Mutated Tao

Li Huowang thought his eyes were playing tricks on him when he saw the Lion Dances, but he became certain when he saw the numerous feet beneath the white cloth. It was the same Lion Dances he had fought against underneath Qing Qiu.

At Zhang Tan’s guidance, the two Lion Dances jumped, leaped, climbed, and prayed on the bamboo poles.

Li Huowang could understand if Zhang Tan was just performing the Nuo Opera, but he never thought the Lion Dances could be incorporated into it.

When taking a closer look, Li Huowang could see similarities between the masks of Zhang Tan and the Lion Dances.

As he watched, Zhang Tan ended the Nuo Opera. In the past, the person performing would sing a bit, but this time, Zhang Tan remained silent until the music ended.

As the Lion Dances left and the men carried away the bamboo poles, Li Huowang approached Zhang Tan. “What were you doing just now?”

“Welcoming an old guest.”

“Why?”

Zhang Tan turned and faced Li Huowang, looking at him from beneath his large wooden mask. “Do you need something?”

Li Huowang decided not to pursue meaningless questions and instead said what he needed.

“I need to know the method Xuan Pin used to assist the other Simings to kill god Yu’er.”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Yes, I don’t know.” Zhan Tan turned to leave before being stopped by Li Huowang.

“Do you really not know, or are you just pretending you don’t? The people who know are dead, and you’re currently the highest-ranking person here. If you don’t know, no one else in the Surveillance Bureau would. Don’t forget that I am also your ally in trying to eradicate the Dharma Sect.”

Zhang Tan stared at Li Huowang through his mask. “If Xuan Pin didn’t trust you, why would you think he would trust me? Do you think he would tell me everything?”

Zhang Tan left without looking back. Li Huowang frowned. “You don’t know? I don’t trust you.”

Li Sui’s tentacles helped Li Huowang put on Xuan Pin’s red robes. Li Huowang disappeared into the darkness of the robes and became Xuan Pin.

When he extended his arms out of the robes, they had already turned into Xuan Ping’s long, skeletal arms.

He then waved lightly before Shangguan Yuting appeared beside him. She smiled and waved at Li Huowang.

Now that his cultivation of the “Truth” had reached a considerable level, he could manifest any illusions that Xuan Pin used. And instead of manifesting fakes, Li Huowang could manifest the real illusions.

Li Huowang was certain that Xuan Pin wouldn’t leave zero traces of such an important ritual, especially after he succeeded in doing it. There must be some traces in the Surveillance Bureau.

Since he doesn’t want to tell me, I will have to find it myself. I am also using his identity as the Chief of the Surveillance Bureau right now.

For now, Li Huowang was indeed the highest authority of the Surveillance Bureau. No one could stop him.

“Let’s go to his study.” Li Huowang floated up with Shangguan Yuting and phased through the ceiling.

They soon reached Xuan Pin’s room. Since Li Huowang was masquerading as Xuan Pin, no one stopped him.

He was surprised to find Xuan Pin’s room wasn’t large compared to his massive body. It was actually narrow.

There was nothing except for books lining up all four walls and a table with an inkwell, brush, and papers. The room was so bare that there wasn't even a bed.

It was also very messy, either by design or because Xuan Pin had been too busy to tidy up the place.

“Didn’t he need to sleep?” Li Huowang inspected the table and the documents.

He was disappointed to find that it was just a map of constellations.

“Or maybe it's in the book?” Li Huowang looked at the books stacked all the way up to the ceiling. “I thought his techniques all came from Ji Zai. Does he even need to read?”

Li Huowang flipped a random book and noticed that the ink was slowly moving.

“Amitabha, amitabha.” Li Huowang turned around and saw the old monk was praying to the books.

“Xuan Pin most likely died in the Baiyu Capital. I don’t think he can reincarnate, so there’s no reason to pray for him.”

“Daoist, I’m not praying for him. I’m praying to the Buddha.”

“Buddha? Here?” Li Huowang approached the old monk and saw a small Buddha statue on the book shelf.

He picked it up and inspected it. He frowned because he had seen it before in the Righteous Monastery.

“Help me find out if there’s anything else.” The other illusions scattered in the room to search for any noteworthy objects.

They soon found a lot of things.

“Daoist, I found the prayer wheel of a Lama.”

“There’s also a talisman depicting a cow’s nose,” Peng Longteng said.

They found more and more things. Li Huowang caught on to key information when they found a mahjong tile of the Sitting Oblivion Dao.

It appeared that everything here was connected to different sects, all of which worshiped the Simings who worked with Xuan Pin!

“I should’ve known!”

Xuan Pin didn’t go to the Baiyu Capital directly when he said that he was helping the Simings.

He first contacted the various sects so that they would allow him to seek their Simings. Then, he went to the Baiyu Capital after they finalized and approved the plan! They must’ve been sitting on the sidelines when Xuan Pin was contacting the Simings.

Li Huowang placed the items down and walked out.

He looked at the Shimmer Mirror and contemplated which sect he should visit first. The closest one in Si Qi was the Righteous Monastery. The other sects had either been destroyed or were too far away.

“Let’s go!” Peng Longteng appeared and threw Li Huowang towards the direction of the Righteous Monastery.

He flew high and fell down numerous times before he reached the Righteous Monastery.

He had come here once before, but now it was different.

The monk at the entrance immediately noticed him. “Amitabha. Benefactor Li, please follow me.”

Li Huowang followed him and walked past the crowd to enter from the side door. It wasn’t the path that Li Huowang took last time, but he still ended up in front of the Abbot of the Righteous Monastery, in the hall with the five massive Buddha Statues.