Chapter 224: The Seal of the Corpse God

The Seal of the Corpse God – its rank is off the charts!

Just its overwhelming presence made the divine perceptions of Li Che’s two Temple Spirits tremble slightly.

Without hesitation, Li Che immediately unleashed the Cosmic Chessboard to subdue it!

Furthermore, amidst the turmoil, Li Che sensed a powerful and fearsome force reaching out through the Seal, attempting to establish a connection with its piercing gaze!

In some respects, the Corpse God… seems to rank even higher than a Martial Saint.

When Ji Haihui was slain by Li Che, the Martial Saint will that condensed from his bloodline never gave Li Che such an impression.

Not even the Martial Saint Ji Mo Li could span the distance with his martial bloodline to connect from afar.

Thus, solely based on this, Li Che deduced that the Corpse God might be even more terrifying than a Martial Saint.

Of course, this was only Li Che’s judgment.

Who is stronger – the Corpse God or the Martial Saint – remains uncertain.

But one thing is clear: in terms of power and combat ability, a being like the Corpse God is by no means inferior to any divine fetus or Martial Saint!

So Li Che did not hesitate; he immediately dragged it onto the Cosmic Chessboard, severing the nascent connection in the void!

Rumble—!

Throughout the courtyard, shockwaves surged wildly as Li Che stood fast, his gaze as sharp as lightning.

Inside his chest, it felt as if a second heart had started pounding fiercely.

Thump, thump, thump—!

Each beat resounded like a clap of thunder.

At first, the Seal of the Corpse God resisted, but the 【Chess Sage】 Dao Fruit, pushed by Li Che to its limit, suppressed it forcefully.

Within the Chessboard, the crisscrossing lines began to sink continuously, as if about to collapse under the strain.

It was as though they were forming a deep, sinking pit that completely bound and entwined the Seal.

Rumble—!!

The Seal, now on the Cosmic Chessboard, started convulsing violently, trembling thousands of times with every breath.

The very space seemed to ripple with invisible waves of shock.

It was as if the Chessboard might shatter entirely!

A stifling, terrifying aura poured forth from the Seal like a tidal wave!

Buzz—

Li Che’s primordial consciousness linked up; in the next instant, he flung open his eyes, sparks of energy crisscrossing.

His gaze swept over and he saw that the Seal, growing almost mountain-like in its expansion, threatened to crush the Chessboard.

The intense miasma of death and decay, together with a peculiar sentience within, simmered wildly, resisting and trying to establish a complete connection with that unseen will outside!

The Seven-Gen Corpse Curse Incantation Mother Seal, which Li Che had refined within the Cosmic Chessboard, now trembled in terror, on the verge of exploding.

It seemed as if it might burst apart at any moment.

The oppressive aura emanating from the Seal was overwhelmingly powerful and terrifying!

The Seven-Gen Corpse Curse Seal could not possibly oppose it.

Li Che’s primordial spirit drifted down, landing upon the interwoven lines of the Cosmic Chessboard; its essence as dark as ink, like countless black chess pieces amassed together.

His jet-black, vigorous primordial strands drifted as if in a windless flight, and with his hands clasped behind his back, Li Che advanced step by step toward the Seal.

Then, he witnessed the Seal begin to twist and swell violently, oozing an incredibly thick miasma of decay and death, a corrosive force that could annihilate the heavens and earth.

The surging erosive power, bursting outward, contained an immense divine nature!

Yet to Li Che’s astonishment, this divine force… was strikingly pure!

“The Corpse God… is also a Temple Spirit?”

Li Che furrowed his brows.

A flash of doubt flickered in his eyes.

Compared to other Temple Spirits, this Corpse God… is ridiculously active, isn’t it?

Or could it have been awakened by those depraved members of the Corpse God Sect?

He watched as the mass, swollen like a mountain with black oil streaming down its sides, unveiled its true form like a muddy mountain revealing its inner core.

It was an enormous, jet-black Guanyin statue!

Bulging, swollen, and distorted…

A surge of overwhelming desire erupted frantically from that oil-soaked Guanyin.

Li Che’s primordial spirit trembled slightly, as if sensing around him various twisting figures… Zhang Ya.

A twitch appeared at the corner of Li Che’s mouth.

Is this the Corpse God’s true desire?

Slowly raising his hand, countless white lights burst from his body; in an instant, one after another, white chess pieces streaked out around him!

Within his chest, the 【Unsullied Heart】 Dao Fruit convulsed wildly!

Within the Mud Pellet at his brow, a new inner realm unfolded!

It shone with flowing light!

The divine visions of 【Flaming-Eyed Astounding Divine Monkey】 and 【Bending Dreams Gui Ling Rabbit】 appeared around Li Che.

They manifested all around him.

Golden flames danced in his eyes as a fierce divine aura ravaged the surroundings.

Countless osmanthus petals floated; beneath the gentle head of the rabbit, a flowing lady’s long robe billowed—but suddenly tore apart, revealing layers of interlocking steel and bone!

Two grand Temple Spirit manifestations emerged, one on each side, as if serving as guardians to help Li Che confront the Corpse God Guanyin!

With a snap of his fingers, a surge of white, unsullied divine essence shot forth, shattering the phantasms one after the other.

Accompanied by the sorrowful gazes of his wife Zhang Ya, the broken mirror-like remnants glittered brilliantly.

Li Che snapped his fingers again.

In an instant, the unsullied divine chess pieces drew in black divine chess pieces, spiraling together as they charged toward the Seal!

“Boom.”

Li Che clenched his fist tightly.

The Black and White Collapse erupted directly!

On the Cosmic Chessboard, it burst forth with dazzling brilliance, like a radiant bowl of white energy devouring everything as it inverted downward!

Roar—!!!

The Seal of the Corpse God bellowed in rage!

It raged uncontrollably!

A powerful Temple Spirit will swept in like a storm!

In the face of this divine will, Li Che felt as insignificant as an ant before a towering edifice!

A terrifying hurricane howled, making Li Che’s robe whip violently!

Then behind him, a dreadful sound of exploding thunder boomed, as if massive mallets were striking the earth with heart-stopping force!

It swelled and banged like a drum!

With each resounding beat!

It was as if balloons were slowly inflating!

A colossal divine image, towering like a mountain, materialized behind Li Che!

Lingming the True Ape!

The giant ape descended, its eyes disdainful, sneering coldly at the oozing, slick Corpse God Guanyin.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

With its fists swinging, it pounded its chest; the shock, like thunder striking the earth, was the sound of Lingming the True Ape beating his thick hide!

At the climax of its assault, Lingming the True Ape jerked its head forward, flung open its bloodied maw, and let out a fearsome roar toward the Seal!

A torrent of death and decay was blown away in a single breath from the Corpse God’s mouth!

The Flaming-Eyed Astounding Divine Monkey chattered incessantly, while the muscular Ling Rabbit pounded its steel-bone chest with resounding clamor!

After a furious roar from the three grand Temple Spirit manifestations, they rushed past Li Che and barreled toward the Seal!

The Seal of the Corpse God seethed in anger!

Lingming the True Ape leaped upward, its fingers clenching as a brilliantly radiant sword song echoed!

In an instant, an intensely dark, almost all-consuming black divine sword shot forth, enormous in size, grasped firmly by the True Ape!

With both arms gripping the sword, Lingming the True Ape leaped thousands of feet and ruthlessly drove the Yin Divine Sword – long subdued by Li Che – downward like a piercing thrust!

With a wet sound, it stabbed deep into the body of the Seal!

A tortured scream erupted from the Corpse God as the Guanyin form, now enraged beyond measure, transformed into a three-headed, six-armed figure that lashed out viciously.

Lingming the True Ape showed no mercy at all.

After the sword plunged in, it swung its fist repeatedly in a crushing blow.

Each punch sent splinters of black, oily destruction flying!

The two colossal beings clashed on the Cosmic Chessboard as if it were a battlefield, trading devastating blows!

The Flaming-Eyed Astounding Divine Monkey and the Bending Dreams Gui Ling Rabbit darted about, weaving in and out, launching surprise attacks!

Meanwhile, Li Che snapped his fingers repeatedly; his unsullied divine essence transformed into one razor-sharp arrow after another, lacerating the Corpse God Guanyin’s body with brilliant white light!

A coordinated assault?

Li Che never considered a coordinated attack to be unworthy of martial virtue.

Being able to rally comrades to gang up on an opponent meant you were well-liked; you could gather many to strike!

Why settle for one-on-one when you can overwhelm with numbers?

Got your head twisted?!

Li Che’s mind was clear—so he decided to surround it!

He even thought that might not be enough.

With a thought,

the 【Qi Tian Face】 materialized across the field!

Entangled by a gigantic, oil-transformed serpent, Lingming the True Ape roared and slammed the Qi Tian Face hard onto its own visage!

Thud—!!!

What followed next…

was unimaginably brutal.

……

……

Time passed in a blur.

Even Li Che’s primordial spirit grew somewhat weak, and he was seen seated cross-legged at one corner of the Cosmic Chessboard.

Lingming the True Ape removed the Qi Tian Face carefully and, after a light knock on its chest, stepped forward and merged back into Li Che’s inner realm of the Mud Pellet.

The half-hearted Flaming-Eyed Astounding Divine Monkey and the Rabbit Temple Spirit also clenched their fists as if to say, “Call on us if needed!”

Always there for loyalty!

Li Che smiled, his gaze sweeping across and settling on the Cosmic Chessboard.

On the Chessboard…

the Seal of the Corpse God had been completely subdued, transmuted into a gigantic mark hovering in the air.

Dark and diffuse, it exuded a divine nature of pure Temple Spirit essence.

It formed a titanic character of ‘Desire’ – the Seal of the Corpse God.

Li Che used nearly half of his unsullied divine chess pieces to suppress both the 【Qi Tian Face】 and the 【Yulian Yin Divine Sword】 that had also shifted position, holding down the Seal.

Time and again, the unsullied divine chess pieces crashed into the Seal like moths to a flame—each collision symbolized another stage of refinement.

It was as if the fire of the Corpse God was burning within!

“Compared to the deathly aura and decay of those depraved members of the Corpse God Sect, the Temple Spirit divine nature of the Seal is pure to an extreme degree – purer even than many other Temple Spirits.”

Li Che admired the subdued Seal, his eyes sparkling.

He snapped his fingers once more.

Mixing an unsullied divine chess piece with a black Ling Rabbit Temple Spirit divine chess piece,

the two whirled together, charging at the Seal at breakneck speed!

The Black and White Collapse exploded!

It was like the ancient bell of a mountain temple being struck violently at the pinnacle of the heavens.

The blast of pure Temple Spirit energy rippled outward in all directions…

Li Che’s eyes shone ever brighter!

“Though I have only just begun refining it… with the rank of the Seal, those depraved in the Corpse God Sect won’t be able to hide anywhere!”

“Originally, the covert techniques of the Corpse God Sect were so hidden that, even with a Seven-Gen Corpse Curse Seal, I couldn’t detect them… but now that the Seal is in my grasp, as long as those who worship the Corpse God…”

“all will be forced to kneel!”

Li Che laughed heartily.

The Corpse God Sect in Daocheng surely had their own schemes.

Just as the ascended Corpse God Envoy—destined to protect the Demon Child—was an immensely powerful being,

there were undoubtedly experts of the Corpse God Sect hidden among the various factions in Daocheng.

“Within the Qianyuan Divine Sect… could there be such a figure?”

“The Demon Child once mentioned… a hidden one, so deep that the Corpse God Sect had to expend vast resources and means to erode him.”

“Who could it be?”

Li Che’s smile gradually faded.

Yet his mind tensed increasingly.

To erode a strong figure within the Qianyuan Divine Sect is no easy feat; the methods of the Corpse God Sect had likely been laid out years ago, and whoever was being eroded held a status far from low.

Who could it be?

He’d have to wait until he could move freely within the Sect to investigate.

By then, the Seal would probably be further refined, making detection much easier.

Li Che exhaled a breath of stale air.

He opened his eyes to find the courtyard in silence.

Above the Heavenly Dome, the moonlight was cold and thin.

Li Che sat cross-legged on the ground, his eyes seeming to glow as if lit from within!

With a thought,

【Dao Fruit: Unsullied Heart (LV4 30%) • Chess Sage (LV4 45%)】

which pleasantly surprised Li Che.

The maturity of the Unsullied Heart Dao Fruit had risen by 15%, and the Chess Sage Dao Fruit by 5%!

Sure enough, pressure is motivation!

The crippling pressure from the Seal, combined with both the Unsullied Heart and Chess Sage Dao Fruits, was precisely what subdued it.

“Moreover, since the Seal has not yet been fully refined, as the process accelerates, the maturity of both fruits will grow!”

“The Demon Child’s gift… is truly bountiful!”

Li Che laughed.

“My lord, have you forgotten me?”

In the distance,

Xue Dufu, who had been blown apart by the Seal, had already regained his original form. Now, donning his Bai Wuchang mask, he stood off to the side looking rather aggrieved.

Li Che glanced at him and a smile immediately tugged at his lips.

“I almost forgot about you.”

Li Che snapped his fingers.

Xue Dufu’s divine perception vanished immediately.

“No snack for you—time to go back,” he seemed to say.

It was as if the entire courtyard echoed with Xue Dufu’s mournful complaint.

Li Che stood up, stretched, his body trembling from the strain of the mental battle with the Seal of the Corpse God; his spirit and primordial energy were heavily taxed.

Yet once recovered, he would grow far stronger.

Without further rest, Li Che retrieved the Qian Kun Jade from the Demon Child.

Li Che was actually quite excited. He wondered if he could, through the Demon Child’s treasured collection, gather the remaining two types of divine essence among the Six Desires Divine Essences.

A powerful divine perception surged into the Qian Kun Jade, tearing through its barriers.

Li Che couldn’t wait to start reaping its rewards.

Based on his previous experience with the Qian Kun Jade gifted by the Little Prince Ji Haihui,

such a prized treasure of a second-generation prodigy would undoubtedly be extremely bountiful!

Sure enough, with only a brief inventory, a shudder of energy ran through him.

“Five pieces of Five Elders Divine Crystals—slightly fewer than expected, but more than enough for my Unsullied Heart Dao Fruit to digest for a while.”

“Thirty pieces of Six-Department Divine Crystals! Over a hundred pieces of Sevenfold Divine Essence Crystals…”

Li Che took a deep breath. Truly, as a reborn vessel prepared by the Corpse God,

the Corpse God Sect was not stingy at all.

These were all cultivation resources from the Demon Child—so abundant they defied imagination!

The treasured collection of the Little Prince Ji Haihui paled in comparison by several degrees.

“And in the realm of pills… they spared no expense either… Three bottles (three in total) of Fifth-Rank Corpse God Refined Divine Martial Pills! These pills… don’t even contain death or decay; they are refined solely from the concentrated divine essence of the Corpse God!”

Li Che’s breathing quickened.

Having just ingested one Fifth-Rank Martial Pill, he was well aware of their importance!

Not to mention the Sixth-Rank Superior Corpse God Crude Divine Martial Pill…

Sure enough, the Demon Child, a true scion of the Corpse God Sect, only used the best!

“And there are five such Demon Children in the Corpse God Sect. If their fortunes were combined, even the century-old elite families in Daocheng would pale in comparison!”

Li Che marveled.

“And regarding divine weapons… they even have one piece of Sixth-Department Superior Divine Weapon. Unfortunately, its aura of decay is far too dense for my use—might as well sell it.”

“If time permits, I’ll pay another visit to the Imperial Watch to sell some of the treasures from Long Tai’s Qian Kun Jade as well!”

Li Che had many items he kept that were of no use—for example, that Martial Saint technique from Long Tai’s treasured collection; selling them to patch up household expenses and exchange for Spirit Wood was the most sensible move.

Right now, what Li Che needed most was Spirit Wood.

Most cultivators he had slain rarely stored Spirit Wood in their Qian Kun Jades—after all, none of them were wood-carving masters; they had no habit of keeping Spirit Wood.

Li Che continued his inventory, but a trace of regret crossed his face.

“Demon Child… the well-fed know not the hunger of the starving. Not having even a single Six Desires Divine Essence Technique, well… he directly cultivates the divine method taught by the Corpse God—without even any records of its techniques.”

Li Che sighed.

Indeed, not every bargain yields a great harvest.

Most cultivators would store their entire fortune in their Qian Kun Jades,

but with something like the inheritance of the Corpse God—a transmission on the level of consciousness—there wouldn’t be any record.

After the inventory, Li Che carefully stored everything into his Qiankun Space.

He then summoned a 【Painted Immortal】 clone to continue cultivating.

Looking at the half-hearted efforts of the 【Painted Immortal】 clones, Li Che couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated.

After all, many divine bases had already been refined to perfection, just waiting to visualize their divine images.

“Looks like I need to find time to visit some other Bizarre Temples, gather more Temple Spirits, and collect all the Seven Emotions Divine Images.”

“And as for the Six Desires Divine Images…”

Li Che furrowed his brows. The Six Desires Divine Images were proving troublesome…

“Unless I can find another five Demon Children to obtain their gift of the Corpse God Seal, then I won’t have to worry about my Six Desires Divine Images.”

Li Che’s thoughts were full of hope.

But alas, things are never that simple.

He stretched once more.

Li Che had gained a lot tonight—he had slain the Demon Child, sealed and suppressed the Seal of the Corpse God, and inherited the bountiful legacy of the Demon Child.

Joyously!

Li Che hummed a little tune as he left the small courtyard and headed toward the restaurant in the alley.

In the narrow alley, the dim yellow lights cast over the three-foot space in front of the door.

A black dog lay sleeping soundly. As Li Che approached, the large mutt slowly opened bleary eyes, giving him a disdainful glance.

With a snort, the dog lay back down, turned around, and offered Li Che nothing but its rear.

Resisting the urge to kick the dog for its insolence,

Li Che asked, “Where’s XiXi?”

A snow-white owner sitting at the doorway, cigarette in mouth, gave Li Che a sideways glance and furrowed her brows slightly.

“She’ll be here in a couple of days,” she replied.

Li Che smiled.

“Alright then.”

The owner nodded without further comment.

“Hey, boss, how about a bowl of noodles?” Li Che asked.

“We’re closed,” came the reply.

Li Che: “???”

Seeing Li Che’s speechless look, the owner’s lips curled into a faint smile: “Fine, just wait.”

Moments later,

Li Che stared at the bowl of plain soup noodles before him and fell into deep thought.

He recalled how every time XiXi came by, it would always be accompanied by red-braised pork or braised pork trotters…

The difference between people could be that vast!

He only got a bowl of noodles.

He didn’t even dare to add an egg!

……

……

Back in Liu Xiang Alley,

Zhang Ya was practicing martial arts by candlelight, her fists flying with the power of a tiger, each step after the Blood Exchange making her strength and control over her body even more assured.

With Li Che present, Zhang Ya never lacked martial prowess.

While Li Che refined his self-created Martial Saint Technique, the Myriad Transformations of Dragon Elephant—compressed with the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit—he also imparted it to her as he smoothed her body with his unsullied divine essence.

Zhang Ya’s long, slender legs tightened as she kicked through the air, the sound of it erupting like a violent explosion!

It was as if a hole had been blasted through the void.

Powerful qi surged with the inflamed blood and energy, swirling wildly around in the courtyard.

When Li Che returned, he glided silently to his wife’s side and began sparring with her.

During their friendly bout, he pointed out areas where Zhang Ya could improve.

From sparring in the courtyard they moved to the bed in their room.

Drenched in sweat, Zhang Ya leaned into Li Che’s arms, her gaze dazed as she said, “Husband, we haven’t seen XiXi for several days now… I wonder if she’s doing well inside the Divine Sect Mountain Gate—whether she’s eating well or being bullied?”

Zhang Ya murmured softly.

“Want to see XiXi?”

Li Che ruffled his wife’s hair affectionately.

At his words, Zhang Ya shuddered and sprang from the bed, nodding incessantly.

Li Che smiled and replied, “It’s simple.”

“Seeing XiXi is not that hard.”

For Li Che, it really wasn’t hard at all. He had already left a Feilei Chess Piece on XiXi; as long as he willed it, he could view her through the Cosmic Chessboard, or even make the piece appear right by her side.

Of course, as long as it went unnoticed.

Zhang Ya nodded repeatedly, her eyes sparkling.

After getting his wife dressed…

Li Che smiled, wrapped an arm around Zhang Ya’s waist, and with a snap of his fingers,

a white chess piece soared into the air and landed in the palm of his hand, firmly gripped by him.

Zhang Ya felt as if the world was spinning; when she opened her eyes,

she found herself in a quiet room.

XiXi was lying on the bed, hugging a small Sang Guanyin, sound asleep.

Li Che had shrouded their forms with the Cosmic Chessboard, leaving no trace of their qi, completely undetectable.

Covering her mouth, Zhang Ya gazed at the peacefully sleeping XiXi until tears welled in her eyes.

“XiXi… my dear XiXi…”

Zhang Ya dared not utter a sound; her voice trembled in a low murmur.

Step by step, she approached the bed where XiXi lay,

crouching beside her, gazing at the sleeping child with boundless tenderness.

She reached out and gently smoothed the hair on XiXi’s forehead,

then tucked the blanket over her. Even though she knew XiXi wouldn’t catch cold or fall ill easily,

this was a mother’s instinct.

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

Suddenly,

Li Che’s brows furrowed slightly.

Within his chest, the 【Chess Sage】 Dao Fruit began to throb violently.

He focused his gaze,

and saw the direction of the Divine Sect Mountain Gate of Qianyuan.

The colossal white jade plaque spanning the gate, with the characters 【Qiankun】 inscribed, burst forth with a majestic qi!

It almost seemed to form a pair of deep, star-studded eyes!

Boom—!!!

At the same time, within the Divine Sect Mountain Gate, a series of overwhelming qi surged upward as if to destroy the heavens and earth!

“The Dao Essence of Qiankun…”

Li Che stared deeply at the plaque.

Even though the Cosmic Chessboard concealed his position, the opposing side sensed something amiss and triggered an alarm…

It seemed he must wait until the Chess Sage Dao Fruit evolved into LV5 to completely shield the power of the Dao Essence.

“The power of the Dao Essence…”

Li Che’s gaze sharpened.

“Have outsiders invaded the Mountain Gate?!”

Above the Heavenly Dome, a booming, thunderous voice resounded.

Roaring like rolling thunder!

As if wave after wave of powerful figures, their divine perceptions nearly palpable, gathered and swept across the entire Divine Sect Mountain Gate.

Their formidable divine perceptions took on a tangible form!

Accompanied by howling winds that followed in their wake, countless trees swayed and crashed noisily!

Startled, Zhang Ya looked toward Li Che in surprise,

but Li Che remained calm, gently motioning to her. The couple, clinging together and sharing a glance, smiled softly as they watched the sleeping XiXi.

As the overwhelming divine perceptions swept by,

the two of them vanished without a trace.

“Mother!!!”

At the moment the couple disappeared,

XiXi sprang upright from the bed.

The once-sleeping Sang Guanyin looked on in puzzled concern at the leaping XiXi.

“Did you miss your parents again, XiXi?”

Sang Guanyin asked sleepily, with a touch of sympathy.

XiXi pouted and replied, “It looked like Mother was there—she even tucked me in!”

Sang Guanyin glanced at the tossed blanket and chuckled, “Maybe it was just a dream. You know what they say, thoughts at daybreak, dreams at night…”

“No! XiXi didn’t dream!”

XiXi replied stubbornly.

“Your parents were just here, just here!”

XiXi protested, leaping about and searching frantically in the room.

“How could they not be here?”

After a while, XiXi sat down dejectedly on the floor,

resting her chin on her hands in a somber manner.

“Sister Yinyin, I really miss my mom and dad…” XiXi whispered.

“Then hurry up and grow strong; once you can take on the Sect’s missions, you’ll be able to see your parents again.”

Sang Guanyin patted XiXi’s head and sat with her on the doorstep.

Suddenly, XiXi’s bright eyes twinkled as she remembered something.

She wiggled her little feet, and in an instant, a spark of fire darted out!

Amidst a brilliant burst of flames, the Yulian Yin Divine Sword and the Jin Guang Wheel appeared at once,

circling around XiXi.

“Little Lunza, tell me—did you see if your mom and dad secretly dropped by?”

XiXi’s eyes lit up.

The Jin Guang Wheel, seemingly nodding continuously, flipped back and forth in agreement.

XiXi clapped joyfully; she was simply too clever.

XiXi drifted off to sleep, but… Lunza, Qiangqiang, and Da Jin Zhuan remained wide awake.

Foolish old man!

Hmph, you underestimate XiXi too much!

……

……

Back in the grand courtyard of Liu Xiang Alley,

Zhang Ya was beaming with satisfaction. Tonight, seeing XiXi filled her with immense joy.

“Husband, shall we go see XiXi tomorrow night?”

Cuddled in Li Che’s arms, Zhang Ya looked up with bright, twinkling eyes.

Li Che’s gentle gaze softened as he replied, “Of course.”

You have to pamper your own wife, right?

Isn’t that just what’s needed to trigger the alarm of the Dao Essence?

Li Che also saw it as an opportunity to refine his control over the Cosmic Chessboard with the help of the Dao Essence’s vigilance.

Moreover, it would alert the Qianyuan Divine Sect to be wary.

Li Che was quite surprised that the Corpse God Sect miscreant hidden within the Divine Sect had managed to evade detection by the Dao Essence…

Perhaps he was extremely familiar with the Dao Essence.

All the better—to provoke the Dao Essence and force the Divine Sect to take notice. A full-scale investigation by the sect would ensure XiXi’s safety.

After chatting with Zhang Ya for a bit and using his unsullied divine essence to smooth her form once more,

the couple embraced and fell asleep.

Li Che himself, worn out from deploying the Cosmic Chessboard, soon drifted into a deep slumber.

The next day,

the sky was overcast and spring rain fell steadily.

Feeling refreshed, Li Che rose early and began to stretch in the courtyard.

Old Chen was already up, brushing his teeth. Watching Li Che practice martial arts, his eyes shone with admiration.

In his current Qi State, it was impossible to gauge Li Che’s true martial level.

None could have guessed just how powerful Li Che had become.

Suddenly,

as Li Che was in the middle of his training, his movements halted and his brows furrowed.

Outside Liu Xiang Alley,

a figure dressed in the robe of a Temple Guardian from the Temple Guardian Division had arrived.

His aura was imposing, his sword intent unbridled; an overwhelming sword qi radiated around him, slicing even the spring rain into mist!

Step by measured step, he advanced toward the courtyard.

It was none other than Xie Jing, the Director of the Jin Guang Mansion Temple Guardian Division, who had traveled with Li Che’s family from Jingguang Prefecture.

“Temple Guardian Division?”

Li Che’s brows relaxed as an odd glimmer flashed in his eyes.

However, Li Che paid it no mind and quickly went to greet Xie Jing at the door.

Now having just broken through to Divine Guts Grandmaster, Xie Jing’s sword qi was in full force; his gaze burned fiercely, and his entire aura was razor-sharp.

“Master Li…”

“Before, when you visited the Temple Spirit in the vanished Flaming-Eyed Astonished Divine Monkey Bizarre Temple of Jingguang Mansion,

and now when you observed the Temple Spirit in the vanished Bizarre Temple of Daocheng,”

“Although I think it’s just a coincidence…”

Xie Jing’s countenance showed a trace of apology.

“But still…”

“Please come with me.”

“For today, I must visit the hospital for a follow-up—medication continues, so the update might be a bit delayed. Tonight, there’s even another update. I beg for monthly tickets, recommendation votes, and continued following! During these lean times, every bookmark counts. Please, everyone, keep reading and help Old Li secure a PK recommendation on the platform! Old Li thanks you!”