Chapter 1 The Immolation Reversal

On the incense burner before the Three Pure Ones, a small boy in ochre-red clothing turned around in astonishment, the lower half of his body actually formed of smoke and fire!

"You...!"

The brocade-clad boy was truly stunned, the scene unfolding before his eyes exceeding his understanding!

At the same instant that Ji Xiang came back to life, three flames suddenly rose from the incense burner, which had previously been reduced to ashes. The flames writhed and shrieked, as if something had been frightened.

Ji Xiang's pupils also constricted in shock.

It was one thing for a footless child to be floating on the incense burner, but there was actually something inside the burner?!

People scaring people can scare them to death.

Ghosts scaring ghosts can scare them to death.

The thing in the incense burner couldn't exactly be called a ghost, but rather a type of spirit. At this moment, the spirit overturned the ashes in the burner. A strange wind immediately stirred up, carrying the ash into the air. Having just witnessed Ji Xiang resurrect from a charred corpse, an unprecedented and bizarre phenomenon, the spirit was also startled. Without hesitation, it cried out.

He had heard of the living returning to Yang, but that was under the premise of an intact body. He had never seen a charred corpse come back to life.

A moving corpse is called a zombie, so what do you call a person who comes back to life? A zombie-person?

The fire spirit's not-so-clever, even somewhat rigid and inferior mind could not comprehend this phenomenon.

It was enough to shock a spirit for an entire year.

But it quickly reacted. This person had been killed by it last time. Now that he was alive again, he should be killed again.

The formless fire spirit, after letting out a shriek to attract Ji Xiang's attention, didn't give Ji Xiang any opportunity to speak. It immediately summoned three fierce flames of incense, which bored into Ji Xiang's ears, nose, and mouth, intending to commit incense-based murder once more.

Ji Xiang was also somewhat dazed. He had just turned his head, about to ask the smoke-and-fire boy to stay, when he heard a strange noise from the incense burner, startling him. Then, three fierce fires suddenly rose up. After circling briefly, these three flames immediately converged on his ears, nostrils, and mouth, drilling into the five orifices and heading straight into his body....

Then, raging flames burst from Ji Xiang's five orifices!

The formless fire spirit in the incense burner stared at Ji Xiang again, watching as he once more turned into a man of fire.

Its limited intelligence believed that this time, it should finally have killed this person.

The smoke-and-fire boy in ochre-red clothing was also extremely shocked.

What the hell was this person?

He had never seen a person burned to death who could revive his flesh and blood, climbing back up from the place where he died.

But just then....

The formless fire spirit was turning its not-so-high intelligence over in profound thought when it suddenly felt the incense burner shake violently with a clang!

From within the raging flames, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed the incense burner dedicated to the Three Pure Ones!

This stunned the fire spirit again!

The flames on Ji Xiang's body gradually receded, revealing his strong and beautiful body once more.

These incense flames, upon entering his body, not only failed to kill Ji Xiang, but were instead devoured by his flesh, which contained incense fire itself.

Ji Xiang hadn't moved an inch.

This was the meaning of "one who eats qi becomes divine and does not die."

Especially when it came to incense-based murder, he was immune to any curse-like spells.

For Ji Xiang, the physical body was merely a place to reside. The incense fires within his body were Ji Xiang himself!

"Why did you two try to kill me?"

The voice was very calm, as if he hadn't been attacked at all. The brocade-clad boy was dumbfounded, and the formless fire spirit was also dumbfounded. Meanwhile, in Ji Xiang's inner world, words appeared on the blank spirit tablet:

[Zheng Da Fu: Fire Spirit type, its essence formless, an incense spirit of great age near the side of the gate.]

[Red Banner Child: Fire God type, carrying a red flag to spread fire disasters.]

Ji Xiang grinned. The moment the incense fires entered his body, he had already sensed their age.

"I see. So you've enjoyed fifty years of incense offerings, and I hear you're something left over from the Jiajing era?"

"Don't hide in the incense burner. Come out!"

Ji Xiang looked to the side, where there was a piece of crimson wooden board left by his predecessor. Of course, Ji Xiang knew what it was. Without hesitation, he grabbed it, and with his other hand, he suddenly seized the incense burner!

The Red Banner Child's expression changed drastically. He didn't have his little red flag and couldn't use fire techniques. Furthermore, unlike Zheng Da Fu, he was an external fire god and couldn't directly use fire magic in the Forbidden City. So, he only used a fire escape technique to manifest briefly with the help of incense. Seeing the bizarre situation unfolding on Ji Xiang's side, he decisively cast the fire escape technique again, burrowing into the incense and disappearing.

If Zheng Da Fu wasn't a match for this person, then he, without his fire flag, wouldn't be able to help much. It was better to leave quickly and report this matter to his "superior."

The child fled, and the incense fires rose again, burning. The formless fire spirit's murderous intent remained undiminished. Repeating its previous tactic, it spat out three incense flames again, rushing into Ji Xiang's five orifices!

Then, the same situation as before played out once more! Completely useless!

Ji Xiang laughed loudly twice, scaring Zheng Da Fu into a daze. Then, gripping the incense burner, he suddenly exerted force and flipped the burner over violently. The large burner buzzed and shook as it rolled far away, and incense ashes scattered all over the ground!

This situation stunned even the formless fire spirit inside the incense burner.

The formless fire spirit was now trying to use its underdeveloped intelligence to explain the phenomenon of the human body not spontaneously combusting.

Who exactly is the spirit here?

Just as its mind was slowly turning, it heard Ji Xiang's voice echoing through the hall once more!

Ji Xiang, holding the crimson wooden board, approached the incense burner!

His voice, empty and vast, echoed back and forth, urgent and ceaseless!

"Zheng Da Fu! Why did you harm me?"

"Zheng Da Fu! Why did you kill me?"

The incense flames were once again swallowed by Ji Xiang. The incense burner rolled on the ground, then suddenly began to spin like a top, shaking violently. As Ji Xiang repeatedly called out its true name, a mass of square-shaped flames burst out of the incense burner!

These spirits, born from objects, mountains, rivers, roads, and nature, often do not appear before mortals. It is necessary to call out their true names for them to be seen by the world. Moreover, some spirits have special "settings," meaning that if you don't know its name, it might harass you. But if you call out its name, it might help you or flee from you.

And Zheng Da Fu was an old spirit of the residence, a spirit born from absorbing incense.

Now that Ji Xiang had called out its true name, the formless fire spirit cried out in alarm, actually showing great fear!

Because once its true name was called out, it would immediately reveal its true form!

Incense ashes rose into the air, and the formless and unshaped monster manifested its true form, appearing as a square person crudely pieced together from many blocks of fire. The formless became barely formed. It emerged from the incense burner on a cloud of smoke, reaching out to hug Ji Xiang, intending to burn him with great fire once more!

At this moment, its not-so-intelligent brain could only process one question.

Why doesn't this person die?

And Ji Xiang, gripping the crimson wooden board in his hand, struck the square fire person!

With a loud, startling crash!

The square fire person, Zheng Da Fu, was scattered by the wooden board, his fire qi dispersed, and incense flames burst apart. Immediately afterward, Ji Xiang swung the wooden board backhand and struck him on the forehead!

This time, he swung his arm wide, displaying divine power and shattering the fire monster completely!

And at this moment, Zheng Da Fu finally saw the four large characters written on the crimson wooden board—

"Ten Thousand Gods Obey!"

Its inferior intellect, which could only process one thing at a time, finally spun for the last time.

So the wood from before... was a spirit-warding gavel!

Daoists use a spirit-warding gavel to strike the table when performing spells, to intimidate evil ghosts and demons!