Mutated Tao

Li Huowang was surprised to find a deity statue in the hump. Shai Zi had claimed that the people of the Tianchen Kingdom had no beliefs, so this was unexpected.

He wanted to discern which deity it represented, but the statue’s face was smeared with thick pus, making it impossible to identify.

As he was about to strike down the one-eyed old man and split both him and the hump in half, the others arrived.

Out of nowhere, a whooshing sound filled the air, and a neatly peeled piece of skin materialized right above Li Huowang. It was positioned to cover his head, and its facial features still moved.

He had no idea what purpose the strange piece of skin served, but he was sure it was bad news.

He dodged quickly. However, a hand reached toward his chest, clearly trying to repeat the trick of taking his primordial breath.

This time, Li Sui was prepared. She reached out with seven or eight tentacles, tightly wrapping them around the enemy.

Unexpectedly, another hand appeared. It began to pluck things from Li Sui’s tentacles.

While Li Huowang didn’t know what the enemy took, he felt a surge of anger.

A wave of rotten black rice surged like a tsunami, covering Li Huowang and his opponent. Even in this mess, Li Huowang forcefully tore off his skin.

The fight became increasingly difficult as the enemy exploited his weaknesses. They kept trying to find opportunities to sneak an attack in or steal his spine sword.

Li Huowang had no effective counter. The enemy could easily strip away his powers, whether from his “Truth” cultivation or the pain techniques of the Ao Jing Sect.

The people the Tianchen Kingdom had sent were extremely powerful, nearly as formidable as the army of Unspeakable.

Li Huowang was worried for both himself and the Great Liang. If these enemies found a way to infiltrate the Great Qi, the entire Great Liang would be in grave danger.

Shai Zi had deceived him about other things, but not about this. The Tianchen Kingdom was indeed difficult to deal with.

Li Huowang knew he couldn’t delay this situation. The longer he stalled, the worse things would get.

This was the enemy’s territory. If he didn’t act now, more enemies from the Tianchen Kingdom would come, making it impossible for him to escape.

Li Huowang gripped his spine sword and prepared to cut open an escape path. He suddenly stumbled as he glanced at Po Daer, who was not moving at all.

A large hand had emerged from the ground and grabbed his leg, rendering it numb.

Li Huowang’s neck began to itch as he fended off the surrounding attackers. When he turned his head, he saw Po Daer’s huge face grinning at him.

“Daoist Li, it’s not too late to surrender,” Po Daer said, raising Li Huowang’s hand in a mocking gesture. Li Huowang had lost control of his body, and Po Daer could now drain his primordial breath at will. ʀ

“Why not surrender? There’s no shame in it. In fact, I don’t just control your body now. Everything about you is mine, whether it’s your tricks from the Sitting Oblivion Dao or your Strayed One’s ‘Truth’ cultivation.”

However, Li Huowang laughed. His mission in the Tianchen Kingdom had been completed.

“All of my body is yours? What about the pain and suffering I’ve endured all this time?”

Po Daer noticed Li Huowang's composure and instinctively knew something was out of place. As he tried to take complete control, Li Sui’s four ribs suddenly snapped and plunged into Li Huowang’s chest.

Po Daer screamed in agony from the intense pain. Under normal circumstances, he might have been able to endure it, but Li Huowang’s torment was currently amplified by the Cang-Qiang Ascension.

“Fire!” Li Huowang roared, and flames engulfed his entire body.

Po Daer shared Li Huowang’s excruciating pain. Li Huowang had long grown used to it, but Po Daer couldn’t withstand it.

He could no longer care about the Heavenly Daos and primordial breath within Li Huowang. Po Daer tried to flee desperately, yet it was too late. Black tendrils came out from his facial orifices and wrapped tightly around his head, trapping him inside Li Huowang and making him feel like he was in a living hell.

This time, Po Daer couldn't escape. While he had previously leaped from the Great Qi to the Tianchen Kingdom and survived, there was nowhere left to run now.

Li Huowang grasped his opponent’s tongue and knew his mission in Tianchen was truly complete. As if on cue, Li Sui cast an illusion that caused the sky to press down.

With this opportunity, Li Huowang created a rift with his spine sword and quickly jumped through it.

When he landed, everything around him was peaceful once more. The air was filled with the chirping of birds and the smell of flowers. He had returned to the Great Liang.

He held the charred and struggling head of Po Daer while making his way toward Shangjing.

This interrogation was best left to the professionals, like the Fangxian Sect. They could extract a lot of valuable information from him.

Li Huowang felt pessimistic. I hope they can find a way to counter these enemies. We're doomed if the Tianchen Kingdom ever wages war against the Great Qi and the Great Liang.

“Father, don’t lose hope. This isn’t just a crisis—it’s also an opportunity.”

“An opportunity? What opportunity? I don’t see it,” Li Huowang replied.

“If they can extract your primordial breath, they can naturally put something in.”

“What good is that? You could do that before.”

“It’s not just the primordial breath. I saw something else inside them. They can manipulate the inner sight that controls the primordial energy within you.”

Li Huowang’s mind raced. “So that means—”

“That means we can also add things and control what’s in their consciousness.

“The more inner sight in your body, the greater control you’ll have over the primordial breath. If you have enough ‘Truth’ cultivation, we can extract the inner sight and primordial energy from their bodies and transfer it into yours.

“We can do to Strayed Ones what they do to Twisted Ones.

“If we pull this off, your ‘Truth’ cultivation will improve greatly. Everything you think, dream, or imagine will become reality.”