..."

"Even if one refuses any worship and incense, drawing only from the spiritual energy of their divine domain, it’s also infeasible."

"First, because the essence of a place is limited, it often fails to sustain a deity. Even if it’s a famous mountain or river capable of sustenance, it’s hard to ascend to a higher Divine Rank..."

"Or to say, one who sticks to their true self, shunning incense, and relying on the nourishment of heaven and earth, also faces risks, because the Heavenly Path is the most terrifying source of incense. Nurtured by the Heavenly Path, one naturally faces erosion by heaven, which is called ’Heavenly Transformation’... Simply put, being a mountain god for too long might cause one to become slow-witted, disliking travel and movement until eventually, they truly transform into a stone..."

"’Losing oneself’ and ’Heavenly Transformation’ are the most feared prospects by deities... Some naturally born deities are more prone to ’Heavenly Transformation,’ and to avoid it, they might deliberately accept some mortal offerings of incense to hedge against it..."