Chapter 206: Chaos in the Dense Forest

In the dense forest, deathly energy clung to everything.

It flowed like smooth agarwood, gently drifting and slowly blanketing the snowy forest floor.

The snow melted away.

Before anyone knew it, the sky began to weep pea-sized droplets that, with a roar, cascaded down onto the earth.

They pelted the accumulated snow with a crackling fury.

The impact bored pinhole-sized cavities into the snow, emitting a dull, heavy sound.

On the white snowy ground, bursts of vivid red blood bubbled as if boiling, forming a vast formation of arrays.

Inside the formation, the blood churned like turbulent water in a giant vat.

Crash—clatter!

The torrent of blood seemed to communicate with another realm.

A formidable and terrifying will appeared as if it were slowly crawling out through the bloody stream.

The three Sixth Division Corpse God Envoys, their white masks hiding eyes alight with fervor, acted in unison.

They swiftly executed their hand seals, transitioning seamlessly between them. Behind each, a Divine Essence Golden Pill emerged, streaking pure gold entwined with dense blood patterns.

The pill pulsed and contracted, expanding then coalescing.

A burst of overwhelming Six Desires Divine Essence erupted in a dazzling display.

At the forefront, the Corpse God Envoy, wrapped in thirty lines of Cursed Silver Corpse energy, intoned ancient scriptures and incantations in a deep, resonant voice.

The remaining twenty-six Sevenfold Corpse God Envoys manifested their divine visages one after another.

Some sported noses that flung wildly, others had ears spread like massive fans, and some eyes bulged so dramatically they resembled great bells…

Each bizarre manifestation of the Six Desires Divine Essence loomed behind the envoys like a horde of demons.

Gurgle, gurgle—

A blood-red, serpentine divine force was drawn out, merging with the swirling vortex of the blood pool amid a clamor.

Within the blood vortex, one by one, crimson bulges emerged, as if twisted faces were grotesquely forming.

They struggled to break free from the other side of the blood pool’s dark realm!

Under the crushing pressure of divine might, every Corpse God Envoy felt their very being tremble like a mountain shaking.

“Corpse God! Corpse God!”

Envoys cried in unbridled passion, their eyes overflowing with fanaticism.

At the very center of the blood pool,

a colossal bulge rose slowly, revealing a vague, twisted figure within.

Boom—!!!

The formless Six Desires Divine Essence blasted outward, shattering the pristine snow into dust and transforming the melting raindrops from the sky into a watery haze that veiled everything.

“The Middle Will of the Sixth Division Corps!”

Even the three envoys found their hearts racing uncontrollably at that moment.

The Middle Will of the Sixth Division, imbued with the power of the Cursed Copper Corpse, rivaled that of an innate Grandmaster merging with cosmic energies.

On a divine scale, it had already reached the level of Golden Body Transcendence!

Moreover, thanks to its nature as a corpse god, it exerted an oppressive divine aura comparable to that of a Temple Spirit.

Against such a divine attribute, none could rival its might!

Only another deity could contend with a god.

Fanaticism, adoration, madness…

A myriad of fierce thoughts wandered and surged through the dense forest.

Suddenly,

a thunderous roar shattered the silence!

The earth quaked, mountains trembled, and the very sky split apart!

The hairs on the three envoys’ necks stood on end as they abruptly raised their heads. Beneath their masks, their eyes reflected brilliant golden light that tore through the leaden clouds like a comet’s blazing tail!

It streaked down from thousands of miles away!

“What… is that?”

One of the envoys murmured in disbelief.

In the next instant, every envoy was assaulted by an overwhelming, mountain-shaking pressure and an incomparable terror that sprouted from within.

“This is bad!”

A Sixth Division Corpse God Envoy roared in anger.

At that moment, radiant silver light burst forth, every hair turning sumptuous silver as three Cursed Silver Corpse envoys surged upward. Tangled with blood-red Divine Essence Golden Pills,

their brilliance resembled three dazzling suns rising from the earth.

Yet their light paled in comparison to the horrifying, distorted, cannon-like force shooting across the sky under an immense propulsive power.

They looked like mere bulbs next to a true, blazing solar fury!

The blood pool still churned as the Corpse God’s Will neared its summoning moment.

Summoning the Corpse God’s Will required an immensely complex ritual, but once it descended, nothing could withstand its crushing force!

As the radiant sun approached,

the three Cursed Silver Corpse envoys and the twenty-six divine visages, almost disintegrating under the oppressive pressure and dreadful threat, felt as if their hearts might stop altogether!

They all witnessed…

a Guanyin statue!

Gentle and kind, it radiated pure golden light—like a celestial Buddha descending to transform the mortal realm into a sacred land!

Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz—

The Guanyin statue moved so swiftly that the air around it twisted and roared with violent winds!

Fiery, terrifying, and crushing…

It was as if it could tear apart the void itself!

Like a doomsday Guanyin, its hand fell to smooth over every sin on earth, restoring clarity!

The Underworld—!!!

The mighty Corpse God Envoy, sheathed in thirty lines of silver energy, bristled as he recognized from Su Huai Li’s intelligence what was unfolding…

This was the deadly Mechanical Art of the Underworld Cow Demon!

A technique with an astonishingly destructive force!

The Lie Shen Pavilion branch of Jingguang Mansion was wiped out in an instant by this technique—its entire stronghold vaporized, countless assassins slaughtered before even deploying!

And now…

while they were still conducting the summoning ritual for the Corpse God’s Will,

the Underworld had already set its sights on them!

“How can the Underworld have found us so quickly?”

“How can it strike with such deadly precision?”

“Is there a traitor amongst us?!”

The Sixth Division Corpse God Envoy, his silver hair whipping wildly, his eyes exploding with murderous intent, roared.

But…

it couldn’t be.

Since all the envoys were gathered here, if there was a traitor, wouldn’t they all perish together?!

One could only conclude…

the Underworld was truly enigmatic!

Its methods so bizarre—as if it could foresee the future!

Mind you, they were still hundreds of miles away from Jingguang City!

How could covert actions be discovered?!

The Underworld…

Are its eyes really watching from the heavens?!

The blazing Guanyin burned fiercely, radiating intense light, heat, and a horrifying shockwave that shattered the air into a myriad of cracks.

One could even see, amid the extreme glare, one black chess piece after another unleashing violent, turbulent divine energy as they clashed and scraped one another!

“Hold them back!”

Thirty torrents of silver energy swept in a howling barrage, their roars echoing across the heavens.

This Sixth Division Corpse God Envoy did not retreat. The overwhelming aura of death and decay burst forth from him, exploding into three hundred finer strands of silver energy!

They danced wildly through the snowy gale, converging on the colossal, descending Guanyin statue as if to ensnare it.

The other two Cursed Silver Corpse Envoys did the same, using every ounce of strength to block its advance!

For beneath them lay the ritual altar—if the Corpse God’s Will were to descend and the summoning failed, each one would suffer devastating backlash!

They might even incur the everlasting wrath of the Corpse God’s Will.

So…

Hold them back!

Boom—!!!

In midair, the Guanyin figure twisted and exploded!

A dazzling burst of light, scorching heat, and a shockwave capable of obliterating mountains descended in an instant!

The immense force, like a comet’s tail, slammed down with terrifying power!

In that fleeting moment, the three Sixth Division Corpse God Envoys felt their Cursed Silver Corpse bodies violently struck, consumed by an inferno!

Boom—!!!

A massive sphere of light expanded rapidly in midair, devouring everything in its path. The air was sucked away in an instant, displaced by an endless torrent of debris as a deafening, tidal roar ensued.

Below, the Sevenfold Corpse God Envoys looked up in despair.

They had summoned their divine visages and unleashed their Cursed Copper Corpse forms.

Yet beneath that catastrophic explosion, their bodies crumpled like paper, dissolving into nothingness in an instant…

A colossal explosion, like an immense sphere of light, crashed down upon the earth!

Snow turned to water then vaporized in a flash; the cracked ground shattered, and countless stones and mud flew up only to be reduced to dust by the shockwave!

It all exploded—crashed—shattered!

The entire terrain seemed to overturn!

The devastating impact, laden with avalanche-like divine might, erupted more violently than ever!

Roars echoed from within the blood pool!

But then…

the blood pool was instantly destroyed, its crimson volume evaporating into a swirling black mist.

The twisted, grotesque form of the Corpse God’s Will was crushed back before it could fully descend.

The endless burst of light and heat, along with surging red flames, was swept up by reversing currents that shot skyward!

They blossomed into a towering, golden mushroom cloud!

…

…

In the dense forest, a chimaera neighed uneasily as its hooves pounded the ground while the carriage master held it back firmly.

A potent mixture of life force and divine energy raged in the air.

Snowflakes couldn’t even settle; they were crushed into powder before they could fall.

Everyone’s hearts quivered as they turned to gaze at a vast expanse of golden light erupting from nearly a hundred miles away, piercing the dark shroud of the leaden sky.

The colossal mushroom cloud, rising over a hundred meters high, seized every onlooker’s attention.

Rumbling across the distance, the shockwave roared and the wild winds howled!

Ancient trees in the forest were buffeted sideways, then jerked back by their own resilience, swaying precariously.

The heavy snow on their branches burst free in a scene reminiscent of a true, ground-shaking avalanche!

The trembling white tide made even the invisible shockwave seem tangible—like the first crest of a mighty river!

It was a sight that chilled one’s soul!

The tremors from the ground surged to this point!

“Is the Underworld setting off fireworks again?”

Xie Jing gripped his long blade, his face quivering.

Now, just the sight of fireworks brought back haunting memories…

In Jingguang Mansion, that very explosion of fireworks had plunged the entire city into silence. The vast expanse of Guanchao Pavilion…

Erased in an instant!

And now…

the fireworks had erupted again—this time, even more horrifying than before!

They tore through the sky, only to crash down and detonate, morphing into a blaze that threatened to cook the sea!

It was terrifying…

“The Underworld has struck again? Who is it aimed at?”

“The Corpse God Sect?”

“Yes, it must be the Corpse God Sect!”

In an instant, the thoughts flashing through the minds of many experts in the field all converged on the same conclusion.

The five Golden-Masked assassins of Lie Shen Pavilion grimaced beneath their masks.

They had planned to strike in unison with the Corpse God Sect.

Now…

it appeared that the Corpse God Sect would not show up.

That meant the assassins of Lie Shen Pavilion would have to face Jiao Shaoqiu, Nie Yang, Zhu Chaoyang, and other formidable experts head-on!

Damn!

Though they knew the twisted members of the Corpse God Sect had attracted the wrath of the Underworld by being caught in a mushroom cloud,

the assassins of Lie Shen Pavilion still felt aggrieved.

This escort team for the Divine Child was no pushover—after Jingguang Mansion’s base was destroyed, Lie Shen Pavilion rapidly reorganized its forces.

They dispatched Golden-Masked assassins from surrounding prefectures. The five Golden-Masked elites at the Divine Practitioner level… were the best Lie Shen Pavilion could muster.

Lie Shen Pavilion’s main operations were still based in Daocheng, though Zhou City and the capital had begun handling some business.

But their available forces were simply too few.

Five assassins versus Jiao Shaoqiu and the others was nothing but a death sentence.

If you add the power of the Corpse God Sect—three Sixth Division Corpse God Envoys, plus twenty-seven Sevenfold Corpse God Envoys, and the imminent summoning of the Corpse God’s Will…

only such a formation might be capable of annihilating that caravan!

“Plan changed—Fall back!”

“Retreat!”

One Golden-Masked assassin bellowed.

Immediately, the five assassins of Lie Shen Pavilion leaped, their feet striking tree trunks. Branches splintered as they elastically propelled themselves into the depths of the forest.

But then,

one Golden-Masked assassin, barely having entered the forest, let out a fierce snarl as potent divine energy exploded around him. An aura of Grandmaster-level life force and divine might erupted, with waves of Divine Guts surging forth.

Amid the clashing of metal and the sharp ringing sounds from within the forest,

the Golden-Masked assassin was forced to retreat.

A sweeping Crescent Blade cut through a massive tree, its impact so fierce that the ground fractured in its wake.

Trail after trail of silver Divine Guts swirled violently, exuding an overwhelming, savage force.

A burly figure clad in white robes, wearing a pristine Unsullied Heart mask marked with the character for “one,” gripped the handle of a Crescent Blade in one hand.

“Hehe…”

“Underworld—White Impermanence… I have come for your life.”

A low, hoarse voice emanated from beneath the mask of Xue Dufu.

After devouring Yuan Jingang’s Spiritual Confinement, Xue Dufu’s silver Divine Guts had soared to twenty-five lines!

The Underworld… White Impermanence?!

As the echoes of his words still lingered, the piercing sound of a violently extracted Crescent Blade echoed. A torrent of air, as tumultuous as a tsunami, roared. The white-clad figure, like a soaring dragon, charged at the Golden-Masked assassin!

Boom—!!!

The overpowering twenty-five lines of Divine Guts slammed the assassin, sending him hurtling across the battlefield!

This White Impermanence… was akin in might to the Underworld’s Divine Monkey!

The Golden-Masked assassin had no intention of parrying. His fierce martial will exploded outward.

When his will clashed with that of White Impermanence, the restrictive force of his own martial will broke free from the quagmire of murderous intent, allowing him to execute fluid evasive maneuvers as he tried to escape.

But then…

Just as he managed to create some distance with his Grandmaster evasive technique, the moment he landed, the air itself seemed to split apart. A rapidly spinning, red Fire God Dragon Fang blasted toward him.

With a roar, the Golden-Masked assassin howled in shock and fury!

The timing…

Barely as he struck the ground, before his aura could adjust, a deadly shot was unleashed!

Was the timing that perfect?!

The Underworld… Ma Mian!

Thwack—!!!

In a flash, the Fire God Dragon Fang pierced the assassin’s shoulder. The explosive force shattered even a Grandmaster’s physique, and despite his desperate use of Divine Guts as a barrier,

his shoulder was left in a bloody, mangled ruin as he was flung aside by the tremendous impact!

In that instant, a shadow darted forth from behind him.

A divine weapon dagger skimmed along his neck, sparks flying as Divine Guts shattered in a cascade. A head wearing a golden mask was cleaved clean off!

“Underworld—Black Impermanence… take your miserable life!”

A cold, emotionless voice rang out.

Then, with a dull thud, the severed head was tossed to the ground as Black Impermanence merged back into the shadows.

Silently, it disappeared, its whereabouts unknown.

Meanwhile, White Impermanence excitedly rubbed his hands as he began to search for corpses with a practiced familiarity.

The entire arena fell into a deathly silence.

Even Jiao Shaoqiu was momentarily stunned.

Silky.

So silky…

The newly promoted Grandmaster assassin of Lie Shen Pavilion—who had condensed thirty lines of Divine Guts—lost his head without any resistance!

This was the work of the Underworld!

“Execute!”

A faint smile briefly crossed Jiao Shaoqiu’s withered face, though it faded as quickly as it appeared.

The Underworld has its ways… it never fails.

In that case…

“Let all the Golden-Masked assassins of Lie Shen Pavilion remain.”

Jiao Shaoqiu clenched his fist and slammed it into the void. Behind him, golden light exploded forth as his transcendent primordial spirit radiated pure golden brilliance!

Powerful ripples of divine perception spread out like a vast net,

imposing a divine pressure that covered every direction!

In the dense forest, the remaining four Golden-Masked assassins leaped out from afar, their bodies trembling slightly.

Countless sword auras rose behind Nie Yang like beams of sunlight. With pointed steps, his massive body trembled dangerously, and thirty-five lines of Divine Guts surged like thirty spear-like dragons lifting his form as he roared and charged out!

Amid the chaotic collision in the forest,

it was only a matter of moments…

when Nie Yang reappeared, his head nearly severed,

while Zhu Chaoyang and Lu Yao exchanged a glance and charged into the depths of the forest.

Li Qingshan, wearing his Cat Face Mask and wielding his Horned Hammer, stood on the carriage’s front.

Glancing at the duo unleashing Grandmaster-level life force and the explosive aura of their Divine Essence Golden Pill, he shook his head.

Li Qingshan then sat on the carriage, casually tossing his Horned Hammer up and catching it again, over and over…

A master of the Underworld’s aura, he maintained absolute control.

No need to rush…

Even if the twisted members of the Corpse God Sect attacked the convoy, they would face a hail of assassins.

After all, his Underworld Cat Face would surely get another chance to strike!

It must, he thought!

…

…

Boom—rumble—boom—

The earth shook and trembled!

A massive mushroom cloud soared upward, its devastating impact seemingly boring through the earth!

Stirring up torrents of debris, the ground caved in as an endless expanse of dust roared upward!

Scorching flames obliterated everything!

The land, stretching tens, hundreds, even thousands of feet, became an expanse of red. The shockwave formed a colossal ring, churning tumultuously as violent winds hammered on relentlessly!

Swish, swish, swish—

Two severely battered figures burst out from the exploding mushroom cloud.

Their bodies emanated scorching heat. The silver energy on their Cursed Silver Corpse forms was nearing complete extinction.

They staggered to their feet, battered and broken, gazing dumbfounded at the towering, dust-choked mushroom cloud that soared over a hundred meters high,

its terrifying divine radiation wreaking havoc all around…

“So… terrifying…”

“Such power…”

The leading Sixth Division Corpse God Envoy, who had condensed thirty lines of Divine Guts, now looked utterly lost.

Is this the true might of the Mechanical Art?

Twenty-seven of the Sevenfold Corpse God Envoys barely survived.

Among the three Sixth Division Envoys, one—who had only condensed five lines of Cursed Silver Corpse energy—was utterly obliterated, his body shattered into pieces.

Only the other two managed to barely endure using their Cursed Silver Corpse forms, though grievously injured, their Divine Guts completely worn away…

“Underworld… Underworld…”

The two Sixth Division Envoys trembled visibly.

Then suddenly,

both of them, their hairs standing on end, instinctively looked upward—

and beheld a crushing torrent of life force surging down from above, like an oven of golden light unleashing countless waves of terror from a massive, burly figure!

It was like the mythical Dragon King on his patrol, a blue dragon peering out from the clouds!

On the face of that dragon emerged a delightfully smiling Cute Cow Mask, evoking an irresistible warmth.

Yet in the eyes of the two envoys, it was nothing less than a harbinger of death from the depths of Hell!

It carried a palpable, lethal intent, like a razor-sharp divine blade crashing downward!

The ground crumbled. The stones, once flung skyward from the Guanyin Lotus Bullet bombardment and then savaged by the brutal force of the Ogre’s life force, shattered into fragments.

“Ogre—!!!”

The two Sixth Division Envoys grew ice-cold all over!

Sure enough, the Underworld had sealed their fate once again!

Li Che’s eyes remained impassive.

His Black Robe fluttered, his body swelling and contracting like a well-inflated balloon. In an instant, he grew monstrous once more—his muscles and bones taut as if straining like a coiling dragon, releasing a sound like the taut string of a mighty bow as it snapped.

Fiery life force surged like unyielding, blazing metal in a roaring climax.

The two Sixth Division Envoys, well-aware of the Ogre’s treacherous nature, knew full well his infamous cruelty and cunning…

And now, facing him, his reputation was more than justified.

After a long-range bombardment, he seized their moment of weakness. Truly… despicable!

Li Che’s gaze turned cold as he declared, “Magic Child, so you dare to take XiXi as the Sect Leader’s spouse?”

“Yes, yes…”

Huh?

Both Corpse God Envoys stood dumbfounded.

Particularly the leader, with thirty lines of Divine Guts, his eyes filled with blank confusion.

Who is XiXi?

But soon, the truth became clear!

No…

You, Ogre, were eavesdropping on our conversation?!

And then, with hairs bristling in alarm, the envoy turned bone-cold, his blood freezing.

Ogre… how did you catch our conversation?

“You—”

Thud!

Behind his Ogre Mask, Li Che’s murderous intent surged as he struck without hesitation. A fist exploded forward, unleashing two streams of scarlet Divine Guts that slammed into the envoy’s chest with ferocious force.

That punch…

was not a matter of technique—it was pure rage!

It crumpled his chest, and his flesh burst apart in a brutal explosion!

Already weakened by the relentless bombardment of Guanyin Lotus Bullets and a shattered Cursed Silver Corpse body, how could he possibly withstand Ogre’s devastating punch?

With a firm grip, Li Che clutched the Qian Kun Jade from the shattered remains of the envoy’s body.

Even through seething anger, his instinct for killing and desecrating corpses remained undiminished.

Another envoy roared, leaping upward like a bolt of silver light in a desperate bid to escape.

But then…

a Tiger-Leopard Thunder Split Gold Spear, resplendent in red and golden luster, shot out like a raging dragon.

It pierced through his brow in an instant, pinning him to the ground.

The envoy’s lips dripped dark, fetid blood as he stared at the advancing Ogre.

“Ogre… I swear, I’ll never forgive you…”

“If you want to protect that Divine Child, you won’t succeed. The Magic Child’s chosen… you’ll never be able to protect them…”

“Hehehe…”

Boom—

“Screw your guts!”

Li Che’s palm smacked, shattering the envoy’s skull into fragments.

After seizing the Qian Kun Jade from his corpse, he reached out and grasped the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Split Gold Spear. In an explosive moment, the Sixth Division Spear vibrated with phantasmal force, splintering the envoy’s shattered Cursed Silver Corpse form into a cascade of silver shards across the ground.

Furious winds roared, the blazing heat turning the stones on the ground a deep, bloody red.

“Magic Child?”

“Just that Yellow-Haired…”

Li Che adjusted his Bamboo Hat, the Black Robe billowing as his Cute Cow Mask tilted upward, gazing at the endless, dazzling mushroom cloud, dense with smoke and debris—a maelstrom of destruction and divine radiation.

The firelight danced across his mask.

But the overwhelming murderous intent nearly solidified into substance.

Admittedly, the envoy’s final hatred had been perfectly executed.

It successfully stirred the anger and sense of crisis within Li Che.

Although incensed, Li Che understood all too clearly that the Corpse God Sect’s audacity in rebelling against the Great Realm and their successive conquests of Zhou City and beyond was a testament to their might and terror.

Now, Li Che—

Now, the Underworld…

was not something to be trifled with when facing the Corpse God Sect.

But…

“Magic Child, you have truly angered a devoted father. Can’t you see?”

“Damn it!”

Li Che’s eyes blazed with fury, the murderous intent unstoppable.

Even after a barrage, his inner anger remained unsated.

Magic Child…

you have awoken an ire in a true father, do you understand?

His eyes hardened like the cosmic chessboard as Li Che’s heart stirred.

Back in Jingguang Mansion, the Magic Child had invaded Qin Fenghuo’s body and descended.

That is why Li Che had long since sensed his aura.

For Li Che, catching even a trace of that aura meant so much more…

From the conversations of the Corpse God Envoys, it was clear: the Magic Child was now in Daocheng?

Magic Child… if he indeed resides in Daocheng,

then Li Che eagerly anticipated his arrival.

He planned to blast the Magic Child’s face with the Thousand-Armed Guanyin Fire God Cannon…

To make that little Yellow-Haired understand

what it meant to incur the wrath of a devoted father!

Seven-thousand words, and it got a bit stuck. It took me six hours to finish this chapter—my butt is numb… Monday, please vote, send fresh recommendations, and push me to continue reading! Once recommendations end, I’ll see you in the next one, so please support Old Li!