Chapter 90: Forging the First Divine Foundation Wheel, Intending to Rival the Corpse-Flesh Guanyin

The sharp whistling sound tore through tranquility; in the courtyard, each falling raindrop burst open, forming a misty water vapor.

Inside.

Intense heat circulated; qi and blood blazed like a furnace, steaming with cold air.

In the incense burner, twisted smoke columns shot straight to the clouds, then were torn apart by the wind above.

Three wooden statues, stained with blood as if soaked in a blood pool, exuded a strong bloody smell that intertwined and spread, making the statues seem to come alive, letting out shrill screams and roars.

The three livestock, five beasts, and eight great bowls— their blood seemed to have been completely drunk.

At this moment, the scene truly turned somewhat strange.

Li Che sat cross-legged, the mud pellet at his brow opening and closing, 【Wrathful Amitabha】 divinity, like a river, surged forth, filling the surroundings.

Interwoven by an invisible force, it constantly piled up, constantly accumulating.

It was like a gurgling stream flowing beside Li Che, slowly as if it would submerge his breath, completely suffocating him.

Every inch of skin seemed soaked by the divine river; Li Che's five senses suddenly rose to the limit, clearly sensing divinity seep in through skin pores, permeating the body—every tendon and bone, every inch of flesh.

Then, divinity seemed to open a bloody maw, devouring flesh and blood!

Exhale—

Inhale—

Accompanying a breath.

Li Che felt his flesh become scorching hot, divinity like molten iron stimulating his flesh, as if to completely burn him!

Most importantly...

This is no illusion!

Divinity... truly devours his flesh and blood, burning his body!

Blazing with rage!

Burning tendons, forging bones!

Countless divinity, like a bone-attached ulcer, drilled into the refined python tendons and tiger bones; Li Che furrowed his brow, following the obtained method, circulating the《Eight Extremes Three-Eye Wrathful True Sovereign Divine Foundation Method》, drawing in much divinity, returning it to the inner realm.

But as soon as the divinity returned to the mud pellet inner realm, it would go mad-like, rushing out along the divine river; thus Li Che had to continue drawing.

This process severely tests the body's strength; if one cannot withstand the divinity's scorching corrosion, the entire body will be controlled by divinity, ultimately becoming a divinity puppet!

Li Che somewhat realized, no wonder Li Qing Shan said wanting to forge a divine foundation requires at least Profound Meridian-level qi and blood cultivation, having tempered the body to Profound Meridian level, then there's a good chance to withstand wave after wave of divinity's impact.

Forging a divine foundation is indeed dangerous...

Once failed, even if regaining control of the body, one will suffer great vital energy loss and severe divinity damage.

Actually I feel... somewhat like having swallowed a dozen Martial Pills, activating their medicinal effects all at once, that kind of tempering feeling.

When he first swallowed the Python Blood Martial Pill, that burst of power, from inside out, made his qi and blood burn, feeling much the same as now.

Of course, there is still a difference.

After all, one is divinity, the other is medicinal potency.

Time passed unnoticed; divinity corroded flesh and blood, while the body's inner qi surged, opposing divinity, like two fierce beasts vying for control within Li Che's body.

This process of divinity and inner qi colliding and canceling out is also the process of tempering the body.

Hum—

The power of their fusion, via boiling blood, follows the Small Heavenly Circuit route, repeatedly scouring the fragile meridians.

Sizzle—

Gradually, Li Che felt a pain like skinning and tendon-pulling, sweat oozing from his forehead.

Deep inside, it seemed a surge of anger arose for no reason!

Anger erupted from every inch of flesh, like a volcano pent up to the extreme, bursting forth, crashing into the sea of mind!

As if to drill into his brain nerves!

Divinity... wants to enter the brain!

To drill into his sea of mind!

This is unbearable!

Li Che's heart jolted; the brain... that is the most precise position of the human body, and also the most mysterious place!

Once damaged, regret will be too late!

According to the Divine Foundation Method, this should be the final gate!

As long as one endures, divinity can become docile and condense into a Divine Foundation Wheel.

Li Che hurriedly mobilized the inner qi from his dantian, gathering before the heavenly gate of the sea of mind, to block the divinity's charge!

Boom—

One impact, like heaven and earth roaring, the great bell gave a surprising collision right by the ear!

Dizzy and seeing stars!

Li Che had just adjusted, 【Wrathful Amitabha】 divinity then gathered a second force, like a madly barking angry dog, again charging and striking.

This impact was even more deafening, like heavenly spring thunder exploding by the ear.

Li Che's whole body trembled slightly.

Divinity like a river, again gathered, launching a third strike!

Just like a waterfall flying straight up three thousand feet, the river hangs inverted!

Boom—

Countless collisions of inner qi and divinity gave a feeling of self-contained heaven and earth, as if the sky collapsed and earth sank.

The brain buzzed nonstop.

It seemed like a moment had passed, yet also seemed extremely long.

Li Che slowly opened his eyes, his whole body crimson, gradually calming, the major tendons on his back twitching like a flood dragon and python, unceasing.

In the inner vision of the mud pill, divinity returned to tranquility; the original river-like divinity of the 【Wrathful Amitabha】 vanished without trace, replaced by a circular platform.

Uniform in thickness, like a flattened cylinder, purely condensed from divinity.

The divinity emanating from it is vastly superior in quality to the original 【Wrathful Amitabha】 divinity.

A single strand of divinity equals ten or even a hundred strands before!

In the inner vision space, the 【Resentful Weeping Hundred Ghosts】 and 【Heart Alarm Shocked Strong】 divinities were both tightly suppressed.

【Three-Eyed Wrathful Amitabha True Lord Divine Foundation】

Eight Extremes Upper Grade!

Transformation in rank!

……

……

Li Che exhaled a breath, the airflow surging like a blade, cutting the air.

With a thought of mind and spirit, the Divine Foundation Wheel, resembling a millstone, appeared behind his head, staying there regardless of his movements.

The anger-infused divinity of heaven and earth, like mosquitoes drawn to a light source, swarmed in, continually merging into the Divine Foundation Wheel, strengthening it.

"The forging of the Divine Foundation Wheel is successful, marking entry into the initial stage of Divine Foundation, but one must not be careless; according to the Divine Foundation Method, a newly forged Divine Foundation may disperse, and the higher the rank of the Divine Foundation, the more likely it is to backlash its master, so time must be spent to stabilize the Divine Foundation Wheel..."

"An ordinary Ten Metropolises Divine Foundation Wheel stabilizes in about ten days, the Nine Luminaries need thirty days, while the Eight Extremes Divine Foundation Wheel requires a hundred days to stabilize!"

Li Che's lips curled slightly.

He opened his eyes, his pupil light faintly glowing, like a mirror cleansed of dust, reflecting the flow of heaven and earth.

He marvelously discovered that his five senses had become much sharper, as if they could be manipulated, perception able to extend, extending to the extreme, reaching up to ten meters!

"Is this the 'Divine Sense' spoken of by Divine Foundation cultivators? Due to the divinity impacting the mind's heavenly pass?"

Li Che, unable to contain his joy, manipulated the Divine Sense, trying it out like a child with a new toy.

This differs from the perception he gains when using the 【Chess Saint】 Dao Fruit's Heaven-Earth Chessboard.

The Heaven-Earth Chessboard is a kind of observing everything from a top-down view.

It only requires consuming divinity to peek.

Whereas the Divine Sense does not consume divinity, being a refined transformation of the five senses and six consciousnesses, akin to an extension of the physical organs.

The Divine Foundation realm, compared to nurturing nature, is indeed a tremendous transformation.

Suddenly, Li Che caught an extremely faint cracking sound at his ear.

Those three wooden figurines of spirit infants, having absorbed the blood of three livestock and five beasts, with dried blood stains on their surface, began to show cracks, then split apart one after another.

Three strands of divinity surged out from them, flowing into Li Che's Divine Foundation Wheel.

Li Che sensed it and couldn't help but be amazed.

They were actually three techniques.

One divinity secret technique, one divinity martial art...

One for advancing the Divine Foundation...

The Concurrent Forging Method!

……

……

Fēiléichéng, Nei Cheng.

After Li Che broke through to Divine Foundation, he clutched the divinity chess piece and returned to his study.

Sitting in the chair, Li Che's lips involuntarily curled up.

Three years' time, from just beginning to nurture nature to forging a Divine Foundation... this speed, I'd imagine few in Fēiléichéng, let alone Jīnguāng Prefecture City, could match him.

Moreover, he closed his eyes, mind and spirit linking to his own Divine Foundation Wheel, upon which words seemed to float up.

That was precisely the method fed back from the three wooden figurines carved from spirit wood after they shattered.

It is like the method obtained as a supporting technique after breaking through the Divine Foundation via sacrificial means.

Divinity Secret Technique "Wrathful Amitabha True Lord Slaying Pupil", Divinity Martial Art "Wrathful Amitabha True Lord Three-Blade Sword"!

The three statues gave three methods!

There is also one method, the Divine Foundation Concurrent Forging Method, which was already known after analysis by the Thousand Analysis Hand.

The quality of the divinity secret technique and divinity martial art are both Eight Extremes Lower Grade, simply causing Li Che immense delight.

Of course, a higher rank means the cultivation difficulty is also high.

But the divinity secret technique, Li Che will indeed find it headache-inducing.

However, the divinity martial art, Li Che possessing the 【Dragon-Elephant Vajra】 Dao Fruit, will only feel at ease.

Smiling broadly, he withdrew the Divine Sense from the Divine Foundation Wheel.

With a thought of mind and spirit.

【Dao Fruit: Immaculate Mind (LV2, 0%)】

Looking at the information displayed by the flowing light.

Li Che was in high spirits; forging the 【Three-Eyed Wrathful Amitabha True Lord】 Divine Foundation directly caused the maturity of the Immaculate Mind Dao Fruit to surge greatly, even breaking through the barrier to reach LV2.

"It seems... besides slowly accumulating Immaculate Mind divinity, forging a Divine Foundation is also a quick way to boost Dao Fruit maturity; if we forge a few more Divine Foundation Wheels, we should be able to push the Immaculate Mind Dao Fruit's maturity to LV3, obtaining a prototype of divine ability?"

"I'm really curious what the prototype of the Immaculate Mind's divine ability will be."

Li Che felt an itch in his heart.

And upon reaching LV2 of the 【Immaculate Mind】 Dao Fruit, Li Che, with a thought of mind and spirit, could actually completely conceal the aura of his Divine Foundation.

【Dragon-Elephant Vajra】 Dao Fruit can conceal qi and blood, 【Immaculate Mind】 can conceal divinity, 【Chess Saint】 Dao Fruit can scout terrain and situation, 【Immortal Artisan】 Dao Fruit can craft hidden weapons...

Good partner!

Li Che summed it up like that, feeling that he was going further and further down the path of the old Yin brush.

……

……

As night fell, the temperature plummeted, and snow drifted across heaven and earth.

Xixi, who was sound asleep, suddenly smelled the fragrant chicken leg aroma, and instinctively opened her eyes.

She discovered that she had actually appeared in the woodshed.

A burly figure, as tall as a mountain, wearing an adorable cow mask, holding a chicken leg, swayed before her.

Xixi was overjoyed, staring at the chicken leg: "Niu Niu Shifu! I miss you so much!"

Niu Mo: "……"

He shoved the chicken leg to Xixi, circulating his qi and blood to dispel her chill.

He then took out the small "Namu Gatlin Wood Passenger Crow" he had custom-made for Xixi, equipped with three thousand Wood Passenger Crows.

"Use it to protect yourself." Niu Mo's low voice resonated.

Upon seeing the big guy, Xixi couldn't take her eyes off him, even the chicken leg lost its fragrance.

After polishing off the chicken leg in a few bites, she happily held the Namu Gatlin, so excited she could fly, and could happily set off fireworks again!

Niu Mo squatted down his burly, massive frame, yet gently stroked Xixi's head with utmost tenderness.

"Safety is most important. If you encounter any great danger, shout for Niu Niu Shifu, and Niu Niu Shifu will immediately appear by your side."

Niu Mo said.

Xixi hugged the big guy and nodded happily.

"Niu Niu Shifu, if Daddy spanks my butt when I'm naughty, if I shout for you, will you come save me?"

Xixi blinked her eyes and asked.

Niu Mo: "……"

You're really going to be the death of your old father with your filial piety!

He noted it down in his little notebook!

"When danger strikes, shout for Niu Niu Shifu; remember, otherwise I'll confiscate your fireworks."

He flicked Xixi's forehead lightly in annoyance.

In the next moment, Niu Mo vanished.

Xixi was nevertheless delighted, seeing Niu Niu Shifu again and gaining her own dedicated fireworks-wielding big guy, though it couldn't compare to Niu Niu Shifu's big guy.

But Xixi was already satisfied.

After storing the Namu Gatlin into the Qiankun Jade given by Li Qing Shan, Xixi tiptoed back to her room, lay down quietly, and slept contentedly.

Tonight, she had a wonderful dream.

In the dream, she sat on Niu Niu Shifu's shoulder, fireworks blazing, sweeping all before her invincibly!

Below, her father and Lü Dàtou exclaimed in amazement for her.

They hailed her as Xixi the Great Emperor!

……

……

In the dead of night, dark clouds piled up the heavens, with no moonlight spilling down.

Snowflakes fell, fluttering throughout the mortal realm.

Li Che, in the guise of Niu Mo, after sending the miniature Namu Gatlin to Xixi, also put his mind at ease.

At least, Xixi, wielding the Namu Gatlin, now had the ability to protect herself, so she wouldn't be easily bullied when she went to the prefectural city.

He gazed at his sleeping wife and daughter.

Xixi kicked off the blankets, sprawled in a large "X" shape, snoring loudly, taking up half the bed by herself.

"Bold father, please call me Xixi the Great Emperor!"

In the dream, Xixi uttered a sleep-talk.

Li Che was instantly speechless.

This girl... what kind of grand spring-and-autumn dream is she having?

And Xixi the Great Emperor, your father will always be your father!

This girl hasn't inherited a trace of Li Che's refined and easygoing nature.

In a flash, he appeared silently in the courtyard.

Li Qing Shan hadn't returned to the cottage tonight; unknown where he went, Li Che guessed... perhaps he went to meet an old lover.

The sunset red... is also a kind of red.

Standing in the courtyard, Li Che's complexion gradually turned icy.

He closed his eyes.

The 【Chess Saint】's Dao fruit trembled slightly, and in an instant the heaven-and-earth chessboard exploded outward, with myriad scenes around the cottage flooding into his mind.

Under the perception of the 【Grand Virtue Chess Saint】, nothing could hide.

Although his divine sense was good, Li Che still preferred the overview feeling brought by the Grand Virtue Chess Saint.

In this perception.

Ten li from the courtyard, a figure stood upon a expanse of black tiles, his face covered by a horse-face mask, his eyes deep and unfathomable, gazing upon Li Che's family courtyard like a torch seeing through.

……

……

Cao He put on a horse-face mask, and draped himself in black nightclothes.

On his back he bore four sky-piercing spears, and specks of silver hair swayed in the night wind.

Tomorrow is the day Li Qingshan, this Divine Sect reception envoy, leaves Fēiléichéng.

And the Li Che family, that supreme spiritual child, will also leave together.

Cao He tapped his toe on a tile, his whole body like a straight, stiff divine spear.

His gaze, however, underwent a slight complex change.

In his mind, unbidden, surfaced the image of Cao Guang conversing with him.

Originally, Cao Guang's attitude was to avoid unnecessary complications, with everything aimed at successfully holding the Thousand Buddha Carving Banquet.

However, Cao Guang still sought out Cao He and gave him a blood-stained wooden carving.

Cao He took it, his gaze narrowing.

This is a … wooden carving of a naked female body, its appearance extremely hideous, its form twisted, resembling a death state of utter misery.

Filled with evil, merely glancing at it made Cao He feel as if his mind and spirit had been seized.

"This… this is…"

"Second Uncle, this is exactly the 'Corpse God' wooden carving, namely the 'Intention Compared to Corpse Flesh Guanyin' wooden carving among the three great Corpse Gods?"

Cao Guang sat upright in the room, the candlelight flickering incessantly, the light shifting unpredictably.

Cao He raised his head, looked over, and only felt that Cao Guang's shadow, cast by the firelight, kept twisting.

Corpse God Sect!

As expected… Cao Guang indeed had some involvement with the Corpse God Sect.

Cao He's heart suddenly felt as if clenched by a hand.

Actually, when preparing to hold the Thousand Buddha Carving Banquet, Cao He should have suspected something.

But when Cao Guang truly revealed his identity, Cao He still felt a bit startled…

The Corpse God Sect and the imperial court, and the Divine Sect, are like fire and water; for a court official to join the Corpse God Sect is an even greater crime of confiscating property and exterminating the clan!

Once discovered by the Town Temple Office, the whole family must be slaughtered!

Cao Guang, however, paid no heed to the change in Cao He's expression…

"A supreme spiritual child, what a pity… if he had seized the opportunity, the Thousand Buddha Carving Banquet would have been even more splendid… but the value of a supreme spiritual child still remains, Second Uncle, conceal your identity well and place the wooden carving outside Li Che's residence…"

"The 'Intention Compared to Corpse Flesh Guanyin' wooden carving contains the 'Six Desires Divinity,' which will automatically form a mark and naturally seek out Li Nuanxi, even if she goes to the prefectural capital… a supreme spiritual child can also bring us great profit."

"It can be done as a favor…"

Cao Guang laughed softly.

"Is going to the prefectural capital safe? In this world, where is there any absolutely safe place?"

"The Town Temple Office says my path of promotion is dead… what can I do? I don't believe it… who said fate is fixed?"

"Only the Corpse God is supreme; after the Thousand Buddha Carving Banquet, I will have a chance to condense the Corpse God's divine aspect!"

"The road is cut off? That doesn't exist…"

"Our God Sect has already spread like a prairie fire, sweeping the world… unstoppable, unstoppable!"

Cao Guang's eyes welled with a maddened hue.

The next moment, it gradually subsided.

Cao He, however, was soaked in cold sweat all over his back.

Not daring to speak, he respectfully took the "Intention Compared to Corpse Flesh Guanyin," the naked female wooden carving, and quickly departed, vanishing into the darkness.

……

His thoughts returned, the breeze stirring his silver hair.

Cao He sighed deeply.

Once you enter the Corpse God, it's as deep as the sea.

Recalling Cao Guang in his youth, full of vigor and ambition, praised as the most talented descendant of the Cao clan, surely capable of assaulting the divine aspect with a heavenly-human appearance.

The result…

He made a trip to the prefectural capital, where he met an orthodox disciple of the Qianyuan Divine Sect; just a few moves shattered his mindset, and thereafter he never recovered.

Although he inherited the position of city lord of the Cao clan…

…but his spirit was gone, and he actually joined the Corpse God Sect…

"Child… so foolish…"

Cao He sighed.

Holding the "Intention Compared to Corpse Flesh Guanyin" in his hand, seeing its vivid expression, even this old tree with half its body buried in the ground felt an inexplicable surge of renewed vigor.

He hastily exhaled and shifted his gaze.

However, the next moment, Cao He's neck, wearing the horse-face mask, suddenly stiffened.

But he saw.

On a distant rooftop.

The falling snow across the sky was torn and twisted!

At some unknown time, a towering, inverted-triangle-shaped figure, as massive as a mountain, stood silently.

The figure wore a bamboo hat, slightly raising its head.

Revealing a cute ox mask.

"Ox Demon?"

Cao He narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing: "Indeed, as long as you harbor thoughts toward the Li Che family, you, this Ox Demon, will surely appear to guard them… so, who exactly are you?"

"I should call you… Master Li."

Niu Mo glanced indifferently at Cao He, who wore a horse-face mask.

His identity had been exposed, yet he still did not recognize the other party's identity.

But is that important?

"It's not important anymore."

Cao He blinked, the face beneath the horse mask… suddenly chuckled: "Indeed, it's not important. You and your family… are about to leave Fēiléichéng imminently; you don't care whether your identity is exposed."

However…

Cao He's pupils beneath the horse-face mask suddenly shrank to the size of a sesame seed.

Because, the next moment.

Niu Mo, with overbearing qi and blood, directly tore through the air wave, appearing at his side with extreme speed; he clenched his fist, an intensely bloody scent spreading, a crimson long spear swirling with blood-red patterns spat out from the torn air, which he grasped in his hand.

Divine weapon… Blood-flow Piercing Shock Spear!

Immediately after, behind Niu Mo's head, a blazingly brilliant 【Three-eyed Fury True Lord Divine Base】 erupted into existence!

The terrifyingly extreme rank pressure crashed down on Cao He, leaving him unable to muster even the strength to move a single finger.

A cold, killing-intent-filled voice emanated from beneath Niu Mo's mask.

"I said… who you are is no longer important."

Month-end already, begging for monthly votes, begging for recommendation votes, begging for readership support! Keep reading, don't stop! Lao Li's explosive updates also don't stop!

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(End of chapter)