Chapter 942 - Cultivating the “Truth”

Li Huowang sat cross-legged on the cushion, slowly cultivating. He used his inner sight to guide his primordial breath toward the final chakra point slowly.

He had much more primordial breath now, having absorbed a substantial amount of primordial from other Strayed Ones. If the initial amount of primordial breath within him could be compared to a cloud, the present amount would be akin to the size of a mountain.

The primordial breath within him felt incredibly heavy. Slowly pushing that much primordial breath through his chakra points required a lot of effort.

He tried pushing it for a long time, but the primordial breath didn’t seem to move at all.

A lot of time passed before Li Huowang opened his eyes. He couldn’t help but feel frustrated since he was still stuck at the sixth chakra point.

While he had made a lot of progress thanks to the primordial breath of other Strayed Ones, he was now stuck at the final part.

He glanced around, unsure of how much time he had spent cultivating. Still, he didn’t want to know. It’d be bad to immediately learn that he had cultivated for a very long time.

Li Huowang waved his arms, and several waiters showed up with many dishes. They carried braised fish, chicken stewed with potato, seaweed soup with ribs, and a large rice bucket.

Li Huowang devoured the food with astonishing speed. He hadn’t conjured it himself—Li Sui had arranged it. Knowing Li Huowang’s tendency to go hungry, she had prepared it in advance to ensure he wouldn’t starve.

Li Huowang didn’t dare think about how long he had been cultivating. He was already at the sixth stage, so he knew how deadly his thoughts could be.

These days, he put a lot of effort into avoiding random thoughts. One wrong move, and he could turn them into reality.

Now, the things he conjured would endure perpetually instead of disappearing once he ceased thinking about them.

“Senior Li, have this instead. I put some lard in it.”

Li Huowang grabbed the bowl of rice and started eating it. “Thank you.”

He looked to the left listlessly, and the sound of a performance came out of nowhere. “Wind blowing~ Stars shining bleakly~ The people are shouting~ The mountain is rumbling~ The sounds of murder cover the lands~ We travel far until it is dark~”

The Lu family troupe, which was supposed to be long gone, had unexpectedly reappeared, performing exclusively for Li Huowang.

Lu Zhuangyuan showed up on stage, and cheering could be heard everywhere.

There were the voices of Abbess Jing Xin, Ji Lin, Gao Zhijian, Lu Zhuangyuan, Zhuge Yuan, and the various people who had been his illusions in the past.

Li Huowang didn’t realize that his surroundings were now filled with people, like a crowded shop.

The voices irritated him. As his irritation grew, his surroundings started to shake and tremble.

Bam!

Li Huowang smashed the bowl onto the table angrily. “Enough! Scram!”

Everything around him turned white.

Li Huowang grabbed his head and panted. He had power now, but he could not fully control it.

Just then, a slender white arm extended and gave him a green bamboo slip.

“Senior Li, your heart is in turmoil. Here, read this silently. This is the 'Heart Calming Mantra' from the White Lotus Sect. It should help.”

Li Huowang took it and started chanting, “Snow freezes everything, and all is still. The heart is calm and gazes in serenity. The heart and spirit are one, while the energy follows. Remain undisturbed even during unending changes. Free from delusions, anger, lust, desires, desires, possession, and abandonment. Free from actions and self...”

As he chanted, Li Huowang’s breathing started to calm down. He wasn’t sure if it was a natural effect of the mantra or not.

“Senior Li, your ‘Truth’ cultivation requires unparalleled mental fortitude and spirit. I’ve asked the Surveillance Bureau to look for anything that could help you.”

Li Huowang shook his head while massaging his temples. “No, what I really need at this moment is to become stronger and reach the seventh stage. I have this nagging feeling that I am still too weak to confront Zuoqiu Yong.”

The threat of Zuoqiu Yong invading their world was more pressing than his mental state.

“Miaomiao, are there still any Strayed Ones? I need more primordial breath.”

Even though Li Huowang wasn't sure about how much more he needed, he had confidence that with ten more Strayed Ones or so, he could reach the seventh stage.

Bai Lingmiao shook her head. "There aren’t any left. It’s unlikely we’ll find any others for now. The Surveillance Bureau has sent people overseas to search for hidden Strayed Ones. However, even if they do find one, it will take some time for them to return."

Li Huowang sighed, aware that everyone had done their best. Strayed Ones weren’t vegetables that grew by the road and could be plucked anywhere.

“Alright, you can leave first. I need to start cultivating again.”

There wasn’t much hope, but Li Huowang still wanted to pursue the small chance of reaching the seventh stage through cultivation.

Li Huowang sat back down as Bai Lingmiao left the place. At that moment, a familiar voice came from beside him.

“Father?”

“Hm?” Li Huowang looked around him.

He witnessed Bai Lingmiao's back being torn apart like a tapestry as Li Sui walked right through her body.

Li Huowang then realized that the Bai Lingmiao he had been talking with was indeed real. However, he had created her with his imagination—she was not the original Bai Lingmiao.

Li Huowang took out the “Heart Calming Mantra” from his robes and slammed it onto the table. The bamboo slip popped like bubbles and disappeared without a trace. The “fake” Bai Lingmiao disappeared too.

Although he had figured something like this would happen, he never thought it would be so frustrating.

Li Sui refrained from asking about his weird actions and instead delivered crucial news. “Father, they are here. The Tianchen Kingdom is moving.”

Li Huowang felt his back going cold. “Are you sure? Zuoqiu Yong is moving?”

Li Sui nodded. “Yes. The Qi Kingdom is getting ready for war. The Natural Disaster in the Tianchen Kingdom is ending, so I think they finally have the time to deal with us.”