Chapter 711: Rite

Chapter 711: Gift

"Kill!" Li Huowang, his knees adorned with yellow talismans, surged into the crowd like a crimson shadow thick with the scent of blood. His red Daoist robe grew even more vivid as he plunged into chaos, stirring up a tempest of gore and violence. Though surrounded by enemies, it was clear that the advantage lay with him.

Suddenly, Li Huowang heard a sharp tremor beneath his feet. He spun around instantly to see a four-horse war chariot charging toward him with tremendous force.

With a flick of his wrist, a flash of cold light cut through the air—his opponent's chariot was severed in two in an instant.

In the next moment, a dark shadow emerged from beneath Li Huowang’s shadow, raising a obsidian dagger high, aiming at his waist with a deviously precise angle.

But after so long battling the Cult of Law, Li Huowang had seen such tricks before. How could he not be prepared? A third eye had grown on the back of his skull—the eye of Li Sui.

He twisted his body just in time to dodge the attack, then raised his long sword and struck down hard upon his assailant.

A whoosh filled the air as darkness suddenly enveloped all directions. The followers of the Cult of Law, as if summoned by some unseen command, leapt up en masse. They covered the sky like a storm cloud, blocking out sunlight, brandishing weapons, and roaring as they charged toward Li Huowang.

At the same time, the shaman who had been struck by Li Huowang, disregarding his own life, used every ounce of strength to grip Li Huowang’s wrist with both feet, trying desperately to restrain him.

Beneath the earth, two curved hooks pierced through the soil, hooking tightly onto Li Huowang’s ankles.

Clearly, facing someone like Li Huowang, when brute force failed, they resorted to traps. Puncture after puncture rang out as blades repeatedly pierced his body.

Bloodshot eyes fixed on the horizon, Li Huowang clenched his fists and let out a howl to heaven. His flesh cracked open like fish scales, and countless tentacles wrapped in various instruments of torture burst forth from different parts of his body, piercing through everyone nearby.

Li Huowang twisted sharply to his left; with a sharp crack, he snapped his own spine, spinning his entire body—now entangled with dozens of limbs—into motion.

The instruments of torture and his three swords followed suit, flashing coldly around him.

When the sounds of tearing flesh and screams faded away, the sky above Li Huowang cleared instantly, sunlight once again falling upon his head.

With a swift kick, he crushed a skull beside his foot. Before he could catch his breath, he rushed toward the precarious Lü Xiucai.

This small-scale skirmish ended within two incense sticks’ worth of time. Li Huowang stood by the stream, washing his blade and hands.

Back then, he had come here with his fellow disciples, building a fire to cook meals. Now, he found himself transformed into this very state. It stirred a deep melancholy in him.

Just then, a column of water sprayed over his head and fell back into the pond. Then another, then another—something playful splashed joyfully in the water.

"Sui Sui, stop playing! Let's go!" As Li Huowang walked toward shore, Li Sui surfaced half-dripping, still clutching a wriggling carp in his mouth, quickly following behind.

On their way, Li Huowang frowned at the scattered corpses on the ground, many still wearing official uniforms.

Siqi was no longer part of Later Shu. If Later Shu was still caught in conflict between the Cult of Law and its court, then Siqi had already been seized by the great Li dynasty for quite some time.

In Later Shu, one might avoid being caught in the crossfire of two warring sides. But in Siqi, it felt like trudging through mud, with enemies everywhere.

Since entering Siqi, such small-scale battles had occurred several times already.

"My side has so few people and yet we face such trouble. I wonder how things are going on your end?" Li Huowang asked Xuan Pin beside him.

"Not bad."

"How is the front line? Is everything proceeding smoothly?" he asked further.

Xuan Pin shook his head, remaining silent. Li Huowang didn’t know whether the silence came from unwillingness or ignorance.

"If you keep acting like this—ignorant of everything—I really don’t know what you’re trying to do with me. Don’t pretend our relationship is anything special."

"Li Huowang, those who achieve greatness must not be bound by trivialities. You're being too petty."

"I don’t want to achieve greatness. I just want peace for the world. I want to live a few peaceful days!"

As Li Huowang glared at Xuan Pin, his body began to disintegrate involuntarily.

As long as he wished for Xuan Pin to cease to exist, Xuan Pin simply would not.

"Wait a moment, I have a grand gift for you." At that moment, as Xuan Pin’s six arms whirled, a mirror appeared beside Li Huowang.

Beside them, a monk approached curiously, poking it with his finger. When nothing happened, he reached out and picked it up, holding it up to the sun.

"Don’t touch it!" Li Huowang yanked the monk aside, examining the translucent mirror hanging in midair and the scene within.

At first glance, he couldn’t make sense of it. There were lines, flags, and red glowing dots.

But since Li Huowang had come from Siqi, he soon understood—it was a map of the entire region.

"This is the map of Siqi? These... are the battlefields currently engaged?" Li Huowang pointed at the red dots, surprised.

"Not only that. My magical artifact isn't limited to such uses. Try putting your hand inside," said Xuan Pin.

Li Huowang hesitated but inserted his finger anyway.

Upon touching one of the points, he was instantly pulled into a battlefield of slaughter, where screams and roars echoed endlessly, and the aura of death swirled everywhere.

A low horn sounded—a mournful, bone-chilling call that made Li Huowang’s hair stand on end.

The ground trembled again, starting subtly but growing louder and louder.

The Iron Horses of Qingqiu charged forward under the sound of horns, heading straight toward a group of cultists carrying massive divine statues. In such an atmosphere, Li Huowang’s blood boiled, his qi surging upward.

After taking a deep breath, Li Huowang withdrew his hand, finding himself back in place.

Looking at Xuan Pin, Li Huowang extended his hand once more into the triangle flag. Immediately, he saw a leather-covered table, where several aged leaders of Qingqiu debated intensely with their generals.

Listening to their conversation, it became clear they were discussing deployment strategies. Li Huowang suddenly grasped the true significance of this item.

"How about it?" Xuan Pin asked as Li Huowang reappeared.

"With this, you can not only monitor real-time battle situations across the entire front, but also understand the layout of our offensive forces."

Xuan Pin’s hand emerged from his red robe, gently patting Li Huowang’s shoulder. "I told you—we are allies now. So… forget about that minor misunderstanding regarding the Earth Dragon, okay?"

(End of Chapter)