Erniang, You're Finally Awake

He Lingchuan watched with his own eyes as a wisp of white smoke drifted out from the xun, circling Zhu Erniang's demon immortal shed husk twice. It was an illusory phantom resembling a tiny spider half a finger long. To his surprise, wings sprouted from its back, vibrating like those of a bee, while all eight of its legs clutched a small, round, flattened white clump. During their earlier planning, the eyeball spider had explained that this was called a soul cocoon. Zhu Erniang's shed husk was far more than an empty shell. It possessed soft internal tissues, retaining muscle, trace internal organs, and dozens of egg sacs. The spider eggs remained viable. Having seen Zhu Erniang's army of burrow spiders, He Lingchuan knew her eggs could spawn all manner of diverse progeny. Yet that alone was far from enough to unleash the power of a demon immortal's body. The soul cocoon sealed within the xun preserved a portion of Zhu Erniang's primary consciousness. Once it entered the husk, it would immediately stimulate the spider eggs—not to produce offspring, but to grow into the additional internal organs, muscle, glands, and soft tissues the husk required. Simply put, the spider eggs would turn into the flesh and blood filling the husk, allowing Zhu Erniang to command it far more effectively. Such unfathomable immortal arts were something He Lingchuan could follow in principle, even if he couldn't fully comprehend the mechanics. "Simply put, this is equivalent to an external avatar?" "You could put it that way." At this moment, the husk remained as steadfast as a mountain, golden glints sweeping across its surface from time to time. Eight crystal pillars carved with runes gleamed with that same golden light. He Lingchuan could tell at a glance that there were at least several restrictions placed on the husk to prevent outsiders from approaching or moving it. If he rashly touched it, his end might not be any better than when he had slammed into the glazed dome earlier. As for how these restrictions operated or how they could be dispelled, he didn't have the slightest clue. The celestial gods had truly layered protection upon protection around this formation core, tampering even with the shed husk itself. He Lingchuan had done everything within his power. For the rest, he was utterly helpless; it was all up to Zhu Erniang now. Just as He Lingchuan worried whether the little spider could approach the husk, the demon immortal husk's chelicerae suddenly parted on their own. Compared to its immense frame, a spider's mouthparts could truly be called dainty. Yet to the tiny winged spider, it was a cavernous maw. Accelerating forward, it flew in, and the husk lunged forward in a sudden snap, swallowing the little spider whole. Cold sweat broke out on He Lingchuan as he watched. This husk had sat vacant for many years, yet it could now move on its own; the only explanation was that the bond between it and Zhu Erniang was extraordinarily tight. In just those few breaths of time, the stone golem could no longer withstand the tempestuous onslaught and was forced to collapse into a heap of rubble. With it gone, He Lingchuan had to step up himself. Using his heavy shield to plug the breach, he braced his shoulder hard against it, channeling strength through his waist and legs in a Thousand-Jin Drop. The attacks from outside immediately rained down upon the shield. Forces clashing from inside and out, the fight ground into an immediate stalemate. Fortunately, the hole was small, so only a limited number of enemies could strike the shield face, and they also had to avoid brushing against the Lightning Pool. After holding out for less than a few breaths like this, Juju's avatar suddenly shouted a warning: "Get away from the glazed dome, quick, quick, quick!" The ice coating the glazed dome was rapidly receding, the frost thinning out, showing that the cold ice talisman's potency was wearing off. The formation core possessed a steady, sustained energy supply; a cold ice talisman purported to freeze half a mountain peak could only stay it for a brief moment. He Lingchuan did not dare tarry, leaping backward in a great stride. Without the mirror shield blocking the way, the enemies immediately wriggled through the breach. First, that lamp spirit squeezed through the gap, lunging straight for He Lingchuan's face. Two glazed beasts leaped across as well, their backs taking two arrows from their own allies. A guard pressed in right behind them. Yet right at that instant, the cold ice talisman's effect vanished completely. The ice melted away, and molten glaze flowed down, seamlessly mending the gap. The original formation inscribed upon the glazed dome snapped back into effect simultaneously! The guard was only halfway through crawling in—head inside, legs outside—when the molten glaze came pouring down. He screamed in agony before the formation sheared him clean in two at the waist! Far more excruciating than execution by waist-severing, he did not die immediately, writhing and howling in torment upon the floor. The sight struck terror into the remaining guards outside. The glazed dome had returned to its original state, walling them off on the outside instead. This turned out to be quite the turnabout—those inside couldn't get out, and those outside couldn't get in. Unless the Chief Duyun Emissary came in person, no one else could open this circular dome. Furthermore, the devastatingly potent Lightning Pool had turned into an obstacle for them instead. The enemies He Lingchuan had to deal with temporarily dwindled to three: two glazed beasts pounced in the blink of an eye, while the lamp spirit slipped sinisterly around to his rear, poised to coordinate an ambush with its comrades up front. He Lingchuan had no fear of glazed beasts. Struck by ordinary blades, they could recover immediately, but unfortunately for them, they had crossed paths with Fusheng. This blade excelled at cleaving formless, bodiless foes—the bane of shapeless monsters like glazed beasts. Yet he was wary of the lamp spirit. The lamp spirit commanded by Bai Ziqi had left a deep impression on him before. "Behind you!" Juju warned him as well. Before the formation core was broken, it could not make a move, reduced to serving as He Lingchuan's little early-warning radar. Just then, an unfamiliar voice rang out: "Close your eyes, and don't turn around!" Juju was startled. "What is that?!" Aside from the youth and a spider smaller than a fingernail, could there be a third living being here? Cleaving a glazed beast apart with a slash of his blade, He Lingchuan shut his eyes just as told. Because the moment he heard it, he knew whose voice it was: Zhu Erniang! She had finally responded. At this moment, He Lingchuan found her voice sweeter to the ears than any celestial maiden from the highest heavens! He left his back exposed to the lamp spirit, which naturally showed no mercy, making a sharp swerve and lunging straight for him. Just as it was about to pounce upon He Lingchuan, a blinding glare suddenly blasted from behind! The light was so dazzlingly intense, as if the blazing sun had been gathered and focused into a single narrow beam. The guards outside the glazed dome facing directly into it felt their vision turn stark, blinding white—clean of everything, unable to see a thing. The entire formation core seemed to have been shoved directly beneath the scorching sun. Even though He Lingchuan had his back to the light source with his eyes shut tight, he could still sense an overpowering brightness through his eyelids. Amid this blinding brilliance, the lamp spirit was like snow falling onto a glowing brazier, disintegrating without a sound. Fortunately, the brilliant flash lasted only a fleeting instant. When He Lingchuan opened his eyes, normal illumination had returned inside the glazed dome, but the guards outside were rolling all over the ground, clutching their eyes and shrieking in agony. The harsh glare wasn't fatal, but it had blinded them. He Lingchuan turned his head, just in time to see Zhu Erniang's husk stir. One of the glazed pillars had been dislodged at some unknown moment, still dangling from its leg. Crackling pops echoed through its entire body, like joints stretching out. After all, this husk had remained motionless for a very, very long time. "Erniang, you're finally awake!" He Lingchuan was nearly moved to tears. He saw flashes of golden light still flickering across the giant spider. The restrictions laid down by the celestial gods had not yet failed. "Pick up the lamp on the floor," Zhu Erniang's voice said. It did not originate from the husk, but was transmitted through the eyeball spider, ringing right beside He Lingchuan's ear. "A formidable foe approaches!" He Lingchuan did not dare hesitate. Spotting a small glazed lamp lying beside its leg, he scooped it up at once. This seemed to be the precious lamp originally used to project the diagram from the demon husk's abdomen. Given its ability to shine clean through the spider demon's thick abdomen and cast the diagram outward, its penetrating power was beyond question. A fine treasure—better stash it away quickly. At this time, the other seven glazed pillars flared with intense golden light, as though attempting to forcefully pin the spider immortal in place. Zhu Erniang contracted her body as tightly as she could, balling herself into an oversized leather sphere, and then violently thrust all eight legs outward! With several crisp cracks, five of the seven glazed pillars snapped instantly! Though their binding power was astonishing, Zhu Erniang's husk was the physical form of an ancient demon immortal; how could it be so easily restrained? Besides, when the celestial gods designed these glazed pillars, how could they have foreseen that a quietly dormant husk would suddenly leap, move, and exert brute strength? These eight pillars were originally meant merely to secure it in place so the star chart on the spider husk's abdomen wouldn't shift out of position. Now that Zhu Erniang had reclaimed her demon immortal body, what could a few measly pillars accomplish? They snapped right before their eyes, naturally. The golden light restrictions around Zhu Erniang finally vanished. Guided by the philosophy of thrift and avoiding waste, He Lingchuan snatched up a broken glazed pillar and threw it into his storage ring. How could something used by the celestial gods in the core of the Spirit Gathering Grand Formation possibly be ordinary? The only reason he didn't take more was that these things were simply too massive and heavy; his storage ring couldn't hold them all. *Sigh, once I escape Lingxu City, I really must find a way to get a larger-capacity storage ring. Otherwise, entering a mountain of treasures only to return empty-handed—even Heaven would hold it against me.* Once he secured the little lamp, Zhu Erniang seemed to draw in a breath. The star chart on her abdomen dimmed rapidly, fading completely from sight in the blink of an eye. With that, the Spirit Gathering Grand Formation's most vital bridge for communing with heaven and earth was gone. The glazed dome suddenly vanished, and the beasts swimming back and forth across the ring of stars froze in an instant. All these formation restrictions relied entirely on the spiritual energy gathered by the Spirit Gathering Grand Formation to operate. Now that the core of the Spirit Gathering Grand Formation was broken, they were abruptly deprived of their power source. Even the formation core itself lost its cloaking effect, manifesting in plain view above Kaiyang Peak. Then, He Lingchuan heard Juju's earth-shattering, wild laughter echoing from all directions: "I am free! I am free once more!" The voice shook the wilderness, echoing throughout the mountains. ... The light of the Splendid Picture of Mountains and Rivers suddenly dimmed, leaving everyone inside Zhaixing Tower dumbfounded. How long had it even been from start to finish? The formation core was already shattered? Even standing beside the Picture of Mountains and Rivers and witnessing the entire process with their own eyes, they still found it hard to believe. How could such a thing happen? Visible to the naked eye, there was only a single intruder, and he hadn't even displayed any earth-shattering divine abilities. How could he possibly break through formations designed by celestial gods themselves, one after another? Most absurd of all, the spider immortal husk serving as the formation core's sacred relic had suddenly come to life! The figures qualified to stand in Zhaixing Tower at this moment were all people of high status and keen discernment. They could tell at a glance that the spider husk had been activated by the intruder, though by what means remained unknown. This ancient demon immortal's spider husk had been rigid and inert for over a dozen years, and it had undergone layer upon layer of thorough inspections before being incorporated into the formation. Bai Ziqi said urgently, "The intruder is inextricably linked to the original owner of that immortal husk." Yet the clan that had offered up the spider husk had long since been demoted and banished from the capital; where could they possibly find someone to unravel the story on such short notice? "If the immortal husk is viewed as an avatar, an ancient archdemon activating her own avatar is hardly unheard of," Chief Duyun Emissary said with an ashen face. "Release Chenyuan immediately! We cannot let Juju destroy Zhaixing Tower! Where is Xiaori?!" A subordinate immediately reported, "It will take another half an incense stick of time, especially since Chenyuan has not yet been properly placated..." From the moment anomalies arose in the formation core until now, less than forty-five breaths had passed. It was simply too abrupt! "Release them at once!"