Chapter 708: Crisis

Chapter 708: Crisis

Later Shu, Night

As these men deliberated over matters of military strategy, Li Huowang stood silently in a corner, beside him the white-clad Bai Lingmiao, her face veiled in red, like a translucent figure among the living.

They listened to the disputes between various factions, to the compromises born from crisis, and to the plans that followed.

With the Dragon Vein of Later Shu now secured, it was clear that both the Astronomical Bureau and the imperial court were greatly emboldened. The atmosphere within the military tent had visibly improved.

Once the procedures were finalized, it was already deep into the night. With a gentle wave of her hand, Xuan Pin dispersed the entire tent and its occupants like mist and smoke.

"Now that we have the Dragon Vein of Later Shu, if the emperor urges surrender, the military faction will surely turn against their own. The sect’s influence will likely retreat back to Siqi. But we cannot follow their path," she said.

"Oh?" Li Huowang responded simply.

"You’re not like yourself," Xuan Pin observed, sensing a change in him.

Li Huowang didn’t respond directly. Instead, he asked, "You’ve been scheming back and forth, all in the mortal realm. You know better than I how the sect came to be. What about their source? Do you have no plan for it?"

Xuan Pin understood what he meant. "We are but flesh and blood. We don’t even know what the Celestial Officials above the White Jade Capital are doing now. How could we possibly interfere?"

"That’s not right. The Astronomical Bureau is supposed to monitor the heavens, isn’t it? And don’t tell me you can’t do anything. Back when you tried to prevent celestial disasters, you even attempted to set up an array in the palace to steal the eye of the Mountain of Gods. This is far worse. Haven’t you considered making a bigger splash?"

Looking at the darkness beneath the red robe of Xuan Pin, Li Huowang tilted his head slightly.

"Of course they're doing something. You just don’t intend to tell me."

Though she gave no further reaction, Li Huowang felt certain he was right.

"Some things you can’t help with. Telling you only makes you worry unnecessarily. What you are, you do what you must. I am of the Astronomical Bureau, and I have my duties. You have yours."

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of Li Huowang’s mouth as he turned and walked away with Bai Lingmiao.

But just a few steps out, Xuan Pin reappeared before him. "What are your next plans? By the way, what about the White Lotus Holy Maiden?"

"If you won’t tell me, why should I tell you? Our cooperation so far hasn’t yielded more than the sum of our parts. So let’s each go our separate ways."

Li Huowang spoke and raised his foot, walking forward past Xuan Pin’s body straight toward his quarters.

"Could it be you’re holding a grudge? That time with the earth dragon—I really was caught up and couldn’t come to save you."

Li Huowang did not stop. He would not become a pawn in someone else’s hands, even if their goals aligned.

After spending so long together, Li Huowang had finally seen through Xuan Pin. She was cunning, though outwardly kind, she used everyone around her.

"How is the White Lotus expanding in Later Shu?" he asked Bai Lingmiao.

He never imagined that the only force he truly controlled would be the White Lotus, which he had once destroyed a village for. Fate was indeed unpredictable.

"It's expanding quickly—especially after we recovered the Dragon Vein," she replied.

Li Huowang felt no surprise. Many believed in the sect, but even more changed sides depending on who won.

"The White Lotus followers from Qingqiu in Great Li are arriving one by one to establish White Lotus Societies."

"How many can we extract to fight? What’s their strength?" If the sect could do it, then the White Lotus could too.

"Senior Brother Li, it’s not possible yet. It’s still too early. We can rally people, but these commoners can only die," Bai Lingmiao said hesitantly. "To select devout believers of the Mother of the Unborn and those with keen insight to join the sect, we need more time."

"But Senior Brother Li, if you want people to fight the sect, I can send the Seventy-Two Guardians."

"What use are seventy-two people?" Li Huowang had already seen the strength of the White Lotus faithful. Though they were somewhat stronger than before, they were still useless in battle.

Bai Lingmiao opened her mouth, hesitating for a moment, then said, "Senior Brother Li, as the White Lotus Holy Maiden, I can feel that the Mother of the Unborn has grown stronger again."

"Stronger again? Could it be she’s taken another Celestial Official’s Heavenly Dao?" Li Huowang looked up at the sky, curious about what was happening in the White Jade Capital now.

"Let them try. If possible, bring all the best White Lotus fighters. If the sect wins, no one benefits."

"Fine. Then, what are you planning to do next?"

"What else? We’ve gained some advantage—we’ll keep expanding. When they act, I’ll follow."

"If they run into tough opponents, I’ll handle them." Though he no longer trusted Xuan Pin, they weren’t enemies now.

Just as Li Huowang was about to say more, he suddenly clutched his arm in pain. Soon, his red robe was soaked through with blood.

"Senior Brother Li, what’s wrong?! Don’t move!" Bai Lingmiao’s sharp fingernails struck the drumhead rapidly, singing the familiar chant of the soldiers.

"In the beginning, chaos split, Yin and Yang formed, Heaven and Earth were created, Earth is Yin, Heaven is Yang, Moon is Yin, Sun is Yang, North is Yin, South is Yang, Yin is Xuan, Yang is Huang..."

As Bai Lingmiao struck the drum, the red veil atop her head began to bulge with the faces of beasts. These faces leapt off her face, emerging from beneath the veil.

The red veil seemed endless—each one torn away was replaced by another. All the immortals, veiled in red, watched warily at the suffering Li Huowang.

In the rhythm of the drum and the chant, they circled him endlessly, clearly afraid.

But as the drumbeat grew faster and the chant more severe, one of the immortals finally approached.

Just as his red veil touched the edge of Li Huowang’s red robe, a sharp beast’s scream pierced the air. The veil tore apart instantly, and like a contagion, the surrounding veils began to rip apart too. Soon, nothing remained but red ribbons in the air.

"N-nothing wrong!" Li Huowang, bent over in pain, lifted his head. His skin peeled away in scales like fish, moving with fluid grace.

Each piece peeled away brought the agony of a blade slicing through flesh. Even after countless battles, Li Huowang was nearly unconscious from the pain.

He took a deep breath. "It’s fine! Just... after that last ascent, this happens occasionally. It’ll get better with time."

(End of Chapter)