I have Immortality In The Cultivation World

"Crisis lurks at all times, just be careful and cautious!"

Zhou Yi took out the messaging sword talisman, intending to inquire about the matter of divine enthronement through incense, but after pondering for a moment, he put it away again.

"A year has passed since the Arhat's sermon; the matter of the divine enthronement must have spread throughout Dongsheng Divine Continent. I shall explore on my own first; I can't rely on all the news from the Patching Heaven Sect!"

Hearing is not as good as seeing.

Moreover, the news of the Patching Heaven Sect might not be true.

They stand too high above the rest, considering the development of the Cultivation World, too disconnected from the masses and out of touch with the ground realities!

Zhou Yi wanted to see for himself whether the influence of the incense and divine enthronement was good or bad for the common people.

His fingers calculated as he cast the Minor Divination Technique, vaguely sensing some karma on the shores of the Eastern Sea. A little reflection revealed the cause and effect—it was when he first entered Dongsheng Divine Continent and met an old fisherman, to whom he had given an art magic jade slip as a reward for directions.

"In the blink of an eye, eighty years have passed; I wonder if the old man is still alive?"

"Let's go and see, how this karma should be resolved. If there is no risk, it could well become a wonderful tale!"

Zhou Yi transformed himself from an old man with white hair into a middle-aged Taoist, and set off across the waves toward the coast.

...

Eastern foot of Qi Wu Mountain.

At the foot of the mountain lies a small town called Lean-on-Mountain Town.

There are countless towns in the world named after rivers and mountains, often implying that people live off the resources of the mountains and waters around them.

The town is small, with a population of several thousand to tens of thousands.

It should be bustling and noisy around noon, but the streets were eerily empty, with only a few anxious pedestrians hurrying along.

"Such a strong scent of incense!"

Zhou Yi's eyes sparkled as he noticed a grey haze above the town, which was the manifestation of the gathered wish power from incense.

According to the Incense Condensing Spirit Technique, red gold incense wish power is considered the best, colorless the next, blue further down, and grey being very poor. If it turned black, it would not be incense anymore, but rather a curse.

"Grey wish power, even worse than the quality of Land God Linyang from back then!"

"That scoundrel, although he made the people suffer, did a good job on the surface, and the wish power he received was of a bluish-white color."

Zhou Yi walked swiftly, contemplating as he arrived in front of a house.

It was broad daylight, but the house was shut tight. His divine sense swept over it, and he found that there was actually a sacrificial ritual taking place inside.

Believers usually offered incense wish power through lighting incense and praying. When fulfilling vows, the process was more complicated, like chanting scriptures, but the highest level was to follow the customs of the Mountain Gods and River Lords, performing collective sacrificial rituals.

The wish power offered during sacrificial rituals was abundant and of high quality.

However, conducting a ritual had to be voluntary. Except for certain special festivals, very few commoners were willing to spend money and time to conduct rituals in offering to the deities!

Thump, thump, thump!

Zhou Yi knocked on the door knocker, and after a moment, the door opened a crack, revealing a seven- or eight-year-old child.

"Who are you looking for?"

The voice was young, perhaps the child had just been crying, as there was a slight sobbing tone in his speech.

"I… Sun Xing!"

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "Years ago, I had a philosophical debate with your ancestor by the Eastern Sea and left behind a jade slip. Today, on a whim, I came to visit."

"Debate? Jade slip?"

The child stood puzzled for a moment, seeming to understand, then turned and ran towards the interior of the house shouting, "Dad, mom, grandpa, someone is here looking for great-grandpa again!"

"Great-grandpa?"

Zhou Yi shook his head slightly. Eighty years had passed, and the mortal world had already gone through three or four generations.

The divide between immortals and mortals is not just in power!

Soon enough.

An old man opened the gate, followed by his children and grandchildren, and he bowed respectfully.

"I greet the immortal master. I am Wu Qiong, the junior. My father failed at Foundation Establishment and passed away thirty-three years ago."

"That's very unfortunate."

Zhou Yi, already sensing what had happened, couldn't help but sigh. The old man had a magnanimous nature; even with his achievements in cultivation, he was content with his life as a fisherman, his spirit surpassing that of many who had reached Foundation Establishment or attained the Golden Core.

But the path of immortality is arduous, and not all those with a noble spirit can tread far on it!

"Please, immortal master."

Wu Qiong led the way into the yard, and the first thing Zhou Yi saw was an altar built from green bricks, over three meters high.

A statue with the body of a dragon and the head of a bird stood atop the altar, carved from Spirit Jade, with a jade disk, furred beasts, and six bowls of glutinous rice arrayed on the table in front.

Zhou Yi asked curiously, "Is this the deity of Mount Qi Wu?"

"Indeed."

Wu Qiong's eyes flashed with a strange color, and he reverently paid homage to the statue, saying, "The Mountain God has protected us for hundreds of years, and the cultivation technique my father received was also imparted by the Mountain God, so we built the statue and altar in the courtyard."

"But that's not all, is it?"

Zhou Yi's tone shifted as he said, "Every household in this town has built an altar. Could it be that their ancestors also received teachings from the Mountain God?"

"This..."

Wu Qiong's complexion showed his struggle, unwilling to deceive an old friend of his father, yet afraid to speak ill of the Mountain God.

"Are you conducting a sacrificial ritual?"

Zhou Yi waved his hand and drew out the incense wish power from the statue, casting a spell to condense it into a gray bead.

In theory, if the common people voluntarily held a sacrificial ceremony, at the very least it would be incense wish power of a clear or light hue, yet within this murky gray color, there was an untold amount of resentment infused.

Wu Qiong's expression turned bitter, unsure how to explain.

At this moment, his grandson behind him muttered, "The Mountain God demands taxation, and our family couldn't gather enough. Grandfather said we need to kowtow and offer incense even more."

Zhou Yi said in surprise, "This statue is carved from Spirit Jade. Although the quality isn't high, converted into gold and silver, it would be enough for several generations to spend. How could you be unable to pay the tax?"

"Immortal Master, it's not gold and silver, it's an incense tax..."

After struggling for a long while, Wu Qiong said with a pained expression, "Every household has to provide a sufficient amount of incense wish power. My whole family offers incense and recites scriptures morning and night, but because our hearts are not sincere, the amount is far too little, so we can only perform a sacrifice."

"There's such a tax!"

Zhou Yi looked up at the bird-headed Mountain God, gaining some enlightenment in his heart, likely related to the divine enthronement through incense.

"How long has this incense tax been collected?"

"Half a year."

Wu Qiong was about to speak when a streak of light fell in the courtyard, transforming into a man with bird feathers on his head and winged robes.

The feathered man bellowed, "Old Wu, have you gathered enough incense? If you don't pay today, if the Mountain God gets angry, the whole town will suffer!"

Wu Qiong repeatedly bowed and pleaded, "High Master, I'm conducting a sacrifice, prostrating for three days and nights, I will surely gather enough incense."

"Then you have three days."

The feathered man looked at the statue with greedy eyes and said coldly, "If it's not enough by then, you won't have the right to worship the Mountain God, and we must take away this statue!"

Wu Qiong didn't dare to object and could only continue to plead.

Originally, the Wu family were just poor fishermen who received the grace of the Mountain God's teachings, producing a member who pursued the path of cultivation. Even though they failed to reach Foundation Establishment, it thoroughly changed the fate of their family, making them a well-known and reputable wealthy household in town.

It was for this reason that the Wu family respected the Mount Qi Wu Deity from the bottom of their hearts and offered incense both morning and evening even before the incense tax was levied.

Unfortunately, Wu Qiong and his descendants lacked Spirit Roots and only practiced mortal martial arts. The spiritual objects left by their ancestors inevitably attracted covetous glances.

For thirty years, they lived cautiously, were kind to others, and with the care of his father's old friends, they had a peaceful life.

That is until the Mount Qi Wu Deity began to collect the incense tax and dispatched cultivators to oversee every village, town, and city. The feathered man was assigned to Lean-on-Mountain Town and quickly set his sights on the relics of the Wu family's ancestors.

Thus, no matter how Wu Qiong worshipped the Mountain God, the gathered incense wish power was never enough to pay the tax!

"Do not delay any further. I will return in three days!"

The feathered man, having achieved his aim, then noticed the presence of a stranger in the courtyard and asked, "Who is this?"

Wu Qiong explained, "This elder is an old friend of my father's, who has come to pay his respects."

The feathered man swept his Divine Sense over him, realized he was only at the Qi Refinement level, his eyes darted deceitfully, and his expression grew dark: "Where did this wild Taoist priest come from? Do you have a token from the Mountain God? If not, come with me to the government office!"

Wu Qiong's face changed slightly, as he quickly said, "High Master, the elder is here as a guest, according to the rules, he doesn't need..."

"What rules or not rules?"

The feathered man shouted, "In Lean-on-Mountain Town, I am the rule! From now on, without a token from the Mountain God, you are a demon and heretic, deserving death!"

"I have cultivated for hundreds of years and have yet to encounter someone as arrogant as you."

Zhou Yi looked the feathered man up and down: "With such lowly character, you still managed to succeed in Foundation Establishment—I wonder if it's the power of the Wish Power Beads that is mysterious, or is it that Heaven's justice is unfair!"

"Hundreds of years? Hiss!"

The feathered man hesitated slightly, the feathers on his body transformed into two wings, and he soared towards Qi Wu Mountain.

"Come back."

As Zhou Yi finished speaking, the feathered man felt an invisible hand pulling him back down to the courtyard.

"Elder, spare my life, I'm a disciple of the Mountain God..."

The feathered man hadn't finished speaking when his soul was forcefully extracted from his body, his lifetime memories turning into countless images. He watched helplessly as his soul shattered bit by bit, experiencing a pain a hundred times worse than the most excruciating execution.

Zhou Yi waved his hand, collecting the residual soul into the Myriad Souls Banner.

"With no backing and no powerful support, I might as well take on the role of the Mount Qi Wu Deity!"