Chapter 169: 成了

This sudden turn of events caught everyone present by surprise.

Now free, Dan Yangzi didn't hesitate. He stepped onto a black cloud and, like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, lunged towards the three figures in the distance.

Meanwhile, Li Huowang stood still, observing everything from afar as if watching a play unfold.

Noticing Wan's disbelieving gaze on him, Li Huowang immediately put on a remorseful expression, clapping his hands together in feigned frustration.

"Oh dear! Look at what I've done. How could I have let Dan Yangzi slip away? I'm just a junior with no experience, I truly apologize. Please forgive me, elder."

"You dared to trick me!"

Hearing such words from the other party, Li Huowang burst out laughing.

"Wan, I'm starting to understand why your Sitting-Forgetfulness Sect does what it does. It turns out tricking people is really fun! Hahaha!"

Regardless of what others thought, the situation began to spiral towards an irreversible point.

And when one of the Sitting-Forgetfulness disciples had his head split in two by Dan Yangzi's sword, suddenly, three Joyful Gods writhed their way out of the smooth walls of the limestone cave.

These three chaotic, viscous, translucent masses looked like they were made of strung-together rotten grapes. The moment they appeared, the onlookers from the Aojing Cult could no longer escape. All the mortals present rolled on the ground, laughing manically. Their laughter grew increasingly terrifying; blood streamed from their seven orifices, and they instantly dropped dead on the spot.

After emerging and adapting for a moment, the Joyful Gods immediately charged towards Dan Yangzi and Li Huowang. With another faction joining, the scene instantly became even more chaotic.

However, Li Huowang couldn't be bothered to move. Watching Dan Yangzi dismember another Sitting-Forgetfulness disciple in the distance, he felt he had achieved what he wanted. It was time for this to end.

Suddenly, the light above him dimmed, and Li Huowang was enveloped by a Joyful God. As its layered body scraped against Li Huowang, he instantly felt a significant part of himself being stripped away. Most of his emotions—his will to die, despair, and even a hint of reluctance—were taken away.

A "whirring" sound filled the air as some stiff, dead worms slid from Li Huowang's chest, falling limply to the ground. Dully observing the dead worms, Li Huowang understood that the time for the Intercalary Five Elements was almost up. A rhythmic tapping continued above him. The Joyful God's next attack was imminent, and if nothing unexpected happened, it would likely be his end.

But Li Huowang had no intention of hiding anymore. Without these worms, and with his internal organs gone, he was destined to die—whether sooner or later, death was inevitable. At least this way, Dan Yangzi's body-snatching plan had completely failed.

"Ah, I'm so tired. I can finally rest."

The wind above made Li Huowang's robes flutter. He slowly closed his eyes, ready to face his ultimate fate.

"Scram!" A thunderous roar exploded. Li Huowang, raising his head in confusion, saw the back of Dan Yangzi, whose body was covered in distorted flesh. Enveloped in black clouds, he hovered above Li Huowang, firmly holding back the Joyful God. At this moment, he had actually saved Li Huowang.

Li Huowang scratched at his chest, and more dead worms slid to the ground. His lost sense of pain began to gradually return.

"Why bother saving me? Do you think saving me means I won't die?"

After saying this, Li Huowang stood idly, watching the show. If nothing unexpected happened, Dan Yangzi's fate likely wouldn't be good either, as Li Huowang saw the other two Joyful Gods swimming towards him.

Just as Li Huowang stood there, planning to use his last moments to watch Dan Yangzi suffer, he suddenly remembered something. He turned his head to look in the direction where the Sitting-Forgetfulness disciple had been. Bodies lay scattered across the ground. While others were there, one square-headed figure was clutching his stomach, stumbling forward along the limestone cave.

"Damn it! One actually escaped!"

A Sitting-Forgetfulness disciple not dying was more unbearable than his own continued existence. This was something Li Huowang could not tolerate. Li Huowang, who had just been full of a death wish, instantly surged forward towards the last Sitting-Forgetfulness disciple, as if experiencing a sudden burst of energy before death.

The Sitting-Forgetfulness disciple seemed to have been injured during his confrontation with Dan Yangzi and wasn't moving fast. Li Huowang couldn't chase quickly either, as his sense of pain was returning. With every step, his increasingly hollow body felt agonizingly painful, like being pricked by needles. His body was collapsing.

One chased, one fled. Suddenly, the Sitting-Forgetfulness disciple turned a corner ahead and simply vanished from Li Huowang's sight.

When Li Huowang, sword in hand, dragged his collapsing body around the corner, he froze upon seeing what lay beyond. It was a dead end. Inside, several women, holding children, huddled in the farthest corner, trembling. Seeing a boy wearing tiger-head shoes and a tiger-head hat among them, Li Huowang knew these people were likely the families of the Aojing Cult members. They were probably hidden here for safety. The Sitting-Forgetfulness disciple who had escaped seemed to have disguised himself and was hiding among them.

Hunched and bent, Li Huowang stumbled towards them. The sharp tip of his sword dragged slowly across the ground, emitting an extremely grating screech. To these people, the sound was like a death knell, terrifying everyone into cries and screams. Li Huowang's gaze swept over each person, searching for the hidden Sitting-Forgetfulness disciple. But it wasn't easy; there were too many people.

With a "crash," Li Huowang's left hand disintegrated, falling to the ground and scattering into a pile of broken red bamboo slips.

"No! I'm running out of time, no time to search! If he won't come out, I'll kill them all!"

Gritting his teeth, Li Huowang raised his sword towards the old, weak, women, and children before him.

"Wait!!" the Monk illusion nearby suddenly interjected, "Daoist, what are you doing?! They are all good people! They haven't done anything wrong!"

Hearing this, a flicker of hesitation appeared in Li Huowang's eyes, but then he suddenly tightened his grip on the hilt and swung the sword down forcefully. Instantly, a bloody storm erupted. Amidst continuous cries and screams, Li Huowang's daoist robe became even redder. Witnessing the horrific scene, the Monk cried out in distress, stomping his feet nearby, seemingly wanting to rush over and stop him. But the Monk couldn't touch Li Huowang in the slightest.

Amidst the bloody chaos, a woman's body twisted, and a new face rapidly formed on her features. Just as he was about to seize the chaos to escape, several worms flew out from the bloody water on the ground and burrowed into his body. As he screamed and fell to the ground, howling, something pushed his flesh high up. As his struggles ceased, with a "fizz," crooked red bamboo slips emerged from his mahjong-like face, as if being screwed out.

With that, the last Sitting-Forgetfulness disciple also died. Thus, all six Sitting-Forgetfulness disciples who had originally tricked Li Huowang were now dead.

Watching Li Huowang cease his slaughter, the enraged Monk ripped off a piece of fabric from his sleeve and furiously threw it to the ground. Trembling, he pointed a finger at Li Huowang and shouted, "Daoist! I misjudged you! The original Li Huowang would never have done something like this!"

Hearing this, Li Huowang, who was on his last legs, slowly raised his head to look at him. As if belatedly realizing something, an expression of sudden enlightenment appeared on his face. He looked down at his tattered body, then suddenly became ecstatic.

"That's right! Li Huowang wouldn't do something like this, but I would! Dan Yangzi would! Haha! I, your Daoist master, have succeeded!"