Chapter 454: Sudden Change (Thanks to the silver alliance leader 'Xiang Wang Lin' for the tip!)

Chapter 454: Sudden Change

(Thanks to Silver Alliance Leader Xiang Wang Lin for the reward!)

"Just blindness, I’ll find a way to replace these eyes. If I can’t, then I’ll trouble Li Huowang."

Bai Lingmiao continued speaking to Er Shen.

"But if I die someday, remember—watch over him for me. Don’t let him act like some woman, chasing death and despair."

"No way, I can’t die yet. I have to bear children first. How many do you think is best?"

As they spoke, a commotion arose from the village. Bai Lingmiao frowned slightly, quickly returning with Er Shen.

Soon, from the crowd gathered in a circle, they learned the news: Gouwa’s child had been born.

It was supposed to be joyous, but when the baby was carried out of the bedroom and its appearance revealed, those who had just begun to congratulate were silenced instantly. Gouwa stood frozen in place.

The infant's body was covered with white patches—scattered here and there, just like Gouwa’s face. Congenital vitiligo.

Luo Juanhua, who acted as midwife, glanced around before walking over to Gouwa and gently placing the child in his arms. “It’s a girl.”

Gouwa’s face turned ashen, nearly losing his balance. “Why is it a girl… why must it be a girl? How will she ever be married off?”

Chun Xiaoman, her expression twisted with pain, wrapped her arms around Bai Lingmiao, her voice trembling slightly:

“We are cursed by heaven and earth. Our ugliness not only affects us but also our descendants. Forcing children to live only brings harm to both ourselves and them.”

“I told Gouwa this before, but he always thought he was different. Alas…”

Bai Lingmiao, already pale, now wore a shade of deathly gray as he heard these words.

---

Li Huowang walked along the smooth mountain path toward the peak. When he reached the deep cave once again, what had once been a flat cavern now appeared twisted and bizarre, filled with strange and grotesque formations—some sculptures of Yang Na, others of Sun Xiaoqin, and still others of Li Jiancheng. These were all creations from his cultivation journey.

They had formed unconsciously, and even if he tried to recreate them now, he doubted he could.

Finding a relatively flat spot inside the cave, Li Huowang sat cross-legged and resumed his cultivation.

He held his breath, focused his mind, and pushed the primordial essence wrapped in divine light within his body toward his root chakra.

After so much effort, that essence finally began to move. He intended to make this breakthrough today.

Entering a state of complete absorption, Li Huowang’s mind was entirely focused on guiding the primordial essence into his root chakra—no distractions, no thoughts beyond this.

The process was slow, yet the essence truly moved.

It was perilous. The divine light surrounding the essence flickered and shifted. Several times, the primordial essence nearly slipped away, forcing him back to the bed in the real world.

But perseverance paid off. In his full concentration, he felt the essence begin to overlap with his root chakra.

In an instant, the divine light enveloping the essence suddenly expanded, bursting outward from within his body, spreading in all directions.

Everything touched by that radiance became completely transparent—inside and out.

Even the worms beneath the soil, the tiny insects crawling on them, he knew them clearly.

This sensation was extraordinary. In that moment, Li Huowang felt he no longer possessed just one pair of eyes—he had countless pairs, each nested within another, forming a perfect circle.

If he willed it, he could see anything around him.

Yet this feeling came fast and faded just as quickly. When Li Huowang opened his eyes again, his body fell from the air to the ground.

After landing steadily, he looked around. Oddly enough, everything seemed the same as before—but something about the details felt subtly different.

Suddenly, he remembered something. He picked up a stone from the ground and closed his eyes slowly. “This is an apple.”

It wasn’t just words. With full concentration, he held an apple in his hand.

Veins bulged on his forehead, his expression twisted in agony. His grip on the stone trembled violently.

After several minutes, Li Huowang suddenly opened his eyes. The apple was still in his hand!

Excited, Si Fanchi brought it to his mouth and took a bite. The sour-sweet juice burst in his mouth.

As he chewed, more juice flowed, but gradually, the taste changed—sourness and sweetness vanished, replaced by a sharp, metallic stench.

Li Huowang opened his mouth wide, spitting out the stones that had cut his mouth, along with blood.

Looking at the stone apple with a missing chip, he raised his head to Zhao Yuan and said, “Brother Zhao, look. After just a few days of training, I’ve already achieved this. Give me a little more time, and I’ll definitely bring you back to life.”

“Brother Li, no need to rush. Take your time. You should go rest. You’ve been in seclusion for four days and nights. Your body may not hold up.”

“What? That long?” Si Fanchi stood abruptly, dizzy and disoriented. Just then, Li Sui rushed forward and supported him with his tentacles.

“Take me home. Let me rest a bit.” As soon as Li Huowang finished speaking, he fainted.

When he came to again, he found himself lying in bed. He had been awakened by Bai Lingmiao pouring water into his mouth.

“You’re awake? Are you hungry? I’ll get you something to eat.”

Bai Lingmiao looked unwell, her face pale.

But Li Huowang had no time to ponder such things. All he could think about was food. He felt he could eat an entire cow.

He sat up and began devouring the rice. To him, the simple meal tasted like delicacies.

A bowl of rice later, he finished the remaining two dishes and soup.

Seeing how fast he ate, Bai Lingmiao thought it wasn’t enough and stood up to go downstairs for more.

As he ate, a pair of blood-red embroidered shoes stopped before his eyes.

“What? Something wrong?” Li Huowang looked up in surprise at the two gods standing before him.

“Senior Brother Li, can you help us?”

Li Huowang chewed and swallowed the empty leaf from his cheek. “Go ahead. What’s the matter? We don’t need to be polite.”

The two gods stood there, their long black nails intertwined tightly, showing their inner conflict.

Seeing this, Li Huowang quickly grasped the truth behind their hesitation.

“What? Is this something you wanted to tell me alone? Did Miao Miao refuse?”

“I know you each have two bodies, but you can still have your own plans. Tell me, what exactly is it? If I can help, I will.”

Just as the two gods remained in turmoil, the room suddenly grew dark.

“Hmm?” Li Huowang stood and walked to the window, peering outside into the pitch-black sky.

“It’s getting dark?”

“No,” Zhao Yuan’s expression grew grave. “Brother Li, this isn’t darkness—it’s noon. This is one of Heaven’s calamities—the celestial dog devouring the sun.”