Chapter 996: Enter

Chapter 996: Come In

Within the borders of the Great Liang, a colossal pillar, forever sprouting and spreading its tangled vines, stood between heaven and earth, its twisted branches eroding every available void.

A bloated, deformed, and monstrously vast body floated amidst the clouds; this creature was none other than Li Huowang, his power surged to a terrifying peak.

"Hah!" As four mouths across his grotesque form opened in unison, he swung the giant jade axe in his grip, striking the pillar with a thunderous blow.

Before the severed pillar could fall, Li Huowang, shrouded in malevolent energy, had already descended to the gap, roaring toward the heavens as he swung his axe again and again at the plummeting mass.

The pillar, extending from the White Jade Capital, continued its descent, yet before Li Huowang—now saturated with the essence of the Prime Minister—no matter how far it fell, it was severed instantly.

With Li Huowang utilizing the Lion Dance Palace to bind the Prime Minister’s head, this pillar from the Blessed Heaven was no match for him.

Li Huowang hacked his way upward from below, carving a path from the Great Liang back into the sky, finally forcing his way back into the realm of the scattered stars.

Watching the chaos and disorder of the White Jade Capital spew from the breach, threatening to spill into the mortal world,

Li Huowang bellowed, putting his entire strength into a single hand, and slammed the jade axe into the rupture, sealing off the possibility of the strange pillar tainting the world of men.

Yet Li Huowang knew this was not enough, far from it; the gap remained, and left unchecked, it would only widen.

His dozens of bloodshot eyes glared at the axe wedged in the breach, and under his gaze, the weapon deformed at a frantic pace, reshaping itself to plug the void.

But he was not finished; under Li Huowang’s relentless glare, the fragments of the Gate of Yaksha that had fallen began to backtrack at the same impossible speed.

Shattered jade of all sizes rose from the earth, returning to their origin.

A shard, scarcely smaller than a dining table, flashed before Li Huowang, a red seal faintly visible upon its surface.

Li Huowang caught only the characters "Zhuanxu" on the left before the fragment vanished, snapping back into its rightful place.

The shattered Gate of Yaksha, under the influence of Li Huowang’s cultivation, knit itself together, the seams vanishing as it reformed into a jade pendant larger than a mountain, suspended in the darkness between the White Jade Capital and the mortal realm.

Though the gate was mended, the situation remained dire, for Li Huowang remembered what was transpiring within the White Jade Capital.

Seeing the chaos within the gate being pushed aside by something else, Li Huowang roared with all six mouths, reached behind his back, ripped out his own spine, and swung it like a whip, charging into the Gate of Yaksha without hesitation.

The chaotic, disordered White Jade Capital had transformed; various Heavenly Daos collided and merged within, washing over Li Huowang like a tide.

The nearest deity, the Faceless Bodhisattva, moved with a gentle, graceful fluidity, her "robes" drifting in the air as if she were submerged in water.

A pale, strange halo of light shrouded the back of her head, obscuring her features, but as he drew near, he realized the halo was composed of countless tiny, white eyes.

The light from behind the Bodhisattva radiated outward, as if illuminating the surroundings, or perhaps assimilating them.

With his heightened senses, he felt this deity possessed another side, though he lacked the organs to perceive what it truly was.

Li Huowang did not know her name, but he knew she was a deity of the White Jade Capital; he had seen this entity before, during his desperate struggle against Danyangzi.

"Help me, damn it! Don't just stand there!" Li Huowang roared at the deity, lunging toward the torn, pitch-black firmament.

Li Huowang stumbled, his foot catching on the high threshold of a gate, and his body pitched forward.

"Be careful!" Yang Na chased after him, steadying Li Huowang as she peered into the dilapidated temple.

Outside, a torrential downpour raged, and the long-neglected rural temple offered little shelter, with rain leaking through the roof.

Dust-covered, broken statues of Arhats and Buddhas were scattered haphazardly, appearing terrifying under the flashes of lightning.

Judging by the cigarette butts on the floor, Yang Na surmised others had been here, though clearly not for any righteous purpose.

The statues were smeared with filth, and some broken pieces had been crudely fused together.

Yang Na pulled the gasping Li Huowang past an Arhat missing its index finger, helping him toward the altar to rest.

Suddenly, Li Huowang spoke, his eyes locked on the Arhat’s severed finger, and he burst into manic laughter. "Hahaha! It was only a finger! The thing I fought so hard to defeat was merely a finger!"

"But do you think that scares me? Do you think I’m afraid?! Don't dream of it!!" Li Huowang surged to his feet, kicked off the ground, and lunged at the fingerless Arhat.

The clay statue was heavy and massive; Li Huowang’s collision was like an egg hitting a stone, and with a dull thud, he was left bloodied.

Yet he ignored the pain, raising his military knife to hack frantically at the clay figure.

Outside the temple, Yi Donglai stood in the downpour, staring blankly at the scene within.

"Get back! I’ll help you!" Yang Na raised her pistol and fired twice at the clay head.

Under their relentless assault, the tall statue began to shed its shell, revealing the bamboo frame beneath.

Finally, with a crash, the Arhat collapsed, burying Li Huowang beneath the rubble.

Hearing Li Huowang’s violent coughing from beneath the dust, Yi Donglai gritted his teeth and stepped toward the temple to help.

"Stop! Don't move!!" Li Huowang’s roar halted Yi Donglai in his tracks.

With eyes filled with three parts terror and seven parts shock, Li Huowang looked at Yi Donglai outside the temple, his voice trembling: "We can go in, but you cannot! Do not come in!! Whatever you do, don't come in!!"