Chapter 350: Fateful Turbulence

Li Che was ready to unleash a bloodbath!

Upon arriving at the Divine Capital, Li Che felt that he had always been too honest and proper.

But the price of such honesty was constant humiliation, being trotted on by others.

Whether it was Consort Ji arriving with Lu Chi for an engagement, the six great Divine Sect clans joining forces to thwart the Qianyuan Divine Sect, or in the century-long high-stakes gamble where Huang Mei Great Master had Wu Yuan wield the power of the Golden King Tower to suppress the Temple Spirit of XiXi and force forth her Yulian Fire!

All of these were blows aimed at Li Che’s honest and proper nature.

So…

Li Che decided he would no longer remain the meek and proper type.

Killing Consort Ji was, for Li Che at this moment, hardly a challenge—it was more a cathartic release of emotion.

Consort Ji’s status was indeed exalted, but so what?

Even if she hid within the Ji Family’s mansion, the result would be the same.

After all, Li Che had already planted a Feilei Chess Piece on her long ago.

Ever cautious, as had always been his habit, Li Che never let his guard down—especially when the Qianyuan Divine Sect and the Huanglong Xuánmù Treasure Ship of Daocheng had just docked at the Ninth City dock of the Divine Capital.

At that moment, Consort Ji advanced aggressively with Lu Chi, intent on securing Lu Chi’s engagement and setting up an alliance with XiXi—a high and mighty posture that Li Che mentally noted.

Though Consort Ji’s strength might not pose a significant threat, her status was different—could it spell trouble for XiXi?

Li Che had considered this and thus planted a Feilei Chess Piece on her to constantly track her movements and status.

Sure enough, Li Che’s habit of cautious vigilance proved entirely justified.

One must always be cautious when responsible for one’s family; as Li Che had suspected,

Consort Ji’s status indeed carried the potential to endanger XiXi.

So without any hesitation, Li Che acted decisively.

Killing Consort Ji—a corpse, no matter how special—would hardly cause a huge stir.

At the very least, it would reduce the possibility of that woman whispering intrigues beside the exalted Great Jing Emperor.

Perhaps the emperor had his own judgment and wouldn’t be swayed by a woman’s words.

But Li Che wasn’t willing or able to take that risk.

As for the consequences of killing her, Li Che cared little—

When enemies come, meet them head on; that had always been Li Che’s way.

As his power grew, his methods became even more aggressive. For himself he might choose caution, but for his daughter, Li Che was prepared to be radical.

A thick blood mist filled the entire room.

Yet it was completely sealed off by the Cosmic Chessboard, not spreading an iota.

Li Che’s massive frame, as sturdy as a mountain, nearly pressed his head against the ceiling.

After killing Consort Ji, Li Che did not leave immediately. He raised his palm—the very palm with which he had crushed Consort Ji’s skull, its fingers inwardly curled.

Spiritual Confinement.

It was as if a cold, austere wind began to howl.

In the midst of this chilling cold,

Consort Ji’s Spiritual Confinement, in its confused form, began to coalesce.

At the moment it fully took shape, Consort Ji’s confined form trembled and then fixed its hateful gaze on the Ogre!

“Ah—it’s you—ah—”

—

In the instant Consort Ji transformed into Spiritual Confinement, she realized who her killer was.

How dare he?!

How dare he!

This lowly, despicable dirt-bumbler, how dare he kill her!

With bared fangs and flailing limbs, Consort Ji’s face contorted with venom and rage.

Behind the Ogre Mask, Li Che’s eyes were icy and utterly devoid of emotion.

A single glance froze Consort Ji’s Spiritual Confinement as if encased in ice, unyielding and immovable.

Fear began to show on her confined face.

Yet—

Even if she was an exalted consort—a favorite of the emperor herself—

In front of Li Che,

once transformed by Spiritual Confinement,

life and death were in Li Che’s hands—a mere glance had already sealed Consort Ji’s fate.

One after another, the Spiritual Confinements burst forth like black flames rising from the ground, twisting and expanding into a multitude of scarlet, eerie, confined silhouettes.

The imposing figures of Xue Dufu and Long Tai materialized, their Spiritual Confinement forms silently fixated on Consort Ji.

Before her terrified eyes, her Spiritual Confinement was torn asunder.

Accompanied by the sound of cracking and tearing—

It was slowly devoured.

He then retrieved Consort Ji’s Qian Kun Jade—after all, even the smallest morsel of value was welcome, and a consort would undoubtedly have some prized possessions.

After collecting the Qian Kun Jade,

Li Che’s fingers mysteriously formed a Chess Piece in his palm.

Then, anchoring himself to a predetermined Feilei Chess Piece point, he vanished from the room.

The Cosmic Chessboard that had sealed off the room and blocked all energy suddenly retracted.

At that very moment of the chessboard’s withdrawal,

The room’s sanguine atmosphere exploded like a compressed blood bomb, shattering into countless shards of scarlet mist that burst from the carved wooden windows and splintered doors!

Outside in the courtyard.

The Ji Family guards and the powerful cultivators assigned to protect Consort Ji sensed that bloody explosion instantly!

Each face underwent drastic changes.

The elderly eunuch tasked with guarding Consort Ji trembled all over; his life force erupted in an instant, nearly turning the sky to dusk as if snow turned to rain.

His staggering figure staggered and then appeared within the room.

Gazing at the room littered with shredded flesh and the overwhelming stench of blood—the silver mirror on the dressing table splattered with droplets of blood—the scene was macabre.

The eunuch’s face was as white as paper; at this moment, however, his features grew even paler.

His eyes fixed on the room, taking in the dismembered flesh and blood; he could clearly sense Consort Ji’s life force, as well as that of the two maids who had been detonated.

“So brutal—”

“Who did it—who in the world—”

“Empress… she met a tragic end!”

The eunuch’s low, guttural roar seemed to erupt from deep within his throat as his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

Swish, swish, swish—

A sound of rending air echoed continuously—a terrifying, almost burning presence swept in like a blazing fireball from deep within the Ji Family compound.

It then fell outside the courtyard.

It was none other than the head of the ancient Ji Family and the two Supreme Elders!

Their aura was immensely powerful: one was the Divine Nucleus Great God and the other two were three-star Martial Saints!

They were the top-tier forces of the Fang Gu Family!

The moment the Ji Family mansion reeked of blood, the three reclused experts in seclusion all rushed over.

“Damn it!”

“What nerve, what nerve!”

Ji Family Patriarch Ji Qingchuan, his richly adorned robes billowing under the overwhelming aura, was incensed.

The other two elders wore expressions of utter coldness.

Their gazes fell upon the elderly eunuch—a top expert dispatched from the Divine Temple of the First City in the Divine Capital to protect Consort Ji, boasting cultivation at the three-star Martial Saint level.

It could be said that if this eunuch exerted himself fully, even peak experts might be caught off guard by a move or two—

At the very least, he would cause a tremendous uproar.

But—

This eunuch had done nothing, and Consort Ji was dead!

Ji Family Patriarch Ji Qingchuan’s face darkened; Consort Ji’s position was critically important for them—a consort who had borne two sons for the Great Jing Emperor, even the mother of the Third Prince. Should the Third Prince have a chance at the crown prince title,

then Ji Yan could even become the empress dowager!

But now—Ji Yan was dead.

Worse still, she had died within the Ji Family mansion!

This—

Matters had suddenly taken a severe turn.

“Let me see how it is—”

“I want to know which scoundrel dared to harm our consort within the Ji Family mansion!”

The Ji Family’s great elder hurriedly stepped out, his ancient countenance like withered old wood; his furrowed brow

seethed with unleashed divine energy as it spread, shaking heaven and earth, and forming a withered mask-like visage behind him.

That withered mask seemed to open its mouth in a mournful, shrill wail.

Countless divine energies amassed and interlaced, as if time were rewinding.

Yet…

The image that had just solidified into form now shattered into fragments!

“Three souls and seven spirits cannot be traced—divine energy cannot rewind time.”

“The culprit was vicious beyond measure, with an extensive killing background and fearsome power.”

“Inform the Temple Guardian Division and have them investigate.”

“Also, send word to the First City and the Third Prince…”

Ji Family’s great elder spoke gravely, his hoarse voice echoing throughout the room.

Then, as soon as he finished speaking,

the entire room fell deathly silent.

Ji Family Patriarch Ji Qingchuan’s face turned slightly reddish.

They all had a suspicion in their minds.

The last person Consort Ji saw was highly suspected of being the murderer.

And the last person Consort Ji beheld was none other than—

King Ping Luan—

Ji Mo Li!

Could it be that Ji Mo Li—did he kill Consort Ji?!

Li Che returned to a room in the Qianyuan Courtyard.

The room was tranquil, a gentle breeze stirring without a hint of arrogance.

As his blood surged, washing away the scent of blood from his body, Li Che, wearing the Ogre Mask, sat like a tower—the pulsing veins on his massive frame sounding like rolling thunder.

“The territories of the Wan Gu Family are far better defended than the Su Family of Daocheng,”

he mused. “Every corner is guarded by Divine Eagle formations. Even though my Sleeping Dragon Elephant Breath Convergence is powerful, infiltrating a mansion laden with Divine Eagle arrays is no easy feat.”

“Luckily, I planted a Feilei Chess Piece in advance—thanks to the spatial anchor, I could bypass those Divine Eagle formations to penetrate the Ji Family mansion.”

Li Che stretched his body.

Originally, his main target was Huang Mei at Xiao Lingyin Temple.

But unexpectedly, Consort Ji had shown up mid-way, staging a death-bound performance.

“However, aside from Consort Ji, there’s also Ji Mo Li—Ji Mo Li is the true mastermind threatening XiXi.”

Li Che’s eyes behind the mask darkened.

Although Consort Ji posed a threat, Li Che had never planned to kill her at first—even if she intended to force an engagement between Lu Chi and XiXi, he wasn’t going to act immediately.

But when Consort Ji, influenced or ordered by Ji Mo Li, decided to enter the Imperial Temple in the First City to receive an imperial edict from Emperor Jing,

Li Che found himself with no choice but to act ruthlessly—she had to die.

“Inside the Ji Family mansion, the defenses are extremely tight, bolstered by Divine Eagle arrays. But what about inside the imperial palace?”

1

Li Che’s eyes glimmered.

In fact, atop Taibai Peak of the Qianyuan Divine Sect, there was also a Divine Eagle formation—but since Li Che and XiXi were insiders of the Divine Sect, they never noticed it.

“Using divine energy and Divine Eagle as the array core to create formations—

“The profession of Array Master… is rather niche. Compared to the four main professions that rely on divine energy—Divine Pills, Divine Eagle, Divine Weapons, and Divine Talismans—the status of Array Master is somewhat lower.”

Li Che mused that an Array Master essentially fused the characteristics of a Divine Eagle master with those of a Divine Talismansmith—a new, emerging role.

The result was effective, but Li Che thought it was rather ordinary.

After all, given some time, with his expertise as the Divine Condor Half-Saint, he could easily pinpoint the nodes of any array and then strike and destroy them.

“I’ve heard that the Great Jing Emperor himself was rumored to be an Array Master—indeed, he even developed the profession. That’s why among so many princes he stood out and was chosen by the previous Emperor

to be the heir.”

Li Che recalled the courtly information the encyclopedic Elder Fang Han Shu had once shared during their conversation.

Without lingering in the room,

Li Che removed the Ogre Mask, donned the Divine Monkey Mask, picked up two scrolls, and left the room in one swift motion.

The killing of Consort Ji was merely incidental.

The next target was a far more formidable foe.

Qianyuan Courtyard.

Lü Taibai sat beneath the eaves of his own room as sparse flurries drifted down like falling snow.

His silver hair flowed, and his wide-sleeved robe billowed with the passing wind.

A sealed sword scar marked his brow, fine as though it had exuded a single drop of deep red blood.

He quietly watched the falling snow, his eyes reflecting an air of detachment and ease.

After much internal struggle, Lü Taibai had decided to accept the Divine Monkey’s invitation. The Underworld’s plan to enlist him to kill Huang Mei was clearly meant to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to finally extinguish Huang Mei.

Huang Mei’s existence had become a grave threat to XiXi’s safety.

For Huang Mei could manipulate the Temple Spirit’s divine energy through the Seven-Treasure Shеli Ruyi Heavenly King Tower to stir XiXi’s Yulian Fire.

Although Wu Yuan had been overwhelmed by the mystical power within XiXi that time, one could not always rely on luck.

Huang Mei might fail many times, but XiXi could only afford one mistake!

Suddenly,

Lü Taibai, pausing in his seat, slowly stood up, rolling up his wide sleeves and squinting towards the direction of the Second City.

He saw that the Second City’s defenses had suddenly erupted with an overwhelming aura—a presence that

Lü Taibai recognized well—it was one of the three top governors of the Temple Guardian Division!

It was also the father of Tie Shancai, husband of Princess Tie Shan, and a top fighter in the Divine Capital!

A truly top-tier powerhouse in the Temple Guardian Division, standing at the pinnacle of the Great Jing realm, listed among the highest of the Divine Pantheon and Heavenly Gate, and highly ranked!

In terms of combat power and reputation, he even surpassed Ji Mo Li.

He was arguably the most formidable expert under the Great Jing Emperor’s dark reign.

As a governor of the Temple Guardian Division, his very appearance signaled that some major incident had erupted in the Second City!

Lü Taibai’s eyes sparkled with curiosity—after all, gossip was human nature, even for someone as powerful as him.

Yet he ultimately couldn’t go investigate further.

For before he knew it, the Divine Monkey had reappeared quietly in the distance, as if melding with the wind and snow.

“Are we about to strike?”

Lü Taibai smiled lightly.

To take action in the Divine Capital now…

In a place teeming with experts, any overt move might incite a full-blown siege from every side.

The news about Lü Taibai’s Tao Calamity Sword had likely already become a thorn in everyone’s side—they would all want to crush him, preventing him from advancing into the divine tribulation realm.

Given that, it was better to act preemptively; if you’re going to nab someone, you might as well get them all at once.

Lü Taibai began to ponder how he could swiftly cooperate with the Underworld to dispatch Huang Mei, while also arranging for Zhao Fangzhou and the others to let the Divine Sect disciples retreat safely from the Divine Capital.

The challenge was immense, but Lü Taibai thought of the Underworld.

With the Underworld’s assistance, these matters wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Sect Leader—now it seems you’re ready,”

Li Che, wearing the Divine Monkey Mask, looked at Lü Taibai with a trace of amusement in his voice.

Lü Taibai’s fingers produced a low, humming sound as the Taibai Sword shimmered with brilliant silvery light, landing in his hand; his grip tightened and the sword’s hum echoed powerfully.

“Then kill—”

“But what comes after the killing?”

Lü Taibai wanted to see what the Underworld had prepared.

It wasn’t simply a matter of cold-blooded killing, you know?

What happened after the kill was far more crucial…

Li Che, however, gave Lü Taibai a peculiar look beneath the Divine Monkey Mask, then pressed it down firmly, his tone both brazen and defiant: “Just kill—”

“What does the Underworld have to do with Qianyuan Divine Sect? What about the Sect Leader—what does he have to do with it?”

After a pause, Li Che produced a scroll.

He gently tossed it aside.

The scroll unfurled in the wind, stretching as tall as a man; as it trembled, ink-black currents surged forth, and then——

A figure gradually stepped out of the scroll.

It was an exact replica of Lü Taibai.

The Painted Immortal Lü Taibai, his silver hair billowing, looked nearly identical to Lü Taibai himself—in expression, demeanor, and countenance, a flawless imitation.

Except for the vast difference in power and aura, everything else was nearly indistinguishable!

“The Sect Leader left behind a sword aura as a means to mask his true energy—

“Unless our enemy makes a move, this false body of the Sect Leader won’t reveal itself.”

Under the Divine Monkey Mask, Li Che’s voice brimmed with confidence and arrogance!

Lü Taibai’s eyes narrowed, his heart jolting.

The Underworld’s methods were indeed bizarre and mysterious—this scroll trick to produce a nearly identical decoy was a crude yet effective technique that even rough sword cultivators would envy.

“Then why not send this decoy, since Great Jing Sect Leader Shi Jian mentioned visiting, let him take a stroll?”

Li Che inquired.

Lü Taibai stared at his Painted Immortal double, growing increasingly astonished before finally bursting into hearty laughter.

“I see—so the person who left with Hong Shifo earlier to the Imperial Watch Tower must have been this decoy, right?”

Li Che nodded.

“Impressive skill. Interesting…”

“In that case…”

Lü Taibai’s fingers grasped tightly; in the next moment, a Hunt King Assassin Mask studded with starry points fell into his hand and was pressed against his face.

Immediately, his entire aura underwent a dramatic transformation.

Lü Taibai even switched to a different Divine Weapon, setting aside the Taibai Sword.

Li Che did not object.

“Sect Leader, just relax your mind,”

Lü Taibai was taken aback.

In the next moment,

he suddenly looked up sharply.

He discovered that above his head, a heavy, profound, mysterious, and majestic ink-black city had appeared!

The ancient city, its bricks and stones drawn in ink as if steeped in the breath of time, sat amidst the river of ages, bearing the scars and weight of time.

Rumbling!

The city gates abruptly swung open, and Lü Taibai felt himself being drawn inside the ink city as if shifting his very body.

And finally, Lü Taibai realized Li Che’s plan—

to seal the door—

and kill the Buddha!

The calm of the Third City in the Divine Capital was utterly shattered.

Though the Ji Family had tried to conceal the news, it was impossible to hide the fact that Consort Ji had died within their mansion!

The larger the family’s influence, the more demons and schemers lurk within, and the more impossible it is to guard against planted spies.

Xiao Lingyin Courtyard.

Although located in the Fourth City, its information network was incredibly swift.

Huang Mei sat with a withered look beneath an arch, enrobed in lavish Buddhist attire. Surrounded by sculpted Holy Hand Divine Eagle formations releasing divine energy, he absorbed it to mend the wounds inflicted by severing his three-life body.

At the same time, he quietly listened to a report from a white-robed monk stationed at Xiao Lingyin Temple in the Third City.

Suddenly, Huang Mei opened his eyes.

A look of astonishment flickered in them: “Are you saying that the Ji Family called upon the head of the Temple Guardian Division, Wang Kui, to personally intervene because Consort Ji died?!”

“Consort Ji—mother of both Third Prince Lu Li Tong and Second Prince Lu Chi, and a consort beloved by the Great Jing Emperor—died in the Ji Family mansion?”

Even Huang Mei was momentarily stunned.

After all, the Ji Family’s defensive Divine Eagle formation had been assembled with his own hands; many array nodes were crafted by his own Divine Eagle expert technique.

“Ji Yan was the pride of the Ji Family, exalted as an imperial consort, bringing in immense benefits and gains—so how could they have killed her?”

“So, Consort Ji was assassinated?”

“Who killed her?”

“Whom did she offend? Court intrigue? But no one would dare commit such an act right in the Ji Family mansion—”

“Moreover, it was done so stealthily that even the Hunt King Assassin of the Lie Shen Pavilion might not have managed it, right?!”

“Could it be that the mysterious Lord of the Lie Shen Pavilion struck?”

Huang Mei raised his brows, then brought his palms together, bathing in the radiant Buddhist light emanating from the elaborate Divine Eagle statues as he tended to his injuries.

He shook his head.

“No, it couldn’t have been the Lord of the Lie Shen Pavilion—Consort Ji was beneath him.”

After a moment of contemplation and bewilderment,

Huang Mei suddenly looked at the little monk: “Li Che boarded Hong Shifo’s carriage and is headed to the Imperial Watch Tower to partake in the Special Official Assessment—”

“So it wasn’t his doing?”

Li Che had a full alibi.

“Great Master, there are rumors—Consort Ji’s final moments were in the presence of King Ping Luan and Ji Mo Li.”

The white-robed monk intoned gravely.

“Dismiss him. Continue monitoring the Ji Family’s situation—after the death of such an imperial consort, things are bound to get interesting.”

“It’s as if a hand plunged into a murky bog, stirring the already muddied waters even more.”

A smile spread across Huang Mei’s withered face.

He signaled the white-robed monk to continue the investigation.

The white-robed monk cast one last glance at the bizarre four Buddha statues with Divine Eagle formations exuding Buddhist light, then took his leave.

Inside the courtyard, a deep silence fell.

“Troubles abound in these times.”

“But during this Pan Tao Shenghui—when the Millennial Paotao is revealed, an opportunity that comes once every eight hundred years—the chaos is only natural.”

Huang Mei brought his palms together and murmured softly,

“Lü Taibai has grasped the Tao Calamity Sword; his unorthodox practices mean his cultivation speed is unpredictable. If he reaches breakthrough, it might shatter the realm—”

“In the Divine Tribulation Realm—three disasters and nine tribulations, one disaster and one tribulation per stage—the positions have largely been occupied by the ancestral patriarchs—”

“In this world, everyone hides their true strength, unwilling to expose it lightly—now that you, Lü Taibai, have revealed yourself, you’ll surely become the target of many arrows.”

Huang Mei chuckled.

A secret about Lü Taibai’s Tao Calamity Sword, destined to change his fate, was certainly not a loss.

Moreover, by sacrificing his three-life body, his foes would shift their focus away from him. After all, such a sacrifice meant that the mighty would no longer see him as an immediate threat.

Huang Mei slowly exhaled.

“Now that Lü Taibai has left the Qianyuan Divine Sect, having exposed the Tao Calamity Sword, National Teacher Xie Yunshen certainly wouldn’t let him return to Qianyuan.”

“And what of the Daughter of Yulian?”

A faint Buddhist radiance flickered in Huang Mei’s eyes.

“The Daughter of Yulian—this matter ties into the fierce struggles within the Bizarre Temple. Countless cultivators have died over it. Now that you’ve appeared, I, as a humble monk, cannot stand by idly.”

It was rare that both Lü Taibai and the Daughter of Yulian had left the Qianyuan Divine Sect.

If the Qianyuan Divine Sect’s Mountain Gate still had its unknown ancestral patriarch looming over it, no one would dare act rashly.

But now, the opportunity—

was truly once in a thousand years.

“Time waits for no one.”

Huang Mei brought his palms together, murmuring softly.

He picked up the wooden mallet and struck the wooden fish in front of him.

Instantly, invisible shockwaves rippled back as if echoing like an impact wave.

The monks of Xiao Lingyin Temple, seated in the courtyard, chanted Buddhist verses as waves of Buddhist light surged, accompanied by the rhythmic strikes of the wooden fish, all converging upon Huang Mei to help him recuperate.

These monks—from the greatest to the least—seemed to have their blood and primordial energy drained by Huang Mei’s extraction, weakening them visibly.

It was as if they were sacrificing their own vital energy to nourish Huang Mei and mend his injuries!

Huang Mei sat cross-legged, one hand gripping the wooden mallet and the other striking the wooden fish, as the sound of chanting and the rhythmic pounding resonated throughout the courtyard.

A confluence of Buddhist light gathered at his fingertips, intertwining with the blazing Yulian Fire that incinerated his flesh to reveal golden Buddhist bones in defiance.

Suddenly,

the sound of Huang Mei striking the wooden fish faltered.

No matter how he struck, not a single resonant echo was heard from the wooden fish.

Inside Xiao Lingyin Courtyard,

all sound seemed to vanish—no wind, no rain, no wooden fish strikes, no monk chants—as if he were completely isolated from the world.

Huang Mei’s two yellow eyebrows quivered slightly.

“Hehe—time waits for no one, eh?”

Mocking, defiant, and brazen voices suddenly rang out.

Then,

an overwhelming killing intent surged forth like a mountain collapsing, a torrent that crashed down in a frenzy!

It was like a tidal surge on the Grand Canal, seemingly slow but striking with incredible speed.

And there, standing at the crest of the tide, someone unleashed merciless killing intent!

“Amitabha.”

“If I don’t go to hell, who will?”

“So—it’s the Underworld.”

Huang Mei suddenly looked up as a furious wind howled between heaven and earth.

His face, rough as withered wood and tough as old leather, trembled in the gusts.

His eyes narrowed and his long eyebrows whipped like lightning in the storm!

Then he saw.

Above his head, an intricate, sprawling chessboard stretched across the sky.

Upon the chessboard sat an ink-black city, suspended above like a majestic palace painted in splashed ink!

The ink city rapidly expanded, engulfing the entire sky above Xiao Lingyin Courtyard. Its gate roared downwards with relentless, sweeping winds, nearly brushing Huang Mei’s face.

Inscribed above the gate were the words ‘Shandu’!

Creaking and groaning, the ancient, profound, jet-black gate slowly swung open!

High above Huang Mei, it unfurled with a sudden, overwhelming force!

In that moment, the entire city crashed down—like a demonic maw in the Abyss snapping shut to instantly swallow Huang Mei the Great Master!

The roaring winds and turbulent currents raged!

Inside Xiao Lingyin Courtyard,

at the very moment Huang Mei vanished, many of the monks were shaken like puppets with their strings cut, and numerous figures began coughing up blood.

Their eyes cleared, and then,

they beheld the ink-black city that had swallowed the Great Master—a towering, imposing city gate that had crashed into the courtyard.

A figure wearing a Divine Monkey Mask crouched atop the city tower, tilting his head.

Beneath the Divine Monkey Mask, his face bore an unmistakably defiant grin, while his eyes remained cold and foreboding as he glared at them.

“Underworld Divine Monkey?!”

A prominent disciple from Xiao Lingyin Temple’s elite suddenly twitched, his monk robes flapping, his eyes burning with fanatic intensity as he fixed his gaze on Li Che atop the ink city.

But then,

in the next moment, the masked figure on the ink city vanished.

Reappearing

right behind the fanatic from Xiao Lingyin Temple.

In an instant, the Freewill Gold-Iron Divine Staff pierced straight through the disciple’s brow, shattering his forehead and splintering bones.

With a snap of his fingers,

the Divine Staff shook slightly.

In that instant, his head exploded into pieces!

“Hehe—”

“Neat and tidy.”

“Not one left behind.”