Chapter 54: Surge of Divine Fury

Boom!

Electric serpents dart through the sky, roaring with fury!

Black clouds burst as brilliant blue lightning unfurled like a spider’s web, and massive tendons emerged as if chiseled on an ultimate warrior’s skin!

Heavy rain poured down, shrouding all of Feilei City.

The explosion at Jinhuang Pavilion was so sudden that the entire Inner City fell into a stunned freeze in an instant.

Unaware factions held their breaths, too fearful to act on their own.

The Xu Family Residence in the Inner City.

Divine Cultivation Institute.

Xu You, who was seated under the eaves reading ‘Chronicles of the Grand View’, was suddenly jarred awake by a flash of lightning. Drenched in cold sweat, he glanced toward Jinhuang Pavilion, his eyes narrowing in alarm.

Far off, the enormous divine foundation—set upon four colossal wheels—continued to radiate an awe-inspiring brilliance!

Every divine cultivator could sense it. Xu You’s own cultivation was modest; at twenty-four, he had barely reached the ‘Nurturing Essence like a Stream’ stage.

Though he had stepped into the second realm of nurturing, he had already lost any chance of assaulting a divine foundation.

Unlike his elder brother Xu Helil, whose extraordinary talent earned him a spot among Feilei City’s Three Noble Sons, and who had long since refined his 【Xuan Si Liu Jian】 divine foundation to the ‘Nurturing Essence like a River’ stage—nearly ready to forge a divine foundation.

‘Battle of the Divine Foundations?’

Xu You was struck as if by lightning and, in an instant, realized that monumental events were about to shake Feilei City.

He didn’t dwell on the specifics.

He quickly swept his gaze over the Divine Cultivation Institute, scanning the young prodigies deep in meditation. When his eyes landed on the poised XiXi, a weight lifted from his heart.

In truth, Xu You wasn’t the only one to notice.

Inside the Divine Cultivation Institute, an elderly Xu family matron—one of their senior divine cultivators responsible for instructing the prodigies and a master of the ‘Nurturing Essence like a River’ level—slowly approached.

‘Ah You, lock the doors of the Institute. No one may enter. When you return, join me in guarding this place to protect the children.’

Gripping her phoenix-headed walking stick, the old matron’s face, weathered like withered bark, was set in stern determination.

Xu You hurriedly nodded in agreement.

‘I wonder how Li Che is holding up in the Workshop… I hope he stays put and doesn’t get tempted to watch the chaos unfold.’

‘Even stray energies from battles between divine foundation cultivators can kill someone at the Bone Tempering level, dooming them utterly…’

Xu You shook his head, trying to suppress his growing worries.

‘XiXi, come over here to Uncle Xu You.’

Xu You waved at XiXi.

Obedient as ever, XiXi immediately trotted over to him.

Right behind XiXi, a chubby-headed boy quickly fell in step.

‘Chizai, hurry over and stick with Uncle Xu You—you’ll be safe!’ XiXi called out, stretching her neck as she beckoned.

Xu You cast a sidelong glance at the boy with the oversized head trailed behind XiXi.

The boy sported a Nezha braid, and with his prominent head, he was undeniably eye-catching.

This made Xu You steal a second, lingering look.

‘Granny Mu, whose prodigy is this?’ Xu You couldn’t help asking.

Granny Mu, leaning on her phoenix-headed stick, shot a cool, dismissive smile at the boy with the Nezha braid.

‘An acquaintance entrusted him to us…’

……

……

Boom—

Terrifying torrents of qi and blood burst forth like a spitting dragon serpent, spreading in all directions.

Li Che, donning a conical hat and a Cute Cow Mask, with eyes blazing in fury, was encased in a tightly bound elastic garment that accentuated every bulging tendon and twisted muscle!

He stomped forcefully with one foot!

A torrent of qi and blood roared like a furious thunderclap!

It was as if a bomb had suddenly exploded!

The water beneath his foot vanished instantly, like a giant stone splashing into a lake, sending up rippling walls of water several feet high. The ancient stone pavement cracked and sank under the impact.

An unprecedented, terrifying force erupted in that very moment.

Amid the raging winds and splintering water, chaos reigned!

A figure emerged with a piercing scream, propelled by a burst of semi-transparent water that twisted into a blurry human shape as surges of divine aura coalesced into form!

So Mu Bai, soaked like a drowned rat, had long lost the calm composure he once maintained when facing Li Che.

Just when he was determined to escape toward the city’s outskirts…

he never expected that midway, such a terrifying surge of qi and blood would erupt!

Channeling Realm!

A martial warrior of the Channeling Realm… lying in wait?!

Who is he?

No… how could a Channeling warrior detect traces hidden by his divine esoteric escape technique?!

His secret technique was passed down by the Divine Foundation Ancestor, and under favorable conditions, non-divine foundation cultivators can’t track him during his escape!

Swish…

So Mu Bai slid several meters across the puddles of Long Street, coming to a half-kneel on the ground. Gasping for breath, rain twisted down his face.

He fixed his gaze intently on the towering figure.

Thick, dark, cord-like tendons pulsed with blood-red qi, as fierce as molten rock!

A sheer, crushing wave of energy barreled in with unstoppable force!

‘Ogre——!!!’

So Mu Bai stared at the figure, its aura so formidable it set the rain ablaze and steamed the sky, its murderous intent glaring with unbridled savagery!

Yet his eyes brimmed with sorrow, tears streaming down steadily.

So Mu Bai had never expected…

that the one to block his path would be Ogre!

A thug who fancied himself a hero—a man he should have easily obliterated!

How dare he impede a divine cultivator of the ‘Nurturing Essence like a River’ level?!

Though Ogre’s aura had reached the zenith of a Channeling Realm fighter’s power,

any nurturer stepping into the realms of a stream or a river could effortlessly suppress a Channeling fighter!

At present, Ogre’s aura was only at the initial qi phase of the Channeling Realm…

But So Mu Bai, even with his divine essence diminished, maintained a flawless ‘Nurturing Essence like a Stream’ standard!

‘Waaah… Ogre… how dare you!’

Tears streamed down So Mu Bai’s face, merging with the falling rain.

‘Rainy days only deepen the sorrow…’

‘You can’t tell if it’s the heavens weeping or my own tears!’

So Mu Bai, seizing the moment, didn’t waste time as Ogre launched a reckless strike…

He had longed to kill Ogre!

As So Mu Bai unleashed his divine aura, countless raindrops fell, seemingly frozen in midair.

Sobbing, So Mu Bai spread his fingers, aiming squarely at Li Che’s head.

From dozens of meters away, a barrage of divine essence—channeled through 【Chin Ku Zhen Gui】 and laden with maddening sorrow—hurtled toward Li Che, assaulting his very spirit!

It was as if innumerable invisible, razor-sharp needles spanned the distance, piercing into his mind.

A sudden ache in Li Che’s nose and a splitting headache threatened to overtake him, his face betraying a hint of grief as he faced, for the first time, a divine cultivator’s unreserved assault on his spirit.

Since brute physical prowess could never forge the spirit, martial fighters were inherently at a disadvantage against divine cultivators!

However…

Li Che remained composed, never entirely relinquishing his initiative.

His arm… suddenly ignited with searing heat!

A jade-hued mist began to rise, swirling and drifting around him!

In an instant, as if blessed rain had met sweet nectar…

The piercing pain in his mind faded as if swallowed whole, transferring entirely into his arm…

The budding form of a divine technique: Immortal Craft: Qianxi Hand!

His entire hand seemed to belong to a force of its own—a terrifying surge of divine essence nearly impossible to contain.

The inherent divine fury within was suddenly subdued…

but the sheer volume of divine essence he had absorbed!

Transforming and refining so much power at once proved agonizing, as his arm throbbed with tearing pain. At one point, his hand even appeared to gain a will of its own—a truly eerie phenomenon.

Yet that very process relieved the torment in Li Che’s mind!

Enough!

Li Che’s eyes hardened as he forcefully pressed his body downward; a slight lean heralded the emergence of a magnificent white tiger, fangs bared.

With a heavy stomp, the ancient stone slab trembled as boiling puddles erupted around his foot, snaking up along his rough sole!

Drawing on the raw power of his fierce Golden Vajra state, Li Che shattered countless splintering droplets that burst outward.

By the time his body reconnected with the ground, he had closed the gap by dozens of meters, appearing before So Mu Bai—whose fingers were still splayed as he channeled divine essence!

On Li Che’s robust body, countless droplets coalesced into miniature ‘demons’—as if crawling up from hell—clinging to his arms, legs, shoulders, and head while wailing!

They cried and gnawed as they latched on.

Beneath his Cute Cow Mask, Li Che’s face remained impassive.

His hand, broad as a fan with fingers curled like hooks, gripped tightly…

Transcendent Martial Technique!

White Tiger Turbulent Wind Fist!

Locked in a resonant binding, qi and blood erupted from every pore, and the myriad little demons clinging to him exploded into a burst of water vapor!

Then, swept up by Li Che’s punch amid howling winds, the swirling water vapor merged into a hazy, magnificent white tiger!

So Mu Bai was horrified beyond measure!

He never expected that Ogre—a mere martial fighter—could not only shrug off his divine aura but also unleash a transcendent martial technique!

What kind of monster is this?

His growth… it’s too rapid!

He had only recently reached Bone Tempering and undergone Blood Exchange, and now… he had already attained the Channeling Realm!

And he had mastered a transcendent martial technique!

Without any master’s guidance, could humble Feilei City really produce a Channeling warrior skilled in transcendent martial techniques?!

Without extraordinary martial talent and decades of relentless practice, such mastery was impossible!

Who is this Ogre… what divine being could he be?!

At the critical moment, So Mu Bai barely had time to think as countless droplets of divine essence amassed on his arm, each transforming into wailing little demons that clung densely.

It was as if they formed a suit of armor!

However…

A ferocious White Tiger punch slammed down, striking So Mu Bai’s arm.

Countless little demons exploded along with the shattering blast of blood and bone from his arm, forming a dense, bloody mist!

So Mu Bai’s shattered arm unleashed a terrifying shockwave that rebounded like a hurled ball, though it had not yet hit the ground.

The bloody mist tore apart, and a Cute Cow Mask appeared in its wake as his sleeves flicked sharply.

Concealed within were wooden bolts from the Sleeve Crossbow imbued with divine essence, a toxin-laced Guanyin Blood Lotus, and fine silver threads drawn with lightning speed…

All this played out in the horrified reflection of So Mu Bai’s eyes…

They rained down from all directions!

So Mu Bai had never witnessed such a vicious tactic; his mind couldn’t keep up…

Puh puh puh!

Still airborne, his body was already pierced by arrows, showing signs of poisoning with a bluish-purple hue.

Before he hit the ground, razor-thin Thousand Spider Silk sliced him into pieces…

It was a chaotic, crumbling mess—as if thrown into a pond and devoured by ravenous fish.

He crashed down, turning the rainwater red.

Boom—!

Li Che landed abruptly, hefting the black-cloth-wrapped upgraded 【Muduya】 he’d been saving for taking down So Mu Bai.

His keen eyes swept over the scattered fragments of flesh, as he maintained his habit of scouting for corpses.

Amidst the blood-soaked ground, he found only a faintly glowing jade pendant exuding potent divine aura, and without hesitation, he pocketed it.

Adjusting his conical hat, he darted into the rain as the electric serpents roared.

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