Chapter 390: Li Huowang

"What is their purpose? Do they know my identity as a Xinsu?"

His expression shifting, Li Huowang pondered for a long time. After confirming there was no activity around him, he decided to return to the fishing village and wait until dawn.

He looked up at the full moon, almost completely obscured by dark clouds. Li Huowang quickened his pace, carved three marks on a bamboo pole with his longsword, and then slowly walked back towards the spot he had come from.

To avoid getting lost, Li Huowang carved sword marks on bamboo poles at regular intervals.

As he walked, the sky began to lighten, but the situation hadn't improved much. A hazy morning mist enveloped everything, making it no better than the night before.

Just as Li Huowang was starting to feel tired, two faint lights pierced through the morning mist in the distance. This invigorated him. "Have I arrived?"

He quickened his pace, taking two steps forward, only to find the lights were two white lanterns hanging by a doorway. Large black characters for "Dian" were written on each lantern.

This ochre-colored wall was wide and curved, standing several stories high.

Li Huowang glanced at the thin mist behind him and thought to himself, "What is playing tricks on me?"

Although the current situation was very strange, Li Huowang wasn't particularly afraid. He had witnessed much more intense scenes in the past.

Raising his right foot, Li Huowang walked through the doorway. After passing through a narrow alleyway, a massive circular walled building appeared before him. Rows of black-tiled buildings were constructed together, forming a ring.

A gentle breeze blew, and a piece of yellow joss paper drifted past Li Huowang, guiding his gaze towards the distant mourning hall.

Inside the mourning hall, adorned in white, a large and a small black coffin stood silently.

Li Huowang walked to the perimeter of the mourning hall, peering inside. The hall contained everything except people.

"No offense intended," he murmured, then bowed slightly towards the coffins.

The next moment, Li Huowang suddenly quickened his pace, rushed directly into the mourning hall, pried open a coffin lid with one hand, pushed it forcefully, then abruptly stuck his head inside, shouting loudly, "Rest in peace, deceased!"

Gazing at the empty coffin, a hint of disappointment appeared on Li Huowang's face. He lifted his head from the coffin and looked again at the mourning hall, filled with white cloth and paper offerings.

"I don't care what you are!" he declared. "I'm busy right now and don't have time to waste with you."

"If you push your luck any further," he warned, "then don't blame me for setting this walled building and the entire bamboo forest outside on fire!"

The center of the walled building was very spacious, and Li Huowang's voice even echoed. Yet, just as before, nothing, whether object or otherwise, showed any sign of movement.

"Thump, thump," Li Huowang patted the coffin lid with his hand, then turned and started walking towards the exit of the walled building.

As he walked, when he was halfway there, a red figure suddenly flashed on the second floor of the walled building to his left.

Li Huowang instantly spun around and rushed towards it. Just as he was about to hit the wall, two talismans, written with his own blood, instantly adhered to his thighs.

Veins instantly bulged on his legs. Li Huowang abruptly stared, then leaped straight up from his spot, parallel to the red figure in the bamboo building.

When he saw the person's appearance, a surge of heat rushed to the back of Li Huowang's head. He used almost all his strength to roar at the person through gritted teeth: "Zuowangdao!!"

The red figure was none other than Li Huowang himself, looking exactly like him!

Upon seeing this face, identical to his own, Li Huowang instantly understood: the Zuowangdao had already infiltrated Xing Island long ago.

He now knew who was behind all the bizarre events he had experienced earlier.

Feeling his body about to fall, Li Huowang pulled out his copper coin sword and swiftly flicked it. "Ansa Tongling Poshe!!"

The red thread wrapped with copper coins on the sword rapidly elongated, whipped out like a long whip, and wrapped around a pillar.

With a sharp pull, Li Huowang's body shot towards the other Li Huowang like a cannonball. The other Li Huowang remained motionless, as if stunned, standing rigidly in place.

Just as Li Huowang's copper coin sword pierced the other's body, his heart sank. He felt no resistance on the sword.

Immediately after, he saw the Zuowangdao in front of him draw his sword and thrust it straight upwards towards his own empty head. Blood inexplicably appeared on the empty sword tip.

At the same time, Li Huowang felt a pain in his abdomen. The person in front of him was just an illusion; the opponent had actually used his own displacement ability!

Li Huowang wanted to use his displacement ability to escape as well, but to his surprise, his body remained motionless.

At that moment, Li Huowang instantly understood: this Zuowangdao had somehow tricked him and stolen his displacement ability.

He had fought against many Zuowangdao practitioners before, but none had ever possessed such powerful abilities.

The Zuowangdao in front of him was definitely not simple! They might even be one of the Four Joys or Three Primes!

Thinking this, Li Huowang no longer dared to hold back. He immediately jabbed at his right eye with his hand, then squeezed the eyeball tightly in his palm.

With a crisp "snap," translucent liquid was forcefully squeezed out from between his fingernails.

Everything around him was instantly replaced by a strange, unidentifiable colored light, and became extremely slow.

Taking advantage of this moment, Li Huowang swiftly freed himself from the longsword plunged into his abdomen.

Knowing the opponent had tricked him and stolen his abilities, Li Huowang naturally wouldn't be led by the nose. He pulled out his fire-striker, ready to unleash a powerful move.

But after several forceful strikes, Li Huowang's body did not catch fire. He quickly realized his skin had been flayed and refined into ritual tools, so there was no fresh skin left to sacrifice to Bahui.

Seeing the Zuowangdao in front of him about to recover, Li Huowang's heart tightened. He pulled out a blackened cast-iron pincer and shoved it into his mouth.

Several molars were extracted, scattering like flowers from a celestial maiden.

Li Huowang knew his displacement ability's limit was within one *zhang*. So his teeth completely covered the entire area within that *zhang*.

The teeth, stained with blood and flesh, burst open with a 'pop', and the fragments of teeth rained down towards the opponent.

Unobstructed, the opponent took a solid hit. The fragments of teeth pierced through the Zuowangdao's body, almost riddling him like a sieve.

Yet, despite such heavy injuries, he remained standing, showing no signs of falling.

Witnessing this scene, Li Huowang's heart sank again. He suddenly understood something.

He then pressed his hand against the wound on his abdomen and received very bad news: the Zuowangdao in front of him had also tricked him and stolen his powerful healing ability.

"This guy's abilities are too tricky. What now?" Watching the opponent glare at him with a menacing expression, Li Huowang's heart sank continuously.