Chapter 273: The Reawakened Spirit from the Nine Underworlds, Xixi, Don't Be Afraid, Daddy is Always

Chapter 273: The Reawakened Spirit from the Nine Underworlds, Xixi, Don't Be Afraid, Daddy is Always Here [Seeking Monthly Votes]



Ding— Ding—

Two consecutive chimes, resonating and lingering, shattered the spring rain into fragments.

The rippling shockwaves spread in concentric circles, as if crumpling the very air.

"The second round, the Mind Gate assessment, begins!"

Jiao Shaoqiu, as the host of the Sect Master's Direct Transmission Test, stood with a solemn expression, his ancient robe billowing in the spring breeze.

Crack! Crack!

In the sky, the clouds that had been descending suddenly rumbled with spring thunder.

However, the rain wasn't heavy, no longer a torrential downpour.

Beneath the White Jade Heavenly Dao Archway.

Sitting in a chair, Lu Tai Bai's face was calm, his eyes shimmering with flowing light. With a flick of his finger, a sword beam soared into the sky, stretching horizontally.

The sword light exploded in the air, splitting into ten, resembling ten agile sword dragons, swiftly piercing into the Minor Heavenly Realm.

In an instant—

Within the Minor Heavenly Realm, it was as if infinite currents of electricity were raging and intertwining. The sword light stretched horizontally, transforming into a lightning bolt across the sky, ready to bring forth clouds and rain.

Like a dragon emerging from the mist, its head raised, revealing a dragon head with flowing whiskers.

And within the Minor Heavenly Realm...

The jade-white heavenly staircase, towering with ten thousand steps, seemed to twist and shake like a dragon's spine coming to life.

Then, it transformed into a bone dragon, winding its way out of the netherworld, flying into the sky, and once again displaying its pre-death ability to fly and move through the earth.

In the sky, it circled and formed a loop, with the dragon's head biting its tail, creating a large ring.

The Founding Patriarch's Divine Eagle, which had been at the peak, suddenly leaped out and hovered right in the center of the bone dragon's large ring.

Ten Divine Children sat cross-legged on the Jade Steps.

Sitting cross-legged, they formed a circle, seated on the ground facing each other.

They could even look into each other's eyes.

Xixi also sat on the ground, her long eyelashes trembling as she slowly opened her eyes. This hour had been incredibly comfortable for her.

The Nine-Foot Dao Essence poured down upon her, reflecting within her Niwan Inner Vision, continuously cleansing and transforming her Hell Lotus Invincible Divine Foundation. That lotus-like Divine Foundation radiated an increasingly bright light.

The Divine Energy within the Minor Heavenly Realm was being frantically absorbed by her, enhancing and strengthening the power of her Divine Foundation.

Bathed in the pillar of Nine-Foot Dao Essence, Xixi felt her comprehension greatly improved, as if she had thoroughly understood some of the doubts within the Eight-Armed Three-Faced Hell Lotus Invincible Divine Foundation.

It was a sublimation of her innate talent!

With the Dao Essence upon her, it was as if she had divine assistance, analyzing and comprehending the very essence of heaven and earth.

The Divine Foundation's latter stage!

Xixi was delighted, feeling that her cultivation speed wasn't slow at all.

Normally, cultivating the Three Pure Divine Energy Law, the Eight-Armed Three-Faced Hell Lotus Invincible Divine Foundation, was an incredibly slow process.

Yet, in just one year, Xixi had cultivated this Divine Energy Law to the latter stage.

Of course, this was also thanks to the support and help of the Dao Essence's cleansing power!

Xixi's face beamed with joy, and she was incredibly happy. After eating the tea egg, her cultivation had broken through again!

Xixi, the Great Emperor, had grown stronger.

Xixi sat cross-legged on the Jade Steps, her hands clutching her feet, swaying back and forth like a tumbler on the steps.

Hey, she wouldn't fall, hey, she just couldn't be knocked down! Xixi was overjoyed.

As for the so-called Mind Gate assessment, Xixi didn't take it to heart at all, or perhaps...

She didn't realize the gravity of the situation.

Beside Xixi, not far away, sat Ao Qingqing, the Little Dragon Maiden, on her knees. At this moment, Ao Qingqing looked at Xixi with a bit of fear and hesitation.

She hadn't expected Xixi to directly claim first place by suppressing everyone else in the first round of the innate talent assessment.

This little girl, what a strange talent!

Her aunt had instructed her to do her best and win against Li Nuoxi.

Ao Qingqing thought that her aunt might have underestimated her talent compared to Li Nuoxi.

However, regarding the Mind Gate assessment...

Ao Qingqing gathered her courage, thought for a moment, but then deflated.

Her mind, most likely, wouldn't be much better than Li Nuoxi's...

Ao Qingqing, in the Dragon Deity Clan, had lived a carefree life, clothed and fed in the Dragon Palace, with everything taken care of.

Her father and mother would handle all matters for her.

So, Ao Qingqing felt that her mind, indeed, wasn't much better than Li Nuoxi's at five years old, both struggling to control their emotions.

A little further from Ao Qingqing sat the descendant of the Great Shaman's bloodline, Jin Taosui, with purple hair blowing in the wind. Jin Taosui's eyes glimmered as he looked at Xixi, this little girl, causing him to stare in surprise.

He had thought her talent was ordinary, struggling to even climb ten layers of the Jade Steps, but he hadn't expected her to be so vengeful.

In a short time, her talent had exploded, reaching a perfect limit, soaring to the peak of the Jade Steps, even catching the attention of the Heavenly Origin Divine Sect's Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster had opened his eyes, but Jin Taosui had misjudged her.

At the side of Ao Qingqing, sat the descendant of the Great Shaman's bloodline, Jin Taosui, with purple hair blowing in the wind. Jin Taosui's eyes glimmered as he looked at Xixi, this little girl, causing him to stare in surprise.

He had thought her talent was ordinary, struggling to even climb ten layers of the Jade Steps, but he hadn't expected her to be so vengeful.

In a short time, her talent had exploded, reaching a perfect limit, soaring to the peak of the Jade Steps, even catching the attention of the Heavenly Origin Divine Sect's Grandmaster.

The Grandmaster had opened his eyes, but Jin Taosui had misjudged her.

Yet, she never expected that this little girl... would suddenly rush forward and unleash a chaotic barrage of attacks!

The terrifying explosion mechanism, with its six metal tubes rotating and spewing fire, still instilled a sense of fear in Golden Monkey at this moment.

Grand Jing had two skilled mechanism masters from the Gongtu and Tang families, and Golden Monkey was no stranger to mechanism techniques.

After all, the several peerless mechanism beasts stationed in the Grand Jing court's passage to the spirit realm were extremely terrifying killing machines. In war, they were virtually invincible!

Golden Monkey dared not underestimate them, but besides the mechanism beasts, Grand Jing also had such formidable individual mechanisms.

Golden Monkey's eyes narrowed, and he stared at Xi Xi, his second concern... He had an advantage over this five-year-old girl. Their Great Shaman lineage had a tradition of tempering the mind, and he had endured the mental trials and tempering since childhood.

Therefore, Golden Monkey was confident in passing the mental trial and securing the first place!

One by one, the divine children sat cross-legged, their eyes glimmering with emotions, each unique.

They formed a circle, resembling a kindergarten game of catch.

Gong Shu Wen Tian, Gu He, Xuan Yue, Lu Qing Xuan, Ning Cai He, Yang Yi, Yun E, Zhou Peng, Tie Shan Cai, Lu Chi, Yue Ling Hu, Su Li, Ao Qingqing...

Along with Xi Xi and Golden Monkey.

In total, there were fifteen divine children.

The next moment...

Accompanied by the deep resonance of a bell, the floating sword energy suddenly rippled and exploded, like an ancient bell being struck.

It was as if a mysterious mist was rising from within the enigmatic mansion.

The founder's divine statue, floating in the air, extended its base, and billowing clouds emerged, resembling wolf smoke.

The clouds surged, like a monster choosing its prey, and in an instant, all the divine children sitting on the jade steps were enveloped by the clouds.

...

...

Under the white jade archway.

Spring thunder rumbled behind the clouds, and intertwined lightning snakes weaved like spider webs, appearing from time to time across the sky.

Li Che's body trembled slightly, as the thunder magnetic body was subtly drawn by the heavenly thunder.

However, he suppressed the thunder magnetic body, furrowed his brows, and looked at the round disk formed by the intertwining sword energy, and at the scene reflected within it.

In the scene...

Clouds swirled, and the figures were ethereal.

After the first round of talent screening, the remaining fifteen divine children sat cross-legged on the jade steps, which were like a dragon's spine forming a circular platform.

Each child closed their eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

Their brows furrowed from time to time, some showing pain, some with faces full of mixed emotions, and some with tears streaming down their faces...

Li Che didn't pay attention to the others, his gaze fixed on Xi Xi.

Xi Xi sat cross-legged on the ground, her entire face looking a bit confused and dazed, not knowing...

what she encountered in the mental trial.

The mental trial was like a dream-like test. Even with the flying thunder chess piece left by Li Che on Xi Xi, he couldn't intrude into her dream.

Everything depended on Xi Xi herself.

This was why Li Che knew he couldn't help Xi Xi with this second mental trial.

Li Che's fingers lightly tapped the armrest of the chair.

He couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

...

...

Xi Xi opened her eyes, rubbed them, and looked puzzled and lost.

She looked at the dilapidated beam above her...

The blurry memory of being three years old made her vaguely remember always seeing that dilapidated beam when she opened her eyes.

She felt hungry, and Xi Xi opened her mouth, but the sound that came out was a wailing cry.

She was startled by the sound.

It was the sound of a baby crying, and Xi Xi was flustered, but at five years old, she was already quite precocious, after all, her talent was exceptional, making her very different from ordinary five-year-old children.

However, at five years old, she realized that she was undergoing the second trial of the Heavenly Origin Sect Master's Direct Transmission Test.

But Xi Xi still felt inexplicably apprehensive. After all, she was just a child, and with a bit of fear, she started calling for her father and mother.

However, the sound that came out was the howling cry of an infant.

The crying sound disturbed the figure beside her, who picked her up and fed her something warm, which Xi Xi greedily sucked on, a warm flow entering her belly, filling her hunger and soothing her inner unease.

It was her mother's scent.

Xi Xi accepted the reality of returning to her younger self.

Days passed by in boredom, and Xi Xi lay in her crib day after day, eating and sleeping, playing with her chubby little hands when she was awake.

Her little feet kicked back and forth, calling for her mother from time to time, and playing with her mother's hair.

The old door was pushed open, and the wind and snow wailed as they poured in from outside, the cold air bringing in flurries of snow, causing the temperature raised by the burning stove to drop a few degrees.

Xi Xi realized she was picked up, and the pungent smell of wood filled her nostrils. Xi Xi finally saw her "father"! Compared to her real father, this father seemed much older, with a beard and messy hair, and his eyes showed hidden fatigue.

But his gaze towards Xi Xi was still full of familiar affection.

"This is my daughter!"

"Xi Xi, smile for your father!"

Xi Xi giggled.

In a cozy room, a father sits, eating a bowl of steaming noodles prepared by his wife, while carefully taking out his earnings from woodworking and handing them over to her. Their daughter, Xi Xi, lies in a cradle, blinking curiously at this unfamiliar scene.

Xi Xi, now almost a year old, has grown up quickly. She can walk independently and with remarkable agility. The neighbors have even given her the nickname "Spirit Child." But Xi Xi is more than just a gifted child; she is a prodigy! She feels something is amiss, as she hasn't seen Grandpa Chen or Uncle Xu, who were present in her memories.

One day, her father returns home in a panic, covered in sawdust and large snowflakes, his face frozen and blue from the cold. He frantically searches for Xi Xi as soon as he enters the house. "Wife, where's Xi Xi?" he calls out, his eyes filled with fear.

Her mother emerges from the kitchen, holding Xi Xi, and asks, "Husband, what's wrong?"

The father rushes over, takes Xi Xi, and she senses his tension and fear. Instinctively, she pats his back. "Daddy, don't worry, I'm here," she says, mimicking her father's usual words to her.

The father's voice is heavy with exhaustion as he speaks of their plans to move away from Flying Thunder City, a place they can no longer stay in. Xi Xi, confined to her room, longs for freedom and delicious food, finding the test tedious and boring.

She knows her father's current state is an illusion, a mere second stage of the Heavenly Origin Divine Sect Master's personal transmission test. It is a test of the mind. Xi Xi, aware of the deception, feels a sense of pain and unhappiness.

As night falls and snowflakes dance in the air, the family's room is warmed by a burning stove. Xi Xi lies in bed, nestled in her mother's embrace. The mother's hands, rough from washing clothes in the cold winter water, contrast with Xi Xi's memories. Xi Xi, unhappy with this situation, yearns to return to her previous life.

The father and mother, exhausted from their day's labor, fall into a deep sleep. Xi Xi, unable to sleep, crawls out of bed and sits, gazing at the paper-covered window. Outside, the howling wind and snow create a loud, eerie soundscape.

Through the window, a hunched, dark figure stands. A dark eye peers through the paper, fixing its gaze on Xi Xi as she sits up in bed. "Hehe..." a voice says. "Good child, Grandma is here..."

In a grand palace, blood flows. Lu Chi's eyes are cold, his body covered in blood, holding a sword. He defiantly lifts his head, looking at the majestic man seated on the golden dragon throne. This man holds the greatest power in the Grand Jing Court.

Lu Chi's eyes meet those of the man beside him, who has been scolding him since he can remember. But in this moment, Lu Chi sees a glimmer of appreciation in their eyes, as if only this display of ruthless determination is what they seek in a child.

Lu Chi grits his teeth, and in front of them, he cuts himself, knowing it's an illusion but feeling the intense pain as if it were real.

Perhaps this moment is the reality, and the life in Flying Thunder City, where he rides a tricycle with Xi Xi, is the illusion?

Happiness, is it just an illusion?

Lu Chi clenched his teeth, feeling that he should no longer shed tears, but as the flesh was stripped from his bones, his heart seemed to die completely, and tears streamed down his face.

Seated on the golden dragon throne, a majestic man watched this scene with satisfaction, gently patting his hands.

The mother showed no sign of pain, and instead, relief shone in her eyes.

The expressions of the two were reflected in Lu Chi's blood-covered eyes.

Lu Chi couldn't tell if he was crying or bleeding.

It was probably blood.

Otherwise, why was he smiling?

...

...

"Yun E, my child..."

"Mother, with your departure, in this vast and dangerous world, how can you protect yourself?"

Lying on the sickbed, the mother tenderly caressed Yun E's delicate face, and Yun E's eyes revealed a dazed expression.

The mother struggled to get up from the sickbed, holding Yun E's hand, coughing up blood into a white handkerchief, and leading Yun E through the tall walls of the Yun family, which were so high they couldn't be seen.

For the first time, Yun E saw the outside world and arrived at a strange temple.

The Wanting Horror Tower Cold Moon Immortal Strange Temple.

Inside the temple, it seemed as if a pair of eyes fell upon her.

...

...

Beneath the white jade archway.

Li Che's slender fingers lightly tapped on the chair.

Crack! Crack!

The spring thunder roared, its terrifying sound echoing like the heavens' angry roar.

Li Che slowly raised his head.

Not only Li Che looked up, but also the many elders sitting beneath the white jade archway, their eyes revealing a strange light.

"Heaven and Earth Anomaly?"

"A heart nature test, and it's actually a heaven and earth anomaly?"

The Inner Sect Grand Elder, Fang Hanshu, closed the book in his hand and gazed at the spring thunder that spread like a spider web across the sky, saying softly, "If not an innocent child, then a killing star..."

"Which one is it?"

Li Che's gaze returned to the screen projected by the sword energy disc.

In the screen, the children's figures, hidden by the clouds, were all trembling and writhing.

It seemed as if they were enduring great pain.

"This heart nature test uses the Grandmaster's Dao Essence as its foundation, creating an illusory realm. Even ordinary Divine Embryo Cultivators might be deceived by the illusion."

"The children need to persevere, persevere until the illusory realm created by the Dao Essence ends, and they will have passed the heart nature test."

Lu Tai Bai, seated on the chair, spoke softly.

It was as if he was explaining it to Li Che.

"Sect Master, what illusions will the children experience?" Li Che couldn't help but ask.

"Unknown, it depends on each person's inner heart and some secret deep within their souls, which will produce the illusions."

"Each will be different."

Lu Tai Bai glanced at Li Che, his silver hair fluttering in the spring breeze, and spoke softly.

"The children's heart nature test is so challenging..."

Li Che's expression darkened as he smiled bitterly.

Lu Tai Bai smiled gently, "Some are born innocent, and some are born killers..."

"I just want to understand their heart nature."

"Then, teach according to their nature."

Li Che understood and didn't ask further, sitting in the chair with lowered eyelids.

He saw Xixi, sitting on the white jade stairs, her body trembling, and her small face showing signs of pain.

His fingers tapped on the chair.

The next moment, his consciousness appeared on the heaven and earth chessboard.

His five fingers rose.

The Immaculate Heart Dao Fruit pulsated in his palm.

"Xixi, Daddy just wants you to grow up happily, joyfully, and safely."

"Any hardship, Daddy will face it for you, so you don't need to worry."

Li Che's eyes flashed with warmth.

"So, don't make yourself suffer too much."

"Everything, Daddy is here."

"Daddy, always."

Li Che murmured softly.

His raised fingers clenched tightly.

A Thunderbolt Chess Piece appeared in his hand, held in his palm.

However, no teleportation occurred, and Li Che simply held the chess piece in his palm.

It was as if he wanted to transmit the warmth of his palm and his soft murmurs through the Thunderbolt Chess Piece.

He wanted to convey his paternal love and protection.

...

...

Patter, patter—

Raindrops the size of beans fell from the leaden clouds, rolling and crashing to the ground.

They shattered into four or five pieces upon impact.

The Big Black Dog woke from its slumber, its eyes revealing a strange light as it gazed at the sky.

The lazy boss, seated in a chair, stood up at some point, his eyes reflecting the strange phenomenon in the sky, with a hint of color.

"She's coming back."

"Woof!"

The big black dog barked, then shook off the water droplets, sighed, and lay down again.

The boss stood straight, holding a cigarette paper. He took some tobacco from a worn tobacco pouch, rolled it, and with a crackle, lit the cigarette with a match, igniting the flame.

Ssssss—

The cigarette paper burned, the tobacco curled and smoked, releasing dense smoke.

Two smoke dragons exhaled from his nostrils.

The boss held the cigarette and sat back down in the chair.

He brushed off the ash and crossed his legs.

Bang! The window was torn open, and a series of dark shadows rushed into the room, shattering the warmth within.

Powerful blood energy, accompanied by icy winds and snow, howled and weaved through the room.

Xixi's eyes narrowed, and her hairs stood on end.

Her sleeping parents, who were snoring loudly, immediately woke up from their slumber.

"Ahh!"

Her father roared and grabbed the cleaver from the bedside, brandishing it wildly.

"Get out of here, you Spirit Infant Sect thieves!" he shouted.

Zhang Ya was terrified, tightly hugging Xixi, her whole body trembling. But all she could do was hold her child close.

Xixi stared blankly, witnessing her father swinging the cleaver, fighting against the villains. But in an instant, he was knocked down.

He was even pierced through by a long blade, and blood splattered across the room.

Xixi froze, her mother desperately shielding her, but the villains forcefully pulled Xixi away, impatiently swinging a knife at her mother.

Blood splattered and sprayed onto Xixi's face.

Xixi's body trembled violently, and a surge of anger, an uncontrollable rage and sorrow, erupted from her heart.

Between her eyebrows, the Nether Lotus divine mark appeared, burning with black flames.

The black flames surrounding Xixi burned fiercely.

The villain holding her, gripping the blood-stained long blade, suddenly felt the heat and was flung away by Xixi's palm, his head flying through the air.

Xixi hovered in the air, her eyes reflecting a pool of ink-like darkness, trembling and boiling.

"How dare you harm my father and mother!"

"How dare you!"

"Xixi loves her father and mother the most... How dare you!"

Xixi, a small one-year-old, floated in the air, tears streaming down her face, only to be burned and twisted away by the hot black flames.

"Kill them all..."

A cold, emotionless voice echoed in Xixi's mind.

Utterly emotionless, cold and cruel.

It was as if the soul of her past life had awakened from the Nine Hells, descending with an unmatched will.

The Nether Lotus flames burned, unable to suppress this burgeoning power.

Gurgle, gurgle...

At some point, a black pool appeared under Xixi's feet, water swirling and flowing within it.

Streams of water emerged from the pool, forming bizarre patterns that crawled onto Xixi's face.

The Nether Lotus divine mark on her forehead twitched...

Finally, with a 'hiss', it seemed to be extinguished, turning completely cold and dim.

The flames' heat completely vanished.

Xixi crossed her arms, coldly surveying the room filled with corpses.

When she saw her parents' corpses, she closed her eyes.

Opening her eyes again, her gaze was as cold as ancient ice.

She remained with her arms crossed, and the pool under her feet wriggled, flowing out of the house.

Clang!

The stove fell to the ground, sparks flying, igniting the dilapidated house. The fire blazed, and in the endless flurrying snow, the flames roared.

With her arms crossed, Xixi seemed like a proud, cold monarch.

She floated out.

Thunder Granny was terrified and turned to trudge through the snow.

Xixi glanced at her, and with a flick of her finger, a snake spear shot out, instantly piercing Thunder Granny...

Xixi took a step and appeared in a certain part of the city.

The snake spear, wrapped in black flames, coiled like a venomous snake, and with a puff, pierced through Thunder Granny's loins.

Blood, endless blood, flowed.

Xixi raised her young yet cold face.

She marched towards the City Lord's Mansion, leaving a trail of blood in her wake.

After killing everything in her path.

Xixi spread her legs and sat amidst the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, pouting.

"Xixi, you've lost your father and mother..."

Her eyes were cold and cruel, filled with endless darkness.

The bizarre patterns on her body continued to wriggle and expand, threatening to engulf her small frame.

Suddenly, in the endless darkness, a white light slowly blossomed.

A white chess piece floated out from Xixi's body.

Buzz, buzz, buzz...

It was as if countless stardust was scattering, like fine powder.

Xixi stared in amazement.

The darkness in her pupils was illuminated by light.

"If you want to kill, your father will accompany you."

"Don't make yourself too miserable."

"Father, he's always with you."

The white chess piece hummed...

A gentle voice, like a refreshing breeze, blew in.

Slowly, the white chess piece transformed into a figure familiar to Xixi.

Xixi sat amidst the sea of blood and corpses, looking up.

Li Che, his body glowing with radiant white light, squatted down and smiled warmly.

He reached out.

Gently rubbing Xixi's head.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end