Genshin Impact's Incense Burner Of Liyue [524]

"Whether I should undergo this calamity or not—isn't up to you bunch of idiots to decide!"

Gu Sanqiu burst into wild laughter, summoning his spear back into his hand. Without hesitation, he lunged toward the three figures before him, ready to kill.

"Who are they?!"

The defeated cultivators frowned as they watched the sudden appearance of these three new arrivals. To be honest, they had no idea where these people came from.

"Not sure. But judging by their fighting techniques, they also belong to the cultivation world. Maybe some old geezers who came running when they heard the toll of the Golden Bell."

The master of Canglong Mountain looked puzzled. "Still, something feels… off."

"If they wanted to take part in the Strife for Ascendancy, wouldn’t it have been better to notify us beforehand? Judging by their strength, if we worked together, we could achieve far greater results."

"I don’t know."

The mountain master turned his gaze toward the Golden Bell of Strife. "As the luck-bearing artifact of our cultivation world, if the Golden Bell hasn’t reacted abnormally, it means they do belong to our path of cultivation. It’s just that we don’t know their identities."

"The battle must go on."

The three surrounded Gu Sanqiu, and their clash raged from the skies to the earth in an endless cycle.

It wasn’t that they found this style of combat entertaining—rather, the sheer force and intensity of their battle had long surpassed ordinary levels. They needed a larger space to maneuver, to create opportunities.

But the longer Gu Sanqiu fought, the more shocked he became. He couldn't defeat these three!

Each of them, taken individually, was already stronger than him!

Although the battle seemed to continue, in reality, he was struggling on his own. At times, even when he tried to exchange injury for injury, it was useless. These three moved as if they were a single entity—whenever he struck, another would always block his attack!

"Damn it! So this so-called death tribulation is just one-sided suppression?!"

Gu Sanqiu cursed, his figure flickering as he revealed his true form—three heads, six arms, each wielding a weapon as he faced the trio head-on. Only then did he barely manage to stabilize the situation, preventing himself from being beaten into a bloody mess.

But even with his manifested form, the energy drain was immense. Gu Sanqiu could feel the great cauldron within him depleting like a leaky wooden barrel—his elemental power was rapidly diminishing.

"No, I have to kill one of them!"

A vicious gleam flashed in Gu Sanqiu’s eyes. The dark will within him surged for the first time, concealing the newly gained power within one of his heads and arms. Seizing an opening, he swung his sword—striking one of his enemies directly on the shoulder!

It landed!

Yet, to Gu Sanqiu’s shock, even though his blade had clearly connected—slicing through flesh and drawing real blood—the enemy didn’t falter in the slightest!

The central figure clenched his muscles, locking Gu Sanqiu’s weapon in place, while the other two darted to his flanks. They each launched a devastating punch, not only shattering his manifested form but also breaking Gu Sanqiu’s bones from both sides!

"[Hundredfold Gravity]!"

Unable to maintain his grip on his weapon, Gu Sanqiu had no choice but to forcefully expand his domain with elemental power, using repulsion to push the three monsters away and create distance.

Grimacing in pain, he gritted his teeth. The white flames within him and his dark will activated simultaneously, aggressively expelling the mysterious force coiling around his fractured bones, accelerating his recovery.

But even so, that unknown power was as tenacious as a lovesick fool chasing after an unattainable goddess. Even with his white flames and dark will, it was taking too long.

His enemies wouldn’t grant him time to recover. With no other option, Gu Sanqiu resorted to pure leg techniques fused with magic—but against three powerhouses vastly stronger than himself, the result was even worse than before.

Two more heavy punches slammed into his wounded abdomen. His vision darkened, but the INCENSE BURNER within him refused to yield. The blood spilling from his mouth and wounds ignited violently—transforming into swords and lightning that exploded toward his foes!

"If that’s how it is, then I’ll fight until the last drop of my blood is spilled!"

Gu Sanqiu roared in defiance. Like a cornered beast, he manipulated his own blood—spitting it forth, forging it into countless blade-like bolts of lightning that struck his enemies with brutal precision!

He no longer cared about the other two constantly attacking him.

The more you hit me, the more material I have to strike back!

I’ll kill one of you today—no matter what!

With his [Dragonscale Shield] reinforcing his defenses, Gu Sanqiu barely withstood the onslaught. Once again, his burning blood transformed into a searing arsenal, piercing straight through his enemy’s skull!

"Die!"

Relentless, Gu Sanqiu pressed on, his blood-covered face twisted with an unyielding killing intent. Unleashing the combined force of the fierce wind and rock, he swung his leg with devastating power—shattering his opponent’s chest, flesh and bone torn apart in an instant!

But this final attack drained him completely.

The remaining two warriors struck him in the head and chest, sending him crashing to the ground!

Before he could react, they closed in—delivering a synchronized blow that shattered both his legs, stripping him of any remaining resistance.

"Roar!"

A dragon’s cry erupted from within Gu Sanqiu, and with his last strength, he forced out a final blood sword, piercing through one of his enemy’s chests!

But it was meaningless now.

Gu Sanqiu was as good as a corpse—the only difference between him and a limbless husk was that his arms and legs were still barely attached.

"Such a brutal battle..."

The mountain master’s expression was solemn. "With that last sequence of attacks, the Incense Lord shouldn’t have any strength left to fight back."

Hu Tao’s face was ice-cold. She drew her Staff of Homa and strode forward—she was going to intervene!

"Hall Master Hu, you cannot interfere."

The mountain master blocked her path. "The Strife for Ascendancy forbids outside interference. It is an ironclad rule of the cultivation world, passed down since ancient times. Even you cannot break it."

Flames erupted from the Homa, but Hu Tao stared at him, unwavering.

"Rules mean nothing compared to his life."

"Then forgive me for this."

The mountain master prepared to act—but a giant condor suddenly landed in front of Hu Tao, plucking a slip of paper from its feathers and handing it to her.

Don't act recklessly. I won’t die. Behave.

Hu Tao stared at the note in silence. The flames on her staff slowly dimmed as she chose not to move forward.

"He’s been lying to me since we were kids—lying about everything."

Hu Tao suddenly murmured, "But there’s one thing he would never joke about: life and death."

"Because he knows that in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, we take such matters very seriously."

"If he says he won’t die, then he won’t die."

As Gu Sanqiu’s contingency plan began to take effect, his body was already completely immobilized. The only strength he had left was just enough to keep his eyelids open—to see what these two were planning to do next.

But what happened next shocked him to the core.

The man he had just killed, the one whose skull he had personally pierced through—was standing before him again, completely unharmed.

That… wasn’t normal.

"Heh… so you’re actually stepping in yourself? That’s some next-level shamelessness."

Gu Sanqiu let out a bitter chuckle.

Aside from one last desperate measure—one with almost no chance of success—he had nothing left to fight with.

One of his enemies extended a hand, reaching toward Gu Sanqiu’s forehead.

The closer it got, the stronger his instinctive dread became.

A deep, primal fear gripped his soul, screaming at him that he absolutely could not let them touch him!

No. Absolutely not!

Something truly terrifying will happen!

Fight back! Fight back!

"So that’s it… you beat me to this state just to make sure I can’t resist?"

Murderous intent still burned in Gu Sanqiu’s gaze. "That unknown force of yours needs a stable environment to take effect, doesn’t it? Fine, then—I’ll drag you all down with me!"

The heavy seals upon his soul shattered—black will surged forth like a spreading corruption, on the verge of completely erupting!

"My dear prince… do you still remember my words?"

"When you are swallowed by despair, all it takes is a single thought… and the Abyss shall open its gates to you."

"We—faithful servants of the Supreme Grace—shall appear, to offer you a most magnificent coronation for your rebirth."

At that moment, time itself seemed to freeze.

A monstrous hand emerged from a pitch-black rift in space, its grip falling precisely on the enemy’s outstretched arm. With an effortless twist, it snapped the limb in half.

On the other side, another spatial rift tore open—revealing a golden moonlit sword, wrapped in swirling violet-black energy, which elegantly pierced straight through all three of his foes.

That sword… was Lumine’s?!

Gu Sanqiu barely had time to process it.

Instead, he immediately sealed away the black will within his soul once more.

Since someone had stepped in to help, he no longer needed to risk everything.

"Though His Highness has yet to succumb to despair… disrupting the Heavenly Principles' schemes is a victory in itself."

From the rift stepped a tall, slender creature, its form both grotesque and elegant. Beside it stood a golden-haired girl, her back turned toward Gu Sanqiu, silently dealing with the corpses of their enemies—without so much as sparing him a glance.

The monstrous figure, clad in regal attire, turned to face Gu Sanqiu and gracefully bowed.

"You have shattered your Death Tribulation—though some outside force aided you, your strength and fate-star shall undoubtedly ascend to greater heights."

"At the same time… you have also taken a step toward the Supreme Grace."

"Congratulations, Your Highness. The Golden Bell has tolled three times."

"Rejoice, Your Highness. The Grace now walks with you."

"May the day come… when we stand as companions."

Dong——

Dong——

Dong——

The Golden Bell rang three times—signifying ascension through battle.

The frozen time unraveled.

All around them, the spirit beasts felt their minds clear, as if their consciousness had been refreshed by the resounding toll.

But in the very next instant—

The giant condor, along with a horde of other spirit beasts, let out shrill cries as they rushed toward Gu Sanqiu, forming an impenetrable barrier around him!

The mountain master and his disciples looked on in confusion—but behind them, in the sects to which these spirit beasts belonged, countless powerful cultivators let out furious, unrestrained roars.

They, too, surged forward—charging toward Gu Sanqiu’s position.

"That’s the beasts’ innate spiritual perception!"

"Someone… has interfered with their spiritual awareness!"

"This is outrageous! Those three weren’t from our cultivation world at all—there’s something wrong with them!"

"Protect the Incense Lord!"

---

T/N: Supreme Grace is Lumine! His Highness is referring to Gu, I don't remember but I'm pretty sure Lumine is trying to get her to join him...

This is a fan translation of 原神之璃月奉香人 by 淡白蛋清. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!