Chapter 710: Crisis

Night in Later Shu.

As these individuals discussed crucial military matters, Li Huowang and Bai Lingmiao, still veiled in red, stood silently in a corner, seemingly invisible.

They listened to the disputes between various factions, the compromises made under duress, and their upcoming plans.

The successful acquisition of the ley lines from both Siqi and Later Shu clearly invigorated everyone present, from the Si Tianjian to members of the imperial family.

The atmosphere inside the military tent significantly improved.

It was already late into the night when the procedures were finalized. With a gentle wave of Xuanpin's hand, the entire military tent and some of the people dispersed like smoke.

“Now that we have secured the ley lines of Later Shu, as long as the Later Shu emperor is persuaded to surrender, the military strategists of Later Shu will surely defect. The Dharma Sect forces will likely retreat back to Siqi, but we cannot follow their path.”

“Oh,” Li Huowang responded simply.

“Li Huowang, this isn't like you,” Xuanpin remarked, noticing that he seemed different from usual.

Li Huowang ignored the comment and asked directly, “All your plotting and scheming involves suffering in the mortal realm. You know better than I do how the Dharma Sect originated, don't you? Don't you have any plans regarding their source?”

Xuanpin understood what Li Huowang was implying. “After all, we are mere mortals. We don't even know what the Si Ming above White Jade Capital are doing, so how can we possibly interfere?”

“That's not right, is it? Isn't the Si Tianjian supposedly responsible for overseeing the heavens? And don't say you have no way; back then, to prevent a natural disaster, you even tried to use the imperial palace as a formation to steal the eye of the Mountain Ghost. This trouble is even greater. Don't you intend to cause a bigger stir?”

Li Huowang slightly tilted his head, looking at the darkness within Xuanpin's red ritual robe.

“You must be doing something, right? You just don't plan to tell me.”

Although the other party showed no extra reaction, Li Huowang felt he had guessed correctly.

“There are some things you can't help with. Telling you would only make you overthink and be of no benefit. Everyone has their role to play; I am Si Tianjian, I have my affairs, and you have yours.”

Li Huowang's left lip curled into a self-mocking smile. He then turned and left with Bai Lingmiao.

But after only a few steps, Xuanpin reappeared before him. “What are your plans now? Oh, and the White Lotus Saintess.”

“If you won't tell me, why should I tell you? In any case, our past cooperation didn't seem to make one plus one greater than two. Since that's the case, let's fight our own battles.”

After speaking, Li Huowang lifted his foot and walked forward, passing directly through Xuanpin's body as he headed towards his own quarters.

“Are you holding a grudge? I was truly entangled by the Earth Dragon that time; it wasn't that I didn't want to save you.”

Li Huowang did not stop. He refused to be a pawn in someone else's hands, even if their goals aligned at this moment.

After spending so much time together, Li Huowang had come to understand that Xuanpin was cunning. Although he appeared kind, he was constantly manipulating those around him.

“How has the White Lotus Sect's expansion in Later Shu been progressing?” Li Huowang asked Bai Lingmiao.

Li Huowang had truly not expected that the power he could genuinely control would be the White Lotus Sect, a group whose village he had once massacred. It only goes to show how unpredictable life can be.

“It's expanding rapidly, especially since we recovered the ley lines.”

Li Huowang was not surprised by this answer. Many people believed in the Dharma Sect, but even more people were opportunists who would side with whoever was winning.

“White Lotus adherents from Daliang's Qingqiu are arriving in succession to establish White Lotus halls and communities.”

“How many people can be drawn from them for combat? What is their strength?” If the Dharma Sect could do it, the White Lotus Sect naturally could too.

“Senior Brother Li, it won't work. The time is too short. We can rally them, but these common people would just be sent to their deaths. It will take more time to select the truly devout followers of the Unborn Old Mother and those with high comprehension to be absorbed into the White Lotus Sect.”

“However, Senior Brother Li, if you need people to deal with the Dharma Sect, I can summon the Seventy-Two Protectors.”

“What good are seventy-two people?” Li Huowang had already experienced the strength of the White Lotus Sect followers. Although they were somewhat stronger than before, they were still incapable of handling significant tasks.

Bai Lingmiao opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “Senior Brother Li, as the White Lotus Saintess, I can feel that the Unborn Old Mother has grown considerably stronger.”

“Stronger again? Could it be that she has seized the Heavenly Dao of another Si Ming?” Li Huowang wondered, tilting his head back to look at the sky. He truly wanted to know what was happening in White Jade Capital right now.

“Have them come and try, then. Ideally, have all the White Lotus Sect's experts come. If the Dharma Sect wins, it will be good for no one.”

“Alright. So, Senior Brother Li, what do you plan to do next?”

“What else? Now that we've finally gained some advantage, we naturally need to expand it. When they make a move, I'll follow.”

“If they encounter some tough adversaries, I'll be responsible for dealing with them.” Even though he no longer trusted Xuanpin, they weren't enemies at this moment.

Just as Li Huowang was about to say something more, he suddenly clutched his arm, his face contorted in pain. Quickly, his red Daoist robe became soaked with blood.

“Senior Brother Li, what's wrong?! Don't move!” As slender fingers with sharp nails rapidly tapped the drum skin, Bai Lingmiao began to chant the familiar verses of the Bingjia.

“When chaos first divided, separating heaven and earth, establishing yin and yang. Earth is yin, heaven is yang; the moon is yin, the sun is yang; north is yin, south is yang; yin is dark, yang is yellow...”

As Bai Lingmiao continued to tap, the red veil on her head swelled with various animal faces. These faces, still bearing the red veil, leaped directly from Bai Lingmiao's face.

The red veils on Bai Lingmiao's face seemed endless; as one was taken away, another appeared beneath it.

All the Immortals, still wearing their red veils, watched the suffering Li Huowang warily.

Amidst the drumbeats and chanting, they circled Li Huowang continuously, seemingly very fearful.

However, as the drumbeats grew more frantic and the chanting more severe, one of the Immortals was finally forced to approach Li Huowang.

But just as its nose, propped up by the red veil, lightly touched Li Huowang's red Daoist robe...

The next moment, accompanied by sharp, beastly wails, the entire red veil instantly tore into shreds. Then, as if contagious, the surrounding moving red veils rapidly ripped apart. Within moments, nothing remained but strips of red cloth.

“I'm... I'm fine!” When Li Huowang, who had been hunched over, finally lifted his head, the skin on his face peeled open and closed in scales. His movements were incredibly light.

Each peeling motion brought Li Huowang a knife-like pain. As each piece cracked open, even the battle-hardened Li Huowang was close to fainting from the agony.

Li Huowang took a deep breath. “It's fine! It's just... after my last ascension, this occasionally happens. I'll get used to it.”