Chapter 171: Chapter 145: The Fire Virtue Body Is Finally Achieved, the Daoist Monarch’s Scheme Is Revealed

Inside the Kitchen God’s Temple, it was deathly quiet, a stark contrast to the tumultuous storms raging outside.

Jiang Yi had easily refined that wisp of flame and was then guided inside.

The two figures who had entered before him—the Heavenly Star Life and the Flowing Spring Life—were already standing in the great hall.

’The Kitchen God...’

Jiang Yi’s gaze swept over the double-eaved, hip-and-gable roof covered in yellow glazed tiles. Golden flames, as large as millstones, seemed tangible as they billowed and slowly dripped down.

DRIP. DRIP. They landed on the ground, sending up long, thin wisps of smoke.

He had long heard that the Immortal Dao often enfeoffed orthodox gods, having the countless denizens of the Dongsheng Continent worship their Divine Positions, so that True Monarchs could create incarnations to walk the Yanfu Vast Land.

This Kitchen God’s Temple must have come about in this way.

Jiang Yi stepped forward, his feet landing on solid ground. His Divine Sense felt as if it were being tempered in the great furnace of a Quenching Room, causing layers of misty radiance to rise from it.

The incomparably vast ball of Sun and Moon Life Qi was now constantly solidifying and contracting, gradually taking on a human form with an increasingly clear outline.

’So this is the inspection of the life patterns? Truly profound.’

As Jiang Yi walked a hundred paces, the misty radiance above his head became as clear as a painting, forming a web of intersecting patterns like rolling mountains and crisscrossing valleys.

During the process, he felt the figure condensed from his Divine Sense grow heavy, or rather, gain an increasingly unshakable "substance."

’Those with shallow luck and feeble destiny are like weeds in the wind, or clay tiles and rubble, shattering at a touch.’

’Those with some foundation are like earth and wood, or metal and stone, but even they cannot withstand more than a few great storms.’

’If one is a furnace flame or a flowing spring, endlessly renewing with deep reserves, then no matter how many failures one suffers, as long as the foundation remains, a comeback is always possible.’

’The greatest of all are like the sun and moon, or the heavenly stars—nearly eternal and incredibly difficult to shake.’

A look of understanding dawned in Jiang Yi’s eyes. His Divine Sense was like a stick of incense being burned by the golden flames.

The life patterns were densely packed, like intertwining dragons and snakes, and each one had the lustrous texture of gold and jade.

A moment later, he stepped into the main hall.

A clear, sonorous sound, like that of a Copper Chime, rang out from the Kitchen God’s Temple. It chimed six times in succession, its echoes reverberating both inside and out.

"Is it one of the ’Celestial Emperors’?"

The figure of the Heavenly Star Life, having been refined by the flames, now had fluttering robes and clearly defined strands of hair. He was a beautiful young man with features as fine as a painting.

"Sixty-six life patterns. A life weight of six catties and six taels. A destiny of sixes... this must be a [Yin Celestial Emperor]."

The figure of the Flowing Spring Life was revealed to be a black-robed Daoist with a thin face and bright, crystalline eyes.

They both stared at Jiang Yi as he stepped into the hall, each with a different expression.

The beautiful young man of the Heavenly Star Life looked curious, while the black-robed Daoist of the Flowing Spring Life was very courteous.

A [Yin Celestial Emperor] with a destiny of sixes was no lost pearl from the vast sea; he was likely a top-tier Dao Material from an Ancestral Sect Dharma Lineage.

’One is a Golden-Winged Peng King, the other a Seven-Eyed Fire Crow.’

Jiang Yi sized them up as well. Golden flames surged above their heads, their life patterns intertwining, each manifesting a different destiny.

The beautiful young man spoke up:

"Fellow Daoist [Yin Celestial Emperor], you may approach the incense altar and offer a stick of incense."

"This Kitchen God’s Temple is filled with Opportunities. If you can walk eleven steps and sit cross-legged on the Wind and Fire Cushion, you will be infused with a measure of Fire Life Destiny."

"If you are skilled enough, Fellow Daoist, you can twist your own life destiny into three sticks of incense and offer them to the Kitchen God. Your Luck might just rise even further."

The black-robed Daoist added:

"We can at most form one stick of incense, and even then, we find it difficult to approach the altar. Senior is a [Yin Celestial Emperor]; you should be able to offer three sticks."

Jiang Yi laughed inwardly. This black-robed Daoist of the Flowing Spring Life must be Ying Xingzi of the Primordial Corpse Sect from Dangyin Ridge.

’A Foundation Establishment prodigy at the Twelfth Level of Cultivation is actually calling me ’Senior’?’

Jiang Yi remained silent, giving a slight nod of acknowledgment.

He didn’t move immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused his mind, carefully sensing the dense, interwoven Qi Mechanism within the great hall.

The Bing Fire and Ding Fire seemed to be fused, constantly circulating like the clear and turbid qi ascending and descending, providing Nourishment for all things.

’Combined Refining of Bingding forms the Martial and Civil Fire, known as the Six Dings, which specializes in burning away Life Essence and damaging Primordial Essence...’

Jiang Yi grew contemplative. Everything in this Kitchen God’s Temple was an evolution of fire intent. The Bing Fire and Ding Fire were two sides of the same coin, revolving around each other like the fish in a Yin-Yang symbol.

’If I could stay in this temple and constantly study its profound mysteries, with my natural talent and Dao Wisdom, aided by the Celestial Book, I should be able to quickly master the ’method of combined refining’.’

Jiang Yi pondered for a moment, realizing the profundity of this Opportunity. Whether it was having his destiny type forged, his Divine Sense tempered, or comprehending the profound mysteries of the Combined Refining of Bingding, all of it would be immensely beneficial to his future path on the Dao.

His thoughts had wandered slightly, but he quickly focused on the Wind and Fire Cushion eleven steps away.

The object looked ordinary, just a flat, simple, round cushion woven from cattail rushes, with no remarkable features.

’Reciting a couple lines of poetry right now might build up the momentum.’

With a thought, Jiang Yi lifted his foot and took the first step.

The entire hall suddenly began to shake as if rivers and seas were reversed and furious waves crashed against the shore. A heavy Qi Mechanism, condensed with the intent of Bing Ding Fire, washed over him.

Jiang Yi felt his Divine Sense being thrown into a great furnace. It was as if ten thousand steel needles were stabbing him all over, creating the real pain of his flesh being torn apart.

He silently circulated the Qi Cultivation General Outline and repeatedly chanted the seven-word mantra, "Chaos Ancestral Origin, Commander of Ten Thousand Truths." His steps remained steady, and in a moment, he had reached the Wind and Fire Cushion.

In those short eleven steps, Jiang Yi had been scoured by the Qi Mechanism six thousand, four hundred and twenty-two times.

That searing ball of Divine Sense had been forcefully tempered until it was the size of a grain of rice, yet it had become even more condensed.

In its external appearance, it had become a tall and imposing figure clad in magnificent robes, as brilliant and majestic as an emperor.

’This man’s will is so firm! The hall is filled with the intent of the Six Dings fire. Every step requires establishing Sympathy with its Qi Mechanism, which is like putting yourself in a Pill Furnace. To face such torture and still appear so calm and untroubled!’