Chapter 432: The Raging Onslaught at Daocheng

Crack, crack!

—

Roiling leaden clouds and howling snow surged wildly.

Thunders intertwined, forming a net as vast as the heavens!

Enormous snowflakes drifted precariously from the clouds amid the terrifying storm of thunder.

Outside Daocheng, the atmosphere was saturated with an otherworldly dread!

The Underworld had made its move.

A fierce ink-colored tiger from the Underworld, sprawling across the Shandu Gate, manifested—a sight that struck fear into all involved in the war!

It was an overwhelming shock!

Commander Xie Yunshen had been captured by the Underworld; true to form, they always take down the leader first!

His sudden disappearance sent shockwaves through the Imperial forces, leaving them disoriented and reluctant to press on.

Ning Caishen, the Sect Leader of the Seven Treasure Divine Sect, could feel his right eyelid twitch incessantly while a lump rose in his throat.

That all-too-familiar feeling returned!

Something was terribly wrong again!

Ning Caishen, alongside Gu Cheng and Huang Mei Great Master, clashed fiercely with Fang Han Shu, yet now Ning Caishen subconsciously began to slack off, unwilling to continue the battle.

He needed to be sure whether Xie Yunshen could emerge alive from the Underworld’s Shandu. If he couldn’t,

with the Imperial armies’ commanders slain in the campaign to conquer the sects, what purpose would this war serve?

It would be utterly meaningless.

For Ning Caishen, there was no point in further risking his life for a futile battle.

Boom!!

Fang Han Shu’s Haoran River surged forth; with a single snap of his fingers, his battle-whip—a weapon as long as a blade—sliced through the air, distorting the space as his momentum climbed to terrorizing heights.

Wei Huang Mei Great Master roared in anger as his golden Buddha statue, marked with cracking wounds, threatened to shatter.

“This man is powerful. Both of you, be careful!”

Huang Mei bellowed.

Gu Cheng, Ning Caishen, and Fang Han Shu’s combined might barely held back his assault, a testament to his formidable strength reminiscent of a half-step Divine Calamity.

The trio’s joint effort was just enough to stave off his attack.

Dragon Prince and the Three Dragon Sons had been taken by the Underworld, and Zhao Beidou along with Xie Yunshen were also seized.

Old Dragon God had charged headlong into the Underworld’s Shandu without hesitation.

None could tell what perils awaited within Shandu.

Yet, outside, the disappearance of these key figures upended the balance of power.

Boom!!

Gu Qianchi’s sword swept out, scattering countless slivers of light; he refrained from using his Calamity Wheel, for Lü Taibai was already testing his limits against a Divine Calamity—using such power now would be tantamount to courting death.

At the same moment, Ancestral Patriarch Lü Qiankun unleashed his sword light. Two titanic beams clashed in a cataclysmic burst that twisted the very fabric of space like exploding fireworks!

Lü Qiankun stood before the Qian Kun Plaque, as the vortex of the Tiny Cosmic Niche spun continuously above it.

Furrowing his brows, he glanced repeatedly at the suspended black portal bearing the word ‘Shandu’ on the inked walls—a gateway exuding the frost of death.

Underworld—

Lü Qiankun exhaled in relief.

Without the Underworld’s intervention, the Qianyuan Divine Sect would surely not survive this catastrophe.

Now, with each major sect pursuing their own agendas, and with Xie Yunshen’s betrayal fracturing alliances, even the Tian Dan Divine Sect and a few others had been coerced into submission by the Great Jing Court. It seemed that after the campaign, the territories and the fate of celestial fortune would be redistributed.

This discord made it all too easy for each sect to be picked off one by one.

After a resounding boom, Gu Qianchi withdrew; the two warriors in Divine Calamity Advancement refrained from a deathmatch.

Lü Qiankun held back, unwilling to press too hard, knowing that Lü Taibai was on the verge of shattering his limits—a full-force attack might trigger the celestial calamity that could jeopardize Lü Taibai.

Meanwhile, Gu Qianchi decided to wait for the Underworld’s battle to unfold and ascertain if Old Dragon God, Zhao Beidou, and National Teacher Xie Yunshen could survive before making plans.

Otherwise, there was little merit in a suicidal clash with the Qianyuan Divine Sect—the campaign was meant to impress the high officials, and with National Teacher now lost to the Underworld, any display would be futile.

Stepping closer to Gu Cheng, Gu Qianchi sensed the dire predicament faced by Gu Cheng, Ning Caishen, and Huang Mei against Fang Han Shu.

Even a half-step Divine Calamity paled in comparison to the prowess of the top-tier experts.

Noticing this, Fang Han Shu’s battle-whip, forged from His Haoran River, lashed out. Gu Qianchi’s sword light parried it, severing the massive whip in a single stroke.

With a precise tiptoe on the air, Fang Han Shu retreated at breakneck speed along the Haoran River, returning to the towering battlements of Daocheng.

Elsewhere,

The clashes involving Feng Zhiqi, Zhao Fangzhou, Tang Xiejia, along with various Martial Saint and Divine Transformation cultivators, gradually subsided as they withdrew to the city towers, maintaining a tense standoff.

Yet, the overwhelming energy continued to surge between the titanic forces, colliding like titanic tidal waves.

The ancient, towering walls loomed like clouds, majestic and unyielding.

Outside the walls, massive Xuan Tie Lingmu warships, ominous as colossal beasts, glowed with an eerie light,

reminiscent of starving wolves on a wasteland waiting for the perfect moment to strike!

High above all, a black portal hovered over their heads.

As dark as ink, it seemed to devour every trace of light—a gateway of death suspended like a specter from hell.

All eyes fixed on the portal, desperate to discern its final secret.

Boom!!

Suddenly,

Standing before the Qian Kun Plaque, Ancestral Patriarch Lü Qiankun’s eyes flickered.

He abruptly looked upward.

At his side, Fang Han Shu, returning from battle, was visibly startled as he followed his gaze.

Cultivators of Martial Saint and Divine Transformation alike felt something profound stirring within.

Aboard the warships, Ning Caishen, Gu Cheng, and Gu Qianchi lifted their eyes toward the darkened Heavenly Dome.

But then—

Their expressions froze in terror.

Above the sky, an endless crimson radiance burst forth.

In that instant, the entire world trembled.

The black clouds split open to reveal a spectral, blood-red dragon, its undulating form dancing in the void before unleashing a mournful, defiant roar!

The dragon’s cry sent shockwaves through mountains, lakes, and every wild creature below.

Even the cultivators and soldiers within Daocheng and the Imperial forces felt a deep, soul-wrenching fear—like a monstrous terror awakening from deep within.

The blood-red dragon soared upward, its roar echoing as it burst through the black clouds, tearing through the heavens toward the source of calamity—seemingly daring to challenge the very fabric of nature!

Yet,

it ultimately failed; as the spectral beast plunged three thousand feet, it exploded in a catastrophic burst, painting the sky in blood.

Crash and clatter—

Fallen icicles turned crimson, heavy with the stench of blood.

Within the sanguine snowfall, droplets of blood mingled with the flurries.

A torrential red rain and apocalyptic phenomena!

A calamity had befallen a cultivator in the mortal realm!

Boom, rumble!!

A relentless cascade of bloodthirsty thunder exploded above, slicing through the heavens like a bloodstained blade that tore open the very flesh of the earth to reveal scarlet meat!

An ominous omen!

It was as if the entire Lingnan Path trembled—spanning hundreds, even thousands of miles, the Grand Canal roiled with tidal waves and cascading blood rain, suffusing everyone with an unbearable dread!

Outside Lingnan, where the Grand Canal met the Guangling Path,

the surging tides were overwhelming!

Explosive water eruptions sent countless figures rising from the Grand Canal, their bodies trembling uncontrollably as they trod the churning waters.

“Ahhh—”

A cry rang out, “Dragon Emperor! Our Dragon Emperor—our very own has fallen!”

These figures, each crowned with horns and radiating an imposing aura, were cultivators from the Dragon God lineage.

Now, witnessing the blood-drenched omen in the sky and the overwhelming surge of calamity, many fell to their knees upon the water, tears streaming endlessly.

They wailed in despair.

The Dragon Emperor was dead.

The Dragon God lineage was doomed!

Howling winds roared like the tempest of the underworld, icy as if born from the depths of hell, cutting to the bone.

Time itself seemed to freeze in that moment.

Mo City, Shandu.

Within the entire Mo City, torrential rains hammered the ruined earth, countless rivulets swirling on shattered ground, with inky droplets quelling the toxic fumes.

Scorching heat permeated the air while purple flames twisted wildly, turning falling black rain into vapor that billowed like clouds.

On Li Che’s head, the Primordial Dragon Elephant Flame and a golden skull emerged, flickering eerily like phantom fire.

Giant dragon bones crashed down, as if weighing thousands of pounds, gouging deep depressions into the ground.

Li Che’s eyes shone with a mysterious light.

Behind him, the Dao Induction of the Painted Immortal Dao Fruit—the Ten Fierce Ink Splatter Scroll—slowly unfurled.

Intrigued, Li Che wondered what ominous beast might be awakened by this Dao Induction that contained an old Dragon God at the Calamity level.

He had never used this Dao Induction before; although the Dragon Prince could also have, Li Che believed that squandering a slot meant for someone of a true calamity level on the Dragon Prince would be extravagant.

Now, only the old Dragon God at the One Calamity Two Tribulations level barely met the requirement.

“Ten Fierce Ink Splatter!”

“Return to position!”

Li Che spread his arms as the massive dragon bones trembled violently; gradually, they melted away like ink dissolving, ultimately transforming into black ink.

“Roar!!”

A terrifying, earth-shaking dragon roar erupted, as if ink vortexes spun around the heavens, shattering bonds that once held souls together!

The ink-like old Dragon God’s momentum surged while the Dao Induction scroll behind Li Che flapped and trembled relentlessly.

Then, the ink dragon snapped its tail, slamming into the splatter scroll.

Countless droplets of jet-black ink exploded into the air!

It was as though a thousand thunderclaps erupted behind the clouds in unison.

Air currents whirled, ink splattered, and sonic booms raged!

It resembled an immortal painter, wielding his brush with wild, inky fervor.

In an instant, an ink shockwave radiated from Li Che’s body, searing through the expanse of Mo City.

It shattered the endless inky rain!

Amid the splattering ink, a miasma of demonic energy roiled relentlessly!

Suddenly, an ink dragon silhouette burst from the scroll, as if a roused dragon soul tried desperately to escape—it had not yet submitted to Li Che’s Spiritual Confinement.

Sensing that the scroll sought to engulf it, the dragon soul panicked.

It tried to flee,

but escape was impossible.

Chain after chain of inky restraints descended from the scroll, binding its head, claws, and tail with a grating clatter as it was slowly dragged back into the illustration.

“—!!!”

With one final, echoing roar that reverberated through Mo City’s skies,

the old Dragon God’s soul was completely torn into the Ten Fierce Ink Splatter Scroll.

Then, the scroll began to reveal intricate ink patterns, as if traced by the skilled hand of a Painted Immortal.

【Ten Fierce Ink Splatter Scroll: Overturning Sea Nine Infants (10%)】

Huh?!

Before his eyes, dark, flowing ink gradually coalesced to form a prompt.

One of the ten ferocious beasts—Overturning Sea Nine Infants!

Li Che’s gaze hardened.

In his mind, a vast panorama unfolded: an endless ocean roiled with surging waves, colossal torrents erupting like heaps of shattered snow, each whirlpool a chaotic vortex.

Nine consecutive whirlpools emerged from the vast sea; as they bulged like inverted bowls, the water exploded!

It felt as if the entire ocean was upended!

Roaring columns of water shot upward like tornadoes from the sea, reaching into the clouds.

Amid the shattered waves, nine vicious dragon heads spun wildly, their sinuous necks joined to a single massive body, with expansive, sinewy wings unfurled.

They blotted out the sky!

A menacing aura spread like a dark tide!

All nine dragon heads roared simultaneously at the heavens, as though condemning the injustice of the world!

One of the ten ferocious beasts—the Overturning Sea Nine Infants!

Boom!!

Deep within Li Che’s chest, the Painted Immortal Dao Fruit throbbed violently.

Every beat echoed like shockwaves, resounding with thunderous clamor!

After what felt like an eternity, the Painted Immortal Dao Fruit finally calmed.

Li Che descended onto the ground of Mo City, while the Primordial Dragon Elephant Flame burned quietly.

Beneath the golden skull, his eyes were as deep as the darkest abyss.

He raised his hand, his fingers curved like hooks.

In his palm, a jet-black chess piece pulsed with a menacing aura, as if a faint dragon’s roar was about to ignite it.

With a sudden, forceful grip, the chess piece shattered into fragments, and the scroll behind him began to unfurl once more.

Within the expanded scroll, countless clanging chains emerged, and nine wild, elongated necks and heads burst forth.

However, seven of those heads were blurry; only two shone with a radiant brilliance.

The Dragon God had transformed into the ten ferocious Overturning Sea Nine Infants!

Boom!!

Li Che could feel the overwhelming and brutal power of this beast—a force of pure, destructive madness that seemed determined to obliterate everything.

Yet, in an instant, Li Che alone could decide its fate,

whether to annihilate its dragon soul for good.

With a gigantic flap of wings, the Overturning Sea Nine Infants floated high in the sky, two of its dragon heads thrashing as their eyes glowed ominously.

“At the One Calamity Two Tribulations level—so two heads have appeared?”

Under the glow of purple flames, a faint smile tugged at Li Che’s lips.

“It seems there’s still vast potential for growth. Nine infants, nine heads—imagine the power when they reach full strength.”

He mused, “Raising a single Nine Infant as a pet might be worthwhile—better to nurture it into a robust guardian.”

Brushing away the remnants of the Primordial Dragon Elephant Flame from his head, Li Che scanned the scene with outstretched fingers. Across the shattered ground, fragmented dragon flesh coalesced into an enormous, pulpy mass.

Within his chest, the Painted Immortal Dao Fruit had just calmed, only to burst with frantic beats once more—this was the Wan Yao Di Dao Fruit.

A tremendous, ravenous force surged from the Wan Yao Di Dao Fruit, greedily consuming the demonic energy lingering within the remains of the old Dragon God’s corpse.

Alas, the Dragon Emperor Pearl had exploded—

otherwise, the Wan Yao Di Dao Fruit would have feasted to its heart’s content.

As the Wan Yao Di Dao Fruit matured rapidly, Li Che’s spirits soared.

Once every remnant of demonic energy in the shattered flesh of the old Dragon God was absorbed,

the Wan Yao Di Dao Fruit finally settled into calmness.

【Dao Fruit: Wan Yao Di (lv5 50%)】

Li Che scanned the scene, a tinge of regret in his heart—its advancement was slightly below his expectations.

Originally, Li Che had intended to leap directly to the Iv6 stage by absorbing the demonic energy of the old Dragon God.

But it now seemed that such aspirations were premature.

Perhaps it was also due to how thoroughly he had beaten the old Dragon God.

The Dragon Emperor Pearl shattered with a deafening blast, dragon bones dissolving into ink, and the Overturning Sea Nine Infants were born.

【Dao Fruit: Painted Immortal (lv6 60%)】

Li Che’s eyes lit up as he smiled broadly—his Painted Immortal Dao Fruit had advanced significantly.

It seemed that employing the Ten Fierce Ink Splatter Scroll to conjure a beast truly boosted its maturity.

Moreover, the battles had also enriched the Dao Fruits of Dragon Elephant Vajra, Pure Heart, and Chess Sage, each experiencing varying degrees of growth.

But the most valuable gain was securing a pet at the One Calamity Two Tribulations level!

Slaying a cultivator at that level—even by underhanded means—had significantly boosted the feedback of his Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit.

Based on the Iv7 stage, its maturity had surged by 5%.

Quite an impressive achievement indeed; after all, at Iv7 the rate of advancement grows ever steeper.

Crunch, crack, crunch—

Li Che stretched, feeling as if every muscle and bone vibrated with newfound vitality, his mighty energy coursing uncontrollably.

Xie Yunshen and Zhao Beidou floated forward respectfully, bowing as they approached Li Che.

“Lord!”

Li Che’s smile faded as he retracted the menacing Nine-Turn Ascending Dragon Pill, stowed neatly behind him.

He nodded toward them.

His mind remained ever-connected to the outside world.

This time, Li Che deliberately avoided using Spiritual Confinement—instead, leaving a deceptive veil to mask his true power.

The will of heaven and earth had directly sensed the severance between the old Dragon God and the ancestral calamity—it was a death sentence.

Even if reborn as the fearsome Overturning Sea Nine Infants, a new soul would be forged with an entirely different power.

Spiritual Confinement would have kept that soul tethered, preventing a calamity.

“There’s no hiding the fact that the old Dragon God is dead—”

“But the consequences aren’t too dire.”

Li Che replied coolly.

Xie Yunshen, fanning himself, fell silent as he continued, “Lord, with the old Dragon God gone, the Imperial side stands no chance against the Qianyuan Divine Sect—you only have the option of retreat.”

“Attempting to dismantle the sect is virtually impossible,”

“so let Zhao Beidou escort you out—just say the old Dragon God sacrificed his life to shield you in the Minor Cavern of the Heavens.” Li Che said with a mild smile.

Xie Yunshen frowned, “But if we retreat, the Emperor will surely suspect something.”

Waving him off, Li Che replied, “No matter—what the Emperor desires is simply the unification of celestial fortune under the Imperial banner.”

“Old Xie, you once told me that the fortunes of the Tian Dan Divine Sect, Haoran Academy, and Seven Treasure Divine Sect were never truly consolidated under the court, right?”

Li Che inquired.

Xie Yunshen nodded, his eyes dark as he admitted, “Indeed. Though they may nominally submit, convincing them to relinquish their celestial fortunes and forsake the cultivation of their Destiny Golden Lotuses would be an endless struggle.”

Li Che smiled, “In that case, once the Imperial forces withdraw from the Qianyuan Divine Sect, let them move in to attack the Tian Dan Divine Sect on Guangling Path…”

“This will give the Emperor proof that you are still a capable minister,”

he continued.

“After all, we must reassure him that we can gather all the celestial fortune!”

Overhead, dark clouds churned violently above Daocheng.

Silence reigned as every eye was fixed on the ink-dark portal.

Ancestral Patriarch Lü Qiankun of the Qianyuan Divine Sect sighed softly, “Old Dragon God—a monster who lived for three thousand years—deserves respect. Battling against fate and clawing at life for a decade for the sake of your kind…”

“But alas, forced longevity cannot last forever; tragedy is inevitable.”

“With the celestial fortune of the Dragon God lineage scattered—”

Lü Qiankun lamented, while Fang Han Shu’s eyes gleamed with a turbulent mix of admiration and alarm.

After all, within the Minor Cavern of the Heavens, the old Dragon God could unleash his full might, gathering calamity wheels to display the power of One Calamity Two Tribulations.

That level of force far surpassed a single calamity—even five or six one-calamity attacks would be trivial, even suppressing the enemy.

It was a suppression of cataclysmic proportions.

Yet, the old Dragon God had perished within the confines of the Underworld’s Shandu.

Who had slain him?

Underworld Yama?

Impossible—Underworld Yama and Zhao Beidou both struggled to defeat even Zhao Beidou himself—

How could they kill Old Dragon God?

Boom!

Just as the mighty warriors were shaken to their core,

the ink-black portal, writhing under streaks of lightning, suddenly swung open.

It was as though an immense force had shattered it.

Two figures shot forth—not anyone but Zhao Beidou, Xie Yunshen, along with the Dragon Prince and the Three Dragon Sons.

Except for Old Dragon God, all the powerful figures dragged into Mo City’s Shandu had escaped.

“Ah—!”

“Grandfather!”

The Dragon Prince wept bitterly. Upon emerging from the Underworld’s Shandu, he fell to his knees in the void, bawling uncontrollably.

Zhao Beidou’s face was pallid, blood continuously seeping from his mouth and nose.

He was still performing, but the act was painfully evident.

“Let’s move!”

With a ghostly pallor, Zhao Beidou, supporting the Dragon Prince and others, swiftly retreated back to the Imperial camp.

Xie Yunshen landed on a warship, his body trembling as he knelt, looking utterly disheartened.

“Farewell, Old Dragon God!”

“For the sake of the Dragon God lineage, I, Xie Yunshen, will see to it that you are honored—rest in peace!”

Xie Yunshen clenched his fist.

Seeing Xie Yunshen’s safe return, Gu Qianchi’s tension melted away, and he exhaled deeply.

He had feared that with Old Dragon God’s demise, even Xie Yunshen would perish.

“Founder Gu—Dragon God Senior, who sacrificed everything to secure our breakthrough and who fell in that small cavern—”

Xie Yunshen’s voice trembled with sorrow.

Gu Qianchi’s heart pounded as he murmured,

“Underworld Ghost Emperor?”

Wasn’t it Underworld Yama?!

Underworld—are there newcomers?!

Gu Qianchi’s heart surged with alarm. The Underworld… could it contain such strength?

No wonder even Old Dragon God had succumbed within its clutches.

Just what force reigned in this Underworld?!

Xie Yunshen’s face twisted in bitterness as he gazed at the suspended Shandu portal in the Underworld.

“Above Yama, there is the Underworld Ghost Emperor—”

He trailed off.

Gu Qianchi, as if sensing something, abruptly turned his head.

He then beheld the Shandu portal suspended in midair burst open, as if an endless void of darkness cascaded forth.

Gu Qianchi’s skin prickled; an aura of impending doom descended in an instant.

Elsewhere, Lü Qiankun, Fang Han Shu, and other leading experts of the Qianyuan Divine Sect narrowed their eyes.

They witnessed:

The Shandu portal roared open.

The inky darkness vanished, replaced by countless surging streaks of purple brilliance.

A ball of purple flames blazed fiercely.

Beneath the purple fire, a golden skull appeared.

Deep, abyssal eyes gazed forth, reminiscent of the darkest nether depths.

Below that, the standard Underworld Black Robe rustled in the wind.

A statuesque figure stood before the Shandu portal, arms folded as he surveyed all below.

In his hollow, aloof gaze lay an indifference to all life.

The Underworld Ghost Emperor!

Beneath countless stares,

the Underworld Ghost Emperor lifted his head to glance toward the dark, thunderous heavens.

Then, stepping out from behind the portal, he emerged into this world, unleashing a terrifying surge of calamity from the purple flames.

It was as though his power was utterly alien to this realm!

For a moment—

the very color of heaven and earth changed!

The world could not abide it!