Chapter 250: Surge of the Mythical Armament

A roaring, powerful current surged like a frenzied ribbon, lashing at the air with dull, explosive cracks.

Li Che’s body expanded in successive waves, bulging muscles like massive trunks; his skin seemed translucent as molten blood gushed like quicksilver, rapidly raising the courtyard’s temperature.

His jet-black hair whipped wildly, and his eyes opened and closed; from the depths of his pupils, golden mist continually spilled out.

This was Li Che’s state after being fully stimulated by the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit.

His figure towered to 2.5 meters like a little giant, draped in swirling blood-red mists, with flesh as shimmering as glazed glass, bones as precious as gold, and eyes exuding a stream of golden incense-like radiance.

From his left arm came a resonant clanging, as if an unparalleled treasured blade was vibrating, ready to burst from its sheath with blazing edge light!

An intensely dazzling, cutting aura was brewing in Li Che’s left hand.

With a piercing gaze, Li Che used the Dao Fruit to trigger the Mythic Weapon—the Three-Pronged Twin-Edged Knife. It was a sudden spark of inspiration, and the effect turned out to be impressive.

Unlike other mythic weapons that reacted to stimulation, this unimpressive, almost lifeless Three-Pronged Twin-Edged Knife remained inert when others were used.

Not even the Qi Tian Face, a mythic weapon from Qitian City, could elicit any reaction from the knife. Li Che surmised it was because the Qi Tian Face was incomplete—only a third of it was present.

If the three pieces of Qi Tian Face were complete, the knife would surely not remain dormant.

Thus, Li Che turned to using the Dao Fruit for stimulation.

The Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit, honed to perfection, channeled his strength to its apex, spurring the mythic weapon into action!

A buzzing, resonant clamor exploded like celestial thunder.

An overwhelmingly pure divine essence surged through his limbs and bones, like electrified currents fortifying the spirit of the divine weapon.

But now, Li Che’s mortal body was far tougher than before.

Not only had the two transformative boosts from the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit increased his power, he had also received a divine counterforce when he originally refined the Fa Tian Xiang Di Luminous True Primate Divine Vision.

That time, his flesh was rigorously tempered and immensely improved.

Now, few energies could further enhance his mortal body!

Feeling the divine essence of his weapon pulsating through every limb, Li Che’s fingers suddenly splayed wide as his blood boiled, sending hot waves surging that even melted the lingering snow above the courtyard.

It was as if countless flashes of blade light hidden within his muscles burst forth in an instant!

At the peak of this grueling refining, even his body experienced a twinge of pain!

Li Che’s eyes blazed while beads of fine, scorching sweat emerged all over him.

It was as though a master swordsman had enveloped him in a torrent of slicing blade light – each flash like molten light raining from the sky, searing and whipping relentlessly!

His flesh resounded with snapping sounds, his skin rippling like a taut drum as the blade energy struck, making it writhe as if a hidden serpent was stirring beneath.

Every massive tendon flexed with the sweeping motion of the blade, transforming in impossible ways!

The mud pellet at his brow split the flesh!

The Star Plucking Gaze suddenly shone as brilliantly as the midday sun, its dazzling radiance overwhelming!

It was as if his very body had become a battlefield, every inch of flesh clashing with blade energy and divine force!

Muscles, bones, marrow, organs, even skin — every part of his body was undergoing a staggering transformation!

Li Che would not waste such a rare chance.

Every conversion of his flesh was an opportunity that came once in a lifetime!

At this moment, he was laying a solid foundation as a true warrior!

With a clenched fist and a roar like a Thunder Dragon, the Eight Treasure Xuanjin Thunder Dragon Stick landed in Li Che’s hand, surrounded by swirling vital energy that cloaked the divine weapon, triggering its ascension.

The vast sky trembled, evaporating the accumulated snow!

Li Che’s own Martial Saint Technique, known as the Myriad Transformations of Dragon Elephant—which he self-cultivated—had reached its perfection; after obtaining the Divine Seed Martial Arts, it even showed signs of evolving further.

Another of his perfected Martial Saint Techniques was Wanlong Fushen.

His remaining skills – the Hun Yuan Qi Tian Gun, the Thousand Mountain Solitary Blade, Lingxu Baqi Steps, and the Three Immortal Martial Saint Techniques – were only at a master’s pinnacle.

They still lagged somewhat from the ultimate realm.

Once a martial technique reaches its transcendence, it infuses every move, even forming a realm of true essence where its power skyrockets and its lethality becomes terrifying!

Li Che gripped the Thunder Dragon Stick as electric currents danced around, bursting into countless networks of brilliant light with every move he made.

With sweeping strikes, the stick sliced through the air in a barrage of silhouettes. In the courtyard, Li Che wielded the treasured weapon, channeling its divine essence to temper his body as he practiced his martial techniques.

But with each refinement, the divine essence of the mythic weapon drained rapidly.

Hun Yuan Yi Gun!

Qi Tian Fatal Strike!

The dual killing moves of the Hun Yuan Qi Tian Gun were repeatedly executed by Li Che.

Every muscle throbbed, every sinew and fiber seemed to undergo a drastic transformation!

He had entered an utterly critical moment!

As his blood pushed through him and his molten blood roared like quicksilver, his sinews tightened, as if a divine bow was being forcibly drawn, bursting with explosive sound and rippling energy!

The Divine Guts danced wildly, and even the Inherent Divine Guts surged out, lashing at the void!

Yu—

At this moment, Li Che stood still with the Eight Treasure Xuanjin Thunder Dragon Stick gripped in one hand, as if undergoing a transformation.

Within a radius of several dozen meters, every subtle change was within his perception.

It was as though a single thought could dictate where his stick would strike, unstoppable and utterly domineering!

This signified that Li Che had also elevated his difficult Hun Yuan Qi Tian Gun technique to the transcendence stage, forming a realm of true essence where he felt supremely unrivaled.

Martial Saint Techniques suit only the Grandmaster realm – even those at the pinnacle of Tianren Unity and the Supreme Grandmasters of the Three Flowers can only boast power transformations; in technique, the differences are minimal.

Take You Liqing, for example. Though he is a top-tier Grandmaster of the Three Flowers realm, his primary method in battle is the Wanlong Fushen technique.

Divine Seed Martial Arts are undoubtedly powerful, but once activated, they not only consume tremendous gangqi but also drain one’s spirit and energy at a killer rate.

Only by reaching the Martial Saint realm, where energy, spirit, and physical form form a perfect circle, and the mortal body links seamlessly with the heavens and earth to harness their power,

can one recklessly deploy Divine Seed Martial Arts.

For example, top-tier Grandmaster You Liqing perished because he overtaxed his Divine Seed, causing a catastrophic overload.

“The third Martial Saint Technique has reached transcendence!”

Li Che’s eyes shone with brilliance; once a martial technique reaches transcendence, it becomes second nature in battle, meaning his martial repertoire expanded and his overall strength soared.

“Besides that, there’s also the Thousand Mountain Solitary Blade—”

Li Che closed his eyes, feeling as if the world had fallen silent, as though he were treading through an endless, snow-laden expanse.

In a split second of intense focus,

the sinews in his left arm rang out in a symphony as brilliant, dazzling blade light surged forth!

It was like a thunderclap ripping through the sky, the air booming as lethal blade energy raged!

That was the signature Zheng Lei Zhu Xie Triple-Edged Double-Bladed Knife in his left arm—a blood-infused divine seed swirling near his spine, seemingly ignited by his blade technique at that very moment!

At that moment, the sky over the courtyard turned as dark as night as Li Che strode forward; that single step felt like spanning mountains and rivers, the world shrinking beneath his feet!

Then his fingers closed together like a blade.

Step forth!

Swing your arm!

Twist your waist!

Draw your knife!

It was as if he had sliced through the very wind and snow — the delicate sound of the blade ringing out, shattering the mist with resonant clamor!

Countless currents, snowflakes, gangqi, and divine essence—

all seemed to be sliced apart by that single stroke!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A brilliant, breathtaking blade chant echoed, as if a silver moon burst forth in Li Che’s left hand!

The vicious blade light rampaged wildly, as if tearing open the confines of a cage; sharp blade energy cleaved the courtyard’s air into rippling waves, like a dragon twisting mid-air!

On his left arm, a faint, ghostly image of the Three-Pronged Twin-Edged Knife appeared.

Flickering in and out!

Ho, ho, ho, ho—”The Thousand Mountain Solitary Blade has also reached transcendence! It can merge with the Two-Edged Knife’s divine seed!”

Li Che’s jet-black hair flailed wildly, his eyes oozing a persistent stream of fragrant golden mist.

At this moment, every last bit of divine essence squeezed from his final mythic weapon was exhausted to temper his body.

Boosting the transcendence of his two Martial Saint Techniques!

His fingers trembled as air was sliced open, and an invisible blade intent permeated the area, forming a uniquely dominating cutting field!

Buzzing around his core, a blue, innate Divine Guts swirled like a coiled dragon, seeping from his flesh.

After Divine Guts comes True Guts; in both rank and strength, True Guts surpass Divine Guts.

Above True Guts loomed the Three Flowers Gang Qi, a formidable power that fuses martial will, energy, spirit, and physique.

“Ten Channels—Inherent True Guts have reached ten channels!”

Li Che exhaled a burst of foul air, his qi shooting forward like a speeding arrow.

His eyes flashed with determination.

[Dao Fruit: Dragon Elephant Vajra (Iv5 10%)]

“A welcome surprise.”

Li Che raised an eyebrow. Once the Dao Fruit reached level 1v5, further maturing became extraordinarily difficult.

Even his previous skirmish with You Liqing only marginally advanced the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit.

But now, activating the divine essence from the Three-Pronged Twin-Edged Knife had boosted its maturity by a full 4%.

Of course, Li Che was well aware that it was partly due to elevating his two Martial Saint Techniques to transcendence, a contribution not insignificant.

Sure enough, after a brief sensory scan, Li Che found that the profound flash of enlightenment was not intense.

The increase in Dao Fruit maturity from his breakthrough in martial realms would not feed back into that peculiar realm of sudden insight.

He felt a slight twinge of regret.

But in his heart, Li Che felt content.

Feeling that the Three-Pronged Twin-Edged Knife had completely fallen silent—as if entering a sage’s time—Li Che suppressed the urge to further stimulate the two-edged knife queued behind his other five Dao Fruits.

Mainly because he had not yet fully grasped today’s chain-tempering boost.

Yet, siphoning divine essence from the mythic weapon to temper his body had unlocked an entirely new world for Li Che.

It gave him a clear direction for his martial advancement.

He lifted his hand and gazed at his left arm, which now shimmered with a glazed, glass-like luster.

“I wonder when I can finally summon this mythic weapon and hold it firmly in my hand.”

Li Che couldn’t help but long for that moment.

For it was a top-grade divine weapon of the Four Emperors, immensely powerful and far from ordinary.

Li Che subdued the Dao Fruit’s power, his qi and blood calming as his form returned to its slender, unadorned state.

He sat quietly under the eaves while the wind and snow howled, gradually piling atop the black-tiled roof.

A charcoal stove boiled water, and emerald green tea leaves tumbled constantly inside.

Li Che’s eyes drooped as he fell into deep reflection and summary.

“In martial matters, my progress is enormous. I’ve accumulated six Divine Seed Martial Arts, even completing the collection of the Blood Croc Cleave from You Liqing’s trove.”

“However, the Eight Mysterious Gates of the human body require eight Divine Seeds—I’m still short by two.”

“The mythic weapon, the Three-Pronged Twin-Edged Knife, provided one Divine Seed, merging with the Thousand Mountain Solitary Blade technique,

forming a Divine Seed Martial Art, though it remains in the process of congealing—still unformed.”

“No rush; I’ll first refine the six Divine Seed Martial Arts I have and implant them into the mysterious gate.”

Once the Divine Seeds are obtained, the rate of congealing Inherent True Guts will greatly accelerate.

If, in truth, eight seeds congealed Inherent True Guts simultaneously, it wouldn’t be long before Li Che amassed a hundred and eight channels of Inherent True Guts.

“My martial path is now clear, yet my divine cultivation remains only at the Divine Vision stage—”

“Though I possess the Fa Tian Xiang Di Luminous True Primate Divine Vision at the Three Pure Ones level, enabling me to ignore most divine pressure—”

“still, my divine prowess is somewhat lacking.”

“The Seven Emotions and Six Desires—when the seven emotions condense into Divine Vision and the six desires forge the divine foundation—they still fall short of the complete divine vision.”

Li Che narrowed his eyes; attaining the Six Desires Divine Vision was no easy feat.

“If only there were a Divine Vision that could directly gather the Six Desires.”

At that thought, Li Che’s eyes suddenly brightened.

“It seems—maybe not impossible—”

“There are three eerie temples of the Five Elders rank in Qianyuan Daocheng: one within the Divine Sect, one on Shendiao Ridge, and one in the Temple Guardian Division!”

“The Bizarre Temple managed by the Temple Guardian Division is called the ‘Six-Desire Exorcism Lv Xuan Sword Immortal Bizarre Temple’—”

“It’s one of the few temples that consolidates the Six Desires—perhaps—”

Li Che’s heart filled with contemplation.

“Maybe I can try visiting it, see if I can condense the Six Desires Divine Vision in one go.”

That thought had taken firm root, impossible to shake off.

“Especially since the Six Desires Divine Essence Technique I acquired from the depraved of the Corpse God Sect all revolved around their own Corpse God Divine Vision—”

“This is not suited for me.”

“So perhaps this ‘Six-Desire Exorcism Lv Xuan Sword Immortal Bizarre Temple’ could help break the deadlock.”

Li Che nodded slightly.

“But breaking through is one thing; if I want to condense the Divine Essence Pill, I must fully accumulate the requisite divine essence for every Seven Emotions Divine Vision.”

“My divine essence, due to my average natural talent, barely keeps pace—thankfully, the Painted Immortal Clones help me manage.”

“I look forward to finally completing my divine essence accumulation this year.”

Li Che shook his head.

With a snap of his fingers, a stream of light burst forth.

In the next moment, aided by his vital qi and blood, he transformed and ascended toward becoming a lower-ranking mechanism beast of the Five Elders—the Vajra Primate. If not for this Vajra Primate, even the fearless You Liqing, directly exploding with two Divine Seeds, would have found it a struggle.

“My arm is damaged—mainly due to subpar materials; after all, the Vajra Primate originally was only a high-ranking mechanism beast of the Six Divisions, boosted by the properties of vital qi into the lower Five Elders rank.”

“But its material strength still doesn’t compare to a true lower Five Elders mechanism beast.”

“Which is just right, since now that I’ve become an elder of Shendiao Ridge, I qualify to search for high-grade Spirit Wood.”

Li Che laughed as he unfurled a scroll; one after another, his Painted Immortal Clones diligently emerged from the scroll, beginning to repair the Vajra Primate with relentless strikes.

Li Che took out a Five Elders Divine Crystal and absorbed its essence for a moment.

Then he moved into his study to begin drafting the Locking Talisman he had secretly studied from the Divine Talisman Pavilion.

“The Locking Talisman, being of the Five Elders rank, doesn’t have further detailed subdivisions, but the difficulty of its inscription is still considerable.”

“According to the titles of the Divine Eagle Masters—”

“Those who can create the Divine Eagle sculptures of mid and high Five Elders rank are called Divine Eagle Half-Saint, and the carved Divine Eagles capable of embodying the aura of the Four Emperors are known as Divine Eagle Masters! They are rarer than Martial Saint Techniques or Divine Seeds—truly the pinnacle for technique-focused cultivators!”

“The same goes for talismans.”

“One who can inscribe a Four Emperors-level talisman is a Talisman Master—”

Li Che slowly exhaled.

His ink-clad robe billowed as he rolled up his sleeves, grasping a calligraphy brush; he dipped it in thick ink and began inscribing the Locking Talisman’s diagrams on rice paper.

Outside, the snow drifted down in quiet descent.

Inside, he held the brush with steady focus.

Buzzing—Painted Immortal (lv3 90%)

In his chest,

the Painted Immortal Dao Fruit trembled, slowly maturing.

Time flowed like sand slipping between his fingers—five days passed unnoticed.

Li Che gradually adapted to his role as an elder of the Qianyuan Divine Sect and Shendiao Ridge.

His daily life became orderly, almost regimented.

Every morning, Master Li would rise early, meditating under the eaves to absorb the clear divine essence of heaven and earth.

Within the Sacred Hall of the Divine Sect, the divine essence was overwhelming; aside from drawing upon Divine Crystals, Li Che would also absorb the ambient energy of the world.

It was all part of refining his martial will as he sensed the world.

A martial Grandmaster in harmony with heaven and earth must constantly attune himself to their force; when that power is felt, his martial will crystallizes, eventually blossoming into the flower of martial spirit, propelling him toward the pinnacle of the Three Flowers realm.

Thus, Li Che always seized the clarity of dawn to awaken his spirit and attune to the energy of the world.

After rising, he would head to the restaurant owned by the Boss to pack breakfast for XiXi and Zhang Ya.

After breakfast, Li Che took XiXi and had Nie Yang drive, bringing XiXi and Li Chengzhou to the Divine Talisman Pavilion.

He handed XiXi over to the Sect Master’s Wife at the Pavilion while Li Chengzhou stayed behind.

Nie Yang then drove Li Che out of Qianyuan Daocheng, heading toward Shendiao Ridge.

Within Shendiao Ridge, Li Che acquired his very own workshop.

It was a gigantic elder’s courtyard prepared for him by Gongshu Jingjun.

The land in Shendiao Ridge was inexpensive, but the elder courtyard was enormous, covering more than a dozen acres.

Li Che would work there at the elder courtyard of Shendiao Ridge, carving Divine Eagles and honing his technique.

Although he gleaned a trace of half-Saint aura from the Two-Hearted Great Sage Divine Eagle gifted by Elder Sun, to truly ascend to the level of a Divine Eagle Half-Saint, he still had much to accumulate.

Even with the assistance of Xiangong Dao Fruit, more time was needed for further progress.

The hallmark of a Divine Eagle Half-Saint was the carving of a mid-level temple Divine Eagle of the Five Elders!

To reach such a level, one’s martial prowess, divine cultivation, and Divine Eagle technique all must be at peak levels—none can be lacking.

After finishing his work, Li Che would return home with Nie Yang.

A stately steed pulled an ornate carriage along the Main Road, tearing through wind and snow as it sped on.

The journey was remarkably smooth, just as Li Che had said—his life had always been one of kindness and diligence, a modest and earnest Master of Divine Eagles.

After all, who would dare to kill him?

Yet Nie Yang did not relax, worried mostly about the Corpse God Sect.

After all, the Corpse God Sect was ruthless enough to even target the Su Family’s Divine Eagle Master!

Under the hazy night, the wind and snow whimpered.

Li Che cradled XiXi as he approached the depths of Tinglei Alley’s restaurant through the Feilei Chess Piece.

Having promised the Boss that he’d bring XiXi, Li Che certainly kept his word.

At long last, he was bringing XiXi to the restaurant.

As if expecting her, the blue stone pavement of Tinglei Alley, cleared of its thick snow, now lay dry and crisp.

Big Black Dog no longer lounged by the door as before but lifted his head high, his jet-black eyes spinning and eagerly awaiting in the alley.

When he saw Li Che carrying XiXi, Big Black Dog’s eyes burst with dazzling brilliance.

Excitedly, he bounced from side to side and dashed wildly toward XiXi at Li Che’s side.

“You little rascal!”

XiXi wriggled free from Li Che’s embrace, stepping onto the clean pavement, her little legs scurrying determinedly.

“Daddy, it’s the dog!”

XiXi’s tiny face flushed with excitement.

She collided and tumbled with Big Black Dog, then smartly clambered onto his back, playing joyfully.

In the dim night, the sounds of XiXi and the dog frolicking rang out like tinkling silver bells in Tinglei Alley.

Outside the restaurant,

the Boss, clad in white with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, immediately stubbed it out upon seeing XiXi, waving his hand to disperse the smoke.

His usually stern face softened into a rare, lively smile.

“Come in, it’s cold out there.”

“Get ready for a good meal.”

The Boss’s voice was now softened by several degrees.

Li Che stretched lazily and said, “I didn’t break my promise, did I? I brought XiXi here for a treat. Got any good wine?”

The Boss’s gentle smile faded as he replied, “It’s been half a month since you last said you’d bring XiXi to the restaurant.”

Li Che, a little embarrassed, replied, “XiXi has been busy.”

The Boss smirked slightly.

Then his gaze shifted to Li Che’s left arm.

After a brief pause, his expression turned impassive as he looked away.

In a dark, secluded alley of Qianyuan Daocheng,

the night wind was bitterly cold, freezing everything in its path.

A figure in a black robe strode slowly against the wind and snow, its robe flapping in the chill.

The hooded figure completely concealed its form.

Standing in the pitch-black depths of the alley, time seemed to slow as the darkness deepened, as if a dense, morbid aura and oppressive energy were rolling in like thick incense smoke.

That swirling smoke gradually transformed into a deep black jade hue.

It coalesced into three figures of black jade, cloaked in robes, standing at the far end of the alley.

The hooded figure’s sapphire eyes fixed on the trio with a hint of madness.

“Cursed Jade Corpse?”

“Three high-ranking Cursed Jade Corpses?”

A chilling, almost deranged tone emanated from behind the hood, revealing a finely chiseled, exquisite face.

“Why not send a Half-God Corpse?”

Removing the hood, the figure revealed pointed horns, wild, jet-black hair, and luminous, pale skin that exuded a powerful, blooded aura.

“Princess, please calm down—”

“It’s not that the mighty Corpse God Envoy refuses to come—it’s just that Daocheng is far too dangerous right now. Rumor has it that the Divine Sect’s Master of the Sect has just ended his seclusion, and at such a critical moment, the Corpse God Envoy wouldn’t dare set foot in Daocheng unless he could kill on the spot. So… Princess, please understand.”

A hoarse, low voice spoke, belonging to a Cursed Jade Corpse.

For the Corpse God Sect, even a single Half-God Corpse was too valuable to lose.

“Princess, if you wish to eradicate the Underworld, we in the Corpse God Sect share that sentiment. We are eager to collaborate—

after all, the Underworld’s methods are despicable, killing our cultivators and sullying our name with treachery—it is utterly vile!”

Ao Yuxin’s sapphire gaze, cold and implacable, shone as he remarked, “I only wish to eliminate the Underworld; let everyone there perish. Wouldn’t that be far more ruthless on the part of your Corpse God Sect?”

The three Cursed Jade Corpses were momentarily at a loss.

They weren’t used to being told that their methods weren’t ruthless enough; it left them dumbfounded.

“The Underworld isn’t weak—it even managed to kill General You, a first-rate warrior who’d exhausted his Breath Retention Transformation. What a pity for such a perfect corpse.”

With that, a surging wave of qi and blood took shape as a dragon-like whip lashed out with ruthless force, illuminating the entire alley!

“Say one more word and see what happens!” Ao Yuxin’s eyes blazed with killing intent.

“Princess, please calm down. We’ve just grown accustomed to admiring perfect corpses—”

Around the alley, arrays had been set up to prevent any sound from escaping.

On Ao Yuxin’s cold, exquisite face, despair and resignation were evident.

“It is said that the Corpse God’s techniques can forcibly gather the Three Souls and Seven Spirits to salvage some remnant of life from a corpse. If you could refine You Liqing’s corpse into a Cursed Corpse, might it recover some of his lost spirit?”

Ao Yuxin inquired.

Huh?

Even the three high-ranking Cursed Jade Corpse Envoys of the Corpse God Sect were stunned.

Damn!

Is the Princess… serious?!

With a mere gesture, the Princess summoned forth You Liqing’s mutilated, blood-soaked corpse, which now floated before them.

“I only want him alive—even if he’s no longer himself…”

Pain flickered in Ao Yuxin’s eyes.

“Princess—so ruthless…”

“King Ping Luan is holding a standoff with us in Jizhou, while here in Qianyuan Daocheng the Princess is doing this—

“If King Ping Luan finds out—”

“Heh, heh, heh… let’s give it a try.”

A high-ranking Cursed Jade Corpse expert stepped forward, his glare burning as he approached You Liqing’s corpse with intense fervor.

A peerless Grandmaster who had mastered the utmost pinnacle of the Three Flowers realm!

In his eyes, it was the epitome of art!

In the next instant, his black-jade fingers flickered; the dense aura of death and cadaverous energy churned as a Undead Curse Seal flared with twisted power.

After forming the seal with his black-jade fingers, he forcefully stamped it onto the mud pellet on You Liqing’s corpse’s brow.

But then,

the Cursed Jade Corpse expert, comparable to a top Three Flowers Grandmaster, noticed a slight change in his eyes.

Qianyuan Divine Sect.

Disciples’ City.

Within the elder’s study, candlelight flickered.

Li Che sat in his study, idly turning a piece of ordinary wood, devoid of any divine aura—just like the common wood he had carved back in the Xu Family Woodcarving Shop of Feilei City.

An ordinary carving knife danced nimbly between his fingers.

Holding the knife in his left hand as if guided by fate, Li Che found his carving skills growing ever more refined.

Could it be linked to that phantom Three-Pronged Twin-Edged Knife in his left arm?

The soft sound of the knife slicing through the wood resounded, delicate as a mosquito’s hum,

and on the carved statue, an uncanny, lifelike aura emerged.

The divine essence of heaven and earth converged uncontrollably into the wood, transforming its nature.

It was as if the mundane had turned divine!

Just as Li Che was lost in the profound essence of the Divine Eagle Half-Saint spirit,

he furrowed his brow.

“Looking for death.”

The Cosmic Chessboard trembled.

Li Che snapped his fingers.

The Spiritual Confinement Chess Piece, transformed by You Liqing, shot forth with a burst of black light, becoming a stately figure encased in black gilded armor.

The moment You Liqing appeared, his armor clanged as he clasped his fists in a salute.

“Lord,”

“Did you feel it?”

“I sensed someone trying to capture and imprison my Three Souls and Seven Spirits, aiming to control me.”

“It must be the work of the Corpse God Sect—”

“But how did the Corpse God Sect acquire your corpse?”

Li Che’s eyes flashed.

“Forget it. Don’t worry about the details.”

“You are now my Spiritual Confinement. I’ll stand up for you.”

“Capturing your Three Souls and Seven Spirits—truly a despicably ruthless tactic—”

“Your lord will help you.”

Li Che smiled lightly.

You Liqing bowed respectfully, saying, “Thank you, my lord.”

Li Che snapped his fingers again.

In that moment, You Liqing’s Spiritual Confinement merged with the Seal of the Corpse God.

In the pitch-black alley,

the Cursed Jade Corpse, which had unleashed the high-ranking Corpse Talisman Seal, emanated a roiling aura of death, its necrotic energy swirling as formidable divine perception radiated, stirring circular ripples in the air.

Yet, it was utterly unable to lock onto the Three Souls and Seven Spirits within You Liqing’s corpse.

This left the Cursed Jade Corpse, once so zealous, utterly disappointed in an instant.

“Th-this…”

The Cursed Jade Corpse could not understand, its heart laden with profound regret.

When a person dies, their Three Souls and Seven Spirits disperse and shatter, merging with every limb and organ as the flesh dissolves into the heavens and earth.

Every corpse harbors the Three Souls and Seven Spirits of the departed—unless they’ve been extracted prematurely!

Its eyes shrank as cold sweat began to drip uncontrollably.

Suddenly, an oppressive force, like a mountain weighing down on him, left it utterly immobilized.

On its jet-black form, intricate, flower-like cursed seals began to bloom.

And then,

You Liqing’s mutilated, bloodied corpse suddenly jerked open its eyes.

Within his pupils,

the Seal of the Corpse God spun unceasingly!