Chapter 470: Twilight of the Guardians

For thousands of years he sat in silent vigil within Qitian Inner City, guarding Qitian.

At last today, he was reduced to ashes – blown to dust, returning to earth.

Once supreme, he had sat in meditation for millennia until his flesh and stamina withered; though he restored his peerless battle strength by transforming into the Temple Protection Corpse King, he could not achieve his final breakthrough before death.

In the end, even he could not endure the razor-sharp passage of time.

The ancestral patriarch of Qitian Temple, Fang Xinyuan, ultimately fell in battle.

Even Li Che lamented deeply – here was an unparalleled figure who had spent an age guarding Qitian, his will as unyielding as tempered iron and his heart as pure as a blue lotus.

There was always a gleam in his eyes as he admired Qitian’s majesty.

Above the Heavenly Dome, a raging sea of fire surged; when the alchemical furnace was trampled and ruptured, four-colored flames burst forth, engulfing the skies.

With eyes ablaze like twin infernos, he seemed to transform into a celestial furnace, charging into the grief-stricken Qitian, aiming to strike while its heart trembled.

And yet…

Qitian suddenly lifted his head; golden light burst from his eyes like electric currents, and with murderous intent surging skyward, his Ruyi Golden Hoop Staff materialized in an instant, tearing through space like shattered mirror with webs of light.

Clad in resplendent golden armor, his Phoenix-feather Purple-Gold Crown flared, and his Treasure Stick radiated brilliant light.

That Supreme opponent was no match – perhaps their realms were similar, but the gap in battle prowess was insurmountable.

Qitian unleashed the secret technique of Battle Victory!

It was as if he had captured the essence of the cosmos and channeled it into a single stick, an unmatched display of lethal might.

At the precise moment when the Supreme’s brow was pierced, a cry of anguish echoed while the thick aura of death roiled over the sea of flames, punctuated by a resounding crack reminiscent of shattered flesh.

In the inferno, a mass of fragmented flesh erupted, exploding like a brilliant firework.

Qitian strode through the void with his Ruyi Golden Hoop Staff in hand; amidst the fiery rain, his cloak billowed as if drawn from the sun itself, and his boots—woven from captured thunder—sparkled with fierce energy.

A resurrected deity, dominant and peerless, faced the combined might of five Supremes. Their once vast reserve of power shattered under his crushing blow, their flesh splattering in the void, only to be ravenously absorbed by Qitian’s newly revived body.

It was a battle that nearly bordered on annihilation.

Qitian descended from the heavens, demonstrating what it meant to be the Great Sage and a master of Battle Victory!

……

……

Li Che bowed his head as he looked upon the corpse of Fang Xinyuan, now scattered to dust in a whirlwind of sand.

Infused with the divinity of the Temple Spirit and tainted by its corruption, Fang Xinyuan had become the Temple Protection Corpse, his body marked by cursed symbols. As the inscriptions broke apart, even his flesh was destroyed, reduced finally to gravel.

Li Che sighed softly – he had tried to save him, but it was in vain.

Whoosh——

A gentle breeze carried countless grains of sand back to the earth and sky.

Perhaps this was the best final resting for the patriarch of Qitian Temple who had kept vigil for thousands of years. Though confined within Qitian for ages, he must have yearned to finally witness the world.

A subtle glimmer danced in Li Che’s eyes as he gazed at the ground, now cleared of drifting sand, where a crystalline stone shimmered.

Within it flowed a majestic Dao Essence.

The collapsing Great Dao was like a fallen leaf – a withering, drifting leaf that had become the Dao Essence Divine Crystal…

Suddenly Li Che recalled an old saying, and he then noticed this quiet Dao Essence Divine Crystal resting on the ground, its patterns unfurling like delicate leaf veins.

In all, it was a three-leaf Dao Essence Divine Crystal!

It had been born from the crumbling Great Dao of the Qitian Temple patriarch, Fang Xinyuan…

Li Che knew a great deal about Dao Essence Divine Crystals. The ones obtainable among mortals—the Underworld Dao Essence Divine Crystals—contained only a trace of Dao Essence, hardly enough for even a threatened cultivator during a Divine Calamity.

But true Divine Calamity cultivators rely on those crystals rich in Dao Essence, interwoven into leaf-like divine patterns.

Only the bizarre temple at the Three Pure Ones’ level can truly produce such crystals.

The weakest is the one-leaf Dao Essence Divine Crystal. Li Che had once obtained one and even used it to be consumed by the Temple Spirit Meat Ball transformed by Huang Jianjiu.

This Qitian Temple patriarch was a true disciple of Qitian, having reached the pinnacle of cultivation under its guidance, almost touching the realm of deities and the Great Dao.

Now, with the collapse of the Great Dao, it transformed into a Dao Essence Divine Crystal.

And not the weak one-leaf type, but the three-leaf variety, containing profound Dao and arcane mysteries.

Fang Xinyuan left behind two relics for the world: a jade talisman for Fang Han Shu, who had embraced his will, and the three-leaf Dao Essence Divine Crystal…

Li Che crouched down, grasping the Dao Essence Divine Crystal.

A warm energy surged forth from within the crystal—imbued with Fang Xinyuan’s Dao and profound mysteries.

A look of astonishment and complexity flickered across his eyes.

Perhaps this was the final gift the Qitian Patriarch left to the mortal realm.

The Dao Essence contained within was indeed overwhelmingly majestic.

Far surpassing the one-leaf Dao Essence Divine Crystal he’d obtained earlier, Li Che felt his heart stir; he planned not to use the crystal for his own cultivation but to feed it to Huang Jianjiu’s Temple Spirit Meat Ball, ensuring that Huang Jianjiu would inherit Fang Xinyuan’s Dao and arcane mastery.

Perhaps it would allow Fang Xinyuan’s Dao to persist in the mortal world.

After all, cultivation requires Dao Essence, and though there were many such crystals in the world, this three-leaf crystal would only serve to extract its Dao Essence for cultivation.

But feeding it to Huang Jianjiu’s evolving Temple Spirit Meat Ball was an entirely different matter.

Maybe it would allow that crystal’s hidden secrets of Fang Xinyuan’s Great Dao and arcane mysteries to be fully comprehended—ensuring his legacy endured.

Li Che carefully stowed away the three-leaf Dao Essence Divine Crystal.

He then turned his gaze to the skies, his mind replaying the scenes of Qitian clashing with the five Supremes.

In his thoughts, he began to glean a deeper understanding of Qitian’s staff, even venturing to comprehend the Battle Victory Secret Technique.

It was a formidable, arcane art.

If mastered, it would even rank as a Celestial Seed Martial Art with an incredibly high ceiling—truly a divine mystic technique.

The Cosmic Chessboard swirled around him, with each chess piece flashing as if weaving the epic scene of Qitian’s staff smashing through the Supremes.

Boom——

The roaring seas of flame were torn apart by a single staff strike.

Amid a gleam of golden armor and a red cloak reminiscent of sunset, his cloud-walking Saint Boots—woven from divine thunder—trod upon the remnants.

Old Monkey’s eyes sparkled with golden light as he let out a soft sigh.

Blood rained around him as he absorbed energy from the slain Supremes’ flesh and Dao souls, steadily growing in might.

Boom——

The entire Qitian Inner City trembled violently as if on the verge of being torn asunder by a terrifying force.

A resounding monkey cry echoed repeatedly, a sound as relentless as a shockwave battering all in its path.

Blood continued to fall while the heavens shifted in hue.

Yet within Qitian Inner City, Li Che was the only living soul to witness this spectacle, his heart pounding with emotion.

Qitian had been revived and had slain five Supremes in one fell swoop—an event that would surely be recorded in history. The loss of five Supremes was a tremendous blow to all fronts.

Standing atop the Heavenly Dome, Qitian loomed as a collapsing inferno fell toward the mortal realm.

Crimson clouds and simmering mists shrouded the skies like a final, resplendent sunset, nearly drowning the entire city in its red glow.

In a Deep Pit, Li Che lifted his head high as the Primordial Dragon Elephant Flame roared in a ceaseless blaze, his eyes streaming golden light.

This scene would be etched in his memory forever—a true revelation of the essence of power.

He finally understood what true strength was.

He felt the allure of power like never before.

……

……

In Qitian Outer City…

The entire city trembled violently, this ageless metropolis seemingly wracked by a cataclysm, shrouded in eerie transformation.

Every cultivator in the Outer City wore a look of abject horror, overwhelmed by an immense divine aura that stifled every breath, nearly suffocating them.

Above, the blood-stained sky grew ever red as if soaked in blood; everyone was dazed, unable to fathom what was happening.

This ominous phenomenon filled them with an inexplicable dread, as if their very spirits were spiraling out of control.

“The Supremes have fallen…”

Zhang Wuji, clutching his silver talisman, trembled slightly, his eyes betraying a complex mix of emotions.

He seemed to have already guessed what had transpired within Qitian Inner City.

Those five powerful Supremes, tracked down to Qitian Inner City by their supreme aura from various factions, had come together – only to be overwhelmed by the recently revived Qitian.

Instead, they were stained with blood, their energy tapped to serve as nourishment for Qitian’s burgeoning might.

It was as if the heavens themselves were cracking open, enormous fissures like abysses appeared, and a blood-red light spanned countless miles, echoing the laments of lost souls.

Blood rained down, staining all of Qitian City in crimson.

Both inside and outside the city, everyone fell into a stunned silence; mouths agape yet no sound emerged, unable to articulate the shock within.

What on earth had happened within Qitian Inner City?!

News spread quickly – someone was no fool and had pieced together the clues, voicing their suspicions.

It was said that the revived Temple Spirit of Qitian had slaughtered invading Supremes from multiple factions!

The bizarre celestial phenomenon was attributed to the fall of a Supreme cultivator born in the mortal world!

Such speculation struck everyone like a thunderclap; cultivators both inside and outside the city were gripped with dread, their nerves on edge.

The Supremes have fallen!

Outside the city, many cultivators were bewildered—what exactly is a Supreme?

Their cultivation levels were too low; not even the Second Calamity exalted ones were well known, never mind the Three-Calamity Supremes.

After someone explained their predicament, all that remained was shock and terror.

Could such a catastrophic event really have occurred within Qitian Inner City?

At first, merely hearing that a Supreme had been slain did not seem earth-shattering, but coupled with the sanguine omen of a bleeding sky and the oppressive weight of divine energies, it chilled them to the bone.

Zhang Wuji did not linger. Clutching his silver talisman, he had fled to Qitian Outer City, yet that did not guarantee his safety.

Even with the mass of the Temple Spirit, it was impossible for him to leave the Bizarre Temple and reach the Outer City.

Still, one can never be too cautious.

To live long, one must not leave anything to chance.

Gambling is the gravest sin for anyone striving merely to survive.

Zhang Wuji, still clutching his silver talisman, said little as he braved the falling blood rain and drifted out of Qitian Outer City. He employed secret techniques to completely seal his cultivation at the Second Calamity stage, embedding the divine shrine into his body as if absorbing most of his strength.

Of course, few managed to escape Qitian City at this critical juncture—Zhang Wuji was perhaps the most conspicuous among them.

Most were too enthralled, eager to catch a glimpse of the splendor of the Temple Spirit of Qitian.

The Temple Spirit had revived, slaying five immensely powerful Three-Calamity Supremes, etching its legacy in history and forging the supreme might of the deities!

A dead deity resurrected in this era truly shook everyone.

The blood rain continued to fall, and no one could predict how long this lamentation for the fallen Supremes would last.

……

……

Inside Qitian Inner City.

Li Che watched as the Temple Spirit of Qitian emerged from the ruptured firestorm.

At that moment, the myth of overlapping lives became almost tangible, a reality to be touched.

It was clear that this ordeal had escalated beyond Li Che’s ability to intervene; while he could manage against the Second Calamity exalted ones, facing a Supreme was entirely beyond him.

These invading Supremes were anything but weak – every one hailed from the pantheon of powerful deities, tracked by their supreme aura to Qitian Inner City.

Even among the Three-Calamity Supremes, they were top-tier.

Yet these mighty opponents were blasted apart by the Great Sage Qitian. It wasn’t that they were feeble – Qitian was simply overwhelmingly powerful.

Even though he had just revived, his strength and combat power far exceeded their anticipated levels.

Perhaps this was the difference between a deity and a mortal cultivator.

But now…

It was all over.

Li Che exhaled slowly, a weight lifted from his heart.

Then, he suddenly sensed a dense miasma of death and decay rising violently from Qitian Inner City’s surface.

Li Che paused in shock.

The Cosmic Chessboard immediately expanded, directing its attention toward the source of that sudden, malignant aura.

For within Qitian Inner City, countless Temple Protection Corpses exuded an aura of death and decay, which Li Che had initially overlooked.

“This isn’t the death aura of the Temple Protection Corpses!”

Li Che’s mind raced as he locked onto the emissions of that virulent decay.

There, cloaked in a Black Robe, was a hideous figure, bearing a striking resemblance to a Temple Protection Corpse. He lifted his head high, and the death aura around him seemed to stir with life.

“Wei Yuan?!”

Li Che recognized the figure – this was the man who had once schemed to get his hands on his daughter, XiXi.

When the battle-ship from Daocheng sailed along the Grand Canal toward Divine Capital, this man, originally a disciple of Lü Taibai, had defected to the Corpse God Sect and then once threatened XiXi’s safety in a standoff with Lü Taibai.

Li Che could hardly believe that Wei Yuan now had the audacity to act after witnessing Qitian’s unmatched feat of slaying five Supremes!

Wei Yuan appeared crazed, his neck sprouting six heads, each radiating a different divine brilliance. Mad thoughts intermingled as a torrent of death and decay surged forth.

They coalesced into a monstrous, six-winged, black-gold cicada!

The massive cicada-shaped shadow, carved from dense black energy, loomed like a mountain and nearly eclipsed the void of Qitian Inner City.

From within that colossal cicada, an overwhelming divine aura surged. Even a sliver of its divine might seemed capable of crushing the void, fissures spreading relentlessly.

Boom——

That divine aura converged in the heavens, gradually forming into a radiant, six-winged Golden Cicada.

Each wing appeared to signify a distinct desire!

“This is…”

Li Che’s eyes, burning with the flame of the Primordial Dragon Elephant Flame, seemed to recognize the Golden Cicada cloaked in radiance.

When he had slain Ji Mo Li years ago, it was revealed that behind him stood a powerful figure from the Corpse God Sect – a Buddhist Monk who had nurtured Ji Mo Li since childhood before ultimately ushering in a reign of carnage to refine his soul-blood.

And now, this Golden Cicada reappeared!

Li Che lifted his head proudly, staring at the six-winged Golden Cicada. Behind it stood a robed Buddhist Monk.

Bathed in radiant Buddhist light, the monk exuded an aura of divinity that warped the very space around him as he faced Qitian head-on.

Striding from the blazing sea of fire, Qitian, his Saint Boots forged from divine thunder, gripped his Ruyi Golden Hoop Staff; his fiery eyes fixated on the monk atop the Golden Cicada.

“Golden Cicada…”

Old Monkey squinted dramatically beneath his fierce, golden gaze.

The monk on the six-winged Golden Cicada replied calmly, “You should call me master.”

Old Monkey smirked as he playfully twirled his Treasure Stick, remarking, “Our fates have long been severed.”

The monk on the Golden Cicada, his voice imbued with quiet authority, continued, “Ever the stubborn one. But you shouldn’t have revived so early; you’d only become the target of every deity… a losing proposition.”

Old Monkey scoffed, “Have I ever been afraid?”

The monk replied evenly, “Qitian Inner City sits at the juncture of the Inner and Earthly Weird Sanctuaries… what is it you intend to do? Seize back all that once belonged to Yulian?”

“Now, Yulian has only you. Can you still take him on?”

“Do you really have the strength to face him?”

Old Monkey narrowed his eyes, “You noisy scamp.”

“Then what brings you here?”

Old Monkey’s voice deepened.

On the back of the six-winged Golden Cicada, the Buddhist Monk smiled faintly. His divine aura dispersed like dust in the wind.

“I have come… to reclaim your corpse,” he said quietly.

“You were once my disciple and the fighting Buddha of Xumi. It is a master’s duty to bring you back to Xumi.”

Boom——

Old Monkey’s fingers clenched fiercely, his fur bristling as he absorbed the energy, the combined might of the five Supremes and Qitian fueling him.

“From ten thousand years past to ten thousand years hence, I, Old Monkey, am the Great Sage Qitian!”

Qitian’s eyes blazed; without sparing a word, he unleashed the combined power of the five Supremes in one explosive moment!

It was as if the divine aura had been restored, summoning the very power of the Great Dao.

A burst of dazzling sunset radiated and converged into his staff, which then hurtled ferociously toward the colossal six-winged Golden Cicada pulsing with dead energy and decay.

Qitian’s staff soared as if treading on clouds!

The void seemed to unravel like cloth as Qitian clashed with the Golden Cicada—a violent tremor that ripped through everything, the might of the Great Dao shattering all in its path.

The entire Qitian Inner City quaked as though moments from collapse.

In Qitian Outer City, those who had assumed the battle was over suddenly sensed a far more violent shaking—realizing that even within Qitian Inner City, an even more terrifying conflict raged.

Apart from the struggle against the Supremes, an even worse battle unfolded; the mere thought sent shivers down everyone’s spine. Could it be a war among deities?

The mere mention of such a confrontation made bodies tremble, yet simultaneously kindled an unending yearning within.

A war among deities would be a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.

Inside Qitian Inner City, a fearsome storm raged—winds tearing through the skies, vast torrents of air surging forth in overwhelming force.

Amid this chaos, Li Che’s small form felt like a lone boat battling a tempest on a stormy sea!

He furrowed his brow in awe and disbelief.

Never had he imagined another upheaval, one that revealed a horrifying secret.

It turned out that behind Ji Mo Li stood that very Buddhist Monk atop the Golden Cicada – one of the deities of the Bizarre Temple faction!

Could it truly be a deity?

And even more curiously, this figure differed from the newly revived Great Sage Qitian; he seemed an ancient presence long awakened.

Behind the Corpse God Sect lurked such an entity?

Golden Cicada…

Golden Cicada?

A chill settled over Li Che’s heart.

This was a figure spoken of in myth – but its incarnation in this era was vastly different from that of old.

Boom——

The gigantic six-winged Golden Cicada flapped its wings, emitting an ear-splitting cry like a razor-sharp blade slicing through the heavens.

Old Monkey’s divine radiance dimmed in its presence, his once heroic visage now overshadowed by the sheer ferocity of the creature.

“Qitian, now it’s your turn. Next comes the Furious Third Prince, followed by the Miracle Manifesting True Lord… and, of course, the Daughter of Yulian.”

“Your premature revival will only intensify the deities’ efforts to eradicate the Yulian deities! They will be deprived of rebirth and condemned to eternal slumber—and you will be to blame!”

“In this divine tide, Yulian is doomed to wither.”

The six-winged Golden Cicada let out an ear-splitting roar.

“Ha, ha, ha… What’s there to fear? That hot-headed Third Prince has a temper far more explosive than mine. Why don’t you try provoking him? And as for the Miracle Manifesting True Lord… he can barely secure a win despite his extra eye—it’s his mind’s eye! Dare to test him!”

Old Monkey’s booming laughter echoed like thunder, completely untroubled.

Countless beams of light, formed by the essence of the Supremes, surged into his withered body.

On his emaciated frame, even his sparse fur appeared imbued with a newfound brilliance!

Boom——

Across the heavens, chains materialized—chains of the Great Dao, binding and sealing off the very paths of the universe!

The clattering chains, as if dragged from the ancient past, each secured a being of supreme divine might!

The six-winged Golden Cicada shimmered with resplendent golden light, countless Buddhist rays transforming into slashing beams of death, imbued with the overwhelming might of Dao Essence and divine energy.

Boom——

The colossal six-winged Golden Cicada seemed to morph into a gigantic hand, spanning the sky and enveloping Qitian Inner City.

An oppressive, terrifying atmosphere filled every corner of the void.

Li Che observed in silence, understanding that this battle was truly a clash among immortals – a contest beyond his realm.

Yet the very voice emanating from the Golden Cicada tightened every muscle in his body, a pressure like no other.

Sure enough…

The targets of the deities in the Bizarre Temple also included the Daughter of Yulian!

They would never spare her!

And XiXi’s true identity as the Daughter of Yulian—this secret could no longer be concealed. Many factions had learned of it.

Above, an endless surge of divine light raged, blotting out the sun like a tidal wave; only the colossal six-winged Golden Cicada and the minuscule Old Monkey battled on!

The oppressive force was unbearable, as if mountains were being severed one by one, a weight impossible to bear.

There was no hope left in Qitian Inner City.

Li Che exhaled softly as the suffocating divine energy pressed upon the void.

He could not foresee the outcome of this battle; he could only hope that the Great Sage Qitian would prevail in the end.

This encounter made Li Che’s body tremble and stoked an ever-growing hunger for power.

Boom——

A peerless blade of light suddenly appeared in the void as the Battle Victory Secret Technique flared to its utmost intensity—even facing the crushing hand formed by the six-winged Golden Cicada, he showed no fear.

After one final deep look, Li Che witnessed a somersault, a burst of golden light, and a brutal staff strike!

He fought with every ounce of strength until there were no regrets.

Exhaling deeply, Li Che clenched his fist and vanished from Qitian Inner City.

He reappeared only in Mo City Fengdu.

All divine might had dissipated, and the world was enveloped in an uncanny silence, filling Li Che with an unprecedented sense of security.

Dark, ashen rain fell from the heavens, gathering into clouds before pattering down relentlessly.

It washed over every ruined corner of Mo City Fengdu.

After battling the Second Calamity Exalted One, Mo City Fengdu lay in shambles, not a single structure intact.

The ashen rain blurred the heavens and earth.

Above the Heavenly Dome, the Cosmic Chessboard shimmered into view.

Li Che ensured that the Feilei Chess Piece he left behind in Qitian Inner City maintained its link with the Cosmic Chessboard.

The chessboard flickered with radiant light, reflecting vivid scenes.

Inside a small, ashen pavilion,

Fang Han Shu sat quietly, cradling a Sage Book as if in deep contemplation. His white scholar’s gown fluttered, a soft smile gracing his lips.

Even in death, he exuded the calm dignity of a true literati.

Li Che sighed softly.

He approached Fang Han Shu’s corpse; the old man had ultimately perished after borrowing the power of the Great Inspector to transcend his body’s limits.

Li Che then moved to the ashen pavilion in Mo City Fengdu.

Rain pelted the pavilion’s roof, splashing into a hazy mist.

In the tableau projected on the Heavenly Dome by the Cosmic Chessboard,

the battle between the Great Sage Qitian and the six-winged Golden Cicada continued, though the outcome was clear.

Li Che sat beside Fang Han Shu’s corpse.

Inside his chest, countless Dao Fruits throbbed violently – it was evident that this time his gains were substantial.

The Dragon Elephant Vajra, Unsullied Heart, Chess Sage, Painted Immortal, and Wan Yao Di Dao Fruit all pulsed mightily!

Yet at this moment, Li Che paid them no mind.

He exhaled softly.

Looking up, he watched the battle between Qitian and the Golden Cicada.

His hand rested on Fang Han Shu’s corpse, which, under the onslaught of divine power, seemed to disintegrate into countless flickering fireflies – as if ascending to immortality.

Spiritual Confinement.

Old Fang’s eyes opened.

He witnessed this epic battle of immortals.