Chapter 56: The Mechanism Unleashed

What is that?

The few divine cultivators standing on the roof looked puzzled as their divine essence roiled violently, as if warning them of impending danger…

A tremendous danger loomed!

But this Ogre… merely a martial fighter in the early stages of Meridian Cultivation—how could he possibly pose a threat to them?

That strange mechanism—several metal tubes bound together…

What is this Ogre up to?

Using mechanical hidden weapons… to take on those powerful cultivators whose essence seems to flow like a mighty river?

Not every martial fighter is a divine cultivator, but every divine cultivator is a martial fighter!

They were seasoned warriors, their bodies honed through relentless physical training, mastering Blood Exchange and even reaching the Fourth Heavenly Stage in inner strength…

Thus, their flesh was far from frail; against mechanical hidden weapons, they were by no means helpless.

Moreover, with their divine perception, the mechanism before them looked utterly laughable!

The Ogre, masked and with piercing eyes, emanated a maddening barrage of firepower!

His jet-black hair whipped wildly as his deep voice trumpeted over the storm’s roar, booming across the skies.

“Let’s enjoy a dazzling fireworks display!”

“Let’s feast on it!”

In an instant!

Boom, boom, boom!

Terrifying blasts erupted, their shockwaves tearing through the storm!

The mechanism wielded by the Ogre suddenly unleashed a powerful sonic roar, its shockwaves surging in every direction, stirring the puddles into heavy ripples!

Countless shrieks, countless sparks, countless shockwaves…

They burst forth frantically from the five spinning metal tubes of that bizarre mechanism!

One golden bolt after another shot out like beams of light, slicing through the torrential rain and splitting the downpour in two!

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!

They moved too fast—each Muduya was compressed by the surging qi and blood of Li Che, then propelled forward by a fierce, self-generated force!

A thousand ravens howled in unison!

The heavens and the earth erupted in a burst of golden blossoms!

The six masked divine cultivators’ faces turned ashen as they frantically channeled their surging divine essence!

But the launched Muduya were so swift that, in the blink of an eye, they reached the cultivators—forcing them to manipulate their omnipresent divine essence to freeze the air and form a barrier of energy!

The Muduya slammed into the barrier, momentarily freezing in place!

In that fleeting instant, the eyes behind their masks softened considerably.

Look closely!

It was an ebony wooden bird, its natural grain so lifelike that in that frozen moment sparks erupted from within, surging into a raging inferno with the wind!

At the moment of detonation, it unleashed countless surging shockwaves!

Its explosive tearing force was enough to rip apart even the most battle-hardened martial fighter!

“Is that all?”

They exhaled in bewilderment, feeling something utterly off.

But…

Then, in the next moment, what made their hair stand on end was…

From the Ogre’s mechanism, tongues of flame burst forth—one wooden bird after another sliced through the rain, their brilliant golden light relentlessly battering the divine energy wall!

Numbers…

Too many!

Boom, boom, boom…

Countless bursts of golden light exploded as thick smoke filled the air and shockwaves roiled and tumbled all around!

Each attack, powerful enough to tear apart even seasoned warriors, pounded them dozens of times in the space of a breath or two—even for these divine cultivators, it was…

Suffocating!

As if a soul-reaping harbinger from hell, donning a bull mask, had seized the throat of life itself, ready to choke the soul away!

“Damn!”

The divine cultivator wearing a smiling little girl mask could no longer smile; he muttered a curse under his breath.

The air-wall before him shattered with a deafening crash.

Countless golden wooden birds, shrieking, pounced on him and engulfed his body.

Beneath rolling dark clouds, clusters of golden fireworks decorated the explosive spectacle like art.

Even the raindrops were swept aside by the impact.

The remaining divine cultivators soon met a similar fate.

……

……

Waves of heat rolled as dense steam blurred the world around them.

As the flames died down, plump raindrops cascaded from the sky in a relentless patter.

The entire area was left in utter disarray.

When a trace of divine essence reawakened, several figures staggered to their feet—masks shattered, clothing in tatters, some clinging to nothing but scraps.

Their skin was torn and charred, the strong stench of burnt flesh pervading the surroundings.

Not even the downpour could wash away that… unmistakable scent of flesh…

“It’s over…”

“Where’s the Ogre?”

“Damn it, he bolted! What the hell is that thing? To launch so many wooden birds and trigger such a terrifying explosion—what kind of mechanism can blast us peak cultivators into this state?”

“Now I finally understand why the devotees of the Lingying Sect don’t call the Ogre a hero. Can these methods really be called heroic?”

……

The divine cultivators no longer harbored any hostile or confrontational intentions.

After all…

Si Mu Bai’s Qian Kun Jade was gone, and the Ogre had already slipped away.

What was there left to confront?

Out of boredom?

Knowing each other’s true identities, none of them saw any reason to prolong the conflict.

“So, the art of mechanisms can be this powerful? No wonder the Tang Family once flourished. But mechanisms are merely a minor craft—otherwise, the Tangs wouldn’t have plummeted into oblivion with the fall of the Divine Fetus Great Adept…”

“Who exactly is this Ogre? To blend martial blood with the art of mechanisms… to leave six peak cultivators like us in such disarray…”

They took deep breaths, exchanging glances that betrayed their shock.

But soon, they began to regain their composure.

“Si Mu Bai’s Qian Kun Jade is missing… the Ogre must have used divine means to erase the dispersed divine energy within the jade.”

“Damn…”

“Find the Ogre! We must find him! That damn thing held divine fate, after all…”

The battered few, draped in ragged cloth with torn skin, exchanged a few symbolic glances through the murky steam and rain.

Then, wordlessly nodding to each other, they turned on their heels and split up.

……

……

Bang!

This time, Li Che effortlessly evaded capture by employing the ‘Sleeping Dragon Elephant’ Breath Convergence technique.

He managed to avoid detection and follow-up by the divine cultivators.

Not to mention those guys—having had their divine defenses blasted open by the ‘Nanmu Gatling Muduya’—were left battered and too exhausted to pursue him.

Simply by erasing the divine aura from Si Mu Bai’s pendant, he ensured complete evasion from any tracking.

Still, he calmly weaved through several alleys, changing his position multiple times.

Once he was sure he wasn’t being tailed, he carried the Nanmu Gatling back to the small Workshop Courtyard that Xu You had provided.

After landing and confirming the area was empty, Li Che panted heavily as he set down the Nanmu Gatling.

Li Che’s figure returned to normal, and he immediately focused his spirit into his arms.

His Thousand Analysis Hand had absorbed a massive amount of divine essence from Si Mu Bai. If he didn’t process it quickly, the excess would soon overwhelm him.

After all, Li Che wasn’t a divine cultivator—not even capable of nurturing his essence to its fullest. If he lost control and the divine power of ‘Chin Ku Zhen Gui’ erupted, not only would his mind suffer, but his identity could be exposed, creating needless trouble!

The Ogre’s identity… was far too sensitive now.

So, without hesitation, Li Che funneled the absorbed divine essence into the ‘Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit’.

Dao Fruits absorb divine essence!

It alleviated his strain!

However, the Dragon Elephant Dao Fruit only absorbed roughly half of the divine essence before ceasing its consumption.

Only after the pressure on his Thousand Analysis Hand returned to normal did Li Che finally breathe a sigh of relief.

[Dao Fruit: Dragon Elephant Vajra (LV2 30%)]

Li Che glanced at it, his heart leaping with joy.

This round of absorption had directly boosted the maturation of the Dragon Elephant Dao Fruit by 10%!

Li Che even felt that his martial cultivation had reached the extreme limits of Blood Exchange training—so potent that, with the method of Meridian Cultivation, a single thought could break through any barrier.

The LV2 30% matured Dragon Elephant Vajra bestowed an immense boost to his tempering talent.

Suppressing the boiling surge of qi and blood within, Li Che channeled his aura through the Dao Fruit.

He opened his eyes once again, clarity returning as the rain continued its relentless downpour.

Li Che tore off the Cute Cow Mask and crushed it into fine dust, his gaze settling on the ‘Nanmu Gatling’—an LV3-level immortal-crafted Dao Fruit that greatly enhanced his combat prowess.

It was precisely because of this trump card that he dared to boldly attack Si Mu Bai this time.

That was his ace in the hole.

All his earlier hesitation and caution stemmed from a lack of firepower.

Once his firepower was ample… he’d dare to overturn the heavens!

“It’s fine—we still have room to improve. The material’s durability is simply lacking, and the Muduya’s burst power isn’t strong enough… firing a hundred Muduya is the limit. Any more… and we won’t stand a chance.”

“Even if you split a hundred shots among the six divine cultivators, each would only get a dozen at most—not enough to kill them.”

“But if one person were hit by a hundred Muduya, even the mightiest cultivators would be forced to kneel before me!”

Li Che’s eyes flickered as he caressed the Nanmu Gatling, reluctant to destroy the masterpiece he had painstakingly crafted.

Yet it was far too conspicuous—risking the exposure of his identity…

So, if it must be destroyed, then it must be done…

“Let’s first analyze the jade pendant that was devoured by the ‘Unsullied Heart’…”

Li Che took a deep breath.

I’ve heard there are divine core fragments—that stuff is truly valuable!

Stirred by the thought, he felt his Dao Fruit thump rapidly in his chest.

Then, feedback from the Dao Fruit ‘Unsullied Heart’ arrived—it had successfully absorbed the jade pendant and acquired its ability.

Li Che was taken aback…

The pendant’s ability?

Containing a universe within a mustard seed, with the cosmos hidden in a single jade!

That was the very ability of the jade pendant Si Mu Bai always carried!

In a single thought, a burst of pure, immaculate divine energy erupted.

The next moment, divine energy surged like a blade, tearing through the air before Li Che and ripping open a slit as if unzipping it.

Beyond that tear…

was revealed a space of modest size!

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