Chapter 411: The Unraveled Game of Fate

Buzz, buzz, buzz——

The space began to warp, with a subtle tugging sensation.

After the Chess Sage Dao Fruit evolved to LV6, the teleportation effect of the Feilei Chess Pieces grew even stranger—now not only transporting people but doing so with a silky smoothness.

Originally, using the Feilei Chess Pieces for teleportation came with an unstable, head-spinning sensation during high-speed travel.

But the evolved Dao Fruit refined that feeling, making movement as smooth as silk and able to ignore oppressive forces.

It was as if even the sealing formations of the Divine Capital had no influence on the Feilei Chess Pieces’ teleportation.

The air rippled like rolling waves, as if stirred by an ascending tide.

Soon, divine aura intermingled and ravaged the scene, shattering the drifting flurries into dust with godly power.

Crash, crash——

On the surging surface of the Grand Canal.

Li Che’s jet-black, vigorous hair flew wildly as the divine aura emanating from the Mud Pellet between his brows enveloped XiXi, Jin Taisui, Yun’e, and Zhou Peng like a protective shield.

This minimized the disorienting effects of the Feilei teleportation.

Earlier on the journey to Divine Capital via the northern Grand Canal, Li Che had scattered numerous Feilei Chess Pieces along the way; on the return he rode a bamboo raft assembled by the Boss and Big Black Dog, so they went unused.

Now, sending the children off to train, Li Che was finally able to put them to work.

After about three teleportations, they left the Lingnan Path and entered the Guangling Path.

Yet, the Guangling Path was just as vast—a region famed for its alchemy, producing many master alchemists.

Swathed in divine aura, Li Che stepped lightly and appeared on the bank of the Grand Canal with XiXi and the other four children.

Snow blanketed the green mountains, and the world lay in silent stillness.

Only the soft rustle of falling snow and the roaring flow of water from the Grand Canal broke the silence.

XiXi continued to sob, tears still glistening in her eyes as she knew this training journey would mean long separation from her parents.

Though she had long anticipated this training—dreaming of heroic, invincible exploits in the martial world multiple times—

when it finally came time to set out on her own, leaving her parents behind, XiXi felt a deep reluctance.

“Out there, take care of yourself,”

Li Che advised, “If you’re wronged, if you have the strength, retaliate immediately. If not, jot it down in your little notebook and tell me when your training is over, and I’ll deal with it.”

“Above all, never let yourself be oppressed when you’re away.”

“If trouble comes, remember: your old man is always with you.”

Li Che ruffled XiXi’s hair affectionately.

Spreading his five fingers, Big Black Dog’s Holy Hand Divine Eagle appeared and was handed over to XiXi.

XiXi gasped in delight and eagerly accepted the Holy Hand Divine Eagle.

Li Che continued, “If you ever encounter something that infuriates you but you’re too weak to handle it… just give the head of Big Black Dog’s Divine Eagle three pats.”

He added, “Three pats and your old man will be there.”

Li Che smiled warmly.

He crouched down to help XiXi adjust her clothes and gently pinched her chubby, baby-faced cheeks.

XiXi immediately nodded, the sadness on her face melting away.

Li Che’s words filled her with the comforting feeling that her father was always by her side.

Then, turning to Jin Taisui, Yun’e, and Zhou Peng, he said, “You all take care of yourselves as well.”

His voice was gentle.

The three of them felt warmth in their hearts—Jin Taisui’s eyes even grew moist.

It was a novel experience to be cared for like this.

The wind and snow howled, swirling chaotically between heaven and earth.

Li Che wore a smile on his face as his ink-black robe danced in the wind; his black hair whipped at the void.

The four children felt warmth spread through their hearts.

“Go on,”

Li Che waved his hand gently, his voice tender as he signaled them onward.

XiXi embraced Big Black Dog and, along with Jin Taisui and the others, set off into the blizzard, occasionally glancing back.

Every time she looked back, she could see her father standing in the wind and snow, watching over her.

After walking for what seemed an eternity, even the roar of the Grand Canal’s waves became inaudible.

Then, as XiXi turned abruptly, she found her father’s figure had vanished from sight.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her eyes brimmed with red—but she quickly clenched her little fist.

Wiping her tears with her sleeve, she declared, “Don’t worry, Father and Mother. I’ll become strong—so strong that I can protect you both!”

XiXi stared at the world blurred by wind and snow.

In the next moment, with a swift turn, her feet struck the snowy ground with force.

The snow erupted into a deep crater as she shot forward like a cannonball.

Jin Taisui shook his body and surged forward to catch up.

Yun’e smiled warmly as she looked at XiXi’s increasingly beautiful face, relieved at her growth.

After all, Yun’e had watched XiXi grow up—she remembered when XiXi was just a little girl during their days in Jin Guang Mansion.

And now, XiXi had begun her journey of trial.

Yun’e agreed to accompany her on this journey mainly out of concern for her.

She treated XiXi like a younger sister she had to protect.

Adjusting the bamboo hat adorned with a dangling white veil, Yun’e clasped a fluffy white rabbit close as divine aura surged from within the Mud Pellet, giving her an otherworldly grace as she followed along.

For the first time, these four children were leaving their family behind, setting out on a path of arduous training.

Though they were more mature than their peers, in this moment their hearts burned with uncontainable excitement.

XiXi sprinted, and as her body crashed through the wind and snow, white flakes burst into a misty haze.

After a while, XiXi couldn’t help but break into a hearty laugh.

Her little face glowed rosy, like a bright red apple in the cold wind.

Her handmade little boots, crafted by her mother, sparkled as two Yulian Fenghuo Jin Guang Wheels burst forth from under her feet with a clanging, resonant sound.

They soared upward, piercing straight into the sky.

At seven years old, she leapt into the fray!

“XiXi! Wait for us!”

Called from behind her.

Jin Taisui, Zhou Peng, and Yun’e shouted loudly.

Soon, the children shed their melancholy as laughter rang out, echoing across the realm.

……

……

Li Che’s ink robe fluttered as the heartbeat of the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit pulsed, while the Cosmic Chessboard spun overhead, completely cloaking his aura.

He seemed to be moving invisibly through the wind and snow, quietly trailing behind the children.

Watching the wild, untamed bursts of the children, his heart ached with bittersweet emotion.

They were, after all, still just children.

After a while, Li Che snapped his fingers.

In an instant, one by one, Feilei Chess Pieces silently merged into the bodies of the children.

Li Che then ceased following, quietly watching the children joyously vanish into the swirling storm.

“Phew——”

Li Che exhaled slowly.

Heat radiated from him as he tilted his head back, allowing snowflakes to fall softly on his face.

Then, in the next moment,

a fierce murderous intent blazed in Li Che’s eyes.

“It’s all the Court’s fault… Xie Yunshen… forcing my XiXi to train early.”

“I’m really angry now.”

Although Li Che had promised XiXi that she would start training after her seventh birthday,

he hadn’t expected that right after turning seven she’d have to leave her parents—couldn’t she wait another month or two?

After all, she was only seven; there was no need to rush her training.

But with the Imperial Court’s massive army at the gates, ready to attack mountains and annihilate sects, Fang Han Shu insisted on keeping the spark alive, forcing XiXi’s journey to begin ahead of schedule.

It might not have had a huge impact, but it still made a difference!

A father’s heart could never be indifferent to his daughter departing for training.

That tender reluctance surged within him, needing release…

so he decided to target the real culprit!

For the sake of fulfilling his daughter’s destiny…

he would kill someone.

Crackling and snapping…

With a sweeping gesture, his bones and sinew resonated as golden vital energy erupted from his flesh.

In that instant, it was as if the entire Heavenly Dome had twisted.

The sky turned pitch black, as if a terrifying celestial will was raging and roaring within.

Li Che clenched his fist and, in an instant, teleported away.

Reappearing atop the Grand Canal,

he stepped forward, and the surface of the canal sank deeply, forming a massive crater.

Then, just like that, Li Che vanished again.

……

……

At Daocheng.

Rumbling——

The waters of the Grand Canal churned wildly, surging with every tide.

Snowflakes falling in the void evaporated instantly from the intense heat, transforming into a hazy vapor that rose into the sky.

Li Che’s main avatar, wearing the Ogre Mask, stared intently with eyes that flickered mysteriously.

“Dragon God’s Crown Prince… and the three Dragon Children of the Dragon God Clan…”

At that moment, his main avatar shared one consciousness with Li Che.

“Whether my Wan Yao Di Dao Fruit can evolve depends on you…”

Ogre let out a low laugh.

Sensing the tumultuous qi beneath the riverbed—a force that made the water rise and fall—it was unlike the calm state maintained by Jin Maohou.

The Dragon God Clan was accustomed to maintaining their dragon forms, a symbol of nobility and purity that upheld the pride of the dragon race.

In that sense, compared to Jin Maohou, they were more like demons.

After all, dragons were demons too.

The Dragon God’s Crown Prince maintained his dragon form even while slumbering at the riverbed, as if cultivating and absorbing the divine essence of the heavens and earth.

Having consumed the Dragon Emperor Pearl, his aura became terrifying; unwilling to waste its power, he constantly maintained that state while simultaneously refining the pearl.

After a brief moment, Li Che’s main avatar, careful not to alert anyone,

squatted on the surface of the river.

Spreading his five fingers, his Pure Heart divine aura slowly flowed out, forming three white Feilei Chess Pieces.

They dropped silently onto the water’s surface and sank.

Rolling and tumbling, they descended slowly,

heading toward the riverbed under Li Che’s control, toward the Dragon God’s Crown Prince and his three slumbering Dragon Children.

Their massive dragon bodies spanned hundreds of feet, making the Feilei Chess Pieces seem insignificant in comparison.

They resembled tiny specks carried by the dark currents, eventually settling upon the dragons’ immense forms.

Then…

They silently embedded themselves within the gaps between the dragons’ scales.

Feeling the overwhelming demonic energy transmitted by the Feilei Chess Pieces, behind the Ogre Mask, Li Che’s main avatar let out a soft laugh.

Then he stood, his black robe trailing as he disregarded the situation of the Dragon God’s Crown Prince and the three Dragon Children.

With the Ogre Mask billowing, he strode forward and, under the watchful eyes of many, leaped across the great river onto the bank.

Silently, as if merging with the elements beyond recognition!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——

Night had deepened and the snow fell thickly.

Under veiled clouds and a dim moon, the wind stirred up dust.

The Imperial Court’s army was encamped.

Their positions were heavily fortified, with tall barricades and fire pans dousing oil to keep flames burning, while billows of black smoke tore through the night and battled the falling snow.

Clad in armor and with eyes sharp as blades, the Grandmaster Martial Warriors stood guard, vigilantly scouting the surroundings.

Patrolling soldiers, in tight formation and clad in imposing armor, wielded long spears as they moved continuously between the camp, checking every corner.

The sounds of the wind, snow, footsteps, and fluttering flags echoed throughout the camp.

The entire Imperial Court camp played out like a silent farce that intrigued onlookers.

Clearly,

such thorough patrols and tight security had not escaped the notice of Li Che—donning the Ogre Mask—as his eyes gleamed.

It seemed that…

Xie Yunshen had already sensed it.

Had he figured out that the Underworld was planning an assassination?!

After all, Xie Yunshen once suffered losses at the hands of the Underworld—how could he be unprepared?

He studied Underworld intelligence daily and surely knew that their specialty was assassination…

Thus, Xie Yunshen had been restless lately, constantly preparing for an Underworld strike.

Even though there were two Divine Calamity experts guarding the Imperial Court camp…

Xie Yunshen wasn’t willing to take a gamble.

The Underworld…

what wouldn’t they do?!

Li Che had to admit, Xie Yunshen was not only smart and decisive, but his silver tongue could rally even the strong to fight for him.

Buzz——

Behind the Ogre Mask, Li Che’s main avatar’s eyes flickered.

Then,

a Feilei Chess Piece began to levitate from his body, as if grasped tightly by an unseen hand.

It turned out Li Che’s true self had returned.

After sending XiXi and the four children off from the Lingnan Path, Li Che’s true body quickly executed the Chess Sage Flying Star, crossing vast distances instantly.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——

Li Che spread his fingers, took out the two-toned Underworld Yama Mask, and slowly placed it over his face as starlight shimmered, deepening his gaze.

Both his main avatar and his true self appeared within the camp.

Li Che’s return was marked by the silent arrival via Feilei Chess Piece teleportation, now at his avatar’s side.

The Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit pulsed while the Sleeping Dragon Elephant withdrew its aura.

Meanwhile,

a hundred li outside the Imperial Court camp,

in a snow-covered dense forest,

a Horse Face formed from a Painted Immortal clone silently descended, its eyes cold and composed as its five fingers spread.

With a roar,

the almost Legendary Mechanical Beast, Little Yinglong King, appeared by its side; its massive figure swelled instantly in the forest, shattering countless snowflakes.

On Little Yinglong King’s back, metallic clanks echoed as its mechanism trembled.

Then, the Guanyin Lotus Main Battle Tank slowly rose, accompanied by a compassionate Guanyin Divine Eagle, as if carrying grief for the world and pity for all living things.

Moreover, Horse Face pulled out the Nameless Xiangong Super Electromagnetic Cannon.

Although its accuracy paled in comparison to that of Xiangong Barrett, with the aid of the Cosmic Chessboard’s targeting, Horse Face’s aim was never in doubt.

Buzz, buzz, buzz——

Intertwined golden bolts of black lightning raged around, fusing with electromagnetic bullets!

One after another, they hovered around Horse Face as its five fingers reached out.

It clutched an explosive Divine Xiao Thunder electromagnetic shell in one hand, slanted its grasp on the cannon, and with a click, jammed the sleek, water-drop shaped bullet entwined in black-gold arcs inside.

Then,

it abruptly lifted—

Beneath Horse Face, its eyes suddenly revealed interwoven black and white chessboard lines as countless strands of hair flew, like a billowing cloak behind it!

At the same time,

the Guanyin Lotus Main Battle Tank on Little Yinglong King’s back assembled with a clatter of a thousand hands, gradually intertwining before them…

Then, with a click, the Black and White Collapse Great Avalanche Lotus Bullet was hooked by Little Yinglong King’s tail and driven into the Guanyin Lotus Main Battle Tank.

Those myriad hands aimed resolutely toward the Imperial Court camp!

Horse Face’s electromagnetic cannon barrel also targeted the Imperial Court camp!

Boom, boom——!!!

A terrifying burst of golden light exploded, with countless electric arcs roaring and leaping!

One grand and one slight, two bursts of dazzling brilliance collided instantly, sending rippling rings outward at breakneck speed, tearing through the air with both thick and delicate threads!

The roaring sound was impossible to outrun!

A hundred li of cannon fire!

Slay——!!!

……

……

Then, in the pitch-black night, an eerie silence reigned.

The gentle patter of falling snow only deepened the stillness.

Suddenly,

the chief sentry Grandmaster’s eyes narrowed, and as he looked up, a burst of dazzling light erupted on the horizon.

A black-gold Thunder Dragon rampaged and roared, its claws and fangs wild as it danced in frenzied glee!

Beside the black-gold Thunder Dragon, a blinding orb of scorching light shone—a mere glimpse threatened to blind anyone.

“That is…”

Quick!

So fast!

In that moment, the sentry’s mind jolted awake, terror flickering in his eyes.

Before he could even issue a warning,

the black-gold Thunder Dragon, guarding a huge, blazing golden lotus, spanned the dome of the sky, as if pulling the night into an even deeper abyss!

The omnidirectional wind was torn to shreds!

It barreled across the Grandmaster’s head, charging straight toward the camp!

Its target—

the tent of the National Teacher!

The sentry’s eyes blazed with fury!

Boom——!!!

Simultaneously,

a deafening explosion rocked the distance—like a meteorite crashing to earth.

Inside the Supreme Commander’s tent,

National Teacher Xie Yunshen was engaged in a game of chess with a thin, haggard old man—none other than the ancestral patriarch of Bashu Sword Pavilion, Gu Qianchi.

They moved their black and white stones on the board, all the while conversing.

“National Teacher, have you informed His Majesty about summoning that ancient Dragon God from the Dragon God Clan?”

“To command the old Dragon God, sacrifices are necessary—His Majesty must agree, and the old Dragon God’s purpose is to shift from the Eastern Sea to the shore.”

“And this land falls under His Majesty’s jurisdiction; the Dragon God Clan must receive His consent to come ashore.”

Xie Yunshen replied with a faint smile, his two-toned hair stirring in the wind,

calmly regarding the chessboard.

This game harbored no surprises—the Divine Calamity cultivator, though immensely powerful, possessed only average chess skills, naturally enough, since longevity doesn’t guarantee mastery.

Xie Yunshen smiled upon the feebly maneuvering giant dragon on the board.

He picked up a black chess piece from the box with two fingers.

Then, suddenly——

Xie Yunshen’s eyes shrank slightly.

A surge of intense crisis made every hair on his body stand on end, as though his blood had frozen in place.

Danger!

Someone is coming to kill him!

“They’re here!”

“The Underworld… has finally made their move!”

“The Underworld has indeed come for the assassination!”

Xie Yunshen drew a deep breath.

He had suspected it!

And he wasn’t wrong—recently, he had studied Underworld tactics with unyielding focus, and he knew them too well!

Yet the old man playing chess, Gu Qianchi, remained unfazed, smiling lightly: “The Way of Mechanisms? Just a minor trick.”

Gu Qianchi’s perception of the immense power wielded by the Divine Calamity cultivator – his command over the Dao and the unity with the will of heaven and earth, not to mention the exalted transformation of his Heavenly and Earthly Soul – was unsurpassed.

He had clearly sensed the terrifying black-gold Thunder Dragon and the enormous incandescent Lotus Bullet hurtling in from a hundred li away!

Thump.

A chess piece dropped onto the board.

But Gu Qianchi had already vanished from his original position.

Appearing now inside the tent, his eyes fixed on the wildly approaching electromagnetic shell and the massive incandescent Lotus Bullet.

He lifted his hand, spreading his fingers wide!

For a moment, space itself seemed to freeze in place.

Countless bursts of sword qi erupted like a vast, interwoven net, blocking the deadly assault.

Clang, clang, clang——

The black-gold Divine Xiao Thunder electromagnetic shells clashed with the sword qi net, the tremendous impact denting the net deeply—

like a soccer ball, kicked with all its might into a net, spinning so ferociously that it nearly tore the net apart!

Hmm?

Yet Gu Qianchi’s face shifted subtly.

The Lotus Bullet he had locked onto with his sword qi net had far less impact and penetration than the electromagnetic shell.

But at that moment it began to vibrate with terrifying speed!

Boom——!!!

In the next moment, a burst of golden light exploded!

A dazzling radiance illuminated the night as countless beams shattered forth in an overwhelming display!

A thunderous blast erupted in the sky!

A massive, mushroom-shaped cloud, imbued with an apocalyptic force, burst open midair—its cap unfurling with destructive power!

With the evolved LV6 Chess Sage Dao Fruit, the power of Great Avalanche and Black and White Collapse surged to new heights.

Thus, the might of the Guanyin Lotus Bullet far exceeded its former self!

With such an explosion, even a Martial Saint at the pinnacle of his fourfold breakthrough would find it hard to withstand—leaving him gravely injured or near-death!

A colossal mushroom cloud expanded between heaven and earth, continuously rising and falling!

For hundreds of feet—thousands of feet high!

Within a radius of a thousand li, the scene was unmistakably visible!

The entire Imperial Court army camp fell into stunned silence as everyone looked up, mouths agape in terror, frozen in awe.

Everyone felt an icy chill, their bodies numb with dread.

If that Lotus Bullet were to strike, the entire Imperial Court army…

would surely suffer untold casualties!

If it weren’t for the presence of Divine Calamity experts in the camp…

one Lotus Bullet might well turn the battlefield into a sea of corpses!

A weapon of war!

A terrifying weapon of war!

Even Gu Qianchi, the Divine Calamity cultivator, couldn’t help but flinch slightly…

What kind of contraption is this?!

How can it produce such a terrifying explosion?!

After all these years, has the art of mechanisms developed to such a deadly height?

With devices like these, how can ordinary soldiers fight a war?

Just a few of these, and an entire army might be wiped out!

Gu Qianchi hadn’t foreseen that the Lotus Bullet’s explosive power would be so fearsome. For a Divine Calamity cultivator, the effect on an individual target was minor.

But…

within the camp, its destructive area was dangerous beyond measure.

In truth, while a single Lotus Bullet posed a minor threat to strong opponents, in war…

it was simply terrifying!

Gu Qianchi narrowed his eyes; initially, he intended to raise one hand to block the devastating explosion with sword qi.

But then his expression suddenly hardened—the once half-closed eyes widened, filled with raging, clashing sword qi and murderous intent!

“How dare you!!!!”

A roar erupted from him.

Furious, he turned sharply toward the tent where Xie Yunshen resided!

How could he have missed someone stealthily infiltrating the camp?!

As one with a Heavenly and Earthly Dao Soul at the Divine Calamity stage, how could he not sense it?!

What kind of breath control did they use to bypass his Dao Sense?!

……

……

Inside the tent.

Xie Yunshen watched the enormous mushroom cloud bursting from the sky, his eyes filled with shock.

A heavy feeling settled in his heart…

This mechanism…

Such a mechanism!

It outmatched even the deadly threat previously posed by the Tang Clan’s mechanisms!

The Tang Clan’s devices were once heralded as war weapons, but compared to this,

they were merely child’s play!

If before every battle the strong clashed and then unleashed such devastating weapons,

war would be over before it even truly began!

Only a Grandmaster or a Divine Practitioner might barely survive the aftermath!

And yet, despite the explosion being halted by Gu Qianchi,

Xie Yunshen’s body was still brimming with mortal danger!

The threat was very real!

Even the hairs on his neck stood on end as if sharpened like divine spears!

Crisis…

The crisis was far from over!

Where…

Where is it now?!

Ning An, his personal guard armed with a long knife, had already unsheathed his blade, his body tense and eyes scanning every direction.

Suddenly,

about thirty zhang away,

a dark figure emerged.

Xie Yunshen’s gaze locked on it!

Ning An also looked up sharply.

There, a cute little Cute Cow Mask appeared before them like a demon!

Thirty zhang… that was the limit Li Che had calculated: the Sleeping Dragon Elephant property of the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit could mask him from even Divine Calamity cultivators at that distance!

Yet, for these martial experts, thirty zhang was nothing!

Boom——!!!

Before Ning An and Xie Yunshen’s eyes, the black garment on Ogre suddenly exploded, revealing a terrifying, bronze body of rugged muscles!

It was like a high-pressure boiler releasing steam in a ferocious blast of scorching energy!

The being had shattered the surrounding air with one colossal step, rupturing countless shockwaves.

In an instant, it appeared before the camp!

“National Teacher, watch out!”

A shout rang out from guard Ning An.

National Teacher Xie Yunshen stepped back, his face ashen!

Sure enough, the Underworld’s assassination style was relentless—a chain of strikes, one after another!

Moreover…

the Underworld certainly had backup!

What?!

In that instant, Xie Yunshen’s mind raced!

Meanwhile, Ogre had already appeared before Ning An.

Boom——!!!

Terrifying raw energy intertwined as an immense sea of golden qi roared, forming a mountain of energy that seemed to rise endlessly—its peak hidden from view!

Boom——!!!

Ning An felt the crushing pressure of a mountain slam into him.

Just a brief collision was enough.

Ning An’s pores erupted with fresh blood, shrouding him in a mist of crimson.

He nearly collapsed, immobilized.

A triple breakthrough Martial Saint!

This Ogre…

had achieved a triple breakthrough Martial Saint level—the Mountaineer’s Martial Saint!

Yet in an instant, Ning An bit down on his own tongue, his eyes bloodshot, body drenched in blood, as he struggled with sheer willpower to break free of Ogre’s suffocating energy!

With a roar full of defiance, he swung his blade!

“National Teacher, run!!!”

Boom——

Ogre’s cold, ruthless punch swept by like a traveling dragon’s strike, a torrent of fierce energy exploded, shredding Ning An into pieces, flesh and blood scattering into a hazy mist!

A loyal guard no more.

Xie Yunshen’s eyes were filled with anguish as he fell back step by step, unknowingly retreating until he reached the tent.

Ogre’s blow shattered Ning An; with a punch carrying terrifying might and savage energy, everything inside the tent was blasted to dust.

That residual force could easily have killed the frail Xie Yunshen.

But Xie Yunshen’s body erupted with the brilliance of his guardian divine weapon, a protective shield that absorbed the onslaught!

Thus, Ogre had to smash through that shield bit by bit before he could kill Xie Yunshen!

Boom——!!!

Suddenly, space itself tore apart.

Accompanied by a cough,

a terrifying Divine Calamity pressure, like a tidal wave of destructive force, raged as if the very pillars of the sky were collapsing.

The second Divine Calamity cultivator!

The Ancestral Patriarch of the Dragon and Tiger Divine Sect, Zhao Beidou!

“An assassination attempt?!”

“The Underworld… utterly disregards me and Gu Qianchi!”

“An assassination in full view of two Divine Calamity experts?!”

“Ridiculous.”

Zhao Beidou spread his five fingers, and in an instant, the entire world seemed to congeal as a towering white Abyss Calamity Fire roared, coalescing into a colossal hand ready to smack the triple-breakthrough Martial Saint Ogre to death!

Yet——

behind the Ogre Mask, Ogre’s eyes were as calm as a still pond.

Seeing Zhao Beidou appear, he showed no fear.

“I’ve been waiting for you,”

he declared curtly.

As the Cosmic Chessboard trembled, Ogre flickered and erased himself from sight!

It was precisely——

with the Cosmic Chessboard as his anchor, the Chess Sage placed his piece—roaming freely within heaven and earth!

In the blink of an eye, he flashed past the blazing palm of divine calamity fire,

reappearing right before Zhao Beidou, who had just stepped cautiously from a spatial rift.

Boom, boom, boom——

The Mo City Fengdu Gate suddenly emerged!

Instantly, Zhao Beidou was enveloped within it…

Ogre charged forward, colliding with the defensive aura woven from divine energy around Zhao Beidou,

directly hurling the Divine Calamity cultivator into Mo City.

Inside the tent,

Xie Yunshen’s eyes narrowed and his fingers clenched tightly.

A murderous intent—

more terrifying than before—

erupted as he unleashed his fury!

So much so that Xie Yunshen’s simple cloth clung desperately to his body.

Because——

just thirty zhang away,

the Underworld Yama, wearing his two-toned mask,

had silently appeared, like a soul-harvesting envoy.

He stared intently at Xie Yunshen.

Then, a final update:

First update: Support with monthly votes, recommendations, and follow-ups! Old Li continues writing. Tonight there’s a website recommendation; Old Li is working to get it out as soon as possible! Later tonight, thanks for everyone’s support!