Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 236
>Chapter Title: Black Tai Sui
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“Woof! Woof!”
Mantou’s barking interrupted Li Huowang’s train of thought. He had just turned his head to look when he saw Mantou darting into the darkness on one side.
“Daoist, hurry and chase it! This pup just smelled the thing you’re looking for!”
The hallucinated monk reminded him with great concern from nearby.
“Black Tai Sui?”
Li Huowang glanced at him before hobbling after it in a hurry. Seeing this, the others followed suit.
Mantou grew more excited the deeper it chased into the darkness. After circling a few times, Li Huowang grew excited too—he could smell the scent of Black Tai Sui!
“No mistake about it, Black Tai Sui is nearby!”
With that thought, Li Huowang’s heart pounded wildly.
Just as he hobbled faster and faster, his scalp suddenly prickled. He instinctively ducked, and a gust of wind carrying something whistled past his scalp.
“Thud!”
Gao Zhijian’s massive spiked club slammed hard into that thing, saving Li Huowang from danger.
By the time Li Huowang straightened up, the thing that had ambushed him had already vanished into the darkness.
The others quickly closed in around Li Huowang, weapons at the ready as they warily pointed them outward.
Li Huowang, body tense as he gripped his sword hilt, asked Gao Zhijian beside him,
“Did you see what it was?”
“Meaty... meat hook!”
The honest giant explained to Li Huowang.
“Meat hook? Something else is coming? Why can’t things just stay quiet for a bit?”
Li Huowang frowned tightly as he scanned the surrounding darkness.
“Did you see it?”
Li Huowang turned to ask the monk beside Peng Longteng.
“No, I was spacing out.”
“Clack clack clack~”
The sound came from Li Huowang’s left. As everyone’s weapons snapped toward it in unison, they saw Mantou—with its fur a yellowish brown—emerge with dainty little steps.
Ears flat against its head, it circled in place before rearing up on its hind legs and leaping high toward Li Huowang. “Woof!”
“Daoist, this dog’s asking why you’re not keeping up.”
Li Huowang furrowed his brow and said to the monk beside him,
“Shut your mouth. Since when can you understand dogs?”
His outburst startled everyone else, who looked at Li Huowang uneasily.
“Senior Brother Li, please don’t lose it right now. If you do, we’re really done for.”
Gouwa’s expression was timid.
Li Huowang shot him a glance before turning to Mantou, brows still locked.
“Why did that thing only attack me and not Mantou?”
This question was destined to go unanswered. Mantou wagged its tail and shook its head, pacing restlessly in place. Judging by its anxious demeanor, what they sought was nearby.
Li Huowang glanced back the way they’d come before deciding to keep following Mantou. They’d come this far—turning back now would waste all their previous hardship.
“Move out, everyone stick together! Don’t fall behind.”
To avoid ambushes, they formed a tight cluster and advanced cautiously, step by step, following Mantou forward.
Of course, mindful of the prior incident, Li Huowang kept a close eye on the ceiling overhead.
Seeing its master moving, Mantou bounced once and pressed its black nose to the ground, sniffing onward.
For the next stretch of time, neither the meat hook that had ambushed Li Huowang nor the bizarre lion dance reappeared. The silence felt unnaturally oppressive.
Yet this only heightened their torment. In this dim, suffocating environment, everyone’s nerves were on edge. Cold sweat slowly trickled down their faces.
“Shh, stop! We found it!”
Li Huowang stared in extreme excitement at the chaotic, writhing tentacles in the distant darkness.
Though still blurry, Li Huowang was certain—that was a Black Tai Sui!
The Black Tai Sui clearly noticed the sudden light source too. It tentatively extended a tentacle to prod the green glow.
“Finally found it.”
Li Huowang’s breathing had grown shallow, as if afraid of scaring it off.
“Senior Brother Li, how do we get this thing back?”
Sun Baolu sidled over and whispered.
Li Huowang eyed the thing in the darkness thoughtfully. This one looked even bigger than the one from Clear Wind Temple.
“Zhijian, get out the chains that bound me. We need to ambush and snare it.”
“When the time comes, go easy—don’t kill it.”
The chains slowly encircled the Black Tai Sui as everyone lightened their footsteps.
Once Li Huowang nodded, Gao Zhijian—gripping his spiked club—charged forward heavily and smashed down hard onto the Black Tai Sui.
With a muffled “thud,” over a dozen twisted, translucent tentacles erupted toward him.
The instant the Black Tai Sui attacked Gao Zhijian, the others leaped forward with the chains, wrapping them around it.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang—who’d been waiting in readiness—rushed out too, slashing fiercely at the tentacles’ roots with his longsword.
In truth, for the current Li Huowang and company, the Black Tai Sui wasn’t all that formidable—at least not more than the lion dance from before.
They could use any trick against the lion dance, but not against Black Tai Sui—they had to capture it alive, which made things tricky.
Too heavy wouldn’t do, too light wouldn’t either.
Li Huowang and the others tried to loop the chains around it, while the Black Tai Sui struggled to shake them off and lashed at the others with its tentacles.
In moments, the two sides tangled into a chaotic melee.
Li Huowang had miscalculated somewhat—the Black Tai Sui’s tentacles didn’t vanish when severed. Instead, more emerged from within.
At this critical juncture, new noises sounded from their left—something was approaching.
“Thud! Swish!”
The sound was so bizarre that even Li Huowang couldn’t guess its source.
“No matter what it is, I can’t drag this out any longer! It’s time for the Benevolent Mother Heart Fasting Rite!”
Li Huowang drew a deep breath, swiftly drew his dagger, and began peeling the skin around his chest.
Ripping off a large flap of flesh, he exposed his stark white ribs to the air.
Ignoring the agony that nearly blacked him out, Li Huowang hurled it forward. Under the Great Thousand Record’s power, the bloody skin ballooned rapidly, enveloping the Tai Sui tightly. No matter how its tentacles thrashed and burrowed, it was trapped.
“Go!”
Disregarding the pain, Li Huowang urgently called for the others to take the Black Tai Sui and flee.
As they distanced themselves from the spot, that sound gradually faded.
“Senior Brother Li, you’re hurt again.”
Bai Lingmiao gazed heartbrokenly at how Li Huowang’s clothes were steadily staining red. She took trauma salve from her waist and sprinkled it evenly over his chest wound.
The salve’s sting made Li Huowang’s heart ache with pain, but when he glanced at the Black Tai Sui being dragged by Gao Zhijian, he found fresh will to live.
The corners of Li Huowang’s mouth curved upward. Amid the searing agony, he gradually began to laugh.
This trip hadn’t been in vain. Soon, he could finally sever those hallucinations for good.
“Wang Wei, didn’t you say that side is reality? Fine, once I consume this Black Tai Sui, pull me back there if you’ve got the guts—I’ll believe you then!”
Li Huowang sneered into the distant darkness, muttering to himself.
(End of chapter)