Chapter 679: Contact

Chapter 679: Contact

Upon hearing Yang Xiaohai’s words, Lü Xiucai’s face stiffened. The painful memories of the past surged to his mind, but he quickly suppressed them and put on a casual expression as he said, “He died—killed by the Sect.”

“What?! Did the scholar really die?” Yang Xiaohai’s eyes widened in shock.

Lü Xiucai slowly turned his head, staring wide-eyed at Yang Xiaohai. “What do you mean by that? What do you mean by ‘really died’?”

Li Huowang also glanced over, for he knew well that when Yang Xiaohai had left, the Scholar Lü was still enjoying himself in the capital city. How could he possibly know that the scholar had died?

“No, no, don’t misunderstand. While I was in Qingqiu, I witnessed a dragon rise from beneath the earth. Something strange happened, and I thought it was just a dream at first. I saw the Scholar Brother there, but something about him seemed odd.”

Yang Xiaohai quickly recounted everything he had experienced with Scholar Lü. “It wasn’t just you. In that place called Fudou, there was another strange Li Senior Brother.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed Li Senior Brother frowning and staring at him. “What did you say? Another me? Repeat what you went through.”

Hearing this, Yang Xiaohai repeated his strange experiences in Qingqiu, this time focusing on the peculiar Li Huowang.

“Hongzhong? Li Huowang? Hongzhong Li Huowang didn’t disappear?!” Li Huowang’s pupils shrank to the smallest possible size upon hearing this.

The former Doumu had granted him a past in the Way of Forgetfulness, and because of that past, the figure of Hongzhong Li Huowang had come into being.

Li Huowang had always believed that with the fading of that past, the figure of Hongzhong Li Huowang should have vanished as well.

But now it appeared that things were not so simple. Though Hongzhong Li Huowang had left his side, he hadn’t truly disappeared—he had merely been hidden away, just like the Great Qi!

“But… why? Why is he trapped in Fudou instead of going anywhere else?” Li Huowang frowned deeply, pondering the question. “And then there’s this ‘Siming’ mentioned by Hongzhong…”

The Lord of Death was actually dead—and hidden beneath Qingqiu. That was something he had never imagined.

“Child, are you saying there was seawater of an extremely strange color flowing into that underground cave?” Li Huowang repeated one of the key details.

“Yes! That seawater was weird. Even though it was far away, I felt like my body was being sucked in. If not for the fact that I ended up in that upside-down Zhongyin Temple, I wouldn’t have made it back.”

Recalling those events, Yang Xiaohai couldn’t help but feel fear. From Li Senior Brother’s reaction, it seemed his experience had indeed been real—he had almost not returned.

“Is this the kind of seawater?” Li Huowang asked, then drew out his Spine Sword and slashed violently toward the distance.

A rift opened to Great Qi, and once again, those metallic, dark multicolored substances poured out.

They dripped onto the ground, writhing like living creatures. Wherever they touched, distortion occurred—lifeless things became alive, and living things twisted even further.

“Yes! Just like that!! I saw exactly this. But there wasn’t just a little of it—it was countless, like the sea itself!” Yang Xiaohai spoke while retreating, as if afraid the substance might approach him again.

“Yu’er Shen… truly Yu’er Shen,” Li Huowang’s face grew grim. The Sect that worshipped Yu’er Shen not only conquered cities in Hou Shu but even attacked the Lord of Death himself. “What does Yu’er Shen want? Does it dare challenge the Heavenly Dao of Death itself?”

Lost in thought, Li Huowang’s attention was diverted by a soft touch on his right hand. He looked down and saw Bai Lingmiao holding his hand.

“Senior Brother Li, what’s wrong?”

Li Huowang shook his head habitually. “Nothing. Let’s go.”

Just as he turned to leave, Bai Lingmiao’s hands pulled him back. Though her grip was soft, beneath that softness lay firm resistance.

He turned his head and looked at her eyes, now bound with white ribbons. “Senior Brother Li, I am now the Holy Maiden of the White Lotus Sect. The White Lotus Sect has spread widely in the Great Li. I now have the power to help you.”

“If you’re truly facing trouble, you don’t need to bear it alone like before. Tell me, we can think of solutions together.”

Looking at her delicate features, Li Huowang reached out and gently brushed his palm across her cheek. He could feel her sincere concern for him.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally said, “This matter is a bit long to explain. You know about the Yu’er Shen worshipped by the Sect, right?”

“Mm, I know. Wusheng Laomu said that Yu’er Shen is a traitor.”

“The truth of the matter goes like this.” As Li Huowang began to recount the full story, he paused halfway through, frowning at the dark sea ahead.

There, torches lit up like a long dragon approaching them. “Hmm?”

“Child, what’s going on over there? Are those people under the influence of the Sect?”

Seeing Li Huowang clench his sword handle, Yang Xiaohai’s face paled instantly. His voice trembled with urgency. “Senior Brother Li, they’re not from the Sect—they worship the Dragon King! We must go! Go now!”

His father and elder sister were already gone. He didn’t want to lose more family members—even if they had treated him poorly.

“Are you hiding something from me?” Li Huowang glanced at him. Though he said this, he didn’t press further. He turned and led the others away.

He hadn’t forgotten his purpose in coming to Hou Shu—to find the Dragon Vein of Hou Shu. As for what Yang Xiaohai might be plotting, he didn’t care to think about it.

But just a few steps out, firelight appeared on the distant road. Clearly, during their brief conversation, these people had already surrounded them secretly, with no intention of letting them escape.

“Heh, now this is interesting. I didn’t go looking for trouble, yet they came to find it themselves. Li Sui!”

As Li Huowang opened his mouth, Li Sui burrowed into his body. Creeping tendrils erupted from every part of his body.

“Master! This time, let me come too! I want revenge against the Sect!” Lü Xiucai stepped forward, eyes filled with hatred, speaking firmly.

Li Huowang glanced at him. “Fine. Just survive on your own. As for that body, I won’t be burdened by it.”

“I’m not a burden!” Lü Xiucai said, tearing off his shirt to reveal a paper belly-band covered in curse marks.

With hatred burning in his eyes, he pulled out a saw-blade sword with thorns on both sides. He stamped his foot and struck his forehead repeatedly with the blade, muttering incantations under his breath.