Chapter 691: Open

Chapter 691: The Opening

The concept of a "soldier-transcendent"—what was that? It didn’t seem to belong to the Daoist sect at all; rather, it appeared more like something from the military arts. This seemed to confirm that with the shift in the dragon vein’s allegiance, the military schools of Nanping and Siqi had also defected.

Yet at this moment, Li Huowang paid no mind to such matters. He was enveloped in blazing flames, ready to join the fray and rescue his companions from their predicament.

He had assumed the situation would end swiftly. Yet from within the misty figures emerged endlessly—though they might not be a match for him or his allies, they could never let them rest.

“They’re buying time!” Li Huowang realized just as the ground beneath him trembled violently. The earth dragon had turned over again.

The earthquake caused the entire marshland to churn and flow. As it swayed, the mud that barely allowed standing transformed into a mire that devoured men.

Yet even amidst such chaos, more followers of the Daoist sect emerged from the water vapor, dragging others down with them—even if it meant being swallowed by the mud themselves.

Li Huowang had seen such earth dragons rise many times before. He knew what this signified.

“How much time have we lost?” he shouted toward Xuan Pin, who gave him only one finger as an answer.

"One hour gone. That means one of the three dragon veins has been destroyed!" This grim news instantly pressed down on Li Huowang like a heavy burden.

There was nothing left to do but grit his teeth and lead the others through the assault of the Daoists toward the center of Yunze.

As they drew closer to the heart of Yunze, the strange worm-like figures began to dwindle. The living members of the Daoist sect grew more numerous, each displaying extraordinary power.

Among them were not only the Daoists from Daliang and Dachi, but also many from other sects and schools. Their black cloths on their shoulders proved they had all submitted to the Daoist faith.

Since the fire had been lit, Li Huowang wasn’t about to waste any more time. Leading the charge, he used his flames to dry the ground and slay the Daoist followers, carving a path paved with corpses.

Under Li Huowang's guidance, progress was swift. After an hour, they reached their destination—the deepest part of Yunze. To their surprise, it was a surprisingly dry expanse of land.

Above this ground stood an impossibly imposing stone fortress. Through the wooden barriers and sharpened stakes, Li Huowang saw nothing but heads of Daoist followers. Rain still fell from the sky, casting a dark, oppressive atmosphere.

Peng Longteng caught Li Huowang and hurled him high into the air. From that height, Li Huowang finally glimpsed what lay behind the fortress.

The dragon vein—a chain of emperors stacked upon one another—was pinned to the bottom of a vast triangular mud pit by enormous stone pillars. As the dragon vein struggled, the mud churned violently, releasing noxious fumes that spread in all directions.

Surrounding the mud pit were Daoist shamans dressed in wide robes, dancing in a grotesque rhythm. Their movements connected into a strange, writhing spell. The Daoists used human sacrifice to cast spells, aiming to destroy the dragon vein.

Li Huowang wanted to see more, but he clearly felt his body stiffening, gradually turning to stone. The Daoists had detected him.

When Li Huowang landed, he found everyone else had gathered together. All were present. With both sides now revealing their cards, it was time to decide how to fight.

“Leave everything else to you. I’ll handle the dragon vein,” Li Huowang said. The dragon vein was immune to most divine powers, and he had more experience dealing with such things than anyone else.

“That’s exactly what I intended,” Xuan Pin replied, vanishing like smoke, only to reappear before Li Huowang. “Remember our mission. Recovering the dragon vein is the top priority.”

“But there must be high-level experts from the Daoist sect stationed here. Don’t get entangled too long. I’ll help you. Once we reclaim the dragon vein, we win.”

“I understand.”

Looking at some unfamiliar faces among his group, Li Huowang asked, “Who are they? What’s your plan?”

Though he didn’t know them, they clearly weren’t from the Sky-Watching Bureau.

“Li Huowang, we’ve come too far to waste energy on trivialities. The big picture matters now,” Xuan Pin said, her tone unchanged, yet her words carried a distance Li Huowang could feel.

Even though they were forced into the same side due to the Daoists, Xuan Pin still did not fully trust him. She kept secrets, only because he was the heart of Ji Zai.

Still, Li Huowang wasn’t entirely trusting either. “Later, don’t get too close to the front. If things go wrong, run immediately!” he told Bai Lingmiao, who nodded slightly with her red veils covering her upper bodies.

“Wooohhh～” As the horn of the Later Shu Sky-Watching Bureau sounded, people began pressing forward.

In the crowd, a group of armored cavalry charged ahead, their aura of killing intent wrapping them like a great sword aimed at the fortress.

“Kill!!” A shout ignited the battlefield. Both sides unleashed their powers, charging toward each other.

But Li Huowang cared little for what happened outside. At this moment, he had sunk into the earth, his tentacles moving like an octopus, creeping toward the fortress.

Li Huowang knew the Daoists had experts. He didn’t go alone—he moved slowly with his companions, waiting for the right opportunity. He knew that now, more than ever, he couldn’t act rashly.

An hour passed. The fortress was breached, and chaos erupted in the center of Yunze. Curses and incantations filled the air, Buddhist chants and divine hymns echoing without end.

When Li Huowang saw the Righteous Master Qiao of the Fangxian Sect, chanting a spell that turned a living Daoist shaman into a mass of flesh, then swallowing it whole, he knew his chance had arrived.

Li Huowang pulled out a box from his pocket and shoved it into his mouth. Then Li Sui saw his father’s neck bulge with a sharp, angular protrusion, sliding down from top to bottom.

In the next instant, not only did the soil around Li Huowang turn to water, but even its color changed to transparent. His charred body healed rapidly.

“Li Sui! Let’s go!” Li Huowang leaped upward, a spring of water erupting from the earth.

While others watched in bewilderment at the sudden appearance of the spring, the hidden Li Huowang quickly approached the dragon vein.

As he drew closer, the cries of pain from the dragon vein assaulted his thoughts.

When he neared the edge of the mud pit, Li Huowang clenched his fists. Under his gaze, the churning mud began to solidify, and the stone pillars piercing the dragon vein started to liquefy.

Just as Li Huowang began his move, an unexpected event occurred. Whether it was the gray of the stone pillars or the black-brown of the mud, their colors faded rapidly, leaving only black and white.

Only the golden robe of the dragon vein remained its original hue, standing out vividly against the monochrome backdrop.

“Who are you? Which sect are you from?”

The thought barely formed in Li Huowang’s mind when he realized not only had the colors of the mud disappeared, but so had those of his own body. Now, he looked like a figure in a black-and-white ink painting.

(End of Chapter)