Chapter 713: 礼

"Kill!" Li Huowang, a yellow talisman affixed to his knee, plunged into the crowd like a crimson afterimage, reeking of blood. He unleashed a storm of violence, and his blood-colored daoist robe turned even deeper red.

Though surrounded by enemies in their camp, it was evident that the advantage was his.

Suddenly, Li Huowang detected a distinct tremor from the ground. In the distance, a four-horse chariot charged towards him with formidable momentum.

With a flick of his wrist, a cold gleam flashed, and the charging chariot was instantly sliced in half.

The next moment, a dark figure emerged from Li Huowang's shadow, raising an obsidian dagger and striking at his waist from an incredibly deceptive angle.

Yet, having battled the Dharma Sect for so long, Li Huowang was well-acquainted with such tactics. He was fully prepared, as Li Sui’s eye had long since formed on the back of his head.

He twisted his body, evaded the attack, then raised his longsword and struck his assailant directly.

With a whoosh, Li Huowang instantly felt darkness engulf him from all sides. The surrounding Dharma Sect followers, as if summoned, leaped into the air.

They swarmed him, blocking the sunlight, raising their sharp weapons, and roaring as they leaped towards Li Huowang.

Simultaneously, the shaman struck by Li Huowang, heedless of his own life, used all his strength to lock his feet onto Li Huowang's wrists, desperately trying to immobilize him.

From beneath the ground, two Wu hooks emerged, digging firmly into Li Huowang's insteps.

Clearly, upon realizing they couldn't defeat Li Huowang in direct combat, they resorted to a coordinated attack. Sounds of incessant stabbing filled the air as sharp weapons repeatedly pierced Li Huowang's body.

With bloodshot eyes, Li Huowang clenched his fists and let out a long howl. His skin and flesh began to crack open like fish scales, and countless tentacles, adorned with various torture instruments, burst forth from every part of his body, rapidly piercing through everyone around him.

Li Huowang sharply twisted his body to the left. With a sickening crack, he deliberately snapped his own spine, causing his entire body, with all its tentacles, to instantly whirl.

The various torture instruments and Li Huowang's three swords spun along with him, flashing cold light in every direction.

When the sounds of tearing flesh and screams subsided, the space above Li Huowang instantly cleared, and the sun once again shone down on him.

Lifting his right foot, he crushed a head beside him. Without a moment to catch his breath, Li Huowang rushed towards the imperiled Lu Xiucai.

This small-scale skirmish concluded after roughly an hour. Li Huowang stood by the stream, washing his blade and hands.

He recalled bringing his fellow disciples here to set up fires and cook in the past. Now, having become what he was, Li Huowang couldn't help but feel a pang of wistfulness.

Just then, a jet of water sprayed over his head before falling back into the stream. Soon, more jets erupted haphazardly, indicating something in the water was having a grand time.

"Sui Sui, stop playing! Let's go!" As Li Huowang walked towards the bank, Li Sui emerged from the water, revealing half of her wet, graceful body. Clutching a still-wriggling carp in her mouth, she quickly followed.

As they walked, Li Huowang frowned deeply at the scattered corpses on the ground, many of them dressed in official uniforms.

Siqi was not like Later Shu. While Later Shu was still a battleground between the Dharma Sect and the imperial court, Siqi had long been under the complete occupation of the Dharma Sect and their Dali regime.

One could say that in Later Shu, the danger was merely being caught in the crossfire. In Siqi, however, it was like trudging through deep mud, with enemies everywhere.

Since entering Siqi, he had encountered several such small-scale skirmishes.

"It's this troublesome even with so few people on my side. Your situation probably isn't much better, is it?" Li Huowang asked Xuanpin, who was beside him.

"Indeed."

"How are the battles on the front line? Are they progressing smoothly?" Li Huowang asked.

Xuanpin shook his head and remained silent. Li Huowang couldn't tell if he chose not to speak or simply didn't know.

"If you keep being so uninformative, I genuinely won't know what you want from me. You don't actually think..."

"...that our relationship is particularly strong, do you?"

"Li Huowang, those who accomplish great things don't get bogged down by trivialities. You're being a bit petty."

"I don't want to achieve great things! I just want this world to settle down, and I want to live a few peaceful days!" As Li Huowang glared at Xuanpin, his body involuntarily began to dissipate.

If he wished for Xuanpin not to exist, then Xuanpin would simply cease to be.

"Wait a moment. I have a great gift for you."

Just then, Xuanpin's six arms swiftly spun around his abdomen, and a mirror appeared beside Li Huowang.

The monk nearby, curious, approached and poked it with his finger. When there was no reaction, he simply picked it up and held it up to the sun.

"Don't touch that!" Li Huowang pulled the monk away, then focused on the translucent mirror hovering in mid-air and its contents.

Initially, he couldn't quite decipher it. There were lines, flags, and flashing red dots.

But Li Huowang, having recently come from Siqi, quickly realized it was a complete map of the region.

"This is the map of Siqi? And these are... ongoing battlefields?" Li Huowang asked, pointing at the red dots in surprise.

"More than that. The artifact I refined has more uses. Try reaching your hand inside." Hearing Xuanpin's words, Li Huowang, though skeptical, extended his finger.

As his finger touched one of the points, he instantly felt himself pulled into a brutal battlefield. Screams and shouts echoed continuously, and a pervasive, murderous aura enveloped everything, blurring all distinctions.

A low, mournful horn sound resonated, making Li Huowang's scalp tingle involuntarily.

The ground began to tremble, softly at first, then growing progressively louder and more intense.

Amidst the horn's call, Qingqiu's iron cavalry charged towards the distant Dharma Sect followers carrying colossal divine statues.

This environment made Li Huowang's blood boil, and his vital energy surged uncontrollably.

Li Huowang took a deep breath and withdrew his finger, finding himself back in his original position.

Glancing at Xuanpin, Li Huowang once again reached his hand into the triangular banner. Immediately, he saw several elderly Qingqiu commanders and strategists engrossed in a heated discussion before a large leather map.

Listening to their words, it was clear they were discussing deployment strategies. Li Huowang instantly grasped the immense value of the item.

"What do you think?" Xuanpin asked Li Huowang, who had reappeared.

"With this artifact, you can not only know the real-time situation of the entire battlefield but also understand our offensive strategies."

Xuanpin's hand emerged from his red daoist robe and gently patted Li Huowang's shoulder. "As I said, we are allies now, so... how about we put aside that little disagreement about the earth dragon?"