Mutated Tao

It was night in Hou Shu.

While the others discussed important military matters, Li Huowang and Bai Lingmiao stood silently in the corner as though they were transparent. Bai Lingmiao was wearing her red veil.

They listened to the disputes between the various forces, the compromises made during the crisis, and their subsequent plans.

The acquisition of the Dragon Vein from Hou Shu and Si Qi had evidently boosted the spirits of everyone there, including the Chief and the royal family. The atmosphere in the military tent had noticeably improved.

By the time they finalized the procedures, it was already late at night. Xuan Pin waved his hand gently, causing the entire tent and some of the people inside to dissipate like smoke.

“Now that we have the Dragon Vein of Hou Shu, the soldiers of Hou Shu will surely defect once their emperor surrenders. The forces of the Dharma Sect will likely retreat to Si Qi, but we can’t pursue them there.”

“Oh,” Li Huowang responded simply.

“Li Huowang, this isn’t like you.” Xuan Pin sensed that Li Huowang was behaving unusually.

Li Huowang ignored him and asked, “You’ve been plotting a lot within the mortal realm, but you are more familiar with the origins of the Dharma Sect than I am. Don’t you have any plans regarding that?”

Xuan Pin understood what Li Huowang was implying. “We are, after all, mere mortals. We have no knowledge of what the Simings in the Baiyu Capital are doing, let alone any means to interfere.”

“That’s not right. Isn’t the job of the Surveillance Bureau to monitor the heavens? Don’t say you have no means. Didn’t you once try to use the palace to set up an array and seize the Sacred Mountain Ghost’s Eye to prevent a Natural Disaster? This time, the trouble is even greater, and you’re telling me you have no plans?”

Li Huowang tilted his head slightly and looked at the darkness within Xuan Pin’s red robes.

“You must be doing something, but you don’t intend to tell me.”

Xuan Pin showed no reaction, but Li Huowang felt that he was right.

“There are some matters you cannot help with. Telling you would only make you overthink, which is not beneficial. Each person has their role. I am the Chief and have my duties, just as you have yours.”

Li Huowang curled his lips into a self-mocking smile, then turned and left with Bai Lingmiao.

After a few steps, Xuan Pin appeared before him again. “What are your plans next? And what about the Saintess of the White Lotus Sect?”

“Why should I tell you when you won’t tell me anything? Besides, our previous cooperation hasn’t improved our results. Since that’s the case, we should act separately.”

Li Huowang walked right through Xuan Pin’s body and headed toward his quarters.

“Are you holding a grudge? I truly was entangled during the incident with the Earth Dragon. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to save you.”

Li Huowang didn’t stop. He didn’t want to be anyone’s pawn, even if their goals aligned for the moment.

After spending so much time together, Li Huowang understood that Xuan Pin was crafty. Despite his seemingly kind demeanor, he was always using the people around him.

“How is the expansion of the White Lotus Sect in Hou Shu going?” Li Huowang asked Bai Lingmiao.

Li Huowang never expected that the only force he could truly control would be the White Lotus Sect, whose village he had once slaughtered. Life was indeed unpredictable.

“The expansion has been rapid, especially after we retrieved the Dragon Vein.”

Li Huowang wasn’t surprised. The Dharma Sect had many followers, but a lot of them were fair-weathered followers who quickly switched to the stronger side.

Bai Lingmiao continued, “The White Lotus followers from the Great Liang and Qing Qiu are gradually coming to establish the White Lotus society.”

Li Huowang asked, “How many can we recruit to fight? What’s their strength like?”

Since the Dharma Sect could recruit people, the White Lotus Sect should also be able to.

“Senior Li, it’s not feasible yet. It’s too soon. We can rally people, but these commoners would only be sent to their deaths. We need time to select those who are genuinely devout believers of the Heavenly Mater, and perceptive enough to incorporate into the White Lotus Sect.

“However, if you need people to fight the Dharma Sect, I can summon the seventy-two Protectors.”

“Seventy-two people aren’t enough,” Li Huowang said. He had witnessed the strength of the White Lotus followers. They had improved, but they were still not very effective.

Bai Lingmiao hesitated before she said, “Senior Li, as the Saintess of the White Lotus, I can sense that the Heavenly Mater has grown much stronger.”

Stronger again? Has she seized another Siming’s Heavenly Dao? Li Huowang looked up at the sky. He was really curious about what was happening in the Baiyu Capital.

“Let them come then. Ideally, bring all the skilled fighters of the White Lotus Sect. If the Dharma Sect wins, nobody benefits.”

“Alright. Senior Li, what are your plans next?”

“What else can I do? We finally have an advantage, so we need to expand it. I’ll follow if they make a move.”

“I’ll handle it if they encounter tough resistance.”

Though he no longer trusted Xuan Pin, they weren’t enemies yet.

As Li Huowang was about to say something else, he suddenly clutched his arm in pain. Blood quickly soaked through his red Daoist robe.

“Senior Li, what’s happening to you? Don’t move!” Bai Lingmiao shouted. Her long, sharp nails tapped rapidly on a drum, and she began to chant familiar incantations from the Divine Summons.

“Chaos split into black and yellow, opening heaven and establishing Yin and Yang. The earth is Yin and the sky is Yang. The moon is Yin and the sun is Yang. The north is Yin and the south is Yang. Yin is black and Yang is yellow...”

As Bai Lingmiao chanted and drummed, various faces of beasts bulged from the red veil on her head. These faces pushed up the veil and leaped away from Bai Lingmiao's face.

Each of them tore off the red veil as they leaped away, yet it seemed there was an endless supply of veils.

The Immortal families all wore the red veils. They stepped away from Bai Lingmiao and cautiously approached the now agonizing Li Huowang. Then, they circled Li Huowang warily amidst the drumming and chanting. They were clearly frightened.

As the drumbeats intensified and the chanting grew harsher, one of the Immortals was finally compelled to approach Li Huowang. Its nose, covered by the red veil, lightly touched his red Daoist robe. The next moment, it let out a sharp and beastly scream while the veil was instantly torn to shreds.

This destruction spread as if it was contagious, ripping apart the veils of all the surrounding creatures. Soon, the area was littered with nothing but small bits of red cloth.

“It’s... it’s okay!” Li Huowang finally straightened up, but then the skin on his face opened and closed lightly like fish scales.

Each time a scale opened, it brought him excruciating pain. It almost caused him to faint despite his endurance through many battles.

Li Huowang took a deep breath and said, “It’s fine! It’s just... this occasionally happens ever since the last ascension. I’ll get used to it.”

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