Chapter 166: Intercalary Five Elements

"Brat, aren't you pushing your luck? Do you truly believe that slaughtering a town gives you the right to be so arrogant?"

Elder Shenbenyou looked at Li Huowang, a clear trace of displeasure on his face. His body trembled slightly, and rusted long nails that had drilled into him rapidly shot out, flying towards Li Huowang.

To his surprise, just as the nails flew halfway, Li Huowang, who was cutting his own throat, dodged with extreme agility. At this moment, a strange smile appeared on Li Huowang's extremely haggard face. He stomped on the Grand Tome, charging towards the five elders with a forceful gust of wind.

"Protect the elders!" Flames quickly ignited the bodies of the Ao Jing Sect followers like Shou San and Tou Qi. As they simultaneously raised their hands, the flames on their bodies seemed to spread contagiously, appearing on Li Huowang and igniting his red Daoist robe.

It seemed "Li Huowang" was in a dire situation. However, the next second, as "Li Huowang" tilted his head slightly, the situation instantly reversed. Not only did the fire on "Li Huowang" extinguish, but their own charred bodies, engulfed in fierce flames, began to swell inexplicably. The scorched flesh cracked like crispy rice crust. Fresh, deformed flesh and blood gushing from the openings quickly extinguished most of the flames on their bodies.

"Li Huowang," holding a sword in one hand, slashed, directly cutting two gradually deforming flesh monsters in half. These Ao Jing Sect followers were no match for him; "Li Huowang" cut through them as easily as slicing melons and vegetables.

"No! This isn't that brat! He's been corrupted; he's now his semi-immortal master, Dan Yangzi!"Realizing this, the five Sitting-Forgetfulness Dao elders quickly sat cross-legged and began chanting: "For joy, it is the peak of elegance, the beginning of the Dao, the culmination of pleasure, the essence of commotion, the height of delight. Without intention for joy, yet finding joy in all things..."

As this sound rang out, Li Huowang smiled. Not only did his mouth smile, but his eyes, his fingers, and all his bodily organs seemed to smile. With the laughter, his facial features began to loosen. However, the next second, Dan Yangzi's countermeasure arrived immediately. Some ethereal black clouds appeared out of nowhere, enveloping Dan Yangzi and gradually shielding him from the laughter.

Li Huowang looked into the distance at Dan Yangzi, who was intensely battling the Sitting-Forgetfulness Dao. Although his neck was in immense pain, he smiled even more happily. His goal was to use himself to provoke a mutual slaughter between Dan Yangzi and the Sitting-Forgetfulness Dao; regardless of which side died, his objective would be achieved.

"No, this isn't enough, not yet!" With that, Li Huowang raised a dagger, aimed it at his chest, and plunged it half an inch into his skin. Clutching the hilt, Li Huowang slid the blade downwards, trembling and gritting his teeth.

Seeing this scene, the illusory monk who had always been by Li Huowang's side gasped, standing by and gesticulating wildly. "Daoist, don't do this! We can think of a better way!"

Li Huowang didn't think so. He didn't want Dan Yangzi to be able to use his body to commit evil deeds even after death. With a low growl, Li Huowang yanked downwards. Bright red blood spurted from his chest and abdominal cavity, splattering onto the Grand Tome beneath his feet, making the bamboo slips even more vibrant in color.

The amplified pain, combined with a severe injury that was almost an evisceration, made Li Huowang nearly pass out from agony. But he dared not faint. If he fainted now, and woke up with his wounds healed and his body taken over by Dan Yangzi, everything he had done would be in vain. Dan Yangzi had already emerged; he wouldn't get another chance.

With a clatter, the blood-soaked dagger fell to the ground. Li Huowang, swaying unsteadily, raised his hand and plunged it into his wound. "Ahhh!!" he screamed hoarsely, dropping to one knee. With veins bulging on the back of his hand, he hooked the edge of the wound and violently pulled, exposing his internal organs to the cold air.

"Wood Liver!" The dark red liver, like refuse, was torn out by Li Huowang and tossed onto the Grand Tome. Red tendrils rustled as they burrowed from the Grand Tome into the liver, revitalizing the organ that had lost its blood supply. More tendrils extended from it, burrowing into Li Huowang's knees and penetrating deeper and deeper.

"Metal Lung!" Another organ was slapped onto the Grand Tome, and the tendrils on it began to thicken.

"Earth Spleen!!" Thunder rumbled from outside the cave, and a certain aura spread within. Everything around Li Huowang began to distort. Everyone present transformed into horrifying flesh monsters, and the Grand Tome on the ground became a series of writhing worms linked side by side.

"Water Kidney!!" At this moment, the surrounding Ao Jing Sect followers attempted to rush forward and stop him. However, as soon as they approached, all the Grand Tomes they carried flew off them and spread out around Li Huowang.

Having removed these organs from his body, Li Huowang smiled even more joyfully now. It hurt, it hurt terribly, but he was truly happy, because he was about to die. Once he died, he would no longer feel pain, and Dan Yangzi would be unable to control his body. He took a deep breath, and a voice filled with sorrow and indignation spurted from his mouth along with blood.

"And finally... Fire Heart!!" The constantly pumping heart pulsed in Li Huowang's hand. He slammed it onto the ground. At that moment, the Grand Tome, now possessing all five organs, gained vitality; it came alive again.

After Li Huowang completely sacrificed the most crucial internal organs to Bahui, his body was almost an empty shell. His pupils gradually dilated as he fell to the ground. However, it wasn't complete. This was not the Ascent of the Azure Dung Beetle ritual for summoning Bahui, but another ritual recorded in the Grand Tome: the Intercalary Five Elements.

At this moment, Li Huowang, having completed the ritual, saw the fleshy worms forming the Grand Tome on the ground rapidly gathering and burrowing into his empty body. Soon, Li Huowang's body, which had been like a tattered sack, was filled again, and things continuously overflowed from it. The worms freely burrowed inside him, not missing any gap where they could reside.

Li Huowang staggered back to his feet, sword in hand, and looked down at the writhing worms in his wide-open cavity. At this moment, he could feel the sensation of these sea-cucumber-like worms inside him. This feeling was very peculiar. He felt that the worms had become part of him; he could even feel the unique power contained within them. He was starting to lose track of whether those things were worms or part of himself. More importantly, Li Huowang no longer felt any pain at all.