Chapter 154: Nature

Chapter 154: Innate Nature

"Kill!" Li Huowang swept his sword fiercely along the ground, the blade seemingly igniting with a dark crimson blade qi.

The next instant, the black shadow puppet cleaved in two before him let out a wretched shriek and dissolved into a plume of black smoke.

Pressing his advantage, Li Huowang gritted his teeth and surged forward, the distance between them closing at a breakneck pace.

Li Huowang had assumed only one shadow puppet monster remained, expecting to dispatch it with ease, but to his astonishment, the copper-masked man's armpits bulged, and four more arms sprouted forth.

Each hand clutched a different shadow puppet.

As the slender fingers flicked and danced, bathed in the moonlight, Li Huowang was instantly engulfed by a swarm of gossamer-thin shadow puppets.

"Senior Brother Li, let us help you!"

"None of you come any closer! Stay back! Miaomiao, stop beating the drum! I can handle these!"

Li Huowang swiftly unleashed a sweeping strike that could rout a thousand men, forcing them to fall back.

With a clattering rustle, the red bamboo slips rapidly unfurled.

As the ritual took effect, an agonizing pain nearly knocked Li Huowang unconscious.

Yet the sacrifice bore fruit; before the two severed fingers even struck the ground, they rapidly swelled and ruptured.

The bones within the fingers grew wildly, curving and piercing through the flesh as they spun, hurtling toward the copper-masked man like two elongated darts.

The copper-masked man sidestepped to evade, only to find the fingers tracking his movements in perfect sync.

With two wet thuds, as the fingers buried themselves into his neck, the shadow puppets surrounding Li Huowang instantly froze and flattened back onto the earth.

"You..." the copper-masked man managed only this single syllable before stumbling and collapsing to the ground.

Li Huowang strode over, gazing at the bizarre six-armed corpse before him.

"That's it? That simple?" Li Huowang was utterly bewildered; compared to his previous ordeals, this felt like mere child's play.

Stepping a little closer, he used his sword to gently pry up the copper-coin mask.

He was determined to see what this creature truly looked like beneath the guise.

The moment the mask was lifted, Li Huowang was startled to find a wooden mouth underneath; this thing was nothing but a puppet!

"Watch out! The dwarf is still inside the belly, preparing to ambush you!"

No sooner had the voice from an unknown source faded than the copper-masked man's abdomen was ripped open, and a glint of cold steel shot straight for Li Huowang's heart.

Thanks to the timely warning, Li Huowang swiftly raised his sword to parry, deflecting the sneak attack.

The next moment, Li Huowang forcefully parried upward, then drove his malice-infused long sword directly into the copper-masked man's abdomen.

Accompanied by a raspy, duck-like shriek, blood gushed from the copper-masked man's belly.

A bald, deformed dwarf with one large eye and one small, his skin sagging and loose, clawed his way out coughing up blood, his face twisted in agony.

But it was all in vain; after a few wailing struggles, his massive, urn-like head slowly drooped.

Having just slain a foe, Li Huowang felt his sword emit a dragon's roar, nearly slipping from his grasp.

He swiftly withdrew it, sheathing it while still dripping with blood, and the long sword finally ceased its restlessness.

Yet Li Huowang had no mind for the sword at this moment; he swiftly turned his head toward the voice that had just warned him.

There stood the monk, clad in tattered, patchwork robes, smiling at him.

"You again? Who exactly are you!"

The monk lifted his toe-exposing monk shoes and stepped forward, and as he passed the dead dwarf, he didn't forget to pluck the copper-coin mask from the corpse's face and stuff it into his pocket.

"Hurry up, we'll talk as we walk, can't you see those people are closing in?"

Li Huowang glanced back at the dark dots growing larger from all directions, then quickly followed.

"Everyone keep up, run, don't fall behind!"

Catching up to the monk, Li Huowang asked him once more, "Who are you really? Why are you doing this?"

The monk smiled and looked at Li Huowang, "Don't be so aggressive, Li Huowang. Let me ask you, in all the days we've spent together, have I ever harmed you?"

Before Li Huowang could answer, the monk began to answer his own question.

"No, not only have I not harmed you, I've helped you at every turn, helping you see through the conspiracy of Zhengde Temple, warning you that those performing the Nuo opera were suspicious."

Glancing again at the pursuers behind them, Li Huowang took a deep breath, slightly calming his inner agitation before asking again, "Thank you for your help these past few times, but I refuse to be kept in the dark."

The usually cheerful monk suddenly looked at Li Huowang with a grave expression, "Who I am is not important; who you are is what matters most. Are you truly Li Huowang?"

"What?!" Li Huowang's pupils contracted to pinpricks in an instant, and for a moment, he felt the urge to stop the man from speaking further.

"What I am about to say may be utterly shocking, but considering I've saved your life so many times, you must believe me."

"I am not a monk, and you are not Li Huowang; these are other people's identities, merely borrowed by us for the time being. In truth, your name is Peng Zhi, and mine is Peng Jiao. Neither of us is human; our true identities are the Three Corpses of another!"

"What in the world is this!!" Li Huowang's mind was a tangled mess, "I'm not Li Huowang? There's another Li Huowang?"

"Whoosh!" A crossbow bolt shot over, and the monk hastily yanked him aside, barely allowing Li Huowang to dodge it.

Sensing the urgency of the situation, the monk quickened his pace of speech.

"I don't know if you are familiar with the Three Corpses of Daoism? Any cultivator seeking immortality must sever their Three Corpses; we are those severed Corpses!"

"The Upper Corpse, Peng Hou, is Danyang Zi; the Middle Corpse, Peng Zhi, is you; and the Lower Corpse, Peng Jiao, is me!"

"Danyang Zi has already been severed, and we two are next! Therefore, we must join forces to have even a sliver of hope for survival!"

"This... how can this be..." Li Huowang still refused to believe it. In the span of just a few dozen minutes, his world had undergone earth-shattering changes.

"Daoist! Daoist, look at me, look at me!"

When Li Huowang cast his gaze over, he met the monk's exceedingly sincere eyes.

"The Upper Corpse worm is named Peng Hou, residing in the human head, making one foolish and dull, devoid of wisdom."

"The Middle Corpse worm is named Peng Zhi, residing in the human chest, causing one to be troubled by delusions, unable to find peace."

"The Lower Corpse worm is named Peng Jiao, residing in the human belly, making one crave extravagance, delight in evil, and lust after depravity."

"Each of us has an innate nature we cannot escape, but look, I have completely cast off my nature; my nature demands I do evil, yet I insist on doing good!"

"My nature demands I crave extravagance and depravity, yet I insist on being a penniless monk! My fate is determined by me, not by heaven!"

"I know Peng Zhi's innate nature is to be suspicious and delusional, but oh, Daoist, this is your nature, and you must completely cast it off just as I have! Only then can we defeat the one attempting to achieve immortality! Only then can we gain our freedom!"