Chapter 363
Chapter 363
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 363
>Chapter Title: A Way Out
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Tuoba Danqing had completely broken down, and the others were no better off.
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Liu Zongyuan knelt on the ground, pounding it furiously with both hands in frustration.
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Meanwhile, Hong Da stood frozen in place with a blank expression, his eyes staring blankly at everything around him.
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A atmosphere of despair enveloped everyone. And those people around them who could never die let out shrill, mocking laughter at all of them.
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In this situation, anything they did seemed utterly pointless. Even death had become a luxury they could no longer afford.
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But this didn’t include Li Huowang. Having endured all sorts of desperate straits, he was rarely crushed by anything else anymore.
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When he noticed Bai Lingmiao’s expression turning ferocious, Li Huowang pulled her into his arms and said in a trembling voice,
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>> “I’m here. As long as I’m here, no one can hurt you!”
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The two gods leaned in from behind, gently pressing against Li Huowang’s back. This time, unusually, he didn’t push them away.
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>> “In a situation like this, do you actually have a way out?”
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Bai Lingmiao stared wide-eyed at the man before her. In such a hopeless predicament, what gave him the right to say something like that?
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Li Huowang nodded slightly, then raised his head to gaze at the pitch-black dome overhead. A bitter smile crept onto his face.
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>> “This place blocks out the immortals, but I think one certain existence can definitely get in.”
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>> “Who?”
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>> “Ba Hui! The Ba Hui in Bai Yujing!”
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Li Huowang had been to Bai Yujing. No matter how Heart Taint had pulled it off, it was utterly insignificant compared to those existences that no one even dared to think about—not even Heart Taint fused with a life and a death.
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After some contemplation, Li Huowang spoke with resolute determination.
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>> “I’m going to use the Cang Qiang Ascension Rite. I’ll borrow Ba Hui’s power to break this deadlock.”
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If there was any other way to resolve the current crisis now, it was this one.
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Bai Lingmiao’s heart sank. She remembered this. Li Huowang had told her about it before.
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>> “That would mean...”
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>> “Right, exactly.”
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Li Huowang glanced over at Tuoba Danqing, who was in the midst of carving the three cuts and six holes of the memory ritual. He then hugged Bai Lingmiao and headed toward the dense woods nearby.
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As for the others, they didn’t care where Li Huowang went. At this point, they probably didn’t care about anything anymore.
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>> “The Cang Qiang Ascension Rite requires both mental and physical agony at their extremes. Extreme physical torment is easy enough. What I need is the utmost mental anguish.”
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As he said this, Li Huowang seemed to recall something. A flicker of struggle appeared in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.
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Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao’s heart trembled. Without the slightest hesitation, she spoke up.
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>> “Tell me. What do you need me to do? I can handle it.”
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Li Huowang shook his head. His lips quivered slightly.
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>> “I don’t need you to do anything. Just keep watching me. Because... I need to enter the hallucination to find it.”
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As Li Huowang spoke, intense struggle showed in his eyes. But when he looked at Bai Lingmiao right in front of him, his gaze hardened with resolve.
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He wasn’t an ordinary person. He was Heart Pure. If Heart Taint could exploit his abilities, then so could Heart Pure.
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Just like the first time with the Cang Qiang Ascension Rite—in that hallucination over there, as long as he dared to do it, it would send him endless extreme mental torment without end.
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In the unmanned night forest, Li Huowang carefully examined the girl standing before him.
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>> “Don’t worry. I’ll save you from this danger, just like I did back at Clear Wind Temple.”
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>> “No! Think of something else!”
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Bai Lingmiao outright rejected Li Huowang’s words.
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But Li Huowang had no intention of listening to her.
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>> “Li Sui, come out. Stay quietly with your mom and don’t run off. I’ll be back soon.”
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One by one, black tentacles emerged from Li Huowang’s chest, eventually forming a writhing mass of tentacle monster.
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>> “Miaomiao. He’s my son. Don’t be scared.”
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Li Huowang explained to Bai Lingmiao, who was seeing Li Sui for the first time.
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Bai Lingmiao stared wide-eyed at the terrifying tentacle monster before her.
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>> “Say that again. Who’s the mother of your son?”
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Li Huowang let out a soft chuckle. Sensing everything around him begin to shake and shift, he stopped explaining.
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>> “Wait for me to come back. Stand a bit farther away so you don’t get hurt—even if you can’t die, it’ll still hurt.”
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Everything around him started to melt. For some reason this time, the change was much slower than usual. But in the end, Li Huowang found himself back in that dim, filthy bridge cave.
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Taking in the familiar yet strange surroundings, Li Huowang stood stunned for a moment before rushing to the nearby riverbank and splashing water on his face.
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Staring at his reflection in the water, Li Huowang muttered to himself as if hypnotizing himself.
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>> “Miaomiao’s still waiting for me. I need to use the hallucination to find that extreme mental anguish to save her!”
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He repeated it three times. Straightening up, Li Huowang turned his mind to how he would find that utmost mental torment.
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This was the sort of thing that didn’t even need thinking about. To reach extreme agony, what he had to do was obvious.
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Just then, Li Huowang heard footsteps approaching from outside. Before long, Huanhuan appeared at the door, holding a steamer of little bunlets.
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When she saw Li Huowang staring straight at her, a delighted smile spread across her face.
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>> “Uncle, you’re lucid again?”
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>> “Extreme torment... extreme torment... It’s nothing. This is all fake. It’s all a hallucination.”
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Muttering nonstop to himself, Li Huowang glanced around and picked up a thin rope from the ground. He walked toward Huanhuan.
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>> “No way she shows up right as I get here. That’s too convenient. Right, this has to be fake. I don’t need to hesitate at all.”
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Li Huowang loomed over her. His right hand, wrapped with the rope, trembled harder and harder.
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>> “Uncle?”
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Huanhuan took half a fearful step back. She sensed that the uncle in front of her wasn’t the same as before.
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Suddenly, Li Huowang deflated like a punctured ball, slowly exhaling all the air from his lungs.
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>> “No, that’s not right. This won’t work.”
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Li Huowang turned away, his teeth grinding audibly as he paced back and forth in place.
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>> “No, I haven’t known her long. Even if I kill her, it won’t be enough extreme torment. I need more! More!”
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He dropped to his knees and scrawled two names on the ground with his finger: Yang Na and Sun Xiaoqin.
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Staring at those two names, terror filled Li Huowang’s eyes. He even trembled all over in fear.
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>> “It’s all hallucinations! Hallucinations! I crossed over long ago—this isn’t real!”
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Li Huowang’s trembling hand began to rise, only to snap back as if shocked by electricity.
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Suddenly, he snatched up a pebble from the ground and smashed it against his own head.
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Blood instantly poured from Li Huowang’s scalp. But it wasn’t enough. He gripped the stone and smashed it against his head again and again.
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Soon, his tears, sweat, and blood mixed together, making him look utterly horrifying in that moment.
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>> “It’s fake! It’s obviously fake! It’s a hallucination! Why the hell am I hesitating?! Miaomiao’s waiting for me to save her!!”
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(End of chapter)