Mutated Tao

Li Huowang refused to die right after finally meeting Siming.

The Siming did not react to his words, so he materialized his body and decided to try a different approach.

“I am Ji Zai’s Twisted One. Don’t you recognize Ji Zai? Didn’t you guys fight god Yu’er together?!” Li Huowang’s left ear dropped off as he said that. He quickly picked it up and reattached it to his head.

The Five Dhyani Buddhas did not react to him. Li Huowang felt his brain hurting again and panicked. “What the fuck do you want? How come Xuan Pin can help you guys but I can’t?! What do you want?”

This time, Li Huowang finally felt the Five Dhyani Buddhas react. In the next instant, he felt something incomprehensible enveloping him. He felt his skin, flesh, and bone being peeled away until there was nothing left.

“Try and kill me if you can! Ji Zai will kill you if you do!” Li Huowang used all of his strength to materialize his body again. However, his body soon disintegrated again. The Five Dhyani Buddhas were assimilating his body until everything disappeared. There was nothing left in the space.

And just like that, the Five Dhyani Buddhas left.

“What the fuck is going on?! I’m here to help you! Are you crazy? Can’t you differentiate who’s good and who’s bad? Can’t you talk? Don’t you have a mouth?”

As Li Huowang dejectedly prepared to leave, he felt something come to a halt at the spot where the Five Dhyani Buddhas had been.

Something was there, but Li Huowang had no idea what it was. It was a strange feeling, and his body wasn’t being assimilated by any Heavenly Dao this time.

“Ji Zai? Is that you?” Li Huowang asked and readied himself to leave at any moment.

He wasn’t sure if he was in the Baiyu Capital right now. If he was, he had to seriously consider what was behind him.

Li Huowang suddenly heard a fleeting voice. It was a profound and familiar voice that stirred his deepest memories.

“I’ve seen it before!” Li Huowang tried to recall, but the more he looked into his memories, the more he forgot.

Just then, the being appeared once more. Li Huowang could make out its size this time. It was a very profound being. Its body was both large and small—it was both so big it could cover the Heavens and so small that one could barely perceive it.

Li Huowang wanted to determine if it was a Siming, but his eyes had been blinded, so he had no choice but to rely on his other senses.

I don’t think it's a Siming. I’m not being assimilated by a Heavenly Dao.

He extended his hands in a daze before touching something that resembled a ribbon.

The being appeared once more before disappearing for good. Li Huowang suddenly felt a strong force that pulled him downwards.

“Father! Father!” Li Huowang opened his eyes forcefully and saw Li Sui looking at him worriedly.

"Father, are you okay? Is everything fine? I tried to wake you up by shaking you, but it didn't work," Li Sui said, wiping the sweat off his forehead with a wet towel.

“I’m… I’m fine!” Li Huowang held his head in pain. He stared at the copper basin and washed his face with the cold water.

His grogginess faded as the cold water woke him up. He felt much better now.

What was that thing? What did it want? Li Huowang frowned and pondered when he suddenly noticed something was wrong with his reflection in the water. He had seven eyes!

Li Huowang finally realized what the ribbon-like being was. It was a Shangji Guankou! The very same Shangji Guankou that exchanged one secret for another secret.

However, in contrast to the Shangji Guankou he had encountered previously, this one was much older and held a higher rank.

Li Huowang had not revealed any secrets and yet received seven secrets.

It gave me the secrets… Does it want me to find out how Xuan Pin helped the Simings?

Li Huowang thought that it was possible since he had no use for the seven secrets to begin with.

His goal had been achieved, but he was still confused. What did that thing want? Why does it want me to help? If it's a Siming, it should be in charge of one of the Heavenly Daos.

Shangji Guankou… Secret… Heavenly Dao? Is there a Heavenly Dao of Secrets in the fifty Heavenly Daos?

His question would remain unanswered. He attempted to recall everything in hopes of learning something from the small clues.

Then, he felt that something wasn’t right. His memories were swiftly disappearing!

“What’s… What’s happening?” As Li Huowang was trying to figure it out, someone knocked on his door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Chan Du.”

I wonder if the abbots know anything. I did manage to meet the Simings through their ceremonies. Li Huowang didn’t even wear his shoe when he opened the door in a hurry.

He saw Chan Du was standing there with the purple alms bowl with the group of monks behind him. All of them were clasping their hands and staring at him.

“Amitabha. The hour of the ceremony is approaching. I shall lead you there.”

Li Huowang stepped back in surprise. “Are… Are you kidding me?”

He gazed at Chan Du but noticed that the Abbot was serious, with no signs of deception.

Was everything just a dream? Was it fake? Li Huowang tried to recall his hazy memories but realized that he couldn’t differentiate them from reality.

He quickly looked at his reflection in the water and saw the seven eyes from before on his reflection. It hadn’t been a dream. It was real!

“Benefactor Li, what happened? I thought you wanted to meet Buddha. Did you change your mind?”

Li Huowang heard his questioning and understood something.

Everything was real, but it hid the entire ordeal! It must’ve been the Siming that controls secrets!