Mutated Tao

“Senior Li, are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?” Bai Lingmiao said, her eyes covered by a white silk cloth. She hurried to Li Huowang’s side, pulling on his sleeve with a face full of worry and concern.

Li Huowang opened his mouth to respond but was unsure what to say. He could tell that this wasn’t the real Bai Lingmiao—it was a disguise by Shai Zi, a master of deception.

Shai Zi's performance was flawless in every aspect, except for its inability to capture Bai Lingmiao's profound grudge after the death of her entire family.

The act might deceive some people, but Li Huowang had already seen through it. Having dealt with the Sitting Oblivion Dao for such a long time, he was not easily fooled.

Shai Zi knew that Li Huowang had seen through the act but continued the charade nonetheless. Bai Lingmiao stepped forward and placed herself between Li Huowang and Zuoqiu Yong.

She angrily scolded Zuoqiu Yong with a frown and said, “If you want to hurt Senior Li, you’ll have to step over my dead body!”

Zuoqiu Yong stared at Bai Lingmiao, momentarily lost in thought. Soon, a smile crept onto his lips, turning from a faint smirk into full-blown laughter.

He slapped his thigh and pointed at Bai Lingmiao as he laughed. “Hahaha! Double happiness! Isn’t this just perfect? I was worried you’d be hiding somewhere hard to find, and here you are, delivering yourself right to me!”

The surrounding troops and bandits closed in on Li Huowang and Bai Lingmiao.

Li Huowang tightened his grip on his spine sword and glanced at the silver-haired Bai Lingmiao before him. He couldn’t figure out Shai Zi’s exact plan, but it seemed like he intended to help.

Otherwise, from a liar’s perspective, why would he walk into a trap to die?

“Be careful, don’t let your guard down. These people can extract everything from inside you, and Zuoqiu Yong might even be able to use the previous Heavenly Dao of the Heavenly Mater.” Li Huowang’s warning seemed like it was directed at Bai Lingmiao, but it was actually meant for Shai Zi.

“Don’t worry, Senior Li. I’m aware. The Heavenly Mater has already issued a divine decree and revealed this villain’s secrets.”

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Zuoqiu Yong’s smile faded, slowly replaced by a touch of anger. “Tough talk. Let’s see how long you can keep it up!”

He waved his pink handkerchief, which instantly dissolved into threads as thin as needles that flew toward Li Huowang.

Li Huowang stomped the ground, propelling himself forward toward Zuoqiu Yong. As he passed Bai Lingmiao, he whispered, “I’ll hold him off. Hurry and do whatever you came to do!”

Before Bai Lingmiao could react, Li Huowang had already engaged with the thin threads.

Li Huowang swung his sword, creating a rift that collided with the incoming threads. To his surprise, rather than cutting through them, the lines rattled as if they were made of metal. This was a first for Li Huowang.

The threads fell like rain, but they didn’t hinder Li Huowang in the slightest.

His body flickered as he approached Zuoqiu Yong. He had dodged, and only his afterimage had been pierced.

Just as they were about to clash, Li Huowang swiftly sank into the ground. His sword rose up from beneath the earth, targeting Zuoqiu Yong’s legs.

The moment his sword struck, Li Huowang felt the familiar sensation of cutting through flesh.

Clang! A sudden force nearly disarmed him.

Li Huowang poked his head out of the ground and saw Zuoqiu Yong gently land nearby.

He was certain he had severed Zuoqiu Yong's legs, yet he stood unharmed—just as he had after Li Huowang stabbed him in the chest.

“Wow, Li Huowang! Is this all you’ve got? I’m starting to look down on you,” Zuoqiu Yong said.

Li Huowang cast a quick glance at Bai Lingmiao, who was currently locked in a chaotic battle with the surrounding army of Unspeakable. He gritted his teeth in frustration. “You filthy eunuch! Enough talk. Let’s fight!”

Zuoqiu Yong remained unfazed by Li Huowang’s insult and flashed a condescending smile. “Eunuch? So what? Eunuchs can be emperors and kings! You mortals need descendants because you’re destined to die. I, however, won’t need heirs once I achieve immortality.”

He spoke with great pride, as if he were extremely pleased with his own status.

“Alright, enough chit-chat. Let’s get serious now.” Zuoqiu Yong lifted his right hand, and only then did Li Huowang notice the white jade finger guards on three of Zuoqiu Yong’s fingers. They were intricately carved in the shape of dragons and phoenixes, the kind that only noblewomen in the palace would wear.

Zuoqiu Yong raised his hand. Li Huowang swiftly dodged past the direction it pointed.

However, before Li Huowang could launch a counterattack, something strange happened. His body, which had been burned by fire earlier, was now rapidly healing.

Before he could feel relieved, his body began to change uncontrollably.

The hair on his chin, the hair on his head, and even his fingernails started to grow uncontrollably at a concerning speed.

“This... Is this the Heavenly Dao that the Heavenly Mater once controlled?!” Li Huowang exclaimed, watching as his nails twisted like vines, wrapping around his sword and becoming a nuisance.

“Pure Yin in solemnity, Pure Yang in grandeur. Solemnity emerges from the heavens. Grandeur arises from the earth. When the two harmonize, all things are born~” Zuoqiu Yong chanted proudly. He watched as Li Huowang’s hair was dragged on the ground, confident he had won.

“Is this all you’ve got?” Li Huowang shouted with a burst of anger. Every strand of hair and every nail were severed at once, freeing him from their constraints.

Li Huowang lifted his sword and charged at Zuoqiu Yong again. However, after only a few steps, pain surged through his hands.

A quick glance revealed that his nails were now retracting into his fingers at an alarming rate, leaving his hands bloodied and raw.

It wasn’t just his nails that were shrinking—everything that had grown out of his skin was shrinking into his body.

Old wounds reopened, and every bone that had ever been broken now seemed to snap back to its fractured state.