Chapter 244: Thundering Clash of Fates

Boom—!!! A single, terrifying punch that seemed poised to overturn the world!

Scalding, burning energy erupted instantly, and several mechanical seals flickered to life at once,

bursting forth with an incredibly dazzling brilliance.

A terrifying torrent of heat, as fierce as molten jade, gushed from that monstrous behemoth over five meters tall, roaring like a raging ocean and erupting like a volcano!

It surged out from a hideous, precisely assembled armored shell!

It was like a blood-red sun with nine rings, suspended high and searing the sky!

The ground collapsed with a deafening crash – the frozen soil of the main camp’s area churned like boiling river water!

Ripples of scorching heat spread out, while hurricanes howled and the very earth and mountains trembled!

The snow and ice piled on the ground melted in an instant, vaporizing into swirling clouds as turbulent as dragons in flight!

Blood God Jiuyang Golden Ape!

The moment this colossal beast appeared, its punch pounded down so fiercely that it flipped the entire camp upside down.

In the distance.

Long Tai stood frozen like a log, his body trembling uncontrollably. Ferocious winds and surging waves battered him, while torrents of mud and stone pelted him, forcing him to his knees!

“Mechanical Beast!”

“It’s a Mechanical Beast!”

“Tang Clan Mechanical Beast!”

A deep, hoarse shout exploded from Long Tai’s throat.

His mouth was dry, and his blood felt as if it had frozen solid.

A tingling horror crawled along his spine as every hair on his body stood on end!

Six blood-red mechanical seals at the beast’s core spun relentlessly.

An oppressive, suffocating aura pressed down like a torrent; Long Tai felt utterly powerless, unable even to lift a finger.

The Underworld—

That Ogre!

The Six-Seal Mechanical Beast!

This was nothing less than a fearsome war weapon of the Five Elders level!

It was just one seal away from the peerless Mechanical Beast!

Even a lower-tier Five Elders mechanical beast possessed the explosive strength of the First Stage of the Martial Saint realm!

The Underworld—

had suddenly deployed this terrifying entity to kill the Great General!

Long Tai’s eyes instantly turned a fierce red—

It was a finishing blow!

How can one possibly survive this?!

Underworld Ogre – too cautious, too sleazy, too cunning!

Had the Ogre unleashed this lower-tier Five Elders Mechanical Beast right from the start, You Liqing would not have even considered fighting; he would have only thought of escaping!

Even before suffering serious injuries, You Liqing had managed to counter with an explosive Divine Seed, barely managing a desperate breakaway.

But after being gravely wounded by Sect Master’s Wife Xuan Qisha’s Locking Talisman, You Liqing now faced the deadly assault of the Six-Seal Mechanical Beast—

Exactly!

It was an assassination attempt!

Ogre had the nerve to launch a sneak attack using a Six-Seal, Five Elders-level Mechanical Beast!

What kind of lowlife is this?!

Long Tai’s eyes burned red as he advanced against the raging hurricane of force. His innate Divine Guts surged wildly,

and with a firm grip on his Crocodile-Head Axe, his body straightened instantly, hair streaming, as he fixed his gaze on You Liqing, who had been slammed into the earth by the mechanical giant’s punch.

He let out a long, piercing howl!

His great axe cleaved through the rushing air, his muscles quivering and blood gushing forth, while his innate Divine Guts coiled like a furious dragon’s roar!

Long Tai did not retreat; instead, he pressed forward, dragging his Crocodile-Head Axe with heavy steps as the ground trembled like a flowing ribbon, defying the raging winds to surge upward!

A ferocious surge of blood burst forth as if ignited by the sun!

At this moment, the innate Grandmaster of the Martial Saint realm pushed his strength to its utmost limit!

“Kill—!!!”

A resounding shout and a long howl!

The Crocodile-Head Axe swung fiercely, slashing at the Mechanical Ape!

Yet, as the beast’s eyes blazed with red light and its core seals rotated in unison, locks of hair streaming, one after another Five Elders Divine Crystals were ravenously devoured, draining its divine energy!

Amid clanging and cracking sounds—

Under Li Che’s precise control, the Mechanical Ape delivered a sudden, flat horizontal punch.

It was as if it had swatted a fly.

Long Tai—the innate Grandmaster—felt his own innate Divine Guts shatter into countless violent, cracking shockwaves under that push.

Thud—!!!

Every pore of his body erupted in a spray of blood!

It was impossible to resist—nothing could block it—

This was a Five Elders-level Mechanical Beast, matching the staggering combat power of the Martial Saint realm!

Nothing could stand against it—absolutely nothing!

“General—!!!”

Shi Ping Long Tai could only feel his bones shatter, his sinews and marrow breaking apart, his skin ripped open, and flesh torn to shreds!

His face contorted into a grotesque mask, as if crushed by an unstoppable avalanche!

His very form was distorted beyond recognition!

Behind him, immense force poured out in torrents, with shockwaves rippling over more than ten meters!

After a moment of eerie stillness, a powerful recoil force exploded forth.

Boom!

Long Tai’s Crocodile-Head Axe flew out as he was blasted into the air, creating ripples of white foam that danced within the atmosphere.

With a heavy thud, it spanned tens of meters and crashed against the barrier formed by the Cosmic Chessboard.

Amid swirling mists, Long Tai sprayed blood from his mouth and nose, finally collapsing to his knees.

He stared, bloodshot eyes fixed, at the Ogre’s towering, brilliant mechanical beast radiating blinding light!

Scalding blood oozed from his mouth and nose, dripping onto the ground.

“Great General—”

Long Tai’s heart sank with despair; he knew that today—his fate was almost sealed.

The Underworld’s schemes were endless; one trap after another had nearly sealed off all of You Liqing’s escape routes.

They had even sacrificed a Six-Seal Mechanical Beast!

Even during the Tang Clan’s prime, the Six-Seal Mechanical Beast was an extremely rare treasure.

Not to mention the enormous cost in Divine Crystals needed just to activate it!

Without the backing of a powerful force, such a mechanical beast could never be activated!

Terrifying!

At this moment, Long Tai felt profound fear toward the Underworld!

Yet he struggled upright, bloodshot eyes filled with determination.

“Great General!”

Having lost his Crocodile-Head Axe, Long Tai clenched his fists, his beard wild, and emitted a low roar.

Despite being drenched in blood, he charged forward in fury!

Long Tai could calmly face the death of City Lord Su Huai Li,

but You Liqing—the general he had followed for many years—he could not bear to watch him die at the hands of the Underworld.

Perhaps when You Liqing repeatedly struck against the Underworld, they had already set their sights on him.

Ji Haihui was dead. City Lord Su Huai Li was dead—

And now, You Liqing was about to die too!

Long Tai, drenched in blood, charged wildly toward You Liqing!

Blue Bird’s heart had long sunk into the abyss.

When that terrifying Mechanical Beast appeared, she had already lost hope.

The moment You Liqing was slammed into the ground by a single blow, Blue Bird’s heart was completely dead.

“Underworld—”

Blue Bird’s eyes turned as still as a stagnant pool, unmoved.

Clutching her longbow and with her slender, poised legs, she darted swiftly through the thick fog.

Her long, calloused fingers bore the marks of endless hours drawing the bow.

With a creak, she notched an arrow to full draw!

Countless streams of blue light flowed along the bow!

Whizz—!!! A piercing cry like a blue phoenix echoed as the arrow soared, colliding headlong with the stream of light charging forward!

“Ma Mian!”

Tears continually streamed from Blue Bird’s vacant eyes.

Her mind replayed vivid memories of You Liqing pulling her from a heap of corpses in a small city in Jizhou.

Back then, everything she saw was nothing but death.

Armored in golden scales, You Liqing had rescued her from the clutches of death – a radiant sun that chased away all darkness.

He had given her hope and belief.

Later, she trained in martial arts under You Liqing’s guidance.

She displayed a natural talent as a divine archer and received special tutelage, gradually becoming his trusted aide—

Although Blue Bird adored You Liqing, and knew his heart belonged to someone else – a man he could never reach,

she didn’t care and never sought a contest.

After all, she had clawed her way out of a sea of corpses; what right did she have to love a man as unreachable as the sun?

She had no right.

She was doomed to live in darkness forever.

And now—

The one she loved seemed about to die!

Then she—

would die too!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

—Bang!!!

Arrows, like dragons, burst forth in rapid succession, linking together in explosive volleys that sealed off every trajectory of the Bodhi Dragon Tooth projectile, eventually detonating midair!

Flames and shockwaves roared as the air exploded!

Blue Bird felt an unprecedented pressure.

Their Divine Arrow Technique—

or rather, their mechanical arrow technique—had even put this innate Grandmaster-level divine archer under severe strain!

A sense of despair crept in!

She began to doubt the worth of years of relentless training in Divine Arrow Technique.

What was its purpose—

What was the point!

——

—!!

But at this moment, Blue Bird’s heart had gone numb. She gave up the idea of a head-on arrow volley with Ma Mian.

For she knew she could never kill Ma Mian.

Even though he lay nearly a hundred zhang away, hidden in thick fog, she could track his position by the trajectory of the Bodhi Dragon Tooth projectile.

But killing Ma Mian was nearly impossible!

Now Blue Bird—

had a clearer objective!

Her innate Divine Guts burst forth behind her like a great blue phoenix unfurling its wings.

Her long legs pounded the mist as she raced back!

“General!”

Blue Bird bit her lip!

Her trembling fingers grasped a bloodstained arrow and nocked it onto her Divine Bow, channeling every iota of her spirit into that single arrow.

She burst through the fog, charging against the raging winds toward where You Liqing had been slammed into the earth!

Li Che, wearing his Ogre Mask, had his resilient ink-garment torn open to reveal an incredibly muscular physique.

Tense, corded muscles throbbed like roaring dragons.

With the Thunder Magnetic Conduit in operation, he floated silently in the air without disturbing a drop of blood or a spark of divine energy.

The Blood God Jiuyang Golden Ape, over five meters tall, resembled a colossal behemoth, exuding an aura of unbridled ferocity and terror.

Li Che was extremely satisfied with the sheer power of this Six-Seal Mechanical Beast.

It was even stronger than he had expected.

Just one punch was enough to slam You Liqing into the ground – a blow that would have sealed his fate.

Although the mechanical beast consumed far more energy than he had anticipated.

Activating this Six-Seal Mechanical Beast required the expenditure of five Five Elders Divine Crystals. Once their divine energy was fully depleted,

the beast would cease functioning, unable to be reactivated unless the crystals were promptly replaced.

But its explosive power was undeniably at the Martial Saint level – even if only at the First Stage of the Martial Saint realm—

it was still Martial Saint level!

You Liqing was merely at the Top Three Flowers level, and on top of that, he had been gravely injured by XiXi’s teacher, the Sect Master Xuan Qisha of Qianyuan Divine Sect—

This was Li Che’s best opportunity!

Li Che floated in the air beneath his Ogre Mask, his eyes glinting with faint arcs of lightning.

Circling him were the Dragon Elephant Divine Auras – though only one such aura, it allowed Li Che

to wield power rivaling that of a Top Three Flowers Supreme Grandmaster.

The Three Flowers Convergence Aura was immensely powerful.

Yet the Dragon Elephant Aureole could absorb it all.

It gave Li Che quite the pleasant surprise.

Most importantly, as Li Che grew stronger, the Dragon Elephant Aureole became even more fearsome!

His eyes swept over the scene.

He saw Long Tai, drenched in blood, desperately struggling against the onslaught of wind and force.

And he saw Blue Bird, her entire being channeled into one arrow as if summoning every last drop of her spirit.

“Truly loyal,”

Li Che murmured.

In the next moment, his gaze fell upon a deep pit where the ground had collapsed with a thunderous roar, scattering enormous mud waves.

The Golden Ape’s single punch had shattered the earth into countless fragments with rocks and debris soaring everywhere!

Suddenly,

Li Che’s eyes narrowed.

He witnessed an eruption of blood and energy, like a massive river breaking its dams, surging wildly and tearing through everything!

Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom—!!!

The very earth exploded open!

It was as if a blazing golden sun had burst forth, unleashing an overwhelming, radiant torrent of energy!

Amid the shattered terrain, a surge of boiling blood erupted like a raging inferno!

A streak of bloody light shot upward from the earth.

You Liqing!

Half his body was shattered into pieces; in that instant, he seemed to burst into flames, and two blood-red whirlpools appeared along his spine,

as Li Che stood suspended by the Thunder Magnetic Conduit, his eyes steeled.

“The Divine Seed of the Eight Trigrams—”

“Yet at this moment, You Liqing’s divine seed had completely exploded, igniting the seed implanted within the Eight Trigrams—

Now that Li Che had begun exploring Divine Seed Martial Arts, he understood.

You Liqing had cultivated not one but two styles of Divine Seed Martial Arts, even opening two human Eight Trigrams to implant his seeds.

Previously, when You Liqing faced Xuan Qisha’s Locking Talisman, only one seed had exploded.

But this time—

You Liqing was convinced he was doomed, leaving nothing in reserve.

He directly detonated two miraculous Divine Seeds!

Gaining power that defied human limits, he completely squeezed the essence from his physical core,

as red flames of blood shot upward relentlessly.

You Liqing’s form had become unrecognizable; his eyes turned milky white as his face twisted under the barrage of surging energy.

Long Tai, blood-soaked, and Blue Bird, who had spent all her strength in one arrow, both fell silent.

In their final moments, their eyes brimmed with sorrow.

Both were innate Grandmasters, well-versed in Divine Seed Martial Arts, so they knew full well

what You Liqing’s current state signified.

Though he had gained unimaginable strength, it came at the cost of his very life.

“Ogre—”

You Liqing was engulfed in raging blood light.

He levitated as countless shattered stones were swept up by his immense, relentless energy, crumbling into dust.

His milky white eyes fixed on Li Che, who wore the Ogre Mask.

Even Li Che felt a surge of intense threat at that moment.

You Liqing seemed to have touched the threshold of the Martial Saint realm.

“G-Great General—”

Blue Bird’s face went pale, her lips trembling uncontrollably.

You Liqing turned his head, his milky eyes flashing with a complex emotion: “Flee.”

“No!”

Blue Bird bit her lip and shook her head fiercely.

“I know what you’re thinking—

that you’re grateful I once saved you from that pile of corpses, you foolish girl—”

“but have you ever wondered why there was a pile of corpses in the first place?”

You Liqing said coldly.

Blue Bird’s body trembled violently.

“That city—I was the one who slaughtered it, I was the one who killed, and I annihilated your entire family—

you were merely chosen for your exceptional talent.”

“I raised you with the sole purpose of molding you into the ultimate killing machine.”

You Liqing’s tone was chilling. Even after detonating his two Divine Seeds, every second was precious.

Yet he still took the time to explain to Blue Bird.

“That’s why I’m not worth your gratitude.”

“Get lost.”

You Liqing turned to face Li Che, who drifted silently in the air.

Blue Bird, struck like by lightning, cried out, “No way!”

Her gaze darted toward Long Tai, who, bloodied and gasping, nervously turned his head.

“It’s the King—”

“Enough.”

You Liqing cut in coldly, interrupting Long Tai.

“Everyone, scram. You two are useless.”

After his words fell,

his eyes locked onto Li Che: “Underworld Ogre—

I didn’t look down on you, General. I underestimated your despicable, underhanded nature.”

With a devastating Wanlong Fushen fist that aroused his competitive spirit, he clashed with Ogre.

Hidden within his striking fist was powder from the Five Elders Divine Crystal, which, once airborne, disrupted the energy flow of Locking Talisman’s Breath Retention Transformation—

finally, he unleashed a finishing move with a lower-tier Five Elders Mechanical Beast of Martial Saint power!

Truly dastardly and vicious—

but that was simply Ogre.

According to City Lord Su Huai Li’s intel, Ogre had always been like this.

It was You Liqing’s presumptions all along.

And so, a death price had to be paid.

“It’s a pity your strength is too weak. If you could reach the Top Three Flowers realm, or even unlock the Eight Trigrams Divine Seed, perhaps our Wanlong Fushen clash would be a magnificent bout.”

“What a pity, what a pity—

“Not satisfying enough.”

You Liqing’s blood-splattered flesh began to peel away in clumps.

Li Che’s face, hidden behind his Ogre Mask, revealed eyes as still as ancient wells.

“To kill you would be truly satisfying.”

Ogre’s voice was low and hoarse.

“What satisfaction is there to be found?”

Ogre was here to kill—

If he didn’t kill You Liqing, eventually You Liqing would kill him. In the cycle of killing and being killed, Li Che chose to strike first.

Once, You Liqing had been like a god descended onto the world, unleashing an earth-shattering killing intent outside of Daocheng.

Li Che would never forget that.

He craved a head-on clash—

waiting for the moment to kill you—

to catch you at your moment of weakness.

“Underworld Ogre—how shameless you are.”

You Liqing smirked.

Then his Divine Essence Golden Pill exploded in a mighty burst, his vast divine power merging back into his body.

It sustained his last spark of life and his indomitable martial will.

He could clearly feel the countdown of life ebbing away.

He sensed every moment of his vitality slipping away.

“This is the realm of the Martial Saint…”

You Liqing raised his hand, savoring the moment.

A surge of unprecedented ease washed over him—

In the next moment, his body twisted and transformed into a streak of bloody light. So fast that shockwaves burst outward and rippled in concentric circles, impossible to follow!

His clenched fist captured endless streams of light as if seizing them all!

Countless dragons of boiling energy, born from surging blood, roamed wildly!

That punch!

Even Li Che’s eyes couldn’t help but narrow!

Wanlong Fushen!

A mighty roar exploded!

Numerous dragon cries resounded in a continuous cacophony!

It was terrifying—utterly terrifying!

Li Che raised his hand, tapping his brow as his Star Plucking Gaze flared with radiant brilliance.

Then, using the lower-tier Five Elders Mechanical Beast, he unleashed a fierce punch!

You Liqing locked his gaze on Ogre; he intended to kill Ogre!

He would drag Ogre down to hell with him!

But!

This Five Elders Mechanical Beast was completely under Ogre’s control!

—

You Liqing’s transcendent punch clashed violently with the massive fist of the Golden Ape!

High above, a tangible shockwave radiated outward like concentric circles!

Waves of energy burst out in every direction!

Thick mists were torn apart!

Meanwhile,

in the Western Camp, several innate Grandmasters of the Martial Saint realm finally sensed that something was amiss. They could feel the searing energy and the overwhelming martial will coursing through the land!

They realized that something momentous was happening at the main camp!

Whooshing sounds split the air as streams of vital energy soared upward like banners of war!

The entire Divine Guard Army’s Western Camp erupted into chaos!

Blue Bird staggered, utterly lost and desolate.

It was You Liqing who had ravaged the city, who had taken lives—

and it was You Liqing who had exterminated her entire family…

The very man who had once captivated her heart?

Blue Bird felt as if countless sharp blades were plunging into her already shattered heart, blood-red tears streaming down her cheeks.

Why—

why did it have to be like this?!

Blue Bird opened her mouth, but in her despair she couldn’t even scream.

She looked at the man whose Divine Seeds had exploded and whose life was burning away.

She watched as he charged headlong, smashing into the terrifying Mechanical Beast with lethal ferocity—You Liqing.

After the battle between man and divine,

she closed her eyes and abruptly let go of her longbow.

Deep within her back,

a blood-red Divine Seed throbbed like a heart tangled in dark veins.

It burst apart with a tremendous roar!

The Blood-Pleading Divine Phoenix Death Arrow!

At that moment, a streak of bloody flame, like a blazing phoenix, surged forth from death, flapping its wings and carrying an aura of unending slaughter as it flew directly toward Ogre!

Underworld Ogre!

If you dare kill my man—

then you die!

And just after Blue Bird released her all-out arrow,

a streak of light pierced her brow at breakneck speed. The Bodhi Dragon Tooth, inscribed with bloodfire divine symbols, silently sniped its mark.

It was the merciless and cold-blooded assassination from Ma Mian.

It drilled through her brow.

It shattered the Divine Essence Golden Pill within her brow’s Mud Pellet.

It pulverized her very life force!

Blood exploded from behind her head.

When Blue Bird reopened her eyes, all she saw was a blur of blood.

With a thud, Blue Bird collapsed to the ground, her longbow sliding far away.

Her eyes blurred with blood, just like the blood-soaked ruins of a once-devastated city.

Everywhere, there was only blood.

Boom—

The Golden Ape and You Liqing’s devastating punch clashed!

Boom, boom, boom—the arm of the Golden Ape, etched with countless mechanical seals, exploded as if its wooden essence was incinerated in an instant!

It was like an enormous storm of lightning and thunder erupting, and the entire earth was turned over like a writhing land dragon!

The ground beneath the Golden Ape collapsed again and again!

Mud and sand exploded upward, forming a curtain tens of meters high!

After unleashing that punch, You Liqing saw the Golden Ape’s shattered arm and a wry smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Then, his life force was utterly extinguished—

the hurricane shattered everything!

His entire body lay devoid of energy!

His rock-solid flesh crumbled suddenly, every bone and sinew breaking apart—

until he had turned into a mist of blood.

The Golden Ape’s ferocious fist pierced through You Liqing’s body, unleashing a burst of energy and mists from his back!

You Liqing’s lifeless body shot toward the ground like a cannonball.

Long Tai, his beard wildly whipping, roared and howled!

“Ah—!!!”

He dashed forward several steps, intent on catching You Liqing’s body.

Even though he knew that in that moment, You Liqing’s corpse was beyond his capacity to hold.

For it still pulsed with the terrifying might of the Martial Saint realm.

Yet Long Tai charged forward without hesitation.

—!!!

Long Tai knelt on the ground.

His knees shattered as the earth split open in a spider-web of cracks.

He braced You Liqing’s body against his back.

He managed a smile.

“I told you long ago—don’t bother protecting that Dragon Maiden, will you? You never listen—”

“And the massacre was ordered by the Prince—”

“You saved so many people… yet the Prince punished you, and you never said a word?”

“Chasing after girls isn’t for a fool like you—idiot.”

“Blue Bird is wonderful—beautiful, with long legs, though her strength may be lacking a bit—but—

“Well then—”

“it’s a relief.”

Long Tai slowly bowed his head.

He exhaled his last breath.

You Liqing’s bloodied, mangled body was propped aloft by the kneeling Long Tai, standing amidst the smoky, chaotic ruins.

Buzz—

Crimson streams of light blazed forth.

The injured Golden Ape transformed into an ‘Eternal Relic’ seal as Li Che reabsorbed it.

Li Che drifted silently and landed before the dead You Liqing.

Under his Ogre Mask, his eyes remained as calm as ancient wells.

He sensed wave after wave of figures surging in the Western Camp.

Mighty flows of energy and the overwhelming formation of an army twisted the void.

If You Liqing were to command the entire army—even with the Golden Ape at hand—Li Che doubted he would be able to kill him. Yet there was no denying that You Liqing…

was a true warrior.

Even in the final moments, when he detonated two Divine Seeds to push his power to the extreme, he managed to shatter one of the Golden Ape’s arms with a single punch!

So imposing and fierce—

he was by far the strongest opponent Li Che had ever encountered.

It was only through masterful strategy that victory was achieved.

But the win had come at a steep price.

Moreover, You Liqing’s body seemed to hold countless untold stories.

He tucked away his cracked Qian Kun Jade.

Then Li Che quietly looked at You Liqing.

So exceptional.

Even the most ruthless of Underworld fiends would find a place for you.

His fingers spread wide,

pressing down on You Liqing’s head.

“Spiritual Confinement.”