Chapter 562: A Nirvana Emperor's World Essence, A Transdimensional Strike from the Seven Transformations of a Transcendent Sculptor

Chapter 562: A Nirvana Emperor’s World Essence, A Transdimensional Strike from the Seven Transformations of a Transcendent Sculptor

The World Essence of a Nirvana Emperor!

When Ji Shaohao’s words echoed through the entire palace complex, the Divine Sculptors and Transcendent Sculptors felt their heads buzzing!

Each of them couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.

The Dark Heavenly Court... truly a grand gesture!

For the Divine Sculptors and Transcendent Sculptors, this was an incredible opportunity. To be able to observe the World Essence of a Nirvana Emperor was a stroke of great fortune!

If they could successfully depict it in their divine sculptures and resonate with the Nirvana Emperor’s essence, it would greatly benefit and enhance their skills!

It could even lead to a breakthrough in skill for talented Transcendent Sculptors and Divine Sculptors!

Clearly, the Dark Heavenly Court had spared no expense for this gathering of divine and transcendent sculptors, making a tremendous sacrifice!

Of course, many were somewhat disappointed that it was only the World Essence of a Nirvana Emperor, not that of an Immortal Divine Being.

But that was understandable. Immortal Divine Beings were supreme entities, and if their World Essence were to truly appear, the Transcendent and Divine Sculptors present would not be able to benefit from it.

They simply couldn’t withstand the power of an Immortal Divine Being’s essence!

Ji Shaohao’s eyes sparkled as he surveyed the scene. Seeing the excitement and enthusiasm of the Transcendent and Divine Sculptors in each palace, a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

The Dark Heavenly Court had truly gone all out for the Qitian Divine Pill.

Ji Shaohao needed the Qitian Divine Pill, and although Laojun Immortal was an Immortal of the Dark Heavenly Court, a divine pill of this caliber couldn’t be solely claimed by him.

The Immortals of Black Mount Sumeru and the Mysterious Demon Lair would also intervene.

After the Qitian Divine Pill was refined, the pill would be divided among them. Even Laojun Immortal wouldn’t be able to secure the majority of the pill.

For the Dark Heavenly Court to obtain the pill, it would depend on the number of selected Transcendent Sculptors among the eighty-one participants.

The more they had, the more of the pill they would receive.

This was a grand event sweeping through the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths!

Such an event naturally couldn’t be completely controlled by a single force.

Li Che sat at his table in the palace, his jet-black hair resembling lightning. The other five Divine Sculptors seated at their respective tables in the palace were all incredibly excited.

Even Cang Yuan was excited for Li Che!

“Brother Cang Che! The World Essence of a Nirvana Emperor! If you can grasp and understand it, your divine sculpting skills will greatly improve, and comprehending the World Essence will also significantly boost your strength!”

Cang Yuan was too excited!

Primarily, the hope of Canglan Village now rested on Li Che.

Although Li Che wasn’t the true Cang Che, he now represented Cang Che, which was enough for Canglan Village!

Cang Yuan knew that Li Che’s divine sculpting skills were already much stronger than the Cang Che from their village. If he could benefit from this opportunity, there was a real chance he could secure one of the ten Transcendent Sculptor spots in the Xuanxiao Heaven!

Li Che, however, merely smiled, his expression calm.

The World Essence of a Nirvana Emperor... wasn’t anything extraordinary.

After all, Li Che had already witnessed the essence of a true Immortal, so he wasn’t particularly concerned about an Emperor’s essence.

However, this World Essence did provide Li Che with an opportunity and an excuse to transform from a Divine Sculptor to a Transcendent Sculptor.

This was a grand feast, a carnival.

The many Divine Sculptors who had come to participate in the selection were the most excited, as they might have a chance to advance to the Transcendent Sculptor realm by leveraging the World Essence of the Emperor.

Many others shared the same thought as Li Che.

Boom!

Ji Shaohao’s powerful aura spread out, and in the palace complex around Xuan Mountain, several Dao-Cutting Divine Beings soared into the sky.

“Silence!”

“Now, everyone, begin sculpting the Emperor’s divine statue!”

“The time limit is eight hours. Those who exceed eight hours will be disqualified!”

Ji Shaohao announced the final rules.

Then, with a wave of his hand, the Dark Heavenly Court’s divine officials, who had been waiting in the palaces, brought out the prepared divine wood for the Divine and Transcendent Sculptors to choose from.

To ensure fairness, the Dark Heavenly Court provided everyone with a lower-grade divine wood, the Ten Thousand Year Fire Mulberry Wood.

Li Che received this divine wood, which was truly brimming with divine energy. This type of divine wood had long been divided and occupied by the three major divine camps.

For ordinary ancient villages, finding it in the deep mountains had become extremely difficult.

Cang Yuan had already stepped back, making room for Li Che.

In the same palace, the other five Divine Sculptors had also chosen their Ten Thousand Year Fire Mulberry Wood.

The wood was the same, but there were differences and variations in quality due to the location and preservation methods.

A young Divine Sculptor from a lower-grade ancient village of the Three Pure Ones had been eyeing Li Che with disdain. A Divine Sculptor of a middle-grade Four Emperors village knew no respect.

After entering the palace, he hadn’t even glanced at Li Che, showing no reverence for his rank.

So, this Divine Sculptor, holding the Fire Mulberry Wood in one hand, walked over to Li Che.

“Canglan Village? I don’t like this piece of wood. I want the one you have. Let’s swap.”

A calm voice came from the Divine Sculptor of the lower-grade ancient village.

Cang Yuan, who had retreated to the edge of the palace, his face changed slightly, and he was about to step forward. However, Li Che raised his hand to stop him.

Li Che shifted his gaze from the Fire Mulberry Wood to this Divine Sculptor.

“You...”

The Divine Sculptor was about to say something, but his words caught in his throat.

A chilling sensation that made his hair stand on end spread through his body.

Just by meeting Li Che’s eyes, he was drenched in sweat.

It was as if a threat of death instantly enveloped him.

The Divine Sculptor turned to leave.

But a black vortex suddenly appeared. As he turned, he was instantly swallowed by the vortex, disappearing without a trace.

This sudden turn of events left the other four divine hands in the palace in a state of shock and uncertainty.

What's going on?

How did he suddenly disappear?

Did he realize something was wrong and immediately flee?

However, before everyone could recover, the black vortex reappeared, and the divine hand who had vanished reemerged.

His expression was no longer disrespectful or provocative.

With a respectful and reverent demeanor, he bowed to Li Che, then retreated to his workstation, behaving obediently and not causing any trouble at all.

Cang Yuan was dumbfounded. Is this even possible?

He knew that the black vortex was Li Che's doing, which meant that the divine hand from the Three Pure Ones Ancient Village had been sucked into the vortex, experienced something unknown, and emerged obedient.

Moreover, Cang Yuan saw a hint of... fervor in his eyes!

How could such fervor appear in the eyes of a divine hand?

What on earth did he experience in there?

But in such a short time, what could have happened?

Li Che didn't do anything complicated. He simply transformed the provocative divine hand into his most devout bound deity.

Li Che was never a pushover. When someone provoked him and tried to disrupt his plans, he naturally wouldn't show any leniency.

He dragged the divine hand into the Ink City Purgatory and dealt with him directly.

With the divine hand from the Three Pure Ones Ancient Village dealt with, the other divine hands also sensed something was amiss and realized that Canglan Village was a solid block.

Thus, the other divine hands quieted down, each beginning to sketch the form of their divine sculpture on the fire mulberry wood, focusing on the task at hand.

For some reason, just looking in Li Che's direction gave them a sense of impending doom.

It was better to focus on carving. Only through carving could they find a moment of peace and warmth.

Li Che smiled, his expression calm. He didn't immediately start carving but, like the others, began sketching the form.

After all, the official carving would only begin after Ji Shaohao's announcement.

He didn't mind this little incident. His main goal was to complete the carving and successfully qualify for the Divine Sculptor Conference, which would give him a chance to rescue the Qitian Temple deity.

Therefore, Li Che had no interest in engaging in petty power struggles with these divine hands.

His gaze swept over the palace, landing on the hundred-foot-tall essence of the world at the center of the venue.

There was a significant amount of this essence of the world. After all, a single Nirvana Emperor could only condense a small amount of it, which couldn't compare to an Immortal.

Thus, this hundred-foot-tall essence of the world was the result of a major sacrifice.

Li Che was naturally pleased. He had experienced the benefits of the essence of the world.

The seven transformations of his immortal art fruit were largely due to the essence of the world he had refined and suppressed.

Li Che was actually quite curious about the essence of the world, even if it was just from a Nirvana Emperor.

The palace quickly quieted down as all the divine sculptors and divine hands began to observe the essence of the world.

The hundred-foot-tall essence of the world was dazzling, emitting a warm glow.

As the divine sculptures took shape, they would gradually resonate with the essence of the world, drawing it in and integrating it into the sculpture.

The amount of essence of the world absorbed by a divine sculpture would determine the results of the selection.

The rules were fair and simple, but executing them was far from easy. Crafting a divine sculpture that resonated with the essence of the world was no small feat.

The divine sculptors didn't spend too long observing the essence of the world. The silence in the palace was soon broken by the thunderous sound of the Divine Weapon Bell summoned by Ji Shaohao.

The sound waves spread like a tidal wave.

The divine sculptors in the palace all lit up with excitement.

Each divine sculptor summoned their carving knives with a wave of their hand, and a sharp, resonant sound echoed continuously, as if the void itself was being continuously sliced and torn!

In each palace, dazzling divine carving knives whistled out, creating a scene of thousands of blades dancing, which was incredibly spectacular!

Some cultivators who had gathered at Xuanshan to observe this divine sculptor grand event were mesmerized!

Li Che's carving knife, however, was plain and unremarkable, emitting no dazzling light.

Li Che didn't have high demands for his carving knife because his strong confidence in his skills made him less particular about the tool.

If he really needed a high-quality carving knife, Li Che could use the Three-Pointed Double-Bladed Sword to transform it.

The Three-Pointed Double-Bladed Sword, while of the Three Pure Ones rank, had an extraordinary origin.

The Three-Eyed Marvelous Dao Manifestation True Lord and the Qitian Great Sage were from the same source, both being extraordinary.

However, the mysterious temple of the Three-Eyed Marvelous Dao Manifestation True Lord now stood stably in the mortal world, having a different experience from the Third Prince and Qitian.

Li Che's movements were neither hurried nor dazzling. He didn't show off his divine carving knife like the other divine sculptors.

His gaze returned from the essence of the world.

"This Nirvana Emperor follows the Flame Path of the essence of the world..."

Li Che shook his head slightly. Although this Nirvana Emperor had walked the path of life and death, he likely had no chance of becoming an Immortal in this lifetime.

Because there was already an Immortal who followed the Flame Path of the essence of the world.

That Immortal was Laojun.

So, this Nirvana Emperor's path was completely blocked.

One mountain cannot house two tigers; one path cannot have two immortals.

"Perhaps, this is why this Nirvana Emperor offered his essence of the world to assist Young Emperor Ji Shaohao... It's a way of taking a stand."

Li Che shook his head slightly.

Putting these thoughts aside, he began to sketch the method of carving in his mind.

Li Che slowly closed his eyes. In the inner view of the cinnabar pill, his seven-orifice ingenious heart vibrated and throbbed.

Through perceiving the essence of the world, he constructed the image of the emperor in his mind.

Then, Li Che opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and gripped his ordinary carving knife, preparing to begin carving.

At this moment, most of the divine sculptors in the palace had already started.

Buzz—

Even the most ordinary carving knife, upon touching the fire mulberry wood, burst into dazzling light.

Rumble—!

The razor-sharp blade sliced through the Fire Mulberry Wood, sending a burst of sparks flying in a dazzling display!

In the entire palace complex, flames erupted within each palace.

Ji Shaohao and the Divine Sculptor Zhao Yuan sat in the central palace, surveying the scene with a perfect vantage point.

As a Divine Sculptor, Zhao Yuan was no ordinary practitioner. He was a Nirvana Emperor, having traveled far along the path of life and death in the Netherworld, and was not far from reaching the Emperor Realm.

His sculpting skills also earned him a high status within the Dark Heavenly Court.

Surveying the scene, a hint of disappointment flickered across Zhao Yuan's face.

"Your Majesty, to be honest, our Dark Heavenly Court lags behind Black Mount Sumeru and the Mysterious Demon Lair in the art of divine sculpting..."

"It's going to be extremely difficult to secure a significant number of spots in this Divine Sculptor Conference."

Zhao Yuan sighed.

Ji Shaohao also felt helpless: "There's no way around it. Black Mount Sumeru is renowned for its Buddhist sculptures, with Buddha statues erected everywhere in the Buddhist Land."

"Meanwhile, the Nüwa Empress, one of the Two Emperors, has reached the pinnacle of the sculpting path in the Mysterious Demon Lair."

"Our Dark Heavenly Court's divine sculpting is already at a disadvantage at the Immortal level, inherently falling short. However, the Qitian Divine Pill is too important this time. This Qitian is extraordinary, and the divine pill he creates might help me break through the Cosmic Will's seal and condense my own World Essence..."

Ji Shaohao's eyes glinted with determination: "The Prison Lotus Daughter has already ascended to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. The eighth divine tide could end at any moment..."

"I have no time to waste; I must strive for Immortality as soon as possible..."

"Thus, I must secure a share of the Qitian Divine Pill."

Ji Shaohao hadn't expected the urgency to come so quickly.

From his past lives, he knew that when the Prison Lotus Daughter ascended to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, it meant that slaughter was imminent, and Immortals would soon face calamity, signaling the end of the divine tide.

Therefore, Ji Shaohao was in a hurry.

Not just Ji Shaohao, but Fu Shaoxi, Shi Shaokai, and the Young Emperor of the Two Saints Ancient Village were also in a rush.

As the two of them chatted, a sudden explosion echoed from one of the palaces.

A wave of flames burst forth!

It was the Fire Mulberry Wood that had exploded. A Divine Sculptor had failed to control the World Essence during the resonance process, causing the sculpture to explode.

This commotion immediately drew the attention of many other divine sculptors.

As if it had set a precedent, explosions of flames began to occur sporadically throughout the palace complex, like fireworks.

Each explosion meant that a divine sculptor had failed, with the Fire Mulberry Wood becoming irreparably damaged and unable to be sculpted further.

Li Che glanced at the scene and then looked away, not surprised by the occurrences.

Was it so easy to resonate with World Essence?

It was a powerful force, inherently incompatible with the Cosmic Will of this world. Once channeled into the wood, if not controlled, it would cause an internal and external impact, leading to an immediate explosion.

Thus, the key in this process was to suppress the World Essence within the wood during resonance.

This was just the first challenge, but it was one that all participating divine sculptors had to face.

For they had to establish a resonance with the World Essence of an Emperor while carving the rough form on the Fire Mulberry Wood.

...

The carving knife glinted with flames as it sliced off a piece of Fire Mulberry Wood, the burning embers swirling in the air like dancing fireflies.

In the palace where Li Che was, only one Divine Sculptor remained, persisting until now.

However, after failing to control the World Essence, he too exploded his sculpture, leaving the palace with a disheveled appearance.

The other four Divine Sculptors, bound to Li Che, watched him with complex expressions.

So far, the few successful sculptors were all Transcendent Sculptors, veterans who had long been renowned in the Xuanxiao Heaven.

As for the Divine Sculptors, they had all failed.

"How is he not exploding yet? It doesn't make sense..."

"Both of us are Divine Sculptors; why can he hold on so long?"

"He seems to be about to succeed... his rough form is complete, and he's starting to establish the resonance with the World Essence!"

...

While their own failures were regrettable, the success of their opponent was even more disheartening.

Buzzing sounds filled the air as the carving knife sliced through the Fire Mulberry Wood, wood chips falling to the table. A human form began to take shape.

The World Essence in the central area began to vibrate, and a ribbon of flame emerged from it, stretching like a snake through the sky and pouring into Li Che's palace.

The Flame River flowed down from the top of the rough form, completing the resonance.

In the palace complex, flame threads began to connect to the World Essence of the Emperor, forming channels to prepare for the absorption of the World Essence.

Thus, Li Che's successful Flame River did not attract much attention.

Only the other Divine Sculptors in the same palace noticed his success.

Time ticked by.

As the carving deepened, intricate details began to emerge.

Each additional detail allowed more of the Emperor's World Essence to be absorbed!

However, some Transcendent Sculptors were unable to control the World Essence flowing into their sculptures, causing the Fire Mulberry Wood to explode, achieving the "exploded sculpture" status.

Explosions continued to occur throughout the palace complex.

Each explosion meant another Transcendent Sculptor left the palace, muttering curses.

Initially, there were over a hundred Flame Rivers connecting to the Emperor's World Essence from the palaces, but now, only about thirty remained.

Seated in the central palace, Zhao Yuan crossed his arms and shook his head: "The situation is even worse than I imagined..."

"Our Dark Heavenly Court's Transcendent Sculptors are too crude... I doubt there will be more than ten who can prevent their sculptures from exploding..."

Ji Shaohao's expression grew grim.

"However, resonating with the World Essence can benefit many Transcendent Sculptors, even improving their skills..."

"Please, Great Immortal, keep an eye out. If any talented Transcendent Sculptor, even if they explode their sculpture, shows potential, let them stay."

Ji Shaohao said.

Grandmaster Zhao Yuan nodded, seemingly resigned to the situation.

Suddenly.

Zhao Yuan's gaze swept across the area, his eyebrows slightly raised. The lazy posture of his crossed arms straightened up, and his eyes sparkled with a brilliant light.

"This is..."

"A Divine Sculptor?"

"A Divine Sculptor... has actually managed to hold on until now?!"

Zhao Yuan exclaimed in surprise.

The change in Zhao Yuan's demeanor made Ji Shaohao pause, and he followed his gaze to see a palace where a Divine Sculpture was resonating with the World Essence, forming a Flame River.

Although it was much weaker compared to the Flame Rivers of other Immortal Sculptors, it had not yet exploded or failed.

"Divine Sculptor?!"

Indeed!

A Divine Sculptor had managed to hold on until now?

Ji Shaohao had thought all the Divine Sculptors had been eliminated!

A genius?!

A dark horse?!

At this moment, Li Che's presence also caught the attention of many failed Divine Sculptors.

They were in an uproar, amazed that a Divine Sculptor had managed to hold on so long!

"Indeed, a Divine Sculptor... but his skills are being enhanced by the World Essence, transforming him into an Immortal Sculptor. He is about to reach the Immortal Sculptor level."

"Great talent! His sculpting technique is truly steady. The fundamentals of his craftsmanship are impeccable, with no mistakes at all."

Grandmaster Zhao Yuan's eyes brightened.

Ji Shaohao's interest piqued: "About to become a Transcendent Sculptor?"

"It seems... the World Essence I provided from a Heavenly Emperor is really making a difference."

"No, he's already a Transcendent Sculptor..."

"Although he has just broken through to the Transcendent Sculptor level, this young man has the potential to surpass other Immortal Sculptors!"

"However, breaking through at this moment isn't a good thing... because once he breaks through, his mastery of the technique may waver, leading to mistakes."

Grandmaster Zhao Yuan commented.

"Moreover, the most important point is that the change in his technique after breaking through will cause differences in the details of his sculptures. These subtle differences can create a breakthrough point, allowing the World Essence to find a weak spot."

"Furthermore, this breakthrough point will become the direction of impact for the World Essence of the Heavenly Emperor in the arena..."

As Zhao Yuan spoke, the Flame River in front of Li Che's palace began to tremble violently.

The hundred-meter World Essence in the arena started to rapidly converge toward Li Che's palace.

This caused the head of the Flame River to swell abruptly, as if it was about to burst!

Li Che naturally noticed this, but he was not overly concerned.

With such a massive influx of World Essence, Li Che's face showed a hint of concentration and sweat, but his mind remained calm, and everything was under control.

Cang Yuan, standing at the edge of the palace, had his heart in his throat, sweating profusely, even more nervous than Li Che.

The unusual behavior of the World Essence naturally caught the attention of the other Transcendent Sculptors who were still sculpting.

Their robes fluttered, and their shining carving knives glowed as they turned their gazes to see the grand spectacle of a Divine Sculptor attracting such a vast amount of World Essence.

"A Divine Sculptor breaking through to Immortal Sculptor, taking a different path, and drawing in a large amount of Heavenly Emperor's World Essence..."

"He's not afraid of it overwhelming him."

"Ha, a newly minted Immortal Sculptor, with the courage of a young bull that knows no fear. Since that's the case... let's help him."

Suddenly, many Immortal Sculptors, as if reaching a consensus, slowed down their carving.

Their Flame Rivers thinned out, as if being drained, and the drained parts all surged toward Li Che's Flame River.

"These Transcendent Sculptors... can't stand to see a new Immortal Sculptor rise and are fanning the flames."

Grandmaster Zhao Yuan shook his head, clearly displeased.

Ji Shaohao's expression turned cold: "The Transcendent Sculptors of the Dark Heavenly Court... their skills are lacking, but their infighting and manipulation are well-practiced."

"They should focus on improving their skills instead of plotting against each other."

Grandmaster Zhao Yuan sighed: "This new Immortal Sculptor is likely to fail. There are only about twenty-five Immortal Sculptors left in the arena, and if he fails now..."

"Even with his talent, he won't be able to make it to the top ten if he fails too quickly."

As Zhao Yuan spoke, he soon noticed something was off.

"Hmm? Why hasn't it exploded yet?"

Ji Shaohao, who had already started thinking about how to recruit this promising Transcendent Sculptor, suddenly paused and stood up from the palace, looking in that direction.

He saw the Flame River swell to nearly ten times its original size, the terrifying flames roaring like a volcanic eruption!

However, the palace had not yet exploded.

The newly promoted Transcendent Sculptor had somehow managed to withstand the pressure!

This made even Grandmaster Zhao Yuan sit up.

The faces of the other Transcendent Sculptors also changed, and they almost stopped their carving to look at Li Che.

Now, Li Che's Flame River, which had attracted about seventy meters of the hundred-meter World Essence of the Heavenly Emperor!

An average Transcendent Sculptor would not be able to handle it and would surely fail!

But...

This newly promoted Transcendent Sculptor, despite the discrepancy in his skills before and after the breakthrough, had managed to withstand the pressure!

Could he be planning to absorb all of the Heavenly Emperor's World Essence?!

At this moment.

Li Che's black hair danced wildly, and his eyes sparkled with brilliant light.

His carving knife moved swiftly, creating countless illusions, slicing through the Fire Mulberry Wood sculpture like a flowing stream, with divine light and flames dancing like the fiery feathers of a phoenix!

Looking at the massive Flame River, Li Che's lips curved into a smile.

He was worried about how a new Immortal Sculptor could make it to the top ten...

Since they dared to give it to him...

He would not hesitate to take it!

Feel the dimensional superiority of the Seven Levels of Immortal Craftsmanship!

As the last blade of light swept over!

The carving knife spun in Li Che's palm and was finally put away.

Whoosh!

A rain of fire fell!

The massive, sky-spanning Flame River.

Was completely devoured by the fiery red phoenix sculpture.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end