Chapter 669: Becoming Stronger

"If I bow to that lotus, will I become stronger?" A slightly bewildered Li Sui walked over and mimicked what they were doing.

After a while, however, Li Sui didn't feel any changes in herself and became somewhat disheartened.

Just then, a small centipede crawled past her, about to burrow into the pant leg of a nearby White Lotus follower.

Li Sui's skirt quickly bulged, and a skinned dog's head suddenly burst out, its interlocking fangs directly biting the centipede and shaking its head wildly.

Watching the centipede shatter under her sharp fangs, Li Sui suddenly understood how she could become stronger. In the past, she had always just learned whatever her father learned.

But now she realized that she was different from her father; she couldn't do what he could, but conversely, he couldn't do what she could.

"Am I Li Sui or Mantou?" Li Sui didn't want to dwell on this question. What she was considering now was her unique ability.

Her body had merged with Mantou, giving her Mantou's sharp fangs and claws. So, if she merged with other things, would she become even more formidable?

The more Li Sui thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Her father had always said that Black Taisui inherently possessed the ability to seize bodies; it was her natural instinct.

With this realization, Li Sui didn't bother kneeling anymore. She stood up and hurried into the forest to look for suitable candidates to possess.

There weren't many types of creatures to choose from in the forest, and even fewer that could enhance her strength after possession. Fortunately, she had just encountered one recently.

When it was fully light, as Bai Lingmiao waited for Li Huowang to come for a meal, a bear covered in tentacles emerged from the forest, walking with earth-shaking steps, and stood before her.

"Protect the Saintess!"

Bai Lingmiao stepped out from the circle of believers and looked up at the enormous mound of flesh before her with a surprised expression. "Sui Sui?"

The bear opened its mouth, revealing Li Sui's happy face. "Mom! How did you know it was me? I thought you wouldn't guess! Mom, look how much flesh I have now, I'm so strong!"

As she spoke, Li Sui controlled the body, went to a large tree, wrapped its thick claws around it, and began to shake it vigorously.

Dirt flew everywhere. When she felt the tree roots loosen significantly, Li Sui wrapped her claws around the trunk and pulled with all her might, directly uprooting the large tree from the ground. "Mom! Look! I'm so strong now! Aren't I amazing?!"

Li Sui wasn't just excited about her current strength; she had discovered how to become stronger.

Her Black Taisui body-seizing ability was innate; as long as she possessed powerful entities, she could borrow their strength.

Not just bears; in the future, as long as she possessed even more powerful beings, she could better protect her father.

"Alright, alright, I know you're strong. Now hurry and get out of that bear skin. If you stay inside its belly, your newly changed clothes will get dirty again."

"Mom, I didn't just crawl into its belly; it *is* me!"

As Li Sui spoke, she, Bai Lingmiao, and even the wary White Lotus followers nearby all felt a pulling sensation from deep within the forest.

It was as if the entire world had become a piece of cloth, and someone on the other side had suddenly yanked it.

"Dad?" Li Sui asked, looking confusedly in that direction.

After a moment, a smiling Li Huowang emerged from the forest. Around him, shrubs, tree trunks, and branches twisted and collapsed, clearing a path for him.

"I've reached the Abdominal Wheel! My cultivation technique has advanced another step!" Li Huowang announced this good news to Bai Lingmiao.

"Brother Li, this time it was so fast! We haven't even reached Qingqiu yet!" Having spent so much time with Li Huowang, Bai Lingmiao naturally understood what this meant.

According to Brother Li, the cultivation technique had a total of seven wheels, and each progression to a new wheel made his cultivation abilities stronger.

"I don't know why it was so fast this time, perhaps I'm exceptionally gifted," Li Huowang understood that since he was going to Qingqiu and Later Shu to help deal with the Buddhist sect, the stronger his cultivation abilities, the better.

This not only made the cultivated items quicker and simpler to produce but also increased their duration.

As he was explaining more to Bai Lingmiao, he noticed Li Sui inside the bear. "Sui Sui, what are you doing?"

"Dad, you've become stronger! But look! I'm strong now too, I can help you!" Li Sui excitedly explained to Li Huowang.

Taking the porridge Bai Lingmiao offered, Li Huowang sat down, ready to drink and listen. However, just as he put the rabbit meat porridge into his mouth, his expression suddenly became unusually solemn.

Although the meat porridge was perfectly cooked and looked very appetizing, he couldn't taste anything at all.

To ensure he wasn't the only one experiencing this, Li Huowang handed the bowl of porridge to Bai Lingmiao. "You try it."

Bai Lingmiao extended her tongue and lightly licked it. A hint of confusion appeared on her delicate face. "Strange, I clearly added salt, but there's no taste at all."

"Not just salt, I can't even taste the meat or rice. This is a heavenly disaster!" Li Huowang, his expression turning grim, looked up at the sky, his brow furrowed in thought, wondering what was happening inside White Jade City at that moment.

A heavenly disaster was not a good sign. It meant that something had changed in the Heavenly Dao, or that the Sì Mìng in charge of the Heavenly Dao was experiencing problems.

"Brother Li, it's true! Not only can I not taste anything, but I can't smell any fragrance either!" Bai Lingmiao exclaimed, surprised by her significant discovery.

Hearing this, Li Huowang began a series of tests. It was unclear whether it was good news or bad, but this heavenly disaster only affected taste and smell.

Temporarily losing these two senses wasn't frightening in itself, but the terrifying possibility was if this was just the beginning.

He knew that Ji Zai was also a Sì Mìng. If someone had seized Ji Zai's Heavenly Dao, then the troubles that had disappeared before would reappear! Doumu's fate had already told him that even Sì Mìng could die!

"Is this related to the expanding influence of God Yu'er? Is he seizing the Heavenly Dao of other Sì Mìng?" Li Huowang wondered inwardly.

He didn't know which Heavenly Dao governed taste and smell, nor did he know if that Sì Mìng had any believers among the common people in this world.

"Let's go, speed up! We need to reach Qingqiu as soon as possible!" Since the Bureau of Celestial Observation existed to prevent heavenly disasters, they must know something.

Since Ji Zai was useless, he could only seek information from them now.

Li Huowang didn't know how much help he could be in this catastrophe. All he could do now was try his utmost and give everything he had.

"Giddy up! Giddy up!!" The carriage, pulled by the horses, galloped away into the distance, leaving trails of yellow dust.