Chapter 698
Chapter 698
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 698
>Chapter Title: New
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Chapter 698: New
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> Everyone rushed out through the crack that Li Huowang had pried open. As they sensed the vast emptiness around them instantly, genuine joy appeared on every face. They had escaped!
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> It seemed the earth dragon wasn’t in the soil anymore—they had reached the surface. It was pitch black here, empty and desolate, as if the catastrophe hadn’t passed yet.
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> With Yu’er God overhead, Li Huowang didn’t dare look up. He couldn’t tell where they were right now, but he was certain of one thing: this definitely wasn’t Cloud Marsh.
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> “Aaahhh！” A scream rang out. Li Huowang turned his head and saw some people being dragged back into the crack by the evils squeezing out from it.
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> “Hurry! Keep moving! The bugs in our bellies are still multiplying, and the earth dragon’s still affecting us!!”
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> Hearing this, Li Huowang grabbed Bai Lingmiao and led the others rapidly away from the fissure on the earth dragon’s belly.
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> They moved quickly, soon leaving the evils behind. Everyone’s expressions improved noticeably.
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> As they walked, Li Huowang suddenly stopped, staring blankly at the shadowy figure faintly visible in the distant darkness.
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> The man wore a filthy cyan-blue Daoist robe, his hair pinned up with a crown, temples streaked with white, and his bucktoothed mouth exposing a few scattered yellow teeth to the air.
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> “Heh heh heh, kid~ You did well! You did real well!!”
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> “Get lost!” Ignoring what this Danyangzi thing was, Li Huowang roared and swung his spine sword straight at it.
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> The rift flew over, shattering Danyangzi. He dispersed silently, leaving nothing behind.
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> “Senior Brother Li, Senior Brother Li? What’s wrong?” Bai Lingmiao looked at Li Huowang with deep concern.
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> “What? You couldn’t see that Danyangzi just now?!”
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> “Senior Brother Li, there was no Danyangzi at all. What’s going on with you? Didn’t you say your illness was cured?” Bai Lingmiao gripped Li Huowang’s hands anxiously.
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> “Bai Lingmiao couldn’t see it? Only I could... Does that mean I’m hallucinating again?”
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> At this thought, Li Huowang whipped his head toward the monk beside him.
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> “Monk! Did you see it? That bald-headed old Daoist!”
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> Before the monk could answer, a voice from the crowd interrupted.
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> “Li Huowang! What the hell are you doing?” The frantic Zheng Boqiao approached, eyeing his three heads.
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> “Move! This earth dragon is packed with evil! We still have those gu worms inside us!”
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> “Dad, the bugs in my belly are multiplying more...” Li Sui’s voice carried a hint of grievance.
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> Li Huowang glanced once more at where Danyangzi had vanished before putting aside whatever was wrong with his head this time. He led the others onward.
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> Compared to their current crisis, the Danyangzi hallucination—which had appeared several times before—didn’t seem worth wasting time on right now.
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> Everyone rushed forward, trying to get far from the earth dragon and ease its hold on their bodies.
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> After running for about half a stick of incense, Li Huowang spotted another unexpected figure in the distance.
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> “Heh heh heh~ Red, long time no see? Trapped in my illusion for so long—shouldn’t you wake up by now?” The dice-headed figure in dragon robes said to Li Huowang.
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> “What the fuck is wrong with me!!” After the previous encounter, Li Huowang simply ignored this dice that had popped up out of nowhere and kept walking.
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> But this time, he wasn’t the only one who saw it.
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> “Dad? Mom?” Tears flowed from under Bai Lingmiao’s red veil. She stopped in place, staring dazedly into the distant blackness. Bai Lingmiao seemed to hear and see something, her face turning utterly haggard.
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> When Li Huowang looked along with her, he saw nothing but pitch darkness there.
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> “Miaomiao! What did you see?” As soon as Li Huowang spoke, the others began gazing warily into the surrounding dark, their expressions varying wildly.
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> “It wasn’t me who killed them! Get lost! Go find someone else!”
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> “Master, your disciple is unfilial!”
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> “Mirage? Who’s there? Xuanyin, where are you! Show yourself!”
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> In that moment, Li Huowang realized—he wasn’t the problem at all!! It was this damned place!!
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> “Don’t panic!! It’s all illusions! All fake!” Li Huowang shouted a warning.
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> At his words, many sprang into action, trying to dispel the illusions. But no techniques worked.
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> Some even attacked the apparitions, yet gained nothing.
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> “Keep moving! Get out of the earth dragon’s corpse first!” No matter how many illusions, they couldn’t kill—but those multiplying bugs in their guts sure could.
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> The others followed suit immediately. Thanks to his earlier life-saving act, Li Huowang had subtly become their leader.
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> Everyone ignored the hallucinations and pressed on. But after just half a cup of tea’s time, they all halted simultaneously. Identical stomach walls loomed before Li Huowang and the rest—they were still inside.
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> “How is this possible!” Li Huowang gouged out an eye from his left head, along with two pieces of fluorite, and hurled them skyward.
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> When he finally glimpsed the top, Li Huowang understood—they hadn’t escaped at all from the start. This was merely another stomach of the earth dragon!
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> “Hahaha~~ Fooled ya~” The dice reappeared, pointing at Li Huowang and laughing mockingly.
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> “So this... this is what this stomach does?! What the hell is this earth dragon!” Staring at the distant illusions, the unwilling Li Huowang racked his brain for an escape.
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> “Dad, it hurts... The bugs are multiplying so much... I can’t hold on...” Various sickly green worms began crawling endlessly from Li Huowang’s body, devouring his flesh bit by bit.
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> As the evils surged toward them in overwhelming waves, everyone fell into utter despair. They knew this time they were truly done for.
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> “This old man... this old man won’t accept it! I won’t accept it!!” An old man clutching a soul-summoning banner collapsed backward in despair. The instant his body hit the ground, it disintegrated, sickly green maggots splattering everywhere.
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> Li Huowang tried rallying the others to break through the stomach wall, but with maggots, evils, and illusions swarming, it was impossible.
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> The maggots inside everyone multiplied relentlessly. The illusions grew more numerous. The evils before their eyes increased endlessly.
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> Li Huowang refused to give up. He exhausted every trick he knew, struggling on. He wouldn’t accept dying here with Miaomiao and Li Sui! There had to be a way!
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> The situation worsened by the second, the dead piling up, collapse imminent.
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> Yet Bai Lingmiao stood frozen, listening to her family’s illusions hurl the most vicious words at her.
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> “Useless trash! He’s your father’s killer! Why aren’t you avenging him? Are you even human?”
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> “Baby girl, Mom really misjudged you. How could you be like this? Is your heart black?”
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> “Sis, you’re a whore, aren’t you?”
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> Bai Lingmiao wept. She stood, looking toward Li Huowang, who was fighting desperately. He seemed at his limit now, most of his body fully transformed into writhing worms.
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> “Senior Brother Li, use Cangqiang Ascending Steps to break free.” Bai Lingmiao pointed at the red bamboo slips in Lv Xiucai’s hands.
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> “I want to! But I can’t!” Li Huowang roared. Of course he knew Cangqiang Ascending Steps could turn the tide—but where was he supposed to find that ultimate inner torment right now?!
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> Bai Lingmiao pursed her lips and shook her head gently. Then she gave a warm smile.
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> “It’s okay, Senior Brother Li. I’ll help you.”
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> With that, Bai Lingmiao turned and tossed a piece of human skin to a White Lotus follower. She spread her arms and leaped unhesitatingly into the horde of evils.
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> (End of chapter)