Chapter 79: Divine Ascension: The Calm Before the Storm

Mastering all seven emotions… Can one ascend to godhood?

At the Bizarre Temple, myriad gods have fallen.

And what about him… Can he use this method to become divine?

Li Che neither knew nor had any notion; this was far beyond his current state.

Moreover, his grasp of divinity was only just beginning—he hadn’t even forged a single divine foundation before pondering such matters. It was utterly pointless.

Li Che’s progress in divinity advanced rapidly, largely thanks to external aids.

Chin Ku Zhen Gui contained the divine foundation fragment of the Si Family’s patriarch, allowing him to effortlessly reach the Yangxing Ruhe stage.

As for Fen Nu Mi Tuo, he refined Zhao Xuanhai’s eighteen divine chess pieces to attain the Yangxing Ruhe stage.

The newly perfected Chaos of Joy and Confusion, however, lagged behind; its nascent divinity would need more time to reach the Yangxing Ruhe level.

But at his current pace of refining chess pieces, it shouldn’t be long now.

“Also, Yang Family’s Xin E Jing Gang – the fourth type of divinity… perhaps I should give it another try.”

“Both Chin Ku Zhen Gui and Fen Nu Mi Tuo are at the Yangxing Ruhe stage. One plus one… I wonder if they can rival a divine foundation?”

Li Che’s eyes widened as various divine auras intertwined and raged within the room, shining in unison.

There were soft, weeping cries, clamor of anger that rattled the ears, and distant, ethereal laughter that ebbed and flowed…

Mystical manifestations of divinity unfolded in myriad forms.

Li Che sat in meditation, a gentle breeze caressing his robes as his dark hair drifted freely.

His gaze cleared as the Pure Heart trembled—yet it did not trigger the usual side effects: no contorted expressions, no emotional breakdowns, no chaotic will.

For instance, Si Mu Bai, while cultivating Chin Ku Zhen Gui, would occasionally break into tears, weeping incessantly.

Likewise, Zhou Ruoguan, practicing Chaos of Joy and Confusion, couldn’t help but laugh uncontrollably.

Such were the side effects of cultivating divinity.

Li Che paced slowly until he reached the window.

In the hazy east, a faint glow emerged but was swiftly swallowed by dense, brooding clouds.

“I feel… I’ve reached my limit…”

“My body has reached its limit.”

Li Che frowned as he attempted to withdraw the Pure Heart form that maintained his balance, unleashing all three types of divinity simultaneously.

His Qi Meridian body’s blood surged uncontrollably, trembling as his bones and muscles clashed in a resonant symphony—a palpable sense of divinity on the verge of spiraling out of control.

Without the moderation of Pure Heart, he might already have lost control in a myriad of ways.

He could have ended up on the verge of tears, his speech interspersed with uncontrollable laughter, and occasionally, eyes blazing with anger…

Even without activating Vajra Transformation, his body—fortified by the talent bestowed via the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit—struggled under the strain of three types of divinity at once…

Of course, it might simply be that enduring the pressure of three divine forces far exceeded that of one…

It’s far from the simple arithmetic of one plus one plus one equaling three.

However, if Li Che activated Vajra Transformation or Fury of Vajra, he would likely withstand the impact of all three divine forces with ease.

In short, his body had not yet been forged strong enough.

“No wonder Senior Qingshan said that to forge a divine foundation, one mustn’t have a weak body… When the body cannot bear divinity, it becomes dominated by it, losing its self—how can you then speak of a divine foundation?”

Li Che felt this keenly.

Martial cultivation remained crucial and couldn’t be ignored.

Right now, he had merely entered the Qi Meridian stage; he still needed to cultivate the Profound Meridian and Divine Meridian, and eventually ascend to the Master realm!

Although he could use Dao Fruits to actively trigger an unparalleled state of body-forging,

he still had to build up his own fundamentals.

The more facets of divinity he condensed, the stronger his body had to become—if his physique couldn’t keep pace with the rapid growth of his divinity…

If his emotions spiraled out of control…

it could well end in his death, right?

……

……

For an entire day, Li Che hadn’t left his home.

He neither went to the Private Workshop nor ventured elsewhere.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—it was that he was waiting.

Li Che wasn’t foolish; he knew full well that not everyone was an idiot.

The more frequently the Ogre appeared, the more often it intervened…

increasing the likelihood of exposure.

Moreover, he, along with XiXi, had attacked the Yang Family—Zhang Xiangyang had witnessed it.

Even if it wasn’t confirmed that the Ogre was truly Li Che, judging solely by XiXi’s involvement, this day shouldn’t have been so calm.

There was always a storm brewing.

Thus, Li Che chose to remain home, quietly awaiting a tidal surge.

Of course, during his wait he didn’t neglect his training; in his spare time he studied two volumes of divine martial arts, “Python Dragon Cannon” and “Cloud Falcon’s Cloud Stride”.

Divine martial techniques are still martial arts—they require the same rigorous cultivation as any other martial discipline.

As for the nine-luminary divine secret technique ‘Joyous Flying Head Bash’, Li Che hadn’t yet begun cultivating it.

Divine secret techniques differ somewhat from divine martial arts.

While divine martial arts can be approached as conventional techniques—enhanced by the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit—

divine secret techniques require one to harness divinity and manipulate it in a uniquely intricate manner…

They belong to the ‘Fa’ category and demand an aptitude for spellcraft.

The Mitra Golden Robe is also a nine-luminary divine secret technique, and Li Che had barely just begun mastering it.

……

……

Feilei City, City Lord’s Residence.

A figure streaked in like a bolt of white silk, swift as lightning. Upon landing, his aura wavered.

Trailing behind him was another figure, barely clinging to life.

Cao Qingyuan sensed their presence and flew over in a rush, astonished at the sight of the two in such a state.

“Father…”

Cao Qingyuan was shocked—wasn’t he meant to intercept that mysterious powerhouse, rumored to be from the Divine Sect, outside the city?

How had it come to this?

Furthermore, with the two patriarchs from the Yang and Xu Families, there were four divine foundation cultivators in play—even his own father, a mid-stage divine foundation practitioner, was present, yet someone had been injured?

“Second Grandfather…”

Cao Qingyuan looked toward the injured cultivator practicing Fen Nu Mi Tuo—a man who had stepped into the divine foundation realm—with his mask shattered to reveal an extremely aged face.

At that moment, the old man’s face was pale, with blood oozing from the corners of his mouth; his injuries were severe.

“No matter… just consume some divinity and recuperate for a while.”

The old man waved his hand nonchalantly.

“Divine Sect cultivators are truly in a league of their own compared to us rural practitioners… Even if their divine foundation isn’t fully manifest and most of their divinity remains hidden, they can still suppress four of us single-handedly…”

“This person is no ordinary Divine Sect cultivator. Who exactly from the Qianyuan Divine Sect’s branch is he?”

“His Qi martial skills… must have reached the Master realm, for he subdued us solely with them…”

“Without even revealing his divinity, without resorting to divine secret techniques or martial arts—the sheer force of his Qi cultivation was enough…”

City Lord Cao Guang removed his mask, his expression dark and uncertain.

“I know about the Yang Family… They failed to capture that prodigy; only An Family’s prodigy was sent over, and Xu Family’s two divine talents—especially that superior prodigy—resulted in yet another failed capture.”

“Was it still the Ogre meddling?”

City Lord Cao Guang sat in his grand chair, his divine aura fluctuating as his face remained serene.

Cao Qingyuan’s eyes sparkled as he heard this.

“The Ogre… once again stepped in to save Li Che’s daughter, Li Nuǎnxi. It’s no coincidence. Besides… that Ogre is unusually close to Li Nuǎnxi. I suspect…”

Cao Qingyuan recited his suspicions.

Cao Guang sipped some hot tea.

“So you suspect… that Li Che is the Ogre?”

“But Li Che is merely at a modest Bone Tempering level—and three years ago he was nothing more than an untrained nobody. Could he really be the Ogre?”

“Do you think he’s hiding his true strength? How could he conceal his cultivation in front of so many divine foundation practitioners?”

Cao Qingyuan stiffened for a moment, then nodded.

“This is intriguing… If he truly is the Ogre, that would be something entirely unexpected.”

Cao Guang let out a laugh.

“That old man from the Yang Family has returned. Seeing his entire family annihilated, he’s bound to be furious.”

“That old fellow, once so shrewd in managing his clan, now witnesses the downfall of his family’s top warriors. Though many of his kin reside outside the city, how could they possibly uphold an entire family legacy?”

“I suspect that old man is on the verge of losing his sanity.”

“Perfect… Qingyuan, go and pass on our suspicions to the Yang Family elder.”

“Whether Li Che is the Ogre or not…”

“For many, no evidence is needed—a mere suspicion is enough.”

“In fact, even if Li Che isn’t the Ogre, he’s undoubtedly linked to the Ogre in a significant way… And that superior prodigy, Li Nuǎnxi, has truly become a nuisance, having cost me the lives of many under my command, hasn’t she?”

“An ominous prodigy—if ruined, would be…”

“I won’t let them have it… nor will the Divine Sect!”

Seated on a high sandalwood chair, Cao Guang drank a sip of jade-green tea without any expression.

In just a few words, it seemed, the fate of that innocent little girl had been decided.

……

……

The sky gradually grew dim.

In the blink of an eye, morning turned to dusk.

In his study, Li Che finished refining the divine chess pieces and glanced up at the darkening sky.

In the courtyard.

XiXi gleefully played with the Twisty Car, giggling incessantly.

Zhang Ya practiced martial arts diligently nearby, sweat pouring down.

Everything was calm and serene.

It was as if…

the calm before the storm!

The tranquility persisted for an unmeasured time until the sky turned completely black.

Li Che suddenly opened his eyes wide; within his chest, the Dao Fruit [Chess Saint] trembled slightly.

The celestial chessboard encircling the house had lines that intertwined and trembled…

On the chessboard, an overwhelmingly potent divine aura emerged—like a colossal sun blazing on the map, both prominent and dazzling.

It was as if omnipresent screams—part crying, part laughter, part delirium—filled the air, densely covering the heavens, coming and going unpredictably…

That was…

the overwhelming divinity of the divine foundation cultivators!

Unrestrained and unhidden!

It surged like a tidal wave cresting tens of meters high, brimming with relentless power!

Li Che abruptly raised his head.

“Is it coming…?”

“Yang Family elder!”