Chapter 714: Breakthrough

Hearing Xuanpin's words, Li Huowang finally understood why the other party had given him this item for no reason.

"Since we're allies, shouldn't you have given me this thing long ago? Why wait until now?" Li Huowang didn't take the bait.

"Do you think this is some kind of Longevity Pill, found just anywhere? This item is no ordinary thing; I expended many rare heavenly and earthly treasures to refine it."

"Stop lying, this thing is just a damn illusion! What did you spend on it?"

As Li Huowang spoke, he lifted his foot and walked towards his carriage, with the Xuan Guang Mirror following him.

"In this vast world, everything is ever-changing. Who says illusions can't be refined? To be honest, in this art, you are not my equal."

Li Huowang didn't explicitly say whether he had put aside their previous animosity, but Xuanpin didn't need him to.

Noticing the change in Li Huowang's tone, Xuanpin knew his objective had been achieved.

Though he didn't want to admit it, the Xuan Guang Mirror given by Xuanpin was indeed a great help to Li Huowang.

With this item, he not only gained a macroscopic understanding of the entire battlefield but also saved himself some effort.

At the very least, they could now follow the path the allied forces had already blazed.

Along the way, though corpses littered the fields and the only living creatures were wild dogs and vultures devouring the bodies, they no longer feared enemies suddenly emerging from the side. This allowed the others, who had been fighting all the way, to finally catch their breath.

Under these circumstances, they traveled quickly, estimating they would reach the front lines soon.

The others had clearly noticed this as well, and that evening's dinner was very abundant.

That night, Li Huowang, who was sleeping in the carriage, was nudged awake by Bai Lingmiao.

"There's even fish," Li Huowang remarked, looking at the wild vegetable and fish soup in his bowl. The milky-white soup looked very appetizing.

"Yes, there are many rivers in Sī Qí. Suisui found these; she's really good in the water and specifically catches large ones."

Li Huowang sat at the front of the carriage, quickly eating his meal as he looked out at the distant battlefield strewn with corpses.

Observing the fish scale scabs and blood on Li Huowang's face, Bai Lingmiao asked, "Brother Li, what are your plans once we reach the front lines?"

"We're not going to the front lines. That's where the strategists and soldiers belong, not us." Li Huowang chewed the fish head in his mouth, then swallowed it.

"But where we're going now..."

"Going to the front lines to help the strategists kill some cult followers is useless. They won't miss us if we're not there, and they won't gain much if we are. They have countless numbers of such people. In this kind of large-scale environment, the only thing people like us can do is a 'decapitation strike'."

Regardless of the scale of the battle, the enemy will certainly have commanding generals. To make the cult's offensive collapse as quickly as possible, this might be the fastest way.

The Heavenly Watcher Bureau's scouts must have already been deployed, and they need to obtain reliable information without delay.

As the cult's main base is still unknown, the priority now is to first defeat their army as quickly as possible.

"Is that so? But the cult will surely send some powerful individuals to guard against that, won't they?"

"Yes. That's why I need to cultivate quickly now, to maximize our chances of success."

Li Huowang put down his empty bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and walked into the dark forest nearby.

Bai Lingmiao didn't follow. Li Huowang had been like this for a while now, resting during the day and cultivating at night; she was used to it.

In the forest, Li Huowang sat cross-legged on a smooth stone, holding his breath, concentrating his mind, and shutting off his five senses.

Once everything around him faded from his mind, Li Huowang silently pushed the divine light within his body, enveloped by the Primordial Qi, towards his chest chakra.

This process was incredibly slow and arduous, like pushing a large boulder uphill with great difficulty, each step harder than the last.

Gradually, Li Huowang forgot himself, forgot everything. The only thing he wanted to do was push the Primordial Qi within his body towards his chest chakra.

The sensation was very peculiar; he felt he was on the verge of a breakthrough, just a tiny bit short.

He didn't know how much time had passed. Li Huowang slowly opened his eyes, and after feeling no change within his body, he couldn't help but sigh.

This kind of cultivation was something only he knew how to do; he couldn't even find a master to ask about it.

"Father, it's morning!" When Li Huowang heard Li Sui's voice, he descended from the large stone and walked towards her.

"Father, look what I caught! There's so much food here!" Li Sui boasted, holding several vultures in her hands towards Li Huowang.

"The meat of these birds stinks, throw them away," Li Huowang said, secretly glancing in Bai Lingmiao's direction.

"Suisui, when it's time, we'll leave quietly. Don't tell Auntie and Second Auntie."

"Why? Auntie and Second Auntie are very powerful too." Li Sui's face was full of confusion.

"What's coming next might be a bit tricky, and I don't want them getting involved."

Li Huowang had no idea how many hidden tactics the cult still possessed, or how many Siming allies they had secretly conspired with.

But one thing was certain: the cult was dangerous now, very dangerous.

Although Bai Lingmiao hadn't died last time, she had still paid a terrible price, transforming into her current inhuman, monstrous state. Knowing how dangerous the path ahead was, Li Huowang was even less likely to let her continue to put herself in harm's way.

Even if she might resent him for it, it was better than losing her life.

"Oh, alright then." Li Sui nodded.

"Shh, keep your voice down. Even though your Auntie can't see, her ears are very sharp," Li Huowang said, then took Li Sui's hand and left.

As soon as he entered the forest, he suddenly heard someone calling him from above. "Father? Who were you just talking to?"

Li Huowang froze at the words, looking up to find that above him was not the sky, but an inverted reflection of the ground, identical to his own surroundings.

And Li Sui was currently perched half-squatting on a treetop, eager to reach for him.

Li Huowang looked at the inverted Li Sui above him, then at the Li Sui he was holding hands with.

He looked at the forest above, then at the identical forest all around him.

At that moment, the Li Sui beside Li Huowang gripped his hand even tighter. She looked at him with a mixture of confusion and fear. "Father?"

The next moment, she rapidly faded and vanished completely, leaving nothing behind.

Li Huowang looked at the Li Sui above him, then at his own empty right hand. Suddenly, he understood something.

Centered on him, the surrounding stones and trees rapidly dematerialized, and Li Huowang finally felt a downward pull, swiftly dropping back onto the true ground.

When Li Huowang stood firmly on the water, he looked up again at the inverted reflection of the ground in mid-air, which was rapidly disappearing.

After a long while, when he regained his senses, Li Huowang discovered that his cultivation technique had somehow broken through his chest chakra.