Chapter 94: Ascending the Tower, Divine Encounter, and the Killer's Unnecessary Force

Chapter 94: Ascending the Tower, Divine Encounter, and the Killer's Unnecessary Force

The sharp blood-colored spear had already pierced through Xu Laotai's body, nailing him firmly to the ground!

It pierced through the top of his head, instantly drilling right through.

With incredible penetration, it created spider web-like cracks on the blue brick floor, and the spearhead embedded itself deeply.

"You Ox Demon, you've come to kill!"

At this moment, a roar like thunder reverberated through the entire hall, causing countless candle flames to flicker and extinguish in large swaths.

Xu Nanming's eyes widened in fury, and Xu Heli's hair stood on end.

The situation was like a boiling pot, with surging waves of anger.

Xu Heli, who held a bone-stripping blade, was startled by the sudden turn of events, and all his inner conflicts and fears vanished.

"Ox Demon—!"

Xu Heli shouted in shock and anger.

How... How is this guy still in the city?!

Everyone knew who the Ox Demon was.

But today, hadn't Li Che's family already moved out of the city?

Bang! Bang!

Xu Nanming and Xu Heli's divine nature erupted, like two mighty rivers coiling around them like giant pythons.

Yet, they felt an overwhelming chill throughout their bodies.

The Ox Demon's appearance was too sudden!

When did he manage to sneak into the Xu family hall?

Moreover, he emerged from the darkness, striking so close to Xu Laotai that he was within ten steps, yet remained undetected!

If not for the burst of divine energy as he prepared to attack, alerting Xu Laotai, the Ox Demon might have already beheaded them before they could react.

"So treacherous and vicious! To dare to launch such a stealthy attack! Demon, demon!"

Xu Nanming's eyes were filled with rage, and at this moment, he had lost all the composure of a family patriarch.

He was more embarrassed and furious at being caught doing something shameful.

Inside the hall, a fierce gust of wind blew, and the Ox Demon's eyebrows furrowed slightly. The shocking spear that had pierced Xu Laotai's body did not bring about the expected feedback of death...

This Xu Laotai... something was amiss!

"No blood..."

Li Che's eyes scanned beneath the mask, and he instantly understood.

"A fake?"

He recalled the wooden sculpture he had seen earlier, which contained divine nature and could even speak.

A divine nature secret technique!

As expected, when the shocking spear pierced "Xu Laotai," the divine nature within him was stimulated, and his entire body transformed into a wooden sculpture wearing clothes.

Li Che's fingers trembled, and countless silver threads that were barely visible shot out, causing Xu Laotai's wooden sculpture to explode into countless pieces of wood.

The shocking spear was then entangled by thousands of spider silks and suddenly slashed through the air, creating a mournful sound as the air was displaced. A long, wailing sound rose, like a blood python coiling through the air!

Xu Nanming's hair stood on end, and he felt the crisis of death enveloping him.

Li Che's divine foundation and divine nature were not compatible with the shocking spear, but..."

Even without using his divine nature, just treating the spear as a sharp weapon, its resilience and toughness were extraordinary!

Everything happened too fast!

Xu Nanming's fingers clenched, and divine nature enveloped him. A sword's humming sound instantly burst forth with flowing light, and a sword suddenly shot out, gripped by him. He slashed down fiercely!

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing filled the air.

Xu Nanming's face turned pale, and a terrifying force seemed to surge from the blood-colored spear.

Li Che's eyes met the Ox Demon's, which shone like a dazzling sun beneath the mask.

The sword... shattered instantly!

An ordinary refined iron sword could not withstand the impact.

After just one collision, Xu Nanming's Qi Pulse Realm warrior body trembled, feeling an unbeatable, terrifying power.

His arm that held the sword, now shattered, and dense blood mist erupted from it.

"Ah—!"

Xu Nanming's heart trembled. The blood-inscribed shocking spear shattered his sword and then smashed into his chest.

His entire body flew horizontally, and blood mist sprayed from his chest.

"How can I... not even withstand a single attack?"

Xu Nanming, suspended in mid-air, had only one thought in his mind.

Although Xu Nanming had not fought for a long time and had been preoccupied with family business, he was once a cultivator who had challenged higher realms!

In his prime, his divine nature had not weakened, and his divine energy was at its peak...

Yet, he was defeated by the Ox Demon in a single move!

His body shattered, and the sound of shattering iron still reverberated.

The Ox Demon's sturdy body now held the blood-inscribed shocking spear, its divine armament suddenly expanding and automatically adapting to the Ox Demon's current state.

The spear's body became thicker and larger, and the blood-colored patterns on it were extremely ferocious.

The Ox Demon's physique... was too formidable!

Li Che had directly activated Wrathful Eye Vajra and Unparalleled Refinement, and with his Qi Pulse at the peak, even an ordinary Mystic Pulse cultivator would have a hard time defeating him!

With such power, Xu Nanming stood no chance.

The Ox Demon had only one thought when he chose to strike—to kill!

To kill them all!

Outside, sword lights roared, and angry shouts echoed, rolling in.

[Suspended Thought Flowing Sword] Divine Nature, overwhelming and all-encompassing!

"Scoundrel!"

"How dare you?!"

This was Xu Laoye's true body, and he never imagined that the Ox Demon would dare to appear in the Xu family compound to commit murder, such audacity!

Hum—

A divine foundation rose like a grinding disc!

Divine Foundation Initial Realm Peak!

Having already solidified his divine foundation and pushing it to a perfect state, he was prepared to use this Thousand Buddha Carving Banquet to advance to the Middle Realm!

A patterned steel sword trembled, carrying Xu Laoye's [Suspended Thought Flowing Sword] divine nature. In an instant, it tore through the air, a sword controlled by divine nature, flying to take a head!

Li Che glanced at it.

The divine nature of [Suspended Thought Flowing Sword] pressed down with overwhelming pressure, aiming to restrict him.

But Li Che was unaware and unconcerned. He flicked the spear, and with a 'clang,' it struck the flying patterned steel sword.

A crisp 'ding' sound rang out, and the patterned steel sword was smashed, flying horizontally.

"This..."

Xu Laoye's eyes narrowed, and his heart skipped a beat.

Impossible!

Why was this Ox Demon ignoring his divine foundation realm?

Rumors abound that the Ox Demon possessed exceptional innate talent in blood martial arts, achieving a breakthrough in just three years to become a Qi Pulse Warrior. However, it was said that his divine nature talent was average.

A mere Qi Pulse Warrior, under the suppression of the Divine Foundation Realm, would struggle even to circulate their blood energy.

Unless, of course, they were a Blood Master!

Judging by the overwhelming power of the Ox Demon's blood energy, his physical body was undoubtedly formidable, but he wasn't a Grandmaster...

If that were the case, could the Ox Demon be a Divine Foundation Cultivator?

Impossible!

Li Che shattered Xu Laotai's flying sword with a single spear thrust, but he paid no heed to the Divine Foundation Cultivator's menacing gaze. With a mighty stride, he burst forth, causing the ground to seem as if it had shrunk beneath his feet!

His towering and robust physique resembled a mountain, with sinewy muscles rippling like the body of a coiling dragon. He had already reached Xu Heli, who was gripping the Bone-Stripping Blade.

Xu Heli felt a suffocating sensation.

He wanted to move...

But... he couldn't budge an inch. He attempted to summon his divine nature, but to no avail.

It was as if a small river in the depths of winter had frozen solid, becoming ice! This feeling...

"You..."

Xu Heli trembled all over. How could this be... How could this be...

How could the Ox Demon possibly be a Divine Foundation Cultivator?!

Isn't the Ox Demon Li Che? How could Li Che be a Divine Foundation Cultivator?!

"Move, damn you!" Xu Heli roared.

The Bone-Stripping Blade plunged into his own thigh, as he sought to use the pain to break free from the suppression of the Divine Foundation Realm.

Who was he trying to emulate? Li Che glanced at him indifferently, without uttering a word. With a swift flick of his spear, he thrust it towards Xu Heli, like a peacock spreading its tail, the dazzling spear shadows erupting forth.

The air wailed, emitting a sound of bursting energy, as countless spear shadows pierced through!

In an instant, Xu Heli, who had impaled his thigh, was enveloped, and before he could even scream, he was riddled with a thousand wounds!

Each spear thrust pierced through his body, carrying with it a cloud of blood mist! As the spear was withdrawn, a drop of blood fell to the ground.

Xu Heli's flesh turned into a mess, and he collapsed on the ground, his Bone-Stripping Blade slipping from his grasp and falling far away.

"Heli—!"

Xu Laotai rushed into the room, his eyes filled with fury.

Xu Heli was Xu family's most promising candidate to reach the Divine Foundation Realm, and now he had died a tragic death before his very eyes!

"Ox Demon—You're despicable! Truly despicable!"

Xu Laotai's eyes turned crimson with rage. In that moment, his emotions surged, and he even felt a sense of losing control over his divine nature.

Fortunately, he snapped out of it, forcefully suppressing the turbulent divine nature. With his fingers like hooks, he fiercely scratched at the ground.

The Damascus steel sword that had been knocked away by Li Che's spear suddenly shot back, and he grasped it in his hand.

"Despicable? Me, despicable?"

Li Che held the Blood-Inscribed Thunder Gun with a slanted grip, and beneath the mask, a muffled voice emerged.

You were sharpening your knives, preparing to devour people, and now you call the Ox Demon despicable for eliminating evil? Xu Laotai paid no attention to the Ox Demon. People always had double standards. His own son and grandson had died at the hands of the Ox Demon, and now he called the Ox Demon despicable? So what?

With a face filled with sorrow, he glanced at the bloody and pungent atmosphere in the hall, then without hesitation, he dashed out of the hall.

This Ox Demon... was actually a Divine Foundation Cultivator!

No fighting!

Escape first!

Wait until the benefits of the Thousand Buddha Carving Feast are fully digested, and after he breaks through to the middle stage of the Divine Foundation Realm, then a thousand knives will be used to flay this Ox Demon!

Since Li Che had made his move, how could he let this old man escape?

With a powerful stomp of his foot, the entire hall's floor caved in, countless bricks twisted and shattered, exploding into a cloud of intense dust.

Li Che's robust body shot forward, his blood energy boiling beneath his wrathful eyes. His physical body, perfectly tempered, possessed unmatched strength!

With a swift extension of his arms, he soared like a soaring eagle!

The divine nature martial technique of body movement obtained from the Yang Clan's treasure trove...

Cloud-Soaring Eagle Leap!

The blood energy condensed beneath his feet like mist, resembling a cloud of blood, as he stepped down, his body rising into the air.

His speed surged, chasing after Xu Laodeng!

Boom!

Behind him, the Divine Foundation Realm he had just condensed suddenly appeared!

Three-Eyed Wrathful True Monarch Divine Foundation!

Upper-grade Eight Extremes!

As the Divine Foundation manifested, it enveloped the sword light and burst out of Xu Ji's courtyard. Xu Laotai, who had been running swiftly, felt his heart sink.

He turned for a glance, and his eyes widened in shock.

"This Divine Foundation... This Divine Foundation... Three-Eyed Wrathful True Monarch?"

"Cao Guang?!"

Xu Laotai roared. Could the Ox Demon be Cao Guang? Only Cao Guang had obtained this Divine Foundation Technique from the Mysterious Temple in Thunderstrike City!

Suddenly, Xu Laotai snapped out of his shock. The suppression of the realm was off...

The Ox Demon's Divine Foundation Realm suppression was more intense, more ferocious, and more robust! Bang!

In that brief moment of distraction, the Ox Demon caught up. Xu Laotai knew he couldn't escape, for under the suppression of the Ox Demon's Divine Foundation Realm, his speed had slowed!

He could only turn and fight! The Ox Demon's Divine Foundation was likely newly forged and not yet solidified. If he seized the opportunity to shatter it, it would be a chance to counterattack!

Li Che's face remained cold, but he understood Xu Laotai's thoughts.

The Divine Foundation hadn't been solidified yet, and that was his weakness.

But it didn't matter...

Because from the beginning, Li Che hadn't intended to use the power of the Divine Foundation to kill him!

This Xu family elder was more challenging to kill than the Yang Clan's Divine Foundation Cultivator or the Horse-Faced Divine Foundation Cultivator.

Gripping the Blood-Inscribed Thunder Gun, Li Che's blood energy surged through his meridians, roaring with fury.

Within his chest, the Dao Fruit of the Dragon Elephant Vajra throbbed violently... throbbing...

Boom, boom... Boom! Li Che stimulated the Dragon Elephant Vajra Dao Fruit!

The embryonic form of a divine ability...

Dragon Elephant Vajra - Ascending the Tower!

In an instant!

Li Che felt as if the blood within his body had come alive, like countless boiling fish, striving to surpass the shell of his physical body and ascend to a higher realm!

[Boiling Divine Nature, Flesh Ascending, Perfect Tempering, All Gods Witness Me]



This was Ascending the Tower!

Boom!

Li Che's eyes behind the Ox Mask suddenly erupted with dazzling golden light, his pupils glowing with splendor. As he moved his head, the light continued to drift and scatter...

His jet-black, robust hair began to grow wildly, gradually cascading down to his waist, resembling an incredibly heavy black cloak, fluttering in the raging wind!

Rip...

His limbs expanded, with thick sinews like giant pythons, writhing beneath his nearly crimson skin. However, his entire body didn't swell excessively; instead, it was like a thousand hammers had forged it, resembling a genuine indestructible Vajra, perfectly tempered!

But his blood energy became increasingly violent and terrifying, and the speed of his inner energy circulating through his body tripled!

His inner energy seemed to be tinged with a layer of crimson, as if it were ablaze!"

I've grown stronger—

Li Che's consciousness was incredibly clear, almost too calm. He knew that unleashing such a ferocious embryonic divine ability hadn't clouded his will, preventing him from becoming a slave to his power.

Li Che's consciousness felt clearer than ever before, as if his divine sense had grown stronger.

So strong...

Li Che felt like he could crush anyone who came his way! However, a strong desire surged from his pounding heart.

With utmost clarity and calmness, Li Che clenched his fist.

【Chessboard】 Dao Fruit trembled slightly.

A divine chess piece emerged, as black as ink, infused with the divinity of the Three-Eyed Wrathful Vajra Spirit Infant Temple Deity.

"I need this chess piece..."

"No, it's the 'Ascending State' that needs this chess piece."

Li Che pondered for a moment.

"I'll give it a try."

He opened his palm, and crimson inner Qi burst out of his body, forming a burning aura that seemed to twist the air around him.

The black chess piece hovered in his palm.

He clenched his fist tightly.

In an instant, it exploded into a cloud of black mist, the divinity boiling intensely and transforming into divine Qi mist! The mist instantly merged into his body.

Li Che abruptly raised his head, his waist-length black hair billowing behind him like a cloak.

Suddenly.

Li Che felt a fleeting image flash before his eyes.

Within the image...

The Three-Eyed Wrathful Vajra Spirit Infant Temple Deity in the mysterious temple seemed to come alive, looking at him. Li Che's gaze lowered, as if looking down from above.

The Spirit Infant Temple Deity screamed, its face contorted with anger and fear, and a hint of... terror! The image vanished in an instant.

Cold rain and snow poured down.

Li Che's consciousness returned, and everything that had happened was just a matter of a few breaths.

Below.

Old Master Xu was completely drenched by the rain, lying on the ground, shivering uncontrollably.

He watched as the Ox Demon underwent a transformation, becoming even more terrifying. The overwhelming divine pressure and the intimidating rank...

It was too much for an ordinary cultivator like him, who had only reached the tenth level of Divine Foundation. He didn't even have the courage to flee.

His Divine Foundation was trembling!

His divinity was filled with fear!

The cold rain drenched him, stinging his face.

He struggled to raise his head.

It was as if... he saw a Temple Deity.

His face was filled with bitterness, and he opened his mouth.

He spoke his last words before departing from this world.

"Your Excellency, killing a chicken..."

"Does not require an ox-cleaver."

...

...

In front of the City Lord's Mansion.

Blood and gore covered the ground...

Mangled corpses lay scattered, like blood-red plum blossoms blooming amidst the falling rain.

Li Qingshan, wearing a cat mask, stood straight, holding a Horn-breaking Hammer. His aura was entirely different.

Blood mixed with rainwater dripped from the head of the Horn-breaking Hammer.

Under the cat mask, his dark eyes gazed towards the City Lord's Mansion.

It was as if he was mocking, as if he was uninterested.

As if saying, is this all you've got?

On the eight-angled overhanging eaves tower, the figure of City Lord Cao Guang had long disappeared.

But Li Qingshan didn't care.

His target was there, and once he went in and hammered Cao Guang, his mission would be accomplished.

As for Cao Guang being a court official, if he hammered him, he would be entangled with the Temple Guard Service and tainted with bad luck? Li Qingshan didn't care about that either; he was in the right.

This Cao Guang, sacrificing a thousand spirit infants and hosting the Thousand Infant Carving Feast, was nothing but scum. If he hammered a court official, would the court still have the face to come after him for bad luck?

Cao Guang shook his head and took a heavy step forward.

In an instant, countless raindrops spread out around him, like a tidal wave, heading towards the City Lord's Mansion.

Suddenly.

Cao Guang narrowed his eyes.

Three figures appeared around the City Lord's Mansion, each with a unique appearance and wearing strange masks.

Their strange appearances were depicted on the features of their masks.

Their noses and eyes were enormous, completely out of proportion. Just looking at them gave an eerie feeling as if their noses and eyes were swollen.

One of them wore a smiling spirit infant mask, small in size, wrapped in a vermillion robe.

The other two figures had exceptionally sturdy bodies, and the dense, intertwined corpse Qi was a dark gray, still rising crookedly even under the heavy rain.

"Interesting... The Corpse Deity Sect's influence has indeed reached Jin Guang Prefecture, even affecting the city lord himself."

"And you... Are you the Spirit Infant Master of the Spirit Infant Sect?"

Li Qingshan held the Horn-breaking Hammer, his eyes dark under the cat mask.

The true child wearing the smiling infant mask tilted his head, and a genderless voice rang out.

"Li Qingshan... I've heard of your great name."

Li Qingshan narrowed his eyes. "I initially thought the Spirit Infant Sect was just a cover for Cao Guang to gather spirit infants, but now it seems... it's not that simple..."

"A newly developed sect? It seems to have a deep connection with the Corpse Deity Sect..."

Li Qingshan's Horn-breaking Hammer twitched in his hand.

Suddenly.

Not only Li Qingshan, but also the Spirit Infant Master and the two sturdy figures with intertwined corpse Qi, all turned their masked faces towards the distance.

Their faces changed slightly.

"A Temple Deity?"

But soon, they all turned back, looking towards the eight-angled overhanging eaves tower of the City Lord's Mansion.

Energy waves raged, intertwining like madly dancing pythons, as if venting endless wrath.

The five figures, facing off in the heavy rain, had their masked faces change again.

Because inside the eight-angled overhanging eaves tower...

Another Temple Deity's aura rose.

"Hmm?!"

"Two Temple Deities?!"

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(End of Chapter)

Chapter end