Chapter 954: Flesh Body Commanding Life and Death

After explaining everything to Li Huowang, Xuanpin felt a sudden sense of relief, as this matter had been prepared for a very long time.

Xuanpin turned to look around and saw that White Lotus devotees had surrounded the distant area, creating a secluded space for the two of them to speak. It was clear this was Bai Lingmiao's instruction; she hadn't gone far herself, but stood nearby, sobbing continuously. Evidently, she had also heard what he had just said, which was good, as it spared him from repeating it.

"Alright then, let's discuss the distribution of the Dragon Veins." With personal matters concluded, Xuanpin turned to business. "The Dharma Sect destroyed many Dragon Veins before, so Daliang needs to replenish some of what was lost."

"But rest assured, I will naturally consider other regions. Daliang will only replenish two, and the Dice took one. Daqi and Tianchen will divide the remaining twelve." He continued, "That's six for each. Although six hours a day is a bit short, it's just enough to be useful. At most, people in these two places will live a bit faster." He concluded, "Now, with the Fushou Heaven's Commander watching closely, the more people we have, the better."

Xuanpin finished speaking but received no response. Li Huowang was completely immersed in the despair and grief of his daughter's disappearance, utterly unconcerned with how the Dragon Veins would be distributed.

Seeing Li Huowang clutching his chest in extreme pain, Xuanpin didn't want to wait. He reached out and pulled the Heart-Essence Spine Sword from behind him. With a *whoosh*, Li Huowang's hand gripped the sword's blade tightly. His bloodshot eyes stared at Xuanpin. "No! There's still a chance! Li Sui isn't dead!"

"Li Sui isn't dead! She just became part of you! She's still inside your body!" Li Huowang repeated, his gaze firm and insistent. "Since she became like this by possessing others, then as long as we find a way to make everyone she possessed over the past 160 years 'spit' her out, she can come back to life!"

"Yes! There's a way! There must be a way! I am Ji Zai! I am the Commander who governs bewilderment!" Li Huowang kept repeating this, as if believing it was the only way to ease his inner turmoil.

Xuanpin, enveloped in his red Daoist robe, sighed. "Li Huowang, stop deceiving yourself. Not only can this not bring Li Sui back to life, but it will also kill me." He posed, "If you have a large basin of water in front of you, can you find which drop was the first one?"

With that, Xuanpin yanked the Spine Sword from Li Huowang's grasp, not hesitating even as Li Huowang's hand was cut and bloody. As Xuanpin forcefully swung the Spine Sword, a rift connecting Daliang to Daqi instantly appeared before them.

But at that very moment, a strange pulsation surged from the rift. "Not good! Something's happening!" Xuanpin quickly pulled Li Huowang and instantly passed through the rift, arriving in Daqi.

Upon arriving in Daqi, Xuanpin immediately noticed the abnormal Heavenly Dao surrounding it. Daqi, a land previously without dawn or dusk, was now covered by a dense forest. The newly established Youdu City of the Mohist School was almost entirely swallowed by it, virtually invisible.

"Li Huowang, focus! This isn't the time for sentimental matters. Something seems wrong!"

Li Huowang took a deep breath, suppressing the intense emotions in his heart. "Commander Zuo Qiuyong, who governs the Dao of Growth, is dead. A natural disaster is normal." He wouldn't give up so easily. There was definitely still a chance to save Li Sui! Absolutely! He just hadn't found a way yet.

"No, no, this isn't a natural disaster..." Xuanpin led Li Huowang quickly forward until they reached an open space where they saw a massive, flesh-and-blood Buddha, as large as a temple. The appearance of that colossal Buddha instantly made Li Huowang forget his grief. This situation might not be easy to resolve!

On the head of the gigantic Buddha, each protuberance contained a buried monk, and the one seated on the forehead was Abbot Chandu, the Buddha of Zhengde Temple. The mountain-sized flesh-and-blood Buddha sat cross-legged outside the hall, its entire body covered in countless mouths, chanting Buddhist scriptures in waves. As the chanting echoed, a blood-red halo of Buddhist light shimmered in and out behind the Buddha's head.

Directly opposite the Buddha, the air had strangely torn open into an expanding fissure, from which all sorts of growing things continuously emerged and spread outwards. At first glance, it looked like an enormous centipede constantly writhing in mid-air. Li Huowang could feel that Daqi's rampant growth was due to the ceaseless Dao of Growth seeping from that fissure.

The Buddhist scriptures echoed continuously, eventually solidifying into flesh-and-blood sutras, which then bound the fissure like chains. Clearly, the Buddha of Zhengde Temple wanted to close the fissure, but the entity on the other side had no such intention.

"Whoosh!" A colossal eye emerged from the fissure, staring intently at Li Huowang. As the eye appeared, the entire world of Daqi was stretched and pulled. Everything within Daqi, living or dead, began to grow uncontrollably.

The next moment, the flesh-and-blood sutras broke apart. The aerial fissure instantly ruptured, rapidly spreading downwards and upwards, tearing the entire sky and land. A mountain-sized foot stepped out from it, followed by another.

Finally, a true flesh-and-blood giant, reaching to the heavens, stood upon the land of Daqi. This person was none other than Zuo Qiuyong, the Imperial Enshrined of Tianchen, whom they had just killed! At this moment, seeing the scene before him, Li Huowang finally understood what a flesh-and-blood Commander truly was. He also realized what Zuo Qiuyong had been hurrying back to guard against when he had previously deceived him.

The previous Zuo Qiuyong was merely a small avatar for convenience. His true body had always been in Tianchen! Only an existence that continuously grew to such a scale could control the Dao of Growth with its physical form! So, this was his true self!

As Zuo Qiuyong stood there, the entire world of Daqi seemed like a dented painting, with everything involuntarily collapsing towards him.

"Li Huowang!" Zuo Qiuyong roared, and a fierce wind swept across the sky. "I'll make sure you understand why you die today! I'll make you realize what you've truly provoked!"

As Zuo Qiuyong lowered his head, his face emerging from the clouds, he looked towards Li Huowang. The next moment, Li Huowang felt a pain in his feet. Before he could react to what was happening, an intense, tearing pain instantly spread throughout his body. Several bloody bamboo shoots pierced his throat and emerged from his mouth. Accompanied by the crackling sounds of growth, Li Huowang's body was impaled by several bamboo shoots that had grown from the ground, lifting him clear into the air. The bamboo shoots inside Li Huowang did not stop growing, continuously tearing through his flesh.