Chapter 564: Xixi's Tenth Birthday, New Dao Fruit "Hell", Heaven-reaching Armor Slaughters Nirvana to Seize the Path of Life and Death

Chapter 564: Xixi's Tenth Birthday, New Dao Fruit "Hell", Heaven-reaching Armor Slaughters Nirvana to Seize the Path of Life and Death

Whistling winds—

A flurry of snowflakes, piercing through layers of barriers, drifted in from beyond the palace, like floating petals, caught delicately on Li Che's fingertips.

A chill began to spread from the snowflakes, seeping through his skin and diffusing throughout his body.

Li Che’s eyes flickered, his pupils swirling with the intertwining currents of two distinct colors, like a grand river of the Dao, endlessly surging.

Having just completed the Dao Union, Li Che's essence and spirit had reached a peak, his consciousness boiling like a raging wildfire, brewing a formidable aura that threatened to engulf the entire mountain.

Snowflakes fell in a flurry.

Xuan Mountain was very high, and snow was not uncommon, but in many parts of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, snow was rare.

Today was Xixi’s tenth birthday, a very special day for Li Che.

Li Che did not remember his daughter’s birthday by the snow, but rather, he naturally kept track of the passage of time, recording each day as it flowed by.

For Li Che, who had achieved the sixth transformation of the Temporal Golden Wheel Dao Fruit, this was not a difficult task.

Standing by the palace window, gazing at the snowflakes drifting down, Li Che couldn’t help but smile.

“Xixi, you’re ten years old now.”

Li Che was in a very good mood.

Compared to her ninth birthday, this time, the whole family could gather together for Xixi's tenth birthday.

For Li Che, Xixi’s tenth birthday was significant. At ten, she had crossed the threshold of childhood and was truly growing up.

Therefore, Li Che planned to personally visit Xixi and spend her birthday with her.

He couldn’t go empty-handed.

The snowflakes swirled in the sky, and with a thought, a black chess piece shot out from Li Che’s hand, rapidly expanding into the form of Cang Che, his immortal hand from Ink City Netherworld.

This was Li Che’s Sovereign Avatar, which possessed eighty percent of his combat strength. With the sixth transformation of the Immortal Hand Dao Fruit, Li Che could even grant the abilities of his Dao Fruit to the Sovereign Avatar, enhancing its power.

Li Che left the Sovereign Avatar in the palace and prepared to return to Cloud Peak Village.

The main reason was that Ji Shaohao had arranged for a special training session for the ten divine engravers he had chosen, to increase their competitiveness and help them secure one of the eighty-one spots in the Divine Engraver Conference.

Thus, Zhao Yuan had been tasked with providing a divine engraver-level training program for all the engravers.

Just like the use of the Nirvana King’s primordial essence as a resource for evaluation, the same principle applied here.

Li Che himself had already reached the Great Immortal level in divine engraving, so he didn’t need the special training. Leaving the Sovereign Avatar to learn was sufficient.

After the Sovereign Avatar appeared, Li Che clenched his fingers, and the Cosmic Chessboard shrank back into his brow. The Temporal Golden Wheel behind him rotated with a resounding clang, expanding the range of his lightning teleportation.

He directly teleported from Xuan Mountain to Canglan Village, and then another teleportation brought him to the outskirts of Cloud Peak Village, where he walked with his hands behind his back, as if stepping through the void.

Rumbling—

Outside Cloud Peak Village, Li Che stood gracefully, the Cosmic Chessboard spinning above his head.

His gaze fell upon the four Nirvana-level guardians.

The Quasi-Emperor, who had been hiding in the void, no longer concealed himself after being discovered, and now stood openly, sealing off Cloud Peak Village.

With the addition of the other three Nirvana guardians who had just ascended the initial stage of the Netherworld Path of Life and Death, Cloud Peak Village was completely cut off from the outside world.

At the village entrance, Old Man Tuoba Lian sat on a green stone, his presence alone holding the entire village’s aura.

When Li Che returned, he saw this scene.

Standing with his hands behind his back, his black robe embroidered with golden lotuses fluttering in the wind, Li Che’s eyes were deep and serene as he surveyed the situation, then slowly exhaled.

“I was just wondering what to give Xixi for her tenth birthday…”

“Since that’s the case.”

“I’ll give her a Nirvana.”

Li Che smiled lightly.

But he didn’t immediately prepare to make a move.

He sat in a secluded corner outside Cloud Peak Village, the world clear and bright, the wind gentle.

“Here they come.”

Li Che sat on the green stone, his eyes flickering.

The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths were indeed vast, but most places were too desolate, sparsely populated, and quite primitive.

Green mountains and green stones, Li Che sat in a deep mountain about a hundred miles from Cloud Peak Village.

His gaze grew profound, his black hair dancing like black lightning, as if slicing through the void.

“Exhale—”

“Inhale—”

With each breath, Li Che’s aura transformed into that of a Martial Immortal.

Mystic Immortal Dao Union!

Although he had just completed the Dao Union, his Martial Immortal will had been greatly enhanced.

One plus one is far greater than two!

Rumbling!

Every inch of his flesh and blood seemed to awaken, completely free from suppression and restriction. The Mystic Immortal will erupted like a mountain flood, radiant and brilliant, with two colors changing and intertwining, forming a grand and mysterious river of the Dao, surging and flowing!

Boom!

An ancient bell resounded in his ears, as if a wrathful celestial deity had struck a massive, time-worn bell with all their might!

The sound waves surged like a tidal wave, erupting from Li Che's body and sweeping in all directions.

Boom, boom, boom—

The bell waves roared, profound and mysterious!

In his chest, the ten Dao Fruits danced joyfully, as if resonating with each other.

As the bell sound gradually faded away, Li Che's consciousness was pulled into the familiar vast and ancient world.

...

...

Dao Tree Space!

In the ancient and vast universe, the Dao Tree soared into the sky, its branches sprawling like a web, blocking out the sun and moon, as if it were the origin of everything in the cosmos.

Li Che stood with his hands behind his back, floating in the void, his eyes gleaming with a radiant light.

With the Dao Fruits achieving their sixth and seventh transformations, Li Che was no longer the insignificant existence he once was in the presence of the Dao Tree.

Dimly, he could sense a vague will.

"The will of the Dao Tree?"

Li Che raised his head abruptly, his black hair spreading out like a black lotus beneath him.

"What a vast and immense will, it feels... even stronger than the will of the human world and the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths."

Li Che took a deep breath.

However, this feeling was still vague, as if he was still lacking something to truly reach and touch this will.

"Perhaps, reaching the level of a Dao Fruit Sovereign will allow me to touch the will of the Dao Tree."

Li Che pondered thoughtfully.

His musings were soon interrupted as his gaze was drawn to a new Dao Fruit hanging on the Dao Tree, shimmering like a star.

It was the eleventh Dao Fruit, for Xixi's tenth year!

With a soft thud, the Dao Fruit descended, as if collapsing the void, and countless rays of light burst forth before Li Che's eyes.

They illuminated the scenes of Xixi's entire ninth year...

It was like a rapid review, as if he were experiencing it all firsthand.

For Xixi, this year had been happy, despite being away from her parents. In Earth Village, she found many friends and received care and affection.

Most of the scenes were of Xixi's life in Earth Village, and Li Che couldn't help but feel joy as he watched.

However, the later scenes turned sad.

It seemed to reflect Xixi's true emotional changes. She knew that because of her, the entire Earth Village would face a great calamity, and indeed, it did.

When she saw the village destroyed, Xixi nearly went mad, almost falling into a curse.

But Li Che's appearance, like a ray of light, revived the villagers and calmed Xixi's heart.

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

Li Che truly felt the admiration his daughter had for him when he revived the villagers!

As Xixi grew older, she developed her own thoughts, but her admiration for her father never wavered!

A year of protection, and the Dao Fruit finally transformed!

My Xixi, ten years old.

...

[Your daughter is ten, experiencing joy and sorrow, understanding the dangers of the world, living in peace, and obtaining the Dao Fruit "Hell"]

...

A seven-colored light suddenly turned pitch black, as if countless misty black clouds were piled up before him, weaving cold, icy words.

The eleventh Dao Fruit!

Li Che was taken aback by the prompt.

Hell?!

It felt familiar.

Li Che frowned, and the next moment, his eyes flashed with sharpness. Hell... Li Che was no stranger to it, whether in the myths of his past life or in the Underworld he had created in this life, it was always closely related to hell.

And in Li Che's original guess, Yulian was also connected to hell.

Now, a Dao Fruit named "Hell" had directly appeared!

"This Dao Fruit..."

"Will it transform into the only missing Earth Tribulation in my current nine primordial tribulations?"

Currently, Li Che was just one tribulation away from completing his nine primordial tribulations.

When Xixi was nine, she awakened the Dao Fruit "Golden Sun Phoenix Chariot", which later transformed into the Fire Tribulation. Li Che categorized it alongside the Dragon Elephant Vajra as a Fire Tribulation Dao Fruit.

With each passing year, Xixi would awaken a new Dao Fruit. If she didn't die, she would continue to grow, and the number of Dao Fruits she awakened would increase.

Li Che speculated that most Dao Fruits were categorized under the original nine tribulations, divided according to the Dao Chaos.

They might have different functions, but they ultimately converged on the same great path.

As Li Che was thinking, a repelling force erupted. Li Che did not resist this force and was directly expelled from the Dao Tree Space.

He sat cross-legged on a green stone in the deep mountains, his gaze deep and distant.

In his chest, the eleventh Dao Fruit [Hell] was faintly pulsing.

This new Dao Fruit was too young, and compared to the other robust Dao Fruits, its pulsation was indeed weak.

[Hell (Dao Fruit): Hell is the realm of the underworld, where all things in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths ultimately return]

Buzz—

Black mist rolled continuously, as if someone was spitting out a thick ink cloud in front of him.

The true words of the Hell Dao Fruit emerged.

Li Che's eyes were deep and profound, and his heart was subtly moved. His gaze opened and closed, as if he had entered the state of "Transcend the Abyss", seeing the underworld.

The entire underworld seemed to tremble violently, resonating strongly with the Hell Dao Fruit.

However, perhaps due to the weakness of the Hell Dao Fruit, the resonance soon vanished.

[Hell Dao Fruit: Level 1, 10%]

Huh?

Li Che's eyebrows lifted slightly, a mix of surprise and confusion. The Hell Dao Fruit had unexpectedly shown a maturity level, something that had never happened before.

"Where did this maturity level come from?"

Li Che was somewhat bewildered. But he soon realized the answer.

"Transcending the Abyss... seeing the Netherworld and resonating with it? This must be the source of the Hell Dao Fruit's maturity."

Li Che couldn't help but take a deep breath, his heart pounding with excitement!

In his chest, the Chess Saint Dao Fruit began to vibrate. The Second Heaven of the Chess Saint Dao Fruit's supernatural ability was Transcending the Abyss. Even though the Chess Saint Dao Fruit had undergone six transformations, this ability still remained.

Hum—

Li Che activated the Transcending the Abyss ability, and his pupils seemed to deepen instantly!

Everything around him began to turn into a desolate, pitch-black color. The ancient mountains, with trees over ten thousand years old, withered and decayed, their branches bare. It was as if countless Netherworld creatures, like black crows, were screeching and flapping their wings, releasing dense black mist.

Rumble—

Maintaining the Transcending the Abyss state, the Hell Dao Fruit began to vibrate intensely.

Faintly, Li Che felt as if he had transformed into a black vortex. The Hell Dao Fruit, bouncing and leaping, was voraciously absorbing the power of the Netherworld.

Suddenly, Li Che raised his eyes and saw a blood-red sky in the distance, where lava from a hellish inferno erupted, and a terrifying eye seemed to cast its gaze!

Li Che's heart skipped a beat.

That was an extremely formidable presence!

Without hesitation, Li Che exited the Transcending the Abyss state. The Hell Dao Fruit then returned to its calm state.

Li Che exhaled a turbid breath. The presence that had come from the Netherworld gave him an overwhelming sense of dread.

"Perhaps... that was an Undying-level being!"

"An Undying in the Netherworld?!"

Li Che shook his head slightly.

The human world, the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, and the Netherworld...

This world was filled with too many mysteries.

The Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and the human world were vastly different from the Netherworld, which was the realm where the dead entered after their demise. However, the Netherworld was full of mystique and taboo for the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths and the human world.

[Hell Dao Fruit: Level 1, 60%]

Seeing the rapid increase in maturity, Li Che's brows furrowed slightly.

The ease with which the Dao Fruit's maturity increased surprised him, but it also made him uneasy.

Things that come too easily often leave a sense of unreliability.

This Dao Fruit of the Earth did not give Li Che any sense of stability.

Rubbing his nose, Li Che exited the Transcending the Abyss state.

However, to further increase the Dao Fruit's maturity, Li Che would need to enter the Transcending the Abyss state more often. But staying in that state for too long was dangerous, as it could attract terrifying beings.

The Netherworld seemed to be a reflection of the world, and dying in the Netherworld meant dying in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths as well. Thus, the danger was no less than in reality.

Standing up and stretching, Li Che expanded his consciousness, beginning to sense the four Nirvanas seated in the void.

He naturally did not want to provoke the Quasi-Emperor-level Nirvana. Li Che had just reached the Immortal Union level, equivalent to the Dao Severing realm. He was unsure if he could defeat a Nirvana, but winning or losing was not the main concern. Li Che intended to use a Nirvana to test his own transformation.

Ideally, he should find a Dao Severing Divine Being to test his power, but...

Among the Dao Severing Divine Beings surrounding Cloud Peak Village, there were none at the Dao Severing realm.

Therefore, Li Che decided to directly challenge a Nirvana as a test.

It would also serve as a birthday gift for Xixi on her tenth birthday.

The Cosmic Chessboard expanded, and Li Che's figure floated up, blending into the void like a stream, vanishing without a trace.

...

...

Outside Cloud Peak Village.

In the void, the wind swirled violently.

The Quasi-Emperor of the Dark Heavenly Court sat cross-legged, his aura incredibly powerful and profound.

Additionally, there were three Nirvanas at the initial stage, seated in the void, spaced about a thousand feet apart, blocking all areas outside Cloud Peak Village.

They seemed quite relaxed, as their goal was to blockade Cloud Peak Village, and there was no real pressure.

Currently, Cloud Peak Village had not yet fully integrated with the daughter of Yulian, meaning it had not yet grown strong. Eliminating Cloud Peak Village before it had grown would bring no benefits.

Thus, without the need to act, these Nirvanas naturally felt at ease.

Although Cloud Peak Village had merged with Earth Village, it was not particularly powerful. If not for the mysterious Ksitigarbha, who even the Young Emperor feared, suspected to be hiding in Cloud Peak Village, these Nirvanas might have dared to sit right at the village entrance.

They could be that arrogant...

There was only Tuoba Lian, who was also a Nirvana, but he was too old and frail.

Moreover, with a Quasi-Emperor sitting in their midst, they could easily suppress Tuoba Lian.

So, the three early-stage Nirvana beings sat comfortably in the Netherworld.

Li Che, standing a hundred miles away, found that although the Chess Sage’s Dao Fruit had undergone six transformations, it was still not powerful enough to shield against the presence of Nirvana beings.

The Starflight Shift was an instantaneous movement that had been detected by the Quasi-Emperor, but the impact was minimal.

Now, to deal with a Nirvana being, one had to get close...

And getting close inevitably brought problems.

Li Che stood with his hands behind his back, his dark robe fluttering. He sensed the three Nirvana beings in the Netherworld.

Finally, he locked onto the one with the weakest aura, an early-stage Nirvana.

Even for Li Che, the pressure was palpable.

However, now that Li Che had successfully achieved Dao Union, he was driven more by the desire to test his cultivation and combat strength.

Of course, there was also the need to transform the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit.

To achieve the seventh transformation, the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit needed to engage with a more powerful existence...

After confirming the target, Li Che's mind flickered, and he extended his fingers toward the direction of the targeted Nirvana being.

His fingers clenched tightly.

Boom—!!!

The Cosmic Chessboard suddenly expanded, as if a chess piece had been dropped from the heavens.

Like a shooting star striking the chessboard, it splashed a thousand feet of starlight!

In the next moment, Li Che used the Starflight Shift to appear within a hundred feet of the Nirvana being. With a gesture, a black vortex appeared in the air.

Ink City Netherworld!

Swallow!

Boom—!!!

"Outrageous!"

In the Netherworld.

The Quasi-Emperor, who had been sitting in command, suddenly opened his eyes. His sharp gaze sliced through the Netherworld like a divine spear.

The moment Li Che made his move, the Quasi-Emperor sensed something amiss.

Powerful life and death energies swept through, causing the Netherworld to ripple.

"What madness?!"

At the entrance of Cloud Peak Village.

The extremely aged and drowsy Tuoba Lian cursed and stomped his cane.

Black and white qi, the energies of life and death, burst forth from his aged body, enveloping and protecting the entire Cloud Peak Village.

Rumble—

In the Netherworld, light blossomed, and the black and white energies swirled like dragons.

The Quasi-Emperor stepped forward, as if the Netherworld Path of Life and Death had been laid out beneath his feet.

He stared at the spot where the early-stage Nirvana had been sitting, now empty and devoid of any trace.

And that peculiar probing aura had vanished!

"An early-stage Nirvana was captured and taken right under my nose?"

"Who could it be?"

"Could it be one of the Cloud Peak Village’s strong? Impossible, there’s only Tuoba Lian in Cloud Peak Village. Could it be the Ksitigarbha mentioned by the Young Emperor?"

The Quasi-Emperor’s expression darkened.

"This kind of tactic... something’s not right. The Young Emperor once said that the Quasi-Emperor’s actions are ruthless and his combat strength unparalleled, a true Nirvana King. If he wanted to deal with an early-stage Nirvana, he wouldn’t resort to such petty means."

The Quasi-Emperor’s face turned grim.

Tuoba Lian, however, smiled, his eyes twinkling and rolling.

"Heh... one less Nirvana. Could it be that your enemies are trying to weaken the Dark Heavenly Court’s strength?"

Tuoba Lian laughed, his eyes hinting at a deeper understanding, but as an extremely experienced individual, he didn’t reveal it at this moment.

The Quasi-Emperor snorted, while the other two Nirvanas were drenched in cold sweat. The numerous Dao Severing and Dao Union Divine Beings were even more nervous.

If a Nirvana could be taken away so easily, they could be next!

What demons or monsters were lurking in the darkness?

...

...

The missing early-stage Nirvana felt a sudden daze.

He had been sitting comfortably in the Netherworld when a black vortex suddenly appeared. By the time he reacted, he was already being forcibly dragged away by an irresistible, profound power.

"A miniature paradise?"

Black rain poured from the sky, splashing against the buildings and ground, creating a misty gray fog.

Inside the Ink City Netherworld, everything was cleared out.

Cang Che from Canglan Village, whom Li Che had placed in the Sovereign Tower, the safest place.

"Who are you?"

The early-stage Nirvana, having never seen the Ink City Netherworld, shouted loudly. The sound wave shattered the black rain, and powerful life and death energies surged, freezing all the raindrops in mid-air.

Each frozen raindrop formed a perfectly round black pearl.

In the reflected light of these black pearls, he saw a figure approaching.

His gaze swept the Netherworld but found nothing.

Suddenly.

A deafening explosion erupted just ten feet behind him.

It was like a blazing sun rising from the vast sea, evaporating countless ocean currents!

The extreme brightness of the rising sun!

It was a furnace of extreme heat, forged from the purest blood qi, something extremely rare, if not nonexistent, in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths.

"Human Law?! Pure Martial Path?!"

The initial-stage Nirvana expert had remarkable vision, recognizing it at this very moment.

"Impossible!"

"How can the Human Law and the Pure Martial Path reach such a level?!"

Li Che put on the mask, the long-lost Underworld Bull Demon Mask. His dark robe instantly swelled, bulging with the expansion of his body.

Pure qi and blood, burning intensely, scorching and raging, sweeping across the heavens and earth!

Swish, swish—

A Martial Dao Transcendent Immortal, profound and mysterious, emerged!

Two rivers of the Great Dao, each a different color, surged forth, rapidly sweeping through the air, emitting a swishing sound!

Li Che stretched out his arms, his muscles and bones resonating, his spine roaring like an enraged dragon, directly activating the Eight Strange Door Immortal Seed stance!

Bang, bang, bang, bang—

The eight Strange Door Immortal Seeds detonated one after another!

Facing a Nirvana expert, Li Che dared not be the slightest bit careless!

He directly engaged his enemy in the strongest state of just entering the Dao Union stage!

"What terrifying qi and blood! To achieve such a level with just qi and blood? A Martial Immortal… a Human Martial Immortal!"

"Wait! A Human Martial Immortal?!"

"You are…"

The Nirvana expert seemed to have sensed something, his eyes instantly widening in disbelief!

A Human Martial Immortal, isn't that the father of Yulian?

The father of Yulian… actually appeared in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths?!

This news, like a thunderclap, shook the Nirvana expert's consciousness, causing the life and death auras around him to surge. In the next moment, his eyes burst with boundless excitement.

"The father of Yulian?!"

"If I can capture you and bring you back to the Dark Heavenly Court, I will surely receive eternal praise. This is a tremendous feat!"

The Nirvana expert was both excited and insane!

A powerful divine eruption, and behind him, the Nine Netherworld Paths of Life and Death stretched out, black and white intertwined.

The auras of life and death constantly shifted!

Li Che, seeing the enthusiastic Nirvana expert, a smile curled at the corner of his lips, his eyes showing no fear!

He took a step forward, seemingly light and casual, yet filled with profound mystery, as if tracing a peculiar arc in the sky above Ink City, appearing before the Nirvana expert.

Facing the auras of life and death, he thrust out a punch amidst the alternating light and darkness!

A punch from a Dao Union Transcendent Immortal!

This might be the only punch from a Transcendent Immortal in the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths!

...

...

Swish, swish—

The entire Ink City was shattered, everything turned to fragments.

Boom!

Even the tallest Sovereign Tower, with its web of cracks, collapsed into dust, and a figure stumbled out, stepping on the scattered debris, his entire body trembling.

Cang Che was overwhelmed, having almost witnessed the entire battle from within the Sovereign Tower.

A life-and-death confrontation between two Nirvana experts!

Almost nowhere in the entire Ink City remained intact, a testament to the ferocity of the battle.

In the central square of Ink City, amidst the shattered ground, a figure knelt, his head exploded, but his body still emitting the intertwining auras of life and death.

Cang Che's body trembled violently, his shock overwhelming.

Beside the Nirvana expert, a figure wearing a cute and adorable Bull Demon mask, with tattered clothing and a body covered in wounds, stood, steam rising from his flesh and blood.

Seeing this figure, Cang Che's heart shuddered, his eyes filled with a fervent darkness.

"Tea… Teacher!"

Li Che stood still, reflecting on the gains from his battle with the Nirvana expert, not noticing Cang Che's appearance.

He had successfully slain the Nirvana expert.

But not by relying on his Dao Union Transcendent Immortal cultivation, rather by…

Rumble—

Behind him, the dust was torn apart.

A towering shadow, a hundred feet tall, stood oppressively.

The already shattered ground, unable to bear the weight, turned to dust, with countless plumes of smoke rising to the sky.

Hum—

It sounded like a mechanism being activated.

Two beams of golden light erupted.

Cang Che raised his head, like a tiny insect gazing at the vast sky.

He saw the Heaven-reaching Nirvana Armor, with four cosmic runes engraved, fully activated, standing behind Li Che, as if roaring to the heavens!

Cang Che was entranced, almost in a daze.

Creating a mechanism that could kill a Nirvana expert, even the Divine Carving Great Immortal… couldn't do better than this!

peerless!

Li Che's body radiated heat, the intense heat from the high-speed circulation of his qi and blood.

He slowly walked to the Nirvana expert, whose head had been blasted open, his life completely extinguished.

Li Che's heart stirred slightly.

The Hell Dao Fruit in his chest throbbed, and he stimulated it, intending to test his hypothesis!

Li Che spread his fingers, aiming at the Nirvana corpse.

"Bound Deity!"

Thump, thump, thump—

Silence enveloped the world.

As if an ancient god of death was chanting!

Then, the Nine Netherworld Paths of Life and Death, belonging to the Nirvana expert, stretched out, piercing the netherworld…

Li Che's black hair danced wildly, a smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"The path of life and death you once walked…"

"Is now requisitioned by Hell."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end