Chapter 568: Carving Qitian to Retrieve the Wishful Golden Cudgel—It All Depends on Chen Che's Decision

Chapter 568: Carving Qitian to Retrieve the Wishful Golden Cudgel—It All Depends on Chen Che’s Decision

Chen Che's eyes gleamed with a faint light.

He stared at the Wishful Golden Cudgel, which was bound by countless sword qi chains, clanging and resonating. A fierce look flashed in his eyes.

It turned out that the one who had retrieved the Wishful Golden Cudgel from the Void chaos was none other than the Golden Crane King!

No wonder the sword qi Chen Che sensed through the Wishful Golden Cudgel felt somewhat familiar.

However, as Chen Che had said, the Wishful Golden Cudgel now belonged to him. It was his divine weapon, and there was a divine weapon connection between them!

It bore the mark of his own essence!

He was the true master of this divine weapon!

Back when he extracted this divine weapon from the city walls of Qitian, an indelible mark was left between them!

That was the bond between divine weapons!

Chen Che naturally felt displeased when his belongings were taken by others.

However, facing a Nirvana Heavenly King, Chen Che currently lacked the strength to compete. Dealing with a Nirvana Heavenly King was still too difficult.

Chen Che looked at the Wishful Golden Cudgel, his mind racing as he thought of a way to retrieve this divine weapon.

"Perhaps... this banquet competition is a good opportunity."

Chen Che slowly exhaled.

At that moment, the entire Drunken Eight Trigrams Pavilion was filled with excitement.

The eyes of the cultivators lit up.

Even the young emperors couldn't help but show curiosity and envy.

Ji Shaohao looked at the Wishful Golden Cudgel, bound by sword qi, with a burning gaze.

"Truly the Prison Lotus Demon Monkey's Wishful Golden Cudgel!"

"This divine weapon does not belong to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. It is of extraordinary value, possessing unique secrets!"

Ji Shaohao felt an itch in his heart and a burning desire.

He never imagined that the Prison Lotus Demon Monkey, after being suppressed, would have its Wishful Golden Cudgel fall into the hands of the Golden Crane King.

"Haha, this divine weapon has special material. My teacher bestowed it upon me, urging me to try to refine and decipher the secrets within this divine weapon..."

"My teacher said that this divine weapon contains a cosmic will that does not belong to the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. If I can decipher it, perhaps I can break through the barriers and find the path to immortality!"

A fiery look flashed in the Golden Crane King's eyes.

The breathing in the Drunken Eight Trigrams Pavilion became heavy once more.

At that moment, even Fu Shaoxi, Shi Shaokai, and others couldn't help but have their eyes light up.

"The Prison Lotus Qitian is not a being of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. The secrets they possess might only be known to the immortals."

"But for us, if we have the chance to touch the power of other realms, we can naturally break through the world's constraints."

The Golden Crane King spread his fingers and lightly swept over the Wishful Golden Cudgel, causing a buzzing sound to resonate continuously.

"My path to immortality is too difficult. Although I am under my teacher's tutelage, my teacher once said that my path is too hard to walk."

"I cultivate the Way of the Sword, and on the river of the Way of the Sword... there is already an immortal seated, blocking the path."

"Unless that immortal of the Way of the Sword falls, otherwise... I can only remain at the Nirvana Heavenly King realm for the rest of my life."

The Golden Crane King sighed softly.

His voice echoed throughout the pavilion.

For many cultivators present, a Nirvana Heavenly King was already an extremely powerful existence!

It was a realm and level that many had to look up to.

However, for Nirvana Heavenly Kings, this was a very painful level, like the Lingxiao King they encountered in the Two Saints' Mysterious Temple, or the Golden Crane King now, both unwilling to remain at the Nirvana Heavenly King realm.

They wanted to achieve immortality!

But it wasn't that easy. The paths were blocked by other immortals, cutting off their routes.

Now, the Wishful Golden Cudgel held the hope of the Golden Crane King's future path to immortality.

How could he not treasure it?

In addition, the Nirvana Heavenly Kings from the Ancestral Dragon Village were so actively hunting down the Third Prince Nezha, likely because they wanted to find the opportunity for immortality from Nezha!

"In fact, the gods of the Prison Lotus lineage are all opportunities for us... besides the Demon Monkey Qitian and the Third Prince Nezha, there is also the Three-Eyed Saintly Sage, who is not a being of this realm. We can also gain the secrets of breaking through from the Three-Eyed Saintly Sage..."

"Unfortunately, after the Three-Eyed Saintly Sage transformed into a temple spirit, he did not revive in the human world. Now, in the human world... it is difficult to lay out a plan among the gods."

"Now, in the human world, there is the father of the Peerless Martial Immortal, who is a Prison Lotus daughter, sitting in charge. Even if the Three-Eyed Saintly Sage truly revives in the Mysterious Temple, we would find it hard to intervene."

The Golden Crane King clenched the Wishful Golden Cudgel, and countless sword qi chains clanged and swirled, forming a resounding sword qi wing behind him, radiating golden light.

Ji Shaohao retracted his gaze and exhaled softly.

"The situation in the human world is indeed complex... The cosmic will's power in the human world is too strong. The strongest power that can descend into the human world is only at the Dao Fusion realm... this level cannot stop the Peerless Martial Immortal Chen Che."

Since the Peerless Martial Immortal couldn't be dealt with, they couldn't interfere in human affairs.

"No problem..."

The Golden Crane King waved his hand.

"My teacher once said that the Peerless Martial Immortal cannot draw divine essence into his body, meaning his lifespan won't be too long... as long as we wait for this Peerless Martial Immortal to grow old and die."

"The lifespan of a Peerless Martial Immortal is roughly a thousand years, and we gods can wait."

"If Li Che were to abandon the path of a Martial Immortal and embrace his divine nature, that would be for the best. With the foundation of a Peerless Martial Immortal, once he embraces his divinity, the Cosmic Will of the mortal realm would certainly bring down an unparalleled calamity!"

"He wouldn't be able to stay in the mortal realm anymore."

This is why the powerful beings from the various divine factions weren't too anxious when they learned of a Peerless Martial Immortal appearing in the mortal realm.

Compared to their vast lifespans, a thousand years is but a fleeting moment.

"Let's get back to the main topic. Gentlemen, my Wishful Golden Cudgel needs your help to create a weapon rack."

Golden Crane King, with his golden sword-aura wings fluttering, glanced around the entire treasure pavilion and smiled faintly.

"The requirements are not too high. Everyone knows that the Wishful Golden Cudgel is a Divine Weapon of the Prison Lotus Demon Monkey, just as rebellious and untamed. Even I cannot refine it now and can only bind it with sword aura to suppress it."

"Did everyone see the eruption earlier?"

Golden Crane King had a smile on his face.

After his words, the Divine Weapon artisans in the hall were momentarily stunned, then they all drew in a breath.

"Everyone witnessed the Prison Lotus Demon Monkey, Qi Tian, breaking out of the alchemy furnace. You all saw the Demon Monkey's grandeur and powerful aura."

"So, the requirement for this carving is simple: just make the Wishful Golden Cudgel stop being restless. You can carve the image of the Demon Monkey Qi Tian on the weapon rack, with the Demon Monkey holding the cudgel, using his spirit to soothe the Wishful Golden Cudgel."

"Of course, this is just my suggestion. The specifics of the carving are up to you."

"After all, you are the Divine Sculptors."

Golden Crane King's words made many Divine Sculptors' eyes light up, but most of those attending the banquet felt a chill run down their spines.

It turned out that the real challenge was waiting for them!

Earlier, they were all too busy marveling at the scene to remember what the Demon Monkey Qi Tian looked like.

They were all overwhelmed by the Demon Monkey's aura and the immense pressure from the five Nirvana Heavenly Kings, not to mention the moment when Eternal Laojun acted.

So, asking them to recall the Demon Monkey's spirit now was truly a difficult task.

However, after Golden Crane King finished speaking, he sat back down, calmly sipping from his golden chalice. His face showed a hint of satisfaction as the wine went down.

Ji Shaohao, Fu Shaoxi, and Shi Shaokai, the three young emperors, sat beside him, exchanging glances with silent expressions.

Even Ji Shaohao, the young emperor of the Dark Heavenly Court, had not expected such a "test" when he came to this banquet at the Drunken Eight Trigrams Pavilion. He knew there would be a competition, but he didn't know the requirements.

The difficulty, to be honest, was quite significant!

Earlier, most people were more focused on the five Nirvana Heavenly Kings and the final moment of the Eternal Will, rather than the suppressed Qi Tian, who was just a false image.

Who would pay attention to a monkey?

Ji Shaohao couldn't help but look in Li Che's direction and saw him with his eyes closed, deep in thought, as if savoring the earlier scene.

"Truly a reliable Divine Sculptor, Chen Che!"

Seeing Li Che immediately enter the right state after learning the test, Ji Shaohao felt a weight lifted from his heart, relaxing a bit.

On the other side, Fu Shaoxi looked at the Divine Sculptor Ba She from the Mysterious Demon Den. The current generation of Divine Sculptors from the Mysterious Demon Den was full of talented individuals, all with extraordinary abilities, even matching those from the Black Sumi.

Black Sumi's Jin Miro was also closed-eyed, recalling the moment he saw the Demon Monkey Qi Tian break out of the furnace at the Drunken Eight Trigrams Pavilion!

Since they were to carve the Demon Monkey Qi Tian, they would naturally choose the most grandiose moment.

Undoubtedly, the moment Qi Tian broke out of the furnace was the most suitable.

The other Divine Sculptors also came to their senses and closed their eyes to enter a state of deep thought.

The entire Drunken Eight Trigrams Pavilion fell silent.

Li Che closed his eyes, but he wasn't recalling the scene. He was far too familiar with the Temple of Qi Tian.

More familiar than anyone else, but...

The idea of carving the Divine Sculpture of Qi Tian to calm the restless Wishful Golden Cudgel was quite good, but implementing it was another matter.

The key lay with Li Che.

He had a connection with the Divine Weapon. If he wished, even if Ba She, Jin Miro, and others carved a sculpture with nine-tenths of Qi Tian's spirit, the Wishful Golden Cudgel could still become violent at Li Che's command.

So, Li Che didn't need to think and recall like the others. Instead, he began to consider how to retrieve his cudgel.

The Temple of Qi Tian was suppressed by Eternal Laojun and the Eternal Heavenly King, so Li Che had no way to rescue it. The only chance to intervene would be when Eternal Laojun was refining the Qi Tian divine pill, during the alchemy ritual.

Hum—

With a thought, Li Che entered the Heaven and Earth Chessboard.

In the chessboard, the Martial Immortal Will sat majestically, his black robes billowing.

Countless intersecting lines of the chessboard spread out before him.

Li Che picked up a chess piece and gently placed it on the board, causing a radiance of starlight to burst forth.

Across from Li Che, countless stars intertwined to form a figure, as if containing an entire universe, also picking up a chess piece and playing against Li Che.

The chess pieces on the board grew in number, simulating the scenarios that would unfold if Li Che were to seize the Wishful Golden Cudgel, as well as Golden Crane King's response.

Could he break through the full attack of a Nirvana Heavenly King and retrieve the Wishful Golden Cudgel?

Would it alert the Will of Eternal Laojun?

After all, challenging a Nirvana Heavenly King while being in the Palace of the Heavenly City, Golden Crane King's home turf, was like entering a dragon's lair or a tiger's den. Any misstep could lead to eternal ruin.

Meanwhile, in the Drunken Eight Trigrams Pavilion.

Many of the Divine Sculptors, who had been recalling the scene, could no longer contain themselves and opened their eyes.

They began selecting the divine wood. Golden Crane King had provided a variety of wood materials, lined up in the long corridor of the treasure pavilion. The divine aura from these woods overflowed, each piece being of the highest quality, at least ten thousand years old.

Of course, for the Divine Sculptors, the higher the quality of the divine wood wasn't always better; they also had to consider whether they could handle it.

If the divine wood was too high in quality and they couldn't carve it, it would be a huge embarrassment.

Self-awareness is also a mandatory course for Divine Sculptors.

Apart from the three young emperors and the Divine Sculptors, the Golden Crane King also invited several Great Divine Sculptors to the banquet.

Zhao Yun, as one of the few Great Divine Sculptors of the Dark Heavenly Court, naturally had the qualifications to attend this banquet.

In addition, there was Balong, the Great Divine Sculptor from the Mysterious Demon Den, and Jialan, the Great Divine Sculptor from the Black Sumi.

The three Great Divine Sculptors sat at the banquet table, chatting casually among themselves, discussing the details of the divine array setup.

These Great Divine Sculptors cannot directly participate in the eighty-one-member formation of Divine Sculptors.

This is mainly because it is impossible to gather eighty-one Great Divine Sculptors, and to maintain the stability among the formation practitioners, they can only choose Divine Sculptors.

If there were too great a disparity in awareness and skill, it would have a significant impact on the divine array.

Therefore, the Great Divine Sculptors invited to the Divine Sculptor Assembly are mostly there to guide the Divine Sculptors, rather than to participate in the formation themselves.

Boom—!!!

A divine storm erupted from the treasure pavilion. As the Divine Sculptors began to carve, the air began to rise and fall, stirred by the divine essence released from the divine wood.

However, the three Great Divine Sculptors in the private room merely shook their heads slightly.

"Carving the Prison Lotus Demon Monkey is indeed the best approach, but... how easy is it to carve a Prison Lotus Demon Monkey?"

"After all, at the height of its power, the Prison Lotus Demon Monkey was on par with the Immortal of Heaven, capable of slaying the Immortal of Earth... Such an existence, even if it has declined, is not something Divine Sculptors can easily carve."

"The difficulty of capturing and manifesting its divine essence far exceeds these Divine Sculptors' expectations."

Balong, the Great Divine Sculptor from the Mysterious Demon Den, opened his mouth wide, took a large gulp of wine, and sneered.

Zhao Yun and Jialan did not say anything.

Buzz—buzz—buzz—

Suddenly, three powerful Divine Spirits emerged.

Innumerable divine essences surged, like fire and tide.

Ji Shaohao and the others turned to look, and the three Great Divine Sculptors also cast their gazes, their eyebrows slightly raised.

"It’s the Divine Sculptors from the three ancient villages of the Two Sages... Xuan Yuan Hao from the Emperor Hong Village and Dongyang from the Taiyi Village, they have started."

The three young emperors narrowed their eyes simultaneously.

After all, they are the young emperors of the three major divine factions. Even if there is competition among them, they are united against the Two Sages ancient villages.

The Divine Sculptors from the Three Two Sages ancient villages, excluding the Ancestral Dragon Village, are the Divine Sculptors from the Emperor Hong and Taiyi villages, who still need to be wary of.

When these two opened their eyes, their Divine Spirits swept through the corridor, and two pieces of divine wood shot towards the carving stands in front of their private rooms.

Whoosh—

The sharp blade of the carving knife sliced through the air, bursting with boundless sharpness!

Wood chips flew, and the divine essence on the divine wood was instantly released.

On their carving stands, the divine essence was directly shaped into the form of the Prison Lotus Demon Monkey, and their carving knives not only landed on the divine wood but also began to refine and cut the divine essence-shaped Prison Lotus.

This is a divine carving technique, first outlining the required divine essence, then using the divine essence to reverse-engineer the divine wood, shaping the form!

"Humph!"

When the Divine Sculptors from the Three Two Sages ancient villages took action, a cold snort echoed, coming from Balong of the Mysterious Demon Den, who did not hide his disdain.

His fingers clenched, and a hundred carving knives whistled up, hanging in the air, clanging incessantly.

With a casual move, the divine wood shot out from the corridor, with an extremely fierce momentum.

Such carving skills indeed matched the style of the demon race!

The divine wood landed on the carving stand with a thud, and Balong's body suddenly swelled, towering like a mountain, with countless strange patterns, like totems, spreading across his body.

A hundred carving knives floated around him, and his back burst open, with one arm after another growing, covered in mucus, grasping the knives and beginning to carve!

"Amitabha..."

"I will also begin."

Jin Miro from the Black Sumi opened his eyes, a smile on his lips.

Countless beams of Buddha light shone, and he clasped his hands together, looking at the largest piece of divine wood in the corridor.

The divine wood shot towards the carving stand, almost reaching the top of the treasure pavilion!

The style of the Black Sumi Divine Sculptors can be summed up in one word: large!

They can even carve an entire mountain into a Buddha statue!

As the Black Sumi and Mysterious Demon Den Divine Sculptors also began, the private room where the Golden Crane King was became lively.

Shi Shaokai and Fu Shaoxi both looked at Ji Shaohao.

"Brother Shaohao, your Dark Heavenly Court's Divine Sculptor is the fastest to close his eyes in contemplation, but the slowest to start carving. It seems he is truly determined to master the divine carving of the Prison Lotus."

Fu Shaoxi chuckled, his tone somewhat sarcastic.

Ji Shaohao frowned but did not say anything.

"Brother Shaoxi, just wait. Cang Che has received the praise of Great Divine Sculptor Zhao Yun..."

Ji Shaohao remained calm, inexplicably confident in Cang Che.

He didn't know where this confidence came from, but he was very confident.

"He has opened his eyes."

Suddenly, the usually quiet Shi Shaokai spoke.

A red dot appeared on his forehead, his eyes glowing with golden light.

He stared at Li Che, standing in the corridor of the private room, his eyes shimmering with golden light, and he faintly felt a familiar sensation.

This familiar feeling intensified when he saw Xi Xi, who was feasting in the private room.

That little girl...

However, when Shi Shaokai tried to delve deeper into the sensation, it disappeared.

"Strange..."

Ji Shaohao immediately looked over.

In fact, Ji Shaohao didn't have high expectations for Li Che, even though he had provided an eight-leaf Dao essence divine crystal to motivate him.

However, Ji Shaohao didn't think Cang Che's carving would necessarily surpass the two Divine Sculptors from the Two Sages ancient villages.

After all, the Two Sages ancient villages... had the ability to be self-sufficient.

They had Great Divine Sculptors in their villages.

Shi Shaokai and Fu Shaoxi also looked over curiously. The Dark Heavenly Court had always been weak in divine carving, so Ji Shaohao's confidence this time naturally piqued their interest.

The Golden Crane King, holding a golden wine cup, also looked over.

Li Che hadn't expected that just taking out his carving knife would make him the focus of the private room where the Golden Crane King was.

He naturally sensed the substantial gazes.

His brow furrowed slightly, but his expression remained unchanged.

His gaze swept over the divine wood in the long corridor.

"Damn rich bastards."

Chen Che cursed to himself.

These pieces of divine wood left Chen Che dazzled.

With a flick of his mind, he directly picked up five large pieces of divine wood, the largest ones after Jin Miro had made his selection.

Chen Che's choice of five pieces of divine wood at once left many people stunned.

"What is he planning to do?!"

In the ancient village of Dihong, Xuanyuan Hao, with his handsome face and a chisel in hand, looked peculiar.

Ba She and Jin Miro glanced once and then turned away.

They had already mentally categorized Chen Che as someone trying to draw attention.

It seemed that the Dark Heavenly Court, knowing their shortcomings in divine sculpture, was directly opting for a showy approach?

While showmanship could attract attention, divine sculpture ultimately spoke through the work itself.

In the private room, Ji Shaohao's expression also turned strange.

The next moment, Ji Shaohao couldn't help but cover his face, feeling embarrassed.

Chen Che, holding a chisel, slashed at the large piece of divine wood and only cut off a small piece, about one-tenth of it. The remaining nine-tenths were unceremoniously collected by Chen Che.

This move truly left Ji Shaohao awkward.

Even Nirvana Heavenly King Jin He Wang was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter, drinking from his cup.

"Your Majesty, where did you find this divine sculptor..."

"Interesting."

Ji Shaohao rubbed his temples. "Your Majesty, don't mock him. Immortal Chen Che is from an ancient village of the Four Deities. He has a strong sense of responsibility towards his village and it's understandable that he wants to accumulate more divine wood for them."

"Understandable."

"Ha-ha-ha! A divine sculptor from a humble background is indeed rare."

Jin He Wang laughed, not at all angry.

A few pieces of divine wood were nothing to a Nirvana Heavenly King; there were plenty more where they came from.

"However, if he takes the divine wood and doesn't use it... that's not acceptable."

"That's the rule; we can't let him freeload."

Jin He Wang said calmly.

He had the resources, but freeloading...

Was not allowed!

Ji Shaohao looked helpless. "I believe... he will use it. As a divine sculptor, Immortal Chen Che understands the rules."

Shi Shaokai clasped his hands together, his face serene, bathed in a gentle Buddhist light.

"If he uses other pieces of divine wood, he will need to use the mortise and tenon structure to join them. This tests not only his divine sculpting skills but also his mastery of the mortise and tenon technique, which is much more challenging."

"Moreover, a divine sculpture made from joined pieces of divine wood might affect the overall spirit and harmony."

Shi Shaokai, a top-tier divine sculptor, even more powerful than Jin Miro, had a profound understanding of divine sculpture.

Ji Shaohao, who knew little about divine sculpture, didn't respond.

The private room fell silent.

The other divine sculptors paid no attention to Chen Che.

Trying to create a collage?

Who did he think he was?

Every divine sculptor present was a standout in their ancient village or faction. Did Chen Che think he could win them with collage techniques?

Who was he underestimating?!

Chen Che exhaled, adhering to the principle of not wasting divine wood, he took five pieces. If it weren't for the fear of causing a bad impression, he might have taken more.

However, five pieces of divine wood for a collage was already the limit.

Any more would be difficult to manage.

Knowing when to stop, Chen Che began his carving.

The chisel in his hand moved, and Chen Che began cutting and carving the five pieces of divine wood, wood shavings falling like snow.

Compared to the dazzling divine sculpting techniques of the other sculptors, Chen Che's technique was simple and unadorned.

A single chisel, his mind focused, each cut and stroke meticulously shaping the form.

There was a smooth, flowing sensation, like a gentle stream.

The divine wood in the hands of the other sculptors had already taken on the form of Qitian, each with a unique posture and majestic aura.

However...

As the final touches were being made, a sudden howl of an ape echoed through the hall!

Crack!

Bang!

The ape's howl reverberated within the treasure pavilion, resonating with the air and causing vibrations.

Then...

The divine sculptures began to shatter!

The faces of the divine sculptors turned grim, emitting cries of shock.

The sculptures were exploding!

Bang, bang, bang—

The speed of the explosions was unimaginably fast!

Every divine sculptor who was about to complete their work, even those who released their Divine Spirit Thoughts, could not block the ape's howl or prevent the cracks from appearing on their sculptures.

Wood shavings flew and scattered like a snowy blizzard!

The divine sculptors, pale-faced, stepped back from their workstations, trembling uncontrollably.

"Carving Qitian... is not that easy."

"Once a being comparable to the Eternal, now Qitian is suppressed in the Palace City of the Sky. Even if his will cannot spread, there is still a subtle connection."

In the private room, Jin He Wang watched coldly, speaking calmly.

However, not all the divine sculptures exploded.

Ba She, with a hundred chisels dancing, slowly shaped the Qitian divine sculpture in his hands, its divine essence contained and stable.

On the other side, Jin Miro also successfully completed his Qitian divine sculpture, which remained steady even as the ape's howl struck.

In addition, Xuanyuan Hao and Dongyang Immortal began to finish their works.

Their divine sculptures, though trembling slightly from the ape's howl, did not shatter.

As the ape's howl gradually subsided.

"Done!"

Ba She let out a long howl, putting away his chisel.

He placed his palm on the Qitian divine sculpture.

The sculpture soared out, heading toward the Wishful Golden Cudgel, which was suspended in midair, bound by Jin He Wang's sword qi.

"King Jin He, please release the sword qi!"

Ba She, a towering figure, his eyes blazing.

After he spoke,

Jin He Wang waved his hand.

The next moment, the Wishful Golden Cudgel came crashing down.

The Qitian divine sculpture, with one hand, caught the cudgel!

Boom!

The divine sculpture slammed into the center of the Drunken Eight Trigrams Treasure Pavilion!

Dust rose.

Ba She exhaled, dispersing the dust.

His eyes shone brightly, staring at the scene, he grinned.

"Hey, it worked!"

Seeing the Qitian divine sculpture that withstood the cudgel, Ba She felt relieved.

However,

Chen Che, still carving, slowly raised his head and glanced over.

The Qitian divine sculpture began to tremble violently, then, like a cracked ceramic, it was covered in cracks.

Finally...

It exploded into millions of pieces, transforming into a wild dance of wood shavings!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end