Chapter 1011: Death

Chapter 1011: Death

"Brother Li, is it my turn?" Hearing that familiar voice, Li Huowang’s body gave a violent shudder.

When he looked up, he saw Bai Lingmiao, a silk ribbon tied across her eyes.

Li Huowang gazed at her, remembering the steamed bun she had given him back at Qingfeng Temple, recalling every little detail of their journey together; as the memories flooded back, his expression grew increasingly agonizing.

"Why... why!! Why must it be this way!!"

Just then, Bai Lingmiao reached out and gently pried Li Huowang’s hands away from where he was clutching his own head. "Brother Li, is it my turn?"

"No! It is not your turn yet! Not yet! Let’s go! Let’s leave this place!!" He did not know where he was running to, but instinct drove him to flee this suffocating environment.

Li Huowang dragged Bai Lingmiao along, using his cultivation powers to sprint incessantly; the surrounding scenery shifted constantly, one moment in Daqi, the next in Tianchen, and in a blink, they were in Houshu.

Yet no matter where he fled, the thing he sought to avoid followed like a shadow.

Li Huowang ran on and on, passing through every place he had once traveled, but as he ran, his speed grew slower and slower.

Finally, when he returned to the fire-blackened ruins of Qingfeng Temple, he realized there was nowhere left to run.

Staring at the three soot-covered idols behind the altar, Li Huowang clutched his head and let out a hysterical scream.

He knew that no matter where he went, he could not escape; if he did not let Bai Lingmiao take the two generals' heads up, the history he had already carved would be altered.

If the past were changed, then everything would truly be over.

On one side lay the entire world, and on the other, the necessity of sending Bai Lingmiao to her death; he was forced to choose between them.

The inner torment required to perform the Cangqiang Ascension left Li Huowang wishing for death; this agony compelled him to do something, anything, to dull the pain.

A barbed spike plunged into his palm and was ripped out, but the searing pain brought him no relief, his tears falling to the ground alongside his blood.

Just as Li Huowang reached for the torture device again, Bai Lingmiao reached out to stop his self-mutilation. "Brother Li, if there is something on your mind, just say it. Do not keep it bottled up inside."

"I... I cannot..." Facing the Bai Lingmiao before him, Li Huowang, his face twisted in agony, was struck dumb.

He wanted to change all of this, but he could do nothing; this was a debt he had incurred himself, and he could only follow the path already laid out.

Bai Lingmiao seemed to know what he was facing, yet she appeared remarkably calm, her slender, pale fingers gently covering Li Huowang’s mouth. "Brother Li, you need not worry. The Wusheng Laomu has already informed me."

Li Huowang lunged forward, clutching Bai Lingmiao tightly, the intense reluctance in his heart driving him to the brink of madness.

Leaning against Li Huowang’s head, Bai Lingmiao asked softly, "Brother Li, will I be dead after I go up?"

Li Huowang shook his head, saying painfully, "I don’t know, I truly don’t know!!"

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao stroked Li Huowang’s back and said tenderly, "Brother Li, it is alright. The Wusheng Laomu said I am only going for a while; once this period passes, she will send me back down."

Li Huowang desperately wanted to believe her, but he knew it was impossible; Bai Lingmiao was only lying to him so that he would not worry.

Bai Lingmiao was the White Lotus Saintess; judging by the murals in the secret chamber of Niuxin Village, the Wusheng Laomu wanted her to ascend so she could achieve nirvana and become the Wusheng Laomu once more—the one who had once ruled all of Tianchen.

Between a deity and a mortal, save for the deity of the Way of Confusion, there was always an abyss with no end in sight.

He did not know what fate awaited Bai Lingmiao once she ascended, or if he would ever see her again.

"No! I will not accept this result!" Regaining his resolve, Li Huowang gritted his teeth and looked intently at Bai Lingmiao.

"Miaomiao, rest assured, I will save you! I will!!"

"I will not be defeated by such trials!! I absolutely will not! We promised! We promised to return to Niuxin Village together!!"

"I do not accept this result! I cannot touch the Wusheng Laomu yet, but once I finish off Fusheng Tian, I will tear the Wusheng Laomu to pieces! I will rescue you!!"

"This world is not governed by science; anything is possible! There is nothing that cannot be done!"

"I will exhaust every means to save you and Sui Sui!!"

Hearing this, the Ershen behind her smiled and kissed Li Huowang’s head firmly. "That is the Li Huowang I know, the one who can never be beaten down."

"Don't worry, we are just going up to help, not to die. We will go up and give Fusheng Tian a hell of a beating together!"

Li Huowang nodded with difficulty, wiped the blood and tears from his face, and stood up once more.

There was still a chance; he could not admit defeat. If he were crushed by this hardship, how could he ever save Sui Sui!

He turned his head toward the three soot-blackened idols of the Heavenly Venerables in Qingfeng Temple, took a deep breath, and roared, "Sanqing! You bastards, just you wait!!"

With Li Huowang’s roar, the three idols shattered instantly, crumbling into dust.

"Brother Li, send me back. Time waits for no one."

Hearing Bai Lingmiao’s words, Li Huowang, his expression slightly savage, shook his head. "No, there is one more place we must go. You were not the only one who went up with the six white donkeys."

Gao Zhijian returned from the Jade Capital quickly, the process so surprisingly smooth that he was puzzled as to why Li Huowang had insisted that all five emperors be present to deliver the two dragon veins.

But as he passed through the Yak Gate and returned to the Upper Capital, he saw a grim-faced Li Huowang standing at the Altar of Heaven with Sister Bai, waiting for him.

"Old Gao, there is something else that must be sent to the Jade Capital," Li Huowang said to him.

"Hm? What is it? Speak freely."

"The heads of the generals, two of them."

Li Huowang’s words swept through the hearts of everyone present like a cold wind; everyone understood the weight behind those five short words.

Gao Zhijian paused, consulted with the other emperors, and then revealed a strained smile. "Very well. I shall give the order."

He then turned to Bai Lingmiao. "Sister Bai, this matter requires the assistance of the White Lotus Sect. Is it feasible?"

At this moment, Bai Lingmiao lacked her previous composure; two trails of tears soaked the ribbon covering her eyes and slid down her cheeks, unstoppable no matter how many times Li Huowang wiped them away.

"It is feasible!" These two words, heavier than a thousand catties, were promised readily by the Ershen.

With the dual call of the White Lotus Sect and the Imperial Court, the tainted soldiers and the tainted followers of the White Lotus Sect gathered one after another in the empty fields on the left side of the Upper Capital.

As the military orders were passed down layer by layer, everyone realized what they were about to face.

The hearts of the million soldiers began to waver, yet most were both soldiers and followers of the White Lotus Sect, or had been followers who were later tainted by the baleful energy; the two were not clearly distinguished.

The followers of the White Lotus Sect gathered before Bai Lingmiao one after another; facing the Saintess, these followers knelt piously, kowtowing to her.

A million followers kowtowing in unison—the scene was incomparably magnificent.

The lead white donkey spoke for all the followers: "Saintess, is this the divine oracle of the Wusheng Laomu?"

"It is." Bai Lingmiao, her tears nearly spent, used every ounce of her strength to utter the word.

Upon hearing the definitive reply, all the followers stood up in a great rush.

"Wusheng Laomu! Vacuum Hometown! Brothers and sisters!! The time has come for us to return to the Vacuum Hometown!!" The sound rippled out like waves of the sea.

Hearing this, with a thunderous roar, all the White Lotus followers cheered in excitement, the baleful energy fueling their fervor even further.