Vol. 1 - Ch. 120 - No More Watching, I Am Leaving

When Chen Xingzhen left, the Ancestral Hall returned to its usual quiet state.

In the stillness, a misty, white aura began drifting from the family compound toward the Ancestral Hall.

This was the Incense Aura that Ji Yang had absorbed in the Wild World. Each wisp of this aura floated into the hall, converging on Ji Yang. However, rather than accumulating on his trunk, the Incense Aura was absorbed entirely by a single locust leaf on his branches.

The leaf, now bathed in a faint golden hue, seemed to shimmer with life.

"Even though I've lost many divine abilities, this doesn't seem too bad," Ji Yang murmured, his focus fixed on the mutated leaf.

Over the past few days, he had contemplated his predicament and finally discovered a middle ground: channeling the Incense Aura into one locust leaf instead of his entire tree trunk.

After several attempts, he had succeeded.

This method allowed him to mitigate the risks of the Incense Aura's potential toxicity. If the leaf became compromised, he could simply shed it without endangering himself.

The trade-off was significant. Ji Yang couldn't utilize the Incense Aura to forge a golden body, nor could he harness most of the divine abilities linked to it. His powers were reduced to basic tasks, like conveying thoughts or understanding prayers.

Yet, he remained optimistic.

The leaf served as a reservoir, capable of unleashing immense power once the aura accumulated sufficiently. Though this process was far slower compared to the Wild World, where countless worshippers had empowered him, it was a safer approach.

Given time, Ji Yang believed this lone leaf could yield remarkable surprises.

…

In addition to perfecting the Smoked Locust Leaf technique, Ji Yang had spent days mastering Spirit Consumption. As expected, the results aligned with the description: the technique didn't enhance vitality but incrementally increased his spiritual energy.

In the Chaotic Burial Mountain, this daily practice netted him only 0.5 spiritual energy—enough to gain one point every two days.

Although slow, Ji Yang found this improvement satisfactory. Every gain mattered.

Turning his attention to his newly acquired divine ability, Enlightenment, Ji Yang decided it was time to test its potential.

…

His consciousness roamed the family compound, eventually settling on a patrolling clan member. However, when he activated Enlightenment, a prompt appeared:

[This being already possesses intelligence and cannot be enlightened.]

Ji Yang had anticipated this. For the ability to work, he needed a target without intelligence.

Shifting his focus, Ji Yang directed his consciousness to the family's beast pens.

…

The pens housed two key species: Spirit-Tailed Chickens and Black Gold Beasts.

The Spirit-Tailed Chickens were smaller and easier to manage, even in adulthood. In contrast, the Black Gold Beasts were fierce creatures, though they remained at the Body Tempering stage.

Ji Yang's attention landed on the Spirit-Tailed Chickens.

The pen held only two birds—a brightly feathered male and a smaller female. Both were remnants of the family's sacrificial offerings and part of a sustainable breeding plan.

Focusing on the male Spirit-Tailed Chicken perched on a wooden beam, Ji Yang activated Enlightenment.

Unlike before, no prompt appeared, but he felt a drain on his energy reserves—two points of vital energy and one point of spiritual energy.

This was a hefty cost, but Ji Yang was eager to see results.

For hours, he observed the Spirit-Tailed Chicken. It remained motionless, its eyes closed as if asleep.

Ji Yang waited patiently, his boundless consciousness allowing him to monitor multiple areas simultaneously.

…

After what felt like an eternity, the chicken stirred. Its sudden movement sparked hope within Ji Yang.

The bird appeared more alert, its bright red comb swaying as it scanned its surroundings.

Then, without warning, the Spirit-Tailed Chicken pounced excitedly on its sleeping pen mate.

Ji Yang sighed in exasperation, withdrawing his consciousness.

No more watching. I’ll revisit this tomorrow.

Over the next few days, Ji Yang continued observing the bird. Apart from its increased vigor and robust frame, no significant changes emerged.

Disappointment loomed. Had Enlightenment failed to live up to its promise?

…

Meanwhile, in the fertile family fields, blood rice swayed in the wind, its ripe ears full and plump.

This year's harvest exceeded all expectations, filling the family with joy.

Yet, the knowledge that half of this bounty would soon be delivered as tribute dampened the celebratory mood.

Chen Xingzhen stood near the fields, nodding approvingly at Chen Yi Hu and the other servants.

"Well done. In two days, each of you can collect five pounds of blood rice from the family," he announced.

Due to time constraints, the family's martial artists had taken over the harvest. For those like Chen Yi Hu, who had not yet reached the Body Tempering Realm, assisting in the fields was more symbolic than practical.

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