Mutated Tao

“Hong Zhong! Trust me! Don’t run! I didn’t plan to harm you! We agreed on this before!”

Li Huowang was nearly crawling on the ground, mustering all his strength to explain to Hong Zhong.

The current Hong Zhong was different from the one who had vanished earlier. His thoughts were already completely different.

Hong Zhong looked at Li Huowang with a slight smile forming on his lips. “Hehehe, you think you can fool me? Your skills are still too shallow. I~ don’t~ believe~ you.”

He began to move away from Li Huowang.

Li Huowang was on the verge of coughing up blood. It had been so hard to get him to agree to follow him. And now, as soon as the time was up, he forgot everything that had just happened!

Li Huowang ignored the deadly presence looming overhead. He gritted his teeth and hastened to catch up to Hong Zhong.

“Can’t you feel that something’s different above us? Do you really want to stay in this cursed place forever? Trust me! I’ll get you out!

“The fact that you deceive others doesn’t mean that others are always deceiving you! Consider our situation carefully! Staying here won’t help anyone. Coming with me is our best bet!”

Despite Li Huowang’s heartfelt pleas, Hong Zhong remained unmoved. He tried his best to distance himself from both Kui Lei’s shadow and Li Huowang.

Li Huowang realized that this Hong Zhong wouldn’t believe him. The previous Hong Zhong had seen the writings on the giant pillar, but this current one had no idea what he’d been through.

Under these circumstances, Hong Zhong would only grow more suspicious no matter what he said.

As the buzzing sound of the wheel in his ears softened, Li Huowang clenched his teeth and stood up despite the oppressive force of the Siming.

His body began to melt faster, but he didn’t care. He exerted all his strength and chased after Hong Zhong.

Walking was faster than crawling. When Li Huowang finally caught up, he lunged at Hong Zhong and pinned him down. “Stop!”

If persuasion didn’t work, force was his only other option.

“Alright, I get it. You’re telling the truth. Let me go, and I’ll follow you,” Hong Zhong replied, looking at Li Huowang.

Li Huowang glared at him while he melted like a wax figure. “Don’t pull that trick on me! It won’t work! I know you don’t trust me! If I let go, you’ll run!

“Even if you think I’m lying, we need to get out of here first! I’ll explain everything once we’re out of Kui Lei’s range!”

He wouldn’t survive to explain anything if they continued to stay here.

Hong Zhong looked at Li Huowang and finally nodded slowly.

He didn’t hold Li Huowang back this time. They worked together and struggled towards the outside. As they moved, Hong Zhong’s body also began to melt.

Soon, they were too preoccupied with escaping to guard against each other. Their melting bodies started sticking together, making them resemble conjoined twins.

However, the melting didn’t slow down no matter how far they walked.

Li Huowang was certain that his current appearance was anything but human.

“What did you do to provoke this thing with the previous me? You even dared to annoy a Siming? Are you crazy?” Hong Zhong complained angrily.

“We didn’t provoke it! It just showed up!” Li Huowang answered with difficulty.

The two of them continued to walk under the Siming’s pressure, unable to speak much.

Just as Li Huowang thought they would make it out, an unexpected beam of light shot down from above. Is Kui Lei watching me?

Li Huowang stopped. He felt his body was immobilized entirely, and his consciousness started to melt along with his body.

He was about to die. This was a feeling that any dying person would recognize.

As he neared death, Li Huowang’s gaze shifted upward involuntarily. The Siming of Death, which had been previously unbearable to look at, now seemed exceptionally comforting. It was even akin to the warm embrace of a mother.

Li Huowang saw himself getting closer to it, and a smile gradually spread across his face.

As he drew nearer, the object on the ceiling transformed into a flat, black mirror in front of him.

He saw his pitch-black self in the mirror. As their eyes met, Li Huowang understood some of the Heavenly Daos and the rules contained within.

The mirror was part of him and also part of Kui Lei. Since every living being carried “death” from birth, every living being was a part of Kui Lei.

The aggregation of all deaths was Kui Lei. Death was an eternal constant in the ever-changing world.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Huowang was about to see how he would die in the mirror. However, the mirror suddenly shattered, as if it had been pushed by something else.

The incomparably warm sensation disappeared.

Li Huowang felt as if he had been reborn. He did not know what happened, but he realized that whatever had been above him was now gone.

Suddenly, he felt the ground beneath him give way, and he plummeted rapidly. He realized that his face was floating while his body was still connected below.

When he came to his senses, he found that he had been standing still for a long time.

Both Li Huowang and Hong Zhong collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Li Huowang felt lucky to be alive.

What just happened? Li Huowang tried to recall, but most of his memories were already a blur.

Though he didn’t know why, it seemed he had narrowly escaped death.

Did Ji Zai intervene?

After catching his breath, Li Huowang asked, “Do you know the pattern of this thing’s appearance?”

“You said it yourself. My memories only last an hour. Do you think I’d remember what happened?” Hong Zhong mocked.

Li Huowang didn’t ask any more questions. The current Hong Zhong had no information—all of it had been inscribed on the giant pillar.

In any case, surviving an encounter with the Siming was a stroke of luck. It was better to forget about it since dwelling on matters involving Simings was unwise.

With the immediate danger now gone, Li Huowang turned to Hong Zhong, who was still gasping for air on the ground with his mahjong tile face.