With countless cautionary tales before him, why would he be so reckless?
Thus, the safest approach was to avoid contact entirely throughout the whole process and let the divine bone necklace swallow it in one gulp!
The Dafang Pot had even contained an avatar of a celestial god; how could it fail to subdue the Luosheng Armor?
Let these two peerless wonders fight it out amongst themselves.
Just moments ago, sensing his approach, the Luosheng Armor had foolishly thrilled with anticipation, oblivious that its final hour had arrived.
By the time it sensed danger, it was already too late.
Yet even after devouring the Luosheng Armor, the divine bone necklace remained unsatisfied, continuing to glow and radiate heat—
though, naturally, only He Lingchuan could feel it.
They had walked several li through the night, yet the necklace kept urging him on. That could only mean whatever it fancied was right on his person!
What could it be? He already had an idea.
It had sat in his possession for so long without serving much purpose; he might as well feed it to the necklace.
He Lingchuan touched his storage ring and casually took out a dark, rock-hard object.
This was the very reason the Luosheng Armor had broken its seal to pursue him:
the heart scale He Lingchuan had obtained from the White Bear King of Baimao Mountain!
The moment the scale came out, the divine bone necklace trembled with excitement.
*Want to eat!*
*Really, really want to eat!*
All the way from Baimao Mountain to here, it had been drooling for this.
After whetting its appetite for so long, He Lingchuan finally fed it into the necklace's mouth.
*Whoosh!* Just like that, the heart scale was gone.
The divine bone necklace finally settled down, no longer burning hot against his skin.
He Lingchuan patted his chest. "You did a good deed today, at least."
Even he hadn't dared touch the Luosheng Armor; the necklace swallowing it had eliminated a latent scourge for the Shanjin Plain.
May such an evil thing, along with all the tragedy attached to it, vanish forever into history.
***
Dawn arrived, filling the sky with radiant morning light.
Over the past seven or eight days, heavy clouds had hung overhead, but today the sun finally broke through.
The murky mist was chased away, and under the sunlight, the forest seemed bathed in vibrant color, instantly coming to life and brightening the travelers' spirits as well.
"Move faster," Dong Rui urged everyone. "Don't slack off—we're still a long way from Julu Port!"
It was now confirmed that General Chongwu could track the fox demons. Consequently, they had to march day and night to keep their pursuers at bay.
The foxes were clearly exhausted, panting with their tongues out.
Earlier, Dong Rui had painted a rosy picture for them, claiming everything would be fine once they reached the territory of Mount Jing.
Naturally, he hadn't explained why: the soil around Mount Jing was moist, which meant he could use his snail-toad to ferry his companions, giving the foxes a chance to rest.
The night before, abnormal phenomena had erupted across Mount Jing, which the fox demons had witnessed. He Lingchuan and Dong Rui had returned safely, saying only that the Yao army had been driven back by unexpected guests, while uttering not a single word about their own experiences on the mountain.
As an experienced demon of considerable worldly wisdom, Three-Tails did not press for details if they chose not to share.
As the pack traversed an opening in the woods, sunlight poured down from above in countless golden rays, illuminating their fur.
He Lingchuan glanced across them, suddenly let out a startled "Huh?", and pointed at the three-tailed fox demon. "Step back!"
Step back where? The fox demon blinked.
"Back into the sunlight, hurry!"
The three-tailed fox took several steps back, stepping into the sunlight.
And there, He Lingchuan saw it with crystal clarity—
On its shoulder rested a faint golden thread, its other end stretching out into the infinite void.
Yet this thread revealed itself only when standing in the sunlight.
He asked Dong Rui and the other foxes, "Can any of you see anything unusual on its shoulder?"
All his companions, including the two monkey puppets, shook their heads.
What was unusual?
Dong Rui, however, caught on almost immediately; after all, he seemed to have encountered something similar before.
*Could it be...?*
"I think I know how General Chongwu has been tracking you," He Lingchuan said, slowly drawing his long saber to avoid alarming the fox demon. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."
Three-Tails showed remarkable trust in him, staying completely still as the cold blade drew near its neck.
The tip of the saber flicked twice through empty air above its shoulder, as though severing something, though none of the onlookers could see what it was.
He Lingchuan sheathed Fusheng. "Done. Unless the Yao planted a second supernatural art on you, they shouldn't be able to track you any longer."
Dong Rui raised an index finger and pointed toward the sky.
He Lingchuan nodded, confirming his suspicion. "Right."
What riddle were these two playing at? Three-Tails asked, "What supernatural art was that?"
"Not a supernatural art, but divine arts," He Lingchuan explained. "Have you ever entered a temple?"
"Never. I never go to places like that." Three-Tails pondered. "Are you saying I've been marked by a god?"
"Precisely. But this divine art only shows itself in the sunlight; even I couldn't see it last night."
"In recent months, I've barely left Baitou Ridge," Three-Tails said thoughtfully. "Could it be that when I clashed with the Yao Kingdom's Grand Overseer of the State, I fell victim to his underhanded scheme?"
Ruling out everything else, that seemed to be the only remaining possibility.
He Lingchuan added, "From here on, if the Yao stop dogging our heels, it'll prove we've truly shaken them."
The group and the foxes traveled another ten-odd li, and Dong Rui discreetly released his bat demon puppet into the high sky.
Several hours later, the bat flew back to report that the pursuers had stopped right where He Lingchuan had swung his blade, appearing to have lost their bearing and no longer pursuing in this direction.
The world was vast; who knew where the foxes might go? General Chongwu's operation had ended in utter failure.
At the news, the foxes let out a collective sigh of relief.
The relentless pursuit of the Yao had been a constant peril hanging over their heads; only now were they truly safe.
The gaze the fox demons directed at He Lingchuan was filled with gratitude, and Three-Tails thanked him once again.
Dong Rui remarked, "Why does the Yao Kingdom have the aid of celestial gods as well?"
"The Shanjin Plain is a chaotic place. All manner of deities come here to establish faiths and build influence, so it's hardly surprising for the Yao Kingdom to collude with any of them," He Lingchuan said. "The celestial gods are more than happy to foster ties with powerful nations; it makes expanding in the mortal realm much easier."
He asked Three-Tails, "Do you know which celestial gods have a foothold in these parts?"
"Of course," Three-Tails scoffed disdainfully. "Those charlatans and their smoke-and-mirrors—all they do all day is hire quacks to dupe the common folk."
Greater demons like them held such practices in utter contempt.
As they traveled, the fox demon recounted the balance of power around the Yao Kingdom to He Lingchuan.
Not long after crossing Mount Jing, He Lingchuan caught the fragrance of damp earth and green grass drifting from the forest.
The air was thick with moisture on this side of the mountain.
Even so, he shook his head at Dong Rui, forbidding him from summoning the snail-toad for travel.
Now that the celestial god's sight had been severed by Fusheng, the Yao could no longer track the fox clan. As a trump card for the two of them, there was no need to expose the snail-toad.
It was merely walking; it wasn't as if the foxes were incapable of marching.
Regarding Three-Tails' injury, Dong Rui and Lingguang had devised a more sound treatment plan.
Three-Tails' shoulder wound was the combined result of the supernatural art "Maggots on the Bone" and an animation spell. What made it remarkable was that the animation spell had lasted this long without dissipating; National Preceptor Qingyang's abilities were truly formidable.
However, treating the substance as a living entity actually made things simpler: Lingguang specially formulated a medicinal bait to lure the animated maggot poison out of the wound.
Without the suppression of the maggot poison, Three-Tails' innate regenerative capacity as a greater demon finally kicked in. Paired with Lingguang's medicine and the gentle warmth of foxfire moxibustion, within a mere half hour, it could walk smoothly once again.
Watching this, Dong Rui could not hide his envy. "Your foxfire is truly remarkable."
Foxfire was exceptionally gentle—ideal for laboratory experiments and altering properties—and Lingguang also wanted to use it to empower his medicine furnace.
Facing its saviors, Three-Tails was quite generous: "I can share a bit with you."
With that, it separated two wisps of foxfire from its origin and bestowed one upon each of them.
After severing the divine connection, Three-Tails also dispatched several foxes back toward Baitou Ridge to gather up its scattered offspring.
The wild mountain demons and spirits near Baitou Ridge also revealed General Chongwu's whereabouts to the foxes:
after leading his troops away from Mount Jing, he had indeed returned to the Yao Kingdom.
Wounded himself and having suffered casualties in the battle at Mount Jing, once he lost the fox demons' trail, he had no choice but to head back and report to his superiors.
For the haughty General Chongwu, this was quite a setback.
Naturally, the angrier he was, the happier the foxes were.
Several days later, Three-Tails had basically recovered from its injuries, and He Lingchuan escorted them to Julu Port.
This was now the territory of the Peng Kingdom, where traffic was strictly managed; boarding a vessel required documentation from the Maritime Trade Office. But the moment He Lingchuan revealed his status as a special envoy of the Mou Kingdom, the way opened smoothly without a hitch.
He saw the fox demons onto a seagoing ship and stood on the shore watching the vessel hoist sail and depart westward.
The mission to escort the fox demons was complete.
In his heart, He Lingchuan felt a slight twinge of regret. The Yangshan Archipelago was also in need of versatile greater demons like Three-Tails. Yet when he sounded it out over the past few days, the creature had shown no interest in any place beyond the Mou Kingdom.
In the end, Yangshan's banner was not yet grand enough, its reputation not yet renowned enough to hold much appeal for such a greater demon.
Still, at least he had formed a favorable bond with another greater demon, and he had gained a tremendous prize of his own:
the Luosheng Armor.
Now, he also had official business to attend to in Julu Port:
per the agreement between He Lingchuan and the Peng Kingdom, the Yangshan Archipelago's merchant guild branch in Julu Port had already opened for business, handling commerce and cargo transit, and operations were proceeding quite smoothly.
Relying on official ties with Peng authorities and backed by the wealth of the archipelago itself, the branch had gotten off to a flying start, having already closed several major deals.
Ding Zuodong, well aware of his master's intentions, had dispatched dozens of capable hands to manage this branch with special care.
Beyond conducting business, Yangshan's Julu Port branch would also serve as a hub for gathering and distributing intelligence.
Infiltrating the power of the Yangshan Archipelago step by step was merely the first phase of He Lingchuan's plan.
When He Lingchuan dropped in unannounced for an inspection, everyone at the branch grew tense, terrified that the slightest flaw might displease their supreme leader.
By the time He Lingchuan finished reviewing the ledger reports and listening to their briefings, night had already fallen.
Paying out of his own pocket, he hosted a celebratory banquet for all the branch personnel at the largest tavern in Julu Port.
Naturally, Dong Rui came along to join the party.
Needless to mention the flattery and lively atmosphere during the banquet. Though Dong Rui was an idle fellow, he was a close friend of the grand master, so people showered him with lavish praise as well. It flattered him to no end, and he ended up downing two or three extra jars of wine.
That night, they lodged in Julu Port.
Whether from drinking too much or something else, He Lingchuan actually had a dream again—and two of them in a row!
Ever since obtaining the divine bone necklace, he had lost the freedom to dream. Over these past few years, the only time he had dreamed was after acquiring the leaf of the Dao-Seeking Tree, when he traced back the past of the Dao-Seeking Tree and the Dahuan Sect in a vision.
Aside from that, whenever he fell asleep, he would only enter the Panlong World.
Chapter 1176