Chapter 604: True and False

Chapter 604: True or False

The wooden cabin was small, barely the size of a classroom, yet its walls were round like the tunnels of insects and vermin.

On these irregular surfaces, various carvings were densely arranged. As the tiny wooden figures on the reliefs moved to the edge of the wall, pointing at Li Huowang with their fingers, the entire cabin seemed to pulse with life.

Inside this peculiar vessel, Li Huowang finally saw the true form of what was known as the Yin-Yang Doumu's Heart Coil.

This man sat upon a brown grand chair, his upper body bare, but his face wore a bronze mask similar to that at the gate of the Astronomical Bureau. The only difference was that this mask had a green face and sharp fangs, giving it a terrifying appearance.

His body was emaciated like a skeleton, yet his belly was abnormally large. On this round protruding stomach, an ever-moving Yin-Yang Taiji fish spread outward in all directions.

Five chains around the Heart Soul’s neck were wrapped around his left arm. Clearly, he was the one who had spoken just now. Moreover, he had no legs—his lower body had completely fused with the brown grand chair.

Li Huowang stared at him, about to open his mouth to question him when suddenly the man didn’t seem inclined to speak.

Seeing Li Huowang enter, the man tugged forcefully with his left hand bound by chains. The clanking of the chains rang out, and the five Heart Souls outside were instantly dragged in, lunging toward Li Huowang’s back.

As the five Heart Souls opened their mouths and spoke something, wooden planks beneath the ground rose up, stabbing toward him.

“Is there no end to this nonsense!” Li Huowang roared, gripping the spine sword tightly in his hand. Ignoring the approaching Heart Souls behind him, he charged straight at the masked man before him.

Just as Li Huowang raised his sword to strike, his ears—once deaf—suddenly heard a voice coming from beneath the mask.

"Ascended to Heaven, accomplished truth. Jade Capital, Golden Palace. Ranked among the Taiji. Great compassion, great vow. Supreme sage, supreme mercy. Supreme Jade Capital, Inner Minister of Heavenly Fate. Purple Spirit of Jade Void. Universal Tranquility. Constant Dao's Response..."

Not only was the masked man singing, but the five Heart Souls behind Li Huowang were also joining in.

During their chanting, Li Huowang’s illusion beside him flickered slightly. Something unseen by mortals departed from his body.

In the next moment, the rift Li Huowang slashed struck the man’s face—but instead of cutting him in two like previous historical rifts, it scattered like a gentle breeze.

"How could this not affect him?! Could this fellow be another dragon vein?!"

With gritted teeth, Peng Longteng’s towering figure appeared beside Li Huowang, grabbing him and throwing him forward.

As Li Huowang crashed into the masked man with a shadowy trail, both his Purple Ear Sword and Li Sui’s copper coin sword, entwined with tentacles, pierced into the man’s bulging belly.

Yet unexpectedly, both swords, along with Li Huowang’s body, passed straight through the man’s form and emerged behind the grand chair.

Stunned, Li Huowang paused for a breath before raising his weapon again to strike.

Though the sword truly entered the man’s body, not even a wound formed. Not even the wooden chair beneath him was cut.

"This is wrong!!" Li Huowang raised his weapon and stabbed it into his own thigh.

The blade that could slice through iron easily went straight through his thigh, emerging from the other side. Yet he felt no pain, and no blood stained the sword.

Li Huowang realized clearly: the man wasn't a dragon vein nor anything else—the issue lay within himself.

Evidence was that since the beginning, the Heart Coil of Doumu hadn’t once looked at him, as if he didn’t exist at all.

“What is going on...?” Shocked, Li Huowang reached up to touch his head, only for his hand to pass right through it.

At this moment, Li Huowang felt like a ghost without substance—nothing touched him, nothing could be grasped, including himself.

“What’s happening?” Just then, a familiar voice echoed beside his ear, “You’ve become fake! Quick, find a way—I’ll hold off Doumu!”

At that moment, the ceiling of the cabin slowly opened. The Heart Coil of Doumu, accompanied by five Heart Souls, knelt and bowed toward the starry sky above.

"Not existing and non-existent, called the void. Manifesting divine traces in the mortal world, protecting the holy carriage in the land of Yama. Great compassion, great vow. Supreme sage, supreme mercy. Golden Lord of Sacred Virtue. Great Saint of Marici. Supreme Lord of the Cosmic Doumu!"

Stars began to vanish under rolling darkness, as though something was about to emerge.

"Not existing and non-existent? I’ve become fake? Am I really fake now?" Li Huowang looked down at his current form, unsure how to react.

Everything he did now had no effect on reality—it seemed he had already lost this confrontation.

“No! No! There must be a way! Since the Heart Coil can borrow the true/false heavenly path of Doumu, as a Heart Coil of Jizai, I should also be able to borrow his heavenly path!”

“Confusion… confusion… damn it! How does this thing work?!”

Li Huowang clenched his fists and shouted angrily.

Wounded severely, Li Huowang found himself in a dire situation. He had underestimated himself—he carried a bone cleaver, unable to fight against Xu Shou’s bodyguards, let alone their guns!

*Bang!* A wooden frame ahead exploded, forcing Li Huowang deeper into a corner.

"Woof woof woof!" The barking resounded again. Hearing those sounds, images of five bull terriers flashed in Li Huowang’s mind.

These dogs were fighting dogs; they wouldn’t feel pain when they bit. Against such creatures, his bone cleaver was useless.

Earlier on the deck, he had sacrificed his left arm to kill one, and now they had returned.

As footsteps and barks drew closer, a fierce glint appeared in Li Huowang’s eyes. “Is this the end? Impossible!! I need a proper weapon—a weapon strong enough to deal with them!”

Fortunately, Li Huowang had prepared for such a contingency. If things went awry, he would use his trump card.

Without hesitation, he pulled out a vial from his pocket, unscrewed the cap, and tilted his head, pouring the red capsules into his mouth.

After chewing them for a few moments and swallowing them down, Li Huowang sensed changes in his surroundings. The smooth white paint of the cruise ship gradually transformed into yellow-brown wooden planks with growth rings.

While pondering how to use the special Heavenly Path of Confusion, Li Huowang was startled to discover that his hand could now touch his own head without passing through it.

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Next chapter update at 11:32 PM

(End of Chapter)