Chapter 690: Military Release

Chapter 690: The Art of Separation

Within the exceptionally muddy expanse of Yunze, rain continued to fall relentlessly. Li Huowang led the others forward through the treacherous terrain, struggling to make progress along paths barely passable.

The deeper they ventured, the more perilous it became. Endless followers of the Daoist sect emerged from unexpected places, their presence as unpredictable as the storm above.

Besides these people, Li Huowang also saw the scattered figures of those toppled and twisted statues. Though their forms varied greatly, they were not stone—within them writhed green worms that pulsed with life.

What was more peculiar was that beneath them, rather than standing alone, they grew like wood, sprouting long root-like appendages that extended deep into the earth, interconnecting with one another in the mud.

As more of these statues appeared, Li Huowang felt as though he had stepped into a net woven by the sect’s divine traps. Though they remained motionless, he sensed that at any moment, they might spring to life.

Suddenly, his legs, stuck in the mire, halted. Clearly, this was a trap. To proceed further would mean walking straight into their snare.

“Are you certain the dragon vein is hidden somewhere within this Yunze? Don’t let the sect deceive you,” Li Huowang asked Xuan Pin.

“I have been deceived by no Daoist sect, nor will I be fooled by them. Three dragon veins are enough to alter the feng shui of an entire region. That is a fact,” Xuan Pin replied.

Li Huowang’s expression did not lighten much. He knew well that there were traps ahead, yet he still chose to venture into danger—a course of action far from wise.

As he pressed his fingers against his temples, Peng Longteng, the monk, Qiu Chaoban, and Jin Shanzhao all materialized beside him.

Under Li Huowang’s command, they advanced first, clearing a path through the marsh. Raindrops began falling heavier from the sky, and soon the entire bog was enveloped in mist. Visibility dropped sharply.

“Thump thump thump…” The drum at Bai Lingmiao’s waist began to beat, its low rhythm echoing far through the downpour.

Around Li Huowang, everything came into focus within Bai Lingmiao’s mind. The sect’s several assaults had failed to achieve anything.

Li Huowang had assumed that each enemy behind them would grow stronger, but suddenly, the assault stopped.

“Senior Brother Li! Left side! Someone’s under attack just a li away!” someone shouted.

“Let’s go! We must help them!” Li Huowang rushed forward with the others, unable to allow the sect to pick off his allies one by one.

When he arrived, he saw the victim was the official from the Later Shu’s Astronomical Bureau. Under the force of the rain, the stone statues seemed to come alive, flickering in and out of visibility within the mist.

From the face of the statue, sharp teeth protruded—one after another, clacking together in rapid succession, producing a sharp “tap-tap-tap” sound that echoed from the mist, repeating endlessly.

Suddenly, the ground cracked open, and five statues rose from the earth like fingers, forming a hand that completely encased the official.

Seeing this, Li Huowang gave a brief instruction before charging headlong into the mist, sword raised, ready to rescue the man.

Li Huowang had thought he was merely aiding a comrade—but just as he passed a fallen statue, it exploded. A flash of cold light appeared, and a long blade shot out, slicing toward his face.

“Clang!” The piercing clash sent sparks flying. Seeing that his purple-tipped sword had left no mark on the opponent’s weapon, Li Huowang’s heart tightened—he’d met a true fighter.

The figure stepped slowly from the mist, clad in a warrior’s garb, wearing clogs, his head bowed low, his black hair soaked and covering his face. His chest was pierced by seven or eight swords, inserted front and back.

“What is this?” Li Huowang frowned deeply.

“Beware. This is a soldier-transcendent of the Four Qi,” answered the phantom of Xuan Pin beside him.

“A transcendent? What exactly is a soldier-transcendent?” Before Li Huowang could ask further, the figure swung a sword flourish, rushing toward him.

Just as Li Huowang prepared to defend himself, his body instinctively shifted an inch to the left, narrowly avoiding a curved blade that whizzed past his ribs.

As Peng Longteng’s massive form blocked the soldier-transcendent like a shield, Li Huowang turned around and saw another one emerge from behind him. Unlike the first, this one wielded a strangely curved blade.

He had narrowly escaped death. If not for the fact that his eyes were somehow located at the back of his skull, he would have lost his head.

“Two?” The thought barely formed when a spear suddenly burst from the ground, piercing his left foot. More spears emerged from the earth.

When Li Huowang looked up and saw another soldier-transcendent descending from the sky, aiming to crush him, he realized—they were here to kill him.

“Pfft!” Li Huowang took the curved blade across his left side with his bare body, then raised his rib-bone sword and flung it into the air.

Just as the rift he created pushed back the soldier-transcendent above him, six tentacles inside his body thrust hard against the ground, launching him into the air.

Seeing the enemy close, Li Huowang quickly shifted position, landing above him, drew his copper coin sword, and slashed with all his strength, cleanly severing the soldier-transcendent’s head.

But just then, cold light erupted from all directions around him. “Whoosh!” The rain in the sky froze mid-air as all the soldier-transcendents emerged from the mist, charging toward him. “Break!”

The weapons of the four soldiers clashed violently within Li Huowang’s body, creating a screeching metallic sound. Rain began falling again.

Gasping with pain, Li Huowang, suspended in midair by various blades, took a deep breath and roared, “You hurt my daughter!!”

In the next instant, he reached out and tore out his own eyeball, squeezing it hard. A strange hue spread over everyone.

“Boom!” Flames from his body rapidly spread to the surrounding soldier-transcendents, turning them into beings identical to himself.

His skin ignited instantly, and the flames soared high, vaporizing the rain that fell from the sky.

The soldier-transcendents tried to retreat, but the sacrifice of his eye made their movements sluggish.

With no escape, they began to fight desperately, burning themselves in fury. And that was exactly what Li Huowang wanted.

In such a situation, they couldn’t last long. Though they called themselves soldier-transcendents, Li Huowang didn’t believe they were real immortals. True immortals wouldn’t fear being burned.

Soon, all four collapsed, sitting cross-legged on the ground. Only the charred red weapons embedded in the earth remained.

(End of Chapter)