The Unruly Immortals

"What would you like to be called?" Li Huowang looked at the mongrel wagging its tail in front of him.

After a few days, it was still very skinny, but at least those densely packed, blood-sucking ticks in its ears had all been removed.

Both ears had been bitten and looked bloody, and even after eating Li Huowang's healing pills, it would need some time.

"Woof—" The mongrel, sitting squat on the ground, tilted its head and looked at Li Huowang quizzically.

After a cautious glance, it lowered its head and affectionately nudged its emaciated head under Li Huowang's hand, trying to get a pat.

Li Huowang gently patted its head and a smile flickered in his eyes.

In the previous nights, he had thought there was something wrong with the dog, but after experiencing the trial of illusions, Li Huowang realized he had been mistaken.

If it really had any ill intentions, it would have taken advantage of him while he was trapped in illusions.

For now, it seemed to be just a dog, a very ordinary dog, although he still did not know where it had come from.

Li Huowang took a mantou out of his bag and tossed it over, watching as the dog excitedly pounced and began to tear at it.

"Since you like eating mantou so much, from now on you'll be called Mantou," Li Huowang nonchalantly decided on the dog's name.

"Woof, woof!" Mantou jumped up excitedly, seemingly responding to Li Huowang's call.

He stroked the dog's neck fur with his right hand, which had already started to grow nail roots.

"Since you're homeless just like me, you might as well follow me. Having a dog by my side is convenient. At night, you can help me keep watch, and during the day, you can keep me company."

"When I'm sick, although you won't be of much help, it's still better than nothing."

"Of course, I mainly want to see if I will hurt others when I'm caught in illusions—you're the first test subject."

After Li Huowang finished speaking, Mantou had also finished eating. It kept licking its lips, looking longingly at Li Huowang for more.

"You probably don't understand what I'm saying. Come on, let's go, we're almost there." Li Huowang once again patted Mantou's head and stood up, looking toward the distant mountains, his destination.

The brief moment of relaxation in the company of the dog faded, and Li Huowang's expression gradually darkened at the thought of the information about the Ao Jing Sect provided by the nuns.

The head nun said they might have a way to deal with Master Danyang, but they were equally dangerous, which was evident from the Great Thousand Record.

This feeling of passivity was not pleasant, yet Li Huowang had no choice but to try to trust them or wait for death.

"Let's go." The Taoist in a red robe, accompanied by a yellow dog, walked toward the distant mountains.

The so-called 'distances are deceptive when seen from afar'—Li Huowang now truly understood this firsthand.

After walking with the dog for two whole days, they finally reached the foot of the mountain.

The last thing standing before him was a town, a town long since dead.

Collapsed houses, bisected skeletons, and everything covered with dust-laden cobwebs showed clear signs of a deadly catastrophe that the town had once suffered.

Seeing a half-rotten skeleton in front of a small skull at the roadside, a strong look of revulsion appeared on Li Huowang's face.

The kind of person who could massacre a town was utterly inhumane, probably even more vicious than Master Danyang.

Slowly passing through the town, a thought popped up in Li Huowang's mind, "Could all this have been done by the Ao Jing Sect?"

In Li Huowang's mind, his views on the sect he had yet to meet began to change.

After walking for most of the day, not a single living person was found in the desolate town; the only sign of life on the ground was a rat in a corner gnawing on something unknown.

As Li Huowang approached with his dog, these dusty, large rats scurried away in a panic, leaving not a trace behind.

With everyone dead, there was little Li Huowang could do. Now struggling to protect himself, he quickened his pace to hurry through the town of death.

After passing through the oppressively bleak town, a winding mountain path presented itself before Li Huowang.

The mountain path, like a long serpent, twisted its way upwards, the only route into the mountains nearby. The Ao Jing Sect must be located within.

Looking down at Mantou, his tongue lolling at his feet, Li Huowang gave the dog a light kick in the belly, then began the climb.

Gazing upon the sparse, withered forest above, a sense of vigilance grew within him. No one could guarantee how the others would react upon seeing him, a Xinsu.

"Woof woof!!" Mantou suddenly began barking at the trees to the right.

Li Huowang immediately placed his hand on the Great Thousand Record.

"Swoosh~" A lynx swiftly crossed the mountain path and ran to the other side.

Before Li Huowang could breathe a sigh of relief, he vaguely noticed something in the forest where the lynx had disappeared into.

With caution, Li Huowang slowly stepped forward, coming upon several collapsed temples.

"Is this the Ao Jing Sect's Cross Temple?" he muttered to himself, eyeing the emblem on the temple structure.

It was not like any cross he had ever seen before, this cross resembled a withered black cloverleaf. Moreover, it had to look like one that had died of thirst, shriveled and twisted.

Observing the overgrown temples before him, a strong sense of foreboding suddenly welled up inside Li Huowang.

If there was anything worse to Li Huowang than being directly attacked upon encountering the Ao Jing Sect, it was the possibility that they had already been wiped out.

"Could it be that the many deaths in that town were not caused by the Ao Jing Sect? Were they too victims of that entity?"

With a gloomy expression, Li Huowang, accompanied by his dog, continued back onto the path and walked on.

This time, he paid more attention to checking the hidden spots in the surrounding forest.

As expected, Li Huowang soon came upon another Cross Temple stronghold, where he saw the deity worshipped by the Ao Jing Sect.

Atop the altar, on a large black cross, sat a charred sculpture enveloped in flames.

The sculpture was intricately detailed, whether it was the flickering of the flames or the bubbling flesh burnt together, even the hair singed into curls was etched from stone so lifelike.

However, Li Huowang couldn't see the head of the Immortal, as everything above its neck was shattered.

"What on earth has the Ao Jing Sect provoked?" Li Huowang thought anxiously.

Daring to oppose the nuns of An Ci Nunnery and still managing to exist, this alone proved the might of the Ao Jing Sect.

Furthermore, Li Huowang was well aware of the power of the Great Thousand Record. He found it hard to imagine what kind of being could destroy the Cross Temple of the Ao Jing Sect.

At that moment, something caught Li Huowang's eye. He wiped away the cobwebs beneath the altar, and a row of characters appeared before him.

"The oxen god is immortal, known as Xuan Pin. The gate of Xuan Pin is the root of clear heaven and earth, a being of chaos formed before heaven and earth were born."

Li Huowang raised his head once more, looking again at the headless statue seated on the cross. "Is he the oxen god?"