Mutated Tao

Unfortunately, not everything went as he had planned. Li Huowang scratched his head, trying to devise a plan.

“Father, are you not at the seventh stage yet?”

“No, I’m just one stage away, but I don’t have time to cultivate now.”

Li Huowang lowered his hands and said, “Call the Dragon Veins to prepare the Dragon Qi. This is not a request—it’s an order. Also, all of the techniques of the Surveillance Bureau should be used. I know you’re withholding classified ceremonies used only for emergencies. This is an emergency.”

Li Huowang had to use everything to fight against Zuoqiu Yong.

“I understand.”

Li Huowang stood up and steeled himself. “I’ll have to fight, even though I’ve only reached the sixth stage. Let’s go confront Zuoqiu Yong!”

Just as he lifted his leg, the world around him shifted. He teleported to the Qi Kingdom almost instantaneously.

He could now travel between the Liang Kingdom and the Qi Kingdom at will as long as he thought he could.

“Bodhisattva Zhuge! You are finally back!”

“Bodhisattva Zhuge has not abandoned the Qi Kingdom!”

As the people from the Qi Kingdom kneeled in worship, a lot of False Qi entered his head.

Li Huowang looked around until he found Chan Du, the person responsible for managing the place when Li Huowang himself wasn’t there.

Chan Du looked the same as ever. He bowed to Li Huowang. “Amitabha”

“Tell me about the recent situation.”

Li Huowang waved his arms, and the scenery around him changed like tapestries.

They were now back in the garden of the Righteous Monastery, surrounded by yellow walls, green roofs, and tall green trees.

The three of them sat down on a stone stool to talk.

Chan Du sighed deeply. “Benefactor Li, the Qi Kingdom is very unstable now. There are too many spies from the Tianchen Kingdom. I’ve tried to figure out how to deal with them, but it’s futile. I fear that the Qi Kingdom will fall if the Tianchen Kingdom attacks now. The spies infesting our cities would rebel, forcing us to split our forces…”

“I never intended for the Qi Kingdom to fight to its last breath,” Li Huowang said. “You mentioned that the Tianchen Kingdom is on the move. What are they planning?”

Li Sui answered instead, “They found a Twisted One that will allow them to travel between the Liang Kingdom and the Qi Kingdom.”

“What? They’ve found it?”

“Yes, and they can now travel directly from the Tianchen Kingdom to the Liang Kingdom.”

Though everything seemed calm, Li Huowang understood why Li Sui had woken him up.

The situation was dire. No one knew what the Tianchen Kingdom would send into the Liang Kingdom.

“No, we can’t simply be on the defense. We need to disrupt their plans.”

After a moment’s contemplation, he declared, “Tell your men to get ready. We’re taking the initiative.”

Li Huowang was confident he would lose to Zuoqiu Yong even though he was already at the sixth stage. Thankfully, he wasn’t fighting alone.

“Alright.” Li Sui nodded. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve told every sect about the Tianchen Kingdom. They understand that they need to work together in this situation. They have agreed to fight for the sake of the Liang Kingdom.”

As he listened to their conversation, Chan Du felt a growing unease. “Benefactor Li, you might be right in acting first, but how do we get to the Tianchen Kingdom?”

Li Huowang clenched his fist decisively. “If I say we can go, then we can go! Gather your strongest men and get ready. Zuoqiu Yong will be our biggest enemy.”

They quickly formulated a plan, agreeing that taking down Zuoqiu Yong was their best path to win the war.

Zuoqiu Yong was still unaware of Li Huowang’s significant improvement in cultivation. He had become capable of bringing people to the Tianchen Kingdom.

Even though Zuoqiu Yong was the Siming that governed Growth, Li Huowang was confident that he could put up a good fight since he could borrow the power of a Siming too.

Zuoqiu Yong would face not just one but two distinct timelines at the same time.

Li Huowang returned to the Liang Kingdom to make the final preparations.

All the sects had assembled in the Liang Kingdom, presenting Li Huowang with a combination of sects he was both familiar and unfamiliar with.

Li Huowang approached one of the nuns. “Shai Zi, where is Zuoqiu Yong right now?”

“I don’t know.”

“Stop lying. If you want to help, you better help all the way. You have spies in the Tianchen Kingdom, after all!”

Shai Zi chuckled. “Zuoqiu Yong had the same idea as you. He’s already closing in on the headquarters of the White Lotus Sect. He plans to kill the Twisted One of the Heavenly Mater first.”

"What did you say?!" Li Huowang didn't have time to be angry with Shai Zi. He swiftly closed the distance between him and the White Lotus Sect headquarters, reaching it in just one step.

He reached the White Lotus Sect headquarters just as its roof exploded skyward. Bai Lingmiao's dual bodies burst through the roof while the white lotus markings on her forehead blazed with an intense light, desperately trying to hold back the abnormal tumors growing on her.

Li Huowang swept in, positioning himself protectively before Bai Lingmiao. He stared directly into Zuoqiu Yong’s eyes.

However, Zuoqiu Yong completely ignored Li Huowang and instead looked at Li Sui. “Oh~ And here I was wondering who you were. Aren’t you Li Sui? So you are the Chief of the Liang Kingdom’s Surveillance Bureau?”

“Aunty, long time no see,” Li Sui said, her voice calm.

“Li Sui, do you like red a lot? It’s very tacky.”

“My father likes red, so I’m just following his example,” Li Sui replied, moving to stand beside LI Huowang.

Zuoqiu Yong fished out a silk handkerchief to wipe the sweat off her forehead. “So you want to fight me this time? I spared you last time when you were trying to stop me from taking some of the Qi Kingdom’s Dragon Veins. I will kill you for real this time.”

Li Huowang felt a surge of anger due to their conversation. “You damned eunuch, are you ignoring me?”

“Yes.”

Without another word, Zuoqiu Yong launched herself toward Bai Lingmiao. The Twisted One of the Heavenly Mater was her sole objective.

Bai Lingmiao did nothing. She simply chanted and made seals with her hands.

“Wall!” Li Huowang let out a fierce roar as multiple earth walls erupted from the ground, effectively blocking Zuoqiu Yong's path.

She halted inches from the wall, plucking something from her body and throwing it on the ground with disgust.

“Ho~ Who plastered the Heavenly Dao of Death onto me? So disgusting.”