My Cultivation Starting from Archery

At this point, he no longer doubted the existence of Immortals or dragons in the world, and their presence didn't merit much surprise; however, what the laborer had said contained a clear logical flaw. The number of people sacrificed had been consistent for hundreds of years; if the Dragon King had been inclined to anger, it would have done so long ago.

To confirm whether the situation was man-made, all that was needed was a visit to the Dragon King Temple.

If any incense burner was found stealing the incense, it would undoubtedly be connected to the Incense Fire Divine Sect.

Just as he had expected, the reality was as such.

Inside the Dragon King Temple, in front of the Dragon King statue.

An incense burner, almost identical to the one at Ci Yun Temple, emitted a hazy Purple Energy. Whenever a civilian came to worship, a wisp of incense would arise above their head, and the incense burner, like a mythical creature, would swallow it into its belly. The Dragon King himself, however, could only stare with eyes wide open like copper bells, unable to partake in the warmth.

With this, the situation became very clear.

The Incense Fire Divine Sect killed the fishermen on purpose to create panic and attract incense to the Dragon King Temple.

But what the massive sacrifices were for, that remained unknown.

"These incense..."

Chen Sansi did not act hastily but instead, after completing his worship, he started to observe the surroundings near the Dragon King Temple.

Dragon King Temple.

Unlike Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries, which are owned by sects, these were often established spontaneously by local residents. In theory, there should only be one or two temple priests in charge of maintenance, but here...

He roughly counted, and there were at least thirty people.

However, most of them were ordinary folk without any Cultivation, among whom three or five had Refining Internal, and the temple priest was a Hua Jin. He also didn't have the Purple Energy associated with incense in his body, likely a minor leader in the Incense God Sect.

After Chen Sansi ascertained this, he left quietly without causing any disturbance.

Only when the night was deep and quiet did he stealthily return. He took out the Xuanzhu in front of the incense burner, and just like last time at the Ci Yun Temple, he absorbed all the incense energy completely, without leaving a single wisp behind.

"Who is there?!"

A call of reprimand sounded from behind.

An Incense Fire Sect follower who discovered the disturbance rushed over.

"Clang——"

The He Miao Long Sword at Chen Sansi's waist was drawn in an instant, and with one strike, he split the intruder in half from cheek to core!

"Come quickly, people!"

"Someone is sabotaging the incense!"

Five or six followers with the skill of Refining Internal, including the Hua Jin temple priest who arrived, were no match for a Meridian Passage Martial Artist.

Inside the Dragon King Temple, it was a flurry of blades and swords.

A few breaths later, only lifeless bodies remained on the ground.

The Hua Jin temple priest was also severely injured, lying on the ground. His face filled with horror as he crawled backwards, stopping only when he hit a wall. Trembling, he asked, "Who, who are you? How do you know the Incense Technique?!"

"I am Zhang Lai Zi!"

Chen Sansi sneered, his thin voice echoing up to the heavens, "Go tell your Squad Leader or Sect Hierarch that I, Lai Zi, can't stand the actions of your Incense God Sect. Today I act out of a sense of justice and will burn down your wretched temple!"

As he spoke, he kicked over the candlesticks, and soon the entire building was ablaze with roaring fire.

"Pfft——"

Under the gazes of ordinary folks, Chen Sansi decapitated the temple priest with a single stroke, then quickly withdrew, blending into the darkness and disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Considering the situation in Liangzhou.

Much incense was being collected everywhere, and if action was to be taken, it needed to be soon, without delay.

...

The fire soared into the sky, startling residents within dozens of miles into chaos.

Even hundreds of members from the City Guard Army rushed out of the city to investigate.

Following the death of the Incense Fire Divine Sect members, the unfinished sacrifice by the Tongtian River, without anyone to suppress it, had to be stopped.

The blaze lasted until dawn began to break before it gradually subsided.

Meanwhile.

In a forest.

"Squad Leader!"

Ling Xuzi hurried back in a panic.

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"How's it going?!"

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Yun Xiaozi, who had just rushed here from Liangzhou, asked anxiously, "Have you found out who did it?!" Your journey continues with My Virtual Library Empire

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"Zhang Lai!"

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Ling Xuzi said, "Last night, many people saw him when he killed! The incense stolen in Liangzhou last time must have been by this Lai Zi too!"

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"Lai Zi..."

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Yun Xiaozi pondered deeply, "Where did such a person come from all of a sudden? And the fact that he could take three months' worth of incense in such a short time shows that his proficiency in the Incense Technique is extremely deep."

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"Squad Leader, what do we do now?"

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Ling Xuzi's face was grim, "Clearly, he has been trailing us this whole way, and he will probably continue to snatch our incense. Even if we inform the local squads, it will take time!"

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"It's too late."

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Yun Xiaozi said, "Get on the boat!"

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"You mean...?"

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"Pei Tiannan and the others are currently taking the water route to the Eastern Territory, and the boat is moored at the dock. We'll board directly."

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"But Cao Fan still doesn't know..."

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"It doesn't matter. He is bound to find out sooner or later, and he's one of our own."

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"Alright, let's depart at once."

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...

Passenger ship.

The sun rises in the East.

Chen Sansi, looking like he had just woken up, came onto the deck to practice with his spear.

Before long,

Lu Shuhua and the others had also come back one after another.

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"My lord! Did you know about the incident last night?"

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"Some Jianghu hero set fire to the Dragon King Temple!"

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"I think his name was... Lai Zi!"

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"Zhang Lai said the temple priest at the Dragon King Temple was impersonating someone from the Incense Fire Divine Sect, and they killed everyone cleanly!"

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"..."

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"Damn it."

Xu Bin rubbed his head, "Why does this name sound so familiar?"

Wu Da muttered, "Isn't there also a Lai Zi in Yanbian Village?"

Zhuang Yi added, "Could it be, Lai Zi is a hidden master?"

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"Stop talking nonsense, how could that be possible?"

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In fact, except for Zhao Qiao who had stayed in Liangzhou to handle logistics, none of the others were from Yanbian Village and, even if they had heard of Lai Zi, they didn't know him.

While they were discussing the fire at the Dragon King Temple,

Chen Sansi noticed two people blending in with the crowd on the ship, heading straight for Cao Fan's cabin.

On them flowed strands of purple Mystical Energy from the incense.

Yun Xiaozi!

Chen Sansi recognized them.

These people...

Why are they looking for Cao Fan?

No wonder nothing much happened when they found the incense burner at Mr. Cao's place.

The Incense God Sect, could they be the Emperor's men?

Or do they have another backer?

Gathering in the East, what are they planning to do?