Chapter 53: Storm of Divinity
by xennovelWild winds roared as angled raindrops pelted down from the heights.
They relentlessly battered the land below!
The Jinhuang Pavilion was enshrouded in a curtain of rain, its outlines blurred into countless hazy forms.
Suspended pavilions and fluttering drapes whirled wildly amid the roaring gusts of the downpour, resembling a tangle of dragons in frenzied motion.
Si Mu Bai’s face was pale and on the verge of tears, much like a wronged maiden ready to break down at the slightest touch.
He took his seat in the pre-booked sky-high pavilion.
Once one of Feilei’s three Young Masters who never needed reservations, he now had to book ahead ever since a mysterious cultivator’s devastating blow stripped him of his divine essence—and rumors of his old patriarch’s near-shattered foundation spread.
Now, even a visit to Jinhuang Pavilion demanded advance booking.
The charcoal stove boiled water until it swirled in the pot; he tossed in some premium spring tea, and the roasted leaves unfurled instantly, their green brilliance blooming like a flower.
A rich tea aroma mingled with the draft and steam, filling the room.
Si Mu Bai’s eyes darkened with a trace of ferocity. Guo Zhan was dead… gravely injured, his divine essence shattered, and he had fallen from the ‘Nurturing Nature like a River’ realm.
This filled him with a torrent of anger and sorrow.
But that wasn’t the worst—misfortune had compounded tragedy. His own old patriarch, in pursuit of the culprit all the way to the Outer City’s Bizarre Temple, had been gravely injured, his divine foundation nearly shattered, leaving him almost crippled.
If he avoided tapping into his divine foundation, he could have scraped by for a few more years and kept Feilei trembling. But once used, it was a surefire death sentence.
Worse still, word of the old patriarch’s shattered foundation had spread throughout Feilei City.
The Yang, Xu, and An families—even government officials—had their eyes fixed on the Si Family, soon to be without their venerable guardian, like carnivores eyeing a succulent slab of meat.
“The divine cultivator who struck me—the Four-Guardian-level Furious Crown Prince—couldn’t possibly be from Feilei City. He must be from the Divine Sect…”
“If we work out the timeline, in another year the Divine Sect should come to recruit prodigies. But with the shifts in Lingying Sect and the Bizarre Temple, they must have sensed something wrong—so sending emissaries early is only natural.”
“After all, Feilei City is just a small town. The divine technique I practice—Chin Ku Zhen Gui—is the best here, yet it’s only Nine-You level. Compared to the Four-Guardian standard, it’s vastly inferior… too far inferior…”
Si Mu Bai clenched his fists. Despite his seething anger, tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes.
Once, he had forced Zhao Chuanxiong to act as bait to lure the Ogre.
But now, as if fate had come full circle, he found himself being used as bait.
At that moment, Si Mu Bai began to understand Zhao Chuanxiong’s plight.
Bait—you might be devoured at any moment.
Living on the hook, teetering on the edge between life and death…
It was a brutal test of one’s nerve and resolve.
Si Mu Bai forced himself to calm down, though the bowl of tea—poured personally by the exquisite courtesan—betrayed his inner turmoil as his fingers trembled uncontrollably.
The drapes fluttered upward, then cascaded down…
They rose and fell in a continuous rhythm.
But as they lifted once more, masked figures suddenly appeared around the Jinhuang Pavilion, each radiating an overpowering aura of divine essence.
There flashed sword-like gleams that stirred the mind, a fury so intense it recalled divine wrath, and an aura as intimidating as a Vajra.
They donned all manner of masks—tigers, leopards, goats…
Perhaps it was the uproar sparked by the Ogre’s Cute Cow Mask.
Thus, those in Feilei City who concealed their identities had all taken to wearing masks.
Si Mu Bai observed them, his hand steady now, his expression a curious blend of a smile and tears.
“Xu Helil, An Ruosu, Yang Kaihe… don’t think a mask can hide who you are to me.”
“Even if your divine essence crumbles to ash, I would know it—a mask is nothing but self-deception.”
“If you’re bold enough to infringe upon the Si Family, why don’t you do it openly?”
Si Mu Bai retorted coldly.
Yet, no matter how fiercely he shouted his accusations, only his voice echoed in the emptiness.
There was no response.
His eyes flashed with a fierce light; in the next moment, nine palm-sized Spirit Infant Wooden Carvings slipped from his sleeves and floated in midair.
“Since you’ve shown up… then all of you must die!”
In that instant as he launched the nine carvings,
Si Mu Bai’s white robes billowed as he sprang up, only to plunge headlong into the rain. A tremendous surge of divine essence erupted as he unleashed a secret technique, merging with the downpour like a tear blending into rain.
He sped away from the Jinhuang Pavilion at breakneck speed!
At that moment, only one thought occupied Si Mu Bai’s mind!
Escape!
Even bait must save itself!
He arranged for two master martial fighters and nine little Spirit Infant minions to ensnare them.
He only needed to fight for his life to escape!
The Si Family was doomed…
All he had to do was clutch his old patriarch’s fragments of divine foundation, escape the Inner City, reach the Outer City, and rendezvous with the designated Lingying Sect…
Then the Si Family would have a chance to rise again!
He—
would survive!
…
…
Chaos reigned inside the Jinhuang Pavilion.
Powerful waves of divine essence overflowed, accompanied by four colossal, millstone-like phantom orbs floating in midair…
The rain appeared to solidify, not one drop falling.
It was as though four deities were dueling overhead; those millstone disks shone like a mighty sun, banishing the darkness and lighting up the spirit with unmatched radiance!
All the ordinary folk inside the pavilion were swept up in the turmoil, their emotions oscillating wildly between tears, laughter, and fury. They were tormented beyond measure, as if their hearts were puppeteered into chaos.
After the emotional upheaval, many began bleeding from the mouth and nose before fainting.
The unlucky ones perished on the spot.
When divine cultivators clashed, it was the common people who inevitably bore the brunt.
Soybean-sized raindrops splattered onto the bluestone road, producing an incessant patter.
The pandemonium in Jinhuang Pavilion dragged on, much like the sudden thunderstorm—a relentless, roaring deluge that only grew fiercer.
In a dark alley, Li Che, wearing a conical hat, let the rain wash over him.
He fixed his gaze on the Jinhuang Pavilion, watching from afar the battle of divine cultivation, his heart growing heavy…
Divine cultivators were incredibly powerful—their manipulation of divine essence was utterly overwhelming to the weak.
No wonder attaining a divine foundation elevated one to unmatched heights in the city, capable of founding an entire dynasty.
Their command over the omnipresent divine particles surpassed imagination; every movement wielded unfathomable might.
Even a warrior using the Blood-Transfusion Technique was, by comparison, as insignificant as an ant.
With such fierce battles unfolding, Li Che had opted not to enter the Jinhuang Pavilion, instead staying hidden outside to observe.
He had concealed himself along the road from the Inner City to the Outer City—a route Si Mu Bai would undoubtedly take if he escaped alive.
If Si Mu Bai managed to survive, he would inevitably exit the city via that path…
Then Li Che could appraise the situation and strike selectively.
Suddenly,
Li Che’s Pure Heart thumped violently in his chest as he sensed a potent wave of divine energy, laden with anguished cries, sweeping across the world.
It was the divine aura of Chin Ku Zhen Gui!
Li Che squinted, his entire being coalescing as his eyes flashed like lightning, watching with mounting suspicion…
Before long, he spotted a slight bulge in a puddle—a tiny bubble brimming with an intense Chin Ku Zhen Gui aura—rushing down Long Street at breakneck speed!
If not for the Pure Heart Dao Fruit’s unique sensitivity to divine essence, far beyond his own martial prowess…
Li Che would have completely missed it!
Someone was making their escape!
Disappearing into the water to flee…this eerie trick could only be the work of a divine cultivator.
Who was it?
At this crucial juncture, the escapee still emanated a remarkably potent Chin Ku Zhen Gui aura…
It could only be Si Mu Bai!
Could it be him?
Whether it was him or not… at this critical moment, Li Che would leave no escapee alive!
Better to kill wrongly than to let them slip away!
Suddenly, as the world fell silent, Li Che felt his Dragon Elephant Vajra pulsating in his chest, its rhythm booming like exploding chimes!
Having perfected his Blood-Transfusion Technique, his vital energy surged in a boiling torrent!
In a flicker of a moment!
In that instant, Li Che’s hidden aura exploded—his jet-black hair whipping wildly as his gaunt body swelled and surged upward!
Nine thick tendons quivered like enraged dragons, while his muscles and bones resounded with the relentless roar of a tiger!
His stretchy attire burst outward, each inch of exposed skin seeming to glow and reveal prominent dark veins beneath!
His eyes blazed fiercely, like two enormous suns!
They glowed with the wrath of a divine being!
The second fetter broke! Furious as a Vajra!
Chittering sounds…
Under the relentless downpour, his scalding qi and blood evaporated in an instant!
Li Che pulled out his Cute Cow Mask and covered his face…
His presence felt like that of a reclining deity—then, in an instant, he surged upright, his aura rocketing toward the sky!
And immediately, he stomped forward with one resounding step!
At first the water in the alley lay silent. But once Li Che burst through, the deep puddles on the bluestone slab erupted, surging up to nine feet high!
Thunder boomed, splitting the dark, clouded sky!
When the thunder quieted,
Li Che emerged, looming above a dense pool in Long Street where a blazing, fish-like cluster of divine energy stirred!
Standing at 2.2 meters tall, his formidable physique shattered the storm; beneath the Cute Cow Mask, his eyes glinted coldly; and with a high, fierce kick, he unleashed a torrent of violent blood energy and inner force…
He stomped down with force!
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