Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

The old man, who claimed to be ’human’, clearly held a high status among this group of monsters.

The moment he appeared, the chaotic clamor of the others around him vanished.

When Li Chang’an asked his question, the old man didn’t directly answer about the so-called “truth.” Instead, he looked Li Chang’an up and down a few times and suddenly asked, “You have the Power of Incense in your body?”

Li Chang’an was taken aback. ’I haven’t let even a trace of my aura leak out, yet he can still sense the Power of Incense on me. His perception must be far sharper than I anticipated.’

After a moment’s thought, Li Chang’an didn’t try to hide it. He nodded and said, “I do have some Power of Incense, but the Incense and Candle Divine Dao is not the path I pursue. I’m sure you can sense that much.”

The old man didn’t jump to conclusions.

Instead, he circled Li Chang’an, sizing him up carefully for a long time before speaking again. “Honored guest, ordinarily, since you’ve earned the recognition of the Human Emperor’s Supreme Treasure, I shouldn’t doubt your loyalties. But those bastards from the Celestial Realm have been coveting our Hell for a long, long time. So, before we can talk further, please cleanse yourself of that Power of Incense. Otherwise, we cannot fully trust you.”

’I didn’t expect them to be so hostile toward the Power of Incense,’ Li Chang’an thought.

Regardless, he wasn’t about to simply cleanse himself of the Power of Incense. No matter how flawed the Incense and Candle Divine Dao was, it was still a path that could significantly boost his combat strength.

Li Chang’an might not treat it as his primary path, but he wouldn’t just abandon the Dao Fruit he had spent so many years painstakingly cultivating.

Seeing that Li Chang’an was unwilling to give up the Power of Incense, the expressions of the various misshapen monsters in the lava lake turned hostile. In turn, the temperature of the entire Hell seemed to rise imperceptibly.

A monster rose to its feet, its massive body dripping with scalding magma.

The monster’s crimson eyes locked onto Li Chang’an as it sneered, “I knew something was off about this guy! He’s just a spy sent by those bastards to infiltrate our clan! Chieftain, kill him! Let him have a taste of what it’s like to be consumed by endless flames!”

With this monster taking the lead, the other monsters immediately roared in agreement, and the atmosphere grew dangerously tense.

Seeing that his people were on the verge of erupting, the wizened old man waved a hand, signaling for everyone to calm down. His slightly cloudy eyes stared at Li Chang’an as he slowly asked, “May I ask why you’re unwilling to wash away the Power of Incense? That thing is nothing but a dog leash the so-called Immortals of the Celestial Realm use to control the Lower Realm. Being tainted by it won’t do your future any good.”

Li Chang’an had thought a fierce fight was unavoidable.

He hadn’t expected the old man to actually be willing to hear him out.

’Looks like this so-called Hell is truly different from what I imagined.’

Then again, it made sense.

After all, his understanding of Hell came from the Mortal Realm, and the Mortal Realm was the Celestial Realm’s backyard. Since the Celestial Realm controlled the narrative, they could describe Hell however they pleased. Hell, being so isolated, couldn’t exactly argue its own case.

So he said calmly, “Power itself is neutral. You think the Incense and Candle Divine Dao is the Celestial Realm’s dog leash because they use it on dogs. I don’t see it that way, because I’ve never considered myself a dog!”

He paused, his voice growing serious and earnest. “In fact, while the Incense and Candle Divine Dao has many flaws, it is undeniably a path that allows one to grow stronger quickly!”

Hearing this, the old man’s gaze grew profound. After a long moment, a cryptic smile played on his lips. “But humans cannot cultivate through the Incense and Candle Divine Dao. You are a Spiritual Object. Your perspective is different from that of a human.”

Li Chang’an shook his head. “You need not worry about my loyalties. In the world outside, I have introduced a path of cultivation to all of humanity, a path called the Martial Dao. Any ordinary human can follow the Martial Dao to stand against Extraordinary Divine Spirits!”

The old man clearly didn’t believe him. The other creatures nearby were also giving Li Chang’an a look that said, ’Are you fucking kidding me?’

Li Chang’an knew that making such a claim without proof sounded like complete nonsense.

Therefore, he decided not to waste any more breath and said directly, “Since you claim to be human, I can teach you the Cultivation Method of the Martial Dao. If you can cultivate it, that will prove both your human identity and that I’m telling the truth. How about it?”

Li Chang’an’s idea would kill two birds with one stone.

’After all, a group of terrifying monsters living in Hell who call themselves human… that’s a hard pill to swallow.’

This was the perfect chance to use the Martial Dao’s Cultivation Method to test them.

The old man glanced at the horde of monsters behind him, then nodded. “Very well. Let the facts speak for themselves.”

Seeing the old man agree, Li Chang’an nodded. Without holding back, he began teaching the Martial Dao Cultivation Method he had developed to the monsters of Hell.

Of course, he didn’t reveal everything, only a portion of it.

As Li Chang’an actually began to share a cultivation path they had never heard of, the clamorous Hell fell abruptly silent.

All the monsters submerged themselves in the boiling lava lake, and for a long time, there was not a sound.

Li Chang’an wasn’t in a hurry.

After waiting for several hours, the quiet magma lake suddenly began to boil. A monster over ten meters tall and covered in bone spikes erupted from the lava, its voice laced with excitement. “Chieftain! The Cultivation Method this guy taught us is real! I did it! It worked!”