Chapter 223: Awakening of the Corpse God’s Will
by xennovelLi Che had never understood why the Demon Child of the Corpse God Sect was held in such high esteem.
Though his strength was mediocre and his cultivation modest, he could still command the cursed Golden Corpses of the sect to do his bidding.
Now, Li Che had gleaned a few clues.
Rank.
Corpse God Rank!
This Demon Child of the Corpse God Sect carried within him the bloodline of the Corpse God—perhaps a descendant, perhaps a vessel for the deity’s descent.
In short, the Demon Child had an extraordinarily crucial connection with the Corpse God.
Such a bond was worth the massive expense the sect expended to protect him.
Every cursed Golden Corpse was on par with an innate grandmaster; although in martial technique they might not compare to a true innate grandmaster,
the Golden Qi spawned by the Golden Corpses reached the intensity of true innate divine power, able to rival the genuine force.
Li Che believed that training a cursed Golden Corpse was no easy feat for the Corpse God Sect—it demanded an enormous sacrifice.
Yet they were willing to send out five cursed Golden Corpses to guard the Demon Child!
At that moment, observing the burst of corpse godly aura from the Demon Child, Li Che finally understood the reason.
The will of the Corpse God was manifest!
One of the six great Corpse Gods of the sect!
This was not the Corpse God’s Will, but the true soul of the Corpse God residing within the Demon Child’s body, now awakening.
It was as if he were facing an actual reawakened Corpse God!
Li Che’s mind raced, and in an instant he grasped the Demon Child’s true position within the sect.
Thus, Li Che did not take lightly the oppressive, terrifying rank emanating from his opponent—except for the luminous Divine Ape visage which remained unaffected.
The other two manifestations of the Temple Spirit’s aura also felt the pressure.
Without wasting a moment, Li Che shifted into a steady mode, deciding to act cautiously and unleash his trump card.
He deployed the mythic weapon ‘Qi Tian Face’!
In the distance…
The Demon Child straightened, his cold eyes fixed on him.
That gaze was haughty and aloof, as if a god were looking down on insignificant insects.
Whoosh——
The night breeze seemed to transform into countless icy streams, piercing to the bone!
The diminutive Demon Child hovered midair with a massive Corpse God Seal suspended behind him, ceaselessly circling.
His voice, devoid of any emotion or even a trace of divinity, boomed like rolling thunder over the compound, drowning out all other sounds.
“How dare you kill my reincarnated body! Such insolence!”
“Die—!!!”
With his words finished,
an overwhelming killing intent surged forth!
The explosive shout of ‘Die’ reverberated, shaking the heavens and earth!
In a blink, the tiny Demon Child vanished from his original spot, only to reappear right before Li Che, whose Qi Tian Face now overshadowed everything.
A dense miasma of death and corpse energy erupted from the Demon Child’s body!
At that moment, an ear-splitting scream rang out.
“Die—!!!”
Terrifying red light exploded like a dam breaking, unstoppable as it swept like a raging river!
Rolling waves of corpse energy and deathly aura churned like an endless ocean.
In an instant, they completely filled the entire compound!
Rumble, rumble!
Death and corpse energy, normally icy cold, now burst forth from the Demon Child like the full radiance and heat of a blazing sun!
Scorching and fierce—as if set ablaze!
An indescribable, fearsome will surged and swept everything away!
Ah——!!!
At that moment, every wicked disciple of the Corpse God Sect in the entire Divine Capital who could sense this terrible will found themselves face-to-face with the most horrifying presence imaginable!
It was dangerously close!
They all trembled and fell to their knees.
Even the high-ranking Sixfold Corpse God Envoy knelt in submission.
At that moment, they wouldn’t dare to even flinch, even if certain death by blade was inevitable.
Donning the Qi Tian Face, Li Che—who had attained the Three Pure Ones rank as the ‘Fa Tian Xiang Di Luminous True Ape’—finally found himself capable of harnessing this mythic weapon!
Yet even then, Li Che’s mask betrayed a flicker of emotion.
Is this the true will of the Corpse God?
Even if it was unleashed through the Demon Child’s body, it was horrifying indeed!
The divine might of a Grandmaster of Divine Guts paled in comparison to the united will of a true innate grandmaster!
Even someone like You Liqing, an unsurpassed Grandmaster at the top Three Flowers level, could not compare!
Perhaps……
Only a Martial Saint of the top Three Flowers, one who has achieved the Five Qi Convergence, could unleash such an awe-inspiring will that nearly defies imagination!
The heart of Li Che, now mere inches away, thundered as he sensed the overwhelmingly potent intent of the Corpse God—even through the Qi Tian Face!
It felt as if his very mind was about to be usurped, condemned in a single thought to become a mindless corpse slave under the Corpse God’s control!
Beneath the Qi Tian Face, Li Che’s eyes flared open in anger!
“Abomination!”
A sharp rebuke, as startling as a clap of thunder!
The Xuankin Eight-Treasure Thunder Dragon Staff landed in his hand, quivering for an instant as surging, tempestuous divine energy burst forth!
On his burly frame, scorching blood flowed like molten metal, dark red as if cast in iron!
Within his dantian, his true core contracted and expanded; the divine energy refined from his internal organs surged out from the core, twisting into a singular force!
It coiled around the Thunder Dragon Staff like five writhing flood serpents!
In that moment, as if thunder itself had split the skies, the divine weapon was nearly set into motion!
“Corpse God? You think your rank can suffocate me?
So arrogant and domineering!
Golden monkey hairs vividly danced on that mask!
Finally, a ripple stirred in the Demon Child’s bloodshot eyes!
“Qi Tian…”
The Demon Child’s eyes burned with an intensifying red as he sought to unleash the Corpse God’s might!
“Impossible! Qi Tian… impossible!”
Yet,
Li Che cared not; after activating the Qi Tian Face, his entire being erupted with pure energy.
Countless staff silhouettes merged together, as if ready to splinter the void into pieces!
They converged as one!
It was a deathblow—Qi Tian’s single strike!
Hovering before Li Che, the Demon Child was struck by the overwhelming force that rent apart the oppressive death and corpse energy; the long staff transformed into an invincible steel blade in that moment.
With a sudden stomp of his foot, his body twisted, and the staff he wielded cleaved through the air with devastating power!
The nine taut, serpent-like tendons on his back snapped loose, unleashing a terrifying force with that strike!
Crack, crack, crack——!
Like a taut bowstring released all at once, the ascending force coalesced into one deadly blow.
The Demon Child’s bloodshot eyes flared wildly as he unleashed the rank power of the Corpse God, trying to overwhelm his foe, to paralyze him and mark him with the cursed seal!
But…
It was useless!
At that moment, Li Che exuded bold defiance, utterly unaffected by the oppressive Corpse God rank, free and unbound!
Not even all the Gods and Buddhas in the heavens could suffocate him with their ranks!
Rumble, rumble!
The very ground of the compound trembled and quivered!
The earth cracked; stones flew from the widening fissures, and the ground—spread over several meters—seemed to collapse as if stamped by Li Che’s very toe, splintering into web-like cracks!
Then, a tidal surge of power transmitted from the ground up his spine, into his arms, and into the Xuankin Eight-Treasure Thunder Dragon Staff in his hand!
Lightning flashed and thunder roared!
It was as though a colossal head had burst forth from behind the clouds!
He swung the staff!
The sound of the wind breaking, the shattering roars, even the myriad staff images all vanished without a trace!
In an instant, that dazzling, golden divine staff seemed to disappear into thin air!
In the Demon Child’s bloodshot eyes, a look of furious rage surged forth!
“How dare you!”
A roar of anger!
The swirling miasma of death and corpse energy intensified its pressure!
Yet it was futile!
“Under heaven, what is there I wouldn’t dare?!”
A calm voice carried an unfathomable dominance.
Not even the Gods and Buddhas could subdue me.
What is a Corpse God anyway?!
The Demon Child raised both arms, trying to block the strike!
But his reincarnated body was far too weak—a mere child, not yet grown, barren in strength and divine essence!
In terms of flesh and power, he was no match for the Ogre.
Yet, the man before him, masked and utterly dismissive of his divine pressure, was peerless!
Absolutely unrivaled!
At last!
That vanished staff reappeared, now suspended directly above the Demon Child’s head.
In a heartbeat, all the currents behind the Demon Child were shattered under that staff, dissolving into pure vacuum!
The Demon Child’s eyes blazed with wrath borne of the Corpse God’s will.
Almost instantly, he was utterly overwhelmed by the terrifying shockwave!
Rumble!
Countless stones and earth splintered and erupted!
The tiny, floating Demon Child was slammed violently to the ground, releasing a dense cloud of blood mist that swirled all around!
The entire compound seemed to split in two from the center, with a staff-like crack over a foot wide etching through the ground!
A wild wind howled and roared!
Not long after, the headlong force surged through the ground, up into his spine, through his arms, and into the Xuankin Eight-Treasure Thunder Dragon Staff!
Flashes of lightning, bolts of electricity!
It was as if a giant head of thunder had been flung out from behind the clouds!
He swung the staff once more!
The sound of wind breaking, the shattering explosion, even the myriad staff shadows, all vanished without a trace!
In but an instant, that resplendent staff was gone without leaving a shadow!
In the Demon Child’s furious, reddened gaze, a flash of enraged anger appeared!
“How dare you!”
A bellow of anger!
The oppressive death and corpse energy roiled and pressed down even more intensely!
But it was futile!
“Under heaven, what would I not dare?!”
A cool voice rang out, filled with unbridled arrogance.
Not even all the Gods and Buddhas would have power over me.
What use is a Corpse God, anyway?!
The Demon Child’s arms flailed as he attempted to intercept the blow!
His feeble reincarnated body, still but a child, had not yet grown strong—it could muster only limited power and divine essence!
In matters of flesh and strength, he was no match for the Ogre.
Yet the man before him, concealed behind a mask and utterly dismissive of his divine aura, was supremely domineering!
Absolutely unparalleled!
At last, the staff that had vanished reappeared, now suspended directly over the Demon Child’s head.
In a heartbeat, the currents swirling behind the Demon Child were shattered under the staff, turning into pure vacuum!
With rage swelling in his bloodshot eyes, the Demon Child unleashed the will of the Corpse God in a furious burst.
Almost immediately, he was completely overwhelmed by the shockwave and blasted to pieces!
Rumble, rumble!
Countless fragments of earth splintered into the air!
The tiny, floating Demon Child was smashed violently to the ground, a thick cloud of blood mist erupting in all directions!
It was as if the compound had split in two—the ground cracked with a staff-like streak more than a foot wide!
A wild wind howled and roared!
Not long after, force surged up through the ground, along his spine, through his arms, and into the Xuankin Eight-Treasure Thunder Dragon Staff!
Flashes of lightning, bolts of electricity!
It was as if a giant head of thunder had flung forth from behind the clouds!
He swung the staff!
The sound of rushing wind and the shattering explosion all vanished in an instant!
In a flash, the radiant, golden divine staff disappeared without a trace!
In the Demon Child’s furious eyes, a look of incandescent rage emerged!
“You dare!”
A furious shout!
The overwhelming aura of death and corpse energy roiled and intensified its pressure!
Yet it did nothing!
“Under heaven, there’s nothing I wouldn’t dare!”
A quiet voice dripped with limitless arrogance.
Not even the deities could suppress me.
What use is a Corpse God anyway?!
The Demon Child’s arms flailed as he tried to block the attack!
But his weak reincarnated body, still just a child, could muster only limited power and divine essence!
In terms of flesh and strength, he was far inferior to the Ogre.
Yet the man in front of him, masked and dismissive of his divine pressure, was utterly unrivaled!
Absolutely peerless!
At long last, the vanished staff reappeared, now suspended right above the Demon Child’s head.
In a heartbeat, the swirling energies behind the Demon Child were shattered under that blow, disintegrating into pure vacuum!
The Demon Child’s eyes burned with the wrath of the Corpse God’s will.
Almost instantly, he was completely overwhelmed by the explosive shockwave!
Boom!
Countless fragments and shards erupted into the air!
The tiny, floating Demon Child was smashed violently to the ground as a dense cloud of blood mist erupted all around!
The compound seemed split in two by a staff-like crack over a foot wide!
A wild wind howled and roared!
The Demon Child’s neck, where a head had once been, was now brutally smashed into his chest, his flesh and blood obliterated into a haze.
Every bone was reduced to dust.
Only the relentless surges of death and corpse energy continued to rage!
Li Che panted heavily.
In an instant, the Qi Tian Face had retracted back into the Cosmic Chessboard, becoming dormant once more.
Li Che stepped to the Demon Child’s corpse, his fingers closing around the Qian Kun Jade the Demon Child possessed.
Then, with a sharp tip of his toe,
he clenched his fist and vanished without a trace.
The veiling Cosmic Chessboard dissipated in an instant!
The long-suppressed aura of death and corpse energy, at that moment, soared like a signal fire straight into the heavens!
And the oppressive aura of the Corpse God’s rank, lingering for so long, radiated outward like an expanding shockwave!
……
……
The high-ranking Sixfold Corpse God Envoy on the road suddenly sprang upward from the ground.
Beneath his jade-like mask, a look of utter terror emerged!
“How is this possible?!”
The will of the Corpse God, poised to take control of the Demon Child’s body,
had vanished!
The Corpse God Sect trained a total of six Demon Children, each one a vessel destined for the Corpse God’s descent.
These Demon Children were entities intrinsically aligned with the Corpse God.
Once grown, they would be capable of channeling the Corpse God’s power!
Moreover, the Corpse God Sect cultivated a new Demon Child only once every hundred years!
And now, the Demon Child nurtured by the sect… had been slain!
How… could he be killed?!
The Corpse God’s will, hidden within the Demon Child’s body, when unleashed, imposed a rank so oppressive that under a Martial Saint’s might… hardly anyone could withstand it!
“It’s over…”
Murmured the high-ranking Sixfold Corpse God Envoy.
He couldn’t even summon the courage to investigate.
Overwhelmed by the wildly spreading aura of the Corpse God,
he was suddenly engulfed by surging death and corpse energy, and within two breaths, he escaped via the Time-Space Corpse Technique!
And that was all in just two breaths…
Within Daocheng,
one explosive surge of power followed another!
“How dare you! How can the Corpse God Sect unleashing such corpse energy within Daocheng?!”
Someone roared from the direction of the Temple Guardian Division in Daocheng.
In the next moment, powerful streams of blood surged through the night like smoke, as if an enraged dragon had burst forth!
From the direction of the Divine Guard Army, tumultuous blood energy was also surging.
Within the Imperial Watch Tower, a tremendously powerful primordial spirit swept through, then coalesced into a spiritual form that leapt into the air.
The Su Family, Yun Family, Zhou Family, and Zhong Family—the four great clans of Daocheng—were all rattled as a formidable presence emerged to investigate.
It was as if the normally quiet night of Daocheng had been shattered in an instant.
……
……
Amidst the ruins, amidst swirling dust,
several imposing figures, their aura blooming like Three Flowers in full flourish, swept aside the smoke with a flick of their sleeves.
At once, a scene emerged from the ruins.
Whoosh, whoosh——
Two streaks of golden light shot from the rubble, racing out of Daocheng!
“Two cursed Golden Corpses?”
“They think they can escape right under our noses?”
A cold, cutting voice resounded.
From among the mighty figures hovering around the ruins came the sound.
Soon, two resounding roars—like the bellow of dragons—erupted as the torrential blood energy coalesced into two phantom divine dragons, clawing and roaring their way out!
The Wanlong Fushen!
Wham, wham——!
The two cursed Golden Corpses could not even parry; they were brutally smashed by the dragon forms into a pool of shredded flesh!
“You Liqing, always so rash… If you capture these two cursed Golden Corpses, you might even get answers about the hidden culprits of the Corpse God Sect within Daocheng!”
A calm voice floated through.
“Tiedadu Supervisor, look at him—he’s desperate to deliver the killing blow, like a murderer silencing witnesses and destroying evidence! I heard that General You’s junior fellow has joined the Corpse God Sect… Perhaps You Liqing has, too! I suggest investigating him.”
A glib voice emerged from the phantom.
“Huang Jianjiu, are you asking for death?!”
“The wicked of the Corpse God Sect must be executed! These cursed Golden Corpses are merely standardized products, their brains already ruined—what clues could they possibly hold?!”
An angry voice from You Liqing rang out.
“Your junior fellow is a disciple of the Corpse God Sect…”
Huang Jianjiu retorted in a tone that could infuriate anyone.
“Enough, let’s not quarrel.”
“It appears to be the aura of the soon-to-be Corpse God—one of the six great Corpse Gods of the sect…”
“Look at that corpse—the fallen Demon Child was a prized vessel of the Corpse God Sect, extraordinarily difficult to cultivate, perfectly attuned to the divine nature of the Corpse God…”
“And he was killed right here in Daocheng!”
“Who did it?”
Even the few powerful figures present were taken aback when they learned the identity of the dead.
“It must be the Underworld again. In such confrontations there’s no hiding, yet we only sensed it when the battle ended…”
“And the only force capable of suppressing all our senses… is the Underworld.”
“The Underworld has struck repeatedly in this manner.”
You Liqing’s cold voice resounded.
“The Underworld…”
“Such an Underworld…”
……
……
Under the chilly moonlight, dark clouds veiling its glow were slowly blown apart by the wind.
In Tinglei Alley within the courtyard,
Li Che’s five fingers gripped the anchor of a Feilei Chess Piece that had long since settled in the courtyard.
With that grip, his entire being returned.
A tremendous surge of blood energy erupted, forming a rolling wave of crimson mist that lashed out in every direction of the courtyard,
crashing against the walls before being forcibly reined in by the Cosmic Chessboard, unable to spread an inch.
Standing in the center of the courtyard with the Ogre Mask on, Li Che let his scorching blood energy gradually settle as time passed.
“The Demon Child… is finally dealt with.”
Li Che removed the Ogre Mask and exhaled slowly.
Every muscle and tendon relaxed, and his swollen physique slowly reverted to normal.
He changed into a clean black cotton shirt.
Li Che then seated himself on the eaves of the corridor.
Closing his eyes, he recalled the battle.
After donning the Qi Tian Face, the sensation was undeniably different—the power of the Hun Yuan Qi Tian Gun surged with every strike, almost ignoring any oppressive pressure!
That wild, unbridled, and domineering feeling made Li Che feel almost entranced.
Isn’t the pursuit of life all about being carefree and free?
“In truth… the Corpse God’s will that controlled the Demon Child’s body did not unleash tremendous power—the main factor was the crushing rank pressure of the Corpse God!
Without that rank pressure, even with the blessing of the Corpse God’s will, the Demon Child would only be on par with a cursed Golden Corpse.”
Li Che recalled the sensation of that crushing blow—it truly felt like shattering a cursed Golden Corpse.
“The Five Yuan Divine Guts are formidable; the Golden Qi of a cursed Golden Corpse is no match. Granted… the Golden Qi is somewhat inferior to the true innate divine power of an innate grandmaster, and the cursed Golden Corpses are just tougher in terms of flesh.”
“So my current combat strength… should be sufficient against Long Tai, that innate grandmaster. And with the Qi Tian Face, channeling the might of the Four-Yu Divine Weapon, I should be able to kill him.”
Of all the innate grandmasters Li Che had encountered, only Long Tai—the Divine Guard Army commander shielding City Lord Su Huai Li—stood in his way.
“Of course, Long Tai might also have his trump cards… But for now, my overall strength surpasses his.”
A wry smile played on Li Che’s lips.
At last, in this city teeming with powerful cultivators, he had managed to scrape together a modicum of self-defense!
Yet it was still not enough…
Even now, he had to act with utmost caution—the maintenance of the Cosmic Chessboard required him to exert maximum effort each time, or risk being exposed.
“Hmm, and that first use tonight of the ‘Black and White Collapse Fire God Dragon Fang’—this bullet channeling the power of Black and White Collapse…”
Li Che, busy dispatching the Demon Child, hadn’t paid close attention to the cursed Golden Corpse that had been sniped.
That explosive Black and White Collapse seemed to have inflicted significant damage on the Golden Corpse.
The condensed, obliterating destructive force directly shattered the cursed Golden Corpse’s arm that fired the bullet.
Li Che nodded in satisfaction.
Compared to the Great Avalanche Fire God Dragon Fang, the Black and White Collapse Dragon Fang boasted a far superior sniping capability!
For a divine Grandmaster of Divine Guts… it was essentially a one-hit knockout.
As for an innate grandmaster… even a minor misstep could result in heavy damage from the Black and White Collapse Dragon Fang!
“I must continue my research…”
“If I fuse Black and White Collapse with Great Avalanche, blending their powers to create an immensely destructive force—and then have the Guanyin Lotus Main Battle Tank handle the barrage…”
“Who knows, I might even obliterate a top Three Flowers-level Martial Saint…”
Li Che was well aware that facing an unsurpassed Martial Saint of the top Three Flowers level, he would be outclassed.
The gap was indeed substantial.
“As for the Breath Retention Transformation of the Divine True Man… the odds of obliterating him are better than against an unsurpassed Martial Saint.”
Li Che’s eyes flickered.
Thinking of the Divine True Man of the Breath Retention Transformation, he couldn’t help but recall the elder of the Su Family who had once coached Su Chuyang.
“Regarding Immortal Craft, aside from continuing to develop the fearsome weapons of Black and White Collapse and Great Avalanche, the Tang Clan’s Mechanized Beasts should also be put to use…”
“If the Xiangong Dao Fruit is to break through to Lv5, perhaps all hope lies with the Tang Clan’s Mechanized Beasts.”
“I wonder if Sangyu has prepared the Spirit Wood I require…”
Li Che stretched, his muscles creaking with every movement.
After killing the Demon Child, the stifled anger in his heart was completely expelled; he felt his spirit reawaken and his state of mind elevated.
Having slain the mad, obsessive Demon Child who always kept a vigil on his daughter, Li Che was in high spirits.
……
[Name: Li Che]
[Bond: Li Nuǎnxi (Daughter)]
[Dao Fruits: Xiangong (Lv4 55%), Dragon Elephant Vajra (Lv4 80%), Pure Heart (Lv4 15%), Chess Sage (Lv4 40%), Painted Immortal (Lv3 20%)]
[Nascent Divine Techniques: Immortal Craft: Qianxi Hand, Dragon Elephant Vajra: Ascend the Tower, Pure Heart: Spiritual Confinement, Chess Sage: Great Avalanche, Painted Immortal: Ink Death]
[Divine Abilities: Star Plucking, Radiant Rise, Divine Guidance, Wuji]
[Tip: Bonded ones grow a year for each safe passage; a Dao Tree can bear one Dao Fruit]
……
Before him, an image of flowing light emerged—like that great tree that once towered from barren lands into the clouds!
“Huh?!”
“The maturity of the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit… has reached 80%?! Killing a Demon Child yields such a high return?!”
“The cost-to-benefit ratio is simply too high!”
Li Che was somewhat astonished—after all, the Demon Child’s strength was hardly remarkable…
It was the cursed Golden Corpses protecting him that were formidable!
Yet in this battle, Li Che hadn’t slain a single cursed Golden Corpse.
He merely unleashed the Five Yuan Divine Guts, severely injuring one without killing it. Based on his experience, the maturity feedback shouldn’t be so high.
So it must be due to the descent of the Corpse God’s will onto the Demon Child!
“It appears… that with the Qi Tian Face, I completely disregarded the oppressive Corpse God rank—more fearsome than I imagined.”
Li Che pondered this.
Suddenly, his eyes began to sparkle.
He tapped his toe,
and in a flash, he reappeared at the center of the courtyard.
With a thought,
the Cosmic Chessboard roared, as if thunder rumbled across the sky, amplifying its sensory feedback in all directions.
It sealed off every trace of energy in the courtyard.
In the next moment,
Li Che’s black shirt and raven hair danced wildly in the wind.
Raising a hand, he flicked his finger.
A black chess piece blasted forth instantly.
Pure Heart: Spiritual Confinement!
Boom——!!!
That was his impromptu capture of the Demon Child’s divine essence after killing him.
The black chess piece floated in the courtyard and, as it slowly twisted, it transformed into the feeble form of the Demon Child.
Confused and dazed, as if his three souls and seven spirits were missing, he looked vacant.
Li Che furrowed his brow in disappointment.
“Was it just a Demon Child?”
Li Che felt a pang of regret.
He’d hoped to capture some of the corpulent Corpse God’s divine essence for himself.
With a hint of remorse, Li Che flicked his finger again—a black chess piece swelled in the wind and, in an instant, transformed into the imposing form of Xue Dufu. “Honorable Master, good evening. The night is truly beautiful,” Xue Dufu teased. “Oh! Master, will you strike me with your staff again tonight?” Xue Dufu’s playful banter hinted at his befuddled state from absorbing too much spiritual energy. From an edgy brute to an oddly respectful sycophant, he exclaimed, “Your words are far too crude!” Li Che covered his face with his hand. “Enough. My captured divine spirit can only be borne in silence.” He waved his hand for Xue Dufu to reabsorb the disoriented divine spirit. “Even at night, you bring me such snacks.” Xue Dufu replied reverently, “Oh, my Master, you are too kind to me!” In the next moment, Xue Dufu stepped forward and confronted the faltering divine spirit of the Demon Child. Accustomed to absorbing divine essences, with a firm grip he unleashed a surge of energy toward the Demon Child. But as soon as he touched the divine spirit, the Demon Child’s eyes flashed blood-red and he bellowed, “Get lost!” with a mighty bang. A powerful burst of energy exploded from the Demon Child’s body. Behind the white-faced mask of Bai Wuchang, Xue Dufu’s eyes narrowed as he was blasted sideways, half his body dissolving into black mist. Li Che, covering his face in shock, glared gravely at the Demon Child; only to see the captured divine spirit rising, exuding an intense, pure miasma of death, coalescing behind him into a continuously spiraling seal. “Oh! Master, are you trying new methods to strike me?” Xue Dufu’s half-dissolved form slowly reformed under the gathering black mist. Li Che ignored him and stepped forward, positioning himself before the divine spirit. Despite the spirit’s furious howls, Li Che, his Pure Heart Dao Fruit trembling in his dantian, simply pressed a finger downward. Smack——! The Demon Child’s captured divine spirit was pinned to the ground, completely immobilized. As the possessor of a Dao Fruit, Li Che held absolute command over the captured divine essence. His eyes then fixed on the suspended Corpse God Seal. In it, he sensed an intensely pure corpse aura—a Corpse God Seal unlike any Corpse Curse Seal. While the Corpse Curse Seal was used by the Corpse God Sect to convert its disciples, its higher the rank, the more power it bestowed, even allowing one to harness formidable corpse curse techniques to become a cursed Silver or Golden Corpse, it had one glaring flaw: one had to succumb completely, unable to resist. But the Corpse God Seal… its rank soared far beyond that of any Corpse Curse Seal. Li Che felt as if, through the Corpse God Seal, a terrifying will was reviving—a pair of dreadful eyes, intent on traversing time and space to fix their gaze upon him. Without hesitation, Li Che thrust out his fingers, grasping the Corpse God Seal tightly and hurling it into the Cosmic Chessboard! In a frenzied reaction, the explosive feedback from the Chess Sage Dao Fruit severed the gaze that pursued the Corpse God Seal! Seven-thousand words—nearly missed, but it’s no big deal! I’m begging for monthly votes, recommendation votes, and readers’ support! The monthly vote rankings have taken a beating; without recommendations, I can only rely on a slight exposure via the monthly votes… Old Li implores everyone to help!