Chapter 160: A Blizzard of Blood and Fate

Zheng Lei Peak.

The night deepens.

Inside the room, Li Qingshan and Granny Mu light a flickering oil lamp as they exchange whispered words.

Ever since breaking into the Divine Vision realm, Li Qingshan has had more time to spend with Granny Mu—and he never hesitates to share it with her.

Apart from reinforcing his spiritual observations, he spends most of his time with Granny Mu or wandering the disciple towns atop Zheng Lei Peak.

Sometimes they stroll along the streets of Jingguang Prefecture, browsing accessory shops.

He relishes this leisurely life.

Maintaining the air of a frail elder, he grows old with his youthful beauty, sharing an oil-paper umbrella as they wander through softly falling snow.

They traverse spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

Each season brings its own unique flavor.

Perhaps weary from the day, Granny Mu grows drowsy mid-conversation with Li Qingshan.

She eventually falls asleep in bed.

Li Qingshan gently kneads the corner of her quilt.

Though her youthful charm has faded, hints of her former beauty still shine through.

It remains a cherished memory in his heart.

Suddenly, a subtle change flickers across his expression.

He rises slowly, stokes the fire in the stove to adjust the room’s warmth perfectly, and then steps outside.

Outside, snow continues to drift under the night sky.

One glance tells him that beneath this deep winter blizzard, a catastrophic snow disaster is imminent—one that will claim countless innocent lives.

Walking along the corridor, he sees Lu Chi still sweating profusely in the courtyard.

Lu Chi, with his imposing head and gleaming eyes, moves with unwavering determination, every action fueled by surging blood energy.

Perhaps due to recent trauma—four-year-old XiXi has already undergone a Five-Ban Blood Exchange while Lu Chi’s meridians remain untouched—his inner anxiety mounts.

It feels as if the threat is closing in fast.

He recalls how, back in Feilei City, Lu Chi first encountered XiXi when she was nothing more than a smooth-skinned little girl.

‘That heightened sense of crisis…’ Li Qingshan murmurs, shaking his head.

A little crisis spurs one to improve.

Only through such pressure does one strive to become stronger.

Given Lu Chi’s unique status, Li Qingshan has always let him grow freely.

Still, Lu Chi remains one of his few disciples.

Li Qingshan never dared to impart the true teachings—his earlier misdeeds had earned him too many enemies.

He feared that every disciple he accepted might meet an untimely end.

Thus, he refrained from endangering his own students.

But Lu Chi is different—his fate seems unbreakable.

“XiXi is a prodigy, and not just any prodigy—she’s Li Che’s daughter. I can only imagine how high her future might soar.”

Li Qingshan sighs deeply.

Li Che began cultivating at twenty as a prodigy, reaching his current stature in record time and even capable of teaming up with Ma Mian to obliterate foes like Wen Longshan at the level of Sevenfold Corpse God Envoys.

This attests to Li Che’s extraordinary talent and bloodline.

And XiXi’s innate potential is even more formidable.

Among prodigies, she stands out as top-tier—even near the realm of the exceptional.

Lu Chi… to catch up with XiXi is a truly daunting challenge.

It’s no easy feat.

Not wishing to disturb Lu Chi’s training, Li Qingshan returns to his study and lights a candle.

He takes out the Underworld Divine Communication Mirror that Li Che had given him.

He knows that with this mirror, his identity gains another layer.

He is now the Underworld Cat-Faced Killer!

A killer devoid of emotion.

However, Li Qingshan’s eyes quickly scan the messages on the mirror.

Instantly, his face turns horrified!

“Damn it!”

“Ogre, you leave me behind again!”

Li Qingshan grits his teeth in anger.

Then he sees two messages flash on the mirror.

“The situation has changed. I’ve already made my move.”

“Hurry, come at once!”

Discarding any leisure, Li Qingshan immediately dons his Cat Face Mask and races down the mountain.

Xinyuan Temple isn’t far from here.

By the time he gets there…

even the yellow daylilies would have withered!

……

……

The night is dark and windy, with heavy snow swirling all around.

The world is encrusted in ice; the bitter cold pervades every corner.

Li Che stands on the eaves wearing an Ogre Mask, his eyes beneath the mask unfathomably deep.

He emerges from the darkness, silently leaping and landing atop a high spot.

Sensing the aura of the Zhong Kui Statue via the Cosmic Chessboard, his murderous intent flares as he tracks the source.

He has found a small courtyard.

Climbing high to survey the scene, he rends the dark night with his gaze.

Inside, a gruesome scene unfolds: countless piles of bones mixed with tattered remains of men, women, and children.

Clearly, these are refugees who survived the snow disaster only to perish here.

They endured the blizzard yet were left as nothing more than withered bones in this Ghost Temple.

The sight is hellish—bodies heaped upon bodies, the stench of death and cold palpable, as if the gates of the underworld had swung wide open and the dead had risen as vengeful spirits.

An overwhelming tide of death energy surges in from all sides.

Like the incendiary flames of a furnace—only these flames are black, transmuting the refugees into dreadful specters.

Li Che, though he does not fancy himself a hero, feels a surge of shock and fury at this brutal spectacle.

His anger at the Corpse God Sect’s murderous intent intensifies.

He scans the area.

Searching for the aura of the Zhong Kui Statue—and for Fa Kong.

His eyes land on the courtyard entrance, where amidst swirling black death energy, a gaunt, withered figure sits cross-legged with hands clasped, bound in cold chains, intoning the Rebirth Mantra.

It appears he intends, with his meager strength, to guide these vengeful ghosts to salvation.

Nearby, a cracked and timeworn statue stands.

A withered, spent monk.

A small spark of hope, like a lone firefly daring to screen a sliver of light in endless darkness.

Fa Kong, too, has been imprisoned—cast into this courtyard with the refugees, destined to be transformed into vengeful spirits.

Yet he brandishes the Zhong Kui Statue to strike against the Corpse God Sect’s ghost-refining formation, holding the vengeful spirits at bay.

He even uses his limited strength to purify and save the dead souls of these bitter refugees.

Li Che sighs deeply.

A flicker of respect for Fa Kong wells up within him.

No wonder Fa Kong was chosen to subdue ghosts.

Fa Kong had long since decided that he no longer cared about the glory of Buddha or the Dao—his faith in the ghost temple was gone.

For him, as long as he can suppress the vengeful spirits and escort the dead, that is the mark of a worthy divine statue.

At the far end of the courtyard, a massive column of death energy rises, funneling into a solitary figure.

On that figure, an ancient bronze glow shimmers with an eerie chill, while two lines of Silver Guts coil over the corpse like sinuous silver serpents.

“Silver Guts, Cursed Copper Corpse!”

Li Che’s eyes narrow—he realizes that the death energy from those sacrificed is being drawn to refine this man’s body, producing his Silver Guts.

Moreover,

in front of the Corpse God Sect’s enforcer, a tattered banner flutters ominously, fueling the formation that refines both the refugees and the monks.

Amid it all, the man’s eyes intermittently open and close, his icy gaze settling on Fa Kong with a trace of disdain.

“Not bad. That statue can even suppress the ghosts refined by their rites—if they don’t fall into my Soul-Severing Banner…”

“But ultimately, that statue is nothing more than a rudimentary nine-star wooden carving. It won’t last much longer.”

“Fa Kong, prepare—you’re soon to join the ranks of vengeful ghosts, to become the capital for my Silver Guts.”

A mocking voice echoes.

Its sound lingers and reverberates.

He could have easily slain Fa Kong—a mere monk at the Divine Foundation posed no threat.

Yet he toys with him, intent on crushing the last shred of hope in Fa Kong’s heart.

He even wishes Fa Kong, like him, would eventually surrender and join the Corpse God Sect.

“Everyone worships Buddha—if they can convert, why shouldn’t you?”

“If you surrender, I too can finally have peace.”

Fa Kong’s withered face, once rugged, is now unrecognizable.

With his palms clasped and his flesh seemingly devoured by vengeful spirits, he staggers on while chanting the Rebirth Mantra.

A trace of sorrow flickers in his eyes.

Once a proud branch split from Qitian Temple, Xinyuan Temple at least retained some dignity.

But now…

That dignity vanished with the Abbot’s passing.

Rebellious monks, desperate for breakthrough power, refused a quiet death—some even joined the Corpse God Sect, turning Xinyuan Temple into a den of sin for its miscreants.

Countless refugees were sacrificed in the process.

Fa Kong is overwhelmed with numb sorrow.

He only hopes to endure until his strength is spent and join the dead.

At least, he clung to a faint light within until the very end.

Suddenly,

the Zhong Kui Statue seems to glow.

For some unknown reason, its power grows more formidable, a milky white aura shimmering from its wood.

Then, a phantom image of the Zhong Kui Statue abruptly appears between heaven and earth.

This rebirth endows Fa Kong with renewed power to continue his suppression.

Fa Kong’s withered eyes brighten ever so slightly.

A faint smile curves his lips.

He resumes chanting the Rebirth Mantra.

……

……

Li Che withdraws his quivering fingers.

He flicks out a Divine Chess Piece of Unsullied Heart and inserts it into the Zhong Kui Statue to awaken and amplify its divine aura.

This grants Fa Kong the vital support he needs.

Li Che adjusts his Bamboo Hat; beneath it, his Cute Cow Mask grows even more foreboding in the darkness, its benign look replaced by the stern, icy visage of a judge from hell.

He has recognized the mastermind orchestrating the refinement of countless souls.

It is Master Xuanli.

A Silver-Guts Cursed Copper Corpse nearly on par with a lower Sevenfold Corpse God Envoy.

Although his Silver Guts have an extra flourish, he is scarcely different from the envoy Li Che once dispatched with a Mushroom Bomb.

But this time, replicating that method to defeat the envoy is out of the question.

Last time, the envoy escaped using the Time-Space Corpse Technique, catching everyone off guard.

The moment he emerged from the vortex of death energy, there was nowhere to hide.

He ended up consuming the Mushroom Bomb entirely.

Furthermore, that Sevenfold Corpse God Envoy had exhausted his Silver Guts, leaving only his Cursed Copper Corpse, which couldn’t withstand even a Mushroom Bomb.

But Old Monk Xuanli is different—at this moment, his condition is formidable, far beyond that envoy Li Che once outwitted.

A lone Guanyin Lotus Bullet, despite its power, requires a direct hit.

Missing the mark would only squander his inner reserves.

If there were a Guanyin Lotus Main Battle Tank with great endurance, one could treat the lotus bullet like a projectile, guided by the Cosmic Chessboard, for a precise strike.

But that isn’t the case now…

Still, it isn’t a major setback.

He’ll simply adopt a more straightforward, decisive method.

Lowering his Bamboo Hat, Li Che melts into the darkness.

First, he sends a message to Li Qingshan,

ordering him to arrive for the finishing move.

The rest…

He begins immediately.

Clenching his five fingers,

the Unsullied Heart paper rustles in the dark, and one by one, images of Ogres materialize.

Armed with a Xiangong Gatling and concealed by the Cosmic Chessboard, they embed themselves among the temple’s darkest corners.

Li Che then sketches Ma Mian.

Wielding a Xiangong Barrett and launching a snow avalanche Dragon Tooth Bodhi Bullet for a short-range sniper attack,

the drawn Ma Mian is built for a single, decisive strike; one shot is all it takes before it shatters into an ink-like mist under the Barrett’s recoil.

And that one shot is all Li Che needs.

This is Li Che’s first true attempt to hunt down a Sevenfold Corpse God Envoy relying solely on his own strength.

Success is uncertain,

but he chooses to give his all.

Pointing his toe delicately, Li Che—hidden behind his Ogre Mask—darts through the darkness like a sleek black dragon, swiftly closing in on the courtyard.

……

……

Master Xuanli is bathed in endless death energy and corpse aura; streams of dark death energy slowly seep into his body like venomous snakes,

refining his inner organs and rendering his flesh increasingly resilient and unbreakable.

Once he captures the Temple Spirit and completes his task, he will be awarded the sect’s sixth-level ‘Death Energy Congealed Martial Pill,’ pushing his Cursed Copper Corpse nearly to the level of Cursed Silver Corpse!

Then, he can ascend to become an Upper Sevenfold Corpse God Envoy!

With even greater power and more resources at his disposal.

“I wonder how Xuanniu’s recovery is coming along. It might be time to initiate the Temple Spirit Capture Plan…”

“With Xuanniu on board and an extra Silver-Guts Cursed Copper Corpse, our advantage will be significantly bolstered.”

Master Xuanli’s eyes flicker as he ponders while absorbing the death energy.

After the Abbot’s passing, Xinyuan Temple fell entirely under his control. Having already pledged allegiance to the Corpse God Sect, he seized power and gradually began to corrupt the temple.

Most of Xinyuan Temple’s monks eventually embraced the Corpse God Sect to gain even more formidable strength.

Of course, some stubborn ones persisted.

Like his junior disciple, Fa Kong…

Who resolutely refuses to yield.

Stubborn as a rock in a latrine—unyielding and foul-smelling.

Master Xuanli could easily kill him, but what he truly desires is to transform Fa Kong’s mindset.

Only if everyone is complicit will he feel at ease, free of guilt.

To assuage his lingering remorse, he waits for Fa Kong to finally surrender under the threat of death.

Master Xuanli speaks, and two streams of Silver Guts surge along his robust frame, darting rapidly toward his mouth.

Suddenly,

Old Monk Xuanli’s muddled eyes suddenly narrow!

A flash of light silently approaches!

Quick!

Too fast!

Bang—!

The flash violently slams into his chest; even a body of Cursed Copper Corpse strength seems nearly overwhelmed at that moment.

Yet, two streaks of Silver Guts quickly converge at his chest, deflecting the high-speed, devastating Dragon Tooth Bodhi Bullet.

Countless sparks burst into the darkness.

A fierce surge of air rends through the death mists, forming a raging vortex!

Only then does an explosion roar in the distance.

Before the sound even arrives, the slaughter has begun!

“Who?!”

Old Monk Xuanli bellows in fury.

Splat!

Two streams of Silver Guts, pushed to their limits, suddenly erupt from the bullet, unleashing a terrifying burst of divine power.

What a wild display of divine force!

It erupts like a volcano, reminiscent of scalding oil splashed with water, crackling and boiling over.

The nascent divine skill—Great Avalanche!

Bang—!

Old Monk Xuanli is flung sideways; amid the explosive divine might, his Silver Guts scatter, and the Dragon Tooth Bodhi Bullet embeds itself in his Cursed Copper Corpse.

A metallic sound, like iron being torn apart, shatters the silence of the night!

Yet Old Monk Xuanli does not die; his resilient flesh clutches the coiled power of the Dragon Tooth Bodhi Silk, preventing further damage.

“Who are you?! Who dares ambush and assassinate a humble monk like me?!”

Old Monk Xuanli roars in fury.

In utter shock, he realizes an assassin has infiltrated Xinyuan Temple—and he had been completely unaware.

Suddenly,

a fierce, dominant presence surges up from behind him.

A towering figure, as imposing as a mountain with pulsing veins like a coiled earth dragon, seizes a Jiao Bone Wind and Thunder Halberd and strikes with the explosive force of a furnace master’s blood energy!

With a crushing blow!

The halberd spews true qi like serrated blades, churning and twisting relentlessly!

It even seems to suck the surrounding air into a vacuum several feet deep!

Old Monk Xuanli’s hair stands on end in an instant!

He never imagined anyone could approach so closely, bypassing his Breath Convergence.

But Xuanli is no ordinary cultivator—ruthless and unforgiving ever since he joined the Corpse God Sect, he has fought in countless battles!

Once he suppresses the power of his Bodhi Silk, an overwhelming surge of corpse aura floods his body, and dark cursed seals begin to climb his Cursed Copper Corpse!

“A master at the Divine Foundation? His blood and qi are like a blazing furnace… but he is merely a mid-level master!”

Old Monk Xuanli clenches his fist; Silver Guts arc like lightning over his knuckles, and with a twist, he lunges toward the halberd that Ogre swings in a sweeping motion!

Suddenly,

Old Monk Xuanli’s eyes shrink!

He sees that Ogre’s massive form is swelling once more.

In an instant, his hair grows down to his waist, and his eyes burst forth with a dense, lingering golden mist!

Ascending Stance!

Li Che’s hand clenches as he detonates three divine essences drawn from the Fire-Eyed Xuanjing Temple Spirit!

In that instant, the muscles beneath his black elastic suit bulge once more, and his face seems to sprout a fine fuzz.

Speed, strength, and explosive power…

Along with the surging aura of the Temple Spirit, they erupt forth!

Boom!

The halberd, propelled by an intense force, accelerates even further.

Accompanied by a thunderous explosion,

Old Monk Xuanli feels an oppressive pressure—the weight of the Temple Spirit’s aura freezing the flow of death energy within him.

“Silver Guts?!”

“No!”

“How do you have Silver Guts?!”

The Jiao Bone Wind and Thunder Halberd seems fully ignited, roaring like an angry dragon and blazing with scorching heat!

It collides with Old Monk Xuanli’s punch!

The Silver Dragon Elephant shatters the Silver Guts on his fist!

Then, channeling the full force of the Temple Spirit, it relentlessly pulverizes his entire arm!

It slams into Old Monk Xuanli’s chest with the raw power of a tyrannical dragon and a demonic elephant combined!

Like a dormant volcano suddenly erupting, the strike brings about the collapse of heaven and earth!

Boom—!!!

Old Monk Xuanli’s Cursed Copper Corpse is crushed deeply; his ribs splinter inch by inch as his inner organs suffer massive damage!

He is brutally flung by the overwhelming force.

It’s utterly overpowering!

Ogre—!

In a fleeting glance, Old Monk Xuanli sees beneath the Bamboo Hat the once-adorable Cute Cow Mask!

The nightmare of the Corpse God Sect in Jingguang City!

Ogre!

He has finally caught up!

Old Monk Xuanli is filled with shock, rage, and terror!

Not that the Corpse God Sect’s top experts have withdrawn from Jingguang City to avoid Ogre—yet even outside the capital, Ogre refuses to relent!

Unbelievable!

But Old Monk Xuanli barely has time to register this thought.

Li Che, now unleashing his full might, strikes again.

A fusion of transcendent marksmanship and three-edged blade techniques, condensed into one sweeping halberd attack, charges forward like a tyrant through the battlefield!

With furnace-like blood and qi combined with the power of the Temple Spirit, the ferocity tears apart the surrounding snow, dispersing dust and smoke!

Boom—!

The entire ground sinks, cracking in concentric circles with steam rising!

Old Monk Xuanli is incensed—after all, he is but a lower Sevenfold Corpse God Envoy with a Cursed Copper Corpse!

Yet when it comes to martial prowess, he is expected to epitomize a master’s perfection!

How can he be subdued and hammered by a mid-level master like this?

“Despicable!”

He blames everything on Ogre’s underhanded ambush!

At this moment, Li Che’s heart burns with ferocious murderous intent.

Having absorbed the divine aura of the Fire-Eyed Xuanjing Temple Spirit in his Ascending Stance, Li Che finds his killing intent completely uncontrollable.

That murderous resolve—aimed squarely at Old Monk Xuanli…

Li Che unleashes it without restraint!

Kill!

Myriad Transformations of Dragon Elephant!

His entire attack erupts, splitting the ground as it sweeps the Jiao Bone Wind and Thunder Halberd across more than ten zhang!

The halberd trembles like a coiled dragon’s roar!

Relaxing his grip, he slams his hand onto the tail of the halberd!

This strike accelerates with terrible force, resembling a divine crossbow discharging at close range!

The shockwave tears through the air with a shattering sonic boom!

Old Monk Xuanli, just stabilizing his stance, manages to summon his Silver Guts with a mouthful of black blood as he thrusts forward with his remaining hand!

Thud—!

His last vestige of Silver Guts is worn away by the force of the Silver Dragon Elephant True Might!

Then, the massive halberd pierces his already-collapsed chest, sending Old Monk Xuanli reeling backwards over ten steps!

Where he treads, the ground churns as if freshly plowed!

But as he steadies himself, an overwhelming, ferocious killing intent surges forth, freezing every fiber of his being!

Roar—!

The Myriad Transformations of Dragon Elephant’s Canglei Body and Eight Dragons Overturning the River!

These two supreme techniques, fused in the form of Dragon Elephant, detonate simultaneously!

Ogre, almost enveloped in a crimson aura of lightning and thunder, summons over a hundred imposing, oppressive afterimages before the staggering Old Monk Xuanli.

His fist clenches, bones cracking like a rapid barrage of cannon fire!

With a heavy step, he stomps—shattering stones and stirring up a torrent of dust!

A powerful punch is unleashed!

It feels as if the very air has been evacuated!

The fearsome might of Dragon Elephant power concentrates into a tee-
rushing punch that shakes the heavens!

Even Li Che, in this moment, experiences a spiritual elevation!

That punch embodies all his energy, blood, and soul—a culmination of the Myriad Transformations of Dragon Elephant!

Spirit, blood, and will merge, unleashing an unstoppable torrent of lethal conviction!

Myriad Transformations of Dragon Elephant!

Ten Dragons, Ten Elephants!

Beneath the Ogre Mask, golden smoke billows as his fist, formed in an instant, crashes down from above!

Smack—!!!

It shatters everything in its path, unstoppable and devastating!

Old Monk Xuanli’s heart fills with endless terror, despair, rage, and defiance!

He is on the brink of transforming from a master-level Cursed Silver Corpse to a transcendent version!

Yet now, death looms before him.

He does not wish to die!

He has sacrificed the entirety of Xinyuan Temple and his fellow disciples—he had only just tasted power. How can he perish now?

But Ogre is not one to negotiate!

With a thunderous blast!

The terrifying force of Ten Dragons, Ten Elephants obliterates everything, as if tearing heaven and earth apart!

It smashes Old Monk Xuanli so violently that his bald head is left bloodied and mangled, reduced to a puddle of shredded flesh!

Cracks like spiderwebs spread densely across the scene!

Old Monk Xuanli… is dead!

Li Che stands silently, having executed a stealthy strike combined with an all-out explosion to openly kill a Sevenfold Corpse God Envoy.

Satisfaction!

Li Che can even clearly sense the maturation of the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit—likely a significant power boost.

But he has no time to linger on it.

After inspecting the body and sweeping his Star Plucking Gaze to absorb divine essence,

he darts away in a burst of blazing fire, deliberately suppressing the death energy and gloom of the Ghost Temple.

He rushes off toward another Xuanyuan Monk!

Xuanyuan Monk is far weaker than Old Monk Xuanli.

But once Li Che strikes, he intends to finish him off.

Meanwhile, the commotion of Ogre slaying Old Monk Xuanli has already alarmed the entire Ghost Temple!

In this stronghold of the Corpse God Sect, miscreants surge out in droves.

However…

They are met by Ogres wielding Xiangong Gatling fire, unleashing relentless barrages!

And well-placed Mushroom Bombs detonate with tremendous force!

It all resembles a grand fireworks display—countless bursts of scorching light, hot and dazzling.

In an instant, the pitch-black gloom of the Ghost Temple is ripped apart!

Fierce winds howl, as if a Buddha’s light is shining amidst the vibrant, blooming mushroom clouds.

A trembling Fa Kong, withered and fragile, struggles to open his eyes.

His body is bathed in the brilliant light of exploding mushroom clouds, shining with golden radiance.

He appears as if endowed with the aura of a golden Buddha.

“My Buddha… has descended…”

A gentle smile appears on Fa Kong’s withered face.

Finally at peace and content.

He slowly closes his eyes.

Crack…

The Zhong Kui Wooden Statue before him, as if having exhausted its power, completes its mission.

It splits into two pieces.

……

……

The explosion rattles the area with overwhelming force.

Outside the Bizarre Temple of the Fire-Eyed Xuanjing Lingyuan, the divine emissaries of the Temple Guardian Division sense the trembling earth.

Suddenly, Qi Yanghao’s eyes narrow as he dashes out with his knife, leaping onto the cliff and gazing downward.

He sees Xinyuan Temple engulfed in raging flames, with brilliant, mushroom-like golden clouds blossoming overhead…

“This is…”

Qi Yanghao is stunned.

Then he waves his hand, ordering several low-level God Foundation emissaries to scout the area.

He dares not leave the confines of the Bizarre Temple, fearing it might be a ruse to lure him away.

Qi Yanghao senses that the Corpse God Sect may soon strike this Bizarre Temple.

Thus, he must hold this position.

Still, his eyes glimmer with determination.

He had long suspected something amiss at Xinyuan Temple; with the Abbot’s passing, the temple began sealing its mountain gate.

During this time, Qi Yanghao’s wariness of Xinyuan Temple has only grown.

Tonight, the attack on Xinyuan Temple confirms his suspicions.

What has become of Xinyuan Temple?

……

……

Before the gates of Xinyuan Temple,

Li Qingshan, wearing his Cat Face Mask, finally arrives in haste.

And there he witnesses a brilliant, blossoming golden mushroom cloud.

He stands at the temple’s entrance, the howling wind whipping his clothes noisily.

A deep sadness fills him.

He has indeed arrived too late.

By now, even the yellow daylilies have long withered…

All his frantic efforts amount to nothing more than watching a fleeting firework.

In the distance,

a few low-level God Foundation emissaries dispatched by Qi Yanghao appear.

They see a stooped old man, hands clasped behind his back and wearing a Cat Face Mask, slowly turning to look at them.

Sorrow, melancholy, anger, and cold detachment blend into an expression that seems to have seen through it all.

Having come this far, the old man sighs softly.

“That’s right—it’s us…”

“The Temple Destroyers.”

“Underworld Ogre, Ma Mian, and… Cat Face.”

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