Chapter 283: An Avalanche of Transformations and Dire Threats

Muscles twisted like knotted ropes, bulging across the flesh as pores expanded; a mighty true Qi burst forth from his body.

His spine trembled like an enraged dragon roaring, piercing the heavens and shaking the earth!

His dark hair whipped like a divine lash slicing through the air.

Li Che unleashed the power of his flesh, his stature surging upward in one relentless surge—the metamorphosis inherent in the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit.

A thick murderous intent roiled like a torrent from the depths.

Li Qingshan, masked with a Cat Face, felt as if he were facing a ferocious tempest, his azure robe clinging tightly to his feeble, bent frame.

How terrifying!

Li Qingshan’s eyes narrowed: Is this really the Li Che of today?!

That level of power?!

Just the aura alone was enough to leave him utterly breathless.

Has Li Che already reached a level of martial saint?

He hadn’t witnessed the fierce battle with the Dragon Queen Consort, whose ascended state clashed with Li Che—now it seemed Li Che might have single-handedly defeated a martial saint!

This meant that despite being only a grandmaster, Li Che now possessed the battle prowess of a martial saint!

What a monster!

Li Qingshan trembled slightly, overwhelmed by an almost inconceivable shock, as if a mountain and a tidal wave pounded his very soul.

He recalled the young man in Feilei City who once relied on his protection—and now, without notice, had grown to such heights.

At least Li Che was his colleague!

Facing an opponent of such monstrous power would indeed be utterly despairing and terrifying, wouldn’t it?

No wonder so many feel an endless dread after being targeted by the Underworld; it leaves one gasping for breath and utterly stifled.

If the roles were reversed—if Li Qingshan had to face someone who had grown so rapidly—surely even sleep would be impossible.

“The Lie Shen Pavilion of Jin Guang Mansion was wiped out by the Underworld. So why shouldn’t the one in Daocheng fare any better?”

Li Che stated in a low tone.

Behind the Ogre Mask, his eyes blazed with a ferocious and violent glow.

Li Qingshan swallowed hard and couldn’t help but say, “Ogre…there’s still something different.”

“The Lie Shen Pavilion in Daocheng is very different from that of Jin Guang Mansion,” Li Qingshan warned, fearful that the Ogre might do something reckless.

“Originally, the Lie Shen Pavilion only operated in Daocheng. Every Pavilion there has been established for over a thousand years, deeply rooted, with countless assassins and an intricate information network spread throughout Daocheng—”

“There are over ten bases in Daocheng alone, and the main stronghold has yet to be exposed—”

Peering through his Cat Face mask, Li Qingshan looked at the towering, oppressive figure of the Ogre.

“Most importantly—Daocheng’s Lie Shen Pavilion assassins are as numerous as the stars!”

“The Jin Guang Mansion branch is merely an offshoot, a trial product. Its power cannot compare; in Daocheng alone, there are five Star Killers!”

And that’s not even counting the top-tier Lie Shen King assassins!

His heart pounding, Li Qingshan recited all the information he had gathered about the Lie Shen Pavilion.

Li Che shot a warning glance at the nervous Li Qingshan, clearly unconcerned, and replied casually:

“Don’t worry—I’m steady.”

Li Che would never act rashly without complete confidence.

The Lie Shen Pavilion in Daocheng is a behemoth, no less formidable than the Temple Guardian Division or the Imperial Watch. It might be slightly weaker than the Qianyuan Divine Sect, but remember, Daocheng’s Lie Shen Pavilion is only a branch.

In terms of overall strength, the Lie Shen Pavilion might even surpass the Qianyuan Divine Sect.

And with the Underworld still far from its peak, why would it dare confront the Lie Shen Pavilion head-on?

The Pavilion Leader, the Lie Shen King assassins, and those Star Killers—

Such power could easily stand up to the Divine Sect. But these assassins are driven solely by profit.

Without incentive—even the Pavilion Leader would struggle to command them.

In short, while the Lie Shen Pavilion appears formidable on the surface, its cohesion pales in comparison to the Divine Sect.

Assassins look out only for their own profit and survival.

“XiXi’s bounty ranks third. Who knows what kind of assassin it might attract—”

Li Che’s imposing figure still cast a heavy shadow over the courtyard as he pondered.

With his daughter listed as the third bounty, Li Che couldn’t simply stand idly by—

“Anyone can take a bounty; no one even knows who will pick it up. It might be a man with a golden mask, a jade mask, a triple-faced Rakshasa, or even a Star Killer…”

“Even a Lie Shen King assassin is possible.”

Li Qingshan spoke in a low voice, “The reason they’re called Lie Shen Kings is that these assassins are at least Divine Nucleus Cultivators of the Four Divine Transformations, if not martial saints who have unlocked the heavenly gate of martial arts!”

“They are the true kings among assassins—truly peerless.”

Li Qingshan’s words caused Li Che’s heart to grow heavy.

“Lie Shen King…”

Li Che slowly closed his eyes.

Lü Taibai had once mentioned that XiXi would appear on the Lie Shen Pavilion bounty list, but back then he hadn’t felt much pressure. Now, after hearing Li Qingshan’s account, Li Che felt a chill run down his spine.

What if a Lie Shen King assassin were to strike XiXi?

Or what if a Star Killer ambushed her?

Although…

XiXi is only five years old—but what if that Lie Shen King assassin turns out to be utterly shameless?

“I’m just not strong enough…”

Li Che opened his eyes, his entire body trembling with tension.

If a Lie Shen King assassin were to attack XiXi…

What could he do?

He could only use the Feilei Chess Piece to move XiXi away since she had no strength to fight back.

The gap was simply too vast.

Even…

Li Che’s scalp prickled. Faced with a martial force comparable to a fourfold martial saint at the peak of the heavenly gate, would the Feilei Chess Piece even help?!

It had already been proven that the movement of the Feilei Chess Piece could be impeded.

During the assault on Cat Face, the Dragon Queen Consort had even used Su Daoling’s Calming the Wind Divine Talisman to seal off space.

The movement of the Feilei Chess Piece was indeed slowed.

For a top-tier assassin, that slight delay was enough to strike hundreds of times. Lü Taibai surely knew this; he would leave no stone unturned to protect XiXi.

After all, XiXi was the officially designated young sect leader—the facade, the spiritual foundation, and even the destiny of the Qianyuan Divine Sect.

Lü Taibai would be most attentive to her safety.

But—

“The threat…is too immense!”

“At five years old, already ranking third on the bounty list—I, as a father, can hardly find peace!”

Li Qingshan looked at the towering Ogre with unruly black hair and a chilling aura, as if the very atmosphere had turned cold, and he faced the Ogre against the drenching spring rain.

He couldn’t help but sigh.

If it were him and his child under the constant threat of such fearsome forces, being hunted by assassins at any moment,

he’d be driven to the brink of madness by constant anxiety.

That feeling of being relentlessly targeted by the evils lurking in the darkness—

It was a terror that could freeze the soul!

Knowing that the Ogre was Li Che, Li Qingshan fully understood his concerns. How could a father remain calm under such circumstances?

After what felt like an eternity,

Li Che looked at Li Qingshan.

“Senior Qingshan, can I get on the bounty list?” he asked.

Li Che inquired.

Raindrops cascaded off the Cat Face mask, gathering at the jaw before dripping down.

“Underworld Ogre is ranked tenth.”

“Divine Practitioner Li Che of Shendiao Ridge is ranked forty-third.”

Li Qingshan, who had been keeping an eye on this, responded immediately.

“Ogre is tenth—

“And Li Che is only forty-third?”

Li Che smiled.

“Thank you, Senior.”

Li Qingshan waved him off, saying, “No need.”

“Ah Che, what do you plan to do?”

Li Che raised his hand, and raindrops gathered on his palm like a spread-out fan, each drop trembling and colliding before bursting.

“Fishing.”

Fishing was Li Che’s specialty.

With XiXi ranking third on the bounty list, using her as bait would undoubtedly attract Lie Shen Pavilion assassins to strike wildly.

But—

Li Che neither dared nor wished to risk it.

Any mishap would break his heart forever.

Not even if he used a Painted Immortal Dao Fruit to create a clone of XiXi as bait to lure the assassins of the Lie Shen Pavilion…

Li Che simply refused.

Using one’s daughter as bait was something a father could never accept.

That was his firm resolve!

“I’m only ranked forty-third—if I could raise my ranking, wouldn’t that be better?”

Li Che answered Li Qingshan.

“Senior Qingshan, if you have time, please visit Granny Mu more often,”

Li Che said earnestly to Li Qingshan.

This remark cheered Li Qingshan momentarily before he fell silent.

After a moment of silence, he nodded and leapt away.

Watching his departing back, Li Che glanced at the gradually drizzling spring rain in the sky.

Then, with a decisive snap of his five fingers,

It was as if five furious dragons darted across the courtyard.

In an instant, all the rain in the courtyard vaporized in a burst.

The blare of horns and suona filled the space.

Simple tunes, but mighty in spirit!

Joyful red hues flowed along the main street of Daocheng like a vibrant stream.

Carriage bearers in festive red effortlessly carried their sedan chairs. A red flower was tied to the forehead of a flood-marked jiao-horse. A middle-aged man from the Su Family, dressed in groom’s attire and brimming with spirit, rode his jiao-horse while clasping his fists in salute.

“Su Family—getting married again, huh?”

“Didn’t the Su Family just suffer a massive loss? And now another wedding… truly—”

“It’s precisely because so many perished that the Su Family is in such a hurry to wed, to continue its lineage and prosper!”

“Besides, this bride appears to be a genius from the Lei Family, a small clan, no less!”

Onlookers and wanderers alike couldn’t help but point and whisper as they shared in the festive mood,

Directly critiquing the exuberant middle-aged man from the Su Family.

If they weren’t mistaken, this was already the thirteenth marriage for that Su Family man.

In the sedan chair, a young girl in red covered by a red veil sat quietly and demurely, unaware of what fate awaited her.

Married off by her family to this middle-aged Su Family man, she felt utterly lost; despite her abundant talents, her family treated her as a mere bargaining chip—

Her eyes, hidden beneath the red veil and clenched in resolve, had long lost their luster.

Yet she dared not make a move or show any sign of defiance.

Even though her heart already belonged to a certain young man—

There was no escape.

For opposite her in the sedan chair, an elder in a red robe sat serenely with closed eyes, his mere breathing exuding such an overwhelming presence that she couldn’t even move a finger.

That was the Divine Practitioner of the Breath-Retention Transformation!

This was Su Family’s Divine Practitioner!

Outside, a young man in plain clothes, gritting his teeth, sprinted at breakneck speed. His body oozed blood and Qi, yet he was merely at the Blood Exchange stage.

“Yuner!”

His eyes bloodshot, Qi surging in his chest, he pushed through the crowd and roared.

Quick-handed Su Family guards rushed forward to block him.

Inside the sedan chair, the young girl named Yuner lifted her head with difficulty. She listened to the angry shouts outside and heard the pained cries of the young man pinned to the ground.

Tears rolled from her lifeless eyes.

“Don’t come—”

“Don’t come, you fool!”

The elder slowly opened his eyes, towering above all, as if savoring the spectacle of his prey.

“You have a fine talent. Join the Su Family and enjoy all the riches. If you can bear a divine prodigy for us, your family will surely flourish—this is something that poor fools can never offer you.”

“Forget him. So many dream of joining the Su Family yet none succeed.”

“You’re the lucky one, little girl.”

The elder’s appreciative gaze, now turning greedier as it roved over the young woman’s exquisite figure, made her bite her lip as large, silent tears fell.

“Ah—” suddenly,

The young man’s shouts from outside reached her ears. The girl closed her eyes in utter despair.

Outside the sedan chair,

Two Su Family guards holding the young man aloft saw their heads suddenly soar as blood spurted, making him scream in horror.

Clashing sword Qi rang out with metallic chimes.

The young man turned to look back, only to see a youth in plain clothes, carrying a Sword Casket and a Liquor Gourd, savoring the moment with a beaming smile.

“Young man, admirable courage.”

“But your strength is a bit lacking.”

Huang Jianjiu burst into hearty laughter.

Then his gaze fell on the startled wedding convoy.

The Su Family middle-aged groom riding atop the scarlet jiao-horse trembled visibly, his eyes wide with terror.

That night’s nightmare would forever haunt every Su Family member!

“H-Huang Jianjiu?!”

Huang Jianjiu narrowed his eyes and said, “Su Family—still the same disgusting lot, endangering talented young girls…”

“From top to bottom, from the old to the young, they exude a nauseating stench.”

The middle-aged man quickly looked towards the sedan chair.

Then, with a resounding thud,

The four sedan chair bearers felt their faces flush as bones shattered; the sedan chair crashed forcefully to the ground.

The entire Long Street cracked open beneath the impact.

The curtains flew open.

An elder at the Breath-Retention Transformation stage was hoisted out as if he were a chick, by a huge hand as large as a fan.

That small sedan chair somehow contained a towering, fearsome figure.

His mastery over his mortal form bordered on the supernatural.

“Ogre—!”

A cry of sheer terror exploded!

The Su Family groom on the jiao-horse immediately tumbled off and, without a backward glance, fled in a mad dash into the distance.

However,

A swirling sword Qi circled his neck; in one swift moment, his head fell, blood spraying and staining Long Street red.

Meanwhile, the Divine Practitioner from the Su Family, who had been hoisted from the sedan chair as if it were a chick, showed a look of abject horror in his eyes behind the Ogre Mask.

Under the Ogre Mask, his eyes shone with cold, golden smoke.

In a flash, both the Ogre and this Divine Practitioner vanished.

When the luminous glow returned, the Su Family’s Divine Practitioner found himself in a city shrouded in pitch-black, ink-like rain.

The Ogre’s black hair, flowing like a cape, hung inverted and shattered the raindrops.

A terrifying eruption of Qi burst forth!

When the Su Family patriarch, Su Daoling, arrived with a group of Su Family elites,

they beheld the slain groom and the Su Family Divine Practitioner reduced to a heap of rotting flesh.

“Huang Jianjiu!”

“Ogre!”

Su Daoling trembled violently as if the entire world had twisted, with a ghastly visage looming overhead like a divine specter.

This was the worldly soul of a Divine Nucleus Cultivator!

Su Daoling, a being transformed from a Divine Nucleus Cultivator, had now become enraged beyond containment—the manifestation of the worldly soul was unstoppable.

This was already the third Divine Nucleus Cultivator from the Su Family to perish in recent times!

Huang Jianjiu and the Ogre now targeted the Su Family—

Anyone who dared lure the young girl would be slain.

It was utterly despicable!

Huang Jianjiu and the Underworld were determined to sever the very roots of the Su Family!

Daocheng.

Tinglei Alley.

Li Che clenched a White Feilei Chess Piece with five fingers and returned to the courtyard.

Waves of Qi surged; his eyes flickered with intensity.

One by one, Divine Practitioner chess pieces, emblematic of the Breath-Retention Transformation, fell onto the Cosmic Chessboard with shining black hair.

This was the third Su Family Divine Nucleus Cultivator Li Che had killed recently.

Huang Jianjiu, laughing heartily and guzzling fine wine, could no longer bear the Su Family’s wanton abuse—manipulating a girl’s emotions, draining her talent, ruining a genius life.

With a master like that, what more could Huang Jianjiu ask for?

Li Che dismissed Huang Jianjiu with indifference and sat cross-legged on the ground.

He raised his hand and placed it on his forehead.

Within his Mud Pellet, thunderous roars echoed.

Even those Divine Practitioners on the verge of breakthrough trembled.

Flesh and blood tore at his brow, as Star Plucking Gaze flared, dazzling beams thrusting into the sky!

Before him, radiant light flickered and passed.

[Dao Fruit: Chess Sage (lv5 0%)]

At last—

It was done!

Li Che’s eyes snapped open, his pupils as if divided by countless lines, a vast web spreading out!

Black and white brilliance flashed and intermingled within his eyes!

The courtyard fell silent, save for the steady, powerful beating of Li Che’s heart.

Then, an overwhelming force suddenly erupted.

Li Che felt a familiar tug, drawing him into a vast, primeval realm!

Gazing upward, he beheld an endless vista!

A colossal Dao Tree shot up from the earth, its branches lush and its canopy expansive, blocking out the skies!

On its boughs, crystalline green leaves shimmered, their intricate patterns coming alive like rivers and mountains drawn across a world.

Li Che floated, his eyes catching numerous Dao Fruits hanging from the branches.

Bountiful harvests.

Some of these Dao Fruits had grown enormously, flickering with seven-colored brilliance.

The [Chess Sage] Dao Fruit shone the brightest, its black and white radiance swirling in an endless cycle, indomitable!

The rhythmic thumping of the Dao Fruit seemed to sync with his heartbeat.

In the next moment, a chessboard suddenly spread out from beneath Li Che’s feet—he occupied the star position at the bottom left!

It had begun—.

A surge of dread gripped Li Che’s heart as an immeasurable, mountain-like pressure descended!

Beyond the chessboard, a vague human silhouette slowly emerged, casting a gaze deep and unfathomable, then carefully placing a chess piece.

The chess piece fell onto the board like a shooting star.

Boom!!!

It was as if the entire vast land trembled, waves of Qi rippling outward in all directions!

Li Che maintained a chilling calm, focusing on the shattered chess piece and fragmented board as an aura of entwined black and white Qi surged violently toward him!

Boom!!!

In an instant, Li Che felt his consciousness detach from space.

The primeval realm erupted in smoke and dust.

A hazy figure sighed softly.

“You stupid chess bucket.”

Li Che’s eyes snapped open. After a dazed moment, he exhaled deeply.

Inside his eyes, it was as if two forces—one black, one white—raced relentlessly.

A mysterious, singular essence lay within: yin and yang, boundless as the cosmos!

“This is—”

In a flicker of thought, he realized the black and white Qi had merged into his Mud Pellet’s inner realm.

“Dao Essence?!”

Yes, undoubtedly the power of Dao Essence.

Although Li Che had never mastered Dao Essence, he had felt its faint touch on the body of the Ancestral Patriarch in the Cosmic Archway!

Even if it was merely a wisp…

Li Che was overjoyed.

He felt the tremors of his brow, as if a cataclysmic transformation were about to occur.

Yet at this moment, Li Che stilled the unrest in his brow.

His eyes became as calm as a frozen lake.

In them, golden light danced softly.

[Dao Fruit lv5 Threefold: Divine Art Ascension One (Black and White Collapse) Promoted to Divine Art Ascension Two (Tcyong You)]

Buzzing—The Dao Fruit’s threefold transformation!

The Chess Sage Dao Fruit finally completed its threefold metamorphosis, unlocking Divine Art Ascension Two—Tcyong You!

Sitting cross-legged in the courtyard, Li Che’s eyes were filled with countless interwoven lines forming a chessboard,

as if he had communicated with a unique realm.

A realm as dark as ink, capable of swallowing everything!

For a moment, Li Che’s mind spiraled into an abyss, as if he were falling endlessly or descending eighteen levels of hell!

It was utterly terrifying!

Li Che’s spirit returned, his eyes slightly contracting.

Before him, the display changed once more.

[Wuji (Divine Art): Black and White Placement, Yin and Yang Boundlessness, Limitless, Supreme Celestial Access]

[Ascension One: Black and White Collapse]

[Ascension Two: Tcyong You]

[Yin Yang Split at Twilight, Ghostly Placement, Inconceivable, Supreme Dark Access]

Tcyong You—

Tcyong You!

The prompt vanished, and Li Che’s eyes suddenly gleamed brightly.

Buzzing!

Within his brow’s Mud Pellet, vibrations continued as the black and white Qi merged; his left eye shone with dark energy while his right beamed with bright white light.

His dual-colored gaze seemed to pierce everything.

He looked down and felt as though the ground beneath him was crumbling, forming a bottomless chasm.

“What is this?”

Li Che drew a deep breath, feeling the terror of that endless dark pit!

Divine Art Ascension Two—Tcyong You!

Has he bridged the gap with the netherworld?!

Li Che closed his eyes as a slow stream of thoughts flowed through his mind—

He absorbed every detail of the Divine Art ‘Tcyong You’, understanding what it truly meant.

“Placing a piece on the chessboard communicates with the netherworld—gaining the essence of the nether!”

“So this is an exchange!”

“An exchange on the level of pure power!”

“Using Divine Chess Pieces to exchange for netherworld essence!”

Li Che suddenly understood it all.

It was as if he were playing chess with a spectral opponent in the netherworld—every piece he placed was countered by one formed from nether essence.

“Nether essence—”

“It’s endless.”

Li Che exhaled, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

One by one, black Divine Chess Pieces gathered around him.

They were those taken from the Su Family Divine Practitioner he had just slain, now converging effortlessly.

Hundreds of Divine Practitioner chess pieces from the Breath-Retention Transformation hovered in the air.

At that moment, Li Che’s mind stirred.

“Divine Art – Tcyong You!”

Then,

Li Che lifted his hand to see a black vortex forming in his palm.

Instinctively, he crouched and pressed his hand forcefully against the ground.

The Cosmic Chessboard suddenly spread out,

enveloping the entire Private Workshop Courtyard.

Then—

The Private Workshop Courtyard underwent a cataclysmic transformation; buildings crumbled as if abandoned for centuries.

The world turned dark, the light dimmed, and Li Che felt as if he had stepped into another realm.

“Access—Tcyong You?”

Li Che surveyed his surroundings as a chill crept over him.

The Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit unleashed a piercing cold that suppressed his Qi; even as it activated, an unyielding chill pressed in.

“I cannot remain in the netherworld for too long or risk being eroded and lost—”

At that, Li Che’s hovering Divine Chess Pieces began to fall onto the chessboard.

Boom, boom, boom—they exploded on impact, until—

Before Li Che’s astonished gaze, countless black fragments converged into a single, pitch-black nether chess piece.

A Divine Practitioner chess piece, once a masterpiece of the Su Family’s Divine Practitioner, had condensed into one nether chess piece?!

An exchange is an exchange, but it’s not equivalent!

How miserly can it be?!

“If I were to use a Temple Spirit Divine Chess Piece, how many nether chess pieces would that yield?”

Li Che took a deep breath.

But soon, an odd glimmer appeared in his eyes.

With five fingers, innumerable nether energy strands gathered, struggling to coalesce in his palm.

It seemed as if it might form another nether chess piece—but compared to using Divine Chess Pieces, the efficiency was far too inferior.

“What form would the Great Avalanche become if paired with an Unsullied Heart Chess Piece, unleashing Black and White Collapse?”

Li Che’s heart pounded, filled with unforeseen anticipation.

But the most pressing matter was—

“In battle, can I use Tcyong You to get close and harm the enemy while within its domain?”

Li Che looked toward a corner of a building, gracefully descending as he snapped his fingers.

The eave of the building exploded into fragments.

After his display, Li Che softly landed on his tiptoes.

He retracted his Tcyong You Divine Art.

Soon, brilliant sunlight poured down from the heavens, illuminating the entire courtyard.

The previously silent realm suddenly burst into clamor.

Li Che opened his eyes and squinted slightly as the blinding light assaulted him.

He looked at the black chess piece in his palm—the one that absorbed all the sunlight and exuded a faint, eerie black aura.

A power so cold, bone-chilling, that it seemed to freeze the soul…

With a snap of his fingers,

Li Che shifted his gaze to what lay ahead.

At that moment, a huge chunk of the building’s façade had been blasted open.