Chapter 739: Red Middle

"Zhong! Trust me! Don't run! I don't mean you any harm! We had an agreement!" Li Huowang, almost prostrate on the ground, used all his strength to explain earnestly to the other person. But Zhong, at this moment, was completely different from the previous Zhong who had disappeared; his thoughts had entirely changed.

He looked at Li Huowang, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "Hehehe, you're still too green to fool me. I don't believe you." With that, he began to move again, gradually putting distance between himself and Li Huowang. Seeing this, Li Huowang felt like spitting blood. He had just managed to convince him to come along, but as soon as the time was up, the other party had forgotten everything that had just happened. At this moment, he ignored the Sima above his head, gritting his teeth and chasing after Zhong with all his might.

"Don't you feel the difference now, overhead? Do you really want to stay in this cursed place, stuck in a loop forever? Trust me! I'll get you out!"

"Just because you trick others doesn't mean others are tricking you! Think about it! Consider our situation! Is it better for you to stay here, or to come out with me?" Despite Li Huowang's earnest pleas, Zhong remained unmoved, attempting to move as far away as possible from Kuiliu's shadow, and also from Li Huowang.

Li Huowang understood that the other person wasn't listening at all. The previous Zhong had seen the records on the giant pillar that Li Huowang had written, but this current Zhong had no idea what his past self had experienced. In this situation, Li Huowang realized that no matter how much he said, the other party would only grow more suspicious.

When the buzzing sound of the spinning wheel in his ears gradually faded, Li Huowang gritted his teeth and stood up directly, enduring the Sima's pressure. Li Huowang's body began to melt faster, but he couldn't care less at the moment. He used all his strength to chase after Zhong.

Walking was faster than crawling. When Li Huowang finally caught up to Zhong, he lunged forward and pinned him down tightly. "Stay still!" If gentle persuasion didn't work, he would have to use force.

"Alright, I understand, what you're saying is true. Let go of my hand, and I'll go with you," Zhong said, looking at Li Huowang's face.

"Don't try that trick on me! It's useless! I know you don't believe me at all right now! If I let go, you'll just run!" Li Huowang, melting like a wax figure, glared at him.

"You think I'm lying to you? Fine, assume I am! But no matter what, let's get out of this place first! Get out of Kuirao's range! I'll explain everything properly once we're outside!" If they stayed any longer, let alone explaining to Zhong, Li Huowang himself would probably disintegrate halfway through.

Zhong looked at Li Huowang in front of him and finally nodded slowly.

When Li Huowang started moving again, Zhong finally stopped dragging his feet. The two of them worked together to move outwards. As they moved, Zhong's body also began to melt. Soon, they had no time to be wary of each other; they began to exert all their effort to get out of the place.

The melting parts of their bodies began to stick together, making them look like conjoined twins. However, no matter how much further they walked, the melting speed did not slow down much.

Although there was no mirror now, Li Huowang was sure that he was probably no longer in human form.

"What did you and the previous me do? Why did you provoke this thing? Are you crazy enough to provoke the Sima?" Zhong complained with great dissatisfaction in his voice. "How could we provoke it?! This thing just appeared out of nowhere!" Li Huowang replied with difficulty.

The two continued to walk with difficulty under the pressure of the Death Sima. Under the life-or-death pressure, they no longer had time to speak.

Just as Li Huowang thought they would gradually escape this way, an unexpected event occurred: a gaze shot down from directly above him. "Kuiju is looking at me."

The instant that thought arose, Li Huowang froze. He felt his body become completely immobile, and his consciousness began to melt along with it. He was dying, a feeling that anyone close to death would experience.

As he faced death, Li Huowang's gaze instinctively drifted upwards. Previously, just a glance at the Sima was unbearable, but now it seemed incredibly comforting, radiating a warmth that felt like his mother's embrace.

Li Huowang gradually perceived himself getting closer and closer to the entity, and a smile slowly spread across his face.

As he drew nearer, the entity on the ceiling gradually changed. It flattened, slowly transforming into a pitch-black mirror before Li Huowang. In that mirror, Li Huowang saw his own inky black reflection. Their eyes met, and Li Huowang comprehended some of the profound principles and rules contained within it.

The mirror was a part of him, and also a part of Kui. Every living creature is born with "death" within them; every living creature is born as a part of Kui. And the culmination of all "death" is Kuiliu. The world may change in countless ways, but death never changes; death is eternity.

He didn't know how long he had been staring, but just as Li Huowang was about to see clearly in the mirror how he died...

The mirror suddenly shattered completely, as if pushed by something else, and then that intensely warm feeling vanished.

As if reborn, Li Huowang then realized that, somehow, the entity above his head was completely gone.

Li Huowang suddenly felt a void beneath him, followed by a strong sensation of falling as he rapidly descended. He realized only his face had floated up; his body was still connected below. When he regained his senses, he found he had been standing in the same spot for a long time.

Suddenly, both of them collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air, grateful to be alive.

"What... what just happened?" Li Huowang tried to recall everything, but found he had forgotten most of what had just transpired. Although he didn't know why, it seemed he had narrowly escaped disaster.

"Did Jizai intervene?" After catching his breath, Li Huowang pondered for a moment, then asked Zhong beside him, "Do you know this thing's pattern of appearance?"

"Didn't you say my memory only lasts for an hour? Do you really think I'd know what happened before?" Zhong looked at Li Huowang wryly. Hearing this, Li Huowang stopped asking. The current Zhong had no real memory; his 'brain' was entirely inscribed on the giant pillar.

Regardless, the fact that he was still alive after encountering the Sima was certainly good luck. If he forgot, then so be it. It was probably better not to dwell too much on things related to the Sima.

The death crisis had passed. Now it was Zhong's turn. Li Huowang, still panting, looked at Zhong's Mahjong-like face, sprawled on the ground beside him.