Even after entering and finding that this damned place had indeed become a ghost town, Yu Ziqing decided to first assess the situation.
He had no intention of killing these abnormal-looking fellows right away, but to his surprise, they forced him to offer incense and even tried to slaughter him.
Yu Ziqing was at a loss then; if they were seeking death, who was he to stop them.
Yu Ziqing stepped forward and looked at the Earth Spirit lying on the ground, convulsing. One of its hands was thumping its own chest so hard that it caved in, but it still couldn't vomit out the "incense fire."
"When eating, if you gulp down your food too hastily, you're prone to choke to death."
Yu Ziqing stood by, making a snide remark. To tell the truth, he didn't know if the Earth Spirit could die or how to save it.
The guy had swallowed the entire "Fire Qi" of a stick of incense in one gulp.
Yu Ziqing wasn't sure if this was how everyone else consumed "incense fire."
But his bravery was indeed real.
Even if Yu Ziqing sincerely worshipped an ancestor, he would only ever go halfway, symbolically. Once the sentiment was expressed, that was enough, although he might burn some extra money if he had more.
Even knowing that ordinary worship was just a gesture to comfort the living.
Yu Ziqing was truly afraid that if the ancestor actually received the offered incense fire, what if it poisoned the True Spirit?
What if he accidentally killed the ancestor's True Spirit.
Now, it was the first time Yu Ziqing had seen the consequences of someone consuming the incense fire he had offered.
The complexion of the Earth Spirit turned pitch-black, and an ominous aura began to emerge from its body. The hand pounding its chest grew weak, and finally, with eyes bulging, it twitched twice before falling still and silent.
The Divine Platform where the Earth Spirit had sat split suddenly, breaking apart into two pieces, and the whole Land God Temple began shaking.
Yu Ziqing took a step and left the temple, only to see it tremble for a few breaths before collapsing with a bang.
The Temple's collapse, the fragmentation of the Divine Platform, the decay of the Golden Body.
This signified the fall of an Earth Deity.
They fall more completely than ordinary people, not even having the chance to become ghosts.
Or maybe, the Earth Deities were originally ghostly beings that received imperial seals.
Dead is dead, completely.
Yu Ziqing, standing in front of the collapsed temple, looked back and saw a large crowd gathering at a distance.
They were both fearful and furious.
But Yu Ziqing could clearly see that many were looking at him with hatred in their eyes.
As if they were facing an archenemy with deep grievances, yet they feared his power and dared not seek revenge.
"It was him who killed the Earth Spirit! He poisoned our Earth Spirit and killed him!"
"With the Earth Spirit dead, none of us will live well; we'll no longer receive its blessings."
"Don't let him get away, hurry and report to the City God!"
The crowd, all talking at once, nobody brave enough to lead, yet together they surrounded Yu Ziqing, trying to trap him here.
Yu Ziqing looked at those with pallid faces, clearly living but lacking the vitality of life, and sighed softly.
He leaped up and flew away into the distance.
Having left the town, he felt a faint presence in the River God Temple by the riverside, and a stronger presence emerged from further away.
Yu Ziqing landed on the ground and recollected his energy.
In the wilderness outside the town, there was a dilapidated building, the only place where Yu Ziqing had not sensed the smell of "incense fire."
He approached and saw that the plaque had vanished, but on either side of the main door, there still remained carved couplets.
"A respectful demeanor when treating others leads to prosperity, a serene presence that commands attention upon entering, and a stirring voice upon hearing."
Yu Ziqing stepped inside, and though it was in ruins, one could still tell that this place had once been a shrine.
There were several fallen tablets within the shrine.
In the center, there was a shattered and abandoned incense burner.
In the place where there should have been incense fire, Yu Ziqing hadn't smelled even a trace of it.
This place must have been without worshippers for a very long time.
Standing there, Yu Ziqing looked outside and sensed a presence of at least Seventh Tier heading towards the town.
This wasn't the same presence Yu Ziqing had initially sensed; the first one, at the very least, was of Eighth Tier.
Moreover, its aura was different from that of ordinary Cultivators: vast and floating, immense yet unfocused, mysterious yet lacking a sense of profound solidity.
It must be another Earth Deity, and certainly not of Ninth Tier.
Reaching the Ninth Tier represented a leap in quality. If it had been in its own domain, it should have arrived with just a thought.
The newcomer was probably just a subordinate, though whether it was a living being that feeds on incense fire or an Earth Deity was unknown.
That person descended into Shao Family Town and disappeared as if it hadn't noticed Yu Ziqing at all.
Yu Ziqing turned his head to look towards the back of the shrine and bowed his hands in thanks.
"Thank you for the guidance, elder."
From behind the shrine, an old man with a cane, hunched back, and a face full of wrinkles, slowly made his way out.
"It's rare to see someone who isn't brimming with the aura of death..."
When Yu Ziqing had passed by here earlier, he felt someone speaking to him.
This was a place those people would never come.
At least, he hadn't sensed "incense fire" here.
Yu Ziqing followed the old man to the back hall where they saw a small bonfire with a pitch-black pot hanging above, the aroma of boiling barley porridge wafting through the air.
The old man sat behind the fire, stirring the barley porridge gently with a wooden spoon.
"Young man, have you eaten?"
"No, I haven't eaten all day."