Chapter 152: Radiance of Transformation

Before his eyes, a flowing light slowly unfurled.

The falling snow evaporated in an instant—a surge of overwhelming heat born from Li Che’s racing inner energy and blood flow.

“Transformation…”

“LV4!”

“The first Dao Fruit to transform to LV4!”

Li Che murmured.

Though his voice was calm, it betrayed an uncontrollable surge of excitement.

Moments later, his breathing steadied.

“Inhale—”

“Exhale—”

The world was silent, with snowflakes dancing in the air.

Li Che’s eyes opened and closed as he calmed his racing thoughts, gazing at the flowing light before him.

【Dao Fruit: Xiangong (LV4 0%)】

【Dao Fruit LV4 Second Transformation: Nascent Divine Technique (Xiangong·Thousand Analysis Hand) Upgrade, Unlocking Divine Technique (Xiangong·Star Plucking)】

Dao Fruit Second Transformation!

Nascent Divine Technique…has upgraded into full-fledged Divine Technique!

No matter how much Li Che tried to steady himself, his inner turmoil surged anew.

Divine Technique…

Star Plucking!

【Star Plucking (Divine Technique): Pluck the Stars, Absorb Them into My Essence, Embrace the Unsullied, All Spirits Pay Homage】

【Level One: Star Plucking Gaze】

【Infinite Analysis, Soul Drawing, Void Reversion, Evil-Quelling Exorcism】

【Level Two: ???】

【???】

As his nascent divine technique upgraded, an explanation of the new Divine Technique spontaneously surged in his mind!

Li Che’s gaze narrowed slightly.

Divine Technique Level One… Level Two!

Clearly, he couldn’t activate the Level Two form of the Divine Technique because his divine perception was too weak to bear its demands.

He couldn’t even force it open.

It was as if a barrier stood before him—no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn’t budge it!

In short, it came down to one word.

“Weak!”

His own strength was lacking.

He paid no mind to the efficacy of the Level Two Star Plucking Divine Technique.

Li Che focused his mind solely on the Level One Star Plucking Gaze.

Suddenly, a powerful suction burst forth before his eyes.

He felt his soul whirling around.

It was as if a third eye had sprouted on his forehead, its gaze shimmering with mysterious divine light.

It flickered open and closed, like a Mud Pellet’s piercing eye.

After the swirling of heaven and earth, the scene before him transformed dramatically.

Vast, boundless, and majestic heavens and earth emerged before him.

He also beheld a towering Dao Tree rising from the barren land, stretching skyward as if to break through the clouds.

From its branches hung five fruits aglow with iridescent light.

That was a Dao Fruit!

One of them, the Dao Fruit [Xiangong], appeared notably heavier, bending its branch slightly under its weight.

The curve was subtle, but to Li Che it was…

absolutely unmistakable!

It engraved itself upon his soul, instantly captured by his vision.

Then his gaze swept to the other four Dao Fruits: [Dragon Elephant Vajra], [Unsullied Heart], [Chess Sage], and [Painted Immortal]!

At that moment, he felt his Star Plucking Gaze ignite with an intense heat.

It burst forth with an endless, blazing radiance!

Radiant beyond compare, like the filament of an incandescent bulb elevated by billions of watts.

Within his piercing gaze, energy intertwined like bizarre, vine-like patterns, encircling Li Che’s arms.

His hand shot upward, fingers splayed, as if his palm could split the void itself!

It slowly reached out toward the four Dao Fruits hanging from the Dao Tree—those aside from the [Xiangong] one…

as if to pluck them down!

As though…

An immortal plucking the stars from the night sky!

But soon, the vision before Li Che faded.

His consciousness returned to his corporeal form.

In the courtyard, his labored breaths sounded like a bellows in constant motion.

Each breath stirred raging gusts of energy!

Wood shavings flew as the atmosphere roiled wildly.

He glanced at the seven [Painted Immortal] clones inside the room—they had somehow dissolved, leaving only incompletely refined Eight Extremity Divine Essence Crystals scattered on the floor.

Sensing his greatly enhanced Seven-Whorl Divine Foundation, Li Che exhaled a gust of foul air.

He raised his hand to wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead.

Even his back was drenched in sweat.

It seemed as if he had endured a grueling ordeal, as though he’d truly ascended to the heavens in pursuit of those unreachable stars.

“Did the [Painted Immortal] clones dissolve automatically… because of a Dao Fruit tremor?”

“Earlier… was it that I intended to pluck the Dao Fruits hanging from the Dao Tree?”

Li Che exhaled, his eyes shifting to an unusual hue.

He raised his hand to his brow, only to find that his piercing third eye had vanished.

The Level One Star Plucking Gaze of his Divine Technique had dissipated.

Moreover, Li Che felt an enormous depletion of his essence, especially his spirit—creating a hazy, muddled sensation.

His divine perception was nearly dried up, as if completely drained.

Li Che understood that this was the massive toll of experimenting with his Divine Technique.

Sitting cross-legged to recover, he pondered carefully.

“Star Plucking… does ‘star’ refer to the Dao Fruit?”

“Then what would be the point of plucking the Dao Fruit?”

“For now, I cannot pluck the Dao Fruit. Only when my cultivation advances sufficiently can I truly know its significance.”

Li Che mused.

He deduced that the Xiangong Divine Technique, the Star Plucking Gaze, was merely an upgraded version of the Thousand Analysis Hand, sharing functions like dissecting divine weapons and absorbing divine essence.

Moreover, it appeared to incorporate additional effects such as Soul Drawing, Void Reversion, and Evil-Quelling Exorcism.

“Spirit Activation…”

Li Che closed his eyes as the profound meaning of the Divine Technique flowed through his mind like blossoming flowers, revealing the essence of Spirit Activation.

“Igniting the Spiritual Essence?”

Li Che opened his eyes, a strange glimmer dancing within them.

“Void Reversion means I can disregard any illusion or falsehood, including charm arrays.”

Li Che exhaled. As for Evil-Quelling Exorcism, its meaning was self-evident.

Developing his Divine Technique would take time, but overall, he was pleased with the results.

However, mastering such a technique required strength.

At this stage, his strength was simply inadequate.

Snow began to fall once more, landing on his hair, shoulders, and the books clenched in his hands.

Li Che didn’t use his inner energy to evaporate the snow.

He resumed perusing ‘Tang’s True Transmitted Mechanism.’

His eyes fixed on it, for after the Xiangong Dao Fruit reached LV4, his understanding and insight into mechanisms leapt to a new level.

Compared to the more abstruse ‘Tang’s Mechanism Chronicle,’ ‘Tang’s True Transmitted Mechanism’ suddenly became clear to him.

Li Che scrutinized the text, his mind busy calculating and constructing models of mechanisms.

“Mechanical Beasts… ‘Tang’s True Transmitted Mechanism’ records the detailed crafting of mechanical beasts and the associated mechanical art.”

Suddenly.

Li Che felt the golden tome of ‘Tang’s True Transmitted Mechanism’ tremble slightly in his hands.

One character after another seemed to come alive.

In an instant, they transformed before his eyes into a scripture.

Li Che was startled at first, but soon his astonishment subsided.

“This is Tang’s ultimate technique, ‘Nine Seals of Mechanism’—the key to crafting mechanical beasts and the essence at their core!”

“Only through deep understanding can one extract the essence from ‘Tang’s True Transmitted Mechanism’ and distill this ultimate art!”

“Before battle, all soldiers array themselves; the Nine Seals of Mechanism were developed by the Tang Clan Patriarch within the Bizarre Temple he once subdued, integrating into the art of mechanism to form Tang’s unique mechanical path.”

“Mechanical beasts require seals; the more seals a mechanical beast bears, the stronger it becomes!”

“The Tendu mechanical beast bears one seal, while the Jiuyue mechanical beast carries two…”

“Tang’s four ultimate mechanical beasts bear seven rounds of mechanical seals!”

Li Che’s eyes opened wide, radiating brilliance.

So that’s it…

This was the true core of Tang’s mechanism!

His heart surged as he began to meticulously study the ‘Nine Seals of Mechanism’—an art of ultimate mastery.

Li Che was fascinated by any form of ultimate art.

He wondered if he could integrate it into his own [Myriad Transformations of Dragon Elephant] technique.

However, Li Che soon frowned; ‘Nine Seals of Mechanism’ was manifestly of a higher caliber than any ultimate art he’d encountered thus far.

Its comprehension proved exceedingly difficult.

Yet Li Che was remarkably patient.

While restoring his essence, he delved into the ultimate art of ‘Nine Seals of Mechanism.’

……

……

Two days later.

At Zheng Lei Peak, within a small courtyard.

XiXi, with her goat horn braids and wrapped in a bright red cotton jacket, peeked out from time to time by Li Che’s side.

“Daddy, are you done?”

“Daddy, have you finished your creation?”

“XiXi can’t wait any longer—hurry, Daddy!”

XiXi chattered incessantly, her little mouth muttering excitedly.

In the distance.

Gongyang Xiu and Gong Yuanliang dared not approach, a bit fearful of XiXi’s father.

They felt that XiXi’s father’s gaze was so piercing it seemed ready to blow their heads apart.

Lu Chi, by contrast, was already accustomed to it.

Having borne much, one’s mental fortitude silently increased.

Since Feilei City, Lu Chi had endured Li Che’s intense gaze—this was merely a trivial matter.

Lu Chi grunted as he practiced martial arts, dismissively snorting at Gongyang Xiu and Gong Yuanliang.

Those two little punks.

Naturally, Li Che paid no mind to the squabbles among the three little brats.

He was busy carving a small object.

His carving knife danced in his hands, as gleaming shavings of spirit wood cascaded like falling snow.

After the Xiangong Dao Fruit’s upgrade, Li Che’s carving skills had reached a realm of their own—unique and masterful.

“Finished!”

Li Che put away his carving knife and playfully tousled XiXi’s inquisitive little head.

“Eh—Daddy, where’s the little crow? What is this? It’s so ugly!”

XiXi retorted with a pout.

Even the little butterfly on her shoulder fluttered its wings in curiosity.

Gongyang Xiu, Gong Yuanliang, and Lu Chi couldn’t help but gather around in curiosity.

Smiling, Li Che assembled the scattered components, using mortise and tenon joints without a single nail.

Then, with a deep breath, a mighty gust of energy surged out from his mouth.

In an instant, the assembled wooden spirit crane was blasted, sending a flurry of wood shavings aside to reveal the streamlined form of a mechanical beast.

“This is…”

Lu Chi, with his big head, shrank his eyes.

A mechanical beast?!

It is a mechanical beast!

A Tang Mechanical Beast!

Uncle Li could actually craft a mechanical beast?

Even though it only had the appearance of a mechanical beast, it was already an extraordinary achievement.

However, something even more astonishing for Lu Chi was about to occur.

Amid the exclamations of “Wow, wow” from the three little brats, Li Che was thoroughly satisfied.

He raised his hand, his fingers curved like hooks, deftly tracing patterns in the air.

In the next moment, Li Che inscribed a ‘Xing’ character seal with divine artistry and embedded it into the body of the mechanical beast.

Li Che released his hand.

Crack, crack, crack—

The wooden spirit beast immediately staggered and twitched, its spirit wood wings flapping incessantly.

As if it were becoming acquainted with its new body.

Li Che sat quietly on the ground, a faint divine pattern appearing between his brows.

It then transformed into a fleeting, flickering piercing gaze.

Divine Technique—

Star Plucking Gaze!

Spirit Activation!

A stream of light burst forth from his piercing gaze, merging into the wooden spirit crane and gradually converging on its core, where the ‘Xing’ seal was inscribed.

In an instant, the once clumsy, flapping wooden spirit crane became agile and lively.

It frolicked around the courtyard, even nuzzling up to XiXi and caressing her cheek.

“Haha! Wow! Daddy, you’re amazing! This big bird is so much fun!”

The little butterfly on XiXi’s shoulder also fluttered, playfully fixated on the wooden spirit crane.

As the wooden spirit crane lifted its neck, XiXi clung to its back, and then, with a flap of its wings…

it soared into the air right away, gliding effortlessly through the small courtyard with XiXi on board.

XiXi was overjoyed, her face flushed; this big crane was far more exciting than a twisty car!

“Daddy, let’s have fun together!”

XiXi’s hearty laughter rang out across the sky, accompanied by tinkling, bell-like giggles.

XiXi was thrilled beyond measure!

Li Che watched XiXi’s beaming smile, patted the wood shavings off his ink-stained robe, and rose with his hands behind his back.

His eyes were gentle, with a soft smile gracing his lips.

Nine Seals of Mechanism: Initiate!

Mastering even one seal marked the beginning of the journey.

This ultimate mechanical art was notoriously difficult—Li Che spent three days barely mastering the first seal, with each subsequent one proving even more challenging.

It seemed that the caliber of the Nine Seals of Mechanism even transcended that of typical ultimate arts.

“A pro at drone air-drops and bombings.”

Li Che chuckled, thoroughly pleased with the wooden spirit crane.

Moreover, the mechanical beast he crafted possessed true spirit…

Infused with the luminescence of his Star Plucking Gaze’s Spirit Activation, it was lively, sentient, and indistinguishably lifelike.

It was as if it were a real spirit crane.

Nearby, Gongyang Xiu and Gong Yuanliang’s eyes gleamed with envy.

XiXi’s father was truly remarkable.

The wooden bird he crafted could actually fly.

Not like their own father, who could only sit in a teahouse listening to melodies.

And Lu Chi was most shocked, realizing that Li Che’s feat signified his mastery of the core of Tang Mechanical Art!

Not only could he craft the appearance of a mechanical beast, he could imbue it with abilities!

Suddenly, Lu Chi felt a chill run down his spine.

Because he noticed Li Che was gazing at him with a half-smile, a look that sent shivers down his spine.

Lu Chi felt that his own display of astonishment was hardly fitting for a child of his age.

It was more appropriate for him to harbor the attitude of Gongyang Xiu and Gong Yuanliang, who considered their own fathers useless.

Li Che withdrew his gaze from Lu Chi.

Lu Chi…

His identity seemed rather extraordinary.

But he didn’t probe further—if even Li Qingshan, Lu Chi’s master, hadn’t pursued it, why should he care?

Considering Lu Chi’s performance so far, as long as he didn’t think of harming XiXi, Li Che wouldn’t be tempted to test his throwing strength on his large head.

He patted his hand.

The wooden spirit crane immediately descended, and XiXi wrapped her arms around it.

“No way, Daddy… let XiXi play with the big crane a little longer!”

XiXi raised a chubby index finger, waggled her brows as she brought it near her tiny nose, pleading with Li Che.

But Li Che adopted a stern expression.

“No!”

“Have you finished the homework that Elder Zhang assigned—you were to copy your name?”

Li Che said.

“You can play once your homework is done. The big crane is right here whenever you need it, but if you don’t finish, Elder Zhang’s ruler will be coming tomorrow—so no more crying red noses.”

Li Che was unyielding in his discipline.

After all, this little girl had already been punished countless times with the ruler.

“Look, Xiu Xiu and Liang Liang have finished their homework, yet you only know how to play!”

XiXi was struck as if by lightning; in shock, she tumbled off the big crane’s back.

The big crane, sensing her distress, nudged her cheek with its head, as if offering comfort.

XiXi looked at Li Che in despair.

“Daddy…”

“No amount of whining will help,” Li Che replied, folding his arms.

XiXi’s little face immediately turned bright red with frustration.

She looked utterly forlorn.

“Liang Liang and Xiu Xiu’s names only take a few strokes, whereas mine takes many more…”

Elder Zhang had assigned them to copy names.

Everyone was required to write their name one hundred times.

If unfinished, an extra hundred the next day.

Poor XiXi…

She never managed to finish.

By now, she had accumulated eight hundred repetitions.

Elder Zhang’s sour face was twisted in anger.

He adored XiXi’s talent for a moment, but his anger still flared.

At this, Li Che felt a pang of guilt and ruffled XiXi’s head.

“Daddy, who gave you the idea for your name?! Doesn’t it require homework?!”

“Can’t you just name me Li Yiyi?”

XiXi crossed her arms, visibly angry.

XiXi the Great wants to change her name!

XiXi the Great loved battle and fireworks, but despised writing her name.

She wished her name were just a little simpler.

But changing her name would mean she wouldn’t truly be XiXi the Great anymore.

It was such a dilemma.

XiXi knitted her brows in frustration.

“Oh, your name was given by your great-uncle,” Li Che added mockingly.

XiXi immediately stamped her foot: “Great-Uncle doesn’t do homework? How annoying!”

“Alright, off you go. Once you finish copying your name, Daddy will bring you a treat. Tanghulu? Sweet and sour ribs? Red-braised pork?”

“I want them all!” XiXi’s eyes lit up.

Li Che ruffled her head and said, “Alright, off you go.”

The lure of delicious food motivated her.

Yet XiXi trudged heavily toward the study.

Inside the study, Li Che had set up a desk for the little ones, complete with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

The wooden spirit crane and the little butterfly watched XiXi as she did her homework.

XiXi sat on the child-sized chair that Li Che had carefully crafted for her; her trembling heart and hands picked up a quivering brush…

Her little face turned pale, her eyes brimming with tears as she began to write her name…

She managed to write ‘Li Nuǎnxi’ once…

Seven hundred and ninety-nine more to go.

Finished.

The world of XiXi the Great…

was plunged into darkness.

……

……

At last, XiXi still couldn’t finish writing her name.

She would owe another hundred repetitions.

The tally had reached nine hundred.

With a despondent heart, XiXi was taken by Li Che to Golden Light Peak.

Upon arriving at Golden Light Peak, Li Che was surprised; according to his senses, it was much livelier than usual.

In the Grand Plaza, a crowd of unfamiliar children had gathered, not resembling the new disciples of the Divine Sect Branch.

Carrying XiXi, Li Che noticed her eyes still filled with tears, yet she seemed captivated by the scene.

In the distance, Sang Guanyin, dressed in a goose-yellow gown, approached gracefully.

“Sister XiXi, what… has happened?”

Li Che asked in confusion.

XiXi wrapped her arms around Li Che’s neck, her large eyes blinking curiously.

“It’s the prodigious children and prodigies of Daocheng Qianyuan Main Sect coming to pay homage, as a prelude to the upcoming Temple Spirit Resonance.”

Sang Guanyin spoke in a gentle, serene tone.

“Some of them, like XiXi, are prodigies… XiXi’s father, will you stay to watch?”

“They might challenge XiXi later—you could also observe her cultivation progress.”

Sang Guanyin invited.

Li Che was tempted but shook his head: “I have business with the Imperial Watch. Today, the Monitor has organized the wooden carving masters to head to the [Fire-Eyed Astonishing Spirit Ape] at the Bizarre Temple.”

Li Che had long been anticipating the new Bizarre Temple.

He naturally didn’t want to miss it.

Besides…

If he intended to watch a battle, he never needed to be close.

He had left a Feilei Chess Piece on XiXi, allowing him to monitor her at any time.

Upon hearing this, Sang Guanyin did not insist further.

She knew that for a wooden carving master, visiting a Bizarre Temple to observe a temple spirit was of utmost importance.

After all, such opportunities were exceedingly rare.

The challenges and exchanges among Daocheng’s prodigies were mere leisure pursuits—not on the scale of a Temple Spirit Resonance.

After embracing XiXi, Sang Guanyin used her silk handkerchief to wipe away the tears.

“What’s wrong, XiXi? Why are you crying?”

“Sister Yinyin, please help XiXi…” XiXi immediately clung to Sang Guanyin, breaking into sobs.

“XiXi’s name is just too hard to write!”

Sang Guanyin: “……”

Oh, poor XiXi.

Even Sister Yinyin was helpless in this matter.

……

……

Luohua Alley.

Within the courtyard.

“Inhale—”

Accompanied by long, deep breaths like a whale’s exhalation, the air was slowly stirred, moving snow and wood shavings.

Li Che was drenched in sweat, the heat radiating from him raising the courtyard’s temperature significantly.

He stood firm, his fingers curling like hooks, forcefully summoning a burst of energy that shattered the air, reminiscent of a dragon’s roaring charge!

Two streams of blood-like energy, like draconic serpents, surged forth, snaking and striking as if whips lashing the air, causing it to shatter with explosive force!

“Eight Dragons Overturning the River—The second blood energy dragon… Coalesce!”

“The third blood energy dragon signifies mastery! Hurry!”

Suddenly, Li Che’s movements shifted again, as countless arcs of lightning danced around him, transforming him into a flurry of electric radiance in the courtyard!

“The inferior ultimate art, Canglei Body, has been fully mastered!”

“True Form of Canglei!”

Mastery gives birth to the true form—a master-level cultivation can manifest the essence of an ultimate art; reaching the realm of perfection births a field of true essence!

This was the pinnacle level of a grandmaster’s ultimate art cultivation!

Once the true form was achieved, the Canglei Body enveloping Li Che externally resembled interwoven thunder armor, greatly enhancing his speed, strength, and explosiveness!

Li Che dispelled the Canglei Body; with his index and middle fingers together, he suddenly pointed, unleashing a torrent of sword aura that roared through the courtyard!

The Superior Ultimate Art, ‘Lu Xuan Sword Scripture’!

The state of minor mastery!

Li Che was refining his martial arts; his [Dragon Elephant Vajra] Dao Fruit throbbed, elevating his aptitude and harmonizing his insights with nature.

After a while, Li Che’s body suddenly surged upward, every muscle quivering and every cell seeming to roar.

Myriad Transformations of Dragon Elephant!

An original ultimate art—stepping into minor mastery!

Behind Li Che, a phantom of dragons and elephants seemed to materialize!

The power of Five Dragons and Five Elephants!

Arms like elephant trunks, tails like dragon whips—his blows sent a crater through the courtyard’s air as wild gusts roared and raged!

Li Che gradually ceased his exertions, a smile appearing on his face.

“Not bad.”

“A mid-grandmaster level.”

He felt his significantly strengthened crucible-like energy and was in high spirits.

In the realm of grandmasters, one cultivates ultimate arts—enhance the art, and your own cultivation naturally follows!

Li Che’s grandmaster cultivation was intertwined with his original ultimate art, [Myriad Transformations of Dragon Elephant].

By reaching minor mastery, he had officially entered the mid-grandmaster stage.

After a brief wash and grooming,

Li Che changed into a neat ink robe.

The [Painted Immortal] clones split: seven dedicated to nurturing vitality, and one tasked with developing Guanyin’s Seated Lotus technique for frontline battle and mechanism.

Li Che then donned a bamboo hat and headed toward the Imperial Watch Tower.

Today… he was set to visit the eagerly awaited [Fire-Eyed Astonishing Spirit Ape] at the Bizarre Temple, as arranged by the Monitor’s order.

At last, he had the chance to examine the new temple spirit.

This visit to the temple spirit had been postponed by a few days.

Li Che had been eagerly anticipating it.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Watch Tower,

one after another, Imperial Watch carriages awaited outside.

Deputy Monitor Gong Yunli and Gongyang Liancheng each occupied a carriage.

“Ah Che, come—share a carriage with me.”

Gong Yunli lifted the curtain, and upon seeing Li Che, greeted him cheerfully.

Their interaction drew the attention of many wooden carving masters.

This time, virtually all third-class Imperial Watch wooden carving masters were heading to witness the temple spirit.

After all, entering the Bizarre Temple heavily guarded by the Temple Guardian Division was no small feat.

Li Che, undistracted by Gong Yunli’s exuberance, calmly boarded the carriage.

Traveling with the somewhat naïve-looking Deputy Monitor allowed Li Che to relax his suspicions.

He enjoyed the leisure.

Once inside, Gong Yunli poured Li Che a cup of tea.

“I heard that there’s quite a commotion at Golden Light Peak—three prodigies from Daocheng are eager to spar with your XiXi.”

Gong Yunli, with her fair, delicately powdered cheeks now flushed, exuded a curious eagerness for gossip.

Li Che laughed and corrected her, “They are challenging my XiXi.”

“What a pity—you’re off to the Bizarre Temple to witness the temple spirit, so you can’t watch the match.”

Li Che smiled softly and agreed, “Yes, what a shame.”

His thoughts stirred.

Within the Cosmic Chessboard.

The Feilei Chess Piece embedded in XiXi began to tremble.

Instantly, a vision unfolded before his eyes.

At the Grand Plaza of Golden Light Peak.

XiXi the Great stood with hands on her hips and chin raised, flanked by the mechanical beast crane and a mysterious little butterfly.

She stood amidst raging winds.

Ready to face the challenges from Daocheng’s prodigies head-on!

XiXi the Great never feared battle!

Except when it came to copying her name!

Copying her name was her fatal weakness!

Just as Li Che was about to relish the spectacle,

Suddenly.

On the chessboard, a Divine Chess Piece was crushed with a smack, exploding into divine mists.

Li Che was momentarily stunned, his eyes subtly shifting.

This wasn’t a signal of a loved one in danger.

It was the Divine Chess Piece he left for Nan Lihuo for communication—if shattered, it meant action was imminent.

Nan Lihuo had spent a considerable sum hiring Ogre and Ma Mian to hunt down the Divine Archer Wen Longshan, who was guarding City Lord Su Huai Li.

Now…

Nan Lihuo had crushed that chess piece.

It looked like action was about to commence!

After such a long silence from Nan Lihuo, Li Che had even thought he had been forgotten.

Li Che had already used up the deposit of four Eight Extremity Divine Essence Crystals that Nan Lihuo had provided.

Inside the carriage, Li Che withdrew from the Cosmic Chessboard, his gaze rippling as he gently picked up his tea cup, took a sip, and a cold, grim smile tugged at his lips.

Recalling the Divine Archer’s repeated ambushes, murderous intent surged within him.

Divine Archer Wen Longshan…

“Your end has come!”

Seven-thousand-character chapter—only two days left for monthly votes. You all are amazing; it rose by over a thousand votes in a day. Incredible! With two days remaining, let me see your endurance—don’t stop reading. This could influence the next featured PK. Uncle Li thanks you all!