Mutated Tao

“Connections?” Li Huowang stared at Shai Zi, feeling a strange irritation blossom in his heart.

“You’re still hiding things from us despite the war? What’s going on with the Natural Disaster? What else do you know?”

Shai Zi chuckled. “Hong Zhong, what good would it do to tell you? Do you even have the energy to handle it? I thought you were busy devising a plan to deal with that eunuch. You’ve seen how strong he is.

“For now, you’ve only managed to trick him temporarily. Once he sees through it, it won’t be easy to fool him again.”

Li Huowang frowned, remembering how helpless he had been against Zuoqiu Yong. He was a Siming that controlled flesh, so Li Huowang had to rely on Ji Zai’s power to deal with him.

“Don’t place your hopes on Ji Zai. He’s very busy right now.”

“So you’ve heard the news from Ji Zai?” Shai Zi’s question made Li Huowang look up.

Shai Zi continued, “Oh, you have a sharp mind. See? There’s no use in telling you right now—it wouldn’t do you any good.”

The number on Shai Zi’s face turned to one.

Shai Zi shrugged. “He never said anything about that. Maybe he didn’t know who Zuoqiu Yong was.”

“Stop lying to me! He’s me from the future! How could he not know who Zuoqiu Yong is?”

“Wait.” A look of joy spread across Li Huowang’s face. “That means the future me is still alive. I’ll survive this.”

Shai Zi’s words hit like cold water. “Don’t be so sure. History can change at any moment. If you die now, Ji Zai will cease to exist.”

Li Huowang pushed Shai Zi down out of anger. “What else can you do except talk? What else?! Are you here just to watch us fail?”

“Of course, I could be helpful in many ways. If it weren’t for me, you would be dead. Your powers as a Strayed One are useless against that eunuch. Li Huowang, you owe me one.”

As Li Huowang opened his mouth to speak, footsteps came to his left. He turned, expecting Gao Zhijian, but it was Li Sui.

Seeing that Li Huowang was wearing the robes of a eunuch from the palace, Li Sui removed her red robes and covered Li Huowang. “Father, what’s wrong? What happened in the Tianchen Kingdom?”

It appeared that the siege on the Qi Kingdom stopped after Li Huowang scared Zuoqiu Yong away.

Li Huowang pulled on his sleeves tiredly and sighed. “It’s a long story…”

He kept his explanation short. In the end, he said, “Who would’ve thought that there would be a Siming in the Tianchen Kingdom that controls flesh? I never thought I would fight against someone like that.

“Tell Gao Zhijian to stop preparing for war. Regular troops are useless against the Simings. I need another Siming to deal with him.”

Shai Zi interrupted him, saying, “Don’t look for Ji Zai right now. He’s very busy and doesn’t have time for this. You need to think of another way.”

“Enough!” Li Huowang said. “I heard you the first time! I’m not deaf! Instead of repeating yourself, why don’t you help me stop their plans?”

Shai Zi had indeed helped him this time, but he looked more like he was just here to watch their struggle than to help earnestly.

Shai Zi chuckled, and he shrunk before disappearing completely. As he did, his voice lingered in the air like smoke.

“Hong Zhong, you know better than this. We of the Sitting Oblivion Dao should stand together. Time marches on whether you’re happy or not. Why exhaust yourself? You should find joy even when you’re dying.”

“Look at his damned attitude!” Li Huowang said, pointing at the empty space in front of him.

Li Sui didn’t answer—she was trying to digest what Li Huowang had told her. She paced around the place before answering, “Father, I might have a plan to fight against Zuoqiu Yong. Maybe we can try something.”

“What?” Li Huowang wanted to ask what the plan was, but he figured it out. “Do you mean stuffing the primordial breath and inner sight of other Strayed Ones into me? You want me to complete my cultivation?”

Li Sui nodded. “Yes. It was impossible last time because we had no one who could touch the Heavenly Daos directly, but now we do.”

Several people appeared from the doorway. They were members of the army of Unspeakable. Li Sui’s tentacles were embedded in their brains, making them look like walking kebabs when they approached Li Huowang.

Li Huowang stared at them with a complicated feeling in his heart. Li Sui had caught many people when he wasn’t there.

“I don’t know how strong I would be if I completed the final step. Can I fight against Zuoqiu Yong like this?”

Li Huowang had another concern, even with the path to becoming stronger lying right before him.

He still remembered how he couldn’t differentiate between truth and lies, and that was back when he had only completed the second stage. If he completed the seventh stage, he might end up like how Li Sui had warned him before—unable to distinguish reality from delusions.

It was a strong power, but the side effects were detrimental too.

Li Huowang had to use Hong Zhong to barely balance his cultivation of “Truth” and “Lies.” However, if he became stronger, the balance would be broken. Who knew what would happen then?

Still, if he didn’t get stronger, he wouldn’t be able to stop Zuoqiu Yong’s massacre.

“How will we ever know if we don’t give it a shot? It’s not as if we have any other options. Father, please don’t hesitate. Yes, he is a Siming, but you are too.

“I know what you’re worried about, and I understand the possible side effects. To get around that, all we need to do is kill Shai Zi when the time is right. If we extract a portion of the Lies inside of him, we can put them inside of you and prevent the crisis.”

Li Huowang stared at Li Sui with shock. The difference between the Li Sui he knew before and the Li Sui standing before him was massive. He was certain that the Li Sui who had lived in his stomach would’ve never said that.

“Suisui, are you hiding something from me? If so, you need to tell me everything.”

Li Sui nodded lightly, her voice still as soft as before. “Alright, Father. So, do you want to try the plan?”

Li Huowang considered it briefly before agreeing. “Fine! It’s not like we have a choice.”

The memory of Zuoqiu Yong toying with him made Li Huowang’s blood boil. Bloodlust leaked out of him.

“Come! Let’s see who’s stronger!”

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