Chapter 691: Cloud Marsh

"Sixteen *shichen* – this world originally had thirty-two hours in a day." Hearing this, Li Huowang felt his mind reel; some commonly held knowledge was surprisingly incorrect here.

"That's right. Dragon veins vary in size, but the almanac indeed records sixteen *shichen*."

"Then why didn't you tell me before?"

"How could you not have read something recorded in an almanac that costs only one silver tael on the street? Aren't you a Daoist? Have you not even read the Four Books and Five Classics?"

Li Huowang didn't know how to respond for a moment, but upon reflection, it seemed reasonable. If the entire world was mad, what did a few extra *shichen* in a day matter?

Just then, a thought popped into Li Huowang's mind: "What if, what if all the remaining dragon veins were gone? What would be the consequences? What would a world with no *shichen* at all be like?"

Li Huowang vigorously shook his head, clearing away these thoughts. "Never mind how many *shichen* are in a day right now. Where do we find those three dragon veins? That's the most crucial thing now!"

"Yunze." As soon as the name was uttered, Li Huowang quickly found a map of Later Shu and examined it carefully.

The terrain of Later Shu was barren, but not entirely devoid of water. Within its borders lay a swamp filled with miasma, a place shrouded in various legends—this was Yunze.

Looking at the map, Li Huowang gritted his teeth. "It's come to this; no point in lingering. Let's go! We'll get those dragon veins back! Eleven *shichen* a day is already too few!"

With the situation critical, Li Huowang and his group set off. They weren't the only ones; all the strategists within Later Shu, along with reinforcements from Qingqiu, also joined the counterattack against the areas occupied by the Dharma Sect.

Regardless of their individual motives, they remained allies in the fight against the Dharma Sect.

With such a large-scale movement from Li Huowang's side, the Dharma Sect naturally wouldn't sit idly by. The entire Later Shu instantly descended into chaos.

Across the barren Gobi Desert, everyone galloped swiftly on horseback, heading towards Yunze.

As their group charged into a depression, the ground suddenly cracked open, revealing a bottomless black chasm.

But before anything from beneath the ground could act, a bizarre scene unfolded: the riders found themselves completely without footing, galloping in mid-air.

A pallid hand, adorned with a jade archer's ring on its thumb, plunged into Li Huowang's head, then slid out from the back of his skull as he moved. "This is a mirage, a trick of Xuanpin. They aren't here."

Meanwhile, the real Li Huowang and his group had already appeared on the outskirts of Yunze.

Clearly, the Dharma Sect wouldn't meekly allow them to approach. The area outside Yunze had become a full-blown battlefield, with the Dharma Sect defending and Later Shu and Qingqiu attacking.

This place was like a massive millstone, grinding living people into death and dismembered limbs. Even the heavens seemed unable to bear witness, shedding a fine drizzle.

As the rain intensified, so did the casualties on the battlefield. The rain pounded heavily into the blood-soaked ground, shrouding the entire marsh in a bloody mist.

"Die!!" Li Huowang, his body covered in tentacles, roared as he cut a bloody swathe through the crowds, leaving corpses strewn everywhere he went.

Yet, no matter how many Li Huowang killed, the Dharma Sect followers seemed endless. They swarmed forward like insects, fearless of death, an inexhaustible tide.

Pushing through relentlessly, Li Huowang and his group finally reached the edge of Yunze.

Seeing that the other Celestial Supervisors had already moved deeper into Yunze, Li Huowang didn't linger on the periphery either, leading the rest of his group deeper into the marsh.

"This way! Go this way!" Shangguan Yuting of Xuanpin constantly guided Li Huowang through the muddy swamp.

Away from the battlefield, the surroundings of Yunze grew quiet, but this didn't mean safety. Instead, it became even more perilous.

With two 'thwip' sounds, two invisible arrows shot out from a nearby pond, piercing Li Huowang's back at incredible speed and emerging from his chest.

Li Huowang, holding his purple-tasseled sword, turned around and stared coldly at the pond. Peng Longteng's tall figure crashed heavily into it, sending water splashing everywhere. In a short while, the water in the pond quickly turned blood-red.

To avoid further surprise attacks, a small lump quickly rose on the back of Li Huowang's head. A slit then opened, and Li Sui's twin eyes emerged, guarding his blind spot.

Li Huowang gripped the invisible arrow in his chest with one hand and pulled it out directly. He walked to the edge of the pond, looking at his reflection in the water, a hint of hesitation in his expression. "Ji Zai, what exactly are you doing? With three dragon veins gone, are you really just going to watch? What about the preparations you mentioned before?"

However, Ji Zai still offered no response. A trace of disappointment appeared on Li Huowang's face. He truly wanted to know what Ji Zai was doing now. Was there anything more important than dealing with the Dharma Sect at this moment?

"Be careful, Zheng Boqiao's side has run into trouble." Xuanpin's figure appeared beside Li Huowang.

After observing the reactions of others, Li Huowang realized this was merely an illusion of Xuanpin; his true self was elsewhere.

"Even if the strategists tie up the Dharma Sect's cannon fodder, there are still many skilled individuals within the Dharma Sect."

"Aren't you a bit late saying that? Let's regroup, lest the Dharma Sect overwhelm us with numbers and defeat us piece by piece."

"You underestimate the Celestial Supervisors a bit too much. They're fine. If there's a real encirclement, I'll send others to assist. I'm telling you this to make you wary. Here." Xuanpin extended a hand, offering an old wooden box to Li Huowang.

"What is this?" Li Huowang reached out and took it. Curiously, while Xuanpin's body was illusory, the box in his hand was solid.

"Some Xiantian Yiqi found in Later Shu. Use it when you find the dragon veins. There isn't much this time; the xinsu are too few, and many have simply wasted it."

Li Huowang glanced at the red box with a very complicated expression, then reached out, took it, and tucked it into his robes.

Suddenly, Li Huowang's head instinctively tilted, dodging a flying locust stone shot from behind. When he turned around, he saw a stone statue standing motionless not far away.

Li Huowang frowned, pulled out his coin sword, and swung it forcefully towards the statue. The stone statue instantly cracked open, and dark green worms splattered out everywhere.

What looked like stone was not stone at all; it was more like a human-shaped cocoon of worms.

"Senior Brother Li," Bai Lingmiao, who was nearby, suddenly spoke. "There are many, many more of these things in the distance."

Hearing this, Li Huowang looked at Xuanpin beside him. "Tell them to take it easy. It seems the Dharma Sect has prepared a feast for our arrival."