Chapter 128: The Shattering of Fate

The sonic boom roared like thunder; only after the Dragon Tooth Bodhi pierced Shangguan Zhengheng did a torrent of noise surge forth!

A terrifying, oppressive aura had already permeated the area.

Four streams of divine pressure intertwined with the Temple Spirit’s divinity, coalescing into a dazzling, five-colored radiance!

Even Li Qingshan couldn’t help but feel his hairs stand on end!

That was insanely fast!

It exuded an overwhelming sense of imminent danger!

At such a breakneck pace that even sound couldn’t keep up, once locked on target, it was extremely perilous!

Boom!

The Dragon Tooth Bodhi bullet, having pierced into Shangguan Zhengheng, exploded with a resounding blast, shattering into tens of thousands of Bodhi threads.

These threads clutched at flesh, coiling into grotesque, bloody beads!

They rained down in a chaotic shower over his ruined body.

Bodhi Blood Tears fell like rain!

Even though Li Qingshan had shattered Shangguan Zhengheng’s skull with his Goat-Horn Hammer, the dark weapon—with its phenomenal penetrating power—had still carved through every bit of flesh!

“How ruthless, how vicious!”

Li Qingshan drew a deep breath.

“What an incredible long-range execution technique!”

“With power like this, even an ordinary Eight Extremes Divine Archer would pale in comparison, right?”

“It might even rival the formidable Seven Element Divine Archer Captains of the state city!”

Ma Mian…

Ogre’s friend!

Clutching his bloodstained Goat-Horn Hammer, Li Qingshan looked into the distance and spotted a figure standing on a boat.

That figure wielded a strange contraption—not a bow, not a crossbow—that, even from several hundred zhang away, unleashed thunder-like force to slay Shangguan Zhengheng, who had mastered the Cursed Copper Corpse technique.

Though his Cursed Copper Corpse was only at a beginner’s level and lacked the durability refined over years,

once one entered that realm, defense, strength, and resilience would soar dramatically.

Li Qingshan had struck repeatedly with his hammer but couldn’t kill him or break through his defenses.

Yet with one distant shot, Ma Mian managed to pierce Shangguan Zhengheng’s Cursed Copper Corpse form!

Though it wasn’t an instant kill, once his defenses cracked, his resistance weakened so much that a single blow from Li Qingshan could finish him.

And that was enough!

“This dark weapon’s explosive power must come from a fusion of four divine foundations, mixed with a touch of the Temple Spirit’s divinity…”

“Could it be that Ma Mian cultivates four types of divinity, even forging them into divine foundations?!”

That left Li Qingshan truly stunned.

Nurturing two divinities causes a repulsive conflict that can even suppress one from taking root.

Incorporating two into one’s inner realm only muddles its purity and makes cultivation exceptionally difficult.

Forging a divine foundation from a single divinity is a monumental task—let alone two!

How on earth is that possible?

It was simply beyond comprehension!

High above, the divine aura began to wane; with Shangguan Zhengheng’s death, the target shielded by the Shangguan Patriarch’s wooden carving was lost, forcing it to withdraw and return to its master.

Lin Xiu, wearing a peacock mask, descended gracefully.

After all, his only hindrance was the Shangguan Patriarch’s divine wooden carving, which posed no real threat, leaving him ample time to survey his surroundings.

In fact, he had noticed the situation with Shangguan Qinghong and intended to intervene.

But once Ma Mian acted, Lin Xiu held back.

Ma Mian’s subsequent maneuvers were so impressive that even a divine appearance cultivator like Lin Xiu could only marvel in astonishment.

“This must be some kind of Mechanical Art… its penetrating power is terrifying, its lethality both relentless and cruel. Once it pierces the flesh and detonates, it carves out every bit of tissue…”

“It reminds me of the Tang Clan’s ‘Bodhi Blood Tears’—only clearly modified.”

Lin Xiu squinted as he landed beside Li Qingshan.

His gaze fell on Shangguan Zhengheng’s ghastly corpse, and his eyes immediately hardened.

He adjusted his nearly slipping peacock mask and nodded. “Ma Mian is extraordinary—cultivating four divine foundations. Perhaps his inner realm has a unique gift for accommodating multiple divinities.”

“In the Dragon Abyss Path, the Seven Treasure Divine Sect practices multi-divinity cultivation! But it’s extremely challenging and time-consuming; hardly anyone in the sect undertakes it.”

“While merging multiple divinities can unleash fearsome explosive power, the problem is…”

“It’s exceedingly difficult to master, let alone ascend to higher levels!”

“As one advances, the difficulty skyrockets. To break through with the Four Pillars Divine Foundation, you must condense four ethereal manifestations and then bridge the gap between the ethereal and the divine simultaneously!”

“If even one fails, the balance of the inner realm shatters—resulting in a slight regression at best, or complete collapse and the extinction of divine perception!”

“And without achieving true divine appearance, even with improved battle prowess from multiple divine foundations, you’d still be crushed by higher-tier pressure.”

“Cultivating multiple divinities is a thankless and arduous pursuit.”

After all, Lin Xiu was Shangguan Qinghong’s mentor—a man of vast knowledge.

“The Seven Treasure Divine Sect of the Dragon Abyss Path?”

Li Qingshan had certainly heard of the Seven Treasure Divine Sect.

Among Da Jing’s eleven divine sects, its ranking was even higher than that of the Qianyuan Divine Sect.

Rumor had it that the sect leader possessed a Hundred Treasure Qian Kun Bag that stored thousands of divine weapons—and his collection of Four Imperial Divine Weapons alone numbered over a dozen!

He was truly one of Da Jing’s peak masters.

Indeed, every sect leader was a towering figure in divine cultivation!

“Could Ogre’s friend, Ma Mian, be from the Dragon Abyss Path’s Seven Treasure Divine Sect?”

Lin Xiu squinted.

Li Qingshan shook his head. “I don’t know. I originally thought Ma Mian was just an excuse pushed by Ogre—as if Ogre were Ma Mian.”

“But now it seems Ogre is truly Ogre, and Ma Mian is distinctly Ma Mian…”

“Ogre really does have a friend… Ma Mian.”

…

…

On the boat.

The Four Pillars Divine Foundation slowly retracted its inner realm, its terrifying aura gradually vanishing.

Shangguan Qinghong slumped on the boat, her long legs trembling uncontrollably…

It was terrifying!

The divine pressure unleashed by the Four Pillars was by no means inferior to that of ethereal cultivators!

For Shangguan Qinghong, the pressure was so intense that even breathing became a luxury.

At that moment, she panted heavily, drenched in sweat.

Yet her eyes held no fear—only a vacant astonishment.

Because she had witnessed the fireworks from Ma Mian, a shot that directly pierced the nearly invincible, fire- and water-resistant body perfected by the Cursed Copper Corpse!

That shot was critical—it completely extinguished Shangguan Zhengheng’s chance of escape!

After breaking his defenses, Li Qingshan delivered a fatal hammer blow!

Without Ma Mian’s shot, once Shangguan Zhengheng reached land and was detected, he likely would have escaped with his life.

Shangguan Qinghong hadn’t expected so many top experts converging tonight to take him down.

She could only think that Shangguan Zhengheng had finally reaped the whirlwind of his misdeeds!

Scalding tears suddenly welled up from her eyes, blurring everything before her.

“Mother—your vengeance has finally been served!”

Shangguan Qinghong collapsed onto the boat, letting it rock as she howled in grief.

She wept for a long while.

Then, suddenly, she remembered something.

She sat up sharply, wiping away tears with both hands, desperate to locate the Ma Mian who had shattered Shangguan Zhengheng from several hundred zhang away.

But Ma Mian was nowhere to be seen.

Shangguan Qinghong was instantly distraught.

“Senior Ma Mian…”

“I won’t forget you!”

Soon, her once-beautiful face set into a determined frown as she clenched her fist.

…

…

Bang!

A sonic roar erupted as Li Che, having repositioned using a Feilei Chess Piece, quickly donned his Ogre attire and burst forth from the darkness.

His speed was extraordinary—several projectiles skittered across the river, reaching Li Qingshan and Lin Xiu in no time.

In less than the span of a single breath.

Neither Li Qingshan nor Lin Xiu noticed anything amiss.

“Mop up the corpse and scram.”

“The Shangguan Patriarch’s divine aura has returned. He must have sensed it; we need to quicken our pace and take out Shangguan Lei Long and Shangguan Yun Long together!”

“Tonight, we’ll make those who colluded with the Corpse God Sect bleed! Let them tremble in fear!”

A steely glint flashed in Li Qingshan’s eyes.

Wearing his Ogre Mask, Li Che said nothing as he knelt and began expertly examining Shangguan Zhengheng’s corpse.

He absorbed every last bit of divine essence from it.

The 【Chess Sage】 Dao Fruit trembled briefly, and in an instant, the lifeless qi on Shangguan Zhengheng’s Cursed Copper Corpse was completely sucked into the Cosmic Chessboard, transforming into chess pieces exuding a grey aura.

While spoils are usually divided equally, Shangguan Zhengheng’s divine chess pieces… probably aren’t meant for sharing.

To Li Che’s great delight, the divine essence he’d cultivated was the Terror Divine—exactly what he was missing.

He still needed the Terror Divine Foundation and the Sorrow Divine Foundation.

Securing even one was quite satisfying.

As expected, the resource pool in the Capital far surpassed that of Feilei City.

Li Che absorbed the divine essence so rapidly that with just a sweep of his Thousand Analysis Hand, it was complete.

Even divine appearance cultivators like Lin Xiu had noticed his prowess.

Though their divine perception was formidable, there were still differences—after all, not everyone was at the same divine appearance level.

“Got it?”

“Once we deal with the other two, we’ll split it equally.”

“This time, it’s thanks to your friend Ma Mian.”

Li Qingshan said with a smile.

The burly Ogre nodded silently and collected Shangguan Zhengheng’s Qian Kun Jade.

Then the three of them melted into streaks of black and sped off into the night.

Inside Yunfang Fang.

The commotion over Shangguan Zhengheng’s death could not be hidden.

Consequently, many inside Yunfang Fang became aware of it.

At the Imperial Watch, Liu He and a few drinking buddies gathered at the window of Yunfang Fang, staring in awe at the extravagant battle.

Liu He trembled as he pushed aside a radiant beauty clad in tattered white.

“The Capital… it’s about to change dramatically…”

…

…

The Capital enforces a curfew; at night, its gates close, barring entry and exit.

But there is always an exception.

With a rumbling sound, the gates slowly closed.

Yet while they close, they also open—always for convenience.

Two carriages returned simultaneously from outside, their wheels turning as they rolled along a boulevard wide enough for ten carriages to ride abreast.

Each carriage carried a solitary figure.

The city guards did not stop them—in fact, they even facilitated their passage, for these two carriages belonged to the Shangguan family.

As one of the Capital’s Five Major Families, the Shangguan family was intricately linked with the city, warranting special treatment.

Inside one carriage, Shangguan Lei Long and Shangguan Yun Long closed their eyes; as the carriage swayed, they almost simultaneously ceased their movements.

They had just finished refining the Life-Draining, Condensed Martial Pill.

A look of bewilderment flickered in their eyes.

In the next instant, that bewilderment transformed into solemn terror!

Boom!

Boom!!!

The luxurious carriages exploded almost simultaneously, unleashing a maelstrom of dust and ashes that swirled like raging dragons!

Shattered air currents surged outward.

The two carriage drivers, terrified, were thrown from their chariots.

Yet, the two masters inside unleashed an intense ethereal aura and roared as they sprang upward.

Their bodies glowed with a grey-copper hue, marking their transition from Cursed Iron Corpse to Cursed Copper Corpse.

Clad in elegant robes fluttering about, both wore expressions of sheer terror!

Blood froze; their hearts trembled in shock.

It was an unmistakable sign—a formidable divine appearance cultivator was striking!

Boom!

Sure enough, as they looked up, dark clouds dispersed and gentle moonlight bathed the sky.

They then beheld a figure in white, half-hidden by a peacock mask, standing high above with arms folded, his gaze fixed on them, and behind him a lifelike divine aura looming like a masterpiece carved by nature.

“You two… could it be that you still have the Shangguan Patriarch’s Divine Wooden Carving?”

Lin Xiu said calmly.

His words echoed through the sky.

In the next instant, he stomped heavily.

It was as if a galaxy had crashed, with countless stars whistling down to cleanse the earth!

A massive pressure wave left Shangguan Lei Long and Shangguan Yun Long gasping, their bodies hurled upward only to crash down hard.

Both coughed up blood, their eyes ablaze with fury!

“Lin Xiu! Have you lost your mind?!”

Shangguan Lei Long roared in anger, his ethereal aura unable to expand against the crushing force of Lin Xiu’s true divine power, leaving him gasping.

Indeed, the gap between the ethereal and the divine remains unmistakable!

Lin Xiu, without further words, unleashed a thunderous palm strike as countless divine essences converged into a massive hand and slammed down.

Without the Shangguan Patriarch’s wooden carving, the two stood no chance against him.

Ethereal powers might buy a few extra moves, but nothing more.

It was far easier than killing Shangguan Zhengheng.

Suddenly, a Goat-Horn Hammer shot forth from the darkness.

Interlacing bolts of lightning, like a net centered on the hammer, crashed down and once again hammered Shangguan Lei Long and Shangguan Yun Long into a pool of blood!

Meanwhile,

in the distance, toward the Shangguan family under the vast sky,

an enraged roar split the air, as a terrifying divine phantom emerged with a dark bluish glow outlining an ancient deity’s visage.

The deity roared mightily!

“Lin Xiu!!!”

It was the Shangguan Patriarch himself—having sensed the shattering of the divine wooden carving bestowed upon Shangguan Zhengheng and the repelled divine force—the secluded patriarch had no choice but to emerge!

However,

he was too late.

Lin Xiu struck again; his form vanished and reappeared instantly by the side of Shangguan Lei Long.

Li Qingshan swung his hammer at Shangguan Yun Long while Lin Xiu moved to dispatch Shangguan Lei Long.

Their practice of the Cursed Iron Corpse paled in comparison to Shangguan Zhengheng’s Cursed Copper Corpse, and they were promptly cut down.

Li Qingshan, with practiced ease, seized the Qian Kun Jade and divine weapons from them and bolted.

The seamless coordination between Lin Xiu and Li Qingshan was a testament to their years roaming the jianghu together.

Li Che, hidden in darkness behind his Ogre Mask, did not intervene.

He sent word that Shangguan Lei Long and Shangguan Yun Long had been marked with the Corpse Curse Seal from the Corpse God Sect—enough to secure a hefty share.

Li Qingshan and Lin Xiu had no intention of letting him act.

Of course, if Ogre were to step in…

it would cost extra.

As for the divine essence of Shangguan Lei Long and Shangguan Yun Long, it wasn’t a great loss—they both practiced the Terror Divine, and having Shangguan Zhengheng’s essence alone was sufficient.

After Lin Xiu and Li Qingshan finished their work and departed,

Ogre gradually slipped into the darkness, vanishing silently.

From the beginning to the end, his only appearance had been that fleeting moment while examining Shangguan Zhengheng’s corpse.

After Lin Xiu and Li Qingshan left,

a terrifying aura descended that made the rooftops tremble violently.

It was a cascade of white, like ancient, flowing seaweed dancing in the wind.

It was none other than the Shangguan Patriarch—Shangguan Jie!

“What a marvelous Lin Xiu, what a splendid Li Qingshan! Imperial Watch! Jin Guang Sect!”

Shangguan Jie’s eyes blazed like twin suns, their incandescent divine essence nearly making the surrounding air scalding hot.

“Old Shangguan, have you ever looked at what your disciples are cultivating?”

“Shangguan Zhengheng mastered the Cursed Copper Corpse at a heavy cost, and Shangguan Lei Long and Shangguan Yun Long are in the process of transitioning from Cursed Iron Corpse to Cursed Copper Corpse…”

“How can the Shangguan family’s ties with the Corpse God Sect be anything but sinister?!”

“What motive?!”

“What motive—!”

Although Lin Xiu’s figure had vanished, his overwhelming divine essence resonated powerfully in the air!

Shangguan Jie’s entire body rattled as his life force burned through the void, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

“That does not justify you, Lin Xiu and Li Qingshan, for taking lives on your own accord!”

“You, Lin Xiu, are the Vice Director of the Imperial Watch, yet you carry out killings as if empowered by the Temple Guardian Division! Do you not have the Divine Guard Army, the City Lord’s Residence, or the City Lord to answer to?!”

But there was no response.

Unwilling to bicker with the old codger, Lin Xiu had already vanished after the killings.

“Ah—!”

The Shangguan Patriarch, Shangguan Jie, was incensed.

He laughed uproariously as white smoke erupted around him like dragons.

His figure shot skyward, engulfed in dust as he charged toward the Imperial Watch.

Cliff Treasure Tower.

The Imperial Watch Tower stood here.

At that moment, chaotic rocks pierced the sky and turbulent waves crashed against the shore.

In Jiulong River City, the river suddenly roiled as successive waves, driven by anger, crashed fiercely onto the bank!

Shangguan Jie’s murderous aura surged, stirring the waters into tumultuous waves.

Meanwhile,

in the void, it was as if four figures awakened, their eyes suddenly opening.

They were the patriarchs of the other four great families of the Five Major Families, all silently declaring their stance.

At that moment, five divine auras descended like pillars of light, hovering before the Imperial Watch Tower,

making the tower appear as if it might collapse at any moment.

The five patriarchs were long-established divine appearance masters—even the weakest among them were formidable.

Just as the Shangguan Patriarch’s wooden carving could halt Lin Xiu, it was because Shangguan Jie was far superior to Lin Xiu, who was only at the initial divine appearance stage.

“Heh… the Five Major Families, like branches of a single tree—are they all pressuring my Imperial Watch at once?”

“The Shangguan family’s collusion with the Corpse God Sect, Shangguan Zhengheng’s refinement of the Cursed Copper Corpse, and Shangguan Yun Long and Lei Long’s shift from Cursed Iron Corpse—this is an affront to Heaven; their deaths are well-deserved…”

“Even if we bring this before the Divine Capital and debate it before the Divine Emperor, my role as Vice Director of the Imperial Watch at Jin Guang Mansion is to rid the people of evil and ease the nation’s burden!”

“Not only are we blameless, but we might even be rewarded by the court. Believe it or not?”

A calm voice suddenly echoed from the Imperial Watch Tower.

The turbulent waves subsided, and everything returned to calm.

Pairs of watchful eyes, hidden in the dark, fell silent and withdrew.

There was truly no solution; the Corpse God Sect’s deeds were abhorrent to the court—and with their rebellion in Jizhou, the court naturally sided with Lin Xiu.

Atop the Imperial Watch Tower.

An elderly man in a faded blue robe sat quietly on a small bamboo stool, playing soft notes on his erhu, and the world suddenly fell silent.

“Chief Inspector!”

Shangguan Jie lowered his voice, anger seething within him, though he dared not fully vent.

But then the old man plucked his strings once more, and in that instant, divine essence in the heavens was drained away.

“Colluding with the Corpse God Sect—if you are destined to die, how dare you weep before me?”

“Now, get lost!”

“Get—lost!!!”

His voice boomed like thunder, exploding into the silence!

Shangguan Jie’s face turned slightly pale.

The patriarchs of the other four great families sighed deeply as their divine auras dissipated and receded.

For a moment, Shangguan Jie was utterly isolated, clenching his fists.

Feeling the sudden depletion of divine essence from the heavens, he was overwhelmed by a suffocating despair.

After a long while, he released his grip, transforming into a streak of light and vanishing into the night.

The upheaval vanished without a trace.

Atop the tower.

The erhu’s haunting notes echoed softly.

The old man shook his head as his voice, tinged with a theatrical rasp, reverberated.

Moments later, he burst into laughter.

“Lin Xiu and Li Qingshan… after all these years, even though we’re old, you still make me—an old codger nearly half-buried—clean up your mess!”

After laughing for a while, the erhu’s melody suddenly froze.

Then the old man abruptly turned his head.

He looked toward the Divine Sect.

There…

High above the vast sky, a rift tore open, and a pillar of golden light cascaded down onto the peak of Golden Light Peak.

A semi-transparent ripple, spanning dozens of zhang, spread outward from the summit.

“Has the Temple Spirit atop Golden Light Peak awakened?”

“Or is this the moment of the Temple Spirit’s transmission?”

“The three-year-old girl recently taken in by Nan Lihuo… can she really unlock the Divine Sanctuary of the Heavenly King Tower?!”

…

…

In a dark little courtyard.

Three figures appeared almost simultaneously, silent as ghosts.

Lin Xiu, Li Qingshan, and Ogre—cloaked in a bamboo hat and black robe.

A low chuckle soon emerged from Li Qingshan’s lips.

“Awesome!”

“Shangguan Zhengheng got what he deserved—colluding with the Corpse God Sect, his death was inevitable!”

Li Qingshan swung his Goat-Horn Hammer and laughed.

“Alright, I better go back to soak up some scolding—I’m at it again; the master is bound to reprimand me to death.”

“What are you afraid of? You’ve been scolded before. Back then, whenever we got into trouble, Chief Inspector always had our backs.”

“Besides, what we did today wasn’t evil—it was a great deed! Taking down those vile practitioners of the Cursed Corpse techniques means even the Temple Guardian bosses will have to serve us tea with a smile!”

“Screw it—I don’t drink the Temple Guardian Division’s tea!”

“After tonight, those colluding with the Corpse God Sect might behave, but finding another chance for our next operation will be even tougher.”

Lin Xiu sighed.

It had been a long time since things were this thrilling.

Tonight was worth it—even if it meant getting a few scoldings from Chief Inspector later.

The Qingxiu Combination was back in the game.

Hmm, now with Ogre added…

The Qingxiu-Ogre Combination?

“Let’s split the loot.”

Lin Xiu said.

After dividing the spoils, they would have to head back.

Li Qingshan took Shangguan Yun Long’s Qian Kun Jade and tossed Shangguan Lei Long’s over to Lin Xiu.

“Let’s do it this way: Shangguan Zhengheng’s Qian Kun Jade goes to Ogre; you share some with Ma Mian, and Li Qingshan and I keep the jade from Lei Long and Yun Long.”

Li Che, upon hearing this, said nothing.

Shangguan Zhengheng’s estate was undoubtedly the richest.

After all, most cultivators habitually consolidate their assets within their Qian Kun Jade, so as to not lose them unless they meet a violent end.

“Fine.”

Li Che nodded and stowed away Shangguan Zhengheng’s Jade Pendant.

Suddenly,

Li Che felt a jolt in his heart.

Inside his chest, the 【Chess Sage】 Dao Fruit pulsed fiercely—the intensity of its beat was the strongest he’d ever experienced,

almost as if it might burst out of his chest.

“XiXi?!”

Li Che’s expression behind the Ogre Mask shifted slightly.

The exhilarating feedback from the 【Chess Sage】 Dao Fruit came from the Feilei Chess Pieces embedded on XiXi.

The trembling 【Chess Sage】 Dao Fruit triggered the Cosmic Chessboard to unfurl dramatically.

Li Che immediately sensed the dazzling golden pillar atop the Divine Sect’s Jin Guang Peak…

and in the Cosmic Chessboard, a ghostly silhouette of a treasure tower materialized.

It almost threatened to crush the entire chessboard!

This was a situation he had never encountered before.

Li Che’s eyes narrowed sharply…

Fortunately, the message from the chess pieces assured him that XiXi was not in danger.

Rather, it filled the 【Chess Sage】 Dao Fruit with immense anticipation and longing!

It was more like…

a grand opportunity!

Sensing the immense opportunity transmitted by the Feilei Chess Pieces, it seemed so huge that XiXi might barely be able to contain it…

So as an old father…

helping his daughter take in just a bit shouldn’t be a problem, right?

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