Chapter 944: Wait

Chapter 944: Wait

Zuo Qiu-yong finished his sentence, his gaze shifting with a playful expression toward Bai Ling-miao. "So, you know the Wusheng Mother has perished, but if you think you can use that to deal with me, you are sorely mistaken. I am no mortal, and I do not fall for such tricks."

With a flick of his finger toward Bai Ling-miao, the ground instantly erupted with flora and trees, rapidly entombing her body.

Li Huo-wang, his face contorted in a grimace, gritted his teeth and swung his right hand with force; his hand acted like an eraser, instantly wiping away the encroaching vegetation.

"Hmm?" Li Huo-wang’s action finally drew Zuo Qiu-yong’s attention to him.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look who it is. A few days apart and you’ve changed so much," Zuo Qiu-yong said, his voice laced with levity, as if he held Li Huo-wang in no regard at all.

Li Huo-wang could not tell if Zuo Qiu-yong was merely bluffing or truly dismissive, but in the current situation, further words seemed meaningless.

Glancing quickly at the Imperial City surrounding them, Li Huo-wang knew they could not fight here. There were at least a million people in Shangjing; if they truly clashed, the entire city would be wiped out.

"Switch!" As Li Huo-wang gritted his teeth and pushed his hands forward, the surrounding environment shifted violently, ultimately transporting everyone present to the Kingdom of Tianchen.

The once bustling Imperial City was now nothing more than a dense forest.

Seeing this, a flash of admiration crossed Zuo Qiu-yong’s face. "Oh, not bad at all, young man. It seems you’ve learned quite a bit during this time."

Li Huo-wang did not waste a word, his eyes locking onto Zuo Qiu-yong’s robust form.

Under his gaze, Zuo Qiu-yong’s body began to disintegrate rapidly. Now that his mastery of the Dao was complete, erasing a person’s physical form was effortless for him.

Yet, the next moment, the shattered body grew back with startling speed. No matter how severely Li Huo-wang mangled him, the rate of regeneration always outpaced the destruction.

Zuo Qiu-yong possessed the Heavenly Dao of Growth; as long as a wound could heal, it was no problem at all.

As his body tore and knit itself back together, Zuo Qiu-yong smiled faintly at Li Huo-wang. "But, in the end, you are still a bit too green compared to me."

"Last time, I’ll give you credit—you were clever, and you deceived me," Zuo Qiu-yong remarked, recalling their previous encounter.

"But such little tricks are just that—tricks. This time, I’ll show you just how vast the gap between us really is."

With that, Zuo Qiu-yong raised his hands above his head. As he exerted force, his expression grew strained, as if he were preparing to unleash something earth-shattering.

"Wait!" The command stopped Zuo Qiu-yong in his tracks. Everyone present turned toward the forest on the left as a figure emerged. It was Dice.

He wore no borrowed face, sporting only his own highly recognizable, die-shaped head.

Dice stepped between the two hostile factions and raised his hands toward Li Huo-wang, signaling him to stand down.

Then, he looked at Zuo Qiu-yong. "Stop. You’ve been deceived by them; we are actually on the same side." Dice’s words stunned both parties.

Seeing the strange look on Zuo Qiu-yong’s face, Li Huo-wang immediately understood that Dice’s words held weight.

"Who are they? What exactly does Dice know? No, wait—since he is of the Zuowang Dao, he might just be weaving another elaborate lie!" Li Huo-wang speculated on the man’s true motives.

As Li Huo-wang pondered this, Zuo Qiu-yong replied, "Who told you that?"

Dice looked at Li Sui and chuckled. "The Daliao Directorate of Astronomy told me. They said you moved too fast—the moment the Wusheng Mother was back in place, you acted. It felt wrong, so they had me investigate."

"And guess what? My scouts found traces. You received news and began preparations long before the Wusheng Mother had even returned."

"In this world, who is so kind-hearted? The moment they see your mortal enemy is about to resurrect, they run over to tell you? Have you never stopped to think what their true purpose might be?"

Zuo Qiu-yong stood there, his expression unreadable, making it impossible to tell if he was listening.

"Hehehe..." Dice walked over to Li Huo-wang, leaned his elbow on his shoulder, and continued: "Can't think of it? Then think harder, think carefully. After all, when the Dharma Sect was in chaos, the Tianchen side wasn't left out."

Hearing this, Li Huo-wang’s pupils shrank to pinpricks, and the realization escaped his lips before he could stop it. "Those people came from the Fusheng Heaven?!"

Seeing Li Huo-wang play along, Dice clapped his hands. "Exactly! That’s them!"

He turned back to Zuo Qiu-yong. "No matter how bitter our relationship is, compared to the things from Fusheng Heaven, you and I are on the same side. You cannot deny that, can you?"

"Ever since their last attempt failed miserably, they have been looking for ways to repeat their schemes. Once they learned of the old grudge between you and the Wusheng Mother, they sent people to sow discord between us."

"Zuo Qiu-yong, you cannot fall for their trap. They are preparing to strike from the shadows."

"Their agents have disguised themselves as our own, infiltrating our ranks to incite internal strife."

What Zuo Qiu-yong thought, no one knew, but for Li Huo-wang, the revelation felt like a bombshell detonating in his mind.

"Fusheng Heaven sent people months ago to sow discord? Could it be that the world-shattering battle between the Siming was not the end, but merely the prelude?!"

But Li Huo-wang quickly steadied his thoughts. "Wait, this could be another of Dice’s deceptions! He is using a lie to manipulate Zuo Qiu-yong’s judgment!"

Though Dice spoke with such conviction and logic, which of his deceptions hadn't sounded perfectly real?

He knew the Zuowang Dao too well; no matter how authentic the words seemed, one had to remain half-skeptical.

However, whether Dice was lying or telling the truth, Li Huo-wang knew his only move was to play along.

"Dice! Is what you say the truth?" Li Huo-wang stepped forward, his expression grave.

Dice nodded vigorously, his face earnest. "Absolutely! Besides, you know I, Dice, never lie. The war between us and Fusheng Heaven has not ended. Even now, the Siming on the White Jade Capital are fighting for their lives. This great war has already begun!"