Chapter 137: A Trial of Divine Might

XiXi glared fiercely; although she was only three, she would never cry easily!

Nor would she break down in tears if beaten!

After all, she was destined to become the invincible XiXi Emperor!

Nan Lihuo, seeing the defiant look on her face, couldn’t help but stroke his beard and laugh heartily. “That little brat… her pride is something else.”

But having pride was a good thing—how could a prodigy blessed with boundless celestial aura not be proud?

Pride was one of a genius’s most basic marks.

Yet when Nan Lihuo recalled his first entry into the Heavenly King Tower’s Divine Sanctuary for the King’s examination, a twitch crossed his lips.

That time, he had been beaten so badly that he even questioned his very existence.

For a whole month he couldn’t recover, and the former Sect Leader of Golden Light Peak had to console and guide him for a long while.

He hoped that XiXi… would bounce back quickly.

“Alright, prepare to enter the Divine Sanctuary.”

Nan Lihuo ruffled XiXi’s head. “Just do your best; don’t take the Tower’s trial too seriously… if you can defeat the opponent before you turn twelve, that’s enough.”

XiXi lifted her head, her eyes flashing with defiance.

“Master Sect Leader… are you looking down on me?”

Nan Lihuo went momentarily speechless. “Your talent is the highest among all my disciples—how could I ever look down on you?”

“I had high expectations for you, hoping you’d defeat the opponent before you reached twelve… I, your master…”

“I myself never succeeded even by twelve,” he admitted.

“And your late Senior Brother Zhou Daoyuan was the same.”

Nan Lihuo explained gently.

Upon hearing this, XiXi relaxed her frown and curiously asked, “Late Senior Brother… he was really formidable, huh?”

A pang struck Nan Lihuo as he listened to her praise, a deep sorrow spreading through his heart like inky stains.

“Yes, he was formidable, but… he wasn’t as impressive as you, XiXi.”

Instantly, XiXi held her head high with pride.

Naturally—in front of the XiXi Emperor, everyone else was nothing but inferior subjects!

Nan Lihuo said no more. With swift hand seals, divine power burst forth.

The Heavenly King Tower began to tremble as divine pressure exploded, with dazzling golden rays radiating in every direction.

The Temple Spirit of the Golden Pagoda broke free from the altar, soared into the air, and once again unleashed its familiar suction, drawing XiXi into its midst.

This time, XiXi, armed with previous experience, didn’t thrash about or cry out for help.

Still, being dragged into the Divine Sanctuary was a rather uncomfortable sensation.

Yet the little butterfly on her shoulder was delighted, fluttering around and playfully tapping her.

Li Che had once helped XiXi study this little creature, but even now its role as a spirit beast remained a mystery.

Although it brimmed with divine essence, it seemed to lack real offensive power—except when releasing its aura, which carried a slight suppressive rank.

Its divine essence was so pure, almost rivaling that of the Unsullied Heart.

Unable to figure it out, Li Che gave up further research; meanwhile, the little butterfly in his hand trembled in terror.

It appeared to sense whether a person was savage or not.

Clearly, between XiXi and Li Che, the latter was a hundred times more ferocious.

After the world spun in a dizzying dance…

XiXi opened her eyes, and along with the little butterfly, she found herself once again inside the Temple Spirit’s Divine Sanctuary.

Her Master had explained that both the Divine Sanctuary and the Bizarre Temple were special realms generated by the Bizarre Temple, deeply linked to divine essence.

Only a Bizarre Temple of at least Ninth Luminary grade could give rise to a Bizarre Temple.

The difference was that the Bizarre Temple was extremely dangerous; once inside, one could encounter various bizarre entities tainted by the Temple Spirit’s aura—beings that could snatch a life or even transform a person into a cursed corpse to serve the temple.

Yet, like the Divine Sanctuary, the Bizarre Temple also held legacies and opportunities—albeit at a far greater risk.

In contrast, the Divine Sanctuary was like a purified Bizarre Temple; essentially safe, with legacies and opportunities that were far more benign.

The Divine Sanctuary originally stemmed from a raided Bizarre Temple that, once restored to normalcy, became a proper temple with its own sanctuary.

Once the vengeful spirit and divine essence of the deceased Temple Spirit settled, they no longer contaminated those entering; instead, they became a ground for opportunity.

Thus, the Divine Sanctuary was the very foundation of every great Divine Sect.

Some Divine Sects even possessed multiple Divine Sanctuaries.

For example, the Golden Heavenly King Tower Divine Sanctuary—since the Heavenly King Tower split into three, there were three interconnected sanctuaries.

Nan Lihuo told XiXi that if she could defeat her opponent before the age of twelve, she would be able to traverse the Heavenly King Tower Divine Sanctuary in this region and spar with prodigies from other sanctuaries.

XiXi was so excited at the thought that she already pictured herself overpowering every enemy in the sanctuary.

Scanning her surroundings, she clenched her chubby fists as her eyes sparkled with determination.

She patted the little butterfly and skipped cheerfully toward the towering, majestic Golden Divine Hall.

Humming the nursery rhyme her grumpy old dad had taught her, she sang, “I have a little donkey that I never ride; one day I felt a whim and rode it to the market…”

As she sang, the little butterfly fluttered gracefully around her.

The sight of a child and a butterfly together was like a blooming flower within the sanctuary.

When she reached the temple’s gate and found it tightly closed, XiXi’s eyes widened in realization. She assumed a horse stance as the fine wisps of hair on her forehead whipped wildly in the breeze.

Inside the Mud Pellet, the cultivation technique ‘Tragic Wind-Fire Dragonfall of the Third Prince’ instantly activated!

Although it was a Five Elder-level method, XiXi had completed the transformation of all her divine essence in just six months.

Now, her Yangxing Ruhe had entirely transformed into the divine essence of the Tragic Wind-Fire Dragonfall of the Third Prince!

Her divine aura intertwined hues of wind and fire, shimmering brilliantly with a touch of melancholy, overflowing from her tiny frame.

The temple gate rumbled as it sensed her divine power—originating from the Golden Divine Hall—and slowly swung open.

Rumble—

The door trembled open, revealing once again the towering Golden Heavenly King Statue before XiXi.

Instantly, XiXi suppressed her arrogance and shrank back a little.

Although the statue loomed above, its eyes shone with a gentle kindness, and XiXi gradually relaxed her spirit.

Approaching the statue, she glanced around—the temple brimmed with an overwhelmingly rich divine presence.

She felt that if she opened her mouth and inhaled, she could absorb that divine power into her very being.

No wonder her Master had claimed that the Golden Divine Hall was an unparalleled haven for cultivation, surpassing any immortal retreat.

It opened once every six months, and after taking a beating inside, XiXi was warned not to end up just crying; she had to seize the time to cultivate.

Just the thought of that filled XiXi with defiance.

She—the future XiXi Emperor—would never cry!

Never!

Brimming with confidence, XiXi had even equipped the Firework Mechanism crafted for her by Master Niu Niu!

The mechanism had three modes, and if needed, she could switch to its most powerful setting!

Hmph—

XiXi pouted and glared at the statue.

Rumble—

“Divine Sanctuary Examination, commencing.”

“Give it your all—hold nothing back!”

A thunderous sound suddenly exploded, rattling XiXi’s eardrums, while the little butterfly on her shoulder trembled.

Then, the scene before her transformed.

Her eyes widened, and her long lashes fluttered slightly.

She saw…

Beneath the Golden Statue.

Inside the pagoda.

A tiny figure slowly emerged, appearing as if cast entirely of pure gold.

The figure’s eyes gleamed like gold, and two small golden braids shot straight up.

As its golden, smoky gaze shifted, it landed on XiXi.

“Snicker—”

The child-like figure chuckled, then stepped forward and leaped high from the enormous hand of the Heavenly King Statue that cradled the golden pagoda.

Suspended mid-air, a full 360-degree roll ensued, marking a transformation.

He wore a golden circlet, his arms draped in golden ribbons, his bare feet balanced on two golden wind-fire wheels, and he wielded a golden snake spear with a fire-tipped head!

In mid-air, he spread his legs into a split, with golden ribbons fluttering and the wind-fire wheels beneath his feet spinning rapidly, showering sparks in brilliant bursts.

Sparks danced as he soared through the air!

An overwhelming sense of pressure descended like a mountain…

Crushing down like an avalanche!

XiXi was left dumbfounded, and the little butterfly on her shoulder puffed up in alarm!

No…

You actually let the Third Prince make a move?!

Master Sect Leader is such a liar—calling this a trial?!

……

……

Jingguang City.

Luohua Alley.

Li Che closed his eyes. After ingesting the Eight Extremity Martial Pill, his stomach convulsed as if pounded by a medicinal hammer, crushing the pill and unleashing its mighty properties throughout his body!

His muscles and bones suddenly twitched, crackling like burning firewood bursting with sparks!

Inside him, his blood boiled with intensity. After the Nine Transformations of the Divine Veins, the refined power merged with his inner energy, flowing through his meridians like a potent elixir!

From the top of his head, his shoulders, his waist, his dantian, down to his tailbone!

It was as if a blazing flame had ignited in his chest, indescribable and rapidly spreading throughout his body!

The Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit hummed and pulsed!

His blood surged like mighty rivers, erupting in roaring waves!

All the conditions for reaching the Grandmaster’s realm were met by Li Che—mastering his true essence and fusing at least three metamorphic martial arts together.

With all these in place, breaking through to Grandmaster was almost inevitable.

Yet, one crucial factor for the breakthrough still depended on the strength of one’s flesh.

Why was the Cursed Copper Corpse so formidable? It was due to the incredible resilience of its flesh—so unbelievable that, forged by death energy and corpse aura, it was no longer mere flesh, but akin to a weapon.

Thus, its toughness was indestructible!

A Grandmaster’s cultivation was all about toughening the flesh—since the foundation of martial practice lay in the body!

While inner energy transforming into true qi was an internal change, the robust toughness of one’s flesh was an external change!

Advancing from meridian-opening to Grandmaster was a dual transformation—both internal and external in martial cultivation!

Crackle—

Crackle!

The blood within him surged faster and faster; if even a small tear appeared in his skin at this moment, the spurt would be more terrifying than a high-pressure hose!

It would be as sharp as a water jet!

Li Che’s body turned a deep crimson as his metamorphic intent fused with his inner energy, which now roiled inside him—each facet of his cultivated aura appearing like an ethereal portrait suspended all around.

There were roars like the White Tiger, endless shadows of spears, the wails of a hundred ghosts, arrows entwined with storm and thunder…

There was a Three-Eyed Divine General wielding a three-edged blade, its aura filling the cosmos; and the Corpse God’s ghostly, deathly energy, pinpointed with a mere finger!

Countless mystical visions unfolded in endless succession!

Li Che’s body grew ever more incandescent, with swirling air like a blazing furnace, emitting an astonishing, searing brilliance and heat.

Li Che’s eyes snapped open, burning like twin orbs of flame.

From what he knew, a Grandmaster breakthrough shouldn’t be this grueling; there ought to be far more omens…

“Is it the Nine Transformations of the Divine Veins that make the breakthrough so arduous?”

Li Che pondered deeply.

Yet he felt no fear or hesitation.

Li Che rose to his feet.

Boom—

In an instant, his clothes were incinerated into ashes by the scorching torrent of blood; lacking specially-made gear, his flesh swelled uncontrollably.

【Dragon Elephant Vajra】 Second Transformation: Furious Gaze Vajra!

His twitching tendons quivered, his spine roared like a defiant dragon, and jet-black strands of hair cascaded down.

His robust physique continuously expanded, and his skin began to shimmer with a crystalline luster!

Chit-chit-chit…

Beads of sweat appeared, evaporating instantly off his searing skin to form a hazy mist that shrouded the courtyard!

In his Furious Gaze Vajra state, Li Che soared to two meters tall, every inch of his muscles and sinews twisted like red braided cords!

Within the dense mist, a fierce surge of air ripped through.

Li Che’s eyes blazed like twin beams of red light as his skin vibrated in unison with his flesh, echoing with the roar of dragon and elephant!

The ultimate technique: Dragon Elephant True Might!

Li Che executed his strikes with methodical precision, delivering pure and straightforward martial moves.

The air continuously shattered, releasing explosive, muffled booms!

At this stage, Li Che’s Dragon Elephant True Might only harnessed one dragon and one elephant; even after merging Eight Dragons Overturning the River and Canglei Body, he had yet to transform further.

The true essence of his ultimate technique was indeed extremely challenging.

However, as his martial cultivation surged toward Grandmaster, he finally sensed a transformation!

Under the support of his metamorphic state, he gradually grasped its true essence.

Various martial techniques fused entirely with his body, infiltrating his muscles and forming lasting memories!

Yet his ultimate Dragon Elephant True Might, not yet having birthed its true essence, absorbed these metamorphic visions, shifting from the unreal to the real!

At that moment, Li Che’s punches and elbows, towering like a high tower, nearly transformed into deadly weapons.

His moves accelerated until his fists were almost invisible.

A gale-force wind swept through the courtyard, whipping up countless splinters of wood in a wild dance!

“So… this is what a Grandmaster truly is!”

“I’ve achieved enlightenment.”

Boom—!

A punch struck the air so forcefully that, in an instant, the atmosphere seemed to cave in, with invisible ripples spreading like rolling tides.

Thud, thud, thud—

Li Che stood firm, his massive frame like a towering mountain as bulging veins pulsed with an intense surge of blood.

His qi and blood soared into the sky, swirling like billowing war smokes!

Slowly, the smoke split into two: one part morphed into a blood-red dragon with tendrils drifting across the sky, while the other took the form of a colossal elephant, its trunk raised in a trumpeting roar!

A giant dragon and a giant elephant—one of each!

They coiled and circled around him.

Their swirling forms merged into what looked like a blazing, red furnace!

Inside that furnace!

Nine forms of metamorphic martial visions were fused within!

This was…

A Grandmaster’s omen!

……

……

Rumble—!

It was as if muffled thunder—with the roars of dragons and trumpeting elephants—resonated even beneath the suppressive force of the Cosmic Chessboard!

Brief anomalies flitted between heaven and earth, only to be quickly concealed by the Cosmic Chessboard.

But eventually, they attracted the attention of a few discerning individuals.

The closest landmark to Li Che’s Workshop Courtyard in Luohua Alley was the Qin Mansion.

Inside the Qin Mansion, Qin Di Kun, the Patriarch of Divine Appearance of the Qin Family, suddenly opened his eyes and sprang out of his secret chamber.

With the winds howling, his hair and sleeves billowed dramatically…

“What a mighty surge of qi and blood—this Grandmaster omen! Who, after breaking through to Grandmaster, could produce such an anomaly?”

As a Divine Seer, Qin Di Kun was also a consummate Grandmaster, with extraordinarily potent qi and blood and keen perception.

He released his divine sense to scan the area, yet it felt as though what he sensed was nothing but an illusion.

“Impossible… it can’t be detected?”

“It feels just like when I ambushed Yu Qing—so close, yet completely undetectable!”

“So annoying! It’s so infuriating!”

Qin Di Kun took a deep breath, calming the inexplicable turmoil within him.

“Ma Mian…”

He murmured that name softly.

Ever since Shangguan Zhengheng—who mastered the Cursed Copper Corpse—was shot down in broad daylight,

the hidden marksman Ma Mian’s name in Jingguang City had soared; many searched for him, yet no one could find him.

“Ma Mian breaking through to Grandmaster? No… was Ma Mian not even a Grandmaster before?!”

Qin Di Kun seemed to recall something, his expression subtly changing.

……

……

Cliff Treasure Tower, Imperial Watch.

The soft strains of the erhu floated atop the tower, where a casually dressed supervisor sat on the roof, playing while his hair danced in the wind.

“Nine Transformations of the Divine Veins, a Furnace of Qi and Blood!”

“Jingguang City has produced such a martial prodigy?”

“Interesting, very interesting…”

“Too bad—he’s only just entered the Grandmaster realm. As a Furnace of Qi and Blood Grandmaster, once he reaches the later stages, he might rival even the Cursed Copper Corpse and surely earn a spot in the Lingnan Path Grandmaster records!”

“A Grandmaster who has mastered the Furnace of Qi and Blood, without even having the divine basis of the Divine Foundation—pure qi and blood martial arts alone could shatter him!”

“Heh, this guy’s hidden techniques are truly remarkable. I wonder which force sent such an expert to Jingguang City… With such methods, he must belong to a major power—could he be one of the Divine Sect’s elite?”

“The Corpse God Sect… surely they, who practice the Corpse Curse Technique, wouldn’t bother with the arduous task of refining a Grandmaster furnace!”

“What is their purpose? It’s probably for the Eight-Arm Furious Third Prince…”

Murmuring to himself, the supervisor’s aged face broke into a smile.

Too lazy to investigate further, he sat on a small stool, playing the erhu and humming a tune.

The vortex grew larger and more chaotic.

I might as well… play a leisurely erhu tune.

……

……

Inside the small courtyard.

Within his chest, the Dragon Elephant Dao Fruit pulsed with exceptional vigor.

The qi and blood, previously confined by the Cosmic Chessboard within the courtyard, suddenly surged into his body like a whale swallowing its prey.

His aura consolidated perfectly, hidden away flawlessly.

Li Che stretched his arms as his muscles and bones crackled like frying beans—every fiber of his skeleton being reforged to adapt to his newfound strength.

Forged by the Furnace of Qi and Blood, Li Che felt rejuvenated, as if every pore was expelling the impurities within.

He raised his hand, and between his five fingers, twisted streams of qi interwove…

This was true qi!

That true qi fused with the essence of his Dragon Elephant True Might, imbued with the power of both dragon and elephant, as though it also harbored the forces of Eight Dragons Overturning the River and Canglei Body.

The fusion of true qi, true essence, and blood produced a domineering, fierce force.

The true qi surged outward, extending nearly ten zhang around him!

Beyond that, its power would diminish precipitously, like a sheer cliff’s drop.

Unless one reached the Great Grandmaster level—when the Divine Gale erupted, even a hundred zhang could shatter stone and split gold!

“I am the true Grandmaster… those so-called Grandmasters I defeated before were too weak.”

“Now, anyone who dares challenge me, I’ll knock them out with a single punch!”

Li Che opened his mouth, exhaling and inhaling like a whale gulping water, stirring up a tempest!

If I were to describe my body at this moment in one word…

It would be ‘perfect.’

Of course, Li Che knew he was in an explosive breakthrough phase, his ego swelling immensely.

Yet he felt that now he might even be able to contend with Li Qingshan.

A spark of determination ignited within him.

Light swirled before his eyes.

【Dao Fruit: Dragon Elephant Vajra (LV3 50%)】

The maturation of the Dragon Elephant Vajra leaped to LV3, reaching 50%!

“What kind of transformation awaits if the Dao Fruit reaches LV4?”

“It’ll come soon…”

“Whether it’s [Xiangong] or Dragon Elephant Vajra, everything is accelerating!”

Li Che exhaled a puff of turbid breath.

The Dao Fruit was his means of survival in this world; research and development were the keys to his strength!

Li Che’s eyes flashed like lightning.

“Once I forge the Seven-Round Divine Foundation, coupled with my current Furnace of Qi and Blood breakthrough… will I be able to challenge the Divine Seer?!”

Can I?

Li Che didn’t know, but his instincts told him so.

Someone as ephemeral as Liu Jinsong? He was sure he could easily slay such foes.

He spread his arms, twisted his waist, and the surrounding air gathered behind him like a stretching dragon!

The sublimation of his physical body filled him with a calm confidence in mastering his power.

Suddenly.

Li Che’s eyes flickered slightly.

He raised his hand, and a white Feilei Chess Piece floated into his palm.

A vision gradually began to form.

“XiXi…”

……

……

XiXi gaped, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Though she was only three, as a prodigy with precocious intellect and trained in the method of the Tragic Third Prince, she naturally understood what the golden little kid before her was!

Wearing a golden circlet, with arms wrapped in golden ribbons, standing on wind-fire wheels, and wielding a golden fire-tipped spear…

This was the Golden Third Prince!

“No wonder Master Sect Leader got his just deserts…”

XiXi pouted, feeling an overwhelming sense of pressure.

The Third Prince, stepping on wind-fire wheels and hovering in the sky, looked like a deity straight out of myth, descended into reality!

The gaze from his gilded eyes was almost suffocating for XiXi.

The little butterfly on her shoulder had already begun to play dead.

But after the initial shock to her spirit, her tiny body began trembling with excitement.

Slowly, a trace of wild madness appeared in her eyes!

Fight the Third Prince, huh?

How thrilling!

XiXi… loves it!

“Ahahaha—”

“XiXi loves it!”

XiXi’s eyes sparkled as she flipped her chubby hand.

Since Master Sect Leader doesn’t honor martial ethics!

Then she…

In the next moment…

She hoisted the Namo Celestial Craft Gatling onto her hand.

Aiming it squarely at the haughty and cold Golden Third Prince hovering high in the sky.

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