Chapter 533: Where Is My Incense?!
This stretch of heaven and earth had already been reconstructed by the Fire Element!
The land was scorched black and barren, and blazing flames burned everywhere.
The temperature continued rising higher and higher. Everyone standing within it was constantly being roasted and scorched by the raging flames.
But the most striking sight was this: any lifeform within the Dao-Field wore a crown of fire upon their head.
The fire crowns rapidly consumed everyone’s foundations, forcing each person’s condition to remain at their peak.
Fire Crown Dao-Field!
Uneasy commotion spread throughout the Three Generals Camp. They looked around in all directions, their expressions grave.
This was a sudden situation beyond their intelligence reports.
And the situation was terrible!
The Fire Crown Divine Cedar had silently become a deity!
Although its own level was not high—only Nascent Soul level—this was its home ground.
Within its own domain, the Fire Crown Divine Cedar’s strength expanded enormously, turning it into an existence that was almost impossible to defeat!
“We should retreat first. That would be the safest choice!” Liu Er did not wish to fight to the death and urgently transmitted his thoughts to the other three.
“Difficult!” Guan Hong stroked his beard, his gaze dangerously fixed on the Fire Crown Divine Cedar. “To retreat safely from a deity’s Dao-Field is nearly impossible. At the very least, we must deal it a heavy blow before we can find an opportunity to withdraw.”
Even the hot-tempered Zhang Hei wore a grave expression and did not object to retreat.
He also understood clearly that fighting inside a Dao-Field placed the Three Generals Camp at a huge disadvantage.
Liu Er gritted his teeth.
“For now, we can only adapt to circumstances.”
As he spoke, he secretly activated his innate ability Spiritual Sound Probing Pulse, trying to understand the Fire Crown Dao-Field as quickly as possible and find a flaw.
Once a Dao-Field spread open, it altered the surrounding environment within a certain range, fully displaying the wielder’s understanding of the Dao.
Within the Dao-Field, the owner’s strength reached its peak.
Meanwhile, enemies inside the Dao-Field faced tremendous danger. But at the same time, because they personally experienced and came into contact with the Dao within it, they could rapidly deepen their understanding of the principles that the Dao-Field expressed.
Liu Er’s Spiritual Sound Probing Pulse was not particularly good at scouting, but when it came to comprehending principles, it was perfectly suited.
And someone else shared a similar idea—
Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo’s thoughts were simple: rely on his Fire Element attainment to rapidly deepen his understanding and hopefully glimpse a flaw.
“The fire crown above my head also keeps my thinking and comprehension at their peak.”
“That’s quite an unexpected benefit.”
Compared to Ning Zhuo, Luo Chen’s mood was far worse.
In fact, it was absolutely terrible.
He had originally planned to retreat, but he was stopped and forced to wear a new fire crown.
At this moment, Luo Chen was extremely envious of the captured Yan Jin.
Yan Jin’s status and restraints were far lower than Luo Chen’s.
But Luo Chen had no choice. He had been appointed Forest Chief of Ten-Li Burning Forest, and the divine decree of the Dragon Ginseng King bound him.
Therefore, even though he was extremely displeased with the Fire Crown Divine Cedar’s attitude and actions toward him, he could only stand on the same side as it and once again clash with the Three Generals Camp.
Boom boom boom…
Luo Chen’s attacks became several times fiercer than before!
The soldiers of the Three Generals Camp were also empowered by their fire crowns, and their combat strength surged upward.
Both sides exchanged blows for nearly ten rounds, evenly matched.
All three generals were wounded, and casualties among their troops continued increasing.
Luo Chen, meanwhile, was drenched in sweat, his former composure completely gone.
Every strike they made was maintained at peak power. The fire crowns forced them to attack and defend with their utmost strength, which quickly exhausted both sides.
“If this continues, I’ll be drained dry before defeating them.”
“Divine Cedar, remove my fire crown first!”
After a long and bitter battle, Luo Chen transmitted his thoughts again.
But the Fire Crown Divine Cedar only snorted coldly and rejected him.
“Luo Chen, perform well. Do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking?”
“Only if you contribute properly will I refrain from reporting your behavior to the Dragon King in the future!”
The Fire Crown Divine Cedar had a sharp mind and understood worldly affairs well.
Luo Chen clenched his teeth in rage, yet there was nothing he could do.
Hidden in the shadows, Gao Cuo was also frowning.
“Sword Elder, we are now trapped inside the Fire Crown Dao-Field as well.”
“The Fire Crown Divine Cedar discovered us long ago but has not forced us out.”
“Do you think if I strike under your concealment, my identity will be exposed?”
Sword Elder pondered.
“Hard to say.”
“This Fire Crown Divine Cedar may stand in one place, but it interacts with far too many people every day—people of all kinds.”
“Before refining artifacts in Ten-Li Burning Forest, cultivators always come beneath the tree to pray for a fire crown. These incense offerings have allowed this deity to understand worldly matters quite well.”
Gao Cuo clenched his fists.
“So we can only keep watching?”
He was extremely unwilling, yet helpless.
His situation was similar to Luo Chen’s.
Gao Cuo had once been the Chief of Blue Sky Mountain, and he too carried the divine decree of the Dragon Ginseng King.
If his identity were exposed, severe consequences would follow.
Just explaining why he had secretly infiltrated Ten-Li Burning Forest would already be impossible.
Meanwhile, Lin Bufan had not been encompassed by the Fire Crown Dao-Field.
The moment the Fire Crown Divine Cedar appeared, he immediately rode the clouds upward, avoiding its range.
Now he looked down at the Dao-Field, his heart heavy with worry.
“Ning Zhuo…”
“You brat. Looks like I’ll have to clean up your mess again.”
His gaze fell on Ning Zhuo as he calculated whether unleashing his full strength would change the situation.
Lin Bufan continued evaluating the true combat strength of the Fire Crown Divine Cedar and did not act rashly.
“Damn it! Damn it! Why won’t you all die already?!” Luo Chen roared at the Three Generals Camp.
He had completely lost his bearing.
The fire crown continued burning, already exhausting his mana and now scorching his body, his blood essence, and his spiritual sense.
If it continued like this, even if he won, he would suffer severe losses.
Luo Chen stepped within a small radius as starlight began shining around him.
Brilliant azure starlight rapidly gathered in the sky above the battlefield, forming seven faint stars.
This was within the Fire Crown Dao-Field, yet he could still manifest stars—clearly showing the power of this spell.
“Is that the Seven-Star Step?” Liu Er observed briefly and blurted out.
Luo Chen shouted softly, and the stars twisted the firelight before shooting downward one after another.
Boom boom boom…
The Three Generals Camp defended with everything they had.
Even after consuming eighty percent of their military strength, they could only block five of the stars.
The remaining twenty percent Liu Er held back, using it solely to reinforce the soldiers’ protection.
Thus, the remaining two stars shot into the army and exploded among the troops.
In an instant, starlight scattered everywhere, killing nearly two hundred soldiers. Two large holes appeared in the once-tight formation of the Three Generals Camp.
Guan Hong and Zhang Hei were willing but powerless to stop it.
Blood seeped from Liu Er’s ears. He had never pushed his innate talent this hard before. Though he gained many insights, it was still far from enough to break the Dao-Field.
Ning Zhuo was also unwilling.
“My Fire Element attainment is sufficient, but the Dao-Field also contains the Dao of a deity.”
“If I could comprehend it fully without interference, perhaps I could make greater progress.”
“If I could use Divine Ability—Life Hanging by a Thread to connect with the Fire Crown Divine Cedar, I might achieve a breakthrough. What I lack most is closer contact with the Dao-Field!”
But this was only wishful thinking.
Although he possessed Life Hanging by a Thread, it could at most affect Golden Core cultivators. It could not reach Nascent Soul cultivators.
In fact, some individuals were exceptions.
For example, Linghu Jiu.
Or Liu Er.
Liu Er did not know that Ning Zhuo was attempting the same thing.
If the two cooperated, they could perfectly complement each other.
But the problem was—
Both kept their intentions secret.
The Three Generals Camp had fallen into crisis.
Under Luo Chen’s frenzied assault, they were steadily sliding toward defeat.
“Am I, Yan Jin, going to die here?!” After watching for a long time, Yan Jin finally transmitted his thoughts.
“Three heroes—and this young hero—why not release me?”
“I will plead with Luo Chen. Perhaps the situation could change.”
Yan Jin had realized the situation was worsening.
If the Three Generals Camp collapsed, he, as a prisoner, would be the first to die.
Whether Luo Chen, after suffering heavy losses, would spare him was uncertain.
But if the Three Generals Camp was destroyed, they would certainly kill him before dying.
So Yan Jin tried to secure a chance to live.
Who wanted to die?
To Yan Jin, Thousand Peaks Forest was a lawless land. Living and cultivating there was free and unconstrained.
He did not believe in the Dragon King. Working in the forest was only for his own cultivation.
That was why he had listened to Liu Er earlier and tried persuading Luo Chen to retreat.
Everything had nearly succeeded—
Until the Fire Crown Divine Cedar appeared and ruined everything!
Liu Er had no better option and said,
“I will not release you yet. First persuade Luo Chen. If this burning continues, even if he wins, he will suffer serious losses or even die.”
Yan Jin had no choice but to try.
Luo Chen’s reply was furious:
“How could I betray Lord Dragon King?! You all deserve to die!”
“Die! Die immediately!!”
He wanted everyone—Three Generals Camp and Yan Jin included—to perish instantly.
Right after his reply ended, the Fire Crown Divine Cedar sneered.
“Good, Luo Chen. Well done. This is the awareness a Forest Chief of Ten-Li Burning Forest should have.”
“You…!” Luo Chen gnashed his teeth.
But he did not worry the Divine Cedar would betray him.
Since it had been secretly cultivated by the Dragon King, it too was bound by a divine decree.
Yan Jin’s face turned ashen.
“My life is over.”
Ning Zhuo frowned and said,
“We still have hope!”
Yan Jin exploded in rage.
“Hope my ass! If I die, you all die with me!”
“Just Luo Chen alone is already pushing you to the brink—let alone the Fire Crown Divine Cedar.”
“It hasn’t even made a move yet!”
“Even if you defeat Luo Chen, how will you deal with it?”
“It has shared incense from everyone! Do you know how popular Ten-Li Burning Forest is?”
“Every cultivator who comes here to refine artifacts offers incense!”
“The incense is like a sea—enough to convert into endless divine power!”
“You can’t win!!”
Yan Jin vented in despair.
But Ning Zhuo’s eyes suddenly lit up.
“Wait. What did you say?”
“What did I say? We’re going to die!” Yan Jin roared through spiritual sense.
Smack!
Ning Zhuo slapped him so hard his head nearly twisted sideways.
“Watch your identity. Prisoner.”
“Shout at me again, and I won’t mind sending you to the Underworld first.”
“No—scattering your soul is also something I can easily do.”
Yan Jin immediately fell silent.
His cheek swelled red, his eyes filled with resentment.
But Ning Zhuo narrowed his eyes.
Yan Jin’s earlier words had given him a major hint.
“Boss, I’ve thought of a way to break out!” Ning Zhuo quickly communicated with Sun Lingtong.
Sun Lingtong was already waiting inside the Dragon Head Cabin.
“There are many methods,” he replied.
“For example, using Wanli Dragon to traverse the void.”
“Or waiting for Lin Bufan to act so we can coordinate from inside and outside.”
“Escaping ourselves isn’t difficult. The problem is the soldiers—they’ll probably all die.”
“If the Three Generals Camp is nearly wiped out, you and Liu Guan Zhang will be absorbed into other armies.”
“All the effort we put into building this force will vanish.”
Ning Zhuo replied,
“No. I have another method. But I need your cooperation.”
After hearing the plan, Sun Lingtong frowned deeply.
“That could work. But if I act alone and something happens to you—”
“Boss,” Ning Zhuo said calmly, “this is war. Risk is unavoidable.”
“And Lin Bufan is watching from above.”
“Right now, the key to breaking this situation is you.”
“If Lin Bufan saves us, that crafty fellow will definitely demand a huge price.”
Sun Lingtong gritted his teeth.
“Fine. I’ll go and return quickly.”
The next moment, Ning Zhuo shouted and launched a series of Five Elements Spells, masking his hidden actions.
He secretly removed part of his body and handed it to Sun Lingtong.
Sun Lingtong controlled Wanli Dragon, its tail flicking lightly as it tunneled deep underground.
After wandering below for a while, he discovered an underground temple.
Inside the temple stood a statue of the Fire Crown Divine Cedar.
Within the statue was an enormous accumulation of incense offerings.
“Now it’s time for my Theft Technique!”
Sun Lingtong activated it and stole massive amounts of incense.
“Hehehe.”
“Good thing the Empty-Empty Mark absorbed the Void Evil God marrow. Otherwise, with my old skill level, I’d have been discovered immediately.”
Meanwhile—
“Almost done. The Three Generals Camp is about to collapse,” Sword Elder told Gao Cuo.
Gao Cuo nodded silently.
The outcome was clear.
The soldiers had already sensed defeat approaching. Their morale plummeted, weakening the army further.
In the clouds above, Lin Bufan began preparing a spell, ready to rescue Ning Zhuo at any moment.
Yet just as Luo Chen believed victory was within reach—
The Fire Crown Divine Cedar suddenly let out a shocked roar, filled with both fury and terror.
The Fire Crown Dao-Field instantly collapsed.
At that exact moment, Wanli Dragon had already quietly returned to Ning Zhuo’s waist.
“Hehehe.”
“I stole all your incense. Let’s see what you have left to convert into divine power!”
Sun Lingtong stood with hands on his hips, smug and delighted.
“My incense… my incense!”
“Where did all my incense go?!”
“You stole my incense!”
“You thieves—shameless and despicable!!”
The Fire Crown Divine Cedar roared in furious rage.