Chapter 2: Three Incense Sticks to Summon the Dragon God  

Trapped within the golden cage, Li Changsheng had no means of escape.  

The ghost market was a den of chaos, and the onlookers—both human and spectral—instantly changed their gazes, as if the golden cage did not contain a living person but rather a Spirit Stone Mine fallen from the heavens.  

Li Changsheng: “…”  

Six years ago, Li Changsheng had been rescued from the protective moat of Nanyuan. Perhaps battered by turbulent currents against hidden rocks in the river, he had suffered a severe head injury and lost all memory.  

Over the years, he had wandered through the four cities, seeking to uncover his identity.  

Now, he had finally found a lead—only to be caught in such a predicament.  

Among the crowd, a Cultivator so destitute he looked ready to sell himself suddenly narrowed his eyes. While others were still weighing their options, he drew his sword first, staking everything on a desperate thrust toward the 100,000 Spirit Stones—no, toward Li Changsheng.  

Li Changsheng startled, instinctively taking half a step back.  

The Rope Tassel tied to his hair swayed behind him.  

Clang—!  

A crisp metallic ring echoed as the Spirit Sword collided with the golden cage, shattering into dust along with the tassel.  

A metallic reverberation buzzed in Li Changsheng’s ears, as though his head had been trapped inside a tolling bell. His consciousness flickered like a blur, and he nearly retched from the dizziness.  

The Cultivator clutched the now-bare hilt and wailed, “My sword! My only sword—!”  

Li Changsheng: “…Hm.”  

Can’t hit me?  

The golden cage, meant to imprison Li Changsheng, had now become his protective shell.  

Ever quick to adapt, Li Changsheng turned to the still-stunned Lou Changwang with a sincere expression and proposed a deal.  

“Little Lou, help me escape this predicament today, and I’ll refund all 2,000 taels for the talisman. Not only that, I’ll appoint you as the Tribulation Transcending Bureau Chief Envoy, equal in rank to the Deputy. From then on, you could strut over the Deputy’s head in the Bureau, and no one would dare say a word. How about it?”  

Lou the Deputy: “…”  

Lou Changwang finally snapped out of his daze. Trembling all over, he fought back tears, his emotions nearly boiling over. “How… how can a fraud like you even enter the Bureau, let alone become its leader? If someone like you can get in, why can’t I?! The Nine Bureaus of Youdu abuse their power—I’ll report this to Snow Jade Capital!”  

Li Changsheng: “…”  

After this childish outburst, Lou Changwang fiercely flicked his fingers. A faint click sounded from the ground.  

The nails of the golden cage slowly rose, and the crisscrossing bars of the cage dissipated into nothingness.  

Li Changsheng: “…”  

As the five nails returned to Lou Changwang’s hairpin, the “tortoise shell” vanished in an instant.  

“Go die already!”  

The ghost market was filled with desperadoes, and the damned Nether Palace’s master had thrown out a fortune—100,000 Spirit Stones could crush a man to death.  

The gazes of the surrounding crowd, human and ghost alike, burned with greed, as if ready to devour Li Changsheng alive.  

Li Changsheng: “…”  

Should’ve checked the almanac before leaving today—nothing auspicious in sight.  

No one knew who struck first, but countless Imprisonment Magical Artifacts rained down on Li Changsheng, resembling a downpour from a distance. Everyone was determined to claim the 100,000 Spirit Stones for themselves.  

Li Changsheng exhaled silently, slipping his left hand into his sleeve for a light touch.  

The next moment—crackle, pop!  

Amidst the clatter of colliding artifacts and a flash of golden light, Li Changsheng vanished from the center of the crowd.  

All that remained was a slowly burning Teleportation Talisman.  

The surroundings fell silent for a moment as everyone exchanged bewildered glances.  

Lou Changwang, who had been ready to enjoy the spectacle, gaped in shock at the talisman.

So Li Changsheng’s earlier words about appointing him as the chief envoy were just a ploy to provoke him, break free from the golden cage, and then escape with a talisman?!

Lou Changwang suppressed his anger again and again, but finally couldn’t hold back and roared at the sky.

“Li Changsheng—! I will kill you!!!”

***

Outskirts of Nanyuan City.

A golden array flashed briefly in mid-air, and a figure in moon-white robes appeared out of thin air, plummeting downward like a bird with broken wings.

Li Changsheng: “…”

As a charlatan who thrived in chaos, Li Changsheng had no shortage of escape talismans.

But this time, luck was not on his side. A corner of the talisman had gotten wet, causing a malfunction in the teleportation, and the array dumped him halfway.

Below seemed to be a dilapidated temple. With a loud crash, Li Changsheng smashed a huge hole through the roof.

Thud! He finally landed, albeit with great difficulty.

Panting, Li Changsheng looked up at the hole above him, then at the old incense burner filled with ashes beside him—had he not grabbed onto a part of the statue, he might have landed headfirst on this waist-high burner and died.

Unlucky, but at least he was still alive.

Regaining his composure, Li Changsheng raised his hand to examine what he was holding.

A small piece of mud-covered wood.

Under the moonlight, the place revealed itself to be a long-abandoned Dragon God Temple, housing a mud-sculpted dragon coiled around a stone pillar. The fragment in his hand was part of the dragon’s horn.

No one had worshipped here for years. The temple was overgrown with weeds and littered with rubble, its walls peeling and collapsing. The only semblance of shelter—the roof—had just been destroyed by Li Changsheng’s crash landing.

Li Changsheng stood up and placed a Night-Luminescent Pearl on the altar, illuminating a small area under the moonlight.

The mud-sculpted Dragon God Statue had saved his life. Though he was a fraud with no real ability to exorcise ghosts, he still understood the rules. After rummaging through his Storage Pouch for a while, he took out three incense sticks and lit them respectfully.

“In devout gratitude for the Dragon God’s life-saving grace.”

After bowing, he planted the three incense sticks in the burner.

But the moment they were placed, the ancient Dragon God Statue let out a creak, and its massive dragon-shaped body slowly tilted before crashing down with a thunderous boom.

The deafening noise echoed through the wilderness, startling several birds into flight.

Li Changsheng: “…”

Was his luck really this bad?

Just as he was considering whether to try and prop up the dragon’s head, he suddenly heard a chilling, eerie laugh.

“Devour his Karma… attain the Dao…”

“So fragrant…”

“Delivered right to us.”

Li Changsheng froze.

The Night-Luminescent Pearl flickered silently as dark clouds obscured the moonlight, plunging the temple into pitch-black darkness.

No breathing could be heard around him.

Then, Li Changsheng felt something brush against his hand hanging by his side.

His breath hitched.

Just then, the clouds drifted away, and the bright moon reappeared.

The night was deep, and moonlight poured through the hole in the roof, casting a beam of light exactly where Li Changsheng stood.

A ferocious ghost, its face twisted in a snarl, crouched on the altar like a beast. Its eyes glowed with an eerie crimson light as it stared fixedly at him, slowly revealing a sinister grin. In a hoarse voice, it spat out a few words.

“Golden Merit? You’re… the Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Tribulation Transference.”

Li Changsheng stumbled back several steps, his heart sinking.

Malevolent ghosts in the mortal realm were different from the underworld’s ghost envoys—this one, steeped in malice, was out for blood.

Before he could think of a countermeasure, another voice sounded behind him: “Well, well. I thought the sixteenth Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Tribulation Transference would be a tough one. How is it just a Mortal with no cultivation at all?”

Li Changsheng turned to look.  

Under the bright moon, several towering malevolent spirits stood silently outside the ruined temple, like a pack of wolves hunting in unison, their eyes fixed intently on him.  

Some even made swallowing sounds.  

Li Changsheng: “…”  

Would he still make it back to the ghost market to await death now?  

The spirits treated him as nothing more than a dish, indifferent to his expression, and conversed among themselves.  

“Is he really the one who killed Feng Hui? Doesn’t look like it.”  

“Does it matter? Once we devour his Golden Merit, why should we continue to suffer under the Nine Bureaus’ banishment, forced to lurk as Netherworld Fiends who dare not face the sun?”  

“Kill him quickly before the Bureau of Tribulation Transference arrives.”  

Li Changsheng: “…”  

Before losing his memory, Li Changsheng must have been someone well-traveled, for even surrounded by spirits debating whether to stew or braise him, he didn’t feel particularly afraid.  

Dying was fine, but if he could live, he’d prefer to struggle on a little longer.  

With no retreat left, Li Changsheng listened to the spirits’ chattering discussions, catching a few key words—his thoughts suddenly stirred.  

Golden Merit?  

Though he didn’t know what it signified, these spirits were united in their goal to devour him for enlightenment, yet none dared strike first, as if waiting for something.  

That soul-binding ghost in the ghost market had once said, “A life debt is hard to repay…”  

Li Changsheng seemed to grasp something. Relaxing his tense body, he spoke, “Haven’t you all finished discussing yet? If no one acts soon, the Bureau of Tribulation Transference will arrive.”  

The spirits frowned, coldly eyeing this “dish.” Strangely, they all froze for a moment.  

Under the soft glow of the Night-Luminescent Pearl, three incense threads intertwined and curled upward from the censer. Li Changsheng stood there absentmindedly, the waist chain of Tongueless Golden Bells cinching the slender curves of his waist.  

This “dish” surnamed Li… was indeed a feast for the senses.  

Just a bit too spicy for the palate.  

Li Changsheng lazily lowered his eyelids. “No wonder you’re all Netherworld Fiends—dithering like this, how could you ever achieve greatness? Still dreaming of enlightenment and immortality? Reincarnation would come faster. Go die.”  

The dozen or so spirits were stunned by his insults, their eyes filled with disbelief.  

Hadn’t mortals always cowered before malevolent spirits?  

The first spirit to arrive, its resentment the strongest, glared coldly at Li Changsheng’s breathtakingly beautiful face and stepped forward slowly, expression dark.  

“Aren’t you afraid of death?”  

Li Changsheng smiled. “I am. But do you dare kill me?”  

The spirit’s pupils constricted.  

Seeing this reaction, Li Changsheng knew his gamble had paid off.  

“You crave Golden Merit, yet refuse to shoulder the burden of an unpayable life debt…” He extended his icy hand, lightly patting the spirit’s cheek with indifference. “Tell me, since when does the world offer such a sweet deal?”  

The gesture was too insulting. The spirit’s expression shifted.  

Yet it merely stared at that face, its Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.  

“Even if I do die, splitting the merit among a dozen of you won’t leave much for you.” Li Changsheng flashed it a smile. “You’re the most powerful here—clearly the smartest… well, spirit. Why not listen to me? Kill the others for me, and I’ll willingly surrender half my merit. That way, you avoid the life debt and still gain enlightenment—a win-win.”  

The spirit paused, visibly tempted.  

The surrounding spirits exchanged glances, startled by how quickly this mortal’s mind worked.  

Silence filled the ruined temple.

Li Changsheng’s face was the picture of calm strategy, but in reality, his fingers were digging into his palms hard enough to draw blood.

Fight.

Only if the vengeful ghosts turned on each other would he have a chance to survive.

The oppressive silence weighed heavily on everyone’s chest.

Finally, a scholar-like vengeful ghost spoke up: “There’s no need to kill him immediately—once we take his Karma, a person without any luck or Karma won’t last three days. The karmic debt of his unnatural death won’t fall on us.”

The ghosts froze.

Even the large ghost that had nearly been swayed by Li Changsheng’s persuasion suddenly snapped back to reality, its expression darkening once more.

Li Changsheng: “…”

Damn, this one has a brain.

Li Changsheng usually fled at the first sign of trouble, but his teleportation talismans were exhausted. These powerful ghosts seemed deeply versed in the Dao, and he’d likely be caught before he could take more than a few steps.

Boom—

A bolt of dry thunder suddenly split the sky, the moonlight completely obscured by dark clouds as rain threatened to fall.

The pitch-black sky was torn open by lightning, and the large ghost abruptly transformed into its massive Ghost Form, looming like a shadowy mountain as it lunged toward Li Changsheng.

Amidst the flashes of lightning and thunderous roars of the monstrous ghosts, the scene resembled a battlefield of hell.

The vengeful ghost’s razor-sharp claws were already at his throat. Li Changsheng’s breath hitched as he instinctively turned his head away.

The sound of pattering rain filled his ears.

But the expected pain never came. At some point, a shadowy figure seemed to have materialized out of thin air, the faint glow of candlelight casting its tall silhouette over Li Changsheng.

“Who are you?!”

The vengeful ghost’s Ghost Form was as massive as a small mountain, grotesque and hideous, yet the figure before it was slender and poised, effortlessly catching the enormous claw with just one outstretched hand.

The man chuckled. “So, you’re the one who destroyed my statue?”

Li Changsheng blinked.

Statue?

The large ghost stiffened, its gaze shifting to the figure beneath its claw.

Boom!

Another thunderclap struck, and the ghosts behind it recoiled in disbelief.

“The Four Spirits Mark?! You’re… Feng—”

Before it could finish, the man cast it a fleeting glance.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The large ghosts were crushed as if under the weight of a towering mountain, forced prostrate in terror. An immense, invisible pressure drove their spectral bodies deep into the ground, causing them to cough up grotesque mouthfuls of blood.

The only one still capable of movement stared at him in horror.

That ugly statue, twisted like a snake tying itself into a bow—was it actually a dragon?

The master of the Nether Palace…

Hadn’t he been a dragon in life?

The large ghost’s pupils shrank. In a flash, it tried to flee, but its reaction was too slow. The black-clad man flicked his fingers lazily.

Bang.

The mountain-sized ghost’s consciousness vanished instantly, its form exploding soundlessly into mist like dissipating fog.

Soul annihilation.

As the mist slowly faded, Li Changsheng, still shaken, looked up in a daze.

On the altar, a man draped in a black robe lounged lazily, his features blurred by the intertwining incense smoke. For a fleeting moment, he seemed vaguely familiar.

But the impression vanished as quickly as it came.

Earlier, this man had mentioned a statue…

Hesitantly, Li Changsheng asked, “Are you… the Dragon God?”

The man’s towering figure stiffened momentarily before the mist dispersed.

His form was ethereal, as if woven from the smoke of three incense sticks. Where his face should have been, there was only absence. The man lifted one of the incense sticks with slender, elongated fingers, bringing it closer.

As the incense neared, the smoke finally coalesced into a face of unparalleled beauty.

Elegant and noble, with dragon horns atop his head.

It was indeed a dragon.

The Dragon God descended from the altar, his towering figure casting an oppressive shadow as he approached, like a looming dark cloud.

Li Changsheng instinctively took half a step back.

The Dragon God’s long hair cascaded loosely, his dark vertical pupils silently shifting to a blood-like crimson. Like a fierce and frenzied beast eyeing its prey, his tense posture suggested he could pounce at any moment to devour his target whole.

Every instinct in Li Changsheng screamed at him to retreat.

He had never sensed such a dangerous aura from anyone else.

Before he could move, the terrifying Dragon God suddenly smiled: “Was it not the Director who summoned me here?”

Li Changsheng was taken aback: “You know me?”

“The Bureau of Tribulation Transference’s newly appointed Director, Li Changsheng.” The Dragon God closed in on Li Changsheng’s face, their surroundings enveloped in twisting coils of white incense smoke that formed an inescapable cage.

Li Changsheng paused slightly, feeling that his gaze…

Didn’t seem like he was looking at a stranger.

“The Nether Palace Lord’s beloved.”

The Dragon God slowly broke into a wider smile: “…Naturally, I know.”

Author’s note:

Dragon God: Silently burning incense, loading handsome face.