Chapter 98

Eight-Armed Prison Lotus Furious Third Prince Guiyi Miao!

Li Che looked at the information fed back by the Thousand-Analysis Hand, and on his pupils, faint streams of light seemed to flicker.

But he couldn't help but take a deep breath!

Four Sovereigns Guiyi Miao!

Four Sovereigns rank!

What rank is the Guiyi Miao in Fēiléichéng, I wonder……

Seems it's only Ten Cities rank, far from the Four Sovereigns…… that's heaven and earth apart!

Li Che's brows furrowed involuntarily as he felt the rushing, roaring river, as if its divine nature had made it scalding hot, his qi and blood stirring slightly throughout his body.

Such a temple god's divinity…… if harvested into a pawn, then activated with the Ascending Tower state.

He'd probably burst from overfilling, right?

Li Che quickly calmed down; he was never one to let emotions rule his head, and after a brief thought, he had made up his mind.

Although the divinity of the temple god of this Four Sovereigns-rank Guiyi Miao is indeed tempting to him…… but he must plan slowly, not act too hastily.

A Four Sovereigns-rank Guiyi Miao is absolutely not comparable to the Pit God whose bald head he rubbed in the Ten Cities-rank Guiyi Miao of Fēiléichéng.

The divinity of a Ten Cities-rank Guiyi Miao is equivalent to the Divine Foundation level……

What level do the Four Sovereigns correspond to?

Divine Aspect? Divine Origin? Or perhaps even higher, the Divine Fetus?

Li Che took a deep breath, but his emotions could not settle for a long time…… mainly because, once an idea takes root in a person's heart, it spreads like vines, continually extending and enveloping the whole heart.

"Four Sovereigns temple god's divinity is dangerous, dangerous…… but if there is a chance to enter this Guiyi Miao, we should still seek an opportunity to try; who knows, we might succeed?"

Ambition rose in Li Che's heart.

Of course, more importantly, careful planning; if the planning is proper, even just plucking a single divinity pawn would be enough to become his trump card.

Besides……

Li Che's brows furrowed, and a cluster of flowing fire seemed to flicker faintly in the depths of his eyes.

Eight-Armed Prison Lotus Furious Third Prince…… he always felt that this temple god's name was somewhat familiar.

Li Qingshan had told him before, that deity who leads a tiny divine dog, wields a three-pointed double-edged blade, and has a vertical eye in the forehead……

Now there is also the Eight-Armed Prison Lotus Furious Third Prince……

"The myths of two lifetimes…… seem to be overlapping; coincidence or……"

Li Che felt his brain about to explode, and dared not delve too deeply into it.

"Forget it; I am now too insignificant…… when the sky collapses, there are taller people to hold it up; I now…… just need to protect my wife and daughter, and guard my daughter as she grows up slowly."

Li Che didn't linger long by the river; a light tap of his toes sent his body soaring, and he returned to the convoy.

"Daddy, why didn't you bring Xixi when you went to play in the water?"

Xixi poked her head out from Zhang Ya's embrace, pouting her little mouth, quite unhappy.

Li Che rubbed their head.

Chen Lao beside him gave Li Che a doubtful glance, wondering why this kid reacted so strongly to seeing a Guiyi Miao.

"A Che, you must hold reverence for the Guiyi Miao; do not, out of so-called curiosity, probe into things you cannot bear."

Chen Lao said earnestly: "You are now a father; you must think for your child and wife."

Li Che heard this, nodded, and knew Chen Lao meant well.

Big-headed Lü Chi beside him shrank his head, behaving so obediently it was almost unreal.

Seeing Li Che's curiosity and excitement toward the 【Furious Third Prince】 Guiyi Miao, his heart gave a jolt, and he hurriedly kept a low profile.

This guy is utterly vicious, daring to bring his three-year-old daughter to exterminate a family—a truly ruthless person.

Escort Head Qian He glanced at Li Che in surprise; the skill Li Che just revealed in his fleeting stunning appearance was not inferior to his own as a martial artist who had achieved great accomplishment in the Six Transformations of Blood Exchange.

This Master Li hides his depths well.

But that's normal; after all, he is a woodcarving master, so having some foundation is normal.

"Escort Head Qian, that Guiyi Miao……"

"That is, the most terrifying Guiyi Miao outside Gold Light Prefecture, a Four Sovereigns-rank Guiyi Miao that has not been subdued; it is said to have been established for five hundred years……"

The Divine Sect's branch offices, the imperial Court's Temple Garrison Bureau, and the Bureau of Astronomy have all dispatched strong individuals to station in Gold Light Prefecture, so as to constantly monitor the situation of this Guiyi Miao, prevent the temple god from undergoing aberration, and stop evil calamities from spreading a thousand li.

Qian He's knowledge of this Guiyi Miao's situation can be considered encyclopedic.

Mainly, whenever outsiders come to Gold Light Prefecture, they ask about it; after answering so many times, it has become muscle memory.

"Master Li's curiosity is also normal; outsiders in this lifetime rarely get a chance to see a Four Sovereigns Guiyi Miao……"

Qian He laughed.

Suddenly, he turned serious: "Master Li, curiosity is curiosity, but don't get too close; the temple god's divinity possesses extremely strong infectious and bewitching power—once the heart and mind are drawn in, entering the Guique, one's life could be more than half gone."

"Fortunately, the Third Prince is located in the extremely perilous center of the Nine Dragons River, where ordinary people simply cannot approach."

"The Guique of that Guiyi Miao has already taken shape; once approached, being swallowed by the Guique, even a Grandmaster Divine Aspect would have no return."

After Qian He finished speaking, he suddenly broke into a grin: "The Third Prince's Guiyi Miao being here actually makes our Gold Light Prefecture proud—after all, among the four prefectures under Yúnzhōu, only our Gold Light Prefecture has a Four Sovereigns-rank Guiyi Miao."

Li Che's mouth twitched; what's there to be proud of?

Such a dangerous matter……

However, Qian He became interested, and Li Che was happy to learn about the Guiyi Miao, so the two chatted along the way.

……

……

Setting out from Fēiléichéng to Guangfu Prefecture City, the total time taken was half a month, mainly because they followed the merchant convoy with stops and starts, not rushing at full speed.

The scorching sun hung high, dispelling the winter's lingering chill.

Noon.

The horse‑carriage convoy arrived at the gate of Golden Light Prefecture City.

The majestic, towering city sat upon the earth, like a terrifying giant risen from the ground.

The Nine Dragon River surged without cease, splitting off a branch that flowed through Golden Light Prefecture City, like a long blade dividing the city in two.

Under the sunlight, the branch river water showed no ferocity, its ripples sparkling like scattered crushed gold; gazing far, one could see large ships dotting the scene, sails raised as they vied for passage.

Rumor had it that this tranquil, gentle branch of the great river was opened up by a legendary prefect of Golden Light Prefecture in ages past, drawing the river into the city to carve a convenient route for Golden Light Prefecture's water transport.

This measure changed not only Golden Light Prefecture's water transport and livelihood.

It also diluted the divinity of the Nine Dragon River and sent it into Golden Light Prefecture City, bringing a great boost to divine cultivators.

As the water vapor evaporated, the thin divinity merged into the air, increasing the divine concentration; for divine cultivators, it practically became a blessed land for cultivation.

The walls of Golden Light Prefecture City were extremely broad, standing at the city gate; looking left and right, the walls stretched into a hazy distance, impossible to take in at a glance.

Within the encircling walls of the prefecture city, a cyan peak rose from within the city, like a subdued outer wall, enclosing this mountain's azure peak inside.

"Wow! Dad, it's so huge!"

Xixi poked her head out from the carriage, blinking her big eyes, and exclaimed.

Not only Xixi, even Li Che felt a slight shock in his heart; after all, the impact of this ancient city's towering walls is still quite strong.

Far beyond what Flying Thunder City could compare to.

After paying the entry fee, the caravan entered the outer city of the prefecture; though called the outer city, it was actually far more spacious than the inner city of Flying Thunder City, with a broad bluestone road wide enough for ten carriages to travel side by side, shops lining both sides in orderly rows, goods displayed, dazzling and abundant.

Li Che felt as if he had stumbled from a chaotic, war‑torn end of an age into a prosperous, flourishing world.

But he knew this was merely an illusion.

Cities like Flying Thunder City are many; a slight touch of the strange influence released by the Strange Influence Temple is enough to overturn a city.

Even if those in power of a city harbor a little corrupt thought, the people cannot make a living.

Under Yun Prefecture, there are only four prefecture cities.

Moreover, beneath the facade of any prosperous city lie unknown squalor and chaos; we have only just begun to come into contact with it.

Qian He was very enthusiastic, perhaps because Li Che is a woodcarving master, his attitude extremely eager.

After entering the prefecture city, he also led Li Che's group to find an inn.

The inn is not high‑class, but it's fine as a temporary lodging; Li Che didn't mind either, although he is now quite wealthy, his financial resources comparable to those of a great clan.

"Escort Chief Qian, could you do me a small favor? We are unfamiliar with the prefecture city, having just arrived, and we plan to reside here long‑term, so I ask Chief Qian to help us find a place to live."

Li Che took a silver ingot weighing ten taels and stuffed it into Chief Qian's hands.

"Master Li, you're too polite; I'll take care of it," said Old Qian.

Qian He laughed heartily, without embarrassment, took the money, clasped his fists, and then left.

After the group settled into the inn, Old Chen could not sit still.

"I'll go out for a stroll to inquire about the Divine Sect's branch‑entry examination for Xixi..."

"There are still two or three months until the branch‑entry examination; why rush?" Li Che said, holding Xixi, smiling.

"Then I'll go ask what rivals Xixi has… this is important."

"Although Senior Qing Shan guarantees Xixi's top‑grade spirit‑child talent can enter the branch, once inside the branch there are still ranks of three, six, nine—outer door, inner door, and supposedly a core true transmission..."

"My little stinky Xixi will surely enter the core true transmission!"

Old Chen hung a wine gourd at his waist, grinning and giving a thumbs‑up.

Li Che couldn't refuse him, so he went along.

……

……

Time flows like sand between the fingers, slipping away through the gaps.

That is the passage of one month.

Golden Light Prefecture City.

Outer City, Listening Flower Lane.

A three‑opening small courtyard.

Winter has passed, yet the early spring chill remains biting; the spring cold freezes people, still making them wrap their clothes tightly.

Under the peach tree at the courtyard's center, Li Che sits quietly, clad in black martial attire, letting the piercing early‑spring wind strike his body.

He slowly opened his eyes; a faint rising heat emanated from his body, as if raising the temperature of the whole courtyard.

In his eyes, a glimmer of light flashed past.

……

【Name: Li Che】

【Bond: Li Nuanxi (daughter)】

【Dao Fruit: Immortal Craft (lv3, 48%), Dragon Elephant Golden Body (lv3, 13%), Immaculate Mind (LV2, 18%), Chess Sage (LV2, 3%)】

【Divine Ability Embryo: Immortal Craft·Thousand‑Analysis Hand, Dragon Elephant Golden Body·Ascending the Tower】

……

The transformation of the Dao Fruit as a whole is still considerable.

Besides this month, Li Che entered the prefecture city but remained law‑abiding, after all he was a newcomer, keeping a low profile.

Thus he spent his time cultivating, carving woodwork, constructing mechanisms, improving firepower, and so on, within the purchased courtyard.

With his improvements to the single‑shot "Wood‑Ferry Crow," using costly spiritual wood and infusing it with divinity, its power increased by a whole tier; now a single shot can kill a Yang‑nurturing‑like‑river cultivator.

A cultivator at the initial stage of Divine Foundation can be smashed apart by at most five shots.

Of course, because the materials for the improved "Spirit‑Wood Ferry Crow" are costly, the quantity produced is limited; Li Che has only six hundred shots in total.

Moreover, the progress of the Namu Immortal Artificer Barrett also increased; he used that piece of seventh-grade spirit wood 【Dragon Tooth Boxwood】 to craft the mechanism's body, combining the Bodhi Blood Tears and the Spirit Wood Ferry Crow, and the piercing power initially showed itself. Li Che tentatively called it the 'First-Generation Namu Immortal Artificer Bodhi Barrett'.

The completion of the First-Generation Bodhi Barrett allowed the Artificer Dao Fruit to directly reach 48% maturity, bringing it closer to LV4.

However, Li Che already felt the difficulty of improvement, and he increasingly yearned for the complete mechanism chronicle of the 'Tang Mechanism'.

After the 【Dragon Elephant Vajra】 reached LV3, its speed also slowed; even if he broke through the Profound Meridians, it only increased progress by a mere 10%.

To break through LV4, merely stepping into the Divine Meridians might not be enough; perhaps he needs to attempt becoming a Qi Blood Grandmaster to have a chance.

The 【Immaculate Mind】 and 【Chess Saint】 Dao Fruits, because he hasn't been killing much lately and thus hasn't absorbed divinity, have not increased much.

The 【Chess Saint】 Dao Fruit, after the 'Thousand Buddha Carving Banquet', because he absorbed too many divine chess pieces, its maturity broke into LV2. Li Che studied it and discovered that his speed of refining divine chess pieces had increased.

In just a month, his 【Three-Eyed Fury True Lord】 divine foundation, after refining the fury divinity of Cao Guang and Cao Qingyuan, completed the solidification of the wheel entirely; the divinity became stable, no need to worry about scattering.

A gentle breeze stirred, causing the leaves to rustle softly.

In the courtyard.

Xixi was playing with Chen Lao on the twist car, an old man and a little girl, having great fun.

Chen Lao always thought the twist car was boring; at his age, how could he play with a child's toy? But since coming to the prefectural city, when bored in his leisure, he got on the twist car, as if a new world's door had been opened……

He even personally made a twist car by hand, often competing with Xixi in driving skill.

In a corner of the small courtyard lay stone stumps, wooden posts, etc., for weapon practice; Zhang Ya wore white training clothes, her expression solemn, as she practiced martial arts and tempered her skin!

Boom——

While practicing martial arts, Zhang Ya suddenly felt her qi and blood flow accelerate, rushing into the skin, causing her complexion to flush reddish, becoming even tougher; her entire physique seemed to undergo a transformation.

Beneath her tender frame, large tendons seemed to writhe and tremble!

"Husband! I've opened the tendons!"

Zhang Ya panted heavily, her dark eyes suddenly brightening, she cheered and leapt with joy.

Li Che opened his eyes, came to Zhang Ya's side, raised his hand and touched her, a smile appearing in his eyes as he nodded in approval.

"Indeed, you have entered the tendon-opening stage, wife, you're excellent."

Receiving Li Che's praise, Zhang Ya pressed her lips together, unable to hold back.

Seemingly thinking of something, Zhang Ya tiptoed, leaned to Li Che's ear: "Tendon-opening successful; my fleshly body's endurance has greatly increased, husband can ease up a little…… tonight, please exert yourself……"

Li Che was speechless; what on earth is this little wife's head filled with?

Right after opening the tendons, the first thing she thinks of is this?

Really……

"Wife, I happen to have researched a few postures that help consolidate the tendon opening……"

……

……

In the pitch-black dungeon, an intensely bloody smell permeated, mixed with moldy, foul odors of all kinds.

A white wax torch was lit, its flame dim, illuminating the scene inside the dungeon.

Creak creak……

That was the sound of a rope bearing a heavy object, straining as it swung downward.

In the center of the dungeon hung a figure with both hands suspended, the white shirt covered in bloody whip marks.

His hair was disheveled; between his mouth and teeth, bright red blood dripped continuously, his nose bruised and face swollen, no longer resembling a human.

Before the figure stood an exquisitely carved master's chair; a beautiful woman in splendid robes sat upon it, covering her mouth and nose with a white embroidered cloth, her delicate willow-leaf brows furrowed, showing a hint of disgust and coldness.

"Fled from Fēiléichéng?"

"My son died in Fēiléichéng; you wretched thing, do you even deserve to live?"

The beautiful woman's voice was somewhat mad, as if she could not hold back her grief.

Thinking of the news from Fēiléichéng, the beautiful woman only felt the sky collapse; Cao Guang, that waste, died and that was that, but her son Cao Qingyuan actually also died in Fēiléichéng……

That was a piece of flesh that fell from her body after ten months of pregnancy!

Tears streamed uncontrollably from the beautiful woman's eyes; the whole dungeon seemed filled with the sorrowful sobs of weeping, like countless evil spirits crawling out of the gates of hell wailing.

The beautiful woman raised her hand; her long, fair fingers, adorned with nail polish, suddenly clenched.

Instantly, the bound Xu Beihu trembled all over; myriad divinity permeated the surroundings, and on his body, one after another infant‑shaped evil spirits released dense black qi, slowly crawling out from his thighs, armpits, behind his neck, and within his hair.

Xu Beihu's breathing grew heavy; a terrified low roar burst from his throat.

Countless flesh felt as if being gnawed, making his whole body tense, unable to stop spasming.

"I've said it…… I've told you everything I know……"

Xu Beihu suffered greatly.

His sense of smell was keen; upon learning that Xu Helü planned to sacrifice him and Xu You to assault the divine foundation, he fled.

He brought his family to the prefectural city.

As a result, not long after, Fēiléichéng suffered a great calamity, and the news that the city lord Cao Guang and the young city lord had died arrived.

He then felt he was doomed; wanting to escape but it was too late, and indeed the next day he was seized and thrown into the dungeon.

This venomous woman is none other than the mother of Cao Qingyuan residing in the prefectural city, the Third Miss of the Qin clan, Qin Yuqing.

"I know you've said it all…… but I just want to torment you; my son is dead, how can you escape? You still want to live a comfortable life? I'm not happy at all!"

The woman spoke with utter madness, her five fingers gripping tight; the little spirits grew ever more excited, tearing at Xu Beihu's flesh with increasing vigor.

After tormenting him for a while, the beautiful woman finally twisted her voluptuous waist and departed.

Just as she stepped out of the dungeon, the sunshine was brilliant, bathing the beautiful woman in an aura of dignified splendor.

A masked figure silently appeared before her.

"Have you found Zhang Xiangyang? And that ox demon…… any trace?"

The beautiful woman threw away the embroidered cloth; her lovely face was full of coldness.

Reporting to Miss, the demon ox's traces…… none for now, as if vanished from the human world, but that Flying Thunder God Constable Zhang Xiangyang already has a lead; after all, he is an officer of the Temple Suppression Office, and we originally thought that upon entering the prefecture city he would go to the Temple Suppression Office……

"I want results, not for you to tell me these irrelevant details!" the beautiful woman snapped.

"Go catch him! Zhang Xiangyang is the only divine cultivator who escaped from the lord's manor; I want to seize him, torture him—my son died so miserably, what right does he have to live?"

The masked figure fell silent.

The mad beautiful woman quickly calmed, her brows shifting: "Has the spirit child selected by Li Qingshan in Flying Thunder City already reached the prefecture city?"

"That useless man Cao Guang…… what kind of Thousand Infant Carving Banquet is this, yet he still let a top-grade spirit child escape? Is Li Qingshan protecting him? Before Li Qingshan even left, why did Cao Guang miss this spirit infant?"

The beautiful woman Qin Yuqing's eyes flashed with killing intent.

"Demon ox? Xu Beihu speculated that the demon ox might be the woodcarving master Li Che who came from Flying Thunder City……"

"According to the records, this woodcarving master has only just completed the blood-exchange stage of martial cultivation, his divinity is slight—how could he be the demon ox that can easily maul divine foundations? Moreover, Li Che's family left the prefecture city before the Thousand Buddha Carving Banquet……"

"By the way, is that spirit infant master still alive? To survive Li Qingshan's ram's horn hammer…… shows some skill—could he have killed my son?"

The beautiful woman closed her eyes; she had already gone somewhat mad.

Whether she opened or closed her eyes, all she saw was her son's blood‑stained face.

Her own flesh and blood.

After a long while, her willow‑leaf brows trembled slightly; when she opened her eyes, they were already filled with coldness.

"Top‑grade spirit child……"

"How could such a tiny Flying Thunder City produce a top‑grade spirit child, and yet Cao Guang actually let her slip through, allowing her to survive until Li Qingshan arrived?"

"A coincidence? How could there be so many coincidences in the world!"

"And that twenty‑two‑year‑old spirit child…… hahaha, what a ridiculous thing—obviously not serious at all."

The beautiful woman's vermilion lips and teeth seemed to be dripping with blood.

……

……

Having agreed with his wife Zhang Ya, tonight he will help her consolidate after opening the tendons.

Li Che then simply tidied up, left the courtyard of Listening Flower Lane, intending to first go to another property he had bought in the prefecture city—that is, the courtyard serving as his woodcarving workshop—to polish the newly finished "One Generation Nameless Immortal Craft Bodhi Barrett".

Afterwards he will go to a restaurant to order a table of fine food and drink, to properly celebrate his wife's breakthrough in opening the tendons, filling her emotional value.

Just after leaving the alley, he stepped onto the main street.

His steps hesitated slightly, he narrowed his eyes, and looked ahead.

In that moment, Big‑Head Lü Chi, accompanied by two men in coarse uniforms with Temple Suppression Office badges at their waists, walked toward him.

Huh?!

His demon ox identity…… has been reported?

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