Chapter 574: Mysterious Female Principle

Gao Zhijian was still laughing heartily, circling in the air like a true dragon.

As he laughed, even more lotus sky lanterns appeared in the air.

"When the fighting starts, take Li Sui and leave here," Li Huowang said. "Go back to Niuxin Village and wait for me." He looked at Gao Zhijian in the distance, pulled out a torture tool, and prepared to cut open his own stomach.

But a cold hand pressed down on Li Huowang's hand, which was holding the tool. Bai Lingmiao said softly, "Senior Brother Li, you won't have to do this anymore. I can help you now."

"The White Lotus Sect, hehehe," a voice sneered, "do you mere trash think you can stop me?"

Seeing the white lotus on Bai Lingmiao's forehead and the surrounding sky lanterns, Li Huowang knew that a lot must have happened during the time she had been away.

Although he was eager to know what had happened, the pressing crisis at hand left Li Huowang with no time to ask about such trivial matters.

"Do all these people obey you?" Li Huowang asked Bai Lingmiao.

"Yes, they do," Bai Lingmiao answered promptly.

"Alright then," Li Huowang said, taking a deep breath. "Later, see if you can get these people to control Gao Zhijian for a short while." He looked at Gao Zhijian in the distance, gripping the sword in his hand.

Since he had slain him once when he was young, he could surely slay him again now that he was grown.

Between the lanterns, some White Lotus followers sat cross-legged in mid-air, wearing paper aprons. Sharp semicircular blades pierced their cheeks, and various copper gourds hung from hooks from their earlobes.

"Incense Spirit, descend!" Bai Lingmiao cried out. At the same time, these people pulled out serrated knives from their waists and began tapping them against their foreheads.

"The Dao is learned by heart, the heart conveyed by incense. Incense burns in the jade censer, the heart exists before the Emperor. True spirits look down, immortal banners arrive before the hall. This servant now declares, directly reaching the Nine Heavens. All prayers and wishes shall be granted as spoken..." The buzzing sound of chanting filled the air, drowning out all other sounds around them.

Gao Zhijian's slender body coiled, completely disregarding the lotus sky lanterns surrounding him. His eyes even held a hint of mockery, as if he wanted to toy with the people before him.

"A thousand homes invite, a thousand homes respond; ten thousand homes invite, ten thousand spirits answer. With devoted heart, this disciple thrice beseeches, inviting the Incense Spirit to descend and arrive. Lift the trance-medium's body and face, help the medium to speak, to speak clearly and point the way. Divine soldiers, quickly, by my command!"

As these people finished chanting, they gripped the bloody serrated short blades in their hands and forcefully pointed them at Gao Zhijian in the distance.

Another face seemed to appear on Gao Zhijian's face. His elongated body suddenly froze in place, and a sandalwood scent, similar to that of a temple, wafted out.

The White Lotus Sect had actually invited a deity to possess Gao Zhijian, something Li Huowang had not expected.

Seizing this opportunity, Peng Longteng grabbed Li Huowang and flung him toward Gao Zhijian's position from a distance.

Just like in Great Qi, Li Huowang gripped the sword in his hand, tracing Gao Zhijian's back to sever him from the dragon vein, then stabbed into his chest once more.

The process was incredibly smooth; Gao Zhijian offered no resistance whatsoever.

Just as the malevolent blade in Li Huowang's hand was about to plunge into his chest, the unresisting Gao Zhijian's lips curved slightly upwards. He said mockingly, "You want to kill me? You'd better think carefully. If I die, the Great Liang's dragon vein will be finished."

When he felt the blade in Li Huowang's hand shift up slightly by an inch, Gao Zhijian burst into laughter, brazenly thrusting his chest forward to meet Li Huowang's sword.

"Hong Zhong," Gao Zhijian chuckled, "we're not military strategists; there's no need for us to resort to weapons. We are the Sitting-Forget Dao; we use our minds!"

"Look," he continued, "it's well known that the Sitting-Forget Dao isn't powerful, and I know that too. But why would I confront you head-on? Now that I am the dragon vein, I can stand here with my eyes closed and let you try to kill me, yet you wouldn't dare, heheh~ This is using my mind."

Dice could deal with Li Huowang without restraint, but Li Huowang had to be wary of Dice's current identity. For a moment, he was constrained at every turn.

Just as Li Huowang was about to be seized by Gao Zhijian again, several fingers shot out from below, extricating him from the predicament.

Retreating to the sky lanterns, Li Huowang looked down. He saw a group of people clad in black robes standing on the rooftops, one of whom he recognized: Zu Yi, from the Ao Jing Sect.

Not only that, but all sorts of strange and peculiar sects and factions gathered around, nearly filling the entire Shangjing Imperial Palace.

"Boom~" The ground trembled slightly. A gigantic figure walked from afar: it was a Bodhisattva previously carved from a massive mountain! At this moment, it had come alive!

Just as the colossal Bodhisattva slowly lowered itself, staring at Gao Zhijian with eyes larger than houses, Gao Zhijian smiled.

"Hehehe~" Gao Zhijian chuckled. "It seems the important figure has returned. You want to trap me like this? You can't fool me. Don't forget, I am the Sitting-Forget Dao, the Profound Female. What I wanted has already arrived; you're too late."

With that, Gao Zhijian actually opened his mouth, taking the tail of the dragon vein and beginning to swallow it. His mouth opened immensely wide as he hastily swallowed the emperors on the dragon vein.

He swallowed faster and faster, more and more urgently, finally swallowing the entire dragon vein. He then completely vanished from the spot.

At this moment, Li Huowang also clearly felt the distortion around him. By the time he reacted, the illusions around him began to rapidly fade.

When he came to his senses again, he and Bai Lingmiao were already on the ground.

There were far fewer people around. Apart from the Ao Jing Sect and some White Lotus followers, everything that had just happened was fake, merely an illusion created by the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau official, clad in a red robe, was currently kneeling on one knee, healing the severely wounded and dying Grand Preceptor of Great Liang.

The bright red color from the Grand Preceptor's chest wound was swiftly removed by his six hands, leaving only a grayish-white.

"Dice attacked me while I was performing the ancestral temple ritual!" Huangfu Tiangang, blood staining the corner of his mouth, said through gritted teeth. "If I hadn't had a trick up my sleeve, I might truly have been left here!"

"Don't speak yet," the Imperial Astronomical Bureau official said. He took a pale yellow piece of skin from a nearby corpse and applied it to the Grand Preceptor's now black-and-white wound.

Watching his unhurried movements, Li Huowang looked up. He realized that not only had all those things disappeared, but Gao Zhijian and the Great Liang's dragon vein were also gone!

"Where is Dice going? What will he do with the dragon vein next?" At this moment, Li Huowang's mind was in turmoil.

But before he could ponder further, Huangfu Tiangang, who had stood up again, was already raising his Constellation Sword and striking down towards Li Huowang.

As Li Huowang raised his sword to block, his vision suddenly blurred. He and the Grand Preceptor of Great Liang were now sitting face-to-face at a table.

"Tiangang, do you truly think this is the time for internal strife?" the Imperial Astronomical Bureau official said as he slowly sat down beside them.

"He brought this person here!" Huangfu Tiangang angrily slammed the table. "Everything is connected to him! This person is in league with Dice! If we don't get rid of this menace, should we keep him for the New Year?"