Chapter 110: The Surge of Divine Essence

The divine essence within the Eight Extremity Divine Essence Crystal was being sucked out at breakneck speed, gushing into Li Che’s mud-pill inner realm like water bursting through a dam.

Li Che felt a slight tremor throughout his body as his mud-pill inner realm pulsed with a swollen sensation, as though it could barely contain the surging divine force.

The inner realm, located at the brow, was a mysterious part of the body.

Even while refining divine essence, one must exercise restraint, for the inner realm lies within the mind; any damage there could have dire repercussions.

Yet at this moment, Li Che…

showed little fear.

He relished the thrill of his rapid power absorption—if his Pure Heart Dao Fruit could absorb, he let it do so without hesitation.

And if it couldn’t absorb anymore, the Pure Heart Dao Fruit would automatically pause; how thoughtful it was.

Fixated on the ever-ripening progress, Li Che’s mind cleared as his eyes sparkled.

Sitting cross-legged, he activated the Chess Sage Dao Fruit to unfurl the Cosmic Chessboard, masking his divine aura.

Gathering his spirit, qi, and essence, he focused entirely on refining the Eight Extremity Divine Essence Crystal!

The Pure Heart Dao Fruit pulsed wildly as it absorbed eagerly—before long, Li Che noticed its ripeness had reached 50%!

Over half ripened!

Too fast!

Absolutely insane!

The intensely potent white divine essence was being crazily extracted, merging into the mud-pill inner realm and blending with the vast reservoir of Pure Heart energy.

That vast river grew stronger, its surging majesty increasing by the second.

It even outshone the divine streams of Chin Ku Zhen Gui, Xin E Jing Gang, and Suspended Thought Sword, each already at a Yangxing Ruhe level.

Even the Three-Eyed Furious True Lord Divine Foundation trembled slightly under the overwhelming force of the Pure Heart flow!

Fortunately, the Pure Heart’s divine nature always kept its distance from other essences, so despite the tremors and surges, balance was maintained without any catastrophic collapse.

Li Che sensed the myriad divine forces within his inner realm…

a stirring in his heart reminded him that he needed to quickly forge additional divine foundations.

He felt the increasingly majestic and dense Pure Heart divine essence—the white essence drawn from the Eight Extremity Divine Essence Crystal was far purer than that extracted from the Tendu Divine Essence Crystal.

The Pure Heart cleansing required hardly any time, preserving roughly 80% of the divine power in pristine form!

The Unsullied divine essence grew ever mightier, merging into a river of power that nearly transformed into a torrential surge, completely overtaking the other flows as it dominated the inner realm.

Even the Three-Eyed Furious True Lord Divine Foundation gradually lost its capability to compete with the Pure Heart’s power.

At that moment, the strength of ranked power seemed utterly nullified!

Boom—!

Suddenly, Li Che felt as though his mind were about to explode; his mud-pill inner realm erupted in a brilliant, blinding white radiance!

Li Che’s expression shifted slightly—had something gone wrong?

Had the overwhelming power of the Eight Extremity Divine Essence Crystal shattered his inner realm?

If so, Li Che would be left utterly desolate.

Fortunately, his mind remained agile—even clearer than before.

Countless streams of white divine essence bubbled as they overwhelmed all his senses.

Yet he could sense an immensely powerful compressive force erupting within his inner realm.

A sudden chill shot through him, making Li Che shudder all over.

It was unbelievable—in his battle-hardened state, not even cold could faze him; even if thrown into an icy abyss, his roiling life force could boil water in an instant!

But in this moment…

Something was off!

It was a chill emanating from within—a deep, soul-level cold!

It was as though a fusion reaction inside was draining all surrounding heat, causing the temperature to plummet.

When the milky white haze before his eyes finally vanished,

Li Che saw his mud-pill inner realm reappear before him.

Three divine essence streams meandered through the space, with the Three-Eyed Furious True Lord Divine Foundation suspended among them, unleashing its power carelessly.

Beside it, another divine foundation emerged, exuding a gentle, warm white glow.

It was as dense and heavy as a massive cylindrical candy carved from stone.

“This is…”

“A divine foundation?!”

Li Che was stunned, and then his face grew strangely pensive.

Forging a divine foundation… could it really be that simple?

It flowed naturally—smooth and effortless!

Before he even realized it, his Pure Heart divine foundation had been forged, effortlessly absorbing the essence from the Eight Extremity Divine Essence Crystal.

Li Che’s second divine foundation now floated calmly within his inner realm.

It lacked the intimidating and oppressive aura of the Three-Eyed Furious True Lord foundation—its presence did not incite uncontrollable anger.

The Pure Heart divine foundation was immaculate, exuding no threat—only a clarity that soothed the soul.

“So…”

Li Che squinted, wondering what purpose this Pure Heart foundation served.

Beyond bolstering his Pure Heart essence, did it have another function?

Suddenly, an idea struck him: he manipulated the Pure Heart foundation, drawing it closer to the Three-Eyed Furious True Lord foundation.

The moment they neared, a surge of suction erupted.

It was like two round magnets clashing with a resounding ‘clack’!

In an instant—

Li Che immediately sensed that the Three-Eyed Furious True Lord foundation’s aura had skyrocketed far beyond its previous limits…

It was a breakthrough that shattered all previous constraints!

As though…

It had been elevated by an entire rank!

Originally, Li Che’s Three-Eyed Furious True Lord foundation was at the Eight Extremity Superior rank.

Now… it seemed to have directly ascended to the lower tier of the Seven Elements!

Seven-Element Divine Foundation!

Even if it were illusory…

Li Che couldn’t help but smile, unable to contain his delight.

“So, the Pure Heart foundational force… really works like this.”

“Then if I acquire the Four Sovereign Divine Foundation Technique and modify my foundation—combined with the boost from Pure Heart—could I directly ascend to the ‘Three Pure’ level?!”

Li Che’s eyes sparkled as he considered the possibility—it was thrilling.

Yet, as Li Qingshan had warned, a higher divine foundation was not automatically better; the higher the rank, the stronger the physical body needed to be.

If his body wasn’t strong enough, his inner realm could collapse, his body shatter, eventually succumbing to the foundation’s control and turning into a mindless monster, slowly wasting away.

Li Che decided he must proceed cautiously.

“However, once the Divine Form is reached, one can no longer alter the divine foundation—so it’s crucial to build it solidly beforehand.”

Li Che opened his eyes, withdrawing his spirit from the mud-pill inner realm.

An intense surge of qi and blood filled the entire workshop.

Frowning, Li Che realized that at the moment his aura had combined to unleash the Seven-Element Divine Foundation’s power, his body had uncontrollably activated Vajra Transformation, enduring the relentless onslaught of that energy.

He felt the qi, blood, and divine essence permeating the room…

Exhale—

Inhale—

Li Che breathed steadily.

A massive suction erupted from the mud pill, drawing back every scattered trace of divine essence.

Inside the workshop, not a hint of divine aura escaped, and his qi and blood were gulped back as if by a leviathan.

At the same time, a luminous prompt flashed before his eyes.

【Dao Fruit: Pure Heart (LV3 0%)】

Li Che’s eyes gleamed.

Glancing at the Eight Extremity Divine Essence Crystal in his hand—which still held about a third of its divine power—he realized it had already pushed his Pure Heart to LV3!

Before him, golden light suddenly flashed!

【Dao Fruit LV3, further evolving to Divine Technique Prototype: ‘Pure Heart – Spirit Confinement’】

Li Che’s breathing quickened sharply.

It was done!

The third Dao Fruit had birthed yet another divine technique prototype!

Following Immortal Craft: Qianxi Hand and Dragon Elephant Vajra: Ascend the Tower, the Pure Heart – Spirit Confinement prototype had officially emerged!

Li Che’s heart blazed with fervor, his emotions surging!

Within his chest, the Pure Heart Dao Fruit pounded mightily; every beat unleashed countless strands of divine essence like writhing tendrils!

They wildly danced amidst the heavens and earth!

【Divine Technique Prototype (Pure Heart – Spirit Confinement): Perfect Clarity and Purity, Capable of Perceiving All, Commanding Spirits, and Summoning Warriors, Worshipped by All Gods】

A glowing introduction flowed before his eyes like liquid gold!

Gradually, Li Che’s emotions calmed as he studied the description with careful thought.

It reminded him a bit of Ascend the Tower—at first, he couldn’t quite decipher the meaning.

But after a while, his heart began to flutter.

He sensed divine tendrils sprouting from the Pure Heart foundation…

much like a malevolent deity controlling its minions…

or a puppeteer expertly manipulating marionette strings…

It all felt decidedly ominous!

“You call this ‘Pure Heart’? Immaculate—so pure it almost seems dark?”

“It just seems downright sinister.”

Li Che couldn’t help but mutter under his breath.

Closing his eyes, he began to understand; the function of the Pure Heart – Spirit Confinement prototype was gradually becoming clear.

He opened his eyes and exhaled deeply.

Raising his hand, a grey-black divine chess piece materialized in his palm.

It had been formed from the divine essence extracted from the corpse of a Corpse God Sect emissary after its defeat.

Qianxi Hand had absorbed from the Cosmic Chessboard’s reservoir, and now…

was this Pure Heart at work?

Divine Technique Prototype: Pure Heart – Spirit Confinement!

With a sudden surge!

A mighty torrent of divine essence burst forth from the Pure Heart energy!

In an instant, Li Che felt his eyes turn white, as if veiled by a faint wisp of smoke.

Unlike the golden mist of Ascend the Tower, the ethereal white haze lent him an aloof, indifferent aura!

It was as if he looked down on all life itself, viewing everything merely as cold chess pieces on a board.

He directed the divine tendrils of his Pure Heart foundation onto the Corpse God Sect emissary’s divine chess piece.

Instantly…

The divine chess pieces unique to the emissary erupted from the chessboard, piling up relentlessly before Li Che.

Gradually…

they transformed into the twisted, grotesque likeness of the emissary, with dull, ashen-grey skin.

Devoid of life, with not even a hint of a beating heart…

They were nothing more than lifeless formations, entirely forged from divine essence.

With a mere thought, he could control the emissary completely, making it obey his every command…

as though it had become one of his personal soldiers!

Spirit Confinement… harnessing divine essence to form his very own divine general?!

Li Che took a deep breath—he intended to squeeze every last bit of power from the cultivator dying at his hands.

“It seems only cultivators at the Divine Foundation stage qualify to be ‘confined’ by me…”

Inspired, Li Che’s Pure Heart tendrils coalesced to form yet another divine general.

It was Lin Da, the Second-in-Command of the Million Gambling House, at the initial Divine Foundation stage.

That Corpse God Sect emissary possessed a late-stage Divine Foundation, but his strength lay in his cursed iron corpse body; not a masterful fighter, yet hard to kill given his foundation prowess.

Alas, he had encountered Li Che in his Ascend the Tower state…

Li Che effortlessly crushed the Temple Spirit chess piece, as if the Temple Spirit itself had manifested—rendering his opponent invincible at that level.

No matter how formidable that cursed iron corpse was, it was doomed to be smashed to pieces before Li Che’s peerless might!

“Controlling two divine generals is already quite taxing—ahead, I suppose I can barely manage three Divine Foundation generals!”

Li Che felt the strain on his divine perception.

It was mainly because his Divine Foundation was still at the initial stage, his mental strength limited.

“That’s enough… In battle, unleashing three assistants would be downright terrifying.”

Li Che chuckled.

Ogre’s treachery and cunning were about to be raised to a whole new level.

“Also…”

Li Che’s eyes flickered subtly.

He raised his hand and a pitch-black divine chess piece floated above his palm.

“Temple Spirit chess piece…”

“Could I… confine the Temple Spirit as a general?”

“…”

“…”

“Knock knock knock.”

“Brother Li, your customer has arrived.”

Outside, Shangguan Qinghong gently knocked on the door and called out.

Li Che suppressed his urge to use Spirit Confinement on the Temple Spirit; in that moment, the two divine generals he had already confined appeared within his inner realm.

Under the Pure Heart foundation’s tendrils, they dangled like puppets, swaying with every movement.

The sight was undeniably eerie.

Li Che withdrew his focus, his eyes gleaming, as he took out the Zhong Kui Statue and set it atop the desk.

Then he opened the door.

Shangguan Qinghong stood playfully outside, accompanied by a young novice in cyan-blue monk robes.

The novice bore six scar marks on his head and had a gentle countenance.

“This is Master Fazhong of Xinyuan Temple—the client who commissioned the [Angry Gaze Ghost-Subduing] statue.”

Shangguan Qinghong said to Li Che.

The monk bowed respectfully upon seeing Li Che, his expression as gentle as ever.

Li Che glanced at the monk; the surging divine essence radiating from him was as wild as burning flames, seemingly warping the very air.

“I am the humble monk Fazhong. Pleased to meet you, Master Li.”

The monk in cyan-blue robes smiled as he spoke.

Li Che returned the bow and invited them into the workshop.

Once inside, Master Fazhong’s eyes shifted subtly as his gaze fell upon the blood-colored wooden carving, as if he saw a mighty torrent of divine essence swirling around it.

No trace of sinister or ghostly aura could approach—it was as if the entire workshop radiated resplendent, brilliant energy.

“This wooden carving…”

Master Fazhong, clearly discerning, was profoundly moved.

With such a magnificent aura, subduing ghosts with this carving would be effortless.

In just a few strides, he reached the Zhong Kui Statue; gazing at its fierce, bearded visage, it was as if a deity glowered down upon the mortal realm, banishing all malevolent spirits and expelling evil from both heaven and earth.

“Excellent… truly excellent…”

Master Fazhong was astonished.

He had never seen such a statue, yet it possessed an incredibly intense power to subdue ghosts!

Its exorcism power was immensely potent.

Although it did not match the Buddha statues of Xinyuan Temple, its radiant ghost-subduing force was every bit as formidable.

Though he was a Buddhist monk, when it came to divine statues there were no strict rules—they didn’t have to be of Buddha.

For instance, many temples worship a bizarre Temple Spirit that isn’t one of the Buddhas, yet still draw strength from it.

What truly matters is what one does with the power gained from worship.

This was why Master Fazhong didn’t restrict the type of carving; otherwise, he’d insist on a Buddha statue.

“Excellent, Master Li, your craftsmanship is superb!”

Master Fazhong clapped his hands in admiration.

“Master Fazhong, are you satisfied? Is this Zhong Kui Statue sufficient?” Li Che asked with a smile.

Master Fazhong nodded. “Not only is the carving exquisite, but the statue also radiates a mighty divine aura that makes hundreds of ghosts tremble and countless specters crawl in fear!”

“Angry Gaze Ghost-Subduing is a perfect match.”

“This is the ‘Kui God’, Brother Li… Have you ever seen the Kui God? Apparently, in Qingzhou there exists a similar eerie Kui God temple where the temple spirit is that fierce, bearded figure.”

Shangguan Qinghong was taken aback, his eyes revealing a strange gleam.

Li Che was momentarily stunned, “Kui God?”

Does this world really have a Kui God?

But considering the existence of the Three-Eyed Furious True Lord, Eight-Armed Yulian, and Furious Third Prince, it made sense that a Kui God would exist.

“Ancient texts say that upon sensing its might, they carved it in this form because the Kui God was famed for ghost-subduing. Unfortunately, no one truly saw it—they could only imagine.”

Li Che laughed.

Master Fazhong, utterly smitten, immediately produced two Tendu Divine Essence Crystals and handed them to Li Che.

“Thank you, Master Li. I’ll take this statue—the quality has reached the pinnacle of the Tendu level. It’s a pity that, given your cultivation, you cannot ascend to the Jiuyao level…”

“At the Jiuyao level, it would fetch a much higher price,” added Shangguan Qinghong hastily.

“I understand,” replied Master Fazhong, then after a moment, he retrieved a string of hand beads from a Qian Kun Jade and offered them to Li Che.

“Master Li, in exchange for the two Divine Essence Crystals for this exquisitely soulful Kui God statue, I am at a loss—please accept these Buddha Hand Beads as a token of friendship.”

“Master Li, when you have time, please come to Xinyuan Temple for a visit.”

Master Fazhong clasped his hands in greeting.

Li Che accepted the Buddha Hand Beads without hesitation, noting the nine beads strung on a fine rope, each simply engraved with a monkey face.

Qianxi Hand activated to analyze.

…

【Non-Divine Weapon: Xinyuan Hand Buddha Beads】

【Origin: Beads polished from ordinary Bodhi wood, imbued with a trace of Xinyuan fire and wrathful divine essence, capable of subduing inner demons】

【Wielded by: None】

…

Hmm?

Li Che was momentarily stunned.

Though the Xinyuan Hand Buddha Beads were not considered divine weapons, Li Che focused on the inscription.

Xinyuan Fire combined with wrathful divine essence?

Fire… wrath…

Li Che’s eyes narrowed—Fire, one of the Five Elements, combined with the wrath of the Seven Emotions?

A divine essence forged from the blend of the Five Elements and the Seven Emotions?

It was his first encounter with such a fusion, and it made his heart tremble slightly.

But now was not the time for study; he suppressed his thoughts and stowed the Buddha Hand Beads away.

Master Fazhong didn’t store the Zhong Kui Statue in the Qian Kun Jade; instead, he carried it regally as he departed from the Imperial Watch.

Shangguan Qinghong and Li Che saw him off as he left.

Watching the monk with the Kui God statue disappear into the spring breeze, both of them wore expressions tinged with unease.

“Xinyuan Temple has a rich heritage and its own wood carving hall, yet Master Fazhong often comes to the Imperial Watch on assignments, enabling our masters to earn the divine crystals he painstakingly acquires… he truly is an oddity from Xinyuan Temple.”

Shangguan Qinghong inexplicably pulled out a handful of melon seeds and began to snack.

“Xinyuan Temple has a deep heritage?”

Li Che was curious.

“Xinyuan Temple, one of the five major sects of Jingguang City, may not rival the Divine Sect Branch, but its origins are far from ordinary.”

“It is said that its lineage is remarkable—Xinyuan Temple descends from the ancient Divine Sect, over three thousand years old, once powerful enough to dominate six paths and twelve provinces, dwarfing dynasties and intimidating the world, though its lineage has since faded.”

“Five hundred years ago, the bizarre temple they suppressed erupted in astounding anomaly, reviving an immensely terrifying ‘Three Pure’ Temple Spirit that no one could subdue; with other forces meddling, the ancient Divine Sect’s lineage was utterly shattered and fragmented.”

“Later, surviving monks of the Divine Sect fled to Jingguang City and, carrying part of the lineage, established Xinyuan Temple.”

Li Che listened, his heart trembling slightly.

The ancient Divine Sect lineage was truly extraordinary—reaching the level of the true Divine Sect was nothing short of remarkable.

“Then what is the name of Xinyuan Temple’s true Divine Sect?”

Shangguan Qinghong munched on a melon seed, tilting his head as he pondered, “The name of the fallen Divine Sect was outrageously arrogant… it seems to be called…”

“Qitian Temple.”