Chapter 605: Xu

Chapter 605: Xu

Though he did not know what had transpired, it was undeniable that he had truly returned to reality.

Fearing that the other might once again use his strange power to render him insubstantial, Li Huowang immediately launched a counterattack.

"Dad, my copper coin sword is gone."

At this moment, Li Huowang's attention was entirely focused on the masked man kneeling before him and the five Heart Souls. He had not noticed a word that Li Sui had spoken.

"Die!" Li Huowang swung his spine sword with all his might, slicing down at the five Heart Souls.

The five Heart Souls, who had been engaged in worship, never expected that Li Huowang would suddenly become real again at this very moment.

With a sharp "whoosh!", the heads of the five Heart Souls, along with their shoulders, were sent flying to the land of Great Qi.

"Feel your heads! You've lost them!"

Upon hearing Li Huowang’s warning, the Heart Souls simultaneously reached up to touch their heads. Their bodies instantly went limp and collapsed to the ground, never to rise again.

Having finally dealt with these troublesome five, Li Huowang immediately redirected his blade toward Doumu Xin Pan seated on the wooden chair.

The instant they made contact, the floor beneath them split wide open like a bloodthirsty mouth. The sharp wooden spikes at the edges clamped together with tremendous force, swallowing both men whole.

Interlocking wooden thorns stood like jagged knives upon the ground. In the ship cabin without a ceiling, silence reigned once more—no living creature remained.

Time passed slowly, and the dark clouds above gradually spread. From deep within those clouds, an eye appeared—a divine eye stolen by Doumu from the ghost mountain.

It was then that a crimson worm, its mouth lined with sharp teeth, bit through the wooden floor and emerged, devouring everything around it with frenzied hunger.

This seemed only the beginning; more and more worms burst forth from beneath the wood, gnawing at every piece of timber they could see.

Soon, the entire floor was riddled with holes, exposing Li Huowang below to the sky.

His chest now wide open, filled completely with writhing flesh, Li Huowang, in order to defeat Doumu Xin Pan, had offered up his five viscera to Ba Hui, performing a transformation of the Five Elements.

This ability, bought at the cost of his life, was immensely powerful. With a "pfft," he thrust his spine sword deeply into the bulging belly of Doumu Xin Pan.

Following that, as he twisted the blade, darkness in the sky surged even faster.

Even though it was already futile, the Yin-Yang Doumu still raised both hands, pressing down forcefully against the spine sword being pushed into her.

"Still not dead?" As Li Huowang’s tentacles shoved the sword into the ground, he leapt high, stepping directly onto the hilt.

The sharp spine sword pressed heavily downward, firmly nailing Doumu Xin Pan to the wooden planks. What he had promised Ji Zai was finally accomplished.

In that instant, heaven and earth changed abruptly. Li Huowang’s body passed straight through the spine sword, and his body and sword suddenly became misaligned.

The spine sword was inside him, yet he felt no pain. Indeed, he could even look down and clearly see the sword itself.

Having experienced this before, Li Huowang remembered this sensation—he knew he had become insubstantial again. But this time, it wasn’t just him who had turned fake; the entire ship, the sea, perhaps even the heavens themselves had also become insubstantial.

As if matter had vanished in that moment, “truth” disappeared entirely, leaving only falsehood behind.

But this state didn’t last long. Suddenly, the world’s “truth” returned, and the false disappeared in its place.

Qiu Baochi, the monk, and Jinshan looked down at their solid forms with bewilderment.

"I'm alive? I really am alive?! Can I go do good deeds again?" The monk jumped excitedly in place.

"What’s going on?" Li Huowang thought to himself, but then realization dawned on his face. He looked up at the sky and said aloud, "So that’s how it is… This is the origin of the heavenly disaster?"

Since he had dealt with Doumu Xin Pan, the current Ji Zai must be attempting to possess the true and false heavenly ways of the Yin-Yang Doumu. The appearance of this disaster was likely caused by the conflict between the Fates.

With a "bang," Peng Longteng, feeling his body return, immediately left Li Huowang and rushed toward the ship’s rail.

But just as she prepared to climb, her hand gripping the broken wood passed straight through it—she reverted to one of Li Huowang’s illusions.

"Ahhh... why did it change back again?" The monk, feeling his body vanish, wore a face full of regret.

"So, has it ended?" Li Huowang closed his eyes, sensing everything around him.

If the heavenly disaster had ended so quickly, then his future self, Ji Zai, must have fully grasped the true and false heavenly ways of Doumu.

Logically speaking, possessing two heavenly ways should have been a great event—but to Li Huowang, there was no emotion at all.

A strange whistling sound echoed above him.

Li Huowang lifted his head. The wind blew his bangs wildly, and a red-armored helicopter appeared overhead. Seeing the Chinese characters at the bottom of the aircraft, Li Huowang gave a helpless smile. "Looks like Old Liu really did call for help..."

With such a big incident, things wouldn’t be easily resolved, especially with a ship full of corpses.

He glanced down at the barely alive Xu Shou, his expression indifferent. "Doesn't matter anymore. At least now, Yang Na and my parents are safe."

Staring at the culprit, Li Huowang grew increasingly irritated. He bent over and took off the sunglasses from Xu Shou’s face, placing them on his own. "Although you’ve caused so much trouble and cost me an arm, I won’t blame you. Just be careful next life!"

With his ringed hand covering the bleeding wound where the copper coin sword pierced through, Xu Shou trembled as he opened his lips, blood trickling from his corner of the mouth as if trying to speak.

"Hmm? What did you say?" Li Huowang leaned closer.

Just then, his pupils shrank to nothingness. He realized that Xu Shou, without his sunglasses, looked familiar!

Distant memories began flashing through his mind. Soon, a filthy, dirty nun’s temple came into view—the An Ci Nunnery!

"Xu... Xu'er? Are you Xu'er? Are you the son of Master Jingxin, Xu'er?!" Li Huowang urgently questioned Xu Shou.

Carefully examining each detail, Li Huowang was certain: the face before him matched exactly that of the heart soul child raised in the master’s flesh, whose limbs had completely degenerated!

This revelation sent chills through Li Huowang’s entire body.

Conflicting and complex information caused his head to ache. It had been fine just moments ago, but now his thoughts were completely scrambled.

——

Next chapter update at 11:30 PM

(End of Chapter)