Chapter 971: Conversation

Inside a secluded courtyard within the Imperial Palace in Shangjing, black and white chess pieces lay scattered across the ground. At this moment, no sound could be heard except for Li Huowang's heavy breathing.

As Li Huowang's expression grew increasingly ferocious, everything around him seemed to change uncontrollably, with various figures and scenes constantly shifting.

Li Huowang suddenly looked up sharply at the gloomy sky. He pressed his tongue against his teeth and roared at the heavens, “Da Nuo!! What exactly do you want me to do?!”

“I have no other demands! I just want them to live!! I just want them to live! Why does it always end up like this?! What do you want me to do?!”

As Li Huowang's roars echoed, faint rumbles of thunder could be heard from the dark clouds in the distance.

Li Huowang continued to roar at the sky, but his unanswered shouts gradually turned into a profound, sorrowful whisper.

Even during Li Sui's funeral, his mind had been numb. Only now, through all of this, did Li Huowang finally realize the truth: Li Sui was dead, truly dead. His daughter would never return.

“Haven't I done enough? Haven't I done enough already? Then what exactly do you want me to do?! Why is it that no matter what I do, I can never stop them from dying one after another? What have I done wrong? What step did I take incorrectly?”

Li Huowang reached into his embrace and pulled out a handful of powder. Under his gaze, the powder quickly condensed, finally forming a clay figurine. It was the same figurine Li Sui had given him just before she died.

Tears streamed down Li Huowang's face, constantly dripping onto the ground. Just then, a tentacle reached out and gently wiped the tears from his face.

Li Huowang tremblingly raised his head, and immediately saw Li Sui standing before him, smiling brightly. She held three clay figurines in her hand. “Father, look, this one is you, this one is Mother, and this tiny one is me.”

Although he clearly knew the Li Sui before him was a figment of his own creation, Li Huowang still couldn't control his emotions. He reached out and tightly pulled her into his embrace.

But when he released his arms again, he found his embrace empty.

Seeing this scene, Gao Zhijian sighed deeply. He stood up, helped Li Huowang sit down on a chair, and gently stroked his back over and over again.

“Senior Brother Li, you haven't done anything wrong, and this isn't your fault. This is just how the world is. Think about our master, Danyangzi.”

“Did he willingly become that way? No, it was this world that forced him into it. This world is far more wicked than Danyangzi.”

At this, Gao Zhijian sighed deeply again. “But what does it matter? The first thing a person does upon being born is cry, precisely because people come into this world to suffer. All living beings suffer; even I, the Emperor, cannot escape it.”

Li Huowang slowly emerged from his daze. He then vigorously shook his head. “No, I don't like Danyangzi, and I don't like this world either!!”

The clay figurine in Li Huowang's hand was first kneaded into a ball, then flattened into a disc. “Disgusting! This world makes me sick!!”

“What can you do if you don't like it? This is how the world has always been.”

“No! This world shouldn't be like this! This world is wrong!” Li Huowang raised his head again, but this time his eyes held no sorrow, only an extremely strong unwillingness. He gritted his teeth and declared, “You want me to surrender? It's not that easy!!”

“Unless I'm dead, don't even dream of stopping me! One day, I will change this world into what I want it to be!”

“I will not only become a Si Ming! I will become the Great Si Ming, who moves forward relentlessly! I will definitely bring them all back! I will!!”

No matter how fantastical these words sounded, at this moment, Li Huowang believed them implicitly, and he would forever hold onto this conviction!

Upon hearing Li Huowang's words, Qiuchibao, her face bathed in tears, hugged her child and screamed wildly, “Ahhh!! Ahhh!!” In her madness, she began to jump and dance. Finally, she started laughing, and amidst her laughter, her body gradually turned transparent and then disappeared.

At this point, the illusions around Li Huowang completely vanished, leaving nothing but emptiness.

As his emotions slowly subsided, Li Huowang breathlessly surveyed the empty surroundings. Not only was Qiuchibao gone, but with Sui Sui's death, the rotating mirror she had given him had also disappeared. All the unusual changes on his body were completely gone.

Gao Zhijian frowned, pondering Li Huowang's recent words. After a moment of thought, he spoke, “Senior Brother Li, no matter what you intend to do, the trouble with Fushang Tian must be resolved.”

“Only by resolving the crisis of Fushang Tian can we then discuss what comes next.”

He knew Senior Brother Li was not well right now, but some matters couldn't wait, especially those concerning the entire world.

“I know, of course I know!” Li Huowang's eyes showed intense hatred. Even without Gao Zhijian saying it, Li Huowang considered the Si Ming of Fushang Tian his mortal enemies; it was because of them that Sui Sui had been killed.

“Although they planned to ambush us, even planted spies, and mobilized a large force to try and wipe us out in one go.”

“But there's no need for us to panic! They're the ones who should be panicking! They suffered losses this time, far greater than ours! We hit them hard this time!”

Hearing these words, Gao Zhijian and Huangfu Tiangang were completely bewildered, clearly unable to understand what Li Huowang was talking about.

Gao Zhijian asked with some hesitation, “Senior Brother Li? Didn't your illness already get better? Why is it now...”

“I'm not ill!” Li Huowang roared directly. “I am Ji Zai, and Ji Zai is me! For convenience, I don't believe I am the Seven Wheels now. As long as I *feel* I am, then I can connect with Ji Zai and know what's happening inside Baiyujing!”

“No! That's not right, that's not Baiyujing! That's a projection of Baiyujing! Through this projection, I can know what's truly happening inside Baiyujing!”

Li Huowang then shared everything he knew with Gao Zhijian and Huangfu Tiangang. Although they seemed somewhat unable to fully grasp it, they generally understood the gist.

“Truly?!” Gao Zhijian was greatly surprised. If they could learn the movements of Baiyujing's Si Ming from Li Huowang, it would be a huge advantage.

But then, a hint of doubt entered Gao Zhijian's gaze as he looked at Li Huowang. “Senior Brother Li, this matter is of great importance. Are you absolutely certain this is true, and not a delusion stemming from your hysteria?”