Chapter 1624: Three Incenses and Three Karmas
Editor: Atlas Studios

“Peak Ruler Realm!”

Xu Qing’s expression was calm.

This was in line with the young lord’s attitude. Although he was despised by many cultivators for being lecherous, almost everyone had to admit one thing.

In terms of cultivation, combat strength, and aptitude, he had never tarnished his status as the son of Aurora.

His cultivation was only half a step away from the Quasi Immortal Realm. As for his combat strength… it was even more astonishing.

Many years ago, he had fought against a Quasi Immortal.

Due to his lack of effort, his cultivation had stalled for a long time.

However, Xu Qing was fully aware that the perception others had of this young lord was far from the truth he knew.

Although the young lord always appeared indolent to outsiders, the unseen efforts and dedication he had once put forth far surpassed those of many cultivators.

It was only due to that unknown accident that he lost his purpose and will to advance.

As a result, his outward demeanor gradually aligned with his true state.

Nevertheless, his identity remained unshaken, and while he may have halted his progress, his combat strength could not be underestimated. As he took a step forward, the skies thundered, and the earth trembled in response.

The sound of the battle drums around the entire arena was suppressed.

Terrifying waves of energy reverberated from Xu Qing’s body, unleashing a mountain-crushing momentum that transformed into an endless black flame, enveloping the heavens and earth.

This fire was fundamentally different from any ordinary flame.

Even immortal fire paled in comparison.

In truth, it wasn’t a fire at all. It merely borrowed the concept of fire to manifest itself within the perception of the crowd.

Its true name was Karmic Fire!

At this moment, the karmic flames spread, directly enveloping heaven’s chosen Li on all sides, poised to descend and incinerate him. The audience’s gaze gathered intensely, all watching without blinking.

Amidst their attention, heaven’s chosen Li’s eyes flashed with a brilliant light as he suddenly raised his right hand, pointing toward the sky.

With that gesture, the heavens instantly dimmed, plunging the world into complete darkness.

Within this darkness, a great sun suddenly rose, forming the force of dawn and dusk, wielding the might of heaven and earth. The light exploded outward with a deafening roar, scattering the fire and sky’s radiance in all directions.

The majestic sun that ascended into the sky was especially awe-inspiring, with an overwhelming momentum that suppressed the karmic fire.

This scene looked astonishing.

Whether it was the young lord’s karmic fire or heaven’s chosen Li’s sun, both displayed an unparalleled level of awe-inspiring power.

If one were unaware of their cultivation levels, at first glance… it would seem as though they already possessed the might of a Quasi Immortal.

Deafening sounds continued to explode like thunder.

When the karmic fire came into contact with the sun, karma and heavenly light intertwined.

Amidst the endless rumbling, heaven’s chosen Li’s laughter suppressed all sound and spread in all directions.

“Interesting. It seems you haven’t completely let indulgence in wine and women drain you.”

“Then, there’s no need for us to probe each other. Why don’t we… end the battle quickly!”

With those words, heaven’s chosen Li took a single step forward. In an instant, his figure surpassed the shroud of karmic fire, rising above it and looking down from a greater height. As he gazed at the battlefield below, his right hand formed incantation signs, and his fingers pressed against his forehead.

These ripples extended beyond him, affecting the void behind his figure.

The void, too, transformed into a vast lake which then turned into a boundless sea.

From the roaring waves of this sea, thirteen ancient altars slowly emerged!

Each one radiated the essence of the passage of time and exuded an ancient aura. The design of the altars was simple and archaic, distinctly different from the architectural styles of modern cultivation times.

They also emitted golden light.

In an instant, some people recognized the origin of the altars.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing was no stranger to the shape and aura of these structures either.

Those were… altars of the gods.

Within mere moments, the thirteen altars that had risen from the illusory sea began to tremble, and as they shook, radiant golden light, carrying the aura of gods, burst forth from them.

Anomalous substances filled the air, blurring the sky and distorting the ground.

One god after another broke out of the altar and appeared in the air.

It was a shocking sight.

They were all at the Flawlessness stage!

They were beyond mortal comprehension!

After they descended, They actually turned around and bowed toward heaven’s chosen Li!

The thirteen gods bowed to him!

These gods were personally killed by heaven’s chosen Li over the years. There was a huge karma between them.

Gods were born to enjoy the worship of the world, but right now, They were bowing to someone.

Hence, the person They worshiped would ascend to a new level of existence, his very being transformed by the bow of the gods.

Those who were worshiped by gods were naturally extraordinary.

The power surged like a tidal wave, an overwhelming force that made the hearts and minds of all present tremble with intensity. As the thirteen gods bowed in reverence, a magnificent energy erupted around heaven’s chosen Li.

That was heaven’s chosen Li’s Ordinance!

Its level would increase with the bow from gods. The act of worshiping was like becoming a believer, so it generated incense offerings.

Hence, the fundamental power of heaven’s chosen Li’s Ordinance was the incense offerings gathered from the gods as his believers!

In theory, the more gods he killed and the more gods worshiped him, the greater the might of his Ordinance.

To be able to comprehend such an Ordinance… was enough for him to hold up the title of heaven’s chosen in this era.

But this was only the foundation of his Ordinance. Heaven’s chosen Li’s ability didn’t stop here. He had already created… an Ordinance technique that belonged to him!

“Ordinance manifested in the Twenty-Four Incense Ritual, with hidden knowledge to foretell fortune and misfortune!”

“The first incense: the life-ending incense!”

“Before me stands one whose life is at its end!”

Heaven’s chosen Li’s voice echoed across the heavens like a Dao voice. As his Ordinance power churned, incense gathered in front of him, forming three sticks of incense!

Two long and one short!

Life-ending ignition!

In that instant, the surroundings churned, and an eerie curse erupted upon Xu Qing.

His appearance began to wither, his features aging rapidly—symbolizing the end of worldly splendor.

As the smell faded, it represented the inevitable fading of all worldly temptations and pleasures.

Next came the fading of taste, marking the gradual detachment from the experiences of life.

Then the fading of touch, weakening the connection with the world, as if one’s fingertips, chilled by winter, could no longer feel the warmth of a spring breeze.

Finally, the fading of sound, not just the loss of hearing, but the silencing of the inner voice—the quieting of the soul.

With the five decays upon him, death was but a breath away.

In the battle arena, everyone’s hearts were in turmoil, especially Zhong Chi’s. His heart churned as he sighed with emotion.

‘Such an Ordinance is indeed extraordinary. It’s a pity that… in history, this person has also died in the Immortal Palace calamity a month later. The incense Ordinance he created has also been lost.’

‘Then… I wonder if I can have a chance to comprehend this Ordinance in this period of history?’

Zhong Chi was tempted.

Xu Qing was even more tempted.

Although the number of Ordinances one possessed wouldn’t increase their realm, heaven’s chosen Li’s Ordinance was clearly suitable for the environment of the Wanggu.

However, now wasn’t the time to explore it. The moment he sensed that his life was being urged to end, Xu Qing raised his right hand and gently wiped his mouth.

With this smear, his Ordinance… activated!

What appeared was thunder. Countless bolts of lightning appeared out of thin air and formed a hand in the air.

That seemed to be the hand of an old man.

It formed a seal.

As soon as this hand appeared, the world resonated and all laws trembled. The rules and laws of the entire world responded.

As soon as this art was used, the expressions of cultivators and immortals changed. The thoughts of all living beings were in turmoil.

Heaven’s chosen Li’s Ordinance was extraordinary. As the son of Aurora, the young lord’s Ordinance was even more astonishing.

Three Karmas Ten Evil Seals!

Karmic fire was only the foundation. He also had this Ordinance-specific technique.

The so-called Three Karmas were of speech, body, and mind.

At that moment, in the face of the life-ending incense, the first thing Xu Qing used… was the seal of speech karma!

By refraining from false speech, the karma of speech became pure!

When the karma of speech was purified, body and soul found peace!

With body and soul at peace, the whole being was without worry!

When the whole being was free of worry, all thoughts flourished!

Sealing his own speech solidified his own fate!

No matter how strange the life-ending incense was, it could not shake this in the slightest.

As the life-ending failed to take effect… a backlash was inevitable.

The expression of heaven’s chosen Li changed. His entire body trembled and he spat out a mouthful of black blood. His aura also weakened a lot but this battle wasn’t over.

At the next instant, a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he pointed again.

Immediately, the incense gathered again and formed the second incense stick!

As the saying went, fortune and calamity depended on the person, and both are guided by cause and effect.

Cause rested on the left, effect on the right, and thus the left stood higher than the right.

At the center was misfortune, occupying the lowest position to bear calamity.

This was the incense of malevolent deeds and was mainly used for killing!

It was also known as the Threefold Incense of Left, Right, and Center, capable of extinguishing the countless sins!

As the incense burned, all the malice from the heavens, the earth, and humanity—along with the rules, laws, and every will in existence—were affected to varying degrees, each harboring ill will toward Xu Qing.

The thickening malevolence sought to manifest as disaster, surging from all directions.

Thus, the sky darkened, winds howled, and countless sources of malice gathered an unknown force… descending upon Xu Qing.

The sensation of life and death rose sharply.

Xu Qing didn’t hesitate at all. His Ordinance ability also circulated.

The seal made by the lightning hand changed.

The second of the three karmas descended on Xu Qing himself.

That was the body karma seal!

If the body did not tread on evil paths, if it refrained from harming life—by abstaining from killing, stealing, and indulgence—then the body remained pure.

Once the body was purified, nothing could taint it, and no evil could attach to it.

It was as though he existed outside of cause and effect, leaving the maleficent incense without a target.

It seemed as though he was not part of the world, giving the malevolent incense nothing to cling to.

With no direction and no anchor, the malice that had descended upon the world could only… recoil!

Heaven’s chosen Li’s expression changed drastically again.

His face twitched, his mind trembled, and as the sensation of life and death descended upon him, he did not hesitate for a moment. He immediately waved his hand, summoning the third incense.

This incense was peace.

It neither targeted life nor brought calamity, its purpose was solely to protect peace!

The Threefold Incense of Left, Right, and Center, fully displayed for all to see, was heaven’s chosen Li’s limit. After unleashing it, he began retreating rapidly.

This was because he could sense a terrifying fluctuation coming from the body of the young lord ahead.

This fluctuation was the last of the three karmas.

Mind karma!

The lightning hand changed again and the mind karma seal descended!

Thoughts shaped actions, some good, some evil.

Good karma included freedom from greed, hatred, and false views. It empowered the self, growing infinitely great, shining with radiant brilliance, manifesting as auspicious signs.

Evil karma consisted of greed, hatred, and false views. It descended upon enemy deities, becoming a darkness akin to demons, where the light of life dimmed, and misfortune inevitably followed.

This seal did not bind the body, nor did it restrain the mouth—it bound the Ordinance itself!

As it descended, heaven’s chosen Li’s peace incense instantly burned out, turning to ash.

Peace had failed!

Blood gushed from his mouth, his life teetering on the brink.

At this critical moment, heaven’s chosen Li shouted anxiously.

“Young Lord, I admit defeat!”

“I’m willing to hand over the fox beauty and follow the young lord to be his study companion for a hundred years!”