Chapter 279: The Roar of Fallen Dragons

With a crashing roar, a massive, fierce dragon head plummeted from the sky. Its shattered deep-blue dragon bone cracked like a burst blue crystal, scattering across the ground.

Dragon blood endlessly sprayed from its severed neck, its scorching flow carrying the incredible energy of a Dragon God descendant who had stepped into the Martial Saint realm.

lll

Instantly, the ground sank as if being eaten away, like snow melting under boiling water, rapidly forming countless pits.

Then, the colossal dragon head crashed into a deep pit amidst the ruins, sending up towering clouds of dust.

High above, the Dragon Queen was beheaded. Losing control, her body flailed wildly, only to be gripped by Li Che’s imposing fingers, as massive as a tower.

Yet, bereft of its head – as if its very essence had vanished – countless deep-blue dragon bones, riddled with fine cracks, shattered into dust.

They scattered amid the turbulent currents of wind and blood Qi.

Gradually, the dragon’s scaled body transformed into the human form of the Dragon Queen, continuously collapsing and breaking apart…

Little by little, it disintegrated into granules that drifted across the vast world.

Hm?

Beneath his Ogre Mask, Li Che’s eyes betrayed a hint of regret. What a pity…

A Martial Saint–level dragon corpse—every part a treasure, composed entirely of the finest materials. Just consider its dragon tendon, ideal for crafting a top-grade Divine Bow.

Among the divine seed martial arts he practiced was the Bloodweeping Divine Phoenix Life-and-Death Arrow, a technique he learned from Blue Bird that required a superior divine bow to unleash its power.

Li Che had long excelled at archery, having once learned from the Divine Archer Wen Longshan. Over time, he had delved deeper into the art, perfecting the Bloodweeping Divine Phoenix Life-and-Death Arrow.

Thus, his archery was extraordinary, and with a divine bow, its lethal force would be nothing short of spectacular.

‘Burning the Dragon God’s bloodline, it forced a leap from half a stage of Martial Saint to the first stage. In doing so, flesh and blood were incinerated, returning to dust and earth after death…’

Li Che sighed in regret.

Fortunately—

The Qian Kun Jade of the Dragon Queen had not shattered. It fell into his hand, a small gain at least.

He would not come away empty-handed.

Rumble—

Feeling the churning blood Qi within his body, Li Che bore the overwhelming burden that followed the explosive activation of his two divine seeds.

Rarely did he feel so vividly the sharp sting shooting along his spine.

It was like the memory of a childhood injection at a clinic—the needle’s pinch seared into his flesh.

Fallen to the ground beside the shattered dragon head, Li Che sensed a slight sting along his spine.

He exhaled sharply.

‘Is this the damage from the burst of two divine seeds?’

‘Indeed—it’s impressive… I can actually feel pain now.’

His towering, almost inhuman frame raised its arms slightly, muscles straining and bones twitching as if protesting the toll.

Within his chest, a Dao Fruit of Dragon Elephant Vajra writhed wildly—as if celebrating the ferocity of the battle.

Li Che twisted his neck, and the grinding of bones echoed like thunder.

‘When divine seeds burst… it really can be fatal.’

‘But not for me.’

Li Che cast a glance at the lifeless body of the Dragon Queen.

Two divine seeds…

Clearly, their power did not reach the peak that Li Che, armed with the might of a Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit, was capable of.

Just a brief pause.

Li Che sensed that the injuries from the divine seed explosion had already mended.

A gentle breeze stirred, lifting dry gravel from the ground.

His back twitched as vast surges of blood Qi converged into the mysterious channels of his spine.

After initiating Tower Ascension and Dragon Elephant Vajra, his towering body gradually returned to its normal form, yet still maintained the imposing build of an ogre.

With a snap of his fingers, the Dragon Queen’s head vanished, safely stored in his Qiankun Space for future Spiritual Confinement.

Then, the ground beneath his foot exploded suddenly—and Li Che faded from sight.

In the distance…

Gravel rolled as dust roared.

Ao Qingqing trembled uncontrollably, watching in horror as the Dragon Queen—who had broken through to Martial Saint strength—was brutally beheaded.

Unable to contain her terror and sorrow, Ao Qingqing’s inner anguish erupted.

‘Auntie…’

Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.

Yet, having endured rigorous tests of character, Ao Qingqing had grown more resolute; she wiped away her tears.

‘Auntie… I—I have grown up. I will avenge you.’

Ao Qingqing gritted her teeth.

After all—

she was her aunt.

Clenching her fists, Ao Qingqing turned and fled desperately into the distance.

However—

Just a few steps after her escape,

she realized her legs…would not obey her.

An overwhelming, almost physical force pinned her down.

Her body became as rigid as a statue. She tried to run, but her legs felt as if weighed down by lead.

Then, all sounds vanished—the wind, the rolling gravel—silence prevailed.

Her neck stiffened; her eyes slowly rolled before finally dropping.

She watched as a massive, dark shadow spread over the ground, eclipsing her own.

Straining to twist her neck to look behind her,

a calm, gravelly voice intoned, ‘No need to look back, child.’

‘Keep your gaze forward.’

The soft, husky words echoed slowly.

Suddenly, Ao Qingqing’s neck tightened; in the next moment, her heart exploded in a gaping wound, spraying blood wildly.

She collapsed to her knees, utterly drained.

Life itself seemed to be draining away from her body.

Yet through it all…

Ao Qingqing never once looked back.

Li Che pressed down his Ogre Mask. His expression remained unreadable; he understood all too clearly the necessity of rooting out threats completely.

In fact,

even if Ao Qingqing had escaped when first clashing with the Dragon Queen, she wouldn’t have gotten far.

Because—

within Ao Qingqing’s shadow, a twisted Spiritual Confinement of the Divine Guardian stirred, as if rising to bow in greeting, ‘Master—’

‘Let’s move on.’

With a flick of his finger, Li Che sent forth an invisible burst of Qi.

In an instant, Ao Qingqing’s form trembled before dissipating like smoke.

Though merely a ten-year-old child, she bore the blood of the Dragon God Clan. In the second test of character, she had barely endured until the third…

Such a prodigy—if allowed to mature while harboring enmity—could one day pose a threat to him or his family.

She might even endanger XiXi’s very life.

Thus, reducing potential trouble for XiXi was paramount.

Two dark figures twisted and vanished in an instant.

Meanwhile,

on the Main Road, battles at multiple fronts suddenly ground to a halt.

Huang Jianjiu, combatting the Star Killer, swung his sword and laughed heartily before exploding into dissipating black mist.

On another front, You Liqing, locked in brutal combat with a half-divine corpse of the Corpse God Sect, fixed a piercing gaze upon the corpse.

In the next moment, it too burst into black mist and vanished.

The Corpse God Sect’s half-divine corpse…

You Liqing made a mental note.

That half-divine corpse was immensely powerful—stronger even than a typical first-stage Martial Saint. Without Li Che’s earlier Corpse God mark, facing such power head-on might have overwhelmed him completely.

But now—

since that half-divine corpse had emerged, given his master’s fierce hatred toward the Corpse God Sect, it meant her fate was sealed!

You Liqing vanished.

Meanwhile, top experts like Long Tai, Blue Bird, and Xue Dufu—who had been blocking the Divine Guard Army—retreated one by one.

Almost every ominous force from the Underworld evaporated in an instant.

Boom, boom, boom—the Star Killer floated mid-air while the half-divine corpse’s eyes flashed with swirling blood. Both forces sensed an aura of utter desolation.

That fierce, mournful Martial Saint willpower still lingered…

The Dragon Queen of Peaceful Uprising—

she was dead.

‘The Underworld—what a ruthless Underworld.’

The Star Killer adjusted the mask, carved from starry wood, and exhaled slowly as he melted into shimmering light.

The Corpse God Sect’s half-divine corpse dared not show its face; a deathly vortex spiraled from its back and swallowed it whole.

General Han Qizhong and Dai Qingxiao of the Divine Guard led their troops in a rapid charge toward the battlefield.

A deep pit, its diameter spanning several dozen feet, lay exposed for all to see.

Within that pit,

scorching dragon blood had corroded the ground into deep craters, though the dragon corpse itself was long gone.

Only a lingering, sorrowful Martial Saint willpower remained in the air!

‘Dead… completely dead…’

Han Qizhong and Dai Qingxiao exchanged looks, hairs standing on end.

For this was—

The Dragon Queen of Peaceful Uprising!

An essential bond forged by the alliance of King Ping Luan and the Dragon God Clan!

‘The Underworld—who dares to kill her?’ murmured Dai Qingxiao.

‘What is there that the Underworld wouldn’t kill?’ replied Han Qizhong in a somber tone.

Then,

Han Qizhong and Dai Qingxiao turned their gaze to the distance.

Opposite the ruined pit, amidst billowing yellow dust, a slender figure stood on its edge.

In one hand he clutched a jet-black book exuding dense, dark mist; in the other, a wolf-hair brush.

A smiling Cat Face Mask broke through the yellow dust, gradually revealing itself.

‘Heh heh heh heh—’

‘Dust returns to dust, and earth to earth.’

‘The Underworld will have you dead by the third watch—who dares let you live until the fifth—’

‘King Ping Luan’s consort, Ao Yuxin, has been struck off the Book of Life and Death.’

Cat Face!

Underworld Cat Face!

Listening to that ethereal voice,

both Dai Qingxiao and Han Qizhong, two of the top grandmasters of the Divine Guard, felt a chill course through their bodies.

Many Divine Guard soldiers narrowed their eyes, stricken by the Underworld’s mystery and terror!

This was not the first time they had heard Cat Face speak such words.

The first time they assumed it was merely an act, the second they dismissed it as show—

but by the third or fourth time, it truly sent shivers down their spines.

When Cat Face appeared—

it meant the Underworld had claimed another life!

A gust of wind swept by.

The hunched form of Cat Face, accompanied by a lingering ‘heh heh heh’ laugh, slowly dissolved into the yellow dust.

In Daocheng,

atop the octagonal, double-eaved Imperial Watch Tower,

Monitor Hong Shifo stood with his arms folded, his loose robes billowing in the high wind.

Behind him, on a sandalwood chessboard, white and black pieces were scattered haphazardly.

His aged face squinted as he looked southward over the city.

As if from a lofty vantage, he took in the entire southern district.

Before the Celestial Pavilion,

Monitor Hong Shifo’s gaze fell upon Li Che, who sat on an elder’s chair while engaged in gentle conversation with Gongshu Jingjun, his face graced by a warm smile.

‘The Princess is dead—’

‘Isn’t that the Underworld Ogre—…wasn’t it him?’

Monitor Hong Shifo raised his hand, a white chess piece rolling between his fingers.

He calculated, but it was as if an enormous chessboard had obscured his vision.

‘Underworld Ogre—who exactly is he?’

Originally, Hong Shifo had deduced it was Li Che, but now—

while the Princess of Peaceful Uprising had been slain, the Li Che he suspected as the Ogre had been there all along.

Before the Bizarre Temple,

Fang Han Shu, engrossed in a classic Confucian text, furrowed his brows.

‘You’ve read enough, yes?’

Then he snapped his book shut and, in that moment, unleashed a titanic surge of divine perception that fused with heaven and earth as if summoning souls.

Boom!!!

Hong Shifo’s unique vision shattered with a thunderous blast.

He closed his eyes, then opened them again—

‘The Underworld… has become too arrogant.’

‘I truly despise Ji Mo Li now.’

Yu Zai, who had been conversing gently with Gongshu Jingjun’s 【Painted Immortal】 clone Li Che, suddenly felt a subtle tremor in his body.

Then, his true self merged with the Painted Immortal clone.

And the conversation with Gongshu Jingjun flowed seamlessly, now continued by Li Che.

Gongshu Jingjun, the divine prodigy, had not noticed anything amiss.

In the distance,

Fang Han Shu cast a glance toward Li Che’s direction.

‘Why does Monitor Hong Shifo keep watching Elder Li Che—what for?’

Fang Han Shu had not noticed the switching between Li Che’s clone and his true self, for his 【Painted Immortal】 clone possessed equal divine cultivation.

He cared only to understand why Monitor Hong Shifo was scrutinizing Li Che.

Li Che’s return had gone largely unnoticed.

Before the Bizarre Temple, everything proceeded in careful order.

Time flowed slowly, like sand trickling through one’s fingers.

And news of the Dragon Queen’s demise at the hands of the Underworld spread as General Han Qizhong and Dai Qingxiao returned.

Before the Bizarre Temple,

Dao Zhu Yue Huanglong’s placid, chubby face trembled slightly.

‘She’s really dead—’

‘So ruthless.’

Shao Zhu Yue Weizheng too had taken his place unquestioned.

In the Su Family camp, the current head, Su Daoling, his eyes flashing with helpless despair, lamented.

Their investments, including the trap laid for the Star Killer of Lie Shen Pavilion to lure and kill the Underworld Ogre, had all gone to waste—just as You Liqing was slain by the Underworld.

All the Su Family’s efforts had been squandered!

Even a wealthy foundation could not withstand such turmoil.

‘Dead… and what a glorious death.’

Su Daoling reclined in his grand chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the tea table.

He squinted slightly.

His son was dead, his disciples lost, and now—

even his wife was gone!

And you, Ji Mo Li—

how can you not be incensed?!

The Underworld—

how will they face the wrath of King Ping Luan, one of the Great Eight Vassal Kings?!

Rumble!

Behind the Bizarre Temple, eerie mists churned relentlessly.

Faint, angry voices arose—shrieks of temple protection incantations and the piercing cries of demonic entities!

This caused many within three miles of the Bizarre Temple to pause and watch intently.

Very few even knew that the Dragon Queen had been hunted down by the Underworld, for it all happened outside Daocheng.

Now, all eyes before the Bizarre Temple were fixed on the impending outcome of the third temple protection test.

Li Che sat in his chair and exhaled deeply.

Slaying the Dragon Queen had settled a personal matter.

Yet his focus shifted to the test results for XiXi.

‘Your father has cleared yet another obstacle in your path—XiXi Emperor, you must strive even harder.’

Li Che glanced toward the eerie mist, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Just as he prepared to connect to the remaining Feilei Chess Piece on XiXi to gauge her progress on the road to temple protection…

a deep, ancient bell tolled.

‘When one—’

The bell’s reverberations mingled with brilliant sunlight.

Outside the Bizarre Temple,

the first incense stick in the three-legged bronze censer burned out.

Fang Han Shu flicked his sleeve and replaced it with another incense stick.

As his divine nature surged, with a flick of his finger a golden scroll slowly unfurled.

‘When one incense is done, the golden list will display the Dao Essence heights of three prodigies.’

A soft voice emanated from Fang Han Shu.

In an instant, all eyes were riveted on him.

Li Che couldn’t help but glance over, his eyes gleaming with expectation.

Fang Han Shu, his scholar’s robes billowing and his sleeves wide, seemed to wield a wolf-hair brush that danced with ink trails.

At that moment, a wisp of eerie mist materialized in the Bizarre Temple as he pinched it out.

It slowly began to write on the golden list.

Everyone leaned forward, craning their necks to catch every detail.

Two cultivators from Witch God Mountain stared intently at the golden list.

‘Checkpoint Three: Yun’e, Dao Essence height of 20 feet.’

The words appeared, drawing gasps of astonishment.

Yun’e’s base Dao Essence was 12 feet—acquired from the first test of character in the second checkpoint—

and now had reached 20 feet, showing that she had extracted an extra 8 feet of Dao Essence from slaying temple-protecting incantation corpses and demons.

The eerie wolf-hair brush continued to inscribe upon the golden list.

‘Checkpoint One: Jin Taisui, Dao Essence height of 25 feet.’

The moment the words formed, an uproar erupted, like a stone splashing into a lake.

Before the Bizarre Temple,

many elders rose, faces grim enough to almost drip water.

For in the time span of one incense stick, Jin Taisui—having slain temple-protecting incantation corpses—had obtained a Dao Essence of 20 feet!

That speed—

it was simply too fast!

There was no doubt that Jin Taisui’s ability to dispatch temple-protecting corpses and demons far surpassed that of Yun’e.

‘Hahaha… as expected of the Young Witch Lord. Raised within the Bizarre Temple, the Young Witch Lord was forged through battles with temple-protecting incantation corpses—challenges that pampered girls could never face!’

A cultivator from Witch God Mountain laughed heartily.

‘It’s rock-solid. Absolutely rock-solid!’

Of the two girls, though Li Nuǎnxi possessed the highest innate talent, she was also the youngest.

Thus, the one to truly be feared was Yun’e, the girl from the Yun Family, rumored to harbor mysterious secrets.

Now it appeared—

and that was more than enough!

The old patriarch of the Yun Family, Yun Sanxiao, furrowed his brows as he surveyed the numbers on the golden list and sighed.

In the distance, cultivators from the families of Daocheng and wandering martial artists alike voiced a mix of regret and sighs.

But then, as if struck by sudden realization, their eyes narrowed and they continued staring at the golden list.

Li Che sat in his chair, his brow deeply furrowed—

even he felt a measure of nervousness, though with Big Black Dog accompanying XiXi’s entry, all should be well.

But—

Li Che took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly.

The eerie wolf-hair brush continued to inscribe on the golden list.

‘Checkpoint Two: Li Nuǎnxi, Dao Essence height of 89 feet.’

When the brush finished writing, a sudden explosion shattered the silence.

And before the Bizarre Temple, an eerie stillness descended.

The crowd, which should have erupted in cheers, stood dumbfounded, staring at the figures on the golden list in disbelief.

Even Fang Han Shu couldn’t help but stare twice…

’89 feet?!’

Had it mistakenly inscribed an extra ‘8’?

Li Nuǎnxi’s initial Dao Essence was 11 feet; now, at 89 feet—in other words, one incense stick had boosted her Dao Essence by 78 feet!

Fang Han Shu almost believed that the sect master had intervened secretly to help XiXi overcome the temple-protecting demons.

But Fang Han Shu reasoned that the sect master, given his temper, would never step in.

After a long pause, cries of astonishment finally shattered the silence before the Bizarre Temple!

‘Wow! My XiXi—my XiXi!’

On a carriage, Zhang Ya shrieked with delight like a little girl, nearly bouncing with joy.

The cultivators from Witch God Mountain widened their eyes in disbelief.

In the next moment, the earlier laughing cultivator glared furiously!

‘Impossible—no, it’s impossible!’

‘Your Qianyuan Divine Sect cheated! Deliberately making things hard for our Young Witch!’

The cultivator roared.

However, the moment his words fell, another cultivator’s face changed noticeably.

Sure enough,

upon the elders’ dais, Elder Zhao Fangzhou bellowed, ‘How dare you!’

‘What are you?! How dare you slander our Qianyuan Divine Sect!’

Boom!

A terrifying surge of blood Qi erupted upward like a rushing pillar.

A mass of original Qi gathered behind Zhao Fangzhou like a vast ocean; in an instant, he appeared before the Witch God Mountain cultivator.

Fists clenched, Zhao Fangzhou smashed down; at the moment of impact his hand transformed into claws.

The Witch God Mountain cultivator’s face paled as he attempted to muster divine resistance.

But Elder Fang Han Shu flicked his finger, and a burst of pure divine energy struck the tip of the cultivator’s Mud Pellet.

The cultivator felt as if a great bell had exploded by his ear.

Zhao Fangzhou then grabbed him and forcefully pinned him to the ground; his terrifying might nearly crushed the man.

Zhao Fangzhou’s eyes flashed explosively.

At last, he had found an opening!

Another Witch God Mountain cultivator quickly apologized, and that placated the fury of the elders.

Li Che cast a glance and shook his head, his mind stirred as he entered the Cosmic Chessboard, projecting the scene within the Bizarre Temple through the Feilei Chess Piece.

The vision shifted, and an image appeared.

A delicate little black dog’s paw.

Its pitch-black fur, pink plump pads, and hidden sharp claws were visible.

It patted the ground gently…

Then, a temple-protecting Silver Corpse, its body bursting with silver radiance and transformed into a pudgy, pig-nosed, bristly form, was smashed to pieces!

The once-mighty temple-protecting Silver Corpse exploded into a mass of tofu-like mush and rotten flesh.

A potent surge of Dao Essence burst forth from the shattered remains, swirling around XiXi’s head.

With this accumulation forming a towering column, combined with the corpse’s own power, the Dao Essence reached a height of 120 feet.

The little black puppy wagged its short tail, its four tiny paws bouncing as if it were merrily returning home.

XiXi, lugging a pink Xiangong Gatling, marched behind the dog.

Together, in the midst of the eerie, ominous ambiance of the Bizarre Temple, they enjoyed an almost carefree outing.

Suddenly, the dog stopped, raised its paw, and pointed to the distance.

After the temple-protecting Silver Corpse had been crushed like tofu by the dog’s paw, it signified the end of XiXi’s journey on the road to temple protection.

The sound of gushing water filled the air, like a raging river in tumult.

XiXi poked her head forward, and in an instant, as the eerie mist dissipated, she beheld a vast, roaring river.

The torrents roared fiercely, with drifting white mists swirling—evoking a scene from a fairyland.

‘The Milky Way!’

XiXi gasped as the dissipating mist revealed a black stone tablet inscribed with two characters in vibrant, dragon-phoenix script.

Under the tutelage of the Sect Master’s Wife, XiXi, who had learned many characters, immediately recited them aloud.

With a resounding roar, the Milky Way’s waves surged and billowed.

The water coalesced into a spiraling, twisting river that spread out before XiXi.

The little dog leaped into her arms; its head tucked in as it gave a lazy yawn.

XiXi stepped onto the river and was gently lifted onto the White Jade Stairway before the Bizarre Temple.

Upon reaching the White Jade Stairway, XiXi—being the first candidate—felt the profound surge of Dao Essence within the steps.

The five streams of Dao Essence merged into her pillar, ultimately reaching 125 feet in height!

The Young Witch Lord’s diminutive spirit robe billowed as he floated in mid-air, his eyes now shimmering with resplendent gold.

Behind him, a blood-red figure, adorned with a tall hat, lent him an overwhelming tide of divine power.

The divine patterns on Jin Taisui’s brow writhed incessantly.

He had unleashed the Summoning Technique, calling forth a trace of the Great Witch God’s will!

That was the very reason Jin Taisui was confident he would dominate the road to temple protection.

However,

at that moment, Jin Taisui encountered staunch resistance.

The temple-protecting Silver Corpse, shockingly, unveiled a second form – as if empowered by the Temple Spirit – and became even more corpulent with a pig-like nose and bristly hair!

Its terrifying fangs, like gleaming divine blades, drained all the power Jin Taisui had borrowed from the Great Witch God, leaving him unable to break through.

Mainly because—

its thick, rugged flesh was nearly indestructible!

Jin Taisui gritted his teeth, an unease creeping into his heart.

He stared at the eerie mist surrounding the silver corpse, almost glimpsing a faint glow emanating from the Bizarre Temple.

‘Not good…’

Jin Taisui roared and slashed, a line of blood appearing on his palm as he pressed it against the divine pattern on his brow.

He needed to summon more power from the Great Witch God!

Abruptly,

a blood-red lightning bolt whipped across the Bizarre Temple.

Jin Taisui’s body glowed with brilliant gold, and behind him, the will of the Great Witch God he had summoned slowly opened its eyes.

In a flash, the dense eerie mist parted—

a dazzling, silver, nine-foot pitchfork tore through it, its arc slicing down with a resounding roar.

Jin Taisui screamed in agony.

Blood streamed from his nose and mouth.

When he finally opened his eyes,

he found himself outside the Bizarre Temple, under countless gazes.

Jin Taisui staggered as he rose; the divine patterns on his brow had vanished. He wiped the blood from his face, still trembling.

The Nine-Toothed Demon-Subduing Celestial Pavilion—

could it be that the Great Witch God… was mistaken for a demon?!

So cunning…

Lü Taibai!

Jin Taisui was no fool. In that instant, he realized that from the moment the Celestial Pavilion was chosen as the test site,

he had lost all his chances.

Lü Taibai had known from the start that the Great Witch God’s will would awaken the Temple Spirit’s power and empower that weapon of the Celestial Pavilion!

Jin Taisui panted heavily. What a devious scheme—

truly insidious!

He glanced at the golden list.

The second incense stick had just burned out.

Then he saw on the golden list that his own Dao Essence pillar had frozen at only 83 feet.

And when he recalled XiXi’s earlier achievements,

he was utterly stunned; the divine light in his eyes completely drained.

Distraught.

He had struggled so mightily, and yet—

even Li Nuǎnxi’s performance in the first test surpassed his?

Suddenly,

on the golden list—

the second incense stick burned out, and XiXi’s results were heralded amid thunderous cheers.

They slowly materialized:

‘Checkpoint Two passed: Li Nuǎnxi, Dao Essence height of 125 feet.’

Nine-Toothed Demon-Subduing Celestial Pavilion.

Inside the Bizarre Temple,

with resounding clangs, a shining silver nine-foot pitchfork whistled back and embedded itself in the altar of the temple, onto the lap of a handsome man seated cross-legged.

Accompanied by the flickering of candlelight,

the nine-foot pitchfork appeared to transform into nine candles, their flames dancing in calm serenity.

On a cushion within the temple,

a man in white with silver hair slowly opened his eyes.

He dusted off his white robe, smiled as he stood, and bowed respectfully to the Temple Spirit.

‘Many thanks for the aid of the Celestial Pavilion.’

The man on the altar opened his eyes and spoke.

‘Quickly, take that girl and the dog and leave!’

Lü Taibai laughed in response.

Mystery gleamed in his eyes.

‘That dog—’

what was its origin?

Dog—

Lü Taibai recalled the slender black dog from the Celestial Pavilion during the divine manifestation of the Four Sovereigns Three-Eyed True Lord in the Bizarre Temple.

But he did not linger on it.

Taking a step forward, a flash of sword light streaked and landed beside XiXi peeking out from the temple.

He ruffled the little girl’s hair gently.

‘Little one, congratulations.’

Cradling the dog in her arms, XiXi gazed up at the dashing, silver-haired sect master Lü Taibai.

Her eyes sparkled with unbridled excitement!

With a resounding slap, her chubby little hands came together in a respectful greeting.

‘XiXi pays her respects to Master Sect Leader!’

Lü Taibai’s silver hair flowed as he laughed heartily at the lively, clever XiXi, then stepped forward with a sweeping sword light.

In an instant, the eerie mist within the Bizarre Temple seemed to split in two, with the sword light enveloping XiXi as they emerged outside the Bizarre Temple—sword Qi and radiant light soaring upward!

A high, resounding voice echoed throughout the entire Daocheng:

‘Jin Guang Mansion’s divine prodigy, Li Nuǎnxi, who has passed through three tests with purple qi, exceptional character, and extraordinary skills!’

‘Truly a once-in-a-millennium prodigy of Lingnan Path!’

‘Today, she is officially my final disciple, and the Young Sect Leader of Qianyuan Divine Sect!’

‘Today, I, Lü Taibai, joyfully welcome my beloved disciple!’

‘Proclaim it to the world!’

‘Let all rejoice!’