Chapter 127: Not Me

Chapter 127: It Wasn't Me

The flames burned ceaselessly, consuming everything Li Huowang was, his form gradually merging with the charred silhouette of Shou San.

Whether from the elixir he had swallowed or the inferno engulfing his body, everything Li Huowang saw began to warp and distort.

The skeletal remains around him, which should have been still, began to sprout like trees, twisting and writhing in grotesque, bizarre shapes as they grew.

"Ah... ah... ah!!"

With Li Huowang's agonizing shriek, the flames seemed to find an opening, instantly surging inward to scorch his vital organs from within.

"Young friend Xuanyang, the time has come."

Shou San stepped forward, reaching out to unroll the Record of a Myriad Worlds from Li Huowang's waist and spread it before him.

Torn by a dual agony that made death seem a mercy, Li Huowang peered through the veils of fire.

What he saw now was no longer a neat row of bamboo slips; the Record of a Myriad Worlds had transformed into wriggling flesh-worms, their bodies inscribed with strange characters, aligned perfectly to form a most bizarre array of flesh-bound scrolls.

"What the... what the hell is going on!"

Li Huowang felt his mind boiling into a chaotic mush, or perhaps, under the blistering heat of the inferno, his brain had literally melted into a stew.

From all directions, the Xianjing cultists, having shed their robes, gradually closed in.

Dragging their mangled bodies, they sat in a circle around Li Huowang, following some obscure, rhythmic pattern.

Yet in Li Huowang's eyes, they were all now a myriad of grotesque monsters, their forms a blur of blood and flesh.

Watching Li Huowang amidst the blazing fire, Shou San took a slight step back.

"Young friend, do not forget the purpose that brought you to our sect. The time is ripe; it is time to open the gate to the Sea of Bitterness and behold Ba Hui once more."

Li Huowang turned his equally burning eyes toward him. "You lied to me!? Was this all a deception!?"

"No, this old man did not lie to you. It was merely a fortuitous opportunity that I seized. Do you not wish to be free of your master? Summon Ba Hui, and the elders will find a way to deal with Danyang Zi, who clings to your soul."

In unbearable agony, Li Huowang wailed, raising his charred hands to gently press them against the flesh-worms etched with ancient inscriptions.

In that moment, the physical and mental torment Li Huowang endured began to transmute into something else, just as it had before.

An aura of absolute, terrifying despair radiated from Li Huowang, making everyone present tremble with dread—a power that unequivocally did not belong to the mortal realm.

Li Huowang was all too familiar with this scene; it was the prelude to Ba Hui's manifestation. His senses began to warp and merge, and the cloudless sky above suddenly shifted in color.

Witnessing this, Shou San grew ecstatic, his body trembling as if in eager anticipation. "After all this toil, it is finally coming."

Yet soon, things did not unfold as he had envisioned. The violent anomalies flared fiercely at first, but quickly subsided into stillness.

"What is happening?" An agitated Shou San instinctively looked at Li Huowang, sensing inexplicably that something about the young man had changed in that very instant.

At the same time, Li Huowang was slowly lifting his hands away from the Record of a Myriad Worlds.

His voice was no longer laced with agony, but carried a hint of bewilderment.

"Tell me... why should I suffer so? What do their deaths have to do with me? Now that nothing binds me, what if I kill a few people? Who is left to say a word?"

"This is a world where the weak are prey to the strong. If they are weak, they deserve to die. Whether killed by me or by others, it is truly laughable—what do I have to feel guilty about?"

"Besides, for all I know, this whole thing might just be a lie spun by those masochistic lunatics of the Xianjing sect!"

The moment these words left his lips, Li Huowang felt the mountainous pressure upon his shoulders vanish into thin air.

Seeing Li Huowang suddenly transform into a different person, Shou San asked with some apprehension, "Young friend? Has your master's influence run too deep? Steady your heart, young friend. Do you truly wish to be completely possessed by your master?"

No sooner had he spoken than Shou San saw Li Huowang, amidst the flames, suddenly clutch his head with both hands, struggling in agony as he began to argue with himself.

"Dead is dead! What does it matter to us? Are you some great saint? You've let your own life turn to shit, and you still have the time to worry about others!"

"Danyang Zi! Get out of my head!! My mind, my rules!! You will never influence me again!!"

With his cries, the bizarre celestial phenomena and the terrifying aura around them expanded and contracted in rhythm.

As time passed, they ultimately shrank away.

At this critical juncture, Li Huowang once again felt everything around him shift abruptly; the extreme physical and mental agony receded swiftly, enveloped by a tranquil peace.

When he came to his senses again, he found himself in a straitjacket, lying in a wheelchair as his mother pushed him into the hospital courtyard to bask in the sun. The pain and suffering vanished in an instant.

"Haa... haa... haa..." Li Huowang gasped for air, still shaken by his ordeal.

Tormented by so many things, he finally had a moment to catch his breath.

Right now, he wanted to do absolutely nothing, to just rest in quiet peace.

"Son? Son, are you lucid now?" Sun Xiaoqin joyfully noticed that her son was markedly different from his previous raving state, his eyes actually focusing on things again.

Li Huowang looked at his mother, his expression profoundly complex. "Mom, you know? I really don't want to go back there. Living over there is just so exhausting."

Sun Xiaoqin embraced him tenderly, her arms wrapping around him with deep affection. "It's alright, don't be afraid. Those were just illusions, all fake."

Li Huowang closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Truth be told, he desperately wanted to escape right now; he didn't want to suffer anymore.

Compared to the peace and tranquility here, and the presence of his family and Yang Na, that other place was sheer hell.

As if catching up only now, the events that had just transpired drilled into Li Huowang's mind, and his expression twisted in pain once more.

"Mom... who am I, really?"

"You are Li Huowang! You are my son."

"Then what kind of person is your son?" Li Huowang's voice was laced with pain and a hint of bewilderment.

Sun Xiaoqin stroked her son's head. "Li Huowang is a good boy. He is sincere, sensible, and studies hard. Do you remember that afternoon in the eighth grade? That day on the bus..."

Listening to his mother's words, Li Huowang recalled the past, remembering all the things he had done.

He had experienced so much since coming to this side, so much that Li Huowang had forgotten what kind of person he truly was.

He had changed, changed for the worse in many ways, influenced not only by Danyang Zi but also by that other world.

Gradually, his gaze began to steady. "Yes... this is me. This is the real Li Huowang."

"The suspicious, foolish one, easily deceived, lacking any sense of right and wrong—that is not me. That is Danyang Zi. That is not me!"

(End of Chapter)