Chapter 117: Ba Hui

After a thorough search among the temples, Li Huowang returned to the mountain path. He patted Mantou's head. Li Huowang pressed his lips together and silently continued forward.

The Cross Temples of the Ao Jing Sect seemed to be built very close together; soon, Li Huowang discovered another one. This Cross Temple was clearly more complete; at least the head of the Gu God had not mysteriously disappeared. The Gu God's head was charred black, appearing to have suffered extensive burning. Yet, carved onto this very head were expressions of intense jealousy and extreme yearning. Its eyeballs, now turned into two pieces of charcoal, stared straight up towards the top of the temple.

Li Huowang's gaze followed suit, looking upwards. Atop the temple, he saw a mass composed of various colors and shapes pieced together. Judging by the statue's expression, it intensely yearned for the murals painted on the temple's roof. Li Huowang, however, could not yet comprehend what that mass truly was.

"Woof! Woof woof woof!!" Mantou's barks and yelps instantly tensed Li Huowang's body. He quickly turned and looked in the direction Mantou was baring its teeth. It was a side door. The light from outside the temple couldn't penetrate, leaving the entire side door in complete darkness. In the darkness, he saw a wide, gray robe.

Li Huowang had learned from the nuns that most members of the Ao Jing Sect wore robes to conceal their injuries. However, he could only see the lower half of the figure, not the upper half. Sensing something was amiss, Li Huowang immediately took out the human-skin letter that Master Jingxin had given him and threw it into the darkness.

"I am Xuanyang of Qingfeng Temple, and I have an urgent matter requiring your sect's assistance!" Li Huowang announced himself to the robed figure in the darkness. However, the figure in the robe gave no response. Just as Li Huowang wondered if it was a living person, the robed figure stepped out of the darkness.

The moment Li Huowang saw the person, he knew without a doubt they belonged to the Ao Jing Sect, as their scar-ridden face had no skin. As the nuns from Anzi Temple had said, members of the Ao Jing Sect wore loose robes and tall hats. The hat was so large it covered their eyes and nose. The only visible part to Li Huowang was the exposed flesh on their chin. Li Huowang swallowed hard, watching the person before him with extreme caution.

"So far, so good," he thought, "at least they didn't immediately attack after realizing I'm a Heart-Seer." Li Huowang glanced at the person's hands, which were bulging and tucked into their sleeves, then calmly restated his request. The person still gave Li Huowang no response; however, it was clear they understood Li Huowang's purpose. They silently turned and walked out of the Cross Temple.

Li Huowang took a deep breath, and with a sense of trepidation, he followed. Following this person, Li Huowang gradually ventured deeper into the mountains. Observing the wide robe of the person in front, a question arose in his mind. "Didn't they say it was an Ao Jing Sect item?" he wondered. "Why isn't he carrying it? Is it hidden inside his robe?"

With this question in mind, Li Huowang walked deeper and deeper. From time to time, he encountered other members of the Ao Jing Sect. They were all dressed alike. The moment they saw Li Huowang, their eyes, hidden by their tall hats, would fixate on him. The unusual environment made Mantou feel scared. It drooped its head and tucked its tail, almost sticking to Li Huowang's lower garment as it followed.

Under the watchful eyes of these people, a gourd-shaped cave finally appeared before Li Huowang. Seeing the cave, Li Huowang couldn't help but recall some unpleasant memories. He hated caves. The cave wasn't as dark as Qingfeng Temple had been; instead, it was very bright. Crackling torches illuminated the entire cave brilliantly. So many torches even raised the temperature inside the cave, making Li Huowang feel a bit restless. Connecting this to the flames on the previous statue, Li Huowang felt that fire might be an important element in the Ao Jing Sect.

After walking through the bright cave for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn, Li Huowang finally saw the main figure. It was a charred figure lying on the cold ground. To call it a person would be less accurate than calling it a burnt corpse. However, the gaze directed from it made Li Huowang realize it was not a corpse. Upon seeing this person, one of Li Huowang's recent questions was also answered.

A blood-red scroll lay unrolled and spread across his chest. It was clear that this item had been spread there for a long time; the bamboo slips that made up the scroll had even sprouted. Bloody bamboo roots pierced his entire body, emerging from his back, covered in various bits of flesh and skin. Seeing the person who had led him there respectfully present the human-skin letter with both hands, Li Huowang immediately understood that the individual before him held a significant position within the Ao Jing Sect.

However, the charred figure did not look at Master Jingxin's human-skin letter. Instead, it stared intently at Li Huowang.

"Have you been seen by Bahui?"

The ability to communicate was a good start. Li Huowang nodded and replied, "That's right."

"Speaking of which, every Heart-Seer is a good prospect, as they can easily approach the Sea of Bitterness. Unfortunately, they all end up insane." The other party's tone was tinged with regret from the start. Next, he glanced at something at Li Huowang's waist. "I am Shou San. A pleasure to meet you," he said. "Could you tell me how you performed the Azure Dung Beetle Ascension? You see, even among us, not everyone can achieve it."

Hearing that he was being praised, Li Huowang couldn't feel happy at all. "Azure Dung Beetle Ascension? Is that the name for the ritual requiring extreme double pain?" After concealing some details, Li Huowang recounted the previous events to Shou San.

"Heh heh, dealing with the 18th of the 12th month was indeed a bit overkill," Shou San chuckled. "Fortunately, you also gained a blessing from this misfortune."

Li Huowang wasn't there to discuss that. Seeing that the other party could communicate normally, he reiterated the purpose of his visit. "Very well." Before Li Huowang could rejoice for a moment, the conditions followed immediately. "However, in exchange, I need you to perform the Azure Dung Beetle Ascension again, in front of us."

"Why do you need an outsider like me to perform your sect's ritual?" Li Huowang asked, somewhat unable to comprehend the other party's reasoning.

"I've never seen a Heart-Seer perform the Azure Dung Beetle Ascension," Shou San replied. "So I want to observe. Perhaps I can find a way to steal Bahui's power."

"Steal... Bahui's power?" Li Huowang almost thought he had misheard.

"You've seen Bahui," Shou San continued. "You must know how powerful it is. In the moment you gazed upon it, did you not once consider that you could also possess that power?"

Hearing this, Li Huowang belatedly came to a realization: that mass at the top of the Cross Temple earlier represented Bahui. It was simply because humans could not fully describe Bahui's appearance, so that mass was used as a substitute. They used pain to exchange for power from Bahui, yet they did not worship Bahui. Instead, they worshipped the Gu God. The Gu God they worshipped similarly yearned to steal and seize Bahui's power.