I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

Incense leads to Divinity!

Upon first hearing of this method, Zhou Yi felt an inherent aversion welling up from the depths of his heart.

Having lived long and seen much, he had increasingly come to believe that there were no shortcuts in life.

Every path that seemed to offer a quicker way either led to a deep abyss or required tenfold the effort to recover from.

What's more, Zhou Yi had personally experienced how a single scroll of the Devouring Heaven Demonic Technique led to the calamity of ferocious beasts, and indirectly to the Corpse Demon calamity, resulting in the Nine Continents Cultivation World becoming a deadly wasteland.

"The Incense Condensing Spirit Technique shares many similarities with the Devouring Heaven Demonic Technique!"

"The latter, at least, is a Xuanmen secret technique, while the former diverges from the Xuanmen path, creating an entirely new approach by cultivating with the power of incense and the wishes of living beings. It's even more peculiar than the heterodox practices."

Zhou Yi frowned deeply, pondering the matter before asking.

"Senior Brother Pei, does the Incense Flame Deification Technique have some sort of major flaw?"

Pei Yuanzhou expressed his surprise, "Junior Brother Zhu, why would you think that?"

Zhou Yi spoke slowly, "I've cultivated for hundreds of years to finally condense my Nascent Soul; my success was never about talent..."

The Golden Core Cultivators listening in the hall showed colors of joy, pricking up their ears to listen. Insights from a newly advanced Nascent Soul on cultivation experiences could save them from taking many detours.

"But rather, it has always been about being careful and cautious!"

Zhou Yi said, "At each step, I walked on thin ice, as if facing a deep chasm, daring not to take any shortcuts. During phases like Foundation Establishment and Core Formation, certainly some heterodox secret techniques could assist, increasing the success rate significantly."

Gu Xiao nodded, "Such secret techniques are often related to Blood Sacrifice and curse spells, detrimental to one's foundation."

"For Loose Cultivators, the path is arduous. Many rely on secret techniques in exchange for the longevity and power that breakthroughs bring."

Zhou Yi said, "However, being cautious, I dare not harbor any luck, practicing only Xuanmen Orthodoxy. It was through the accumulation of experiences during Foundation Establishment and Core Formation that I finally managed to condense my Nascent Soul!"

"Wonderful!"

Pei Yuanzhou applauded and smiled, "People only know that my junior brother is greedy and lecherous, who would have thought his Dao heart is as firm as iron?"

An Yunguang exclaimed, "The Great Way is simplicity itself; junior brother's nature directly points to the essence of cultivation."

"It's just a meager insight, hardly worth mentioning."

Zhou Yi said, "The method of Incense Flame Deification is a deviation among deviations, a heterodoxy within heterodoxies. After its success, problems are bound to arise!"

"You are right, junior brother."

Pei Yuanzhou said, "The ancient patriarch of our sect and the Great Eternal Ancestor have dueled several times, and have mostly figured out the ins and outs. One flaw is the divine position; after the Great Eternal Ancestor abdicated, he was given the title of Great Eternal Divine Emperor."

"By condensing the body of a True God with incense, one is subject to the influence of this divine position. Once outside of Daheng's territory, one's strength declines, and if too far away, one might even return to Divinity Transformation!"

"So that's how it is."

Zhou Yi suddenly realized why the formidable cultivators that have returned to the Void and presided over Daheng still relied on external forces to deal with the Wild Gods.

Unable to leave their domain, if they provoked the Dragon Race or other major sects, retaliation could come from outside their borders, leaving them helplessly and bound.

Pei Yuanzhou continued, "Secondly, the body of a True God requires a vast amount of incense and the power of wishes to maintain, or else one's realm will fall."

Zhou Yi expressed his surprise, "Why is it so frustrating?"

"Frustrating? That's the realm of returning to the Void, with a lifespan of over five thousand years..."

Pei Yuanzhou said solemnly, "We cultivators seek the Way for longevity. Let alone these two defects, even if there were twenty or two hundred, countless people would still rush to break through!"

"There's still one major flaw you haven't mentioned, senior brother..."

Zhou Yi said, "The power of wishes within the incense can never be fully cleansed. As it accumulates within one's body and soul, one day it will overpower one's true nature. What will happen then?"

To the eyes of cultivators who have returned to the Void, the power of mortal wishes is like a mere drop of water in the ocean, incapable of affecting the tides.

Yet, the ocean has a fixed surface area. With the continual infusion of trillions of droplets, the nature of the ocean is bound to change, and with more additions, eventually, the new will completely replace the original ocean.

Pei Yuanzhou said, "Rumor has it that the Great Eternal Ancestor has become something neither divine nor human!" Continue your adventure at empire

Hiss!

Such secret and earth-shattering information made the cultivators in the hall gasp in shock, a flicker of concern passing through their eyes.

In the world of cultivation, knowing too many secrets isn't necessarily a good thing!

Zhou Yi questioned, "If one's mind is non-human, wouldn't that be demonic possession?"

Pei Yuanzhou said, "The ancient patriarch of our sect said it's not demonic possession but more like the clay statues in temples, aloof and watching over mortals, devoid of human touch in actions and speech."

Zhou Yi said, "If the ancient patriarch of the sect is aware of this, why then pursue the method of incense flame deification?"

The three major flaws of incense flame deification are bearable for the first two, but the third is almost akin to telekinetic possession.

After divine enthronement, if one loses their true self, isn't it the same as death?

"So what if they know? Just like what junior brother said about Loose Cultivators using heterodox methods to achieve Foundation Establishment and Core Formation,"

Pei Yuanzhou said, "The path to returning to the Void is a hundredfold more difficult than forming the Nascent Soul. After the breakthrough, you get to enjoy a lifespan of five thousand years. When nearing demise, who can resist such temptation?"

A mere five thousand years...

Zhou Yi almost blurted out, for he uses several thousand years of his lifespan each day for divination and hastening the maturity of Spiritual Medicine, paying no heed to the span of life.

That which mortals desperately seek is effortlessly within his grasp.

Which Divine Transformation Heavenly Monarch isn't a genius of their era, with talents unparalleled in the world? Yet, for a few thousand years of life, they are willing to bow to the Incense Flame Deification Technique, which equates to just a day's need for Zhou Yi!

"Even if our sect does not utilize it, others won't abandon it."

Pei Yuanzhou continued, "Rather than letting this method become a widespread disaster, it's better to be controlled by orthodox major sects to prevent it from falling into the hands of Evil Gods and causing turmoil in Dongsheng Divine Continent. After divine enthronement, the Dao heart of our sect's elder uncles and great-uncles remains pure, turning out to be virtuous and benevolent gods!"

"Indeed, it should be so!"