Chapter 255: Unyielding Fury

“Who is it?”

A deep voice broke through as Li Che spoke. His closed eyes slowly opened, the calm of his slumber giving way to alertness.

An overwhelming pressure, a terrifying, inexorable aura that forced absolute submission, began to spread from Li Che, a power that even You Liqing’s Spiritual Confinement could scarcely resist.

It was as if a supreme entity, seated atop a tower overseeing the souls of the dead, had deigned to cast its gaze upon a mere insignificant wraith roaming the netherworld.

Like thunder ripping the sky, the pressure made You Liqing’s Spiritual Confinement tremble; he could even sense Li Che’s sudden, violent surge of emotion.

You Liqing clasped his fists and bowed deeply, the clashing of his golden armor echoing through the air.

Head bowed and posture dejected, his eyes even flashed with a hint of fanatic zeal.

This was the supreme being he followed—a presence so fearsome it could wrench him from the jaws of death and grant him a new lease on life!

You Liqing’s heart fluttered not with despair at his transformation via Spiritual Confinement but with gratitude and relief.

Having experienced the terror of death once, he could no longer face life and death with calm indifference.

A wild wind howled as sheets of torrential rain battered the eaves, each drop like a shimmering bead splitting in midair like distant thunder.

Li Che regarded You Liqing with calm intensity.

He awaited You Liqing’s reply.

Concerning the traitor of the Corpse God Sect hidden within the Qianyuan Divine Sect, Li Che had longed for an answer. Yet within the sect, he dared not unleash the Seal of the Corpse God, for aside from the mighty Master of the Sect, even the spiritual essence plaques of the Qianyuan Divine Sect would sense it.

It was precisely for this reason that Li Che was so curious: Who exactly was this traitor of the Corpse God Sect?

Once, a Cursed Jade Corpse from the Corpse God Sect mentioned while chatting with Demon Child that there was a hidden traitor within the Qianyuan Divine Sect—a revelation that struck Li Che like a splinter lodged in his throat.

It forced him to constantly watch over XiXi’s safety, terrified that a single moment of carelessness might lead to her being targeted and slain by the traitor.

Although Li Che could blink and shift to her rescue in an instant,

you can never be too cautious.

What if…

What if the traitor from the Corpse God Sect employed techniques similar to Su Huai Yin—like the methods that restricted Cat Face’s movements?

Li Che feared his rescue might come too late.

Of course…

Now, with the Painted Immortal Dao Fruit having evolved twice to gain the Heavenly Technique [Mo City], this ability to create a paradisiacal haven greatly bolstered Li Che’s confidence in keeping XiXi safe.

After all, he had just tested this on Cat Face.

If he could rescue Cat Face from such dire odds, it proved that Mo City’s defenses were robust enough.

In crucial moments, it could ensure his daughter’s protection.

Unless faced with a recklessly aggressive martial saint or divine progeny, who might unleash everything in a blind frenzy, only then would true danger arise.

Even in such cases, Li Che always retained a backup plan.

Now that XiXi had joined the sect under the guidance of the Sect Master’s Wife—a semi-divine tactician—Li Che could finally relax, free from constant vigilance.

Yet even now, his thoughts were fixed on that traitor hidden within the Corpse God Sect.

“This man… the lord should recognize him,”

You Liqing said.

“Second on the Authentic Transmission Ledger – Huang Jianjiu.”

As his words faded,

even Li Che was taken aback.

“Who?”

Li Che furrowed his brow, his eyes flashing disbelief, shock, absurdity, and confusion all at once.

“Huang Jianjiu.”

You Liqing said in a low, firm tone.

After repeating the name, Li Che rose from beneath the eaves.

Boom––!

His formidable body surged forward, a tide of seething, blistering energy bursting forth. The impact of his power shattered the raindrops into vapor.

His pupils danced with sparks of electric brilliance, as if charged with raw energy.

“Huang Jianjiu?”

Li Che frowned. “Let me take a look.”

His words barely hung in the air.

Raising his hand, he tapped a respectful You Liqing on the forehead with a single finger.

Buzz––!

In that instant, within the Cosmic Chessboard, Li Che felt as though a blob of dark ink had erupted violently, followed by fleeting images cascading before his eyes.

……

……

Qianyuan Divine Sect.

The Outer Gate Disciples’ City.

Elder Jiao Shaoqiu’s courtyard at the Outer Gate’s Grand Elder’s residence.

A drizzle, like the awakening spring rain after a long, bitter winter, pattered incessantly, as if coaxing the dormant creatures from beneath the frozen earth.

A knock echoed throughout the area.

Elder Jiao Shaoqiu slowly rose and, propping himself with an oil-paper umbrella, opened the door. Clad in a simple robe, he looked unusually spirited.

Nie Yang had been assigned to safeguard Li Che, leaving Elder Jiao Shaoqiu with fewer tasks.

In truth, he didn’t mind.

When the door swung open, a full-figured woman in a cloth skirt appeared. Wrinkles at her eyes, fair skin, and her hair tied up with a blue scarf gave away her age.

Two Divine Sect disciples waited silently in the distance, clearly assigned to escort her.

“Boss’s Wife… why have you come?”

At the sight of her, Elder Jiao Shaoqiu’s withered features briefly relaxed. He knew things must be connected to that scoundrel Huang Jianjiu.

Most likely, he had racked up another mountain of unpaid tab, and now the Boss’s Wife had come knocking.

It wasn’t the first time this had happened.

“Elder Jiao, isn’t Huang Jianjiu hiding in your courtyard?” the Boss’s Wife said respectfully as his tone softened.

Elder Jiao shook his head. “Jianjiu hasn’t returned to the Divine Sect Mountain Gate for many days now…”

At her words, a trace of sorrow flickered in the Boss’s Wife’s eyes.

“Still not here? Is he avoiding me?”

She grew flustered.

Elder Jiao replied softly, “Do you really expect that kid to repay his debts by merely showing his face? Would he have the nerve to keep running and racking up more debt at Drunken Goose Tavern?”

“Dear, perhaps it’s best to just give him up,”

she continued, “this fellow is incorrigible. His unresolved issues will only delay you further.”

Elder Jiao shook his oil-paper umbrella, a look of pity crossing his face.

The Boss’s Wife, still graceful, pursed her lips and, with rough fingers, dabbed at her freshly donned clothes.

“Elder, are you trying to dissuade me too?”

He replied, “If he insists on drinking, I could support him for a lifetime… but he always goes missing after racking up the tab. I have no choice but to chase him for his dues.”

The Boss’s Wife admitted shyly,

“What are a few drinks compared to everything else?”

Elder Jiao stroked his beard with a smile. “Your Drunken Goose Tavern has been thriving for years, hasn’t it?”

“Almost twenty years now – this year makes it twenty,” she laughed.

Elder Jiao stepped aside to let her into the courtyard, but she waved him off. “If Huang Jianjiu isn’t here, then never mind… I won’t trouble you further.”

Just as she prepared to turn away,

a flash of a sword suddenly shot through the distance. The blade tore through the air, parting the rain into countless droplets.

A disheveled figure, carrying a sword case and a liquor gourd at his hip, took a hearty swig of drink.

Suddenly,

Huang Jianjiu, on his tiptoes, spun in a circle as if preparing to depart into the distance.

“Huang Jianjiu, stand still!”

The Boss’s Wife, eyebrows shooting up and hands on her hips, scolded sharply.

“Is that really how you want to treat me?”

“Come back! Otherwise I’ll come to the Qianyuan Divine Sect every day to collect your tab!”

Huang Jianjiu turned, his unkempt beard and irritable expression evident. “You make me lose face… I am, after all, second on the Authentic Transmission Ledger of the Qianyuan Divine Sect!”

“Do you think I chase after your tab? I earn with ease—I simply don’t bother. I rescued you, you little runt, from that wretched village nearly thirty years ago! Is my life-saving debt worth only a few cups of wine?”

“You really shouldn’t have been saved. You should have perished in that village!”

Huang Jianjiu, reeking of alcohol, shot back.

The Boss’s Wife calmly pursed her lips.

“You saved me, you married me—there’s no loss there. You’re a cultivator with a lifespan of centuries, while I’m but an ordinary mortal who might not live past seventy… So why are you so hesitant?”

Huang Jianjiu suddenly grew agitated. “Elder Jiao, look at her – she’s at it again!”

“I’m scared stiff! I’m done with this drink!”

Huang Jianjiu tossed a remark over his shoulder. With a single step, a burst of sword light shot from his case, cleaving the raindrops flawlessly into halves.

Then, riding the streak of sword light, he dashed away!

The Boss’s Wife stamped her foot, biting her lip in anger.

“Why does that woman still cling so foolishly to you, acting all lovestruck?”

Frustrated and even a bit hurt, she added, “Isn’t it because I’m just a mortal without the gift of cultivation… unlike her, the prodigious wonder child?”

Tears welled in her eyes as she muttered, “I can wait another thirty years!”

“Huang Jianjiu, we’ll see about that!”

Elder Jiao fell silent, his gaze fixed on the direction in which Huang Jianjiu had vanished. Even he couldn’t fathom what the man was truly rejecting.

After all, wasn’t it said that dedication could shatter even the toughest stone? For a mortal woman to love as deeply as she did… wasn’t that enough?

Thirty years after another thirty years – how many mortals can truly experience that?

Was it all for that woman?

……

Crunch, crunch!

As thunder boomed and lightning danced, the rain grew even heavier.

Sword light sliced through the downpour, carrying Huang Jianjiu’s form onto the Grand Plaza, where rainwater cascaded like a raging stream.

“Who… is spying on me?”

Huang Jianjiu wiped away his unkempt look; his sword-like brows sharpened, and any trace of casualness was gone.

He barely had time to parry with the Boss’s Wife before a secret, long buried in his heart surged forth.

In that moment, his eyes became steely; countless streaks of sword aura swirled within his gaze.

Lifting a finger, a dazzling silver sword light orbited his fingertip continuously.

“Come out… or I won’t be so polite.”

Huang Jianjiu clenched his fist and, in an instant, erupted with radiant silver light as a long sword, snaking like a dragon, was slashed into existence.

The sword light swirled, merging with the falling rain in a clattering cascade upon the ground.

It etched thousands of sword marks into the Grand Plaza, as if a storm of steel had rained down.

An endless torrent of sword intent, overwhelming and wild, blended with the pelting rain, harboring both savagery and pent-up madness.

Countless silver marks scarred the plaza.

Huang Jianjiu’s graying hair whipped about as he held a radiant silver longsword at an angle.

It appeared as if he were performing a one-man show, coercing no one to act but unleashing his fury alone.

Yet his brows knitted into a deep frown.

Right at Elder Jiao’s doorway, he sensed an intangible, soul-shaking oppressive force.

He understood all too well what that pressure signified.

Following that overwhelming force, he had come this far.

Now that the pressure had dissipated, Huang Jianjiu knew someone had been watching him—someone had seen his most guarded secret.

A wry smile slowly spread across his face as he removed the stopper from his liquor gourd, guzzling a mouthful of wine mixed with rainwater that washed over his face.

“Probably just drunk…”

“It feels as if You Liqing was sneaking a peek at me.”

He squinted at the rain-soaked liquor gourd—a gift from the Boss’s Wife, who once rescued him in her youth and now sported her own wrinkles.

Caressing the gourd, Huang Jianjiu pressed his lips together.

“You’re a mortal… you’re still human…”

“But I am no longer so.”

……

……

Li Che finally withdrew his finger from You Liqing’s brow.

The vision ended.

On the Grand Plaza where Huang Jianjiu had launched his indiscriminate assault, You Liqing chose to retreat.

But it was more than enough.

From the tremors transmitted by the Seal of the Corpse God within You Liqing’s Mud Pellet, it was clear that Huang Jianjiu had indeed applied a high-grade Undead Curse Seal, masked by countless sword auras.

“It really is him,”

Li Che’s hair whipped about as he stared in disbelief, a spark of unexpected emotion in his eyes.

He never imagined it would be Huang Jianjiu.

For Huang Jianjiu, Qianyuan Divine Sect’s second in the Authentic Transmission Ledger, Li Che’s first impression had been a positive one—even if his appearance was messy, he had once come to their rescue.

At the city gate, it was Huang Jianjiu who had helped break the stalemate, countering the forceful assault of You Liqing’s Spiritual Confinement.

He had subdued You Liqing.

Li Che returned beneath the eaves, his aura regaining composure as he calmly clutched his Divine Crystal and resumed absorbing its power.

Now that it was clear Huang Jianjiu was the traitor of the Corpse God Sect hidden within the Qianyuan Divine Sect,

Li Che resolved to act upon his long-held belief.

Traitors of the Corpse God Sect must be eradicated.

No matter their reasons,

Li Che closed his eyes…

Recalling all he had endured in Feilei City and Jingguang City,

When he reopened his eyes, lethal intent surged forth.

He would eliminate the traitors of the Corpse God Sect.

No explanations were needed.

……

……

Huang Jianjiu was no pushover—after all, as the second true inheritor of the Qianyuan Divine Sect, his swordsmanship was peerless, his sword intent innate, and his skills seamlessly integrated into his unique techniques.

His cultivation was exceptionally refined, rivaling even You Liqing’s prowess.

However, Li Che was not without his trump cards. He had the Blood-Yang Nine Divine Vajra Ape and You Liqing’s Spiritual Confinement…

Combined with his own Dragon Elephant Vajra, capable of clashing with the power of the Three-Flower Gang Qi,

He was in a very different state from the heavily injured You Liqing.

At his peak, Huang Jianjiu’s profound foundations even baffled Li Che. A direct assault might be far too risky.

“If I can drag him into Mo City and combine the Blood-Yang Nine Divine Vajra Ape with You Liqing for a joint finish, while I silently release a cold arrow with a hidden tactic… I have an eighty percent chance to kill him,”

Li Che’s eyes flickered with determination.

The Blood-Yang Nine Divine Vajra Ape had nearly recovered its power, returning Li Che to a strength rivaling that of a martial saint—or at least on par with the opening of a martial soul pill.

It was his ace and his confidence!

The rain continued, drumming relentlessly on the eaves.

Li Che sat cross-legged in the courtyard as dusk deepened. The constant spring rain of Jingzhe finally subsided.

A chilly spring breeze carried a hint of biting cold. In early spring, all things teetered on the brink of rebirth.

In Li Che’s hand, the Divine Crystal of the Five Elders was gradually drained of its last divine essence by the Heavenly Technique [Fa Tian Xiang Di] of the Luminous True Primate contained within the Mud Pellet.

Li Che slowly opened his eyes, as if lightning danced within them,

Energy pulsated at his fingertips accompanied by a crisp cracking sound!

In an instant, the Divine Crystal shattered; strong, steel-like fingers ground it to dust, and out came a jet-black Muduya, into which the powdered Crystal was meticulously loaded.

“Alas, at the Grand Master level, toxins pale in comparison—no, it’s that I haven’t yet found one potent enough to threaten even a Grand Master.”

Li Che sighed, shaking his head. “Perhaps I should seek out an alchemy master at the Imperial Watch one day and inquire if there exists a poison capable of threatening a Grand Master, or even a martial saint…”

“That would make combat much more straightforward.”

He muttered to himself.

With a whoosh, the cold wind flowed in as the rain ceased.

Li Che stood up, his dark robe fluttering as he downed the last of his tea.

Taking a determined step forward,

Thump!

His body expanded layer by layer, incandescent white energy surging outward in all directions.

Brilliant golden light burst forth from his eyes like a dense, flowing incense; a faint trail of golden mist danced around him.

His jet-black hair, animated by countless bursts of air from his pores, grew wildly to his waist before transforming into a heavy, black cloak!

At two meters three, Li Che’s back was lined with thick, powerful sinews quivering like enraged dragons and blood droplets distinct as molten glass.

Dragon Elephant Vajra—Ascendant on the Tower!

Li Che’s eyes flashed with subtle golden sparks,

He raised his hand, tapping his forehead.

Inside the Mud Pellet,

In an instant…

The Cosmic Chessboard pierced the sky, rapidly expanding from Tinglei Alley as a celestial position, soon shrouding a third of Daocheng.

To Li Che’s astonishment, Huang Jianjiu’s aura was exposed like the blazing sun—it was unhidden.

Clearly, Huang Jianjiu had detected You Liqing’s probe, yet… made no move.

Was it overconfidence…

Or did he believe the probe was merely an illusion?

“Is that… Drunken Goose Tavern?”

Under the full activation of his Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit, Li Che’s massive body pulsed with electric energy. Through the Cosmic Chessboard, he pinpointed Huang Jianjiu’s current location.

With a graceful leap reminiscent of an arrow leaving its bowstring, Li Che, donning a cute Ogre Mask, propelled himself forward.

……

……

Drunken Goose Tavern.

A cool breeze stirred.

This restaurant, nestled in Daocheng’s thriving marketplace, was renowned for its bustling trade. Everyone knew that Huang Jianjiu had a hand in its affairs.

Though the tavern had no official owner, the Boss’s Wife was generally acknowledged as its true master; everyone assumed that Huang Jianjiu was the one in charge, even if he never admitted it.

Under the hazy night and drifting clouds,

The aroma of wine wafted softly.

On the second floor of Drunken Goose Tavern, a table laden with fine wines and sumptuous dishes featured a jar of wine aged for five years.

Huang Jianjiu still wore his rumpled clothes,

But now his hair was neatly combed; the unruly mop had given way to sleek, black locks.

He had even shaved his beard, and somehow, he appeared a decade younger—a refined young man.

The Boss’s Wife, with her sleeves rolled up, emerged from the kitchen carrying a steaming dish.

Her steps were light as she presented the plate to Huang Jianjiu, who under the moonlit night, looked as if bathed in a silver veil; his whole being trembled slightly.

At that moment, Huang Jianjiu…

Made her recall the man who had rescued her from a village ravaged by demonic beasts over twenty years ago.

He might have been ordinary in appearance, but he exuded an undeniable sense of security.

And now he had returned…

All of them had returned.

Could it be that Huang Jianjiu had heard her cries? Yet over the years, she had wept more than once.

“Jianjiu, do you want me to cook up another dish?”

The Boss’s Wife gently set down the steaming plate and asked softly.

Huang Jianjiu regarded her with tender warmth, as if the moonlight itself had seeped into his gaze, leaving her weak in the knees.

“No need. Please sit and share a drink with me.”

Huang Jianjiu extended his hand to her. For a fleeting moment, the roughness of his grip made her pause.

Thirty years had passed, and she was no longer young.

Startled, the Boss’s Wife quickly withdrew her hand, a trace of panic on her face.

“I…I’ll get you a jar of fine wine,” she stammered.

“Only the best wine.”

“No need,” Huang Jianjiu said, letting go of her hand.

The Boss’s Wife replied, “The wine I’ve stored for twenty years.”

Huang Jianjiu silently relaxed his grip as the Boss’s Wife gracefully departed and soon returned.

Before him, she brushed away the dust of long-forgotten years.

A rich aroma of aged wine filled the air as the Boss’s Wife poured a glass. Her bright eyes, as clear as stars, fixed on Huang Jianjiu, awaiting his reaction.

Huang Jianjiu downed the drink in one gulp; his throat rolled as he sipped.

He pursed his lips, murmuring, “This isn’t wine aged for twenty years…”

It was the bittersweet taste of a young love preserved over two decades.

“Exquisite,”

Huang Jianjiu said softly.

The Boss’s Wife beamed despite the indelible wrinkles around her eyes, her smile radiant as a blossoming flower.

She too poured herself a cup.

Clasping the cup with both hands, she looked at Huang Jianjiu expectantly, tears of emotion already glistening in her eyes.

Tonight, faced with Huang Jianjiu’s uncharacteristic behavior, she chose not to think—only to lose herself in the moment.

“Come,”

Huang Jianjiu laughed, toasting with the Boss’s Wife.

The clink of their cups rang out like rippling water.

They drank, and as the Boss’s Wife’s alcohol took hold, her eyes grew blurred. With unrestrained rough hands, she clutched Huang Jianjiu’s, unwilling to let go.

“You foolish girl, always like this… You can’t even drink properly, yet you love brewing wine…”

“From your terrible brews to the fine wine now—I’ve tasted them all,”

Huang Jianjiu sighed and gently tousled the Boss’s Wife’s hair.

Though time had taken its toll on her, in his eyes she remained that charming, tearful maiden who once choked on a sip of wine.

“Sir, why don’t you join us for a drink?”

Huang Jianjiu picked up a blue-tinged porcelain cup and, facing the silver moon emerging after the rain,

After a moment’s silence…

A low, gravelly sound of friction echoed:

“Very well.”

In an instant, the gleam of the silver moon was obscured.

A terrifying, majestic surge of vital energy erupted like a raging beacon, warping the void as if an ancient beast had clawed its way out of a bloody mountain of corpses—its body bristling with sinews and veins like twisting steel.

Huang Jianjiu paused, his gaze shifting to the sky behind Ogre, where an immense chessboard seemed to stretch over everything.

Upon it lay a dark, inked city reminiscent of a mirage.

Then his eyes moved to the colossal figure before him.

And there, glaring back at him, was an adorable Ogre Mask.

“Underworld, Ogre.”

“It’s you after all.”

Huang Jianjiu exhaled in relief and laughed.

“You came to kill me… I knew the aura I sensed earlier in front of Elder Jiao was real.”

“I heard the Underworld can detect the Undead Curse Seal of the Corpse God Sect, revealing hidden practitioners.”

“Just as they say.”

Huang Jianjiu remarked with admiration.

The Underworld… such a mysterious force.

Ogre, Ma Mian, Divine Monkey, Thunder Dragon, Black and White Wuchang… and Cat Face.

Their uncanny teleportation techniques were unmatched—even an array of eight Calming the Wind talismans couldn’t hold them back.

Being targeted by such a force surely made one lose sleep at night.

Huang Jianjiu softly stroked the Boss’s Wife’s cheek as he looked up at Ogre and said gently, “Could you postpone my death a little longer?”

Li Che, behind the Ogre Mask, looked calmly at Huang Jianjiu. His earlier approach hadn’t involved any underhanded moves…

It was all because of that woman.

Li Che’s eyes shifted to the Boss’s Wife, a trace of complexity in his gaze.

A simple, unadorned woman—a woman not unlike his wife, Zhang Ya.

“How can you be so sure I can kill you?”

Ogre rumbled in a low voice.

In truth, even as they conversed, Li Che was already on high alert, ready to drag Huang Jianjiu into Mo City at any moment.

Within Mo City, the Blood-Yang Nine Divine Vajra Ape and You Liqing were poised and waiting.

Huang Jianjiu downed the remaining wine, smiling.

“Because you are Ogre. If you were Cat Face, I’d be less certain.”

“But Ogre… treacherous and malicious—no one you’ve targeted has ever survived.”

“You’re at least eighty percent sure you can kill me, so here you are.”

Huang Jianjiu set down the empty cup.

He stared directly at the charming Ogre Mask, unable to see the man hidden beneath.

But that didn’t matter.

“Eighty percent,”

Ogre stated in a deep tone.

Huang Jianjiu paused. So confident, was he?

Yet he didn’t dwell on it and simply laughed.

“Then, would you grant me one last wish before I die? Allow me to truly embrace death!”

“Otherwise, you might not be able to kill me after all,”

Huang Jianjiu said earnestly.

Beneath the Ogre Mask, Li Che’s brow furrowed. Tonight, Huang Jianjiu’s behavior was truly odd.

“What wish?”

Ogre rasped.

Huang Jianjiu gently disentangled himself from the Boss’s Wife’s grasp, softly massaging her hair.

He hoisted the sword case from the table and carefully poured the twenty-year-old fine wine into the weathered liquor gourd.

Then, facing the silver moon, he exhaled slowly.

“Give me a little time.”

“Three thousand years of tides, the rise and fall of the Su Family.”

“I want to make a move.”

“I want to kill some dogs.”

Seven-thousand Words – this chapter may have dragged on a tad, but the thread concerning Huang Jianjiu had been hinted at earlier. It’s an experiment in tone that some may enjoy while others may not. Please cast your votes for monthly support, recommendations, and follow-up reads. Without your recommendations, the fate of Old Li is in your hands! Thank you and good night!