Mutated Tao

Shai Zi?

Li Huowang stared at the constantly spinning dice in Qing Wanglai’s hand, recalling what Shai Zi had said before. I’ll help whoever’s winning.

Shai Zi had indeed spoken the truth. The one he had believed would win wasn’t Li Huowang—it was Qing Wanglai!

There were two Shai Zis, which meant that the Imperial Preceptor of the Great Liang was also one of Qing Wanglai’s people!

No, it’s worse than that! Qing Wanglai stole Doulao’s Heavenly Dao long ago!

Li Huowang abruptly looked at Zhao Lei, who appeared to be fading into the background more and more.

Qing Wanglai gently pushed his glasses up on his nose, his gaze sweeping over the room. A slight smile appeared on his face.

“It seems I can’t leave without an explanation, can I?”

He turned to Li Huowang. “You’re right. It was me. In fact, I’ve done much more, but it seems you haven’t figured that out yet.

“But you’ve always been restless, repeatedly slipping out of my control. It’s been quite the headache.

“My original plan was to create a competent assistant, nothing more. Yet here you are, managing to get this far. Sometimes, I can’t understand what goes on in your head. You consistently bypass the optimal choice, leaving me at a loss on how to guide you.

“Of course, your stubborn progress isn’t entirely your doing. Certain people have interfered at every turn.” His gaze moved to the siblings, Ba Shengqing and Ba Nanxu.

Qing Wanglai’s gaze shifted again and finally settled on Zhao Shuangdian. “I painstakingly set up my pawn, only for it to become someone else’s gift. Zhao Shuangdian, I underestimated you.”

Li Huowang stared in disbelief at the Three Pure Ones.

Ba-Hui belonged to Zhao Shuangdian, and Doulao was under Qing Wanglai! Under Ba-Hui was the Ao Jing Sect, and under Doulao was the Sitting Oblivion Dao.

From the very start, he had been entangled with these two sects after leaving the Zephyr Temple.

Pain and Lies had always surrounded and constantly tormented him. This made him feel as though he had died and come back to life several times. And now, he realized that all this was just a power struggle between two Simings.

Li Huowang had always thought that a battle between Simings must be earth-shattering.

However, Qing Wanglai’s words made Li Huowang realize that battles between Simings were imperceptible to mortals. The results of their struggles were nothing more than ordinary events in a mortal’s life.

Zhao Shuangdian replied, “I don’t understand what you’re saying. Could you elaborate?”

Qing Wanglai suddenly gripped the two dice between his fingers and pointed directly at Zhao Shuangdian. “Of course you don’t understand. You’re just a projection. I’m speaking to the true entity beneath the projection!”

Li Huowang stepped forward, his breath quickening. “So you know about the Da Nuo world? You can even control the things happening there? You’ve known all along what was happening there!”

The schemes of the Three Pure Ones and his attempts to seize other Simings’ Heavenly Daos made one thing clear—he could do it all along and had kept it hidden from everyone.

“No, I don’t see it the way you do. After all, we are in different positions, and we’ve received different levels of education.”

Qing Wanglai remained calm, with a faint, kind smile. “Still, you are correct. I can indeed do that. So can all of you, actually. The difference is that you do it subconsciously, whereas I do it consciously.”

“Three Pure Ones!” Memories from the Da Nuo world surged in Li Huowang’s mind: the three clay statues in the Zephyr Temple, the reason the Abbess’s son went mad, the eerie familiarity of Hong Zhong’s memories, Shangji Guankou, the Sitting Oblivion Dao’s ambush against the Great Liang’s Surveillance Bureau, and the death of Zhuge Yuan.

All of it was real. But now he realized that in a higher dimension, everything had a cause.

Suddenly, an image of a button popped up in Li Huowang’s mind, and the fury in his eyes turned into a fierce killing intent.

“Three Pure Ones! What do you want? You manipulate everything for your own goals! You helped the Siming of Fu Shengtian against me! If not for you, Li Sui wouldn’t have died!”

Back then, only the Abbess had known about the button. After her death, the secret should have disappeared entirely. It shouldn’t have been possible for the Siming of Fu Shengtian to use it.

The button reappearing again could only mean one thing—the Siming of the Baiyu Capital who managed the Heavenly Dao of Secrets had betrayed them! Qing Wanglai had given the secret of the button to Fu Shengtian’s Siming!

Qing Wanglai didn’t deny it. “Li Huowang, do you really think you’re well-informed? Do you truly believe your theories about Simings and Heavenly Daos capture the full picture?

“You’re wrong, Li Huowang. Do you really think Fu Shengtian is our enemy? You’re wrong again.”

Qing Wanglai’s expression hardened, his tone turning icy. “You’re blinded, caught up in the minor issues in front of you, unable to see the source of the real conflict. Only I know this hidden secret.

“Have you ever considered the possibility that the terrifying Fu Shengtian you perceive may not actually be a massive elephant, but merely a projection of a wrinkle on the elephant’s skin?

“Have you ever considered that their so-called ‘invasion’ might not even be a deliberate act, but rather the unintentional manifestation of a higher being passing by?

“Do you know what true despair is? True despair is realizing that the enemy you’ve fought so hard against is merely a passing breeze caused by someone idly waving their hand!”

Qing Wanglai finally dropped his usual friendly smile, revealing a cold and menacing expression. This was, perhaps, his true self.

“You have no idea what reality is! Reality is far more terrifying than any of you could ever imagine!”

Fear flickered in his eyes, growing deeper with each passing moment.

“Our projections have developed some contradiction, and not just once. Just their unconscious proximity is already interfering. When the contradictions become big enough, the entire world will collapse! Everything will turn into a lie!”

Zhao Shuangdian interjected, “Qing Wanglai, what’s the difference? Whether our enemy exists in one form or another, wouldn’t working together be better than fighting alone?”

“Rely on you?” Qing Wanglai laughed. “Rely on you? A bunch of infighting lunatics? I never relied on you. Communicating with you is inefficient. I only trust myself.”

With a flick of his hand, he tossed the dice. The door burst open, and a young man in reflective sunglasses stepped in, snatching the dice midair.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Hehe~ Here I am~” The newcomer grinned, fixing his gaze on Li Huowang.