Chapter 64: Drum

"Calling the spirits!" Li Zhi’s distinct, resonant voice echoed from within the forest, and the strangely contorted Ershen began to tremble in cooperative synchrony.

"The sun sets in the west, darkening the sky; every household closes its doors. Magpies and old crows rush to big trees; sparrows scurry to the eaves, oh. The main road has shortened—ah!!"

Li Zhi’s spirit-invoking chant abruptly ceased, clearly catching Ershen by surprise. He lifted his head in bewilderment, looking at Li Huowang before him and the slight upturn of his lips.

"You specifically came to test me, but wasn’t I also testing you? I’ve been deceived by monks once already; once bitten, twice shy. I always need to be on guard, don’t I?"

No sooner had Li Huowang finished speaking than scattered footsteps emerged from the forest. It was Gouwa, Shazi, and the others.

This group, weapons in hand, pushed Li Zhi forward, who was clutching his bloodied mouth. Meanwhile, Li Zhi’s old drum, used for spirit dancing, was firmly held by Xiaoman, whose body was covered in black fur.

Li Huowang took the old drum from Xiaoman’s hand. In front of Li Zhi, he threw it to the ground and plunged his sword into it. With a "puchi" sound, the tightly stretched drumhead was effortlessly pierced.

"It seems this item is your most important possession. No matter which immortal you call upon, without this, they probably can’t come, can they?"

After days of interaction, Li Huowang realized that no matter how powerful the immortals were, the spirit dancer himself was still a mortal. As long as he was controlled, everything would be easy.

Looking at the glinting blades surrounding him, Li Zhi, who had taken a blow to the mouth, showed no fear or even hatred. Instead, he revealed a helpless, bitter smile. "Actually, I can’t decide such things."

With a "clang!", the sharp, charcoal-black blade was already pressed against Li Zhi’s neck. "Still trying to deceive me at a time like this? Make Ershen surrender!"

Li Huowang’s gaze was fixed on the unrecognizable Ershen in the distance. Li Zhi was trapped, but the human-beast-like Ershen in the distance remained a problem.

"Heh heh... you say that, but what makes you think my wife will definitely listen to me?"

As soon as Li Zhi finished speaking, he saw Ershen in the distance open its monstrous mouth and let out a fierce roar. Then, it dropped to all fours and galloped into the forest like a wild beast.

Ershen had actually run away, leaving Li Zhi alone here.

"True Master Li, I really didn’t lie to you. We spirit-riding disciples are not like you; there are some things I truly can’t control." Li Zhi feebly tried to explain himself.

"Do you think hearing these words from you will suddenly make me merciful and let you go?" Li Huowang’s blade nudged forward slightly.

"Heh heh, no, that won’t happen." Facing imminent death, Li Zhi appeared remarkably calm.

Looking at the captive before him, Li Huowang pondered for a moment before slowly speaking: "What is Xinsu? Why do you call me Xinsu?"

This was what he cared about most. There must be a reason they attacked him, and this 'Xinsu' had already been mentioned twice.

Li Zhi sighed helplessly. "So, you really don’t know anything? I was fooled by that blood-stained robe of yours before."

"What exactly is Xinsu!" Li Huowang ground his teeth and asked, syllable by syllable, the blade drawing a line of blood.

Li Zhi looked at Li Huowang and chuckled. "Heh heh, your mind works fast, but I’m afraid you can’t defeat the Old Immortal."

The next second, Li Zhi’s eyes began to bloodshot and elongate. Spines like a hedgehog’s quills emerged from beneath his eye corners. His nose twisted and extended forward, his entire face beginning to contort into the same grotesque appearance as Ershen moments before.

Li Huowang pressed down with one hand, guiding the sharp blade towards Li Zhi’s neck. However, beneath the tearing skin, there were no blood vessels, but a row of dense, hard snake scales.

"Kill him!!"

Following Li Huowang’s shout, with a "whoosh!" and a gust of wind, a massive wooden club arrived first, striking Li Zhi’s head fiercely.

Blood and flesh splattered. Li Zhi, whose transformation had only just begun, was instantly split open and fell to the ground.

"Thump, thump, thump!!" Urgent drumming sounds echoed from the dark forest, drawing everyone’s gaze.

A startled Li Huowang instinctively looked down at the broken drum on the ground. "Drumming? How is there still drumming? Li Zhi’s drum should have been destroyed by me!"

"Calling the spirits!~"

Accompanied by the drumming and the spirit chant, a figure staggered out of the forest. It was Ershen, or perhaps Li Zhi.

As those things grew on Li Zhi’s face, the departing Ershen’s face was completely free of them. The two had incredibly swapped places with such ease: Li Zhi had become Ershen, and Ershen had become Li Zhi.

"Thump, thump, thump~!!" Abrupt drumming sounds emanated from beneath Li Zhi. When others looked down at him, they gasped.

The man’s clothes were open; one hand brutally tearing at the flesh of his abdomen, while the other held a drumstick and struck it.

Without a drum, Li Zhi was incredibly using his own skin as a drum! "Thump, thump, thump!!"

"The sun sets in the west, darkening the sky; every household closes its doors. Magpies and old crows rush to big trees; sparrows scurry to the eaves, oh. Small houses are broken, travel is hard; nine out of ten households are locked, with one door still open. Burning incense, beating drums, I invite the immortals, oh~~"

No sooner had the words fallen than the Erxian on the ground suddenly stood up, even though more than half of its head was caved in.

Repeated "puchi" sounds echoed. All weapons, including the long sword in Li Huowang’s hand, instantly plunged into Ershen’s body.

Li Huowang was certain his sword had pierced its heart. Yet, Ershen still stood upright.

"First I invite the Red, then I invite the Yellow. I invite the Clear Wind, Smoke, and Clouds, bringing the Sorrowful King. The Red clan is the commander, the Yellow clan is the vanguard. Clear Wind, Smoke, and Clouds take their stand, and that Sorrowful King guards the hall, oh~~"

A massive force suddenly emanated from Ershen. As it violently twisted its body, everyone holding a weapon nearby instantly lost their grip.

"No! Li Zhi’s drumming must stop! He’s the key!" Li Huowang reached out with his right hand, and the brass Daoist bell instantly appeared in his grasp.

"Ring-ring-ring!!" "Thump-thump-thump!!"

Two distinct sounds intertwined and clashed throughout the forest.

Various lines around them rapidly coalesced into Master You. Li Huowang violently shook his dizzy head. Master You instantly split into four, rushing towards Li Zhi.

Completely disregarding his body, which was bleeding profusely from the skinning, Li Zhi, with bulging veins on his forehead, his lips trembling incessantly, doubled the speed of his spirit chant.

"The feast on the table is laid out; it will be delicious, it will be refreshing. Delicious, refreshing, and all that good stuff. You tell the helping soldiers, you speak to the helping soldiers. The helping soldiers are good and will prepare it for you. If you want to eat fatty beef and lamb, or lean chicken, duck, and goose. Old Immortal, if you insist on eating the meat of ingratitude, the helping soldiers will find a way to get it for you, oh~!!"

Li Huowang felt a sharp pain in his neck. Unbeknownst to him, Ershen had already appeared behind him. Its cavernous mouth, filled with sharp teeth, bit fiercely into the flesh of his shoulder.