Chapter 109: Super Wealthy, Eight Extremes Divine Crystal!

Chapter 109: Super Wealthy, Eight Extremes Divine Crystal!

Crack!

As dark clouds rolled and lightning serpents danced, Zhang Lianhao sensed the surge of the Devil Ox's aura and instantly burst forth from the Temple Guard Service building, displaying his Illusory Form prowess and swiftly traversing the distance.

When he arrived, he saw the towering figure, its golden-smoke eyes flowing with indifference, giving him a fleeting glance.

It seemed unafraid and unconcerned about his presence.

Zhang Lianhao narrowed his eyes.

He was an official, and the Devil Ox... was a thief!

Astonishingly, it showed no fear, even releasing its aura as if waiting specifically for him!

After appearing, it immediately plunged into darkness and shot away, seemingly disregarding the Temple Guard Service and acting provocatively.

Although the Devil Ox's golden-smoke eyes revealed no emotion, its actions were undeniably provocative.

"He knows the Temple Guard Service is investigating him... so he's showing off his fearlessness? After killing, he still provokes, truly a lawless rogue..."

Zhang Lianhao's expression remained stoic. He lightly tapped his toes, and his body soared like a goshawk, gliding over the courtyard below, which resembled a hellish scene.

Landing on the long street, he pursued.

The Devil Ox... daring to appear and even taunt the Temple Guard Service.

Zhang Lianhao wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

With his Illusory Form cultivation and Martial Dao prowess reaching the Advanced Stage Grandmaster level, his Martial Arts and Divinity were both formidable. Although he couldn't compare to the old masters of the Five Great Clans and Sects in Golden Light City, he stood at the pinnacle.

Boom!

The spring breeze instantly turned scorching, and his robust Vital Energy seemed to burn like a furnace within his body, causing his True Qi to rage uncontrollably. He landed on the long street, and in an instant, numerous afterimages trailed behind him.

But he soon halted, for he had lost his target.

"What an advanced breath-concealing technique!"

"I can only lock onto him with my naked eye, even if I release my Divine Perception, I still can't sense his whereabouts. After a corner, I lost sight of him and couldn't catch up."

Standing on the long street, the spring breeze gently stirred, and willow trees swayed gracefully.

Zhang Lianhao clutched his silver tiger-head spear, but a sense of frustration and anger welled up inside him.

"Devil Ox..."

He slightly lowered his head, imprinting the adorable ox mask in his mind.

He didn't continue the pursuit, for it was futile.

Returning to the Million Gamblers' Den, the Temple Guard Service's Divine Enforcer had already arrived, sealing off the gambling den.

Zhang Lianhao stood atop the black-tiled roof, gazing into the distance down the long street. The sound of horse hooves clattered on the wide street.

A group of soldiers clad in dazzling golden armor approached, with two leaders riding at the front and about forty to fifty armored soldiers following behind.

"Golden Light City's Divine Guard Army..."

"They're quite fast, I rarely see them this efficient."

Zhang Lianhao glanced at them, gave a cold laugh, and gestured to the Divine Enforcer below before leaping into the bloody courtyard.

His gaze immediately fell upon the corpse of the Cursed Iron Corpse, nailed to death.

"The Ten Districts Corpse God Envoy of the Corpse Deity Sect, who cultivated the Cursed Iron Corpse, has been killed... even though it's difficult for those below the Grandmaster level to defeat, I can't sense his whereabouts. After a corner, I lost sight of him and couldn't catch up."

Zhang Lianhao sheathed his silver tiger-head spear.

He narrowed his eyes, scanning the surroundings, where thick death energy mingled with the scent of blood.

He recognized the headless corpse beside him as the second master of the gambling den.

"Enhanced with the Corpse Curse Seal of the Ten Districts, all the warriors in the courtyard were influenced by the Corpse Curse Seal... they couldn't resist the temptation."

"The Corpse Deity Sect's infiltration is indeed pervasive. The temptation of the Corpse Curse Seal is too great..."

Zhang Lianhao sighed.

Even renowned Grandmasters who had long achieved fame couldn't resist this temptation, choosing to join the Corpse Deity Sect. How could these warriors, who had lost hope of breaking through, not be enticed?

"The Devil Ox... is indeed ruthless and venomous, and his abilities are formidable. With such a lineup, he killed everyone alone, including a Cursed Iron Corpse..."

"The Cursed Iron Corpse is a headache even for Grandmasters. After all, they are extremely durable, with bodies like fine iron."

"But..."

Zhang Lianhao examined the Corpse God Envoy's corpse, his eyes slightly narrowing, because... this Corpse God Envoy was completely shattered by a terrifying and unmatched force!

That power...

Seemed to have reached the Initial Stage Grandmaster level!

Zhang Lianhao took a deep breath. According to Zhang Xiangyang's intelligence, this Devil Ox... when he first appeared in Thunderstrike City three years ago, was only at the Bone Tempering and Sinew Strengthening level.

Three years... and he's a Grandmaster?!

"Not necessarily a Grandmaster, but he possesses Grandmaster-level power, combined with Divinity..."

Zhang Lianhao probed and essentially confirmed the Devil Ox's method.

"Using Divine Crystal powder to restrict the Corpse God Envoy's Divinity, forcing him to rely solely on physical strength, resulting in a crushing defeat..."

"It shows that the Devil Ox's Divinity is relatively weak... thinking of using Divine Crystal powder as a means of combat is indeed as sinister and cunning as Zhang Xiangyang described."

"But being able to cover the entire courtyard with Divine Crystal powder... that's quite extraordinary."

Zhang Lianhao couldn't help but think of the Devil Ox's mechanism that shot down Qin Yuqing from dozens of miles away. This Devil Ox... also possesses such a skill.

Both of them, acting without restraint and killing without hesitation.

They are both lawless rogues.

"Hey, interesting." Zhang Lianhao laughed. After all, he wasn't the one with a headache. Although the Temple Guard Service handles these trivial matters, they focus more on the affairs outside the city's three strange temples.

But lawless rogues, killing without restraint, are a headache for the Divine Guard Army, responsible for maintaining order in the city.

"The Devil Ox... is a talent, and such talent should join the Temple Guard Service."

"Additionally, we can confirm the Devil Ox's identity isn't Li Che... Shi Lei and Hong Yong just sent a message that they personally saw Li Che starting his daily routine at the Celestial Surveillance Agency."

"The Celestial Surveillance Agency is over ten miles away from the Million Gamblers' Den, and Li Che also has a solid alibi... people can't just teleport, right?"

Zhang Lianhao completely dismissed his suspicions about Li Che.

Zhang Xiangyang's speculation about Li Che was just a guess, and he naturally didn't fully believe it, relying on his own judgment.

Now that he has confirmed...

Li Che is definitely not the Devil Ox!

One person can't be in two places over ten miles apart at the same time...

...

...

Celestial Surveillance Agency.

Treasure Tower.

Li Che removed his hat and black robe, changing into the Celestial Surveillance Agency Guest Scholar's uniform, smoothing out the creases. He teleported to the anchor point he left at the agency.

Even after returning to the Celestial Surveillance Agency, Li Che still retained his 【Dragon Elephant Vajra】

The Dao Fruit's ability to suppress one's aura was pushed to its limits.

After all, there were powerful individuals within the Celestial Surveillance Agency, and if he didn't conceal his aura, it might attract the attention of those with ill intentions.

For instance, Gong Yunli and Gong Yanglian, who were in charge of the Guest Scholar examinations, were both formidable cultivators, not inferior to the Senior Enforcer Zhang Lianhao of the Temple Guard Service.

The Illusory Visionary Realm was a vague boundary between the Divine Foundation and Divine Appearance Realms.

Strictly speaking, it could be considered the Divine Appearance Realm, as one could manifest a divine appearance, albeit a bit blurry, and its power was still inferior to a true Divine Appearance, lacking in pressure.

In addition to the cultivators, there was also a Director and two Deputy Directors in the Celestial Surveillance Agency, who were undoubtedly at the level of Divine Appearance Ancestors! Although these Divine Appearance cultivators wouldn't casually sweep their divine perception, Li Che felt it was always better to be cautious.

Maintaining the Sleeping Dragon Ox's aura-suppressing state made it difficult for divine perception to detect him, ensuring he wouldn't draw attention upon entering the Celestial Surveillance Agency and maintaining his alibi.

"The Suspended Thought Willow Wood Body I obtained from Old Patriarch Xu's hands can be learned, allowing me to create willow wood clones and better establish my alibi."

Li Che smiled, his eyes flashing. He thought of a secret divine cultivation technique.

His cultivation in secret divine techniques was relatively slow, so he hadn't delved into this secret method.

Dispersing the Sleeping Dragon Ox, Li Che calmly entered a cozy pavilion heated by a warm stove.

Shangguan Qinghong still had her crystal-clear feet exposed, squatting on a chair while nibbling on a salted chicken leg and reading a romance novel.

"Brother Li is here?"

Shangguan Qinghong suddenly lifted her head and looked at Li Che, her nose twitching slightly.

"I smell blood? Where have you been, Brother Li?"

Shangguan Qinghong asked.

Li Che was startled, his heart racing. Could she even smell that? You're a dog, Qinghong!

"I went to the Temple Guard Service... You should have heard about the matter in Thunderstrike City."

Li Che sighed.

Shangguan Qinghong's eyebrows relaxed upon hearing this. So, he went to the Temple Guard Service...

That's fine then. Going to such a place and getting covered in blood is normal.

"Qinghong, about the task I took on last time, I've finished carving the wooden sculpture. You can contact the customer and let them come to collect the divine wooden sculpture."

Li Che said.

Shangguan Qinghong nodded, then looked at Li Che with a smile: "Brother Li, you took quite some time to carve this wooden sculpture, half a month to complete it. It took some time."

"It's my first business, so I had to establish a good reputation. I'll speed up in the future."

Li Che smiled and gave a simple explanation.

After bidding farewell to Shangguan Qinghong, he headed towards his assigned workroom.

The Celestial Surveillance Agency provided workrooms for each Guest Scholar.

Even higher floors had specialized rooms of better quality for alchemy, wood carving, armory, and talisman crafting, which could be rented using Divine Crystals.

Li Che was so broke that he couldn't afford this expense.

Upon reaching the workroom area, he saw other Guest Scholars. Li Che noticed a master armorer who had rented the armory room, wearing a short robe and revealing a well-built physique.

The armorer seemed to acknowledge Li Che with a slight nod.

There was also a talisman crafting room, where a handsome bearded Guest Scholar was making tea. He smiled and nodded at Li Che's gaze.

The relationship between Guest Scholars wasn't too bad, as they might all be potential clients.

Entering his workroom and locking the door, Li Che activated the Heavenly Chessboard to shield himself from detection.

Although divine perception wasn't used for probing within the Celestial Surveillance Agency's workrooms, being cautious was a necessary trait for survival. One should always be prepared for the unexpected.

Sitting in the chair, Li Che exhaled and his eyes gradually turned cold.

"The Corpse Deity Sect..."

How vicious! They were indeed targeting his daughter, Xi Xi.

"Also, the Corpse Curse Seal I suppressed with my Chess Sage Dao Fruit was of the Eight Extremes level... No wonder I couldn't eradicate it."

Li Che sighed, his heart sinking slightly. Being targeted by a massive organization like the Corpse Deity Sect was definitely not a good thing.

The Corpse Deity Sect was unlike the sect families in Golden Light City, as they wouldn't be intimidated by the Divine Sect's authority.

"There's a member of the Corpse Deity Sect in the Million Gamblers' Den, and the Black Snake Gang that was watching my family at the alley entrance?"

"Or perhaps their superior force, one of the three major gangs in the city, the Fishermen's Gang?"

"And the second-in-command of the Million Gamblers' Den... He wasn't there today, but I'll have to find an opportunity to eliminate him. Cutting the grass means removing its roots."

Li Che's eyes turned icy, and he slowly closed them, his entire body exuding a dense killing intent.

After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes, his killing intent gradually subsiding.

These forces were targeting his daughter, so he, Li Che, would target them.

As long as he eliminated them before they made a move on Xi Xi, her safety would be guaranteed.

"There's not much I can do as a father... I can only help you get rid of some worm-like things."

His heart stirred, and two Heaven and Earth Jade tokens appeared before him.

One was from the Ten District Corpse God Envoy of the Corpse Deity Sect, and the other was from the second-in-command of the Million Gamblers' Den.

"It's been a long time since I received such generous gifts."

Li Che's heart was filled with mixed emotions.

After arriving in the city, he had indeed become more well-behaved. He hadn't had the chance to obtain gifts from killing Qin Yuqing or the gray-faced spy from the Qin family.

His heart ached at the missed opportunities.

Killing without taking the corpses felt like ants crawling on his body.

Calming himself, Li Che began to inspect his loot. Breaking the restrictions on the Heaven and Earth Jade tokens, he could see their contents clearly with his divine perception.

First, Li Che inspected the possessions of the second-in-command of the gambling den.

Three thousand silver bills, a hundred gold leaves, and a pile of loose silver coins—Li Che couldn't be bothered to count them.

Additionally, there was a middle-tier Divine Pulse cultivation method and a Divine Vein cultivation method...

Several weapons, but they were all ordinary iron weapons, unappealing to Li Che, who had used divine armaments before.

No martial pills... quite regrettable.

But what truly excited Li Che was...

Among the second-in-command's collection were two Ten District Divine Crystals!

"Not bad, it's not as pathetic as I imagined."

Li Che finally showed a satisfied smile. Although two Ten District Divine Crystals weren't many, it was still a harvest.

In terms of wealth, this second-in-command couldn't compare to the Divine Pulse old patriarch of the Thunderstrike City family, but the two Divine Crystals made up for the difference.

Continuing his inspection, Li Che opened the Heaven and Earth Jade of the Corpse God Envoy.

Unlike the wealthy second-in-command, the Corpse God Envoy's Heaven and Earth Jade contained money, but Li Che immediately searched for Divine Crystals...

"I hit the jackpot..."

His eyes lit up, and with a thought, ten Divine Crystals emitting a faint white glow appeared!

Among them was an Octagonal Divine Essence Crystal, which made even Li Che, who had reached the Divine Chess Sage level, feel a sense of suffocating pressure.

"An Octagonal Divine Essence Crystal!"

Li Che's eyes widened in shock. Could this Ten District Corpse God Envoy possess an Octagonal Divine Essence Crystal?

(End of Chapter)

"Isn't it...

The Ten Districts Divine Envoy has such a background?"

"Perhaps... this Octagonal Divine Essence Crystal has a great use for the Corpse God Envoy?"

Li Che contemplated.

But regardless of its use, now...

This Octagonal Divine Essence Crystal now belongs to the Li family!

Thank you, Divine Envoy Big Brother, for your gift!

Together with the two crystals from the Second Master, there are now eleven Ten Districts Divine Essence Crystals and one Octagonal Divine Essence Crystal!

Not counting the Octagonal Divine Essence Crystal, the total is almost more than his four months of salary!

Indeed, working for others won't make you rich!

Li Che's mood soared, and the Divine Essence Crystal could save him a lot of time in maturing his Pure Heart Dao Fruit.

As long as the Pure Heart Dao Fruit reaches maturity level 3, he can awaken the Incipient Divine Ability of the Pure Heart!

This is the third Incipient Divine Ability that Li Che will master!

"The background of this Divine Envoy is indeed extraordinary, far beyond what a common gang leader under the Fishermen's Gang can compare to..."

"Additionally, this Corpse God Envoy from the Corpse Deity Sect has likely just infiltrated the Million Gamblers. These Divine Essence Crystals, especially the Octagonal Divine Essence Crystal, might be related to the Corpse Deity Sect's plans."

"With one Octagonal Divine Essence Crystal and eleven Ten Districts Divine Essence Crystals, can I use them to raise my Pure Heart to level 3?"

"If it's not enough, there should be more Corpse God Envoys in the Golden Light City..."

Li Che lowered his gaze, playing with the Octagonal Divine Essence Crystal that exuded a strong sense of divinity and a suppressed aura. He took a deep breath.

The Corpse Deity Sect is not a good thing...

At least I'm doing this for the people.

Aside from the Divine Essence Crystals, the Corpse God Envoy's other collections were much simpler.

There was a divine weapon, a long sword emitting an extremely icy cold aura.

...

【Divine Weapon (Ten Districts High-Grade): Ice Bone Corrosion Sword】

【Craftsmanship: Forged from century-old ice iron, mixed with the blood of the "Corrosion" demon, and infused with the Six Desires Body-Touch Divinity. After being tempered in the ice-cold spring water, it can channel the Body-Touch Divinity. When unsheathed, it can freeze and corrode.】

【Mastery: Six Desires Body-Touch Divinity Technique, Cultivation Level River or higher】

...

A high-grade Ten Districts divine weapon, but unfortunately, it requires the Six Desires Body-Touch Divinity to wield.

For Li Che, it's a useless item.

"I'll sell it later and exchange it for Divine Essence Crystals." Li Che didn't hesitate, after all, divine weapons weren't cheap. He directly stored it in his Heaven and Earth Jade space.

Aside from the divine weapon, there was also a pill, a pitch-black pill emitting a strong death aura.

Li Che immediately used his Thousand Analysis Hands to stimulate it.

"A high-grade Nine-Tier Martial Pill... Corpse God Ten Thousand Ghosts Death Qi Condensing Martial Pill. After taking it, the death aura will invade the body, and through the pain of tempering, it can break free from restraints. It's usable."

"This is for those Corpse Deity Sect cultivators who practice Corpse Curses!"

Li Che's brows furrowed.

After confirming that the pill was fine, just that its properties might be different from ordinary martial pills, Li Che turned his attention to cultivation methods.

There were two books related to divine cultivation methods: 《Six Desires Body-Touch Corpse Nourishing Technique》 and 《Six Desires Body-Touch Corpse Divine Foundation Technique》.

Li Che glanced at them and put them away. He didn't plan to cultivate the Six Desires Divinity for now.

Firstly, he hadn't even perfected the Seven Emotions Divinity, and cultivating the Six Desires Divinity might be too much to handle.

Moreover, the Six Desires Divinity Techniques had a stronger evil nature than the Seven Emotions Techniques, so Li Che decided to be more cautious.

Aside from the divine cultivation methods, there were also divine martial arts!

《Corpse God Death Smoke Finger》 Nine Stars Divine Martial Art!

After cultivation, the fingers would be surrounded by death aura, as deadly as poison.

What a vicious martial art!

Li Che narrowed his eyes slightly but calmly flipped through the pages.

After reading for a while, with the support of the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit, his martial arts talent had already allowed him to grasp the basics of the Death Smoke Finger.

Although it was challenging to condense death aura, it wasn't a big problem since Li Che had the Death Qi Martial Pill. So, this martial art... he could still practice it.

Without further cultivating martial arts, Li Che's mind stirred.

A radiant light shone from his pupils.

【Dao Fruits: Dragon Elephant Vajra (lv3, 15%), Pure Heart (LV2, 24%), Chess Sage (LV2, 15%)】

The maturity levels of the Dao Fruits had all increased significantly.

The Dragon Elephant Vajra, after a battle, had increased by 2%, not much, but at least there was progress.

The Pure Heart didn't change much, but the Chess Sage Dao Fruit had grown considerably.

This was likely because of the sudden absorption and condensation of the deceased cultivators' divine chess pieces.

However, the increase was quite ordinary, and reaching level 3 seemed like a distant dream.

"If I could go to the Strange Temple and absorb the Temple God's divinity, condensing it into Temple God Divine Chess Pieces... the maturity level would probably increase significantly."

"In this battle, for a quick resolution, I used up one Temple God Divine Chess Piece. Now, I only have six left..."

Li Che sighed.

Temple God Divine Chess Pieces... each one was precious, and to enter the Ascension State, they were needed as fuel.

"I need to find an opportunity to visit the Strange Temple..."

"But the Strange Temples in the city are guarded by the Temple Guard Service's experts, and with the Enigmatic Obstacles blocking the way, it's not easy to enter..."

Li Che suddenly missed the Temple God statue outside the Flying Thunder City, which he had rubbed bald.

"Forget it, out with the old, in with the new. There will always be new Temple Gods waiting for me..."

Li Che muttered.

Then, clearing his mind of distractions, he took out the Octagonal Divine Essence Crystal.

In his chest, the Pure Heart Dao Fruit suddenly began to throb violently, and a powerful suction force erupted from within.

The faint white divinity contained within the Octagonal Divine Essence Crystal was frantically devoured by the Pure Heart Dao Fruit.

Li Che abruptly opened his eyes, and his pupils trembled with shock.

The Pure Heart Dao Fruit's maturity level was rapidly soaring.

2%, 2%, 2%...

Almost with each breath, the maturity level increased, and this speed was far beyond Li Che's imagination.

Li Che realized...

He might have underestimated the divinity contained within the Octagonal Divine Essence Crystal.

---

End of Chapter

Chapter end