Chapter 737: Red Middle

Next to a gigantic, leaning pillar, Li Huowang looked at Hong Zhong, who was in front of him. He watched the Sit-Forget Dao member and listened as he recounted his story.

After he finished pouring out his heart, the expressionless Li Huowang paused for a moment before speaking: "You're faking it, aren't you? At this point, what's the point?"

Hearing Li Huowang's words, Hong Zhong froze for a few breaths. Then, with a forceful wipe of his hand, his melted face reverted to Hong Zhong's pattern. The emotional expression he'd just displayed vanished without a trace.

"Not bad, Li Huowang. You actually saw through it. You're not so foolish after all."

Everything Hong Zhong had just said was a pretense, merely to trick Li Huowang, just as he had once fooled children.

After everything he had been through, Li Huowang hadn't forgotten that this person was a Sit-Forget Dao member.

Even though he was also Li Huowang, he was still a Sit-Forget Dao member, and anything a Sit-Forget Dao member said could be false.

"I saw through it because I just put myself in your shoes and realized that if I were in your position, I wouldn't collapse over such a trivial matter. Besides, you repeat everything every hour; are you really afraid of breaking down?"

"Haha, you're right. Tell me what's happening outside. I'm practically suffocating in here."

Hearing this, Li Huowang's brows gradually furrowed. The Hong Zhong before him, though still Li Huowang, was another experience created by Doumu.

It seemed that after this experience was stripped from his body and became fragmented, Hong Zhong's personality had grown even more extreme.

Seeing Li Huowang didn't respond, Hong Zhong immediately spoke again: "Aren't you surprised to know I still exist? Doumu's True-False Heavenly Dao was taken away, yet I haven't disappeared. Do you want to know how I did it?" Hong Zhong's expression was particularly smug as he said this.

"I was supposed to disappear, but I wasn't reconciled to it, you know?" Hong Zhong moved closer to Li Huowang.

Li Huowang took a step back. "I don't want to know how you exist, nor am I interested. Time is short, so I'll be brief. I'm here because I've encountered a troubling situation, and I need—"

"Wait, wait, wait a minute! Can you let me finish first? Do you really think I'm some insignificant NPC you can just skip? Is that how you ask for help?"

Seeing Li Huowang look at him without speaking further, Hong Zhong nodded smugly. "Very good. Now, come and see my story."

Hong Zhong turned around and led Li Huowang to the other side of the pillar.

Upon reaching the other side of the pillar, Li Huowang saw rows upon rows of densely packed characters carved into the mountain-like colossal pillar.

As Li Huowang drew closer, he realized it was his own handwriting. Evidently, this was how Hong Zhong recorded events happening beyond his one-hour memory loop, effectively using the pillar as an external memory.

Li Huowang leaned in and read carefully. After finishing, he turned to look at Hong Zhong.

"You can avoid disappearing entirely by relying on Kui Ta's Heavenly Dao of Death?"

Hong Zhong's face showed a triumphant expression. "That's right. The True-False Heavenly Dao is gone, but I still have a portion of the Heavenly Dao within me that I can utilize: Death. I can cling to life by relying on this part of the Heavenly Dao."

"Here, although I'm trapped in a one-hour loop, it's better than nothing. As long as I exist, there's always a chance. Look, hasn't my opportunity finally arrived?"

"So, tell me. What are you looking for, and what can you offer?"

"I can take you out." Li Huowang said, his eyes fixed on Hong Zhong. Yet, he noticed that facing this enormous temptation, the other's face remained utterly expressionless. It was as if he were listening to someone else's personal affairs.

"Take me out? Is that helping you or helping me?"

"It helps both of us. It's a win-win."

If he acquired Hong Zhong's memories, he would immediately understand all the cultivation methods of the Sit-Forget Dao's illusory arts.

"Why should I leave? I'm perfectly fine here. I don't see it as a win-win." Hong Zhong replied with an indifferent expression.

Evidently, both were Li Huowang, and what one considered, the other had also considered. "I don't have a physical body. Even if I leave, I'll just become a part of your memory. What difference would that make compared to being here?"

"So, you plan to keep waiting like this, generation after generation?"

"It doesn't matter. I can wait. Anyway, my memory only lasts an hour, so I don't have to worry about going insane during a long wait." Hong Zhong looked at Li Huowang with a mocking gaze.

"I can wait, but can you? You haven't said it, but your matter seems rather urgent. You'll have to pay more."

"Stop messing around! There's trouble outside now! Think about Bai Lingmiao and Li Sui! Do you really want to let them fall into danger?"

Hearing this, the cynical smile on Hong Zhong's face gradually faded. "What happened outside?"

Seeing that the other side had finally become serious, Li Huowang made a long story short and recounted the subsequent events to him.

"Now that I cultivate the True instead of the False, I'm like a ticking time bomb. I can't even protect others; I could harm them at any moment. So I need to resolve this situation as quickly as possible."

Hearing Li Huowang's words, Hong Zhong fell silent and immersed himself in thought.

"You're still hesitating about this? What is there to hesitate about?"

"Hmph, what's the rush? I'm not hesitating about whether to go out. Cultivating the True instead of the False can easily lead to qi deviation—Dice said that. I need to think this through thoroughly before I can use it." Hong Zhong was clearly very suspicious about this as well.

"I've thought about it. Even the worst-case scenario after cultivating the False is better than my current situation." Li Huowang used to despise the Sit-Forget Dao, even hating these tricksters to the bone.

But everything is relative. Compared to a Dharma Sect that threatens to destroy heaven and earth, the Sit-Forget Dao, who trick people to their deaths with no repercussions, suddenly seemed less hateful.

Hearing Li Huowang say this, Hong Zhong shook his head. "Heh heh, you don't understand the Sit-Forget Dao, and you don't understand Dice. I am Hong Zhong, and I know them."

"If this truly is a scheme orchestrated by Boss Dice, he's aiming for far more than just a little bit from us. Don't think for a moment that you can let your guard down just because he's supposedly dead."

"For a Sit-Forget Dao member, as long as one of their deceptions still exists, they are not truly dead."

Hearing this, Li Huowang couldn't help but frown. "You suspect..."

"I suspect this is a 'primer.' Do you know what a primer is? It's slang from the Sutra of Deception, signifying the beginning of a major scam."

"A primer for a scam is usually not a scam itself; in fact, it often benefits the one being deceived. Like at a gambling table, it's the initial sweet taste given to a new lamb when they first sit down."