Chapter 205: Lethal Convergence
by xennovelLeaden clouds surged ominously while flurries of snow stretched across the sky!
Amid howling winds, a wild, raging gust tore through the air!
Inside the carriage, Li Che clutched the adorable red Cute Cow Mask—the very one carved from Fire God Furious Dragon Wood, renowned for its toughness and resilience.
Within his chest, the Cosmic Chessboard erupted upward in a thunderous blast.
Even Elder Jiao Shaoqiu, the Divine Practitioner who had perfected his Primordial Transformation, could not detect the Cosmic Chessboard.
Yet, on a vague note, it seemed the sky had darkened, and the drifting snowflakes amid the leaden clouds concealed a chilling, ominous aura.
The carriage master, Nie Yang, raised his hand and pinched a flake of snow between two fingers.
A surge of potent qi dissolved the snow instantly.
“It’s a killing intent,”
Master Carriage Nie Yang replied in measured tones.
As the dragon-horse pulled the carriage, its curtains billowed wildly.
“Yes… it’s killing intent…”
“Whether it’s from Lie Shen Pavilion, Corpse God Sect, or even the Dragon Queen—though the Dragon Queen never dares approach Jin Guang Mansion—this isn’t her doing.”
Inside the carriage, Elder Jiao Shaoqiu spoke calmly.
“Keep moving. This old body of mine… it’s about time I got going,” he remarked.
His words carried a tinge of deadly resolve.
After all, he was escorting the future prodigy of the orthodox Qianyuan Divine Sect—and XiXi was to inherit 70% of the divine nature from the Temple Spirit of the Four-Yu Bizarre Temple!
Such a promising talent…
No matter the cost—even death—Elder Jiao Shaoqiu must get her safely back to Daocheng!
His face, as withered as ancient wood, hardened with lethal intent.
A surge of powerful primordial energy erupted, its dazzling brilliance transforming the carriage into a vision of molten gold!
……
……
Ten miles, a hundred, five hundred miles!
This was the maximum range of the Cosmic Chessboard—five hundred miles.
Within that radius, Li Che could clearly survey everything.
Though it drained an enormous amount of his mental energy.
The Cosmic Chessboard hung high among the clouds, its interlacing lines shrouding the winter wilderness as if capturing the desolation of a world without birds.
Invisible killing intent seeped from the board like a breached dam, overwhelming the snowy mountains in eerie silence.
Bzzzz—
The hand that had covered his mask slowly retracted, revealing eyes interlaced like a chessboard that reflected brilliant light.
He observed streams of dense black aura rising in layers on the board, gathering into masses scattered about.
A potent sense of killing intent radiated from the dark mists.
Within his perception through the Cosmic Chessboard, no trace of that lethal force could hide.
“One, two, three…”
Li Che began counting slowly.
Moments later, he smiled softly.
With a few deft motions, as his Pure Heart stroke manifested on paper, the Painted Immortal Clone of Li Che emerged quietly within the carriage.
Meanwhile, the Ogre, donning a Bamboo Hat, clenched his fist and vanished—only to reappear moments later.
He reemerged beside the Divine Monkey, stepping atop a mesmerizing aura of vibrant energy.
The shimmering aura, like a drifting cloud, lifted both the Divine Monkey and the Ogre.
“I only want to take my daughter safely to Daocheng…”
“Why are you all pushing me like this?”
He tilted his head as large snowflakes fell swiftly onto his mask.
In the next moment, a terrifying surge of scorching, overwhelming energy instantly melted the snow into water, which then evaporated into steam!
“Kill!”
From behind the Ogre mask, Li Che’s deep, hoarse voice rumbled like thunder hidden behind clouds.
In the next instant, with a forceful step, a burst of radiant qi lifted the towering Ogre’s massive frame, transforming it into a streak of red light that blasted forward!
Under the control of the Cosmic Chessboard, any attempt to probe further was thwarted.
Below.
Ma Mian, carrying the Xiangong Fire God Cannon, landed lightly on tiptoe, sending a torrent of snow powder swirling as his billowing black robe streaked into the Dense Forest, where he began leaping at breakneck speed.
The fiends of the Underworld!
Deploy!
The moment of the hunt…
Begin!
……
……
Within the Dense Forest, thick, menacing mists began to churn.
Thwip, thwip, thwip!
The icy mists, heavy with the stench of death and decay, caused the snow on a nearby tree to vanish instantly, its trunk and bark withering and rotting at an alarming pace.
Before the vortex of death…
Twenty-six figures had long stood here, clad in white robes and masks, each inscribed meticulously with the number “7” in blood-red strokes.
They were unmistakably the Sevenfold Corpse God Envoys of the Corpse God Sect!
Though these envoys came in three tiers, each had attained at least the Cursed Copper Corpse realm and reached the level of Divine Vision.
Their Divine Vision had been reported by Yuan Jingang on his dying breath, summoning corpse enforcers from various prefectures and even entire provinces.
Since Jin Guang Mansion lies near the Four-Yu Third Prince Bizarre Temple,
Yuan Jingang of Jin Guang Mansion concealed the cultivation levels of the lower-tier Six-Section Corpse God Envoys.
Otherwise, with his prowess in refining Cursed Silver Corpse, he would have already been deployed to Zhou City.
For the Corpse God Sect’s infiltration, sevenfold envoys sufficed for the Capital, while Zhou City required the lower-tier Six-Section Envoys.
The twenty-six Sevenfold Corpse God Envoys stood in perfect formation, their eyes behind the masks gleaming with reverence.
They bowed in an odd, ceremonial manner.
The black vortex of death expanded relentlessly, growing ever larger.
Gradually, it reached a diameter of roughly ten meters.
From within the vortex, three figures slowly emerged.
Their silver radiance dazzled, entwined with a horrific miasma of decay, twisting like dark, serpentine dragons.
The silver aura crackled and surged like ceaseless bolts of lightning.
“Cursed Silver Corpse!”
These three formidable warriors had mastered the Cursed Silver Corpse technique!
Originally, these three were the lower-tier Six-Section Corpse God Envoys overseeing three provinces under Lingnan Path, apart from Yunzhou.
Among them, one possessed as many as thirty surging streams of silver aura!
They had achieved the realm beyond Cursed Silver Corpse!
Clad in silver robes and wearing white masks inscribed with the character “6” in blood-red,
their robes were adorned with crimson-trimmed sleeves.
This signified that they were the lower-tier Six-Section Corpse God Envoys—the principal enforcers for the Corpse God Sect’s infiltration of Zhou City!
“Have you all heard Yuan Jingang’s news?”
The envoy, channeling thirty streams of silver aura, had blood-red eyes that exuded immense pressure.
“According to info from Lie Shen Pavilion, Su Huai Li escaped to Daocheng using his Blood Escape technique. Yuan Jingang is dead—beaten to death by Underworld forces. He even sacrificed himself to summon the Corpse God’s Will in Jin Guang Mansion, causing a huge uproar… but alas, the Will failed to manifest.”
“Otherwise, this mission could have absorbed a bounty of death and decay.”
One of the Six-Section Corpse God Envoys lamented.
“What matters is that our Magic Child Lord’s will—the refined divine essence lotus seeds from the Four-Yu Temple Spirit—had two of them stolen!”
“We must retrieve those two divine essence lotus seeds.”
The foremost envoy with thirty streams of silver aura spoke gravely.
“Furthermore… another mission is to capture the prodigy, Li Nuǎnxi, whose divine nature suppressed our Magic Child Lord, earning the greatest Temple Spirit Resonance!”
“This urgent message came after our Magic Child Lord scrapped three Thousand-Mile Divine Communication Mirrors from Daocheng!”
“Our Magic Child Lord… has set his sights on this prodigy, intending to capture her and groom her as the future consort of the Divine Cult leader!”
With those words, he finished speaking.
Many of the corpse enforcers were left dumbfounded.
“Huh?”
“Future… consort?”
“Is our Magic Child Lord already planning for a consort?”
The Sevenfold Corpse God Envoys below were rendered speechless.
According to reports, the prodigy was barely four years old, right?
And our Magic Child Lord is only seven?
So… she’s already slated to be the consort?
“That prodigy inheriting 70% of the divine nature from the Four-Yu Bizarre Temple’s 【Eight-Armed Yulian Furious Third Prince】 Temple Spirit—what does that imply? With such overwhelming Temple Spirit Resonance, she might even be eligible for the Corpse God’s legacy in the future!”
“A prodigy like her is truly worthy of our Magic Child Lord.”
The Sevenfold Corpse God Envoys fell silent.
Our Magic Child Lord… so young yet already lustful—it’s no wonder he became the Corpse God Sect’s Magic Child.
“Thus, this mission’s primary objective is to capture the prodigy. Under no circumstances must we harm the future consort.”
One of the Six-Section Corpse God Envoys said gravely.
“Yes!”
The remaining Sevenfold Envoys promptly responded.
“Within our ranks, we have Elder Jiao Shaoqiu—a master of the Golden Body Transformation—whose strength remains formidable even in his Primordial Transformation.”
“Moreover, his carriage master Nie Yang is reputed to be a fearsome swordsman from Lingnan Daocheng…”
“Also, there’s the Divine Practitioner, along with Lu Yao and Wang Kuyu… and over at the Temple Guardian Division, Zhu Chaoyang is present.”
“Two Grandmasters, three Divine Practitioner Primordial Transformations, and even a hidden Underworld force…”
“The Underworld can slay Yuan Jingang; it’s not to be underestimated. Those divine essence lotus seeds were likely snatched by Underworld experts. Our mission this time is to eliminate the Underworld’s Ogre, Ma Mian, and the Divine Monkey!”
“After Su Huai Li fled from Jin Guang Mansion using his Blood Escape technique multiple times and reached Daocheng, intelligence on Underworld fiends was transmitted.”
The foremost Six-Section Corpse God Envoy declared gravely, “Intelligence on the Underworld’s three terrorizers—Ogre, Ma Mian, and Divine Monkey.”
“The Ogre, though only at the initial Grandmaster stage with his Divine Aura still forming, can stand toe-to-toe with Yuan Jingang. His methods are sinister, but his divine nature is notably lacking.”
“Ma Mian, at the Divine Vision stage and likely a Six-Section sharpshooter, once breached Yuan Jingang’s defenses even at the Cursed Silver Corpse level…”
The Sevenfold Corpse God Envoys gasped in unison.
From dozens of miles away, they could damage the Cursed Silver Corpse defenses?
How is that even possible?!
The Underworld is full of… what kind of monsters?!
“Divine Monkey—their strength is uncertain… rumored to be a beneficiary of Qitian Temple’s inheritance, having once subdued the Corpse God’s Will with a single strike.”
……
With those words, he finished speaking.
A profound silence fell over the area.
“Divine Monkey is strong, but he only subdued the yet-to-manifest Corpse God’s Will.”
“The Corpse God’s Will summoned by Yuan Jingang belongs to the mid-tier Six-Section level, so Divine Monkey is likely a full-strength Grandmaster with 36 streams of Divine Aura.”
“It’s also possible he’s a Grandmaster of Heavenly Unity, having unlocked 360 meridians…”
Even the leading Six-Section Corpse God Envoy couldn’t help but gasp.
This Underworld…
truly is formidable!
Where did such power come from, and why had we never heard of it before?
“Thus… relying solely on us is insufficient. Engaging now would be a death sentence.”
“We must summon the Corpse God’s Will. Two lower-tier Six-Section entities, plus one mid-tier, are required to secure our position.”
“Facing the mysterious and unpredictable Underworld, we must proceed with caution.”
“Additionally, Lie Shen Pavilion has signaled—they’re ready to move.”
“Unlike us, Lie Shen Pavilion just wants to reclaim their honor and avenge their lost branch to the Underworld.”
“Now…”
“Form the formation!”
With those words, he finished speaking.
The three silver-robed Six-Section Corpse God Envoys stepped forward, their silver aura lashing out like roaring, explosive serpents.
The ground trembled, shattering inch by inch as hot bursts of steam erupted from the fractured soil.
They propelled themselves outward while forming mystical seals with their hands.
They hurled three fist-sized blood orbs.
“Corpse God’s Blood Orb!”
The orbs exploded, splattering countless droplets of freezing, piercing blood across the snow-covered ground, forming a massive array.
The three Six-Section Envoys took positions at three points of the formation, while the remaining twenty-six Sevenfold Envoys hurried to their posts.
Their bodies surged with an aura of decay and death.
They gathered this energy into their palms and slammed it onto the ground with brutal force.
In an instant…
The blood-formed formation began to rotate slowly, like a crimson vortex churning ceaselessly.
……
……
The heavy leaden clouds loomed as the fierce wind howled.
Snowflakes as large as hands fell.
A towering, mountain-like figure stood between heaven and earth, exuding scorching qi; within a 500-zhang radius, the snow melted into torrential rain!
Fists clenched, crashing down with force.
The sound was like thunder and the impact, like a landslide!
From ten streams of Divine Aura coalesced a massive strike, twisting out like a dragon from a fist of steel-like muscle!
It slammed down with a thunderous blow, making the air groan under its weight!
“Who——?!”
Bang——!!!
A roar of anger and shock rang out.
A Lie Shen Pavilion assassin in a silver mask broke his focus, ready to counterattack.
But behind him, the Ogre materialized silently and unleashed the Martial Saint Technique ‘Wanlong Fushen’ with lethal force.
The assassin uttered a single questioning sound before his upper body was torn apart into endless fragments of flesh and blood mist!
Across the Ogre’s massive frame, thick blue veins pulsed and writhed like coiling dragons.
An overwhelming, ferocious aura ravaged the surroundings.
“Lie Shen Pavilion…”
“The third one,”
From beneath the Ogre mask, Li Che recited the count in a low voice,
then retrieving the Qian Kun Jade from the body.
“Even a mosquito is meat,”
“A bountiful harvest,”
Suddenly, his expression darkened beneath the mask.
An intense killing intent, like a burst of electricity, erupted from beneath the Ogre mask.
“Consort?”
Li Che’s voice soared dramatically.
His daughter is only four!
And yet they plan to groom her as the future consort!
The Corpse God Sect’s consort?
Unbelievable!
Simply unimaginable!
How deranged!
How can they be so vicious!
Every nerve in Li Che’s brain seemed to swell with anger!
Even if the Corpse God Sect vowed to wipe out the Underworld, Li Che had never been this enraged!
It was like a local mob heir declaring his four-year-old daughter should be the future boss’s consort!
More infuriating than Yellow-Haired riding up on a hellfire chopper and yelling for Old Li to come!
“The Corpse God Sect’s Magic Child Lord?”
Li Che’s expression darkened to the point of seeming to drip menace.
The killing intent was horrifyingly intense!
Sinewy blue veins writhed violently all over, nearly snapping the Magic Child’s head before launching him into space.
“Too vicious!”
“So young, yet harboring such rotten, malicious intent…”
“If you won’t descend to hell, who will?”
Li Che exhaled deeply.
In an instant, as his foot struck the ground, the earth within a ten-zhang radius collapsed in a thunderous quake, sending shards and snow flying.
The Corpse God Sect’s experts were summoning the Corpse God’s Will…
Yuan Jingang had once summoned the Corpse God’s Will—a mid-tier entity—that burdened him with immense pressure even before its arrival.
Although Li Che possessed the Qi Tian Face, he now channeled its power through his Ascending Stance.
But…
That wasn’t necessary!
The threats around him were not just the Corpse God Sect—they included Lie Shen Pavilion too!
Even experts from the Dragon God lineage of Ji Haihui were covertly watching.
At the edge of five hundred miles, Li Che detected the aura of the Dragon God clan.
Since the Cosmic Chessboard had its left-bottom star at his position, as it moved forward with him, its detection range naturally expanded.
There were three dragon-men from the Dragon God clan, exuding the same aura as Ji Haihui, waiting for him.
Thus, Li Che had to act swiftly…
Once the mid-tier Six-Section entity is summoned from the corpse realm, trouble will follow!
Bang——!!!
Countless snowflakes burst apart with a roar.
The Ogre’s massive body, as towering as a mountain, had muscles piled upon his broad back, forming a triangular build as if a demon were glaring fiercely!
Standing firm, divine auras ensnared him as his scorching qi roiled like molten metal!
He let out a slow, measured breath.
Li Che sensed an uncanny stillness; even the sounds of birds and beasts had vanished.
Raising his hand, he tore open the Qiankun Space with an immense pull!
A colossal spatial tear, nearly three meters tall, ripped open.
His fingers clenched fiercely!
Rumbling—!!!
In an instant!
A colossal behemoth descended with a thunderous impact.
Components crafted from tens of thousands of Spirit Wood pieces assembled into a single structure!
Xiangong • Guanyin Lotus Main Battle Tank!
Upgraded from the mechanized Guanyin Blood Lotus after countless days and nights of design and simulated bombardments on the Cosmic Chessboard…
It had finally been perfected!
The ground shook as an eight-meter-diameter lotus pedestal slammed down, flinging soil and snow in all directions!
Beneath the pedestal, thousands of tiny wheels whirled under the control of divine perception, allowing precise maneuvers.
Atop the pedestal sat a majestic Guanyin statue, carved from massive Spirit Wood into one seamless piece. Hollowed within, the compassionate Guanyin displayed gentle brows and crossed arms forming the Pure Sealing gesture.
Behind the statue, a thousand arms sprouted densely!
Each arm was crafted from Fire God Furious Dragon Wood!
Li Che stepped down, landing squarely on the Guanyin Lotus Main Battle Tank’s platform, his fingers spread as he patted Guanyin’s back!
In an instant.
It was as if the mechanism roared with resounding clamor.
Guanyin’s thousand arms surged forward in unison.
Bang, bang, bang—
They converged into a swirling circle!
Forming the Thousand-Armed Guanyin Fire God Cannon!
A staggering three meters in length!
Standing on the pedestal, Li Che raised his hand and a massive Avalanche Guanyin Lotus Bullet materialized.
This bullet was as enormous as a soccer ball.
Li Che had loaded it with the equivalent of 300 Divine Chess Pieces—the maximum capacity for the tank.
This limitation was primarily due to a shortage of Spirit Wood.
Most of the tank was built from Sevenfold Spirit Wood, except for the thousand-armed Fire God Cannon barrel made of Sixth-Stage Timber.
But one Avalanche Guanyin Lotus Bullet with 300 pieces’ worth was not enough.
Li Che had gathered enough Divine Chess Pieces from countless foes to replenish two more.
One shot wasn’t enough—time for another!
Li Che channeled his immense primordial power into the Guanyin Lotus Main Battle Tank, where he had installed a chess piece linked to the Cosmic Chessboard.
Whenever his primordial spirit touched the piece, he could briefly tap into the Chessboard’s surveillance.
Enabling precise long-range strikes.
Thus, the tank wasn’t solely controlled by Li Che.
If only he could operate it alone, the setup would be far less than perfect.
His primordial spirit shuddered.
The Star-Plucking Gaze in his brow blazed with radiance!
In an instant.
The entire display of the Cosmic Chessboard unfolded before his eyes.
A precise ‘X’ mark for an attack drifted slowly in his primordial perception.
Finally…
It overlapped with the ongoing summoning ceremony of the Corpse God Sect cultists.
At that moment.
Li Che recalled the words spoken by the leading Six-Section Corpse God Envoy.
The notion that the Magic Child Lord intended to make XiXi his consort…
It was simply outrageous!
Though Li Che had never seen the Magic Child Lord’s face,
he assumed he resembled Qin Fenghuo.
At that moment, Li Che almost wished he could shove the Thousand-Armed Guanyin Fire God Cannon right into his mouth!
On the brow of the Guanyin statue, the character ‘Lin’ from the Nine Seals of Mechanism gleamed blood red.
To fire the massive Avalanche Guanyin Lotus Bullet…
he had to mix his primordial energy with his qi to activate the seal!
Only then could he…
“Fire——!!!!”
Countless brilliant lights burst forth, erupting from the three-meter long mouth of the Thousand-Armed Guanyin Fire God Cannon!
Dazzling—absolutely breathtaking!
Myriads of golden sparks shone like a raging sun.
They illuminated the compassionate face of the Guanyin statue, accentuating its benevolence.
In the next moment—
A burst of glorious gold erupted!
Bang——!!!
The entire Guanyin Lotus Main Battle Tank stood firm like a mountain, yet a terrifying white energy wave roared out from between Guanyin’s arms.
Scorching heat instantly melted all the snow within a hundred-zhang radius into puddles…
Countless droplets bubbled like marbles on a hot pan!
Within the cannon barrel formed by a thousand arms…
A golden beam tore through the air at a terrifying speed, reminiscent of a cataclysmic tsunami.
It cut through the leaden sky.
Spanning nearly a hundred miles!
It plummeted like a falling comet!
……
……
Creak, creak…
The heavy leaden clouds made the snowfall suddenly violent.
Howling winds, fierce blizzards!
The accumulating snow made the carriage wheels painfully difficult to turn.
The entire caravan slowed as the carriages bumped along over deep snow.
In the carriage carrying the children, Wang Kuyu sat silently.
His primordial spirit spread out like a cascading curtain, enveloping the carriage to protect the children.
Lu Yao sat inside, the curtain billowing.
He held a teacup, sipping quietly as his slender fingers tapped lightly on the table.
Yet his primordial spirit remained tense, as potent divine power gathered within the Divine Essence Golden Pill at his brow’s Mud Pellet.
Inside the Temple Guardian Division’s carriage.
Zhu Chaoyang sat cross-legged, clutching a jet-black long knife that, despite his efforts, never lost its inky luster.
Tie Shancai was not in his carriage.
That kid claimed he wouldn’t play with the immature children, yet he dashed over to the carriage where XiXi and the others were.
Lately, whenever Tie Shancai had a moment, he’d run to XiXi’s side.
They called it knowing oneself and one’s enemy, but Zhu Chaoyang had seen right through it all.
Suddenly.
Zhu Chaoyang paused mid-wipe of his knife.
His eyes lowered, and in an instant, all the light in the carriage seemed to vanish.
Opposite him, Xie Jing grabbed his long knife, its blade trembling incessantly.
“They’re coming.”
Zhu Chaoyang exhaled.
In that instant.
Xie Jing only saw a blur as Zhu Chaoyang burst out of the carriage, the curtain billowing up, still in midair.
Qi surged within Xie Jing as he recalled the battle between the Ogre and Yuan Jingang—now he was but a hair’s breadth from clashing with a Grandmaster!
“Good timing…”
Killing intent swirled in Xie Jing’s eyes.
He leapt out of the carriage right after.
Neighing——!!!
The dragon-horses in the caravan neighed abruptly, agitated and restless, their hooves clattering incessantly.
Snow mixed with damp earth flew in every direction.
Inside the carriages.
Elder Jiao Shaoqiu, who had closed his eyes, suddenly opened them, his gaze transforming into a brilliant golden hue.
“Who dares attack our Qianyuan Divine Sect caravan!”
“You’re asking for death!”
Hmph—!
A roar of fury followed.
In a heartbeat, it was as if thunder shattered the clouds!
Bang, bang, bang—
Within ten meters of the carriage, five figures wearing golden masks were abruptly knocked out of stealth!
“Such potent primordial energy! Truly deserving of a warrior who fell from the Golden Body Transformation, reaching the pinnacle of Primordial Transformation!”
A deep voice echoed from one of the golden-masked figures.
“Lie Shen Pavilion.”
Elder Jiao Shaoqiu had already appeared atop the carriage roof.
All wind and snow ceased, utterly silent.
Not a single flake fell.
Carriage Master Nie Yang gripped his hand tightly, tucking the bronze sword from its sheath at his waist.
Clang—!
With a swift step, Nie Yang appeared before the white snow.
The bronze sword slid out about a foot.
An unfathomable killing intent and razor-sharp, transparent sword aura swept through with the howling wind.
Nie Yang stepped forward.
Another foot of the sword emerged.
In an instant…
The sword aura surged upward in a cascade of light, its howl resembling the piercing cry of a crane!
Dense streams of sword aura piled behind Nie Yang, forming a radiant, blazing circle!
The five golden-masked assassins of Lie Shen Pavilion felt a heavy weight upon their shoulders.
“Sword Aura Sunburst… what is this…”
Hmm?!
Suddenly…
Boom——!!!
A terrifying explosion, like thunder colliding amid towering leaden clouds, shattered the silence with an earth-shaking blast!
Everyone felt the ground shudder as trees in the Dense Forest shook off their snow!
Even Elder Jiao Shaoqiu.
Even the five golden-masked assassins of Lie Shen Pavilion.
Even Grandmaster Nie Yang, with his 35 intertwining streams of Divine Aura and resplendent sword aura…
All looked up, bewildered, toward the distance.
There…
A golden beam had split the sky…
Like a comet tearing through clouds, drawing out a narrow, golden tail!
Then…
It crashed down upon the earth.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud——
As if the heavens were collapsing!
A stunning, explosive mushroom cloud
Bloomed across the plain!