Definition
A deity from the ancient Chinese text *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, described with a human face and two snake bodies. In this novel, it is adopted as a corrupted object of worship by the Fa Sect.
Child-God
A deity from the ancient Chinese text *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, described with a human face and two snake bodies. In this novel, it is adopted as a corrupted object of worship by the Fa Sect.
Story context
Alright, buckle up, fellow Daoists, because this chapter delivers a brutal slice of what *Dao Gui Yi Xian* does best—visceral combat, creeping ontological horror, and a protagonist who is less a hero and more a walking, bleeding paradox. Li Huowang storms a corrupted temple, hacks through a legion of monk-soldiers, and faces a living gilded Buddha possessed by the Child-God, Yu'er Shen. But the real enemy isn't the flesh-eating statue; it's the weapon inside his own head. His *Cultivate the True* ability, once a source of power, has become a passive, reality-poisoning curse. A stray worry about his daughter, Li Sui, *becomes real* as a mutilated corpse. The chapter is called "Void"—and it's a masterclass in that concept, not as emptiness, but as the terrifying space where anything you might imagine, especially your worst fears, can physically manifest and try to kill you.
Why it matters
If you're reading this and thinking, "Wait, so his OP power is now a drawback?"—yes, exactly. That's the golden trap this novel sets, and it's what makes Li Huowang such a compelling disaster. He is not a cultivator accumulating power; he is a man trying to hold the shape of his own sanity against a universe that actively *complies* with his worst impulses. Pay close attention to the way his *internal* monologue shifts: from animal aggression during the fight, to cold tactical analysis, to a panicked, paternal desperation when he thinks Li Sui is hurt, and finally to exhaustion laced with nihilistic clarity. That last line—"it's less a fight against the Fa Sect, and more a fight against himself"—is the central thesis of this whole arc. Also, a fun detail: the way Li Huowang rejects the need to explain his "craziness" to the military-path soldiers. He's no longer performing sanity for others. He knows. That's a quiet, powerful character moment. Enjoy the bloodsport, but don't miss the existential dread hiding in the shadows of the gilded Buddha.
Quick facts
Source novel
Dao Gui Yi Xian
First appearance
Void
Chapter references
1
Type hints
dao gui yi xian, li huowang, peng longteng
Guide tags
Action, Body Horror, Existential Horror
Appears in chapters
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Related terms
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