Chapter 946: Change

Chapter 946: Metamorphosis

This was the first time Li Sui had revealed her true form before Li Huowang; in the past, she had always relied on the art of illusion to mask her authentic appearance.

Yet, as she caught the look in Li Huowang’s eyes, the heart that had been suspended in her chest finally settled—what was destined to come would eventually arrive.

Immediately following, Li Huowang watched as the long-unseen, bun-shaped dog head opened its maw to speak to him.

"Father, I shall hold this position. Go and bring the other sects and the agents of the other Celestial Observatories to assist; in these times, you are the only one who can accomplish such a feat."

No sooner had the words fallen than Li Huowang saw the mirror of rotation beside him swell violently, transforming from a single pane into a gateway. Within it, a kaleidoscope of scenes flickered: temples, Taoist shrines, mountain caves, and the stone lions guarding yamen gates.

"Can you hold on?" Li Huowang shouted toward the mass of heads.

"I can barely stall for a few hours. The faster you return, the safer I shall be," all of Li Sui’s heads spoke in unison.

"Understood! I go to fetch reinforcements! Miaomiao! Dice! Help her!" Li Huowang knew that the more allies he gathered, the greater their chance of victory.

At the very least, he had to summon enough force to block the army of the Unspeakables and prevent them from reinforcing Zuo Qiuyong.

As he watched Li Huowang vanish into the mirror, Li Sui’s many eyes turned in unison toward the face that was all too familiar.

"Oh my, Li Sui, how is it that you have possessed so many souls?" Zuo Qiuyong looked at his acquaintance from over a century ago, his tone as casual as if they were merely chatting.

"I owe that to the assassins Auntie sent after me. To survive, I was forced to learn much from them. Auntie, I thank you."

"My, my. I wonder how you managed to become the Director of the Celestial Observatory of Great Liang. It seems you must have possessed the previous Director as well, haven't you?"

As the two Zuo Qiuyongs spoke in perfect harmony, Li Sui’s tentacles and the hair upon her heads began to proliferate wildly, knitting together as they prepared for combat.

If this grotesque growth could not be checked, it would not be long before Li Sui’s entire body collapsed into a singular, pulsating ball of flesh.

"I had no choice. Besides, he believed he could control me—perhaps he truly did. Furthermore, I did not just swallow one Director; to escape your clutches last time, I consumed two."

As Li Sui finished, every mouth began to chant a mantra, and a dense thicket of tentacles rapidly wove complex seals.

The overlapping layers of incantations echoed and intensified as the tentacles thrust toward the heavens. "Steal the Sky!"

In the next heartbeat, the sun-drenched sky plunged into absolute darkness, as if Li Sui had truly plucked the heavens away.

Great Liang was swallowed by a void so deep one could not see their own fingers, forcing both sides of the conflict to a standstill.

"Hmph—a mere parlor trick. Li Sui, you have devoured so many, yet is this all the craft you have learned?"

No sooner had Zuo Qiuyong spoken than the pitch-black sky tore open. The brilliant light of the Danxi sun poured through, illuminating Zuo Qiuyong and Li Sui like a spotlight.

"Li Sui, I still hold affection for you. How about this? Stop now, and become my foster daughter." Zuo Qiuyong’s voice softened considerably.

"Auntie, you taught me many things in the past, and the first lesson was this: never trust the words of others."

As the words left her lips, the ground beneath Zuo Qiuyong split open. Black tentacles, entwined with various skulls, erupted from the earth and lunged toward the two Zuo Qiuyongs.

Upon contact with his flesh, the tentacles did not tear; instead, they began to burrow into his body, segment by segment.

Since brute force was ineffective, Li Sui sought to do to Zuo Qiuyong what she had done to the heads within her—to assimilate his flesh into her own, using the power of the Black Tai Sui to possess him completely.

Yet, with a subtle narrowing of Zuo Qiuyong’s eyes, Li Sui’s tentacles withered into thin, papery husks. Such petty tricks were beneath his notice.

Zuo Qiuyong’s duck-like rasp returned. "Li Sui, have I been too kind? Since you refuse the toast, you shall drink the forfeit."

With a flick, needles trailing fine threads lashed out, stitching Li Sui’s flesh together and accelerating the chaotic fusion of her body.

At that moment, the chanting of the *White Lotus Sutra* began to rise.

"Here are dry fields and flowing canals, these small streams shaded by green grass; here is the lotus pond, the joyful cries of mandarin ducks, the flowers of Mandara, the white and blue lotuses..."

Bai Lingmiao sat cross-legged, the twelve-petaled merit lotus rotating slowly above her head. Accompanied by the chanting of the White Lotus faithful, it bathed the battlefield in a gentle, white radiance.

Zuo Qiuyong remained unmoved, but the surrounding army of the Unspeakables recoiled in terror, as if confronted by a natural predator.

Bai Lingmiao sat motionless, devoid of sorrow or joy, like a statue of white jade. She radiated a divinity, a compassion and benevolence that touched every soul present.

All who heard the *White Lotus Sutra* felt a sudden surge of mercy; unable to bear the sight of death, they lowered their weapons.

"The Unborn Venerable Mother?" Zuo Qiuyong asked with a hint of hesitation, followed by a faint smile. "No, you are not her. If you were, you should be thanking me—after all, the royal scions who held a grudge against her were all slaughtered by my hand. The Chen Kingdom is mine now."

With a wave of his right hand, Bai Lingmiao’s body was jerked forward, crashing toward Zuo Qiuyong and silencing the solemn sutra.

Just as she was about to collide with him, the world shifted. A gaze descended from the heavens, fixing upon Zuo Qiuyong.

Zuo Qiuyong looked up to find two vast oceans of black and white yin and yang occupying the sky. Doumu had arrived.

"Hm?!" Zuo Qiuyong glanced to the left. Li Huowang, who had just departed, had returned, sitting cross-legged and chanting the *Wongtian Bao Hao*.

"Delivering a few people didn't take long," Li Huowang stood, his eyes fixed on Zuo Qiuyong.

Behind him, the masters of various sects surged into the chaos, stabilizing the crumbling capital of Shangjing.

These were not only the sects Li Sui had summoned, but agents from other nations' Celestial Observatories as well; they understood well the danger of a cold lip when the teeth are gone.