Chapter 887: Tianchen Kingdom

Chapter 887: The Heavenly Chen Kingdom

The people of the Heavenly Chen Kingdom surged forward with overwhelming force, yet Li Huo Wang, who witnessed this scene, did not flee. Instead, he sat cross-legged upon the treetops, his legs folded in meditation.

As another Li Huo Wang sprouted from his back, both voices spoke in unison, chanting incantations: "Where golden light shines, sun and moon conceal themselves. When treasures revolve, ghosts lose their color. Revealing forms in the mortal world, guarding the divine chariot in Yama’s realm."

Upon hearing these dual chants, all the people from the Heavenly Chen Kingdom wore expressions of extreme shock.

Previously, some had claimed that the great army failed to commit suicide, but through their accounts, the people of the Heavenly Chen Kingdom now understood—this red-robed heretic could summon Doumu herself to aid in battle.

Though they were numerous and powerful, the enemy stood alone. Yet facing Doumu's avatar, they were utterly powerless.

In an instant, everyone vanished like the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, each displaying their own supernatural abilities to escape as quickly as possible before Li Huo Wang could react.

Just as they disappeared, Li Huo Wang’s chant ended, but nothing happened afterward.

"Hmph," Li Huo Wang sneered, rising to his feet. The figure behind him wavered slightly, revealing a delicate young girl—an illusion created by Li Sui, not a true manifestation of Li Huo Wang himself.

Li Huo Wang hadn’t actually recited the full “Wang Tian Bao Hao” spell. He deliberately omitted several key phrases. There was no need for such drastic measures; a few tricks from *The Book of Deception* would suffice to resolve this issue.

Although the non-superiority (fei gang) had been increasing due to constant worship and invocation by the Great Qi people, accumulating enough for one true use was still difficult. This kind of power shouldn't be wasted on minor matters.

With the danger resolved, the Great Qi side was temporarily safe. Li Huo Wang glanced around the dense forest and decided to leave first.

His presence in the Heavenly Chen Kingdom was surely known to those here. He must discover everything about this place before they found him.

Besides knowing that the Heavenly Chen had a grudge against the Mother of No Birth, Li Huo Wang knew nothing else about them.

What he most wanted to know was how strong their forces truly were, and what price they were willing to pay to kill the Mother of No Birth again.

The forest was vast and thick. Fortunately, using his keen vision, Li Huo Wang noticed recent shoe prints within it.

Following these tracks, he also discovered traps set for hunting wild game. From this, he deduced that whoever left the footprints was likely a hunter.

If he followed the trail long enough, he should soon find signs of civilization.

But before he could locate the owner of the prints, night began to fall.

Looking at the setting sun, remembering something important, Li Huo Wang immediately called out: "Sui Sui, help me calculate the time. Tell me how many dragon veins are hidden here."

"Mm," replied Li Sui, and a sandglass illusion appeared beside Li Huo Wang. The fine sand slowly trickled down.

One full turn of the hourglass equaled one hour, and the number of turns indicated how many dragon veins existed in the Heavenly Chen Kingdom.

Just as the sand reached halfway through the glass, Li Huo Wang finally spotted signs of human habitation within the dark forest.

Standing amidst the shadows, he gazed toward a distant village glowing with flickering lights.

To avoid being ambushed by the Heavenly Chen court, Li Huo Wang observed the area for a long while before confirming it was indeed a normal village.

"Let’s go. First, we’ll learn about the Heavenly Chen Kingdom from these common folk." With a quick gesture across his face, he transformed into the likeness of Yang Xiaohai and walked toward the village under cover of darkness.

Li Sui’s tendrils emerged from his back, wrapping around some eyes, rapidly swelling into a large cloth bundle.

As they approached the village, the scent of bamboo grew stronger. Judging by the time, it was dinner hour.

Not long after entering the village, a woman came walking toward him. When their eyes met, both froze.

She was stunned because a stranger had arrived in the village. Li Huo Wang, however, was startled by her strange attire.

She looked like a human—wearing a short-sleeved, round-necked top, a pleated skirt, and a front-and-back apron. Her clothes were deep blue, adorned with wax-resist patterns of fish and birds.

That wasn’t unusual. What made her stand out was her neck—it was unnaturally long, nearly twice the length of a normal person’s, wrapped in layers of silver collars.

A woman whose body and head were so far apart stood alone on the blackened path, a sight that struck Li Huo Wang as deeply unsettling.

"Dad, she isn’t a demon," said a voice.

"I see that," Li Huo Wang cleared his throat, adopting the tone of Yang Xiaohai, and asked, "Sister, may I ask—what is this place?"

Whether it was the youthful appearance of Yang Xiaohai or simply the other woman failing to notice anything odd, she answered directly: "This is Gebeng Village. Kid, where are you from? Why have you come here?"

Her speech was natural, and aside from her unusually long neck, she seemed no different from any ordinary villager.

"Gebeng Village? Looks like I’ve taken a wrong turn. Excuse me, which direction leads to the nearest county town?"

"Inside. But you’ll have to cross several mountains. At least two days’ journey. You won’t make it if you start now."

Their conversation drew attention from others in the village. Soon, villagers gathered around Li Huo Wang, chattering excitedly.

While observing him, Li Huo Wang studied them too. All the villagers wore silver rings around their necks, and their necks were unusually long.

Another notable feature was that the village consisted almost entirely of women—with only a few children among the men.

"Sister, I’m from elsewhere. May I ask—why do you wear such a collar?"

"It looks good," she replied simply.

Hearing that, Li Huo Wang hesitated, unsure whether to continue. Were these women truly deceived by the Way of Forgetting?

Before he could decide further, an elderly woman approached carrying two bamboo tubes.

Confused, he watched as half of one tube was pried open. A fragrant aroma of bamboo and the scent of rice filled the air—she intended to offer him bamboo-cooked rice.

"Thank you, Grandma. Thank you very much. I haven’t eaten today," Li Huo Wang accepted the offering, then picked up a piece of bamboo and began eating heartily.

He didn’t fear poison—these small tricks wouldn’t fool him anymore.

But after taking just one bite, he realized there was nothing amiss with the bamboo rice. In fact, it tasted delicious.

The fusion of bamboo and rice infused the grain with a rich, aromatic flavor. It was sweet and lingering, leaving a pleasant aftertaste on his lips and teeth.