As a father, I just want to quietly watch you live a long life

The raging air current shattered the leisurely falling snowflakes in the sky.

Xu Heli's feet lightly tapped the ground at breakneck speed, kicking up trails of snow dust; his entire figure shot towards the deep courtyard in the alley with the swiftness of an arrow released from a bowstring.

When he arrived at the entrance of the courtyard, his knees forcefully pushed off the ground, and a surge of powerful blood qi burst forth from his body; with a spring, he leapt atop the high wall and stood there like a sharp spear.

The wind howled, wailing like the cries of ghosts!

Xu Heli's blood qi circulated within his body, reaching every limb and bone, his eyes clear as he looked into the courtyard.

Chill plums emitted a faint fragrance, covered in accumulated snow.

But in the center of the courtyard, Li Che, wearing a leather bib, was sitting on a chair, gripping a carving knife, sculpting a wood carving; shavings fluttered down from the sharp silver-white blade, piling up on the ground.

Rustle, rustle rustle...

The sound was scratchy, but had a rhythmic pattern, as the divinity of heaven and earth was indistinctly captured and merged into the wood carving.

The carving marks on the wood, though rough, began to come to life.

Xu Heli's eyebrows furrowed as his grip on the sword hilt slowly relaxed.

It's not him...

Li Che was still carving the divine wood carving, with divinity from heaven and earth gathering and being pulled; that required a period of maturation, needed to settle one's state of mind.

It wasn't possible to kill someone one moment and seamlessly enter into the state of carving a divine wood carving the next.

That would lead to deviating into madness.

However, observing Li Che at this moment, it was obvious he had been adjusting his state for quite some time, immersed in the carving and pulling the free divinity between heaven and earth.

Even woodcarving masters at the Nine Luminaries level would find it hard to switch states in such a short period of time!

Li Che slowly stopped his movements, turned his head with a frown, and looked somewhat displeased at Xu Heli, who was standing on the wall, as if he was bothered by the disturbance.

"Shopkeeper... barging into my private workshop like this isn't very appropriate, is it?"

Li Che said indifferently.

Upon hearing this, Xu Heli floated down, his eyes still carrying a scrutinizing intent.

But... it's too coincidental!

Zhao Xuanhai was just about to abduct Li Che when he was targeted by the Bull Demon in the very alley Li Che was in, brutally killed on the spot...

Was the Bull Demon really unrelated to Li Che?

Or could it be...

The Bull Demon was lurking within Li Che's workshop?!

"I apologize for the intrusion, Master Li, but there has been a murder in the alley... The criminal Bull Demon appeared and committed the act, killing the Divine Catcher Zhao Xuanhai. Master Li, after all, is a martial artist with Bone Tempering Completion, did you really not sense the blood qi and divine battle that broke out in the alley?"

Xu Heli's expression darkened a bit.

Li Che looked at Xu Heli as if staring at a fool and laughed: "So what if I sensed it? Should I have opened the door to enjoy the spectacle, only to be killed and silenced by that ferocious Bull Demon?"

Xu Heli was momentarily taken aback.

Indeed, with the ferocity of the Bull Demon, if Li Che had actually dared to open the door and peek at its killing, that Bull Demon who loved twisting heads would likely have twisted off Li Che's head without hesitation.

Li Che, merely Bone Tempered, how could he resist the Bull Demon capable of killing someone at the Cultivation as Riverlike level?!

"If the shopkeeper has something to say, just speak frankly..."

Li Che picked up the wood carving and examined it carefully, speaking indifferently.

Xu Heli locked eyes with Li Che's nonchalant demeanor and said with a sharp gaze, "I've offended you."

The words had barely fallen.

Xu Heli's figure erupted with blood qi and divinity, flashing and disappearing on the spot.

Moments later, after searching the whole house, he returned to the courtyard.

"Is the shopkeeper suspecting that the Bull Demon is hiding in my yard?"

"The Bull Demon is vicious, and it'd be terrible if it were hiding and Master Li was unaware, only to later endanger Master Li's life," Xu Heli said with a smile.

Li Che narrowed his eyes, looking indifferently at Xu Heli.

Without his consent, his private residence was searched...

Xu Heli had clearly disregarded him, adopting a condescending attitude that only confirmed to Li Che that the Xu Family had truly sold him, the woodcarving master, to the City Lord's Mansion.

Zhao Xuanhai's appearance here was no coincidence either.

Feeling the strong presence of the Xuansi Liu Sword's divinity emanating from Xu Heli, Li Che licked his lips slightly, feeling the urge to do away with Xu Heli and then... drain him dry.

He shook his sleeve, the poisoned sleeve crossbow ready to be released.

After all, if you are unkind, do not blame me for being unrighteous.

The Xu Family indeed provided him with shelter when he was weak, but now that you've sold me, our emotional bond has surely run dry.

Li Che, too, did not understand why the Xu Family would push a woodcarving master out... By reason, it shouldn't be so.

Even if they knew he would leave Fei Lei City and did not wish to invest resources due to that, they shouldn't offend him to death, should they?

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It doesn't fall in line with the usual practices of the noble families and clans.

Just as Li Che hesitated over whether to make a move, his eyes suddenly contracted slightly.

He felt the Dao Fruit of a Pure Heart within his chest pounding violently, a strong warning that made him abandon the thought of taking action.

He then saw that, on top of the courtyard wall, a palm-sized lifelike wood carving had appeared at some unknown time. The wood carving stood on the black tiles, as if it had become a living person, coldly observing the scene within the courtyard.

Xu Heli caught a glimpse of the wood carving and was slightly taken aback before bowing with a fist held in the other hand.

"Elder Ancestor," he said.

The Xu Family's forebear...

A Divine Base Cultivator!

Li Che was extremely surprised.

"Heli, come back. The Bull Demon isn't hidden within Master Li's courtyard. Apologize to Master Li; after all, a master is a master, and our Xu Family should show the full respect that is due," said a faint voice from the wood carving.

"Yes," Xu Heli responded respectfully.

The wood carving glanced at Li Che, and although its eyes were carved, they were lifelike, as if a real person was casting a gaze.

This skill... exceedingly masterful!

Such a wood carving was undoubtedly the work of a master!

But what was even more terrifying was the vivacity endowed to the wood carving by divinity.

And it was precisely the perception of the wood carving's appearance that made Li Che dispel the idea of striking Xu Heli.

Watching Xu Heli leave without uttering another word, along with the Divine Base Wood Carving, Li Che's eyes flickered.

"Using a Divine Wood Carving as the vessel, the strong divinity of a Divine Base Cultivator infused within, as if manipulating a doppelganger?" he mused.

"This must be some type of Divine Secret Technique..."

"A Divine Base Cultivator indeed... Just a wood carving bearing divinity puts such great pressure on me..."

Li Che exhaled deeply, his heart stirred, viewing Divine Base Cultivators with increasing regard.

According to the Nine Luminaries Furious Weeping Ghost Nourishing Nature Record he obtained from Si Mubai, Divine Cultivators could perhaps fight beyond their small realms, but the gap between ranks was vast as a chasm.

Even if one cultivates a Four Imperials Level Divinity Method, as long as they remain in the phase of Nurturing Nature and face a Divine Base Cultivator who cultivates a Ten Capitals Divinity Method, they would be suppressed.

This is what's known as rank suppression.

And a Divinity Method capable of breaking this rank suppression... would be top-notch in the world.

Li Che took a deep breath and ran his fingers over the carvings on the wood, pursing his lips slightly.

"That Divine Base Wood Carving... must contain extremely tremendous divinity, which is quite... tempting," he said.

...

...

In the independent workshop courtyard,

snow fluttered down.

Li Che once again immersed himself in his carving...

After half an incense stick's time had passed, ensuring that Xu Heli and the Divine Base Wood Carving would not return,

Li Che then got up, stretched lazily, his bones cracking in response, and stimulated the Dao Fruit of Chess Saint with his divinity. With the chessboard covering the surroundings of the courtyard and ascertaining that there was no spying,

he proceeded to take out Zhao Xuanhai's Qiankun Jade from his Qiankun Space, ready to tally his gains from killing Zhao Xuanhai.

Apart from the Qiankun Jade, Zhao Xuanhai's heavy iron sword weighing eight hundred catties had also been collected by Li Che.

With divinity infused, the Qiankun Jade Pendant was promptly breached.

The treasures inside were exposed to Li Che's perception.

After thoroughly tallying the silver notes, silver ingots, Gold Leaves, gold ingots, and other riches that would make one wealthy,

Li Che raised his hand, and after several seconds of attraction,

two golden hide booklets fell into Li Che's hands.

One was a Divinity Method, the other... a Divine Secret Technique!

He looked at the first booklet.

"Great Scenery Town Temple Rage Mituo Nurturing Nature Method," he read the title.

Li Che clutched the booklet, his eyes blazing.

According to common knowledge of Divine Cultivation, the Seven Emotions Divinity Method involves refining divinity with emotions, choosing one emotion to nurture divinity. More than that can lead to emotional instability, resulting in a fragmented spirit...

Feeling the Dao Fruit of Pure Heart pounding in his chest, Li Che's breath became hot.

"Can I... cultivate two Divinity Methods at the same time?" he wondered.

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