Chapter 756: Die

Chapter 756: Death

In the pouring rain, a figure in white stood there, utterly out of place among the surroundings.

It was Zhuge Yuan—once dead, now reconstituted by Li Huowang using the Spine Sword.

Zhuge Yuan cast his gaze around and immediately understood what had transpired. He held his long-handled brush and lightly touched the red surface, then clenched his fingers tightly, slashing forcefully at the chicken-footed beings before him.

At that moment, the brush in Zhuge Yuan's hand resembled the pen of a judge from the Underworld. Wherever it touched, all the chicken-footed beings fell silent, and the incense in the censers was instantly extinguished, unable to be relit.

Zhuge Yuan turned toward Li Huowang. "Brother Li, it has been a long time. How have you been?"

Li Huowang, suffering from a splitting headache, felt his face twist in pain as he prepared to smile. But then he recalled something, and his expression twisted again as he bent over in agony.

He must understand this clearly: although this figure bore a striking resemblance to Zhuge Yuan, he was not Zhuge Yuan himself—he was merely a being he had forcibly cultivated into existence through spiritual practice.

Now that he had achieved mastery in cultivation, he could use the Spine Sword to bring forth Zhuge Yuan. Yet even so, what he had created was still false. Zhuge Yuan was already dead; he had to recognize reality.

He had brought him back only for utility’s sake! Just like Peng Longteng! He couldn’t transfer his emotions toward Zhuge Yuan onto this counterfeit.

He tried to distinguish truth from illusion, but just as he thought this, Zhuge Yuan's body began to rapidly collapse, about to return to the Spine Sword.

The existence of anything cultivated depended entirely on one’s will. If he didn’t truly believe the Zhuge Yuan before him was real, then he would never manifest.

Zhuge Yuan sensed this and quickly reminded him: “Brother Li, whether I am real or not, if you treat me as false, then I cease to exist.”

Li Huowang roared in anguish, lifting his head abruptly, his eyes brimming with tears, staring at the current Zhuge Yuan.

His body, which had just begun to crumble, stabilized once more. Zhuge Yuan reappeared before Li Huowang.

Seeing the familiar face, Li Huowang’s trembling fingers pointed toward their enemies.

"Help me! Kill them! Kill them all!!"

Zhuge Yuan nodded gently. When he turned again, he wielded his brush once more.

Under the heavy rain, the chicken-footed beings fell like wheat stalks, one after another. They quickly realized something was wrong.

All of them instinctively surrounded Li Huowang from all directions, attacking not the powerful Zhuge Yuan, but the wounded and kneeling Li Huowang.

Clearly, they had witnessed Li Huowang’s act of cultivation and understood the connection between them.

But with Zhuge Yuan present, they clearly overestimated themselves—they could not even approach Li Huowang.

Since Zhuge Yuan appeared, the outcome of this confrontation seemed sealed.

The chicken-footed beings attempted to resist, trying every trick imaginable, yet Zhuge Yuan always found a way to neutralize them. The disparity in strength was too great.

Faced with Zhuge Yuan’s might, these creatures were no match. In each stroke and line, the surrounding chicken-footed beings vanished swiftly. The incense smoke in the air gradually dissipated, leaving no trace of white vapor entering the white hat.

Under the heavy rain, upon the sacrificial altar soaked in blood, Zhuge Yuan stood alone with his sword at its center, as silence gradually settled around him.

"Brother Li, let go. I am a fake Zhuge Yuan—the real one is already dead."

Hearing this, Li Huowang, who had been clutching his head in the rain, staggered and collapsed, lying face-first in the water, gasping heavily.

Maintaining Zhuge Yuan’s presence was excruciatingly painful with every breath, as if his entire skull might explode.

Without Li Huowang’s support, Zhuge Yuan’s body began to fade rapidly. Looking at Li Huowang, he slowly spoke: “Brother Li, may I ask you one last thing—has Great Qi truly been saved?”

When Li Huowang nodded slightly, satisfied, Zhuge Yuan reverted to the Spine Sword, slanting into the ground.

"Dad," said Li Sui, crawling forward, pulling Li Huowang up with his many tentacles. "Dad, don’t be afraid. Your head is still here. Your head is still here."

Not bothering to talk to Li Sui, Li Huowang stood and surveyed the battlefield.

The altar was littered with fallen chicken-footed beings. Most were already dead; those who weren’t were quickly overtaken by Zhao Jiabao and others in pursuit.

The entire wooden city, bathed in rainwater and blood, had become a blood-soaked fortress nestled deep in the mountains.

On the thick, muddy pool of blood, sat the massive four-legged divine statue in the center of the city, draped in red cloth.

Though terrifying under the blood, at least it no longer moved, giving Li Huowang a sense of relief.

Yet he did not relax. Turning to Zhao Jiabao beside him, he commanded: “Disperse everyone. Search the entire city inside and out! Anyone alive, kill them all! No survivors!”

The more dangerous the situation, the more careful he had to be. This battle determined whether they could defeat the Sect of Law, and Li Huowang dared not take any chances.

He wanted to rise and join them, but his head felt as though it would burst.

As a Heart Dragon, cultivating Zhuge Yuan required immense effort. Even with the Spine Sword, bringing him back was barely manageable.

"Xuan Pin! Xuan Pin, come out!" Li Huowang’s tone was harsh, but the Xuan Pin phantom, which had always appeared near him, did not show itself this time.

"Xuan Pin, come out!" Li Huowang shouted loudly in the rain, but nothing stirred.

"Do you think hiding will solve everything? Wait for me! When I return, you’ll give me an explanation!" He cursed inwardly.

Feeling slight relief in his head, Li Huowang stood and walked to the left, watching the blood seep slowly from beneath the windows.

There had been others in the city besides the chicken-footed beings—unknown people doing something here.

But that was in the past. Now, none remained.

Li Huowang looked up again at the giant divine statue standing like a mountain in the rain, seeing no movement, and then turned to the mirror inside the Swirling Light Mirror.

"Now, the Sect of Law won’t have much room to play, will they?"

That was what he thought. But when he noticed the scene on the Swirling Light Mirror, his pupils contracted sharply.

What should have been a large red mass of warriors was now as if bitten by something fierce, torn away by some force.

(End of Chapter)