Mutated Tao

A woman’s corpse cut in half was laid over a well with putrid water. Her body was twitching and her eyeball was dangling out of her eye socket.

The twitching stopped abruptly. The rats that were nibbling on her corpse sensed something and stopped, then burrowed out of her body and scattered.

Li Huowang soon walked past the corpse as they continued forward.

He frowned and looked around the destroyed village. Everything lay in ruins, devoid of any survivors. The ground had been razed, and death permeated the entire village.

Li Huowang remembered this place. He had stayed here for the night when he first escaped Zephyr Temple. It had once been a lively place, but now there wasn’t a single person alive.

Everyone had been butchered.

The place was already close to the front lines. To the people of Si Qi, the army and the Dharma Sect were one and the same.

By assessing the freshness of the corpses, Li Huowang determined that the village had been destroyed recently.

“Suisui, rest a bit for now. We’ll be arriving soon,” Li Huowang suggested, settling down on the bench and munching on his rations.

She now understood the meaning of death.

“Right. As the saying goes, it’s better to be a dog in times of peace than a human in times of chaos.”

Li Huowang felt nothing in his heart when he looked at the old monk’s illusion trying to appease the souls of the dead. The monk had tried this with every corpse along the way, so Li Huowang had grown used to it.

Li Huowang was actually focused on himself right now. He couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened.

What’s going on? How did I conjure up another Suisui?

While he was happy his cultivation had advanced, he was now feeling uneasy.

The more he cultivated the ‘Truth,’ the stronger it became. Initially, he experienced intense headaches and nosebleeds whenever he attempted to materialize something. But now that he was at the Heart Chakra, or the fourth stage, he could easily materialize anything.

Still, are there really no side effects to Doulao's cultivation method? Li Huowang was worried.

He suddenly remembered something. Wait, I’ve asked Ji Zai before! He didn’t answer, so I’ve continued my cultivation, but what if…

Ji Zai was his own Siming, but he was constantly stuck in a state of bewilderment. Does Ji Zai mean no harm despite not helping?

Li Huowang couldn’t use the techniques of the Ao Jing Sect for now. Without his ability to utilize the power of ‘Truth,’ he would only have his swords and physical abilities at his disposal.

Li Huowang had his own plans. No, I cannot trust Ji Zai completely. I should still use Profound Records. I cannot let him think that I have full trust in him.

His lack of knowledge about the Simings made him refuse to believe their words wholeheartedly, even if the Siming in question was his future self.

Li Huowang needed to ensure that Ji Zai was wary of him to prevent himself from being reduced to a mere pawn.

Li Huowang lifted the water-filled gourd to his lips and took a sip, washing down his dry rations. As he did, he saw the red glow of sunlight towards his left. There were smoke signals there.

“I recall where that place is…” Li Huowang touched the mirror that Xuan Pin had given him.

Through the mirror, he saw what was happening. The unified soldiers were besieging a city occupied by the Dharma Sect.

It was an important city, and both sides were unwilling to back down. Disregarding it would have dire consequences for either side—losing the city meant losing essential supply lines.

Li Huowang removed his finger and took Li Sui with him. They sprinted towards the city.

After passing through the forest, Li Huowang reached the gruesome front line. He saw boiling oil pouring down from the top of the city wall. Some of the stronger soldiers endured the boiling oil and reached the top even as their skin was burned off.

Many of the soldiers managed to make their way into the city, where countless battles were waged inside and out.

Li Huowang circled to the other side instead. Realizing that the security on the eastern side was slightly weaker, he quickly projected his body downwards and turned invisible before moving.

When he reached the city wall, he placed his palm on it rather than climbing it. He closed his eyes and pushed forward, letting his body sink into the wall.

When he reached the other side, he placed his palm on the wall again and felt its solid surface. His cultivation had finally paid off!

“Time to go!” A tentacle sprouted out of Li Huowang and hooked itself onto the roof. Li Sui pulled Li Huowang onto the top of the roof.

Li Huowang steadied himself before realizing the City God Temple had been replaced with a massive stone statue depicting some unknown deity.

The black statue was making a Vajra Seal with its left hand and holding onto a vase with its right hand. Even though the statue’s face depicted it as merciful, Li Huowang felt that the statue was perversely twisted.

No matter what it was, he was certain that the statue was not god Yu’er. God Yu’er dwelled in the darkness and couldn’t be portrayed with just clay and stones.

Did god Yu’er gain a new body to trick even more people? It seemed plausible to Li Huowang. He doubted anyone would join if they saw the true form of god Yu’er.

Li Huowang ran on the roof, quickly pinpointing the area where the leaders of the Dharma Sect in the area were most likely hiding in. Only the county’s magistrate's office could have stone lions placed in front of the door.

Suddenly, a spear pierced through the roof tile that Li Huowang was standing on and stabbed into his feet. An ambush? I’ve been spotted!

Li Huowang tried to escape, but the spear was faster. The roof collapsed from the attack, and Li Huowang fell down into a dark house.

Before long, he saw the person who attacked him. It was a man standing on stilts while holding onto two spears.

The man chuckled at Li Huowang and said, “You think you can launch a surprise attack at our base camp with your lousy footing? My spears are coated in—”

Li Huowang stabbed his purple-tassel sword into the man’s throat without waiting for the man to finish his sentence.

“Who cares what you’ve coated your spears in? I just need to kill you.”

Li Huowang understood his powers well. He wouldn’t be in danger if he didn’t hear what the spears were coated in. He twisted his sword and cut off the man’s head, then jumped out of the house before the man’s lifeless body even hit the ground.

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