As Li Huowang continued walking, darkness began to fall. The ground flattened, revealing a broken grave ahead. The graves were overgrown with grass, yet puzzlingly, three lit incense sticks stood in front of one.
The white smoke didn’t dissipate, instead enveloping the grave like an illusion.
He approached the grave and tried to read the inscription carved into the headstone, but he couldn’t recognize the characters of the words. He strangely felt he’d known this before, yet now he didn’t. As he looked at the inscription, the words shifted form, constantly rearranging themselves.
Under his gaze, the words slowly rged and consolidated into two words. One ford into the character “橠” while the second ford “欎” instead.
The two words began to move and attack each other. Each word ripped lines from the opposing character and incorporated them into their own.
Unfortunately, it was clear that “橠” was losing. Most of its lines were ripped away, and its form started thinning.
In a desperate gambit, “橠” severed part of itself and hurled it toward “欎.” While “欎” paused to seize the fragnts, “橠” fled.
Li Huowang bent down, following “橠” as it scurried to the lower half of the gravestone. It traversed past mountains, rivers, ravines, and even strange white lights. Ultimately, it reached the ground and slipped by Li Huowang.
He gave chase, noticing “欎” in pursuit as well. As the gap between the two characters narrowed, both of them began to resonate. Their forms expanded, their lines transforming into sothing different.
Li Huowang moved backward and allowed space for the two characters to grow.
Startled by their growth, Li Huowang stepped back to give them space, but the speed of their growth exceeded his expectations. In just an instant, the characters stretched beyond the sky, enveloping Li Huowang completely before vanishing.
Li Huowang looked up and saw the sky filled with Chaos.
He extended his arms and wiped the sky, causing the sky to slowly grow brighter.
Li Huowang looked down. The grave had beco larger than a mountain, but the two words had disappeared.
He shifted his gaze forward and saw a path on the mountain. He followed it and climbed up. After an unknown length of ti, he finally reached the top. By then, the sky was already bright. He looked around at the increasingly bright forest.
Ding~ A bell chid. A cold wind blew past Li Huowang, carrying a fallen leaf and sending a chill through him. He hugged himself to keep warm while trudging forward, sneezing as the temperature dropped. Gradually, he began to shiver uncontrollably.
The bell chid again, drawing his gaze to several cals sitting beside a makeshift stall. Their owner sat inside while eating. Drawn by the warmth and aroma, Li Huowang entered the stall.
Inside, several patrons sat at rough-hewn tables. They turned toward him in eerie unison at the sound of his footsteps. Their faces were featureless, their chopsticks were fused to their hands, and where their bodies t their clothes, the boundaries blurred.
Li Huowang found an empty table and sat. The others resud their als, and soon, the owner brought him a bowl of food. However, the border between the bowl and its contents was blurry. He ignored it and began eating, imdiately feeling a warm sensation spread through him.
He wiped his mouth and prepared to leave.
At that mont, the owner tugged Li Huowang, leaving him confused. Li Huowang tried to touch the owner’s hand, but the owner crumbled and scattered like sand.
In an instant, the stall, the cals, and the other patrons disintegrated, scattering into the wind. Li Huowang stood alone in a vast emptiness.
Ding~
The bell chid once again. Li Huowang followed the sound of the bell, and a green forest slowly replaced the white surroundings.
Li Huowang’s unease mounted with every step he took toward the sound of the bell. His surroundings were eerily familiar to him.
“I think I’ve been here before.”
The mont he spoke, the forest turned into a dark green color. The path beca muddy, making it difficult to walk.
He felt cold and sticky. He wanted to leave badly. He quickened his pace toward the sound of the bell.
The more he walked, the more familiar the scenery beca. He started to recognize the trees and the stones.
His surroundings beca more real too. Even the chi of the bell seed painfully familiar.
“Who am I? Why am I here? Am I heading back?”
The ringing of the bell beca clearer and faster. The source of the ringing shifted from the front to the back.
Li Huowang turned around and saw nothing.
However, everything had changed. Li Huowang was no longer the one chasing after the sound of the bell. He was being chased.
There was nothing behind him, but Li Huowang felt an irrational fear. He started running aimlessly. Soon, the sound of the bell was replaced by footsteps.
Suddenly, Li Huowang felt sothing kicking him from the back, causing him to stumble and begin falling down.
In the nick of ti, a wrinkled hand caught Li Huowang’s shirt and pulled him up. He looked up and finally saw the person that had been chasing after him.
“Hahaha. I can’t believe I randomly found one in the forest. I’m so lucky!”
The man was none other than Dan Yangzi. He had been ringing the bell that summoned the Wandering Gods.
“AH!”
Li Huowang woke up in shock and looked at the empty warehouse. He stared at Yang Na and Yi Donglai but didn’t recognize them.
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