Chapter 388: Li Huowang

Chapter 388: Li Huo Wang

“What could their purpose be? Could they possibly know my identity as Xin Su?”

After contemplating with an unsettled expression for quite some time, and finding no signs of danger around him, Li Huo Wang decided to return to the fishing village and wait until dawn.

He glanced up at the full moon, nearly obscured by dark clouds, then quickened his pace. With his long sword, he carved three marks onto a bamboo pole before slowly walking back toward where he had come from.

To avoid getting lost, Li Huo Wang left sword marks on the bamboo poles at regular intervals.

As he walked, the sky began to lighten, yet things did not improve much. A hazy morning mist enveloped all directions, offering little relief from the night’s darkness.

Just when Li Huo Wang felt weary from walking, two faint lights emerged through the mist in the distance, giving him renewed energy. “Have I finally arrived?”

He hurried forward, only to find that the lights were merely two white lanterns hanging at the entrance, each inscribed with large black characters—“Mourn.”

The wall behind him was wide and curved like a circle, several stories high.

Li Huo Wang looked back at the thin fog and muttered inwardly, “What exactly is playing tricks with me?”

Though the situation was strange, he wasn’t truly afraid. He had seen far more terrifying scenes in his past.

With his right foot raised, he stepped inside the gate. As he passed through the narrow alleyway, a massive circular compound rose before him—an enormous ring-shaped building made of rows of black-tiled houses joined together.

A gentle breeze blew past, carrying a yellow paper offering across Li Huo Wang’s path, guiding his gaze toward the distant ancestral hall.

Inside the hall, draped in white cloth and decorated with paper figures, stood two coffins—one large, one small, silent and motionless.

Li Huo Wang approached the perimeter of the hall and peered inside. Everything was there—the altar, the offerings—but no one.

“I mean no offense,” he whispered softly before bowing slightly toward the coffins.

Suddenly, he dashed forward, threw open the coffin lid, and thrust his head inside, shouting loudly, “May the dead rest in peace!”

Seeing the empty coffin, disappointment flickered across his face. He pulled his head out and surveyed the white-draped hall once more.

“No matter who you are, I’m busy now. I don’t have time to play games with you!”

“If you push your luck further, don’t blame me if I burn down this compound and the entire bamboo forest outside!”

The center of the compound was vast and echoing. His voice reverberated, but just like before, nothing stirred—no movement, no sound.

“Tap.” Li Huo Wang tapped the coffin lid and turned to walk toward the exit.

Halfway there, a red figure flashed from the second floor of the left side of the compound.

Li Huo Wang immediately turned and rushed toward it. Just as he was about to crash into the wall, two talismans written in blood were stuck directly onto his thighs.

Veins bulged along his legs instantly. With a sudden leap, he landed mid-air, level with the red figure.

When he saw the face, a surge of fury shot through his skull. He roared with all his might: “Sitting Forgetfulness Sect!!”

The red figure wasn’t anyone else—it was a perfect double of himself!

Realizing this, Li Huo Wang understood instantly. The Sitting Forgetfulness Sect had already infiltrated this Apricot Island.

Who had orchestrated all the strange events he’d experienced?

Feeling his body about to fall, Li Huo Wang drew his copper coin sword and flung it. “An Sa Tong Ling Po! (Spirit Possession by the Female Medium)!”

The red thread wrapped around the sword extended like a whip, wrapping around a pillar.

With a sudden pull, Li Huo Wang’s body shot forward like a cannonball, colliding with the other Li Huo Wang. But the other stood still, frozen in shock.

As his sword pierced the other’s body, Li Huo Wang’s heart skipped a beat—he felt no resistance.

Then he saw the other Li Huo Wang suddenly draw his sword and stab upward into the air above. Blood appeared on the blade, though nothing was there.

At the same moment, Li Huo Wang felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. The figure before him was just an illusion—he had been tricked by the other’s displacement ability!

Li Huo Wang tried to use his own displacement power to escape, but his body remained motionless.

In that instant, he realized what had happened—the Sitting Forgetfulness Sect had stolen his displacement ability.

He had fought many members of the sect before, never encountering one with such power.

This one was definitely no ordinary member—possibly one of the Four Joy or Three Elements!

Thinking this, Li Huo Wang no longer held back. He pressed his hand against his right eye and squeezed his eyeball hard.

There was a sharp crack. Semi-transparent fluid oozed from between his fingernails.

Everything around him became blurred by an indescribable light, moving in slow motion.

Taking advantage of this, Li Huo Wang quickly withdrew the sword from his abdomen.

Knowing his powers had been stolen, he wouldn’t let himself be manipulated. He reached for his fire striker, ready to unleash something big.

But after several attempts, nothing happened. His skin had been stripped away and transformed into a magical artifact. Where could he offer new flesh to Ba Hui?

Seeing the other Li Huo Wang beginning to return to normal, Li Huo Wang’s heart clenched. He grabbed a rusted iron pliers and shoved them into his mouth.

Several molars were torn out, scattering like fallen petals.

Li Huo Wang knew his displacement ability only worked within a ten-foot radius. So his teeth covered that entire space.

With blood and flesh, the teeth exploded outward, raining down like a storm of shattered glass.

Unprotected, the other took the full impact. The fragments pierced through the figure’s body, nearly turning him into a sieve.

Yet despite such grievous wounds, the figure stood firm, showing no sign of collapse.

Seeing this, Li Huo Wang’s heart sank. He suddenly understood.

Then he touched his wound on his abdomen and received terrible news—the other had also stolen his powerful healing ability.

“This guy’s abilities are too dangerous. What should I do?” Seeing the other’s grotesque glare, Li Huo Wang’s heart plummeted.

(End of Chapter)