Chapter 125

Rich divine aura permeated the surroundings; Li Che felt the Innocent Heart Dao fruit in his chest throbbing, as if he had seen something extremely delicious.

Just like when the Guiyi Miao appeared outside Fēiléichéng, staring at that Three-Eyed Furious True King Spirit Infant Divine Statue.

The lingering divine aura of the temple deity was filled with an extremely sweet fragrance.

The two Dao fruits were like a giant beast opening its mouth, waiting to devour.

Li Che took a deep breath, the Suspending Thought Punishing Evil Thunderbolt Vajra Divine Statue, a seventh-tier divine statue!

"No... it's not a temple deity..."

Li Che's eyes flickered, full of regret.

Although this statue gave him intense stimulation, like the temptation of a temple deity in the Guiyi Miao, but after Li Che examined it closely, he discovered...

This statue is not a temple deity!

It is a divine wood carving!

The hand hidden in his sleeve was already itching, ready to rub its bald head... too bad.

"A seventh-tier divine wood carving!"

However, after Li Che felt regret, he was shaken.

In other words, the one who carved this statue was a seventh-tier divine condor master!

Li Qing Shan also sensed Li Che's arrival, his eyes slowly opening, he gradually rose to his feet; in an instant, it was as if a deity rose from the mat.

The divine aura between heaven and earth boiled, like a person stepping out of a pool, the splashing water rushing down both sides, producing a roaring, explosive sound!

"You've come?"

Li Qing Shan turned around, his flesh actually separating from the huge divine phantom's illusory form, like a dragon shedding its skin.

With the rise and fall of his chest, each inhale and exhale drew the airflow between heaven and earth, accompanied by divine aura, swallowed and exhaled through his mouth and nose.

Like a true dragon exhaling, every inch of his skin's tremor and writhing contained domineering and terrifying power, as if his whole body had transformed into a flood dragon.

True Intent!

This is the master's true intent, the true intent cultivated from the supreme art, akin to the divine meridian melting realm, integrated into every movement of his flesh.

"Huu——!"

Li Qing Shan's eyes shone brightly, like two blazing flames in the night; with his bodily movements, steam rose, his qi and blood scorching hot.

"Master's true intent means drilling a supreme art's true intent to the extreme, blending it into daily walking, standing, lying, and sitting, uniting the art's intent with oneself and with the divine."

"The art I cultivate is the Vajra Body Grand Master's supreme art of the Golden Light Branch of the Qianyuan Divine Sect, 《Eight Flood Dragons Turning the River》; each flood dragon brings a strand of true intent, and if eight flood dragons emerge together, it can rival a Divine Gang Grand Master!"

Li Qing Shan touched the ground with his feet, lightly dragging and sliding, his ten fingers like dragon claws hooking inward, his spine bending like a great dragon, lowering himself.

"Roar——!"

Li Che only felt that what came rushing at him was like an evil flood dragon in the river, glaring angrily at him.

It seemed to want to freeze his blood; if he made any move, it would instantly lunge, using its sharp teeth to tear him apart, spilling blood across the great river!

Li Che's hairs stood on end, the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao fruit nearly automatically activated.

With a 'weng-peng' sound, his body swelled outward, his qi and blood hazy, like a misty band encircling him.

Nine major tendons like angry dragons coiled on his back, his muscles like coiling dragons winding and piling up.

However, Li Che did not fully activate the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao fruit, nor open the Furious-Eyed Vajra state; he merely received slight stimulation, causing his flesh to swell.

Li Qing Shan also retracted his qi and blood, returning to his hunched appearance, and glanced with narrowed eyes at Li Che's swollen body.

"Good lad, you hide deep; this qi and blood strength... you've probably reached the Profound Meridian."

"Not bad, not bad; if that's the case..."

Originally, in Li Qing Shan's impression, Li Che's qi and blood cultivation should have been just at the Meridian Opening stage, newly entered the Meridian.

In such a short time, he has stepped into the Profound Meridian level.

Li Qing Shan took out a booklet from his Cosmos Jade and handed it to Li Che.

"This is the 《Eight Flood Dragons Turning the River》 supreme art of the Golden Light Branch of the Qianyuan Divine Sect; if you join my Proper Thunder Peak, I will transmit it to you."

Li Che also retracted his qi and blood, his body returning to normal; hearing this, he couldn't help but be startled, and solemnly received it.

"Many thanks, Senior, for bestowing the method!"

Li Qing Shan counts among those who know his true strength, but... not entirely.

Leaving aside divine cultivation, even just his qi and blood cultivation, what they know is inaccurate.

Now that they've learned he has Profound Meridian cultivation, they bestow the supreme art upon him; they truly value him and begin preparing for his assault on the Grand Master level.

"Is this where you, Old One, observe the divine?"

Li Qing Shan shook his robe, nodded: "Exactly, I don't plan to condense a phantom; I intend to directly enter the Divine Aspect realm in one go."

"Observing the divine is, from a complete divine foundation, an extremely important step toward stepping into the Divine Aspect; the phantom aspect... is merely a transition, and that step can actually be crossed directly."

"Those who lack confidence in themselves are the mediocrities who condense a phantom!"

Li Qing Shan brought Li Che to a wooden house not far from the side of the Observing Divine Temple, about a hundred meters away, and they sat down.

The wooden house is very simple: a bed, a table, two chairs, nothing else.

Li Qing Shan took out a charcoal stove and a packet of tea leaves from his Cosmos Jade, used his qi and blood to boil water, scattered the tea leaves, and then took out tea utensils.

After brewing the tea, he held a cup of greenish tea with two fingers and pushed it toward Li Che.

"I have been observing the divine for two and a half years; my inner divine foundation has already transformed into a divine form, only one step away from completing the fusion of divine intent, thereby leaping over the phantom aspect in one go and attaining the Divine Aspect."

Li Qing Shan sipped tea, exhaled hot air, and said proudly.

Li Che's eyebrow twitched; directly leap over the phantom aspect and step into the Divine Aspect?

Only mediocrities condense a phantom!

Such a statement is truly arrogant and overconfident!

Such a statement, truly arrogant and self-confident!

But Li Che didn't think so; the condensation of the Illusory Aspect realm emphasizes steadiness, progressing step by step.

Since one can smoothly transition to the Divine Aspect, why choose such a fierce, extremely risky leap?

"The only pity is that my qi-blood martial arts failed to break through to Grandmaster; otherwise, with the physique of a Divine Gang Grandmaster, bearing the Six Offices Divine Aspect would be certain, and I wouldn't have only contemplated the Seven Elements Divine Statue."

"The Grandmaster realm…… is so hard." Li Qing Shan's eyes flickered with a hint of regret.

Li Qing Shan looked at Li Che, narrowed his eyes: "You little brat, you started late—only began martial arts at nineteen. Though you progress extremely fast, the Grandmaster realm is probably hard to reach…… quite a pity, but it's fine, you have a divine-talented daughter."

"If you had started martial arts at three like Xixi, with your martial arts talent, you could hope to reach Grandmaster before fifty."

"Xixi is a prodigy; she can likely hope to reach Grandmaster before twenty-five."

Li Che, however, didn't care, smiling: "Although the start is slow, if I remain humble and unhurried, practice slowly…… who knows, maybe I'll break through to Grandmaster while practicing."

Li Qing Shan laughed in disbelief: "What do you think Grandmaster is?"

"Still thinking you'll break through to Grandmaster just by practicing…… you little brat really dare to dream—how many master martial artists foothold the master rank at twenty, yet practice to death and still fail to break through to Grandmaster…"

Li Qing Shan sighed.

"Grandmaster…… requires a kind of insight, to comprehend the true meaning of heaven and earth, to clearly understand the essence of one's own martial arts, only then can one break through the realm."

"The Divine Aspect is easy to achieve, but Grandmaster is hard to emerge……"

Li Qing Shan poured Li Che a cup of tea: "After all, cultivating the Divine Aspect, you have the temple deity to observe; its form before your eyes, the path in your mind, you sketch and simulate, shaping the divine form within your inner vision, and invoking divine intent suffices."

"But the path to Grandmaster…… lies in the vast heavens and earth, requiring comprehension of the illusory, ethereal true meaning of heaven and earth; the difficulty is indeed greater."

"Who knows what the future holds? Senior, is that the temple deity?"

Li Che narrowed his eyes and asked.

Although he already had the answer in mind, the Thousand Analysis Hand captured the divine essence emanating from the statue, analyzing it as a Seven Elements level divine essence wood carving.

But he still wanted to ask.

"Hehe, you got it wrong, right?"

Li Qing Shan sucked a mouthful of tea, and a proud expression appeared on his face again.

"Of course it's not the temple deity; I actually want to move the temple deity statue directly home, to observe the deity, so my breakthrough to the Divine Aspect would definitely be much faster."

"This is a divine essence wood carving, made by me at great cost, commissioning a master from the Divine Eagle Ridge to carve it."

"You little brat have decent talent in the Divine Eagle craft; in a few days I'll take you to meet that old senior; if you can gain his favor and receive his instruction, you'll never worry about wealth and status in the future."

"At least, if you can carve and provide the high-rank Divine Eagle that Xixi will need for her future cultivation, it could save a lot of resources……"

Upon hearing this, Li Che's expression tightened: "Xixi's cultivation…… does it consume a lot of divine essence wood carvings?"

Li Qing Shan sipped his tea and laughed: "That's definitely large; Xixi's talent is extremely high, the Sect Leader couldn't possibly give her low-rank divine essence laws like the Ten Capitals, Nine Luminaries, or Eight Extremes for her cultivation."

"The higher the rank of the divine essence law, the more divine essence it requires…… relying solely on the lingering divine essence between heaven and earth is nowhere near enough……"

"Drawing divine essence from the wood carving is naturally the fastest……"

"And for a high-rank divine essence law, it's best to equip a high-rank divine essence wood carving…… that way the divine essence compatibility is high."

"Those woodcarvers of the Divine Eagle Ridge…… charge steeply; even if Xixi is the Sect Leader's true disciple, they wouldn't offer even a bit of discount."

Li Qing Shan shook his head; thinking of the resources spent on this Seven Elements divine essence wood carving made him shudder with pain.

Li Che took a deep breath, immediately committing this matter to memory solemnly.

After all, this concerns Xixi's future cultivation; this matter…… is extremely important!

Divine Eagle Ridge—looks like I need to find a chance to break in; then, producing and selling on my own, Xixi's resources will also be secured.

As an old father, working hard to earn cultivation resources for my daughter isn't a problem, right?

"Alright, let's get down to business."

Li Qing Shan set down his teacup, waved his bare hand, and instantly a powerful divine essence enveloped the surroundings.

"Has the roster been prepared?"

Li Qing Shan narrowed his eyes.

The grand wealth-making venture has never begun; all that's missing is Li Che's roster.

Li Che didn't keep secrets; he took out a small booklet from his Heaven-Earth Space and handed it to Li Qing Shan.

"On the day of the sect entrance examination, I probed the Corpse Curse Seal of all the powerful figures present and came up with this list."

Li Che's face sank slightly.

Li Qing Shan couldn't wait to flip it open; his gaze swept across rapidly, his pupils involuntarily constricting.

"Is it authentic?"

Having closed the roster booklet, he fixed his gaze on Li Che.

Even though Li Qing Shan had been prepared, the impact of Li Che producing this roster still made his heart and soul tremble involuntarily.

These people…… how dare they?!

"It is indeed authentic, but what my method can detect…… are only those who received the Eight Extremes Corpse Curse Seal or lower; if they received a higher Corpse Curse Seal, I cannot detect it."

Li Che exhaled a breath, speaking truthfully, his tone carrying certainty, taking responsibility for his words.

Chess Saint's Dao Fruit, using the Heaven-Earth Chessboard to cover and detect, the accuracy—Li Che is naturally quite confident.

Li Che's confidence, Li Qing Shan felt it, thus he became even more solemn.

He naturally trusts Li Che, wouldn't just slap together a random roster to fool him; not to mention Li Che isn't that sort of person, but once the target is confirmed and action taken afterward, if the other party lacks a Corpse Curse Seal, Li Che would certainly lose trust in him.

"The Five Great Clans, the Five Great Sects…… the Divine Guard Army, the Temple Suppression Office…… actually have seal bearers?"

Almost all the powerful forces of Golden Radiance Prefecture City have been infiltrated by the Corpse God Sect!

The infiltrative power of the Corpse God Sect is actually this terrifying?

These people have all attained such high positions, enjoying boundless wealth, honor, and power—why would they still make such a choice?

Incomprehensible, utterly incomprehensible……

Li Qing Shan closed his eyes; even he could not calm his mind at this moment, he needed to compose himself.

After a moment, Li Qingshan suddenly opened his eyes and looked toward Li Che.

"On the day of the sect entrance examination, the Divine Sect's direction…… did you probe it?"

Li Qingshan's voice sounded a little hoarse.

Li Che shook his head: "Never……"

"Because, Sect Master."

Sect Master Nan Lihuo's divine sense had nearly transformed into a primordial spirit, his perception extremely keen; that day, Li Che probed using the Heaven and Earth Chessboard to stimulate the Corpse Curse Seal, and before he could even approach, he was already sensed.

Just in case, Li Che did not go deeper, and dispersed the detection in that area.

Li Che looked at Li Qingshan, his eyes slightly narrowing: "Are you doubting…… the Divine Sect?"

"Do you think the Divine Sect's interior has also been corrupted by the Corpse God Sect?"

This matter has become rather serious; could it affect Xixi's safety?

Li Qingshan narrowed his eyes, lightly tapping his fingers on the desk: "I'm merely speculating; I cannot guarantee there isn't……"

"Anyway, I can be certain that among the several high-ranking officials of Golden Light Prefecture City, there are definitely those who have been deluded by the Corpse God Sect."

"The three Divine Might Generals of the Divine Guard Army of the Golden Light City Lord's Manor, the three Supervisors of the Temple Suppression Office, the two Deputy Supervisors of the Imperial Observatory, and the four Elders of the Divine Sect……"

"Among them, there are certainly those who have defected to the Corpse God Sect."

Li Qingshan was quite certain, apparently having suffered a beating and been tricked before.

However, those people were not in the roster Li Che provided.

Li Qingshan felt a slight regret, but he remained firm in his speculation.

He stared at the roster, his fingers lightly stroking over it.

"Those…… never mind for now, let's start with the Five Great Clans…… Ox Demon, you pick a target."

Li Qingshan narrowed his eyes.

Upon hearing that, Li Che picked up his teacup and took a light sip.

Originally, Li Che had wanted to choose the Qin clan, because when he first arrived in the prefecture city, the Qin clan had placed too much pressure on him.

Moreover, he had killed Qin Yuqing of the Qin clan, and his grudge with the Qin clan was not small.

However, considering that the Qin clan had proactively sent gifts and apologized two days ago……

Li Che felt he could switch targets.

His gaze fell on the roster, the name of Shangguan Zhengheng appearing, recalling that day when he erupted with aura, attempting to suppress Xixi.

Li Che narrowed his eyes, his finger lightly tapping.

"Then……"

"The Shangguan clan, then."

……

……

A gentle breeze blew, and in the blink of an eye several days passed.

Inside the workshop's small courtyard.

The morning breeze was slightly cool; within the small courtyard, wood shavings flew and tumbled sideways, pulled by an invisible force, scraping the ground with a rustling sound.

Within the courtyard, qi and blood blazed like a furnace, and steaming sweat rose like rosy clouds.

Amid the swirling vapor, Li Che bared his upper body, revealing his well-built muscles, with finely chiseled lines as if carved by knife and axe, outlining a perfect physique.

His pores all opened, and he performed a slow horizontal push fist technique.

The move was slow, yet its momentum was huge and heavy; his whole body seemed to become a Buddha, draped in splendid golden robes.

Between the rises and falls of his muscle lines lay explosive power, accompanying the undulating stretches like an angry dragon lowly growling and roaring!

"Hoo——"

"Hah——!"

With each inhale and exhale, Li Che's breath was long and intermittent, intertwining changes, golden light enveloping him as if his robes were fluttering.

With a tap of his foot, the whole courtyard trembled; countless carved wood shavings that had been floating and undulating were all pressed down by pressure, clinging to the ground like an invisible air wave pressing down from above.

Li Che withdrew his stance, and countless hot gases burst forth from his pores, sounding like the whistle of a boiling kettle!

He suddenly opened his eyes; his pupils shone brilliant like a meteor's trailing light, instantly spanning the night sky.

"Hoo—— Amitabha Golden Robe, finally entered the Transformation Realm!"

The next moment, Li Che's aura suddenly shifted, his tendons and bones ringing in unison as his fists and palms pushed and struck horizontally, the air seeming to surge like rolling waves.

A dragon's roar exploded, and an elephant's trumpet-like cry shattered!

The supreme art, Dragon Elephant True Strength!

Li Che's divine meridian qi and blood suddenly transformed, as if he had become a terrifying beast!

Boom——!

The courtyard air exploded with a bang, and only after a long while did the jetting airflow finally calm.

Divine meridian qi and blood, fourth transformation!

Amitabha Golden Robe, Cloud Hawk Treading Clouds, White Tiger Chaotic Wind Fist, Eight-Link Bone-Shattering Spear!

He cultivated these four martial arts to the Transformation Realm; the realm merged into his divine meridian qi and blood, achieving a transformation of qi and blood!

After the fourth transformation of the divine meridian, Li Che only felt his physical strength greatly increased, far beyond what he was when he first entered the first transformation of the divine meridian!

"If it were the ninth transformation of the divine meridian…… how formidable would it be? Combined with the newly learned supreme art Dragon Elephant True Strength, facing an early-stage master, even without activating the【Dragon Elephant Diamond】boost, he could probably beat them to death, right?"

Li Che's flesh, tendons, and bones trembled; his aura rose steadily, and he exhaled a breath like rolling thunder.

"There are still five transformations of qi and blood to go; five martial arts are at the master level, not yet reaching the Transformation Realm…… but it's close."

"Nine transformations of the divine meridian's qi and blood, with the aid of supreme arts, to break through the master's bottleneck……"

Within a year, it should be achievable.

Then one should start gathering the supreme arts; perfecting the Dragon Elephant True Strength is needed to possibly assault the Grandmaster realm...

Li Che shook his head; Grandmaster... is too far for him.

Even with the aid of a Dao Fruit, he cannot reach that realm in a short time.

Eh, my divine cultivation... comes from the Flying Thunder God Captor Zhou Ruoguan's 【Chaotic Joy Confusing God】 divinity; through absorbing and refining the Ten Metropolises Divine Crystals, I have also reached nurturing nature like a river... I can begin forging the Divine Foundation.

I have forged the four-wheel Divine Foundation from the Seven Emotions; once the Chaotic Joy Confusing God is accomplished, I forged the five-wheel Divine Foundation...

When the five-wheel Divine Foundation's aura is released, it's not inferior to the Illusory Appearance, right?

Li Che's eyes flickered; just how strong it is, he hasn't actually tested it in combat.

No need to rush; there are plenty of opportunities.

Judging by the sky, Li Che didn't continue cultivating; he pressed two fingers together and lightly drew in the void.

He took out a bamboo hat, a cute ox mask, and a black robe.

He donned the bamboo hat, draped the black robe, covered his face with the cute ox mask, and his flesh swelled up with a bang.

Li Che's entire demeanor underwent a drastic change.

Unrestrained, mad, reckless, utterly without taboo!

The fierce wind swept, and his breath retracted.

The Ox Demon tapped his toe, and vanished without a trace!

……

……

Golden Light Peak.

Night fell; the mountain's spring chill remained sharp, even colder than early winter's stillness.

Sang Guanyin wore an apricot-colored long dress, her posture graceful; she held Xixi's hand, one big one small, strolling the mountain path, walking through the mist swirling at the mid-slope of Golden Light Peak, as if riding the mist.

The two stepped on the blue stone slab path all the way up the mountain.

As they walked and chatted, Sang Guanyin was often amused by Xixi's childish funny sayings, making her whole person become much more sunny and cheerful.

"Senior Sister Yin Yin, are we going to the mountaintop?"

Xixi raised her head; her chubby little face, in the chill mountain breeze, flushed slightly, her long eyelashes fluttered, her big eyes full of liveliness.

"Yes, you have seven days at Golden Light Peak; the teacher plans to impart the Dharma to you, teaching you nature cultivation, Divine Foundation, and Illusory Appearance methods."

Sang Guanyin's gentle, water-like elder-sister voice was very pleasant to hear.

Xixi nodded, raising her little fist: "Dad has taught me nature cultivation; my nature cultivation is now very strong!"

"Dad said, to become Xixi the Great Emperor, one must have both nature cultivation and martial arts super strong."

Sang Guanyin laughed upon hearing: "Your dad is right."

The two chatted while walking the mountain path.

Soon they arrived at the summit of Golden Light Peak, where a temple with black tiles forming an arched dragon, flying eaves and upturned corners stood.

As soon as Xixi reached the summit, she felt an immense oppression in her chest, and her little face instantly showed fear.

She hurriedly gripped Sang Guanyin's soft hand: "Senior Sister Yin Yin... where is this?"

Sang Guanyin quickly squatted, using her divinity to soothe Xixi's discomfort.

Xixi soon calmed down, yet a hint of curiosity appeared in her eyes.

"This is a Seven Elements Guiyi Miao suppressed by our Golden Light Peak; the teacher usually cultivates there; Xixi, don't fear, this Guiyi Miao was already broken by the Qian Yuan Ancestral Master, the temple god lies in eternal rest, and no strangeness arises."

Sang Guanyin lifted Xixi and soothed her.

She liked Xixi a lot, liked this little junior sister, and naturally didn't want her to be frightened.

Xixi, on the contrary, wasn't afraid; her big eyes were full of curiosity.

Footsteps sounded from the main hall.

Xixi's third senior brother, Liu Yangyuan, walked out from within, his appearance eerily handsome, causing Xixi to glance at him twice.

Upon seeing Xixi, Liu Yangyuan couldn't help but smile and quickened his steps.

"Xixi has arrived? The teacher told you to go in."

"Third Senior Brother!" Xixi called sweetly.

Liu Yangyuan felt his heart almost melting.

The two held Xixi's hand and stepped into the main hall.

Upon entering the main hall, Xixi was drawn to a wooden carving on the high platform, because the statue of the temple god that should have stood on the altar was not a temple god.

But a pagoda!

The pagoda was exquisite, seven stories total, showing a dim gilded color, its luster dull, many places damaged, with seven clever and eight pillars, and waves of mighty killing qi flowing within.

Beneath the temple god, there was a futon.

On the futon.

The Sect Master of Nanli Fire wore his robes, hands forming the pagoda seal, sitting quietly upright.

"This is the 【Relic Like-Intent Golden Pagoda】, the temple god of this Guiyi Miao; it contains like-intent treasures; every sect master's true disciple can worship the pagoda, drawing down its light to receive its bestowed Dharma, divine secrets, and even divine weapons..."

"The more its light is drawn down, the more generous the pagoda's gifts become."

Sang Guanyin half-squatted, her graceful figure, and softly introduced to Xixi.

As if hearing the whisper, Nanli Fire opened his eyes, turned his head, his gaze gentle.

Sang Guanyin and Liu Yangyuan stopped their steps, performed a respectful salute, and let Xixi walk the remaining distance herself.

Xixi moved her short legs, walked about a hundred steps, and arrived at the center of the main hall.

Nanli Fire took a step forward.

Appeared beside Xixi.

He raised his hand, bent his body, and tapped Xixi's brow.

In an instant, a trace of flame divine pattern appeared on Xixi's brow.

"Xixi, you have been in my Golden Light Peak for seven days; today, as your master, I will awaken the temple god and transmit to you the divine cultivation method practiced by the sect leader's true lineage..."

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