Chapter 352: Appearance

Chapter 352: Manifestation

"Hmm?" Li Huowang looked in bewilderment at the rusted blade in his hand.

"Where did this blade come from? I clearly had two weapons sufficient for my needs—why is there now an extra one in my grasp?"

Suddenly, Li Huowang's hand trembled violently, flinging the rusty blade to the ground. His expression grave, he gripped the hilt of his sword, its tip aimed directly at the mysterious object.

"Could this be the power of Heart Turbidity? Is he trying to harm me with this thing?"

Li Huowang, tense all over, kept a wary eye on the rusted blade on the floor, slowly retreating and quickly drawing closer to the others.

"Erxian Brother? Are you alright?" Tuoba Danqing asked, seeing Li Huowang's anxious expression.

"I don’t know how it happened, but suddenly I had a knife in my hand."

"But shouldn't Heart Turbidity’s affliction involve hiding things rather than giving them? Why give something to me?"

Li Huowang pondered for a moment, then carefully examined his body before shaking his head slightly and turning toward Shen Tu Gang, who was drumming.

"Four Gold Stars, raise the stage! Fifty-five thousand stand in line. Black flag, black armor, black banner call. Helm bright, armor gleaming—such a fool! Don’t let the horse get stung by the bee. If you don’t drive me away, I’ll slap you!"

With the drumbeat, the sky and earth subtly shifted color. Thin mist in the air continuously condensed and dispersed.

Seeing the other's confident demeanor, Li Huowang said nothing more, silently waiting for him to force out the Heart Turbidity.

This senseless matter—better not add to their troubles now.

The drumbeat, the sound of rolling walnuts, and the clicking of abacus beads rang incessantly in Li Huowang's ears. Just then, Shen Tu Gang suddenly whispered, "The Heart Turbidity has taken shape! We’ve lost someone!"

"Erniu! Don’t hold back, bleed a bit!!"

At Shen Tu Gang’s low shout, the solemn-faced accountant slammed his golden abacus down. Instantly, Li Huowang felt everything around him becoming more ethereal.

He glanced down at his sword in his hand—it was one sword, yet also two, or perhaps three.

All quantities nearby seemed to lose meaning; one could be five, or nine.

At that moment, Shen Tu Gang struck the drum surface with his six hands, the sound no longer singing but transforming into a kind of roar.

"A colorful cloud flips up and down, Southern Palace immortals hurry here! Eight Immortals and eight barbarians return to their places, guard the eight gates and eight barriers!"

Dark clouds pressed down from above, almost directly overhead, churning with something within.

Just then, Li Huowang suddenly saw a figure abruptly emerge from nearby.

Her body flickered between clarity and blur, appearing quite awkward.

She wore a dark blue robe, her face completely obscured by a black mass of grime, and her pants were covered in thick mud.

"Erjiu! Act fast! This person is the Heart Turbidity!"

As the tense accountant instinctively blurted out, Li Huowang's sixteen fingers had already flown forward.

When Heart Turbidity lightly raised her hair, the sixteen fingernails that flew past vanished by half.

Taking advantage of the moment she dealt with her fingers, a sharp tearing sound suddenly rang out as Li Huowang tore off large chunks of flesh from himself and hurled them toward her.

Yet the spinning bloody skin faded under the opponent's ability. Li Huowang stared intently at the ground beneath Heart Turbidity, his copper coin sword whipping like a whip toward her.

Seeing that dodging was impossible, a beggar-dressed man suddenly appeared beside Heart Turbidity, acting as a shield to block the copper coin sword.

It was Hong Da, who had been thrown out!

With a metallic screech, the copper coins scraped against the beggar, sparking fire.

Seeing his attack was blocked, Li Huowang's anger flared.

He clenched his teeth, thrusting the sword at his own abdomen and slicing open a wound.

"Can hide, right? Let’s see how you hide this!!"

His face twisted in fury, Li Huowang crossed his hands inside the wound and yanked hard. Two ribs were torn out forcibly.

Then flipping the broken ends of the ribs, he stabbed them straight into his chest.

As Li Huowang sucked in a sharp breath, the distant Heart Turbidity screamed in agony, bending over along with him.

Despite the intense pain, Li Huowang smiled. The pain was connected to his opponent—this would make things much easier.

Three barbed spears pierced into the crevices of his fingernails, then he extended his fingers, bent over, and slammed down hard against the ground.

Heart Turbidity convulsed from the inhuman pain. He wanted to retaliate, but when he saw Li Huowang slowly pulling out the blood-soaked spears, he finally feared, abandoning all thoughts of fighting back and fleeing immediately.

Under such circumstances, how could Li Huowang let him go? He quickly slapped two talismans onto his knees.

Veins bulged across his face, his body leaving a trail of shadow as he charged toward Heart Turbidity.

While torturing him with various cruel methods, Li Huowang drew closer.

But just as he re-entered a dusty room, Heart Turbidity vanished without a trace.

"What’s going on? Where is he?" Li Huowang was furious. So close—just a little more!

When he turned to ask the others following behind, the accountant replied, "Ah, we need a rest. Forcing out Heart Turbidity isn’t easy."

The accountant’s face was pale, his fingers trembling. Shen Tu Gang wasn’t faring much better.

It was clear that forcing out Heart Turbidity had drained a lot of their energy.

"You've already wounded him. Come again later—we won’t let him escape this time. Erniu brought people specifically to counter Heart Turbidity."

Compared to when they first met, Shen Tu Gang’s attitude toward Li Huowang had improved significantly. Perhaps it was due to the previous incident with the Two Gods.

Hearing this, Li Huowang nodded slightly. "Alright, once we catch Heart Turbidity, I can..."

"Hmm? What exactly? What was I supposed to say?" The previously furious Li Huowang quickly calmed down, looking around with confusion.

The room didn’t seem big, with some irregularly sized sweet potatoes covered in mud stacked in the corner.

The depression in the dry grass nearby confirmed that someone had lived here before.

"Who lived here?" Feeling his ribs, the sharp pain reminded him of those memories that had just vanished.

"Yes, yes. It’s Heart Turbidity! She’s hiding my memories!"

Li Huowang reached into his pocket for yellow paper to write on.

But recalling the opponent’s ability, after a moment of thought, he pulled out a spear from between his nails and carved on the inside of his left forearm.

He simply wrote down his purpose for this trip and the danger posed by Heart Turbidity. Only then did he breathe a little easier.

"Look, there are words on the wall!" Tuoba Danqing’s voice made everyone turn their heads.

(End of Chapter)