Chapter 909: Qingshan Remains, the Beauty Has Aged, A Heartfelt Welcome from the Underworld

Li Che set down his wine cup, a faint glimmer of peculiarity flashing in his eyes.

All around him, the clinking of glasses and the aroma of wine mingled with the scent of exquisite delicacies, their essence constantly wafting into the air.

Yet at this moment, none of it held Li Che’s attention.

His mind moved slightly, sinking into the Heaven and Earth chessboard.

The Soul Capturing piece created from the Yellow Sword Wine immediately landed quietly on the chessboard.

When a Soul Capturing piece leaves, it can detach from Li Che himself and act independently.

That’s why Li Che had sent the Soul Capturing pieces of Yellow Sword Wine and You Liqing to search for the forces the Corpse God Cult was hiding around Dry Yuan Dao City.

After all, the last time he had assisted the Princess Consort, the demigod corpse from the Corpse God Cult had caught Li Che’s attention.

Li Che harbored no goodwill toward the Corpse God Cult, whether for its atrocities or its demon child—it all filled him with loathing.

Within the Heaven and Earth chessboard.

Li Che’s Primordial Spirit condensed into form, his eyes slowly opening.

With a flick of his fingers, a surge of Pure Heart Divinity flowed out, reinvigorating the Soul Capturing piece of Yellow Sword Wine.

Gradually, the Soul Capturing piece twisted and shifted, transforming into the form of Yellow Sword Wine himself.

A Soul Capturing piece can only regenerate back into itself after being broken ten consecutive times and running out of supply, at which point it will return to Li Che’s Heaven and Earth chessboard to recharge.

This was the conclusion Li Che had come to after crafting the Soul Capturing pieces.

Until now, it was the first time a Soul Capturing piece had been struck down back into its chess form. Old Huang had truly opened Li Che’s eyes to this.

Yellow Sword Wine scratched at his messy hair, uncorked his wine gourd, and guzzled several hearty swigs before muttering curses under his breath.

After a few moments, Yellow Sword Wine’s Soul Capturing piece began to recover.

"Speak, what’s the situation?”

Li Che asked calmly.

Yellow Sword Wine nodded, and began to recount the events.

"I was working separately from Old You, following the traces of the Corpse God Seal to locate the Corpse God Cult’s base outside Dry Yuan Dao City

"At first, there were no leads, and despite searching for a long time, we found nothing, so Old You and I decided to expand our scope

"Upon expanding the range… near the area around Divine Carving Ridge, I encountered an ambush.”

Yellow Sword Wine slapped his wine gourd, marked prominently with sword scars, his gaze darkening with a hint of sharpness.

"Where?”

Li Che furrowed his brows.

"Divine Carving Ridge.”

Yellow Sword Wine took another gulp of wine and replied.

"Outside Divine Carving Ridge, I encountered a demigod corpse

"Not the same demigod corpse that Old You had previously blocked—this one was even stronger, more enigmatic. I used Ninth Sword, released explosions ten times, and none of them could break through.”

"Strong, incredibly strong… roughly comparable to the pinnacle level of Qi Sea Martial Saints. Right now, I’m no match.”

Yellow Sword Wine said, his voice heavy with frustration.

Upon hearing this, Li Che did not react emotionally to the fact Yellow Sword Wine had experienced ten bursts.

After all, he couldn’t truly die.

Out of those ten times, at least nine were self-destructions deliberately unleashed by Yellow Sword Wine using the Ninth Sword style.

However, the information Yellow Sword Wine returned with caused Li Che’s expression to grow grave.

"Near Divine Carving Ridge… there are strong figures from the Corpse God Cult, including a Two Flower Demigod Corpse comparable to the second level of Qi Sea Martial Saints?”

Li Che had been to Divine Carving Ridge before.

But previously, he hadn’t sensed this presence.

Yellow Sword Wine nodded. As a Soul Capturing piece, his loyalty and obedience to Li Che were absolute, without concealment or betrayal.

"Among Martial Saints, the gap between the first opening and the second opening is indeed vast. The difference between a Human Core Martial Saint and a Qi Sea Martial Saint is akin to the disparity between a Grandmaster and a Great Grandmaster.”

"While targeting the Su Family, my greatest concern was their elder sage Su Leibao, a Qi Sea-opening Martial Saint—the cornerstone enabling the Su Family to maintain their position as the foremost noble family of Dry Yuan Dao City.”

"Cloud Family, Zhou Family, and Zhong Family—these three thousand-year-old noble clans have deep foundations, yet their strongest combatants are merely their ancestral patriarchs, all first-level Martial Saints with Divine Transformation fetuses

"Far inferior to the Su Family.”

"Which is why, back then, I requested the Great Elder Fang Hanshu to intervene

Yellow Sword Wine sat directly on the Heaven and Earth chessboard and continued.

Li Che’s Primordial Spirit fell silent…

Divine Carving Ridge.

As Divine Carving Ridge lay outside Dry Yuan Dao City, distant from any settlements, it did indeed harbor numerous uncertainties and dangers.

"Because of… the Two-Hearted Great Saint Mysterious Temple? Are they here for that mystical weapon, the Heart-following Gold Iron Divine Rod?”

It was a possibility Li Che couldn’t help but consider.

The pressing question now was whether the Corpse God Cult’s Two Flower Demigod Corpse was hidden within Divine Carving Ridge itself or…

Had the Corpse God Cult set up an ambush in the area surrounding Divine Carving Ridge, effectively encircling it?

But it seemed unlikely—it was more plausible they were merely concealed nearby. After all, the remote mountainous terrain around Divine Carving Ridge was sparsely inhabited.

If the Corpse God Cult were truly making such large moves, Qian Yuan Divine Sect couldn’t possibly remain oblivious.

Li Che slowly closed his eyes and ordered Yellow Sword Wine to resume his Essence Cultivation.

He himself withdrew from the Heaven and Earth chessboard.

Upon opening his eyes, he glanced toward the banquet table, where seated were Gongshu Jingjun, Ridge Master of Divine Carving Ridge, along with Great Elder Tang Xiejia.

Which meant, if the Corpse God Cult’s demigod corpse was truly hiding its identity, it couldn’t possibly be Gongshu Jingjun or Tang Xiejia.

All other elders were also in attendance at this banquet celebrating Xi Xi’s ascension as the Young Master.

Ten consecutive bursts forced upon Yellow Sword Wine by the Two Flower Demigod Corpse…

"It seems I’ll need to find an opportunity to dispatch Yellow Sword Wine to warn Qian Yuan Divine Sect and Divine Carving Ridge.”

Li Che set down his wine cup and massaged his temple.

The Corpse God Cult…

They were truly like restless ghosts, never fading away.

The Corpse God Cult’s primary battleground had always been the Jiangnan Dao of Jizhou, where they were locked in opposition against King Ping Luan Ji Moli.

Yet now, the appearance of the Corpse God Cult’s experts near Qian Yuan Divine Sect had grown increasingly frequent.