Chapter 539

"Earth Escape!" Li Huowang made an instant decision. He pulled out his spine sword and forcefully swung it at one of the raised mounds of earth. A large section of the mound and the surrounding turf was directly sliced away. Just as he was cutting away the second mound, the last one had already reached Li Huowang's feet.

The next moment, agonizing pain shot through the sole of Li Huowang's left foot. His entire left leg instantly went limp, like a noodle.

"Something from the ground just ripped out my leg bone!" Li Huowang gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain. He gripped his Purple Tassel Sword and plunged it violently into the earth. Black, foul-smelling liquid continuously gushed out. "Li Sui!" At Li Huowang's cry, the missing bone in his leg was immediately filled by Li Sui's tentacles. There was no time to delay any further. Li Huowang stomped through the muddy, bloody path, charging towards Peng Longteng in the distance.

However, when he saw several more mounds rapidly rising from the ground and rushing towards him, Li Huowang's heart immediately sank.

"Too many people! No, if this continues, I'll be bogged down! I must go to Daliang to hide!" Li Huowang thought, and immediately prepared to pull out his spine sword. However, Zhuge Yuan's voice, very serious, stopped him. "Brother Li! Don't!"

"You absolutely cannot let these people know that the sword in your hand can lead to the prosperous Daliang's Heart Mandala. What if there's a master diviner or strategist among this Dharma sect? Then you'll never have peace in Daqi!" Li Huowang cursed under his breath. He stomped his feet fiercely in the fleshy ground again, propelled high by the tentacles, and leaped into the distance. After several powerful leaps, Li Huowang landed on Peng Longteng's shoulder, once again surveying the sea of Dharma sect followers around him.

Although standing high allowed him to see far, Li Huowang still couldn't see the end of the crowd. "How many are there?! Why so many?! Could it be that everyone in Daqi has joined the Dharma sect?"

Suddenly, an alarm blared in Li Huowang's mind. He instinctively twisted his body, and three flying locust stones descended from above, grazing Li Huowang's red Taoist robe and leaving three bleeding holes on Peng Longteng's body.

Looking around, Li Huowang spotted the attacker: a Miao woman whose limbs and neck constantly twisted, her silver head ornaments rustling with her movements. This Miao woman moved as if on flat ground, stepping on large numbers of Dharma sect followers beneath her as she rapidly approached Li Huowang.

Li Huowang had limited contact with the Dharma sect in Daliang, but it seemed all spells and attack methods of the Dharma sect in Daqi were related to rocks and earth. When he saw the woman, Li Huowang's pupils slightly constricted. He knew this woman! She was one of the Sit-Forget Dao cultivators from the side faction they had dealt with before. However, at this moment, there was no trace of Sit-Forget Dao left in her. She no longer believed in Doumu but had completely converted to the belief of Shidu.

At that moment, Li Huowang immediately grasped the severity of the situation in Daqi. This Dharma sect could even absorb members of the Sit-Forget Dao, let alone others. Heaven knew how many such individuals there were. Li Huowang didn't want to be delayed here, but at this moment, the crowd was so dense that even invisibility might not allow him to escape. Just as Li Huowang watched with concern as the Miao woman drew closer, the corpse Peng Longteng was swinging caught his attention.

A thought suddenly struck him. "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" Peng Longteng grabbed two tentacles on Li Huowang's body and began forcefully swinging him around. As the speed increased, Li Huowang couldn't even keep his eyes open.

Just as the three flying locust stones carved three bloody holes into Li Huowang's body, Peng Longteng released his grip and tossed Li Huowang high into the air.

The wind whistled in his ears. Li Huowang soared higher and higher above the ground, so high that he could even see the boundaries of the Dharma sect's followers. But as Li Huowang rapidly descended, he still landed among the sect's believers. It didn't matter though; Li Huowang had found a way to properly use the illusions. Peng Longteng materialized beside Li Huowang, grabbed his tentacles, and began to swing him again.

After three consecutive swings, when the head-splitting pain had Li Huowang falling again, he finally landed outside the crowd, next to a small hill.

Ignoring his throbbing head, Li Huowang immediately shifted his body underground, becoming invisible.

By the time the Dharma sect followers surrounded the area to search, Li Huowang had already reached a distant hillside, watching them from afar. "Dad! That's great! We escaped their encirclement, we won!" Li Sui's tentacles waved excitedly.

Li Huowang silently watched the ragged Dharma sect followers searching for him. "Did we win?" He couldn't help but recall the madwoman Peng Longteng had smashed into a pulp earlier. These people were called Dharma sect followers, but in reality, they were just cannon fodder controlled by the sect. "There's nothing to be happy about. There are no winners here."

"Help." A somewhat familiar voice echoed again. Li Huowang turned his head and saw Jin Shanzhao pointing at the Dharma sect followers. Li Huowang had thought Jin Shanzhao would remain mute indefinitely, but unexpectedly, he had started speaking in this situation, even if it was just one word. Despite it being only one word, combined with his expression, Li Huowang understood his meaning.

"Help them? How am I supposed to help them? Do you think I'm the Emperor of Daqi or the Supervisor of the Celestial Bureau, with grand aspirations and concern for all living beings?" Li Huowang looked at him and said, "You think they're pitiful, that they're miserable? I'm far more miserable than them! So who will pity me? I can't even help myself, how can I help them?" Jin Shanzhao's finger trembled as he lowered it. He dragged his half-body and stopped there, falling silent.

Li Huowang reached out and pressed on the scabs on his body. He sat on the ground, waiting for his headache to subside.

He dared not overexert himself at this moment. Peng Longteng had gone a bit overboard several times in a row, and if the Innate One within him lost control again, he feared he would end up back in the hospital.

"If you've been staying by my side with that intention, then I advise you to disappear quickly. I'm not Brother Zhuge; I'm not that selfless." Li Huowang, panting heavily, looked up at the sky and said to Jin Shanzhao.

At this moment, Zhuge Yuan showed no intention of getting involved. With one hand behind his back, he stood there, watching the ant-sized Dharma sect followers in the distance, his expression thoughtful as he pondered something.

After resting for a while, Li Huowang felt a bit better. He prepared to stand up and leave to avoid being found by the Dharma sect.

But just as he sat up, Li Huowang saw Jin Shanzhao standing before him, his expression completely changed, smiling amiably at him.

"Hmm? Why that expression?" Li Huowang immediately noticed that Jin Shanzhao wasn't just looking at him, but at something behind him. When Li Huowang turned around, he almost cursed out loud.

Just ten meters behind him stood a gaunt woman in ragged clothes, a white turban wrapped around her head. In her arms, she held a half-rotted infant swaddled in a cloth. Another illusion had joined him.