Chapter 366: Golden Pearl and the Vanishing Temple

A ceaseless stream of countless light beams burst out from that golden pearl, vibrating fiercely as if propelled by a tiny motor.

Li Che held the pearl, feeling a warm energy emanating from within.

An overwhelming divine aura began slowly seeping out from the golden treasure.

This divine force, as if possessed by its own will, frantically surged toward Li Che’s body but was bluntly repelled by his immensely powerful Pure Martial Arts body.

Curiosity welled within Li Che—he had never encountered anything like this before.

He hadn’t already wiped out the Golden Heavenly King’s Bizarre Temple; ever since the scheme involving the Third Prince in that temple endangered his daughter, Li Che had summoned and obliterated all the bizarre temples of Jingguang Mansion and Daocheng alike.

Yet he had never come across anything like this.

It wasn’t his first time summoning gods in Daocheng, nor his first encounter with bizarre temples—he had used divine summons on others to collect the Seven-Desire Divine Vision…

Precisely because of that, Li Che’s curiosity deepened.

‘Could it be that only a Four-Yu rank temple could spawn something like this?’

Divine Technique – Star Plucking Gaze!

Infinite scrutiny, peering into the void to reclaim truth!

Amidst the torn flesh of the mud pellet on his brow, a golden pupil burst forth with brilliance.

【Heavenly Marvel: Four-Yu Supreme Temple Spirit Dao Pearl】

【Origin: Condensed from the divine essence, Dao energy, and primal elements after a deity’s fall, refined by sacrificial blood and flesh to obtain the Temple Spirit Dao Position】

【Requirement: Once refined, the Temple Spirit must not appear in the mortal world】

Staring at the prompt that appeared before him, the astonishment in Li Che’s eyes deepened.

He had assumed that this golden pearl, with its potent divine aura, might be an invaluable cultivation resource—something as precious as Divine Crystals.

But to his surprise, it was entirely different from Divine Crystals!

‘Four-Yu Supreme Temple Spirit Dao Pearl?!’

Li Che drew a deep breath.

He had heard of the Dao Position—after all, Lü Taibai and Huang Mei had both encountered it; to break through the Divine Tribulation, one had to obtain a Dao Position.

Three Calamities, Nine Tribulations—a single calamity or tribulation all bear a Dao Position.

And acquiring a Dao Position is a critical process in ascending through the divine trials!

‘So the Temple Spirit Dao Pearl… once refined, could it directly transform into a Temple Spirit?’

A peculiar look flashed across Li Che’s eyes.

However, it likely wouldn’t grant full Temple Spirit combat power—it would be on par with the top-tier might of the Golden Heavenly King Temple Spirit.

If a Four-Yu Supreme Temple Spirit possessed Divine Tribulation power, then Lü Taibai and the others who had attacked the bizarre temple would have perished one by one.

‘Intriguing.’

‘Could it be interpreted as the Temple Spirit’s divine status?’

Li Che’s eyes shimmered with possibility.

‘But this Temple Spirit Dao Pearl is no ordinary treasure—it is dangerous. Once refined, it becomes a Temple Spirit, doomed to fall into the Bizarre Temple, never to return to the mortal realm.’

‘This thing… is extremely perilous, almost too hot to handle.’

Li Che shook his head after toying with the Dao Pearl for a while, casually stowing it away.

Glancing at XiXi, who was seated in deep meditation.

Li Che’s heart stirred slightly.

Leaving behind a Painted Immortal Clone, Li Che himself stepped into Mo City.

Inside Mo City, the cracks left from a previous battle had long been mended by the city’s self-repairing power.

The unceasing rain over Mo City appeared to carry the power to restore and heal.

It was as if the divine essence, souls, and flesh of the fallen warriors had evaporated into the Heavenly Dome, only to be reborn as rain that nourished the entire city—a perfect, self-contained cycle.

Li Che stepped onto the damp ground; the world was silent, and the city exuded an unusual calm.

With a flick of his fingers,

Each Spiritual Confinement Chess Piece rapidly expanded, transforming into a full-fledged Spiritual Confinement entity.

Li Che intended to test whether the Temple Spirit Dao Pearl could indeed forge a Temple Spirit.

Of course, he wasn’t willing to risk himself—its side effects were severe, and he had no intention of sacrificing himself.

Buzzing resounded…

One after another, figures of Spiritual Confinement emerged.

Huang Mei, Han Sixi, Yue Huanglong, Su Lei Ba, Huang Jianjiu, You Liqing, and many other trusted subordinates of Li Che now stood in perfect alignment amid the dark, rainy haze.

“My lord!”

After the Spiritual Confinements materialized, they fervently and submissively saluted Li Che with clasped fists.

Li Che nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over their forms.

He deliberately ignored Huang Mei and Han Sixi; these two top-tier warriors remained valuable assets.

As for Yue Huanglong—

Even if his burning fat barely reached top-tier standards, he was still of some use.

In contrast, Su Lei Ba, Huang Jianjiu, and You Liqing were lagging behind the level of enemy forces Li Che was about to face.

Often, in battle, brute force alone was useless—it only served as a source of power for Li Che’s dominion over Mo City.

Li Che’s eyes roamed as he considered who should attempt to refine the pearl.

Admittedly, he wasn’t sure if the Spiritual Confinements could try refining it, but a test wouldn’t hurt—the process required a sacrifice of blood and flesh vitality.

Yet the Spiritual Confinements were unafraid—they had been resurrected by Li Che’s divine technique after death; whether one called it life or not, they were Spiritual Confinements.

Furthermore, with his current Dao Fruit rank—reaching level Iv6 of the Unsullied Heart Dao Fruit—the Spiritual Confinements’ strength had become all the more mysterious and potent.

Once resurrected, they even developed real flesh and blood, becoming so lifelike that distinguishing truth from illusion was nearly impossible.

Take Huang Mei, for instance—resurrected, he was nearly identical to his living self. Even someone as formidable as Ji Mo Li couldn’t tell the difference.

Life and death seemed to merge indistinctly.

Thus, after Li Che analyzed the function and effect of the Temple Spirit Dao Pearl with his Star Plucking Gaze, he decided to have the Spiritual Confinements try refining it.

After all, failure was not fatal—he could always revive them.

And even if the power of the Temple Spirit Dao Pearl tainted them beyond revival…

Li Che refused to believe that its power could ever suppress the Unsullied Heart Dao Fruit.

As if understanding his intent, Huang Jianjiu, You Liqing, Su Lei Ba, and Su Daoling—those Spiritual Confinements at the Martial Saint and Divine Embryo stages—stepped forward.

“My lord, we’re willing to give it a try.”

The four Spiritual Confinements saluted with clasped fists.

Their voices brimmed with fervor, trust, and unwavering loyalty.

Whatever task Li Che assigned, they were ready to do it; their trust and submission ran as deep as their very souls, for it was Li Che who had granted them a second chance at life.

Huang Mei, Han Sixi, and Yue Huanglong did not compete—they knew that their cultivation served Li Che’s interests all the better.

Li Che stood with his hands behind his back, his ink-black robe fluttering in the rain that fell from the Heavenly Dome, droplets rising into mist upon contact with him.

His gaze immediately excluded Su Daoling—he was a half-saint of Divine Talismans and a wise Spiritual Confinement; Li Che wouldn’t let him take unnecessary risks.

As long as Su Daoling was present, Li Che would have an endless supply of Divine Talismans at his disposal—and Su Daoling was adept at arranging vast arrays of them.

Huang Mei was as capable as Su Daoling; in fact, Huang Mei was a master of the Divine Eagle technique. Even though Li Che had now touched on the realm of the Divine Eagle, having an extra master was an undeniable bonus.

Huang Jianjiu, with his large Liquor Gourd at his waist, his eyes gleaming fiercely.

In the end, Li Che felt most inclined to trust Huang Jianjiu.

“Let’s give it a try and see if it can be refined.”

Huang Jianjiu, carrying his Sword Casket, stepped forward and casually caught the Four-Yu Temple Spirit Dao Pearl tossed by Li Che.

“Alright.”

After downing a mouthful of fine wine from his gourd, Huang Jianjiu sat cross-legged and began to refine the Dao Pearl.

On You Liqing’s face, a deep regret and grievance were evident.

Sure enough, in Li Che’s eyes, he still couldn’t compare to Huang Jianjiu.

With a snap of his fingers, the remaining Spiritual Confinements gradually dispersed, while Huang Mei and Han Sixi returned to reality.

Crackling noises filled the air as the refinement of the Temple Spirit Dao Pearl proceeded.

During the process, Huang Jianjiu’s Spiritual Confinement flesh began to melt away, as if eroded by some strange force.

Li Che observed for a moment, feeling that the Dao Pearl seemed almost alive, greedily devouring Huang Jianjiu’s flesh and blood as the sacrifice continued.

What a bizarre thing!

Temple Spirit Dao Position—could this method of attaining the Temple Spirit’s Dao truly create a legitimate Temple Spirit?!

In Mo City, Huang Jianjiu’s process of refining the Dao Pearl was slow, mainly because the Pearl’s rate of consuming flesh was not rapid.

It seemed it would take some time.

Li Che did not keep his gaze fixed on the process but instead began suppressing and sealing the summoned Temple Spirit power within the Cosmic Chessboard.

Lü Xuan Sword Immortal’s Golden Pill was rapidly pulsing, incessantly absorbing the divine aura of the Four-Yu Golden Heavenly King Temple Spirit—

Yet unlike the ferocious, savage devouring of the Fa Tian Xiang Di Luminous True Primate Golden Pill from before,

Lü Xuan Sword Immortal’s Golden Pill was far more refined, exuding the calm meticulousness typical of a Sword Immortal, as if slowly cutting through meat with a sword.

The Golden Heavenly King Temple Spirit roared in pain, as if it felt the agony of being slowly torn apart!

It was like a prolonged slow death by a thousand cuts!

Had it been devoured by the True Primate Golden Pill, it would have ended swiftly, but being consumed by Lü Xuan Sword Immortal’s Golden Pill inflicted a torment akin to endless slicing.

Li Che swept his gaze casually, showing no trace of emotion.

When his daughter XiXi was cursed by the Yulian Fire, had his Temple Spirit ever considered—

What if XiXi’s mortal body, too weak to break through her Divine Embryo, were scorched by the Yulian Fire during her breakthrough…?

Would she not suffer terribly?

Wouldn’t she lament incessantly?

Just the mere thought sent a chill down Li Che’s spine.

【Hei Xumi】

Li Che’s gaze hardened.

The Seven-Treasure Shara, the Auspicious Golden Heavenly King Tower’s Bizarre Temple, in the Bizarre Temple, belonged to the 【Hei Xumi】 pantheon.

Li Che’s knowledge of the pantheons within the Bizarre Temple was limited.

According to Huang Mei, only these four factions were known: 【Hei Xumi】, 【Yulian】, 【Dark Heavenly Court】, and 【Ghostly Demon Den】. Whether there were others, he did not know.

Huang Mei had only shared this much.

It was only after reaching the Divine Tribulation stage—and having to enter the Bizarre Temple to escape the calamities—that one could truly come face to face with these pantheons.

A further realization hit Li Che: XiXi might already be bonded with the 【Yulian】 faction.

Ever since the transmission of the Third Prince Temple Spirit to XiXi, coupled with the Yulian Fire’s corrosion, they were inseparable.

Li Che couldn’t help but recall the vision he saw during his Dream Celestial transformation using his Dream Butterfly Divine Technique—

That the future Great XiXi would become a formidable figure within the 【Yulian】 faction?

Yet it seemed XiXi had paid a heavy price for it.

Li Che held his breath, casting aside all distracting thoughts.

Cross-legged, he concentrated to assist in refining the Four-Yu Supreme Temple Spirit.

A Four-Yu Supreme Temple Spirit was tantamount to top-tier Martial Saint power. The divine aura refined from it was cleansed by the Seven-Channel Exquisiteness and merged into several Divine Embryos and Golden Pills.

Li Che’s own aura steadily surged.

The Seven-Desire Golden Pill had reached full embryo formation, and with the refinement of the Four-Yu temple spirit complete, Lü Xuan Sword Immortal’s Golden Pill would slowly ascend as well.

Moreover, since the temple spirit was of a Four-Yu rank, the resulting divine aura was extremely vast. Li Che might even have some surplus to aid Lü Xuan Sword Immortal’s transformation!

As for the remaining divine aura, Li Che channeled nearly all of it into the Fa Tian Xiang Di Luminous True Primate Divine Embryo.

Though the Luminous True Primate Divine Embryo had only just broken through, it had already intertwined divine energies and condensed a third organ, continuing to absorb the temple spirit’s aura in its push toward a fourth organ—

Once all five organs were complete and the Divine Embryo successfully nurtured, the cultivator would take a step into the second divine transformation—transforming all bones into divine essence.

For Divine Embryo cultivation, the real challenge wasn’t the breakthrough itself, but the accumulation of divine aura!

Other divine cultivators relied on Divine Crystals or absorbed aura directly from the heavens and earth.

Even extracting and refining divine aura from Divine Crystals was a sluggish process, needing to modify the aura into one’s own form while suppressing its corrupting influence.

Overcoming the corruption from divine aura was a critical hurdle from cultivating one’s spirit foundation to forming a Divine Embryo.

Li Che was different—armed with the Unsullied Heart Dao Fruit and the Seven-Channel Exquisiteness, he could lie atop the temple spirit, tearing and devouring it at a far superior pace.

After roughly a day of refinement,

Li Che exhaled deeply and opened his eyes wide, his gaze shimmering with the ever-changing hues of the divine aura—a dreamlike, fantastical light.

At his mental command, countless Divine Crystals began to float around him.

With a snap of his fingers, these Divine Crystals burst apart.

The overwhelming divine aura surged wildly throughout Mo City.

Li Che began to push the Seven-Desire Golden Pill toward the Divine Embryo stage!

Defeating a Four-Yu temple spirit wasn’t easy—Li Che had relied on his influential network and the might of the Spiritual Confinements, summoning nearly seven or eight top-tier powerhouses to vanquish the temple spirit.

Li Che fully savored the fruits of his labor, allowing his divine cultivation to experience an explosive surge!

XiXi opened her eyes; her two sky-high braids tied with red ribbons shook before she noticed her meditating father with a divine crystal.

A sweet smile instantly lit up her face.

Like a little grown-up, she skipped towards Li Che.

After circling him, she wrinkled her adorable little nose.

“Where has daddy run off to now?” she murmured.

Then shaking her head, she added, “Anyway, once daddy finishes his cultivation, he’ll come looking for me.”

Not wanting to disturb Li Che, XiXi quietly left the cultivation room, carefully closing the door behind her.

Outside, Fang Shangzhen sat at the door reading a book. He immediately took notice of the lively, mischievous XiXi.

Muttering to herself, XiXi said, “The Demon Den Master’s sister can’t see me, can’t see me——”

“Little girl, where are you off to?” Fang Shangzhen laughed.

XiXi blinked, momentarily frozen in place.

“Come on now, the Grand Inspector said I could learn a bit more about cultivation today. Even though you’re Lü Taibai’s disciple, we each have our own ways. My brother even wrote that he admires how much you love reading. Come look at these books while we wait for daddy to finish his session.”

Fang Shangzhen beckoned gently.

XiXi was taken aback—truly, nothing like her; the Demon Den Master’s sister!

Barely escaping one demon’s lair only to plunge into another!

“Can I go back and continue my cultivation?”

XiXi smiled sweetly.

She then turned to open the door of the cultivation room,

Only to be suddenly struck by seven divine seals that leapt out, plunging her into despair.

“Daddy, help me out!”

Three days passed in a flash. XiXi spent them quietly reading by Fang Shangzhen’s side, growing noticeably thinner.

Only when Fang Shangzhen paused to share some delicacies did XiXi regain a bit of her spirit.

The little girl was pitiful, yet Fang Shangzhen, who had learned of her clever and resourceful nature from Li Keqing’s letter, was unmoved, insisting she focus on her studies.

After all, the books Fang Shangzhen showed her were rare beyond compare.

After Li Che completed the Seven-Desire Golden Pill and broke through to the Divine Embryo stage, he chose to suppress the embryo’s tribulation lightning instead of unleashing it.

Stepping out of the cultivation room, his eyes met XiXi’s—her dark circles and tears evident from being wronged.

“Daddy, you’ve finally emerged! If you don’t come out soon, I’m going to turn into a bookworm!”

XiXi pouted, and just like that, her dark circles vanished.

She quickly dropped her book, sprinting happily towards Li Che.

Li Che laughed, ruffling her hair and taking her hand as he thanked Fang Shangzhen.

“Li Keqing, no need to be so formal. XiXi is a diligent and earnest girl—just as Fang Han Shu mentioned, she truly loves reading.”

Fang Shangzhen gave XiXi an amused glance.

After all, it’s never wrong for a child to gain more knowledge. XiXi’s innate talent in cultivation was unquestionable—at six, her Divine Vision was among the best in the Great Realm. She might even shine at the upcoming Peach Banquet.

However, she needed to catch up in cultural knowledge as well—her understanding of herbs, spiritual medicines, and even the identification of spirit woods was crucial for divine cultivators.

Although Li Che was pushing his cultivation in Mo City with the Seven-Desire Divine Embryo, he still sensed when XiXi left the cultivation room.

When he noticed her being led by Fang Shangzhen to browse astronomy and geography books, he chose not to intervene.

After all, unlike him, XiXi lacked the Star Plucking Gaze to analyze heavenly marvels or divine herbs—she had to rely solely on her own knowledge. It was beneficial for her to learn more.

Fang Shangzhen cast a glance at Li Che; soon, his smile gradually faded.

“Li Keqing, that Seven-Treasure Shara Auspicious Golden Heavenly King Tower Bizarre Temple—has vanished! It has simply disappeared into thin air!”

With XiXi present, Fang Shangzhen chose to transmit the message.

At these words, Li Che’s face registered shock; he immediately replied in a frantic tone, “How did it vanish? I haven’t had enough of beating that temple yet! My energy hasn’t even been fully expended!”

Fang Shangzhen paused, giving Li Che a meaningful look.

There was no way such a coincidence could occur. Li Che had invited his cronies to beat the hell out of the temple spirit, and then the bizarre temple was severed from the mortal realm.

Fang Shangzhen confessed that he had indeed doubted Li Che.

For a bizarre temple to vanish and completely cut off the dispersal of its divine aura was no trivial matter.

However, after Ye Pengju personally went into the Bizarre Temple to investigate and witnessed the blue Buddha of the 【Hei Xumi】 faction in action, the rumors dispelled Fang Shangzhen’s doubts.

“Li Keqing, because of this incident—news has reached the Imperial Palace in the First City. They plan to hold the Peach Banquet early in three days. You should prepare to return with XiXi.”

“Both you and your daughter are chief contenders for the banquet, so you must be ready.”

Fang Shangzhen stood up, his loose Daoist robe flapping wildly in the wind.

He saw Li Che and XiXi off at the Imperial Watch Tower.

Nie Yang, guarding the carriage, waited beneath the White Jade Stairway while leading his disciple Li Chengzhou in cultivation.

As soon as he saw Li Che and XiXi emerging from the Imperial Watch, he immediately ceased his training and drove the carriage back to Qianyuan Courtyard.

The carriage from the Imperial Watch cruised smoothly—especially now that Li Che was somewhat famous in Divine Capital. As a newly promoted special guest of the Imperial Watch capable of carving out top half-saint Divine Eagle sculptures,

Who wouldn’t show respect?

After all, for a cultivator of divine aura, one could never be sure when they might be summoned to attain half-saint status.

Offending such a technically adept individual was of no benefit.

Most importantly, Li Che’s terrifying connections as a Divine Eagle Half-Saint—leading four top-tier champions to assault the temple, seriously wounding its temple spirit and causing the bizarre temple’s destruction by terrifying forces in the Bizarre Temple—

Rounded up, Li Che was nothing short of a ruthless man who could level an entire bizarre temple with ease!

Qianyuan Courtyard.

Light drizzles fell.

Zhao Fangzhou was energetically instructing the children competing in the Dragon Victory Banquet.

Lü Qingxuan, Yang Yi, Yun’e, Zhou Peng, Jin Taisui and others.

As the carriage rolled into the courtyard, all the young cultivators couldn’t contain their excitement and rushed out, one after another.

“XiXi is back!”

The children cheered.

After XiXi’s long absence, they had missed her dearly.

And as soon as the carriage came to a halt, XiXi clambered out, her hands on her hips and her little belly proudly sticking out.

“Loyal subjects, your great XiXi Emperor has returned!”

XiXi beamed radiantly, her red-ribboned, sky-sweeping braids gently swaying.

Then she mingled with the children, laughing and playing joyfully.

Lü Taibai glanced at Li Che, his eyes betraying a hint of peculiarity. The news of the Golden Heavenly King’s Bizarre Temple’s annihilation had already spread across Divine Capital.

Although Ye Pengju had testified, Lü Taibai’s instinct told him that the hand behind the temple’s disappearance might very well be… the Underworld!

But Lü Taibai didn’t care—many divine cultivators did, as the disappearance of the bizarre temple affected the concentration of divine aura in heaven and earth, impacting their own interests.

Lü Taibai didn’t question Li Che; instead, he began discussing the early commencement of the Peach Banquet.

Li Che first exchanged tender moments with his wife Zhang Ya.

When Zhang Ya learned that Li Che had actually attacked the Four-Yu Bizarre Temple, her face turned as white as paper—after all, it was the Four-Yu Bizarre Temple!

Back then, the Eight-Armed Yulian Furious Third Prince’s Bizarre Temple in Jingguang Mansion was only of Four-Yu rank.

After soothing his wife, Li Che sat under the eaves with Lü Taibai, drinking tea and discussing the rules of the Peach Banquet.

“The rules of the main banquet change every session. Naturally, it depends on the Empress Dowager’s decision. Perhaps there will only be minor tweaks, or maybe the entire format will change entirely.”

“But what sets this banquet apart is that it will be held in the Western Queen Mother’s Bizarre Temple of the Three Pure Ones. For there, a Millennial Peach will be produced—and that Millennial Peach…”

Li Che continued, “I plan to contend for it.”

“If I manage to win and consume the peach, I might just finally step into the Divine Tribulation!”

Lü Taibai sipped his tea and said gravely.

On the twenty-ninth day of the first lunar month, the chill of early spring was still palpable.

Misty spring rain coaxed nature into a rebirth; the return of the xuan birds, longer days, and warmer breezes followed each rain.

Every spring shower brought warmth.

As early spring’s chill faded with the rains, each raindrop that landed in one’s palm carried a buttery, gentle heat.

The Peach Banquet was a grand event for the entire Divine Capital.

In recent days, cultivators from all realms and provinces had crowded every inn in the lower three cities of Divine Capital.

Today, with the Peach Banquet underway, nine out of the ten cities of Divine Capital were open to outsiders.

In other words, except for the First City, all other eight cities—including the Second and Third Cities of the Upper Third City—were fully accessible.

For a moment,

along the White Jade Avenue—capable of accommodating dozens of lavish carriages—the streets teemed with traffic.

Crowds surged, and vehicles flowed like streams!

In the pouring spring rain, oil-paper umbrellas bloomed on Long Street like the blossoms of spring.

Fourth City, Qianyuan Courtyard.

Outside the usually serene Qianyuan Courtyard, a bustle suddenly arose.

The streets of Fourth City, typically quiet, were now flooded with people, chattering as they passed by.

Groups of martial artists seemed to gather outside Qianyuan Courtyard as if touring an attraction.

Inside Qianyuan Courtyard:

XiXi and the other children participating in the main banquet had changed into neat, blue robes of the Qianyuan Divine Sect disciples.

Li Che, meanwhile, donned the ancient, wide-sleeved robe of a Qianyuan Divine Sect Elder, its flowing sleeves imbued with the power of stormy seas, exuding an air of elegance and nonchalance.

Zhang Ya, ever attentive, carefully smoothed out the wrinkles from his robe.

“Husband, don’t stress yourself too much. Even if you don’t clinch the top prize, it’s alright—”

Zhang Ya said softly, her gaze gentle.

She understood why her husband and daughter were determined to participate in the Peach Banquet—to secure that precious Millennial Peach for her.

Zhang Ya was both touched and self-reproachful; touched because of their heartfelt intentions, and remorseful because of her own lackluster cultivation talent.

“Mother, don’t worry! XiXi will win the Dragon Chief title! Whoever dares stand in her way will get their ass kicked!”

XiXi, with her chubby little fist raised and brows set determinedly, declared.

Zhang Ya hugged her daughter, then playfully scratched her nose, saying, “I heard that those competing with you are all fifteen-year-olds—each one much older and more experienced. Even if we lose, it’s not a big deal.”

“Mother, XiXi won’t lose!” XiXi pouted in protest.

Li Che chuckled, ruffling the heads of XiXi and Zhang Ya, his tone warm as he remarked, “Xiao Ya, don’t mind her. Let her be; whether she wins or loses, it’ll only hone her spirit.”

Zhang Ya fell silent at his words.

Lü Taibai watched the affectionate family with a smile, his eyes filled with a tinge of envy.

As the booming chime of the city gates resonated beneath the adjoining walls of the Second and Third Cities of Divine Capital,

Lü Taibai ordered the journey to commence.

The children excitedly poured out of the courtyard, boarding carriages one after another.

XiXi, accompanied by the little servant Jin Taisui, followed Li Che, squeezing into the carriage of the Imperial Watch as they prepared to depart.

But then,

Just as Nie Yang drove into the bustling Long Street, a cloaked figure in a black robe suddenly blocked Li Che’s carriage.

Nie Yang furrowed his brow, tugged on the reins as his warhorse neighed and pounded, shattering the spring water beneath its hooves.

“Who are you to block the carriage of a Qianyuan Divine Sect Elder?!”

Nie Yang handed the reins to Li Chengzhou.

Gripping the hilt of his sword with determination, he braced himself.

But the person beneath the black robe merely exchanged a single glance, causing Nie Yang to freeze as beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead.

After all, he was a swordsman capable of decapitating top masters in the Three Flowers Clan!

That the other person could induce such terror with merely his presence meant nothing less than—

A Martial Saint!

And not just any Martial Saint—a supremely powerful one!

Slowly, the man in the black robe lifted his hood, revealing windswept golden hair and a face adorned with painted totemic symbols.

His presence, audacious, defiant, and wild, dominated Long Street, suddenly silencing the din.

With eyes like that of a ferocious beast, he swept his gaze over the carriage, utterly ignoring Nie Yang with his blazing, ruthless stare that seemed to pierce through the carriage curtains.

His painted lips curled into a mocking smile as he observed the figures seated within.

“Witch God Mountain Golden Mane,” he intoned.

“Bring Jin Taisui out to face me.”