He Lingchuan simply wanted to know, "Things having reached this point, there must be some countermeasure?"
If Mitian truly harbored such intentions, Panlong City not only faced formidable external threats—the pressure from neighboring states and the machinations of Beijia—but also an internal menace ticking away like a time bomb.
"In fact, ever since I awakened the Dafang Pot, the board was being set for this, and I have gathered some intelligence as well," Zhong Shengguang said in a deep voice. "Because the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is recovering so rapidly, General Red needs a bit of assistance. That was also one of Shao Jian's objectives in heading to the Shanjin Plain."
"He went to search for a treasure called the 'Bright Lantern Cup.'"
He Lingchuan felt a jolt in his heart. It took considerable effort to keep his expression steady.
The Bright Lantern Cup?
In reality, wasn't the time-sensitive task Fang Canran gave him related to the "Bright Lantern Cup"?
"Do you... do you need me to make a trip to the Shanjin Plain and retrieve this treasure?"
"Correct. This mission is critical and confidential; I will only rest easy if you carry it out." Zhong Shengguang picked up a document from the desk and handed it to He Lingchuan. "Shao Jian has already scouted out the Bright Lantern Cup's whereabouts, but it was not convenient for him to seize it right then. He also bears the mission regarding the Dragon-Torture Pillars, so after sending back this report, he pressed onward."
He Lingchuan understood. "What Mr. Shao bears is truly the paramount duty in this world."
"If you do not want others to know, the only way is not to do it," Zhong Shengguang took two paces. "So it is best for him to concentrate on his own mission and not meddle in other troubles; we will take care of the rest."
He Lingchuan asked, "What does the Bright Lantern Cup do?"
"The stronger General Red's cultivation becomes, the greater her vessel's capacity, which means Mitian will certainly attempt to descend in an even more powerful avatar," Zhong Shengguang said solemnly. "This will not be like the minor skirmishes of the past. If it experiments repeatedly, General Red's soul cannot escape unscathed. That is why she needs the protective power of the Bright Lantern Cup. Well, on this point, Mitian agrees as well."
He Lingchuan stood at attention and said resolutely, "I will see the mission done."
"In short, the Bright Lantern Cup is crucial to our future plans. Very few people know of this—only myself, Shao Jian, and General Red, and now you make four." Zhong Shengguang sighed with emotion. "When I traveled through Beijia in the past, I heard that the Shanjin Plain was a land of chaos, plagued by perpetual warfare, its environment even harsher than ours. Later I learned that it is a major source of nightmare energy."
Mass deaths of young, robust humans generated the most nightmare energy.
"Over the past couple of years, with great difficulty, a few showers of Emperor's Flowing Dew finally fell, and the mortal realm is in dire need of recovery. We cannot let the Tianluo Star siphon off vast amounts of nightmare energy again." He shook his head with a wry smile. "Yet how could that be easy? Mr. Lu also mentioned to me that Lingshan had previously attempted to establish a presence on the Shanjin Plain several times, hoping to stop the drain of nightmare energy there, but the results were never ideal. That place is like a colossal bottomless funnel; once anything goes in, it vanishes without a trace—spiritual energy included.
"In truth, to say nothing of the Shanjin Plain, even the dozen or so small states south of the Panlong Wasteland are in perpetual turmoil, unable to enjoy even a few years of peace."
He Lingchuan remembered as well. "I recall you once considered expanding southward."
As Panlong City gradually grew richer and stronger over the past few years, Zhong Shengguang had developed other ambitions.
His lifelong ambition was to drive out the celestial gods; how could managing only the Panlong Wasteland ever fulfill that desire?
To foster even greater strength required vaster territories, larger populations, and more fertile lands.
Zhong Shengguang was a man of action; back then, he had immediately convened the high command of Panlong City to deliberate, and He Lingchuan had been present.
"That place is like a quagmire: you cannot pull them out of it, and you easily get sucked in yourself." Warfare was the fountainhead of nightmare energy, and Zhong Shengguang had originally intended to start close to home, first bringing peace to Panlong City's surroundings. However: "Panlong City originally intended to push south and quell the southern conflicts, but our efforts over the past two years yielded no good results. We spent considerable time and energy fostering good relations with several rulers of petty kingdoms and local leaders, only for all of them to be overthrown this year—either driven into exile or slaughtered. Sitting on high thrones yesterday, reduced to stray dogs today. In the most tragic case, the ruler's severed head was hung from the city wall."
Zhong Shengguang shook his head. "Pitiable people often have despicable traits. The people of those lands are greedy and shortsighted; it is exceedingly difficult to unite them."
It was rare to hear his superior vent his frustrations, and He Lingchuan remained silent.
He did not ask Zhong Shengguang why he had not simply marched an army south to conquer and expand territory.
Back when He Lingchuan first arrived in Panlong City, supplies were still strictly rationed and far from plentiful. Although all trades were now flourishing and commerce was booming, Panlong City had only enjoyed good days for a few short years, far from being truly wealthy and powerful.
Furthermore, Panlong City had been engaged in prolonged warfare against Baling and Xianyou, while constantly guarding against stabs in the back from Beijia; on top of that, General Red was expanding territory to the west, leaving no spare energy to launch an expedition to the south.
Yet even if no war was fought, observation and wooing allies remained essential.
Panlong City certainly wanted to extend its reach into the south and plant its own influence there, but so far, progress had been far from smooth.
"Still, compared to the Shanjin Plain, the southern region pales in comparison." Zhong Shengguang patted He Lingchuan's shoulder. "On this eastward journey, you will get a good look at what true perpetual turmoil and utter destitution look like."
"Understood."
The relationship between the mortal realm and the divine realm was one of ebb and flow: the more nightmare energy the Tianluo Star drained, the weaker the mortal realm's spiritual energy became. Aspiring to put an end to the celestial gods' ravaging of the world, Zhong Shengguang naturally hoped there would be as little war in the mortal realm as possible.
This was originally an issue for Lingshan to ponder rather than a regional lord like Zhong Shengguang. Yet Panlong City possessed strong soldiers and sturdy steeds, its influence growing day by day, prompting Zhong Shengguang to look beyond the Panlong Wasteland toward distant horizons.
He who does not think of distant concerns will surely face near sorrow.
Having finished his instructions, he added, "It was not easy for you to return to Panlong City. Rest for a few days, then pick a few capable hands to accompany you."
"Yes, sir." He Lingchuan knew this conversation had reached its end.
He took his leave of Zhong Shengguang and turned to walk out of the government office.
It was still early, so He Lingchuan wandered aimlessly through the city. Zhong Shengguang's words contained too much information, and he needed time to digest it thoroughly.
Zhong Shengguang had just analyzed He Lingchuan's strategic blunders in Yuheng City while also rewarding him.
After all, He Lingchuan had toiled for over a year and ultimately resolved the myriad problems facing Yuheng City; he genuinely had merits to his name.
And one should not forget that the strategic direction he implemented in Yuheng City had long since been reported to Zhong Shengguang.
Zhong Shengguang knew of it yet did not reject it, which was tacit consent.
Moreover, strictly on a tactical level, He Lingchuan's plan to lure and capture Fu Shanlie was sound in itself. In war, if one wanted to launch a surprise strike, how could there be no risks?
Zhong Shengguang and General Red had fought wars for so many years; they understood this intimately.
Thus, on one hand, he penalized He Lingchuan for his missteps to quell the dissatisfaction of other senior officials in Panlong City, while on the other, he had to compensate He Lingchuan for his achievements, lest He Lingchuan harbor resentment.
With what compensation?
Zhong Shengguang gave no tangible conferment or reward, but instead gifted him a monumental secret—
A secret known only to Zhong Shengguang and General Red: namely, Mitian's ambitions, General Red's plight, and the hidden perils posed to this world.
Now, He Lingchuan knew it too.
From this moment on, he truly became a trusted confidant and core lieutenant of Zhong Shengguang and General Red.
When a superior shared an undisclosed secret with a subordinate, nothing pulled them closer or dissolved grievances faster; sometimes it was far more effective than material rewards.
So even though He Lingchuan could see through Zhong Shengguang's maneuvering, he could not bring himself to resent him, only marveling in his heart at such deft finesse.
Yet this was also an indispensable skill for Zhong Shengguang as a supreme ruler.
Coordinating relationships, balancing various factions, and curbing and extinguishing strife—only then could this force unite with one heart and march steadily forward.
He Lingchuan was also pondering the mission Zhong Shengguang had assigned him:
Retrieve the Bright Lantern Cup.
As for the function of the Bright Lantern Cup, Commander Zhong had only mentioned that it could protect General Red's soul and lessen the harm from divine descent.
And he had said that Mitian agreed on this point as well.
Yet earlier, he had explicitly pointed out the threat Mitian's ambitions posed to this world, stating that he had begun laying plans long ago.
He Lingchuan still remembered the emphasis of his final words:
The Bright Lantern Cup was key to their future plans.
Zhong Shengguang's words held an internal contradiction.
That should not be. He was the august helmsman of Panlong City, completely clearheaded.
So, what kind of plan was Zhong Shengguang actually preparing?
Conversely, in this plan, what role would the Bright Lantern Cup play that Mitian would *disagree* with?
In the evening, He Lingchuan went to pick up Master Sun after her class, mentioning that he would soon be traveling far away.
A round trip would take at least half a year. She was reluctant to part, but she held his hand and said softly, "Safe travels. Return soon."
...
The next day, during a lull in his official duties, He Lingchuan picked up Shao Jian's *Dongyou Bolan* to flip through.
Shao Jian was a talented man; even read purely as a travelogue, the book was quite remarkable.
Yet the soul-snatching mirror noticed that after turning only a few pages, his mind began to wander.
He stared at that single page for three full quarters of an hour without so much as shifting his posture.
What earth-shattering secret was on this page? The mirror looked as well, but no matter how it scrutinized the page forward and backward, it could find nothing unusual.
He Lingchuan was actually contemplating everything that had unfolded yesterday surrounding the "Bright Lantern Cup" mission.
Fang Canran had given him a stack of tasks on the Shanjin Plain, one of which was tied to the Bright Lantern Cup.
Yet that very night, upon entering the Panlong World, Zhong Shengguang had likewise assigned him to retrieve the Bright Lantern Cup from the Shanjin Plain.
It was almost seamlessly aligned with his daytime mission.
The implication was crystal clear: the other world was also urging him toward the Shanjin Plain.
Why?
What could he gain by going to the Shanjin Plain? The secret of the Bright Lantern Cup?
He Lingchuan had another doubt: was this mission given to him by the Dafang Pot, or by Panlong City?
Judging from Zhong Shengguang's attitude, Panlong City's plan to expand southward had stalled, and Commander Zhong no longer believed meddling in the southern kingdoms was a good idea.
Corresponding to reality, the Shanjin Plain suffered from symptoms similar to the southern kingdoms of the Panlong World. So, would Panlong City deem that he ought to make this journey?
If he also went to the Shanjin Plain within the Panlong World, how would the Dafang Pot manifest that realm?
It couldn't simply fabricate it out of thin air, could it?
So, should he go or not in reality?
Chapter 1091