Chapter 433: History

Chapter 433: History

"Zhuge Brother, it's me! Li Huowang!" Li Huowang pointed at the body controlled by Li Sui and explained earnestly, finally allowing Zhuge Yuan to understand what had transpired.

Once he accepted this explanation, Li Huowang paid no heed to anything else and hurriedly shouted, "Zhuge Brother, we must leave this place now! It is not safe to linger here! The Jian Tian Si of Great Liang and the Zuo Wang Sect are already at war—staying longer might draw us into their conflict!"

Zhuge Yuan shook his head, pointing toward the palace ahead. "Impossible. We have begun purging the court of corrupt influences; there is no reason to abandon our mission halfway."

Regardless of what Li Huowang had just experienced, from Zhuge Yuan’s perspective, he had followed others into the palace, forcing the little emperor of Great Qi—who was nothing more than a walking corpse—to abdicate.

Around him now, soldiers clad in armor and various officials surrounded Zhuge Yuan as if he were their leader.

Seeing Li Huowang so anxious, Zhuge Yuan said with confidence, "Rest assured, everything is under my control. There is nothing to fear."

Li Huowang looked around. Clearly distinguishable were the golden lights of Great Liang and the snow-covered lands of Great Qi, the contrast stark and unmistakable.

Moreover, the strange chanting sounds from Great Liang abruptly vanished—as though they had been blocked outside. The power of Xin Pan was truly extraordinary—it could even block the influence of Siming.

"How much longer?" Li Huowang asked again.

"No more than the time it takes to burn an incense stick. Ahead lies the Buddhist chamber where the Empress Dowager is reciting sutras. That little emperor is also inside. All we need do is get him to issue an edict of abdication."

Li Huowang glanced at the body controlled by Li Sui, then clenched his teeth. "Fine! I’ll help you! Let’s finish quickly!"

Zhuge Yuan continued forward, and the environment around him began shifting accordingly. Some people engaged in combat were drawn into the chaos.

Yet neither the men of the Jian Tian Si nor those of the Zuo Wang Sect seemed inclined to pay attention to Zhuge Yuan.

Watching them pass by him only to suddenly transform into fleeing palace maids and eunuchs, Zhuge Yuan felt something stir within him. His brow slowly furrowed.

When the door to the meditation hall burst open, a deep chanting voice accompanied by wooden fish bells hit them like a wave. “Saparva phaya, Dvayam Ananta, Namo Naraka...”

A group of monks dressed in yellow robes sat cross-legged throughout the room, forming a circle three layers deep. At the center stood an old abbot draped in a saffron robe, facing away from them. He held a razor, shaving the gray-faced child before him.

Li Huowang recognized that child—he had once been impersonated by the Zuo Wang Sect in front of him, the very corpse-emperor of Great Qi.

"Becoming a monk? Are the monks of Zhengde Temple completely mad? To ordain a zombie into Buddhism?" Someone muttered, but the monks continued undisturbed in their work.

The razor scraped gently until the last strand of hair fell away. "Namo Amitabha Buddha, well done, well done. The thousand troubles of the mortal world have been severed. Your dharma name shall be Jie Tan. From now on, you are a disciple of Zhengde Temple. If anyone dares harm you, they will be at war with Zhengde Temple itself."

As the old monk turned slowly, Li Huowang froze upon seeing his face. Instinctively, he gasped, "A monk?!"

This old abbot wasn’t anyone else—but himself! The illusionary monk beside him!

Here, the monk was merely a wandering priest without a temple. In Great Qi, however, he was the abbot of Zhengde Temple!

Suddenly, everything clicked for Li Huowang. This Great Qi was not the same one from a thousand years ago. Zhuge Yuan hadn't transported back in time—he had entered another timeline entirely.

Li Huowang instinctively looked up at Zhuge Yuan beside him, recalling his nickname “Storyteller,” and the severe penalties imposed by the Jian Tian Si for tampering with historical records. “Zhuge Yuan’s Great Qi is another history in this chaotic world!”

These thoughts crashed into Li Huowang’s mind all at once. For so long, he couldn’t fathom what was happening around Zhuge Yuan. Now, he understood what Xin Pan truly was—it was a door, a gateway to another timeline!

Those Zuo Wang Sect members who came from elsewhere were from a different history. In this timeline, the monk had become the abbot of Zhengde Temple!

While Li Huowang pondered these things, Zhuge Yuan spoke softly. Suddenly, the entire Zhengde Temple chamber rose to its feet.

With palms pressed together, eyes—some small, some large—appeared and disappeared from the scars above their heads.

Their chanting grew louder and louder, so much so that even the mouth of the massive Buddha statue on the wall began to lift slightly.

"Senior Masters! As practitioners devoted to vegetarianism and Buddhist study, perhaps it's unwise to remain entangled in worldly affairs," Zhuge Yuan said, pulling out a scroll and unfolding it sharply. Some monks vanished abruptly from the chamber.

He used the heart turbidity depicted in the painting to conceal them.

"Hey!!" As the monks clapped, they resembled wrathful guardians. Their eyes bulged out, then, like a peacock spreading its tail, blood-soaked arms with a thousand hands emerged from behind them.

Just as battle seemed imminent, the entire chamber trembled violently. Then came that strange sound—one capable of loosening one’s ten emotions and eight sufferings.

At that moment, several people around Zhuge Yuan screamed and collapsed, their bodies beginning to twist chaotically.

"What’s going on?!" Li Huowang instinctively turned around. A giant vertical eye of Great Liang stood like a mountain in the distance.

"Zhuge Brother!! We can’t stay here anymore! Whatever this is, it has already begun affecting Great Qi!!" Li Huowang covered his ears and screamed wildly.

But Zhuge Yuan smiled coldly. "Hmph! Don’t try to deceive me! Even if you grow to such a size, what difference does it make? What is fake remains fake!"

With that, Zhuge Yuan pulled out an ancient almanac and began writing rapidly. Before he could finish, the great eye suddenly opened wide. Zhuge Yuan cried out in agony, kneeling on one knee. Transparent umbilical cords flickered across his body, while dark clouds roiled overhead.

At this point, even moving was difficult for Li Huowang. If things continued like this, both he and Zhuge Yuan would perish here!

Without hesitation, Li Huowang drew his dagger and slashed deeply down his neck.

Red blood spilled across the ground as the Great Thousand Record Book unfolded beneath him. "Wood Liver! Earth Spleen! Metal Lung! Water Kidney! Fire Heart! Leap of the Five Elements!"

As he slapped his five organs onto the record, his five senses gradually merged. Li Huowang sensed the presence of Bahuì.

Then, the red bamboo stakes of the Great Thousand Record Book twisted into worms, darting into his body, devouring flesh and multiplying endlessly. Soon, they filled his empty chest cavity, seeping outward.

Yet unlike the terrifying transformation of his body, Li Huowang felt better than ever. No pain, no confusion.

Even the giant eye stared at him, the strange sound could no longer affect him.

The leap of the Five Elements cannot be used recklessly, for it demands sacrifice of the five viscera—a life can only be used once. But Li Huowang didn’t care—this was no longer his body, but Beifeng’s.