Mutated Tao

Li Huowang placed down a black piece and pondered over Zhuge Yuan’s words before asking, “Twisted? What does that mean?”

Li Huowang was a Strayed One himself. He had witnessed the powers of a Muddled One, but it was his first time hearing of a Twisted One.

Zhuge Yuan shook his head slightly at Li Huowang’s clumsy play. He placed a white piece on the board and replied, “The word 'twisted' means that my life is forever twisted with the existence of the Three Ancient Ones. I cannot escape from them even if I were to live or die.”

“What are the Three Ancient Ones?” asked Li Huowang, placing another black piece.

Zhuge Yuan smiled and pointed upward with his fan. Li Huowang instantly understood what Zhuge Yuan was trying to say. After all, he could still remember the beings hidden deep within his memories.

“Junior Li, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you. It's dangerous to know too much of a particular knowledge. You can’t make too many mistakes in life as well,” Zhuge Yuan said, placing another white piece on the board.

Zhuge Yuan’s implied message was clear: the Three Ancient Ones meant one of the Simings inside the Baiyu Capital. Zhuge Yuan didn't dare to utter the name of the Siming.

“I understand,” Li Huowang muttered with a nod.

Silence descended upon the room, and only the chirping of the birds could be heard.

Li Huowang suddenly asked, “Thank you for answering my questions, Senior Zhuge. However, may I know why you are helping me even though you're not a Strayed One?”

The question had been gnawing away at his mind over the past few days, and he had finally asked it.

“Why do you ask?” Zhuge Yuan was surprised. “Our previous encounter was brief, but saving a life is still a noble thing to do. I can’t just look at you throwing your life away for nothing. Your bronze coin veil is useless to those who are stronger, too.”

“Is that all there is to it?” Li Huowang asked, sounding. He had been thinking about why Zhuge Yuan had decided to help him, which was why he was taken aback when Zhuge Yuan's motive wasn't as deep as he initially thought.

“Why do you think otherwise? My help isn't limited to those with ‘One’ in them, but those with ‘Spirit’ or ‘Illusion' as well. If I can help, I'm going to help.”

Is he trying to fool me? Just what does he want? Li Huowang thought, but he quickly abandoned the idea. Li Huowang's status as a Strayed One was the reason he was being chased. If Zhuge Yuan didn’t want him for that, there wouldn't be any compelling reasons behind why he had decided to help him.

“Junior Li, did you travel all the way here just to ask me that question?” Zhuge Yuan asked, sounding perplexed.

“No, I’m here to ask for help,” said Li Huowang. Then, he sat up straight and told Zhuge Yuan that he was chasing after Bei Feng.

Zhuge Yuan was kind and helpful to him, but Li Huowang wasn't the type of person to exploit someone's kindness. Li Huowang decided to propose a solution that would benefit them both.

“Senior Zhuge, you don’t have to do anything. Since the Sitting Oblivion Dao is hunting you. Bei Feng will come to you soon. You just need to keep me close so I can fight them, too!”

Zhuge Yuan's hand holding a white piece in mid-air froze abruptly.

Li Huowang saw that and added, “Senior Zhuge, don’t worry. I'm not going to leave immediately, even after I've achieved my goal. I'll help you with your problem first before leaving.

"Is it because you're unsure of my strength? I'm not as strong as you, but I know quite a few techniques from the Ao Jing Sect.

"I even managed to perform the Cang-Qiang Ascension three times, even though it's the hardest technique to perform! Even half-Immortals will not be able to withstand my Cang-Qiang Ascension!”

Zhuge Yuan raised his hand and gestured for the anxious Li Huowang to calm down.

“Junior Li, calm down. I never disagreed with your suggestion, but there are several things we should consider before anything else. First of all, you said you wanted to fight with me, but do you even know what I'm about to do?”

Li Huowang was stunned. “You mean you're not done yet even after taking away that Muddled One from the temple?”

Zhuge Yuan definitely had a reason for stealing the Muddled One. If he still hadn't resolved that despite his strength, the issue had to be particularly difficult.

Zhuge Yuan peered over Li Huowang's shoulder, and his gaze landed on one of the scrolls hanging behind Li Huowang.

It was a scroll depicting a beautiful mountain with a lake.

A dried-up corpse was in the middle of the mountain.

“I'm strong enough to kill Fa Cai, but those with the words ‘One’ will struggle fiercely to survive. The fate of foreign beings has tainted us. It’s difficult, indeed.

"I'm about to embark on a suicide mission, and the Sitting Oblivion Dao is going to interfere with me from time to time. Junior Li, it is exceedingly dangerous, and you'd most likely perish. Are you sure it's worth it?”

“Of course, it's worth it!” Li Huowang exclaimed. He didn’t even ask what Zhuge Yuan wanted him to do. “As long as I can get rid of my bewilderment and the hallucination, everything is going to be worth it!”

Zhuge Yuan took a sip of the tea, which had cooled down long ago.

“All right, let’s talk about the second thing. Bei Feng is indeed a Strayed One, and he has indeed gotten rid of his hallucination. However, how can you be so sure that his method is going to be suitable for you?

"He’s a member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao, after all. Perhaps he had deceived it away from someone else, and there's also a high chance that the method is evil. Do you intend to cultivate it even if that were the case?”

Li Huowang frowned. He downed his cup of tea, and he sounded bitter as he responded, “But what choice do I have? It doesn't matter what kind of technique it is, I have to see it for myself.”

Zhuge Yuan went silent, seemingly falling into deep contemplation. "Hm, I remember reading about a Strayed One's technique.”

“What is that technique?” Li Huowang's heart beat wildly against his chest.

“The hallucination of a Strayed Ones is all thanks to the primordial breath running rampant inside of them. The book said that if the Strayed One can control their primordial breath, the hallucination might stop altogether.”

“You've really read something like that?” Li Huowang needed it badly.

“I forgot some parts, but I think it’s real.”

“Why do you say so?”

"It's all because of the Sitting Oblivion Dao's consistency. I've always been wondering why the Sitting Oblivion Dao has always loved to torment Strayed Ones above anything else.

"They've never inflicted such torment on the Muddled Ones or the Twisted Ones, so at first, I thought perhaps there's a long-standing grudge between the Strayed Ones and the Sitting Oblivion Dao.

"However, the book gave me enough puzzle pieces to solve the puzzle. If the book contained nothing but the truth, then the cultivation methods of the Strayed Ones are directly opposite of the Sitting Oblivion Dao's cultivation methods. If that's the case, then the reason behind their hatred for the Strayed Ones can be explained."

“Directly opposite the Sitting Oblivion Dao’s cultivation methods? They cultivate, too?”

“Of course. The crazy things they've been doing were for the sake of establishing lies as truth. There are many different cultivation paths in this world. There are even those who cultivate ‘Ghosts,' ‘Dao,' ‘Evil,' and ‘One.'

"The Sitting Oblivion Dao cultivates ‘Lies.'”

“Wait, if they're cultivating ‘Lies,' and the Strayed One’s cultivation methods are directly opposite of their cultivation methods, then what is the cultivation path of the Strayed Ones?”

Zhuge Yuan didn't answer. Instead, he placed a white piece on the board. Li Huowang's gaze turned to the board, and he saw that the black pieces he had placed on the board had created a single character—Truth.

“They cultivate ‘Truth’?”

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