Chapter 437: Escape

【Su Su Tuoni Stark: This is actually very simple—what she's talking about is just an application of linear Hilbert space, something we routinely use when constructing physical space; it's essentially an extension of Euclidean space, no longer limited to finite dimensions.

You don't understand? OK, let me put it simply: from a higher-dimensional perspective, time isn't linear—it's a loop. Uh, still don't get it? Let me think.

She says your perception of time and the world is multiplex—you live in a three-dimensional world but perceive it the same way a higher-dimensional being does.

Got it? Good.

But that makes no sense at all. If a three-dimensional being claims he can look down on lower dimensions from above, he must be insane. In such a case, everything he sees would be disordered, lacking any logical sequence—he lives amid countless intersecting parallel worldlines; how could he tell what's real?

You say you've always had this kind of mental illness? I haven't fully processed the information from your book yet—it's too disjointed, feels like something written by a lunatic—but now it all makes sense!

"Javis, cancel my management meeting today." Su Su Tuoni Stark tossed the towel into the sink, rushed to his workshop with decisive speed, and swiftly tapped the touchscreen to summon a 3D projection model:

"Reason? I'm studying China. Don't disturb me for the next twenty-four hours."

Li Huowang scratched his head, grasped a little, but what did Zhao Lei mean?

I suddenly appeared? So not only was that life in the Red Center fake, even my modern life is fake? Ha, I believe his bullshit.

This damn Sect of Forgetting is lying again.

"Master Li, here are today's Buddhist calamities across the realm." Ji Lin still wore her dragon robe; though restored to a girl's form, she still governed the court until the next emperor was chosen.

"The people neglect labor and trade, staying home to fast and chant sutras; armies across nations lay down their arms, soldiers shave their heads and become monks."

"Even so, we still can't act against the Great Lei Yinsi?"

She looked at the red-robed Daoist and the Si Tianjian clinging affectionately to his back, feeling she had betrayed Liezulie Sect and the common people of Great Liang.

Even though she wasn't male, the ruler of a nation was being controlled by these two.

Gao Zhijian was the same—he admired how fast Master Li had found a beautiful woman, but hesitated, wondering whether he should warn Li Huowang not to betray White Sister.

"The White Jade Capital in the heavens has suffered an incident—this has nothing to do with the Heavenly Buddha Sovereign." Li Huowang pried open "Gu Yuan's" hand, signaling her not to cling like this.

She is Li Sui, yet not Li Sui—she is information projected from a future timeline into the past.

She cannot truly interfere with too much; she can only maintain a role that already belonged to her, acting as a conduit to deliver messages—but the past is not unchanging.

At least Amon, by becoming Xin Pan and confusing time, reached the White Jade Capital and rescued Qian Fu, who would have otherwise fallen into Qing Wanglai's hands—her future is gradually becoming more illusory.

"Ji Lin, give me some time. Soon, everything in Great Liang will return to normal." Li Huowang said seriously: "Take Gu Yuan to the Dragon Vein—she will inform all past emperors of Great Liang of the current situation."

"Meanwhile, I want you to summon, in the name of Great Liang's emperor, all high-ranking leaders of every faction—this concerns the survival of all humanity!"

Ji Lin, hearing Li Huowang say this, could only nod in agreement. Though he spoke politely to her, the current situation left her no choice.

Even if they replaced the emperor.

She glanced at Gao Zhijian, leaving the big fool utterly baffled.

【Why does this pretty little girl keep glaring at me so fiercely?】 Gao Zhijian didn't understand the current situation.

After the group left, Li Huowang's body relaxed slightly, and he let out a long sigh.

"We've been tricked."

Li Huowang's head ached. "There's no Confused Siming left to use as a springboard—I can't possibly go find the Chancellor and Prime Minister?"

Originally, I was supposed to use Dou Mu as backup, plus vast amounts of Primordial Qi, to cultivate Ji Zai.

Dou Mu wasn't essential, but after that thing—whether Amon or the dice—became Dou Mu, the remaining Confused Siming were useless too; those captured, injured, and even Ba Nanxu's siblings' Heavenly Dao had half fallen into the hands of the Three Pure Ones.

Qing Wanglai deliberately chose this moment to strike—he must have foreseen this.

He tricked me into assassinating Su Tianfu; whether I obeyed or defied him, it made no difference to his goal.

Seizing Heavenly Dao, controlling the Heavenly Dao of Pain, confusing me—it's not even three birds with one stone. This madman is insane, but his intellect is brilliant.

"Then why not just use the Dragon-Slaying, Immortal-Slaying Array to enter the White Jade Capital?" Li Huowang pulled out a translucent amber-colored square stele and said:

"I just don't know if the Fa Jiao's Confused Siming have been affected. Doesn't matter—if they haven't, I'll help them convert to Buddhism."

Fortunately, Su Lin left this to Emperor Yufeng; retrieving it from Ye Fan was perfect—it's said the transmitted Dao within hasn't been updated since the last version.

But it contains Su Lin's true intent; as long as Su Lin lives, a karmic link remains between them.

After all, it was made to transmit the Dao—but I'm genuinely curious what material it's made of, why it never came alive.

"Master Zhu, do you think using Dragon Qi as a protective barrier is safe?" Li Huowang asked.

Zhu Ge Yuan nodded:

"Their weakness is the Dragon Vein's Dragon Qi—Dragon Qi is part of the Orderly Heavenly Dao. Brother Li, don't worry; this world has more extraordinary people than you imagine. With Dragon Qi protecting you, you needn't be out front."

"If you encounter real trouble, take my spinal bone with you. Inside the White Jade Capital, use your ability of Borrowing False to Cultivate True to briefly revive me."

"Mm." Li Huowang's brow eased slightly.

By now, Li Huowang's preparations were complete, yet he felt something was off—something he couldn't name.

"Master Zhu?"

"I'm here."

Zhu Ge Yuan gently shook his folding fan inscribed with "Heaven Gave Me Talent," his expression gentle, lips curved in a faint smile, eyes filled with concern.

"Brother Li, your expression suggests something happened in another world?"

"No, I'm wondering… whether I should accept the past Dou Mu fabricated for me."

Li Huowang's expression alternated between confusion and worry.

"There's no need." Zhu Ge Yuan shook his head, closed his fan and placed it in his palm. "Separate from that false past as soon as possible—you are Li Huowang, not Hong Zhong."

"Yes." Li Huowang nodded, agreeing with him, then looked at Zhu Ge Yuan and smiled:

"Master Zhu, if I learn Su Ge's Dao, could I become his Xin Pan?"

Zhu Ge Yuan was taken aback by the question. He stood still, thinking—but before he could answer, Li Huowang suddenly hugged the stele tightly, a strange smile curling on his lips.

"Qing Wanglai, you're acting convincingly, aren't you?"

The space shuddered violently; feathers sprouted from Li Huowang's eyes, forming two doorways woven of tentacles, then brilliant sunlight erupted forth.

The scholar, who should have been an illusion, stared in shock at the strange Buddhist script rising on his skin like earthworms—he opened his mouth to speak, but realized—

A great sun descended from the heavens.

The great sun's light upon him brought not illumination, but black flames that instantly engulfed his entire body, reacting violently with each Buddhist character.

The Buddhist characters demanded he live; the flames demanded he die.

Neither life nor death.

An invisible, formless force surged outward, and the entire world began to collapse.

No, it was not the world that collapsed—Li Huowang, overwhelmed by torrents of information, laughed wildly; he understood everything—his own perception of the world had shattered.

Seen but unseen, it is called Yi; heard but unheard, it is called Xi; grasped but ungraspable, it is called Wei; the Three Pure Ones were originally beings beyond sight and touch.

Li Huowang's flesh suddenly split open; his unhealed scars burst apart like petals of a flower, sprouting rows of brass-colored eyes that all stared upward.

At that infinitely high place, deep within the sky, in a vast, unfathomable abyss of darkness, countless deeper black worlds and suns spun within it.

Something resembling a faintly glowing, shapeless primordial protoplasmic bubble stared at him from where Ba Hui had once been.

Li Huowang had always been bound by Ba Hui's karmic thread; his scars and heightened perception marked him still as a candidate for Ba Hui's heart.

Gu Shen and Ba Hui were two sides of one entity; after Gu Shen's Dao was seized by Qing Wanglai, Qing Wanglai could follow Ba Hui's gaze, fixing his attention on Li Huowang.

"Hahaha," Li Huowang laughed, ignoring the vile, slimy tentacles wrapped around his body.

Body and soul began to generate divergent laws; in a daze, the strange luminous figure clad in a semi-transparent cloak within Bai Yu Jing slowly turned its gaze toward Li Huowang.

It extended its hand, but was blocked by the bubble in between, so it grasped the bubble instead.

Boom!

The bubble shattered.

"Li Huowang! Li Huowang!" Su Tianfu slapped Li Huowang's face. "Can you hear me?! What the hell are you doing now?!"

As Li Huowang's dilated pupils slowly regained focus, Su Tianfu tucked away the pocket watch in his hand and patted his chest, exhaling slightly in relief.

"This is why I wanted to retire before forty," Su Tianfu slumped onto a rock, wiping sweat from his brow. "Even if they treat you like a Buddha, sometimes when they go mad, even Jesus can't stop them."

"Luckily, I was one step ahead—I planted psychological suggestions in him long ago."

"Qian Fu, get up. Stop pressing on him—Li Huowang can barely breathe…"

Around them lay a damp, dark forest; the rain had stopped, but the sky remained gray.

Li Huowang lay pinned to the ground by Qian Fu; Zhao Lei and Yi Donglai slept in the car; Ba Nanxu, face bruised, stood gloomily before Zhao Shuangdian, while Wu Qi bandaged his wounds.

"I'm injured! I can't get up—someone pull me up!" Qian Fu howled, his wounds splitting open again.

Yang Na approached, worried, and grabbed Qian Fu's arm—but she was too small and frail, struggling desperately to move him.

"Get off me!" Li Huowang shoved Qian Fu with all his strength, finally freeing himself, gasping for fresh air:

"Haah—! Ha…"

"Almost… almost died… I just…"

"You just had a seizure!" Su Tianfu said, exasperated, with a hint of disgust in his eyes:

"Let me be clear—I've been single my whole life, but I'm straight as an arrow. Why the hell were you hugging me like that?"

"Luckily, Ba Mei blocked us—young as you are, you've got surprising strength. Look, your face is all bruised."

Li Huowang turned toward Ba Nanxu, about to explain, but saw her plunge a dagger into her own lower abdomen, reopening the recently stitched wound.

With a blank expression, she reached inside, fished around, and pulled out a glowing red spherical object.

"I've figured it out—you're all mentally broken…" Su Tianfu stared, shook his head, and closed his eyes:

"May the Primordial God protect me—yes, Primordial God—otherwise after this, I'll voluntarily apply for a psychiatric hospital."

After resting a moment, Su Tianfu tossed something to Li Huowang—a miniature camera, its lens shattered. "Little Ba tried to slit your throat, but I stopped her. This was hidden inside her dagger."

"You've got a tracker inside you. You weren't escaping—you were deliberately let go." Zhao Shuangdian looked apologetic. "Nanxu, my processing speed has dropped—I didn't calculate this."

"It's not your fault, Diandian," Ba Nanxu hugged Zhao Shuangdian. "No one expected Qingzi to go this mad. Both Qing and I are too weak."

"Get in the car. We can't stay here long." Su Tianfu sounded weary.

He longed, at this moment, for a warm blanket to crawl into, to summon his doppelgänger, and let the doppelgänger join these people on their wild adventure while he curled up beside them, watching like a spectator.

Su Tianfu instinctively reached out and grabbed at the air—he froze, realizing he must have lost his mind to even think such a thing.

Meanwhile, Li Huowang stared at Yang Na's position and began muttering to himself:

"Miaomiao, thank you. Had you not returned with Wu Sheng Laomu's Dao, I would have been crushed by death."

"Brother Zhuge, I'm fine. That wasn't you—you've always wanted me to grow. How could you ever say I should rely on others?"

For some reason, Su Tianfu felt deeply exhausted—he suspected he'd grown neurotic from his wayward cousin Meng Zhending.

Now Li Huowang was like this too… hehehe…

"If Qingzi is unrighteous, then I'll be unloyal," Qian Fu walked over and asked:

"Centaur Boss, what now? I know their surveillance layout and troop deployments—I'll lead you."

Su Tianfu glared at Qian Fu. "Call me God."

"Yes, Centaur God Boss!" Qian Fu raised his hand in salute. "You saved my life—I swear my loyalty!"

Here, at worst, they'd brainwash you; over there with Qing Wanglai, you'd die. Even a fool knows which to choose.

"Get Li Huowang into the car."

Su Tianfu didn't bother correcting him, just sat in the driver's seat and started the car.

The muddy road was rough, jolting all the way—but thankfully, it wasn't long. Exhausted, the group leaned against each other and fell asleep in the backseat.

Li Huowang lay on Yang Na's lap; Zhao Shuangdian and Ba Nanxu rested heads together; Zhao Lei and Yi Donglai slept on the rear seat; Wu Qi slept in the front passenger seat.

Su Tianfu felt deeply dissatisfied. At this hour, he should've been in his office, sipping tea from his thermos. He'd just cleared a massive backlog—now was the perfect lull to slack off.

Now? He was running for his life.

Why? Because they had more people? Because Qing Wanglai had shady connections?

This is an age of law—even gods fighting must follow reason.

"… " Su Tianfu narrowed his eyes, picked up his phone, and dialed using the SIM card registered under Meng Zhending's ID. "Hello, it's me."

By evening, after the vehicle was fully fueled and parked at the service area, everyone gradually woke up.

"How did we end up here?" Wu Qi asked. "Isn't this the road back to the city?"

Everyone turned to the driver's seat and saw that Su Tianfu was gone—only a cellphone remained on the seat.

"Li Huowang, are we going home now?" Yang Na asked hopefully.

"This special treatment is over!"

"..." Li Huowang shifted his attention to this world, looked around, and said:

"We might have to wait—where's Su Ge?"

"I don't know," Wu Qi shook her head. She had treated several people today and was exhausted.

Ding dong!

Ding dong!

Ding dong!

The sound of WeChat messages kept ringing.

Li Huowang looked at the cellphone left on the driver's seat; its messages kept updating.

【Arkham Reemployment Mutual Aid Group】

RiddleManOut: "Doctor Su, all the brothers are assembled! We've brought our tools and psychiatric evaluation certificates! The question is, how many houses does the other side own?"

NorthWindNorthWindNorth: "Where is Doctor Su? If anyone upstairs mentions Doctor Su again, I'll cut you! Our actions are entirely voluntary—no connection to that psychologist!"

ThunderSoundLittleMonk: "My district chief dad said the land in the east city was bought by a mysterious wealthy man."

HappyLife: "I had my son investigate—Qing Wanglai owns some unknown assets. I'm freezing them tomorrow. Long live the Heavenly Buddha!"

MentallyNormal: "My nephew controls the power in that area—I'll cut his electricity tonight. Long live the Heavenly Buddha!"

【Big Electro Music Bar】

A-ElectroBarReservation: "A truck of packages arrived from Florida—they say it was temporarily rerouted from the Middle East. Do you have any idea, Manager Su?"

Boom.

The car door opened, and Su Tianfu stepped in carrying a bag of bread and a bag of mineral water.

"You're all awake?" Su Tianfu slipped his phone back into his pocket:

"I didn't bring my charger—I went back to get it and came right away."

"By the way, where does Qing Wanglai live?"

(End of Chapter)