Chapter 65: I Let You Knock

Seeing Li Huowang under attack, a Youye spirit from afar swiftly flew back, crashing fiercely into Ershen. However, the Youye, usually insubstantial, met its match this time. It crashed hard into Ershen, but instead of phasing through, it was flung back by the impact.

"Ahhh!" A guttural roar erupted as a thick wooden club swung, grazing Li Huowang's face before smashing violently into Ershen's head. With a tearing sound, flesh ripped apart. Although Ershen was flung away, a large piece of flesh was also torn from Li Huowang's shoulder.

The intense pain nearly made Li Huowang pass out, but he ignored it, pulling out two bottles and handing them to Gouwa, who was trying to help him up. "One is poison, the other is a sleeping drug," he instructed. "Smear them both on your blades. Help me keep this thing contained." He couldn't fight on two fronts; he had to eliminate one threat.

Seeing Ershen, with half its head blown off, still struggling to get up, Gouwa, clutching his own head, clearly felt his legs go weak. "Senior Brother Li, are you sure these will work against that thing?"

At that moment, Xiaoman, without a word, snatched the two bottles. Gritting her teeth, she steeled herself and charged forward with her blade. "Whether it works or not, let's just use it first!"

Li Huowang knew this was a desperate move, but he couldn't afford to worry about it. If Li Zhi wasn't dealt with, more and more immortals would be summoned. The three Youye spirits in the distance constantly circled Li Zhi, but every time they tried to approach, something invisible obstructed them.

Seeing Li Huowang approaching, Li Zhi pulled at his own belly, continuing to sing with gusto. "Old immortal, when you arrive, don't forget your three precious treasures! Three treasures, oh, treasures three: the Immortal-Snaring Lock, the Immortal-Binding Rope, and the Soul-Capturing Bottle trailing behind. Throw these three treasures upon your disciples! If you can't seize them firmly, kick with your feet; if they're not bound tight, stomp with your heels, oh~~"

After finishing his song, Li Zhi raised the short whip he used for drumming and flicked it sharply toward Li Huowang. Though nothing visible appeared, the Youye spirits clearly sensed something. One of the Youye spirits swiftly flew back, positioning itself in front of Li Huowang. Moments later, with a crisp snap, the Youye spirit, formed from various lines, shattered into pieces.

Li Zhi then made another forceful gesture in their direction. If it connected, it would undoubtedly meet the same fate as the Youye spirit. In the nick of time, Li Huowang quickly reached behind his back, pulling out the Book of Heaven and holding it up as a shield. With a clang, Li Huowang felt his hand go numb. "It blocked it! This Book of Heaven is really tough!"

Thus, holding the Book of Heaven as a shield in one hand and shaking his bell in the other, he gritted his teeth and rapidly approached Li Zhi. As he abruptly shook his head, the number of Youye spirits around him instantly doubled. "Shu! Lin! Can! Zhu!" Li Huowang commanded. The doubled number of Youye spirits immediately began to assault Li Zhi from various directions.

Li Zhi struggled to hold on, but Li Huowang was in no better shape. Because of the overwhelming number of Youye spirits, he felt an intensely strong sense of nausea, an instinctive urge to vomit. It was now a test of who could endure longer.

In the midst of the chaos, Li Huowang suddenly realized that in his current state, he could see the immortals that were obstructing the Youye spirits. These transparent beings, like white smoke, were incredibly bizarre. They took human, beast, or half-human, half-beast forms, constantly shifting and changing over time. Everything that constituted their bodies vibrated with the beat of Li Zhi's drum. They were like an open book; the moment he saw their forms, Li Huowang understood them. There were countless such immortals, ubiquitous, like beings whose bodies were eternally ethereal and invisible. If they wished to interact with reality, they had to materialize through a specific melody; the drumbeat was their condition for appearance.

"The drumbeat!" Li Huowang, regaining his composure, gritted his teeth and charged forward, shaking the ritual bell in his hand ever more loudly. As he drew closer, the bell's sound gradually began to overpower the drum's, and the Youye spirits' defense started to break through.

Seeing the situation worsen, Li Zhi's expression hardened. He opened his mouth, and the corners instantly ripped, a scarlet tongue emerging like a snake's tongue. His voice changed, transforming into a mournful, tragic tune. "Smoke~ Cloud~ oh~~" As soon as he uttered these words, a violent gust of wind erupted, and the drumbeat once again drowned out the bell. Furthermore, a faint feminine whisper sounded in Li Huowang's ears, and everything before his eyes began to rapidly distort.

Gradually, the sounds of wind, drum, and bell, all the noises around him, were replaced by other sounds: conversations, the clicking of a Rubik's Cube, the tapping of leather shoes, phone notification alerts. When he regained his senses, he found himself, dressed in a blue and white patient gown, being assisted on a walk in the courtyard of a mental hospital.

"This is all fake! It's an illusion!" Li Huowang sharply lifted his head and looked around, instantly spotting Old Man Liu in the distance being helped out of the courtyard by his daughter. Their distance was exactly the same as his distance from Li Zhi just moments before.

"Huowang, what's wrong?"

Li Huowang suddenly let out a sinister sneer, his expression twisted. This guy still wanted to confuse him with illusions? He had miscalculated badly. Other things might work, but illusions were absolutely useless against him. He violently shook off the hand assisting him, stomped his right foot on a garden step, and charged towards Old Man Liu in the distance.

The distant conversation gradually reached Li Huowang's ears. "Doctor, thank you so much. If it weren't for you, my father wouldn't have recovered so quickly."

"Haha, not at all, it's just our duty as doctors," a voice replied. "Master Liu, remember to take your medicine regularly once you're home."

"Yes, yes."

"Li Zhi!" Li Huowang's shout made everyone instinctively turn their heads, including Old Man Liu, who had specifically changed into different clothes for his discharge.

"Thwack!" Li Huowang's fist landed squarely on Old Man Liu's jaw. A set of dentures, mixed with blood, tumbled through the air. The next second, the illusion swiftly receded. Li Huowang saw Li Zhi in front of him, head flung back from the blow, nose bleeding profusely. The surrounding immortals still attempted to intervene, but they were all held back by the six Youye spirits.

"I'll teach you to drum!"

With a clang, the longsword was drawn and thrust forward with full force. The incredibly sharp sword tip severed Li Zhi's finger, pierced through his torn flesh, and plunged deep into the center of his abdomen. This single sword thrust silenced both the drum and the bell. The immortals and Youye spirits gradually dissipated, and everything around them became quiet once more.

Li Zhi stared in stunned disbelief at his profusely bleeding abdomen, slowly took two steps back, and then collapsed to the ground.

Gasping for breath, Li Huowang glanced at the dying Li Zhi, then turned to look behind him, seeing that Ershen, who had been entangled with others in the distance, had also disintegrated.

"Heh heh, Revered Li, my apologies..."