The Unruly Immortals

"No!" Li Huowang's response to Bai Lingmiao's request was resolute and decisive.

Seeing the look of grievance on Bai Lingmiao's face, Li Huowang, who had softened his tone, explained, "There's no such thing as Divine Skills, only extreme ordeals. Believe me, compared to that kind of experience, losing a hand is nothing."

To attract the attention of Bahu, one must suffer both mental and physical torment.

Li Huowang had been through it twice and he knew well what it took to reach that state.

He did not want such a desperate experience to befall his companions.

Otherwise, he was really afraid that Chun Xiaoman would lose her mind.

"Oh. I just feel sorry for Sister Xiaoman, being so young and having lost a hand already..."

"Don't worry, we'll find a way in the future. In this irrational world, there's always a way to reattach her hand."

Li Huowang didn't know if he was comforting himself or comforting Bai Lingmiao as he spoke.

As he spoke, Li Huowang sniffed hard. "Do you smell that? Why is there a stench?"

"Brother Li, there's some dead flesh on your body, and of course it will stink if it's rotting."

"Rotted away, stinking?"

Upon hearing this news, Li Huowang laughed, a genuine laugh.

Decay had returned; in this world, the mysterious Heavenly Dao had been restored to normal.

Since decay had returned, a new idea formed in Li Huowang's mind.

Could it be possible that the master of An Ci Nunnery could come back to life? Li Huowang wildly speculated.

This might be a delusion, but it could indeed be possible.

In this unreasonable world, after all, nothing would be surprising.

At this moment, he even felt a strong impulse to turn around and head back to An Ci Nunnery in Siqi to take another look.

But impulse was just that, an impulse. Li Huowang knew he couldn't go back in his current condition.

Having just killed Peng Longteng, he couldn't return to Shu for years to come unless he had a death wish.

"Has decay come back on its own, or has some entity caused decay to return?" Li Huowang pondered, his thoughts drifting.

Li Huowang's mind flashed back to the sight at An Ci Nunnery, the Bodhisattva made of swarms of green-headed flies.

Zhengde Temple offered incense and worship to the Flesh Buddha, those monks obtained the Flesh and Blood Divine Ability by engaging with that pile of flesh and blood.

And the Ao Jing Sect offered sacrifices of pain to Bahu to gain various transcendental powers.

Could it be, then, that there exists some entity responsible for decay?

Does the disappearance of decay mean that It encountered something, and does Its reappearance mean that It has returned to its position?

At this moment, Li Huowang's mind was frantically pondering these questions.

Reflecting more carefully now, the master's mysterious death was peculiar; someone as powerful as she was dying in a pigsty.

"Could it be that those entities are at war? Was the master just caught in the crossfire?"

Almost instinctively, Li Huowang recalled the things inside the White Jade Capital.

Through the hazy entrance of Mao's Gate, Li Huowang saw things inside that seemed to devour something.

"Could it be them?" When he began to recall what he saw that day, Li Huowang's expression showed a twinge of pain and his breathing became more and more ragged.

"Brother Li, what's wrong?" Bai Lingmiao, sensing something was wrong, quickly grasped Li Huowang's hand.

Li Huowang struggled to break off his train of thought, and kept repeating to himself, "Don't listen... don't think... don't think..."

To force himself to stop thinking, Li Huowang quickly looked up at Bai Lingmiao and said, "Where's the book? The 'Fire Coat True Scripture'? The one wrapped in beeswax, hurry and bring it over!"

Bai Lingmiao rummaged beside him and soon the 'Fire Coat True Scripture' wrapped in transparent beeswax was presented before him.

As Li Huowang began to recite the incantations from the book, the beeswax ignited, gathering into a mass.

It slowly crawled over Li Huowang's scorched body, starting to heal his wounds.

It moved slowly, shallow burns gradually taking the place of the deeper ones as the two types of injuries began to blur into one and became indistinguishable from each other.

The entire ox cart was filled with a pungent, peculiar smell.

The sensation of pain made Li Huowang release a sigh of relief; he now needed the pain to disrupt his train of thought.

He shouldn't be thinking about those things now, those things were already determined, and originally had nothing to do with him, those were matters for the big shots to consider.

What he should be thinking about now, was how to strive to survive.

Maybe when he was strong enough, he would consider those things.

Suddenly, Li Huowang thought of something and propped up his neck to ask Bai Lingmiao, "Where has the 'Great Thousand Record' gone? The red bamboo slips."

As the burning mass dissipated with the sound of Li Huowang's incantations, it suddenly scattered into a puddle.

Hearing about the Great Thousand Record, Bai Lingmiao looked somewhat hesitant, but eventually, she turned and descended from the carriage.

Li Huowang's keen hearing faintly caught the sound of arguments outside.

A few moments later, Bai Lingmiao came in holding the red bamboo slips.

Li Huowang's body tensed, and with a strong effort, he flipped over amidst Bai Lingmiao's cry of surprise.

"Come, tear off the black scab on my back, then stick those slips onto it."

Since his skin hadn't fully healed yet, he might as well take this opportunity to cover his body with the 'Great Thousand Record'.

By the time his skin was healed, the Great Thousand Record would be perfectly embedded in his skin.

That way, he wouldn't have to take them out and spread them every time he used them, and his actions could be more unexpected.

Previously, Li Huowang had been puzzled as to why Shou San of the Ao Jing Sect would hang the 'Great Thousand Record' on his chest.

Now, he suddenly understood that there must be a reason for its existence.

Bai Lingmiao clearly understood why Li Huowang was doing this and said, "Brother Li, do you really have to do this? It's going to hurt so much. Besides, if you do this, nobody else will ever be able to use the 'Great Thousand Record' again."

Li Huowang nodded firmly. "Exactly, that's the effect I want."

This time it was Chun Xiaoman who lost an arm, next time who knows who it will be.

The 'Great Thousand Record' was too easy to use; there were bound to be imitators. Since that was the case, it was better to hide the 'Great Thousand Record' in his own skin for good.

Bai Lingmiao bit her lip and did as instructed. As her incredibly pale hands trembled while picking away the black scabs on Li Huowang's back, his screams resounded in the ox cart.

Underneath the scabs lay flesh oozing blood and tissue fluid, upon which the red Great Thousand Record was carefully laid.

Li Huowang flipped over again, his face strained with pain as he pressed the 'Great Thousand Record' into his flesh.

After everything was over, it was finally time to take a break. Drained, Li Huowang closed his eyes, wanting to rest properly.

In a state between sleep and wakefulness, Li Huowang opened his eyes again and looked at Bai Lingmiao.

"Was there anything on Peng Longteng's body? Did you take it?"

Bai Lingmiao nodded, "Gouwa said those armor plates could be sold for money; they've been loaded onto the ox cart, even the Giant Halberd."

"He said that these divine weapons, even if we can't use them, could be melted down later to forge new weapons."

"Other than those armor plates and the halberd from Peng Longteng's body, did you find anything else on her?"