Chapter 380: The Half-Step Supreme Automaton's Secret Weapon, Even the Celestial Cage Thunder Sword

Chapter 380: The Half-Step Supreme Automaton's Secret Weapon, Even the Celestial Cage Thunder Sword Can't Escape Death 【Seeking Monthly Votes】

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The howling wind never ceased, causing the many thousand-year peach trees in the orchard to sway, their branches and leaves rustling with a soft, whispering sound.

The Celestial Sun, suspended high above, shone its brilliant light through the dense peach tree branches and leaves, like crushed gold, scattering onto the ground, sparkling with a dazzling glow.

The hundred-foot-tall peach trees had extremely thick trunks and lush foliage.

At this moment, they swayed endlessly in the wind.

Li Che's black shirt with golden lotus embroidery fluttered in the wind, his expression calm as he stood facing the breeze, his hair blowing in the wind, giving him an air of serenity as if bathed in the gentle spring breeze.

The three heroes from the Purple Mansion Sect approaching him seemed to bring no pressure at all.

This calmness and indifference caused the thunderous Zhang Xuanlei's eyes to flash with rage.

Zhang Xuanlei suddenly raised his head, the red date-like mark on his forehead constantly pulsing, the wooden hairpin tied around his head cracking inch by inch, and his black hair dancing wildly.

"You've become a little stronger?"

"Even if you've become stronger... today is still your day of death!"

Zhang Xuanlei narrowed his danfeng eyes, his gaze as fierce as thunder, and with a single step, his black Daoist robe instantly filled with divinity. Even the hem of his robe became as sharp as a sword edge.

"Your daughter killed my son, and I'm killing you, Li Che. Is there a problem with that?"

Zhang Xuanlei spoke, his words rumbling like spring thunder, echoing through the peach orchard.

Beside Zhang Xuanlei, the two Daoists, Zhang Xuanhe and Zhang Xuanyu, stepped forward, their gray-black Daoist robes fluttering in the wind, their bodies exuding divinity as they faced the wind, their bodies swelling with power.

Killing Li Che to avenge Zhang Yunlong was the consensus of these three.

However, if Li Che chose to connect with the divinity of the Queen Mother of the West and withdrew from the peach orchard, leaving this Thousand-Year Peach Competition, it would be difficult for them to truly kill Li Che.

But they bet that Li Che wouldn't easily give up this Hero Competition.

Zhang Xuanlei clenched his five fingers, and a peach wood sword fell into his hand. It wasn't an ordinary peach wood sword; it was engraved with ancient divine inscriptions, filled with divinity, as if it had a unique connection with the divine beings in the heavens.

Zhang Xuanlei didn't care about Li Che's claim of a breakthrough.

Even if Li Che had truly made a breakthrough, it was impossible for him to advance from the first divine transformation of the Divine Embryo to the third divine transformation and ascend to the Great God Realm in such a short time.

Divinity cultivation, like martial cultivation, required time to refine.

Divinity needed to be accumulated, and some people had better natural talent, like the Divine Child with Purple Qi Piercing the Heavens' talent compared to the Divine Child with Purple Qi a Thousand Feet Tall, the efficiency of their divinity accumulation was worlds apart.

The amount of divinity required to advance from the first divine transformation to the second was enormous, even with the help of a divine crystal; it still needed time to refine.

The same was true for martial cultivation; refining the physical body, tempering the qi and blood, and cultivating the human dan all required time.

Therefore, Zhang Xuanlei never believed that Li Che could achieve a significant breakthrough in his Divine Embryo cultivation in a short period.

Anyway, no matter how Li Che broke through, he couldn't possibly surpass Zhang Xuanlei.

As the first hero of the Purple Mansion Sect, the Divine Child with Purple Qi Piercing the Heavens, Zhang Xuanlei, at the age of forty-something, had already cultivated the Divine Embryo to the third divine transformation, giving him a great chance to break through to the Great God Realm within a single cycle!

This was Zhang Xuanlei's confidence.

The smile on Li Che's face gradually faded, and his gaze slowly swept over the three.

"There's no problem..."

"But since you want to kill me, I won't hold back either."

Li Che said calmly.

Zhang Xuanlei's black hair whipped wildly, his eyes flashing with thunder.

Clenching the peach wood sword with his five fingers, the sword seemed to buzz with a constant sizzling sound.

"Then... come and die."

His foot stomped down.

Behind Zhang Xuanlei, a divine shrine floated, and three chains pierced his spine, causing a tremor as divinity poured into his body.

Ripples of invisible divine energy spread out in circles.

Zhang Xuanlei's body boiled with divinity, and a thunderous, violent sword intent roared like a thousand birds screeching fiercely!

The black Daoist robe swelled, and with a tremor, his entire body's energy surged like a tidal wave.

Zhang Xuanlei's killing intent surged, and his mind was completely filled with anger and the urge to kill.

The terrifying divinity was like a boiling river, a single line of surging waves crashing down, heavy and overwhelming.

Zhang Xuanlei stomped his foot heavily, and in an instant, the ground within dozens of feet around him collapsed, frosty grass torn apart by the terrifying force, and mud and sand surged!

On the other side, Zhang Xuanhe and Zhang Xuanyu also activated their divine shrines, and divinity poured down onto them, causing their auras to undergo earth-shattering changes.

Zhang Xuanhe's body swelled like a balloon, and countless blue veins appeared on his skin, looking sinister like a spider web.

He was actually fusing the divinity of the temple deity with his physical body, achieving a terrifying transformation on a physical level!

As the energy and blood merged with the divinity of the temple deity, it overflowed and surged. Zhang Xuanhe clenched his five fingers, and his body, like an arrow, shot out towards Li Che, locking onto his target and charging straight ahead!

The divine shrine descended, as if pressing down on Zhang Xuanhe's enlarged body, with chains wrapping around his waist and abdomen, even forming a butterfly knot.

Clenching his five fingers into a fist, he formed a fist seal and rushed forward at high speed, pushing the fist seal horizontally like a blazing flame!

Crack, crack, crack—

His martial intent burst forth, resonating with the divinity of the temple deity!

He was a martial artist who had taken the path of martial arts to the extreme, and his path was completely different from the True Martial Path of the True Martial Sect, let alone the Pure Martial Path.

Zhang Xuanlei held the sword with one hand and stepped down slowly, not in a hurry.

He was gathering his killing intent, brewing thunder, and concentrating it into the peach wood sword, while the divine chains behind him seemed like pipes, constantly writhing and trembling, infusing divinity into the sword.

Zhang Xuan Lei was brewing a deadly sword technique, intending to kill Li Che with a single strike!

So, Zhang Xuanhe's figure instantly surpassed Zhang Xuan Lei, taking the lead for him!

Three against one, three heroes from the Purple Mansion Divine Sect, joined forces to besiege a single person.

Such a formidable lineup in the siege could be said to be despair-inducing.

Especially, the three were originally extremely well-coordinated senior and junior brothers.

On the other side, Zhang Xuanyu's eyes suddenly turned deep blue, like crystal blue, as if made of ice. She didn't clench her fist like Zhang Xuanhe, but instead sat cross-legged on the ground, with a divine niche floating behind her, and divine energy cascading down.

Her Heaven-Earth Soul trembled and rose, as if a female deity suddenly emerged from the divine niche, spreading her arms and praying to the heavens.

Zhang Xuanyu chanted ancient and profound divine incantations, and slowly, within the lush hundred-zhang peach grove with dense foliage, there appeared dark clouds.

The clouds gathered, and cold winds howled.

Suddenly.

There were drops of crystal-clear water droplets floating out from Zhang Xuanyu, and the dark clouds above were torn apart, revealing a water dragon entirely composed of crystal-clear water droplets, like a cloud dragon stretching its head, struggling and flying out from within!

One head, two heads, three heads...

The divine energy was unleashed and consumed, and within a few breaths, the dark clouds brewed six heads of roaring water dragons with bared fangs and claws!

Countless water vapors rose, and the water dragons spewed out, layer upon layer of clear water curtains like flowing springs from high mountains, spreading out with a rushing sound!

Crack!

Thunder roared, lightning flashed, and the rain falling from the dark clouds precisely covered this area of the peach grove, creating a water curtain that enveloped the heavens.

Meanwhile, Zhang Xuanhe clenched a scorching fist and rushed towards Li Che's head, enveloping him with a terrifying aura that pressed down upon him.

The six water dragons were already floating in six directions, spanning sixty zhang across the sky and expanding to a hundred zhang, forming a water curtain domain!

Zhang Xuanyu's eyes were deep blue like crystal.

The hairpin in her hair broke, and her black hair flew like a waterfall.

"The divine domain is formed!"

"Li Che, you will undoubtedly die."

It was just a moment, and the solemn and murderous atmosphere seemed to freeze the heavens and earth, forming a unique domain where Zhang Xuanyu was in control.

This was a means of altering the heavenly phenomena and creating a small paradise-like region temporarily.

The three of them used deadly techniques as soon as they took action, and once this domain was formed...

It even cut off Li Che's ability to use the divine energy of the Queen Mother of the West to escape from this strange temple!

This was a determination to kill Li Che!

Boom, boom, boom!!!

In just a moment, the situation became extremely unfavorable for Li Che!

The solemn and murderous intent seemed to trigger the self-preservation restrictions of every peach tree within a radius of several dozen zhang.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Scorching heat waves rolled, and the air seemed to ripple with heat.

Powerful gusts of wind pressed against Li Che's body like a waterfall.

The moment Zhang Xuanyu's small paradise domain took shape.

Zhang Xuanhe's fist had already arrived, striking through the air!

This fist was blazing and brilliant, as if countless rays of light were suppressed within it. Its power was profound, perfectly combining divine energy and martial arts, an impeccable display of divine martial arts!

The fist struck through the air, and wherever its peak passed, the surrounding airflow seemed to be dispersed and pushed aside!

It seemed that with the fist's fall, everything would turn to ash, and all would be void! Li Che, with his profound martial arts cultivation, couldn't help but feel admiration for Zhang Xuanhe's fist, perfectly merging power and divine energy, an ultimate fist as brilliant as the sun, unstoppable!

Facing this fist, Li Che's heart stirred slightly.

In his chest.

The Immortal Dao Fruit in his chest throbbed!

His five fingers suddenly tore through the air, as if a huge crack appeared in the sky.

Then...

Accompanied by a precise "crack, crack, crack" sound.

A tail made of countless polished spirit wood parts suddenly dropped from the crack.

Suddenly, a powerful strike.

The air seemed to be twisted and shattered, colliding with Zhang Xuanhe's mighty and powerful fist, slamming into each other!

Zhang Xuanhe trembled, feeling an overwhelming force like a mountain-toppling wave exploding.

As the shockwave tore through the air.

Zhang Xuanhe felt an incredibly powerful rebound force, and his entire body was swept away like a cannonball.

Then...

Countless airflows tore through, dust swirled, and the distorted divine energy dissipated.

Revealing a massive, terrifying black shadow! Countless fine spirit wood parts formed an extremely frightening, over five-meter-tall automaton beast!

With a rushing sound.

The automaton beast's wings spread wide, as if covering the heavens.

And Li Che stood atop the automaton beast's head, slowly raising his arms and crossing them in front of his chest.

His dark eyes looked down at Zhang Xuanhe, who was staggering back from the impact of the colliding energy.

Countless fine spirit wood parts covered the automaton beast's body like scales, beneath Li Che's feet.

Its sharp horns, crimson eyes like embedded red agate, and huge bared fangs!

Roar—

Tang's Half-Supreme Automaton Beast! Two-Winged Little Dragon King!

A single roar caused the hundred-zhang-tall peach trees to tremble! Li Che looked down from above.

At the three heroes of the Purple Mansion.

"Are you ready... to be beaten to death by me?"

...

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In the Second City of the Divine Capital.

Silence prevailed, and not a sound was heard.

Only the sunlight tore through the clouds, cascading down, and the rustling sound of the willows on both sides of the street being blown by the wind.

On the Jade Square, the Heavenly River's divine hairpin tore through the void, and the cascading water curtain reflected a scene that attracted everyone's attention.

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The Imperial Tutor's evaluation was indeed reasonable.

...

...

The second round of the Hero Competition.

Within the Five Thousand Year Peach Orchard.

As the second round commenced, numerous heroes formed teams outside the bamboo fences of the Peach Orchard and began to sprint through the orchard.

When the three heroes of the Purple Mansion found Li Che, a battle erupted in various parts of the orchard.

The Golden Furred Dog's golden fur billowed, and beside him was a young monk in a yellow monk's robe, Jialuo, with a cassock draped over his shoulders.

There was also a white-clad woman with loose hair, holding a seven-foot-long purple bamboo staff.

Opposite them were three heroes of the True Martial Divine Sect: Shi Xuan, Shi Miao, and Shi Jin Gang.

The six met without much conversation and immediately engaged in fierce combat.

On the other side.

Ji Chen of the Ji family, Yue Wanglou of the Yue family, and Gongshu Changgong of the Gongshu family, heroes of the three ancient families, encountered Zhou Chenguo, Ao Yuan, and the first hero of the Dragon Tiger Divine Sect, Zhao Jun.

After a brief exchange, they immediately clashed.

In the second round of the Hero Competition, everyone's goal was to advance to the third round.

To qualify for the third round meant that each person needed to obtain four peaches.

Out of the twenty heroes, only four could advance to the next round.

So...

No need for further words.

It was time for battle!

A terrifying aura, divinity, and surging qi and blood erupted.

It wasn't just Li Che and the three heroes of the Purple Mansion who were clashing; battles erupted simultaneously everywhere!

...

Boom!!!

Little Dragon King's wings suddenly unfolded, revealing countless intricate parts resembling extremely sharp blades assembled together.

In an instant, as the wings unfurled with a series of clacking sounds, they seemed to slice through the air like razor-sharp blades, shattering it!

Li Che continuously struck out with divine crystals, inserting them into Little Dragon King's energy region.

In a flash, Little Dragon King seemed to awaken completely.

This was Li Che's trump card, as he had advanced his Immortal Engineering Dao Fruit to level 6 and achieved the fourth transformation.

Li Che's research on the Half-Step Apex Divine Mechanism Beast, the Thousand-Eyed Four-Winged Dragon King, had already yielded significant results.

Originally, Li Che was studying the Apex Divine Mechanism Beast, the Thousand-Eyed Four-Winged Dragon King, but even with the level 6 Immortal Engineering Dao Fruit, it was still a challenge...

Creating an Apex Divine Mechanism Beast was no easy feat.

However, the Half-Step Apex Divine Mechanism Beast he was researching was successfully completed.

With the help of numerous Painting Immortal clones, Li Che's polishing and assembly skills...

Finally, two weeks before the start of the Peach Orchard Competition, the manufacturing of this Half-Step Apex Divine Mechanism Beast was completed.

Nearly a hundred thousand intricate parts and almost a hundred thousand mechanism seals were arranged and assembled according to the array paths...

At this moment, Little Dragon King finally displayed its true might!

"Roar!!!!"

Manipulating Little Dragon King with his mind, Li Che felt a sense of control as if it were an extension of his arm.

A surge of murderous intent flashed in Li Che's eyes, sensed by Little Dragon King, and this intense killing intent was instantly amplified by the mechanism beast!

Like a storm, the terrifying killing intent swept through the Peach Orchard.

With a flap of its wings, Little Dragon King's body surged forward with incredible speed and precision, charging towards Zhang Xuanhe, whose fist imprint had been shattered and blocked.

Boom!!!

Ten thousand mechanism seals activated simultaneously, generating a terrifying propulsion that unleashed the divinity!

Divinity surged like a mighty wave!

Little Dragon King's tail swept like a steel blade, shaking the sky and shattering the airflow. Its fierce dragon tail seemed to reach out and touch the terrifying aura of the Apex Martial Saint, almost like a divine blade!

In the blink of an eye, the dragon tail swept across, resembling a furious dragon descending from the heavens to devour its prey!

Zhang Xuanhe was knocked away by Little Dragon King's entrance, and the divine shrine on his back trembled as a shadowy figure of a muscular deity emerged.

With a long howl, Zhang Xuanhe halted his backward flight, clenching his fists tightly as if summoning a terrifying fist shadow in the void to collide with the blade-like dragon tail!

Papatapat!

Zhang Xuanhe's entire body glowed brilliantly, his Qi Sea churning as his qi and blood surged like a wolf's howl, seemingly dyeing the entire Peach Orchard red!

Blood mist sprayed from every pore, but he forcefully blocked the vicious strike of Little Dragon King's tail.

"Li Che, die!"

At the same time.

Zhang Xuanlei seemed to sense something amiss, as Li Che had summoned a Half-Step Apex Mechanism Beast, causing his heart to skip a beat.

He couldn't help but recall the image of his son, Zhang Yuanlong, being forced into a desperate situation by a mechanism, ultimately abandoning his physical body and entrusting himself to the Temple Deity.

The killing intent intensified, and Zhang Xuanlei's Peachwood Sword crackled with countless bolts of lightning.

The Peachwood Sword erupted with countless electric currents, blasting forth!

"Heavenly Might, Sword Thunder Invocation!"

"Command!"

"Command!!!!"

Zhang Xuanlei's breath was like thunder, his eyes flashing with electric currents, and his entire body trembled as if struck by terrifying thunder.

His ten fingers danced, and the Peachwood Sword floated into the air, transforming into a bolt of lightning that exploded with the sound of a thousand birds.

With a hand seal, he touched his temples and spat out a command, unleashing a sword qi!

The sword seemed to draw upon the power of heaven and earth.

It descended like heavenly thunder!

The Peachwood Sword trembled, its speed increasing, and the accumulated killing intent and thunder were unleashed!

Zhang Xuan Yu sat cross-legged on the ground, manipulating the water dragon to seal the surroundings, creating a small heavenly realm that severed Li Che's connection with the branch of the Queen Mother of the West's peach tree, eliminating any chance of surrender or mercy!

This was a deadly formation!

"Die!"

"Die!"

"Die!!!!"

Zhang Xuan Yu's rebukes echoed throughout the water-sealed heaven and earth, shaking the very souls of those within.

Boom, Boom, Boom!!!

Zhang Xuanlei's Peachwood Sword, infused with the divinity from the divine shrine on his back, unleashed a deadly strike aimed at Li Che's life!

The deafening explosion was wrapped in sword qi and sword aura, resembling thunder.

The sword qi surged like a flood, accompanied by rolling thunder, dragging scorching airflow like a thunder dragon emerging from the clouds, slashing towards Li Che, who stood atop Little Dragon King's head.

The overwhelming sword qi flooded the sky, resembling a terrifying scene of intertwined falling thunderbolts.

The air was filled with oppression and despair.

This sword...

Li Che, standing atop Little Dragon King's head, had his black hair fluttering, tearing through the air. He lightly touched down with his toes, his body seemingly walking on flat ground as he detached himself from Little Dragon King and strode through the air, instantly covering dozens of zhang.

But the terrifying thunderous peachwood sword, woven with electricity, continued its pursuit!

Li Che's expression was calm, and in his eyes, golden thunder suddenly erupted.

The next moment, he raised his hand and touched his forehead.

The Divine Embryo of Heaven and Earth trembled.

The secret technique of the Divine Embryo of Heaven and Earth erupted!

Instantly, a gigantic shadow of the Divine Embryo of Heaven and Earth appeared, towering a hundred meters tall, reaching the height of the peach tree.

The thunderous peachwood sword, shot out by Zhang Xuanlei, struck the Divine Embryo of Heaven and Earth with full force.

The surging sword energy, countless thunders, and the surging divinity collided at the point of impact between the Divine Embryo of Heaven and Earth and the thunderous peachwood sword, constantly clashing, annihilating, and shattering! The air seemed to be boiled in an instant, distorted and blurred.

Zhang Xuanlei's eyes, filled with electricity, widened as he looked towards Li Che's direction.

He saw Li Che's hands returning to his chest, and behind him, countless dazzling golden pills appeared, densely packed.

Among the thirteen golden pills, all of them pulsated with the heartbeat of the Divine Embryo. A heartbeat! Divine Embryo heartbeats!

All of them were Divine Embryos!

Thirteen Divine Embryos! No, including the Divine Embryo of Heaven and Earth, Li Che had cultivated fourteen Divine Embryos!

Boom—

Li Che's hands were crossed over his chest, and his black hair fluttered.

With a calm gaze, he looked at the peachwood sword woven with thunder.

A cold, sharp smile slowly curved his lips.

"Is that all?"

Within his chest cavity.

The Thunder Magnet Body's Dao Fruit trembled.

The next moment, a powerful suction force erupted from the Divine Embryo of Heaven and Earth, forming an abyss that completely swallowed the peachwood sword and the thunder accumulated by Zhang Xuanlei!

It swallowed everything, and the terrifying sword-thunder power began to gradually dissipate.

Li Che's eyes glowed brighter, as if infinite light was bursting forth.

His forehead's Niwan Palace trembled again.

Ripples of divine power spread, distorting and expanding through space.

Then, a golden pill, ravaged by sword energy, floated up, and with it, the sound of a heartbeat. A figure woven with sword energy appeared.

Another Divine Embryo!

Zhang Xuanlei's face froze.

How could one person...

How could he possess so many Divine Embryos?

A strand of Celestial Thunder was drawn out by Li Che's will, and together with the thunder summoned by Zhang Xuanlei, they merged into one sword.

"It's my turn now."

Li Che's hands remained crossed over his chest.

He stood in mid-air, surrounded by countless flickering electric lights.

The Divine Embryo of the Thunderous Sword Immortal trembled.

Then, a sword was drawn.

The Thunder Magnet Body's Dao Fruit trembled, and the divine ability, Celestial Cage Thunder Sword, merged perfectly with the sword drawn by the Divine Embryo of the Thunderous Sword Immortal.

Li Che's voice reverberated through the dense peach forest, transforming into rolling thunder!

A dazzling thunderous sword light gathered, absorbing like a sponge, converging in front of Li Che, transforming into a black-golden thunderous sword blade.

In an instant—

The sword slashed out!

Celestial Cage Thunder Sword!

All sounds seemed to disappear, leaving only a sword light that annihilated everything in its path, flashing past silently and powerfully. It was far more terrifying than Zhang Xuanlei's sword strike!

Zhang Xuanlei's hair stood on end, and the sense of impending death escalated.

However, Zhang Xuanlei's will stirred, and behind him, the divine shrine exploded with dazzling brilliance.

Three chains pierced his spine, and Zhang Xuanlei cried out in pain.

But his vitality continued to climb, and his connection with the Temple Deity deepened.

Zhang Xuanlei, ready to face Li Che's terrifying sword, suddenly paled.

"Xuan He!"

"Be careful!"

Because Li Che's Celestial Cage Thunder Sword slashed in a wide arc, passing right above Zhang Xuanlei's head.

It was aimed at Zhang Xuan He, who was being suppressed by the Half-Step Apex Divine Mechanism Beast.

Zhang Xuan He had no time to react. He never expected that Li Che, who had just faced the divine might of Zhang Xuanlei's sword thunder, would launch such a shameless sneak attack.

Before he could even fully offer his physical body to the Temple Deity within the divine shrine...

He was slashed by the sword, splitting him in two!

A tearing sound, and his body and life force were severed!

Blood splattered, and a hot wave surged.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The hot current flowed, the air was filled with blood, and the wind howled as Li Che's deep voice, no longer restrained, gradually echoed through the peach forest, carrying a surging killing intent.

"Don't be impatient."

"Everyone will die."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end