Chapter 244 - 181 Path of the Heavenly God

Words : 2053 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Chapter 244: Chapter 181 Path of the Heavenly GodYun Ziliang’s worries weren’t without basis. Nobody had seen how intense the backlash from Zhou Xuan’s three tattoos could be. If the intensity was too low, it would merely result in being plagued by nightmares, achieving nothing substantial. If the intensity was too high and relied on Gu Ling’s own soul to repair the damage but failed to do so, things could end disastrously. But Zhou Xuan had his own trump card. He revealed his right hand and said to Yun Ziliang, "There’s no need to worry about this. This hand can pull the tattoo out of the skin. If I keep a close eye on her and things go sideways, I can simply pull the tattoo out to stop the backlash." "Your right hand, that miraculous?" Yun Ziliang, though surprised, felt the plan was foolproof. "With this backup, it’s fine to use it on Gu Gexing." "But I still feel there’s something off about it." "What feels off?" Yun Ziliang asked. Zhou Xuan leaned back into the chair, looking at the multicolored lights. He said, "Lao Yun, in practices like the Yin-Worship of Gods, the higher the innate talent, the better it should be. Why is it that Gu Ling, with her talent at this level, experiences such major side effects?" Yun Ziliang understood what Zhou Xuan was worried about. It was nothing more than the concern of investing a lot of effort but failing to reignite Gu Ling’s incense fire. "Let me tell you this, but keep it between us—most of the Bone Elder Association members have been deceived by the Gods. All that talk about sacrificing pain to awaken the Heavenly God is utter bullshit." These words carried an air of "jaw-dropping revelation." And Yun Ziliang’s supposed secrecy was anything but quiet—he practically shouted it out loud, such that even Si Yuer, standing two or three positions away, could hear it clearly. Fortunately, it was Si Yuer who overheard him. Other disciples practicing Yin-Worship view their hall as no less sacred than a priest’s chapel. The Gods and Alien Ghosts behind the hall are their only divine entities. Faith runs deep, and any slander against the Gods or Alien Ghosts is intolerable. Hearing any such statements would lead to heated arguments, or if someone with a temper overheard, physical altercations weren’t off the table. Such stubborn belief is what makes the "incense fire trap" set by the Gods so effective. Si Yuer, on the other hand, wasn’t so rigid when it came to the hall. For one, her parents were highly-ranked incense believers, and from a young age, she had heard many secrets. She knew that Gods and Alien Ghosts were far from holy, let alone selflessly caring for the hall’s disciples. In truth, they harbored numerous schemes. Secondly, she trusted Zhou Xuan deeply, and this trust transferred, by extension, to Yun Ziliang. Even though Yun Ziliang’s opinions leaned toward the "rebellious." "Lao Yun, why do you say sacrificing pain to the Heavenly God is nonsense?" Si Yuer asked Yun Ziliang earnestly, seeking knowledge. Yun Ziliang poked at the bridge of his nose and said, "Me—I’ve lived for three hundred years. Three hundred years ago, it was the Praying Sect, not the Suffering Faction, that dominated the Bone Elder Association." Zhou Xuan, though not thoroughly familiar with the Bone Elder Association’s factions, had met Duan Qinglan and Li Chengfeng. The aura of the two was entirely different. Lv Mingkun, however, was momentarily stunned and said, "The Bone Elder Association isn’t just scholars? Why do they have so much drama, even splitting into factions?" "Even scholars have ideological disagreements. The Praying Sect prays to the heavens and Heavenly Gods for blessings, while the Suffering Faction inflicts self-torture, offering their pain to the Heavenly Gods. A hall having two streams is completely normal. Take us, Dragon Seeking Heavenly Masters, for instance; we’re split into the Sensory and Acupoint branches. But the Bone Elder Association should never have split into two factions. Before the fall of the nine Heavenly Gods, this vast continent’s six Heavenly Officials, who prayed to the Heavenly Gods, were all chosen from the Bone Elder Association. The Bone Elder Association’s orthodoxy was the Praying Sect. This incense fire path has a long history, well-documented in ancient texts, making it transparent. The ’Heavenly Officials’ God,’ connected to the association, couldn’t plant traps within the path. But then the Suffering Faction emerged. Their incense fire path wasn’t derived from the Heavenly Officials but from the God of Suffering and Calamity. Do you know what kind of path that is? It’s a Heavenly God path!" Yun Ziliang sneered, "The Heavenly God didn’t establish a connection with the Bone Elder Association. Without its guidance, advancing beyond six incense sticks is virtually impossible. Take Gu Ling, for instance. Her extraordinary talent should lead her further, but her incense fire suddenly stopped burning. In times without the Heavenly Gods’ link, walking their path means abandoning the potential for high-level incense fire. Of course, most in the Bone Elder Association don’t need to worry about this, as their limited talent wouldn’t allow them to burn much incense anyway." Si Yuer, captivated, asked, "Brother Zhou walks the Heavenly God path too. Does that mean his incense fire won’t rise either?" "How can the Bone Elder Association compare to Xiao Zhou? Xiao Zhou is the Nuo God’s precious disciple. So far, the Nuo God has given him at least three treasures!" "Three? How come I don’t know about them?" Zhou Xuan counted and could only think of the Sukuna Hand. "Let me break it down for you." Yun Ziliang rolled up his sleeves and said, "The first is the Sukuna Hand, The second is the hall the Nuo God chose for you. Don’t underestimate your hall’s difficulty. The Storyteller Hall is the hardest to practice among the nine ancient temples. The Tattoo Hall is almost a ghost, extremely elusive. But precisely because they’re hard, these two halls are extraordinarily powerful." Zhou Xuan thought it over and realized it made sense. The Storyteller Hall, in Zhou Xuan’s hands, became an incredible asset, allowing his two incense fire combat strength to rival that of four sticks. Plus, the "Dream into Dream" ability restrained the Divine’s offspring. As for tattoos, Zhou Xuan’s incense fire didn’t burn high enough to fully grasp their combat capabilities, but this skill was undeniably lucrative. "What? Brother Zhou is only at two incense sticks?" Si Yuer picked up on the hidden implications. "Though it’s just two sticks, Junior Brother’s combat strength rivals mine," Lv Mingkun remarked from the side. "Senior Brother Lv, it’s not that I look down on two sticks," Si Yuer said, "but given Brother Zhou’s combat feats, it’s hard to believe he’s only at two." In the Forbidden Tower of Qiye Temple, both Si Yuer and Si Ming barely escaped danger thanks to Zhou Xuan. Not only that, but Zhou Xuan emerged from the tower unscathed. "The Nuo God chose Xiao Zhou’s hall—it’s no joke." Yun Ziliang added, "The third treasure is that your Secret Realm differs from others." "How is my Divine Revelation Secret Realm different?" "You’ve mentioned your Secret Realm is the Black Water. That’s a fragment of the Nuo God’s will. When you first opened your Divine Revelation, that will wasn’t yours. But after ascending to two incense sticks, that will became your own, no longer tied to the Nuo God. If my guess is correct, that will is the Nuo God’s devouring intent to consume the heavens and earth." At this, Zhou Xuan began to piece things together. When he had only one incense stick, he could stand on the ship but couldn’t enter the Black Water—because it hadn’t belonged to him then. As he was about to ascend to two incense sticks, that devouring will activated, consuming the Blood Well. Of course, the Blood Well didn’t go down without a fight, sparring viciously with the Black Water’s will until they reached a delicate equilibrium and ceased the battle. And when Zhou Xuan crushed the Nuomian at two incense sticks, it marked the Nuo God’s final test for him. Ignoring the Nuo God’s warnings, Zhou Xuan shattered all the Nuomian of the Zhou Family. Only then did the Black Water’s will truly become his. However, if Zhou Xuan had yielded to the Nuo God’s persuasion, he might have been devoured by the Black Water’s will and turned into the Nuo God’s food. His sister once said the Nuo God despised cowards. "With the hall, the Sukuna Hand, and the Black Water’s will, the Nuo God has been exceedingly kind to you. And with all this, how can the Bone Elder Association’s members even compare?" Yun Ziliang returned to mocking the Bone Elder Association. He said, "The Bone Elder Association shouldn’t have walked the Heavenly God path. That’s why I said the Gods deceived them! The Gods used some trick to make the association believe the Heavenly God path had a promising future, convincing them to devote themselves to pain worship and abandon the Praying path. Why? Because the Praying path is straightforward, producing numerous high-incense disciples who could threaten the Gods’ standing. The Heavenly God path eliminates such concerns. No matter how long you practice, you won’t see eight or nine incense sticks. The entire Bone Elder Association thus becomes nothing more than an incense farm for the ’Heavenly Officials’ God, providing a steady supply of incense without posing any threat." Yun Ziliang continued, "I suspect the Suffering Faction within the Bone Elder Association has moles planted by the Gods. Their purpose? To sway disciples away from the Praying path and fully commit to pain worship." "Oh, no wonder the Suffering and Praying factions had such an intense conflict decades ago," Si Yuer suddenly realized, speaking in a lowered voice. "The Suffering Faction purged the Praying Faction back then. Li Chengfeng, Mr. Li, is one of the few remaining Praying Sect members." "If such purges occurred, there must have been instigators planted by the Gods stirring things up." Yun Ziliang’s conjectures were starting to align with evidence. Zhou Xuan clapped his hands on the table and said, "I’ll definitely help Gu Ling." Gu Ling belonged to the Suffering Faction and was their shining star. Her status in the Bone Elder Association was higher than Li Chengfeng’s. Moreover, she followed the Heavenly God path. Although her incense fire currently stagnated, once reignited, her future would be extraordinarily bright. "She’s a rare gem." Zhou Xuan saw Gu Ling as a perfect investment opportunity. As for whether Gu Ling, the big celebrity, would turn on them once her incense fire reignited— "No chance." Zhou Xuan was brimming with confidence. Once a tattoo was made, Gu Ling would be firmly under his control. Beyond the backlash, tattoos also harbored the power of "Tattoo Transformation"! Among the Ancient Clan, if someone underwent Tattoo Transformation, their only way to survive was to flay the skin bearing the tattoo. Even so, defending against it was nearly impossible, as the transformation occurred far too quickly. He donned his top hat and said to Lv Mingkun, "Fifth Senior Brother, I might return late tonight. You all enjoy yourselves in the Metropolitan and head home once you’re satisfied." "Alright." Lv Mingkun agreed with a nod. ... In the dressing room, Gu Ling was removing her makeup in front of the mirror. "Sigh, if even tattoos can’t reignite my incense fire, I’m done for." Gu Ling wasn’t very old—only twenty-five—yet she had already become the Bone Elder Association’s "Divine Communicator," all thanks to her rapid incense fire progress. Because of this, the association placed immense focus on her incense fire level. But for several months, there hadn’t been any progress. The Bone Elder Association’s patience was wearing thin. If Gu Ling’s incense fire remained stagnant, she would be stripped of her "Divine Communicator" title. "Well, I’ll just take things one step at a time." Gu Ling changed her clothes, slung her purse over her shoulder, and left the dressing room. As she descended the stairs, she spotted Zhou Xuan once again. He was smoking a cigarette. Seeing Gu Ling approach, he offered her one and asked, "Care for a smoke?" ps: Posting the first part now; another part will follow later.

Chapter 244 - 181 Path of the Heavenly God

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