Chapter 554: Daqi

Inside the completely transformed territory of Qi, Li Huowang, guided by Zhuge Yuan, moved quickly through the rugged mountains, searching for the second Supreme Gushing Opening.

This area seemed to have once been a single mountain, but it had now split into two halves, transforming the mountain into a valley. On the fractured cliffs on both sides, earth spikes of various sizes jutted out haphazardly, resembling two rows of giant fangs.

Li Huowang initially thought he would find it quickly, but it seemed that due to the previous anomalies in heaven and earth, the entire geomantic layout of Qi had completely changed. Zhuge Yuan now needed to re-evaluate the geomancy.

However, the only thing that made Li Huowang feel fortunate was the absence of natural disasters, making the journey relatively easy and free of danger.

"Brother Li, let's rest for a bit," Zhuge Yuan said. "The Supreme Gushing Opening requires precise timing, so we need to wait for an hour."

Hearing this, Li Huowang, along with Li Sui, sat down under the shade of a tree. Li Huowang took out some dried food and began to eat heartily with his water gourd.

"Dad, I don't like this," Li Sui complained. "I like meat."

"What are you picky about?" Li Huowang retorted. "Eat what's available. Why be delicate at a time like this?"

Immediately after saying this, Li Huowang frowned slightly and looked towards the woods on the left. There was movement there.

As his hand gripped the sword hilt, a dirty, ragged little girl crawled out of the woods. She was estimated to be only four or five years old. Her dusty face was streaked with snot and two deep tear marks, and her floral padded jacket was torn to shreds.

The little girl staggered towards Li Huowang, tugged at the toolkit hanging from his hem, and tried to drag him towards the woods. She didn't grip it firmly, lost her balance, and fell to the ground.

Lying on the ground, her mouth opened and closed, and her expression seemed to indicate she was crying, but no sound came out. She seemed to have cried herself hoarse long ago.

Li Huowang walked over and helped her up. Then, pulled by her, he walked into the woods. The sparse woods were not large, and Li Huowang was quickly led by her to the foot of the mountain.

Seeing the little girl rush over and desperately tug at a silver-braceleted hand crushed by the mountain, Li Huowang immediately understood why she had pulled him there. This was not just a single household; from the traces around, it was clear there had been a village here before.

When the mountain split completely in two, it had coincidentally crushed the entire village, and the little girl was the only survivor.

The little girl ran back to Li Huowang, pointed at the single arm crushed under the mountain, and frantically tugged at Li Huowang's red Daoist robe with both hands.

Li Huowang felt a pang in his heart. Never having feared anything, he was somewhat afraid to face the anxiety and yearning in the little girl's eyes. Li Huowang had always deliberately avoided thinking about these things, not wanting to consider the immense suffering the people of Qi endured under the calamity.

But when this scene truly appeared before him, Li Huowang suddenly realized the scale of the human tragedy unfolding in the world of Qi. This was merely a microcosm of Qi; worse and larger tragedies were probably commonplace elsewhere.

Li Huowang bent down and picked up the little girl, and inwardly asked Zhuge Yuan, "Brother Zhuge, is your previous method still effective? Is there still hope for Qi now... can it be saved?"

Zhuge Yuan, with his back to Li Huowang, sighed deeply and said nothing.

Li Huowang looked down at the little girl in his arms again, bent down, and placed her on the ground. He didn't care about anything else; he wanted to save this one.

Just as she ran towards the severed arm again, Li Huowang gripped the Spine Sword and swung it forcefully, and a wide crevice instantly enveloped her.

"Brother Li, it's useless," Zhuge Yuan's words were like a splash of cold water over Li Huowang's head. "She is, after all, a person from Qi; she cannot go to Daliang."

"Why can I come here, but she can't go to Daliang?" Li Huowang was very unwilling to leave such a living person in this hell on earth.

"I told you before," Zhuge Yuan explained, "because ultimately Qi is real, and Daliang is false. Therefore, Daliang can come to Qi, but Qi cannot go to Daliang."

Li Huowang clenched the Spine Sword tightly, and with a forceful slash forward, he returned directly to Daliang, bringing the little girl back with him. But after he brought her back, Li Huowang paused, unsure what to do next.

"Find a good home for this child?" he wondered. "There's no telling how many living people are left in Qi now; who would want such a burden?"

"Take her with me? But I'm returning to Daliang once I find the Supreme Gushing Opening."

"It's no use, Boss Hong Zhong, you can't save her," the Sit-Forget Daoist advised from the side. "Just abandon her. God knows how many girls like this are in Qi; you can't save them all."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Monk and Jin Shanzhao approached him with displeased expressions.

"Or... I could turn her into an illusion and keep her with me?" Li Huowang was suddenly startled by his own thought. "No! That's too unstable. How could I have such a thought? What if she doesn't become an illusion, and then she dies for nothing!"

Finally, Zhuge Yuan offered a solution. "Brother Li, draw a talisman as I instruct and notify my friend to take her away. She might survive."

"In this situation, are you sure your friend is still alive?" Li Huowang asked.

"Still alive," Zhuge Yuan replied with great composure.

"Alright, I'll listen to you." Li Huowang immediately complied. As the golden-glowing talisman adhered to the little girl's body, she instantly stopped crying and fussing, becoming like a wooden doll.

Li Huowang raised the Spine Sword, cut a crevice in the large mountain, and placed her inside. After putting in the remaining dried food and fresh water, Li Huowang looked at the girl in the rock crevice, sighed, and turned to quickly depart, continuing with his own matters.

This time, the Supreme Gushing Opening was found in a cracked Earth God temple. It should have housed the Earth God and Earth Goddess, but now, the couple had merged into a strange, large-eyed clay sculpture.

Although he had found his objective, Li Huowang couldn't feel happy at all.

"A foot of secrecy for a foot of secrecy," a familiar voice said. Li Huowang turned to look at Shangguan Yuting, who had been following him.

"Elder Ear, you are truly impressive," Shangguan Yuting said. "To be able to find such a hidden place at this time. If I had come alone, I definitely wouldn't have found it."

Smiling, Shangguan Yuting bowed to Li Huowang and gracefully walked towards the Supreme Gushing Opening, like descending stairs, stepping deeper and deeper into its shadow.

Just as Li Huowang thought everything was over, the clay sculpture suddenly cracked. This was clearly different from last time. And from the shadow on the ground where Shangguan Yuting had just entered, a cryptic, incomprehensible sound emanated...