Chapter 302: Impermanence

A huge, long face, several feet in length, had a blood-red tongue, two or three feet long, dangling from its mouth.

Below this terrifying face was a hunched body over three *zhang* tall. This was a colossal, twisted White Wuchang!

The wooden head that had been swaying in the air earlier was merely a pendant on its chest!

With a strange rattling sound, the White Wuchang half-crouched, looking and sniffing in Li Huowang's direction, grunting and snuffling, as if searching for something.

Li Huowang was currently invisible, but it was clear this entity could sense something. Being discovered was only a matter of time.

"This thing will be incredibly difficult to deal with!" Li Huowang, almost without hesitation, unleashed his trump card.

He raised his right hand, fingers splayed, towards the White Wuchang.

Li Huowang struck. With a wet tearing sound, his left arm instantly severed, flying at incredible speed and lodging itself in the White Wuchang's eye.

As the White Wuchang opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar, Li Huowang leaped without hesitation, sword raised in one hand, jumping towards its mouth.

Its sharp claws whistled as they swiped at Li Huowang, but due to its injured eye, the creature's aim seemed off. It only left a deep gash on Li Huowang's neck.

The next moment, accompanied by continuous tearing sounds of flesh, Li Huowang slid all the way down its throat.

Just as he was about to slide to the bottom, a wooden mask, appearing from nowhere, covered Li Huowang's face.

In an instant, Li Huowang felt everything go dark, and he couldn't breathe.

He violently shook his head, struggling to dislodge the object from his face, but no matter what he did, the mask remained firmly clamped to his face.

Li Huowang, without hesitation, pulled out a thin willow-leaf dagger and inserted it along the edge of his chin.

He peeled back a large section of his facial skin. Nearly suffocating, he instantly gasped for air, but he couldn't draw in anything.

"What in the world is happening?!" In desperation, Li Huowang quickly scanned his surroundings.

When he couldn't see Hong Zhong or the monk, an alarm blared in his mind, and he suddenly became lucid.

The next moment, there was no giant White Wuchang anywhere. The misty forest was now brightly lit.

But the only thing that remained the same as before was that he still couldn't breathe.

His face purple from holding his breath, he reached for his neck. He felt a rope completely embedded in his flesh.

Gripping his sword hilt, he pressed with his thumb and fiercely slashed at the rope.

Accompanied by a bloodcurdling shriek, the rope around Li Huowang's neck spewed out foul-smelling blood.

The rope abruptly retracted into the forest, and Li Huowang fell from mid-air like a corpse.

"Daoist, Daoist, are you alright?" The monk quickly approached, asking with concern.

Li Huowang, clutching his neck, shook his head and shakily stood up. "I'm fine."

After answering the monk, Li Huowang immediately looked around.

Streaks of sunlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the forest floor. This scene appeared so normal, as if everything that had happened before had been an illusion.

"An illusion?" Li Huowang glanced at his perfectly intact left arm, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

But soon, he touched the wound on his neck, which had been scratched by the White Wuchang's claws, and his gaze became firm.

"This was definitely not an illusion. I just don't know what method the thing I fought earlier used."

Fortunately, that last attack should have injured it. It probably won't come back in a short time.

"Oh no!" Li Huowang suddenly remembered something and rushed to the left.

When he burst out of the woods and saw the Bai family members still gathered in a circle, bound by wooden yokes, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good. At least everyone is still here."

As Li Huowang approached, he clearly startled the Bai family members.

A Daoist wearing a copper-coin mask, with blood streaming from his neck, walking towards them with a sword, would naturally frighten anyone.

With a "crack," the thick wooden yoke was split apart.

As Li Huowang freed them from their bonds, sword by sword, the Bai family members finally realized that this person had come to rescue them. Many women immediately burst into tears.

In any clan, the elders always held the most authority, and Ox-Heart Village was no exception.

An old man, with only one lower front tooth remaining, led the others in shakily attempting to kneel before Li Huowang. "Um, thank you, benefactor, for saving our entire village."

Li Huowang quickly held him up. "Grandfather, you're trying to shorten my life. I came to rescue all of you at the request of Miss Bai Lingmiao."

At these words, several people in the crowd immediately became incredibly excited. A beautiful woman, bearing a striking resemblance to Bai Lingmiao, wept tears of joy, and said to the strong man beside her, "Husband! Nannan is safe! She's alive! Nannan is alive!"

In a buzzing flurry, Li Huowang was instantly surrounded by Bai Lingmiao's relatives, and they all spoke at once, leaving Li Huowang unsure which question to answer first.

"Enough!" A loud, stern voice silenced everyone.

The speaker was the burly man supporting the old man with one tooth. With a full beard on his chin, he exuded an intimidating aura without even trying to be angry.

With that, he cupped his hands in greeting towards Li Huowang. "I am Bai Sai, the clan leader of the Bai family. Benefactor, how about we leave this place first?"

Li Huowang touched the wound on his neck and nodded. "Alright, let's leave here first."

Although he had driven that entity away, there was no guarantee it wouldn't return with others to settle the score.

Everyone freed from their yokes gathered around Li Huowang and left the area.

On the way, it was clear that others wanted to talk to Li Huowang, but they dared not speak due to the man's authority.

However, someone couldn't hold back. Bai Lingmiao's mother, holding a handkerchief in both hands, offered it to Li Huowang.

"Benefactor, your neck is still bleeding. Please use this to cover it for now."

Seeing Li Huowang thank her and take the handkerchief, the woman couldn't help but ask, "Nan... Is my daughter, Bai Ling, doing well? Has she grown taller? Has she gotten thinner? Has she been bullied outside?" Her voice was filled with deep concern.

Looking at her, Li Huowang remembered his own mother, who was equally worried all the time.

"Auntie, she's very well. She hasn't suffered much, but she often talks about you."

Hearing Li Huowang's reply, the beautiful woman immediately burst into tears again.

Li Huowang composed himself. He knew that if he didn't clarify the full story, this matter wouldn't be over.

He turned his gaze to Bai Sai, who was supporting the old man with one tooth. "Clan Leader Bai, could you please explain what exactly happened? Why were you captured? And what was that thing I just fought?"

Hearing Li Huowang's question, the murmurs around them immediately quieted, and everyone looked over.

Bai Sai let out a long sigh and said, "To be honest, I don't know what happened. Ever since my son picked up that stone, all sorts of strange things have been happening."

"Now, we were inexplicably bound by wooden yokes, and forced to walk forward by people wearing wooden masks."

"Fortunately, benefactor, you saved us, otherwise, who knows where we would have been taken."

Li Huowang frowned. Although the other person had said a lot, it seemed as if nothing meaningful had been revealed.

"Heh, Li Huowang, be careful. This kid is lying to you."

Li Huowang looked up at Hong Zhong, who had just spoken.