Chapter 571: Dice

Chapter 571: The Dice

"Red Zhong~ hahahaha!" The face suspended in midair was twisted beyond recognition, its grin malicious as Gao Zhijian stared intently at Li Huowang, not blinking an eye.

"It's all because of you! If it weren't for your help, how could I have seized such an extremely rare hundred-soul transformed body of the Great Qi Emperor? If it weren't for you, the Ji family of the Great Liang wouldn't have been wiped out entirely. If it weren't for you, how would Zhuge Yuan have followed our plan?"

"Don't worry about it—my dice is loyal and righteous! Whatever we planned together, if there's my share, there's yours too!" Gao Zhijian descended slowly, extending his dragon claw toward Li Huowang as if to lift him up.

Li Huowang’s eyes were red with rage, his throat working as he swallowed hard, then reached out his left hand toward Gao Zhijian.

Just as their hands were about to meet, Li Huowang suddenly swung his right hand holding a blade across the root of his left arm, severing it in one swift motion.

The severed left hand instantly sprouted bone spines that extended outward, forming a claw-like appendage aimed straight at Gao Zhijian’s face.

The protruding bone spikes scraped against Gao Zhijian's dragon scales, sparks flying as his smile faded. "Red Zhong, this is getting a bit unfair. I've been trying to help you all along—how can you repay kindness with betrayal?"

When he saw Li Huowang brandishing a sword being thrown at him by a headless woman, instead of stopping him, Gao Zhijian opened his arms wide and charged forward.

At the moment of contact, "Clang!" Gao Zhijian ducked low, his forked dragon horns rising and falling in a parry that sent Li Huowang's purple-sword high into the air, leaving him wide open.

A scaled dragon claw adorned with golden chains, painted with dragons and phoenixes, lunged straight for Li Huowang's chest.

In a moment of crisis, Li Huowang gritted his teeth so hard his forehead veins bulged. Peng Longteng's towering figure, clad in heavy armor, suddenly appeared like a massive shield between them.

But in the next second, a "pfft" sound rang out—the two claws of Gao Zhijian pierced straight through Peng Longteng's chest.

Then, with a sudden twist and push, Gao Zhijian tore a large hole in Peng Longteng's chest.

At that moment, the dragon vein pierced through Peng Longteng's chest, lifting her up and carrying her forward at full speed toward Li Huowang.

When Li Huowang raised his purple-sword again, Gao Zhijian didn’t hesitate—he tilted his head back and smashed his own skull against Li Huowang's weapon. His dragon horn was harder than the sword itself.

"This can't go on—there has to be another way!"

As Li Huowang struggled with this thought, a sudden alarm rang in his mind. He quickly pressed his left eye shut and squeezed it tightly.

The Gao Zhijian charging from the left was suddenly enveloped in a strange hue, slowing him down to a crawl.

But before Li Huowang could catch his breath, a section of the dragon vein whipped through the air behind him, striking his back with tremendous force.

Gritting his teeth, Li Huowang leapt high, barely dodging the sneak attack. Then, a dragon claw descended from above, gripping his neck.

Before he could struggle, four more dragon claws seized his limbs, completely immobilizing him, and lifted him high into the sky, spinning him rapidly.

Li Huowang felt five powerful forces pulling at his limbs and neck, tearing them apart.

With a sharp crack, his joints dislocated, but that was only the beginning. His flesh began to tear under the strain.

"Hahahaha! Citizens of Shangjing! Watch well today! I shall give you a five-horse dismemberment! Those with money, contribute your cash; those without, cheer loudly!" Gao Zhijian's voice echoed throughout the skies of Shangjing.

"Aaaah!!" Screaming in agony, Li Huowang struggled wildly, trying to escape this inevitable death, yet still couldn't stop his body from being stretched further.

As blood gushed from his torn body, countless lanterns shaped like lotus flowers—each the size of a house—began floating around the dragon vein from somewhere unseen.

Each lantern held a child seated upon a lotus, chanting in unison:

"Green Sun rises, White Sun rises, Mother of No Birth blesses all beings. Red Sun falls, Purple Sun perishes, peace and bliss forever shine."

Dark clouds rolled overhead, forming something indescribable. The dragon scales on the dragon vein seemed to sense something, and they began to burst off.

Gao Zhijian, who had been torturing Li Huowang, released him and coiled his entire body, rushing toward these lanterns.

This was his chance to escape. Li Huowang's temples bulged, and suddenly Peng Longteng appeared before him, grabbing the dragon claw and wrenching it open. Li Huowang, covered in wounds, slumped to the ground weakly.

While falling freely through the air, Li Huowang suddenly felt his vision blur. A woman in white robes glided through the sky toward him, as if she were a celestial being, and her face looked oddly familiar.

As she gently shook her hands, long ribbons fluttered toward him, wrapping him softly and pulling him gently toward one of the lanterns.

Like ointment smeared over his wounds, the sensation of pain vanished swiftly, leaving him feeling as though he were lying on cotton.

When he came to his senses, he found himself lying in the arms of a woman—Bai Lingmiao's arms.

"Miao Miao?" Li Huowang looked at the girl before him with confusion.

She had a white lotus drawn on her brow, her clear and fair face expressionless, her eyes bound with long white ribbons.

"Miao Miao! It really is you!" Li Huowang embraced her tightly. Bai Lingmiao hesitated slightly, but finally wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Where have you been these days? You nearly drove me mad!" Li Huowang clung to her tightly, almost stuffing her into his chest.

"Senior Brother Li, didn't I send you a letter? Didn't you receive it?" Bai Lingmiao's voice remained gentle, but lacked warmth.

Hearing this, Li Huowang's heart tightened. He looked up at Gao Zhijian, who was dismantling half the lanterns in mid-air.

"Red Zhong, what did I say? I said not to bind your woman, right? We're the Forgetful Daoists—we shouldn’t do such things as kidnapping. That’d be disrespectful to our ancestors~"

"But hey~ hehehe~ Don’t forget our old trade, so I can trick you into thinking I’ve taken her."

"You can’t blame me—it’s all just your imagination. I didn’t do anything, hehehe~"

Li Huowang glared at him. "You claim you only lie with truth, right? Is this your truth?"

"Hahahaha!! You believe the words of the Forgetful Dao? Hahahahaha!" The dice in the sky laughed wildly.

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(End of Chapter)