Mutated Tao

Li Huowang extended his burning hand towards the tail of the Dragon Vein to see the last emperor more clearly.

He saw that the emperor’s face was utterly inhuman. It was a half-dragon, but it wasn’t entirely accurate either. The dragon-like face was distorted a lot.

The dragon's whiskers were like threads, snaking past the gaps in its golden scales and causing them to look messy.

The emperor had seven dragon claws with reverse joints. The number of his fingers also varied.

Li Sui explained to Li Huowang, “The Dragon Veins are segmented, with each emperor representing an era. If we want to know something about a particular age, we need to seek out the corresponding emperor on the Dragon Vein.”

Li Huowang nodded. The emperors that made up the Dragon Vein weren’t merely advisors for the current emperor—they were also people who had lived at a certain age and knew about the history of their era.

Shua! The dragon claw swung so fast that Li Huowang failed to react. The claws streaked past his face instantly.

The sound of tearing flesh could be heard, and half of Li Huowang’s face slowly slid down, revealing his skull.

Li Huowang raised his right hand and pushed his face back with a snap.

The old emperor roared. His roar reverberated inside the coffin.

The Dragon Qi exuding outwards affected the surroundings. Even Li Huowang was affected, and dragon scales appeared and disappeared on his body.

“He’s deaf and crazy. You won’t be able to get any answers from him.”

Li Huowang looked up and saw a man with a disheveled face in the middle of the Dragon Vein.

He was unsure whether the golden threads were his beard or hair, but they completely veiled the emperor's face, making it impossible for even Li Huowang to recognize his true identity.

The emperor shook his head and saw Li Sui’s identity plate.

“Chief of the Surveillance Bureau? I can’t believe the Chief would escort you to meet us here. You are not someone ordinary…”

Just as the emperor with long hair finished speaking, another voice came from above. "I remember him! It was when Shai Zi stole the Dragon Vein. The boy in red robes is the one who killed Shai Zi and returned us to our rightful place."

“Doesn’t that mean he did the Liang Kingdom a great service?”

“Indeed! He has done a great service to us!”

“But he’s Ji Lin’s sword! He killed a lot of people from the royal family!”

“I don’t have the surname Ji, so I don’t care.”

More and more voices joined in on the conversation. Li Huowang had to raise his voice and shout, “Seniors!”

The ruckus gradually stopped, and Li Huowang finally asked, “This junior has come to find you to ask about the legends of the Dragon Veins.”

He quickly added another sentence to highlight his desperation, saying, “I'm sure you know that the Liang Kingdom has lost several divisions already. For the Liang Kingdom’s sake, I sincerely hope you will lend me your assistance.” 𝖗𝓪ℕôβƐS

The murmur of discussion filled the coffins briefly and stopped shortly after—they had reached a decision.

"You have done a great service to the Liang Kingdom, and the Chief of the Surveillance Bureau brought you here. Therefore, we will tell you."

Li Huowang wasn’t surprised. He was their ally, so they had no reason to withhold such information.

The long-haired emperor explained to Li Huowang while the other emperors remained silent.

“When the Qi Kingdom was destroyed and left without an emperor, we from the Ji family were one of the largest noble households in the capital—there were thousands of us.

“However, for the sake of becoming the emperor, we killed our own kin—daughters, grandparents, grandchildren, and brothers. The conflict persisted until there was only one survivor left. He was the first emperor of the Liang Kingdom.”

Li Huowang glanced at the last emperor, who was the tail of the Dragon Vein. “Seniors, I know about this. That’s not what I wanted to know. I need to know where the Dragon Vein came from. A thousand years ago, the Qi Kingdom preceded the Liang Kingdom, but where did the Dragon Vein of the Qi Kingdom come from?”

“Oh, in that case, we must start from the very beginning. Long ago, humans were raised as livestock by the Witch. We survived by eating excrement, much like pigs. However, our ancestors desired a better life for us.

“Despite devising a plan to break free and escape, simply escaping was not enough, as the Witch would eventually discover us. As such, the ancestors sought a way to create a world of their own. The destiny tied to the Dragon Vein was the very essence that sustained this world.”

Li Huowang recalled the veiled members of the Dharma Sect and asked, “Witch? Are they related to the Dharma Sect?”

“No. It’s different. There was no Dharma Sect in ancient times.”

“Then what is the Witch? Is it… Simings?”

Li Huowang’s words sent out a massive ripple.

“No. They are not Simings. The Simings don't exist!”

“Indeed! There are no Simings. They’re fake.”

“This is the Imperial Temple! Do not utter those words!”

Li Huowang’s next question silenced them. “Then what is the Witch?”

After some time, the long-haired emperor said, "We are the emperors of the Liang Kingdom. Before us, there was the Qi Kingdom, and even further in the past, the Beiyan Three Kingdoms. Lastly, there was the Great Chen Kingdom. Our ancestors passed down this knowledge to us.

“Everything about the ancient times was passed down to us by our ancestors. We don’t know what the Witch is, but I’m certain that the Witch is powerful. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been able to enslave everyone.”

Li Huowang realized that this was important information. There was once a Great Chen Kingdom!

"Is the Tianchen Kingdom involved in this? Is the Tianchen Kingdom the history from a timeline where the Great Chen Kingdom remained intact?"

Li Huowang thought that was possible and asked about it.

“We don’t know. There are several Dragon Veins in this world. Ask the Dragon Vein from Qing Qiu. I think some emperors from the Beiyan Three Kingdoms are in that Dragon Vein.”

“Li Sui, I don’t have time right now. Can you send some men to check for me in Qing Qiu? See if it's related to the Great Chen Kingdom?”

"Alright, Father. However, I don't think it would make much of a difference. Even if the Tianchen Kingdom were once the Great Chen, they would still be our enemies."

“Let’s just check and see what we can find. We might get some surprising information.”

Li Huowang then turned to look at the Dragon Veins. “Senior, can you explain to us what Fate is? How did the first Dragon Vein come to be?”

“The first emperor took the fate from one of the Witches. Thanks to it, they could sustain a single world for themselves. This person was the first emperor.”

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