Chapter 129: 起

"Mom, push me back. I might be a bit noisy later, so please bear with me. I'll come back to see you when I have time. Tell me if you run out of money."

Li Huowang, engulfed in flames, spoke these words to himself, a bizarre smile on his charred face.

Shou San, frowning slightly, took another step back. "The Elder was right. This kid is really different from typical Heart-Eaters. This is going to be a bit difficult."

Just as he felt at a loss, he suddenly heard movement behind him.

He turned, his expression instantly tightening. The flames burning on his body rapidly diminished, receding back into him. "Elder Eye-of-Joy, Elder Ear-of-Rage, Elder Nose-of-Love, Elder Tongue-of-Thought, Elder Mind-of-Desire, Elder Body-of-Sorrow, why have you all come down the mountain?"

"What's the situation?" Elder Body-of-Sorrow, with his square face, seemed displeased.

"The Heart-Eater is just standing there, as you can see. He's not following our plan," Shou San said, annoyed, pointing a charred finger at Li Huowang in the distance.

After the six exchanged glances, a tall woman walked over and said, "It's almost time. Give him another push."

As soon as she spoke, the six raised their hands and clenched their fists. The flames surrounding Li Huowang instantly pulled him down, pressing him firmly against the ground.

"Mom, can you push a little faster? I feel something's wrong. Remember to cover my mouth," Li Huowang muttered, still staring at the moon in the sky.

"I'll do it," said Elder Ear-of-Rage, dressed like a courtesan. She delicately formed an orchid hand gesture, reached into the hair on top of her head, gently pinched something, and began to pull it out.

A silver needle, glinting with cold light, was slowly drawn forth. As it emerged, it grew longer and longer, almost reaching an inch in length, revealing how deeply it had been inserted into the woman's head.

With a flick of Elder Ear-of-Rage's finger, the blood-stained silver needle flew out, a mere blur, and plunged into Li Huowang's already charred head.

"What did you put into him? Don't just inject anything; something bad could happen," Elder Eye-of-Joy warned from the side.

"Just an old memory from four years ago. I was worried his heart wasn't suffering enough, so I added a little more, hehe." As she spoke, her blood-red lips curved upward in a smug expression.

The instant the long needle pierced him, Li Huowang snapped awake. The sudden influx of various bloody scenes in his mind made him instinctively clutch his stomach and vomit.

He saw it clearly: it was himself, laughing maniacally, slaughtering people indiscriminately throughout the town.

More precisely, it wasn't outright murder; people around him simply split open, their heads caved in, or their bodies caught fire without warning. And this wasn't just a few or a dozen people; it was tens of thousands!

Men, women, young, and old of all ages across an entire town met the same gruesome end in his mind. All except one: Jiang Yingzi, whose appearance had reminded him of Yang Na as a child.

Tens of thousands of people, all dying effortlessly by his hand, exploding in his mind simultaneously—it was far more than Li Huowang could bear.

"Did I really kill the people in this town?" Li Huowang questioned himself again, but this time, there was no Danyangzi to offer excuses or share his pain.

Coupled with the effects of the drug, almost at that very instant, accompanied by an agonizing scream from the charred Li Huowang, the sky cracked open.

Everyone looked up simultaneously. In the deepest part of the sky, within an unfathomable, vast abyss of darkness where countless even darker worlds and suns rotated, something was stirring.

Everyone present simultaneously experienced a change in their five senses. Their sight, taste, smell, and hearing all merged, forming a new perception incomprehensible to ordinary people. Only then could they truly "see" Bahui.

"It's finally done!" Shou San exclaimed excitedly, even though he was enveloped by fear that was almost palpable.

"Quickly, begin! Everyone get ready!" As soon as the words left his mouth, the other Miaojiang cultists, who were sitting cross-legged around Li Huowang, also began to self-harm in various ways.

They all collectively "looked" at Bahui in the sky, their eyes filled with a morbid longing.

Blood-red liquid dripped from each person's skin onto the ground, forming intricate hooked blood talismans. These talismans interconnected, gradually forming a massive circle of symbols.

Just as the symbol circle was nearing completion, Li Huowang, at its center, gently raised a hand. All the blood talismans lying on the ground instantly rose, slowly encircling his body.

Bahui had been summoned by Li Huowang, and at least for this moment, he had briefly gained a portion of Bahui's power.

With their plan disrupted, the six Elders glared furiously at Li Huowang, who was enveloped in despair. Elder Eye-of-Joy was the first to speak. "Young man, what is the meaning of this?"

Li Huowang knelt weakly on the ground, his body swaying as if he could collapse at any moment. His eyes held no trace of life.

Feeling a dual agony, Li Huowang's mind was almost entirely consumed by a profound desire for death. Thinking was extremely difficult for him, yet he endured, gritting his teeth. "What I promised... is done... now... it's your turn," he mumbled.

"Now? Are you mad? Do you know how long we've waited for this moment!""Stop this nonsense! Return the blood talismans at once!"

"What do you think you are to dare threaten us?"

Li Huowang's enraged roar silenced everyone. "It must be now! I haven't gotten mine! You won't get yours either!!"

Even in this dire situation, Li Huowang understood that he had no existing relationship with them; he was still a Heart-Eater. If he didn't make a deal while he still held cards, once he lost Bahui's power, there would be no room for negotiation.

"You can kill me now! But then all your efforts these past days will have been in vain!""Just help... help me get rid of Danyangzi!... After that, I couldn't care less what you do!"

Li Huowang stated his conditions with the last of his strength.

Immediately, his body began to tremble, and the physical and mental anguish radiating from him spread outward. All the Miaojiang cultists screamed and fell prostrate to the ground. This pain was far, far more intense than anything they inflicted upon themselves through self-mutilation. When any being can no longer endure pain, they naturally consider release. Involuntarily, they aimed their various sharp instruments at their own throats.

"Stop! We'll help you eliminate Danyangzi right now!"

Li Huowang, swaying and almost overwhelmed by the agony, smiled.

While everyone's attention was fixed on Li Huowang, no one noticed Bahui in the sky casting another glance at him.