Mutated Tao

Li Huowang didn’t care about the stories before because they were often exaggerated and didn’t match reality. However, he now considered them surprisingly helpful even though they were heavily distorted.

At the moment, he could ignore everything else and focus on the Dragon Veins, knowing that he would soon be infiltrating the Tianchen Kingdom.

The Dragon Veins dictated the number of divisions in a day, and its Dragon Qi could insulate everything else from the influence of the Simings, including the Dragon Veins themselves.

After seeing the Tianchen Kingdom’s Dragon Vein, Li Huowang wondered what kind of existence the Dragon Veins were.

He had the peculiar feeling that the gold dragon he had seen wasn’t simple.

“I know just about as much as you do, Father.”

Li Sui poured a cup of tea for Li Huowang.

“Every Dragon Vein corresponds to a single division. Every time one dies, the corresponding division disappears too.”

“No, I don’t need to know about this.”

Li Huowang put his cup down and asked, “I wanted to know where the Dragon Vein comes from. Why do they correspond with a single division? Every sect has its legends. Even Qing Qiu has a legend about the Immortal Heaven. Does the Dragon Vein not have an origin story? That shouldn’t be right.”

Xuan Pin patted Li Huowang’s head. “Father, they don’t have one. The Dragon Veins are time itself, and that has always been the case. Has a division ever existed as it is, without a corresponding Dragon Vein?”

“Are you sure that this has always been the case? Also, who said time is tied to the Dragon Veins? Time should exist as an independent force…’

Li Huowang suddenly realized something.

"Father, what are you trying to say? Regular people may be unaware of the truth, but you yourself have witnessed how the divisions disappeared after the death of a Dragon Vein. Furthermore..."

“Wait, wait a minute!”

Li Huowang grabbed his hair as he tried to recall something important. “Wait a minute, I think I’m remembering something.”

However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not recall it. Li Sui tried to help him by scratching his head, but it was useless.

Li Huowang finally let his hands down in defeat. “Damn it! I just thought of something important but I can’t recall it now.”

“Father, we are getting off track. I thought we were talking about the Dragon Veins?”

“Hmm. You are right. The Dragon Veins.”

Li Huowang sat down again. “I’m trying to ask what the Dragon Veins are. As their name implies, the Dragon Veins should be dragons, so why are they humans?”

After telling Li Sui about the golden dragon he had seen in the Tianchen Kingdom, Li Huowang continued, “Shai Zi told me that it was most likely the Dragon Vein of the Tianchen Kingdom, but I think that the dragon is related to the grandchildren of Heavenly Mater.

"I'm don’t know how strong the the Tianchen Kingdom is, but I do know that since they can manipulate the Heavenly Daos so easily, they might be able to do the same with Dragon Qi. If that’s the case, they will probably be formidable foes."

“Father, I’m not lying to you. There are really no legends about the Dragon Vein. Any speculation and dissemination about the origins of the Emperor is punishable by death.”

Li Huowang frowned and crossed his arms. Although he had finally obtained some data about his enemy, there was no further information or leads. It would be difficult for him to fight like this.

There were only three days left. He didn’t want to enter the Tianchen Kingdom blindly.

Li Huowang was still thinking about a solution when Li Sui stood up and pulled on Li Huowang’s sleeves to bring him outside.

Li Huowang trusted Li Sui, so he followed her.

Under her guidance, they went to the oppressive palace. They walked in circles until they reached the temple within the palace.

Li Huowang had been here more than once and knew the significance of the temple.

"Father, if you have questions about the Dragon Veins' origins, I fear this is the only place where you could find answers."

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go.”

Both of them entered the temple.

There were still people inside, mostly elderly eunuchs. They were dusting the ancestral plates displayed on a shelf, though the plates were already spotless.

The eunuchs were guarding the tombs of the dead emperors with great care. It was very likely that this would also be their own eternal resting place.

Li Huowang knew that the outside was just a smokescreen. He walked past them, heading toward a wall with a yellow tapestry.

He pulled it open, and a set of double doors fashioned out of black stones appeared. Nine sprawling golden dragons could be seen on the doors.

Li Huowang pulled the massive doors open, and a cold gust blew past his face.

Past the doors, there was a pit-like place. The sides were tall, while the center was low, like a Roman arena. The place was adorned by many jewels and gold.

In the center stood a colossal golden coffin, its size resembling that of a house. Nine sprawling dragons coiled around the chains that suspended the coffin by tying themselves around the surrounding pillars.

The Liang Kingdom’s most precious asset was inside the golden coffin—the Dragon Vein.

The Dragon Vein was made of a chain of the previous emperors, with the emperor who died most recently being the head. They linked up and formed a dragon-like body that drifted into the darkness of the coffin.

The interior of the coffin was completely black. The emperors were hung in the middle of the coffin like a straight line of corpses.

When Li Huowang stared at the Dragon Vein, the emperors at the top responded and looked at Li Huowang.

Li Huowang said, “You think it's a good idea to ask them about the golden dragon?”

“I doubt that they would know anything about it. We need to find the oldest Emperor.”

Li Sui brought Li Huowang towards the edge of the coffin before jumping down.

The coffin was very deep, but thankfully, Li Huowang could embed part of his body into the walls, so it wasn’t that bad.

Li Huowang could see nothing in the darkness. He could barely make out the gold in the black shadows.

“Fire.”

Li Huowang raised his hand, igniting it with fire, allowing him to see the deepest part of the Dragon Vein.

Still, the fire wasn’t as bright as he had thought. Everything shimmered around him. It appeared that the place where the Dragon Vein resided could affect its surroundings.

An ancient voice came from above. “Brat, you’re Li Huowang, right? Do you need something?”

Li Huowang did not even look up. “I’m not looking for you.”

He looked down and found the last Emperor at the tail end of the Dragon Vein. The first Emperor who had become the Dragon Vein had a face that was half-human and half-dragon. Even his golden robes were melded with his flesh.