Chapter 914: Borrowing Momentum

Everything happened too fast. In just a few breaths, before Li Huowang could even get close to Zuo Qiuyong, his body was already in a critical state.

He looked utterly miserable, no different from a flesh-and-blood skeleton.

“It’s…it’s growth! The Heavenly Way this guy controls is growth!” Li Huowang stared intently at Zuo Qiuyong with his single eye.

“My…my body is fine! My body is perfectly fine!”

Li Huowang struggled, attempting to use his cultivation techniques to restore his body, even if only to hold on for a short time.

Li Huowang's dying body briefly appeared more normal, but as Zuo Qiuyong seemingly absorbed the true qi he had cultivated, his flesh and blood rapidly regressed.

His strength was far too inferior compared to Zuo Qiuyong's; the opponent was immensely powerful. Zuo Qiuyong was different from other sects and factions; he didn't just use a portion of the Heavenly Way's power, he directly controlled the entire Heavenly Way. This guy was essentially a mortal Si Ming!

Even when facing the Si Ming of the Dharma Cult in the past, Li Huowang had never felt despair. But this time, he truly felt helpless. He couldn't escape, he couldn't win, and he saw no way to turn the tables.

Zuo Qiuyong wasn't in a hurry to act; he watched Li Huowang struggle with great interest.

“Li Huowang, you've caused us a lot of trouble in the past. We didn't deal with you before because we simply didn't care, but that doesn't mean you can keep jumping around for much longer.”

“Senior Brother Li! Are you alright? Are you hurt?” Seeing Li Huowang suffering, Bai Lingmiao immediately broke free from the Unspeakable Army and rushed to his side, quickly helping him up to prevent him from falling.

While supporting him, Bai Lingmiao reached behind Li Huowang's head and pressed a red tile directly into his brain.

Feeling the sudden message in his mind, Li Huowang's eyes widened, and he looked at the girl beside him with immense shock.

“Senior Brother Li, what’s wrong with you? Don’t scare me.” Tears soaked Bai Lingmiao’s blindfold, and her face was filled with deep sorrow.

“Hmph!” Zuo Qiuyong’s face immediately filled with disdain upon seeing this scene. “Don’t worry, I’ll send you both on your way shortly~ You can even reincarnate together.”

The battered Li Huowang suddenly chuckled softly, his laughter filled with triumph and mockery.

“Do you really think you’ve already won? Do you really think I came all this way, wasting so much time with you, just to wait for death?”

“Hmm?” Zuo Qiuyong’s expression hardened. He scrutinized Li Huowang, unable to see how this young man could possibly be his match. What gave him the confidence to say such a thing?

“You have a grievance with the Unborn Mother, and you’re making such a grand show of it. Do you really think the Unborn Mother has no defenses? Do you know what ‘luring the tiger away from its mountain’ means? If you’re here, no one will be guarding other places.” Li Huowang wrapped an arm around Bai Lingmiao’s waist, smiling smugly.

Zuo Qiuyong's expression tightened. With a flick of his right hand, dozens of long, threaded needles instantly pierced Li Huowang’s tattered body, pinning him completely to the spot.

He stared at Li Huowang, observing him carefully for a moment. He then covered his mouth with a handkerchief and chuckled delicately, “I heard you have some connection with the Sitting-Forgetfulness Dao, but trying to deceive me with that is a bit too disrespectful, boy. I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice.”

Li Huowang burst into roaring laughter, clutching his stomach. “Hahahaha! Good! It’s best if you think that way. Anyway, with the Si Ming taking action, you’re probably too late to rush back now.”

The moment Li Huowang finished speaking, heaven and earth changed drastically. Li Huowang immediately felt the pain in his body disappear, and not just the pain, but also the decay.

It was a natural disaster, one that involved the disappearance of two Heavenly Ways.

“Hahahaha!”

Li Huowang stretched out his hand, pointing at Zuo Qiuyong and laughing loudly. “Dead eunuch! How about that? Do you believe it now? This time, I won!”

Just as Zuo Qiuyong’s expression fluctuated, another Heavenly Way disappeared. This time, it was Mercy.

At this moment, Zuo Qiuyong could no longer sit still. With a single pull of his hand, the long threads inside Li Huowang's body swiftly twisted, and his entire body was instantly cut into several sections.

He didn't even bother with Bai Lingmiao, the Heart-Disk of the Unborn Mother. It seemed something far more important occupied his attention. He immediately leaped onto the dragon's back and ascended into the clouds, heading directly east.

As Zuo Qiuyong retreated and heaven and earth drastically changed, everyone knew a major upheaval was occurring. The Unspeakable Army and the fox-faced Heart-Disk immediately followed Zuo Qiuyong and left.

Soon, only Bai Lingmiao and Li Huowang’s severed body parts remained nearby.

A light, floating human skin emerged from the severed body parts, rapidly growing larger and longer. As it absorbed all the scattered shadows around it into its mouth, Li Huowang came back to life.

Bai Lingmiao crossed her arms and said to Li Huowang: “See? Other Heavenly Ways can be summoned and dismissed at will, but not Lies. On this Heavenly Way, only our Sitting-Forgetfulness Dao can use it flexibly! No matter how powerful someone is, they can still be deceived.”

Li Huowang bent down and picked up the Spine Sword from the bloody water. “Let’s retreat quickly. If Zuo Qiuyong finds out I was just using the natural disaster to trick him, we won’t be able to leave then.”

It was just a deception. Li Huowang had merely used the momentum of the natural disaster to force Zuo Qiuyong to retreat.

The Unborn Mother hadn't acted at all. Li Huowang didn't even know what Zuo Qiuyong was truly afraid of in his anxiety.

The rift leading to Daliang rapidly opened, and the two instantly returned there.

Compared to the chaotic Tianchen Kingdom and Great Qi, Daliang appeared very peaceful. This particular area of Daliang was the Imperial Garden, where imperial consorts were enjoying flowers and tea, accompanied by palace maids and eunuchs.

The appearance of a naked Li Huowang interrupted this tranquility, leading to continuous screams and shouts.

Li Huowang grabbed a eunuch, tore off his clothes, and draped them over himself. He then said to a woman nearby, who was wearing a phoenix coronet, “Are you Gao Zhijian’s wife? Go call him here. Tell him that the trouble has been temporarily dealt with.”

After seeing the woman run away crying, Li Huowang finally let out a long breath, and his tensed nerves relaxed. The situation just now had truly been a close call; any slight mistake would have meant death at Zuo Qiuyong’s hands.

“Indeed~ We just managed to deal with it for now. They’ll be back.” Bai Lingmiao walked to the table, picked up a cup of tea, and began to sip it.

“Change your face! You’re annoying me!”

Bai Lingmiao flicked her hand, and a twelve-sided die, constantly changing its numbers, appeared before Li Huowang.

Li Huowang frowned, looking at him. “How did you know a natural disaster was about to happen at just that moment?”

If the natural disaster hadn't occurred so perfectly, Zuo Qiuyong probably wouldn't have been scared away.

The die chuckled, picked up the teacup, and took another sip. “That’s none of your business. I have connections.”