Chapter 239: The Divine Essence of the Carved Masterpiece

The divine essence surged wildly, converging in a frenzied, intense display that even stirred a violent gust of wind!

The palm-sized wooden carving cradled in Elder Sun’s arms suddenly seemed to glow at that very moment!

It became the center of attention, drawing countless admiring gazes!

Su Huai Ming, Zhou Tianshui, Yun Haiyang, and other master carvers had painstakingly crafted the Temple Spirit Carving; now, its divine aura was shattering apart.

All of its raw essence was being drawn and captured, as if a tidal wave of divinity had risen in the Reception Hall.

Gongshu Jingjun dispersed the divine essence, causing the dense mystical fog to vanish and deactivating the formation beneath the prayer mat.

His eyes held a complex mixture of regret and sorrow.

Elder Sun, a veteran devoted his life to Shendiao Ridge, cherished the ritual of observing temple spirits and capturing their divine will, all in hopes of sculpting a temple spirit statue imbued with over ninety percent divine intent.

But how could that ever be easy?

Any master carver capable of reaching such a standard was already regarded as a Four Emperors-level Divine Carving Maestro!

It was an extremely rare sight throughout the Great Realm!

At Daocheng, a maestro of the Divine Carving caliber simply did not exist.

These were beings even rarer than the Divine Nucleus Great God, each a national master in their own right!

Gongshu Jingjun could only express deep regret, for in his final breath Elder Sun had touched the realm of the Four Emperors-level carvers.

Alas…

The flame of life was snuffed out in that very instant!

Otherwise, even if Elder Sun had never ascended to the Four Emperors level, he would have had full confidence to progress further within the current Five Elders Carving Master tier!

What a pity…

Gongshu Jingjun sighed, “Old Sun, rest in peace…”

Life and death are inevitable for all.

Gongshu Jingjun’s gaze fell upon the Two-Hearted Great Sage Temple Spirit Carving that Elder Sun held close.

Carved from the simplest wood — not even fine timber — it was a true masterpiece of a master!

At that moment, it ravenously absorbed the divine essence of heaven and earth.

Even at first glance, Gongshu Jingjun almost mistook it for the altar statue from the Bizarre Temple!

It was that similar!

Not just in appearance, but even in its divine aspect!

A third-rate carver can only shape the form.

A second-rate carver brings out the details.

A first-rate carver sculpts pure divinity!

At this moment, the spirit contained within the statue had surpassed any of Old Sun’s previous works — it was the masterpiece he rendered with his final breath!

A masterpiece imbued with the profound intent of a master!

And yet, Old Sun had insisted that Li Che complete the remaining carving of this wooden sculpture…

In an instant, the eyes of every master carver in the Reception Hall turned red!

As acknowledged experts, they understood exactly what it meant to inherit a carving imbued with the master’s divine insight — and the rewards such an inheritance would bring!

Old Sun was helping Li Che!

He had hidden within the wooden carving the last shred of his divine insight, hoping to pass it onto Li Che through the art of continued carving!

This was the true legacy of a Divine Carving Maestro!

Zhou Tianshui and Yun Haiyang’s eyes filled with envy and even a touch of greed as they beheld the piece!

No one could help but be greedy…

Except for Gongshu Jingjun.

Even the carvers of Shendiao Ridge themselves couldn’t help but feel a stirring of desire.

After all…

This was the very essence of the work of a Divine Carving Maestro who had touched the realm of the Four Emperors — a treasure that could benefit a carver for a lifetime, even if it only revealed a fraction of that supreme insight!

Should one even glimpse an iota of that Four Emperors-level understanding, it would be a lifelong boon — enough to catapult a carver mired at the Six Officials level into the ranks of the Five Elders Carving Masters!

The intrinsic value of the Four Emperors-level is simply immense!

After all, the entire Daocheng had not yet seen a true Divine Carving Maestro!

Every breath he took was heavy and labored.

Li Che’s eyes stilled as he listened to the old man’s final words, bestowing the unfinished carving upon him so that he might complete the work. Li Che felt a surge of gratitude in his heart.

A perfect act of returning a favor…

Perhaps this was the true mindset of a master carver.

Li Che had received the boon of the 【Xiangong】 Dao Fruit, while Elder Sun, without any such assistance, had reached his divine insight purely through a hundred and twenty years of relentless observation of temple spirits!

Li Che couldn’t help but feel a deep respect welling up inside him.

It was genuine reverence for a true master.

“Ah Che…”

“Since Elder Sun entrusted this unfinished statue to you before his final breath, you must see it through…”

Gongshu Jingjun spoke calmly.

His immense Divine Perception surged forth like a crushing black cloud, making every ambitious carver in the hall shudder.

This was the awe-inspiring pressure of the Divine Nucleus Great God’s presence.

In an instant, it brought all of them back to their senses.

“Thank you, Elder, for your blessing.”

Li Che clasped his fists in gratitude toward Gongshu Jingjun.

Then, Li Che proceeded to the lifeless body of Elder Sun.

Bowing deeply with clasped fists, he paid homage to the greatest of the departed.

Then, he gently took hold of the unfinished statue.

Though crafted from plain wood, the carving had absorbed all of the temple spirit’s divine essence.

Li Che gripped the wooden carving as the 【Xiangong】 Dao Fruit within his chest beat wildly, more fiercely than ever before!

That sensation was reminiscent of the first time he had received Tang’s Mechanism Chronicle in his youth — a clear sign of an aid capable of enhancing the Dao Fruit’s maturity!

His gaze fixed on the statue as he scrutinized the humble woodwork.

Elder Sun had nearly completed ninety percent of the carving, leaving the final tenth to Li Che as a token of revealing the true divine intent of the temple spirit.

But as Li Che’s eyes swept over it, he winced slightly.

At first, he had thought out how to complete the statue, but upon closer inspection he realized that his planned approach had a critical flaw.

In short…

Li Che found himself at a loss for where to make the final cut!

Because…

If the incision was misplaced, it could easily damage the statue’s divine essence.

That would cause a significant loss of the temple spirit’s divine intent!

Li Che took a deep breath, acutely aware of the statue’s singular nature.

“No wonder so many master carvers long for this statue. Even if one could only perfectly continue seven or eight-tenths of its divine essence, the experiential gain would be tremendous!”

Li Che’s eyes shone with determination.

If he could complete the carving, it might greatly accelerate the maturity of his 【Xiangong】 Dao Fruit!

“Perhaps this will even boost the Dao Fruit directly to Lv5!”

With that thought, Li Che’s regard for the statue deepened.

But instead of studying it further, he stored it within his Qiankun Space.

Instantly, a series of regretful glances were cut off.

Zhou Tianshui and Yun Haiyang, the two Divine Carving Masters, sighed deeply; they had hoped to glean even a bit more insight from it.

While many master carvers harbored secret ambitions,

once Gongshu Jingjun spoke, none dared to entertain any other thoughts.

Even if they did, they wouldn’t dare reveal them in his presence.

Now, Li Che’s name…

It was forever etched in the memories of every Divine Carving Master present.

“Li Che…”

Many carvers murmured the name of the young man who had taken the stage and subdued the renowned carvers of the Su, Yun, and Zhou families.

He truly looked young, and perhaps because of his youth, few believed he could succeed. After all, carving becomes more revered with age, honed by countless years and repeated practice until it reaches near perfection!

Youth was not always an advantage when technique required time to mature!

The looks some carvers cast at Li Che gradually shifted in attitude.

Those who had arrived in the same carriage with him now sported a hint of flushed excitement.

Li Che was now considered an elder of Shendiao Ridge — an elder of Daocheng’s Qianyuan Divine Sect, truly one of the divine!

Once investigations confirmed his clean record, his status would be transformed beyond compare!

Zhou Tianshui and Yun Haiyang, now Five Elders lower-tier Divine Carving Masters, walked over and looked at Li Che with genuine admiration.

“Congratulations, Elder Li.”

Zhou Tianshui had already switched his tone, smiling warmly as he exchanged greetings.

Yun Haiyang came over as well.

Li Che treated them with a gentle courtesy; after all, he had previous dealings with the Zhou and Yun families — Zhou Peng and Yun’e hailed from those venerable clans.

Even the Golden Buddha Temple Spirit he once summoned with the divine art was under Yun Family’s jurisdiction.

“Oh? Is that the Chubby Kid Zhou Peng… close with your daughter of a thousand gold?”

Zhou Tianshui’s eyes lit up immediately.

“I’m Zhou Peng’s uncle. I practically raised that little fellow — isn’t it all just a coincidence?” he laughed heartily while stroking his beard.

He wasn’t very knowledgeable about Jin Guang Mansion affairs; as a technical master, a Divine Carver never bothered with extras. All he knew was that the Eight-Armed Furious Third Prince Temple Spirit was fascinating and worthy of being carved.

Zhou Tianshui looked at Li Che with shining eyes and proposed, “How about this: on behalf of the little one, shall we arrange an engagement with Master Li?”

“My little one may be plump, but there’s a reason for that…”

Li Che’s smile instantly froze.

Just as the conversation was going smoothly, this marriage proposal caught him off guard!

Li Che shook his head and immediately rejected Zhou Tianshui without hesitation.

“Ah, what a pity… I was quite looking forward to becoming kin with Master Li. With your divine carving talent, there might have been hope for you to reach the Four Emperors level someday… that would have certainly been a boon for the Zhou family, hahahaha!”

Zhou Tianshui laughed uproariously while stroking his beard.

Yun Haiyang chuckled beside him, “So, Master Li is actually the father of XiXi, as Yun’e often mentioned?”

Yun Haiyang grew excited; given Yun’e’s close bond with XiXi, this was an excellent opportunity to win Li Che over.

The atmosphere in the Reception Hall grew lively.

But the excitement was short-lived.

Gongshu Jingjun then ordered the people of Shendiao Ridge to take away Elder Sun’s body.

“Elder Sun, who never married and devoted his life solely to Divine Carving in pursuit of the Four Emperors-level, may have fallen short in the end, but he did manage to grasp a shred of his divine intent. He did not walk alone – he met his end with joy.”

Gongshu Jingjun looked at Li Che and said gently,

“Elder Sun will be buried on a hillside ten li outside the Li’er Bizarre Temple. Having spent two lifetimes immersed in his temple spirit observations, he wishes to be interred with his creation.”

All the Divine Carving Masters present fell silent.

They lowered their heads in respectful farewell as Elder Sun’s body was carried off into the icy, snowy landscape.

“Let us see Elder Sun off together,” said Li Che softly.

Upon hearing this, Gongshu Jingjun paused for a moment before breaking into a radiant smile.

“Then… please take care of it.”

No objections were raised by the many carvers in the Reception Hall.

After today’s tribute to Elder Sun, all present master carvers were deeply moved, feeling a profound admiration for a man who had devoted his life’s passion to Divine Carving.

Together, they left the Reception Hall.

Shendiao Ridge lay deep within treacherous mountains, where snowstorms raged and fierce snowflakes howled. The ground was blanketed with thick, piled-up snow.

Yet those present were all accomplished cultivators; selected to participate in this Shendiao Ridge Elder Assessment, each Divine Carving Master boasted considerable prowess.

Even those at the weakest fleshly body level had reached the Grandmaster stage, their qi and blood circulating hotly, unafraid of the biting cold!

Gongshu Jingjun snapped his fingers, and on a snowy mountainside ten li from the Bizarre Temple, a huge pit erupted in the white snow.

There was no need for fanfare or ceremony – Elder Sun, in his loneliness, required no such formalities.

Elder Sun had once told Gongshu Jingjun that he wished to be buried here. So, Gongshu Jingjun fulfilled his wish,

placing Elder Sun’s body inside a coffin carved from spirit wood – even though Elder Sun had claimed he didn’t need one, Gongshu Jingjun couldn’t accept that.

In the end, he prepared a coffin for him.

The coffin was covered with mud, sand, and snow.

The winds and snow howled as the burial site gradually became a flat expanse, indistinguishable beneath the endless white.

Quietly it lay, a place for silent cultivation, and eventually…

Quietly interred beneath the wind and snow, its traces wiped away.

Thus, a mortal’s journey passed without turmoil.

Perhaps therein lay true peace.

……

……

Whoosh—

The cold wind blew fiercely as the heavy snowstorm raged.

Snowflakes, as light as goose feathers, fluttered down like winter blossoms, shrouding the entire Daocheng in a pristine white veil.

At Wangchun Tower’s main building, cracked black tiles fell, broken eaves tumbled, splintered wood flew, and surging qi and blood scorched the falling snow.

Inside, the room was deathly silent.

The four elders – Ji Heshan, the one with a mini talisman stuck to his forehead, You Liqing, who had his tea-stained lips wiped, and a rare glimmer of unusual emotion in his eyes –

Ji Heshan murmured, “It’s her…”

That talisman reminded him of someone.

Dragon Queen, her beautiful face now twisted in fury, was incensed.

You Liqing was a prince’s disciple, and to be treated so indignantly!

Who dares… be so audacious!

Boom—!!!

A terrifying, scorching surge of qi and blood erupted, warping the very air as if a volcano had burst forth with an erupting pillar of flame!

Ji Heshan attempted to intervene,

but how could one dissuade an outraged woman?

Especially one as hot-tempered as the grieving Dragon Queen!

With a heavy blow, Ao Qingqing – who had been frowning – was swept away along with Ji Heshan in a flash of light as they left Wangchun Tower.

Within a ten-zhang radius of the tower, the drifting snow vanished completely, as if evaporated; the snow melted into water which then evaporated into vapor!

Boom—!!!

Above the vast sky, it was as if winter thunder had exploded among leaden clouds!

A bolt of lightning tore the sky asunder!

In that instant, a dragon’s roar echoed, as if it were meant to shake the very foundations of Daocheng!

Faintly, a terrifying, blazing red aura began to rise, coalescing into the form of a massive, ghostly dragon that snaked its way through the air, looming over a slowly drifting cloud of talismans.

Dragon Queen ascended with majestic robes billowing around her.

Her brows knit in confusion as doubt flickered in her eyes.

Where was everyone?

Her gaze fell upon the talisman cloud—and she saw no trace of a human figure.

Suddenly,

she paused.

At the edge of the talisman cloud, a small hand beckoned. Then two tiny figures, holding hands, leapt and sat at the very border of the cloud.

The Sect Master’s Wife, accompanied by XiXi, sat at the edge of the talisman cloud, swinging their little legs.

Two… little girls?!

They appeared to be even younger than she was.

Dragon Queen’s striking blue eyes locked onto XiXi.

“It’s you!”

The Princess’s eyes flashed with severity.

The boy had once declared he would take her as a concubine, a promise she remembered all too vividly.

And now, this little girl had appeared…

XiXi, perched high above, showed no fear of heights – instead, she was visibly excited.

For she had just witnessed the Sect Master’s Wife unleash the Binding Immortal Talisman’s power!

The talisman didn’t just immobilize an enemy—

it had captured XiXi’s very heart!

XiXi couldn’t help but fidget, itching to pull out her pink 【Xiangong】 Gatling and burst into a dazzling firework display!

Explosions, after all, are the highest form of art!

“It’s me, it’s me!”

XiXi cried out excitedly.

Pointing at Dragon Queen and kicking her feet, she exclaimed, “Master! It’s her! It’s her who bullied me and Elder!”

Meanwhile, the Sect Master’s Wife, Xuan Qisha, fixed her icy gaze on Dragon Queen,

her perfectly made-up face breaking into a cold smile as she felt the overwhelming presence of draconic qi and blood.

“Don’t worry. If I bring you here, you’ll get your revenge!”

At that moment, Dragon Queen’s gaze shifted to Xuan Qisha.

Her deep blue eyes reflected a hint of confusion,

as she couldn’t discern any qi or divine aura from the little girl – making it impossible to gauge her strength.

But an intense, latent threat made Dragon Queen’s skin prickle; fine scales seemed to emerge on her pale skin, expanding like an array.

“Who are you?!”

Dragon Queen roared, her ruby lips opening as she spoke in a deep voice.

……

……

Carrying XiXi, Ao Qingqing left Wangchun Tower with swirling sleeves, swept away by wild gusts, drifting aimlessly.

Looking up at the little girl’s figure, he couldn’t help but offer a rueful smile.

“I’m done for… This time, I’m in deep trouble…”

Boom!

A mighty surge of qi and blood exploded.

Long Tai and Blue Bird – two innate Grandmasters – interwove their qi and blood as they helped the fellow general, You Liqing, who had been immobilized by a tiny talisman that halted his qi and divine aura, crash to the ground.

“Elder Ji, please break the talisman for General!”

Long Tai bowed and said gravely.

He truly cared for You Liqing, for though they were not brothers by blood, their bond was deeper than kin.

Blue Bird, quietly notching his bow, also clasped his fists.

Ji Heshan stroked his beard and shook his head, “It’s not that I won’t break it, but it simply cannot be broken…”

“Whoever casts this talisman has gotten on my bad side – it’s not something I can risk.”

“Rest assured, General, you are not in mortal danger. These two talismans, one binding your qi and the other restraining your divine aura, aren’t meant to take your life.”

“If our enemy really intends to kill you, General… then you’re already on the road to it.”

Ji Heshan said as he stroked his beard.

Long Tai and Blue Bird’s hairs stood on end.

They instinctively looked up, spotting on the talisman cloud two little girls staring fiercely at Dragon Queen…

“These two little brats—are they really this formidable?” Long Tai choked out.

Ji Heshan’s face hardened, “Watch your tongue, or I won’t even send flowers on your anniversary.”

Long Tai’s face darkened,

“They’re far beyond just a couple of little brats…”

Ji Heshan lifted his head with a twitch, “They are…”

“They are the wife of the Supreme Sect Leader of Qianyuan Divine Sect…”

As the words faded,

a deathly silence fell.

Long Tai’s eyes narrowed and he sucked in a breath, nearly drawing his own life out with the shock.

Beside him, Blue Bird’s long legs trembled.

On the ground, You Liqing, who had once struggled to break free from the talisman, decided it was futile.

The wife of Qianyuan Divine Sect’s leader…

A Semi-Saint of Divine Talismans!

An… outright Semi-Saint!

……

……

Howling winds and raging qi swirled, embodying the immense, awe-inspiring power of a dragon!

Dragon Queen hovered mid-air, her deep blue, mirror-like eyes fixed intently on the Sect Master’s Wife next to XiXi.

“Who are you?!”

Dragon Queen growled.

The Sect Master’s Wife replied coolly, “How dare you bully my disciple? Don’t you know who I am?”

“I may be in seclusion for a single cycle, but my name is known throughout the world. Is that all there is to it?” retorted Dragon Queen.

“And how could a mere little minnow dare to cross my disciple?!”

Her words dripped with audacity!

“My son wishes to marry her; she will accompany him for a while. What’s wrong with that?” said the Princess nonchalantly.

The Sect Master’s Wife couldn’t help but laugh coldly, “You old minnow, why don’t you go accompany your dying son?”

Dragon Queen furrowed her exquisite brows as two horns on her forehead flashed with sparks!

The next moment,

a terrifying surge of qi erupted like a tidal wave, as if an unspeakably potent force burst forth from her voluptuous form!

The void seemed to ripple with waves of air.

Then, Dragon Queen’s graceful form left a trail of afterimages, with bolts of lightning intertwining around her, accompanied by a fearsome dragon’s roar that tore through the sky!

Her speed was blinding!

She moved like a bolt of lightning as the air around her tore and the snowflakes vanished!

Boom—!!!

Countless snowflakes melted into vapor, and the vapor quickly condensed into droplets under the cold!

Dragon Queen’s wildly swirling hair, wrapped in mist and clouds, and her deep blue eyes exuded an unstoppable murderous intent!

Her body was encircled by several sparkling droplets, rotating back and forth like celestial bodies orbiting the heavens!

In their collision, some droplets even burst with a cracking sound!

In the blink of an eye, Dragon Queen floated barefoot before the Sect Master’s Wife and XiXi, her dominating aura like a mountain storm crashing down, while behind her a dragon-shaped phantom loomed menacingly, like an ugly ogre from a fairy tale surveying two young princesses.

……

……

In the midst of the wind and snow, Li Che trudged along the return path, frowning.

A subtle stirring in his heart told him he sensed what was unfolding where XiXi was.

Although no warning signals came from the Feilei Chess Piece—indicating XiXi wasn’t in immediate mortal danger—

the tremendous qi that the chess piece transmitted had certainly caught his attention.

In that moment, the image on the Cosmic Chessboard above shifted,

revealing a scene above Daocheng:

There, Dragon Queen floated with overwhelming grandeur, her aura twisting like a mighty river of qi and blood!

It was suffocating!

And directly opposite her,

XiXi and the Sect Master’s Wife sat poised on the talisman cloud, staring at Li Che in disbelief.

Earlier, Li Che had been immersed in carving; since no warning came from XiXi’s end, he hadn’t investigated further, only knowing that Elder Jiao had brought XiXi to see the Sect Master’s Wife…

So, this little girl… was the Sect Master’s Wife?

Li Che’s face contorted into an expression of eerie strangeness.

But beneath that, a cold, murderous intent emerged.

That murderous intent…

was clearly aimed at Dragon Queen.

Yet, as quickly as it arose, it began to fade.

……

……

Under Dragon Queen’s deep blue gaze, a look of astonishment slowly spread.

Her graceful form, charged with draconic qi and an overwhelming presence, had reached an impasse!

The surrounding air seemed to be frozen, too resilient to be shattered or torn apart!

How was that possible?!

Was it the talisman?!

She scanned with her Divine Perception and sensed a divine talisman burning slowly in the vast expanse, yet she could not pinpoint its location!

Who exactly was that little girl…!

Dragon Queen still couldn’t deduce her identity!

Her long, swirling hair and smooth, pale skin seemed to pulse with the formidable flow of draconic qi,

as if delivering an overwhelming force through every sinew.

She felt the oppressive weight of a burning divine talisman permeating the air, growing stronger and denser by the moment.

She erupted in a deafening dragon roar,

attempting to tear through the frozen barrier and dispel the mysterious, stifling pressure that gradually choked her heart!

Crash, crash!

Molten qi scorched the air, dissolving the falling snow into vapor that mingled with swirling thunder!

Dragon Queen writhed and battered as if a mighty blue dragon was contorting its body in relentless struggle.

Yet… not even a fraction moved.

Then she noticed the little girl holding XiXi’s hand slowly stand up.

Perched on the talisman cloud, the girl stamped her foot lightly.

In an instant,

a glowing divine talisman floated out from along her spine!

The girl, with her adorable two fingers, clutched the miniature talisman as she looked disdainfully at the struggling Dragon Queen before her.

“You foolish minnow,” she sneered.

“Do you even know what it means to be a Semi-Saint of Divine Talismans?”

Seven-thousand Words – Second Update. Today’s post comes early. Please vote, recommend, and support by following! Without your recommendations or new readers, I can barely maintain my subscription numbers… Old Li updates 15,000 words daily. Please don’t spoil my income – many thanks from Old Li!