"Lifespan Pills?"
Yi Donglai studied the pills carefully. They looked oddly familiar, as if he'd seen them somewhere before.
"Li Huowang, are you serious? Are you out of your mind?"
Li Huowang's breathing quickened, his pupils shifting erratically. "You don't believe me? Fine, I'll show you. I'll prove that the other world is real and not just a hallucination!"
Without another word, he bolted out of the warehouse and dragged Chen Hongyu inside. She was still munching on potato chips.
"Look closely!"
Li Huowang gave Chen Hongyu a lifespan pill. She swallowed it without any hesitation.
Chen Hongyu casually cleaned her teeth with her fingernails. "What did you just feed me?"
"A lifespan pill. It can restore your youth!"
The moment he said it, something miraculous happened. Chen Hongyu began to transform. She lost weight at an incredible speed, and her features reverted to her younger self.
In mere moments, the aunt-like Chen Hongyu became a young lady, still snacking on potato chips.
Chen Hongyu was visibly shocked by her body's transformation. "Hey! What is this? Li Huowang, I thought your ability was to conjure gold. Since when did your ability change?"
Her astonishment, however, was nothing compared to Yi Donglai's. His eyes were wide with shock.
His unshakable heart began to crumble as he witnessed the impossible unfolding before him.
Li Huowang approached him eagerly. "Doctor Yi, do you see it now? Do you finally believe me? Can you empathize with the torment I've been enduring all these years? Can you finally understand what I've been going through?"
"Impossible. Impossible! How could this be? This is illogical! Yes, this must be magic!"
Desperate for answers, he grabbed Chen Hongyu and started inspecting her closely, even pulling at her clothes in disbelief.
Yi Donglai stood his ground, refusing to back down even after Chen Hongyu slapped him. He looked down and began inspecting the ground for any signs of a hidden trapdoor.
No matter how thoroughly he searched, reality gave him no escape—there were no tricks.
"Stay calm! I have to stay calm!" Yi Donglai said, trying to stabilize his mind with psychological reasoning. "This world... is the only world..."
Li Huowang held up the remaining seven pills in his hand. "Doctor Yi, I know you still don't believe me. You think it's a trick, right? Then try them yourself."
Fear and excitement warred on Yi Donglai's face. Eventually, he took all seven pills and swallowed them.
Moments later, a miraculous sensation surged through his body. His skin tightened, and his body rejuvenated. He was young again.
He ran out of the warehouse and started lifting heavy objects found around the house.
"Impossible! This cannot be!"
Seeing how frantic Yi Donglai was, Li Huowang retrieved a make-up mirror from Yang Na's bag, handing it over to Yi Donglai.
Yi Donglai saw a familiar-looking youth in the mirror and finally broke down.
"No! Impossible! This cannot be!"
Li Huowang took the mirror and returned it to Yang Na. "Doctor Yi, do you understand me now? Everything I've gone through is real. The things you documented in your thesis are real. These aren't illusions—they're living, human beings."
Li Huowang pointed at the others behind him. "They are not liars either. They are the Simings of the Baiyu Capital."
Yi Donglai froze, staring around him. His psyche broke down completely.
Li Huowang helped him stand up slowly. He turned to Yi Donglai and said, "I didn't want to involve you, but I had no choice. You must realize the severity of the situation.
"This impacts the lives of everyone across three different historical timelines. I don't know their exact population, but every single one is doing their best to survive. They just want to live.
"I know you're a good person, and I'm certain that you don't want to see them die. You wouldn't want to see so many families torn apart, would you?
"Help me. Treat me. We need you for the battle ahead."
Yi Donglai shook off Li Huowang and grabbed the mirror in Yang Na's hands before stumbling into the warehouse.
Ba Shengqing, who had been loading his gun, chuckled and elbowed his sister. "Heh. We have one more lunatic on board."
Ba Nanxu turned to Zhao Shuangdian. "Hey, it looks like we have one more ally. Let's eat something nicer today."
"Stop talking nonsense. I don't think it's that simple. Go bring my computer for me."
Zhao Shuangdian followed Li Huowang into the warehouse. They pushed the door open and were greeted by the sight of Yi Donglai, holding onto a pocket watch and swinging it in front of his own reflection in the mirror.
"Look at the watch and follow it. Concentrate. While doing so, feel your body as it relaxes. Anytime you feel sleepy, you can close your eyes..."
Li Huowang was confused. "What are they doing?"
A rhythmic drumbeat accompanied the lighting of several bonfires in front of him. Several people wearing wooden masks danced and twirled on the bamboo stage with a Lion Dance.
The performers spoke in an unknown language.
"ㄇㄧㄥˋㄧㄡˇㄙㄉㄚˋㄋㄨㄛˊ,ㄓㄨˊㄐㄧㄣˋㄧㄣㄑㄧㄨㄟˊㄧㄤˊㄉㄠˇ" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮
Gao Zhijian explained, "The Chief of Hou Shu's Surveillance Bureau is asking them to dance for Da Nuo. They are trying to summon Da Nuo by performing the Round Nuo Dance."
Li Huowang scoffed. "Summon him? Don't they know Da Nuo has gone insane? He can't even protect himself. If he could help us, he would've done so during the Dharma Sect's invasion."
Gao Zhijian replied, "According to Zhang Tan, the Chief of Hou Shu's Surveillance Bureau, performing the Nuo Opera is a way to heal Da Nuo's wounds. They are slowly but surely healing Da Nuo. And one day, Da Nuo will return."
Chapter 991 - Baiyu Capital
The Nuo Opera droned on without pause. The bamboo stage creaked as the fire below roared.
Li Huowang sighed and shook his head. Facing Fu Shengtian's power, the locals clung to every method they could think of, no matter how futile.
There were still people who believed in Da Nuo, and there were many of them in Hou Shu, but it was not wise to rely on the help of a Siming that had gone crazy.
"Do you think it will work just because they think it will? They are not Strayed Ones. It's all just superstition. Let's go."
Li Huowang gestured for Gao Zhijian to follow him to the temple of the Liang Kingdom's palace.
Gao Zhijian followed Li Huowang and tried to make him reconsider his plan. "Senior Li. Is this really what you're planning to do? The Baiyu Capital is very dangerous. You might not be safe even with the Dragon Qi protecting you."
"Do you have another plan? Should we wait for them to attack us while we sit and do nothing?" Li Huowang replied.
Li Huowang looked up and stared at the skies above him. "Even if this were a simple war, we would still need to send spies, wouldn't we? Don't worry. The Simings of the Baiyu Capital are on our side. They still owe me a favor."
Although Li Huowang had lost some of his memories, he still remembered that Fu Shengtian was targeting them.
He couldn't just strategize below here. He needed to go up and check to see if the Baiyu Capital was fine.
He had to see if the crack was still there or not. He couldn't fight without information. Li Huowang firmly believed that information on his enemy was vital and that fighting blind was not an option.
The Baiyu Capital didn't follow the rules of linear time. If he could glean anything about the future, it might prove invaluable.
Gao Zhijian nodded. "Then I wish you a safe journey. I will protect our world with Senior Bai down here."
"Zhijian, I know you want to save the Dragon Veins, but that's not something we can focus on right now. Fu Shengtian also has Dragon Veins, so we can secure as many as we want when we win.
"I also think the Dragon Veins are part of the Heavenly Dao of Order. Since there is a Heavenly Dao of Order, then there must be a Siming in charge of it.
"If we can't use Fu Shengtian's Dragon Vein, we can at least take the Heavenly Dao of Order from that Siming and create new Dragon Veins. We can return some of them to the Qi Kingdom, the Liang Kingdom, and even the Tianchen Kingdom to have seasons again."
"Senior Li, I trust you. Also..." Gao Zhijian hesitated while thinking about how to discuss with Li Huowang.
Li Huowang frowned. "What? Speak your mind."
"It's nothing. It's just a minor issue. Our survival comes first."
Li Huowang looked at him curiously before making haste for the temple. "Just tell me what you are thinking!"
"Senior Li, let me ask you this. Am I considered a good emperor now?"
Li Huowang looked at him seriously before answering, "Yes."
Gao Zhijian was a good emperor. He dedicated his life to his nation, even though he had been naive. Still, even under the best leadership, some citizens would always lead bad lives.
Gao Zhijian laughed heartily. "That's good to hear. At least I'm not a burden anymore."
But his laughter quickly faded into worry. "Senior Li, everything depends on you now. You cannot die."
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about? Hurry up!"
Li Huowang grabbed Gao Zhijian's robes and pulled, causing the scenery to shift. They arrived at the temple almost immediately.
The large bronze tree stood unchanged, its branches pinning down the fourteen Dragon Veins while they wailed in torment. They had not been released since his last visit.
Li Huowang cracked his fists, and two more arms sprouted beneath his armpits. He then made a seal and chanted. Li Huowang was using the Dragon-Slaying Immortal-Killing Array to ascend to Baiyu Capital.
Li Huowang cracked his fists, and two more arms sprouted beneath his armpits. He then made a seal and began to chant. The Dragon-Slaying Immortal-Killing Array activated, drawing Dragon Qi from the Dragon Veins and making then shrink.
Sensing the Dragon Qi enveloping his body, Li Huowang looked up, and Peng Longteng appeared beside him.
Peng Longteng used her halberd to launch Li Huowang high up into the air.
Li Huowang flew past the clouds, the skies, and the weird beings living in the sky. Soon, he reached the massive Ox-Tail Gate.
Li Huowang took a deep breath and looked at the chaos of the large gate before stepping through. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
He could not discern whether it was dark or bright, but he could perceive it as peaceful and spacious.
He didn't know which side was up or down. The vast, timeless space was silent, eerily so.
The silence took Li Huowang aback. "What's happening? Where are the other Simings?"
Li Huowang used his fingernails and cut a small wound on his arm. Small droplets of blood sipped out from his wound.
He felt no pain despite the wounds. He didn't know if the others were here, but he was now certain that Ba-Hui and the Sacrificial God weren't here.
Li Huowang clasped his hand on the wound and zipped it up. He was healed again.
He waved his arm around to move into the Baiyu Capital. He needed to figure out what was wrong.
Li Huowang's body started flashing as he used his "Truth" cultivation to propel himself forward.
However, he had to halt his progress after a few minutes since he lacked any landmarks to guide him. He wasn't even sure if he was going forward or backward.
"What's going on? What's happening?" The strange scene made Li Huowang nervous.
"Ji Zai! Ji Zai!" Li Huowang shouted into the void.
Something reacted to him. Something was coming for him.
He couldn't see, but he somehow managed to feel it.
"Who's there?"
The question had barely left his lips when hair-like strands brushed against his scalp.
Looking up, he saw nothing, but an icy chill crept up his spine, from his tailbone to his skull.
"Three Ancient Ones!"
Chapter 992 - Three Ancient Ones
Li Huowang sat outside the house, covering the wound on his forehead with his bangs. He stared aimlessly at the forest ahead, letting his gaze rest while thinking about his problems.
"Here." A can of cola appeared in front of Li Huowang. He took it and realized that it was still cold.
"Where did you buy it?" Li Huowang drank a sip before passing it back to Yang Na.
She smiled proudly. "A small convenience store. I didn't expect to find one out here in the countryside. It's simple, but it has the basics."
She then looked at how grumpy Li Huowang was and consoled him, saying, "Don't worry. We can win this. We're Simings who govern the Heavenly Daos. Fu Shengtian threw so many of his Simings at us and still lost. They're no match for us—we're stronger than we think. We've taken down many of their Simings, and only a few of us have fallen. This time, we'll win."
Yang Na had become more relaxed and cheerful since embracing Li Huowang's worldview, and she had overcome her depression.
He knew she was trying to cheer him up, but her words couldn't lift his spirits. His mind kept circling back to what Qing Wanglai had told him.
Li Huowang couldn't fully believe or dismiss the words of the Sitting Oblivion Dao. Their truths were always mixed with lies, making it hard to discern truth from deception.
And then there was the matter of the Three Ancient Ones' plan. His intentions remained a mystery, even when the enemy was practically at their doorstep.
Qing Wanglai was his enemy now. A regular enemy wasn't a threat, but Qing Wanglai was someone who understood their strengths and weaknesses. He was a major threat.
"Stop thinking and come inside for a meal. We need to be full if we want to deal with our problems. The chicken in the countryside is amazing. I snuck a few pieces while they were cooking."
Yang Na pulled Li Huowang into the house and seated him on the table. Various dishes were being served, and one of the dishes was mushroom braised chicken.
The delicious scent made Chen Hongyu salivate uncontrollably.
Yang Na was correct. The chicken was delicious, tender, and juicy. It was well marinated, and even its bone was fragrant. It was completely different from the chicken they bought in the supermarket.
Li Huowang washed down a bite with a sip of cola, relishing the cold fizz. Looking around, he noticed someone was missing. "Where's Doctor Yi?"
"He's still in the warehouse, trying to hypnotize himself," Ba Nanxu mumbled, her mouth full of chicken. "But hey, thanks to him, we've got this amazing meal."
Li Huowang sighed when he heard how Yi Donglai was still losing his mind. He didn't want to do it, but there was no time. He needed to ensure everything was going right to fight against Fu Shengtian.
"Save him some chicken," Li Huowang said, taking a piece of bamboo shoot. "I'll bring it to him and check on him later."
Although Yi Donglai had treated him to a point where he no longer uncontrollably traveled to the other world, neither he nor Yi Donglai could be sure that he was fully cured
"He's just a prisoner. Why bother? We should just leave him some vegetables. We barely have enough chicken for ourselves," Chen Hongyu grumbled, pouring the chicken's sauce over her rice. It was the most fragrant way to eat her meal.
The others continued eating until barely any chicken remained.
Yang Na stood up and grabbed the last chicken wing before placing it into Li Huowang's bowl.
She had just sat down and ate a few mouthfuls when she saw Li Huowang frozen in place. He didn't touch his chicken at all.
"Huowang, why aren't you eating it? I thought you loved chicken wings?" Yang Na bit her chopsticks while asking Li Huowang.
"Give me if you don't want it." Chen Hongyu happily tried to take the chicken wing from Li Huowang's bowl.
Just then, Yang Na saw Li Huowang's face lighting up in surprise before giving in to fear.
"Three Ancient Ones!" Li Huowang shot up and shouted.
While Chen Hongyu was distracted by Li Huowang's shout, Zhao Lei quickly took the chicken wing away.
"Qing Wanglai, what are you doing here!"
Li Huowang's angry shout reverberated throughout the entire house.
Chen Hongyu clicked her tongue and continued eating her rice. "Sheesh, why so noisy? Go outside if you're going to shout."
Li Huowang grabbed his sword and snarled. "Why are you back in the Baiyu Capital? We're all here, and yet you dare to come back?"
Li Huowang swung his blade furiously in front of him.
"Li Huowang, what are you talking about? There's nothing in front of you," Wu Qi said in confusion.
"Of course, you can't see it! What is seen but not perceived is called 'invisible'; what is heard but not heard is called 'rare'; what is grasped but not obtained is called 'subtle.' I've said this before—we cannot see the body of the Three Ancient Ones!"
Li Huowang had just said that when he rolled backward.
His frustration mounted as the others continued eating, oblivious to the danger. They couldn't sense what was happening in the other world.
Only Li Huowang and Qing Wanglai could influence both worlds.
Li Huowang never thought Qing Wanglai would attack them from the other world.
Although this confirmed that Yi Donglai's treatment was working, there was no time to celebrate. If the Three Ancient Ones succeeded in snatching him away, part of Ji Zai would be stolen as well. They would be in deep trouble later on.
Li Huowang glared at the empty void in the Baiyu Capital. He was on the verge of risking his life. Suddenly, Yang Na grabbed her gun and fired at the empty space in front of him.
Chapter 993 - Secret
Amid the chaos of Baiyu Capital, Li Huowang felt the space around him growing unstable. This disturbance didn't stem from his cultivation of the "Truth." It came from the influence of the Three Ancient Ones.
Li Huowang felt that the Three Ancient Ones were very close to him right now.
A snarl crossed his face as he remembered what the Three Ancient Ones did last time. He gripped his blade and swung forward, but his blade did nothing, even though he could feel the strands in front of him.
A gunshot rang out as Li Huowang prepared to use a different attack against the Three Ancient Ones. Something in front of Li Huowang trembled and flashed briefly.
What appeared was a massive being with no end. It looked like an amoeba with faint flashing lights.
In that fleeting moment, Li Huowang realized that this being was entirely composed of interwoven secrets.
Li Huowang read the secrets, and they unraveled in his mind without conscious effort. Having grasped all the secrets, He started to learn what the Tree Ancient Ones had tried to take from his body. However, before he could fully comprehend, a scorching heat grazed his head.
Bang! Another gunshot rang out. Li Huowang felt his sweat dripping down his chin but didn't have time to register what was happening—the Three Ancient Ones was trying to run away!
"Nana, chase after him! Your attack is working!" Li Huowang shouted, running to chase after the Three Ancient Ones.
As he ran, Li Huowang scanned his surroundings to ensure the Three Ancient Ones did not lay any traps for them. Qing Wanglai must've come prepared, as he wouldn't have appeared in front of Li Huowang without a reason.
Yang Na drove past Li Huowang with her motorbike. She stopped a few meters in front of Li Huowang and started shooting the space before her.
"Attack now! I blocked him!"
"Good!" Li Huowang lunged for the Three Ancient Ones while Yang Na continued shooting.
Splat!
The blade, which was stained with Li Huowang's blood, had successfully wounded the Three Ancient Ones. Secrets continuously leaked out.
The Three Ancient Ones reacted instantly, fragmenting into countless pieces that scattered in every direction. Li Huowang refused to let him escape after finally landing a blow. He chased after one fragment, shouting, "Nana!"
Yang Na looped back on her motorbike, and Li Huowang hauled himself onto the seat behind her. As they closed the distance, Li Huowang finally sensed the leaking secrets. One small secret, no larger than a ping-pong ball, struck Li Huowang's blind eye.
A chill swept through him as a scene flashed in his mind: an old, blind Daoist sat cross-legged before a statue of the Three Ancient Ones, kowtowing reverently.
The Daoist was whispering, but his trembling voice echoed clearly in Li Huowang's ears. "Supreme One, I've overheard a secret. I don't know if it's true, but I beseech you to reveal the answer.
"Why is everyone suffering? Why do Natural Disasters plague us? Why are there so many sects?
"I found a jade tablet, which revealed the answer to me."
The old Daoist's eyes dilated with fear, his voice trembling as if he could not believe what he would say next. "It's... it's because this is our karma! We're not in the world of the living, but rather the world of the dead! We're not humans—we're ghosts repaying karmic debts!
"The process of reincarnation has stopped because Da Nuo has gone mad. That's why everything is so twisted right now. Humans aren't humans, and ghosts aren't ghosts."
The old Daoist chuckled weakly, as if he had used up all his strength. "Supreme One. If we're all ghosts, how can we cultivate and ascend to immortality?"
The scene faded. When Li Huowang snapped back, he realized he was back in the Baiyu Capital.
"What's going on? Is that why the world is so crazy? Is it because the Liang Kingdom used to be the underworld?!"
He recalled the Flesh Buddha of the Righteous Monastery, the Bodhisattva composed of flies in the Benevolent Nunnery, and the charred Sacrificial God of the Ao Jing Sect. He realized that it made sense.
The strange revelation stunned him and gave the Three Ancient Ones more time to escape.
Li Huowang shook his head and cursed. It was a secret, but it could be fake. It might not be the truth.
This was Qing Wanglai's attempt to shake him off. It was something that only the Three Ancient Ones could do.
Li Huowang saw him escaping and knew that there was no time. Who knew where the Three Ancient Ones would lead him?
He stood up and launched himself from the back of the motorbike.
Just a short distance away from the Three Ancient Ones, he materialized Peng Longteng and used her halberd to throw him even farther.
It was more than enough. Li Huowang raised his blade and stabbed the Three Ancient Ones ruthlessly.
He stabbed numerous times until the Three Ancient Ones almost dissipated. Suddenly, the Three Ancient Ones lashed out with threads, using them to grab Li Huowang's head and force it upwards.
Li Huowang froze when he saw what was on top of him. The Baiyu Capital was supposed to be chaotic, without any darkness or light.
Now, there was something different above him. The very same iridescent black liquid that had submerged the Qi Kingdom had appeared.
The strange, oily, iridescent color now stained the skies of the Baiyu Capital.
Li Huowang hadn't forgotten where he was. He was still within the Baiyu Capital, and Fu Shengtian somehow turned a portion of it into itself.
This time, there was a noticeable difference. In the past, it had only tried to squeeze through a crack. Now, it had fully incorporated a chunk of it into itself. In fact, half of the Baiyu Capital's sky—if it could even be called that—had been assimilated.
In the strange, iridescent darkness, the color pumped like a heartbeat, as if it was nurturing a terrifying lifeform.
Chapter 994 - Creep
In the turbulent Baiyu Capital, Li Huowang observed the skies consumed by Fu Shengtian.
The iridescent darkness contracted and expanded. Every time it did, it grew stronger.
Fu Shengtian was attacking Baiyu Capital. A chill ran down Li Huowang's spine as a heavy pressure settled over his chest.
Fu Shengtian had never stopped attacking. Whether striking head-on or launching ambushes, the assault was relentless.
"We need to act now!"
Li Huowang looked down to find nothing beneath him. The secret that had leaked out had disappeared.
The Three Ancient Ones had escaped by distracting Li Huowang with Fu Shengtian. That was why he had lured Li Huowang here.
"Three Ancient Ones, I will find you one day!"
LI Huowang roared and ran towards the sky with his bloody blade.
"Nana, help me!"
Yang Na nodded and raised her gun to shoot the skies. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
Gunshots rang out, but the sound of thunder soon replaced it as heavy rain fell down from the skies, drenching everyone.
The rain battered Li Huowang, blurring his vision and making him uncomfortable.
The rain pummeled everyone's umbrellas. They ran outside and saw two couples going crazy.
Zhao Shuangdian was busy typing on her laptop and calculating something. Her typing noise resonated with the sound of the rain.
Yang Na approached them anxiously and asked, "Who still has more bullets? Give me some! I ran out of them!"
She asked again and again, but no one replied. "Hurry up! Huowang is fighting against Fu Shengtian alone! I need to go help him!"
Yang Na used her hand to shield her eyes as she glared at the dark clouds above her with animosity.
The sound of typing suddenly stopped. Zhao Shuangdian grabbed two loaded magazines from the back of Ba Shengqing and gave them to Yang Na without hesitation.
Zhao Shuangdian's actions surprised everyone. Ba Nanxu stared in disbelief. "Did their insanity rub off on you?"
Zhao Shuangdian nodded. "Why not? His model fits mine. I trust him."
Ba Nanxu gaped in shock but said nothing. When she realized Zhao Shuangdian wasn't joking, she chuckled, taking out her own gun and firing it at the skies.
"Fine. If you want to die, I'll bury you. Now what? Should I return as the Siming of Pain and use the Heavenly Dao of Pain to strike down Fu Shengtian's Simings? To make them die from pain?"
Zhao Shuangdian stared at the equations on her laptop before shaking her head. "We cannot follow their plans. They have theirs, and we will follow ours.
"For now, we cannot influence the Baiyu Capital. Just leave it to Li Huowang here. Go and start our cars. Since they are here, that means that they have a gathering point. We just need to find it and infiltrate it."
Three off-road vehicles emerged from the muddy path, and everyone entered them. With a cigarette still in hand, Ba Nanxu rolled down the windows and shouted, "Hang in there, Huowang! We're going to the Baiyu Capital to help you!"
Li Huowang wiped his face with his sleeves. "Hurry up! They've already absorbed a large portion of Baiyu Capital! I don't know if they still have any hidden aces!"
Ba Nanxu nodded and stepped on the gas pedal. The vehicle roared to life and drove on the muddy path.
However, nobody noticed the arrival of Yi Donglai. He stood in the rain without moving, his lips tightly pursed. He still had the pocket watch in his hands.
Li Huowang sighed when he heard the engines disappearing. This time, he wasn't alone.
"Three Ancient Ones! Show them the path, or you won't have a Baiyu Capital to live in!"
Li Huowang didn't care if Qing Wanglai heard him or not. All he could do right now was to stab his blade numerous times into the dark skies. As he did, the black liquid poured out, engulfing Li Huowang.
The black liquid was capable of causing growth on most surfaces. Thankfully, the Dragon Qi on Li Huowang's body protected him, making the black liquid simply slick off his face.
Li Huowang continued to attack without worrying about his own safety.
After some time, he realized that it wasn't working. It was too slow. In the face of the black liquid, he was powerless.
Li Huowang wiped the water off his face. "No, this isn't working. I need to find another way to stop it!"
Li Huowang swiftly made a decision and sprinted towards the left. He increased his speed with his cultivation.
In just a few minutes, he reached the border between the Baiyu Capital and the black liquid. Li Huowang saw that Fu Shengtian was still growing and assimilating more of the Baiyu Capital.
In just a few minutes, he reached the border where the black liquid continued its relentless assimilation of the Baiyu Capital.
Li Huowang knew he was out of time. Without hesitation, he used his blade to sever a section of the Baiyu Capital, isolating it from the encroaching menace.
Since he couldn't do anything to the liquid, he would rather cut off a part of the Baiyu Capital.
He saw that the black liquid did not continue to spread beyond the place he had separated. Relief surged through him—his method had worked.
But then, an ominous hissing arose from the depths of the black liquid. An overwhelming wave of uneasiness washed over Li Huowang.
The hissing sound was far from simple, with multiple overlapping noises. It gradually became louder, reaching a point where Li Huowang could hear nothing but a deafening roar.
Yi Donglai's voice suddenly broke past the loud noise. "Li Huowang, there's thunder and lightning! Throw the knife away, or you will get electrocuted!"
Chapter 995 - Battle
"Thunder?" Li Huowang felt his scalp go numb and quickly dodged left.
Suddenly, the entire black, iridescent sky split open. A flash of platinum emerged from the darkness, carrying a nearly tangible gaze.
He felt an odd, almost inexplicable sensation emanating from the platinum gaze. It transcended his ordinary senses.
It was just a ray of light, but it tainted his eyes and turned them black and iridescent. As his eyes transformed, the black, iridescent liquid started to seep out from his eye socket.
That attack had visibly hurt his eyeball. Realizing something was wrong, Li Huowang snarled and clawed at his eye, attempting to dig it out.
"Li Huowang, stop! You can't gouge it out—this is your last eye! If you do, you'll be completely blind!" Yi Donglai shouted, grabbing his arm at the last moment.
"Scram! Don't try to stop me! If I don't do this, it will affect me!" Li Huowang shouted, throwing Yi Donglai away.
Just as he raised his hand to tear at his eye again, a sudden gaze from afar appeared. Li Huowang felt his body opening up like a flower blossoming. The pain overwhelmed him, halting both his movements and the black liquid's flow.
Li Huowang's senses melded together. He recognized the presence approaching: Ba-Hui, the Siming who governed the Heavenly Dao of Pain. And Ba-Hui wasn't alone—he felt the others reaching around him.
"You're all here! Attack now!"
Li Huowang raised his arm and pointed at the dark cloud to his left.
The Simings, which had fused together, floated like a large mountain towards the black sky.
The black sky began to bubble like hot metal plunged into oil.
An explosion sent a powerful heatwave blasting out from the impact. This intense heatwave burned off a layer of Li Huowang's skin.
Gazing up at the cracked sky, Li Huowang caught sight of the darkness that lay beyond. Without a moment's hesitation, he joined the other Simings and followed them toward the crack.
They were all fighting against Fu Shengtian and its Simings. He couldn't remain behind.
As he was about to enter the dark hole, an inverted tree fell through the hole. Its twisted, rotting form gleamed with an iridescent sheen.
The sharp crown of the tree pierced through his chest, pinning him down. It grew endlessly and pushed Li Huowang down.
Li Huowang struggled but couldn't move at all.
Suddenly, Li Huowang felt a glow behind him. When he looked back, he saw the floating Ox-Tail Gate.
The tree burst through the Ox-Tail Gate and stabbed down through the clouds.
It grew so fast that the Ox-Tail Gate was far above it. However, Li Huowang's melded senses let him perceive that the Ox-Tail Jade had shattered.
The large tree crashed into the ground and raised a large plume of dust.
The tree's branches spread outwards, as though it intended to take over the entire world.
It wasn't over yet. Its sprawling form stretched across the place, forming a strange connection between Heaven and Earth. It resembled a massive mushroom.
With a roar, the bottom part of the tree exploded. Li Huowang emerged from the wreckage, his body ablaze.
He floated upward and glared at the tree angrily. The tree had broken the Ox-Tail Gate.
Li Huowang could sense the Heavenly Daos going out of control without the Ox-Tail Gate. The world was now undergoing a lot of Natural Disasters, and even Li Huowang couldn't discern which Heavenly Dao caused which calamity.
"It's all because of you!" Li Huowang exclaimed in anger. Simultaneously, a colossal piece of jade descended from the heavens, narrowly missing him.
He grabbed it and fashioned the jade into a massive ax. He couldn't move it, but he had a plan.
He reached out his left arm and grabbed something.
Li Huowang caught it and fashioned it into a massive axe. It was too heavy to wield, but he had a plan. He extended his left arm to grab something, phasing past the Liang Kingdom, Qing Qiu, and the ground. Finally, he grasped the Lion Dance Palace hidden far below.
"It's time for you to help me!"
The white tassels complied, entering his body. His organs began to grow outward while new organs sprouted in every direction.
Li Huowang's body swelled beyond recognition. It became impossible to distinguish the front, side, back, up, and bottom of his body. He became one with the Lion Dance Palace.
Through his bulging large body, he let out an incoherent roar as he grabbed the large ax and tried to cut down the tree.
With an incoherent roar, Li Huowang lifted the colossal axe and struck the tree. The impact sent tremors across the battlefield, leaving a deep gash in the trunk. He swung again and again, each strike more furious than the last.
Finally, he cut down the tree. However, it quickly fell and reconnected the part he had chopped off. The wound healed swiftly, and the tree was whole once more.
Li Huowang chopped the tree repeatedly, but it would fall down and heal each time. He couldn't do anything to it.
Then, the world seemed to ignite. A titanic head, vast enough to eclipse both sky and earth, roared and lunged at the tree. Gao Zhijian had summoned Jiang Xiangshou.
Li Huowang pounced toward Jiang Xiangshou and grabbed it. The white tassels behind his body worked hard to fuse them together.
The Dragon Qi within him fused with Jiang Xiangshou's murderous aura. Li Huowang channeled their combined power into the axe. Together, they charged at the tree with a deafening roar.
In the pouring rain, Yi Donglai stood frozen in stunned silence, watching Li Huowang's distorted form. His crimson body was twisted, his mouth was crooked, and his veins were bulging. He repeatedly swung at the empty space around him with his bloodied blade.
The sight was both eerie and bizarre. Li Huowang appeared to be performing the strange dance of the Nuo Opera in the rain.
Chapter 996 - Come In
Within the territory of the Great Liang, a colossal pillar stretched between heaven and earth, its surface sprouting and writhing with twisting branches. These warped extensions reached into every available space, as though seeking to consume all in their path.
An immense, distorted figure floated amidst the clouds. It was none other than the powerful Li Huowang.
"Hah!" Li Huowang shouted, his four mouths opening in unison. He swung a giant jade axe and hacked the pillar.
Shrouded in murderous aura, Li Huowang rushed to the fracture point of the pillar before it could fall. He roared as he chopped repeatedly at the falling pillar.
The massive pillar that extended from the Baiyu Capital kept descending, but every section was promptly severed by Li Huowang, who was now imbued with the power of Jiang Xiangshou.
He had now reached the seventh stage of "Truth" cultivation. In addition, he had used the Lion Dance Palace to merge with Jiang Xiangshou. This giant pillar from Fu Shengtian was not a match for him.
Li Huowang relentlessly cleaved the pillar from the Great Liang upward into the heavens. Finally, he hurled it toward the stars.
A tear in the heavens at the Baiyu Capital made chaos and disorder spill out, spreading down toward the mortal realm.
Li Huowang roared, driving his jade axe into the opening and sealing off the pillar's influence in the mortal world.
However, he knew that this wasn't enough. The breach remained, and if left unchecked, it would only widen.
He stared intently at the axe lodged in the gap with bloodshot eyes. It quickly morphed and finally formed into a shape that blocked off more of the breach.
He was not done. As he focused, shards of the Ox Tail Gate that had previously fallen began to reassemble.
Each fragment flew up from the ground and returned to its place. One jade shard, about the size of a table, flashed past him. It bore a faint red seal on it.
Li Huowang caught a brief glimpse of the characters "Zhuan Xu" before the shard vanished and returned to its original position.
With Li Huowang's cultivation, the shattered Ox Tail Gate reassembled itself, sealing its gaps and once again taking the form of an enormous jade pendant. It was suspended between the Baiyu Capital and the mortal realm.
However, the situation did not improve much despite the repairs. Li Huowang remembered precisely what was unfolding at the Baiyu Tower.
He saw the chaos surge again within the gate and cried loudly with his six mouths. He reached over his shoulder to rip out his spine before charging straight into the gate.
The Baiyu Capital, which was previously in chaos, had transformed into a turbulent sea of Heavenly Daos that blended and collided with one another.
The Siming closest to him was a faceless Bodhisattva. Her graceful, flowing motions, accompanied by her robes that seemed to flutter randomly in the air, gave the impression that she was drifting underwater.
A pale, strange circle halo enveloped the back of her head, which made it hard to distinguish her appearance. At a closer distance, he saw that it was composed of countless white eyes.
The light behind the Bodhisattva continued to radiate outward, illuminating everything around.
With his heightened perceptions, he could faintly sense that this Siming seemed to have another side. However, he couldn't discern exactly what it was because he lacked the sensory organs to perceive it fully.
Li Huowang didn't know who this figure was, but he was sure it was a Siming of Baiyu Capital. He had once encountered this entity during his desperate fight with Dan Yangzi.
"Get your ass here and help! Don't just stand there!" Li Huowang shouted at the Siming as he charged toward the black, cracked sky.
Li Huowang stumbled and tripped over the high edge of the doorway, falling forward.
"Careful!" Yang Na caught up behind him and supported Li Huowang. They peered into the dilapidated temple together.
A torrential downpour raged outside. It leaked heavily inside the neglected rural temple, with water dripping everywhere.
The temple was littered with broken statues of Arhats and Buddhas, covered in dust and scattered without order. Every now and then, flashes of lightning would illuminate the scene, adding an eerie and sinister touch.
Yang Na noticed cigarette butts on the ground and deduced that someone had been there before. However, it was evident they hadn't been there for any proper business.
The Arhat statues had been defaced and smeared with filth, and some of the broken ones had been randomly reassembled.
She helped the panting Li Huowang toward the altar. But as they passed a statue with a broken finger, he froze, staring at it before bursting into maniacal laughter.
"Hahaha! A finger? All my effort, all my suffering, all I went through—and it was just a finger?
"You think that's enough to scare me? You think I'm afraid? Dream on!"
Li Huowang abruptly stood up. He stomped hard on the ground and lunged at the Arhat statue with a broken finger.
The clay statue was massive and heavy. Li Huowang crashed into it like an egg smashing against a rock. A dull thud resonated, and he immediately started bleeding from his head.
Ignoring his injuries, he raised his military knife and furiously hacked at the Arhat statue.
Yi Donglai stood outside the temple, completely drenched in the pouring rain. He stared dumbfoundedly at the scene unfolding before his eyes. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Yang Na, alarmed by his actions, shouted, "Step back! Let me handle this!"
She raised her pistol and fired two shots directly at the statue's head.
The combined efforts of the two began to show results. The large clay statue started to shed its outer shell and paint. Its structure became unstable, and some broken parts even revealed the bamboo framework beneath.
Finally, with a thunderous crash, the Arhat statue collapsed, burying Li Huowang beneath the rubble.
Li Huowang could be heard violently coughing amidst the dust. Yi Donglai gritted his teeth and prepared to rush into the temple to help.
"Stop! Don't move!" Li Huowang's roar froze him in place.
Li Huowang's eyes burned with a mix of terror and shock. He stared at Yi Donglai from inside the rubble, and his voice trembled as he shouted, "We can, but you can't! Don't come in! Whatever you do, don't come in!"
Chapter 997 - Change
"Don't come any closer! Stay back!"
He stood beneath the torrential rain, his gaze fixed on the scene unfolding inside. His thoughts were in complete disarray.
Yang Na looked at the seemingly possessed Li Huowang with a pained expression. She turned toward Dr. Yi outside the door and shouted, "Dr. Yi! Since you're fully conscious, help us! Huowang can't hold off all these Simings from Fu Shengtian alone!"
"I... I..." Yi Donglai's breathing quickened and turned more erratic. He clenched his teeth and slapped his forehead uncontrollably.
He even wanted to grab a mirror to check if he looked younger. He wanted to see if his previous experiences were real or just hallucinations.
For the first time, he understood why his patients acted the way they did.
Suddenly, Li Huowang burst from the debris with his military knife in hand, still streaked in dust and blood. He lunged forward, viciously kicking another clay statue to his left.
The impact toppled the statue, making it crash against a nearby column along with Li Huowang.
Creak! The wood splintered as the half-rotten column began to bend and distort.
Crack! Another sound quickly followed as the column snapped. The moss-covered tiles began to fall from above, increasing in number.
"Get out! The temple is collapsing! You'll both be buried inside if you don't get out!" Yi Donglai warned urgently. Noticing the temple shake, he momentarily put aside his confusion.
Yang Na's heart skipped a beat. She grabbed Li Huowang's arm and tried to pull him outside.
Li Huowang had no desire to remain in such a predicament, but he was stuck. His left foot was trapped within the chest of a clay statue, and he couldn't pull it free no matter how hard he tried.
As the tiles continued to fall and the temple tilted further, he shoved Yang Na toward the exit without hesitation.
The next moment, a disturbing gulp from above chilled him to the very bone.
His body trembled uncontrollably, though he wasn't the one shaking. The white tassels from the Lion Dance Palace were vibrating. They vibrated harder and harder until they dissolved into streams of blood that dripped down his frame. With the tassels gone, Jiang Xiangshou also started to separate from his body.
Unable to escape, he sensed something and looked up sharply. There was an oppressive, hollowed, and inverted black mountain. It filled his entire field of vision.
Something was roaring and thrashing within while the exuded Heavenly Dao caused Li Huowang's figure to erode.
The inverted black mountain pressed down with unyielding pressure. He suddenly understood that this wasn't a mountain at all. It was a tooth. Something was trying to devour him.
If just a tooth was so large, how enormous must the Siming of Fu Shengtian be? And what power did it hold?
Li Huowang figured it out, but it was already too late. The tooth descended, and he could only watch as the abyss behind it pulled him into the darkness.
He didn't die. He began seeing fragmented memories in a state between dream and reality. Some were snippets from his childhood, or maybe just memories.
In his dimly lit home, his mother, Sun Xiaoqin, was cheerfully carrying a cake toward him. He remembered this scene from his tenth birthday. He'd spent the entire day playing games, and it had been one of the happiest days of his life.
Out of nowhere, the darkness crept in from the left. The scene lit up once more for a fleeting moment. The cake frosting had splattered onto the floor, and the ribbon that had once adorned the cake box now dangled from the ceiling fan.
The ribbon was wrapped around Sun Xiaoqin's elongated tongue, dragging her body along. The image stopped here, just before Li Huowang.
The image froze in Li Huowang's mind as well. From that point on, his mother was absent from his memories.
His health deteriorated, becoming sickly and frail as though deprived of his mother's presence. His complexion worsened, and he even seemed shorter.
This was only the beginning. All his cherished memories gradually gave way to scenes of despair.
He saw his father spiral into alcoholism, picking him up and beating him mercilessly. Eventually, his father drank himself to death on the sofa.
Li Huowang felt his heart darken. His personality changed, and resentment consumed him.
No! This isn't right! It shouldn't be like this! Horrified, Li Huowang struggled desperately in the darkness. He didn't know what was going on, but he could feel that something was seriously wrong.
He saw himself pulling out one of Yang Na's fingernails and biting off her fingers one by one. He screamed in fury.
No! These aren't my memories! They're not mine! Li Huowang opened his skull in the darkness, reaching in and yanking something out.
Those depressing memories disappeared, but his old memories didn't return. Only a blank, empty space remained.
I need to get out of here! I will get out of here!
Li Huowang gathered the last of his Dragon Qi into his hand and plunged it into the darkness. The rain outside mixed with flashes of lightning, which burst inside.
A rough hand and a delicate hand reached inside, grabbing his clothes and yanking him out of the temple ruins.
The cold rain continued to pour and splashed on his face.
Li Huowang was in pain, but he ignored his injuries and grabbed Yang Na's hands to inspect them closely.
His pupils constricted sharply when he saw her right index finger was indeed severed at the root.
Yang Na shook her head. "It's okay. I don't blame you. I know you couldn't control yourself back then. Let's leave this place quickly. It's too dangerous."
Chapter 998 - Draw
Li Huowang stared at Yang Na's severed finger, the rain pouring down as he held her hand.
The finger had already healed, but this wasn't just a matter of Yang Na losing a finger. If her finger had indeed been severed, everything else he saw must have also been real.
The realization that his grim visions had manifested in reality struck Li Huowang with bone-deep dread. A profound horror filled his eyes as the truth dawned on him: this Siming of Fu Shengtian had altered his past, rewriting the events of his life.
No... this can't be! I have to kill it! I need to go back and change everything back to the way it was before! Li Huowang struggled to his feet, with his head bleeding and his body still wounded. He dragged himself toward the ruins of the dilapidated temple.
"Little Li! You're badly injured! Lie down, don't move!" Yi Donglai blocked his path and shouted at him to stop. He was completely soaked by the rain.
"Get out of my way! You don't understand what I've been through!" Li Huowang roared, his veins bulging as he raised a hand to shove Yi Donglai aside.
Yi Donglai moved first, shoving Li Huowang back into Yang Na's arms. "No! I do understand!"
Yi Donglai's eyes were bloodshot, perhaps due to the rain or some other reason. He continued, "I was your attending physician! I know everything you've been through! I even know exactly what you're thinking now!
"Don't forget I studied medicine! I know way more than you do! Now, sit tight! Leave this to me!"
Without waiting for a response, Yi Donglai turned and walked toward the temple ruins. He bent down, picked up a broken tile, and moved purposefully through the debris.
The temple's rubble was in a mess. There were all sorts of shattered bricks, broken tiles, and splintered wood piled haphazardly, making it easy to get injured while walking through.
However, Yi Donglai didn't care. He used his hands to push aside the debris, clearing a large area of uneven bricks.
Shards of broken tiles scraped his arms as he did, but he ignored the pain. He held up a shard and began to furiously scratch lines onto the rough surface of the stone bricks.
The shard scraped against the stone with a grating sound as the lines began to take shape.
Yang Na supported the battered Li Huowang over to Yi Donglai's side. At that moment, lightning lit up the sky and illuminated everything for an instant.
In that fleeting, silvery light, Li Huowang finally saw what Yi Donglai was drawing. It was a roughly sketched figure with certain distinguishing features. Li Huowang immediately recognized the person Yi Donglai was depicting.
It was a slim woman with tattoos on her left side, a forked tongue, and a lip piercing.
Yi Donglai was drawing Ba Nanxu, Ba-Hui's projection.
The figure of Ba Nanxu was strange and distorted in an almost inhuman way. Perhaps Yi Donglai's lack of skill had made her body unnaturally elongated and twisted.
Ba Nanxu seemed to be emerging from a vague, contorted shape. Her mouth was wide open like a serpent, as if ready to devour the surrounding rubble.
Yi Donglai didn't stop there. His hand moved feverishly, sketching the other Simings who had departed with Zhao Shuangdian. Each figure was crudely drawn and sketched in a strange form, yet imbued with an eerie, lifelike quality.
"What are you doing?" Li Huowang shouted amidst the rain.
Yi Donglai didn't stop drawing. "They couldn't come here because they couldn't find the path! They need a medium! Do you get it, Li Huowang? Qing Wanglai was right! They're all projections! They're all projections, and projections need a background!"
For a moment, doubt flickered in Yi Donglai's eyes, but when he caught sight of his own reflection in a nearby puddle, he steeled himself. He tightened his grip on the shard and drew with renewed vigor.
"It's okay! We won't lose! I finally get it—I am the projection of Da Nuo! That's the truth! The difference is that it's insane, while I'm not!"
Yi Donglai's newfound resolve didn't shock Li Huowang as much as the next figure he drew. It was a bloated young man with something seemingly stuffed beneath him.
Although the face was unfamiliar, his smile was disturbingly recognizable. Li Huowang instantly knew who it was—Qing Wanglai, the projection of the Three Pure Ones.
The Three Pure Ones hadn't left at all. He was just hiding nearby.
A fire blazed in Li Huowang's heart when he saw that disgusting face. Memories of Qing Wanglai's past despicable deeds flashed through his mind.
Without hesitation, Li Huowang picked up a piece of broken brick and smashed it down onto Qing Wanglai's face in the drawing. There was a crisp, cracking sound. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎
As Li Huowang approached Yi Donglai's artwork, he couldn't help but notice something peculiar. Qing Wanglai was disturbingly close to Zhao Shuangdian's figure, almost overlapping with her.
"What is he doing? What's he planning? At a time like this, how dare he!"
Li Huowang had broken into a cold sweat. He pushed Yang Na aside, leaped high, and plunged headfirst into Yi Donglai's drawing.
Splash! He was instantly submerged in freezing liquid. He was in.
Without even bothering to survey his surroundings, he hastily shouted, "Zhao Shuangdian, watch out! Qing Wanglai is stealing your Heavenly Dao!"
The icy liquid rushed into his mouth, and he felt like his organs were coming alive. He realized the kind of liquid that had surrounded him, as it had the same dark, iridescent hues he'd seen before. It was the same liquid that had engulfed the Great Qi in the past.
He had entered Fu Shengtian.
A chill swept over him as he realized a horrifying truth hidden in all this chaos.
Fu Shengtian was disturbingly close to Baiyu Capital, much like Qing Wanglai's drawing was to Zhao Shuangdian's.
Chapter 999 - Fu Shengtian
Within Fu Shengtian, Li Huowang's consciousness distorted, his senses blending into a tangled, chaotic mass. His vision was impaired, yet he could still perceive the Three Pure Ones and the Siming it was stealing from. It was Zhao Shuangdian!
The two figures began to merge, their forms intertwining with each other.
Li Huowang didn't know what the Three Pure Ones was plotting, nor did he fully grasp the events unfolding before him. However, one thing was clear: he could not let the Three Pure Ones succeed.
He immediately ran forward, swinging his arms at the Three Pure Ones.
He felt a string-like touch. Prompting him to quickly raise his spine sword and slash forward.
This time, things were different. In the past, he could sense things without touching them. Now, with the Three Pure Ones being physically present, Li Huowang had the power to wound him.
"Qing Wanglai! Die!"
A sharp sound pierced the air as he severed the secret karmic chains binding Zhao Shuangdian. They dissolved into the murky, iridescent black water surrounding them.
The Three Pure Ones' figure flickered wildly upon seeing Li Huowang ruining his plans.
As he writhed, a karmic chain of secrets emerged from within Li Huowang, eventually linking into the Three Pure Ones' network of secrets.
The tension in this chain of secrets suddenly snapped, and a flood of memories surged into Li Huowang's mind.
He remembered the Elder Shen Benyou of the Ao Jing Sect, sitting in the dim Cross Temple under the Sacrificial God's statue. He was discussing with the five other elders.
"I've ensured that Li Huowang owes us a favor. Now, we only need to wait for the right moment and use it to atone for the past massacre."
"I bought information from Moongate indicating that he still believes the Sitting Oblivion Dao caused the incident. He absolved himself of any involvement, and we can use this to lure him into using the Inch Dissection Ritual."
"No, this child is not an ordinary Strayed One. The Inch Dissection Ritual alone is not sufficient. We must plan carefully since he's no ordinary person. We must ensure he becomes the next Sacrificial God to complete our pact with Ba-Hui."
This sudden memory appeared in Li Huowang's mind. He remembered the deserted, lifeless town and Jiang Yingzi's revenge.
Was it all true? Did I actually kill all those people?
Before he could process the revelation, another realization struck him.
Ba-Hui was colluding with the Ao Jing Sect, intending for me to become the next Sacrificial God. Was she deceiving me from the start? Had she been plotting against me all along?
Cracks appeared on Li Huowang's body as the thoughts surged through his mind. Unbearable pain radiated throughout his entire being.
It was both physical and mental agony. The pain was intense, relentless, and overwhelming, making him tremble uncontrollably.
Li Huowang shook his head, trying to clear his mind.
He cursed through gritted teeth. "What's the rush? I'm not the Three Pure Ones. I know how to prioritize! I'll deal with you later!"
Li Huowang focused back on the Three Pure Ones. He yelled fiercely, "Did you think you could sway me? Do you think I'll believe anything you say?
"I've doubted everything you've shown me ever since I learned about your alliance with Shai Zi. Even if some of it is true, who's to say it's not a trick? Shai Zi excels at this! You'll never deceive me!"
Li Huowang's eyes shone with a murderous gleam. He grabbed a karmic chain of secrets and plunged his bloodied military knife into the Three Pure Ones. "This is for Suisui!"
As he pulled out the knife, more secrets gushed from the Three Pure Ones' form, dissolving into the dark seawater.
He summoned all his strength and drove the blade into the Three Pure Ones again. "This one is for Zhuge Yuan!"
Just as he prepared for a third strike, Li Huowang noticed some strange objects emerging from the Three Pure Ones, which did not seem to be influenced by the surroundings.
There was a particular symbol with the character "Wang," which was oddly familiar to him. He recognized it as something the Three Pure Ones had stolen from him.
Li Huowang reached out, passing through the dense network of karmic chains, trying to touch the "Wang" character.
As he drew near, the Three Pure Ones tore off a writhing mass of secrets from himself and stuffed it into Ji Zai.
Each secret brought a new perspective, transforming Li Huowang's perception of the world. The once-dim fluid around him cleared, revealing a previously invisible realm. He could now perceive things that he would've missed entirely before.
More importantly, everything around him was layered and multi-dimensional. Each layer was merely a projection.
After fully absorbing the secret of the Three Pure Ones, he finally saw the things beneath the surface. They appeared as incomprehensible images and text, both in his mind and before his eyes.
The rainbow decides the face. The primordial mud lies within the dark origin, flowing with foam beyond the depths. It bends at the dark armpit. The person has semicircular, firm wings that cover three sounds. When viewed, it has an unusual perception, like the brilliance of the stars. Yet there is no visible structure; only the ear perceives the emptiness.
This great secret of the Three Pure Ones was the same as the elephant Zhao Shuangdian had mentioned. It was also the Fu Shengtian in Li Huowang's own understanding.
It had always existed, but he hadn't been able to see it due to his insufficient perception.
Li Huowang tried to act, but he couldn't move. Even his thoughts grew sluggish.
Fu Shengtian was incredibly vast, and its unimaginable form completely covered the sky and the earth.
It was approaching the Baiyu Capital at a peculiar speed. It seemed slow, yet unbelievably fast.
As it moved, it continuously shed certain substances, much like unwanted dandruff.
Li Huowang focused on one of the dandruff-like fragments. It was a massive piece with a mouth of black, jagged teeth, resembling inverted, hollow mountains.