Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 161
>Chapter Title: Death
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Chapter 161: Death
Jiang Yingzi had vanished, disappearing without a trace right in front of Li Huowang.
Stunned in place, Li Huowang recalled what she had said to him before she disappeared. “The elders of the Sleeve Landscape Cult are all from the Sitting Oblivion Dao? Danyangzi is still alive? He’s not an illusion?”
As words spoken by an illusion, Li Huowang should have ignored them. But after carefully considering the possibility, he suddenly realized everything made perfect sense.
The Sitting Oblivion Dao hadn’t suddenly appeared by his side—they had been there all along, ever since the Sleeve Landscape Cult.
“This is impossible! You couldn’t have figured it out!” An angry shout rang out, prompting Li Huowang to look down at Erbing on the ground.
Erbing, who had been smugly laughing through all sorts of torture before, now had an extremely ugly expression, looking utterly furious.
In that moment, Li Huowang suddenly understood what the nun meant, and what it meant to fight the Sitting Oblivion Dao head-on.
These lunatics derived pleasure from everything—they weren’t afraid of pain or death. Their values were twisted compared to normal people. In their minds, some things were far more important than life itself: fooling others.
Once he knew what they cared about, Li Huowang figured out how to get revenge.
“Want to know how I saw through your tricks?”
Li Huowang spoke as he raised the longsword in his hand and thrust it straight into her chest.
“Cough~ Cough~” Blood slowly flowed from Erbing’s mouth, the remnants of his face twitching faintly. “In the end, it was...”
Li Huowang leaned his scarred body down and whispered gently into her mangled ear hole, “Heh... guess.”
As he spoke, Li Huowang slowly twisted the hilt to the right. Erbing’s body stiffened like a dead fish, his expression filled with reluctance.
With a “schlop,” Li Huowang pulled the sword out and brought it down hard on Erbing’s head, splitting it clean in two.
Still not satisfied, Li Huowang—eyes burning with extreme hatred—raised the sword again and hacked down repeatedly. Blood and flesh flew through the air, and soon Erbing’s corpse was thoroughly minced into a pulp.
The others could only watch from afar. Seeing Li Huowang gradually losing his mind, they cowered in fear, not daring to make a sound.
Bai Lingmiao, lips pressed tight, was about to rush over but was stopped by Chun Xiaoman. “Don’t go over there now! What if he...”
“I’m not afraid!” Bai Lingmiao shoved her away and rushed toward Li Huowang.
“Senior Brother Li! Senior Brother Li! Snap out of it!!” Tears streaming down her face, Bai Lingmiao clung desperately to Li Huowang’s arm, stopping him from swinging again.
Looking at that face, clarity gradually returned to Li Huowang’s eyes. The bloody sword slowly withdrew and slid back into its sheath.
Li Huowang sluggishly lifted his head and looked toward the horrifying Danyangzi nearby.
At that moment, he was floating in the air. His three faces—one joyful, one angry, one sorrowful—stared at Li Huowang. Under his gaze, Danyangzi gave a sinister smile before slowly sinking into the mud.
“Senior Brother Li, don’t do this. This person’s already dead. We’re all safe now. It’s all over.”
Li Huowang took a deep breath and nodded. Danyangzi’s return spoke for itself.
“Yeah, it’s all over.”
Li Huowang nodded in agreement. He first glanced at the mess of meat on the ground, then turned to the others. “Who brought a fire starter? Burn this thing completely.”
Even if there was the slightest possibility, Li Huowang wouldn’t take the chance. He had to grind Erbing’s bones to ash and scatter them.
The others did as told. Using the broken cart as fuel, they burned Erbing along with the other corpses. In the morning on the Gobi Desert, a massive bonfire belching black smoke roared fiercely.
Li Huowang didn’t leave. He had to see Erbing burn to ash with his own eyes. In this bizarre world, anything was possible. He wouldn’t gamble.
Lv Zhuangyuan, carrying luggage on his back, stood hesitating nearby for a long time. Finally, looking at the resolute, bloodstained back before him, he spoke up. “Ahem, young Daoist... my daughter-in-law got quite a scare last night. She’s pregnant and not doing well right now, so we don’t want to travel for the time being. We’re thinking of heading to town to find a physician. What do you say?”
Last night, it wasn’t just his daughter-in-law who was scared—the entire Lv Family Troupe was terrified. Before, Lv Zhuangyuan had been secretly pleased at getting a free ride with the young Daoist without spending a dime.
But everything that happened last night proved his little scheme was a huge mistake. If the Lv Family Troupe traveled on their own, trouble would mean getting robbed at worst, his daughter-in-law suffering some indignity. But if they kept following this young Daoist, they might lose their lives!
This young Daoist had hidden it so well—he’d almost fooled even him. Turns out he’s that crazy.
Li Huowang slightly turned his head. Lv Zhuangyuan’s face instantly drained of color as he stumbled back a few steps, already rehearsing his excuses in his mind.
“Alright, safe travels, Troupe Leader Lv. Gouwa, give two camels to Troupe Leader Lv for carrying people.”
“No, no, no~! No need for the trouble.” Lv Zhuangyuan waved his hands like a rattle drum. With Li Huowang’s permission, he felt like he’d been granted amnesty and led the others fleeing back the way they came.
Li Huowang ignored them and kept watching the bonfire. The flames burned from morning until afternoon before finally dying out.
He personally went in to check. Seeing nothing but ashes left, Li Huowang finally relaxed.
“You okay?” Li Huowang turned to look at the wound on Bai Lingmiao’s shoulder.
“It’s fine, just a minor injury.” Seeing Li Huowang back to normal, Bai Lingmiao forced a smile and shook her head.
She reached out both hands, carefully approaching Li Huowang’s severed arm, her eyes filled with extreme grief.
“It’s nothing, just a missing hand. It’ll grow back soon.” Li Huowang gently stroked her soft hair.
“Really?” Bai Lingmiao’s eyes lit up again.
“Of course.” After comforting her, Li Huowang turned to the others.
Everyone looked utterly bedraggled. He couldn’t worry about their wounds right now—someone had died.
It was the sharp-eyed man who was down to one arm. He was dead, and so was the chubby Daoist boy lying beside him.
The short and skinny corpses lay side by side on the ground. The ragged old monk stood there, hands clasped together, reciting Amitabha Buddha with a face full of sorrow.
More deaths. Looking at their ashen faces, Li Huowang felt numb. He even wondered if leading them was the right choice. Maybe if they’d gone home on their own, they’d have arrived by now.
“Burn them too. Anyone got a jar? If not, wrap them in cloth.”
Once everything was ready, Li Huowang led the others onward once more.
“Senior Brother Li, you’re going the wrong way. That’s the road back to Si Qi.”
Li Huowang nodded. “Yeah, so we need to hurry, or we’ll be late.”
(End of chapter)