Mutated Tao

The Sitting Oblivion Dao actually cultivated ‘Lies’ that led to madness. However, no one had ever seen anyone successfully cultivate both ‘Truth’ and ‘Lies,’ so the Sitting Oblivion Dao and other factions saw this state as acceptable.

“Pitiful, how pitiful,” Li Huowang muttered to himself. Shai Zi might have known this already, but it was hard to turn back as he was in too deep.

Li Huowang looked down and cut open the belly of the person before him. He took out the softened stone and placed it beside the person’s abdomen.

A tentacle emerged from Li Huowang’s navel and dragged the stone back inside.

The stone that these Dharma Sect members had fought over was actually a piece of Li Huowang’s liver that he had cut.

He had looked for other substitutes, but still found this to be the most suitable.

“Father, what have you been doing lately? I don’t quite understand,” Li Sui said. Two slits appeared on her neck, which revealed her eyes with double pupils.

“I’m deceiving them.”

“So that’s what deception is.” Li Sui had a sense of realization, having learned something new from her father.

Li Huowang needed to leave this place since he had already achieved his objective.

At the moment, he was deep within the territory occupied by the Dharma Sect. Such a commotion would naturally attract their attention soon.

Li Huowang heard footsteps behind him and immediately took action. He wiped his face and transformed it into the likeness of the dead Hu Biao.

He cut off his right hand, threw it to the ground, then lay down with an expression of agony.

“Quick! He ran that way!” Li Huowang lifted his bloodied hand shakily and pointed the pursuing Dharma Sect members in the wrong direction.

After the enraged Dharma Sect members went in the wrong direction, Li Huowang stood up, picked up his severed hand, and stealthily followed them.

When they realized they had been deceived and started to go back, Li Huowang gradually withdrew in the direction they had abandoned.

Having changed his appearance again, Li Huowang arrived at a remote county. He was finally free from pursuit.

He sat in the common room of an inn, hungry after his long ordeal. “Innkeeper, some food, please.”

“Of course. But Sir, in these chaotic times, some ingredients are hard to come by. I’ll see what the kitchen has and bring you whatever we can make.”

“No problem, as long as it’s filling.”

Soon, half a fragrant roasted lamb head was placed before Li Huowang, accompanied by two slices of guokui[1].

“Sir, here’s some bean paste and vinegar. Cut the meat, dip it in the sauce and vinegar, and stuff it into the guokui. It’s quite delicious.”

Li Huowang stared at the lamb head for a while. After confirming that it did not start talking to him like last time, he picked up a small knife and began to eat.

As he continued cultivating ‘Lies,’ Li Huowang found that many of the side effects of cultivating ‘Truth’ had indeed lessened.

At least, he no longer had to worry that the people around him were the product of his cultivation.

Understanding ‘Lies’ more deeply inevitably led to a greater understanding of ‘Truth’.

Compared to the False Qi and the Sitting Oblivion Dao’s various abilities, the most significant change in Li Huowang was his mindset—the feeling of genuinely deceiving others with false things.

This change was exactly what he needed to counteract the side effects of cultivating ‘Truth.’

The key to differentiating truth from illusion was having the right mindset.

Cultivating ‘Truth’ and ‘Lies’ now felt like pulling on two sides of the same rope, which balanced each other out.

As he gradually understood falsehoods, he gained some more control over reality and his creations. Cultivating ‘Lies’ could indeed treat the deviations caused by cultivating ‘Truth.’

Li Huowang had to take the bait, whether this was part of Shai Zi’s scheme or just bait he had dangled.

Although the problems from cultivating ‘Truth’ were solved, he had to remain vigilant against Shai Zi’s schemes, even if there were no signs of them yet.

Shai Zi, what are you really up to? You’re dead and the Sitting Oblivion Dao was wiped out. What more are you trying to do?

Li Huowang was deep in thought. He lifted a piece of lamb meat on a small knife to his mouth.

Suddenly, he felt his heart jolt. A slit opened behind his left ear.

Li Sui’s eyes quickly glanced at the diners to his left. Li Huowang immediately sensed something was off when the couple glanced at him.

It would have been nothing if they had just glanced at him, but the speed at which they averted their gaze was suspicious. This was something ordinary people wouldn’t be capable of.

“Sir, are you enjoying the lamb head?” The cook bent over and smiled at Li Huowang.

Li Huowang’s four eyes quickly scanned the surroundings to collect information. He gripped his purple-tassel sword and slashed out, beheading the cook.

Blood sprayed out all over, yet the cook’s head did not fall. It transformed into a blood-soaked mask which flew towards Li Huowang’s head.

A black tentacle emerged from Li Huowang’s neck. It pulled out a bronze coin sword, which sliced the bloodied mask into pieces. The original peaceful inn had now become a battlefield.

The diners, the cashier, and the waiters stood up, pulling out weapons and charging at Li Huowang.

Li Huowang could handle these people, but his expression was grim. He couldn’t figure out who had sent them. Were they sent by… Shai Zi?

Just as Li Huowang was about to take care of them, the beams of the three-story inn suddenly cracked. The upper two floors, which were laden with tons of weight, came crashing down on him.

In the ensuing crash, rubble and stones flew everywhere. Li Huowang stood up from the collapsed building, covered in black tentacles.

As the dust settled, Li Huowang noticed a significant change around him. Everyone in the small town had dropped their disguises.

They donned black cloth on their shoulders, erected white flags, and carried a massive idol as they surrounded the collapsed inn.

However, Li Huowang felt a strange sense of relief when he saw the Dharma Sect marks on them.

The Dharma Sect had ambushed him. Despite his efforts to hide his whereabouts, they had still found him. Li Huowang realized he might be facing a formidable opponent this time.

At that moment, a path opened on the left side of the crowd. Four strange figures holding umbrellas slowly walked out.

Their faces were hidden by the black umbrellas. Standing at least ten feet tall, they wore knee-length clothing and their long arms were covered by sleeves, leaving no flesh exposed.

1. A type of flatbread. ☜