"Dad, are you here?" Li Sui asked as she entered a kitchen covered in dust. A disappointed look marred her face upon seeing that there wasn't anyone in the kitchen.
She was about to enter the next room when Gao Zhijian stopped her. "Don't... don't... don't look for him like that."
Li Sui scrunched up her nose in dissatisfaction and asked, "You speak too slow. Can I enter your body and listen to you from the inside?"
Gao Zhijian shook his head and took Li Sui out onto the streets.
The curfew was over, and the streets were starting to become bustling once again.
Li Sui looked like a human being, but she wasn't a human being, so Shangjing was dangerous for her. With that in mind, Gao Zhijian had decided to send her back to Cowheart Village.
Afterward, Gao Zhijian would come up with another plan to find Senior Li.
Gao Zhijian was quite disappointed. He thought he could help Li Huowang with his identity, but he was wrong. In the end, he was nothing.
He took the reins of the horse and carried Li Sui onto the carriage. Then, they started moving toward the city gates to head back to Cowheart Village.
Gao Zhijian was still thinking about what he was supposed to do when a familiar figure blocked them.
"Dad!" Li Sui exclaimed in excitement. She jumped down from the carriage and hugged Li Huowang tightly. She then nuzzled her head into his chest.
Li Huowang stroked Li Sui's smooth hair and muttered, "Sorry. Many things happened, and I couldn't get to you soon enough."
Li Sui looked up and smiled at him.
"How did you find me, Dad?"
"I used divination and followed the traces. If this happens again, you should just head back home rather than search for me without any leads."
"Dad, where's our home?"
"Our home is Cowheart Village," Li Huowang said. He then looked at Gao Zhijian. He was supposed to go back to Cowheart Village to find Gao Zhijian, but it turned out that the latter was already in Shangjing. It was such a wonderful stroke of fate that Li Huowang still couldn't quite believe it.
Li Huowang held his horse's reins and approached Gao Zhijian before patting the latter's chest. Gao Zhijian smiled and asked where Bai Lingmiao was.
"Shao Zi is dead and she's fine for now. Once I'm done with your issues, I will go and find her."
Li Huowang then entered the inn and got themselves the best room.
Li Huowang didn't want to hide anything from Gao Zhijian, so he told him everything that happened, including how the emperor wanted their children to kill each other to succeed to the throne.
Gao Zhijian was shocked upon realizing that his assumptions all this while were true. He also couldn't believe that there was a so-called Great Qi, and it turned out that he was the emperor of the Great Qi rather than the emperor of the Great Liang. Apparently, he had to become an emperor to save both worlds.
Gao Zhijian's hands were shaking as he took off his shirt, revealing the scar on his chest that Li Huowang had made in the past.
Li Huowang's story was so shocking that he couldn't quite believe it, but he was relieved to find that he wasn't crazy. His memories were real, and Senior Li had truly killed him once.
Li Huowang placed the round jade pendant onto the table and slid it toward Gao Zhijian. He had used it to exchange for a horse, and he managed to get it back for Gao Zhijian.
"I don't know whether this is good for you or not, but it's your true identity." Li Huowang sighed with worry.
Any normal person would have jumped with joy upon knowing that they'd soon become the emperor who'd rule above all, but Li Huowang had seen the royal family's evil behind the scenes. In other words, Li Huowang was deliberately pushing his friend into the lion's pit, but he had no choice. It was the only way to save both the Liang Kingdom and the Qi Kingdom.
Gao Zhijian stared at the pendant for almost an hour before he picked it up and muttered, "Senior... Senior Li! I-I-I'm glad... to help you!"
Gao Zhijian stood up and left the room with conviction. He had decided to become the emperor. Once he was the emperor, no one would dare to bully Xiaoman and the others. ๐ป๐๐๐ฆ๐ธ๐๐ท๐โด๐ฃ๐ฆ๐.๐ธโด๐ฎ
Xiaoman should be willing to marry me once I've become the emperor, right?
Li Huowang and Li Sui followed after Gao Zhijian. They were ready to escort their friend to the throne.
Gao Zhijian walked straight on the long road to reach the palace. He stood tall, and his expression had changed drastically as if his memories as an emperor had awakened.
"It's you again! You really want to die, huh?! Prepare the ballistas!"
Gao Zhijian raised the pendant high up in the air, showing it toward the troops at the palace gates. A few moments later, the palace gates were opened.
A group of eunuchs and consorts rushed out and surrounded Gao Zhijian. They groomed his hair and gave him the dragon's robe to wear.
"You found him?" the Imperial Preceptor asked, frowning as he approached Li Huowang.
Clearly, the Imperial Preceptor had used a secret method to verify Gao Zhijian's identity.
Li Huowang didn't reply; he was unwittingly transfixed on his friend, who had just become an emperor.
"We had nine descendants of the previous emperor, but you killed so many of them. If you hadn't killed them, we wouldn't have needed to find someone from the Qi Kingdom to maintain the Liang Kingdom's prosperity. Tell me, just what are you trying to do here?!" Huangfu Tiangang exclaimed, pointing his sword shrouded in purple lightning at Li Huowang. The Imperial Preceptor was about to do something to Li Huowang.
However, Gao Zhijian noticed it and roared, "What?! What?! What are you doing?!"
The Imperial Preceptor saw Gao Zhijian wearing the dragon robe, and he lowered his arms in frustration. Then, he bowed to Gao Zhijian and said, "Huangfu Tiangang greets the emperor!"
Gao Zhijian scoffed and waved his sleeve before he left for the palace under the guidance of the eunuchs and consorts.
Li Huowang glanced at the Imperial Preceptor before bringing Li Sui inside the palace.
More and more people joined the procession of consorts and eunuchs as they approached the palace. By the time they arrived at the main palace, the procession now had a few hundred people.
Gao Zhijian himself was in a sedan.
Gao Zhijian was being carried up the white jade stairs that led to the entrance of the main palace when a distressed roar echoed from above.
"I'm the emperor! It's me! Why can't I become the emperor? You said that the sole survivor of the nine children would be the emperor! Liars! You lied to me! All of you are liars!"
Li Huowang looked up and saw the disheveled Ji Lin. She was holding a sword and was running at Gao Zhijian in despair.
Li Huowang didn't even need to do anything. A group of old eunuchs charged out from the darkness and pinned Ji Lin to the ground.
Ji Lin struggled like a maniac. "Why?! I sacrificed everything! I paid so much! I killed my mother and my siblings! I've become evil, so why can't I become the emperor?!"
Gao Zhijian regarded her with a cold look before instructing the others to carry him into the main palace. Just like that, the procession continued, and no one spared Ji Lin even a glance.
Just a few moments ago, these eunuchs and consorts were still treating Ji Lin as if she were the emperor.
Li Huowang was the only one paying attention to Ji Lin. He stood by her side and helped her up before patting the dust off of her clothes. "You said that you didn't want to become the emperor. You said that you only wanted to survive. Your dream has come true. You're no longer the emperor, and no one wants your life. You ought to be happy about this."
Ji Lin pushed Li Huowang away and threw a tantrum. "I threw away everything to become the emperor! I'd have nothing left without that identity!"
Li Huowang actually thought that Ji Lin was a decent person when he first met her during that festival, so he found her particularly pitiful in her current state.
Li Huowang hugged her and patted her back lightly. "If you don't know where to go, then visit me. I'm going to help you one more time."
With that, Li Huowang turned and started walking toward the main palace.
Before he could even reach the landing of the stairs, he caught a whiff of the distinct smell of blood behind him. Li Huowang came to a halt and turned around to find Ji Lin sprawled out on the ground, drenched in a pool of her own blood. Her vivid crimson blood formed a stark contrast to the white jade stairs as it dripped down, creating a crimson pool at the bottom of the stairs.
"Dad, she's dead."
"Yeah, she's dead."
Chapter 571 - Ascension
"Hold the plate~ We bow down in worship~ Praise be to the Heavens~ May everyone prosper~"
There was a grand altar in the palace of the Liang Kingdom, and it was built to absorb and amplify the voices of the old eunuchs, allowing their voices to spread far and wide.
Hundreds of officials were standing below the grand altar, and their hands holding bone plates were raised as they knelt toward Gao Zhijian on the east.
The drummers around the altar displayed their perfect coordination to play a rhythm.
Li Huowang and Li Sui were standing far away on a roof, and they were staring at Gao Zhijian's face hidden behind the veil of his crown.
"Dad, how much longer must we stand here? I'm hungry," Li Sui asked. She had no idea what was happening, so she decided to focus on her needs instead.
"Soon."
"Hold the plate~ We bow down in worship~ Praise be to the Earth~ May everyone prosper~"
The eunuchs' feminine voices pervaded the plaza as they chanted in unison.
The officials raised the bone plates in their hands once more and kneeled toward Gao Zhijian on the north.
"Hold the plate~ We bow down in worship~ Praise be to the Emperor~ May everyone prosper~"
The scene of Gao Zhijian moving through the cardinal positions under the guidance of the eunuchs made Li Huowang feel weird.
His friend, who traveled with him and went through life-or-death situations, was about to become the emperor.
Regardless of how good their relationship was in the past, their relationship was bound to change today.
Ji Lin was forced to turn ruthless in the palace, and Li Huowang didn't know how much would the simple Gao Zhijian change. He hoped that Gao Zhijian would maintain his character and not turn into someone despicable.
He was thinking about this when he saw Gao Zhijian being escorted down the altar by the eunuchs.
Li Huowang jumped down and asked the Imperial Preceptor, "Lord Imperial Preceptor. Is the ceremony over?"
"It's not going to end so soon! After praying to the Heavens, Earth, and the Emperor, he would still need to go and pray in the temple," the Imperial Preceptor coldly said, "Er Jiu, I won't look into the transgression you've made in the past, but you must understand that the Dragon Vein will affect the entire kingdom. If something bad happens to the Dragon Vein, you'll get swept up in the resulting catastrophe as well for as long as you're still living in this world."
"Oh." Li Huowang nodded and followed Gao Zhijian to the temple. He was worried about Gao Zhijian, and he wanted to look out for the latter himself.
Since it was an important ceremony, the Imperial Preceptor and the Chief of the Surveillance Bureau would send someone over to monitor everything. However, Gao Zhijian was one of his own, so Li Huowang would rather trust himself to do the job rather than trust others that they could do it.
Li Huowang turned invisible and followed Gao Zhijian before reaching the entrance of the temple.
The officials, eunuchs, and the consorts stopped outside. Only the old eunuchs brought Gao Zhijian inside the temple.
No one stopped Li Huowang as he walked into the temple, but he could feel the gazes of many people boring down on him from the dark.
"You. Are you the new emperor of the Liang Kingdom? What is your surname?" A dissonant voice came from the coffin.
"Gao."
"Such a shame. To think that our Ji family would perish... haha..." The previous emperor chuckled sadly.
Based on his reaction, Li Huowang assumed that someone else had explained the matter to the previous emperor.
Under the guidance of the eunuchs, Gao Zhijian personally placed the tributes to the Dragon Vein and lit up three incense sticks. He stuck those incense sticks on the incense burner before kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times.
When he had just finished the final kowtow, the Imperial Preceptor rushed forward and produced a jade green scroll. He stood in front of Gao Zhijian and showed the Dragon Vein the content of the jade scroll.
It was a profound jade scroll. The exterior was jade, but its interior was a slice of paper softer than tofu that somehow had information recorded on it.
The thin paper fluttered in the air like the feathers of a phoenix or the scales of a dragon. Dense golden words flickered on the paper.
"The Heavens call for the luck of the world! This is the decree of the emperor! The previous emperor has perished and has returned to the five elements! With the grace of the Heavens, we beseech the current emperor to uphold the mission of the past emperors, to join their ranks, and to follow in their footsteps!" the Imperial Preceptor recited. The roars of a dragon echoed from the depths of the coffin, and the roar resonated with the Imperial Preceptor's voice.
A powerful pressure manifested from the coffin, and everyone found it difficult to breathe. They only felt better after prostrating on the ground.
Li Huowang pulled Li Sui behind him when he felt something invisible emerge from the coffin to envelop Gao Zhijian.
Gao Zhijian's skin broke open like dragon scales, and his blood covered every inch of his clothes.
"Zhijian! Are you okay?!" Li Huowang exclaimed. He had just raised his right leg when two old eunuchs holding golden horse-hair whisks kneeled in front of him.
"Please rest easy. Our Lord is currently shouldering the entire luck of the Liang Kingdom. Nothing must go wrong here."
The two old eunuchs were kneeling, but the tingling on Li Huowang's neck told him that he'd be decapitated if he were to take one more step.
Realizing that this was part of the procedure, Li Huowang stopped worrying and observed the scene with Li Sui.
Soon, Gao Zhijian's body started changing. He became similar to the emperors in the coffin as he sported dragon claws, whiskers, and horns.
Gao Zhijian raised his claws and pulled something in the air. At the same time, everything came to a halt. The powerful presence from within the coffin vanished as well.
Li Huowang found it strange. Gao Zhijian was far from becoming the Dragon Vein, but his aura had changed to resemble one.
The ceremony was over, and Li Huowang didn't need anyone to tell him that. The Liang Kingdom's luck was on Gao Zhijian's shoulders now, and he had truly become the Emperor of the Great Liang.
Senior Li, do you see this? The Qi Kingdom is saved.ย Li Huowang gingerly stroked the spine sword and sighed. He suddenly remembered the little girl who had cried until her voice became hoarse.ย She's going to live at the very least.
The old monk's illusion was even more excited than Li Huowang as he said, "Daoist, you did a good deed! This is a major good deed! You've saved so many people that you'd automatically become a Bodhisattva in your next life."
Li Huowang couldn't care less about that. He was more concerned about the fact that Zhuge Yuan had deceived him.
"If one wants to be successful in politics, one must bring fresh changes to it first. One must follow the rules set by one's predecessors. One must be kind and gracious to start a new rule," Huangfu Tiangang said; he was still reciting sentences that were too difficult for Li Huowang to understand.
However, Li Huowang deemed those words as unimportant, as the most important step was over.
The remaining steps were simply for formalities' sake. ๐ง๐โฏโฏ๐คโฏ๐ฃ๐โด๐๐๐.๐๐ฐ๐
Taking one last look at Gao Zhijian's back, Li Huowang pulled Li Sui outside and said, "Suisui, it's time for us to leave."
Chapter 572 - Change
It was time to do his own things now that everything was over. There was no need to say goodbye to Gao Zhijian, as Li Huowang had never been such a sentimental individual.
"Dad, I'm hungry," Li Sui said as they exited the temple.
"I know. Let's go eat something before rescuing your mother."
"Yay!" Li Sui nodded repeatedly in delight, and her black hair bobbed with every single nod. Despite her delicate demeanor, she was giving off a mischievous air.
"Why are you still in that corpse? Come out now. It's inauspicious," Li Huowang said. He reached out for Li Sui's head to try and take it away.
"Ah~ I don't want to! Noooo~" Several tentacles came out from Li Sui's clothes and grabbed Princess Anping's head. "Dad, I like this one. It's fun. The people aren't afraid of me while I'm wearing this."
Realizing that Li Sui wasn't going to listen to him, Li Huowang retracted his hand. He was fine with it, too. He was just concerned that perhaps Li Sui would stubbornly refuse to let go of the corpse once it started rotting. If that happened, then Li Sui would look even more terrifying by then.
But... Princess Anping has been dead for so long, yet there are still no signs of decomposition. Can the Black Taisui stop a corpse from rotting?ย Li Huowang stared at his daughter's jade-like face.
"Hahaha~!" A loud laughter caught his attention.
Li Huowang turned and found the illusion of a Sitting Oblivion Dao member laughing next to him.
"What? Was our conversation that funny?"
The Sitting Oblivion Dao illusion laughed harder rather than replying.
"Crazy bastard." Li Huowang ignored the illusion and walked toward the exit of the palace with Li Sui.
However, the illusion was still laughing, and he laughed so loud that his voice echoed throughout Shangjing.
Rumble!
The sky suddenly changed, and the ground trembled violently.
"Li Sui! Grab me!" Li Huowang stabbed the purple-tasseled sword into the ground to stabilize himself amidst the earthquake. Something felt familiar about it, and it was bad news.
The earthquake lasted for an hour, and Li Huowang was relieved to find that the outcome wasn't so bad. At the very least, the palace didn't collapse, nor did he find himself at the edge of a cliff.
"Hahahahaha!" An arrogant-sounding laughter rang out. Li Huowang realized that it was coming from the temple!
"Hahahahaha!"
Li Huowang, the officials, eunuchs, and the consorts were in disbelief as the temple collapsed with a loud bang. The next moment, a long chain of humans took to the sky.
It was the Liang Kingdom's Dragon Vein, and the one at the head of the dragon was none other than Gao Zhijian!
Gao Zhijian was laughing so arrogantly that his laughter sounded the same as the laughter of the illusion next to Li Huowang.
"What's happening?!" Li Huowang held his sword and ran toward the Dragon Vein.
"Hahaha! Do you really think that a Shai Zi is going to die so easily? Try and recall what's in Gao Zhijian's head! Hahaha!" the illusion exclaimed as he laughed.
Li Huowang combed through his memories, and his pupils constricted upon realizing what the illusion was talking about.
Two years ago, Gao Zhijian suffered a fatal wound after a metal dice pierced his head during his battle with Er Bing!
Putting two and two together, Li Huowang soon deduced what was going on.
Shai Zi was still alive! His death was just a show, and he was using that metal dice to control Gao Zhijian!
"Do you really think that the Storyteller is smarter than a Shai Zi? What a joke! The Storyteller has always been a chess piece on Shai Zi's board, and it remained true even after his death! Shai Zi knew that the Storyteller would save the Great Qi no matter what!ย Hahahaha! Aaaah,ย this is so refreshing! I've waited so long for this sight. Shai Zi, you're amazing!ย Hahahaha!ย I'm so happy!" The illusion faded away amidst his arrogant-sounding laughter.
Meanwhile, Gao Zhijian wasn't even looking at Li Huowang. Rather, he was staring at the gray sky.
"Yinyang Doulao! You old fart!ย Hahaha!ย You definitely didn't see this coming, did you? Do you really think that you can turn me into your Twisted One? What a joke! I will choose my own fate. Now that I have the human race's luck, I really want to see what you can do with me. You just got lucky in the beginning, and do you really think that I can't do what you can do? Listen here; change is coming, as I can change the Heavens!"
Gao Zhijian rose slowly into the sky, dragging the past emperors in a golden chain. The roaring of dragons echoed from the past emperor's mouth, and Gao Zhijian's figure was undulating as if he were a real dragon.
"What's wrong? Scared? I've tricked you, and I've scolded you, but you can't do anything to me! You can't even manifest your true body. You must be frustrated, right?ย Hahahaha~ย Stay frustrated! I hope you die from frustration! Don't worry; I've made sure to save the best part for last. As a sign of respect, I will steal your Heavenly Dao away!"
"Gao Zhijian, wake up!" Li Huowang exclaimed. His figure had erupted into a mighty conflagration, and he ordered Peng Longteng to throw him into the sky.
However, the Dragon Vein extinguished his flames before he could even get close to it.
A golden chain swept toward Li Huowang. He wanted to avoid the oncoming attack by projecting his illusion downward, but he found himself powerless before the Dragon Vein!
The grotesque noise of cracking bones echoed as Li Huowang was swatted away by the golden chain.
Li Sui extended her tentacles, catching Li Huowang right as he struck the ground.
"Dad, are you okay?!"
Li Huowang spat out blood as he stood up. "Go away! It's dangerous here!"
"Dad! No, I want to help you!" Li Sui exclaimed, disobeying him for the first time.
Li Huowang wanted to say something when the sky darkened. He looked up and saw the Dragon Vein blotting out the sky before him.
Gao Zhijian was just a few meters away from Li Huowang, and he was staring at Li Huowang with a twisted face.
Chapter 573 - Shai Zi
"Hong Zhong! Hahahaha!" Gao Zhijian smiled viciously as he stared at Li Huowang with his twisted face. He didn't even blink as he continued, "This is all thanks to you. If it hadn't been for you, it would have been impossible for me to take over the Great Qi's emperor body and the rare Hundred Souls Layered Body. If it hadn't been for you, the Ji family of the Liang Kingdom wouldn't have been annihilated. It if hadn't been for you, Zhuge Yuan wouldn't have followed our plan! Don't worry, I'm a good man. Since we did this together, we should enjoy the rewards together!" Gao Zhijian plunged downward and extended his dragon claw toward Li Huowang to take the latter with him to the sky.
Li Huowang gulped a mouthful of his own saliva as he extended his left arm.
Just as his left hand touched Gao Zhijian's hand, Li Huowang immediately chopped it off. ๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐๐ฃ๐ฏโด๐ท๐ฆ๐.๐๐๐
The severed left hand shot toward Gao Zhijian's face.
The bone spikes scraped Gao Zhijian's scaly face, producing sparks. Gao Zhijian's smile slowly disappeared as he said, "Hong Zhong. You're going too far here. I'm just trying to help you. How could you repay my kindness with hatred?"
Swoosh!
A headless young woman hurled Li Huowang toward Gao Zhijian, and the latter spread his arms as if to welcome Li Huowang.
The two clashed in mid-air; Gao Zhijian used his horns to stop Li Huowang's purple-tasseled sword. Gao Zhijian parried Li Huowang's sword attack and sent the sword flying upward, which made Li Huowang vulnerable to further attacks.
A dragon claw wrapped with golden chains made a beeline for Li Huowang's chest.
At the critical juncture, Li Huowang manifested Peng Longteng's figure, and Peng Longteng's large figure clad in heavy armor blocked the attack.
Unfortunately, Gao Zhijian's claws pierced Peng Longteng, tearing open a large hole in her chest.
The Dragon Vein was like a stick that shot past Peng Longteng's chest and approached Li Huowang at terrifying speeds.
Li Huowang raised his sword once more, and Gao Zhijian raised his horns without hesitation before swinging his head into the sword.
Gao Zhijian was confident in his move, as his horns were harder than Li Huowang's sword.
I can't continue like this!
Li Huowang was busy trying to figure out a solution when his instincts warned him of a danger. He quickly crushed his left eyeball.
A strange light enveloped Gao Zhijian, slowing him down drastically.
Li Huowang had just sighed in relief when the Dragon Vein flew toward him from behind.
Li Huowang jumped up and barely dodged the attack, but a dragon claw descended upon him, grabbing him by the neck. Before Li Huowang could even struggle, several dragon claws came from all directions. They grabbed his limbs and raised him high up into the sky. Li Huowang's vision swam as five different forces tugged at him from five different directions. Just then, a grotesque cracking noise echoed as Li Huowang's joints were dislocated. However, this was just the beginning of his suffering as his muscles were slowly being torn apart beneath the tugging of the dragon claws.
"Hahaha! Hear me out, people of Shangjing! Look closely! I'll show you all how to do a proper dismemberment! Those with money, please come here and support me, while those without money can just cheer for me!" Gao Zhijian shouted, and his voice echoed throughout Shangjing.
"AAAAAAH!" Li Huowang roared; he struggled to get out of his predicament to no avail.
Right as Li Huowang was about to be pulled apart, several white lotus the size of a house came from out of nowhere. They moved swiftly and surrounded the Dragon Vein.
Someone was sitting on the lotuses, and their chanting soon filled the air.
"The azure sun rises, and the white sun rises, too! The Heavenly Mater protects all. The red sun sets, and the violet sun sets as well. May peace befall everyone!"
The clouds rolled, and something unspeakable manifested. The Dragon Vein's scales felt something, and they curled upward.
Gao Zhijian ignored Li Huowang and attacked the people on the lotuses.
This was Li Huowang's opportunity to escape. His temples throbbed painfully as he willed Peng Longteng to appear.
Peng Longteng pried Li Huowang from the dragon claws, and he plummeted weakly toward the ground.
As he fell, Li Huowang saw someone that wasn't supposed to be here, so he thought that he was seeing things.
A young woman in white was floating like an Immortal before him. Most importantly, she looked incredibly familiar.
The young woman waved her hand, and a long silk scarf floated over and covered Li Huowang before pulling him lightly toward one of the lotus.
An ointment with the consistency of pork lard was brushed on Li Huowang's wound. The pain instantly disappeared, and he felt so comfortable that he felt like he was sprawled out on a bed of cotton.
When he snapped back to reality, Li Huowang realized that he was on Bai Lingmiao's lap.
"Miaomiao?" Li Huowang asked hesitantly. He wasn't sure what was happening going on as he stared at the young woman before him.
A white lotus motif was on Bai Lingmiao's forehead, and her face was devoid of emotions. Moreover, her eyes were covered with a long white piece of silk cloth.
"Miaomiao, it's really you!" Li Huowang hugged her after becoming sure of her identity.
Bai Lingmiao hesitated before hugging him back.
"Where were you all this while? I was so worried about you!" Li Huowang exclaimed, hugging her tightly. Li Huowang had been missing Bai Lingmiao so much to the extent that he'd stuff her into his pockets if he could do so.
"Senior Li, didn't I send you a letter? Did you not receive it?" Bai Lingmiao asked. Her voice was still soft, but there was no longer any warmth in it.
Li Huowang's heart skipped a little, and he looked at Gao Zhijian. Roughly half of the lotuses in the air had vanished.
"Hong Zhong, what did I say? I told you that I didn't kidnap your woman. We're the Sitting Oblivion Dao. We don't do something like that, but... we're supposed to deceive people, you know that, right? I just deceived you into thinking that I had kidnapped her. Don't be mad at me for that, okay? This was all your doing. I did nothing here,ย hehehe~"
Li Huowang glared at Gao Zhijian. "Didn't you say that you'd only use the truth to trick others? Is that what you meant by truth?"
"Hahaha!ย You actually believed the words of a Sitting Oblivion Dao member?ย Hahaha!" Shai Zi laughed in mid-air.
Chapter 574 - Xuan Pin
Gao Zhijian laughed in the air and swirled around like a dragon.
More and more lotuses appeared in the air as he laughed.
"Once the fighting starts, bring Li Sui away and wait for me at Cowheart Village." Li Huowang took out his bag of torture tools to open up his abdomen.
However, Bai Lingmiao's cold hand grabbed his hand.
"Senior Li, you don't have to do that. I can help you now."
"White Lotus Sect, do you really think that you can stop me?"
Staring at the white lotus on her forehead and the lotuses around them, Li Huowang realized that many things had happened to Bai Lingmiao while she was missing.
Even though he wanted to know more, he knew that now wasn't the time for questions.
"Do they listen to you?" Li Huowang asked Bai Lingmiao.
"Yes, they do."
"Great. See if you can ask them to restrict Gao Zhijian for a small period of time." Li Huowang gripped his sword tightly as he looked at Gao Zhijian.
He had done it once, so he could do it again.
The members of the White Lotus Sect revealed their dudous as well as their cheeks with sharp metal rods sticking out of them. Several tiny bronze gourds were hanging from their ear lobes as well.
"Ready!" Bai Lingmiao shouted.
Everyone took out a small knife with a jagged edge, and they used it to tap their forehead at the same time.
"The Dao comes from the heart, but the heart spreads lies! One must hold the true deity before the incense burner. May the true spirit guide us. We shall inform you today, so bring our orders to the nine heavens. May our wishes all come true." The chanting noises pervaded the air, seemingly suppressing every other noise.
Gao Zhijian coiled the Dragon Vein around him and ignored the lotuses as he glared at the White Lotus Sect members with a taunting look.
"Heed my call or show yourself. The disciples pray thrice for your help. May the gods come and help us, to protect and show us the path. Guide our mouth and guide us!"
When the chanting ended, they all pointed their knives at Gao Zhijian.
Almost immediately, a face appeared on Gao Zhijian's face. His long body froze in mid-air as the smell of incense filled the air.
To think that the White Lotus Sect would call upon the gods to take over Gao Zhijian's body... Li Huowang truly didn't expect them to make such a move.
Just then, Peng Longteng grabbed Li Huowang and hurled him at Gao Zhijian.
Just like what he had done in the Qi Kingdom, Li Huowang thrust his sword toward Gao Zhijian's back. His goal was to sever that connection just like last time.
It seemed that his attack was going to succeed, as Gao Zhijian looked like he had no intentions of avoiding the attack.
Just as Li Huowang's sword was about to enter Gao Zhijian's chest, the latter smiled and taunted, "You actually want to kill me? You better think twice. Kill me, and the Liang Kingdom's Dragon Vein is done for~"
Li Huowang's sword moved away slightly, eliciting a peal of laughter from Gao Zhijian.
However, Gao Zhijian moved, allowing Li Huowang to stab him.
"Hong Zhong. We're not soldiers, so we don't have to fight like this. We're members of the Sitting Oblivion Dao. We fight with our brains! We're weak, and everyone knows that we're weak, so why should I fight you head-on? Now that I've become the Dragon Vein itself, you can't even kill me even if I close my eyes and let you kill me.ย Hehehehe~ย This is what it means to fight with our brains!"
Shai Zi taunted Li Huowang. Shai Zi was right; he could fight Li Huowang freely, but the latter couldn't do the same. He couldn't afford to hurt the Dragon Vein!
Shai Zi reached out to grab Li Huowang when several fingers flew toward them from down below.
Li Huowang looked down and saw a group of people in black robes standing on the rooftops. He could see Zu Yi among the black-robed figures.
The members of many different sects had come as well, and they had surrounded the palace.
Rumble!
The earth shook slightly; a large statue was running toward Gao Zhijian, and it was the Bodhisattva statue carved on the face of the mountain! It had come to life!
The large Bodhisattva lowered his body and stared at Gao Zhijian with eyes larger than a house.
However, Gao Zhijian merely laughed at the sight.
"Hehehe! Looks like the big shots are back. However, do you really think that you can trap me here? You can't fool me. I'm the Sitting Oblivion Dao. Xuan Pin, you are too late~ I've taken what I needed."
Gao Zhijian opened his mouth and started swallowing his own tail. His mouth widened as he gobbled up the previous emperors. He devoured them as fast as he could until the entire Dragon Vein was gone.
The world around Li Huowang became hazy. When he came to his senses, he noticed the illusions around him fading away. His vision swam once more, and he found himself falling to the ground with Bai Lingmiao.
There weren't that many people; the rest were just illusions, except for the members of the Ao Jing Sect and the White Lotus Sect.
The Chief was wearing the same red robes as he wore the last time Li Huowang saw him, and he was kneeling on the ground. He was in the middle of healing the Imperial Preceptor's injuries.
The Chief's six hands snatched the Imperial Preceptor's gaping chest wound, leaving behind nothing but a patch of gray.
"Shai Zi attacked me while I was doing the prayers! If I hadn't been prepared, I would've died for real!" Huangfu Tiangang gnashed his teeth as blood dripped down the corner of his mouth.
"Stop talking for now." The Chief took a piece of color from a corpse and placed it on the monochrome wound of the Imperial Preceptor.
Li Huowang looked away from the Chief and realized that Gao Zhijian and the Dragon Vein had vanished!
Where did Shai Zi go? What is he going to do with the Dragon Vein?
The cogs in Li Huowang's mind were just about to turn and think about it when Huangfu Tiangang grabbed his sword and swung it at Li Huowang.
Li Huowang raised his sword to defend himself when his vision swam. The next moment, he found himself and the Imperial Preceptor sitting on a table while facing each other.
"Tiangang, do you really think that this is the time to start an internal strife?" the Chief said, sitting down before the table.
"He brought that man here! He's connected to everything that has happened so far! He's working with that Shai Zi! I have to get rid of him now, or we'll be in even more trouble next time!" Huangfu Tiangang exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table.
Chapter 575 - Twisted One
Li Huowang was furious at the Imperial Preceptor's remark. ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ธ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ต.๐ฌ๐ค๐ข
"So you think I'm suspicious? What about you?! You never noticed what was wrong with Ji Lin until it was too late, and the same goes for Gao Zhijian! Are you kind of useless here? Or was Shai Zi right when he said that you're his spy?!"
Zhuge Yuan's plan was flawless. Gao Zhijian could save the Qi Kingdom by becoming the emperor!
If it wasn't for the Imperial Preceptor making those mistakes over and over again, things wouldn't have come to this point.
Huangfu Tiangang was enraged. He shoved his hands into his robes and was about to do something when the Chief wiped away the gray patch on Huangfu Tiangang's chest, revealing the same wound from earlier.
Huangfu Tiangang felt drained as if his soul had been taken away. He pressed on his wound and stumbled back into his chair with an agonized look.
"Enough. That is the end of that issue. I will need both of you to keep quiet about this issue. I know that the two of you aren't working for that Shai Zi. This plan wasn't made by that Shai Zi alone; the Shai Zis from both the Liang Kingdom and the Qi Kingdom had a hand in this plan. It's not strange that the Imperial Preceptor failed to see through their scheme."
The tense atmosphere was diffused so fast that Li Huowang didn't know what to say.
This was indeed not the time to be fighting each other. Dealing with that Shai Zi from earlier was the top priority issue. The Dragon Vein was basically the kingdom's future. If Shai Zi ended up tampering it, the entire world would be in danger.
"What happened after my departure?" The Chief's layered voice rang out.
Li Huowang looked at Huangfu Tiangang's ashen face and recounted the experience to the Chief.
More and more people joined in on the conversation, including Bai Lingmiao, Zu Yi, and a skinny Daoist with a solemn expression.
A defeating silence hung above everyone once Li Huowang was done.
Li Huowang looked at the Chief and saw the hazy darkness under the robes. He had a feeling that there was nothing in there.
The Chief suddenly stood up. "Shai Zi has taken the Dragon Vein, so I will keep it short. I hope everyone understands what's happening here. We need to reclaim the Dragon Vein, so you're going to listen to my orders, right?"
The Chief's words sounded like a question but it was more like an order.
Everyone needed a leader, and the Chief's status and strength meant that he was more than qualified to be a leader.
"Chief, I don't mind listening to your orders, but can you tell me why Shai Zi has decided to take the Dragon Vein away? What is he going to do with it? I don't want to go in blind."
Li Huowang had heard what Shai Zi had shouted to the skies earlier, but he couldn't understand it.
The Chief said nothing and stared deeply at Li Huowang. Then, he glanced at Bai Lingmiao and the Ao Jing Sect members.
"He wants to get rid of the future where he'd inevitably become the Doulao's Twisted One. He wants to use the Liang Kingdom's luck to sever the bond between him and Doulao." The same layered voice from earlier echoed from beneath the red robes.
"What's a Twisted One?" Li Huowang asked again. He wanted to know it, as everything in this world seemed to be covered in a layer of veil.
"Cause and effect. The Twisted Ones are the 'cause' of the Simings," the skinny Daoist answered Li Huowang's question.
"Cause?"
"That's right, 'cause.' Only with a 'cause' can a Siming have an 'effect' 'Without it, they'd cease to exist."
"What's a 'cause'? Can you stop answering me in riddles?! Explain it to me properly!"
"Everything has a cause and effect, including the Simings. Their 'cause' is the past, so the Twisted Ones are the past selves of the Simings. If the Simings controlling the Heavenly Daos are large trees, then the Twisted Ones are their seeds."
"I am a Twisted One, meaning that my life will forever be entangled with the Three Ancient Ones both in life and death."ย Li Huowang suddenly recalled Zhuge Yuan's words.
Twisted Ones are the seeds of the Simings? Does that mean that both the seeds and trees exist at the same time? Does that mean the Three Ancient Ones is Zhuge Yuan?!ย Li Huowang trembled at the thought of it alone.
"No, wait! Zhuge Yuan was the Twisted One of the Three Ancient Ones. Since you said that the Twisted Ones are the past of the Simings, does that mean that the Three Ancient Ones ceased to exist the moment he died?" Li Huowang asked, pointing at the rafters in shock.
"Hehehe,ย the world is large. Who told you that they only have one Twisted One? To prevent their demise, they'd choose multiple Twisted Ones, and some of them were even manipulated to stay under the control of the other Simings. Since Twisted Ones are the past of the Simings, they could be influenced by the other Simings. That's why Shai Zi wanted to sever the bond between him and Doulao to get rid of his Twisted One status. I think that rather than Zhuge Yuan getting tricked by Shai Zi or acting in his own version of justice, his Siming, the Three Ancient Ones, wanted to help Shai Zi instead."
"Ahem." the Chief interrupted, "He is the Chief of Si Qi's Surveillance Bureau, Zheng Boqiao."
Everyone looked at the skinny Daoist.
The skinny Daoist nodded and waved his whisk. "I follow the path of the Immortals. Nice to meet you all."
Li Huowang was even more confused after hearing Zheng Boqiao's explanation. He truly didn't expect that the Twisted Ones were the past of the Simings.
What a crazy world! Li Huowang was truly stupefied to know that the powerful Simings controlling the Heavenly Dao didn't have a past and had to find one for themselves!
"Ridiculous. How can the Twisted Ones be the past of the Simings? Those words are a load of lies that the Surveillance Bureau has been using to deceive others," said one of the Ao Jing Sect members. The Ao Jing Sect member was wearing a large robe stained with blood, and the image of a bloody skeleton could be seen on his robe. "The Simings were born the moment the universe took shape. They were born to hold the Heavenly Daos."
"Hehehehe." Zheng Boqiao chuckled hoarsely. "Of course, every Siming has a different way of finding their own Twisted Ones. They also have different names. Ba-Hui chooses its Siming based on the Cang-Qiang Ascension. Those Twisted Ones chosen through that method are who you call elders."
Li Huowang was shocked.ย I did that three times. Does that mean I'm Ba-Hui's Twisted One?
Chapter 576 - Plan
A fight was about to happen when Xuan Pin raised his hands, silencing everyone in the hall.
"Enough. Don't forget that the Dragon Vein of the Liang Kingdom is still in the hands of that Shai Zi!" the Chief said sternly. Then, his voice softened as he added, "Do not panic. That Shai Zi has managed to escape, but I have a way of finding his whereabouts."
Shangguan Yuting popped out from the Imperial Preceptor's robes and taunted Li Huowang briefly before melting into the Chief's body.
The Imperial Preceptor's mustache wriggled a bit, and he couldn't look the Chief in the eyes.
Zheng Boqiao took over the conversation, saying, "Xuan Pin can easily find that Shai Zi, and we can also easily kill him. However, it would be extremely difficult to kill Shai Zi without harming the emperor. He's our final emperor, and his death is equivalent to the death of the Liang Kingdom is dead. If the Liang Kingdom falls, the other regions will quickly follow. Even the grass in Qing Qiu has become yellow these days."
Zheng Boqiao looked at the Ao Jing Sect and Bai Lingmiao. "Also, it seems that only Ba-Hui and the Heavenly Mater want to help us.ย Sigh...ย There is a catastrophe ahead of us, but everyone is still focused on their own hidden agenda."
Li Huowang suddenly came up with a thought. "Can't we ask the military to help us? We have many soldiers, so it shouldn't be difficult for us to capture Shai Zi with their help." ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐๐๐.๐๐ ๐
The Liang Kingdom's Imperial Preceptor snorted and said, "You make it sound so easy, but we don't have the authority to do so. How are we going to do that? The military is the sword of the emperor. Not only has Shai Zi completed the succession ceremony to become the official emperor, but he's also become the Dragon Vein. And he's a Sitting Oblivion Dao, so he excels at deceiving people. Can you really say for sure that the military won't turn their swords on us if we involve them in this affair?"
Everyone's face fell at the Imperial Preceptor's remark. Shai Zi was technically the emperor of the Liang Kingdom, as he had indeed completed the succession ceremony in front of the officials.
They knew that Shai Zi was the fake emperor, but those working in the imperial family would sentence the Surveillance Bureau, the Ao Jing Sect, and the White Lotus Sect for treason the moment they heard them discussing killing Shai Zi.
Li Huowang stared deeply at the Imperial Preceptor before coming up with another plan.
"Chief, there's a dice in Gao Zhijian's head. It should be Shai Zi's body or consciousness. Take control of the Dragon Vein, and I will think of a way to dig out the dice."
Li Huowang told them what he knew since they were all going to do this together.
"Easier said than done; splitting his head is one thing, but how are you going to make sure that he remains alive?" Li Huowang hesitated before telling them, "This should not be an issue. We can find a way to shove an artifact into his body that would resurrect him. For example, an artifact made from the skin of a Strayed One? I saw Prince Ren using it once when I assassinated him."
Li Huowang had actually given that artifact to Gao Zhijian, but he wasn't sure whether Shai Zi had discovered it yet or not.
The Chief was silent. Li Huowang was confused. He looked up and saw both him and the Chief shrinking rapidly until they were the size of ants.
Li Huowang looked up at the massive Bai Lingmiao and saw that she was listening to the others talking to each other. No one noticed that something was wrong.
However, Li Huowang didn't panic, as he knew that these changes were the result of the Chief's illusion techniques.
"There are some things that I need to talk to you about face-to-face and by ourselves," said the Chief. He had also become as small as an ant, just like Li Huowang.
Li Huowang looked at the Chief and found the latter familiar for some reason, but he couldn't quite understand why.
"Who are you?" Li Huowang asked about the darkness hidden in the red robes.
"I am Xuan Pin, the Chief of the Liang Kingdom's Surveillance Bureau, but I can also be anyone. Who I am is not important; the important part here is that I need you to get past the danger later. This doesn't concern you alone; it concerns the late Zhuge Yuan as well."
Li Huowang frowned and looked at the others. "Only me? Why can't we talk to each other?"
"Because I need to use your status as a Strayed One..."
Li Huowang felt his hair standing on its end. He felt naked before the Chief.
"You are cultivating the 'Truth,' right? I can help you use your status as a Strayed One to deal with Shai Zi."
Li Huowang managed to calm down his racing heart, but he still felt uneasy. "Why me? Is my method useless?"
"Yes, it's useless. Because our opponent is Shai Zi. The little trick won't fool him. We shouldn't follow the path he made for us, or we'll be forced to get into a passive state. We should just do our own thing while he does his own thing."
Li Huowang slowly nodded. "What's your plan?"
"Fight Shai Zi when you meet him again, but no matter what he says, you must think of it as the truth and make it come true! Leave the rest to me."
"What?" Li Huowang was astonished. He didn't expect to hear such a reckless plan. "But I'm not strong enough yet. I don't think I can do that."
"I'm going to help you, so don't worry about it. Just do as I say."
Li Huowang went silent, mulling over the plan. The Chief wasn't in a rush and waited patiently for Li Huowang's answer.
"Alright, I will do it, but I need you to understand that this matter is related to the survival of the Liang Kingdom. I don't want it to end up like the Qi Kingdom."
"Of course. We're both going to deal with Shai Zi, so we are on the same side," said the Chief. The two then returned to their original size, but everyone didn't notice anything strange.
"I've come up with a plan. All of you, prepare yourself. I will go and collect something first. We'll go after the Liang Kingdom's Dragon Vein in two hours," the Chief said, and his figure abruptly scattered like sand.
Since the Chief had already come up with a plan, the rest left to prepare themselves for the oncoming war.
Li Huowang pulled Bai Lingmiao out of the hall when someone pounced on him. He pulled the skirt up to reveal Li Sui's tentacles and dog skull.
"She's not who you think she is! She's just Li Sui."
"Oh." Bai Lingmiao nodded slightly.
"Miaomiao, what's wrong with you?" Li Huowang asked, putting Li Sui down and holding Bai Lingmiao's arm.
Chapter 577 - Heavenly Mater
Li Huowang carefully stepped down the white jade stairs while looking at Bai Lingmiao nervously.
He slowly undid the white silk ribbon covering her eyes, revealing her white eyes.
Her irises were no longer pink, and her eyes had become completely white. Bai Lingmiao looked just like a statue made out of white jade, especially with her white skin and hair.
"Senior Li, I am fine. Do not worry. I will protect you from now on."
Bai Lingmiao slowly snuggled into Li Huowang's embrace and smiled faintly.
Li Huowang pushed her away gently and looked at her blinded eyes.
"Miaomiao, tell me. When did you leave me? What happened? And who are they?" Li Huowang pointed at the White Lotus Sect members, who were meditating nearby.
The White Lotus Sect members were of people of different ages and sexes but all of them were wearing white overalls with a white lotus motif on their forehead. ๐๐๐๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ป๐๐๐๐น.๐๐จ๐
They were sitting at specific locations inside an incomprehensible formation.
"We are the White Lotus Sect, and we made a different branch when we scattered. We have the surname 'Lian,' while the branch with the Saintess has the surname 'Bai,'" explained Lian Zhibei, the person whom Li Huowang had met while hunting a spiritual sin.[1]
Lian Zhibei had a face of humility rather than the cheerfulness that Li Huowang had seen in her long ago.
"White Lotus? Saintess?"
Bai Lingmiao held Li Huowang's hands and explained, "Lian Zhibei was the one who took me away when you were in the middle of your hysteria. Do you still remember it?"
Li Huowang could still remember it. It was when Yang Na's father carried Yang Na away from the hospital. He could still remember how hard she cried on that day. The next moment, Li Huowang then watched as Yang Na's face overlapped with Bai Lingmiao's face, while Lian Zhibei's face overlapped with the face of Yang Na's father.
"I remember." Li Huowang sighed and nodded lightly. "But what's this about becoming the Saintess?"
"They said I've been chosen by the Heavenly Mater to become the Saintess," Bai Lingmiao remarked, and she sounded excited as she said, "Senior Li, do you know that the Heavenly Mater actually exists?! She's actually alive, too!"
Bai Lingmiao's voice became full of longing as she added, "The Heavenly Mater is an ancient Buddha that cannot be killed. She's waiting for me to finish living my life here before accepting me in the heavens. My parents were members of the White Lotus Sect as well. Since they worshiped her throughout their entire lives, their spirit has returned to the side of the Heavenly Mater, as their fleshly body is no more."
Li Huowang wanted to correct her, but he didn't say anything in the end. Bai Lingmiao had finally pulled herself out of despair. Was he really going to pull her back into the darkness?
"Senior Li, did you know that the Heavenly Mater told me that my parents really missed me?"
Li Huowang frowned, and his heart started to waver at Bai Lingmiao's words.
Bai Lingmiao had regressed to her previous state before she was fed the Black Taisui. If he pulled her out of her delusion, she could return to her previous self, which was in endless torment, just like him.
"Er Jiu, you seem to not believe in the words of the Saintess? I need to tell you that what she's saying is true! Thanks to the disturbances in the Heavens, the Heavenly Mater is back. If not, how do you explain why the sect members' strength has improved so much? How will you explain the powers that the Saintess received from the Heavenly Mater? The White Lotus Sect is no longer the same sect that will easily get bullied by others! The descent of the Heavenly Mater means that spring has come for us as well!" Lian Zhibei exclaimed, and the other members of the White Lotus Sect shouted with her.
Li Huowang stared at Lian Zhibei and found that she had become incredibly unfamiliar. He suspected that this was her true identity and that her previous identity was fabricated.
"Senior Li, it's not what you think. The Heavenly Mater is really back. She wishes to turn everything back to normal, just like her own piece of heaven, the Void Home. There is no pain and suffering there."
Bai Lingmiao stroked Li Huowang's forehead, and the scenery before Li Huowang abruptly peeled away. Using Bai Lingmiao as the medium, Li Huowang saw a dense layer of white ribbons.
There was a colossal entity before him, but the entity's figure was wrapped tightly in white ribbons. Li Huowang couldn't see the entity's true body.
Despite that, Li Huowang could still feel the unending pity and mercy radiating off the entity.
The entity was none other than the Heavenly Mater, and Li Huowang could feel her emotions, too. He sensed that she was afraid of hurting him, so she covered herself with white ribbons.
Mercy, love, and concern... Those were the emotions that Li Huowang could feel from the Heavenly Mater, but for some reason, those emotions were a bit... different than he initially thought.
Li Huowang was intrigued by the sight before him, and he stepped forward to take a closer look at the Heavenly Mater.
However, Li Huowang was suddenly pulled back to where he was standing. He noticed the palace walls around him and realized that nothing had changed. It felt like he had just woken up from a dream.
Bai Lingmiao supported Li Huowang as she asked, "Senior Li. Did you sense it? Are you finally convinced that I'm telling you the truth?"
Li Huowang looked at Bai Lingmiao and took a step backward in shock. "So the Heavenly Mater has obtained the Heavenly Dao related to mercy?"
The pure emotions that he felt from the Heavenly Mater were similar to the extreme pain that he felt from Ba-Hui.
The Heavenly Mater did exist, and she controlled the Heavenly Dao related to mercyโat least, that was what Li Huowang knew at the moment.
"Senior Li? What are you talking about? The Heavenly Mater is the Heavenly Mater."
"I see," Li Huowang replied, shaking his head. Ba-Hui ruled over pain, but the Heavenly Mater ruled over mercy, so she could be considered to be benevolent.
At the very least, it was one of the better Simings out there, as it meant Bai Lingmiao was safe for now.
Retrieving the Dragon Vein was a much more pressing matter that he had to attend to, so he was more concerned with it.
Li Huowang was soon going to face a powerful enemy, so had no time to talk much about other matters.
"Don't get too close during our fight against Shai Zi later, all right?" Li Huowang warned.
However, Bai Lingmiao shook her head lightly and replied, "Senior Li, don't worry. I can help you using the techniques that I've learned from the Heavenly Mater. Didn't I help you just now? Also, this is the will of the Heavenly Mater. If Shai Zi succeeds in his plot, the Liang Kingdom will be reduced to ashes. The White Lotus Sect is not going to let that happen."
1. Bai(็ฝ) means white, and Lian(่ฒ) means lotus. However, the Lian they used in the raws is a different character with the same pronunciation ่ฟ instead of ่ฒ. Maybe using ่ฒ would be too obvious and they might get captured haha โ
Chapter 578 - Drum
Li Huowang was perplexed.ย The Heavenly Mater has taken pity on the people? Wait, am I even dealing with the White Lotus Sect, which was infamous for burying people alive?
Li Huowang didn't know what happened to the Heavenly Mater. He put two to two together and came to the conclusion that the Heavenly Mater had another Heavenly Dao before.
"All right, but you must know your limits. If anything goes wrong, you must run away from me. Don't get close to me because things will become dangerous if you do so."
"Don't worry. We will protect the Saintess. You don't have to worry about her." Lian Zhibei huffed with a hint of dissatisfaction.
Li Huowang ignored her and added, "Your life is the top priority. Once we're done with the issue today, we can slowly figure out the rest."
Li Huowang then hugged Bai Lingmiao. While he was enjoying Bai Lingmiao's warmth, Bai Lingmiao suddenly changed, revealing a gnarly smile. Her mouth grew wide, and a blood-red tongue emerged between her lips, wriggling in the air as if it would enter Li Huowang's ear in the next moment.
"Second Mom?"
"What?" Li Huowang let go of Bai Lingmiao and saw Li Sui staring at them.
"No, Second Mom is gone. It's just Mom."
Bai Lingmiao kissed Li Huowang's cheek and gently hugged Li Sui. "Suisui, have you been obedient?"
Li Sui took off her head and extended her tentacles upwards. "Mom, is my new head pretty? I love it. I like being a human, but my dad doesn't want me to keep it."
"Don't listen to him. What does he know? Just keep wearing it. You look much better now."
"I think so, too. No one is afraid of me like this, and I can talk to people, too."
LI Huowang sighed when he saw Bai Lingmiao taking care of Li Sui. Fortunately, Bai Lingmiao appeared to be normal.
Bai Lingmiao's appearance had astonished him too, and he was planning on discussing that with Li Sui soon.
"Come with me. We'll meet at the east wall." The Chief's voice suddenly rang next to Li Huowang's ear, making him flinch.
He looked around and saw that the others were looking around as well. Clearly, the Chief's voice had echoed in their ears as well.
"Li Sui, let's go," Li Huowang said, opening his mouth. Li Sui's dense tentacle wriggled out of Princess Anping's corpse and entered his body through his mouth.
"Chief, I thought you needed two hours? I don't think it has even been two hours," Li Huowang said, speaking to the air.
"Too late. Shai Zi is doing something. He's planning on destroying all of us as soon as possible instead of biding his time." The Chief's voice echoed within Li Huowang's brain. ๐ฏ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐ค๐๐๐ก.๐๐๐ถ
"Where's that Shai Zi?"
"In the barracks."
"What?!" Li Huowang stiffened, and he felt cold. The next instant, Peng Longteng materialized and threw him high into the air.
As Li Huowang streaked across the air, he looked down at Shangjing. He could see everything in Shangjing from up here. He saw a massive group of people beyond the east wall of Shangjing. They looked like ants in the distance, and there was a massive centipede in the middle of the ants.
Those aren't ants! Those are the military troops! And that's not a centipede... that's Shai Zi!
Shai Zi had decided not to fight them head-on, and it was a decision that Li Huowang was supposed to have seen coming. Shai Zi had decided to use his identity to deceive the military!
Li Huowang landed on the ground safely, and the Chief appeared beside him without any warning.
"No time to waste. Let's talk while moving. Shai Zi intends to trick the entire Liang Kingdom into believing that he's the new emperor. If everyone believes in him, we'll have to fight everyone."
Shai Zi wanted to obtain the entire Liang Kingdom in addition to the Dragon Vein.
To make matters worse, Shai Zi was technically the newest emperor of the Liang Kingdom, and Li Huowang couldn't do anything to convince everyone otherwise.
Li Huowang gritted his teeth and started running. "Are you sure your plan is going to work? It's all over if it doesn't work!"
"I have my own plans. If you want to save the Liang Kingdom, you should have to listen to me!" the Chief exclaimed, and he floated like a ghost next to Li Huowang.
"Fine! What should we do first? I have to know what's going to happen now, as things might get messy later!"
The emperor was leading an army from the outside to take over Shangjing. The civilians were terrified to hear the footsteps of the massive army outside; gossip and rumors spread like wildfire, but it couldn't be helped, as everyone was unsure of what was happening.
Li Huowang used Li Sui's tentacles to scale the city walls.
The White Lotus Sect and the Ao Jing Sect quickly arrived as well, while the rest of the Surveillance Bureau was starting to converge on the eastern wall.
Even though they had many incredibly powerful people on their side, the bloodlust and killing intent of the huge army before them made everyone's heart beat wildly against their chest.
There was a reason why the Liang Kingdom was the greatest nation in the world, and they didn't reach that position through diplomacy alone.
Li Huowang and the others weren't sure of what to think upon seeing the golden banners of the army.
"If we were to fight them, we'd lose many people on both sides. Shai Zi doesn't care about winning at all. He just wants to get rid of as many people as possible. The outcome of this war is sitting on your shoulders," said the Chief.
Li Huowang made a sidelong glance at the Chief, asking, "There are so many Strayed Ones out there, so why have you chosen me? Are you thinking of using me for something else?"
The Chief's plan was simple and easy, but Li Huowang couldn't help but be wary of it. After all, he had been backstabbed so many times by now.
"Regardless of what my plan is, we still have to deal with Shai Zi. Don't forget that you're technically part of the reason why we're here today."
Li Huowang looked away to stare at Shai Zi sitting on the throne.ย If it wasn't for him, Zhuge Yuan would still be alive, and the world would still be at peace!
"You can use me on one condition: Shai Zi must die!"
Bom, bom, bom!
Rhythmic drumming noises pervaded the air, and everyone felt their heartbeats synchronizing with the beat as if their heart were the drum itself.
"The Surveillance Bureau is working together with the White Lotus Sect to kill the emperor! Kill them all!"
The army below the city wall slammed their weapon to the ground in unison as dense killing intent swept across Li Huowang and everyone else.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
The catapults launched three-meter-tall cavalries clad in heavy black metal armor toward the city wall! [1]
1. No, you did not read that wrong. They literally launched heavily armored soldiers using the catapults โ
Chapter 579 - Prelude
The prelude to the war started outside the eastern walls of Shangjing.
Shai Zi stood at the helm of the army to fight the Surveillance Bureau.
Li Huowang looked at the cavalries wearing heavy black iron armor, blanketing the skies and crashing down toward them. He frowned and took a few steps back to reach the edge of the wall.
Just as they crashed into the city wall, Li Huowang jumped backward and fell down the wall. Halfway down, Li Huowang swung his spine sword, and a spacetime rift that led to the Qi Kingdom manifested.
Peng Longteng then materialized and grabbed Li Huowang. She used both of her hands to throw Li Huowang into the riff. At the same time, Li Huowang's two legs and Li Sui's four tentacles used Peng Longteng as a wall to jump off of her. He disappeared into the rift in the blink of an eye.
A few breaths later, Li Huowang looked around calmly in the Qi Kingdom.
There was chaos throughout the Liang Kingdom due to the war, but the Qi Kingdom was calm. There wasn't even a survivor in sight, and Li Huowang couldn't see anything other than the ruins of a once peaceful city.
However, the solar eclipse had passed. There were still black spots on the sun, but there weren't that many black spots anymore, and it seemed that the situation was starting to return to normalcy.
The Qi Kingdom was in ruins, but the kingdom was in a better situation compared to when evil entities roamed the kingdom like last time.
"Daoist, look! You saved this world by connecting the Emperor of the Qi Kingdom to the Dragon Vein of the Liang Kingdom! The people of the Qi Kingdom no longer have to worry in despair! Praise be to the Buddha! May the Buddha protect us!" the old monk's illusion exclaimed with a grin while staring toward the east.
"The Buddha did not protect us! You should thank Zhuge Yuan!" Li Huowang roared.
Then, with a sword in hand, he walked past the ruins to reach the place where he had seen those golden banners in the Liang Kingdom. He didn't have the luxury of time to care about what was happening to the Qi Kingdom.
He had to stop Shai Zi, or the Liang Kingdom would perish.
It would be difficult for him to get close to Shai Zi in the Liang Kingdom, so he decided to travel to the Qi Kingdom and hope that upon his return to the Liang Kingdom, he'd be near Shai Zi.
This approach was much easier than just running straight into an army.
"We're almost there. It should be around here..." Li Huowang muttered.
Just then, Shangguan Yuting emerged from his shadow and looked around before nodding. "All right. The Chief is ready. We will go back in five minutes."
Li Huowang nodded and waited for the five minutes to pass. He could swear that this was the longest five minutes of his life so far.
Will the Chief's plan work? What if Shai Zi becomesโno! I can't think of that! I'm a Strayed One! I cannot think about those things so easily!
"Now!" Shangguan Yuting shouted.
Li Huowang immediately swung his spine sword. A spacetime rift manifested, and numerous limbs fell into the Qi Kingdom, tainting the Qi Kingdom's ground in a crimson hue. These limbs had come from the troops of the Liang Kingdom.
The Qi Kingdom's side was empty, but the Liang Kingdom's side was packed to the brim with people.
Li Huowang didn't hesitate and propelled himself into the rift using his two legs and Li Sui's tentacles.
Upon appearing on the other side, Li Huowang was taken aback by the intensity of the fight. The rhythmic beats of war drums and the grotesque noises of slaughter echoed nonstop. The killing intent and bloodlust made Li Huowang's veins bulge.
"Oh?ย Is that you, my Left and Right Jinwu Guard? How come you've just arrived? Have you completed your mission?" A voice echoed on Li Huowang's side. He turned and saw Shai Zi in Gao Zhijian's body beneath the golden dragon banner.
Li Huowang looked at the army, glaring at him along with the other commanders and generals next to Shai Zi.
However, Li Huowang wasn't nervous at all. He took a deep breath and said, "We should stop now. The Chief wants me to deal with you, but I'm technically working under you, so the Chief's plan is destined to fail."
Li Huowang approached Shai Zi.
The soldiers wanted to stop him, but Shai Zi told them not to do so. He allowed Li Huowang to approach him without fear.
"Come. You've been pretending to be someone else for such a long time now, so you must be tired. Let me toast you a cup." Gao Zhijian said, offering Li Huowang a cup of wine.
"How could it be hard? We're both from the Sitting Oblivion Dao, Boss Shai Zi. It's actually fun deceiving people," Li Huowang said, drinking the wine without any hesitation.
The soldiers and commanders were confused, but their confusion was Li Huowang's goal.
"Hahaha~ย Now really isn't the time for jokes, as we're facing such powerful enemies."
Li Huowang chuckled as well and swept his hand across his face. A Hong Zhong's face appeared on Li Huowang's face, and he laughed hysterically as he responded, "Boss Shai Zi, how can this be a joke? I'm just following your orders."
Shangguan Yuting appeared and walked toward Gao Zhijian.
Gao Zhijian's face slowly changed into that of a Shai Zi.
Li Huowang couldn't transform the Dragon Vein itself, but the Chief's illusion techniques could easily trick the soldiers. Once the soldiers were no longer willing to obey Shai Zi, things would go swimmingly from then on.
"Hehehe,ย not bad. But do you really think that you can beat me with this little trick of yours? You've overestimated yourself." Gao Zhijian's dragon claw tore off the illusion on his face, and his face returned to normal.
"I'm a Hong Zhong. If I'm not a Hong Zhong, then what am I?"
"You're from the Sitting Oblivion Dao! You're a Shai Zi!" Gao Zhijian exclaimed, pointing at Li Huowang.
The Chief appeared behind Li Huowang and made a seal with both hands before pressing it on Li Huowang's nape.
"Now!" the Chief shouted.
When the Chief's seal touched Li Huowang, he felt something infiltrating him. They were clouds of primordial breath, and they slowly entered Li Huowang
Li Huowang could sense the subtle difference between each cloud of primordial breath.ย These clouds of primordial breath do not belong to the Chief! These are the clouds of primordial breath that he has harvested from the Strayed Ones!
A pair of withered hands holding a set of prayer beads clapped, and an aged, low chanting echoed from beneath the Chief's red robes. The air shimmered, seemingly becoming illusory beneath the incessant chanting.
Even the colors themselves seemed to bleed into the air as they escaped their original containers; the colors of the soldiers' armor and even the color of the earth itself were drained as the world became hazy.
The line between the illusory world and the real world started to become blurry.
Li Huowang realized that the clouds of primordial breath inside of him had become extremely easy to control.
"Huff... puff..." As Li Huowang breathed, the world seemed to contract and expand.
"I'm a Shai Zi! I'm a Shai Zi! I'm a Shai Zi!" Li Huowang repeated. Veins bulged on his temples as his face slowly changed into that of a Shai Zi.
The chanting did not stop as the Chief stared at Gao Zhijian from within the darkness of his robes. Moments later, a voice joined the chanting. "If he's a Shai ZI, and there's only one Shai Zi left in the Liang Kingdom, then you must be Gao Zhijian!
"You are not a Shai Zi!"
Shai Zi revealed confusion on his face at the remark."I-I-I-I'm... Gao...Gao...Gao Zhijian!?"
Gao Zhijian hesitated. He was about to take a step forward when the ground before him abruptly caved in. Several dice rushed past the cavity and flew past his eyes.
Gao Zhijian instantly calmed down upon seeing the dice. He chuckled and remarked, "How devious of you, Xuan Pin. To think you'd use the Strayed One's technique to erase me. Unfortunately, I've become the Dragon Vein, so your techniques are useless against me.
"However, I admit that you're pretty strong. How about you join me? You can have half of the Heavenly Dao that we'll certainly obtain later."