Chapter 175: The Storm of Divine Might
by xennovelThe raindrops on the ground seemed to hop uncontrollably, as if being vaporized by scorching heat.
They tumbled down like a broken string of beads, clattering and roaring without end!
Xue Dufu stood rooted in place as a wild wind whipped around him, sending his tattered long sleeves into frantic tremors.
Then—
Those trembling arms gradually swelled and filled, as if formed from divine energy, emerging right from his sleeves.
With a clenched fist, the hatchet at his waist began to whirr with a resonant hum!
It was gripped tightly by Xue Dufu’s hand.
“Kill me?”
“Who dares kill me?!”
Xue Dufu’s eyes narrowed as a formidable martial will surged like a storm, coalescing into a palpable force that radiated power from his very being.
Countless leaping raindrops were stilled, unable to move.
The entire world seemed to fall silent.
“Who?!”
Xue Dufu stepped forward, and the hatchet clenched in his fist burst forth with a sound like rolling thunder!
Silence. Absolute stillness…
Yet no sound emerged.
His martial will slammed against an invisible, unyielding barrier, rebounding his energy completely!
Xue Dufu’s face grew grim.
His enemy…
Had sealed off the area—the sound, the breath, the wind, the rain, and even the impending clash!
They planned to kill this venerable grandmaster while he remained mute!
But who was behind it all?
Names flashed through Xue Dufu’s mind, but none could be pinned down.
Yet, to display such an aura meant that this was a fight to the death.
For someone to dare strike a grandmaster was simply extraordinary!
Such an assailant was far from ordinary!
A true grandmaster refines his organs with genuine intent, perfecting his inner energy and merging his martial will with his true qi to form even mightier divine energy!
His qi could reach three feet, his energy shatter three meters!
That is the mark of a grandmaster!
A Divine Grandmaster!
Although Xue Dufu had only just entered the grandmaster realm—the weakest of its kind—he had already pushed his supreme technique to the brink, embarking on the path of the Martial Saint Technique!
He even had his own understanding of techniques beneath the Martial Saint level, capable of dissecting and countering martial foes!
Such a presence, even before the emergence of divine cultivation, stood on top of the martial world!
He was a truly top-tier expert!
Even among the pinnacle grandmasters, the ones with three-flower peak talents, before the rise of divine cultivation, he was regarded as a Martial Saint of his era!
Within the grandmaster realm, Xue Dufu was merely at the lower echelon, a beginner to the vast realm.
Yet inside him burned a measure of confidence and arrogance!
In Daocheng, Divine Capital, or a place teeming with experts, he might have stayed low-key,
But in Jingguang City, a place of prestige…
Who dares challenge a bona fide grandmaster?!
His martial will blazed like ignited gas, erupting in a furious burst of flames that surged in all directions!
Boom, boom, boom!
It crashed against the invisible wall as though the very heavens and earth had forged an impenetrable barrier!
Xue Dufu’s face twisted into a feral snarl; sinews and muscles, like strands of steel, tore through his tattered robes!
In a sudden transformation, his divine weapon morphed from a hatchet into a heavy, crescent blade.
The blade’s razor edge shimmered with brilliant light!
Clenching it in one hand, Xue Dufu glared fiercely, “You’re not coming out!”
“Old man, I’ll handle this myself!”
Bang—!
No sooner had his words died away,
And the sound not yet faded,
The ground under Xue Dufu’s feet suddenly caved in as torrents of water erupted in billowing, crashing like bullets at any moment!
In a flash, Xue Dufu charged toward the high wall constructed by the Cosmic Chessboard.
He unleashed a savage slash!
……
……
Li Che, wearing the Cute Cow Mask, stood on the high wall, his black robe billowing.
The mask’s brow cracked open to reveal an eye glowing with golden light—a Star Plucking Gaze of divine prowess!
Combined with the Cosmic Chessboard, he made it impossible for anyone to detect or perceive what lay beyond.
It was the perfect killing ground for silencing foes.
With a twist of his vital energy, Li Che’s entire body convulsed, his flesh swelling to two and a half meters, his triangular back piled with muscles like steel beams—a terrifying visage!
He didn’t need to transform into the Divine Monkey to kill Xue Dufu.
Because it wasn’t necessary.
Li Che’s murderous intent burned with lethal sharpness today; he was determined to kill Xue Dufu without changing his identity.
He would simply assume the guise of the Ogre…
And kill him by any means necessary.
Clenching his fist.
In an instant, the divine weapon of Wen Longshan’s sevenfold Divine Arrow—a Red Flame Shattered Star Divine Bow—landed in his hand.
His spine roared like an angry dragon; with each twist, the power of a dragon and an elephant burst forth.
It was as if a real dragon and a massive elephant had emerged!
The bowstring trembled violently, resounding like a thunderclap!
The arrow strung on the bow was ignited, engulfed in swirling flame, appearing as a blazing scarlet spearhead!
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle…
Heat radiated as the air twisted!
Ogre drew his bow, channeling the perfected sevenfold Red Flame Shattered Star Bow technique taught by Wen Longshan, pulling it back to a full moon and unleashing it with lethal precision.
Though his arrow technique hadn’t yet reached true transcendence, it was undeniably at a master level—transforming intent into form!
It was as if countless red flames roamed the surroundings!
And this arrow skill wasn’t just martial—it was a divine martial art!
The golden brilliance of the Mud Pellet Palace Star Plucking Gaze shone at its peak.
In the very next moment,
In Luohua Alley, within the Private Workshop Courtyard,
Numerous Painted Immortal clones that had been nurturing their inner selves while meditating on divine idols suddenly exploded into dense ink-black mist!
Behind Ogre’s massive, mountain-like, red-hot body—roaring like a furnace with the combined force of a dragon and an elephant—
His hair, dyed golden and cascading to his waist, whipped wildly in the storm!
In an instant!
It was like the moon rising over the sea!
One cycle, two cycles, three cycles… six cycles, seven cycles!
Seven consecutive cycles of divine foundation unfurled behind Ogre like a peacock’s display!
It looked like seven blazing suns in the sky!
The dazzling, mesmerizing grind of divine power burst forth in countless sparks!
Seven divine essences merged into that meticulously forged, scarlet arrow!
Intertwined streams of light enveloped it, radiating seven-colored rainbows!
That arrow!
An arrow propelled by seven cycles of divine foundation!
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
At that moment, the air around the arrow seemed to shatter under its overwhelming force!
Then, he unclenched his fist!
Boom—!!!
It was like the roar of a bomber’s engine in an instant!
Much like a thunderous explosion breaking the sky!
The arrow burst forth from Ogre’s drawn bow, sparks leaping like dancing stars!
And at the very moment the arrow was released,
The roaring sound still echoed!
Xue Dufu, ensnared by the Cosmic Chessboard, had just slashed his blade into its sealing wall, unleashing torrents of divine energy and sheer power…
It was the precise instant of energy release!
That arrow was timed to near perfection!
For a moment, the world fell silent, replaced only by a barrage of rainbow-hued arrows streaking through the air!
“This arrow…”
Xue Dufu’s hair stood on end as he glared, instantly sensing the arrow’s approach through his vast martial will!
Such an arrow!
A terrifying arrow!
Infused with seven divine essences and carrying the raw power of a grandmaster whose strength could move mountains, it was deadly!
It was a finishing move!
Xue Dufu bellowed as an arm formed entirely from gathered divine energy exploded forth, unleashing countless streams of energy into a defensive shield!
Interwoven glimmers of divine force converged, forming a circular shield!
It slammed against the arrow with fierce determination!
Bang—!!!
At that moment, every tendon and bone in Xue Dufu’s body seemed to stretch as blue veins bulged, and he heaved up his divine shield!
Through the shield and following the arrow’s trajectory,
Xue Dufu finally saw the one who intended to kill him!
He beheld a towering figure whose presence was as imposing as a mountain, and he recognized that adorably fierce Cute Cow Mask!
“Ogre——?!”
Xue Dufu barely had time to process the thought.
In an instant, the arrow clashed against his divine shield.
In that split second, the oppressive force of divine rank suffocated him, leaving him gasping for air.
The unique field produced by the intertwining of seven divine foundations disrupted Xue Dufu’s control over his own divine essence!
“Seven divine essences?!”
“How can anyone unleash an arrow imbued with seven divine essences simultaneously?!”
The arrow’s power…
It rivaled that of the Martial Saint Technique!
The divine shield shattered…
After all, in his panic he had only mustered a fraction of his divine energy to form it.
He had been outplayed by someone calculating to perfection.
Xue Dufu expected the shield’s collapse!
But his extensive experience allowed him to shift his stance the moment the shield broke.
Yet, it was all he could manage.
Bang—!
His shoulder exploded; even a grandmaster’s formidable physique could not withstand it as his flesh was shattered to bits!
The massive impact, intertwined with seven venomous divine essences like writhing serpents, slashed into his wounds and body!
Seven clashing divine forces that could never coexist peacefully collided and intertwined!
They battered Xue Dufu’s mind with overwhelming force!
It felt as if his very soul was being torn apart, his spirit in utter chaos!
At that moment, his indomitable martial will—once unbreakable—began to waver!
“What a venomous arrow!”
Xue Dufu coughed up bright red blood, his one arm clutching the Crescent Blade as he retreated in a flash.
Truly, the Ogre was known as one of the most vicious of the Underworld’s three demons!
Yet,
No sooner had Xue Dufu begun to withdraw,
When an overwhelming force, like a mountain crashing from the skies, stirred a terrifying hurricane behind him.
At the moment Xue Dufu was struck by the arrow, Ogre staggered and executed Cloud Yao’s Nimbus Leap—his perfected technique—to land right behind the grandmaster!
With a deafening crash,
A booming explosion resounded!
The roar of tigers and leopards split the air!
Ogre’s arm, thick with twisted blue veins like coiled dragons, thrust forward with a piercing jab.
The spear twisted in his hand, unleashing a torrent of gleaming energy at a speed that shattered the void like a true overlord!
Xue Dufu’s eyes hardened, his martial will steadied, though his face turned pale!
He abandoned his divine power and instead suppressed the seven venomous divine energies within him, countering Ogre’s overwhelming thrust with pure grandmaster might!
The Overlord Bone-Shattering Spear!
This was an upgraded martial technique refined by Li Che’s insights!
Now, it had reached the level of a grandmaster’s ultimate move!
Li Che, having attained LV4 in Dragon Elephant Vajra, now understood martial arts far beyond his previous limits!
He could even refine and perfect martial techniques!
The Xu Ji Eight-Link Bone-Shattering Spear had been perfected by Li Che into the Overlord Bone-Shattering Spear!
It had become a grandmaster-level secret technique!
A state of transcendence!
Where vital energy, spirit, strength, and true qi…
All converged into that single spear thrust.
It was as if a colossal cleaver had split armies apart by sheer force!
Xue Dufu’s face flushed red; his temples throbbed—this grandmaster was no ordinary weakling!
Clenching his Crescent Blade with his remaining arm, he swung mightily!
The Crescent Blade met the spear in a cataclysmic clash!
Then—!!!
A terrifying shockwave rippled through the air!
Within the bounds of the Cosmic Chessboard, the blue stone pavement was overturned, cracks spreading like spiderwebs across the ground!
Wave after wave of force cascaded over, shaking the air, bricks, gravel, raindrops, and even dust!
In that instant!
Where blades and spears clashed, nearly ten meters of ground collapsed under their combined might!
“You want to kill me?!”
“With such pathetic skills… you’re not even worth it!”
Amid the raging wind, Xue Dufu’s shoulder exploded open with a gaping wound exposing his neck, as seven-colored divine energy clung like a spiderweb, corroding his flesh.
Yet, Xue Dufu let go of his advanced divine power and stifled Ogre’s sevenfold divine foundation force!
Sevenfold divine foundation—comparable even to the prime state!
Xue Dufu was utterly overwhelmed.
His heart pounded as the stench of death filled the air—this Ogre… was even scarier than the Divine Monkey!
While Divine Monkey flaunted his power openly, his moves were honorable.
Only when handling his Qiankun Jade did he resort to petty tricks.
But Ogre’s methods were sinister and treacherous, each strike looking to snatch one’s life!
Facing Ogre…
Xue Dufu could sense the overwhelming scent of death!
Bang!
Xue Dufu gripped his blade and retreated; his slash was blocked by Ogre!
“Innate divine power? Such terrifying bodily strength!”
Xue Dufu was horrified.
Ogre’s towering form—reaching two and a half meters—exuded an oppressive presence.
Gazing at that adorable Cute Cow Mask, a chill ran through Xue Dufu.
He needed to create distance, adjust his breathing, and reorganize his attack!
Ogre’s sudden ambush had thrown him off rhythm!
If he could steady himself and return to his grandmaster rhythm, Ogre… would never kill him!
But then…
Xue Dufu’s hair bristled and his pupils narrowed.
Because after Ogre’s Overlord Bone-Shattering Spear, the long spear—struck away by the Crescent Blade—sliced a graceful arc in midair.
In that instant…
A series of vibrating echoes filled the air.
Accompanied by the roar of tigers and leopards!
Countless silhouettes of staves intertwined densely.
Martial Saint Technique…
And the Hun Yuan Qi Tian Gun!
This was…
Xue Dufu’s eyes shrank; in the next moment his dantian’s mighty core was mercilessly squeezed!
A torrent of vital energy burst out violently from every pore!
Boom!
It was like the scorching sun had descended, parting a sea of clouds!
In his recent battle with the Divine Monkey, he hadn’t been able to unleash his full strike—now, it all emerged!
He knew that if he didn’t give everything now,
Under Ogre’s assault…
He would die!
Xue Dufu’s heart pounded with sheer terror!
This Martial Saint stick technique…
Surely Ogre would never—!
Wasn’t that the Divine Monkey’s ultimate move?!
His thoughts were rattled, as if hammered by a sledge, completely unprepared!
Xue Dufu’s eyes burned with fury—this battle… was unbearably torturous and bizarre!
His dantian, the very core of a grandmaster, was being squeezed to its limit!
Boom—!!!
The Crescent Blade, once a symbol of his strength, now bore the intertwined presence of dragon shadows; Xue Dufu’s retreat halted sharply as he was trampled down.
The ruined ground shattered anew, and within a hundred feet, dust clouds rose thickly!
Ogre swung his Crescent Blade in a dazzling, arc-like flourish, unleashing a rampaging strike!
It was like a blue dragon cleaving through everything!
Then—
Countless silhouettes of staves collided with that blue dragon’s slash!
The terrifying force roared as it exploded!
The combined divine and raw energy shredded the ground!
Boom, boom, boom—
The earth trembled as countless pebbles bounced!
Ogre, wielding the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound Spear, took several steps back.
Beneath the Cute Cow Mask, Li Che wore an expression of regret.
Even now, he hadn’t managed to kill him?
The grandmaster… was resilient and exceedingly powerful!
But…
Enough.
This time, Li Che didn’t even have to use the Golden Heavenly King Divine Chess Piece to subdue Xue Dufu and drive him to his limit!
Xue Dufu was at his breaking point.
But Li Che…
Was far from done!
Clenching his fist.
In an instant, from beneath the Cute Cow Mask, Ogre’s eyes burst with resplendent golden light as if a suit of golden armor manifested around his colossal form!
The golden armor clanged mightily, resembling true plate armor!
With his fist clenching a staff, he stepped decisively.
The earth sank once more—ten feet down, then another ten!
“No good!”
Xue Dufu’s hair bristled; his heart pounded as though seized relentlessly!
Ogre… could also tap into the power of the Heavenly King Temple Spirit!
What exactly is the Heavenly King’s power?
Can anyone use it?!
The oppressive force was nearly identical to when the Divine Monkey wielded the Heavenly King’s divine might.
It was so overwhelming he could barely move!
Back then, he still had his prime divine cultivation to resist it.
But this time…
He had none left!
All his prime divine power had been consumed to suppress that unleashed sevenfold divine force like a haphazard, unbridled hound!
There was no divine protection left.
Facing the Heavenly King’s overwhelming might…
Xue Dufu’s body bulged with taut blue veins, networked as if by countless strands, covering every inch of him.
His face turned a shade of bruised blue and purple!
“Ahhhh——!!!”
He roared in fury.
Yet his indomitable martial will flared once more!
In that fleeting moment, he envisioned a radiant golden Heavenly King lightly tapping a towering edifice toward him!
Bang—!
Xue Dufu’s legs buckled as he slammed into the rubble beneath!
Countless stones exploded outwards!
Xue Dufu’s hair whipped madly as he clutched his Crescent Blade, roaring as he fought to stand.
His martial will soared like clouds, yearning to raise the Golden Heavenly King Tower!
Thump, thump, thump!
The Golden Ogre moved!
The Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound Spear in his hand erupted a dense cascade of staff silhouettes.
Finally, countless intertwined silhouettes converged into one mighty staff!
The Martial Saint Technique’s final move!
Hun Yuan Yi Gun!
The long staff seemed to transcend time and space, slicing through a terrifying arc and parting a furious tempest of energy!
It pounded fiercely onto Xue Dufu’s crown!
Xue Dufu roared as his one arm swung the Crescent Blade in a desperate block.
Yet…
That staff, transcending time and space, seemed to suspend time for a moment.
Xue Dufu’s eyes narrowed.
He watched in horror as the terrifying Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound golden staff pierced through his Crescent Blade block.
It crashed onto his crown!
Bang, bang, bang, bang—!
The air around Xue Dufu exploded in an instant!
From his crown downward, every inch of his flesh convulsed uncontrollably.
The world fell silent.
Only the roar of torrential rain remained, its clamor unbroken.
Raindrops fell and were instantly evaporated by the furious, boiling energy of their clash, transforming into misty white vapor!
Everything seemed to quiet down.
Ogre maintained his stance with the staff raised.
Xue Dufu held his block position.
Yet, the staff and blade existed as if in another dimension.
Thud—
Xue Dufu spat out a massive glob of sticky, black blood.
Then, his eyes, nose, and ears began to stream blood as hot as molten lava.
“What a technique…”
Xue Dufu’s weakened voice floated in the air.
“Cursed… I was only a beginner grandmaster…”
“If I truly were a grandmaster who achieved unity with Heaven and Man, killing you would be as simple as slaughtering a chicken.”
Xue Dufu grinned bitterly.
Bang—!!!
Still smiling,
Xue Dufu’s head was crushed like a watermelon under immense pressure as Ogre’s spear repeatedly slammed it.
“Chicken, damn it.”
The grandmaster’s head exploded with a resounding crack.
The formidable vitality of a grandmaster ceased in an instant!
Only the lingering martial will within the sealed area of the Cosmic Chessboard testified that a grandmaster once walked this world.
Then—
With a swift motion of the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound Spear,
The Crescent Blade disintegrated into a hatchet and was absorbed into the Qiankun Space.
Gazing at Xue Dufu’s shattered head and headless corpse,
“If only you… if only…”
“There are no ‘if onlys’ in this world!”
“A true grandmaster of heaven and man—you are not one.”
Li Che exhaled slowly from behind the Cute Cow Mask.
All his hidden cards were now laid bare…
Finally, he had slain a grandmaster!
A series of calculated chains had ultimately led to Xue Dufu’s demise.
It was the seven-colored divine arrow propelled by seven cycles of divine foundation that completely stifled Xue Dufu’s divine prowess.
Only by tapping into the terrifying power of the Golden Heavenly King Divine Chess Piece, combined with the Martial Saint Technique’s final move, could he slay Xue Dufu so ruthlessly.
After killing Xue Dufu, Li Che did not depart immediately.
He stared at Xue Dufu’s corpse,
Then raised his hand and tapped his brow.
The Star Plucking Gaze tore through flesh as it opened wide!
“Nascent Spiritual Confinement!”
Booming!
In an instant,
Xue Dufu’s corpse trembled as countless divine energies seeped out of it.
They slowly traced the outlines of what he had once been.
Yet his skin and flesh were left dull and lifeless.
What surprised Li Che most was…
Even in death, Xue Dufu’s restrained divine essence retained a spark of his martial will!
Martial will…
It is the essence of a grandmaster!
Li Che’s eyes glittered as a satisfied smile curled his lips.
Nascent Spiritual Confinement was a technique he rarely used, especially after acquiring the Painted Immortal clone.
That ability had become somewhat redundant.
After all, a divine warrior unleashed by Spiritual Confinement made his aura too conspicuous.
Moreover, its strength was not as complete as that of the Painted Immortal clone, and it consumed his divine energy to sustain.
Now, having extracted a grandmaster-level divine warrior from Xue Dufu, Li Che thought… this is quite enticing.
During a fierce battle, casually unleashing a grandmaster-level force could surely terrify any opponent!
Once activated, the divine warrior of Spiritual Confinement was immediately absorbed into the Cosmic Chessboard,
Settled into a specific star position on the board.
All other previously confined divine warriors had been disbanded by Li Che.
This time, a single grandmaster-level divine warrior was worth the cost of sustaining with divine energy.
After confining him,
Li Che clenched his fist and drove the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound Spear into Xue Dufu’s body.
Even in death, the grandmaster’s flesh remained unyielding.
His hide was tougher than the sturdiest armor.
Using the spear, he hoisted Xue Dufu’s corpse.
In the next moment, as his hand brushed his cheek, the Cute Cow Mask vanished and was replaced by the Divine Monkey Mask.
His hulking form deflated like a punctured balloon, returning to a compact yet muscular frame of about 1.8 meters.
“Heh, heh, heh…”
Carrying Xue Dufu’s corpse, he stepped lightly with his toe on the ground.
In an instant, vital energy and blood surged, elevating him into a streak of crimson light that shot upward!
In midair, the sound of snapping fingers resounded.
In a flash, the area covered by the Cosmic Chessboard dissipated with a roar.
The overwhelming aura of a grandmaster, roiling blood like an erupting volcano, and his indomitable martial will…
They combined like a feast boiling over, rising in a torrent of heat!
Booming!
Inside Jingguang City,
In an instant, various factions sensed the change.
At the Temple Guardian Division,
Xie Jing suddenly looked up, the documents in his hand crumbling to dust as his eyes widened!
“This… how is this possible?!”
Xie Jing took a deep breath as his vital energy erupted uncontrollably, his long knife at his waist humming brilliantly!
Bang—!
He dashed out the window, smashing through compressed air and shattering the storm, racing toward the source of the disturbance!
……
At the Clifftop Pagoda of Imperial Watch!
Seated atop the roof of the Eight-Treasure Tower, on a small stool, the pitiful Monitor Hu Yingyue bathed in the winter rain abruptly opened her eyes.
Her erhu’s sound broke into a jarring, piercing shriek!
“Oh my… that scared me half to death.”
The Monitor’s lips twitched as she put away the stool, her toe tapping on a tile of the pagoda.
Divine energy roared as she played a somber, funeral-like erhu tune, drifting upward and racing toward that defiant, lingering martial will.
Lu Yao, along with Tang Ren, had headed to Shendiao Ridge—he feared even they might be disturbed at this moment!
Meanwhile,
The explosive aura had stirred every faction into alertness.
Countless divine perceivers broke out in cold sweats, trembling in fear.
Throughout the entire Capital, sounds of wailing echoed like the cries of ghosts, unceasing.
At Qin Mansion,
Qin Di Kun, the Qin Family Patriarch, in his secret chamber, jerked his eyes open as his divine perception shuddered in alarm.
“The martial will has scattered… across the heavens and earth!”
“This is…”
“A grandmaster has died!”
……
At Jin Guang Branch, on Golden Light Peak,
Daoist Wang Kuyu, who had been chatting casually with Nan Lihuo, trembled violently, his face paling.
Nan Lihuo also sensed it as the two exchanged glances…
“This… can’t be possible, right?”
In the next moment, the two dashed out toward the Capital.
The Capital…
Something momentous was occurring!
Grandmaster Xue Dufu…
Was dead!
……
……
At the City Lord’s Residence,
A blood cloud drifted ominously.
The Divine Monkey sat cross-legged on a floating cloud, shouldering the Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound Spear,
With a headless corpse impaled on the spear.
Defiant and flamboyant.
……
……
Clack, clack, clack!
Electric serpents roamed as thunder cracked through the air!
Dark, oppressive clouds released an all-encompassing darkness.
At Guanchao Pavilion by the Jiulong River,
Slanted rain washed over the entire pavilion.
High above the clouds,
A plump Wooden Spirit Crane beat its wings, holding off the oppressive storm below the city.
It hovered above the Guanchao Pavilion.
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