Chapter 969: Seasonal Calamity

"Dad?" Li Sui, halfway melted, looked up in shock at Li Huowang, who stood before her amidst a bloody storm. Seeing the copper coin mask on his face and his signature red Daoist robe, Li Sui's eyes immediately welled up with tears, feeling an immense sense of peace.

It truly was her father! Her father had really come to save her! The pain in her body proved it wasn't a dream; it was real!

"Dad! I've missed you so much!!" Li Sui cried out, breaking down, to the figure in the red Daoist robe.

"It's alright, Sui Sui! It's alright! I'm here! As long as I'm here, no one will dare bully my daughter!" Li Huowang roared comfortingly while furiously slaughtering those around him.

Faced with Li Huowang's overwhelming strength, everyone present was no match for him, forced to retreat step by step. Just as Li Sui was about to escape, someone from the Supervisor Bureau who had dealt with Heart-Mind Daoists before noticed something amiss and devised a countermeasure.

"Halt! You demon! Look closely! That's not your father! This figure is fake! You conjured him!"

"If he were your father, why didn't he help you all these years? Why does he only appear today?"

A Heart-Mind Daoist could be incredibly powerful or incredibly fragile, entirely dependent on whether they believed in what they conjured. When Li Sui heard these words, her expression froze instantly, and she began to think carefully. When she saw Li Huowang's body in the distance begin to show some inconsistencies, Li Sui's unease intensified.

This careful consideration proved disastrous; Li Huowang's body in the distance began to gradually turn transparent. Seeing this, Li Sui panicked. "No! That's my dad, he came to save me! My dad is real, he's not something I conjured!"

Understanding what her opponents were trying to do, Li Sui repeatedly told herself this, attempting to make Li Huowang reappear. Even if her father was fake, he could still help her overcome this crisis. However, some things can fool others but not oneself. A fake is a fake. Even as Li Sui desperately repeated it to herself, the distant Li Huowang eventually vanished without a trace.

The Supervisor Bureau agents, having suffered heavy casualties, surrounded her again with renewed anger. If their previous actions were strictly official, now they were fueled by personal vendetta. The situation had instantly reversed, and Li Sui's life hung by a thread.

A glob of thick phlegm landed on Li Sui. "Damn it, I hate Heart-Mind Daoists the most! You can imagine things, right? You're so good at imagining, aren't you? Go on, imagine more!"

A cold glint flashed, and Li Sui's half-melted tentacles were instantly severed. "Can't call for help, can you? Keep calling then!"

As these individuals vented their fury, Li Sui's pain intensified, yet this time, she shed not a single tear. In her recent despair, Li Sui realized she had been neglecting her true identity: that of a Heart-Mind Daoist. Her father was also a Heart-Mind Daoist, and so was she. Her father had repeatedly escaped fatal crises by leveraging his Heart-Mind abilities, which meant she could too! This was her only chance to escape. But now, the only thing to consider was how to utilize her Heart-Mind abilities. This was not easy to use, as some things, once fully understood by a Heart-Mind Daoist, became useless; she had to deceive herself.

As her injuries worsened and her mind wavered yet remained resolute, a reflection in water suddenly appeared in Li Sui's mind. More precisely, it was a Life Controller: Ji Zai, the very Life Controller her father had deemed useless!

"My dad is Ji Zai, and since Life Controllers aren't bound by past or future! So, if I just believe Ji Zai exists, then my dad will definitely come to help me!! He has to!"

This was both a lie and the truth; she couldn't distinguish which was which. But she tried her best to believe it was true, because only then could she survive! Li Sui repeated this phrase tirelessly. As her consciousness blurred, she still didn't stop. Just as she was about to die, the situation suddenly changed.

Although nothing tangible seemed to happen, a strong sense of confusion appeared on everyone's faces, as if they had momentarily forgotten what they were supposed to do next.

"Ji Zai! Ji Zai truly exists! Even if it was 180 years ago!" Li Sui became instantly excited. She wasn't fated to die! She would surely live until her father reappeared! Seeing everyone frozen in place, Li Sui naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip away. Taking advantage of their dazed state, she dragged her battered body and hastily fled the dangerous area.

Li Sui didn't know how long the influence of Ji Zai would last, so she ran for her life, fleeing for half a fortnight before finally stopping, convinced she was truly safe. This time, Li Sui dared not approach crowded places easily. She commandeered a cave from a bear-human hybrid, making it her temporary resting place. The bear-human wasn't wasted; it became an extra meal for Li Sui. After eating her fill and getting a good night's sleep curled up in the cave, Li Sui finally managed to shake off most of the exhaustion from her journey. Once fully rested, Li Sui began to ponder her next moves.

Remembering everything that had happened, Li Sui suddenly sprang into action. She picked up a piece of wood from outside the cave and began carving with a small knife. Before long, an ancestral tablet appeared before her. It read: "Ji Zai, the Life Controller of Bewilderment."

Li Sui placed the tablet inside the cave. She lit three pine needles and, with great solemnity, bowed to the tablet before placing the pine needles in front of it. After placing the incense, Li Sui knelt and performed the kowtow ritual (three bows and nine prostrations) towards the tablet, murmuring as she bowed.

"Since others can gain power by worshipping Life Controllers, from now on, I will worship you. I will be your disciple, Ji Zai."

"By the way, if I worship you, you should grant me some divine abilities, right? I don't need anything too powerful, just enough to protect myself. Ideally, there'd be a way to conceal my identity as a Heart-Mind Daoist—that would be even better!"

No sooner had Li Sui finished bowing to the tablet than it subtly flickered. Li Sui then felt a certain cultivation technique appear in her mind. Upon careful examination, Li Sui realized this was a cultivation method for illusionary transformation. If she mastered it, she could perfectly use illusionary techniques to conceal her identity as a Heart-Mind Daoist.

A warmth surged into Li Sui's heart. Her father hadn't forgotten her; he was still helping her, even though he had become a Life Controller. As long as her Heart-Mind Daoist identity wasn't discovered, she wouldn't be hunted by these people anymore. And if she wasn't hunted, she wouldn't be forced to repeatedly take over others' bodies. When she eventually met her father again, she wouldn't have transformed into someone else.

Thinking of all that lay ahead, Li Sui smiled joyfully. Things were finally starting to look up!