Chapter 136

Sword qi like flowing incense smoke, the instant it burst forth, it fell to the ground and spread out in all directions.

The Law Enforcement Hall elder of Flowing Sword Peak, Xu Jiuqing, descended lightly, hands behind his back, the sword instrument on his shoulder trembling slightly.

Behind him, a figure was being escorted by sword qi.

He was the Peak Master of Sword Cloud Peak, Zhao Jianmian!

He was also the inner sect steward whom Shangguan Qinglei had taken as his master.

Zhao Jianmian's expression was grim; although he had Illusory Aspect cultivation, Xu Jiuqing was a Divine Aspect elder, in charge of the Law Enforcement Hall, and his combat power was extraordinarily strong.

How could he be a match? He could only surrender.

"Xu Jiuqing, you don't distinguish right from wrong and treat me as a criminal—I am the Peak Master of one of the Divine Sect's inner sect peaks, an inner sect steward! Even if you want to arrest me, you should at least produce the arrest warrant issued by the Sect Master!"

Zhao Jianmian coldly regarded the sword-bearing Xu Jiuqing.

Sect Master Nan Lihuo warmly swept his gaze over, and on the other side, Li Qingshan and the others were also astonished.

Li Che's gaze first fell upon Xu Jiuqing.

Divine Sword Cultivator!

A type of cultivator whose combat power is extraordinarily domineering and strong, and moreover, it is the offensive kind among sword cultivators.

Xixi cultivates the Profound Lightning Golden Light Slaughter Sword Technique; in the future she will also be considered part of the tyrannical sword cultivator school.

Xu Jiuqing, one of the four Divine Aspect Elders of the Divine Sect……

Moreover, his cultivation is at the middle stage of Divine Aspect, somewhat stronger than Zhu Hongdou; he oversees the Divine Sect's rules and regulations, and if any disciple breaks the law, he will detain them in the Law Enforcement Hall to await judgment.

If any Divine Sect disciple commits misdeeds outside, the Law Enforcement Hall will also personally send people to apprehend them.

"Sect Master, I have brought the person; Zhao Jianmian is the master of Shangguan Qinglei, who was bewitched by a powerful expert of the Corpse God Sect and has an inseparable connection with him."

Xu Jiuqing said coldly.

Afterwards, he saw Li Qingshan, narrowed his eyes, and said: "Li Qingshan, do you want to contend with me over the Law Enforcement Hall's duties?"

"I know you, Li Qingshan, cultivate the Thunderbolt Exorcism, upright and unyielding, hate evil like an enemy, your eye cannot tolerate even a speck of dust, but… do you intend to use your Illusory Aspect cultivation to snatch my duties from me, Xu Jiuqing?"

Xu Jiuqing did not unleash his Divine Aspect aura, but a single glance seemed to contain overbearing sword intent, causing Li Qingshan's shoulders to sink slightly.

But Li Qingshan didn't mind either: "Just asking; if the Sect Master is willing, I will naturally obey orders to investigate thoroughly."

"When I, Li Qingshan, handle affairs, you can rest assured."

Xu Jiuqing laughed, his mighty pressure instantly dissipating, he glanced at Li Qingshan and sneered: "Stop playing with your words; you'd better step into Divine Aspect sooner… dragging on, that trash Lin Xiu has already been in Divine Aspect for years?"

Nan Lihuo shook his head; Xu Jiuqing and Li Qingshan are clearly the type who hate evil like enemies, yet every time they meet, they each find the other displeasing.

Nan Lihuo looked at Li Qingshan, as if he could see through his little schemes at a glance.

"I know you old brat are suspecting me, but… if I truly had ties to the Corpse God Sect, would I need to go through all this roundabout trouble to strike at Xixi?"

Nan Lihuo said calmly.

Li Qingshan instantly felt embarrassed.

Li Che beside him, however, kept a normal expression.

When Li Qingshan said that Sect Master Nan Lihuo might not be innocent, Li Che also thought of that.

As Xixi's master, Nan Lihuo could deal with her easily; there was absolutely no need to go around in such a big circle.

Moreover, using the unseen Seven Element Divine Arms, and bewitching Shangguan Qinglei…

Not to mention the cost, it's mainly troublesome.

Nan Lihuo is in daily contact with Xixi, teaching her cultivation; if he wanted to infect her with the Corpse Curse Seal, he could have done so long ago.

Therefore, Li Che harbors doubts about Li Qingshan's suspicion of Nan Lihuo.

Moreover, how could a sect master possibly be an expert of the Corpse God Sect?

This is truly… hard to imagine.

Nan Lihuo's direct words left many in the small courtyard feeling bewildered and startled.

Xu Jiuqing gave a cold smile, directly shifting the topic for Li Qingshan: "Sect Master, how should we deal with Zhao Jianmian?"

"Sect Master, I truly had no knowledge of the Shangguan Qinglei affair… although I did have a master-disciple relationship with him, after Shangguan Zhengheng revealed his practice of the vile 'Corpse Bronze Cadaver' art, I severed ties with Shangguan Qinglei—I am wronged!"

Zhao Jianmian, bound by sword qi, spoke with some indignation and frustration.

Nan Lihuo looked at Zhao Jianmian.

Among the many Illusory Aspect stewards of the inner sect, Zhao Jianmian counts as one of the outstanding few, for he commands a peak's territory, and in terms of cultivation and combat power, he is not inferior to Li Qingshan.

Nan Lihuo's expression gradually turned cold: "Xixi is the Sect Master's true lineage… do you understand?"

Zhao Jianmian pressed his lips together.

"Furthermore, Xixi is a prodigy born in the jiazi year of the Golden Light Branch of my Qianyuan Divine Sect; do you know that?"

Zhao Jianmian lowered his head.

He sighed.

"Sect Master… I know that Li Nuanxi's identity is very important, and she is also the key for our Yúnzhōu branch to seize sect resources at the Qianyuan Orthodox Sect's 'Young God Assembly' in the future."

"I am guilty, for failing to keep a close watch on Shangguan Qinglei… it was my negligence; I am willing to cooperate with the investigation and accept the sect's punishment."

Zhao Jianmian naturally did not accept Xu Jiuqing's arbitrary apprehension of him.

But facing the Sect Master, he lowered his head quite readily.

Because he cannot wash away this matter—Shangguan Qinglei is his disciple, having caused such a trouble, no matter what he must bear punishment.

When Shangguan Qinglei used Corpse God Sect methods to strike at Xixi, Zhao Jianmian's vision went black, and he knew he would bear the blame for this.

"Alright, Elder Xu, you are responsible for thoroughly investigating Sword Cloud Peak."

"Peak Master Zhao Jianmian of Sword Cloud Peak shall be temporarily stripped of his peak master status, and his inner sect steward position shall be sealed; after the investigation concludes, he will be restored, fined three years' stipend, and moreover sentenced to go to Wai Cheng's Guiyi Miao to assist the Temple Suppression Office in slaying one Corpse Curse Cadaver of the Eight Extremes Temple and ten Corpse Curse Cadavers of the Nine Luminaries Temple, to make amends through merit."

Nan Lihuo said lightly.

Xu Jiuqing flicked his finger, dispelling the sword qi that bound Zhao Jianmian.

Zhao Jianmian clasped his fist and bowed: "Zhao Jianmian, I accept the punishment."

"You should be glad Xixi is unharmed; otherwise… it wouldn't be this simple a minor punishment for you."

Nan Lihuo waved his hand.

Zhao Jianmian immediately bowed, his expression quite complex.

He first looked at Xixi, then his gaze shifted to Li Che and Zhang Ya, also performing the proper salute with clasped fists.

"It's Zhao's failure in supervision that frightened your daughter; I truly owe you both an apology."

Zhang Ya was somewhat at a loss.

Li Che glanced at Zhao Jianmian, and his expression eased.

"This isn't Zhao's fault; Shangguan Qinglei was bewitched by a Corpse God Sect evildoer hiding within the Divine Sect, impossible to guard against."

Li Che spoke up, directly exposing the matter.

Although the facts are largely true, Li Che's blunt exposure still made Elder Xu Jiuqing's face turn grim.

"The Divine Sect harboring Corpse God Sect evildoers naturally slaps the face of this Law Enforcement Hall elder!"

"Hmph, Master Li, rest assured—I, Xu Jiuqing, promise to drag out that Corpse God Sect follower and bring his head to give Xixi peace of mind!"

Xu Jiuqing's sword intent burst forth, his words utterly direct.

Li Che smiled.

"Then you keep at it."

Xu Jiuqing took Zhao Jianmian and left in a hurry, directly going to seal Sword Cloud Peak.

Nan Lihuo shook his head, then looked toward Li Che.

"Xixi, you will stay with your parents at Upright Thunder Peak today, and return to Golden Light Peak tomorrow; as your teacher, I need to prepare some life‑saving items for you."

Nan Lihuo said gently, rubbing Xixi's head.

Sang Guanyin kept nodding beside them; Xixi is too precious—not just a prodigy, but the darling of Golden Light Peak, the teacher should have prepared life‑saving items long ago!

"This is a lesson that makes the teacher more vigilant; it's also a good thing!"

Afterwards, Nan Lihuo looked at Li Che and Zhang Ya: "If you, Xixi's parents, are worried about Xixi and don't trust me… I can make an exception and let you build a residence on Golden Light Peak so you can always see her condition."

"Golden Light Peak is the main peak of the Divine Sect's Golden Light branch; only those who have received the true transmission of the sect leader may enter."

"Although Golden Light Peak is extremely spacious, it is not open to outsiders."

"Nan Lihuo allowing Li Che and Zhang Ya to reside there can be said to break the rules."

Zhang Ya felt somewhat tempted.

However Li Che shook his head: "Thank you, Sect Leader; I and Xixi's mother can stay at Upright Thunder Peak."

"Living on Golden Light Peak would not allow us to stay with Xixi, making it no different from living at Upright Thunder Peak; on the contrary, Golden Light Peak imposes too many restrictions, after all, under the watchful eyes of Sect Leader Nan Lihuo."

"As for seeing Xixi's condition, Li Che has always been able to do so."

"That makes no difference either."

"As Nan Lihuo said, if he truly wanted to harm Xixi, he wouldn't need to beat around the bush."

"Therefore, it's unlikely he was the one who did it."

"So why not give the sect leader a superficial show of trust?"

Nan Lihuo's lips curled up at the words: "Thank you for the trust of Xixi's parents; rest assured, I will look after Xixi—this is my promise as sect leader."

"Li Qingshan, you aren't wanting to investigate? This matter… I, as sect leader, grant you the qualification to investigate."

"If you can uncover the Corpse God Sect evildoer hidden within the Divine Sect, there will be a great reward!"

Nan Lihuo glanced at Li Qingshan and spoke in a low voice.

Li Qingshan was somewhat surprised; Nan Lihuo… actually let him investigate?

He felt a secret joy, yet his expression turned exceedingly solemn as he clasped his fists to accept the order.

Nan Lihuo rubbed Xixi's head again, then drifted away with his hands behind his back.

After Nan Lihuo left, Li Qingshan immediately looked at Li Che, revealing a smile, his expression as if about to speak.

Li Che instantly understood—this was again asking him to help detect the corpse‑curse mark.

However, the person who acted left a corpse‑curse mark of at least the Seven‑Element level; Li Che's current divine sense would find it somewhat difficult to fully suppress.

He would still need to wait some time.

Moreover, after this failed attempt, the hidden Corpse God Sect evildoer will likely conceal his identity completely and not act for a short while.

"We can first detect corpse‑curse marks below the Seven‑Element level; if someone in the sect has received such a mark, capturing them would let us follow the vine to the melon…"

"Although the odds are slim, since they dare hide within the Divine Sect, they must have cleaned up every trace."

"But…"

Li Qingshan, however, had his own calculations in mind.

"If he breaks through to the Divine Appearance one day, that hidden Corpse God Sect master might not be able to restrain himself, right?"

"Then… perhaps that will be the best time to find him."

Li Qingshan conveyed his idea to Li Che via divine‑sense voice transmission.

Li Che's expression immediately turned strange.

"Another fishing expedition?"

"Using oneself as bait?"

"What's this inexplicable sense of familiarity?"

"Eating fish bait… he, the Ox Demon, is a professional at it."

"But… this time, it seems…"

"We'll have to sit at the table and eat the fish!"

……

……

The Jiazi prodigy, the true disciple Xixi personally taken in by the sect leader, was assassinated by the Corpse God Cult.

The chain reaction triggered by this incident was far from small; it swept like a storm and actually caused all the various forces to fall silent.

The clash between Zhu Hongdou and the old ancestor, the divine minister of the Shangguan family, also drew to a close.

The Shangguan family's divine minister, clutching his chest in fury, returned to the Shangguan residence, while Zhu Hongdou, though wounded, held his head high, coughing blood, looking like a proud, fiery red rooster!

Liu Yangyuan was sent by the Nanli Fire to mediate, but he ended up merely a bystander watching the spectacle, and mediation was impossible.

It wasn't until Zhu Hongdou glanced at Liu Yangyuan, who was savoring the spectacle, that he realized and hurriedly delivered Nanli Fire's decree to calm the situation.

Zhu Hongdou flung his flaming spear violently and glared at the Shangguan clan's residence.

"The old relic of the Shangguan family, even though I wounded it, showed no sign of Corpse God Cult methods… What a pity, it didn't reveal anything; I don't know if this old thing is deliberately hiding or truly has never pledged to the Corpse God Cult."

Zhu Hongdou fell into thought.

Beside him, a look of astonishment instantly flashed across Liu Yangyuan's strangely handsome face.

It turned out that Elder Zhu Hongdou was not just big‑brained and clueless… this clash was also a calculated test.

"Do you think I'm that woman from the Qintian Hall with the surname Gong?"

Zhu Hongdou seemed to see through the thoughts behind Liu Yangyuan's shocked expression and let out a cold sneer.

Then, with a dashing bearing, she stepped on crimson clouds, lifted her head high, and departed.

She is heading to Zheng Thunder Peak so that dear Xixi can see how badly she was injured for Xixi's sake!

……

……

A dozen or so days passed in an instant.

Xixi's attack incident had not subsided; Enforcement Hall elder Xu Jiuqing led his team to scour the entire Divine Sect, turning over almost every peak, and left none of the inner‑gate peaks untouched.

At this moment, all the disciples finally truly felt the importance of Xixi, the Jiazi prodigy, to the Golden Light Subsect!

Zheng Thunder Peak.

Gong Yuanliang and Gongyang Xiu, carrying candied hawthorn they bought on the way down the mountain, took advantage of Li Che's absence and ran to find Xixi.

These recent days Xixi's schedule has been relaxed; she cultivates on Golden Light Peak during the day, and in the evenings Zhang Ya goes to Golden Light Peak to fetch her, with Sang Guanyin escorting them together to Zheng Thunder Peak.

This made Xixi overjoyed; she could see her parents every day, thrilled!

As for Li Che, he does not stay at Zheng Thunder Peak all day; during daylight he still has to work at Qintian Hall.

Li Che would never abandon his position as a Qintian Hall Guest Minister.

Li Qingshan said he would take him to the sect's Divine Eagle Ridge, but they never went, and Li Che was not anxious about it.

Qintian Hall likewise provides abundant spirit wood, allowing him to practice woodcarving and improve his immortal craft maturity.

However, some high‑rank spirit woods are relatively rare and hard to find.

During this period, Li Che also did not let his guard down, constantly using Flying Thunder Chess Pieces to keep an eye on Xixi's situation.

On the other side, Chen Lao went to Yunfang Boathouse for guard duty, and Li Che also kept watch on him.

The subtle threads of Corpse Curse power seeped into Chen Lao's body, and Li Che was not in a hurry to remove it.

He only silently noted the Beggar Sect in his little notebook.

"The Beggar Sect… is not weaker than the former Fisher Sect; its leader Hong Jiuliu is also a divine minister cultivator, and within the sect there are two Void‑minister vice leaders, as well as a Nine‑Bag elder of the Void‑minister realm…"

These days, Li Che located Shangguan Qinghong and inquired about the various forces in Golden Light City, uncovering hidden information about the Beggar Sect.

Shangguan Qinghong, a disciple of Lin Xiu, has an extremely rich knowledge reserve; perhaps slightly inferior to Lin Xiu, but for Li Che there is still great room for exploration.

The Corpse God Cult cultivators within the Beggar Sect seem unwilling to grant Chen Lao the Corpse Curse seal, perhaps fearing that if Chen Lao encounters an accident, the fast‑acting Divine Sect Enforcement Hall would discover the thread and cut it off.

Thus, they act very cautiously, merely using the dead aura and corpse qi of the Corpse Curse seal to infect.

Golden Light City, Fallen Flower Alley.

Independent Workshop Courtyard.

Li Che enveloped the area with a Heaven‑and‑Earth chessboard, preventing external prying.

Inside the courtyard.

Hoo——

The wind roared, the airflow howled in a wild surge!

Li Che stood still, his spine like a dragon, his body slightly bent; in an instant, it seemed as if the explosive sound of river water slapping the shore thundered loudly!

The scorching qi and blood felt like a rolling river surge!

All the airflow of the courtyard was stirred, resembling flowing agarwood, slowly swirling around his erupting qi‑blood body!

Just like stirred river water!

His entire musculature trembled violently, the sturdy flesh beneath his skin roared like a raging dragon‑python, and with each shudder, it surged like a massive wave.

"Roar—"

In an instant, Li Che snapped his eyes open, his five fingers curling like hooks; the airflow around his palm was instantly drawn away as if being grasped.

His arm shot out like a snake, tightening before unleashing a terrifying screech that blasted a huge void in the airflow before him!

Then, it seemed a blood‑filled dragon‑python roared out from his fist arm!

"Golden Light Subsect supreme skill… Eight Jiao River‑Overturning Technique…"

"Qi and blood condense into a dragon, the angry dragon erupts from the river, a minor breakthrough!"

This is the True Intent supreme skill, Eight Jiao River‑Overturning, taught to him by Li Qingshan.

True Intent supreme skills are not easy; each such skill is far more difficult to cultivate than even the finest martial arts.

Even with Li Che's talent, the Eight Jiao River‑Overturning Technique took half a year before he finally reached a minor breakthrough.

Of course, in the past six months, he did not merely cultivate the Eight Flood Dragons Turning the River; another technique obtained from the Shangguan family, the Azure Thunder Body, he also cultivated to minor completion, but the Azure Thunder Body wanting to reach major completion is difficult, requiring contemplation of thunder and drawing lightning into the body.

It requires heavenly timing's aid, so Li Che has not yet begun to practice it.

Both of these true intent supreme arts, the Eight Flood Dragons Turning the River and the Azure Thunder Body, have been cultivated to minor completion.

Li Che's Dragon Elephant True Strength also received a tremendous boost, fusing the power of both supreme arts into it, erupting in terrifying force.

Dragon Elephant True Strength, this supreme art Li Che created with the aid of his Dao Fruit, possesses terrifying inclusiveness; the two supreme arts fused within it cause not the slightest discomfort.

Li Che's eyes shone brightly, yet his heart filled with anticipation, wondering to what extent his Dragon Elephant True Strength could be improved in the future.

In half a year, Li Che immersed himself in cultivation, desiring to swiftly increase his strength.

He was actually a hidden Corpse God Sect expert within the Divine Sect, bringing him considerable threat and pressure.

This made Li Che wish he could instantly boost his strength.

Moreover, the immersed Li Che, together with Shangguan Zhengheng's generous gift of divine crystals and sufficient martial pellets, saw his progress skyrocket.

The Seven Elements Divine Technique 【Extremely Terrifying Plunder God】 obtained from Shangguan Zhengheng's estate has successfully forged a Divine Foundation!

Seven Emotions Divine Foundation, he has already forged five cycles!

Previously obtained from Zhou Ruoguan's Chaos Joy Delusion God, he also found the Divine Foundation Method in the Imperial Observatory and forged a Divine Foundation!

Now, adding 【Extremely Terrifying Plunder God】 also forged a Divine Foundation.

Only the Sorrow Divinity is lacking.

Unfortunately, the 'Six Offices Fearless Contemplation Golden Heavenly King Divine Appearance Method' he obtained as a heaven-defying prodigy in the Heavenly King Tower's Divine Hall last time is the Thought Divinity, overlapping with 【Fearless Contemplation Flowing Sword】; Li Che directly chose to overwrite it, and in half a year successfully replaced the Divine Foundation.

Now, his Seven Emotions Divine Foundation's primary Divine Foundation is 【Fearless Contemplation Golden Heavenly King】.

"Sorrow Divinity... the Qin family seems to cultivate Sorrow Divinity; unfortunately, when I killed Qin Yuqing, I failed to touch the corpse, missing the opportunity..."

Li Che sighed, only able to find a Nine Luminaries-level Sorrow Divinity Technique in the Imperial Observatory.

And now, only lacking the Sorrow Divinity Technique, he has not yet forged a Divine Foundation.

Once forged...

the Seven Emotions Divine Foundation will be complete!

Calming his mind, Li Che took out a Deathly Qi Martial Pellet and swallowed it.

This Deathly Qi Martial Pellet counts as his last reserve; besides that, only one precious Eight Extremes Martial Pellet remains.

Upon entering his mouth, instantly Li Che's qi and blood boiled, his powerful stomach walls writhing, shattering the pellet's coating.

Thick medicinal properties mingled with deathly qi surged forth, tempering Li Che's physique!

At the same moment.

Li Che closed his eyes, then opened them, his hands swiftly drawing a circle around his body; instantly countless arm phantoms appeared, thick and dense!

A unique artistic conception emerged, as if transforming into a Thousand-Armed Guanyin.

Boom—

Countless palm phantoms spread in all directions, smashing the courtyard's airflow into fragments!

The Imperial Observatory's transmitted Seven Elements Thousand Hands Divine Peng Technique, together with its supporting divine martial art, Thousand Hands Divine Peng... finally entered the Transformation Realm!

The ninth martial art to reach the Transformation Realm!

White Tiger Chaotic Wind Fist, Li's Eight-Link Bone-Shattering Spear, Resentful Weeping Hundred Ghost Wind Thunder Arrow, Amitabha Golden Robe, Manglong Cannon, Cloud Hawk Treading Cloud Leap, Corpse God Death Smoke Finger, Wrathful True Monarch Triple-Blade Sword, and... Thousand Hands Divine Peng!

Nine martial arts, at last... all have stepped into the Transformation Realm!

Integrating the Transformation Realm artistic conception of Thousand Hands Divine Peng into the Divine Pulse.

Instantly, beneath Li Che's skin, it seemed as if countless swimming snakes were wriggling, driving one small bulge after another!

Boom——!

Li Che opened his mouth and exhaled a long breath.

Mighty airflow, as if stirring up wind and waves in a sweeping surge!

"Divine Pulse Nine Transformations!"

"Success!"

In half a year, he cultivated Divine Pulse Nine Transformations!

Li Che finally adjusted his condition to peak, relying on the 【Diamond Dragon Elephant】 Dao Fruit's tremendous martial talent.

He was about to assault the Grandmaster rank with the Divine Pulse Nine Transformations' Divine Pulse Complete Posture!

Li Che stood in the courtyard, the surrounding air seeming to become thick and heavy, as if infused with a thousand-jin weight of lead.

That was the oppressive feeling brought by Li Che's Divine Pulse Nine Transformations aura.

"Divine Pulse Nine Transformations... probably very few people can reach it, right?"

"Li Qingshan seems to have broken into Grandmaster after only Divine Pulse Seven Transformations, because he lacked time to continue, to practice another martial art to the Transformation Realm; Li Qingshan feared that due to age, his qi and blood would start to weaken, making it not worth the loss."

"Li Qingshan, who entered Grandmaster with Divine Pulse Seven Transformations, is invincible across the Grandmaster realm; what about me?"

"How many Li Qingshans could I crush?"

Li Che's eyes opened and closed, as if radiance burst forth.

Li Che's lips curled into a smile.

He raised his hand, clenched his fingertips, tore open space, and took out a vial of medicine from the Primordial Space; the vial contained only a single cinnabar-red pellet.

This was taken from the initial harvest of Shangguan Zhengheng's estate, an Eight Extremes Martial Pellet!

It is also the highest-quality medicinal pellet Li Che has possessed to date.

One pellet swallowed, it felt as heavy as a lead ball dropping.

Gulong—

Li Che's powerful stomach walls convulsed, crushing the pellet, shattering its coating; the violently potent medicinal effect instantly surged forth in a tumultuous outburst!

The conditions to become a Grandmaster.

Need to master a supreme true intent art, need to at least complete three transformations of the divine meridian……

And these two points, for Li Che, are basically no problem.

He has learned three supreme true intent arts, and the divine meridian has even completed nine transformations……

It can be said to be the actualized posture of divine meridian perfection.

Therefore, Li Che does not intend to drag it out today.

In one vigorous effort.

Achieve Grand Master!

……

……

Golden Light Peak, Divine Hall.

Sang Guanyin led Xixi into the Divine Hall.

This is Xixi's second time entering the Divine Hall; the little Xiao Hu Hu on her shoulder slightly spread its wings, as if it had smelled a familiar scent, so it was very relaxed.

Nan Lihuo wore white robes, his hair loose, and gently looked at Xixi.

"Xixi, after half a year, how is your cultivation progress? Because of the last monthly evaluation, you haven't participated in the sect disciples' monthly evaluations for this half year……"

"But for this half-year period, as your teacher I must examine you."

Nan Lihuo said in a gentle voice.

Xixi immediately stood straight, puffing out her chest and belly.

Over half a year, Xixi has grown a bit; at three and a half years old… her belly has shrunk a little.

The long legs inherited from Zhang Ya have gradually taken shape.

"Teacher! I'm ready!"

Xixi's fighting spirit soared!

Because the sect's protective rule barred her from the monthly evaluations, she hasn't fought in half a year.

Nan Lihuo dumbly shook his head, instantly seeing through Xixi's desire to fight.

"This half-year examination is actually not really my examination of you……"

Nan Lihuo pointed to the Seven Treasure Relic Like-Intent Golden Tower placed on the altar, that is, the Heavenly King Tower.

Xixi was utterly confused.

"I will reopen the Heavenly King Tower; the Heavenly King will examine your cultivation of the Divine Appearance Method of the 'Extremely Sorrowful Wind Fire Subduing Dragon Third Prince' and the Divine Secret Technique of the 'Hellfire Glazed Body'."

Nan Lihuo said with a smile.

"Last time I forgot to tell you, every half year you will enter the Heavenly King Divine Palace once……"

"This is the privilege possessed by all divine children who can enter the Divine Palace, until you turn twelve."

"When you reach twelve, the Divine Palace of the Heavenly King Tower can no longer be entered."

"You don't want to fight, do you?"

"Go ahead, inside the Divine Palace… you should be able to fight to your heart's content."

Nan Lihuo laughed.

Afterwards, he looked at Xixi with a smile that seemed somewhat mischievously malicious.

"Remember… don't cry."

Xixi immediately put her hands on her hips, eyebrows furrowed.

"I, Xixi Great Emperor, how could I possibly cry?!"

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