Chapter 97: Eight‑Armed Prison Lotus

The gale surged, rain spray hurled.

Above the heavens, black clouds piled, bringing endless darkness, accompanied by rolling electric serpents flashing, causing occasional light on earth.

Seeing the figure standing at the doorway, wearing a Bull Demon mask, Xu You's eyes narrowed.

He tried to draw his sword, but at this moment he had no strength.

Bull Demon…

That Bull Demon who caused chaos in Fēiléichéng, utterly ferocious and ruthless, killing without blinking!

Yet Xu You felt no fear or dread.

Even though he faced this advertised terror that could silence a child's cries.

His heart did not stir with any terror.

Xu You had learned of the Bull Demon's deeds, the people it killed, the things it did…

Putting aside its methods, which of them could not be called heroic?

Even if it killed the court official and divine detective Zhao Xuanhai, it was because Zhao Xuanhai was a follower of the Nascent Soul Sect.

Xu You knew exactly what kind of group the Nascent Soul Sect was.

Exhaling, Xu You, his face pale, clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for saving my life."

But the Bull Demon gave him a faint glance and said, "Lord Cao Guang is offering the entire city to Guiyi Miao, hoping to elevate Guiyi Miao to the Nine Stars; Fēiléichéng will be finished, you should leave quickly."

"Take care."

The thunderous news left Xu You rooted to the spot.

So much so that he never even heard the Bull Demon's "Take care."

Lord Cao Guang offering the whole city?

This world… what has happened?

Xu You drew his sword, bewildered.

"Bull… hero… senior…"

Xu You thought of something and wanted to shout.

But the Bull Demon only tipped its toe lightly, vanished into the storm, and when Xu You emerged, its towering figure was gone from the world.

The cold rain, laced with snowflakes, fell onto his shoulders.

Xu You breathed heavily, his heart trembling.

At this moment, he seemed to have understood something.

The Xu family had colluded with the Lord's mansion; the matter of Lord Cao Guang intending to sacrifice the whole city was certainly known to Old Master Xu, his father Xu Nanming, and others.

His body swayed, the bone‑piercing rain chilling his heart.

"How could it be like this…"

Heaven‑defiling, ultimate evil!

After a long while, Xu You let out a sigh.

He returned indoors, gazing at the corpse of his father Xu Nanming, and at the corpse of Xu Heli…

No sorrow crossed his face.

Without the Bull Demon's help, the one who would have died… might have been him.

"You even intend… to eat my flesh while I'm alive?"

Xu You suddenly burst into a mad laugh.

Feeling the divine nature churning within, it kept driving his divinity to boil, vaguely shaping his river‑like divinity into something like a divine foundation.

"Is this a blessing in disguise?"

Xu You raised his hand, watching strands of crimson divinity intertwining in his palm, slowly merging into his body.

It is the power of the temple deity, though modest…

But it is nonetheless the energy of the deity of Guiyi Miao.

Xu Heli perhaps intended to devour him this way, to obtain the temple deity's power?

"Why doesn't Xu Heli bear it himself? Perhaps there's a side effect… using cannibalism might avoid that side effect?"

Xu You shook his head.

Glancing at the misty storm, the Bull Demon's figure had completely vanished.

It was not as ferociously evil as rumors claimed.

Recalling the Bull Demon's words, Xu You slung his sword and plunged into the storm.

Old Master Xu was likely dead as well; the pillar of the Xu family was gone.

The Bull Demon said Lord Cao Guang moved Guiyi Miao into the city; if the townsfolk did not leave, within days they would be corrupted by the temple deity's divinity, becoming Xiejwei.

As the legitimate heir of the Xu family, he must formally take over the Xu clan, uphold it, and lead it out of Fēiléichéng.

As for the city's common folk…

He can save as many as possible; leaving Fēiléichéng makes them refugees, wandering to other cities, and seeking safety may cause other powers to gnaw away much of them.

But even so, it is better than losing one's life.

……

……

Li Qingshan, wearing a cat‑face mask, swung his ram's horn hammer up and down; on the small hammer face, blood strands and flesh fragments clung, washed away by the rain.

On the ground, two bodies smashed by the hammer lay utterly lifeless.

The ground before the Lord's mansion turned into a wasteland, dense pits blooming like plum blossoms everywhere.

That was the scene after Li Qingshan clashed with two masters of the Corpse God Sect.

"The iron corpses of the Corpse God Sect really are both foul and hard……"

A shake of his true qi instantly cleared the filth from the horned hammer, and with a pull of his sleeve he stored the hammer away.

The frenzied qi and blood on his body converged, and his essence, qi, and spirit instantly returned to calm.

He hunched over again, returning to the appearance of a little old man; tapping his toe, he darted into the Guiyi Miao.

After a moment, he shot out again, surprise showing beneath his cat‑face mask.

"The temple god's statue has been smashed…… Who is this? So fierce! Fortunately I didn't try to break the temple, otherwise the temple god's curse would have landed on me, and that would have been awful."

Li Qingshan frowned.

His body darted toward the spot where the auras of the two temple gods had previously collided.

When he saw the ground littered with corpses shattered to pieces……

Even Li Qingshan wore a grave expression: "How awful…… Is this Cao Guang's corpse? He drew the temple god into his body, intending to transform using the temple god's power."

"But he was actually beaten to death, and his body was torn apart……"

"Another temple god, so ferocious—such a ferocious temple god…… is rare indeed."

Li Qingshan muttered.

"But it's also a good thing—Cao Guang's plan shattered, the temple god fell into deep slumber, giving the people of Fēiléichéng a chance to catch their breath……"

"The lord of the city is dead; this news will soon reach the Temple Suppression Office, which will have to send people over."

Li Qingshan stretched lazily, his whole body feeling relaxed.

The only remaining surprise is that temple god who tore Cao Guang apart……

Damn it, what kind of deity is this?

So ferocious!

Terrifying.

"By the way, has that ox‑kid shown up? Why haven't I seen him? Whatever……"

Li Qingshan's body shook, countless true qi shattering the raindrops, his whole form like an arrow released from a bow shooting toward the city lord's treasury.

After a moment.

"Damn it, that kid definitely came through—cleaned out everything, not a trace left!"

"He didn't leave a thing for the old man!"

……

……

Li Che observed Xu You's condition from the shadows for a while.

After confirming there was no problem, he hid himself in the alleys.

Clenching his five fingers, the chess‑piece anchor marked on the carriage braving rain and snow on the official road outside the city instantly appeared in his hand.

And Li Che himself returned from Fēiléichéng to the carriage.

His qi and blood circulated, drying his clothes and hair; after removing his mask, he leaned back against the carriage's soft seat.

His taut nerves gradually relaxed, smelling the timber piled inside the carriage, and he grew somewhat languid.

This trip back to Fēiléichéng also counts as having settled everything: he rescued Old Xu, saved him from the fate of being eaten by relatives, resolved the Thousand Buddha Sculpture Feast, and shattered the city lord's ambition to sacrifice the whole city.

If one were to speak of regrets, there are indeed some.

For example, that divine constable Zhang Xiangyang—when Li Che probed with the Gao De Chess Sage's Heaven‑Earth Chessboard, he also happened to concern himself with him.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find his whereabouts, so Li Che had no chance to ask Zhang Xiangyang about his 【Awe‑Inducing Light‑Tracing】 divinity.

The impact isn't great; there will be plenty of opportunities in the prefectural capital, and the Divine Sect should also have corresponding methods.

Besides that, what remains is the harvest.

He not only tested the 'Ascending Floor' state, but also received generous gifts from many people.

The cosmos jades of the three Divine Foundation cultivators—Old Master Xu, Cao Guang, and Cao Qingyuan—surely contain many good things, and Cao Qingyuan in particular swept away all the valuables from the city lord's treasury.

Now they all belong to Li Che.

Even with Li Che's present composure, he couldn't help but feel stirred.

"Please fiercely impact my world……"

Li Che pressed his lips, taking out Cao Qingyuan's cosmos jade, which he had clutched tightly in his palm even in death, still most precious.

A middle‑grade cosmos jade, of excellent rank, larger than Cao He's; the 【Immaculate Heart】 dao fruit unhesitatingly devoured and seized it, replacing the original space.

Raising his hand, he tore open the space like a zipper.

Li Che's divine sense stirred slightly, and he fell into it.

There were a dozen or so gold bars, a pile of gold leaves, a stack of silver ingots, and besides that, banknotes, house deeds, land deeds, and so on.

Good grief, this must be the entire fiscal revenue of Fēiléichéng, right?

It's even wealthier than the Yang family, which has deep roots for many years, and this is despite Cao Guang spending a fortune hiring many woodcarvers to carve wood sculptures.

These are merely money and external possessions; added to what they originally obtained, it's enough for their family to live very comfortably in the prefectural capital.

Li Che continued counting, when suddenly his gaze was drawn.

"Huh?"

Li Che's spirit stirred, and in the next instant a half‑person‑sized yellow wooden block crashed into the carriage.

Creak—creak……

The feeling of weight actually made the carriage cabin emit sounds of being overloaded, as if it might collapse.

The carriage's speed instantly slowed.

Li Che hurriedly stored the wooden block back into his cosmos space.

"Good grief…… it's spirit wood!"

Seventh-grade spirit wood…

Li Che's breathing couldn't help but become rapid, his eyes shining bright, mainly because... such a large piece of seventh-grade spirit wood!

Its value is beyond measure!

Just a moment ago, his hand touched it, and through the Thousand Analysis Hand he already learned the information about this spirit wood.

…

【Spirit Wood (Seventh Grade Lower): Dragon Tooth Huangyang】

【Origin: Yellow hard spirit wood, as hard as refined steel, texture like dragon tooth, material tough and fine, grain uniform, processing difficult, handle blade with care】

…

Good partner!

Dragon Tooth Huangyang! A wood harder than refined iron!

Li Che gasped in his heart; the city lord's mansion actually has such a treasure—just this piece of spirit wood base's price might even exceed the city lord's mansion's fiscal revenue.

Where did Cao Guang get such a fine thing?

"Seventh-grade spirit wood... even an ordinary woodcarving master might not be able to wield a knife on it, ordinary carving knives cannot even outline it; perhaps the carving knife itself needs to be of divine weapon material?"

Li Che took a deep breath; this wood base is likely something Cao Qingyuan treasures.

Taking it to the prefectural city would be too valuable; the divinity contained in the spirit wood, if carved into a divine wood sculpture, would likely be enough for Cao Qingyuan to cultivate until death.

Besides that, there are also many ninth- and tenth-grade spirit woods, which are considered ordinary, and there are also many of the Blood-Flesh Red needed to make Bodhi blood tears.

As a woodcarving master, Li Che truly felt gratified by this harvest.

It was not in vain for him to close Cao Qingyuan's eyes, letting him rest in peace.

Li Che continued his inventory, but there weren't many more surprises.

Two bottles of medicine, each containing two pills of Ninth Grade Lower Dàjǐng Qīntiān Furious Black Flood Dragon Blood Martial Pill, likely wholesaled from the Qīntiān Supervisorate.

For Li Che, this is not a bad harvest; at least he need not worry about cultivation pills.

Indeed, while taking inventory of the harvest, it can wash away all fatigue from one's body.

Li Che happily inventoried; although the various martial arts manuals were not high in rank, their quantity was great, making the inventory process joyful.

Just like counting banknotes, even if they are five-dollar notes, counting them makes one's heart blossom, after all they are money.

"This is..."

Suddenly, a golden-skinned booklet appeared in Li Che's hand.

"Dàjǐng Town Temple Supreme Jade Lotus Meridian Divine Meridian Method"!

Li Che could no longer suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Xuan Meridian Method, Divine Meridian Method... now they're all gathered!"

Putting away the booklet, Li Che's mind stirred, and within his Qiankun space, another treasure was spat out again.

…

【Divine Weapon (Eight Extremes Lower): Xuan Lei Jia Ang Bow】

【Craftsmanship: Hundred-year Xuan iron, hammered a thousand times and refined a hundred times; using the blood of the Xuan Lei Jia, mixed with the Divinity of Anger, then tempered in blazing fire a thousand times and refined a hundred times, enabling connection to the 'Divinity of Anger', a strong bow, one piece, arrows emerge as the Xuan Lei Jia!】

【Wield: Divinity of Anger Law, Divine Foundation Initial Stage and above】

…

"Eight Extremes divine weapon? No wonder as the lord of a city, his foundation is indeed deep, backed by the court, indeed it's different."

Li Che exclaimed in admiration.

His Liulü Blood Piercing Startle Spear is only a Ninth Radiance Upper Grade, yet Cao Guang actually treasures an Eight Extremes grade divine weapon!

"Why then didn't he use a divine weapon earlier?"

"Oh... he didn't have time to use it, and was killed in a trap."

Li Che clenched his five fingers around the jet-black Xuan Lei Jia Ang Bow, faint electric arcs crackling on it, as if a bottomless pit, seeking to draw the divinity from the inner vision of the cinnabar field.

"Archery... I have learned the 'Hundred Ghosts Resentful Wind Thunder Arrow', but the divinity doesn't quite match; perhaps I need to find another archery method."

Li Che thought, then put the great bow away.

Continuing the inventory, the old master of the Xu family and Cao Qingyuan's Qiankun jade were inventoried together, but there wasn't much gain.

Although Cao Qingyuan is a Divine Foundation cultivator, his 'pocket money' is not much, making him the poorest Divine Foundation Li Che has ever seen.

However, Li Che found a stack of letters in his Qiankun jade.

He glanced at them casually, and the more he looked, the graver they became.

"Jinguan Prefecture... Qin clan? Golden Split Sect?"

"Cao Qingyuan actually has a mother in the prefectural city? And she's even a lady from a prestigious clan there?"

"Golden Split Sect? Besides the Divine Sect's branch in the prefectural city, are there other sect forces?"

Li Che's heart trembled slightly as he examined the letters closely.

Most of the letters were sent by Cao Qingyuan's mother, and there were also ones Cao Qingyuan had written but not sent.

After reading them once, he found that Cao Qingyuan's mother's words were full of concern.

"If I killed Cao Qingyuan, will his mother come looking for trouble?"

"However, Cao Qingyuan was killed by the ox demon, it has nothing to do with me, Li Che..."

Li Che exhaled, put away the letters, and continued his inventory.

Old Master Xu is somewhat wealthy; overall comparable to the old master of the Yang family, but he lacks a divine weapon.

As for the Python Blood Martial Pill, there are several bottles, totaling over thirty pills, a considerable amount.

"Nine Radiations Contemplation Flow Sword Divine Foundation Method", "Contemplation Controlling Sword Technique", "Contemplation Willow Wood Body"...

Li Che's eyes gleamed as he looked at the three method classics.

The longed-for divine foundation method of "Thought Divinity" was finally obtained.

After the divine foundations of Anger and Shock, he could now forge another divine foundation.

"Eh? The four great clans of Feilei, the An family moved en masse, the 【Hundred Turns Worry Dream】 divine foundation method fled, but the Si family's divine foundation method… I don't have it."

Li Che suddenly realized he still hadn't mastered the divine foundation method of the Angry Cry Suppressing Ghost Divinity.

It seems gathering the seven emotion divine foundations is still a long and arduous task.

"Don't worry, cheer up, there are many big and small clans in the prefectural city..."

Li Che cheered on the ox demon.

After tallying the harvest, Li Che took a piece of wood, began to grip the carving knife and carve; while carving, he also let his heart, which was restless from the abundant harvest, calm down.

……

……

In the following days, the journey became stable.

Because he had contacted the caravan to travel together, Qian He, as the escort head, was very responsible, and also had some reputation on the route; the safety of the routes he had arranged was much higher than ordinary wild roads.

The journey was very boring and dull.

Li Che didn't feel that way, because he had too many things to keep him busy.

After all, the harvested divine essence pieces were too many; Cao Guang and Cao Qingyuan's divine essences were both Anger Divinity, and Li Che's 【Three-Eyed Furious True Lord Divine Foundation】, at a high rank, could devour them all, nurturing the origin and solidifying the wheel.

Besides that, Li Che was also studying the Meridian Method from the official Dàjǐng.

Once qi and blood are nourished to their peak, he will begin to break through.

Each day, on the carriage he cultivates divine essence; off the carriage he practices martial arts, bringing Xixi and Zhang Ya along to train together, tempering the body.

Zhang Ya's martial practice during this period had already achieved great success in skin-tempering; her martial talent is not bad, Li Che estimates that perhaps without even reaching the prefectural city, Zhang Ya could achieve perfection in skin-tempering and begin to open the meridians.

This little Xixi seems never to feel bored; every day she has new curiosity about things.

Escort Head Qian He and many of the people in the traveling caravan get along extremely well with Xixi, and they really like this lively and lovable little child.

"Jinguan Prefecture is located in Yúnzhōu; Yúnzhōu governs four prefectures; the orthodox Qian Yuan Divine Sect sits in command of the Lingnan Circuit, and Jinguan Prefecture is administered by the sect's branch."

"Within Jinguan Prefecture there are many forces, but the most famous are still the Five Great Divine Appearance Clans, as well as the Five Great Prefecture City Sects!"

The campfire leaped, reflecting the firelight shooting up to the sky.

During breaks from their journey, the people sat around the campfire and chatted.

Qian He, a native of the prefectural city, drank alcohol while telling everyone about the situation in the prefectural city.

"May I ask, Escort Head Qian, which are the Five Great Clans?" After Lao Chen toasted Qian He, he asked.

Li Che held Xixi and listened attentively from the side.

"Qin, Gong, Hai, Shangguan and Gongsun are the Five Great Divine Appearance Clans of Jinguan Prefecture City; each clan has a Divine Appearance Elder Ancestor seated in command, and their ancestors once held high position and great glory in the orthodox Qian Yuan Divine Sect! They are absolutely not to be underestimated!"

"As for the Five Great Sects, they are also closely related to these Five Great Clans."

Qian He drank heartily, ate meat in big mouthfuls, and while eating and drinking he said:

Li Che rubbed Xixi's head, his eyes narrowing: "Escort Head Qian, isn't Jinguan Prefecture administered by the branch of the Qian Yuan Divine Sect? How come there are other sect forces?"

"Hahaha, Master Li, many people have asked this question; the sect's branch is indeed powerful, but the sect's orthodox headquarters is located in Lingnan Circuit, that is where the sect's authority extends; the various prefectures under it have branches set up, but they are more just a signboard..."

"One prefecture's territory is not small; how could the sect's branch swallow it all? Therefore they dispatch it out, allowing other forces to also have a share; only mutual benefit can bring harmony."

"Moreover, behind these sects there may well be the imperial court's hand pushing them, in order to check and balance the sect."

Qian He, having traveled south and north, actually knows quite a few secrets.

Chatting all the way, Li Che also formed a big impression of Jinguan Prefecture; it seems Jinguan Prefecture is not dominated solely by the sect's branch.

The Qin clan, the Golden Split Sect, and also the Corpse God Sect...

Especially the Corpse God Sect.

Li Che exhaled; for his family, Jinguan Prefecture is not very safe.

The carriage jolted continuously, but as they approached the prefectural city, the road became increasingly smooth.

On the official road, the number of carriages also increased.

Even occasionally one can see multiple caravans bumping into each other.

Inside the carriage.

Li Che sat quietly with eyes closed, his qi and blood surging outward forming a layer like flowing garments; inside, like a furnace, he refined the last trace of medicinal potency of the Angry Black Flood Dragon Blood Martial Pill from the Dàjǐng Imperial Observatory.

Boom——!

After the medicinal potency was completely refined.

The Meridian Method circulated, qi and blood surged through the body's meridians, forming a meridian network more complex than the Small Heavenly Circuit.

Li Che suddenly opened his eyes, the elastic clothing on his body suddenly inflated, like a balloon.

Countless qi and blood surged forth; the qi and blood garment originally attached to his body actually unfurled like lotus petals.

Prison Lotus Meridian...

He exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi.

Li Che's internal qi and blood returned to calm; the superior Prison Lotus Meridian Method...

The inner qi cultivated from the meridians has indeed become tremendously tough!

Just as Li Che was preparing to properly experience the meridian inner qi...

The originally tranquil caravan suddenly became agitated; the neighing of the fine horses echoed incessantly, and even the calmly traveling carriages began to jolt.

Li Che lifted the curtain and walked to the carriage's shaft.

The coachmen and escorts were desperately trying to calm the horses.

"Master Li, under normal circumstances, ahead is the most terrifying Guiyi Miao outside Jinguan Prefecture City; the horses get frightened each time they pass, but after being calmed for a while, they're fine after this stretch."

Qian He saw Li Che get out of the carriage and hurriedly smiled and said:

Li Che heard the words, his heart stirred.

He raised his gaze and looked.

Then he saw in the distance, several towering mountains stood majestically, the rushing river water wound through the mountains, spreading all the way toward the distant prefecture city.

And in the great river, countless currents split apart.

A majestic temple towered above it, as if causing the sun and moon to lose their light, the heavens and earth to lose their color!

Li Che merely glanced at it from afar, and felt the 【Chess Saint】 Dao Fruit violently throbbing in his chest.

Among them, the eight divine temple deity chess pieces condensed from the Flying Thunder Guiyi Miao were trembling wildly.

Li Che tapped the ground with his toes, arms spread wide, qi and blood surging forth, like a sparrowhawk leaping out in an instant, he sprinted continuously along the riverbank for several li.

Finally he stood upon a rock.

Across the surging, roaring river, he gazed upon the Guiyi Miao standing in the river!

His hand suddenly turned jade-colored.

He gently probed into the turbulent river water.

The river water imbued with divinity slapped his palm, bursting into splashing water droplets.

Yet the feedback from the Thousand-Split Hand appeared before his eyes.

【Guiyi Miao (Four Sovereigns)】

【Eight-Armed Hell Lotus Wrathful Third Prince Guiyi Miao】

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(End of Chapter)