Chapter 314: Celestial Clash at the Daocheng Pinnacle

Crack, crack——!

Above the Heavenly Dome, a heavy, leaden cloud loomed, laden with countless snowflakes that tugged the dark mass down toward the earth.

Streaks of lightning split the inky clouds—like a ferocious Thunder Dragon emerging from behind the mist with its scaled snout in full view. Its crushing pressure cascaded down like a torrent from the Milky Way!

It was as if some forbidden being had been born on earth and the heavens were brewing the Thunder Dragon, its gaze fixed upon Daocheng.

Night faded as quickly as daybreak!

A dazzling brilliance shattered the darkness, driving it away completely.

Atop the central pedestal of the city, resplendent light captivated everyone.

A translucent statue of a Six-Armed Tathagata loomed a hundred zhang high. It seemed as if the Buddha himself had descended, his radiant aura filling the cosmos, inspiring a devout reverence that made onlookers fall to their knees in triple obeisance.

At the other end of the pedestal,

the once-compressed brilliance began to burst forth in fiery streams. The flames grew intense, like countless burning plumes that warped the air, tearing through the area sealed off by the Buddha’s light and spreading rapidly!

A piercing cry exploded; at that moment, the Phoenix Blood Roc’s Perched Nirvana Wood shimmered like flawless agate and translucent glazed glass.

Li Che, his inky robe fluttering in the wind and his jet-black hair wildly tossed, crouched on the ground, pressing his palm onto what looked like a smooth river pebble-like Divine Eagle Sculpture.

Flames crept like a reborn phoenix unfurling colossal wings behind Li Che. The wings, vast enough to even obscure the Buddha’s light above many heads around the pedestal, unfurled magnificently.

Crackle, crackle——

A fine, shattering sound spread across the Divine Eagle Sculpture—a myriad of gleaming sparks bursting into the sky, as resplendent and dazzling as the primordial light when chaos was sliced open at creation.

The radiance was so blinding, it surged upward like a pillar of light piercing the clouds.

The smile on Huang Tuo’s face vanished as his eyes locked onto the meticulously carved Divine Eagle.

Yet it was far too bright; even his keen vision couldn’t discern the details of the Eagle within that pillar. Up to now… he still couldn’t tell what Li Che had truly carved!

He clapped his hands together, then flipped them outward—each palm revealing an eye that spun wildly. A second divine will manifested!

At that moment, amid the mighty aura of the Hundred-Zhang Six-Armed Tathagata, it seemed as if one eye after another slowly sprang open.

Meanwhile, Li Che’s Divine Eagle Sculpture, once composed of countless wooden shavings, shattered instantly to reveal the true figure hidden within—a figure that clutched a radiant crimson gold treasure stick.

It was a Divine Monkey!

Adorned in chain-linked golden armor, with a billowing crimson cape, stepping on cloud-worn boots, and crowned in purple-gold, its two long, antelope-like horns danced wildly across the skies.

Every single hair on the Divine Monkey was incredibly fine, so much so that even a slight breeze made them flutter like underwater grasses swaying softly.

“Divine Monkey?!”

Huang Tuo finally saw clearly as the eyes on his palms and his own narrowed gaze met the carving. “You actually dare to challenge the Buddha’s divine will with a Divine Monkey?”

A light, sneering laugh escaped him. Calm and assured.

This Li Che… must have gained inspiration from aiding the Underworld Divine Monkey to secure that Freewill Gold-Iron Divine Staff, and thus carved this audacious stone-bound Divine Monkey.

One must admit, the design was ingenious and the craftsmanship incredibly superb; even he couldn’t claim to have carved each fine hair with such meticulous care.

The effort to carve such a Divine Eagle demanded an enormous outpouring of his heart and soul!

For Huang Tuo, it was a case of cost outweighing benefit. Moreover, he wasn’t sure he could complete the carving in a short time… Li Che’s skill left him deeply astonished.

“But in a contest of divine wills, it’s all about the clash of intents!” “You insolent monkey… what right do you have to dare before my Six-Armed Tathagata?” Huang Tuo intoned, forming hand seals as he began chanting ancient and profound Buddhist mantras.

Boom——!!!

A terrifying explosion reverberated in everyone’s ears.

Atop the pedestal, fierce winds surged as air currents blasted about, roaring mightily! Countless snowflakes, not even fully fallen, were shattered by the blast!

A dense, eerie mist enveloped the center of Daocheng!

At last, the crowd could clearly see Li Che’s carved Divine Eagle—a defiant, unruly Divine Monkey! Compared to the towering Hundred-Zhang Six-Armed Tathagata,

Li Che’s carved Divine Monkey seemed almost diminutive, emerging from the stone with a flying cape and clutching a crimson gold treasure stick, stepping atop swirling clouds.

As the clouds ascended, the Monkey’s divine intent manifested on the Six-Armed Tathagata. Countless eyes blinked on the Buddha’s many arms as its presence gradually rose. The entire world seemed to plunge into a profound, eerie silence.

Only the image of the Divine Monkey facing the ascending Six-Armed Tathagata remained. “Buddha… are you truly the Buddha?”

“Just an evil Buddha, nothing more.”

Li Che rose slowly from beside the sculpture, with countless flames surging behind him.

His robust, dark hair whipped wildly as he felt the encroaching Buddhist essence invade his very being. It was as though the essence were a poisonous serpent, devouring his will and corrupting his thoughts.

What kind of Buddha was this? What sort of Buddha?! Just an evil Buddha!

Li Che couldn’t help but recall the strange visions he saw previously at the Two-Hearted Great Sage Bizarre Temple with the mysterious Divine Monkey.

In that vision, he felt as though he had entered Huaguoshan and witnessed a Divine Monkey confronting an endless horde of demonic soldiers… He had no idea what the immortal realm truly was.

Yet, based on that vision, he captured a sliver of the divine will. Coupled with the thoughts from within his Mud Pellet and the roaring, transformative intent of the Luminous True Primate,

Li Che completed his carving! The spiritual stone split, and the Divine Monkey was born!

The Six-Armed Tathagata…

Li Che observed calmly as Huang Tuo’s carved Six-Armed Tathagata Divine Eagle diverged so starkly from his ideal of the Buddha. The Buddha’s radiance appeared as a venomous curse.

This kind of Buddha…

Li Che refused to acknowledge it. And the Divine Monkey shared his defiance. “Divine will clash…” “What fear have you, Divine Monkey!”

Li Che stood with his hands behind his back, his upright form exuding intense confidence! Even if the Divine Monkey were inferior to the Six-Armed Tathagata, or that wicked Buddha, so what? Li Che would simply empower the Monkey!

[Dao Fruit: Xiangong (lv5 50%)] A glimmer flashed before his eyes.

Li Che couldn’t help but feel a mix of surprise and delight.

He hadn’t expected that this carving would boost the Monkey’s maturity from 42% to 50%—an impressive 8% rise. At level 5, further maturation became extremely challenging, with slow progress despite constant practice.

Li Che’s mood soared as his spirited energy seemed to ignite both his own and the Divine Monkey’s aura—a reckless, unbridled force shattering the heavens!

Boom——!!!

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the divine intents of the two half-saint Divine Eagle sculptures collided in the void above the pedestal. A long howl echoed as the crimson cape flapped wildly!

The cries of primates split the sky!

The Crimson Gold Treasure Stick clutched by the Divine Monkey instantly swelled, like a coiled dragon unleashing a devastating blow, imbued with an unfathomable and overwhelming technique—sweeping toward the Buddha!

On the Six-Armed Tathagata, countless eyes on its six arms spun as if gathering a dense Buddha light, transforming into ferocious serpents that roared and surged forth!

When the two collided, under the long stick, innumerable serpentine forms exploded into fragments!

Though the Divine Monkey was not imposing, its stick dance blazed with flames like a fierce inferno. In a blink, golden fire streaked, piercing through illusions! One stick after another, a myriad of overlapping images blossomed like countless radiant flowers!

“How dare you——!” Huang Tuo’s face hardened as he roared in anger.

His heart pounded with shock—he had never imagined that Li Che’s carved Divine Monkey would be so wild and untamed, able to break free from the suppression of the Six-Armed Tathagata’s Buddha light!

Huang Tuo had severely underestimated Li Che’s sculpting prowess.

Though merely a new half-saint Divine Eagle, it could unleash such intense and powerful divine intent—almost unbelievable!

A talent like this couldn’t possibly be allowed to remain within Qianyuan Divine Sect; it had to be handed over to Xiao Lingyin Temple!

In Daocheng, everyone gasped in terror as they witnessed the clash between the divine intents of the Six-Armed Tathagata and the Divine Monkey—a battle that looked like two deities dueling midair, breathtaking beyond compare!

Gongshu Jingjun and Tang Xiejia’s worried expressions gave way to fervor.

Even if Li Che lost this clash of divine wills, his half-saint status still shone through—no rumor could shake his identity or caliber. Even in defeat, honor remained!

Within the crowd,

the eyes beneath the masked visage of Ji Li Shou narrowed. Beside him, Long Zi Ao Lie’s breathing quickened.

“Sure enough… Li Che is definitely connected to that Divine Monkey!”

“This divine intent, this style… it’s just like that Divine Monkey who stole the Freewill Gold-Iron Divine Staff! So unruly and defiant!” Ao Lie said in a low voice.

Ji Li Shou said nothing further, simply narrowing his eyes. Moments later, he uttered a single word.

“I sense murderous intent…” “Wait.”

Boom——!!!

A massive stick slammed down, shaking even the void. The clash of the two divine wills shattered the calm within a thousand zhang, rippling outward like violent waves in an endless sea!

Centered on the falling stick, the air for hundreds of zhang around it seemed to ripple in concentric circles, as if stirred by an unstoppable force!

Huang Tuo rose, his face etched with utmost severity. Unbelievably…

He couldn’t contain it! That Divine Monkey—”Buddha, I command suppression!”

Huang Tuo bellowed, forming seals rapidly with both palms—a third divine will!

“Severely austere Tathagata! To slay is also to save!”

The once gentle, warm golden Buddha light of the Six-Armed Tathagata turned cold and merciless, as if plunging one into an icy abyss. Massive Buddha palms thudded down from its arms!

The Divine Monkey darted, its long stick striking hard against one of the Buddha’s palms. In that moment, the palm exploded in a burst of dazzling golden light as the stick’s shadow cleaved through the roaring head of the Six-Armed Tathagata!

Li Che’s eyes shone as he felt the Buddhist essence relentlessly encroaching on his Mud Pellet. He scoffed bitterly.

He raised his hand and pressed it on his brow.

It felt as though he were subduing a writhing worm; and then—in the next instant!

Inside his Mud Pellet,

a deafening roar exploded!

Fa Tian Xiang Di! Boom!

In an instant, innumerable dazzling golden rays were suppressed. The Divine Monkey, treading on billowing clouds, struck at the Six-Armed Tathagata’s form, growing ever more menacing—ripping and tearing!

It was like the sound of fabric tearing. The Divine Monkey swelled, soaring tens of zhang higher until it matched the towering Tathagata! Roar——!!!

Its razor-sharp fangs and every single hair turned into steel needles. With a sweeping tail of needles, the air collapsed—as if the void itself were cleaved into shattered fragments! Fa Tian Xiang Di!

The true form of the Demon Monkey!

The Divine Monkey transformed into the Demon Monkey, roaring fiercely. Clutching its coiled, dragon-like treasure stick, it swung rapidly, its strength surging as it carved out a sweeping arc!

Under countless onlookers in Daocheng, the terrifying stick strike tore through the Six-Armed Tathagata’s divine intent—the Buddha’s palms shattered one after another, its arms blew apart, and all the eyes burst in a catastrophic explosion!

“Pfft——!”

A massive gush of blood spurted violently from Huang Tuo’s mouth.

His face turned ashen, and his Buddha light seemed to shatter as he staggered backward. With every step, the pedestal cracked like a web beneath him.

His gaze fell upon his own carved Six-Armed Tathagata Divine Eagle. In the clash of divine intent… Li Che’s Divine Monkey had shattered it! In the first two layers of divine will, the Six-Armed Tathagata held the advantage.

But in the final, third clash, the Demon Monkey—through wild, frenzied transformation—battered Li Huang Tuo’s half-saint Six-Armed Tathagata Divine Eagle beyond repair. Three layers of divine will!

To become a half-saint Divine Eagle, one had to master three distinct layers of intent, each building upon the last, endowing the sculpture with a unique vitality. Huang Tuo’s face darkened as he saw cracks appear on the Six-Armed Tathagata’s arms!

Damn it—ruined!

A dense, formidable surge of divine intent roiled out from the shattered sculpture.

This was a half-saint Divine Eagle, its divine nature so fierce that it enriched the ambient divine energy by several degrees. Many Divine Eagle masters looked on in near-crazed awe, sitting cross-legged to absorb the divine will to enhance their techniques.

One half-saint failed in his divine clash, his sculpture burst open, releasing divine energy and intent that would be an invaluable boon to any master.

Huang Tuo clasped his hands and swallowed the blood specks from his mouth.

In the intertwining of the half-saint Divine Eagle and its divine intent, the burst divine will had naturally inflicted considerable injury on him!

He looked up at the reformed Divine Monkey—now restored to its second layer of divine will, clad in chain-linked golden armor, stepping on clouds with a billowing crimson cape—his expression grave.

“Truly, my attempt at carving the Six-Armed Tathagata was too forced… or perhaps the divine insight I attained pales against the profundity of Li Che’s vision of the Divine Monkey!” Huang Tuo muttered, seeking solace in self-justification.

He clasped his hands tightly.

His eyes fixed intently on Li Che.

“Li Benefactor, you truly share a fate with our Buddha. This divine will of the Divine Monkey was surely awakened by your experiences at the Two-Hearted Great Sage Bizarre Temple. After all, the Two-Hearted Great Sage hails from our Buddha’s own sect, so you and our temple share a grand destiny.”

Huang Tuo’s voice was deep and resonant, laced with a hypnotic charm.

At that moment, the Buddhist light piercing Li Che’s Mud Pellet seemed to be fully unleashed, surging rapidly toward his brow, interwoven with innumerable golden inscriptions that appeared as if etched onto his flesh.

But then, Li Che’s Unsullied Heart Dao Fruit trembled violently within his chest!

From the Dao Fruit, a surge of Unsullied Heart divine nature burst forth, suppressing the Buddhist light entirely—not dissipating it, but capturing it, transforming it into a golden Buddha Inscription Seal that appeared on the Cosmic Chessboard.

The Buddha Inscription Seal wielded a fearsome corrosive power that rivaled even the Corpse God Seal. Li Che’s Unsullied Heart divine nature pressed onward until it finally subsided.

Huh?!

Huang Tuo looked at Li Che, his brow furrowed. He had seen countless streams of Buddhist light emanate from Li Che—he was on the verge of a breakthrough…

So why… did all the Buddhist light suddenly vanish? What trait in Li Che could possibly absorb such radiance?! Suddenly,

Huang Tuo’s hair stood on end… murderous intent!

A fierce, overwhelming murderous aura!

It seemed to span the skies like a crushing, oppressive black cloud descending upon the earth! Huang Tuo abruptly raised his head, his face trembling amidst the howling wind.

He clasped his hands and, with blood staining his lips, narrowed his gaze. “Murderous intent… such a dense murderous aura…”

“Who dares to kill this humble monk?!” “Who?!”

In that moment, a piercing, intense glare burst forth from Huang Tuo’s eyes as his crimson robe whipped upward!

Boom——!!!

Like a boulder plunging into a lake, the sound erupted and shattered the heavens and earth in an instant.

The pedestal beneath him exploded, as if massive tidal waves arose, the displaced air roaring back forcefully against the surface. A brilliant Buddha light shot forth from Huang Tuo’s brow.

A divine womb, pulsating with life and radiating a raw, fleshy aura, floated upward like a meat pellet!

A powerful spirit intertwined with the cosmos, its energy spreading in ripples that made the very air shiver like a disturbed mirror-lake.

“Disperse!”

Huang Tuo’s five fingers merged into a palm that unleashed an overwhelming force connecting with the divine nature of the heavens. As Buddhist silhouettes emerged in the void, his palm struck the sky with untold might! But

in the very next moment,

Huang Tuo saw a sword light descend—a luminous blade that effortlessly sliced through his outstretched Buddha palm as if cleaving soft tofu! “Lü Taibai——!!!”

Huang Tuo screamed.

But in the next instant, his scream was choked as if gripped by an unseen hand. Before his eyes appeared not Lü Taibai,

but a figure masked in silver, standing atop a cosmic chessboard that stretched across the heavens like a celestial mask!

The Hunter King!

The Hunter Pavilion’s Star Killer! Although…

Huang Tuo knew this Hunter Killer was none other than Lü Taibai—but even knowing wasn’t enough.

Yet, the moment Lü Taibai, in his Hunter Killer form, struck, instead of fear, boundless excitement surged within Huang Tuo. “You’ve finally made your move!”

Huang Tuo had been waiting for Lü Taibai to act.

He turned his gaze upon Li Che, who, in his haste to descend from the pedestal, had forgotten to retract the precious Divine Monkey half-saint Divine Eagle.

A wry smile curled on Huang Tuo’s lips. Though Li Che was a half-saint Divine Eagle, his cultivation was too weak.

He muttered, “Not even the divine womb or the martial saint can escape mortality.”

Even if he had emerged victorious on the Divine Eagle, it was all too feeble!

A murderous glint flashed in Huang Tuo’s eyes.

But alas, Huang Tuo could not strike…

For at that moment, Lü Taibai, concealed behind the Hunter King mask, had acted without revealing his true identity. He knew it was Lü Taibai, yet lacked evidence… if he struck Li Che now, it would mean a complete rupture with Qianyuan Divine Sect.

And then he wouldn’t be able to leave Daocheng… Huang Tuo certainly did not want to wager his life here.

Huang Tuo thought to himself: as the direct disciple of Huang Mei Great Master, my life is far more precious than Li Che’s!

Below the pedestal,

Ji Li Shou, wearing the Star Killer mask, squinted. Beside him, Long Zi Ao Lie trembled in awe. “That must be Lü Taibai—the Hunter King Killer, right?”

“It’s normal. As Father always said… among the supreme experts in the Divine Gene and at Heavenly Gate, who isn’t known as a Hunter King?” Ji Li Shou replied coolly.

“Young Lord, weren’t you supposed to act? Huang Tuo has already invoked Huang Mei Great Master’s past self. Are we to call upon the Prince’s might…?” Long Zi Ao Lie inquired urgently, awaiting Ji Li Shou’s cue.

“Not yet, wait a moment!” Ji Li Shou’s eyes flickered.

Ao Lie took a deep breath, “Young Lord… then I shall act. I will kill Li Che… avenge my sister! Avenge my daughter!” Though the death of the Dragon Queen was orchestrated by the Underworld, every root lay in Li Che’s daughter, Li Nuǎnxi.

Ao Lie could not bring himself to harm Li Nuǎnxi, but now fate had granted a once-in-a-lifetime chance to slay Li Che! Ji Li Shou said little more.

Without another word, Ao Lie vanished into the darkness and silently leapt toward the fleeing Li Che below the pedestal. Gongshu Jingjun and Tang Xiejia tried to approach, but were blocked by Wu Gang.

“Master Huang Tuo has been injured and ambushed… Qianyuan Divine Sect, you must answer to us at Xiao Lingyin Temple.” The burly Wu Gang, blood boiling, strode forward, his eyes wild with frenzy. “You all…”

“Must provide an explanation for the Buddha!”

Gongshu Jingjun and Tang Xiejia exchanged bitter curses—they were here to protect Li Che, though they suspected his identity. But such a secret could not be revealed before everyone’s eyes.

Suddenly—

Gongshu Jingjun and Tang Xiejia’s eyes flared in fury! “Damn it!”

They only heard a resplendent roar erupt near Li Che, who had just leaped off the pedestal.

A masked Hunter Pavilion Star Killer, adorned with a Star Killer mask, unleashed a dazzling dragon’s roar. In a moment, a golden spear vibrated violently and, like a dragon claw, struck Li Che with murderous intent!

“Ah——!”

Tang Xiejia roared in anger! But

in the next heartbeat, Tang Xiejia’s shout was stifled.

For an ancient, black city had materialized, swallowing the treacherous Star Killer as it emerged. In its place, only a terrified Li Che remained.

High above the black city, a figure in a sleek dark outfit, wearing a Divine Monkey mask and shouldering a Freewill Gold-Iron Divine Staff, stood silently. “Divine Monkey!”

Everyone was stunned!

That Divine Monkey, which had once secured the Freewill Gold-Iron Divine Staff at the Two-Hearted Great Sage Bizarre Temple—the Underworld Divine Monkey… had now appeared!

In the very next moment, the ancient city that had been gathering Ao Lie almost vanished, reappearing above Huang Tuo.

Huang Tuo clasped his hands as his robe whipped wildly in the wind.

His gaze met the Divine Monkey standing atop the city tower. He then looked down to find that, before he knew it, a mysterious chessboard of crisscrossing lines had spread beneath his feet! “No——!!!”

A terrifying sense of impending death instantly gripped Huang Tuo’s heart.

As his heart skipped a beat, an irresistible force suddenly sucked him into Mo City! “Divine Monkey!”

“Leave the Divine Staff behind!”

Below the pedestal, among the crowd,

Ji Li Shou produced a Divine Eagle sculpture engraved with a stalwart figure. With a clenched fist, he crushed the sculpture into pieces. The blood in his veins ignited as if burning in an instant!

His aura surged with every heartbeat.

At that moment, from behind him emerged a towering, fearsome phantom! Ji Li Shou became the very embodiment of Ji Mo Li!

From below to above the pedestal, no one could stop him. In barely the blink of an eye, Ji Li Shou appeared before the Divine Monkey now standing on the city tower, having cornered Huang Tuo inside the city.

A magnificent, awe-inspiring martial will was unleashed. The swirling clouds above the dome formed dreadful vortexes! In a heartbeat, the heavens themselves were altered!

Within the clouds, two powerful radiances collided and split apart.

Lü Taibai, beneath the Hunter King mask, let out a resounding proclamation, “Born of your progeny’s blood, imbued with the power of the Temple Spirit…”

“Heavenly King’s Avatar.”

“Ji Mo Li!”

Boom——!!!!!!

A force so terrifying it nearly froze the void erupted upon the pedestal. Every heart felt as though weighed down by a tremendous stone.

Even Wu Gang, Gongshu Jingjun, and Tang Xiejia, who were in the midst of battle, instantly lost the will to fight, almost paralyzed by the overwhelming presence. Their eyes widened in disbelief as they beheld the figure atop the pedestal.

There, behind, Li Che’s Divine Monkey mask revealed eyes that exuded a cool, incense-like golden smoke. Calm and detached, he stared at the domineering figure before him. In the presence of the terrifying aura of Ji Mo Li,

with a single thought,

Mo City merged with the Cosmic Chessboard, vanishing in an instant. Boom——!!!

Back atop the pedestal,

a wild gust tore through as air currents soared!

Yet, the dark city was gone, the Divine Monkey had vanished, and so had Huang Tuo.

Only the ominous phantom of Ji Mo Li, wearing a Star Killer mask, remained alone on the pedestal—his five fingers still clutched in a grasp,

as if… all for naught.