Chapter 985: Counterattack

Chapter 985: Counterattack

A gentle breeze stirred Li Huowang’s hair as he stood there, clutching a blood-drenched, severed head by the hair, while the headless corpse of the Great Liang State Preceptor lay discarded at his feet.

He had played his part well in the past, but now that Li Huowang knew the truth—that Huangfu Tiangang was merely a needle driven into the heart of the realm by the Three Pure Ones—he could not be allowed to remain.

Yet, his attention was not on the dead gambler; standing atop the walls of Shangjing, he stared unblinkingly at the chaotic sprawl below.

Even from this height, he could feel the thick, suffocating miasma rising from the city. It was tainted; the entire capital had been thoroughly corrupted by the baleful aura.

Shangjing was in a state of utter turmoil. People drew blades over the slightest provocation, the social order teetering on the brink of collapse, for the malice festering in every heart had grown too heavy to bear.

Li Huowang’s vision was keen, capturing the myriad scenes of strife below—constant clashes, constant deaths—as the capital transformed into a battlefield.

The Edict of Taint was no mere decree; to the common folk, it weighed as heavily as a mountain.

Yet it was clear that Gao Zhijian’s intent was not merely to taint the populace and leave them to their fate. A rhythmic clanging of gongs echoed through the streets as a young officer, two triangular flags fluttering from his back, galloped past on a swift horse.

"Eat the Emperor’s grain!" the man bellowed between strikes of the gong.

"Eight to seventy years of age, men and women alike! Two strings of cash and three dou of rice a month! Meat at every meal!"

Two strings of cash, three dou of rice, and meat at every meal—the terms were staggeringly generous, a lethal temptation for the vast majority of the starving masses.

Soldiery might be a dangerous profession, but to those already tainted by the miasma, such concerns had long since vanished.

Driven by the sound of the gongs, the people of Shangjing surged forward, forming rivers of humanity flowing toward the Ministry of War.

Clearly, this was not happening only in the capital; it was unfolding at every moment across the six provinces of Great Liang, in Qingqiu, and in Hou Shu.

Gao Zhijian was right: the people were the soldiers, and the soldiers were the people. Whether they remained mere subjects or became warriors depended entirely on his choice. A new School of Strategy would soon take shape, far more numerous than any that had come before.

"How many people are there in this world? How many times can the General-Minister Head be raised?" Li Huowang muttered to himself, watching the spectacle below.

It seemed unlikely that the General-Minister Head was merely a deity; compared to others, it felt more primordial, more akin to the Heavenly Dao itself.

As long as one could pay the required price, the power of the Heavenly Dao could be borrowed.

At this thought, Li Huowang slowly tilted his head, gazing toward the Heaven Beyond Heaven, contemplating the deities he had never encountered before.

It seemed there were different ways for these entities to exist, far beyond the few he had come to understand.

Footsteps approached; Gao Zhijian, flanked by eunuchs, ascended the wall. "Brother Li, it won't be long now. The new School of Strategy will be ready for use."

"Good." Li Huowang, his heart heavy, lowered his head, turning away from the myriad lives unfolding below.

"While there is a lull, let me tell you of my affairs. I have been communicating with deities beyond White Jade Capital; for some time now, I have been working with them to oppose the Fortune-Bearing Heaven."

"But..." Gao Zhijian looked at him with hesitation. "Brother Li, haven't you been here all this time? You haven't gone to White Jade Capital."

"I do not speak of the me that stands here now, but another version of myself—yet he is still me, and what he does, I do!"

Gao Zhijian said nothing, a flicker of confusion crossing his face; it was clear he did not grasp the meaning.

"I know you don't understand, but it is the truth. As the one who governs the Dao of Bewilderment, even I struggle to distinguish what is real."

Seeing Gao Zhijian remain silent, Li Huowang offered a self-deprecating smile. "Do you doubt me? Or do you think I am having another episode? I would understand if you did."

"No, Brother Li. I believe you. Please, continue."

"There is little to say. A brutal war is coming, and this time, mortals must join forces with the deities of White Jade Capital to confront the Fortune-Bearing Heaven."

"Because the mortal realm is anchored by the Dragon Vein, other deities cannot reach it directly. Even if they transmit power through other means, it becomes distorted. Only I can accurately discern what is transpiring in White Jade Capital."

"In the coming conflict, the deities of White Jade Capital will lead, and we shall provide the support from below."

Mortals could not interact with deities; even a mere brush with them would likely result in being warped by the Heavenly Dao.

"What I mean to say is that how the world assists, and when the General-Minister Head is raised, will be decided by me. Do you understand?"

"I do not wish to meddle or usurp your authority, but the war above changes in an instant. We cannot wait for you and your ministers to deliberate."

Gao Zhijian shook his head. "No, with you standing at the front, the burden on my shoulders is much lighter."

"Brother Li, I will coordinate with them. When the time comes, you shall have the final say."

"Very well."

With that assurance, the next time he faced the Fortune-Bearing Heaven, Li Huowang could summon the General-Minister Head at will, adding a formidable force to his side.

This was why the Edict of Taint, however cruel, was a necessity.

"Brother Li, do you know what Sister Bai’s people are doing?"

Hearing this, Li Huowang nodded slowly. "I know. She told me, and the Spine Sword was given to her by my own hand."

"Oh. That is good." Gao Zhijian nodded and turned to descend the wall, but just as he lifted his foot, Li Huowang’s expression shifted. "A natural disaster."

This disaster arrived in total silence; nothing moved, and the common folk felt nothing, for this time, it was the essence of growth that had vanished.

Li Huowang understood what this meant. It seemed Zuo Qiuyong of White Jade Capital was truly gone; the Three Pure Ones had finally seized his Dao of Growth.

This was no small matter. As the Three Pure Ones grew in power, no one could predict their next move.

If one counted the Dao of Lies held by Dou Mu, the Three Pure Ones now possessed at least three: Secrets, Lies, and Growth.

And that was a conservative estimate, for regardless of what Qing Wanglai might be hiding, he had certainly taken what he had stolen from Li Huowang, as well as whatever he had extracted from the Five Wisdom Tathagatas.

At this thought, Li Huowang froze. A realization struck him, and with a stomp of his right foot, the world shifted, transporting him instantly to the Zhengde Temple.

The temple was desolate, the incense burners cold. When all were tainted by the miasma, they no longer feared death, nor did they hold reverence for the divine; few came to pray anymore.

Ignoring the monks who bowed to him, Li Huowang strode through the halls until he reached a specific shrine.

He had been here once before. On the high lotus throne sat a statue of none other than Zhuge Yuan, draped in yellow silk with a vermilion mark upon his brow.

It was clear this place had once been a center of great devotion; the incense burners were overflowing, and Zhuge Yuan had been cast in gold.

This was the original statue, the source from which all others had spread.

Qing Wanglai had used this very connection to do something to the Five Wisdom Tathagatas in the shadows.

Whatever the Three Pure Ones intended, they were now enemies, and Li Huowang would stop them at any cost.

With a single sweep of his hand, the massive beam above the shrine snapped, and the statue of Zhuge Yuan, encased in falling rubble, crashed to the floor.

As the statue was about to shatter under the weight of the debris, Li Huowang thrust his right hand upward, and the falling beam and stones hung suspended in mid-air.

Li Huowang pulled his hand back, trembling, and looked up at the stone face of Zhuge Yuan. "Heh... Three Pure Ones, did you foresee this as well? Did you foresee this too?"

The counterattack of the Three Pure Ones was always silent, yet for Li Huowang, each strike felt like a dagger to his heart.

He clenched his teeth, his breath hitching. After a moment of hesitation, he pulled his fist downward with a violent jerk.

The suspended beam plummeted, smashing the statue of the Treasure-Born Buddha-Zhuge Yuan into a thousand pieces. The shattered head of the stone Zhuge Yuan rolled through the dust, coming to a rest at Li Huowang’s feet.

(End of Chapter)

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A note to my readers:

The end of a story is always the hardest to write, and as I draw closer, the pressure only mounts.

To be honest, Dao of the Strange Immortal has given me so much, and I want to give it a proper conclusion.

I am an avid reader, and in the past, whenever I encountered a story with a rushed or ruined ending, it made me want to curse. So, I swore to myself that if I ever wrote a novel, I would never let it end poorly.

Lately the pressure has been immense, and I feel my performance slipping, so for the time being, I cannot guarantee two chapters a day.

I will prioritize quality above all else, doing my utmost to see this story through to its conclusion.