Mutated Tao

Li Huowang sensed the ever-increasing False Qi and then looked at the enemies he was powerless against. He quickly made a decision.

He turned his back to the approaching army of Unspeakable, quickly scanning the crowd to find Feng Bawan.

Li Huowang forcibly dragged him out and excitedly said, “Hurry, make them shout! Make everyone follow your lead and shout!”

“Shout... shout what?” Feng Bawan, who was holding half a brick, was momentarily confused.

“Shout what you just said! Get everyone to join in and shout! Quickly!”

Before Feng Bawan could react, a few students from the Minglun Hall understood Li Huowang’s intention and immediately bowed. “We’ve received your orders!”

The students shouted words of praise for Li Huowang, and everyone behind them began to follow suit. Each shout was echoed by thousands more.

“The Dao is selfless and virtuous. The compassionate Zhuge Yuan saves those in suffering!”

“The Dao is selfless and virtuous. The compassionate Zhuge Yuan saves those in suffering!”

The phrases used by Minglun Hall were naturally more refined than Feng Bawan’s crude speech, but Li Huowang didn’t care about the elegance of their words—his sole focus was the amount of False Qi.

As he felt the massive influx of False Qi, he knew he had found a way to win!

“Chan Du! Keep them occupied for a while! I still need more!”

Chan Du, the abbot of the Righteous Monastery, didn’t ask any questions. He calmly turned his prayer beads, decisively leading the Surveillance Bureau and military forces of the Great Qi toward the army of Unspeakable, even though he knew they weren’t a match for them.

“Don’t stop! Keep shouting!”

Li Huowang had convinced everyone that he was the Bodhisattva. He also used up a portion of the False Qi to appear several taller in their eyes.

Some of them became even more enthusiastic when they saw Li Huowang sitting cross-legged like a true Buddha. They continued to shout along with the students, their voices growing increasingly fervent.

“Bodhisattva Zhuge guides all to enlightenment, with a lotus throne and auspicious clouds, at the pure realm!”

“Bodhisattva Zhuge guides all to enlightenment, with a lotus throne and auspicious clouds, at the pure realm!”

“Bodhisattva Zhuge! Perform a thousand good deeds daily, accumulate three thousand merits, deliver great blessings, and embrace compassion in your heart!!”

“Bodhisattva Zhuge! Perform a thousand good deeds daily, accumulate three thousand merits, deliver great blessings, and embrace compassion in your heart!!”

In such an environment, even some skeptics in the crowd began to believe them. With Li Huowang’s various acts of devotion, they knelt and started to kowtow, treating him like a true Bodhisattva.

Everyone believed Li Huowang was the savior Bodhisattva named Zhuge Yuan, even though this Bodhisattva wore Daoist robes and the name Zhuge Yuan had no Buddhist associations.

With their fervent shouting, the continuous flow of False Qi surged towards Li Huowang, growing rapidly from a small stream to a flooding river.

As the False Qi continued to increase, Li Huowang listened to the diminishing screams behind him and waited anxiously. Not enough! Still not enough!

As time passed and the screams behind him began to weaken, Li Huowang’s eyes widened. Enough!

The spine sword behind him quickly grew flesh, forming a new Li Huowang. The two stood back to back and simultaneously opened their mouths to chant.

“Master of the True Void, Supreme Heavenly Mother. When the golden light shines, the sun and moon fade. When the treasure staff spins, ghosts and spirits lose their color. Manifest divine presence in the mortal world. Guard the sacred chariot and float…”

Although the chanting was not loud, it spread far and wide, causing even the unchanging sky of Great Qi to shift.

Before long, the heads of both Li Huowangs started to transform, gradually taking on the shape of dice.

The square dice heads became increasingly prominent and turned a deeper shade of purple as the chanting continued. Their bodies started to fade away from the world, as if they were mere illusions.

As Li Huowang disappeared, Shai Zi’s chanting grew louder, eventually becoming the only sound in the world.

The army of Unspeakable seemed to sense something. They ignored the entanglement from the Great Qi Surveillance Bureau and military forces and charged towards Li Huowang.

However, Chan Du and the others knew that Li Huowang was performing a ritual. They were determined to stop their enemies, even if it meant sacrificing their lives.

While the people of the Great Qi couldn’t defeat the foreign beings, they could still buy time with their lives.

Amidst the chaos, the chanting of the two Shai Zis began to reach its climax.

“If beings in distress call your name, the Great One listens and relieves their suffering. Great compassion and vows, great holy mercy. The Holy Spirit, mighty light, the Heavenly Queen, Saint Marici, Sovereign Doulao!”

When the final title was uttered, the six-sided numbers on their faces detached from their bodies. They were wrapped in purple light, disappearing into the dark, gloomy clouds above.

In the next moment, both Li Huowangs looked up simultaneously and shouted in unison, “Doulao, come quickly! I’m returning the Heavenly Daos of Truth and Lies to you!”

This was the Heavenly Treasure of Deception of the Sitting Oblivion Dao. Since their abilities were so bizarre, he would summon the true Siming and see if these hundred-odd people had the power to defeat Doulao!

Whoosh! The dark clouds in the sky began to churn violently.

In contrast to the changes in the sky, the ground also started to change. Its texture became peculiar, as if it had turned into some kind of liquid.

Li Huowang looked up and saw a yin-yang taiji fish high above, resembling a sun in the sky.

Li Huowang knew Doulao was coming and shouted, “Everyone, get on the ground! Close your eyes and cover your ears tightly!”

At his command, everyone from the Great Qi immediately complied, promptly laying themselves down on the ground.

Those lying on the ground moved like seaweed on the water’s surface and drifted with the waves.

When Li Huowang looked up again, the sight became clearer—two vast seas of black and white intertwining. Doulao had truly arrived.

The vast seas on either side were not Doulao. What lay beneath the seas was Doulao.

Li Huowang could feel himself melting, and his senses gradually faded.

The two Li Huowangs covered their heads with pained expressions and cursed at the sky, “Why the hell are you looking at me? The enemies are those things! Get rid of them!”