Xie Lian asked, “Is this your grave? Is that your wine that I drank?”

He was so drunk that he didn't hear clearly whether the will-o'-the-wisp answered him. He thought the owner of the tomb was dissatisfied and was trying to drive him away. He muttered, "Got it. I'll leave now."

Xie Lian climbed up holding the wine jar and took a staggering step. Unexpectedly, after taking a few steps, his feet suddenly felt empty, and with a "bang" he fell head over heels.

It turned out that there was a big pit in the cemetery. It was probably dug to bury the dead, but before the dead were buried, Xie Lian lay down in it first.

Xie Lian's forehead hit the edge of the pit, which hurt and made him feel even more dizzy. He was dizzy for a long time before he struggled to get up. His hands were covered in mud and blood, and he didn't know where he was broken.

He raised his hands, looked at it blankly for a while, and tried to climb out of the pit. But he had just drunk a jar of wine, and his hands and feet were weak, and he couldn't use any strength. He slipped down several times. Xie Lian collapsed back to the bottom of the pit, staring at the dark sky for a long time, very angry:

This pit isn’t that deep, why can’t I climb out?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Xie Lian couldn’t help but mutter, “…Fuck it.”

Xie Lian had never cursed anyone before. This was the first time he had uttered such words. The strange thing was that after cursing, the pent-up anger in his chest instantly dissipated. So, like a child who had tasted the sweetness of success, Xie Lian struggled to cling to the edge of the grave and cursed again, "I'm so fucking screwed!"

He slapped the ground and shouted, "Is there anyone here? Is there anyone who can help me?!"

Of course there was no one. There was only a ball of ghostly fire, dancing and never extinguishing. After Xie Lian fell, the ghostly fire rushed over as if trying to pull him, but it could never touch him. Xie Lian didn't care about it at all, and angrily said, "Just send someone to bury me!"

No matter how much he was scolded, he still had to crawl. After a lot of hard work, Xie Lian finally climbed up by himself. He was already in a mess, panting and lying on the ground. After a long while, he turned over and curled up with his arms around himself.

Xie Lian whispered, “It’s so cold.”

He spoke very quietly, afraid of being heard. But the will-o'-the-wisp heard it, flew over to his body, and the flame suddenly became much brighter, as if it was burning itself vigorously.

However, the will-o'-the-wisp is cold.

Even if it gets closer and burns out, it won't bring any warmth to the living.

In a trance, Xie Lian seemed to hear a tiny voice.

The voice seemed close yet far away, like a dream yet real, and it said desperately: "God, please wait for me, wait for me... Please give me a little more time... Let me... Let me..."

“…”

Xie Lian thought to himself, “God? Are you calling me?”

But it was no use praying to him.

Because when he was God, he was powerless. Now that he is no longer God, he can do nothing.

…

"…Your Highness? Your Highness? Your Highness!"

Xie Lian was woken up by Feng Xin.

He forced his eyes open and found himself lying in an alley. Feng Xin's face was hanging above him. When he saw him wake up, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, but then his face was filled with anger and he said, "Your Highness! What's wrong with you? You ran away for more than two days without saying a word! If you don't come back, I can't hide it from His Majesty and the others!"

Xie Lian slowly sat up and asked, “Two days?”

As soon as he said these two words, he realized that his throat was dry, his voice was hoarse, his eyebrows were twitching, and his head was splitting. He seemed to remember something, but also seemed to remember nothing. Feng Xin squatted beside him and said, "That's it! Two days! Where did you go?! Why did you go crazy just now?"

Was he drunk for two days? Wasn't he in a wild cemetery? Why was he lying here? And from Feng Xin's tone, Xie Lian had a bad feeling and asked, "What's wrong with me?"

Feng Xin said angrily: "You are possessed by evil spirits! You smashed stalls everywhere, beat people everywhere, and even stopped the Yong'an soldiers patrolling the streets! I don't know what else you did before!"

Hearing that he actually stopped the Yong'an soldiers, Xie Lian was shocked and asked, "I stopped the soldiers? Then... where are those soldiers?"

Feng Xin said, "Luckily I bumped into you and held you back. With your appearance, they thought you were a drunk and crazy person. They scolded you and didn't pay much attention. Otherwise, you would be dead. What happened to you? Why do I think you look drunk?"

Xie Lian looked down. He was now completely dirty and covered in mud. He scratched his hair and saw that it was so tangled that he looked like a criminal who was about to be dragged down to be executed. He really looked like those drunkards and lunatics who slept on the streets all day.

After a moment of silence, he got up and said vaguely: "Well...drank a little."

Feng Xin didn't react for a moment, and said, "What? How can you drink? How much did you drink to be drunk for two days?"

Seeing Feng Xin’s face full of disbelief, Xie Lian felt a little annoyed for no reason, and walked forward, saying, “I said I didn’t drink much, I just drank a little. It’s not a big deal. Why can’t I drink.”

Feng Xin didn't expect him to answer like this. He was stunned for a moment, then chased after him and said, "What do you mean by not doing anything? Why? Your Highness, have you forgotten that drinking alcohol will break your vows? You can't break your vows, otherwise how can you practice? You have to ascend again."

"..." As soon as Xie Lian heard about cultivation and ascension, he didn't want to listen anymore and quickened his pace. Feng Xin said, "Your Highness!"

He caught up with her again, hesitated for a moment, and said, "What happened? Tell me."

Hearing Feng Xin’s cautious question, Xie Lian opened his mouth, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

If he didn't find someone to talk to, he might collapse. But he wasn't sure how Feng Xin would react after he told her.

He didn't dare to gamble.

Seeing that he was dazed, Feng Xin said again: "To be honest, it's not murder, arson or robbery. Your Highness, is there anything you can't tell me?"

Hearing “it’s not murder, arson or robbery”, Xie Lian felt suffocated.

If he had been a little shaken, a little bit lucky, then at this moment, it was all shattered. Xie Lian lowered his head, turned around and continued walking, and said vaguely: "Nothing... It's just that I'm really tired. You..." He was about to make up an excuse, but suddenly found something on the side of Feng Xin's cheek, so he stopped and asked: "What's wrong with your face?"

Feng Xin touched his cheek and seemed to feel pain. His muscles twitched. The things on his face were bruises. Moreover, one of his arms was also wrapped in bandages, which were carefully bandaged layer by layer.

This bandage was definitely not applied by Feng Xin himself. However, Xie Lian was concerned about the injury underneath the bandage. He asked, “How did you get hurt?”

With Feng Xin's skills, ordinary people can't easily hurt him, and the injury was to his arm. Feng Xin didn't take it seriously and said, "Oh, it's nothing, those scoundrels just came to mess up the stall."

Xie Lian was confused and asked, “Are they the locals who performed that day?”

Feng Xin said: "That's them."

Xie Lian asked, “Why did they smash your stall?” Then he suddenly realized, “Because we admitted defeat that day, but you went to perform again, so they chased you away?”

This was probably the case. After figuring out the reason, Xie Lian suddenly felt a surge of anger in his heart.

He said stiffly: "Don't go!"

Feng Xin said nonchalantly, "Who cares! I'm going anyway. You're the one who admitted defeat, not me. Anyway, I didn't admit defeat, so I don't regret it. I just want to perform there. What else can they do to me except sneakily throwing things and smashing the stall? I was caught off guard this time, but I won't be the same next time. I'm not afraid of them even if we fight!"

After hearing this, the sudden anger in Xie Lian’s heart immediately dissipated, and was replaced by a feeling of guilt.

Despite the situation, he was still here alone, depressed and dejected. How could he be worthy of his loyal servants who had not left him even at this point?

Thinking of this, Xie Lian sighed and said, “I’m sorry, Feng Xin.”

Feng Xin was stunned, and waved his hands vigorously, saying: "Your Highness, why are you saying sorry to me? Isn't this nonsense?"

Xie Lian said, “You’ve been the only one earning money these days. Thank you for your hard work.”

Feng Xin said: "As long as you practice well and ascend again soon, it will be better than anything else!"

Hearing the word “ascension” again, Xie Lian nodded solemnly.

The king and the queen were kept in the dark by Feng Xin, and they only thought that Xie Lian had been out practicing. Seeing him come back, the queen happily cooked another meal. Xie Lian couldn't bear it, so he took Feng Xin's bowl and ate it for him. He had a sleepless night.

The next day, Feng Xin got up early and went out, while Xie Lian stayed behind to practice.

However, even though he had put in his utmost effort, he still couldn't concentrate.

This is just like everyone knows that the only way to succeed is to study hard. However, among ten thousand people, how many can really practice these four words? Similarly, even if he tells himself a thousand times in his heart that he should have no distractions, how can he do it?

For more than ten days, his cultivation progress had stagnated and he had gained nothing. Xie Lian couldn't help but feel anxious. Especially every night when Feng Xin dragged his tired body back and asked him with the queen if he had made any progress that day, Xie Lian felt an indescribable huge pressure.

But he didn't dare to tell the truth, and could only vaguely answer that there was progress, so Feng Xin and the queen were very happy. This was not a long-term solution. Two months later, Xie Lian finally couldn't let this situation continue.

One day, Feng Xin came back late at night, and the two of them were eating the leftovers from yesterday at the table. As they were eating, Xie Lian suddenly said to him, "I'm afraid I'll have to be away for a while."

Feng Xin was eating while he was stunned: "Ah? Leaving? Where are you going?"

Xie Lian said slowly, “I am going to find a quiet place with abundant spiritual energy to practice in seclusion.”

If the place of cultivation is rich in spiritual energy, it will be of great benefit to the practitioners. Before, Xie Lian could not make up his mind to leave his parents and two servants, so he could not get away. Now, he has changed his mind. Feng Xin said without thinking, "Great! Your Highness, you should have done this a long time ago! Pure cultivation is the most effective."

Xie Lian nodded, paused, and then said, “I’ll trouble you to look after father and the others while I’m away.”

Feng Xin was about to answer, but he hesitated for a moment. Although it was fleeting, Xie Lian was very familiar with him, so how could he not notice his hesitation?

At this moment, the king in the room said, "You can go. I don't need anyone to look after me."

Feng Xin and Xie Lian put down their bowls and chopsticks and looked into the room. The king hadn't rested yet, and heard their conversation, so he interrupted. Xie Lian shook his head and whispered, "You're trying to be brave again." Feng Xin smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. That's for sure."

Now he answered readily, but Xie Lian did not forget that just now, Feng Xin seemed to hesitate for a moment before answering, as if he had other concerns.

But, thinking about it, he felt that maybe he was wrong. Feng Xin didn't know anyone else except them, and he had no other concerns. What else could he worry about? He ignored it and turned to think about tomorrow's itinerary.

The next day, Xie Lian packed his simple bag and temporarily said goodbye to his parents and Feng Xin.

He walked for dozens of miles, sleeping in the open air for several days, and finally found a secluded mountain suitable for spiritual practice. After a survey, Xie Lian was stunned at first, and then he was overjoyed:

"How lucky... This place has excellent feng shui, and it's actually a rare blessed place!"

After being unlucky until now, his luck suddenly turned around. Xie Lian was still a little bit unbelievable. After repeated confirmation, it was no doubt that this was a treasure land with abundant spiritual energy. If he could concentrate on practicing here for a few months, he would achieve twice the result with half the effort and make rapid progress!

Xie Lian seemed to see hope. His gloomy mood suddenly brightened up, and he was overjoyed. “Father, Mother, Feng Xin, wait for me. I will be back soon!”

After climbing the steep and rugged mountain road for three or four hours, Xie Lian finally entered the depths of this sacred mountain before sunset.

Walking through the dense forest, he could clearly feel that he was getting closer and closer to the source of spiritual energy. Xie Lian's footsteps became faster and faster. Unexpectedly, just as he was choosing a place to practice meditation, he suddenly heard a flurry of footsteps behind him.

In such a secluded mountain area, there were unexpectedly so many footsteps. Xie Lian subconsciously turned around to look. He never expected that the smile on his face would freeze when he saw this.

Behind him, many people appeared, about thirty of them, of varying heights, weights, and appearances, and wearing different clothes, but without exception, they were all priests. A few were the last priests of the Upper Heaven, and most were priests of the Lower Heaven.

Among them, there were those little priests who were blocked and robbed last time!

When they saw Xie Lian, their expressions changed slightly, and they talked about something in a low voice. When they saw them, Xie Lian's hands began to tremble slightly.

The two sides looked at each other. After a while, a priest coughed and said, "What a coincidence, I actually met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince here."

"Yes, why is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince here?"

“…”

Xie Lian nodded slightly, and answered as calmly and calmly as possible, "I came here to practice."

Although he is totally different now, Xie Lian still tries his best to speak in the same tone as before he was demoted, not letting himself be humble or feel guilty.

The priest on the other side smiled and said, "What a coincidence! We are here to practice as well."

"Yeah, yeah, I didn't expect to bump into the same place. Hehehe..."

It turned out that this blessed place was not only discovered by him, but also by dozens of priests.

Faced with this situation, Xie Lian hesitated. Was he going to practice with so many priests?

To be honest, he was reluctant to practice with other priests. First, he was here to practice in seclusion. If he couldn't be alone, and had to be with so many people, he would inevitably be disturbed. Some people liked to practice in groups, "so that they could take care of each other", but Xie Lian always practiced alone.

Secondly, after the last highway robbery, he was now nervous whenever he saw the priests he had dealt with in the past. He always felt that their gazes were like needles pricking him. For example, at this moment, he had the illusion that everyone was examining him with subtle eyes. As a result, he had no intention of practicing at all.

Although there is a rule about occupying the blessed land, which is first come first served, as long as Xie Lian is strong enough, he can say that I was here first and you guys please find another place to practice, but the few junior priests who caught him robbing are right across the street, so it’s not good to be too strong. Moreover, he occupied the blessed land by himself and drove away so many priests, which is overbearing. Even though Xie Lian resisted practicing with other priests in his heart, he had no choice. He couldn’t find another place for cultivation with such abundant spiritual energy for a while, so he nodded and said, "Yes, what a coincidence. Then I will go in first, and please do as you please."

As he said this, he wanted to leave in a hurry and find the quietest cave to hide in. Unexpectedly, as soon as he turned around, a priest behind him said, "Wait a minute?"

Xie Lian paused, turned around and asked in confusion, “What’s going on?”

Some of the thirty-odd priests exchanged glances, while others spoke in low voices. After a moment, one of them stood up and said with a smile, "Your Highness the Crown Prince has occupied quite a few blessed caves in the past. Why don't you give this one to us?"

Xie Lian was stunned for a long while before he reacted.

Their intention was to let him leave alone?

It's incomprehensible and too much!

A surge of blood rushed to his head. Xie Lian thought, "I came here first, I didn't ask you to leave, why are you asking me to leave?"

But he couldn’t get angry rashly. After a moment of silence, Xie Lian slowly tightened his fingers around the straps of his bag and said stiffly, “Everyone, what do you mean by this?”

A priest said, "This... didn't I just say it... His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has occupied quite a few blessed places in the past..."

Xie Lian interrupted him and said, “But what does that have to do with this? Just because I’ve occupied a lot of spiritual lands in the past, does that mean I’m not allowed to come to a spiritual land to practice in the future?”

The priest was blocked by him and remained silent. Xie Lian tried to be calm and said, "Besides, I don't quite understand. It's not that I am cultivating here, so you can't cultivate here. Isn't it common to cultivate in a shared spiritual land? What's wrong with everyone cultivating on their own? Why do you have to let me leave?"

At this time, someone muttered, "...Don't play dumb. There are already more than thirty people here. If you practice here, what else can others practice..."

Although that person was quickly subdued by others, Xie Lian still understood instantly.

I see!

The spiritual energy of a blessed land is limited. During cultivation, if one person takes up half, the next person can only take up the other half. And if one person takes up 80%, the other person can only take up 20%. The stronger the ability to absorb spiritual energy for one's own use, the more spiritual energy can be occupied.

These priests were worried that if he also cultivated here, he would take up most of the spiritual energy. And if the remaining spiritual energy was divided among the thirty or so people, there would be very little left for each person!

After figuring this out, Xie Lian's blood rushed even more fiercely. He clenched his fists and said coldly, "...I want to practice here."

A priest on the opposite side said, "Your Highness, we respect you and that's why we are willing to call you Your Highness. You are a mortal now, why do you have to compete with us for the spiritual land?"

Xie Lian said, “Since I am a mortal and you are all priests, what are you afraid of if I cultivate here? If I don’t leave, will you force me to leave?”

Of course that was not possible. If a mortal had not committed a serious offense, but a priest used force against him, he would be punished. The priests really couldn't do anything about him. However, Xie Lian forgot one thing.

Just as he was stubbornly confronting the thirty-odd priests, a voice suddenly said, "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has been demoted to the mortal world, and his bones have become even harder. Not only will he rob mortals, he will also offend priests. Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Lian felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave!

He looked up suddenly and saw that the person who spoke was an inconspicuous lower-level priest. However, it was not any of the priests who had discovered the incident that day!

As expected, they had already told everyone! It wasn’t Xie Lian’s illusion just now. Everyone was indeed looking at him with that kind of subtle eyes. Everyone knew it, these priests, all knew it!!!

In an instant, Xie Lian seemed to have his bones pulled out, and all the arrogance in his body disappeared. His eyes were almost bloodshot. He turned his head stiffly and looked at the young priests. He said in a hoarse voice: "...You said you wouldn't tell anyone else."