Chapter 165: Still Not Won

Li Huowang's hands, veins bulging, pushed with all his might, forcing Master Jingxin's corpse into the large pit he had dug. He then knelt, scooping handfuls of soil to re-bury the nun's broken body. A wooden plaque, adorned with drawings of pastries, was placed before the nun. His face ashen, he carefully arranged the pastries he had carried up the mountain, placing them like offerings before her grave.

Master Jingxin was dead, and with her, the world's "decay" had vanished. From that moment on, all flesh and blood would no longer decay or dissipate upon death; whatever state it was in at the time of dying, it would remain in that state indefinitely. Master Jingxin's death was certainly connected to this; previously, the nuns' abilities always seemed to be tied to "decay." The disappearance of "decay" appeared to be the true cause of death for Master Jingxin and the others.

At any time, "decay" is always repulsive and something to be avoided. Yet, any world without these elements would face significant problems. If corpses no longer decayed, the natural cycle would be disrupted, leading to an ever-increasing accumulation of bodies in the world.

However, Li Huowang could not spare a thought for these implications, as he himself was on the verge of ruin. The nun was dead, and there was no one else like her who could help him expel Danyangzi from his body. At this point, he couldn't find anyone else, as time had run out. He was now completely illiterate, and it was foreseeable that Danyangzi would soon fully possess him. If he wished to prevent Danyangzi's insidious plan from succeeding, it seemed there was only one path left for him.

"Master, please wait for me at the Bridge of Forgetfulness," he muttered, "I'll be down to join you soon!"

After deeply bowing three times to the grave mound before him, Li Huowang, utterly dispirited, headed towards the mouse hole he had previously visited. The nun had told him that only by being eaten alive by those rats could Danyangzi's possession be completely stopped. He did not want Danyangzi to live, even if it meant his own death.

Yet, when Li Huowang, prepared for death, returned to the black pagoda, he was stunned by the sight of the ground, completely covered in black. He approached and picked up some of the black material. As his fingers slightly parted, overturned cockroaches and flies fell from between them, like black snowflakes. What had died along with the nuns, besides "decay," were also flies and cockroaches – these lowest-level decomposers.

Li Huowang suddenly stood up and, breathing heavily, rushed inside the black pagoda. However, he soon witnessed a shocking sight: the black rats inside were also dead, and like the others, they had not decayed or begun to smell.

"Damn it!" Li Huowang, consumed by grief and fury, clenched his fist and slammed it heavily onto the dead rats. Flesh and internal organs were squeezed from their mouths, splattering everywhere. "What wicked deeds did I commit in my past life?! Why the hell can't I even die now?!"

"Hehehe... child..." A low chuckle echoed from beside Li Huowang.

Li Huowang looked up and saw Danyangzi's three terrifying faces. "What did this immortal tell you? Everything you do is futile. It's still not too late to turn back and help me."

"Do you think you've won?" Li Huowang retorted, his eyes burning with intense hatred as he stood up. "As long as this body is still in my hands for one more day, you haven't won!"

Li Huowang abruptly rose and dashed towards the mountain gate of Ancian Temple, practically flying down the slope like a madman. As soon as he reached the foot of the mountain, he collided face-to-face with Yang Xiaohai, who had two fried sweet potato sticks in his mouth.

Yang Xiaohai quickly said ingratiatingly, "Brother Li, you're down? Are things on the mountain finished? Shall we go back together?"

Li Huowang completely ignored his flattery and rushed straight onto the road. He glanced left and right, then snatched a horse from a scholar-like man and leaped onto its back. After swiftly turning the horse around, Li Huowang, his eyes bloodshot, pulled out a barbed awl and plunged it into the horse's flank. The horse reared its front hooves, whinnied in pain, and then bolted towards the mountains of the Aojing Sect.

"My horse! That's my horse!" the scholar cried, chasing frantically, but Li Huowang quickly vanished from his sight.

Witnessing this, Yang Xiaohai immediately panicked. Hugging the oilcloth package he held, he rushed towards the inn. "Senior Brother! Senior Sister! Brother Li is having another episode!"

The mountains of the Aojing Sect were over two hundred li from Henghua Mountain, where Ancian Temple was located, a journey that typically took considerable time by carriage. Yet, under Li Huowang's relentless prodding with the awl, the horse was forced to cover the distance in just two days.

Upon returning to the dead town, the stolen horse finally gave out, frothing at the mouth and collapsing onto the ground, twitching. Its rear was a bloody, mangled mess from the repeated stabbings.

Li Huowang walked through the numerous grave mounds he had dug, heading towards the mountain cave. By now, he hadn't slept for three days, and without food or water, his complexion looked dreadful. However, Li Huowang, who had long since disregarded life and death, no longer cared about such trivialities; he only wanted Danyangzi dead! He would spare no effort, doing whatever it took, as long as it achieved his objective.

When they saw Li Huowang return, the Aojing Sect members, dressed in loose robes, immediately and tacitly blocked the cave entrance. "Shou San has given orders, you—"

Before they could finish speaking, a cold glint flashed, and two heads immediately fell to the ground. Their eyes were filled with disbelief; they had never imagined he would attack directly.

Li Huowang, radiating a bloodthirsty aura, charged into the cave. "Zuowang Dao! Come out, all of you!"

Li Huowang's voice echoed through the cave, drawing everyone's attention. Soon, in a spacious limestone cave, Li Huowang found himself completely surrounded. But he didn't care; he hadn't planned on leaving alive anyway.

Shou San, his entire body enveloped in flames, stepped out from the crowd. "Are you truly so foolish as to believe we wouldn't retaliate?"

The moment he spoke, Li Huowang saw the five elders emerge from the crowd. Li Huowang smiled as he looked at the five individuals disguised as Zuowang Dao members before him. "Come on, show me the true power of your Zuowang Dao!"

Having spoken, Li Huowang raised the long sword in his hand and forcefully drew it across his own neck. Danyangzi, standing nearby, immediately flared with rage; his terrifying body was gradually enveloped by black clouds as he lunged directly at Li Huowang. Li Huowang disregarded the life draining away with his flowing blood. With a rustling sound, the Great Thousand Records unfurled completely on the ground, and Li Huowang stepped directly onto it. The blood flowing from his neck ran down his clothes, completely soaking the entire scroll of the Great Thousand Records.