Chapter 111: Whispers of the Fallen Temple

Qitian Temple?!

Li Che’s eyes suddenly narrowed at the mention of the name.

Thinking of Xinyuan Temple, his mind couldn’t help but conjure up the image of that one legendary divine monkey who could upend the heavens and make even the immortals bow down.

Great Sage?!

Li Che drew a deep breath, every fiber of his being trembling as if his very soul stirred at a mere name.

The Third Prince, the Three-Eyed True Lord, and now… Qitian…

Legends from two lifetimes swirled together like dark clouds, accompanied by writhing electric serpents and crashing thunder that battered his mind.

It took a long moment before Li Che finally exhaled.

“Qitian Temple… has the Dao lineage collapsed and vanished?”

Li Che looked toward Shangguan Qinghong, that girl who seemed to hold a treasure trove of knowledge.

When in doubt, he simply asked her.

Shangguan Qinghong shook her head, crunching on sunflower seeds as she explained, “In ancient times, even though the Divine Sect was in decay and its Dao lineage split, it was never truly obliterated…”

She continued, “That bizarre ‘Three Pure Ones’ temple once suppressed by Qitian Temple saw a temple spirit uprising five hundred years ago erupt so abruptly that the already weakened temple was caught off guard…”

She added, “The area that the strange temple once occupied has become a cursed land—a desolate expanse stretching thousands of miles, and even the old Qitian City has turned into a haven for demons and malignant spirits.”

However, the three major Dao lineages that splintered from Qitian Temple—Ruyi Sect, Tiangang Tower, and our very own Xinyuan Temple of Jingguang City—are all determined to reclaim Qitian City.

I think reviving Qitian Temple is overdoing it; it’s all in the past now—more about preserving its temple spirit legacy and that Three Pure Ones-level divine weapon.

Shangguan Qinghong shook her head, remarking that Qitian Temple has been in ruins for five hundred years—a span so immense it could be likened to an endless expanse.

One might even call it a boundless domain.

After five hundred years, any sentiment for ancient Dao has evaporated, leaving behind nothing but the lure of profit for its descendants.

“A Three Pure Ones-level divine weapon?” Li Che’s whole body tensed.

“The Ruyi Golden Cudgel?”

The name slipped out instinctively.

“Eh? You know it? Have you heard of it?” Shangguan Qinghong asked in mild surprise, not expecting Li Che to mention a name so long confined to ancient texts, unknown to ordinary cultivators.

“That Three Pure Ones divine weapon is called the ‘Qitian Hunyuan Ruyi Golden Cudgel’! It’s ranked seventh in the Dajing Imperial Divine Weapon Catalogue personally compiled by the Grand Monitor!”

“Only seventh?”

Indignant, Li Che thought, How could my Great Sage’s weapon rank so low!

Suppressing a laugh by covering her mouth, Shangguan Qinghong replied, “It’s not really low—the Grand Monitor clearly stated on the catalogue’s cover that among the top ten divine weapons there’s no hierarchy; it all depended on the strength of the wielder at the time.”

Li Che nodded in understanding.

Suddenly, a thought struck him: “So… the Qitian Cudgel still has no master?”

Shangguan Qinghong gave him a quizzical look and said, “Exactly. The Qitian Bizarre Temple is in Shizhou, and due to that abrupt Three Pure Ones-level uprising, Shizhou has become a demon and spirit stronghold. That ancient Qitian City has even been overrun by a demon king rivaling the Divine Fetus realm…”

“So when the warrior of Qitian Temple perished during that divine calamity, the Qitian Cudgel slipped back into the hidden depths of the bizarre realm, waiting for its time to reemerge… and thus remains unclaimed.”

“Li Ge, you’re not actually after this cudgel, are you?”

At these words, ambition flashed in Li Che’s eyes—indeed, his desire was unmistakable.

Shangguan Qinghong cautioned, “You’re still too weak. Getting close to Qitian City is out of the question—just approaching it might have you torn apart by demons and malignant spirits…”

“Besides, a Three Pure Ones-level divine weapon can’t be mastered without sufficient cultivation—it will end up controlling its wielder.”

She tried to dissuade him from his reckless ambition.

But Li Che’s determination, bolstered by his ambition, needed only time to mature.

He smiled lightly and chose not to dwell any further on the topic.

With a wistful sigh, Shangguan Qinghong reminisced, “Every time I read about the glory days of Qitian Temple—when it was unrivaled, splitting the world with the Imperial Court—the might and arrogance of the Divine Sect were unmatched. Yet, change is inevitable…”

“In no time, everything fell apart, leaving behind relics preserved only in history.”

“That’s why this world… is so perilous. No one can be certain of tomorrow. In Qitian Temple’s heyday, powerful warriors beyond even the Divine Fetus realm held their ground through divine calamities!”

“Yet, it still crumbled into dust.”

Shangguan Qinghong sighed sadly as she crunched on sunflower seeds.

Li Che couldn’t help but share in her melancholy—it was undeniable that the world was a dangerous place.

More importantly, the temple spirits that perished in the bizarre temple seemed to merge with the myths in his mind.

This only deepened an inexplicable anxiety within him.

“I’m too weak right now. Worrying about these things is pointless; I should focus on living each day to its fullest.”

“I just want to live peacefully here with my wife and daughter.”

Li Che murmured softly.

Shangguan Qinghong’s eyes glistened as if touched by his words, her long lashes fluttering while she glanced at him and pursed her red lips.

“Li Ge…”

She called out.

Puzzled, Li Che looked over.

Quietly, Shangguan Qinghong said, “If only you were my father,” her tone uncharacteristically dejected.

Li Che was momentarily stunned into silence.

This girl, whom he had met for the first time with matrimonial intent, had now turned around and wished to be his daughter?

Women… are so fickle!

After a brief pause, Shangguan Qinghong, suddenly embarrassed, flushed scarlet as she shoved a handful of sunflower seeds into Li Che’s hand and scampered away.

……

……

Ogre has appeared!

In Liu Xiang Pavilion, Qin Haonan—who had been quietly observing Li Che over a drink—was utterly stunned by the news.

“Ogre? He’s shown up?”

He glared at the gray-faced undercover agent who had delivered the message, disbelief evident in his eyes.

Qin Haonan had suspected Li Che might be the Ogre; Zhang Xiangyang’s tip had led him to believe Li Che’s power fit the Ogre’s profile.

Though their strengths differed, Li Che’s display didn’t match that of the Ogre. Yet, as a member of the Qin Family, Qin Haonan knew that superficial assessments could be misleading—clever Breath Convergence techniques could easily hide true cultivation.

Some esoteric breath techniques can indeed mask one’s actual strength.

Thus, Qin Haonan never entirely dismissed his suspicions about Li Che.

But when the undercover agent reported that Li Che had entered the Imperial Watch, he had to acknowledge a fact.

“It appears Li Che really isn’t the Ogre…”

Qin Haonan slumped into a chair, poured himself a cup of wine, and downed it in one gulp.

Then he wondered, who exactly is that troublesome Ogre?

Who was responsible for killing Yu Qing? And who…

Who could, from several dozen miles away, shoot a master-level divine foundation like Qin Yuqing’s? It was downright nightmarish.

“Our Patriarch even went to the Tang Remnants hideout, yet they insisted he wasn’t responsible. With no grudges, how could he brazenly shoot a woman?”

“Could it really be Cao Guang… Is Cao Guang not dead?”

Qin Haonan’s head throbbed as he wondered how, in a vast Capital with the Qin Family’s influence, they still couldn’t pin the man down.

“Million Gambling House… colluding with the Corpse God Sect?”

As the undercover agent continued his report, Qin Haonan squinted, his face remaining impassive.

After all, Jingguang City appeared calm on the surface.

Yet beneath, dark undercurrents were already rising.

For the major noble families in the Capital, the infiltration of the Corpse God Sect was almost acceptable—the benefits were tangible.

And the temptation of breaking through cultivation bottlenecks was simply too great.

The power of the Corpse God Sect was formidable. Although the Imperial Court continuously suppressed them, the stalling of Ji Mo Li in quelling the Tang Remnants rebellion only emboldened their influence.

Not only in Jingguang City—across Yunzhou, the Corpse God Sect’s influence was seeping in.

Their power had begun to spread beyond its original base, gradually encroaching on the territory of the Dajing Dynasty.

They even aspired to mirror the meteoric rise of Qitian Temple three thousand years ago—to seize dominion over all six realms and the twelve provinces alongside the Imperial Court!

The noble families and the Imperial Court never truly agreed. Perhaps in Qitian Temple’s heyday, even the influential families dared not challenge the order.

But as the mighty tiger begins to weaken, everyone starts scheming for their own gain.

“Are you saying… that the Corpse God Sect’s Tendu Corpse Envoy was killed? But a Tendu Corpse Envoy—possessing a Cursed Iron Corpse body—should be beyond the reach of a mere mortal. Killing a Cursed Iron Corpse would be even more unthinkable!”

“This Ogre… actually managed to do it?!”

Qin Haonan’s heart quivered in shock.

The Cursed Iron Corpse was infamous for its repugnant stench and unyielding resilience—it could sustain blows from master-level warriors and still keep fighting.

Yet a Tendu Corpse Envoy was actually beaten to death.

“How ruthless! Did all those dozen Qi-pulse warriors from the Million Gambling House end up dismembered?”

Listening to the gruesome details of the massacre at the Million Gambling House, Qin Haonan slowly exhaled.

At that moment, he became even more convinced that Li Che and the Ogre had nothing in common.

Not to mention the lack of any alibi; over days of observation, how could a humble, family-oriented master carpenter possibly be the ruthless Ogre known for dismembering his foes?

Qin Haonan rose and walked to the window, gazing at the Imperial Watch Tower perched atop the cliff.

“Let’s go!”

In the end, Qin Haonan decided to stop watching Li Che.

A man so honest and unassuming didn’t warrant such scrutiny.

……

……

News of the Million Gambling House being slaughtered by Ogre’s henchmen soon faded over the next few days.

Though it occasionally became fodder for teahouse tales, most commoners soon returned to their regular lives, untouched by such brutality.

The City’s Divine Guard issued a first-degree Wanted Notice for the Ogre—report his whereabouts for 500 taels of silver, and decapitate him for 2000 taels!

The spring breeze carried the gentle sway of willows.

Passing by the notice board, Li Che glanced at the wanted poster for the Ogre, his expression remaining unchanged.

“The Million Gambling House colluded with the Corpse God Sect, and yet Ogre was seen as a savior… and now he’s on the wanted list. Even the Corpse God Sect can’t rein him in—nor can Ogre himself!”

Li Che’s eyes deepened with a mysterious gleam.

Without pausing longer, he strode past the board, letting the spring breeze wash over him as he reached the workshop courtyard he had acquired in the Capital.

He closed the door and bolted it.

In front of him, the Cosmic Chessboard unfurled as his Chess Sage Dao Fruit trembled, spreading out to cover the entire courtyard.

Lightning flashed, and at the center of the Cosmic Chessboard lay an ‘Undead Curse Seal’ that radiated an overwhelmingly necrotic aura.

“Eight Extremes Undead Curse Seal…”

Li Che’s eyes turned cold—if it weren’t for the mention from that Corpse Envoy, he would never have known how formidable this seal truly was.

Clearly, the Corpse God Sect elite that Cao Guang contacted in Jingguang City were no small fry.

With the Eight Extremes Undead Curse Seal serving as a connection, the intended buyer among the Corpse God Sect elites must also possess one.

Originally, Li Che had wondered why the Fisher Gang, one of the three major factions, was keeping an eye on him.

It now appeared that the Undead Curse Seal was the key—the fact that the Black Snake Gang was tailing him suggested that Cao Guang planned to affix the seal onto XiXi.

Thus, they had their sights set on XiXi, trying to uncover who had taken the Eight Extremes Undead Curse Seal…

“Corpse God Sect… Undead Curse Seal…”

Li Che’s gaze turned icy, filled with ruthless killing intent.

“You’re after me… but I’m hunting you down too…”

He raised his hand and tapped the Undead Curse Seal.

In an instant, waves of inky necrotic energy radiated outward in concentric circles across the chessboard.

After several ripples, two ebony chess pieces radiating a sinister, undead aura materialized on the board.

Li Che looked up and scanned beyond the courtyard.

“Black Snake Gang…”

The two warriors bearing the Undead Curse Seal were none other than members of the Black Snake Gang staking out him outside the workshop courtyard.

“As long as they remain within ten zhang of me, the Eight Extremes Undead Curse Seal will expose anyone in possession of it…”

“I can see through the Corpse God Sect; no one can hide from my sight.”

Li Che’s eyes turned icily cold.

He harbored no goodwill for the Corpse God Sect—only unbridled murderous intent.

After all, they coveted his daughter and orchestrated the unspeakable Thousand Infant Sacrifice—an atrocity beyond words…

They must be eliminated!

They must be slain!

He would show no mercy.

While the Temple Guardian Division and the Divine Guard set elaborate traps for big fish, Li Che couldn’t be bothered with them.

If there’s one group lacking martial integrity, it’s the Corpse God Sect—using despicable tactics like infecting Li Zhengran with an Undead Curse Seal to target XiXi.

So what, Li Che thought—what kind of martial integrity must I now uphold?

“You forced my hand first…”

In that moment, fury and madness surged in Li Che’s eyes.

With a sweeping motion, the energy of the Cosmic Chessboard spread out, enveloping the courtyard and sealing it off.

Li Che stood tall as his blood and energy surged, his dark hair whipping wildly and his bones creaking under the strain!

“Huu—!”

“Ah—!”

Li Che breathed deeply, each inhalation and exhalation stirring the courtyard’s air as whistling winds and mournful howls merged into a torrent reminiscent of a roaring dragon!

Crash—

The relentless sound of rushing blood and surging circulation filled his ears!

Now, Li Che’s blood and Qi surged magnificently, his Xuanmai peaked, his breath harmonized from head to toe—it was as if he had become one with the heavens and earth!

He seemed to have entered a state of transcendence, his inner energy churning, igniting every passage in his body as if unlocking one acupoint after another.

His spirit soared, every change in his flesh, every contraction and release of his pores, every quiver of his internal organs vividly etched in his mind.

Every moment was starkly imprinted upon him!

As if blessed by the gods!

Boom—!

In a flash, Li Che stepped forward; his five fingers curled into a claw, coalescing into a crushing fist that struck with the force of a roaring tiger unleashed from behind him.

It was his refined White Tiger Turbulent Wind Fist!

The White Tiger seemed so lifelike, its figure formed by the surging inner energy erupting from him!

Roar!

The White Tiger bellowed at the heavens—as if infused with pure spirit, it transformed into a living creature before his eyes!

This was the apex of the White Tiger Turbulent Wind Fist!

For a martial warrior of divine lineage, mastering a technique to its transcendental state—melding it with one’s very essence—was indispensable.

And for Li Che, blessed with the amplification talent of the Dragon Elephant Vajra, it was hardly a challenge at all!

It was as if a tiger’s roar emanated from his very flesh, his bones resonating in unison as his inner energy surged, boosting his speed and the explosive force of his strikes.

All his senses and internal perceptions sharpened, as though he were about to burst free of his body, forming a divine-like awareness.

In the courtyard, Li Che retracted his energy and stood motionless—a fearsome tiger poised to pounce. As his eyes reopened, his blood and Qi erupted around him, almost taking on a tangible form, blooming like a lotus.

Infernal Lotus!

The Dajing Town Temple Infernal Lotus Divine Technique!

This was the method Li Che had learned from Cao Guang for cultivating divine lineage!

At that moment, he had taken a solid step along the path of martial arts, his journey blazing toward the realm of mastery!

Yet Li Che did not stop there.

His sword sliced through the air while the Liuxue Stun Spear in his grip danced, its silhouette flashing like a blade of light!

A tidal wave of qi roared through the courtyard!

The Three-Eyed Furious True Lord Three-Blade Saber—a peerless divine martial art—was becoming ever more familiar to Li Che, its mastery now firmly his.

He sheathed his saber as countless glimmers of blade light gradually faded and fragments of shattered wood lay scattered across the ground.

“Divine lineage has been established!”

……

……

The Fisher Gang, one of Jingguang City’s three major factions, controlled vast territories; nearly all along the banks of the Jiulong River fell under their sway.

The Capital was enormous and teeming with people—many from rural towns and lower-tier cities flocked to work at the Fisher Gang settlements by the Jiulong River.

With the river abounding in fish, the work of hauling and gathering seafood was plentiful, attracting a massive influx of migrant laborers.

Thus, the Fisher Gang reigned supreme in the area—neither the Black Jiao Gang nor the Beggar Gang could rival them regionally.

In the Capital, power was always stratified. Above the Fisher Gang were the Five Great Families and Five Great Sects; above them stood the Temple Guardian Division, Imperial Watch, the City Lord’s Residence, and the Divine Sect Branch, with the main Divine Sect at the pinnacle!

Below the Fisher Gang were numerous smaller factions.

For instance, the Black Snake Gang, Million Gambling House, and others all fell under Fisher Gang’s jurisdiction.

Bailang Hall managed operations at the docks—no less formidable than the Million Gambling House, perhaps even superior.

At that moment, inside the grand courtyard where the master of Bailang Hall and his many aides resided…

A piercing, agonized cry shattered the air as the stench of blood spread thickly.

Moments later, a hunched middle-aged man emerged from an inner room. Clutching a woman’s hair, he dragged her out of the main hall. Her body had been completely devoured, leaving no trace of life.

After dragging her out, the man nonchalantly threw her to the ground and used a cloth to wipe the blood from his hands.

“Old Mo, toss this woman’s corpse into the Jiulong River to feed the fish.”

The hunched man laughed, revealing a mouth full of bloodstained, savage teeth.

An attendant clasped his fists and silently dragged the female corpse away.

“The Corpse God Sect’s corpse nurturing technique is truly miraculous. With this breakthrough, I’m one step closer to the master level—once I break through, I’ll secure a place among the upper echelons of the Fisher Gang.”

The hunched man sat on a grand chair, lifted his cup of hot tea, and sipped it gently.

Meanwhile, the two deputy hall masters began congratulating him.

“By the way, Hall Master, lately… many within the Fisher Gang’s subordinate factions have been dying. The other day, the leader of Liu Sha Hall was nailed to death in his room along with over a dozen Qi-pulse warriors—all brutally dismembered…”

“Yesterday, the leader of Changhai Hall had his head crushed…”

“Should we… perhaps rein it in a bit?”

One deputy hall master trembled as he spoke.

Bailang Hall’s master took a sip of tea, chewed on a tea leaf to freshen his breath, and sneered, “That Ogre—it’s all that damn Ogre’s doing… the self-proclaimed hero Ogre!”

“A dog-like wretch, relying on his elusive moves to slaughter at will…”

“Intelligence reports that when the Ogre surfaced in Feilei City, he boasted about being a hero…”

“Strutting as a hero in a small town only goes so far—in the Capital, his heroics lead nowhere.”

“In this era, if I don’t dispatch these riffraff, someone else will. Does the Ogre really think he can eliminate everyone? In this ruthless age, evil abounds—can he possibly vanquish it all?”

“What’s wrong with me eating a person?!”

“I’m not one to let people be—there are plenty more to feast on!”

Bailang Hall’s master sneered coldly.

“Does he really assume that after slaughtering so many top fighters under the Fisher Gang, he’s a hero? The Divine Guard and Temple Guardian Division don’t recognize him at all; his bounty on the notice board has already surpassed that of the notorious river bandit Gao Yang!”

The deputy hall master shivered even more, “Hall Master, now that you mention it…”

“But…”

Bailang Hall’s master narrowed his eyes and said, “What are you afraid of? Do you seriously think the Fisher Gang is soft? After killing so many of their top fighters, the gang’s masters have set their sights on him…”

“Even the strong from the Divine Guard and Temple Guardian Division are on his trail.”

“If that Ogre dares come after me, I’ll cling to him with my last breath—he won’t be able to escape!”

Fresh from sinking his teeth into a woman—thanks to his breakthrough in corpse nurturing—Bailang Hall’s master felt nearly invincible.

Caught up in his arrogance, he suddenly turned his head…

He felt as if he had grown taller, suddenly able to look down on his deputy hall master’s crown.

His eyes shifted, and he saw a hunched, decapitated body with blood spurting relentlessly from the neck.

Was that… his own body?

Ah—!

Bailang Hall’s master tried to scream, but no sound emerged. As the world around him collapsed into utter darkness, all he saw was a cute Cow Mask.

Ogre?

Ogre!!!

During his naked sprint, his collections and subscriptions remained unchanged—monthly votes and recommendations flowed in. Don’t let them drop too, Old Li, many thanks!