Chapter 290: line with translation of chapter title

292. Say a few words.

Whoosh—

A sudden gust of wind roared through the ridges of Divine Condor Ridge, the dense trees swaying and rustling as countless leaves brushed against each other, producing a soft swishing sound.

Like towering waves, the surging tide crashes against the shore!

It seems as if an invisible will rages between heaven and earth, causing the firmament to thunder and the air currents to churn!

Within Divine Condor Ridge, numerous workshops are scattered, some even equipped with many workstations, allowing woodcarvers to carve divine wood carvings here.

Many workstations still hold unfinished divine wood carvings.

Some are rough blanks, some are undergoing fine carving, and others have reached the final polishing stage.

But at this moment…

All these wooden carvings seem to have been endowed with spirituality, or rather the divinity inherent in the divine wood carvings has been stirred, causing them to tremble continuously.

As if one could feel a surge of fervor, submission, and exhilaration…

That is a pilgrim's mindset!

Exactly, it's a pilgrimage!

Outside the workshops, the Divine Condor Masters, Woodcarving Masters, and other veteran artisans all wore looks of disbelief in their eyes.

Because each of these veterans has spent decades immersed in the Path of the Divine Condor, making their reaction to divine wood carving all too clear.

It can almost be said that they share a tacit understanding.

At this moment, they seem to sense the emotions of the unfinished divine wood carvings they have carved.

Yun Haiyang and Zhou Tianshui, the two Divine Condor Masters, were utterly astonished, rising to their feet as their bodies trembled slightly.

Carving ordinary wood and endowing it with spirituality draws countless woodcarvers on pilgrimage.

Like ancient devout disciples, they march toward the holy mountain, bowing with each step and performing a great kowtow every three steps.

After Su Huaiming's death, Yun Haiyang and Zhou Tianshui became the top Divine Condor Masters of Qianyuan Dao City.

Their vision is extraordinary, yet at this moment they cannot help but feel their hearts stirred.

Watching Li Che at this moment, with just a few light strokes, there is a sense of smoothness and effortless ease, as if he slices through the tofu‑like grain of ordinary wood, letting it fall away.

It is practically a pleasure that makes their pores open wide, exhaling warm breath.

Silky enjoyment! Mental pleasure and revelry!

It's utterly wonderful, such skill…

The two Divine Condor Masters' bodies tremble incessantly.

They have witnessed Elder Sun's sudden enlightenment, his clear comprehension of the Holy Hand Divine Condor's artistic conception, also achieved through carving ordinary wood.

However, Li Che's style is completely different from Elder Sun's, or at most one can glimpse a trace of it, but Li Che seems…

Even more confident and composed, even more at ease!

Elder Sun reached that state at the end of his life by catching a glimmer of spiritual light, whereas Li Che is not like that…

Click-click-click-click-click—

A crisp ringing sound emanated from the workshops of the many woodcarving masters across Divine Condor Ridge.

Exceptionally clear and crisp, fine and continuous like a heavy rain striking the ground.

As if countless monks and nuns were devoutly chanting, paying homage to the holy one!

It left many woodcarvers feeling their hearts pound uncontrollably, as if they might burst from their chests.

This artistic conception!

There's drama!

Zhou Tianshui and Yun Haiyang, the two Divine Condor Masters, breathed rapidly, clutching their fists tightly.

On the other side.

The Ridge Lord of Divine Condor Ridge, Gongshu Jingjun, and the Grand Elder, Tang Xiejia, who have long dealt with the Divine Condor, are extremely familiar with it.

Therefore, when Li Che merely made nine cuts on ordinary wood, outlining a rough blank, it possessed such unique and grand artistic conception that it prompted myriad carvers to go on pilgrimage.

That is sufficient to explain the matter!

"Li Che's Divine Condor technique… has improved tremendously compared to before!"

"Could it be that he has truly mastered the Holy Hand Divine Condor's artistic conception passed down by Elder Sun?"

"How long has it been…?"

Gongshu Jingjun drew a deep breath.

Tang Xiejia's eyes flashed with fervor as he stared intently, clenching his fists.

Indeed, the Divine Condor's aptitude can also feed into one's aptitude for mechanisms, which explains why Tang Sanjia thinks so highly of Li Che, even bestowing upon him the Tang Clan's cherished Mechanism Technique.

Perhaps Li Che could actually repair that mechanism beast?

Tang Sanjia's insight… is indeed impressive, at least far superior to that of Tang Xiejia, who took a different path, not pouring much effort into mechanism technique but focusing more on martial cultivation.

In the distance.

The Director of the Bureau of Astronomy, Hong Shifo, who carries a chessboard, narrowed his eyes, the strange hue in them already deepened to the utmost.

Merely as the rough blank just took shape, it caused the ordinary wood to shed its mundane nature.

This shows that Li Che's Divine Condor technique has undoubtedly reached the threshold of a Divine Condor Half-Saint, wielding the power to turn stone into gold as a Half-Saint would.

Hong Shifo stroked his beard and narrowed his eyes: "This kid… is only twenty‑four years old; his Divine Condor aptitude… could it really be this high?"

The four divine paths—Divine Condor, Divine Elixir, Divine Talisman, and Divine Weapon—are all heavily dependent on talent.

Among them, the Path of the Divine Condor demands the greatest talent, requiring mastery of artistic conception and a firm grasp of skill honed through practice.

This is why there are more Half‑Saints of the Divine Elixir and Divine Talisman than of the Divine Condor.

That kind of profound and mysterious implication is simply like illusory mist and clouds, extremely difficult to grasp and hold.

Of course, in reality, once one reaches the level of Saint Hand or Half‑Saint, breaking through is extremely difficult; one must take a single path to the extreme, whether it's the Half‑Saint of Divine Pill or the Half‑Saint of Divine Talisman… the difficulty is no less than that of breaking through to a Divine Eagle Half‑Saint.

However, compared with high‑level Divine Eagle masters, there are somewhat more Divine Pill masters and Divine Talisman masters in proportion.

"That kid… really wants to become one,"

……

Lu Taibai's silver hair fluttered as he grasped Xixi with one hand and the sect matriarch Xuan Qisha with the other.

The adult led the two youngsters, gazing from afar at the workshop where Li Che's nine cuts manifested an extraordinary wood carving.

Unable to resist, he turned his head toward the nearby sect matriarch Xuan Qisha: "Madam… it seems your wager this time is about to lose,"

Xuan Qisha's petite face bore delicate makeup, and upon hearing that she couldn't help to pout.

"Making a conclusion this early?"

"It's still early. For any practitioner to reach Half‑Saint is far from easy or simple; it's just the beginning… to carve a Half‑Saint Divine Eagle, one must endure many arduous steps…"

Xuan Qisha tilted her head; as a Divine Talisman Half‑Saint, she knows all too well how valuable and difficult a Half‑Saint path is.

At that thought, Xuan Qisha fixed her gaze on Li Che's movements, watching carefully.

In fact, the wager is no longer important.

Whether Li Che can achieve Divine Eagle Half‑Saint is the key.

For Xuan Qisha, Lu Taibai, Hong Shifo and the others, the first few cuts of Li Che's carving already let them determine whether Li Che has a chance to challenge the Divine Eagle Half‑Saint.

And now……

Li Che evidently has a chance.

Xixi didn't understand, blinking her big eyes; although she couldn't gauge her father's carving skill, she turned her head to look at the expressions of the people around her.

The sect leader and the sect matriarch master both wore extremely solemn expressions.

Xixi understood immediately.

My dad's awesome—!

……

……

Li Che felt he had entered a unique state.

His spirit seemed to boil, blood throughout his body roiling like bubbling magma.

Terrifying power roared within his sinews, flesh, and meridians, a force as massive as a crashing tidal wave; any leak would cause the ordinary wood he was carving to explode into powder instantly.

The wild stimulation of his celestial craft and Dao fruit felt like releasing wave after wave of heat.

Li Che needed to control with an extremely subtle force, gripping the carving knife, slicing the ordinary wood, and beginning to outline the rough form.

The Divine Core also manifested, spinning swiftly and pouring forth immense divinity.

This time, Li Che still intends to carve the 【Six‑Ear Hell Lotus Divine Monkey Dual‑Heart Great Sage Divine Eagle】.

Indeed, it is the Divine Eagle that Elder Sun originally carved from ordinary wood.

Li Che completed the unfinished Divine Eagle, incorporating Elder Sun's understanding of this Eagle.

Before death, he clearly comprehended the temple god's second form…

He grasped the temple god's true thoughts and attitude.

Now, the Divine Eagle Li Che intends to carve is likewise this temple god's Divine Eagle.

Back then, Elder Sun, while carving before everyone, was only a little short of completing the final carving to become a genuine Divine Eagle Half‑Saint.

But that tiny gap left him with no regret in his heart, yet he still departed with a sense of regret.

Li Che thus obtained his inheritance; that Divine Eagle indeed brought Li Che great gains, allowing his celestial craft and Dao fruit to breakthrough and transform.

Gripping the divine carving knife, his powerful qi‑blood and divinity almost intertwined and merged; the knife, like a branding iron, lightly sliced the ordinary wood that was as soft as butter.

Chichich—, wood shavings fell, and after the nine cuts outlined the rough form, Li Che began to continue carving.

As the blade fell, divinity between heaven and earth suddenly gathered, as if drawn by some invisible force.

Boom—

The spring rain twisted and tilted, shattered and exploded by the invisible force; in an instant, the sky above the Divine Eagle Ridge workshop erupted in a dense, blinding mist that blocked the heavens.

Li Che's eyes seemed to pour down a rich golden incense, his essence concentrating to the utmost at that moment.

Golden Core, flesh, and Dao fruit merged as one.

All around was dead silent; no one spoke, not even a breath dared to be released.

Feeling the increasingly dense temple‑god divinity in the air, feeling the Divine Eagle Ridge as if shrouded in thick fog, many people's eyes reflected strange colors.

Those Divine Eagle masters and woodcarvers watched in a trance, completely immersed in Li Che's back‑to‑basics style technique.

Every blade work of Divine Eagle art, each angle of the carving knife, the winding outlines, etc., were exceedingly perfect—a style not flamboyant but exuding great maturity and steadiness!

Masters Yun Haiyang and Zhou Tianshui's faces flushed even more as they watched.

Insiders see the fundamentals; outsiders just watch the spectacle.

Outsiders can only note that as Li Che carves, divinity in heaven and earth is summoned, like a celestial phenomenon, indicating Li Che's Divine Eagle is truly formidable.

But a Divine Eagle master like Zhou Tianshui looks at the fundamentals.

From Li Che's carving method, mindset, order of cuts, and so on, they perceive Li Che's peerless skill and the subtlety of Divine Eagle art!

"Is this really a twenty‑four‑year‑old youth?"

Yun family's Divine Eagle master Yun Haiyang's body trembled slightly, astonished, amazed, horrified to the extreme!

Even they, in technique, are far from matching Li Che's composure.

Steady, robust, meticulous… a style of an honest person, forming its own school!

"The most important thing is…"

"... the Divine Will of this Dual‑Heart Great Sage!"

"Different... again different... compared to what Elder Sun carved before, it's different now!"

"He's not just a simple replica! He truly has his own creation!"

The surrounding people's shocked emotions were nearly overflowing.

But for Li Che, nothing else mattered; at this moment, his eyes held only the wooden carving before him.

His five fingers clenched the carving knife, Qi and blood roiling, terrifyingly intense yet restrained within the surge of force; the flashing blade shone like a downpour of spring rain, the knife edge slipping into the wood, following the grain, tearing the annual rings' pattern, a smooth, flowing rotation sending splinters of wood scattering!

Li Che stood quietly, his jet‑black hair fluttering, the space around him struck by his Qi, blood and divinity, as if a tide were silently boiling.

Yet the wood placed on the platform remained intact, not a single trace of disturbance.

The knife rose, fell, moved, slid, flowing as if a master of Chinese painting were wielding a wolf‑hair brush on thin rice paper, splashing inked landscapes!

Buzzzzz…

Time slipped away drop by drop.

Those around gradually felt the oppression, as the gathered divinity increased.

The half‑saint Divine Eagle, its bearing divinity is described as oceanic; it can even make a Divine Embryo cultivator sense something.

Such a divine wooden carving—how mighty is the divinity it carries within the wood?

Li Che spread his horse stance, his eyes focused, meticulous, spine straight, and began to finely carve the complete outline of the Two‑Heart Great Saint.

The divinity gathering around Li Che, drawn in, had become too terrifying.

Some less cultivated woodcarvers, faces flushed red, had to retreat far away, out of the storm's core, to gasp for breath.

Whether divine talismans, divine pills, divine weapons, or half‑saint Divine Eagles, carving a half‑saint grade work tests one's own strength and cultivation.

Insufficient cultivation, lacking foundation, makes it impossible to carve a half‑saint grade piece.

That's why, after Li Che displayed his Divine Origin Golden Core cultivation, many Divine Eagle masters felt exhilarated, gaining a few more hopes.

Cultivation and strength are also the confidence of Divine Eagle masters!

"The mist tide is rising!"

"It's not water vapor, it's mist… seems like Guiyi Miao?!"

Suddenly.

Outside the Divine Eagle Ridge workshop.

A Divine Eagle master let out a shout.

But at an unknown moment, an extremely dense fog drifted in, as if propelled by an invisible force, ethereal yet rolling in!

"Guiyi Miao?"

Many strong ones' expressions changed slightly.

Especially Gongxu Jingjun and Tang Xie Jia.

As the strong ones suppressing the Divine Eagle Ridge's Two‑Heart Great Saint Guiyi Miao, they did not expect Guiyi Miao to appear outside the temple!

"It's not the mist spilling out from within the Guiyi Miao."

Lu Taibai's silver hair fluttered, yet he remained calm, saying quietly.

"Quiet."

"Do not disturb Elder Li's carving."

Lu Taibai sat on the Grand Master's chair and said.

Isn't it the mist that grew within the Guiyi Miao?

That is…

"It's the Divine Eagle carved by Elder Li… it is the temple's divine Eagle; because of a high resonance of divine rhythm, it achieved a fake‑real effect, even the temple's mysterious mist manifested!"

Divine Eagle master Yun Haiyang of the Yun clan twirled his whiskers, speaking with a slight tremor.

This can't be…

Carving a temple deity directly out of it!?

…

…

Qian Yuan Dao City.

Dao Master Residence.

Spring rain pattered onto the garden within the Dao Master Residence, a leisure pavilion standing, black tiles neatly aligned, letting the collected rainwater cascade down the edges.

Within the pavilion.

Young Master Dao, Yue Weizheng, sat on a chair; opposite him, his son Yue Linghu was busily brewing tea.

Boiling water struck the tender spring tea buds in the cup, unfolding them, verdant and exuding a rich, mellow, fresh tea aroma.

Yue Weizheng watched the silent, tea‑busy Yue Linghu and sighed.

"You kid... I know you have feelings for Ao Qingqing, but I can only say your fate isn't aligned."

Yue Linghu set down his cup, slowly clenched his fist, a trace of sorrow on his face.

"Qingqing is a good girl... her death was too tragic."

More than a month had passed, yet he still could not let go.

Yue Weizheng sighed: "The princess took her away from Qian Yuan Dao City; she actually had no chance of survival..."

"The Underworld Bull Demon, such a ruthless being, kills without blinking, leaves no aftermath; Ao Qingqing, if not eradicated at the root, then she isn't a Bull Demon..."

"One can only say the princess was too ruthless; to ensure her precise lure of the Underworld after leaving Qian Yuan Dao City, she took Ao Qingqing; at that level of battle… Qingqing couldn't survive."

Yue Linghu's face showed some pain: "Qingqing, so pitiful..."

"Being a woman of the Dragon God line, her future will be even more tragic," Yue Weizheng said calmly. "Do you think the princess is pitiful? Actually the princess is even more pitiful..."

"Enough, no need to think so much... the Dragon God clan has other dragon maidens; if you truly love, later your grandfather can take you to visit, marrying into the Dragon God clan isn't bad."

Yue Linghu heard the words, and his face involuntarily flickered with a few hints of moved emotion.

Actually…… if you could connect with Li Nuanxi, that would be best; this girl has become the personal disciple of Lü Taibai, and moreover the young sect master of the Qianyuan Divine Sect, her status far surpasses what it used to be.

Even the bounty list of the Hunting Divine Pavilion has risen to third…… a real delicacy.

It's a pity, you haven't had much interaction with her.

Yue Wuzheng took a sip of tea, smiling as he spoke.

Yue Linghu shook his head, such a little girl, he wasn't interested at all; moreover, the girl's talent was extraordinary, her combat power extremely domineering, thinking of the scene where the Golden Tai Sui was directly blasted to the ground by Xixi with a machine gun……

He couldn't help but shiver.

"Damn girl…… nothing compares to the vigor of a dragon girl."

Yue Wuzheng shook his head, his son…… his talent is not bad, although not top-tier, but with the family's promotion, becoming a grand master of the Upper Three Flowers Realm in the future is no problem; as for Martial Saint and Divine Fetus, it will depend on fate.

Suddenly.

The commander of the Divine Guard Army of the Dao Master's mansion, clad in golden armor, hurried over and whispered something in Yue Wuzheng's ear.

Yue Wuzheng's expression changed instantly.

"Quick, quick, please!"

He hurriedly rose and brushed off his clothes.

Meanwhile, Yue Linghu in the leisure pavilion remained stunned.

"Linghu, go back to your room."

Yue Wuzheng said.

Yue Linghu heard the words, immediately understood what it was, without hesitation turned and left.

Shortly after, the golden-armor commander led two figures wearing bamboo hats and cloaked in black robes, walking from outside the courtyard.

"Young Dao Master, the guests have been invited."

That golden-armor commander clasped his fists, and was sent away by the Young Dao Master Yue Wuzheng.

After the golden-armor commander had completely departed.

Only then did the Young Dao Master Yue Wuzheng's face slightly change, carrying a hint of solemnity, excitement, and sorrow……

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, since our parting in Shendu thirty years ago, I have long missed your peerless grace at Shendu's 'Peach Blossom Victory Assembly'; truly you bear a semblance of a prince's bearing!"

The Young Dao Master Yue Wuzheng clasped his fists in salute and said.

"Brother Wuzheng, indeed it's been a long time."

The bamboo hat was lifted, revealing a handsome face, dark pupils, and black hair flying wildly.

Just a glance alone made Yue Wuzheng's heart shudder.

And the figure beside the man also lifted his bamboo hat, revealing an extremely handsome visage, except that two sharp dragon horns grew from his forehead, his pupils purple and swirling, as if a dragon shadow churned within.

"I have seen Your Highness the Dragon Prince."

Yue Wuzheng's heart tightened, and he also clasped his fists.

His heart was greatly shaken; he never expected these two to conceal their identities and auras, unknowingly arriving at Qianyuan Dao City.

Their arrival……

Does the Qianyuan Divine Sect know?!

These two……

It's no one else; the one he called the Crown Prince…… is none other than the fourth son of Prince Pacifying Rebellion Ji Molie, one of the four children endowed with purple aura that reaches the heavens, Ji Lishou!

The four sons of Ji Molie are the same age and same lifespan, rumored to be quadruplets born of one mother.

Their talent is extraordinary, inheriting Ji Molie's bloodline, with divine purple aura reaching the heavens.

Thirty years ago, at the Peach Blossom Victory Assembly hosted by the Empress of the Dàjǐng dynasty, Ji Lishou was already an existence of the Martial Saint First Opening realm.

Now thirty years have passed, Ji Lishou's strength has likely advanced even further.

The four sons of Ji Molie are his four great generals, immensely powerful; in the standoff between Ji Prefecture and the Corpse God Sect, they have slain countless enemies, earning remarkable military merit!

But they cannot be compared to the Ji Hai Association.

And beside Ji Lishou is the Dragon God clan's dragon prince, namely the biological father of Ao Qingqing, the elder brother of Consort Ao Yuxin…… the Dragon God lineage's dragon prince, Ao Lie.

An existence of Dragon King level!

Ao Lie's handsome face is full of coldness and killing intent.

Yue Wuzheng's face showed immense enthusiasm, yet his eyes flickered and his mind slightly tightened.

With such special identities, they actually came without great fanfare, choosing to arrive discreetly—this is not their style!

Especially Ji Lishou……

The Consort of the Prince Pacifying Rebellion was slain; if he came, he should represent the Prince Pacifying Rebellion, arriving wrapped in fury.

Now being this low-key…… surely it is at the behest of Ji Molie.

Ji Molie……

What does he intend to do?!

……

……

The divine essence between heaven and earth grew ever richer, the eerie mist roiling, making the divine essence feel extremely oppressive, to the point that even breathing became exceedingly difficult.

The entire Divine Eagle Ridge became extremely quiet.

Those pilgrimage wood carvings no longer trembled, becoming still and obedient.

Yet, within each wood carving, bits of divine essence were drawn out and scattered, floating in the air, drifting in the eerie mist, as if gathering into specks of starlight.

Li Che held the carving knife, focusing his mind.

Before him, the wooden carving of the Six-Eared Prison Lotus Divine Monkey Two-Hearted Great Sage Temple Divine Eagle, roughly completed, had its form leap forth, vivid and lifelike.

Li Che grabbed the carving knife and began the finishing work!

Everyone's breathing grew rapid, realizing the most crucial moment was approaching; whether Li Che could carve a half-saint wood sculpture depended on this final finishing.

"Can it succeed?"

Supervisor Hong Shifo's eyes flashed with a hint of astonishment.

In the Way of the Divine Condor, every step must be flawless; a single mistake will cause the wood carving's spirit to deviate greatly from the conception, making it impossible to become a perfect half-saint divine condor.

Buzz buzz buzz buzz—

With each inhale and exhale, Li Che's ears seemed to fall into utter stillness.

All that remained was the frantic pounding of the Immortal Artisan's Dao Fruit within his chest, its frequency far surpassing before.

At this moment, Li Che fully unleashed the level‑5 Immortal Artisan Dao Fruit!

As the first cut of the finishing work fell,

In an instant……

The eerie mist that had been hovering between heaven and earth, faintly spreading unseen around, suddenly began to churn, wildly surging into the wood carving as if guided by the edge of Li Che's carving knife.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh—

A fierce wind rose up and raged violently!

Buzz buzz buzz—

The influx of divinity seemed to breathe life into the divine condor, turning it from an inanimate object into a living creature, becoming vivid and lifelike.

However!

Just when everyone thought everything was settled.

A crystal‑clear sound suddenly rang out in the workshop of Divine Condor Ridge.

Although faint, at this moment in Divine Condor Ridge, where even a falling needle could be heard, that cracking sound reached everyone's ears……

It was so clear it seemed as if the heavenly empress atop countless cloud layers had unleashed a thunderclap!

Zhou Tian Shui and Yun Hai Yang, the two Divine Condor Masters, narrowed their eyes; they sprang up from their chairs, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, the ten fingers of their hands shaking at a visible pace.

"Ah…… ah……"

"Cracked, it cracked?!"

Zhou Tian Shui felt such heartache he could barely breathe, his eyes filled with pain.

That was a pain and despair only a Divine Condor Master could understand—though a perfect divine condor was about to be born, an mishap occurred at the finishing stage.

That feeling was like a blade slicing into his flesh!

Yun Hai Yang's face was also twisted with pain; he had failed……

When a crack appeared on the divine condor, it signified a flaw—this divine condor could never become a half‑saint divine condor.

Perhaps Li Che could salvage it with superb skill, but the divine condor's rank would surely plummet.

No hope remained—not a shred of hope……

It wasn't just these two Divine Condor Masters.

The many Divine Condor Masters and woodcarvers watching from around Divine Condor Ridge all showed regret on their faces.

The more flawless the earlier performance, the more shocking the mistake at the finishing stage.

Some woodcarvers could not restrain their emotions, abandoning the carving's solemn atmosphere to let out long sighs and wails.

Gongshu Jingjun and Tang Xiejia were also stunned, feeling a sense of disbelief.

"Did we fail?"

"Looks like we failed…… a crack on the wood carving cannot be salvaged."

Gongshu Jingjun leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh.

Tang Xiejia shook his head.

"What a pity……"

"Too overconfident."

Actually, judging from Li Che's earlier carving skill, Supervisor Hong Shifo believed Li Che had the ability to achieve a half‑saint divine condor.

Unfortunately, Li Che was overconfident and actually chose ordinary wood as the carving material.

When bearing the divinity, the material's flaws were exposed……

"What a pity, truly a pity…… it cracked!"

Sect Leader's Wife Xuan Qisha covered her delicate head, bracing herself tactically.

She felt no joy or schadenfreude, only regret.

Everyone here is a technician.

Just as she had once striven for the Divine Sigil Half‑Saint Realm with merely a single stroke, countless failures had left her nearly numb.

And now, seeing Li Che, she seemed to glimpse her former self.

Xixi was dazed, everyone's reaction……

It made Xixi's heart leap up to her throat.

"Huh? Dad's going to fail?!"

Xixi's big eyes instantly showed a hint of worry.

Lü Taibai rubbed Xixi's head.

"Who said your dad's going to fail? It's only just begun."

Lü Taibai said with a smile.

Xuan Qisha furrowed her brows: "Although I don't understand divine condors, the wood carvings Li Che carved have shown cracks—this is an irreparable flaw……"

"Just like when I draw talismans and the paper tears…… can it still succeed?"

Xuan Qisha looked at Lu Taibai, without the slightest hesitation about his status as fifth on the Divine God Ranking: "You're just someone who plays with swords, you don't understand a hammer's divine condor!"

Lu Taibai felt somewhat helpless.

The wife he married, he can only dote on her himself; being scolded is also deserved……

"Madam…… don't rush."

Xuan Qisha crossed his arms, snorted, and turned his gaze back toward the direction where Li Che was carving the divine condor.

She wanted to see how Li Che would save it!

……

……

Li Che's expression remained calm; the instant the crack appeared on the statue of the Two‑Heart Great Sage, it did not stir any ripple or wave in his heart.

Because……

The appearance of this crack was exactly what he had intended!

Elder Sun could carve a divine condor from ordinary wood and bear immense divinity without cracking; with Li Che possessing the 【Immortal Craft】 Dao Fruit, how could he fail?

The cracking was entirely intentional on the part of the Divine Condor Master.

Paying no heed to the spreading cracks, Li Che's carving knife did not stop; its originally steady speed suddenly changed, accelerating to the extreme in an instant, and the hand gripping the knife manifested countless afterimages!

Bang bang bang bang—

【Immortal Craft】 Dao Fruit throbbed wildly!

Crack—!

A second crack appeared on the wooden carving.

Li Che paid no mind and continued carving.

Crack—!

Another sound like a shattering that made everyone's souls tremble appeared.

Then came a third, fourth, fifth……

The number of cracks kept increasing.

The amount of divinity floating within the Divine Condor Ridge did not cease, but continued to surge wildly into the wooden carving.

The eyes of the divine condor in the Two‑Heart Great Sage temple began to flash with golden light!

But the dense cracks truly made the whole statue look shocking.

The Inspector Hongshi Stone Buddha, who bore a chessboard, gazed deeply, looking at those cracks splitting open, yet felt no leakage of divinity from them……

Suddenly.

In everyone's regretful gaze.

Li Che stopped the carving knife in his hand.

He stepped back one step.

He spread both hands, fingers wide, amid everyone's astonished gaze.

He fiercely slapped down!

The entire wooden carving instantly exploded into fragments!

Wood chips flew everywhere, shattering into countless tiny pieces!

"Ah?!"

"Crazy! Elder Li, ashamed and enraged, has gone completely mad?!"

"The carving failed; did Elder Li smash the wooden carving?"

The surrounding woodcarvers were stunned, dumbfounded, as if struck by lightning, and erupted in an uproar!

But.

Gongshu Jingjun, Fang Hanshu, Ding Zi and other Divine Fetus cultivators, however, sensed something and looked over in realization.

Their powerful Heaven‑Earth souls clearly perceived it.

The wooden carving fragments smashed apart by Li Che……

On each piece……

They were all intricately carved with the likeness of the Two‑Heart Great Sage wooden statue!