Chapter 55: Crimson Shadows in the Rain
by xennovelMurder. Ransack the corpse. Vanish immediately.
Every move Li Che made flowed effortlessly, executed with unmatched finesse.
His speed was astonishing—the entire burst from his sudden attack to the killing of Si Mu Bai took no more than about ten breaths.
Yet the brief clash was perilously fierce. Had Li Che failed to withstand the blow of Si Mu Bai’s divine presence on his spirit, he might have fallen right then.
What disappointed Li Che most was that Si Mu Bai’s corpse offered very little of value.
The anticipated divine cultivation methods—and even the Superior Inner Strength Technique—were nowhere to be seen. There wasn’t even a single Gold Leaf!
Unreasonable!
This wasn’t how a prized heir of a notable family was supposed to behave!
Boom!!!
Li Che reined in his spirit and stomped down hard on the earth. In an instant, water surged up in a rainwall as his body blasted away like a cannonball.
He pushed the Sleeping Dragon Elephant to its extreme, leaving himself as if he’d erased his very presence from the mortal realm.
“Stop!!!”
A shattering, hissing explosion echoed from Jinhuang Pavilion in an instant!
Three figures burst through the sky—startled and angry—splitting the rain as they raced in hot pursuit, instantly ripping the downpour apart!
Overwhelming divine presence covered the heavens, whipping up wind and rain!
Each donned a mask—the tiger, the leopard, and the goat…
Beneath the downpour, their visages were grotesquely fierce!
Their immense divine aura interwove, creating a spectacular spectacle that roared like a river around them!
Li Che pulled his hat low, not responding a word.
He moved like a shadow along the wall amidst the raging storm.
Clack, clack, clack…
His steps were exquisitely light, so that with each footfall the raindrops barely stirred.
Still, Li Che felt those three figures closing in!
And from the direction of the Outer City, a searing, dreadful divine presence bore down relentlessly.
He shone like a glaring beacon, impossible to hide.
Even if he unleashed Sleeping Dragon Elephant at its limit…
“I’ve always been exposed… even the Breath Convergence of Sleeping Dragon Elephant couldn’t keep me hidden…”
Li Che immediately recalled the jade pendant he’d looted from the corpse.
Surely, it was the jade pendant…
That had given away his position!
And these foes, having discarded Si Mu Bai’s body, came straight after him…
This undoubtedly signaled something.
The jade pendant…
What a worthwhile snag!
……
……
In that moment, the torrential rain appeared to warp and twist completely!
Thud!
With one mighty stomp, his body carved a vast arc through the rain.
A wall of water burst forth before him, as everything seemed to stand still.
“Hahaha… it’s Ogre… hahaha… now, that’s something!”
A figure with a laughing girl’s mask, shouldering a long spear, stood as the rain split overhead like a canopy.
A potent divine presence filled the air, oddly suffusing a sense of mirth. Each raindrop seemed to carry a spark of joy, making one feel like laughing uncontrollably.
Li Che’s brow furrowed, his gaze turned icy; yet under the divine influence, he found himself on the verge of laughter.
Even the rain appeared to freeze.
The heavy downpour suddenly halted in midair, manipulated by an overwhelming divine power.
Apart from the masked girl, two more figures stood on either side, sealing off any escape path.
The other two, both armed with a knife slung at their waists—one, hulking like a bear, glared with fiery intensity as his divine aura seemed to ignite the raindrops!
Li Che recognized this figure instantly…
One of the three Great God-Catchers—【Fen Nu Mi Tuo】 Zhao Xuanhai!
And the other two…
Li Che’s eyes, visible beneath his Cute Cow Mask, flicked briefly towards the other two.
These two were likely the remaining members of the Three Great God-Catchers.
【Fear Inducing Radiance】 Zhang Xiangyang, 【Chaos of Joy and Confusion】 Zhou Ruoguan!
Xu You had once briefed Li Che on the divine foundations the Three Great God-Catchers wielded. Their distinct features made them easy to recognize.
【Fen Nu Mi Tuo】, 【Fear Inducing Radiance】, 【Chaos of Joy and Confusion】!
The Three Divine Foundation Sequence was a divine method imparted by the Imperial Court!
At this moment, they unleashed their divine presence, no longer concealing it.
“The three Great God-Catchers… all tied to the Lingying Sect—this Lingying Sect…” Li Che’s expression beneath his mask grew grim.
This city… is utterly corrupt!
The sky and earth lay still, divided by divine force.
It was as though three surging rivers blocked his path.
“Ogre, oh Ogre…”
“Never thought Si Mu Bai would meet his end at your hands…”
“Flying Thunder Third Young Master—hahaha, what a miserable end—torn limb from limb into countless pieces… hahaha, brilliant execution!”
The figure donning the laughing girl’s mask stared at Li Che.
“Ogre… targeting only the Lingying Sect? We are the three Great Sect Lords of the Lingying Sect, and you…”
“Then come and kill us!”
Zhao Xuanhai, a hulking figure donning an angry boy mask, sneered coldly as he taunted.
Another figure, masked with a fearful boy visage, said nothing as he lifted his head, staring into the distance.
Tiger, Leopard, and Goat—they were all there.
The six divine cultivators, each with a temperament as deep as a river, suddenly formed six long, impassable streams around them.
They faced each other, and in that moment, Ogre… seemed to be of no concern to them.
To these six divine cultivators, a warrior like Ogre could be obliterated at a mere flick of the hand.
Si Mu Bai met his end primarily due to existing injuries, compounded by a desperate escape, an ambush, and further wounds from concealed weapons…
He was promptly taken down by Ogre.
Yet they wouldn’t, bolstered by their unwavering self-confidence.
“Suspended Thought Sword, Astonished Heart, Twisting Worries… Xu Family, Yang Family, and An Family…”
“Xu Helil, An Ruosu, you and Si Mu Bai, as Flying Thunder Third Young Masters, how can you be so eager to attack your dear friend? Aren’t you ashamed?”
……
……
Though Li Che unleashed the 【Dragon Elephant Vajra】, his aura—bordering on that of a seasoned warrior—paled in comparison to the overwhelming divine presence of the six.
At that moment, he was being overlooked…
Even though he was the notorious Ogre,
they clearly paid him no mind.
Truly, this is…
Excellent.
Li Che relished being overlooked. Clearly, as they faced off, if any one of them attacked him first to seize Si Mu Bai’s jade pendant from his grasp, it would shatter the current stalemate.
Yet he despised this sense of being at others’ mercy.
He gripped the jade pendant tightly.
He hesitated, wondering if he should discard the pendant, for as long as he clung to it, his position would be compromised.
At that moment, as Li Che agonized over his decision…
From within his chest…
The 【Pure Heart】 Dao Fruit suddenly began to pulse, as if it were about to burst out from his chest.
Li Che froze in shock as he felt the long-contained divine essence within the 【Pure Heart】 explode forth, forcefully integrating into the jade pendant.
The divine aura within the jade pendant vanished in an instant.
And the jade pendant itself disappeared from Li Che’s grasp…
Hm?
At that moment.
It wasn’t just Li Che.
Even the six facing him were visibly startled.
Their gazes locked on Ogre, completely unable to detect the jade pendant’s aura.
“The Qian Kun Jade is gone, and the aura of the Si Patriarch’s divine foundation fragment has vanished into thin air!”
Faces behind the masks turned ashen!
“Ogre… what have you done?”
At that moment, their attention shifted back to Li Che.
A divine foundation fragment from a cultivator was the key—a crucial element to understand and harness the divine foundation!
This was a monumental chance, and also the objective of all parties targeting the Si Family.
With the Si Patriarch’s divine foundation compromised, he would, before his demise, shed a fragment to sustain the Si Family.
And the only one with a genuine chance to acquire a divine foundation fragment was Si Mu Bai—the most promising heir of the Si Family.
Beneath his Cute Cow Mask, Li Che’s lips involuntarily curved into a smile.
The aura of the divine foundation fragment had vanished?
Which meant… its position was undetectable?
He suddenly slammed the heavy apparatus he bore onto the ground, unleashing a burst of murky water.
His hulking form erupted with surging energy like a roaring dragon, muscles quivering and sinews straining…
Li Che scanned the impassive faces of the divine cultivators who paid him no mind…
“Everyone, get ready for a big surprise!”
“Prepare to experience the art of explosion.”
Li Che’s voice dropped low—deep and laced with madness.
With a sweep of black cloth, Li Che brandished the enhanced 【Muduya】 with one hand…
He revealed a cylindrical body of prime ebony, from which five sleek, dark metal tubes protruded, and within its core lay an array of thumb-sized 【Muduya】, perfectly aligned.
Ogre’s massive arms quivered, as torrents of blood and inner strength surged furiously into the odd contraption he hoisted, aimed directly at them…
You all may possess divine power…
But I’ve got the firepower!
“Celestial Craft: Namo Gatling Muduya!”
“Everyone…”
“Please enjoy a display of fireworks!”