"In my view, you actually want me dead!"

Chongxu Zi looked disgusted, poised to wave his duster to drive him out.

But upon seeing Qiu Changtian in his yellow robe, he worried about sullying his magical artifact.

This fellow is plagued by immense misfortune; wherever he goes, disaster follows, bringing bad luck and misfortune.

He's like a mop soaked in dung!

Even the most skilled Divine Power Giants avoid him like the plague.

"Dao Brother, your words are chilling! Have you forgotten the deep connection we had when we first met, brewing tea and discussing Dao, chatting deep into the night?"

Qiu Changtian, with a fair complexion and a black headscarf, strides into Yuanyang Temple.

He also brings a small donkey, stepping on the stone steps, peeking inside with a rather intelligent look.

"You dare mention this matter! I respected you as a disciple of the Observatory Tower's Taoist Sect, proficient in Feng Shui and Geomancy, a rare prodigy! But..."

Seeing Qiu Changtian's shamelessness, Chongxu Zi got furious and burst out:

"I was stuck in the Dao Skill Fourth Realm, unable to complete the Divine Soul Daydreaming! To break through, I begged Dragon Court for three 'Rebirth Grand Pills'!

One pill could increase the chances by thirty percent, further harmonized with Celestial Dew, yielding a ninety-nine percent success rate!

But you, the harbinger of disaster, ruined it all!"

At that time, he hadn't been seated in Yihai Prefecture for long, still ambitious and had repeatedly achieved merits, earning three Rebirth Grand Pills from Dragon Court.

Who would have thought, in such a promising situation, he would end up with nothing!

"Dao Brother, it's always been difficult for cultivators to break through, and failure midway is common. How can you blame your failure on me!"

Qiu Changtian chuckled awkwardly, his eyes shifting, intending to flee as soon as danger arose.

"Haha, is there anyone unaware of your name as the Plague Deity? Even Grand General Zhao couldn't suppress your bad luck!

Speak quickly if you have something to say, and don't bring disaster to Yuanyang Temple!" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Chongxu Zi's beard shook furiously, and he quickly ordered the child:

"Qingfeng, quickly light three sticks of Medicine Master Incense to cleanse the misfortune!"

The child responded and hurried to the storeroom, where the incense of the temple and Daoist Temple is exceptional.

There are Harmonizing Incense, Obstacle-Removing Incense, Blessing Incense, Health Preservation Incense... various types.

Medicine Master Incense is often used to dispel plague and exorcise evil, usually only lit during great epidemics threatening an entire city, used with talismanic water to heal and save people.

"Dao Brother, why be like this! I've been traveling for years, feeling the cosmic backlash diminish significantly, not like before..."

Qiu Changtian's eyes were full of eagerness, intending to approach, but before he finished speaking, suddenly a flock of black crows flew in from somewhere, seemingly panicked, flapping wildly, showering a spectacular filthy "rain".

With a loud splatter, the pristine wide space became overwhelmingly stinky.

Chongxu Zi's temple veins popped out, instantly sealing his nostrils, wishing to immediately perform Divine Soul Emergence, using the Crimson Fire of Danxia Daoist Skill to burn the plague deity to ashes!

"This was just a coincidence..."

Standing in the middle, Qiu Changtian remained untouched, still clean.

He opened his mouth to explain, but saw the sky shrouded in dense dark clouds, as if layers of mountains pressed down low.

A lightning bolt, roughly the size of a millstone, exploded grandly, striking the Yuanyang Temple's ancient tree crown, instantly charring it and sending smoke wafting.

"What a sin! The Agarwood Tree specially transplanted from Celestial Water Prefecture, thriving for three hundred years, struck dead by lightning!"

Chongxu Zi pounded his chest with regret, lamenting allowing this fellow in.

He resolved to follow the Water Monarch Palace's approach on Nu Yun River, posting Qiu Changtian's portrait at the city gate, closely guarding against him.

"..."

Qiu Changtian scratched his head, seeming ashamed, dejectedly said:

"Dao Brother, maybe... I should leave?"

Chongxu Zi's chest rose and fell, decades of temperance finally shining through at this moment.

He sighed heavily, swung his duster, causing an ill wind to scatter the bird droppings with the thought flow.

With his other hand, he pinched fingers for a walking spell, urging the Great Array of the Fiery Furnace covering Yuanyang Temple, ripples of powerful energy burst forth, preventing his Daoist Temple from being smashed by Celestial Lord's thunderous fury.

"At most, I'll give you one stick of incense time. If you have any bad business, speak plainly, don't beat around the bush."

Qiu Changtian rubbed his hands and dashed into the main hall, approaching Chongxu Zi, bitterly complaining:

"Dao Brother, you know I was young and ignorant back then, failed to probe the cosmic secrets, and thus incurred backlash, cursed with misfortune, all things going awry.

For years, I've searched for a remedy, employing mountain and river formations to obscure cosmic interaction, burying myself dozens of meters deep underground, pretending to fool the heavens, even sleeping day and night in mass graves, specifically choosing sinister spots with heavy evil Qi to suppress... but to no avail."

Chongxu Zi furrowed his brows; this fellow, Qiu Changtian, was frivolous, valuing treasure above all, fearing death yet undeniably competent; rumored to be a strong contender for Daoist of the Observatory Tower—one of the five major Taoist Sects.

"What heaven-defying calamity did you commit? To be so severely countered by cosmic secrets? Ten whole years without resolution?"

Qiu Changtian remained vague, shaking his head:

"Dao Brother, please don't ask again; this matter involves too much, even if I want to say it, you might not hear. Cosmic secrets represent the great Dao's changes, without a fixed path.

Fortunately, I performed the Golden Talisman Grand Sacrifice, blocking seventy to eighty percent of the backlash. Otherwise, I would have been scattered to the wind long ago."