Chapter 745: Intelligence

Xuanpin knew she had been tricked the moment she saw Li Huowang laughing with his head thrown back.

“Is this supposed to be funny?” Xuanpin’s tone became unusually sharp.

“It’s certainly amusing,” Li Huowang said, holding his stomach and laughing again. “You’re going to lose a piece of yourself anyway, so what’s wrong with putting in a little effort to aid my cultivation?”

Seeing Xuanpin remain still, Li Huowang stood up. He wiped his face with his hand, and the dice transformed back into Li Huowang’s true face.

“Don’t be so petty. You scheme against others constantly, so why are you unhappy when someone tricks you for once? Look, let’s call it even for the Earth Dragon incident last time.”

In any case, Li Huowang felt he had gained immensely this time. By using just a trace of non-gang energy, he had leveraged a small force to move a great weight, multiplying its effect by hundreds of times.

What’s more, seeing Xuanpin frustrated felt like sweet revenge for the Earth Dragon incident.

Xuanpin seemed unwilling to engage further with Li Huowang, instead stating her purpose directly. “I came to find you this time to inform you that Mount Tai Stone has confessed.”

“Oh?!” Upon hearing this, Li Huowang’s smile instantly faded, and he became serious. “May I see?”

“Very well.” Xuanpin moved to Li Huowang’s side, extended a bony finger, and placed it directly on his shoulder. Everything around them instantly began to shift rapidly.

By the time Li Huowang regained his bearings, he found himself in a dark, damp prison cell. Initially, the surroundings appeared blurry and indistinct, but they quickly solidified, becoming incredibly vivid and real.

“Hmm? Hmm...” Xuanpin glanced around, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

“What’s wrong? Is there danger?” Li Huowang immediately sensed that this illusion felt different from previous ones.

He ran his hand over the nearby iron bars, feeling their coldness and the rust on them with his fingers. Li Huowang couldn’t help but look at Xuanpin in surprise.

“Xuanpin, you’re truly impressive! You can bring me directly from Qingqiu back to Siqi! With such powerful abilities, why didn’t you use them earlier?”

Compared to the Imperial Preceptor’s sword-flying, this ability to traverse hundreds of miles truly qualified as the power of a terrestrial immortal.

“...” After a brief pause, Xuanpin slowly nodded and said, “You know I prefer to keep my skills private and don’t easily trust others, which is why I didn’t tell you about this ability before.”

Li Huowang truly hadn’t expected anyone to be so brazen as to openly admit something like that.

“Let’s discuss these matters later. We have more pressing business. Where is Mount Tai Stone now?”

“This way.” Xuanpin said, guiding Li Huowang deeper into the prison.

Following the steps adorned with black peach talismans, Li Huowang finally saw Mount Tai Stone, submerged in black water filled with floating talismans.

Compared to his previous chilling demeanor, he now looked exceptionally haggard.

His eyes were deeply sunken, with dark circles under them, giving the impression that he was on the verge of death.

Even more peculiar, his head was open, revealing a bloody, gaping hole exposed to the air.

“Well, well, what an unexpected visit,” Zheng Boqiao said, looking at both Li Huowang and Xuanpin with a hint of surprise. “To think you’ve both come.”

“The Siqi Sitianjian personally intervened. What information have you managed to extract?” Li Huowang asked concisely.

“You can see for yourself.”

As Zheng Boqiao spoke, he pulled out a blue-and-white porcelain spoon decorated with the character for ‘fortune.’ He inserted it directly into the gaping hole in Mount Tai Stone’s head and, with an unpleasant scraping sound, dug out a large scoop, scraping against the bone.

He put it in his mouth as if it were steamed egg custard, then began to refine elixirs, using his own body as a vessel.

Seeing this, Li Huowang couldn’t help but frown. “I’ve seen enough. Just tell me directly.”

Zheng Boqiao blinked, then regurgitated the contents of his stomach as if ruminating, chewed briefly, and swallowed it again.

“There wasn’t much of use, but from this fellow’s mind, we uncovered a contingency plan by the Dharma Sect: if the war in Siqi turns unfavorable, they intend to perform a costly ritual to summon an immortal to descend.”

“Descend? Who? Yu’er Shen?” Li Huowang’s brows furrowed.

“No, Yu’er Shen cannot descend. If it could, it would have done so long ago, and the Dharma Sect wouldn’t be causing such a stir here.”

“What will descend is unlikely to be a Sima, but rather something of a lower rank,” Zheng Boqiao added.

Beneath a Sima? Li Huowang recalled the entities that had waited so anxiously outside the White Jade Capital back then.

“Something akin to the God of Joy?” Li Huowang had encountered such beings before and had to admit these malevolent entities were exceedingly powerful.

“No, the God of Joy doesn’t need to be summoned; it’s already there, and it comes if you simply call out. This is an entity far more powerful than the God of Joy.”

“Because Mount Tai Stone originated from Daqi, he only knows this much. Other specific details were likely not divulged to them.”

Li Huowang looked at the content displayed on the scrying mirror beside him. If the war situation was indeed unfavorable, then that time was likely now.

The Daliang army had already reached the Siqi border. Given the Dharma Sect’s current situation, without sending reinforcements, they are destined to be slowly eroded and completely consumed.

Li Huowang pondered for a moment, then looked at Xuanpin beside him. “If an entity of that caliber truly descends, do you have a contingency plan to deal with it?”

Xuanpin replied, “We cannot wait for them to summon it before defending against it. Since we know their intentions, we should strike before they manage to bring it forth.”

“Sending a large, mobilized army to push forward is naturally out of the question. To avoid alerting them, it’s best to have a few exceptionally skilled individuals go and disrupt their plans.”

“Why are you looking at me? Am I the only one available?” Li Huowang said, displeased.

“The capable bear more responsibility. Others will naturally accompany you, but only with you there can I truly be at ease. To be honest, you’re even more powerful than I am now.”

“Stop flattering me. I’m currently occupied and cannot spare the time. You figure out a way to resolve this.”

It wasn’t that Li Huowang was unwilling to go; he would certainly be happy to thwart the Dharma Sect’s plans. However, his cultivation method for falsehoods had just begun, and he hadn’t yet started to see if it could counteract the side effects of true cultivation.

Unless he found a way to resolve this issue of distinguishing between truth and falsehood, truly unpredictable things could happen if he were to enter the battlefield.

“There’s no rush, no rush,” Zheng Boqiao said. “We also need to send spies within the Dharma Sect to ascertain the truth. Let us know when you’re able to go. If you can make it, that’s ideal; if not, then so be it.”

Li Huowang cast one last glance at the dazed Mount Tai Stone, then turned and left the prison. “Xuanpin, remember to bring my daughter back from Siqi.”

After Li Huowang left, the prison became completely silent. Watching him go, the two exchanged a knowing glance and a smile, then simultaneously shook their heads in resignation.

“Such a person is truly difficult to get along with.”

“It’s fine. This person is fated for trouble. Once the catastrophe passes, he shouldn’t have much contact with us.”