Chapter 447: Ascension and the Dao Fruit Transcendence

Mo City Shandu.

Li Che sat cross-legged, his entire being immersed in a state of profound mystery as his mind cleared; the entire cosmos seemed to reflect within his heart, embracing all.

Clearing the dust from his heart—neither confused nor extinguished—his soul shone with clarity!

This is Pure Heart!

The Pure Heart Dao Fruit has undergone its five transformations!

Thump, thump, thump—

Atop the Pinnacle of Dominion Tower, countless tempests battered around him, forming an expanse of clear, tranquil space.

Near his ears resounded an endless, throbbing, crashing noise—a fierce cadence as if an ancient life force was forcefully drumming on a mysterious divine drum, sending ripples of unseen waves.

It expanded, filling his entire body from head to toe!

As Li Che’s eyes opened, streams of pale light, like drifting smoke, flowed and lingered gently.

His jet-black hair whipped about wildly, and the Mud Pellet at his brow seemed on the verge of bursting, as if the Seven-Aperture Luminous Heart was about to leap forth.

It surged into the heavens and trembled the very world.

An immeasurably potent spiritual force condensed into something almost tangible, shrouded in a misty haze.

Within the inner realm of the Mud Pellet, everything was being hammered and tempered—Fa Tian Xiang Di Luminous True Primate Divine Transformation, Six-Desire Exorcism Lv Xuan Sword Immortal Divine Transformation, Seven-Emotion Divine Transformation, and many others were all undergoing transformation!

The Pure Heart Dao Fruit’s five transformations!

This wasn’t Li Che’s first experience with the Dao Fruit’s five transformations; both the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit and the 【Xiangong】 Dao Fruit had previously completed their five transformations one after the other.

Thus, Li Che had long gained understanding through experience.

During the transformation, the Dao Fruit seemed to impart some unique changes.

Li Che felt his vital energy and spirit growing stronger, especially at the divine level. The Seven-Aperture Luminous Heart grew ever clearer, as if it could fully connect with the heavens and earth.

His ability to capture and transmute divine energy accelerated to an almost unimaginable speed!

At this very moment, if a Divine Crystal were in his palm, it would be drained in moments!

Such rapid divine transformation meant Li Che’s accumulation of divine energy would speed up, raising his future ceiling to even greater heights!

Roaring winds swept over Mo City; although a special void had formed around Li Che that repelled the heavy rain, the storm’s fury was truly formidable.

It was as if a terrifying surge of inner resolve had conjured this dreadful gale!

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

—

Divine energy surged out like a tidal river, manifesting as a tangible stream that swirled all around him.

A long roar echoed, mingling with the cries of primates across the lands!

It was the Fa Tian Xiang Di Luminous True Primate Divine Transformation!

The divine transformation leapt forth from the inner realm of the Mud Pellet; in addition, there were the Seven-Emotion Divine Transformation and the Six-Desire Exorcism Lv Xuan Sword Immortal Divine Transformation!

The Six-Desire Divine Transformation even split into six distinct transformations—in reality, six Sword Transformations—hovering in a circle beside the Lv Xuan Sword Immortal Divine Transformation!

Emerging from behind him, the divine transformations multiplied as Li Che sat atop the Pinnacle of Dominion Tower, as if he had countless duplicates!

Countless brilliant streams of light blasted upward into the clouds, radiating a dazzling glow!

Li Che could feel that his innate divine talent had received a terrifying boost amid the successive transformations of the Pure Heart Dao Fruit.

“Huuu—”

He exhaled deeply.

Suddenly Li Che’s eyes snapped open: “It’s here!”

The Dao Fruit transformation has begun!

All sounds in the cosmos vanished—the wind, the rain, the rolling debris, the clattering of broken ornaments—all disappeared without a trace!

Only the throbbing heartbeat of the Pure Heart Dao Fruit remained within his chest!

BOOM!!!

His spirit was so mighty it spanned mountains and rivers, shifting the stars and overturning the vast cosmos!

Then, a familiar tugging force exploded forth.

But this time, unlike before, Li Che’s bolstered spirit seemed just enough to resist part of that overwhelming pull.

However, within the briefest fraction of a breath, the tug ceased.

Before him, all that remained was the celestial rotation of stars and the turning of heaven and earth.

He reappeared in the boundless, majestic expanse of the cosmos.

A majestic aura surged as the colossal Dao Tree spanned the skies, its massive trunk piercing the clouds like a force set to tear the universe apart.

Countless stars shimmered in continuous, dreamlike radiance.

“Dao Tree Space—”

Exhaling slowly, Li Che calmed his mind. After all, it wasn’t his first time entering the Dao Tree Space; he was already well acquainted with the process.

Yet, every time he faced the Dao Tree, he felt a deep inner tremor—as if confronting an ancient, terrifying presence that had overshadowed the ages.

It was a greatness that resonated from the very depths of the soul.

This time, however, the sensation was remarkably clear—as though his spirit had been honed further, enabling him to comprehend the true terror of the Dao Tree.

Before entering the Dao, one only senses its power.

But once within it, one realizes they are beholding the vast sky itself!

Swish—

A rainbow-hued Dao Fruit sways in the wind.

Li Che’s gaze instantly fixed on the Pure Heart Dao Fruit. His heart swirled with myriad emotions regarding this very fruit.

It was this Dao Fruit that had given Li Che his confidence in his divine cultivation.

Moreover, the awakened divine abilities emerging from its transformation were continually aiding him.

Foremost among them was Spiritual Confinement—without which there could be no Underworld, no one could forge a formidable power on their own.

An ordinary person could never achieve it.

Even if one were powerful enough to act alone, they would only be a lone wolf.

Even if forcefully adopting a faction’s name, it would merely be a hollow shell.

A true mighty force must be an alliance of numerous strong beings.

A multitude of heroes forms the foundation of a true power!

Gazing at the rainbow-hued Pure Heart Dao Fruit, Li Che’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

In the vast heavens, wild winds suddenly surged up.

The space itself seemed to roil with waves as the Dao Fruit, rocked by the tumult and trembling from the impact, tumbled from the Dao Tree!

It looked like a vision of multicolored glazed brilliance—ethereal and enchanting!

The now-magnified Pure Heart Dao Fruit floated before Li Che like a masterpiece of crystalline rainbow light, dazzling with beams streaming in every direction!

Suddenly—

The crystalline, rainbow-hued shell of the Pure Heart Dao Fruit began to peel away, much like its previous transformation, shedding its old skin.

The Dao Fruit’s transformation, unfolding before Li Che’s eyes, transformed into an endless, misty scene.

Within the vision:

A long, placid river lay undisturbed, its surface eerily calm—not because it lacked fury, but because the figure seated on a floating leaf subdued it entirely.

That figure, seated on a lone floating leaf, seemed linked to the heavens and earth.

A heart thumped with brilliant radiance—this was the Seven-Aperture Luminous Heart, erupting with colorful light as if a deity were hidden within.

The figure appeared to sense Li Che’s gaze.

Slowly opening its eyes, its pupils revealed only boundless clarity.

It lasted only a fleeting moment.

Everything then burst apart into ruin and silence; the Dao Fruit’s vision vanished without a trace.

Li Che’s mind felt as if it would explode.

It was as though a terrifying force was about to burst it open, with the Seven-Aperture Luminous Heart pounding so furiously it seemed ready to shatter!

Dizzying!

Bewildered!

The world spun madly!

Atop the Dominion Tower, Li Che sat cross-legged, gasping for breath. He felt as though a crack had formed upon his brow, as the divine energy of the mighty warriors he had slain in Mo City surged crazily into the inner realm of his Mud Pellet.

All of it was being devoured.

Li Che even retrieved a low-tiered Three Pure Divine Crystal. Gripping it, a tremendous suction erupted, draining every iota of divine energy from within.

All that divine energy flowed into his Seven-Aperture Luminous Heart and was then distributed to the myriad divine transformations.

Only in this way could Li Che feel the deep, ravenous hunger from within the Mud Pellet’s inner realm gradually subside.

It was like a long drought quenched by a refreshing rain, a desert finally receiving its much-needed downpour.

Before his eyes, ethereal light flowed softly like fragrant incense and drifting smoke.

[Dao Fruit Lv.7 Five Transformations – Dao Induction | (Seven-Aperture Luminous Heart) Ascension – Dao Calamity (Primordial Purification Flow)]

Like the cascading waters of a celestial river, accompanied by its resonant track, the sound of rushing water washed over everything as if it was eroding the very void—the ancient riverbeds of the cosmos being reshaped!

Milky white streams of light slowly wove together before him, signaling the completion of the Dao Fruit’s five transformations.

A familiar aura of apocalyptic terror neared Li Che’s soul, as if aiming to obliterate it, threatening his very existence!

Dao Calamity!

A new Dao Calamity!

Li Che’s eyes suddenly exploded with an incomparable radiance.

Sure enough, following the five transformations of the Pure Heart Dao Fruit, a Dao Calamity emerged—and to Li Che’s surprise, it was a completely new kind of calamitous trial!

The third trial had arrived!

“It’s different…”

Li Che murmured.

“Primordial Dragon Elephant Flame, Primordial Void Slash, Primordial Purification Flow—”

“Fire, Wind—and Water?”

“Unlike the three calamities of this world—those are Netherfire, Divine Xiao Thunder, and Annihilating God-Wind—”

“But the three Dao Calamities emerging from my Dao Fruits are the elemental trials of Fire, Wind, and Water.”

Li Che’s brow furrowed.

He had believed that the Dao Calamities manifested by the Dao Fruit were the traditional three disasters.

Yet now it seemed a new path of calamitous trials had appeared.

Just as the Dragon God’s lineage follows the Ancestral Dragon Calamity, so too did Li Che’s own path of trials appear unlike anything seen before in this world!

As his thoughts churned, the turbulence within his spirit gradually subsided.

Then, streams of light slowly materialized before him.

[Dao Calamity (Primordial Purification Flow): Induce the Calamity, the Original Heaven and Earth, Elemental Water Trial, and the Soul’s Divine Passage]

Accompanied by the endless, rushing sound of water, the true words of the trial interwove before his eyes.

The Elemental Water Trial!

Indeed——

The previous two were the Elemental Fire Trial and the Elemental Wind Trial——

“The Five Elements? That doesn’t quite match. The Five Elements are Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, but now we have an Elemental Wind Trial—it definitely isn’t the Five Elements.”

For a moment, Li Che was utterly bewildered.

What other calamity trials might follow?

Li Che felt both curious and expectant—for as his daughter grew, more Dao Fruits would be born. In theory, a Dao Fruit could transform countless times. Does that mean there are limitless Dao Calamities?

Perhaps not; maybe different Dao Fruits yield different Dao Calamities.

One thing is certain—the Dao Calamities are predestined.

As his spirit settled, Li Che’s eyes grew distant. His fingers loosened, and the once radiant Three Pure lower-tiered Divine Crystal crumbled into dust, scattering from his hand.

Without pausing his cultivation, Li Che produced another Divine Crystal, clutched it in his palm, and felt his Seven-Aperture Luminous Heart pulsate as divine energy surged in.

“Huu…” His spirit stirred slightly.

Dao Calamity!

Come and cross over!

BOOM—

Accompanied by an incredibly brilliant, resounding roar, Li Che’s jet-black hair whipped wildly as everything around him transformed. Silently, he was dragged into the Dao Calamity Space.

A torrent of water, though but a fine stream, surged like a colossal river—powerful enough to raze the heavens and the earth!

BOOM!!

In an instant, a water current crashed onto Li Che’s body.

He felt as if his soul were freezing—as if his mortal form were plunging into subzero river water, with a cracking sound echoing.

Li Che’s eyes snapped open as he sensed his very soul on the verge of splitting apart.

It was excruciating agony.

Li Che collapsed onto the ground, utterly drained, unable to move even a finger.

This Elemental Water Trial directly assaulted his soul—no matter what, it was nearly impossible to defy.

But every beginning is hard.

Li Che knew full well the benefits of mastering the Dao Calamity:

Much like Primordial Void Slash merging into Transcendent True Martial Way, allowing it to transform into Celestial Seed Martial Art,

or enabling the Eight Mysterious Gates Divine Seed technique to evolve into an even higher, tougher, more potent martial art secret.

Eight Mysterious Gates Immortal Seed!

With newfound resolve, Li Che no longer feared repeated setbacks—even if he stumbled again and again!

[Dragon Elephant Furnace: Martial Immortal Golden Body (11%)]

[Heaven-Defying Half-step: Shengtian Dao Domain (100 Feet)]

[Dao Calamity: Primordial Dragon Elephant Flame (3%), Primordial Void Slash (1%), Primordial Purification Flow (0%)]

Before him, streams of light interwove as his Martial Immortal Golden Body broke through further—perhaps his enlightened spirit was even blessing it, granting it an extra boost.

Moreover, the Shengtian Dao Domain expanded to a 100-foot range.

In short, the overall gains were immense.

Li Che’s spirits soared.

The Dao Fruit not only transformed but also spawned a third type of Dao Calamity, deepening Li Che’s comprehension of its inherent power.

Additionally, as the Seven-Aperture Luminous Heart evolved, Li Che’s mastery over divine energy became ever more effortless.

Now, all that was lacking was accumulation; with enough Divine Crystals, his cultivation would quickly reach the divine thresholds required by the divine transformations!

“Resources—still, resources are needed…”

Li Che exhaled softly.

Currently, the resources at his disposal were far insufficient. The higher his cultivation, the more support he would require—

This was a universally acknowledged truth.

Fortunately, his recent plunder of Ji Mo Li’s Qiankun Space had netted him a wave of resources.

Gripping a Feilei Chess Piece in his fingers, Li Che vanished from Mo City.

When he reappeared, he had returned to Luoyun City.

Together with Lü Taibai, Fang Han Shu, and the others, they discussed the future training routes for the four young ones—XiXi, Yun’e, and the rest.

Jiangnan Dao.

Jizhou.

Rumbling—

In eastern Jizhou near the coast, mists and great surges erupted repeatedly, roaring furiously.

Above in the Heavenly Dome, dense, blood-red clouds intermingled and amassed; lightning repeatedly burst out in wild turmoil.

Crackling, intertwining blood-red lightning twisted in a ferocious display!

At King Ping Luan’s Mansion, the entire estate was suddenly plunged into oppressive darkness.

A colossal blood pool exploded with a crack, unleashing torrents of blood that uncontrollably gushed in all directions.

Beside the blood pool, two figures trembled violently—none other than Ji Li Qing and Ji Li Hong, the two sons of Ji Mo Li.

Clad in black armor, they quaked uncontrollably as they knelt in disbelief before the ruptured blood pool.

Within them, the bloodline power of Ji Mo Li surged, but the sparse blood spirits in the pool were utterly incapable of sustaining Ji Mo Li’s revival.

Ji Li Qing knelt, prepared to sacrifice his life.

Yet, in the end, he was not destined to do so.

“Father—he’s fallen.”

After a long silence, Ji Li Qing looked up in disbelief; his eyes filled with deep regret.

Beside him, Ji Li Hong was equally bewildered.

Hadn’t their father gone to Qitian City?

Could the war in Qitian City really have erupted so soon?!

But the legacy of Qitian Temple had not yet emerged—how could he have died so soon?

Who had killed their father?

Both Ji Li Qing and Ji Li Hong found it hard to accept; they had never imagined Ji Mo Li could meet such an end!

Buzz—

Suddenly, outside King Ping Luan’s Mansion, a deep, sinister laugh echoed, followed by a cold, severe wind that stirred even the blood pool into churning surges.

“Who?!”

Ji Li Qing and Ji Li Hong snapped their heads upward as the four black-armored guards swiftly drew their weapons, their faces gravely turned toward one direction.

There, atop the mansion walls, a shadow cloaked in a black robe and hood stood silently.

“Ji Mo Li is dead… you wasteful fool—”

A deep, bizarrely mocking voice sneered.

Recognizing him immediately, Ji Li Qing roared, “Wei Yuan! How dare you be so arrogant? Trespassing in our King Ping Luan Mansion?!”

Wei Yuan!

Indeed, the intruder was none other than Lü Taibai’s prodigious disciple who, after defecting from Qianyuan Divine Sect, joined the perverse Corpse God Sect!

Ji Mo Li had many dealings with the Corpse God Sect.

That was why Ji Li Qing immediately recognized Wei Yuan.

But Ji Li Qing had not expected that immediately after Ji Mo Li’s demise, as ominous signs of a divine calamity began to appear, the dark prodigy of the Corpse God Sect, Wei Yuan, would show up at the mansion.

“Trespassing?”

“You have no idea what’s really happened here,”

“Ji Mo Li is dead. And do you know the foolish mistakes he made?”

“He even lost the six Corpse Seals, dooming our six revered Corpse Gods that we painstakingly summoned!”

Wei Yuan’s voice grew deeper and more terrifying!

In the next moment, a horrific aura of death and decay surged from his black robe!

“Ji Mo Li—a total failure!”

“His bloodline, wasted like this…”

“Our sect leader intended to wait until our martial prowess soared to the level of a Martial God—then to devour Ji Mo Li entirely! Devour his flesh and bone, his daosoul, his bloodline, everything!”

“So that the Great Corpse God may truly revive and descend!”

“And yet he died, losing our sect’s most precious Corpse Seal!”

“How damned useless!”

Wei Yuan’s voice became chillingly cold as a tide of death crashed down, as a monstrous, twisted, multi-headed Corpse God aggregation emerged within King Ping Luan’s Mansion.

“Bring forth whatever remnants of Ji Mo Li’s blood and spirit you still harbor in your bodies!”

BOOM—

A terrifying explosion rocked the mansion in an instant!

The screams of Ji Li Qing and Ji Li Hong tore through the skies in a heartbeat.

“Father, don’t worry—we’ll be good,”

XiXi, tilting her head, offered an adorable, well-behaved smile.

Yun’e and Zhou Peng also smiled in unison; since becoming embodiments of Spiritual Confinement, both had found a newfound lightness in life.

Spiritual Confinement had granted them a second life; freed from the shackles of the Temple Spirit, they now lived with unbridled freedom.

The lingering power of the Temple Spirit still affected them slightly, but it was manageable—more like a habit that could be overcome if desired.

Li Che looked at these little ones with a faint helpless smile.

After half a day of intense discussion, Lü Taibai, Lü Qiankun, and Fang Han Shu, along with Li Che’s plans for the four youngsters’ training routes, reached a decision.

They would not head directly north to the True Martial Divine Sect of Tongyou Road.

Instead, they would accompany the kids to Qitian City to broaden their horizons and gain experience.

Li Che eventually couldn’t resist XiXi’s adorable pleading.

“Father, please just let me see the world~”

XiXi wiggled her little bottom as she tugged at Li Che’s arm, her big, sparkling eyes filled with expectation, a hint of grievance, and earnest longing…

It was the first time in her life she had ever acted so coquettishly toward him.

In the end, Li Che conceded.

Mainly because he was confident he could guarantee her safety—if things went awry, he’d simply lob her into Mo City and then use a Feilei teleport to whisk her away.

When it came to escaping danger, Li Che was unsurpassed in this world.

Even if faced with a catastrophic divine trial, he was sure he could get XiXi to safety in the blink of an eye.

After deliberating with Lü Taibai and the others, Li Che finally agreed to the youngsters’ request.

Then, as if in a grand gesture, Lü Taibai brandished the Taibai Sword. A silver stream of light soared upward, instantly transforming into a magnificent Flying Sword.

Stretching across the skies, Lü Taibai proudly demonstrated his mastery to his cherished disciples.

Sword energy raged wildly as everyone departed Luoyun City, setting off toward Qitian City in Jianzhou Wenling Prefecture.

In less than half a day, they arrived within the borders of Wenling Prefecture.

Barely inside, they all sensed an overwhelming, interwoven aura of demonic energy coursing through the heavens!

Seated upon the Flying Sword, Li Che gripped a lower-tiered Three Pure Divine Crystal. His eyes suddenly opened wide as a strange radiance danced within.

“This demonic aura is incredibly dense,” Lü Taibai murmured, astonished.

“It’s far more intense than it was five hundred years ago—”

Fang Han Shu nodded gravely. “The awakening of Qitian City is a lure—not only for the Great Realm but for the entire world.”

“The Demon Clan had already plotted five hundred years ago, linking together with the sinister Yao Clan of the Demonic Cult—”

“I’ve even heard that within Qitian City there lurks a terrifying second-level demonic deity!”

Fang Han Shu’s pointed remark caused the expressions of Lü Taibai, Lü Qiankun, and the others to shift subtly.

“A second-level demonic deity?!”

At these words, Li Che couldn’t help but be intrigued.

XiXi and the little ones strained their necks, hanging on every word.

“How can a second-tier realm exist in the mortal world? Once it appears, wouldn’t it be immediately locked down by the will of heaven and earth?”

Li Che inquired.

Fang Han Shu glanced at Li Che, as if he perceived something hidden in his eyes. Had Li Che’s identity been revealed?

Before Fang Han Shu could explain further, the silent, reserved Ancestral Patriarch Lü Qiankun spoke:

“Qitian City… is unlike any other place…”

“Qitian Temple’s Bizarre Temple is built at the junction of the Inner and Earthly Weird Sanctuaries, and the dense, mysterious mist it emits makes the entire Qitian City resemble a Bizarre Temple.”

“Granted, it is not identical to a true Bizarre Temple. Although Qitian City contains paths that lead directly to the Inner and Earthly Weird Sanctuaries…”

“They are only a semblance created by the overwhelming mysterious mists.”

“Yet the mist is real; though it may not completely defy the calamities of heaven and earth, it does greatly weaken the locking effect of the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations imposed by heaven and earth.”

Lü Qiankun’s face grew solemn and stern.

Li Che finally understood—the reason why so many powerhouses converged on Qitian City.

After all, Qitian Temple was built on a Three Pure Bizarre Temple, a mere remnant of a fallen sect, its upheaval nearly enveloping the whole city.

“The demons claim that the Qitian Temple Spirit was originally of demonic birth and seized Qitian City long ago. Of course, the Great Realm never abandoned Qitian City either—rumor has it an ancient patriarch of the Great Realm now resides there, though the demonic forces hold even more sway.”

“For five hundred years, Qitian City has effectively become the city of demons.”

“Thus, entering Qitian City now is fraught with danger.”

Fang Han Shu added.

Amid light chatter, the Taibai Sword soared across the heavens; soon, a majestic city emerged, cloaked in swirling gray mists, barely discernible yet imposing in its grandeur.

Li Che’s eyes widened as an explosion of brilliant light erupted from him.

His gaze fixed upon Qitian City.

In his right arm, the Freewill Gold-Iron Divine Staff trembled, hinting at an imminent burst of dazzling brilliance that merged with that very city.

Within the inner realm of the Mud Pellet, the Cosmic Chessboard spanned the cosmos.

At its center, the Qi Tian Face seemed almost alive—

On the brink of breaking free from the Cosmic Chessboard, it transformed into a living True Primate, unleashing a deafening roar toward Qitian City!

Between heaven and earth,

The overwhelming demonic aura, the oceanic divine energy, and the potent Dao essence intermingled in a dreamlike fusion.

Li Che sat on the Flying Sword.

He raised his hand, pressing it against his brow.

In a split second, flesh and blood exploded apart.

Star Plucking Gaze!

He glared intently!

Infinite analysis—peering into the void and returning to truth!

[Bizarre Temple (Three Pure)]

[Battle Realm Lotus Demon Saint Qitian Bizarre Temple]