Mutated Tao

Chapter 554: The Great Qi

Li Huowang followed Zhuge Yuan's guidance as they traversed the ruined Qi Kingdom. He walked up several mountains just to find Shangji Guankou once again.

They were currently on a mountain, or what was left of it. The mountain was split in half, and there was a ravine in the middle of the mountain.

Rocky spikes grew from the walls of the ravines, making it look like two large rows of teeth.

Li Huowang thought he was reaching his destination soon but the Feng Shui of the entire Qi Kingdom was in disarray due to the Natural Disaster. Zhuge Yuan needed some time to confirm Shangji Guankou’s location.

Thankfully the journey here has been peaceful after the Natural Disaster had ended. He didn’t encounter any dangers this time.”

“Junior Li, let’s rest a little. Shangji Guankou will only change locations once the time is right. We need to wait for two hours here.”

Li Huowang and Li Sui sat underneath a tree. He took out some rations and started eating it voraciously.

“Dad, I don’t like this. I like meat.”

“Stop complaining and eat what you have. We can’t afford to be picky now.”

He grabbed his sword before he saw a young girl covered in dust stagger out of the woods.

She was roughly five years old. Her dusty face had two streak marks made from her tears, and her nightdress was in tatters.

She hobbled toward Li Huowang, grabbed his bag of torture tools, and started pulling him toward the forest.

However, she lost her grip and fell to the ground. She sprawled out on the ground with her mouth opening and closing as if she were crying, but no voice came out of her mouth. Her voice had long left her, as she had been crying for such a long time.

Li Huowang carried her and walked into the woods under her lead.

The woods weren’t large, and they soon reached the base of a mountain.

The little girl escaped his hands and started pulling at a hand with a silver wristband buried underneath a boulder. Li Huowang understood what she wanted him to do.

He looked around and saw that it was not just her house. The entire place used to be a village.

When the mountain was split in half, it completely buried the village. The young girl was the only one alive.

She ran to Li Huowang and pointed at the arm jutting out from underneath the boulder. She kept pulling at his red robes.

Li Huowang’s heart ached a lot. He suddenly lost the courage to look into her pleading eyes, even though he was fearless in battle.

He wanted to avoid thinking about how many people had perished due to the Natural Disaster.

However, the scene before him made him realize that the people of the Qi Kingdom had truly been dealt a miserable fate.

This was just a small corner of the kingdom. There were even more unthinkable scenes throughout the Qi Kingdom.

Li Huowang picked the girl up and whispered in his heart. Zhuge Yuan, do you think you could still use your techniques? Can the Great Qi be saved?

Zhuge Yuan had his back turned against Li Huowang. He sighed and said nothing.

Li Huowang looked at the girl in his embrace. He gently placed her on the ground. He was determined to save her.

When the little girl ran toward the arm sticking out of the boulder, Li Huowang held his spine sword and swung it at the little girl. A large rift enveloped her.

“Junior Li, it’s useless. She’s someone from the Great Qi. She cannot travel to the Great Liang.” Zhuge Yuan’s words were like cold water splashing on Li Huowang’s head.

“What? Then how come I can enter the Qi Kingdom?” Li Huowang couldn’t tolerate leaving someone that young in this hell.

“I’ve told you before. The Great Qi is real, while the Great Liang is fake. Those from the Liang Kingdom can come here but not the other way around.”

Li Huowang held the spine sword tightly. He swung it again and rescued the little girl from inside the rift.

He took her back, but now, he wasn’t sure about what to do.

Find a good family for her? Almost everyone is dead here. Who would want to have a deadweight following them? What if she followed me? But I’m heading back once I find Shangji Guankou...

“Hong Zhong, it’s useless. You can’t save her. Just throw her away. She's not the only unfortunate person throughout the Qi Kingdom, and you can’t save them all,” the Sitting Oblivion Dao member taunted.

The old monk and Jin Shanzhao’s illusions walked up to the Sitting Oblivion Dao member.

What if I turned her into an illusion and made her stay by my side? Li Huowang thought, but even he was surprised by his own thoughts. No, I can’t! What if she didn’t become an illusion? I would have just killed her for nothing then!

In the end, Zhuge Yuan proposed a solution. “Junior Li, follow my instructions and draw a talisman. I will notify my friend to take her away. She might survive by then.”

“You think your friend is still alive?”

“They're still alive.”

“Alright then.” Li Huowang followed his instructions. He placed the talisman that was glowing with a gold light on the little girl. She immediately stopped moving as if she was a log.

He then used the spine sword to shave out a cavity in the mountain and stuffed her in.

After giving her some food and water, Li Huowang sighed and left. He still had his own issues to handle.

Two hours later, he found Shangji Guankou once again. This time, they were sitting in a small shrine dedicated to the Lord and Lady of the Land.

The shrine was in ruins, and the two statues had fused into a single statue with an abnormally large eye on its forehead.

Li Huowang found what he had been looking for, but he wasn’t happy at all.

“A secret for a secret.” He heard the familiar voice. Li Huowang then looked at Shangguan Yuting.

“Senior Er, you are really amazing. To think that you can find it in such a remote location. I wouldn't be able to do the same if I were in your shoes."

Shangguan Yuting bowed to Li Huowang before walking up to Shangji Guankou. She stepped on an invisible stairway and entered Shangji Guankou’s shadow.

When Li Huowang thought everything had ended, the clay statue suddenly cracked, but an unexpected change occurred. A voice echoed from the shadow where Shangguan Yuting had melted into.

Chacha and Char's Thoughts

This is how Shangguan Yuting looks like. Pretty normal... Which is kinda suspicious for an illusion. Credits to 格子的乱七八糟 on douyin!

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