Chapter 32: Snowbound Judgment

As a father, Li Che knew that his own safety was deeply intertwined with the future of his wife and daughter.

So, to maintain control of the situation, he disguised himself as the Ogre.

Thanks to his self-made elastic suit, he hadn’t immediately activated Vajra Transformation — his nine-foot frame wouldn’t have drawn too much attention anyway.

Following the route etched in his memory, he made his way to Uncle’s house.

From a distance, he spotted a familiar Eight Trigram Staff.

The figure crouched on the ground, shouldering that very staff, was the Bone Tempering fighter who had joined Zhao Chuanxiong in attacking Liu when Li Che had taken him down.

“Bone Tempering fighter… here to carry out such deeds?”

“So it’s targeted at me,” he murmured.

Uncle’s family hadn’t trained in martial arts, and Cousin Li Zhengran was merely a scholar—not strong enough to even command a Bone Tempering fighter.

Even summoning a Tendon Burst fighter would be overkill.

Clearly, his opponent’s intentions were not innocent.

Moreover, with Uncle having informed him about needing a place at Xu Ji Courtyard, Li Che was roughly 70% sure that the attack was aimed at him.

“A 70% chance… That confidence is too high. Lingying Sect has never given up on XiXi, and their methods have only grown more extreme,” he thought.

“Are they trying to force my wife and daughter out of Xu Ji Courtyard by faking my death?”

“How ruthless…”

Li Che closed his eyes, then reopened them, the Ogre Mask now seething with murderous intent.

Yet the more his lethal intent surfaced, the calmer he became.

Inside his chest, the Dao Fruit of Dragon Elephant Vajra pulsed violently, as if devouring every trace of his aura.

This was the minor transformation that occurred after the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit’s maturity consumed 60% of its divinity.

Not only did it unleash the activated Vajra Transformation, but it also swallowed his blood and aura completely, concealing his cultivation and inner energy.

Li Che called it “Sleeping Dragon Elephant”—like a dormant giant whose every move stirred no ripples.

Once his aura had been drawn in with “Sleeping Dragon Elephant,” Li Che stepped lightly through the fresh snow, blending with the wind and storm as he moved toward the figure in the courtyard wearing a girl’s mask.

The wind and snow wailed and roared around him.

The figure crouched on the ground, sporting a wry, almost sinister smile as he stared through the narrow gap of the door, completely unaware of Li Che’s silent approach.

By the time he sensed something wrong, Li Che had already materialized behind him and suddenly activated Vajra Transformation. His body burst outward like an overinflated balloon, with bones colliding and tendons twisting in a cacophony of cracking sound!

In the midst of the shattering noise, he transformed into a giant forged of pure iron!

Almost tangible, his surging blood and aura coiled like a serpent, intertwining with the inner strength that now enveloped Li Che’s arm.

Without a word, his fist slammed down with crushing force!

A terrifying power exploded upon impact with the fighter’s flesh, shattering skin and muscle as bright red blood sprayed everywhere!

Even his bones seemed to cry out in agony, as if they were about to break.

The Eight Trigram Staff fighter was hurled several meters across the snow, carried by turbulent gusts and swirling snow that battered against a soil wall, dislodging heaps of snow from the dark tiles.

“I’ve found you…”

A hoarse voice emerged from the Ogre’s mouth.

It echoed throughout the courtyard.

Inside, Li Zhengran was mortified, frozen with terror as a chill gripped his entire body.

Outside, amid a battle that resembled a clash of immortals, everyone feared even the slightest fallout entering the house.

A cough broke the silence.

Within a mound of snow,

the figure staggered to his feet, half his body torn and bleeding profusely, with blood droplets continuously streaming from the hand that gripped the Eight Trigram Staff.

The girl’s mask was riddled with cracks, lending it an eerie, monstrous look.

“Ogre…”

The Eight Trigram Staff fighter coughed up blood, his eyes blazing with fury.

Li Che regarded him coldly, no longer uttering a single word.

That one sentence had said enough.

Killing needs no further explanation.

Killing is its own message.

This Eight Trigram Staff fighter had already earned a spot on Li Che’s kill list—along with Zhao Chuanxiong and the entire Lingying Sect.

What a coincidence to meet him now.

So, he set him on his final path!

With a twist of his thick neck, muscles rippled along his back, and his spine arched like an enraged dragon as nine massive tendons coiled like furious serpents.

With a single step, the powdery snow in the courtyard exploded in a resounding burst.

Through the murky veil of snow and mist, his towering figure, powered by surging inner strength, burst forth and landed right before the fighter clinging to the Eight Trigram Staff.

Raising his hand, he sent a blast of wind that shattered the air, as if even the atmosphere could be squeezed apart!

Then, with his clenched fist, he struck down headlong.

Like a white tiger pouncing from the snowy storm, his blow smacked down with the force of a savage claw.

In an instant, the deadly aura engulfed the Eight Trigram Staff fighter.

He could hardly believe that in just one month, this fierce Ogre had grown so immensely powerful—his aura now formidable and terrifying!

Bone Tempering… Perfected!

Just a month ago, he was barely a novice at Bone Tempering; now, he had achieved perfection!

What a monster?!

But there was no time to ponder as, with a roar,

he summoned every ounce of strength, his inner energy igniting. When a punch came down as swiftly as a charging tiger, the fighter had no choice but to block with his Eight Trigram Staff.

Thud!!!

The Ogre’s punch descended horizontally, crashing into the staff with relentless force!

The staff bent instantly, emitting a cry of despair!

A terrifying force, equivalent to countless tons, erupted as if the very air had been shattered!

Between them, the tumultuous wind, blizzard, and mist spread out like ripples across water!

The amassed snow soared high, like a curtain rising on a grand stage!

His jet-black hair whipped wildly, and the eyes beneath his mask sparkled fiercely like distant stars!

The Eight Trigram Staff fighter felt his resolve crumble as the fearsome power overwhelmed his arms, fracturing his inner energy, breaking his bones, and causing blood to burst forth in torrents.

Yet, Li Che remained unruffled, clenching his fist tightly before smacking down with even more force.

In a recoil, the staff was flung from the fighter’s grasp, and another punch followed—this one infused with the mastery of Xu Ji’s Eight-Link Bone-Shattering Spear honed through a morning of rigorous practice!

His punch struck like a spear!

It tore through the raging winds and landed with titanic force on the chest of the fighter.

A muffled explosion resonated as the fighter’s chest, along with every bone and the air within, shattered under the blow, sending his innards and scalding blood splattering onto the lofty snowy backdrop.

Yet his iron-like body still radiated intense heat.

Li Che retracted his fist, his masked eyes coldly scanning the lifeless Eight Trigram Staff fighter—a Bone Tempering fighter brutally beaten to death.

With that, another name was crossed off his kill list.

The overpowering stench of blood permeated the small courtyard, where the wind and snow mournfully wailed.

Inside, Uncle’s family trembled in fear, barely daring to breathe.

Especially after glimpsing the murderer through the door crack, Li Zhengran felt his legs turn to jelly, nearly collapsing.

Fortunately, that fearsome Ogre wasn’t a mindless killer.

His presence now seemed solely meant to dispatch the Lingying Sect fighter wielding the Eight Trigram Staff and donning a girl’s mask.

Drenched in sweat, Li Zhengran mustered the courage to peek through the door once more.

But outside, the wind and snow had calmed; the Ogre was long gone, leaving behind only a bloodstained corpse on the ground. Blood had soaked the Spirit Infant Wooden Carving, giving it a haunting, otherworldly look.

Too terrified to watch further, Li Zhengran shivered as he retreated inside. Even Uncle had ceased smoking; the family huddled together in utter silence.

Then, suddenly,

a rustling sound came from outside.

It was the crunch of footsteps on soft, undisturbed snow.

“Uncle, it’s me!”

Hearing the call from the courtyard, Uncle Li Liang immediately lit up, exclaiming, “Li Che, you’re here!”

Li Zhengran, Liu Chunming, and the others heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Now, Li Che was the woodcarver at Xu Ji’s Wood Carving Shop—a man of stature whose presence exuded reassurance.

After opening the door, Li Che, dressed in black and wearing a hat, stood outside with a grave expression.

“Li Che…” Cousin Li Zhengran swallowed hard, stammering as he recounted the earlier events.

Li Che’s face drained of color as he blurted out, “Ogre? The one with a bounty of five hundred taels from the authorities?!”

“Quick! Gather your things and leave at once!”

“This isn’t something we should get involved in. We need to head to Xu Ji Courtyard where it’s safer.”

“That guy who died… was a Bone Tempering fighter. One punch from him killed our fearsome fighter. Imagine the kind of Ogre capable of that! Let’s get out of here!”

A flash of refined terror crossed Li Che’s eyes before he spoke in a low tone.

At his words, Uncle’s family panicked. “A Bone Tempering fighter?”

“Isn’t that the type who could scale any wall without effort?”

“Such a man shouldn’t have died here in our courtyard… We must scram before we’re caught!”

Fortunately, they had already packed their belongings.

So, with little ado, they all left the blood-soaked courtyard trailing behind Li Che.

The courtyard fell silent.

The howling wind and snow raged across the skies and earth.

Snowflakes danced in wild, swirling gusts.

They settled upon the crooked, cracked girl’s mask lying in the snow.

It whispered a tale of deep desolation.

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