Meanwhile, at Nanshan Residential Complex.
Witnessing this earth-shattering spectacle, Lu Chen actually felt rock-solid inside.
After all, compared to the grand merit ritual for a hundred thousand people back in Longhu County, this [Consecration] ceremony was clearly a notch weaker.
Even so—
The momentum was still enough to shake the whole city.
Good!
The bigger the spectacle, the louder the reputation.
When the time came, his “Lu Family Shrine” could ride today’s wave and soar straight up.
As the [Smoke and Fire Registry] manifested—
Now it was time for the third ritual—[Dotting the Eyes].
The so-called [Dotting the Eyes].
In essence, it meant “inviting the deity into the vessel.”
Driving the deity’s spiritual essence corresponding to the statue or ritual implement with one’s own mana, and injecting it inside.
And the spiritual essence the [Smoke and Fire Registry] needed was, naturally, the essence of smoke and fire—the breath of daily life.
Lu Chen’s gaze was calm as he looked at the altar.
The many talismans burned earlier during the [Invocation] had, through the Three Lesser Cycles and Nine Revolutions, already turned into a pile of ash.
His peachwood sword traced a nimble flourish, and with a light flick, he swept all the ash into a copper basin of clear water prepared beforehand.
Immediately after, the incantation rose again:
“Heaven and Earth have spirit, all arts return to the source; with my true heart, I dot your eyes for you!”
Whoosh—!
In the copper basin, the clear water mixed with incense ash and talisman remnants began to move without wind, spinning rapidly, forming a murky vortex!
“Open!!!!”
Lu Chen expelled his breath and voiced the command. The peachwood sword swept down, its spine striking heavily against the rim of the copper basin!
Clang—!
A clear, long, trembling ring sounded out.
The water in the basin burst apart on cue, transforming into countless fine droplets that—defying all reason—curled upward and hung suspended in midair!
Whoosh—
A wondrous sight unfolded.
Countless tiny points of light drifted out from every household in Nanshan Residential Complex.
That was the purest essence of daily life—the smoke and fire of cooking food, naturally arising.
These points of light, as if summoned by something invisible, converged from all directions, condensing into a hazy ribbon of light.
Then, at incredible speed, they flew toward the massive illusory [Smoke and Fire Registry] in the sky, slowly absorbed and merged into it.
…
“So that’s how it is.”
Above the dome, Emperor Fengdu nodded slightly, having already seen through the crux of it.
Behind him, Ghost Emperor Yang Yun also had a moment of clarity. “This spell is quite ingenious. That Kitchen God’s treasure has long had its spirituality dimmed and dormant—this method can actually draw on the smoke and fire of ten thousand households to reignite its divinity and replenish its source?”
Zhang Heng beside him gasped sharply. “This kid definitely has a remarkable background! This spell… is so righteous it’s almost wicked, and so wicked it’s almost righteous—the path is baffling and unpredictable. No wonder he could concoct that kind of counterfeit-proof underworld currency. I truly wonder where his foundation comes from!”
…
Not far away, the Zhao uncle and nephew stood in midair, likewise staring intently at the heaven-piercing light pillar.
Zhao Jiutang stood with hands clasped behind his back, face stern, then suddenly let out a long sigh.
“Second Uncle, why the sigh out of nowhere?” Zhao Wanliang beside him spoke up.
His complexion was utterly different from Zhao Jiutang’s—a sickly pallor, with a faint layer of greenish-black energy visible around his cheekbones.
His whole person looked gloomy and pathological.
Zhao Jiutang’s brow was tightly furrowed. “Wanliang, that fool Zhao Zhihong looked down on people with those dog eyes of his earlier—I’m afraid he thoroughly offended this Lu Chen.
Now, this kid’s every feat outshines the last… Second Uncle is truly worried.”
“Worried? Worried about what? Worried that the God of Wealth he invokes will steal the incense offerings from our Zhao family’s God of Wealth?”
“It’s not entirely that. I just feel this kid’s luck is too good, his methods too strange, and he’s situated in the north of the city. If we let him develop further, it’ll be bad for our Zhao family!
Better to change tactics—be on good terms with him, and not use the same approach we use on the other new nobles. Otherwise…”
Before he could finish, Zhao Wanliang cut him off: “Second Uncle, why boost others’ morale and diminish our own? Don’t forget—the north of the city is, after all, our Zhao family’s home turf, built up over many years! We can give him ‘special treatment,’ but the Zhao family’s posture of looking down on new nobles must never be lost!”
He paused, his cold gaze sweeping over the light pillar. “Besides, if we really do what you say—treat him differently while still applying high pressure to the other families—don’t you think those families won’t react? Do it your way, and you might just make our Zhao family the target of everyone’s arrows.”
Hearing this, Zhao Jiutang pondered for a moment and felt there was indeed some sense in it.
If handled poorly, they’d please neither side and only land the Zhao family in bigger trouble.
“So according to you, from now on we treat the Lu family the same as the others?”
“Go with the flow, advance step by step. Why shackle yourself now over things in the future?”
Zhao Wanliang’s tone was airy and light.
…
At the same time, the phenomenon in this patch of heaven and earth grew ever more intense, drawing more and more eyes.
Quite a few Fourth-Rank Spirit Users, unable to contain their curiosity, tried to fly closer from all directions to see more clearly.
Boom—!!!
A terrifying burst of flame flared out, instantly ring-fencing the area within three kilometers of the light pillar into a temporary restricted zone!
There stood Yu Feng in crimson battle armor, proudly upright in the void like a god of war wreathed in flames.
His personal guards each wielded divine weapons, holding every position, eyes sharp as hawks, coldly sweeping over all who dared approach.
Yu Feng’s voice was ice-cold, carrying unquestionable majesty, rolling outward: “All of you, retreat beyond the boundary and observe quietly! Anyone who trespasses…”
Before the words faded, the encircling wall of flame roared several zhang higher, blazing fiercely, the scorching waves pressing down!
“Yes! We obey the City Lord’s command!”
Seeing that it was City Lord Yu Feng himself holding the field, those Spirit Users who had tried to approach all felt a chill in their hearts, sheepishly halted, and retreated far away, not daring the slightest offense.
…
However, the situation at the ritual site suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse.
In the sky, the stream of light formed from the smoke and fire of ten thousand households still flew endlessly toward the [Smoke and Fire Registry].
But the [Smoke and Fire Registry] was like a bottomless black hole, greedily devouring every wisp of smoke and fire, yet showing no change itself.
No spiritual light arose, no divine resonance circulated—it remained as dim as before.
Inside Nanshan Residential Complex, at Lu Chen’s home.
The stove fire never went out, and Mother Lu stir-fried dish after dish.
The cooking smoke rising from the wok seemed to have gained a spirit—the moment it appeared, it turned into faint light and slipped out the window, flying toward the sky.
“Strange, why is the fire getting smaller and smaller! Did you not turn the gas up all the way?!”
Mother Lu shouted anxiously at Lu Jianming.
Lu Jianming looked aggrieved. “I’ve already turned it to max! The gas canister’s almost empty!”
“What!! Oh dear! You always drop the ball at the critical moment!”
Mother Lu stamped her foot in frustration. Seeing the smoke and fire essence from their home growing thinner and thinner, she was frantic. “Oh no, the smoke and fire is getting weaker and weaker—what do we do?”
As if echoing her anxiety, similar commotion came from the neighbors above, below, front, and back.
“Damn, my gas is all burned up!”
“Oh no, I’ve finished cooking everything—there’s nothing left to make!”
“Fuck, the flame was too fierce—the pot really burned through!”
…
For a time, the smoke and fire essence drifting from each household dwindled at a visible rate, even cutting off entirely.
The thin river of light shrank noticeably as well.
Yet the [Smoke and Fire Registry]’s absorption rate didn’t slow—rather, it seemed to grow even more ferocious from “hunger,” gulping like a whale, instantly draining the remaining points of light.
“Not enough… still far from enough!”
Lu Chen’s expression tightened, and he inwardly cried out in alarm.
He had still underestimated the amount of smoke and fire essence needed to reignite this treasure.
As the thin stream of smoke and fire in the sky was completely severed—
The phenomenon around the altar began to rapidly decay. The heaven-piercing light pillar grew visibly thinner and more transparent, and the vast radiance in the sky fluctuated violently, showing signs of collapse.
…
This sudden turn of events immediately provoked reactions from all sides.
…
“Not good! The ritual’s spiritual power is faltering—something’s going wrong!”
Sun Qingcang’s expression changed drastically, the words escaping his mouth.
Beside him, Sun Yourong’s pretty face went pale, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes.
…
“It seems… it all comes to nothing in the end.”
Zhao Jiutang gazed at the about-to-collapse light pillar from afar, a trace of regret in his tone—and perhaps a hint of gloating.
“Damn!!”
Yet Zhao Wanliang beside him couldn’t help but curse under his breath.
Zhao Jiutang was stunned.
Why did Wanliang seem to actually want this ritual to succeed?
…
In the direction of the Wu family in the east of the city, Old Master Wu watched the flickering, about-to-extinguish light pillar and shook his head with a sigh.
“To summon such a grand spectacle, only to fail in the end due to insufficient foundation—what a pity.”
“Indeed.” His son Wu Jingzhi likewise lamented.
…
Above the dome, Ghost Emperor Zhang Heng also shook his head. “The range he can draw on is ultimately limited. Unless…”
“Unless he can draw on the smoke and fire of all the city’s people, all ten thousand households, converging into a torrent.”
Ghost Emperor Yang Yun picked up the thread. “But that would require immense mana and precise control. With this kid’s current strength, it’s impossible.”
“Impossible?”
Emperor Fengdu smiled faintly. “Not necessarily.”
