Chapter 578: Union

Chapter 578: Union

At the sound of the dice's words, the Astronomical Bureau had yet to speak, but Li Huowang immediately showed new movement.

Li Huowang clutched his head in agony and raised his right hand, pointing fiercely at the dice, "Gao Zhijian! What exactly are you doing!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhijian’s expression wavered once more, but soon he grew resolute again.

"It's useless. You, a follower of the Way of Forgetfulness, are no match for me—the true emperor chosen by heaven. Your petty tricks mean nothing to me."

Gao Zhijian glanced toward the veteran generals of the military sects beside him. "Ma, Yue, Xue, Yu—am I here merely to watch a play? Don’t forget what your ancestors once said to the former emperor."

In an instant, the dragon sedan beneath Gao Zhijian expanded. He displayed before these military elders the blood-soaked, mangled figure of the emperor at the tail of the dragon vein.

The next moment, trembling great maces and heavy halberds, thick with ominous aura, crashed down upon Li Huowang and the Astronomical Bureau.

"Get out of my sight!" With a roar from Li Huowang, everything around him twisted—both the warriors charging him and their weapons transformed into something else. Everything except the Astronomical Bureau began to warp under his influence.

As his face grew increasingly sinister, so too did the distortion surrounding him become more pronounced.

Seeing that the dice was about to flee, the Astronomical Bureau swiftly floated forward, attempting to block him.

"Stay away from him! Archers, prepare!"

"Wind! Wind! Wind!" From afar on the mountainside, countless black dots flew like a storm, raining down upon Li Huowang.

Yet none could harm him; the poisoned arrows, upon touching his body, turned into real raindrops.

"I can't hold out much longer! Too much primordial qi! I can’t control it anymore! I must use it all now!" Li Huowang, bleeding from seven orifices, shouted inwardly as the distortion spread outward, forcing the soldiers back.

"Heh heh heh... I’ve told you countless times—your tricks won’t work on the true emperor!"

The dice soared into the air, barely dodging the Astronomical Bureau’s approach. A grotesque figure with three heads—one young, one middle-aged, one old—wrapped entirely in black feathers, wielding a sword made of flesh and copper coins, blocked his path.

"Hmm? What is this?" Before he could finish speaking, Gao Zhijian's slender body twisted sharply, avoiding the spine blade aimed at him.

Looking down, the dice saw a familiar face—Zhuge Yuan, holding the spine blade in one hand, looking up at him.

Zhuge Yuan suddenly swung the blade, stepping forward with his left foot on his right, determined and resolute. "Brother Li, do not worry! I am here to help!"

Li Huowang, his head cracking open, knelt in pain. Upon hearing that familiar voice, he smiled again.

Li Sui's tentacles supported him as he stood once more, his purple-sheathed sword in hand, rushing toward the dice.

Due to the unique nature of the dragon vein, Li Huowang could only fight Gao Zhijian in close combat. For a time, neither side could gain the upper hand. But facing off against the Astronomical Bureau, Dan Yangzi, Zhuge Yuan, and Li Huowang himself, even if the dice was formidable, his room to maneuver shrunk rapidly.

Just as it seemed Gao Zhijian would be captured, there came a sharp *pfft*, a sharp saber emerging from Li Huowang’s chest.

With a *whoosh*, a spearhead made of bloodied dragon horn pierced Dan Yangzi’s body, lifting him high. The terrifying, monstrous form of Dan Yangzi instantly collapsed and vanished.

With two of them gone, Gao Zhijian’s pressure dropped dramatically.

"How is this possible?! Who could get close enough to me at this point?!" Li Huowang spat blood, struggling to turn around and saw a soldier clad in bloodstained dragon-scale armor.

These weren’t iron scales—they were real dragon scales plucked from emperors throughout history!

And the saber in his hand wasn’t ordinary—it was carved from a dragon bone!

"Hahahaha! I knew you’d try to capture the leader first! Don’t think just because you’re mad with heartless obsession, I couldn’t find a way to deal with you—I have plenty of methods!"

One after another, twenty soldiers clad in dragon scales emerged from the ranks, surrounding Li Huowang. Among them, twenty others completely ignored his cultivation abilities.

The situation shifted instantly.

"How dare you recklessly scatter the dragon vein’s fortune! Are you insane?!" The Astronomical Bureau seemed to witness something horrifying, his voice filled with fury.

"So what? Even if the sky falls, it will happen eventually. Whether early or late makes no difference. I wish it would come sooner rather than later, so I don’t have to wait slowly."

As he spoke, he scraped his dragon claw across the emperor beneath him, peeling off large patches of dragon scales. The sky cracked like a mirror.

"Kill them! The imperial army and the military sects are one and the same. If I benefit, then you shall too!"

Faced with the approaching generals in dragon-scale armor, Li Huowang’s mind nearly shattered. He was cornered.

He looked at the Astronomical Bureau and realized he had pinned the dice tightly, unable to spare a glance.

"I... I must find a way... find a way!" Li Huowang suddenly turned his gaze to Shangguan Yuting beside him, her head full of eyes.

He grabbed her by the hair and bit down on one of her eyeballs. "How do we defeat this dice? I need a solution!"

Though the shape of his brow bore the same third eye as before, it did not react like it had when searching for the dice. Back then, the dice was merely a follower of the Way of Forgetfulness. Now, the dice was the dragon vein itself.

Li Huowang refused to give up. Ignoring Shangguan Yuting’s screams, he quickly swallowed the eyes atop her head. Then, the third eye on his forehead began to glow brighter and brighter.

While he acted, the soldiers paid no heed. One among them shouted, “Formation of the Well and Wild Geese,” and the twenty soldiers quickly advanced in formation.

A sudden howl rang out—a dragon horn halberd slashed diagonally from below toward Li Huowang.

But just as it was about to strike, long white sleeves descended from above, wrapping around the weapon and pulling it aside, shielding Li Huowang from the blow.

All the soldiers looked up to see lotus lanterns and Kongming lanterns suspended in midair.

Bailin Miao descended from the heavens with a group of White Lotus disciples, surrounding Li Huowang.

These White Lotus disciples were clearly different from before—uniformly wearing lantern pants, some bare-chested, others wearing simple embroidered belly bands adorned with sequins and beads.

Their eyes half-closed, faces solemn and cold. Their cheeks were pierced through with pointed bronze needles, each bearing talismans.

More importantly, on their backs were tattoos of white donkeys, each with a different expression.

———

Next chapter updates at 00:01

(End of Chapter)