Chapter 134: The Black Gold Heavenly King's Chess Piece Shakes Evil Spirits; Who Wants to Seize Xixi's Custody?

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out, like a thunderclap exploding behind the clouds.

No sooner had it sounded than it fell into stillness, a deathly stillness.

It signified the extinction of a thread of life, the return of a wandering soul.

Shangguan Qinglei's neck twisted, his eyes still holding a hint of shock and the disbelief of seeing the truth before death.

Deep in his pupils lay anger and a pleading emotion…

Before it could burst forth, his life was ended.

He never imagined that his killer… would be this person!

This person actually appeared suddenly, like a ghost, and took his life!

Li Nuanxi's father!

That gentle and refined young man.

That unnoticeable man.

That… fellow who walked out of Fēiléichéng, a country bumpkin!

Before his death, Shangguan Qinglei's mind held only one thought…

This is…

. ￠O

You hit the junior, now the senior shows up?!

Li Che looked impassively at Shangguan Qinglei, whose neck he had twisted, feeling no sympathy or reluctance.

Shangguan Qinglei was about to kill his daughter; what reason did he have to be soft‑hearted?

Must he wait until his daughter's corpse lies before him, tears streaming, before he can harden his heart?

Must he endure pain before his heart turns cold?

That is not Li Che's style.

Li Che's principle…

Whoever tries to kill his daughter, he will kill them!

From the highest heavens to the deepest springs…

He will kill them all!

Even if he cannot kill them now, once he grows stronger he will destroy them!

Li Che…

He has never been a good person.

Although Shangguan Qinglei is young, he has colluded with the Corpse God Sect, becoming a blade of the sect's expert hidden within the Divine Sect, intending to harm Xixi.

Li Che will certainly not go easy.

Who knows if sparing Shangguan Qinglei's life this time will turn into a hidden time bomb?

Fear not the ten thousand, fear the one chance.

Those who harbor deep resentment toward Xixi are extremely likely to become a time bomb.

Therefore, the way to defuse such a time bomb is to extinguish it before it explodes, cutting off its lifeline.

After a glance at Shangguan Qinglei's death‑staring eyes, Li Che flicked his finger at the man's brow; instantly Shangguan Qinglei's five viscera and six bowels shuddered violently, then his eyes and internal organs all melted away like water.

Only his outward form remained intact.

But this was enough; even using the divinity of Intimidation and Retrocognition, it would be hard to trace his arrival and strike.

This was Li Che's first time using such means to kill in front of people, so he naturally wanted to do it cleanly.

After killing Shangguan Qinglei, Li Che took the Cosmic Jade from his body; although he guessed it held little, having killed him, he still felt compelled to search.

As for the divinity, Li Che generously let it go, after all there wasn't much.

Having finished searching the corpse, Li Che glanced around the empty surroundings; the Heaven and Earth Chessboard expanded, confirming no one was spying.

Thumb against forefinger, like flipping a coin, a soft 'ding' sounded.

The white Flying Thunder Chess Piece was flicked by him, tumbling into the sky.

As it fell, the instant Li Che grasped it in his palm, he had already shifted back to the room Li Qingshan had prepared for him.

Coming and going without trace, like a phantom.

……

An utterly tranquil infirmary.

A black shadow wrapped in a concealing black mist appeared soundlessly, moving wind‑less, as if floating in; even a powerful divine sense could not scan his form.

The newcomer drifted down to the spot where Shangguan Qinglei lay tranquilly; at a glance, Shangguan Qinglei seemed to have fallen into deep sleep.

But the newcomer, shrouded in black smoke, had his eyes suddenly narrow.

"Huh?!"

He flung his sleeve wide, and instantly…

Shangguan Qinglei's corpse went limp like a leaking water bag, collapsing softly.

Both pupils and five viscera and six bowels melted into bloody fluid, which flowed out.

A rich scent of blood filled the infirmary.

"Who? He actually got ahead of me… to silence him!"

"How ruthless, how vicious… flesh and blood melted, even divinity completely worn away, leaving no chance for Intimidation and Retrocognition to trace back…"

"Which expert poisoner of our sect silenced him? It could be called perfect."

The newcomer muttered.

Afterwards, after coming to his senses, he started praising again.

"Who is it?"

"The other side did it too cleanly; I have no idea who it is……"

Just as he was lost in thought for a moment, outside the healing ward, surges of divine aura suddenly erupted.

It seemed to sense the blood qi of Shangguan Qinglei's death, so it rushed over swiftly.

The figure shrouded in black smoke gave a deep glance at the dead Shangguan Qinglei, shook his head, and his form turned into a wisp of black smoke with a 'hiss', shooting away and vanishing.

After the black-smoke figure departed.

Several figures in white robes from the Divine Sect's healing ward hurried over.

They saw Shangguan Qinglei lying on the bed, his death state miserable.

"Villains of the Corpse God Sect… came to silence him!"

"Quick!"

"Quickly go summon the sect master!"

……

……

Li Che returned to his room.

His expression remained calm as usual, with no fluctuation after killing.

Even though he killed only a seven-year-old child, some children's wickedness is no less than an adult's.

They are merely evil people who have not yet grown up.

However, Li Che showed no relaxation; his brows furrowed, and a fierce light constantly fluctuated in his eyes.

Because Shangguan Qinglei was merely a knife, a disposable blade at any time.

The true mastermind is the Corpse God Sect expert who ordered Shangguan Qinglei to act and gave him the Corpse God wooden carving!

The other party's identity remains hidden, never exposed so far.

Know that within the Divine Sect there exists the sect master Nan Lihuo, a powerful cultivator who has reached the Primordial Appearance realm, standing at the pinnacle of divine cultivation in the prefectural city.

Yet even such a powerful figure was kept in the dark, undetectable.

This shows that the other party's Corpse Curse Seal is of an extremely high rank!

Because, if someone like Nan Lihuo, a master, were to encounter the granter of the Ten Metropolises and Nine Luminaries Corpse Curse Seal before them, his divine sense would surely detect something amiss.

Even if it were an Eight Extremes Corpse Curse Seal, if poorly concealed and leaking even a trace of aura, it would draw the attention of a Primordial Appearance expert like Nan Lihuo.

"Is the other party mixed within the Divine Sect, a high-ranking member? Or perhaps an ordinary disciple? No… it should be a high-ranking member; a Seven Element Corpse Curse Seal, without sufficient cultivation strength, cannot be concealed and would be discovered immediately…"

"So, the other party's cultivation must at least be in the Illusory Appearance realm!"

Li Che narrowed his eyes.

Li Qing Shan once suspected there was a big fish within the Divine Sect, but exactly who it was, even Li Qing Shan could not find out.

The other party's concealment is too good.

Now it appears, this is indeed the case.

Corpse God Sect… truly pervasive, even managing to penetrate the Divine Sect's interior!

"Seven Element Corpse Curse Seal?"

"I previously suppressed only an Eight Extremes Corpse Curse Seal, so its spread also made it impossible to detect the other party."

"But now it's different…"

Li Che's eyes opened and closed, killing intent rolling.

"You yourself… have handed over the leverage!"

With a thought of mind and spirit.

Li Che's spirit sank into the heavenly earth chessboard within the 【Chess Saint】 Dao Fruit.

Having reached LV3 of the 【Chess Saint】 Dao Fruit, its suppressive power grew stronger.

The white bone palm formed from the Seven Element Corpse Curse Seal was suppressed at the center of the chessboard, while pure-heart divine aura chess pieces surrounded it, pressing down on the white bone palm!

Rich corpse qi and death qi seeped from the pallid white bone palm; even the pure-heart chess pieces showed faint signs of being shaken loose.

Each chess piece trembled slightly!

"Suppressing it is extremely difficult… no wonder it's a Seven Element Corpse Curse Seal; if such a seal were implanted into Xixi's body, she would surely suffer greatly, even being corrupted by corpse and death qi into utter madness… neither human nor ghost."

"Damn it!"

Upon thinking this, Li Che's anger rose uncontrollably.

Thinking of his daughter's future miserable state, Li Che's killing intent surged heavenward, feeling that his strike against Shangguan Qinglei had been too light.

He should have made him taste the Thousand Spider Silk!

Li Che harbored secret hatred!

However, he hated and was wary most of the hidden Corpse God Sect expert who manipulated and bewitched Shangguan Qinglei!

Buzz—

Suddenly, Li Che's spirit focused.

Yet he saw the white bone palm suppressed in the heavenly earth chessboard suddenly tremble.

Those five white bone fingers clicked and moved, as if turning into five extremely sharp spears, seeking to pierce the void and tear apart the heavenly earth chessboard's bonds!

"Remote control? Trying to recall this Corpse Curse Seal?"

"Nice try!"

Li Che became solemn, afterward a cold intent surged in his eyes.

With a thought of spirit, he controlled the pure-heart divine aura chess pieces and slammed them down.

…… (ellipsis)

……

In a certain pitch‑black secret chamber, as dark as ink.

A figure shrouded in black smoke shuddered violently.

In the black mist, Youyou's eyes flashed with a murderous gleam.

"Been discovered?"

"Who... who could possibly suppress my 'Bone‑Touching Bodhisattva Killing Claw Seal'?"

A flicker of coldness appeared in Youyou's eyes.

Well then... let's fight!

The black‑mist figure shook out both hands from its dark robe; instantly, ten gleaming bronze fingers wove together a thick aura of death and corpse energy, forming a strange seal.

Around it, countless ghostly apparitions suddenly emerged.

Crack crack crack crack—

Pale bony hands continually reached out from the dark phantoms, slowly grasping toward the black vortex before the mist‑shrouded figure.

Dense masses of skeletal hands all reached out together.

It was as if countless skeletal hands from the depths of the underworld, emerging as one crosses the Bridge of Helplessness in hell, were filled with the resentment and wails of vengeful spirits.

They lunged for the newcomer's soles, seeking to drag them into the underworld.

Come on, let's see who's stronger!

The figure in the black mist let out a low laugh, somewhat mad and twisted.

"The mother‑and‑child corpse curse seal—my mother seal is still intact; how could you possibly suppress the child seal?"

Mother's call.

Child's return!

……

……

Above the manor of the Shangguan family.

A mass of red clouds surged forward instantly, an overwhelming divine sense sweeping across, scorching hot, burning and twisting the air!

Within the red clouds, Zhu Hongdou's eyes blazed with crimson flames; behind her, a twisted deity manifested, its whole body engulfed in scorching fire, beast‑bodied with a human face, vague yet not an illusion—it was the true form of a god.

Zhu Hongdou's black hair instantly flipped upward, turning crimson; her body was clad in armor forged from red crystal, she gripped a long spear, and two illusory dragon shadows unfurled from beneath her feet.

The Fire Element Red Emperor Flame God Manifestation!

In an instant, it was as if a blazing great sun hung above the Shangguan manor.

"Old fool Shangguan Jie, get out here!"

Zhu Hongdou shouted angrily: "Otherwise I'll just charge in and kill!"

Within the Shangguan manor, after a moment of silence, Shangguan Jie leapt into the air, his beard and hair bristling, consumed by rage.

The ultimate essence of the Fear God diffused through the air.

"You've gone too far! My son is dead—what more do you want, Zhu Hongdou?"

"Do you intend to wipe out my Shangguan family?"

Shangguan Jie's supreme Fear God manifestation rose, endless fear‑energy churning like black clouds rising to seize the soul.

His beard and hair flew wildly as he coldly stared at Zhu Hongdou, his aura even surpassing hers by a margin.

However, Zhu Hongdou's cultivated god‑manifestation technique is the Six Offices God‑Manifestation method obtained from the Golden Temple's God Pagoda on Golden Light Peak; though it is of lower grade, it still surpasses his.

Thus, the gap between their intermediate and initial stages of god‑manifestation is not as great as imagined.

"Your Shangguan clan's heir, Shangguan Qinglei, used the Corpse God Sect's corpse‑wood carving in my divine sect's monthly assessment to harm the sect's prodigy—this certainly involves your Shangguan family!"

Zhu Hongdou's eyes glowed crimson, like two blazing suns.

Without another word, she clenched her five fingers, and the flame‑forged spear let out a wailing roar as it shot forth.

She didn't want to say more—she just wanted to fight!

Bullying my little Xixi...

Why waste more words with you?

One word!

Fight!

Hearing those words, Shangguan Jie froze for a moment, but feeling Zhu Hongdou's decisive strike, he flew into a rage, anger welling from his heart.

That mad woman loses all reason the moment she gets worked up!

Damn!

Shangguan Jie roared, trying to explain, however…

Zhu Hongdou was like a woman covering her ears, shouting "I won't listen, I won't listen!" as her spear split the air and a sea of fire poured down.

Shangguan Jie felt utterly stifled!

He hurriedly dragged the battle up into the sky.

Otherwise, the Shangguan manor below would surely become a fiery wasteland.

……

……

The sect leader's true heir, Xixi, was attacked by the Corpse God Sect's methods on the monthly assessment arena!

This news spread like a storm in an instant.

In less than half a day's time, it swept through the entire Divine Sect, and even many forces in Golden Light Prefecture City became aware of it.

Among the five great clans, except for the Shangguan clan currently getting beaten, the divine physiognomy elders of all the great clans have emerged from seclusion, their expressions drastically changed.

"Has the Shangguan clan gone mad? They actually dare to move against the Divine Sect's prodigy—that's a once-in-60-years prodigy, the hope of Nan Lihuo… Has Shangguan Jie lost his mind?"

"Shangguan Jie might be framed; perhaps a Corpse God Sect expert found Shangguan Qinglei, a seven-year-old child, who is all too easy to deceive."

"All we can say is, the Shangguan clan is truly miserable—just lost their clan head Shangguan Zhengheng, and now they may lose another youth who entered the Divine Sect……"

……

Many powerful beings conversed from afar, all unable to help but sigh with emotion.

They even began to suspect whether the Divine Sect was deliberately targeting the Shangguan clan, wanting to start one-on-one suppression to weaken the five great clans' strength in the prefectural city.

However, Shangguan Zhengheng practiced cultivating bronze corpses—this is no pretense; once the Corpse God Sect's sins are exposed, the Divine Sect's intervention is justified.

But everyone is more concerned about how that Divine Sect prodigy is faring.

However, upon reflection, there probably isn't anything wrong.

If something really had happened, more than just Zhu Hongdou would be causing trouble right now.

Sect Master Nan Lihuo, this primordial-phase expert, is likely going to beat the Shangguan clan half to death.

……

……

By the Nine Dragon River, the Cliffstone Treasure Tower.

The treasure tower's flying eaves and upturned corners loom hazily amid the river lake's mist.

On the top floor, a dim, lingering erhu sound echoes without cease, carrying sorrow, sadness, and an indescribable pain.

Deputy Supervisor Lin Xiuyi strode over with flowing robes; before even approaching the upper-level pavilion, he heard the Chief Supervisor's sorrowful music.

That inner sorrowful emotion was subtly stirred; the feeling of tears nearly falling made Lin Xiu hastily steady his heart, cutting off the auditory sensation.

But that erhu sound, utterly mournful, still seeped in everywhere.

After a moment, the erhu sound finally faded.

"Chief Supervisor…… a disciple of the Corpse God Sect actually deceived a seven-year-old child, acted during the Divine Sect's monthly assessment, unleashed a Seven Element Corpse Curse Seal, intending to destroy the once-in-60-years prodigy."

Lin Xiu respectfully clasped his fists and said.

The Chief Supervisor appeared, his own erhu background music playing, his beard and hair flying, his plain clothes billowing.

"A prodigy—who wouldn't be moved? Looking across Dao City, everyone is a genius; such a rarity—when the Corpse God Sect encounters one in the prefectural city, how could they not be tempted?"

"That hidden figure in the Divine Sect finally can't hold back……"

Lin Xiu, hearing the Chief Supervisor's words, abruptly lifted his gaze, his eyes narrowing.

"Inside the Divine Sect…… just as Li Qingshan said, are there Corpse God Sect experts hidden?"

The Chief Supervisor propped up a small stool under his armpit, then said lightly: "Don't underestimate the Corpse God Sect—it can overturn a Daoist realm, turning Jizhou into a mortal hell; even the Pacification King Ji Moli, despite repeated campaigns, could not suppress this sect……"

"The Six Corpse Gods—just one showing up…… our Jinguang Prefectural City has no one who can deal with it; Ji Moli alone held off the six Corpse Gods of the Corpse God Sect, otherwise…… the situation in Dàjǐng would become even more dire."

Lin Xiu trembled all over, drew a deep breath: "The Corpse God Sect's Corpse Gods……"

"Sight, hearing, smell, speech, touch, intent…… six statues, each a corpse god…… each one is extraordinarily terrifying."

"What inheritance does that original Guiyi Miao of the Corpse God Sect hide, that it actually founded such a terrifying great sect?"

The Chief Supervisor stretched lazily.

"However, Ji Moli alone being able to suppress six Corpse Gods—I actually have doubts; there are too many things in this world that cannot be seen through."

The Chief Supervisor shook his head and uttered a sound that fell into Lin Xiu's ears, shocking Shi Potian.

Lin Xiu's whole body trembled……

"Teacher……"

The Chief Supervisor shook his head: "Even divinity can change, let alone human nature?"

"Come to think of it, could this Divine Sect figure not be a self-directed self-performance by Nan Lihuo?"

The Chief Supervisor rubbed his chin, beginning to ponder.

Lin Xiu's whole body jolted again.

"Teacher, what are you saying?!"

"This world…… is it really this complicated?!"

The Chief Supervisor chuckled: "Probably not…… Nan Lihuo……"

"Mm, no……"

……

……

Jinguang Peak, Divine Hall.

Sang Guanyin transformed into a stream of light, speeding forward, landing before the Divine Hall.

Yet she was blocked by someone.

That was an old servant with a hunched back, as if shouldering a tortoise shell.

Upon seeing that old servant, Sang Guanyin's heart involuntarily sank.

Because, Master Nan Lihuo, each time he enters seclusion, this old servant is summoned to guard the Dharma; this old man has watched Nan Lihuo grow up, and it is heard that he comes from the same family as Nan Lihuo.

He is the person Nan Lihuo trusts most, surpassing anyone in the Divine Sect.

Even these disciples are far inferior to Elder Yuan.

"Elder Yuan, Xixi encountered an attack; a Corpse God Sect expert deceived an inner sect disciple, unleashing a Seven Element Corpse Curse Seal…… Xixi narrowly avoided being hit!"

"This matter must be reported to the Master; within our Divine Sect, there hides an expert capable of deceiving disciples from the Corpse God Sect!"

Sang Guanyin wore an apricot-yellow long robe; though she should be suffused with immortal aura, her visage now bore a cold, stern expression mixed with anxiety.

That hunched old man, as if his spine had been broken, extremely aged, sat at the Divine Hall's gate, slowly raising his cloudy eyes.

"Xixi was attacked…… This matter is indeed not small."

The old man's voice was extremely hoarse, and with his hunched, lump‑like back, he resembled an aged old turtle.

"But the young master is in seclusion, and I, the old servant, have been ordered to guard the dharma; little miss, I cannot let you disturb the young master." Yuan Bo said hoarsely.

Sang Guanyin, too, has been watched by him since childhood, growing from a five‑year‑old girl into the tall, graceful young lady she is today.

Yuan Bo thought of Xixi, just like Sang Guanyin and the others back then……

He couldn't help but shake his head with feeling; as the children keep growing up, it means he is aging day by day.

How much longer can he protect the young master?

Yuan Bo shook his head.

"Yuan Bo!" Sang Guanyin couldn't help but raise her voice.

"Wait a bit, miss." Yuan Bo closed his eyes, very weary.

Sang Guanyin was anxious, looking at the tightly shut temple doors, yet she could do nothing.

What can be done?

Or else, should we force our way in?

……

……

Heaven and Earth chessboard.

Li Che's mind and spirit hovered, manipulating thirty‑six flawless mind‑spirit chess pieces, pressing toward that white bone hand whose five fingers kept trembling and jerking.

He wanted to suppress this white bone hand.

But suppressing it was extremely difficult; this Seven Yuan Corpse‑Curse Seal hidden inside the white bone hand seemed to have acquired a life of its own.

Li Che also thought that the owner of this Corpse‑Curse Seal was manipulating it, seeking to retrieve the seal, likely because he knew the plan had failed and thus intended to reclaim it.

Li Che's heart turned cold; killing intent grew stronger in his eyes, and his heart trembled with a hint of dread!

The opponent could actually summon and retrieve this Corpse‑Curse Seal; once it entered Xixi's body, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Xixi's tiny frame could not withstand it at all; she would be controlled by the opponent!

How vicious!

What a ruthless method!

The Corpse God Sect…… actually used such vicious means against a three‑year‑old child!

Corpse God Sect, they all deserve to die!

Li Che's eyes turned icy cold; his mind and spirit trembled, the flawless mind Dao fruit quivered; within the inner vista of the niwan palace, the flawless mind spirit base suddenly flashed with radiant light.

It was as if a great river surged, like a spilled Milky Way, pouring straight down.

Condensing into one flawless mind‑spirit chess piece after another, they continually fell into the chessboard.

Pa‑da!

As a piece was placed on the Heaven and Earth board, booming rumbles echoed; invisible divine ripples formed concentric circles that surged outward.

Sixty‑four pieces!

Then another thirty‑two flawless mind‑spirit chess pieces fell, like a series of sharp great blades raised, slashing toward that white bone hand!

The white bone hand twisted violently with a 'crack‑crack‑crack', struggling against the falling pieces turned into blade light; extremely dense black qi seeped out from within.

The flawless mind‑spirit chess pieces seemed to turn into shackles, entwining the great white bone hand.

Suddenly, Li Che's expression changed slightly!

But he saw that on the great white bone hand, death qi and corpse qi suddenly surged, as if countless white bone claws sought to drag away the suppressed bone claw!

"Have they made a move?"

Li Che's gaze was icy cold.

The master of the Corpse‑Curse Seal, that hidden expert of the Corpse God Sect within the Divine Sect, is now contending with him over this Seven Yuan Corpse‑Curse Seal.

"I have drawn this Corpse‑Curse Seal into the Heaven and Earth chessboard, yet he can still sense it…… This should not be a sense at the level of divine awareness."

"It seems more like an intrinsic connection between the Corpse‑Curse Seals themselves, a mother‑child relationship?"

Li Che closed his eyes, then opened them again, utterly cold.

Once this seal is bestowed, Xixi would likely become unrecognizing of her parents, acknowledging only this mother seal!

How bold!

You wretched thing, are you trying to wrest custody of his daughter from him?!

What the heck!

Feeling the increasingly terrifying pulling force from the white bone hand, the dense death and corpse qi emanating from it even sought to infect him.

Li Che hesitated not, intending to drop all the accumulated divine chess pieces from the 【Flawless Mind】 Dao fruit.

All‑in!

Suppress!

However, at the moment this idea arose,

That peacefully placed chess piece in the corner of the board, which had never shown any might, revealed a dark‑gold hue, exuding a rich divine aura, and suddenly twitched.

Then it surged sideways, and wherever it passed, the vertical and horizontal lines of the Heaven and Earth chessboard seemed to bend and warp!

When the dark‑gold chess piece hovered above the white bone hand.

It was like an ancient deity, lowering its head to look down.

Du!

Bold Xiejwei!

The dark‑gold chess piece shuddered violently, as if a deity glared and issued a rebuke!

Invisible rank pressure suddenly burst forth from the dark-gold chess piece, flooding down like a waterfall and smashing down!

Vaguely, countless rank pressures seemed to transform into a golden liuli pagoda.

The pagoda struck the white bone palm.

Li Che seemed to hear the sound of bones cracking……

And the extremely shrill ghostly wails—the white bone palm instantly covered in cracks, then shattered into countless fine bone fragments.

Accompanied by the myriad steaming death and corpse qi, they all dissipated into smoke and clouds!

……

……

Inside the quiet, dark secret chamber.

The thick black mist suddenly trembled, and in the next moment it shook violently as if boiling.

The figure shrouded in the black mist trembled all over, and then a strong smell of blood began to waft through the chamber.

Bang bang bang bang bang——

The countless white bone claws floating in the air……

Exploded apart with a boom!

Innumerable ghostly wails shrieked tumultuously, chaotic winds howled, yin winds swirled……

The black mist surged violently, within it revealing a pair of eyes, deep and gloomy, as red as if about to drip blood.

"Heavenly King Tower……"

"Heavenly King!"

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