Chapter 225: Facing the Martial Saint, the Jade Masked Assassin's Identity Revealed, My Daughter Tur

Chapter 225: Facing the Martial Saint, the Jade Masked Assassin's Identity Revealed, My Daughter Turns Five 【Seeking Monthly Votes】

The spring rain fell steadily, pattering on the black tiles like the ticking of a clock.

Old Chen, brushing his teeth under the eaves, abruptly stood up.

From a distance, he glanced over, and a look of concern appeared on his aged face.

The Temple Warding Commandery?

And not just any, but the one in Dao City!

It was well known that the Temple Warding Commandery established in a major Dao City by the court had the dual purpose of suppressing the Strange Temple and countering the Divine Sects.

As such, the Temple Warding Commandery in Dao City was by no means an ordinary force.

Far beyond the capabilities of the Jin Guang Prefecture's Dao City.

They were truly a formidable power, almost on par with the Heavenly Origin Divine Sect Orthodoxy, despite some differences in their foundation. However, the Temple Warding Commandery envoys sent by the court were all top-notch experts.

Inside the house, Zhang Ya emerged, her dark brows furrowed in worry, and hurried over.

"Husband?"

Li Che raised his hand and gently patted her shoulder.

"It's nothing. Envoy Xie has some business with me, so I'll just go with him."

Li Che said with a gentle smile.

His demeanor was calm, showing no signs of anxiety or concern.

"As a second-rank guest minister of the Imperial Astrology Bureau, I previously participated in an activity organized by the Bureau to observe the Strange Temple's Deity. Perhaps it's just a coincidence that the Strange Temple disappeared afterward..."

Li Che's tone was calm, reassuring his wife.

Xie Jing looked at Li Che with admiration.

After all, most cultivators invited by the Temple Warding Commandery would feel anxious.

The Temple Warding Commandery was a terrifying place for cultivators, specifically established to deal with the Strange Temple, and was filled with powerful experts.

Once involved with the Temple Warding Commandery, even a minor incident would be difficult to escape from.

Li Che's calm and composed demeanor immediately dispelled Xie Jing's doubts.

Before coming, Xie Jing had indeed harbored suspicions.

After all, some coincidences were just too coincidental.

Could it be that Li Che had encountered all these coincidences?

The two Strange Temples that Li Che observed during the Deity observation had mysteriously disappeared, vanishing from the mortal realm. How could one not make connections?

"Envoy Xie, let's go."

"The innocent have nothing to fear," Li Che said, his ink-colored robe fluttering in the wind, a gentle smile on his face.

Xie Jing sincerely admired him and said, "Please."

After patting Zhang Ya's shoulder to reassure her, Li Che left the Incense Alley with Xie Jing, boarding the Temple Warding Commandery's carriage. They broke through the slanted spring rain curtain, heading towards the Temple Warding Commandery.

Inside the carriage, a boiling water kettle, filled with early spring's tender tea leaves, two or three green tea tips curled up in the cup, unfurling like a lazy stretch in the hot water.

The transparent tea gradually tinted with a green hue.

Xie Jing and Li Che chatted, mostly about the events in Jin Guang Prefecture City.

Coming from the same prefecture, they shared a closer relationship.

"The Temple Warding Commandery in Jin Guang Prefecture will soon have a new commander appointed by the court. After this Strange Temple's Deity Resonation, the Eight-Armed Wrathful Third Prince's Strange Temple will likely enter a period of calm. The next time it erupts, the situation might be quite serious."

"Perhaps, I might be reassigned to Jin Guang Prefecture then," Xie Jing said with a smile after taking a sip of tea.

"Oh? You think the Strange Temple of the Third Prince in Jin Guang Prefecture will have a major eruption?" Li Che asked, puzzled.

"It's inevitable. Compared to the other Four Supreme Strange Temples, the Third Prince's Strange Temple appeared within a shorter time frame. Every Supreme Strange Temple will experience a major eruption..."

"That kind of eruption... The Imperial Astrology Bureau's divine strategist grand supervisor calls it 'Deity Resonation,'" Xie Jing explained.

"Every Four Supreme Strange Temple has experienced this. Before the 'Deity Ascension,' the Four Supreme Strange Temples aren't too dangerous, even with the spread of divine essence contamination, it's still within controllable limits."

"That's why, for the Third Prince's Strange Temple, neither the Divine Sect nor the court has sent powerful experts. But when the 'Deity Resonation' begins, the Deity revives from death, Jin Guang Prefecture might become the center of the storm..."

"There will definitely be more than one Divine Embryo Great Deity or powerful cultivator appearing then," Xie Jing said softly.

He leaned back against the carriage's soft cushion, a solemn look in his eyes.

"And..."

"I feel the Third Prince's Strange Temple in Jin Guang Prefecture is different from the other Four Supreme Strange Temples..."

"I've trained in the Strange Pavilion of the Eight-Armed Wrathful Third Prince's Strange Temple in Heavenly Origin Dao City..."

"Whether it's the Strange Temple suppressed by the Heavenly Origin Divine Sect or the one suppressed by the four great families, Su, Zhou, Yun, and Zhong..."

"None of them gave me the fear that the Third Prince's Strange Temple's Strange Pavilion did."

Xie Jing held his sword, his eyes showing a hint of distraction.

"It was a full moon night. I didn't even enter the Strange Pavilion, but outside the mystic fog, I vaguely sensed... countless terrifying existences, like a procession passing by."

"That slight hint of their presence made my divine essence and blood flow impossible, such terrifying rank oppression..."

Xie Jing said softly.

"I don't know if it was a mistake, but I know... it's not fake."

Xie Jing said solemnly.

"But after that, I've never seen that 'Gods' Parade' again."

"The Temple Warding Commandery in Dao City also sent a Unity of Heaven and Man expert to investigate, but... they found nothing."

"They said I might have had a sword illusion, but I know... I didn't mistake it."

Xie Jing's voice lowered.

He just wanted someone to confide in, it seemed.

Li Che fell silent.

He couldn't help but think of the scene he witnessed within the mystic fog, the Star Snatching Eye's vision.

This chapter is part of a thrilling tale, where Li Che and Xie Jing's conversation takes a surprising turn.

"It's somewhat similar to what you mentioned, Sir Xie, about the 'Divine Parade of the Gods,'" Li Che thought. "But..."

The ones parading aren't gods, but...

Endless demons and monsters!

Li Che didn't respond to Xie Jing, his face even revealing a hint of shock and surprise.

"Sir Xie, your words are truly frightening," Li Che said.

Xie Jing was taken aback and gave a bitter smile.

"Master Li, just consider it as my babbling," Xie Jing said.

The carriage rumbled along, and the spring rain crushed the puddles, reflecting like mirrors.

The carriage arrived at the grand headquarters of the Temple Warding Commandery in the vast land of the Primordial Dao City.

Like the Temple Warding Commandery in Jin Guang Prefecture, or perhaps all over, the layout was similar, with buildings arranged in a neat and orderly manner.

Within each building, numerous Temple Warding Commandery officials were busy processing documents and recording information gathered from various places.

Xie Jing led Li Che through the Temple Warding Commandery headquarters, paved with dark green stones.

Soon, they reached a majestic and imposing building deep within the headquarters.

"Please, Master Li," Xie Jing said, gesturing for Li Che to enter.

Li Che nodded and stepped into the building.

Xie Jing bowed respectfully towards the interior of the building and then closed the vermillion doors.

As the doors closed, it seemed even the light was cut off.

The hall inside was vast and spacious, filled with bookshelves made of Spirit Wood. The shelves were adorned with countless books.

Li Che glanced around, and they were all related to the Odd Temple.

"Are you here?"

Suddenly, from behind a bookshelf, a middle-aged man in a gray cloth shirt emerged, his black hair tied back with a military rope, exuding vitality.

The man was very scholarly, and he gently blew away the dust from the books in his hands.

He waved at Li Che with a friendly gesture.

"So, you're Master Li Che?"

"Please, take a seat."

The middle-aged man smiled gently, and there was a unique sense of calmness about him.

However, the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit in Li Che's chest began to throb violently! It was as if he wasn't facing a scholarly and amiable middle-aged man, but a terrifying bloodthirsty monster! A powerful Blood Flesh Vajra!

Extremely strong, incredibly powerful!

Li Che's physical Grand Elixir in his dantian suddenly throbbed, but he controlled the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit, maintaining the speed of his blood flow without significant changes.

A Martial Saint?!

Is he a Martial Saint?!

Li Che's heart trembled.

The middle-aged scholar before him was a Martial Saint?!

Li Che wasn't sure, but for him to have such a strong reaction...

Even the Three-Flower-Opening Yu Li Qing didn't give him this level of oppression.

The middle-aged scholar flipped through the books, seemingly sensing Li Che's tense attitude, and a strange color flashed in his eyes.

He smiled and said, "No need to be so nervous... I just came to chat with you. After all, you're a second-rank guest minister of the Imperial Observatory, and although you're not an officially appointed official, strictly speaking, you're still a colleague of mine."

"I, the governor of one of the two governorates in Primordial Dao City, am Yu Wen Wenlong."

Li Che sat in the wooden grandmaster's chair.

"Do you know that the two Odd Temples you visited have mysteriously disappeared?"

The middle-aged scholar asked while flipping through ancient books.

Although his gaze didn't fall on Li Che, an invisible pressure filled the air.

Li Che shook his head.

His response was tight-lipped.

He believed that Yu Wen Wenlong wouldn't find any clues, and as long as he didn't admit it, no one would know it was his doing.

Indeed, wasn't the disappearance of the Odd Temples a great thing?

Li Che maintained an honest and obedient demeanor.

In reality, Yu Wen Wenlong's powerful Divine Perception had been locked onto Li Che, but he didn't detect any abnormalities.

After a moment, Yu Wen Wenlong closed the ancient book, and his gaze finally fell on Li Che.

However, Yu Wen Wenlong didn't answer Li Che's question.

"Alright, Master Li, you can go back now... The disappearance of the Odd Temples, you were present both times, it might just be a coincidence."

Yu Wen Wenlong bid farewell to Li Che.

Li Che stood up and bowed.

"Then I wish Governor Yu Wen Wenlong an early resolution to the case and the capture of the culprit behind the disappearance of the Odd Temples."

Yu Wen Wenlong smiled and nodded slightly.

Li Che left the building, and Xie Jing was already waiting outside.

They waited until the figure disappeared into the misty spring rain.

Yu Wen Wenlong, dressed in a gray scholar's robe, finally broke eye contact.

"Li Che..."

"It's not him."

"His aura is too weak... His physical body is strong, and he's hiding his cultivation, but it's only the Grandmaster's later stage..."

"And his Divine Essence doesn't have the aura of those two Temple Gods..."

Yu Wen Wenlong lightly tapped his fingers on the table.

As for whether Li Che could hide his cultivation from Yu Wen Wenlong...

Yu Wen Wenlong smiled, thinking that it would be disrespectful to himself.

He opened a book, which recorded Li Che's life from his time as a mover at a woodcarving shop in Thunder City.

"In just four short years... From a small family's woodcarving shop in a small city to becoming a second-rank guest minister of the Divine Observatory?"

"Skilled in mechanism creation, and gave birth to a purple-aura thousand-foot godly child, gaining entry into the Divine Sect's inner sect, in just four years, climbing from a small city to the Dao City."

He picked up a wolf-hair brush and dipped it in thick ink.

His eyes deepened, filled with a penetrating wisdom that seemed to see through everything.

Then, next to Li Che's name, he slowly wrote two words.

【Hellhound】

...

...

Xie Jing sent Li Che back to Liuxiang Lane.

"Sir Xie, do you know what cultivation level Governor Yu Wen Wenlong is at?"

Before parting, Li Che asked curiously.

Xie Jing laughed, "Do you feel like everything is seen through by his Divine Perception?"

Li Che nodded, not denying it.

Yes, his Divine Perception was too strong, and Li Che had to use the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit to leak some blood essence, revealing his cultivation level from the Grandmaster's initial stage to the later stage.

"The Governor General's martial arts are formidable... He's not weak, a Divine Embryo Great Deity."

Xie Jing spoke mysteriously, leaving it at that.

"If martial arts can battle Divine Embryos, then he must be a Martial Saint..." Li Che's eyes flashed with realization.

This was his first encounter with a Martial Saint.

Indeed, it was terrifying. The energy he exuded was too vast, like a massive avalanche of Divine Essence Grandmasters and Divine Essence Chess Pieces, all exploding simultaneously.

Most importantly, Yuwen Wenlong was able to suppress and contain this immense energy within his body without any leakage, and he could control it successfully.

How terrifying and powerful!

This was Li Che's first face-to-face encounter with a Martial Saint. Even in a state of restraint and non-combat, the Martial Saint exuded a bone-chilling aura.

"Can't beat him... No way I can beat him..."

Li Che exhaled, feeling overwhelmed.

"If even a newly ascended Martial Saint like Yuwen Wenlong is this terrifying, how much more so would a Martial Saint like Ji Mo Li be, who has reached the pinnacle of the Martial Saint realm and is also a Divine Embryo Great Deity and a vassal king?"

A strong sense of crisis suddenly enveloped Li Che.

He hadn't seen a Martial Saint, like a frog at the bottom of a well gazing at the moon.

After seeing a Martial Saint, Li Che realized he had underestimated their power.

Previously, at the Strange Temple of the Third Prince, within the Strange Palace, during the resonance of the temple deity, Li Che had shattered the Martial Saint will hidden within the bloodline of the Ji Hai Association. This had given Li Che the illusion that Martial Saints weren't that formidable.

Li Che slapped his face.

"This world is dangerous. My previous observation from the well was not thorough enough; I need to change my approach."

"I must treat every enemy with grand courtesy."

Glancing at the hazy spring rain, Li Che turned and entered the courtyard.

...

...

The spring rain fell on the black tiles, like drops on a cracked copper bell, creating a continuous pattering sound as it shattered into pieces.

Time slowly passed as the spring rain stained and shattered the tiles.

Ever since the day the Temple Administration Bureau took Li Che for investigation and found nothing, he hadn't continued his observations as a guest official of the Bureau of Astronomy.

However, Li Che didn't give up on summoning the temple deity of the Strange Temple.

After all, according to Li Che's cultivation plan, his Seven Emotions Divine Foundation needed to transform into a Divine Form, and the best way to do that was through summoning temple deities.

So, Li Che didn't give up; instead, he chose a different path, opting for a more stable and discreet approach that no one could discover.

Although Li Che no longer observed temple deities, the Bureau of Astronomy still organized guest officials to do so, as only by observing temple deities could the woodcarving masters improve their skills.

Li Che could then hide the Flying Thunder Chess Pieces on the guest officials who were about to enter the Strange Temple.

Once they entered, Li Che remotely controlled the chess pieces to drop and hide within the temple.

It was like planting a seed.

Additionally, Li Che was constantly dropping chess pieces.

Like an experienced chess player, he carefully laid out his moves.

He chose all Seven Elements Strange Temples, and he hid the Flying Thunder Chess Pieces in all five of them.

After about half a month, Li Che would enter one of the Strange Temples late at night, discreetly performing the summoning ritual.

Life went on in this manner, following a well-organized routine.

Li Che visited the Divine Crane Ridge once and asked about the elder's assessment time. The elder, seeing Li Che's youth, almost drove him away.

If it weren't for Li Che presenting Elder Jiao's jade pendant, the elder might not have even given Li Che a chance to speak.

This made Li Che realize the importance the Divine Crane Ridge placed on experience.

No wonder Elder Jiao said it would be a bit challenging for Li Che to become an elder...

He would have to compete with many woodcarving masters from various places, all with decades or even centuries of experience.

How many years had Li Che been learning woodcarving?

Naturally, he wasn't favored, but the elder respected Elder Jiao's token and received Li Che, telling him they would notify him in advance when the elder's assessment began.

So, Li Che's chances of quickly obtaining access to the Divine Sect were slim for now.

Fortunately, Li Che could take Zhang Ya to see Xi Xi whenever it was late and quiet.

At first, the Heavenly Dao Essence Plaque at the mountain gate would sense Li Che's presence and react slightly.

Later, the plaque became so accustomed to Li Che's comings and goings that it stopped reacting.

Zhang Ya could see her daughter every day, so she didn't miss her as much and focused more on her martial arts and divine essence cultivation.

With Li Che's abundant resources, Zhang Ya's cultivation progressed smoothly.

As time ticked by, Li Che immersed himself in cultivation, and his life became more disciplined.

He exchanged the previous enemy's generous gifts for a Five Elders Divine Crystal called Blood Thunder Crystal Dragon Bone Wood and several Six Ministries Divine Crystals from the Bureau of Astronomy.

After obtaining the wood, Li Che began crafting the Blood Sun Nine Deity Vajra Ape, a six-stage upper-rank mechanical beast from the Golden Light Prefecture City's Prefecture Lord Tang Sanjia's Tang Mechanical Beast Essentials!

But this was a massive undertaking.

The entire mechanical beast had 139,872 mechanical parts, and each part required manual polishing and crafting by Li Che.

Moreover, each part demanded extreme precision! Additionally, the beast required the arrangement of the Mechanical Beast Nine Seals, with 10,000 parts needing the seals, in the correct sequence, and the seal marks couldn't be wrong.

Fortunately, Li Che had the Immortal in the Painting Body Split.

He activated the body split and started working diligently!

Besides crafting the mechanical beast, Li Che also struggled to refine the Divine Monkey Divine Form, which had been severely beaten by the Ape God Divine Form and remained quite resilient. Li Che found it challenging to refine it, as if an invisible force in the abyss was hindering his refinement.

Li Che persevered, using the Black and White Extreme Collapse to bombard it daily.

Slowly, he broke through the ice-cold seal of the Corpse God Seal and began refining it.

Every day, Li Che diligently practiced his martial arts, nurtured his Divine Essence, crafted his mechanical beasts, and dealt with the Corpse God's mark...

The days were extremely fulfilling!

Li Che, during this time, didn't even go to eradicate the Corpse God's evil followers hiding in the Primordial Dao City.

There was no need, as they would be easily suppressed once he completed the refinement of the Corpse God's Seal. All the Corpse God's evil followers...

Seeing them was like seeing the Corpse God himself, an overwhelming sense of rank oppression.

Li Che could easily suppress them with his superior rank.

When the time comes to eliminate them, it will be effortless, without causing too much of a stir.

The days in the Dao City were peaceful, and the vast city was like a giant machine, constantly operating.

The days passed by smoothly.

As spring passed, summer arrived, and when the cicadas sang their last, autumn came.

The maple leaves tinted the clouds at the horizon red, and the chilly air from the north brought a sense of impending winter.

The sky was filled with flurries of snow.

The cold wind howled, piercingly bone-chilling.

In the Primordial Dao City, there was a Strange Temple of Seven Elements under the Su family's jurisdiction.

Li Che clenched his fist, accompanied by the falling snow.

He appeared in the Strange Temple, where the white candlelight flickered, turning green in an instant!

There was a female Temple Deity holding a flower basket, sitting on the altar with a dignified yet sinister air.

"The Temple Deity of Sorrowful Divine Nature..."

Li Che, wearing a conical hat and an Ox Demon mask, lifted his hand to gently brush off the snow that had fallen on his black robe.

The next moment, his body suddenly expanded, and one by one, nine ferocious, trembling dragon tendons appeared on his back, like the color of a red-hot branding iron, his exposed skin resembling finely forged steel.

With a snap of his fingers, a crisp sound rang out, like the roar of a thunder dragon.

A staff entwined with azure lightning arcs flashed and spun in the air, eventually landing in Li Che's hand.

"Pa!" With a sound, Li Che gripped it.

Holding the one-armed Profound Gold Eight Treasures Thunder Dragon Staff, Li Che's body was robust and muscular. Even the thick, black hair under his conical hat began to grow wildly.

"Ascending the Temple!"

The Temple Deity's Divine Form emerged from her Divine Nature and merged into Li Che's body.

The Temple Deity on the altar seemed to come alive, erupting with murderous intent and engaging Li Che in combat.

Li Che's lips, hidden behind the mask, curled up in a smile, and thirty Five Element Divine Auras surged forth.

The staff's shadow spread like a peacock's tail!

Primordial Heaven-Filling Staff! The air currents were pierced and shattered, and the violent aura raged!

The explosive Qi and blood were like a boulder thrown into a lake, spreading in layers, and the raging air currents intertwined! Moments later, this Temple Deity was swiftly defeated by Li Che.

Using the Summoning Deity technique, he pulled her into the Heaven and Earth Chessboard.

Roar——!!!

The Strange Temple began to shake and roar, the walls shattered, and the rubble exploded. A huge, dark finger pierced through the strange fog and strange mist, fiercely pointing downward!

The extreme anger was like rolling thunders, washing over everything.

However, Li Che had already disappeared without a trace.

Outside the strange mist.

A figure moved with extreme speed, tearing through the air and landing on the edge of the swirling strange mist.

Yu Wen Wenlong, dressed like a scholar, had a solemn expression.

"Another one..."

"Another Strange Temple, gone from the mortal realm."

"Who is it?!"

"The sixth one!"

Yu Wen Wenlong exhaled.

The Su family's powerful cultivators arrived, their faces grim.

"This is the fifth Strange Temple of Seven Elements under our Su family's jurisdiction... gone!"

"Who is it? Why are they targeting our Su family like this?!"

Yu Wen Wenlong glanced at the Su family cultivators.

"You Su family, think carefully... Could it be that you've offended someone?"

After speaking, Yu Wen Wenlong tore through the strange mist and entered, but the Temple Deity's Divine Nature had already dissipated, and the temple was empty.

...

...

In the Primordial Dao City, in the Fragrant Alley.

In a small courtyard workshop.

Li Che returned with his fist clenched, the air currents surging, blowing away the snow that had accumulated in the courtyard.

"The seventh Temple Deity... Summoning Deity successful."

Li Che didn't even remove his conical hat; he sat on the ground in the courtyard.

"The seventh Temple Deity, the Sorrowful Divine Form, is ready!"

Li Che's heart stirred.

The next moment, he raised his hand and touched his mud pill between his eyebrows.

A powerful storm-like Divine Nature emerged from his mud pill, spreading out! The female Temple Deity, restrained by the Divine Nature shackles, was slowly pulled into the last round of the Seven Emotions Divine Foundation.

This female Temple Deity had initially wanted to resist.

But Li Che directly summoned the Divine Forms of the other six Temple Deities to stare at her.

The female Temple Deity gave up struggling and chose to gracefully enter Li Che's Divine Foundation.

The vast Divine Nature, like a boiling river, surged around Li Che, stirring up a fierce wind howl.

Li Che slowly opened his eyes, his black robe and ink-colored shirt fluttering in the wind.

Li Che's robust hair danced wildly.

Li Che raised his hand, and his five fingers pressed down forcefully.

In an instant, all the Divine Nature returned to his mud pill between his eyebrows, sinking without a ripple.

The entire courtyard fell silent.

Everything became incredibly quiet.

Only the white snow on the roof remained, making a soft patting sound.

Li Che turned his palm upwards.

A cold snowflake landed on his palm, melting into transparent water from his scorching Qi and blood.

Li Che clenched his fist.

A smile curved his lips.

He looked up...

At the snowflakes falling from the sky.

He remembered that year, when the snow was heavy.

He had received news of his wife's childbirth while holding a frozen fish.

"Another year of snowflakes falling from the heavens."

"My Xi Xi..."

"Is five years old."

Seven thousand words, finally finished before twelve o'clock, seeking monthly votes, seeking pursuit votes, seeking reading! Good news, our collection has broken 100,000, although the growth is getting slower, but we still managed to break 100,000! Unfortunately, our regular subscriptions are only 8,000, everyone, help Old Li to reach 10,000 subscriptions! Old Li thanks you!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end