Loud thuds echoed in all directions as the rock-fire colossus scuffled with something.
Naturally, Juju was no pushover. Seizing an opportune moment, it bounded out of the ground in a couple of leaps, landing less than fifty zhang from Zhu Erniang.
At that moment, Zhu Erniang had just dodged a thrust. Baizhantian's spear plunged into the ground, causing the earth within a five-zhang radius centered on the spear tip to completely disintegrate.
This was a rocky mountain tempered by countless years of wind, frost, and the elements, yet a zhang-deep chunk of it was swallowed away in utter silence!
Not an explosion, not a blast—annihilation.
Sand, gravel, grass roots, and shrubs turned instantly into black smoke, leaving nothing behind.
He Lingchuan watched with rising dread. What would happen if a spear thrust like that hit flesh and blood?
At the very least, he knew he couldn't survive it.
Moreover, he could tell Baizhantian had held back considerably on this strike, confining the area of effect right beneath Zhu Erniang's feet rather than letting it spread wide.
In other words, the celestial god hadn't exerted full power at all.
With a quick glance, He Lingchuan noticed that aside from a glaring bloody hole in her back, there were also multiple splits and tears across her face and hands.
These wounds were relatively small, unlike anything Zhu Erniang would inflict, and the skin curled outward as if split open from internal strain.
Every bloody laceration looked like a gaping mouth.
Poor Lu Shishi—originally a lovely, delicate maiden, she now had peeling flesh and bleeding wounds, paired with a cold, piercing gaze that made her look no different from a yaksha.
Just then, another colossal beast surged to the surface right behind them.
Sure enough, Chenyuan had arrived.
"Come on!" Without a second word, Juju reached down to scoop up Zhu Erniang.
Thanks to its towering frame and long arms, it didn't even need to bend down to cover fifteen zhang.
Celestial God Baizhan, locked in combat with Zhu Erniang, thrust the spear forward.
A glint of golden light gleamed on the spearhead. Though it looked less than a toy compared to Juju's massive size, should it strike home, that destructive force would certainly leave Juju with an unforgettable lesson.
Sensing danger, the rock-fire colossus hurled several volcanic boulders veined with faint red patterns at her, each weighing tens of thousands of jin.
Celestial God Baizhan dodged two and raised the spear to detonate the last one.
The magma trapped inside erupted instantly, but strangely sprayed in a single direction—right toward Zhu Erniang.
The Spider Immortal was no slouch either. She sprayed a blast of webbing at the magma and pushed off with all eight legs, leaping straight into Juju's palm.
Despite her thick, hefty legs, she possessed every single ability of a burrow spider. For such a bulbous body, her leap carried a startling sense of agility.
Juju scooped up the Spider Immortal and dived downward, vanishing like a great fish plunging into water.
The motion was so seamless that Baizhantian couldn't interrupt it in time.
The rock-fire monstrosity's massive silhouette disappeared from the surface, leaving behind only the wrecked forest.
Chenyuan opened its maw toward Baizhantian. The latter frowned, unsure of its intention, until National Preceptor Qingyang appeared standing inside the beast's mouth, calling to her, "Get in, we're pursuing!"
So that was it.
Baizhantian jumped into Chenyuan's gaping maw as well, and the beast likewise burrowed straight into the earth.
Its two passenger slots were full.
Yet its movements were noticeably less nimble than Juju's. A mountain spirit enfeoffed by the Demon Emperor was simply no match for one naturally born and nurtured of heaven and earth.
As Juju traversed the subterranean depths, He Lingchuan said directly to Zhu Erniang, "Tell him to rush to Qianxin Rock, immediately!"
This "him" naturally referred to Dong Rui.
Dong Rui had said he would only wait two quarters of an hour. Once the time elapsed, he would flee on his own.
Yet from the moment the operation began until now, less than one quarter of an hour had passed.
All those hairbreadth escapes, sudden turns of fortune, and earth-shattering shocks had been densely packed into this single quarter-hour.
He Lingchuan had never felt time pass so slowly.
Dong Rui also held an eyeball spider, and as long as it stayed within thirty li of Zhu Erniang, they could communicate in real time.
Which meant Zhu Erniang not only shared vision with both He Lingchuan and Dong Rui simultaneously, but could also speak to the two of them at once.
Zhu Erniang complied.
Qianxin Rock lay outside the territory of Mount Xu. Reaching it would theoretically mean clearing Mount Xu's domain.
He Lingchuan asked Zhu Erniang again, "Do you have bad blood with Baizhantian?"
Zhu Erniang merely snorted, offering no answer.
Then that was a yes.
A few breaths later, the gloom before He Lingchuan's eyes brightened as Juju broke through to the surface once more.
Mount Xu was like its own back garden; no matter how remote the nook or cranny, it would never lose its way.
"Mount Xu's border ends here. Let me give you one last send-off!" Juju hurled them forward with tremendous force, sending the Spider Immortal flying over a thousand zhang away!
Clinging to Zhu Erniang's forehead as they sailed through the air like riding the wind and clouds, He Lingchuan heard Juju's delighted laughter echoing behind them:
"Ahahaha! The pact is fulfilled—we owe each other nothing!"
He Lingchuan looked down and saw the silver bracelet on his wrist shatter into pieces with a snap.
His agreement with Juju had been meticulous: it required Juju to escort them safely out past northern Tianji Peak and clear the territory of Mount Xu for it to count.
It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to push for more, but agreements of this sort usually required both sides to give ground before a consensus could be reached.
This was already the limit of Juju's patience.
Evidently, the key conditions—"safely," "northern Tianji Peak," and "clear Mount Xu's territory"—had all been satisfied. The contract was deemed complete, and the Chain of Oaths immediately dissolved.
The final shackle binding Juju was cast off.
How could it not rejoice?
From this moment on, it could act entirely as it pleased.
Barely seven or eight breaths later, Chenyuan surged up from the ground behind it, lunging with claws bared.
Chief Duyun Emissary had no intention of showing mercy to this turncoat servant.
"Stop fighting, stop fighting!" Juju shouted, evading the attacks. "They're already gone! Stop now, and I'll tell you where they went!"
Chenyuan ignored it and pressed the attack.
Everyone knew how cunning this fiend was; it might well be trying to stall for time.
Parrying two blows, Juju roared furiously, "Chief Duyun Emissary, have you gone senile with age? What good does tangling with me do? Keep fighting me, and they'll really get away!"
Chenyuan's maw opened wide, and two figures leaped out onto a nearby knoll:
"Which way did they go?"
Juju pointed a finger. "They want to go to Qianxin Rock. I threw them south of the rock—you can still cut them off in time!"
The two figures transformed into streaks of light and shot southward in a flash.
"How about making peace?" Juju turned back to Chenyuan. "This ji beast isn't easy to ride, is it? How much longer can you hold on?"
It had clashed with ji beasts more than once before, and knew these monsters fought purely on instinct. If it was acting with such discipline and method now, even carrying passengers in pursuit, it had to be under external control.
Controlling such a colossal beast drained immense mental effort every second. A human couldn't hold out for long.
Chief Duyun Emissary sneered through the beast. "You just don't want to fight Heavenly Venerable Baizhan, isn't that it?"
Against Chenyuan alone, Juju had decent odds of winning. But add Baizhantian, who had descended into a divine vessel?
Plus National Preceptor Qingyang.
Three against one, Juju's best response would be avoiding the fight entirely and diving into the core of the earth.
"We've been neighbors for so many years, what's there to fight over?" Juju cackled twice. "How about I return the Map of Mountains and Rivers to show my good faith?"
The moment it regained its freedom, it elevated its own status from Lingxu City's mountain-guarding beast to neighbor of the gods.
Chief Duyun Emissary's thoughts churned rapidly as well.
The ji beast's struggles were growing more violent; pressing on would risk severe backlash. Once his soul's vitality was exhausted and could no longer return to his true body, the esteemed Chief Duyun Emissary would be reduced to a walking corpse.
He certainly had no wish to suffer such a fate.
Besides, if they didn't make peace with Juju and let the rock-fire monstrosity keep rampaging, what benefit would that bring the Heavenly Palace, Mount Xu, or Lingxu City?
Zhaixing Tower was ruined and the divine relic stolen, with Juju serving as a major accomplice. The celestial gods and the Heavenly Palace were naturally loath to let it off so easily. But what was done was done; damage control was what mattered most now.
In the end, the Heavenly Palace would likely have to grit its teeth and swallow this bitter pill.
With that thought, Chenyuan ceased its attacks, its voice rumbling like thunder: "Come back with me to Zhaixing Tower to hear the divine decree!"
Ultimately, this decision belonged to the celestial gods.
As for the crime of being an accomplice, there would be plenty of time to settle that score later!
Juju gave a dry chuckle and raised no objection.
To bargain, one needed someone with the authority to make the call. Besides, Chief Duyun Emissary couldn't control Chenyuan for much longer anyway; all the bargaining chips lay in its hands.
...
After soaring through the air for dozens of zhang, He Lingchuan suddenly blurted out, "The direction is wrong—it's backwards!"
They were clearly heading north toward Qianxin Rock, but Juju had thrown them south—going entirely in the wrong direction!
Still airborne, Zhu Erniang shot out strands of spider silk to latch onto the tree canopy below, forcefully braking herself.
Snapping four or five trees in succession, she finally dropped back to earth.
He Lingchuan asked the little fire figure, "What's wrong with you?"
Juju chuckled, "Threw the wrong way, threw the wrong way! Just run a few extra steps."
He Lingchuan gave a calm "Oh," then abruptly snatched the little fire figure on his shoulder, feeding it directly to the divine bone necklace before it could react!
"Juju turned coat! It's trying to get us killed!" He Lingchuan reacted with lightning speed. "Tell Dong Rui to come support us!"
Now that Juju had turned against them, he couldn't leave the little fire figure around to eavesdrop on their plans.
Zhu Erniang moved her eight legs, scurrying northward while falling silent for several breaths, evidently communicating with Dong Rui.
Only then did she speak: "No good. This is saline-alkaline land. He says his mount can't cross it."
"Damn it! Then we'll run over on foot."
No wonder the trees here were sparse, and even the thickest couldn't span two arm-spans: the soil was bad. Some frogs could survive in brackish or salty water, but the ghost toad was almost certainly not among them. What was more, Dong Rui had created that demon puppet by fusing two creatures together, and one of them was a giant snail...
Need anything be said about how snails reacted to salt?
Whether Juju had done this intentionally or not, it had thrown a massive wrench into He Lingchuan's escape.
Damn it all, that bastard really was no good.
Once the Chain of Oaths dissolved, the two contracted parties had no remaining ties. The moment Juju turned on them, He Lingchuan struck back in retaliation without hesitation.
The divine bone had coveted that fire avatar for days, and only now did it finally get to feast upon it.
Allies who were fighting shoulder-to-shoulder just moments ago had dissolved partnership and undermined each other the second the Chain of Oaths was undone.
Having lived for thousands of years, Zhu Erniang had seen every bizarre thing under the sun. She immediately asked He Lingchuan, "Does it want to sell us out?"
"Without a doubt," He Lingchuan replied, grasping the stakes in an instant.
Juju was bent on escaping containment, but it never planned to completely sever ties with the Heavenly Palace. All it wanted was to throw its weight around, teach these ungrateful Beijia folk a harsh lesson, and make peace afterward.
Chapter 698