Mutated Tao

Ci Ci~

The sound of flesh being torn apart rang out as black liquid poured from the hole Li Huowang had made in his own abdomen. Soon, Li Huowang collapsed due to the extreme pain caused by cutting open his own stomach.

Even so, he smiled when he saw Dan Yangzi’s grotesque body slowly starting to blur. He didn’t mind enduring all the pain in the world as long as he could kill Dan Yangzi!

“You ungrateful brat! You would still be stuck inside your hallucinations if I hadn’t helped you!” shouted Dan Yangzi as he disappeared.

Hearing this, Li Huowang gritted his teeth while pushing the blade even deeper. “You think I needed your help? It’s because of you that I am suffering so much today!”

“You fucking brat!” Dan Yangzi’s six eyes revealed ghastly killing intent, which also influenced Li Huowang, making him feel vindictive.

Just as the oppressive atmosphere reached its climax, a large group of flies swooped down from high in the Heavens, covering both Li Huowang and Dan Yangzi in rot and filth.

Jingxin and the other nuns had made their move. They placed their palms together and wrapped them in prayer beads before resuming their chant toward the Buddha statue. “Without pain, we cannot remove pain; without wisdom, we cannot obtain enlightenment. The Bodhisattva must follow the path of Buddha and face everything with a heart that expects nothing. Only then can one’s heart be free of obstacles. Without obstacles, there is no fear, and one will be free from all distractions, thus achieving Nirvana. The Buddha of the past, the present, and the future have all achieved Nirvana in this state!”

As their chanting grew louder, their bodies underwent a massive transformation. Everything associated with old age, filth, and fat quickly disappeared from their bodies. Then, the essence of old age, filth, and fat intertwined in the air, flying higher and higher. When it reached a certain height, a crack appeared in the Heavens, revealing a massive eye that could cover the sun.

It was an eye from an angry Arhat and was devoid of all filth and sins.

“HA!” A furious shout rang out for tens of miles as space itself trembled. By the time the sound disappeared, everything unusual within the Benevolent Nunnery, including Dan Yangzi, had disappeared.

…

Bai Lingmiao woke up groggily. She realized that she had been lying face down in front of a large pot of oily fried rice while stuffing her mouth with her own two hands.

“Blegh!” She spat out the oily fried rice in her mouth while scanning her surroundings anxiously. After taking a moment to let everything sink in, she realized that she was in the food hall of the Benevolent Nunnery. Surrounding her were the fat nuns who were busy stuffing their mouths with food. The constant sound of chewing filled her ears.

She turned around and inspected the steel pot only to see that the fried rice was prepared for her and the entire table. Puppy, Xiaoman, Baolu, Yang Xiaohai, Gao Zhijian, and the others were also present as they stuffed their mouths with food, just like the nuns. Luckily, they all snapped out of it one by one before scanning their surroundings in a dazed panic.

“What’s going on? Why are we here?” The rest of them were clearly confused about what had happened.

Bai Lingmiao did the headcount and was relieved to find that everyone was here… except for Li Huowang.

“What happened? Weren’t we helping Senior Li with his exorcism? Why are we here eating rice? Also, there’s not even a single piece of vegetable in this thing. It’s too oily, yuck,” said Puppy as he checked the other tables.

However, the nuns were too lazy to bother with them and just continued stuffing themselves. But, instead of the fried rice, the nuns were eating moldy dumplings and other food.

Bai Lingmiao was visibly worried. She approached one of the nuns and asked, “Master, may I know where our Senior Li is?”

“Senior Li? You mean the Strayed One? He’s with Abbess Jingxin. Find her, and you will also find him,” The nun answered Bai Lingmiao without even turning around; she was busy eating the food in front of her, almost as if she was afraid that her food would be gone if she ate any slower.

Bai Lingmiao and the rest decided to brave through the swamp of moldy food before arriving at Abbess Jingxin’s house.

Just then, they saw Li Huowang talking with a strange nun. The nun didn’t have eyes, and her eye sockets were sunken in. She was quite skinny, but her skin was very loose, to the point that the skin on her chin reached down to her stomach and the skin on her stomach could touch the ground. It was almost as if she was wearing an extremely oversized Taoist robe.

When he heard footsteps, Li Huowang turned around before smiling and waving at them as he called them over.

Bai Lingmiao was shocked. This was the first time she had seen Li Huowang smile.

“Are you guys alright? I hope you were not frightened. The nuns in the Benevolent Nunnery couldn’t put a stop to their abilities in time, so you guys were affected for a period even after the exorcism ended,” Li Huowang calmly explained.

Just as Bai Lingmiao and the others got closer, they were shocked to see the beautiful appearance of the nun. She was simply too gorgeous despite her bizarre appearance.

Bai Lingmiao pulled Li Huowang slightly away from the nun and whispered, “Senior Li, who is she?”

“She’s Abbess Jingxin. Don’t you recognize her?” asked Li Huowang.

Li Huowang was just explaining the situation when the blind nun with flabby skin nodded.

“Her? Jingxin?! The nun who couldn’t even walk because of being too fat?” Everyone’s eyes widened with shock. The change in her appearance was just far too massive!

“The abilities of the nuns from the Benevolent Nunnery are somewhat different from the rest of the sects. There’s no need for all of you to pry deeper into it. Thanks to the sacrifice made by Abbess Jingxin, my worries had been dealt with. Dan Yangzi will not appear again,” explained Li Huowang.

Hearing this, everyone smiled and congratulated Li Huowang for being healed.

After talking for a bit, Li Huowang stopped them from asking further questions; he had something to say.

“I still have to take care of some stuff over here, and so I need to stay here for a few days. You guys should leave first. Once I’m finished with my business, I will catch up with you,” said Li Huowang.

“Senior Li, why do you need to stay? Also, can’t we just stay and help you?” Bai Lingmiao immediately raised an objection when she heard that they would be separated.

“Sorry, but there’s nothing you guys can do to help me in terms of cultivation. You guys leave first, and I will catch up to you in another ten days or so. You guys need to reach your homes soon. Any later and you will be once again stuck having to celebrate the new years away from your homes. We’ve already delayed our journey for far too long. Relax, it’s not as if I won’t be traveling anymore. Just follow the path that I’ve marked on the map and I will be able to catch up with you guys soon enough,” persuaded Li Huowang.

In the face of Li Huowang’s persuasion, they all finally relented and left the nunnery after saying their goodbyes.

As he stared at them walking away, Li Huowang’s smile slowly fell, being replaced by an expression filled with pain.

He removed his red Taoist robes and pulled up his shirt, revealing a large gash on his abdomen. Currently, there was a dense mass of white maggots crawling in the wound.

“Your injury will heal in just a few days within the Benevolent Nunnery. What you need to be concerned about is an entirely different matter. You know what I mean,” said Abbess Jingxin.