Chapter 84: Whispers of Divine Power

The winter rain fell relentlessly, mingling with icy snowflakes in an unceasing downpour.

Within the An Family Courtyard.

Silence reigned, as always.

As one of Feilei City’s four great clans, the An Family maintained a discreet presence – from their venerable progenitor to their scion, An Ruosu – always understated.

Yet, despite their low profile, few powers dared to overlook the An Family.

Rumor had it that the family’s true firstborn once captured the attention of emissaries from the Divine Sect and was taken into the Qianyuan Divine Sect, where his extraordinary talent earned him immense favor.

Thus lay the true foundation of the An Family.

Having a figure within the Divine Sect bestowed a rare distinction that no Yang, Xu, or even the once-mighty Si Family could match.

Now, in the courtyard, the family’s venerable Old Master An – the sole divine cultivator of the clan, with his white hair and robes – sat cross-legged on a chaise while his blazing hearth radiated a cozy warmth that banished the winter’s damp chill.

“Yang Jing and the Ogre… clashing on Long Street,” came the remark.

“To dare cultivate a battle-hardened foundation like that—you’ve got guts,” came the daring retort.

Old Master An stroked his beard and said coolly.

“That Ogre… his methods are bizarre and savage, completely defying reason. Fortunately, we An Family never consented to the City Lord’s plan to raid Xu Family’s Divine Cultivation Institute for the Prodigy.”

Under his gaze, An Ruosu furrowed his brow, adding, “But that Ogre’s uncanny methods and mastery of mechanisms might be the very source of his confidence in facing divine cultivators!”

“Remember how the Tang Family Mechanism Clan once shook the entire Grand Vista by relying on a single ingenious device to defy rank?”

“Could it be that this Ogre is merely a remnant of the Tang legacy?”

Old Master An gave An Ruosu a serious look. “Mind your words.”

“This is no topic for idle chatter. Careful speech, cautious action, and constant vigilance—these are the keys to a family’s enduring strength.”

“No matter who this Ogre is, let’s not provoke him. We An Family simply cannot afford to incur his cursed misfortune.”

Old Master An spoke gravely.

“We delivered the Prodigy required by the City Lord. We won’t meddle with the City Lord’s Thousand Buddha Carved Feast, and once our affairs are settled, we shall leave Feilei City with the entire clan in a couple of days and head to Jingguang Prefecture to join your elder brother.”

An Ruosu exhaled with evident reluctance but nodded.

“There.”

Suddenly,

the gracefully seated Old Master An’s eyebrows shot up as his gaze narrowed.

In an instant, wisps of white smoke swirled around him, gradually coalescing into a vague human silhouette that drifted up to the roof, as if emerging from a dream.

Behold, the An Family’s divine manifestation—【Hundred-Revolutions Dream of Sorrow】!

Whoosh—!

A sound like a sharp intake of breath accompanied the moment when the smoke, which had floated to the roof, instantly cascaded back from the crown of his head into his body.

After a brief shudder, Old Master An’s face filled with worry as he murmured, “Ogre… Ogre…”

“Old Yang… he’s gone.”

At these words, An Ruosu trembled all over.

What?!

Yet Old Master An raised his head, his troubled face deepening, “That Ogre… what the hell is he!”

“Si Family, Yang Family… could the next target be us An Family?!”

“This is terrifying…”

“I can’t wait until three days are over.”

“Quickly, alert the clan – not the day after tomorrow… no, tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow, we leave the city with the entire clan!”

……

……

Cold rainwater gathered along the brim of a conical hat before overflowing into a cascading water curtain that clattered incessantly.

Cao Qingyuan’s eyes narrowed as the hand that had been knocking on the door froze in mid-air.

It felt as if even the air had come to a standstill.

Gazing at Li Che, who had opened the door with his refined, gentle features…

For a moment, Cao Qingyuan felt dizzy, his mind muddled.

“Li Che… how come you’re here?”

“Isn’t you supposed to be the Ogre?”

“Wasn’t you meant to be locked in combat with Yang Jing on Long Street, only to be struck down by that rampaging divine cultivator?!”

Then why… is Li Che here?

He appeared so calm and refined, as if he had never battled for his life.

Could it be…

we were mistaken?!

Cao Qingyuan’s mind buzzed, and all his previous vows suddenly seemed like a cruel joke.

Behind him, Zhang Xiangyang wore a bewildered expression.

How could it be Li Che who opened the door?

According to the Young City Lord’s speculation, there was a 90% chance that Li Che was the Ogre!

But if Li Che is here…

then who is that Ogre locked in battle with Yang Jing?

Everything was thrown into chaos…

“Master Li… hehe, are you at home?”

Cao Qingyuan quickly regained his composure, his eyes flickering as he offered a strained smile toward Li Che.

Li Che, with a puzzled and odd tone, replied, “Young City Lord, with even Xu Family’s Divine Cultivation Institute suffering a ransack, I worry for my daughter’s safety. Where else should I be?”

“I can’t risk wandering off; I must always stay by my daughter’s side…”

Cao Qingyuan smiled. “That much I understand. But those villains who attacked Xu Family’s institute have all been ruthlessly executed. You, Master Li, should now be at ease.”

“No way… for that Ogre is still out there! He’s terrifying—he’s killed many people, truly fearsome.”

Li Che shook his head, his face etched with shock.

Cao Qingyuan fell silent.

Something felt utterly off…

It was bizarre!

Lifting his eyes, he scanned the courtyard and immediately spotted XiXi riding a Twisty Car under the eaves.

“Young City Lord, what brings you here today?” Li Che asked directly.

Cao Qingyuan’s gaze shifted back to Li Che. “A while back, at your request, I wondered if you had begun the carving work?”

“My father holds you in high esteem, Master Li, so…”

But Li Che shook his head apologetically, took out a Gold Leaf, and handed it back to Cao Qingyuan.

“I’m sorry, Young City Lord, but I must decline the wood-carving commission. With my daughter nearly abducted by evil, my heart cannot settle enough to carve; an imperfect work is unacceptable to me.”

“Please convey to the City Lord that I truly feel I’ve let him down.”

Cao Qingyuan’s expression instantly turned cold.

“Master Li, isn’t that a bit much?”

“After all this time, you took the order and with your masterful skill, you could have completed the carving long ago. My father said a work carved with sheer craftsmanship—not divine perfection—is enough for the City Lord; it’s not about divine artistry for you…”

“It’s not a difficult task, hardly more than a trivial effort. Master Li, are you belittling the City Lord’s mansion by not even giving him a shred of face?”

“Or perhaps you’ve been so occupied with other matters lately that you haven’t had time for wood-carving?”

Suddenly, the atmosphere grew tense. The rain and snow falling from the sky seemed to have taken on a razor-sharp divine aura emanating from Cao Qingyuan.

“Or perhaps…”

“Master Li, are you—”

“Ogre!”

Cao Qingyuan bellowed, his voice crashing like thunder.

But Li Che, his face filled with terror, retorted, “Young City Lord, that’s slander… you’re defaming me!”

“Detective Zhang!”

Cao Qingyuan remained cold-faced.

The rain suddenly seemed to halt as if time itself had frozen.

Behind him, the solitary detective Zhang Xiangyang tensed, as if he were about to step forward despite the danger.

“Using 【Fear Inducing Radiance】 to trace his fear—I want to see if Master Li truly trembles at the thought of that Ogre’s threat!”

Wearing his conical hat, Zhang Xiangyang abruptly looked up; his rugged features and wild hair, with eyes aglow in eerie blue, spoke of resolute determination.

He fixed his gaze on Li Che, as if a river of divine aura were surging from him.

【Fear Inducing Radiance】!

It sought to trace back fragments of the divine essence on Li Che.

Li Che furrowed his brows.

“That’s just too much…”

Cao Qingyuan’s relentless pressure made Li Che want to… put on a mask!

But just as Li Che was about to react, a rain droplet, accompanied by a howling sound, suddenly shot out from the courtyard.

With a sharp crack, it shattered the swirling divine aura around Zhang Xiangyang.

Zhang Xiangyang trembled violently as his conical hat was split cleanly in half by the speeding droplet, which sent him sprawling onto the waterlogged blue stone of the alley.

A burst of overwhelming qi gradually dispersed along with the droplet.

Zhang Xiangyang’s complexion turned pale; he felt as though he had taken a tour at the very gates of the underworld.

Had that droplet intended to kill him, it surely could have instantly pierced his head and divine aura.

“Who?!”

Cao Qingyuan’s eyes narrowed sharply.

He immediately turned his gaze toward the courtyard behind Li Che.

Then, at last, Cao Qingyuan noticed an elderly man in blue seated under the eaves, a wooden chessboard set before him and a black chess piece clutched in his hand as he pondered deeply.

“The City Lord’s men are so domineering—using their divine aura to intrude on others’ privacy as they please. Don’t you know that employing 【Fear Inducing Radiance】 can adversely affect one’s mind?”

The old man shot Cao Qingyuan a glance that made every hair on his body stand on end, as if it heralded mortal danger.

It was as if his single look carried the threat of death itself.

“And you are…”

Releasing his grip on his knife’s hilt, Cao Qingyuan clasped his fists and asked in a noticeably gentler tone.

Whoosh…

Suddenly, a slender figure landed beside Cao Qingyuan. Clad in a dark red official robe, with a gentle, scholarly face and a well-groomed beard, he smiled at the elderly man playing chess under the eaves.

“Father…” Cao Qingyuan greeted him respectfully with clasped fists.

“So, a senior from the Divine Sect… forgive my earlier overstepping, please.”

City Lord Cao Guang, however, paid no heed to Cao Qingyuan and instead fixed his gaze intently on the man under the eaves.

Li Qingshan, holding a chess piece, stared intently at the board.

Though somewhat overlooked by Cao Guang, the old man seemed unfazed, as if it were a common occurrence.

Cao Guang smiled as he looked toward Li Che.

“Master Li, are you truly unwilling to carve the wood for me?”

“Is it that you won’t even commit to a wood-carving without divine embellishment?”

Li Che glanced at City Lord Cao Guang and for the first time felt an overwhelming sense of danger—especially when

the black divine chess pieces of the Chess Sage Dao Fruit, imbued with the Temple Spirit’s essence, trembled as though the board itself were in turmoil.

“I’ve been so preoccupied with ensuring my daughter’s safety recently that I’ve had no energy for carving. I beg your pardon, City Lord.”

Master Li clasped his fists respectfully, neither servile nor overbearing.

“Very well, Master Li—you truly are a devoted father…”

“Since you’re unwilling, so be it…”

“And as for my suspicions, do not let them trouble you. The refined, amiable Master Li could never be the bloodthirsty Ogre who slaughters indiscriminately…”

City Lord Cao Guang shook his head with a smile.

Then he looked toward the elderly man under the eaves.

“Senior, you’ve come from the Divine Sect—perhaps to inspect the Prodigy? May I ask, which eminent master of the Divine Sect are you?”

The elderly man, his dark goatee in place, gently set a chess piece on the board.

“City Lord Cao, you have a fine appetite; you now have the privilege of knowing my name…”

“I am Li Qingshan.”

Cao Guang was momentarily stunned before his pupils constricted sharply.

“Li Qingshan?!”

Who would have thought that the masked fighter—a mere mortal turned Dao Master—would be Li Qingshan!

In Cao Guang’s narrowed eyes, tension and urgency suddenly burst forth.

“So it really is Senior Li Qingshan—a name renowned throughout the martial world!”

“I take my leave now.”

After uttering these words, Cao Guang pulled Cao Qingyuan away and quickly vanished from sight.

Only the lone detective, Zhang Xiangyang, lay on the soaked ground, beaten by the relentless rain.

Zhang Xiangyang struggled to his feet and met Li Che’s enigmatic gaze.

That look carried a mix of greed and desire.

Startled, Zhang Xiangyang scrambled frantically through the rain.

As he ran with his back to Li Che…

every hair on Zhang Xiangyang’s body stood on end—just like the feeling he had when Zhou Ruoguan was slain and he had fled in terror.

That sensation of your head being ready to be smashed into bits!

Li Che… must be the Ogre!

Absolutely must be!

Li Che regretfully withdrew his gaze,

but then looked in astonishment at the elderly man setting up the chess game under the eaves, Li Qingshan.

He clearly recalled City Lord Cao Guang’s reaction.

“Li Qingshan…” he murmured.

“Is he really that famous?”

While Li Che was lost in thought about Li Qingshan, the old man himself felt a measure of surprise.

He was astonished that Li Che had actually slain Yang Jing’s divine cultivator!

A headstrong clash with a divine cultivator…

Disregarding rank differences?!

Li Che… to have accomplished such a feat when his own cultivation wasn’t even formidable—he wasn’t even at the level of Lu Chi’s 【Furious Crown Prince】!

And most importantly…

After slaying Yang Jing, when did Li Che return to his study?

When Li Che gracefully emerged from the study, Li Qingshan was so startled he almost believed the Ogre was someone else.

But upon reflection, it could only be attributed to Li Che’s uncanny qi-concealing technique that helped him evade divine detection.

“How did you do it?” asked Li Qingshan, clearly referring to how Li Che had slain the divine cultivator.

Li Che smiled warmly and spread his hands.

He confessed—but not everything.

“It was all about the mechanism.”

……

……

After Li Qingshan departed, Li Che consoled his worried wife, Zhang Ya, and then retired to his study.

The Chess Sage Dao Fruit trembled slightly as it expanded its network over the chessboard to ensure no powerful eyes were watching. Only then did Li Che sink into his wooden chair and exhale a long, relieved sigh.

Inside, the charcoal stove burned quietly, releasing warmth that drove away the lingering chill.

Every muscle and tendon in Li Che’s body creaked in a satisfying stretch—his battle against the divine cultivator had been exhilarating!

“Divine cultivators are truly formidable—no matter how two types of divine essence combine, they pale in comparison to a pure divine foundation. Yet… the power of Bodhi Blood Tears far exceeded my expectations; its piercing strength, explosiveness, and lethality dwarf that of Muduya!”

“It seems that Nan Mo Barrett holds great promise…”

Li Che smiled.

But what stirred him even more was…

a sudden stirring in his very soul.

A luminous prompt appeared like fleeting light.

[Dao Fruit: Dragon Elephant Vajra (LV2 97%)]

“High-pressure stimulation greatly accelerates the maturation of 【Dragon Elephant Vajra】… it’s only 3% short.”

Li Che’s eyes shone brightly.

Without a hint of hesitation, he leveraged the complementary nature of his Dao Fruits to channel the divine essence from the 【Pure Heart Dao Fruit】 into the 【Dragon Elephant Vajra】, filling the gap!

In the next moment, Li Che felt the blood beneath his skin boiling.

Before his eyes, a burst of golden light suddenly flashed!

[Dao Fruit: Dragon Elephant Vajra (LV3 0%)]

[Dao Fruit LV3 Rebirth: The nascent divine skill ‘Dragon Elephant Vajra: Ascending the Tower’]

End of two chapters for now. These chapters were penned until 3:30 AM last night, with more to come this afternoon. Please support by subscribing—initial subscriptions boost recommendations upon release. Cast your vote and your monthly ticket; Old Li promises to deliver ten thousand words daily!