Mutated Tao

“Wu Cheng! Again!”

Smack!

“Pawn retreat!”

Smack!

“Elephant takes cannon!”

Smack!

“Pawn advances!”

Clang!

The purple-tasseled sword collided with a black obsidian dagger. Sparks flew as the tip of the dagger was severed. It spun like a top in mid-air before piercing the bloody ground.

The Dharma Sect witch hurriedly twisted his hand to avoid making any contact with the purple-tasseled sword. Then, he viciously thrust the broken dagger into Li Huowang’s left chest.

It seemed like a great move, but he had unknowingly put himself in danger, as getting so close to Li Huowang was a death sentence.

The next moment, the Dharma Sect witch felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down and saw something covered in tentacles protruding from Li Huowang's chest. Shockingly, it had burrowed into his own abdomen!

“No, no, no!” The Dharma Sect witch frantically clawed at his stomach and fearfully scoured his messy insides.

“Yu…er…” The Dharma Sect witch muttered before his neck jerked upward; the tentacles inside of him had stirred his brain until it became mush.

The man was dead, but his corpse was still standing. Moments later, he grabbed his broken dagger and charged at a Dharma Sect disciple attempting to ambush Li Huowang.

Li Sui had taken complete control over his body.

Li Huowang stood still, panting heavily as he surveyed the battlefield. The old Lama had been dealt with, but the situation was far from over. He still had to deal with these Dharma Sect followers.

However, he wasn't too worried about losing, as Fo Yulu and the Abbot of the Righteous Monastery were there to help him.

He was more concerned about the Great Liang, as his assumption ended up being correct! The Dharma Sect of the Great Liang and the Dharma Sect of the Great Qi had somehow created an alliance in such a short period of time.

The Dharma Sect of the Great Liang was strong enough to throw the Great Liang into chaos, and with the addition of the Great Qi’s Dharma Sect, the consequences were unpredictable.

Unbeknownst to Li Huowang, quite a few people were staring at him from the shadows.

“Taishan! We have to retreat now! The military families will catch up to us if we wait any further!” He Xinlai exclaimed at the Great Qi witch.

“All right!” Taishan Shi grunted and nodded. The Dharma Sect followers didn’t hesitate to take out round stones and swallow them whole. Their eyes then turned red, and they charged forward to cover Taishan Shi and He Xinlai's retreat.

“Trying to escape? Li Sui, chase them!”

Li Huowang took out two pieces of turmeric paper and drew two talismans using his own blood. He then pressed them firmly on his leg before chasing after the retreating pair. He moved so fast that he left a trail of afterimages.

The others were surrounded, but Li Huowang encountered little to no resistance.

“He’s really chasing us.”

“I know,” He Xinlai replied with a smile.

The scenery rapidly peeled away as Li Huowang chased after He Xinlai and Taishan Shi.

Just then, the surroundings brightened, and a field beyond the forest was revealed. Stacks of yellow rice straw were piled between the fields, and smoke was rising from the distant village just beyond the fields.

“You’re not getting away!” Li Huowang sliced off a large piece of his own flesh and hurled it toward the fleeing pair.

The tattered piece of flesh spun rapidly in the air as if it was sentient, and it headed straight for Taishan Shi's back.

Taishan Shi was struck, and Li Huowang’s flesh inundated his back. He collapsed to the ground and squirmed violently.

Li Huowang kicked off of the ground and jumped high into the air before bringing down his purple-tasseled sword toward the wriggling figure on the ground.

The feedback was unexpectedly light, and it wasn't the familiar sensation of cutting through flesh.

All of a sudden, a pair of calloused hands emerged from the earth and grabbed Li Huowang’s ankles before yanking him downward.

He can burrow into the ground?! Just as the thought flashed through Li Huowang’s mind, he was dragged neck-deep into the soil.

It wasn't over yet. Intense pain erupted from Li Huowang's chest and back as something seemed to burrow inside of him.

Li Sui was desperately trying to stop the intrusion with her tentacles.

Li Huowang gnashed his teeth and closed his lone eye. I’m underwater! I’m underwater! I have to hold my breath!

The soil immobilized Li Huowang, and he was starting to suffocate.

Just then, he could feel icy cold water permeating his exposed wounds; the water was so cold that its coldness pierced his bones.

Li Huowang shivered as he struggled to draw out the spine sword. He swung it ahead and behind him, and the pain immediately vanished.

Li Huowang raised both hands and swam upward with all his might. He was powerless in the water. He had to get back to land as soon as possible!

Just as he was about to emerge from the waters, Li Huowang pushed his both hands against the soil and pulled himself out as if he were a radish being harvested from the ground.

He gasped for air and opened his eyes to look around, but all he saw was darkness.

Li Huowang trembled and reached out to touch his right eye socket. Three thorns were sticking out of his right eye socket. It seemed that the enemy had blinded him.

Li Huowang thought that they would take advantage of his blindness, but he couldn't hear anything at all. It seemed like there was no one around him.

He Xinlai was several yards away from Li Huowang. A wooden sword was in his hand as he walked toward Taishan Shi, who had just emerged from the ground.

“What do we do now? That kid is blind. Are you not going to deal with him?" He Xinlai asked.

Despite the fact that Li Huowang was blind, Taishan Shi’s cautious face showed no signs of joy. As a witch under Arrogant Stone, he had discerned some strange clues.

“Something’s wrong with this kid. I think he still has some cards up his sleeve. I need to consult Sir Arrogant Stone,” Taishan Shi said. He took out two crescent-shaped stones and knelt down before hugging them close. He shook them in his arms and tossed them to the ground.

“What did God Yu'er say?” He Xinlai asked while staring at the stones on the ground.

“Kill! He must die! And we must take his sword away, too!” Taishan Shi roared, and his figure burrowed into the soil once more.

He Xinlai’s face changed drastically. He had been a witch for a long time, but he had never expected God Yu'er to issue such a straightforward oracle.

Of course, He Xinlai was going to follow the oracle without any hesitation. He had to show his loyalty to God Yu’er, who was about to descend to the mortal realm.

He Xinlai formed seals with one hand, and then he bit his fingertip to smear his own blood on the black cloth draped over his shoulder.

He then used the black blood on his hand to draw peach talismans on his wooden sword.

“Since it has been decided, then we're going for the kill!” He Xinlai charged at Li Huowang with the black sword in hand.

All of a sudden, two hands emerged from the ground and grabbed Li Huowang’s ankles before yanking him downward.

However, something strange happened just then. Taishan Shi’s hands phased through Li Huowang’s ankles, and he ended up grabbing nothing but air.

The next moment, Li Huowang thrust his sword toward his left, which had no enemies.

He Xinlai was on Li Huowang's right, but he felt a sharp pain radiating from his back.