Chapter 248: Then I Will Apologize to You First
Chen Baiqing stepped into the ancestral hall, her gaze fixed directly on Ancestor Zhou before sweeping over the other statues.
The statues all had beast heads and human bodies, each holding different weapons.
Compared to the floating, weak aura of Ancestor Zhou, these statues possessed more strength—around the middle stage of Foundation Establishment.
Chen Baiqing walked to the center and carefully examined the ritual array and the red incense aura.
Before coming, Master and Chen Mouguang had speculated that they might be using some method to transform the power of wishes into a seal or some other object.
The primary goal this time was still to gather intelligence.
Now it appeared this was not a ritual array to gather the power of wishes, but one to absorb it.
The people here wanted to use some method to elevate the effect of the power of wishes or compensate for its weaknesses—so that even after losing the power of wishes, one would not drop in cultivation realm.
Chen Baiqing had read the simple annotations regarding the power of wishes in the Encyclopedia of Basic Cultivation Knowledge.
Perhaps because the book was compiled by cultivators, it essentially conveyed verbal respect but inner disdain for those who cultivated the power of wishes.
The respect was because most who could legitimately accumulate the power of wishes were, at least in behavior, good people.
The disdain was because, in the eyes of cultivators, those who cultivated the power of wishes were taking a dead-end path.
The biggest reason was that the power of wishes could cause one's realm to drop. Moreover, the higher the cultivation, the more vast the support of the power of wishes required.
Human faith and belief were actually very unstable and extremely easily shaken. Maintaining a vast amount of the power of wishes was a very difficult task.
Among them, only the Buddhist sect managed to do so barely adequately.
Hmm... though cultivators generally looked down on the Buddhist sect as well.
But if it were truly possible to cultivate the power of wishes without dropping realms, the situation would reverse. This was indeed something that could change the landscape.
Chen Baiqing memorized the general situation, layout, and the spiritual energy flow of the ritual array, then turned her gaze back to the motionless Ancestor Zhou.
The ritual array was somewhat unique, but there was nothing special in the ancestral hall itself.
If her guess was correct, this was just an experimental site for the feasibility of the Incense Divine Path, not a critical location.
Otherwise, it shouldn't be this lax.
So lax that Chen Baiqing found it bizarre. Everything was going too smoothly; there hadn't been a single sweep of divine sense.
Even if Fifth Junior Brother had arranged this, it shouldn't be like this.
Striking Uncle Zhou unconscious was actually a test by Chen Baiqing to see if anyone was truly watching this place.
The result was clear: either she had been discovered, the security measures here were just this perfunctory, or they simply didn't care.
Otherwise, Chen Baiqing wouldn't have come down to push the door herself; she would have sent Zhou Ping back first.
So, should she abduct this person?
Chen Baiqing didn't believe that after stepping into the ancestral hall, her tracks would remain undetected. While she could deceive the barrier, she couldn't deceive people.
Having made the trip, it was uncertain if there would be another chance next time.
Abducting this person might be beneficial for Master's understanding of the Incense Divine Path, or perhaps she could forcibly make one of the consciousnesses sleep.
Maybe she could extract more information.
After a moment of thought, Chen Baiqing decided to act. The initial plan included the idea of disrupting their deployment. If she could abduct this person, it would count as completing key intelligence gathering.
With her mind made up, the Blue Sky Treasure Ring in Chen Baiqing's hand began to emit a faint glow.
Spiritual power turned transparent and colorless through the Blue Sky Treasure Ring, beginning to wind through the surrounding incense and power of wishes, tangling around Ancestor Zhou.
Although the security here might be a bit childish, it was better to be cautious when acting. The quieter, the better.
"Whose young girl is this? Be on your way."
An aged voice sounded from above the ancestral hall. "Pretend you took a wrong path, and I will pretend I didn't see you."
Faced with the sudden words, Chen Baiqing remained calm. Compared to everything going smoothly, a little turbulence was actually reassuring.
Otherwise, she would have started worrying if this was some trap.
Since she had been discovered, Chen Baiqing didn't hide her divine sense and directly probed the direction of the voice. However, her divine sense felt as if it had touched an iron wall and could not advance an inch.
Undoubtedly, the opponent was at least at the Nascent Soul stage.
However, Chen Baiqing remained composed, her hand not stopping its movement.
"I'm just looking around. You can pretend you didn't see me."
"Heh... that won't do." An old man wearing a Daoist robe flipped down lightly from above the ancestral hall, looking at Chen Baiqing as he spoke.
"If I pretend I didn't see, this person here will be taken away by you."
As the old Daoist spoke, he flicked his right hand slightly. A wave of spiritual power rose up, directly flicking away Chen Baiqing's colorless spiritual power.
"I have no intention of killing you, but if you want to take this person, that won't happen today." The old Daoist smiled, formed a hand seal with both hands, and bowed slightly, lowering his status as he spoke.
"Fellow Daoist, shall we stop here?"
"Your actions don't seem to have stopped, yet now you come to lecture me?"
Chen Baiqing sneered, and the light of the Blue Sky Treasure Ring suddenly bloomed.
In an instant, the night that had shrouded Zhoushan Village turned to day as the moon set and the sun rose, instantly brightening the world.
Zhou Ping hadn't dared to enter the ancestral hall, so he stood outside. But he saw this moon-set and sun-rise clearly. Under the sunlight, his skin even began to feel warm.
This Great Immortal's attack was this fierce?
If she didn't attack, she was stealthy; when she did, she went this big?
She could control the sun and moon?!
The old Daoist narrowed his eyes slightly at the great sun, but his divine sense detected nothing wrong.
What a powerful illusion... A Golden Core realm actually dragging a Nascent Soul into the illusion?
Or was this little girl's artifact just that powerful?
The old Daoist withdrew his gaze and looked at Chen Baiqing again.
"It is impressive, but you can't take him away regardless. My other fellow Daoists aren't as easy to talk to as I am. If you retreat now, my offer still stands. You can even take that young man at the door."
Chen Baiqing raised her hand slightly. The Blue Sky Treasure Ring shone brightly, and the great sun instantly moved closer. What looked like a disc from afar was now at least the size of a carriage wheel. A scorching sensation instantly rushed forth.
"How about I leave the young man at the door, and you let me take this old man?"
The old Daoist sighed softly. "If I call for help, you won't be leaving so easily."
Chen Baiqing showed no fear. "If you call for help, none of you will be leaving so easily."
It was just calling for people. Her Master was right outside the door, and Sister Bai probably wasn't far away either.
When it came to calling for backup, there was no reason for her to be afraid.
The old Daoist looked somewhat helpless. He took a step forward, and a surge of spiritual power rushed out, spreading in all directions to form a Bagua.
He raised his hand slightly, and several golden chains flew out from the Bagua, rapidly sealing off Chen Baiqing.
At the same time, under the circulation of the Bagua, the constantly approaching sun was pushed back.
Chen Baiqing tried to dodge, but her body was instantly half-swallowed by the mud. As she struggled to break free, several golden chains had already sealed off all retreats.
The old Daoist shook his head slightly. She was too young and too aggressive after all. Merely a Golden Core stage, yet attempting to contend with a Nascent Soul.
He wondered which Immortal sect she belonged to. Truly, unrighteous deeds attract dust.
Not cultivating oneself but cultivating a side path is not the Way.
Bringing calamity to the cycle of living beings is not the Right.
Had the Sect Master... really changed?
The old Daoist looked a bit weary. How could he not know right from wrong?
Although he hadn't harmed a single life, the once impoverished Zhoushan Village now had no one going hungry. Ancestor Zhou had also agreed to participate.
But wantonly manipulating the desires of sentient beings was ultimately wrong.
No amount of self-righteous good could cover up the wrong.
But this 'good', the old Daoist now felt, might just be a method for the Sect Master to make him compromise.
Perhaps his own true heart had also been deluded.
Perhaps... he should ask the Sect Master why he was doing all this.
The old Daoist looked up. Chen Baiqing was already tightly bound by the chains.
"I can only ask Fellow Daoist to stay here for two days. After it ends, I will apologize to you."
The old Daoist cupped his
Unlock 30 chapters instantly (for the price of the old 20-chapter tier) and get 50–55 new chapters every month.
If you're enjoying the story, consider supporting me here:
patreon.com/Alex_Cruise
hands in apology. Then the golden chains tightened, pulling Chen Baiqing into the ground. But as soon as his voice fell, a voice came from behind him.
"Then I will apologize to you first."
The old man turned to look, his eyes instantly widening.