Chapter 24: Pillage

Since Li Huowang intended to venture out, he knew he had to suppress his hallucinations. If he kept fluctuating between illusion and reality, he wouldn't be able to accomplish anything.

The key to suppressing these hallucinations was the Black Grand-Eminence that Dan Yangzi had raised.

The group stopped abruptly upon reaching the cavern. To their astonishment, they saw the Black Grand-Eminence crawling out of the black cauldron. This was the first time any of them had witnessed its true form.

It was a massive, slimy, black, viscous mass covered in thick mucus. What appeared to be hair at first glance was, upon closer inspection, a dense growth of dark, elongated tendrils or nascent filaments.

Its entire body expanded and contracted freely, resembling a colossal maggot.

Its bloated form was dotted with orifices, from which a nauseating stench spewed forth with each pulsation.

This sight terrified everyone present. Their limbs went weak, and they were on the verge of turning to flee.

Li Huowang, however, keenly noticed that something was off. The Black Grand-Eminence was considerably smaller, and black liquid continuously seeped from beneath it.

"What's happening?" Li Huowang's heart sank. "Is its life linked to Dan Yangzi's?"

With that thought, he quickly dashed out. When he returned, he was clutching some of Dan Yangzi's remains.

Li Huowang rushed to the Black Grand-Eminence's side, dropped to one knee, and painstakingly gathered the writhing mass of decaying flesh into his arms. He then began stuffing the remains he held into the crevices on its body.

Instead of helping, his actions caused more black liquid to seep from its body, and it shriveled even further.

Li Huowang's face was etched with anxiety, as if the writhing, twisted black monster in his arms were his own sick child, not some creature.

Anxiously, he grasped the Black Grand-Eminence by its sides and gently shook it. "Hey, hey, hey, don't scare me! What will I do if you die?!"

The Black Grand-Eminence remained unresponsive; no part of its body showed any sign of movement.

As the Black Grand-Eminence continued to shrink, Li Huowang became desperate. He opened his mouth and bit fiercely into its flesh.

Li Huowang's sudden actions utterly bewildered Bai Lingmiao and the others. They could only stand there, watching their blood-soaked Senior Brother Li embrace the writhing monster and tear into it.

To them, Li Huowang now appeared more monstrous than the Black Grand-Eminence.

Gou Dan sidled up to Zhao Wu and whispered, "Perhaps... we should split up. I'm genuinely afraid he might eat me in my sleep if I stay with him."

A hint of fear began to creep into everyone's eyes as they looked at Li Huowang.

The condensed flesh of the Black Grand-Eminence was noticeably tougher; chewing it felt like gnawing on a tire.

He paid no mind to this, swallowing mouthful after mouthful. Yet, no matter how much he ate, he couldn't keep pace with the Black Grand-Eminence's rapid self-dissolution. Soon, only a layer of black skin remained in Li Huowang's arms.

"Um, Senior Brother Li, are you full now? Can we leave?" Gou Wa asked cautiously.

Li Huowang regretfully tossed the foul-smelling, fishy skin onto the ground. He had no idea how long this effect would last, hoping only to find another Black Grand-Eminence or an alternative solution before his hallucinations resurfaced.

"I'll go change my clothes." The remaining items were essentially worthless. As for any martial arts manuals or secret techniques, there was no point in even considering them; Dan Yangzi was illiterate.

Li Huowang peeled off his sticky daoist robe and changed into a fresh blue one, immediately feeling a sense of relief.

Dressed in clean clothes, Li Huowang led the others towards the exit, explaining his actions as they walked.

When they finally understood that Li Huowang intended to use the Black Grand-Eminence's flesh to suppress his hallucinations, the heavy burden on their minds finally lifted.

"Oh, so that's what happened," Gou Wa chimed in, laughing to lighten the mood. "I thought Senior Brother Li was just hungry!"

As they continued walking, a new fork appeared in the tunnel. Li Huowang, as if compelled, stopped. This particular tunnel led to Dan Yangzi's residence. "Should we go in and see how the three senior brothers fared in their fight?"

Although he preferred not to meddle in their squabble, he wanted to prevent another Dan Yangzi from emerging if possible.

"Let's go, let's take a look," Li Huowang decided, leading the group of old, weak, and sick individuals toward the fork.

Upon reaching the doorway, Li Huowang saw that the door he had just closed remained undisturbed, confirming that no one had emerged from within.

"Senior brothers, are you finished fighting? We're leaving!" Li Huowang called out loudly into the room.

After waiting for a moment with no response, Li Huowang pushed open the door. A pungent smell of blood assailed them, and a bloody hand lay visible right before everyone's eyes.

Everyone's gaze shifted upward to a more gruesome sight. Xuan Yuan was dead, having suffered a terrible end; his body was almost cleaved in two by a sword.

Chang Ren was also dead, stabbed from behind with a sword. Since Xuan Yuan cultivated talismans, not swords, the only person capable of this act was his brother, Chang Ming.

Chang Ming, the last one alive, was in a dire state. Black threads adorned with copper coins had pierced through his body, stitching him to the wall. It appeared he had triggered Dan Yangzi's contingency plan.

Chang Ming was not dead; his eyes, still filled with desire, were fixed on the so-called "Heavenly Book of Immortality."

"Cough, cough... cough~" Seeing Li Huowang enter, Chang Ming, pinned to the wall, seemed to want to speak. However, the copper coins embedded in his neck had completely severed his windpipe, making it impossible for him to utter a sound.

Li Huowang walked over to him, offered a slight smile, and bent down to retrieve his sword.

It was a longsword, 1.2 meters in length. Under the lamplight, its blade gleamed coldly, appearing incredibly sharp.

After a few strenuous swings with one hand, Li Huowang turned to Chang Ming. "A fine sword, Senior Brother. It appears you won't be needing it for a while, so I'll put it to use for now."

"Even though I'm not a sword cultivator, it's always better to have a weapon when traveling than to be empty-handed. Wouldn't you agree, Senior Brother?"

Chang Ming attempted to signal something with his eyes, but Li Huowang clearly didn't understand.

Li Huowang retrieved the scabbard from the deceased Chang Ren, sheathed the longsword, and slung it directly onto his back.

Next came the main event: the Heavenly Book.

Li Huowang turned and approached the Heavenly Book, now completely unprotected.

Just then, Chang Ming suddenly struggled violently. With each movement, the copper coins on the black threads dug deeper into his flesh. After only a few futile struggles, the light in his eyes rapidly dimmed.

"Senior Brother Li, Senior Brother Chang Ming is dead," Gou Wa exclaimed, his eyes wide with surprise.

Li Huowang gazed at the so-called Heavenly Book before him and sighed softly. So many lives had been lost because of this object, whose origin was unknown.

Li Huowang leaned in closer, studying the book intently. This time, he was even more serious than when he had been forced by Dan Yangzi.

Yet, after repeatedly examining it, he still concluded it was merely a scripture. Half-guessing, it seemed to be a text encouraging people to do good.

Li Huowang took a step back, then slowly drew his sword with one hand from behind him. With a resounding "clang!" the longsword, which could cut through iron like mud, struck the scripture-carved stone slab with heavy force.