For a character of the caliber of the Incense Taoist, if he doesn’t wish to be found, even a persistent searcher might exhaust themselves to no avail. Since Zhou Xuan managed to find him, it’s evident... there is a certain connection between the two.
"Stars, oh Stars. Where is the Veiled Star now? These old legs of mine are weak—I’d rather not trek across mountains and rivers searching for her."
The Incense Taoist gazed at Stars and spoke.
"You won’t be able to find my sister."
Stars, infused with the power of the Heavenly Star, had a body like thick ice; within him, a faint green radiance coursed.
"My sister and I have feared you for many years, but at this moment—whether I live or die—I just want to know one thing... what is the true difference between you and me?"
Stars made it clear he intended to fight the Incense Taoist to the death.
"It’s not that much. You’ve reached the pinnacle as the Nine Incense Sticks of the mortal realm. Still, if you insist on resisting, this old man has no choice but to conjure a Daoist Talisman and see whether it can subdue you."
With those words, the Incense Taoist gently stroked the Big Black Donkey, then traced his finger in the air, carving out a palm-sized talisman.
He swept his horsetail whisk toward the talisman.
The talisman flew out of the Spiritual Wanderers’ Court and soared into the Heavenly Dome, aimed at the brightest star in the sky.
Soon after, the ground trembled violently—the talisman had destroyed the star.
Without his Lifebound Star, Stars’ body instantly became physical and mortal.
His earlier indomitable arrogance vanished in the blink of an eye. Stars was utterly devastated. Years of cultivation, reduced to nothing more than a single talisman from the Incense Taoist?
"Stars, you brat—harboring the Veiled Star—do you understand your crime?"
The Incense Taoist’s words didn’t register for Stars, who was consumed by overwhelming despair.
"Forget it. Whether you acknowledge your crime or not, come with me to take a walk in the Time-Space World."
With a wave of his horsetail whisk, the Incense Taoist lifted Stars into the air. His vitality disappeared in an instant, leaving him like a kite tethered by a string—with the Taoist holding the line.
"Zhou Housheng, I know you enjoy using disciples with high cultivation as sacrifices, but Stars’ body is off-limits."
At this moment, the Incense Taoist snapped his fingers lightly, and Stars’ lion-like head separated from his body, rolling across the ground.
"This head wasn’t Stars’ original head anyway. If you claim it, it doesn’t count as violating the rules."
"Ah, well, should I thank you then?" Zhou Xuan still hoped Stars’ body could be preserved.
"Thank me? Hardly. Zhou Housheng, a lion’s head as a token gift isn’t quite sufficient. Instead, let me share a piece of news with you—the Zoroastrian Fire Sect has resurfaced."
"And what sect might this be?"
"Years ago, the bloodbath at Hidden Dragon Mountain in Jingchuan Prefecture orchestrated against Mr. Yun—that was their doing. And now, they’ve set their sights on you."
The Incense Taoist explained, "The Copper Tripod is a magic artifact used to monitor Mingjiang Prefecture. With it in place, the Zoroastrian Fire Sect doesn’t dare launch any bold moves, occasionally sneaking in a disciple or two at most.
But if this tripod is destroyed, the Fire Sect would be free to enter and exit Mingjiang Prefecture at will. Once the tripod is broken, disciples will flood in en masse—just as Hidden Dragon Mountain fell in Jingchuan Prefecture all those years ago."
Having said this, the Incense Taoist urged his black donkey forward, disappearing from the Spiritual Wanderers’ Court.
It was only then that Lady of the Red Coffin finally arrived.
Not being a Traveling God of Mingjiang Prefecture herself, she naturally couldn’t make use of Mingjiang’s sacred lantern.
"Who’s been causing trouble here? Oh my, such a big lion’s head!"
Lady of the Red Coffin circled the lion’s head, marveling as she walked. "The incense emanating from this lion’s head—surely there are eight sticks’ worth in it? If we stew it and eat it, wouldn’t the incense soar to unprecedented heights?"
After the battle, the Painter and Music Master were utterly exhausted. The Music Master sat cross-legged, recuperating his energy while addressing Lady of the Red Coffin: "Guan Niang, you arrived late. You missed witnessing the Nine Incense Sticks in action."
"What? Nine Incense Sticks?"
Lady of the Red Coffin had spent half her life in cultivation without ever seeing the Nine Incense Sticks.
"Not just the Nine Incense Sticks. Even the Incense Taoist took action."
The Painter added, dealing another blow.
To witness masters unleash their power firsthand is a rare chance for insights into the path of cultivation.
In this world, the disciples in cultivation are as numerous as grains of sand in the Ganges. Yet how many morsels of sand have seen the Incense Taoist’s techniques?
"Ever since I came to Mingjiang Prefecture, I’ve been plagued by misfortunes. You all used the Kongming Mirror to elevate incense levels while I missed out on the warmth of it. And now the Nine Incense Sticks and the Incense Taoist made their moves, but I didn’t even see a single trace. Mingjiang, oh Mingjiang, why must you treat me so harshly?"
Lady of the Red Coffin’s grumbling drew laughter from the group.
"Stop laughing. Old Hua, tell me clearly—just how great is the Incense Taoist’s mastery?"
"As high as dozens of floors of a building."
The Painter could only describe it as a height deserving reverence.
"Ridiculous! No one could be that powerful."
In Lady of the Red Coffin’s eyes, the Nine Incense Sticks were already loftier than the heavens. Although the Incense Taoist, the Guardian of the Time-Space World, surely surpassed the Nine Incense Sticks, his mastery shouldn’t be vastly higher.
"A single Daoist Talisman—destroying a star. Would you not call that equal to dozens of floors high?"
"What? The brightest star outside—that’s the one the Incense Taoist destroyed?"
"Wait—though that star dimmed earlier, when I arrived at Li Yuan Building, it had regained its brilliance."
The group hurried to the window to look. Sure enough, the brightest star shone once more.
It dawned on them: the Incense Taoist hadn’t truly destroyed the star; instead, he had transported it to another world.
Obviously, the Time-Space World.
"In that case, it’s not dozens of floors high—but at least a dozen or more."
The Painter evaluated.
Moving mountains and filling seas were techniques of the Heavenly Dome’s Gods in Jing Country. To shift stars in their orbits—surely this far exceeds the difficulty of moving mountains and seas.
"Listening to you all talk about it so eagerly—yet I’ve seen nothing. Sigh. Young Master, why are you moving that lion’s head?"
"Because it’s my lion’s head." Zhou Xuan responded bitterly, with a wry smile.
"Guan Niang, don’t covet what isn’t yours. That lion’s head was given by the Incense Taoist. If you try to seize the Young Master’s lion’s head, the Incense Taoist might just relocate your Yellow Field Prefecture into the Time-Space World."
"Nonsense! I never said I’d snatch it."
The group chattered back and forth, their banter lighting up the atmosphere.
But soon, the Painter discovered an extremely grave issue.
"The tripod seems on the verge of complete fragmentation."
"Even if the threads of connection still linger for now, in just a few more days, this Copper Tripod will be entirely destroyed."
The Painter and Music Master studied Mingjiang’s monitoring Copper Tripod and sighed deeply.
Lady of the Red Coffin, baffled as ever, asked, "So it breaks—what then? Aren’t you two sitting on eight incense sticks and seven incense sticks? Who would dare stir up trouble in Mingjiang Prefecture?"
"The Zoroastrian Fire Sect."
"What Zoroastrian Fire Sect?" Lady of the Red Coffin inquired.
"The black-clad figures who once massacred Hidden Dragon Mountain in Jingchuan Prefecture—they are of the Zoroastrian Fire Sect. Stars came here to shatter the tripod under their directive."
The more the Painter elaborated, the darker Lady of the Red Coffin’s expression grew. She had benefited greatly from the Kongming Mirror and knew well that the Fire Sect opposed its dissemination.
If the Zoroastrian Fire Sect entered Mingjiang Prefecture, she would undoubtedly become one of their targets...