Chapter 857: Analysis

Chapter 857: Analysis

Whether the owner of that jade hand was the Say-Not Army or the Celestial Noble, Li Huowang had combed through every book in the White Lotus Sect without finding an answer.

He then sent Bai Lingmiao to summon elders from the White Lotus Sect for questioning, but still drew no conclusions.

Yet after so much time had passed, the faithful of the White Lotus Sect, driven by fear of death, had scattered and hidden, changing generations beyond recognition.

All memories concerning the Vacuum Homeland and the Mother of No Birth had, through their faith’s lens, been transformed into myth, yielding not a scrap of concrete truth.

Still, the direction was correct. From previous information, Li Huowang finally understood the full sequence of events surrounding his ambush.

The so-called Heaven Chen was nothing more than the old Vacuum Homeland; that history had once been entirely under the control of the Mother of No Birth.

But later, due to the betrayal of the Say-Not Army and the Celestial Noble, they seized all of the Heavenly Dao belonging to the Mother of No Birth and claimed it for themselves.

Deprived of everything, the Mother of No Birth—whether forced or choosing to—sought survival, and through some method, arrived at this historical layer, known as Great Liang.

There, she began influencing mortals, allowing the White Lotus Sect to spread secretly, waiting for opportunities. Yet lacking Heavenly Dao, the sect could not grow.

Finally, this time brought her chance. After various trials, she gained the Heart of the Dragon, and obtained both the Dao of Compassion and the Dao of Death. The Mother of No Birth had returned to her rightful place.

As for the Vacuum Homeland—the so-called Heaven Chen Kingdom—being the mortal enemy of the Mother of No Birth, the Say-Not Army and the Celestial Noble immediately sensed something amiss.

Having stolen the Heavenly Dao from the Mother of No Birth and betrayed her, they certainly did not want her to rise again. Otherwise, they would have already come seeking revenge.

Thus, they urgently sought passage through the Great Qi historical layer to reach Great Liang, aiming to kill her Heart of the Dragon before her foundation was set, thereby destroying the recently expanded White Lotus Sect.

Or perhaps, they intended to go further, just as before, seizing the two Heavenly Daus from the Mother of No Birth once more.

And by sheer coincidence, Li Huowang, who had been rescuing people in Great Qi, happened to be right in the middle of their affairs. That’s why they sought to steal his Bone Sword capable of traversing between Great Liang and Great Qi.

Seeing he was not easily dealt with, the previous heretical fox-spirit, Po Da’er, had tried to recruit him. But they never imagined that the White Lotus Saintess was actually Li Huowang's wife.

Letting the Say-Not Army or the Celestial Noble wait around for the Mother of No Birth to rise and take revenge was simply impossible.

Sending Bai Lingmiao alone against such a powerful enemy of an entire historical layer? She was his woman, and Li Huowang could not do such a thing. This matter had never been open to negotiation—it was a dead end.

After hearing Li Huowang’s explanation, both Li Sui and Bai Lingmiao wore grave expressions, as if a heavy stone had settled upon their hearts. The recent crisis with the Law Sect had just passed, yet a new shadow now loomed over Great Liang.

“Is the Vacuum Homeland another historical layer?” Bai Lingmiao’s face grew even paler. “Senior Brother Li, you might be mistaken. Perhaps that isn’t another layer at all. Perhaps it *is* the Vacuum Homeland.”

“Yes! Exactly! It is the Vacuum Homeland—it has just been taken over. We just need to help the Mother of No Birth reclaim it. Yes, that must be it,” Bai Lingmiao’s hands began to tremble.

Li Huowang was about to argue when Li Sui called out, “Father.”

Li Huowang looked up to see his son.

“Father, if what you say is true, then couldn’t we simply ask the Mother of No Birth directly to learn more details?”

“Exactly!” Li Huowang suddenly became excited. The one who betrayed her and caused her such suffering—she would never forget that in her lifetime.

“Lingmiao, have your people contact the Mother of No Birth and see how she reacts.”

Bai Lingmiao, flustered, took several deep breaths to calm herself before speaking, “No, Senior Brother Li, I’ve already tried that since the return of Death.”

“Though Death has returned, the Mother of No Birth remains as lifeless as ever, showing no response to my voice.”

“Ah…” Li Huowang could no longer muster anger. As enemies were about to strike, the Mother of No Birth was pretending to be dead.

Not only was Ji Zai unreliable, but the Mother of No Birth was no better. Why wasn’t the Guardian Spirit beside him even remotely dependable?

“Never mind them. Rely on yourself. Mountains crumble, rivers flow—this is a matter for me alone.” Li Huowang scratched his head, contemplating the cause and effect of everything and how to proceed.

Suddenly, he stopped walking.

“Sui Sui, go back first. Tell Gao Zhijian everything here, and have him prepare the other emperors.”

Li Sui was about to speak when Li Huowang waved him off. “Forget it. I’ll go myself. You go notify the other Sky Observers. I don’t know them well. If the people from Heaven Chen really arrive, they’re far more dangerous than any natural disaster.”

Li Huowang turned to Bai Lingmiao. “Lingmiao, whether the Mother of No Birth is playing dead or not, you should relay this story to her first.”

He paused, then said seriously, “Also, whether I can help depends entirely on her choice regarding the White Lotus Saintess! Tell her it was Ji Zai who said this!”

If Heaven Chen’s goal was the White Lotus Saintess, then Bai Lingmiao’s situation was perilous. He had to act preemptively.

He hoped that even if things went wrong, the worst outcome would be the Mother of No Birth’s death—not Bai Lingmiao’s.

With those words, Li Huowang nodded at Bai Lingmiao and walked toward the door.

Just as Li Huowang hurried toward the capital palace, he noticed Li Sui had followed him. “Father, when I spoke with Mother earlier, did you hear that? Are you trying to hit two birds with one stone?”

“I’m not deaf.”

“But you may not get her gratitude.”

“Perhaps she doesn’t even realize it. I saw it clearly—White Lotus Sect has become her sole anchor, a way to soothe her heart and distract her from thinking too deeply.”

“If the White Lotus Sect disappears, she truly will have nothing left.”

“How could there be none? She still has me!”

“Father, you’re hopeless.”

“Back then, Mother didn’t let go. She’s just using the nonsense of the Vacuum Homeland to temporarily escape.”

“I’ve thought about this for you both, but there seems to be no good solution. After all, you killed her whole family.”

“For both your sakes and hers, if staying together only brings pain, then maybe it’s better to part ways.”