Chapter 346: Tempest in the Divine Temple

Smoke and dust billowed as countless roaring thunderclaps echoed relentlessly, as if an enraged Dragon King were swinging its massive body, sending shockwaves in every direction. The air surged and howled wildly.

The entire Divine Temple resounded with thunderous rumbles.

From the viewing platform, everyone was transfixed by the hundred-zhang tall, giant-ape-like form unleashing a boundless, unrestrained Cosmic Technique!

The overwhelming divine pressure, like a towering mountain rising from flat ground, smashed apart with an earth-shaking roar, unleashing waves of destructive collapse. Oppressive, terrifying, unbridled, explosive!

The heroes from the great Divine Sects and numerous cultivators from the nine cities of the Divine Capital felt as if their very souls were struck by an immensely powerful force. So strong…

How could it be so powerful?! Absolutely invincible!

The monk from Xiao Lingyin Temple had unleashed his Diamond Fist Manifestation, channeling the power that transformed his Divine Nucleus almost to its peak—even summoning a Mythic Weapon! Yet it was shattered before its might!

With a powerful swing, the force smote the white jade-tiled ground, fracturing it completely. Pieces of shattered stone flew uncontrollably as smoke and dust raged like a dragon, brutal and savage!

It was as though two colossal beings were engaging in the most primitive style of combat.

For an awe-inspiring entity formed purely of divine essence, every punch and swing carried terrifying momentum and destructive force, much like an ant being crushed under a mere finger would face obliteration!

Yet what truly left everyone in awe was…

Li Che’s Divine Secret Technique, “Cosmic Technique”, managed to extend a hundred-zhang high. Is that truly his limit? No!

A hundred-zhang Cosmic Technique… Is that really all Li Che can do?!

At that moment, many hearts trembled with doubt.

The more massive this unparalleled Three Pure Ones Level Divine Secret Technique became, the more terrifying its accumulated divine power and explosive force. A hundred-zhang…

It was truly terrifying!

Perhaps only those masters of the three-phase Divine Nucleus Transformation—with every organ and limb powered by it—could match such a feat?!

If Li Che defeated Zhou Chiguo, it was because Zhou’s Divine Nucleus cultivation was only at the first transformation stage; at that level, he had no chance against Li Che.

And the defeat of Monk Wukong made it clear to everyone that Li Che’s Three Pure Ones Level Cosmic Technique could shatter opponents even with second-stage Divine Nucleus power!

Be aware that the pressure difference between the one-transformation and two-transformation Divine Nucleus forms isn’t as vast as that between Divine Essence and Divine Nucleus, yet it still exerts an extremely fearsome dominance!

Yet Li Che, having just broken into the Divine Nucleus realm, managed to bridge that gap and secure an impressive record by slaying a second-stage practitioner. Seven consecutive victories!

Seven wins in a row!

Including Zhou Chiguo, Li Che achieved seven continuous victories during the preliminary feast, not counting the half-hearted efforts from heroes sent by Haoran Academy, Bashu Sword Pavilion, and Dragon and Tiger Divine Sect. Every win of Li Che’s was laden with merit!

Truly, he seemed invincible!

It could be said that the wager between the six great Divine Sects and Qianyuan Divine Sect was already half-lost.

And judging by the battle record of Li Che’s daughter, XiXi, at merely six years old—effortlessly overwhelming even grand masters—reaching seven consecutive wins wouldn’t be a problem!

XiXi had already secured two wins; five more wins would essentially decide the fate of this high-stakes wager. In fact, her back-to-back victories against the fledgling dragons of Tian Dan Divine Sect and True Martial Divine Sect were no small feat! “This father-daughter duo… they’re monsters!”

“Father’s a monster, and so is daughter. Truly worthy of a legendary pair!”

On the viewing platform, a powerful expert of the Divine Sect sighed deeply before dismissing his divine state and leaving.

With his Three Pure Ones Level Divine Nucleus Technique – Cosmic Technique – Li Che stood nearly unbeatable. Anyone wishing to defeat him had to break through that defense and get close to him.

Meanwhile, XiXi wielded a formidable Mechanical Art; to defeat her, one had to withstand a barrage of mechanized fire and get close without being overwhelmed. That explosive mechanism was comparable to the assault of a grand master.

It was all incredibly challenging! Bzzzz—

From the audience stand, cultivators from the Divine Capital and various Divine Sects began to drift away. Lü Taibai erupted in raucous laughter, clearly elated.

For the first time, XiXi had witnessed her father’s domineering display. Her mouth agape and eyes wide in astonishment—‘Dad… he’s so fierce?!’

At this rate, plans were about to change dramatically. XiXi might have to train for decades!

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Inside the Divine Temple, smoke and dust churned.

The colossal Cosmic Technique began to dissipate.

Li Che, clad in his ink-black robe, sliced through the air with strikes that echoed like whipping blows.

His jet-black hair danced wildly in the wind as his aura gradually calmed, with divine energy coiling around him like lightning, emanating a deep, rumbling sound. “Huu…”

Li Che exhaled deeply as his muscles trembled noisily. Relying solely on divine essence without martial body strength left him somewhat uncomfortable.

Even though the blood in his body was boiling, he could only watch on. Fortunately, the invincible counter of his Cosmic Technique delivered hits that truly connected, briefly satisfying his urge for combat.

Inside the Mud Pellet at his eyebrow, the inner landscape felt a slight emptiness.

This time, Li Che had truly given his all in channeling the Cosmic Technique with his Divine Nucleus Technique, even bolstering his Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart.

Thus, his Cosmic Technique reached the peak of what Li Che could achieve—a hundred-zhang Cosmic Technique! But this was not the absolute limit of the technique!

It was merely Li Che’s personal limit. Having just broken into the Divine Nucleus realm, even with the aid of Six-Desire Golden Pill and Lv Xuan Sword Immortal Golden Pill, his overwhelming divine power was still taxed by the tremendous consumption.

He extracted a lower-level Divine Crystal and his Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart began to throb, rapidly drawing divine essence into the Mud Pellet inner vision to fill the void.

This gradually erased the emptiness in Li Che’s heart.

With a grip of his five fingers, a humming sound exploded.

Divine essence spread out, as a golden-forged manacle appeared, floating above Li Che’s palm.

The manacle was entirely cast in gold, inscribed with dense Buddhist scriptures. Its brilliance had been washed away by the divine energy of his Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart, leaving it utterly dim. Li Che glanced at it with his Star Plucking Gaze.

【Divine Weapon (Five Elders Upper Rank): Universal Salvation Diamond Guanyin Incantation Manacle (Imitation Weapon)】

【Craftsmanship: Personally forged by the Divine Weapon Master of Xiao Lingyin Temple, painstakingly carved and replicated】 Fake?!

Li Che was stunned – this was the first time he had encountered a counterfeit divine weapon.

Of course, it couldn’t be called entirely fake, for this divine weapon still possessed the qualities of a Five Elders Upper Rank item, and its might was formidable, channeling genuine divine power… otherwise, it couldn’t have stimulated both the Luminous True Primate Divine Nucleus and the Qi Tian Face within the Cosmic Chessboard.

After all, it was crafted by a Divine Weapon Master.

A trace of admiration flashed in Li Che’s eyes – Xiao Lingyin Temple’s foundation of the Divine Sect seemed far richer than that of Qianyuan Divine Sect.

That Huang Mei Great Master was a legendary Divine Weapon Master, and now, from the description on the manacle, it was clear that Xiao Lingyin Temple still harbored another Divine Weapon Master, one who had replicated a Mythic Weapon!

Divine Weapon Masters, whether of Divine Eagle or of other schools… Qianyuan Divine Sect didn’t have any.

It was said that Xiao Lingyin Temple had long broken free from the control of the Great Jing Court, growing wildly and fiercely along Xiling Road. Who knew just how powerful they were? One glance at the manacle revealed the beguiling might of Xiao Lingyin Temple.

The divine essence within the manacle, during its clash with Monk Wukong, had even tried to subdue his Cosmic Technique, seeking to infect his mind and convert him to Buddhism! That tactic was truly treacherous.

Perhaps Xiling Road, known as the Earthly Buddhist Kingdom, was inevitably intertwined with such beguiling methods. Li Che’s cultivation was formidable, yet his opponents dared to use Buddhist radiance to try and convert him.

How could the ordinary folk in the provinces and prefectures of Xiling Road possibly withstand that? No wonder the Great Jing Court was gradually losing its grip on Xiling Road.

Xiao Lingyin Temple… or rather, Buddhism in this realm seemed rather peculiar. Though the washed-out manacle’s effect had diminished.

Li Che tore open his Qiankun Space and tossed the manacle inside, ignoring it further. Bzzzz—

Suddenly, Li Che’s eyebrows twitched.

Within the Divine Temple, a surge of divine energy from Xi Wangmu emerged. Immediately, a prompt appeared before Li Che’s eyes.

【Participant: Li Che】 【Pre-Feast Seven-Win Streak】

【Earned the qualification for the Hero Feast of Paotao Victory】 Seven wins in a row…

Did he automatically secure qualification for the Hero Feast? Li Che was a bit astonished.

Previously, Lü Taibai hadn’t mentioned that to advance from the pre-feast to the main feast, one had to accumulate eighteen units of Xi Wangmu’s divine energy on the Paotao Branch in hand.

But now it seemed a seven-win streak granted direct promotion—a shortcut, in a way.

Moreover, with the seven wins achieved, the divine power of Xi Wangmu’s Temple Spirit was deemed far superior to that of the preliminary cultivators, sending Li Che straight to the main feast. “Main Feast…”

“The Hero Feast of Paotao Victory— I’ve heard the opponents are even stronger… like that first hero of the Tishen Dao of Zi Mansion from the Divine Sect, who advanced directly, or the hero from Nanhai Purple Bamboo Forest…”,

Li Che’s eyes shone with interest.

Only the main feast could offer rewards such as millennial Paotao, even thousands-of-years Paotao. Paotaos come in various types: some replenish blood, others nourish spirit, and some extend one’s lifespan.

The 800-year-old Crimson Dragon-Blood Paotao he had previously obtained was for supplementing Qi and blood. In the distance, the divine radiance that had bathed the table slowly faded away.

Li Che, with a hint of anticipation, walked over.

After the first three bouts which disgusted him so much that only a cup of plain tea was served, Li Che was at a loss for words. This battle with Monk Wukong surely would not be as simple as a cup of tea, and sure enough, it wasn’t.

As the flowing light dispersed, Li Che saw a paotao with a rosy, translucent hue, sparkling and pristine atop the table. Next to it lay a jade wine pot and cup.

An overwhelmingly rich fragrance permeated the air.

【Heavenly Treasure (Five Elders Middle Rank): 800-Year-Old Black Fengling Paotao】 Yet another 800-year-old paotao!

Li Che’s eyes brightened.

An 800-year paotao… this must be the highest quality reward of the preliminary feast!

Unlike the Crimson Dragon-Blood Paotao, this Black Fengling Paotao wasn’t for replenishing blood but rather for boosting one’s divine level. After a moment’s thought, Li Che grabbed the paotao and bit into it.

It wasn’t crisp; instead, it was soft like a ripe peach, its juices spurting out with a burst of rich fragrance!

The flesh, as soon as it touched his tongue, seemed to come alive, transforming into cool, flowing streams that raced to his inner Mud Pellet at the eyebrow. In mere moments, it merged completely.

It wasn’t just pure divine energy; it functioned like a tonic, continuously stimulating each Divine Essence Golden Pill, causing them to undergo transformation. Li Che’s Six-Desire Golden Pill had nearly reached the Breath Retention Transformation stage, capable of spawning overwhelming divine power.

Now, under the paotao’s influence, those Golden Pills even faintly signaled their imminent transformation into Divine Nucleus forms.

“This is excellent… but it seems to affect the Divine Essence Golden Pill rather than the Divine Nucleus. Is it meant to target that first?” Li Che mused.

After several bites, the entire paotao was devoured.

Among all the Golden Pills, the Lv Xuan Sword Immortal Golden Pill had absorbed the most divine energy, swelling robustly as if barely a step away from transforming into a Divine Nucleus—a vibrant heartbeat threatening to burst within the Mud Pellet inner realm.

Li Che then drank from the pot of wine—a superb brew that not only aided his divine power but also nourished each Golden Pill, complementing the paotao perfectly. With each drink, he felt as if his very soul was soaring.

“What excellent wine.”

Li Che marveled, comparing it favorably even to the Dragon Blood Wine provided by the Boss. In taste it was slightly different but in cultivation support, it surpassed it.

After a lazy stretch, Li Che set the wine pot down and soon vanished within the Divine Temple. After his departure,

a profound sigh resonated through the empty Divine Temple.

Countless fragments of Buddhist radiance, shattered by Li Che, inexplicably began to gather. Eventually, they coalesced into the form of the manacle.

Then, suddenly,

the divine energy in the temple boiled up terrifyingly. Boom—!!!

The Buddhist radiance manacle shattered into fragments in an instant! Lotus Pavilion.

Sunlight streamed in brilliantly, making the water shimmer as three lotus blossoms unfurled magnificently. A bamboo ladder descended slowly as an elderly man in simple robes frowned.

National Teacher Xie Yunshen’s eyes revealed a trace of surprise. “Sir, King Ping Luan has come to pay his respects.”

A guard with a longsword at his waist dashed over, clasped his fists, and said, “Send him in.”

National Teacher Xie Yunshen sat at his main table, brewing tea and sipping it, his brows deeply furrowed in a persistent scowl.

The clanging of armor resounded as Ji Mo Li, clad in dark armor and a black cloak like a stormy cloud from afar, strode in alone. “National Teacher, it seems… your plans have failed.”

Ji Mo Li’s voice was low.

There was a hint of schadenfreude in his tone, though not overtly so.

National Teacher Xie Yunshen, seated, relaxed his frown. “Did you manipulate the bloodline power within Zhou Chiguo?” Ji Mo Li paused before nodding.

Though his actions were subtle, those with keen eyes could tell. “But you burst it open in the process.”

National Teacher Xie Yunshen stroked his beard and smiled.

Ji Mo Li’s lips twitched. “The bloodline power, rushed before it could fully ignite, was ripped apart by Li Che’s Cosmic Technique. The Three Pure Ones Level Divine Nucleus Technique is indeed terrifyingly powerful, truly remarkable.”

Ji Mo Li admired it.

“But with just one Divine Secret Technique, he thwarted all your schemes… It seems none of the heroes from the six great Divine Sects can force that unruly monkey to show his true colors.” National Teacher Xie Yunshen sipped his tea and squinted, “Six years—from cultivation to this height…

“A one-transformation Divine Nucleus, unrivaled—unless he reaches three transformations, nothing can keep him in check. It’s truly astounding.”

“If this man is indeed the Divine Monkey and also wields the Freewill Gold-Iron Divine Staff, what kind of martial talent must he possess?”

“Such extraordinary martial and divine gifts…”

National Teacher Xie Yunshen held his tea cup in both hands and sighed.

“If so, the future might well produce another Lü Taibai.”

“Should Qianyuan Divine Sect eventually spawn two figures of Lü Taibai’s calibre…

“I’d end up with even more white hairs.”

Ji Mo Li fell silent, the old grievances between him and Li Che surfacing as a steely glint in his eyes.

A murderous intent welled up in him.

Ji Mo Li was convinced that Ji Haihui’s demise at Jin Guang Mansion was inseparable from Li Che.

He didn’t care about the deaths of the Princess or You Liqing, but Ji Haihui’s death infuriated him.

It had disrupted his plans.

“I must devise a way to prove that this man is indeed the Divine Monkey…”

Ji Mo Li looked to National Teacher Xie Yunshen.

National Teacher Xie Yunshen spread his hands, “I’m at a loss, old friend.”

Ji Mo Li’s brows knit tightly; he did not believe that one man could hold back National Teacher Xie Yunshen of the Great Jing Court’s Divine Sect forever.

“National Teacher… the identity of the Divine Monkey is of utmost importance.”

Ji Mo Li clasped his fists.

The clashing of his armor rang out sharply.

National Teacher Xie Yunshen looked at Ji Mo Li and sighed, “Alas, you are so earnest… but I really have no solution; I’m nearly half-buried in my own failures.”

“To prove whether this man is the Divine Monkey, we’ll have to wait for the Hero Feast. After all, most heroes from the six great Divine Sects are utterly useless!” He added, “Only the third prince is decent…”

“But you might as well contact the Ji family; I heard Li Che rejected Consort Ji’s arranged engagement proposal… And that boy Lu Chi, pity him— Consort Ji is obsessively fixated on him.”

“See if you can reach the Ji family, quickly…”

“In a little while, Li Che might very well become a top-tier guest official of the Imperial Watch.”

“Once he is, any attempt to move him will require an explanation from the Grand Inspector.”

National Teacher Xie Yunshen, stroking his beard, spread his hands and said, “I have no choice.”

Ji Mo Li’s eyes glimmered with a deadly light as he said no more.

After bidding farewell, he turned and left.

Outside Lotus Pavilion, Zhou Chiguo stood silently.

“Master,”

Zhou Chiguo spoke anxiously, “Li Che has taken the White Jade Pipa. We must retrieve it. He disrupted my plan once; a second failure is unacceptable.”

Ji Mo Li ignored Zhou Chiguo’s words, lost in deep thought.

“But… that Xie Yunshen is full of schemes,”

“It seems he deliberately lured me into the Ji family’s web…”

Ji Mo Li exhaled slowly, straightening his posture as a terrifying pressure gradually emanated.

“Let’s go meet Consort Ji.” “Let’s go…”

“Old acquaintances.”

A wry smile tugged at Ji Mo Li’s lips.

Qianyuan Courtyard.

In the instant Li Che reappeared, innumerable cheers erupted.

Explosive cheers resounded, shattering the chilly vestiges of early spring! XiXi’s face lit up with excitement.

“Daddy—!!”

XiXi screamed as she scampered forward with a few sprinting steps. Li Che quickly gathered the little one in his arms, a smile breaking across his face.

“My Daddy is invincible!”

In Li Che’s embrace, XiXi tilted her head proudly, casting a look of envy towards the little companions in the courtyard. Even Lü Qingxuan, Yang Yi, Zhou Peng and others couldn’t hide their admiration.

Li Che gave XiXi a playful scratch on her nose, “Alright, calm down. You’ve had your fill; now, consolidate your grand master’s cultivation…” “Daddy, if you’re done here, whether those bets come in depends entirely on you, XiXi the Great Emperor.”

Li Che’s tone was laced with affection.

Instantly, the smile on XiXi’s face vanished, replaced by a stern, resolute look.

This was the most critical battle XiXi the Great Emperor had faced since her debut. The stakes were high!

Should she lose, not only would a massive wager be lost, but XiXi would also no longer be able to puff up proudly among her peers! “Don’t worry, Daddy. I’ll do my utmost!”

“Crush them as you do, invincibly!” XiXi clenched her tiny fists.

“As my clever, vivacious, and downright adorable daughter, you must only know victory—no defeat allowed!” Li Che burst into hearty laughter.

That little one…

She had even started boasting, piling on self-adulatory phrases.

Clearly, she had picked up a trick or two from Elder Fang Han Shu. Unimpressed by her father’s boisterous laughter, XiXi felt mocked.

She threw herself away like a plump carp, breaking free from Li Che’s embrace, landing on the ground with a huff, then sat cross-legged and popped a pill into her mouth to consolidate her cultivation. However, after a short while, XiXi’s eyes reopened.

“Daddy, can I enter battle directly to consolidate my strength through combat?” XiXi pleaded, looking up at Li Che with big eyes.

Li Che smiled and glanced at Lü Taibai, who was leisurely sipping tea under the eaves.

“What does the Sect Leader say?”

Lü Taibai’s silver hair fluttered as his wide sleeves billowed. “Training through combat isn’t a bad idea…”

“But when you fight, you rely solely on mechanized barrages. So… what exactly are you training?” XiXi responded, a note of playful protest in her voice.

“A master is a master. You caught that tricky angle! So… can I skip the fireworks?”

XiXi’s chubby fingers tapped a bit hesitantly, a trace of reluctance evident as she bit her lip and said, “As long as I can fight, I’m happy enough.”

Li Che ruffled XiXi’s head affectionately.

“Go on then… Let Daddy see just how much you’ve grown after reaching Grand Master level.” XiXi immediately brightened, not wasting a moment to announce among her friends that XiXi the Great Emperor was setting off once more.

After that, she bounded over to Zhang Ya’s embrace, clenching her little fist around the Paotao Branch. After nearly half an incense stick’s time, she finally matched with an opponent!

“Daddy, Mother, Sect Leader, XiXi the Great Emperor is off to battle!” XiXi exclaimed spiritedly.

After her cry, she was instantly teleported into the Divine Temple. Lü Taibai’s eyes twinkled briefly.

Li Che, in his flowing ink robe, sat under the eaves, sipping tea. “Nicely done.”

Lü Taibai praised warmly.

He was truly surprised at how high Li Che’s divine cultivation had soared, managing to achieve seven consecutive wins in one day against heroes from the six great Divine Sects. “Just a few trivial moves—mainly, his breakthrough in Divine Nucleus gave him a decisive edge.”

Li Che laughed, “I only have my three signature moves: Cosmic Technique, Heavenly Thunder Divine Eagle, and the Two-Hearted Great Sage Temple Spirit Monkey Impulse… Once I use them all, I’m completely spent, with no backup left.”

Lü Taibai squinted at Li Che, clearly in disbelief,

but Li Che’s three moves were enough during the preliminary feast.

“The main feast will be tougher. Normally, only strong opponents like mountain pioneers and masters of the Three Transformations—true prodigies among the factions—can contend. Those who reach this level before fifty usually have the chance to ascend to the pinnacle of excellence.”

Lü Taibai remarked,

“Consider the Golden-Haired Roar from Witch God Mountain, the First Dragon of the Dragon God Clan, the Golden Cicada of the Western Buddhist Lands—challenges are truly steep.”

“But if you can utterly trample everything in the main feast, you might even win paotaos older than five thousand years.”

Five-thousand-year paotaos?!

Li Che paused mid-sip, his eyes wide in astonishment, “A five-thousand-year paotao?”

Lü Taibai chuckled, satisfied by Li Che’s amazement, taking a sip of his tea, “Yes. A five-thousand-year… In the previous Paotao Victory, the first hero of Zi Mansion from the Divine Sect defeated countless challengers, reaching the top with a 9,000-year Ginseng Paotao from Xi Wangmu’s Temple. Although not as prestigious as a millennial paotao, it is still classified as a Five Elders Upper Rank Heavenly Treasure…”

“That 9,000-year Ginseng Paotao, born from hybridizing the Pure Yang Ginseng Fruit Tree in Xi Wangmu’s Temple, is said to shatter mortal lifespan limits, bestowing up to a thousand years of life.”

Li Che’s breath grew heavy.

Lü Taibai glanced at Li Che, knowing he was tempted. However, for Li Che, conquering the Hero Feast solely by divine means was extremely challenging. The prodigies participating in the main feast were far stronger than even Zhou Chiguo or Monk Wukong.

“Come, let’s watch as XiXi, who recently broke through to Grand Master, brings us a surprise in her battle.”

“For six-year-old XiXi to bear such pressure, I do feel a tinge of guilt as a sect leader.” “But pressure drives growth, after all.”

Lü Taibai smiled, his face devoid of any guilt. Li Che could only laugh in disbelief.

Li Che understood that while the wager was enticing, Lü Taibai was more interested in instilling pressure to push XiXi—and that tactic was proving effective. XiXi’s inner fire had propelled her to break through to Grand Master level.

Bzzzz—

Lü Taibai swung the golden Paotao Branch.

Li Che and the others subsequently entered Xi Wangmu’s Temple.

Everyone in Qianyuan Courtyard soon ventured into Xi Wangmu’s Temple.

By his thunderous methods, Li Che had vanquished the heroes of the six great Divine Sects in one day, and even amassed a battle record passed down by King Ping Luan and Ji Mo Li—a feat that echoed throughout the Divine Capital. Yet before the teahouses and taverns could fully celebrate the news,

another announcement came: Li Nuǎnxi, the protégé of Lü Taibai from Qianyuan Divine Sect, had entered the Divine Temple to challenge the fledgling dragons of the six great Divine Sects. A father-daughter duo!

The moment a father displayed unmatched elegance, his daughter quickly followed!

Instantly, cultivators from the Divine Capital and major factions once again flocked into Xi Wangmu’s Temple. And when they saw XiXi’s opponent, all were stunned.

This marked XiXi’s third battle.

However, for her third fight, XiXi’s opponent… was not from Seven Treasure Divine Sect or Haoran Academy…

but Xiao Lingyin Temple! How could it be Xiao Lingyin Temple?

Suddenly, various factions realized…

The six great Divine Sects… were making their final stand, weren’t they?

They were pinning all their hopes on Xiao Lingyin Temple’s first fledgling dragon! Cultivators from Haoran Academy, Bashu Sword Pavilion, and Dragon and Tiger Divine Sect likely opted to throw in the towel just as they had against Li Che! Xiao Lingyin Temple’s first fledgling dragon had taken the stage.

This battle could very well determine the fate of the wager.

If XiXi won, then facing the remaining three softhearted Divine Sects would be a mere formality—an unquestionable crush. But if XiXi were to fall to Xiao Lingyin Temple’s first fledgling dragon,

it would spell defeat for Qianyuan Divine Sect in this wager. Once the news spread,

even those factions who had previously cared little about this match erupted in heated chatter! The six great Divine Sects…

All their hopes were pinned on Xiao Lingyin Temple’s first fledgling dragon!

Inside the Divine Temple, on the viewing platform,

Li Che, in a transcendent state atop a celestial statue of divine eagle, fixed his gaze on the arena. His eyes grew serious because…

Upon the white jade arena,

Buddhist radiance surged continuously, cresting like tidal waves. The cold Buddhist light flowed like interwoven currents. A slender fifteen-year-old monk, beaming with a smile, stood opposite XiXi,

overlooking the six-year-old XiXi from above. One hand raised in an open palm,

while the other cradled a golden pagoda. Victory was all but assured!