Chapter 93: The Strong Push Forward, and the Ox Demon Grandpa Comes to Kill 【Seeking Monthly Votes!】

Chapter 93: The Strong Push Forward, and the Ox Demon Grandpa Comes to Kill 【Seeking Monthly Votes!】

The Xu Family, for Li Che, held a debt of gratitude for their support.

Although it was Xu You who had helped him, it was still linked to the Xu Family's system.

Back when he was weak, he had relied on the Xu Family's influence to oppose the Spirit Infancy Sect and prevent Xi Xi from being taken away by them.

Therefore, Li Che was indeed grateful to the Xu Family.

Otherwise, from the moment Xu Beihu set his sights on Xi Xi, Li Che might have already put on the Ox Demon mask and sneaked into Xu Beihu's room in the middle of the night.

Upon returning to Thunder City, the first thing on Li Che's mind was the Thousand Buddha Feast.

The Thousand Buddha Feast was obviously a sacrificial event.

He could clearly sense the changes in divine energy between heaven and earth.

Now, with the Three-Eyed Wrathful Lord Divine Foundation, Li Che's divine perception had become more refined, and his senses were increasingly sharp.

Even without the power of the Chess Sage's Dao Fruit, he could still clearly capture the fluctuations of divine energy.

However, the Thousand Buddha Feast was something that City Governor Cao Guang had been preparing for many years, starting from the appearance of the Spirit Infancy Sect.

Therefore, Li Che couldn't stop it unless he directly stormed the City Governor's Mansion and killed Cao Guang.

To be honest, after forging his Divine Foundation, Li Che felt emboldened and did entertain the thought of doing so, but soon, he suppressed this idea.

Because he lacked confidence.

Without absolute certainty, rushing in recklessly could easily put him in a passive position.

The main reason was that Cao Guang had another identity—he was a follower of the Corpse Deity Sect.

The Corpse Deity Sect was not some small-time operation that Cao Guang had concocted like the Spirit Infancy Sect; it was a truly terrifying force that plagued Great Jing and caused headaches for the Temple Enforcement Command and the Divine Sect.

Although Li Qingshan mentioned that the Corpse Deity Sect's influence in Yunzhou was not extensive, and their experts and primary focus were elsewhere, the wooden carving of the Desire Over Corpse Bodhisattva found on the Horse Face Pine last night suggested that the Corpse Deity Sect might have already begun infiltrating Yunzhou.

Cao Guang might possess the Corpse Deity Sect's methods, which was why Li Che hadn't rushed in.

After all, without the ability to kill in one strike, he might end up alerting his target.

Li Che, once he started, didn't want to fail.

"Before that, let's deal with the Xu Family's matters first."

Li Che's body seemed to merge into the rain and mist, becoming almost invisible, as if he had turned transparent.

The Sleeping Dragon Elephant's breath-concealing ability made Li Che's body temperature, breathing, and pulse nearly undetectable, perfectly blending with the natural surroundings.

It was indeed no less impressive than the legendary Tortoise Breathing Technique.

"Our family is leaving for the Capital City today, and Xu You even promised Xi Xi that he would see us off... But he hasn't shown up, which means something big must have happened."

Li Che glided noiselessly through the long street.

He arrived outside the tall walls of the Xu Family Manor, a place he had visited several times, so he was familiar with the route. With a single leap, he soared like a hawk, instantly entering the courtyard.

His body rose and fell, and without a trace of Inner Qi being revealed, he had already darted into Xu Family's garden.

Artificial hills stood tall, corridors twisted and turned, and Li Che's Inner Qi cultivation had already reached the peak of Qi Meridian, coupled with the 3rd-level Sleeping Dragon Elephant, his breath-concealing ability was even more formidable.

Even if he walked in front of ordinary people, they might not even notice him.

Although there was a Divine Foundation Realm Elder in the Xu Family Manor,

However, the Divine Perception of the Initial Divine Foundation was limited to a ten-meter range, and if it expanded any further, it would become extremely blurry and hazy, making it impossible to detect the Sleeping Dragon Elephant's breath concealment.

Thus, Li Che moved with absolute freedom, as if he were back in his own home.

He strolled through the rain, blending with the wind and rain, and the guards he passed by sensed something amiss, but when they looked around, they saw no one.

...

...

Xu Family Manor, Main Hall.

The table was filled with delicacies, and fine wines were displayed, their strong aroma filling the air.

Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared, but inside the Xu Family Manor, a family banquet was in full swing.

Xu You sat in a chair with a grim expression, his fists clenched, and his lips pressed tightly together.

He had woken up early that morning, intending to see off Li Che's family as they left for the Capital City. After all, it would be difficult to meet again once they reached the Capital City.

Li Che's family was unlikely to return to Thunder City, so Xu You considered this his final farewell.

Although he was reluctant to part with them, he understood that the Capital City was the place for Xi Xi's future cultivation in the Divine Sect.

He had even prepared a parting gift.

However, before he could even leave the manor, his father personally sent someone to summon him.

Xu You had thought that his father wanted to talk to him because he had just returned from dealing with an evil spirit outside the city.

Xu You didn't think much of it and went, but he never expected that Xu Naming would have prepared such a lavish banquet.

At the table, he saw his great-grandfather, whom he hadn't seen in several years, the pillar of the Xu Family, and their only Divine Foundation Cultivator.

Additionally, his eldest brother, Xu Heli, was also present.

However, what puzzled him was that he didn't see his second brother, Xu Beihu.

"Where's Second Brother?" Xu You asked in confusion.

A hint of darkness flashed in Xu Heli's eyes, but he maintained a smile on his face. After pouring himself a cup of wine and taking a sip, he said softly, "Your second brother went to the Capital City... He said he had some business to attend to there."

Business in the Capital City?

The Capital City was quite far from Thunder City, and the Xu Family primarily focused on wooden carvings, which had no market in the Capital City.

Xu Heli didn't elaborate further, his eyes cold and distant.

Xu Beihu...

That second brother of his, who looked so honest and simple, actually had such keen instincts, running away ahead of time and taking his entire family with him.

He was truly decisive.

Xu Heli glanced at Xu You and slowly drank his wine.

When the food and wine were all served,

Old Master Xu personally raised his wine glass, coughing lightly and looking somewhat uncomfortable. "The Xu Family has been established in Thunder City for over two hundred years. Now, within the city, the Si Family has declined, the Yang Family has been annihilated, and the An Family has migrated. Among the four great aristocratic clans, only our Xu Family remains."

"The Xu Family has completely dominated the wood carving business in Thunder City, controlling all of it. They earn a fortune every day, and their business is thriving. It's a cause for celebration." Old Master Xu spoke softly.

Xu You and the others poured wine and congratulated him.

Xu You's heart was filled with anxiety, and he had already started thinking about how to escape. He planned to find an opportunity to leave the banquet and catch up with Li Che's family to bid them farewell.

A mouthful of wine went down his throat.

Xu You didn't think too much about it.

"Ah You, your mother passed away early, and I didn't pay much attention to you. Do you resent me for that?" Xu Naming poured a cup of wine for Xu You. The strong liquor had a transparent red color, like diluted blood.

Xu You picked up the wine cup with trepidation, "How could I resent Father? As the head of the Xu Family, you have so many things to handle."

In reality, Xu You did harbor some resentment towards Xu Naming. Xu Naming's care and attention for Xu Heli and Xu Beihu far exceeded what he received.

Xu You knew that it was because his mother was a refugee who had fled here.

She didn't come from a prominent family, and with her early passing, Xu Naming didn't have much affection for her.

So, Xu You had long resigned himself to this fact.

However, the Xu Family had raised him and brought him up, and this debt of gratitude made Xu You determined to work hard for the Xu Family and repay them.

Xu Naming smiled and glanced at Xu You, a hint of sigh in his eyes.

Xu You's temperament... was nothing like his.

He was more like his mother, that refugee woman whom Xu Naming had taken a liking to at first sight. She was gentle and serene, but unfortunately... she passed away too soon.

If Xu You's mother hadn't died, perhaps Xu Naming wouldn't have neglected him so much.

"Drink up." Xu Naming said gently.

Together with Xu You, they emptied their cups.

Then, he reached out and patted Xu You on the shoulder. This rare gesture made Xu You's heart flutter with inexplicable emotion.

"Little You, in the blink of an eye, you've grown up so much..."

"Come, have a drink with Grandpa."

The frail Old Master Xu, leaning on his cane and chair, raised his cloudy gaze and fixed it on Xu You.

Xu You hurriedly stood up, trembling, and held the wine cup with both hands.

The two of them drained their cups.

Xu Heli also poured a cup of wine and walked over to his side, patting Xu You's shoulder and clinking their cups together before drinking.

Xu You didn't refuse, and after three cups of wine, a strong sense of intoxication surged within him.

Although the old master and his father's attitudes were a bit unusual today, Xu You didn't mind. It was probably because they had some dangerous task they wanted him to undertake.

He was used to such situations.

Suddenly, Xu You furrowed his brows, and in his chest, he couldn't help but suppress a burp that rose uncontrollably, straight to his throat.

The next moment, he burped, and an extremely strong bloody smell filled his throat, overpowering the taste of alcohol and causing Xu You's body to tremble slightly.

"This wine..."

Xu You's eyes narrowed, and he looked around, only to see that Xu Naming, Xu Heli, and Old Master Xu had all put down their wine cups.

Their gazes were fixed on him, piercing.

An inexplicable chill suddenly rose from his forehead, instantly spreading throughout his body, as if freezing him solid.

Buzz—

A buzzing sound rang in his ears, sharp and piercing, assaulting his mind.

"You..."

Xu You felt the intense bloody taste in his mouth.

He seemed to have understood something—so-called family affection and brotherhood were nothing but an illusion!

He stared at the wine that resembled blood, his face twitching uncontrollably.

"You... are you mad?!"

Xu You stumbled to his feet, and the chair beneath him was instantly knocked over.

Dong—!

A dull bell rang out, shattering the myriad winds and rains, echoing from the direction of the City Governor's Mansion. The sound waves created by the bell were highly penetrating, spreading in all directions.

Xu You felt his head was about to split from the pain, and a chill ran through his body.

"This is..."

Old Master Xu looked out into the distance, listening to the sound of the bell, and exhaled.

"The Thousand Infant Carving Feast has begun..."

Thousand Infant Carving Feast?

Xu You's mind was hazy. Wasn't it the Thousand Buddha Feast?

Xu Naming stood up and walked towards the darkness, suddenly tearing away the black cloth. Behind him, candle flames flickered.

In an instant, the interior of the room was illuminated.

There were spirit infancy wood sculptures with various appearances—some were Buddhas, some were spirit infants, some were boys, and some were girls, all expressing the seven emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness!

Xu You felt the world spinning, accompanied by the deafening buzz in his ears.

The spirit infants and Buddha statues seemed to come to life under the candlelight, and various laughter, cries, and roars filled the air.

Streaks of divine nature twisted and turned, flowing out from the wood carvings. Like snakes spitting out their tongues, they slithered down the sculptures, contorting their bodies and dragging themselves across the ground.

Hiss, hiss, hiss...

They kept approaching Xu You.

Xu You felt like his heart was being clenched by an invisible hand.

He even vaguely saw a dilapidated temple, its bricks cracked open, revealing a spirit infant with intense wrath. Its eyes were wide, and a vertical eye suddenly opened between its eyebrows. The spirit infant's mouth also opened, emitting a silent scream!

Then, countless divine natures, like snakes, slithered into Xu You's body.

...

...

Dong—

Dong—

The ancient bell sounded like a temple that had witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations over three thousand years. The hanging evening bell was struck repeatedly.

The flow of time and the dust of the years seemed to boil within the bell's sound.

A figure with a hunched back, wearing a cat face mask and carrying an unremarkable horned hammer at his waist, gracefully leaped over the high walls of Thunder City.

He landed on the blue brick pavement of the outer city.

The entire city fell into an eerie silence. In the sky, dark clouds rolled, thunder roared, and lightning snakes intertwined.

(End of Chapter)Under the cat-faced mask, a pair of eyes narrowed slightly.

"That's a decisive move. If it were any slower, I wouldn't bother playing along anymore..."

A calm voice emanated from beneath the mask.

Cao Guang also accurately seized the opportunity, immediately performing a sacrifice to obtain power.

"Three-Eyed Wrathful Lord Neonate Strange Temple..."

"Ten Cities Strange Temple."

"You, Cao Guang, are using the 'Thousand Buddha Feast' as a sacrifice, offering the lives and blood of a thousand Spirit Infants as the price, intending to push this Strange Temple to the Nine Stars Rank..."

"A Nine Stars Rank Temple Deity..."

"I'm actually quite curious to see what happens."

"The Temple Deity is known as Undefeated Among Peers. Any Temple Deity of the same realm can suppress cultivators of the same realm with their Divine Energy. To kill a Temple Deity of the same realm, at least five or more cultivators of the same realm are needed to slay the deity."

"I... actually want to test it out. Can this Horned Heaven Smashing Hammer kill a Temple Deity!"

Boom!

Thunder rumbled and roared, and the dark sky instantly brightened.

The wind and rain intensified, and snow fell like hail, as if the heavens were enraged, with countless raindrops mixed with hailstones, crashing down upon the mortal world!

Li Qingshan, wearing the cat-faced mask, swayed, like an arrow shooting straight forward, bursting through the rain and creating a white wave, heading straight towards the inner city!

With a few bounces, he had already crossed the outer city and entered the inner city.

The speed was so fast that the soldiers guarding the inner city had no time to react!

Conceal?

Hide?

Li Qingshan's face beneath the mask was filled with disdainful laughter.

He, at this moment, had no need for...

Only the weak needed to conceal and hide.

The strong... once they had a reason, needed to...

Simply crush!

The Thousand Buddha Feast, in reality... should be called the Thousand Infant Carving Feast!

Using the lives of a thousand Spirit Infants as the price, they awaken and feed the Temple Deity!

Despicable brutes—!

They must be killed!

Boom—!

Li Qingshan took a heavy step forward, his entire body trembling, his back straightening like a rod. A scorching vital energy evaporated everything, like a coiled dragon swirling around him, roaring in wrath.

This was the Master's Vital Energy, unleashed without reservation, from the five viscera and six bowels to the spine, like a thousand hammers and a hundred temperings.

The domineering and fiery true qi erupted from his body!

In the distance, ten guards who had received the city governor Cao Guang's orders early on, with Blood Exchange cultivation, roared as they charged, their long swords trembling, shattering the raindrops.

However, Li Qingshan didn't even glance at them. With a flick of his fingers, the horned hammer at his waist whistled as it spun and shot out.

Boom, boom, boom!

Ten blood flowers exploded in the rain, and ten Blood Exchange warriors couldn't even resist; their heads were directly smashed, turning into cold corpses.

With a clenched fist, the horned hammer was gripped by the cat-faced elder.

Blood mixed with rainwater dripped down from the hammerhead.

Li Qingshan took slow steps, as if splitting the rain curtain in half.

Unstoppable!

...

...

Outside the Xu Family Manor.

Li Che stood on the artificial hill, his breath merging with the heavens and earth, completely undetectable.

His eyes flashed like lightning, clearly observing the scene within the hall.

The wine Xu You had drunk was clearly laced with a drug that would render Xu You unconscious.

As it didn't involve life-threatening danger, the Divine Nature chess piece hadn't given any warnings.

Therefore, Li Che temporarily held back, wanting to understand what the Xu family was planning.

Why did they target Xu You?

Subsequently, he saw Xu Naming, pulling away the cloth to reveal over a hundred different Spirit Infant wood sculptures.

"The Xu Family also intends to have a share in the Thousand Buddha Feast..."

"Yes, they silently allowed the City Governor's Mansion to take away the Spirit Infants."

Li Che's cute ox mask concealed a face as cold as ice, devoid of emotion.

Perhaps at first, the Xu Family had resisted the Spirit Infant Sect's purpose, but in the end... they chose to cooperate and offered the Spirit Infants.

Those Spirit Infants... how innocent were they?

They had just been born, and because of their good talent, they became objects of calculation and contention among these powers.

Life and death were merely a thought away for them.

Li Che's gaze lowered, and he couldn't help but think of Xi Xi. If he hadn't obtained the Dao Fruit...

What would Xi Xi's fate be?

Perhaps it would be like those Spirit Infants who were captured and offered as sacrifices.

The rain falling from the heavens was bone-chillingly cold.

As Li Che stood on the artificial hill, he saw a large iron cauldron set up in the hall, with boiling hot water inside. Various herbs were thrown into it.

When Li Che saw Xu Heli trembling, holding a bright bone-splitting blade and approaching the unconscious Xu You...

Li Che's eyes beneath the ox demon mask suddenly revealed a hint of surprise.

"This is... insane."

"Noble families, these cannibalistic noble families, in this cannibalistic world."

Li Che shook his head, swallowing the cold air, and muttered softly.

The next moment, the tall figure on the artificial hill blurred and distorted, disappearing without a trace.

Inside the hall.

A figure squinted, leaning on a cane, staring at Xu Heli's trembling figure as he approached Xu You.

Suddenly, his expression changed.

"Who?!"

His squinted eyes widened!

But he discovered that in the hall, in the corner just ten steps away, shrouded in darkness... at some point, a figure wearing a cute ox mask had appeared, breaking through the darkness.

"Buzz-bang!" A sound reverberated, as if a blood-colored thread was coiling around the figure.

The ox demon's body suddenly swelled up, circle after circle!

His back formed an inverted triangle, with serpentine muscles coiling like a dragon, constantly trembling, like a raging python!

"Ox Demon Grandpa is here to kill!"

A roar of burning wrath, accompanied by a whirring sound!

The blood-colored crystal blood-soaked shock spear appeared like a blood-colored lightning bolt.

Suddenly, it crossed ten steps.

A surprise attack!

Boom—!

Instantly, the stabbing thunder spear penetrated the Xu family elder's forehead.

Piercing through his entire body, it was nailed to the ground!

Second update, 10,000-word update, seeking monthly tickets and recommendations, seeking readers! Old Li thanks you!

(Chapter End)

Chapter end