Chapter 714: Door God

Chapter 714: The Gate Guardian

In the face of someone beheading another, it was clear that the Cult had long been prepared.

As Li Huowang stepped out from within the house, three shadowy figures lunged toward him.

"Boom!" A low, muffled sound echoed as they crashed straight into Peng Longteng's solid armor.

The towering figure of Peng Longteng slowly lowered his head. Under Li Huowang’s gaze, his skull emerged—clad in a massive halberd that had appeared in his hand at some unseen moment.

"You’ve got me suffocated! Kill!!" A bloodthirsty grin spread across Peng Longteng's face, adorned with the inscription “Loyal to the Nation.” He charged forward like a ferocious tiger against Wu Chen.

With her weapon reclaimed, she was now like a tiger with wings. The hidden ambushers of the Cult could not even come close to her.

"GIVE ME MY HORSE!"

Mounted on her warhorse, Peng Longteng crashed into the gate of the government office like a boulder.

"Boom!" A thunderous crash shook everything—the entire gate, the eaves' plaque, and even those behind the door were all smashed to pieces.

Peng Longteng burst through the debris, her body engulfed in the splinters. Whether it was for release or not, she did not dodge anything inside. With her immense form, she shattered every wall and building with ruthless force.

While Peng Longteng drew attention ahead, Li Huowang had already circled around to the back courtyard.

To avoid detection, he didn’t even show himself this time—he simply burrowed into the earth and swam beneath the surface.

A hidden sentry stood guard, its sword emerging from the wall to pierce his body before retracting back.

It must be said that after breaking through, Li Huowang found his control over the innate vital energy within him more refined than ever, using it effortlessly.

He quietly eliminated all the hidden sentries without being noticed, then slowly walked into the house.

There, he saw who he had come for—a group of white-haired officials draped in black cloth, studying a sand table and continuously commanding their troops.

"This must be it," Li Huowang thought.

Li Huowang did not act immediately. Instead, he silently stared at the ground, pressing his fingers hard against both temples.

Suddenly, the ground softened beneath him. Everything in the room sank into the earth, leaving nothing behind—everyone was buried alive.

The once bustling room fell into silence.

"Is that it? Is that all?" Li Huowang was momentarily stunned. It had happened too fast.

Was this it? Had he wiped out the very heart of the city in one go?

At first, Li Huowang suspected a trap. Only when he heard chaos erupting at the city gates did he realize how far he had come.

Just as he was preparing to swim out from underground, he felt a foot stomp heavily above him. "Heh heh! You've killed people. Don't you want to chat a bit before leaving?"

The ground cracked instantly. Three swords pierced through the floor, bursting from the earth.

But what made Li Huowang’s heart sink was that none of the swords bore blood.

He looked around but saw no one.

"Boy, don’t look for me—I’m right here!" Following the voice, Li Huowang quickly spotted its source on the door—it was the Gate Guardian.

Like the usual New Year’s door gods, these two stood bare-chested and belly-out, with thick beards and tiger whiskers, clad in armor holding spears, hanging bows and swords, horns atop their heads, and wielding peachwood swords.

Only one difference existed: black cloth was painted on their shoulders as well.

Clearly, even the Gate Gods in Siqi were under the jurisdiction of the Young God.

“You may call me Shentu,” the door god said, staring at Li Huowang with wide eyes. “Today I am here to offer you a surrender.”

"Surrender? The Cult wants to recruit me?" Li Huowang almost thought he had misheard.

"That is correct. Though you have disrupted many of the great Li’s plans, the Grand Master believes you are a man of timely wisdom."

"Heh." Li Huowang nearly laughed. "You’ve killed so many people, done such despicable things, and yet you still want to recruit me?"

"Do you have family members who died during this catastrophe? If you surrender, the Grand Master can bring them back to life."

"Do you think I believe that? If the Keeper of Fate couldn’t do it, how could you possibly succeed?!" Without hesitation, Li Huowang lunged forward, thrusting his sword into the door.

"The Keeper of Fate here cannot, but others can. We truly mean to persuade you to surrender."

Hearing this, Li Huowang frowned, pulling his sword back and staring at the door god. “What did you say?”

He held back from attacking. The other seemed to know something he didn’t. Perhaps he could coax information out of him first.

"The Keeper of Fate governs the great Dao of the world, and by rights, they are divine beings. But there are fifty great principles, and they are not omnipotent. After all, reviving the dead defies Heaven’s will."

"So if they cannot do it, can the Young God? Isn’t he also in charge of Heaven’s will?" Li Huowang feigned disbelief, trying to draw him on.

"The Young God can because he governs a different Heaven’s will. What the Great Ghost cannot do, another can."

"Another... another place?" Li Huowang was confused. If the Great Ghost referred to this living world, where exactly was this other place?

"It seems you really know nothing. Look, Xuan Pin didn’t even tell you this. He has always been keeping you in check."

After saying this, the Gate God continued, "In truth, you think you understand much, knowing about Baiyujing and the Keeper of Fate. But there is still so much you don’t know."

"In this world, the Heavenly Will clearly separates life and death, and no one dares transgress. But elsewhere, things are different. There, the dead can return to life. Thus, the boundaries between Yin and Yang are not so distinct."

"You live only within this world, like a frog at the bottom of a well. You have no idea how vastly different the Heavenly Will of the other heavens is from here."

Li Huowang studied the Gate God for a while. If he was truly trying to persuade him to surrender, then perhaps...

"Think carefully. Everything I’ve told you is true. Don’t you want to bring back Zhuge Yuan, or even the family of Bai Ling Miao whom you mistakenly killed?"

Li Huowang’s pupils shrank slightly. How could they know such things?

"You foolish people always talk about saving the world. If the Young God descends, everyone who has died can be brought back to life. Isn’t that saving the world?"

"Shut up!" Li Huowang shouted. "Do you think I'm blind? If the Young God has taken over the entire Great Qi, what is it like now? Have you not seen it?"

The strange liquid flowing from the cracks flashed through Li Huowang’s mind. That world had long since been covered by something that turned living beings into monsters.

"Hmph! Ignorant child, have you ever visited the current Great Qi? You only listen to rumors! In the present Great Qi, not only have all the dead returned to life, but from now on, they will never hunger or die again. The people live in peace, the elderly are cared for, the young are nurtured. The world is united!"

(End of Chapter)