Chapter 546: Great Qi

Chapter 546: The Great Qi

“Brother Li!”

Li Huowang had just raised his sword and was about to unleash his strength when Zhuge Yuan’s unusually grave voice caused him to halt.

“Don’t look at me, don’t speak to me! There’s something wrong with that woman by your side! You can’t let her know you’re experiencing hallucinations!”

Li Huowang puzzledly thought to Zhuge Yuan in his heart: “Brother Zhuge, what are you talking about? Isn’t she Shangguan Yuting?”

“Think again carefully. Where is the Shangguan Yuting you’ve been with these days?! She’s a fake!” Zhuge Yuan said, followed by the monk and the illusion from the Seat-Forget Dao also offering their advice.

“Master Taoist, this woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere—there was no such person before.”

“Red Leader, hehehe, if you can be fooled like this, then I truly look down on you.”

“Elder Er, what’s wrong? Aren’t we supposed to go to Great Qi?” Shangguan Yuting, who stood beside them, tilted her head slightly, looking puzzled at Li Huowang. The crystal hairpin on her head swayed gently.

Inhaling the refreshing fragrance that seemed to pierce his very soul, Li Huowang took another careful look at this familiar beauty.

He remembered everything about this girl clearly, but it wasn’t until one of his other illusions reminded him that he realized how many flaws there were in this woman.

Even more importantly, she bore the face of the Princess Anping, yet he hadn’t noticed anything odd about her earlier.

“Is this the work of the Astronomical Bureau? Can they really transform one person into another’s vision without the latter even realizing it?”

Li Huowang never expected that he would have the fortune of being heart-sensitized every day. If not for the illusions reminding him, he might have fallen into the trap set by the Astronomical Bureau. His suspicion of this person grew even deeper.

“What should we do now?” This was the question Li Huowang needed to consider next. Everything had gone smoothly until the Astronomical Bureau suddenly placed someone like this beside him—what exactly did they intend?

“Li Sui, what happened to your father? Does he often stare off into space like this?” Shangguan Yuting softly asked Li Sui.

Hearing this, Li Huowang clenched his jaw and stepped forward, blocking Li Sui.

He didn’t think continuing to hide things from himself would benefit him. He directly asked the woman beside him: “Astronomical Bureau Official! Why are you doing this? Or perhaps, you still don’t trust me?”

Instead of feeling embarrassed at being discovered, the woman replied calmly: “Elder Er, what are you saying? Didn’t you say that trading with the Upper Extreme Gate requires sufficient secrets?”

She held her long skirt and slowly turned around with a smile toward Li Huowang. “I’m the secret used for the exchange.”

“You?!”

“Yes indeed. After all, Elder Er may not have enough secrets to trade with. If I don’t come along, wouldn’t that be a waste of time?”

Shangguan Yuting spoke so naturally as though this was simply how things should be. It was Li Huowang who reacted excessively.

But Li Huowang understood well—if he hadn’t recognized her identity, what she would do next would be unpredictable. Whatever she said, whether truth or falsehood, could lead to trouble. If she deduced from his strange behavior that he was heart-sensitized and reported back to the Astronomical Bureau, things could get serious.

“These people are all old foxes more cunning than the last. Dealing with them requires full attention; otherwise, one slip and they’ll trick you.”

Li Huowang muttered inwardly.

“Elder Er, let’s hurry to Great Qi. Finish the mission of the Astronomical Bureau as soon as possible, and then we’ll be safe.”

Upon hearing her urging, Li Huowang silently nodded and opened his mouth toward Li Sui.

When he saw Li Su enter Li Huowang’s body, Shangguan Yuting widened her eyes in shock.

“Keep up as much as you can—I won’t wait for you!” Li Huowang gripped his sword hilt tightly.

“Elder Er, what are you talking about? Wherever you are, I’m right there too. Look, there aren’t even footprints,” she said, walking past him without leaving any trace.

Watching her walk away with no signs behind her, Li Huowang couldn’t figure out what kind of being she actually was, nor how the Astronomical Bureau managed it.

“Never mind. Let’s treat this as a deal with the Astronomical Bureau. I give them a secret from the Upper Extreme Gate, and they help me solve the dice.” Thinking of this, Li Huowang made no further hesitation. Gripping the sword hilt, he swung it hard. Two talismans adhered to his legs, and he shot into the darkness like a gust of wind.

As soon as he entered, the sky darkened instantly. The surrounding darkness was so thick that Li Huowang couldn’t tell where he was. “Why has it become so dark in Great Qi?”

Just as he instinctively tried to look up, Zhuge Yuan’s warning sounded nearby: “Don’t look! This isn’t night—it’s a celestial disaster! It’s a solar eclipse!”

Zhuge Yuan’s words barely finished when Li Huowang forcibly stopped himself from raising his head.

So close, so close—just a little more, and he’d end up digging out his own eyeballs like last time.

Suddenly, a giant claw larger than a man shot out from the left, aiming to strike Li Huowang.

“Whoosh~!” As Li Huowang slashed through the massive claw, a strange scream echoed from the darkness, and the limb quickly retracted.

Li Huowang didn’t relax his guard. He could sense many eyes watching him in the darkness.

Clearly, with the appearance of the celestial disaster, Great Qi had completely fallen into a world of evil spirits. Their reason for not acting was only that they were temporarily intimidated by him.

“Elder Er, what’s going on in Great Qi? Should we return to Great Liang and wait for the disaster to pass?”

Li Huowang held his spine and stood still for quite some time before speaking: “No need. It won’t hinder me finding the Upper Extreme Gate. These demons and monsters are nothing. This disaster might last for a while—I can’t wait for it to end!”

With that, Li Huowang gripped his sword and sprinted through the dark world, cutting down any evil spirit that dared stand in his way.

However, such a dangerous place was unsuitable for rest. Fortunately, eating or resting could always be done back in Great Liang.

One day, two days, three days passed. The disaster still hadn’t faded. Li Huowang realized that this disaster in Great Qi must be different from the one in Great Liang, and gradually, the evil spirits appearing within its borders were no longer small fry.

“Die!!” With eyes closed, Li Huowang wielded his purple-tipped sword and slashed forward fiercely.

Feeling that slimy texture, Li Huowang plunged his left hand into the creature without hesitation, severing his own left arm.

In the next moment, the severed hand detached from his body, and bone spines shot out from his arm, burrowing deep inside.

Hearing the heavy thuds echoing from the darkness, Li Huowang exhaled deeply in relief.

He didn’t know what he had cut. Over this period, he had learned that some evil spirits shouldn’t be looked at. Looking at them triggered abnormality in his ten emotions and eight sufferings. Everything under this disaster became increasingly bizarre.

Just as Li Huowang sensed Li Sui retrieving his severed hand with tentacles, his expression stiffened. He immediately dropped to the ground, pressing his ear against the earth.

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(End of Chapter)