Chapter 587: Seasonal Calamity

Inside the pavilion, the Emperor of Great Liang was listening to the Sitianjian's report. "No matter how much the Imperial Advisor and I calculate, we cannot determine whether that die is alive or dead."

Gao Zhijian began walking slowly along the long rain corridor, leading the Sitianjian. "Let me see what happened back then."

The Sitianjian nodded, extended a gaunt, bony finger, pulled something from his shadow, and threw it forcefully into the sky.

As the black mass enveloped everything, the world instantly transformed, and the Sitianjian and Gao Zhijian were simultaneously transported back to the fierce battlefield of that time.

Gao Zhijian saw his Senior Brother Li, who was standing in the center of the bloody battlefield, facing the die that controlled the Dragon Vein.

Although only his mouth remained on Senior Brother Li's face, he was inexplicably still alive and standing there.

For some reason, Gao Zhijian felt that if Senior Brother Li had a face at that moment, his expression would surely be one of calm detachment.

Senior Brother Li hovered, scratching where his head should have been, then approached the Dragon Vein.

The Dragon Vein die seemed to want to flee, but no matter how it flew, it drew closer and closer to Senior Brother Li.

If it flew fast, Senior Brother Li walked fast; if it flew slowly, Senior Brother Li walked slowly.

It was as if Senior Brother Li wasn't approaching step by step, but rather by a ratio of the distance between them.

Finally, Senior Brother Li reached the tail end of the Dragon Vein. He stretched out both hands, grasped the golden chains entwined around the Dragon Vein, and began to climb upward step by step.

He climbed very slowly; even a sixty-year-old man would have been nimbler. Yet, despite the die desperately shaking its body, it couldn't dislodge Senior Brother Li.

Successive emperors tried to extend their dragon claws to pierce Li Huowang's body, but their forms gradually stiffened, becoming hard as stone.

"This is impossible! Absolutely impossible! I am the Dragon Vein now! Wherever I am, that's reality! You can't control me!" the die's voice revealed intense unwillingness.

During this time, the Dragon Vein die had not refrained from attacking Li Huowang, but it was utterly immobile. The entire Dragon Vein had become incredibly stiff, unable even to twist.

"Didn't they say that the Dragon Vein, the very destiny of Great Liang, would not be affected by other divine powers?" Gao Zhijian asked.

However, the Sitianjian couldn't answer that question.

Soon, Li Huowang reached the top of the Dragon Vein. After looking left and right, he reached out and grabbed towards Gao Zhijian's head.

Then, as if performing a beheading technique, he twisted Gao Zhijian's head clean off. Throughout this, the head not only remained alive but was even speaking deceptively.

Li Huowang acted as if he hadn't heard, reaching into the head and pulling something out.

"Right here, can you zoom in?" Gao Zhijian suddenly asked.

With a thought from the Sitianjian, the distant Li Huowang was instantly brought closer, right before them.

But what perplexed Gao Zhijian was that even though Senior Brother Li clearly pulled something out, his hands were empty, as if he had only made a symbolic gesture.

At this point, the Sitianjian suddenly spoke, "Perhaps there was something there at the time, but that object was extraordinary; with my cultivation, I cannot manifest it."

Gao Zhijian pondered, then asked deliberately, "Have you truly re-checked, and there's nothing else in my head now?"

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I stake my own head on it: there is absolutely no die in your head now."

"Furthermore, to prevent the same incident from recurring, the Imperial Advisor, Zheng Boqiao, and I have jointly placed a restriction on your imperial robe. This will never happen again."

Hearing this, Gao Zhijian showed no sign of relief; he simply continued to watch Senior Brother Li.

Li Huowang resumed his actions. He took out what was inside the head, looked at the sun in the sky, and smiled joyfully.

At that very moment, the entire Dragon Vein seemed to have its spine removed, collapsing limply from mid-air to the ground.

"Brother Li! Is Great Qi saved?" asked Zhuge Yuan, who was nearby.

Li Huowang looked at him and said in a calm, unhurried voice, "Great Qi is saved."

Hearing this, a look of relief appeared on Zhuge Yuan's face, and he completely vanished from the spot.

Just then, Bai Lingmiao, the Sitianjian, the Imperial Advisor, and military strategists all converged on Li Huowang.

Whether their target was the Dragon Vein of Great Qi or Li Huowang standing on it, was, of course, self-evident.

"Senior Brother Li, are you alright?" Bai Lingmiao, who had two upper bodies, looked him up and down nervously.

"I'm fine; I'm very well now. My illness is indeed cured, don't worry," said the headless Li Huowang calmly.

The next moment, something resembling an ethereal glow emanated from within his body.

These ethereal wisps floated out from Li Huowang, ascended towards the sky, and vanished instantly.

"What were those things? Coming out from Senior Brother Li's body?"

"They were likely the methods of Doumu. I was right in my previous assumption; he was indeed targeted by Doumu."

"Since the die betrayed the Yin-Yang Doumu, I had intended to exploit Doumu's hostility towards the die, letting them fight first. However, the Yin-Yang Doumu did not intervene; it was *it* who acted."

"Who is 'it'?" Gao Zhijian pressed.

"It cannot be spoken of, but it is a rather unique Siming. It taught me the art of illusion. You must understand, in this mortal realm, with several Dragon Veins supporting it, Siming usually cannot descend. But this one is different."

"Although it bestowed upon me the art of illusion, it has never paid much attention to me, nor to anyone else."

"Furthermore, even two hundred years ago, when the Great Liang dynasty was on the verge of collapse, and I was willing to sacrifice everything to implore its intervention, it never even glanced my way."

Gao Zhijian felt a bit dazed, not only by the convoluted explanation but also because it differed from what he had heard from the Dragon Vein.

"Didn't they say there were no Siming?"

"Since they instructed Your Majesty, then Your Majesty should simply listen. If they say there are no Siming, then there are no Siming."

Hearing this, Gao Zhijian no longer dwelled on the matter. "Senior Brother Li should be better now. Let's go directly and ask him in person; what he says himself should be clearer."

The Sitianjian raised no objections and followed Gao Zhijian towards Li Huowang's residence.

Li Huowang's dwelling was nearby, so Gao Zhijian could visit him anytime in the future.

Before long, they saw Bai Lingmiao returning, carrying a food box.

When Bai Lingmiao saw the Sitianjian next to Gao Zhijian, her eyes widened in surprise, and her white eyelashes trembled slightly.

"What's going on! Another one?"

"What? Another? One?" Gao Zhijian asked nervously. "Just now, when I was feeding him porridge, a Sitianjian had already gone in!"

Hearing these alarming words, the Sitianjian acted swiftly, extending three hands simultaneously to form a hand seal, and darted towards the heavily guarded door in the distance, leaving afterimages.

Before he even got close, the Sitianjian heard voices from inside; there truly was someone in there.

As soon as the Sitianjian pushed open the door, he saw Li Huowang, sitting on the bed with a lotus root for a head, just turning to look at him. There was no one else in the room.

"Who were you just talking to?"

Li Huowang furrowed his brow, thought hard for a moment, then replied, "Ji Zai."