Chapter 498: True and False

When Li Huowang saw the apprehension on the faces of the other four upon hearing the Daoist priest's words, his heart stirred. "Wait, maybe there's no need for force. Perhaps I can try to scare them away!"

After a few brief moments, Li Huowang gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on the marrow sword. With the skull on the hilt facing outwards, he thrust it violently into the ground, and his surroundings became a blur of reality and illusion.

"Hmph? Why am I not dead? Why don't you ask Zhuge Yuan himself! Utterly traceless! Enduring endless eons! Undying and unperishing! Transcending the three realms! Live!"

When the Scrutiny Department officers saw the flickering, appearing-and-disappearing figure of a scholar holding a fan materialize before Li Huowang, deep fear showed in their eyes. They knew Zhuge Yuan's true power all too well. Not to mention, there was someone capable of resurrecting Zhuge Yuan using his marrow skull!

It was practically a desperate escape. The Scrutiny Department officers decisively turned and vanished into the woods at top speed.

Soon after they left, Peng Longteng and Zhuge Yuan also disappeared. Li Huowang immediately collapsed, clutching his rapidly swelling head and groaning in pain. With his current level of cultivation, manifesting two illusions beside him into physical forms was simply too much of a strain. Creating enough of a disturbance to scare them away was already the most Li Huowang could do. He felt his head splitting, and gritting his teeth, he held the marrow sword, stumbling as he tried to leave the spot. Even though they were scared away, there was no guarantee they wouldn't recover and return.

Li Huowang felt his head growing larger and larger, like the God of Longevity in a New Year's painting.

"Brother Li, are you alright?" Zhuge Yuan asked, a touch of worry in his voice.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Li Huowang replied. In truth, he wasn't sure if he was fine. This was his first time forcefully manifesting a true illusion, and it was nothing like manifesting a small object such as an apple.

Just as Li Huowang said this, a commotion stirred in his Dantian, and the surroundings rapidly began to change. "Crap! The divine light can no longer contain the primordial qi!"

When Li Huowang next regained consciousness, he found himself back in the cold, hard reality. But this time, he wasn't in a hospital room; instead, his mother was pushing him into a courtyard enclosed by iron fences to sunbathe. Apparently, his atrophied muscles had put the people in the facility at ease. Recalling the landscape of the other side, Li Huowang abruptly stretched his neck and used his teeth to undo the restraints. He dragged his weakened body and lunged towards the ground nearby. He remembered a bush in this area that would be suitable for temporary concealment. He was extremely vulnerable now; even a wild boar on the other side could injure him.

"Son! Son, what's wrong with you?! Get up!"

As Sun Xiaoqin frantically tried to help Li Huowang, who was covered in dirt, back to his feet, he grabbed her. "Mom! Just believe me this once, Mom!"

Sun Xiaoqin seemed stunned by Li Huowang's unusually anxious cry and stared at him blankly.

"Mom, I really can't get up right now! Those Scrutiny Department officers might not have gone far. Wait, where's my sword?" Li Huowang glanced left and right, then grabbed a broom leaning against the wall and clutched it tightly. Holding the plastic broom handle, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. He tilted his head back and whispered to her again: "Mom, I really can't explain much to you right now. But please don't worry, in a while, everything will be fine. Trust me..."

Watching Li Huowang lie on the ground, clutching the plastic broom like a nervous wreck, suspiciously glancing around, Sun Xiaoqin nodded silently, tears streaming down her face. Seeing his mother's sorrowful expression, Li Huowang felt a pang in his heart.

"Mom, don't be sad. I might not be able to come back for a while; things are really busy over there. Please bear with me. Once I've finished everything there, I'll make more time to spend with you."

"Mom isn't sad. You just stay here and lie down nicely. I'll go find a doctor for you first."

Watching his mother's retreating back, Li Huowang cursed under his breath. It had turned out like this again. But fortunately, this would be the last time. Next time, he would know that while forcefully manifesting true illusions might yield results, it also destabilized the primordial qi within his body.

Li Huowang cautiously looked around. When he saw no one approaching, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. "Alright, since no one is approaching, they must not have pursued me. I'm safe for now."

But just as Li Huowang thought this, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. His heart tensed, and various thoughts exploded in his mind. Immediately, he hoisted the "sword" onto his shoulder, feigned an indifferent expression, and walked out of the non-existent bush on the ground, proceeding leisurely forward. After taking two steps, he pretended to hear something, turned slightly, and said with disdain: "What? You little brats are back? Do you think I'm easy to deal with? Hmph..."

"Huowang..."

The familiar, soft female voice made Li Huowang's heart tremble slightly. As he turned, still carrying the "sword," he saw Yang Na beyond the distant iron fence, looking at him with tear-filled eyes. It had been a long time since he last saw her. Yang Na had become very thin; she wasn't heavy to begin with, but now she was excessively skinny.

Yang Na wasn't alone; an older man with large, round eyes stood behind her. Li Huowang recognized him—it was Yang Na's father. In the past, he had gotten along well with Li Huowang, always joking jovially whenever Li Huowang visited Yang Na's home. But the past was the past. Now, he no longer possessed his former easygoing nature; his gaze towards Li Huowang was filled with indifference and repulsion.

"Do you see him? This is the Li Huowang you constantly think about! How long will you remain so deluded?"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Yang Na immediately covered her mouth, squatting on the ground and stifling her sobs. The sight made Li Huowang's heart tremble. "No, I can't be distracted by this. I'm not out of danger yet. This must be fake. How could Yang Na appear the moment I regain consciousness? Yes, that's right. This place is fake, and this Yang Na is fake too!"

"They're both here... Wait, someone else is coming over there! Two people? Could it be Miaomiao and Li Sui?"

"Miaomiao? Li Sui? Is that you? If it is, give me some kind of sign!" Li Huowang shouted to the two figures beyond the iron fence. Just as Li Huowang shouted so loudly, Yang Na's father forcefully pulled Yang Na away, preparing to leave.

"Now you can give up hope, right?! Let's go! Forget about Li Huowang completely from now on. Don't think about him, and don't see him again!"

As he watched Yang Na gradually move away, a completely opposite thought irresistibly emerged in his mind, "No, I can't! This side must be real. I will cultivate immortality in the future! If I turn this side completely real, then this Yang Na must also be real! She is real! I can't let her leave like this!"

Two completely opposing thoughts crashed repeatedly in Li Huowang's mind, causing his expression to grow increasingly pained. He clenched his fists and frantically pounded his throbbing head.

"Argh!"