Chapter 155: Innate Nature

"Kill!" Li Huowang forcefully swept his sword along the ground. The blade in his hand seemed to glow with a dark red aura.

In the next instant, the black shadow puppet in front of him, now split in two, let out a miserable shriek and instantly dissolved into black smoke.

With renewed vigor, Li Huowang gritted his teeth and charged forward, rapidly closing the distance between himself and his opponent.

Li Huowang had expected to easily dispatch the last shadow puppet monster. To his surprise, the copper-masked man's armpits bulged a few times, and he extended four more arms.

Each of these new hands gripped a different shadow puppet.

As the slender fingers twitched, Li Huowang found himself instantly surrounded by these cicada-wing-thin shadow puppet monsters, illuminated by the moonlight.

"Senior Brother Li, we'll help you!"

"Stay back, everyone! Keep your distance! Miaomiao, don't beat the drum! I can handle these myself!"

Li Huowang swiftly performed a wide sweep, momentarily forcing them back.

With a rustle, the red bamboo slips rapidly fanned out. Li Huowang, his face flushed, gritted his teeth and, with a swift movement, brought a blade down on his own hand.

Two mangled, bloody fingers were severed and dropped towards "The Great Thousand Record."

The excruciating pain nearly made Li Huowang lose consciousness.

Yet, this sacrifice was effective. Before the two fingers even touched the ground, they rapidly expanded and ripped apart.

The bones within the fingers grew wildly, curving and piercing through the flesh, then spinning like two long darts as they shot towards the copper-masked man.

The copper-masked man tried to dodge by turning sideways, but the fingers unexpectedly moved in sync with him.

With two distinct thuds, the fingers embedded themselves in his neck. The shadow puppets around Li Huowang instantly froze, then detached and fell back to the ground.

"You..." The copper-masked man uttered only that single word before stumbling and collapsing.

Li Huowang quickly walked over, observing the strange six-armed figure lying dead before him.

"That's it? So simple?" Li Huowang was utterly surprised; compared to his previous encounters, this felt like a mere trifle.

Li Huowang moved slightly closer and gently pried open the copper coin mask with his sword.

He wanted to see what lay beneath.

As the mask was lifted, Li Huowang was instantly startled. Beneath it was a wooden mouth; this thing was nothing but a puppet!

"Watch out! The dwarf is still inside; he's about to ambush you!"

No sooner had the voice finished speaking than the copper-masked man's abdomen was pierced, and a cold glint shot towards Li Huowang's chest.

Fortunately, thanks to the warning, Li Huowang quickly parried with his sword, blocking the ambush.

In the next moment, Li Huowang swiftly parried upwards with force, then plunged his long sword, imbued with malevolent energy, directly into the copper-masked man's abdomen.

Accompanied by a reedy, pained shriek, blood flowed from the copper-masked man's abdomen.

A bald, deformed dwarf with one large right eye, one small left eye, and loose skin, was trying to crawl out, spitting blood and contorting in pain.

However, his efforts were futile. After a few wailing struggles, his unusually large head slowly drooped.

Just after killing the dwarf, Li Huowang felt the sword in his hand hum powerfully, and he nearly lost his grip.

He swiftly pulled it out, sheathing it directly with blood, and the long sword finally ceased its agitation.

However, Li Huowang paid no mind to the sword at that moment, instead turning his head towards the source of the voice that had just warned him.

He saw the monk, dressed in patched and tattered robes, standing there, smiling at him.

"You again? Who exactly are you?"

The monk lifted his sandal, which exposed his toes, and began to walk forward. As he passed the deceased dwarf, he didn't forget to remove the copper coin mask from its face and tuck it into his pocket.

"Hurry, let's talk as we go. Don't you see them coming?"

Li Huowang glanced back at the growing black dots in every direction, then quickly followed.

"Everyone, keep up, run, don't fall behind!"

Li Huowang caught up to the monk and asked him again, "Who exactly are you? Why are you doing this?"

The monk smiled, looking at Li Huowang. "Don't be so aggressive, Li Huowang. Let me ask you, in all the time we've spent together, have I ever harmed you?"

Without waiting for Li Huowang's reply, the monk began to answer his own question.

"Not only have I not harmed you, I've helped you at every turn — helping you expose the conspiracy at Zhengde Temple and warning you about the strangeness of those performing Nuo opera."

After glancing at their pursuers, Li Huowang took a deep breath, slightly calming his agitation, and asked again, "Thank you for your help these past few times, but I don't want to be kept in the dark. Who exactly are you?"

The usually cheerful monk suddenly looked at Li Huowang with a grave expression. "Who I am isn't important. Who you are is what matters most. Are you truly Li Huowang?"

"What?!" Li Huowang's pupils instantly constricted. For a moment, he felt an urge to stop the monk from speaking further.

"What I'm about to tell you might be incredibly shocking, but given that I've saved you and so many others, you must believe me."

"I am not a monk, and you are not Li Huowang. These are merely identities we've temporarily assumed. In truth, you are named Peng Zhi, and I am Peng Jiao. We are not real people; our true identities are someone else's Three Corpses!"

"What on earth are you talking about?!!" Li Huowang's mind was a chaotic mess. "I'm not Li Huowang? Is there another Li Huowang?"

"Whoosh!" A crossbow bolt shot towards them. The monk quickly pulled Li Huowang, allowing him to dodge it.

Sensing the urgency of the situation, the monk began to speak faster.

"I don't know if you're familiar with the Taoist Three Corpses? Anyone cultivating immortality must sever their Three Corpses to attain immortality. We are those severed Corpses!"

"The Upper Corpse, Peng Hou, is Danyangzi. The Middle Corpse, Peng Zhi, is you. And the Lower Corpse, Peng Jiao, is me!"

"Danyangzi has already been severed. We are next! Therefore, we must join forces to have any hope of survival!"

"This... how is this possible..." Li Huowang still couldn't bring himself to believe it. In a mere matter of minutes, his world had been completely turned upside down.

"Daoist! Daoist, look at me, look at me!"

When Li Huowang looked, he met the monk's incredibly sincere gaze.

"The Upper Corpse is named Peng Hou; it resides in the human head, causing foolishness, dullness, and a lack of wisdom."

"The Middle Corpse is named Peng Zhi; it resides in the human chest, causing vexation, delusion, and an inability to achieve inner peace."

"The Lower Corpse is named Peng Jiao; it resides in the human abdomen, causing one to indulge in extravagance, wickedness, and lewdness."

"Each of us has an inescapable nature, but look at me: I have completely broken free from mine. My nature dictates I do evil, yet I insist on performing good deeds!"

"My nature urges me towards extravagance and lewdness, yet I insist on being a destitute monk! My fate is in my hands, not heaven's!"

"I know Peng Zhi's nature is to be suspicious and delusional. But Daoist, this is your nature, and you too must break free from it, just as I have! Only then can we contend with the one seeking to become an immortal and truly gain our freedom!"