Outside Panlong City

He Chunhua snapped immediately, "You are nothing more than a vengeful wraith from the pot! What shame is there in offering you as sacrifice?" Yes! Chuan'er was gone long ago. What he was sacrificing was an evil spirit clad in human skin. His conscience was clear! He Lingchuan gave a humorless laugh. "Nailuotian's divine imprint mark was planted many years ago, well before our last journey into the Panlong Ruins. How do you intend to explain that away—Father?" Those last two words were squeezed from between his gritted teeth, heavy with deep bitterness and rancor. He Chunhua was struck speechless. This was a fatal point—one hit straight to the mark, leaving no possible defense. Qiu Hu spat on the ground. "Deceiving yourself and others!" He had grasped the gist of it all. This General He had openly admitted to offering a blood sacrifice to a deity, sacrificing his own flesh and blood, and accusing his eldest son of being an evil spirit... Had he gone mad? He Lingchuan let out a long laugh. "Enough, enough. After all, we were father and son. Today, I'll fulfill Father's wish! Where is Nailuotian's avatar? I'll let it descend!" Qiu Hu jumped in fright. "No, absolutely not!" This young master had always been shrewd, decisive, and capable, seeming like an enlightened leader. Was he really going to commit such utter folly at a critical moment like this? He Chunhua was also startled. The incantation on He Lingchuan's wrist was still glowing; logically, it had already taken effect. Yet after conversing with this vengeful wraith for so long, why had the celestial god Nailuotian still not descended? Sudden flashes of thunder and lightning tore across the sky. Usually, lightning was searing white, or tinged with red and purple. These bolts, however, were bizarre, flaring with a sickly green radiance. All across Panlong City, buildings, streets, and various statues were washed in an eerie green glow, making the atmosphere unsettling in the extreme. This radiance and aura belonged to Nailuotian; He Chunhua knew them well. Furthermore, the figurine in his palm began to tremble, radiating a faint green light from top to bottom, as if in resonance. The celestial god was finally descending. He Chunhua let out a quiet sigh of relief. Looking at his eldest son before him, mixed emotions churned within his chest. Let the absurdity that began over ten years ago finally come to an end today. He would finally be free of this torment. *** In the Panlong Desert. The people of the Jianyang Sect had long since left Panlong City and were camping out in the desert. One of the disciples pointed behind them and shouted, "Martial Uncle, look!" Ling Jinbao turned his head just in time to see a beam of crimson light soaring into the sky from Panlong City! Sure enough, the red light originated from within the ruins. The disciples could hardly contain their itch. "Should we head back?" Even if they couldn't get a taste of the first bowl of broth by returning to the city now, they could at least watch the spectacle, right? Ling Jinbao, however, stared blankly at the pillar of light, lost in thought. Only after the disciples asked twice did he snap back to his senses. "Stay right here!" Hadn't they come all this way to seize treasures and engage in thrilling battle? Everyone felt thoroughly deflated, but unable to disobey orders from above, they could only spread several sheets of white tarp over the sand and gravel and sit down on the dunes. Ling Jinbao simply lay down, resting his head on his arms. This damned place was scorching hot by day and freezing cold by night, but the night scenery was truly magnificent—stars hanging low over the vast, open plains. After a long while, as he yawned for the fourth time, the disciples couldn't help asking, "Martial Uncle, what are you watching?" And watching so leisurely, no less. "Watching for clues," Ling Jinbao said, taking out a waterskin to drink. "Tonight, the crimson light appeared earlier than the previous times. Why?" The previous occurrences of the red light had all been close to the latter half of the night. Tonight, it had arrived early, in the hour of the Dog. Why? What was different tonight compared to previous days? Just the arrival of adventurers? What did the Dafang Pot intend to do to the adventurers who entered the Panlong Ruins? He couldn't puzzle this out, which was why he dared not rashly remain inside the city. Naturally, the disciples had no answer to such a question, nor did Ling Jinbao expect one from them. Even as he watched and pondered, the extent of the red light suddenly shifted. From a straight, towering beam, it abruptly expanded across the entire Panlong Ruins! "Whoa!" the Jianyang Sect disciples gasped in unison. Before their eyes, the entirety of the Panlong Ruins was enveloped in crimson light! Yet this expansion lasted only two or three breaths. Immediately afterward, the red light vanished! "What happened?" The Jianyang Sect members were only a little over two hundred zhang from the South Gate of the Panlong Ruins, giving them an unobstructed view of the red light's shift. Suddenly, someone jumped to his feet. "Look at the gate! The people of Baling on the city gate are gone!" It was not only the Jianyang Sect disciples who wished to climb high for a panoramic view; the people of Baling had done so long before. Bao Guanjie had assigned three or four men to ascend the South Gate to monitor movements inside the city. From their vantage on the sand dunes, Ling Jinbao and his companions could take in the imposing South Gate and see the silhouettes of the Baling men pacing back and forth. Yet after the red light passed, the top of the gate wall was completely empty. Where were those men from Baling? Even daring cultivators with formidable skills felt their scalps tingle with dread at that moment. Had everyone in the city been swallowed by the red light? The disciples swallowed hard. "Martial Uncle Ling is truly wise!" Otherwise, they would have met the same fate as those inside! Ling Jinbao remained silent, his expression heavy. No matter how one looked at it, the red light in the city seemed like a trap. Yet even if people knew, they would still throw themselves into it like moths to a flame. Just then, Ling Jinbao noticed people on an adjacent sand dune. The party of sixteen or seventeen had arrived without anyone noticing when, all gazing toward the soaring crimson light of Panlong City just like the Jianyang Sect. There had been no shortage of adventurers in the Panlong Desert lately, so Ling Jinbao thought little of it. However, the other party actually sent someone over. Scrambling across the undulating dunes, the man asked the Jianyang Sect members, "Judging by the direction you came from, did you come out of Panlong City?" The Jianyang Sect disciples frowned at him. "Who are you?" Without so much as greeting them, he had come at them aggressively right off the bat. How utterly rude. "We are from the Heavenly Palace, here in the Panlong Desert on official business." The man did not use harsh words, but he carried an aloof arrogance that said he couldn't be bothered to waste words on them. "Oh." Ling Jinbao nodded. "Yes." Then he clamped his mouth shut. The man froze for a moment before realizing Ling Jinbao had answered his previous question. He pressed immediately, "What happened inside the city?" Ling Jinbao turned his head and told his disciples, "Let's go." They turned and walked away, ignoring the man entirely. The man hurried after them, his tone softening considerably. "Wait, everyone... If you're willing to share what you experienced inside the city, you will be richly rewarded!" Ling Jinbao ignored him, continuing on his way. The man spoke a few more words, but seeing that none of them reacted, his face hardened. "You..." "Have your superior come speak to me," Ling Jinbao cut him off. "You're not qualified." No matter how modest he was, he was still the Grand Elder of the Jianyang Sect. So what if they were from the Heavenly Palace? Could any random nobody be sent to ask him for directions? The man opened his mouth, but seeing Ling Jinbao walking away again, he had no choice but to turn and dash back. It was unclear how they conferred on the other side, but the man pointed at the Jianyang Sect party as he spoke, evidently saying nothing flattering. Soon after, the leader of the other party walked over. The man was around fifty years old, slender in build, with a neatly trimmed beard that gave him an exceptionally sharp, energetic appearance. "Apologies. This acolyte of mine was taken in only recently and lacks manners," he said, cupping his fists in greeting upon arrival. "May I ask how to address you, sir?" "Jianyang Sect, Ling Jinbao." "Mr. Ling." The man smiled. "I am He Jing, Duyun Emissary of Zhaixing Tower. I have come to the Panlong Desert on official business by order of the Heavenly Palace." Ling Jinbao was visibly moved. A Duyun Emissary? This smirking fellow was actually a Duyun Emissary? The Heavenly Palace of Lingxu City was renowned across the realm. Beneath the Chief Duyun Emissary were four Duyun Emissaries, noble in standing and transcendent in status—even the Demon Emperor of Beijia treated them with deference. How could a figure of such stature suddenly appear at Panlong City, ten thousand li away from Mount Xu? Had he come for the Dafang Pot? That speed was almost impossibly fast. Beijia was vast. Word of the strange occurrences in the Panlong Desert would take time to travel from the far west of the Yuan Kingdom to Lingxu City, and for this Duyun Emissary to set out from Lingxu City upon receiving the news and rush here would also take a great deal of time. How had he arrived so promptly, just in time for the emergence of the Dafang Pot? "So it is Emissary He." Confronted with a figure of this caliber, Ling Jinbao decided to quit while he was ahead. "We took a few turns around the city, saw that everything was completely ruined with nothing new going on, and came out." In a few brief sentences, he recounted what he had observed in the city earlier. He Jing pressed, "Just now, the crimson light flashed suddenly, which might signal the emergence of an extraordinary treasure. Why didn't you return to the city, Mr. Ling?" Ling Jinbao looked back at the pillar of red light and shook his head. "I had a bad premonition about it. I don't care to go back." Just then, one of He Jing's subordinates rushed over holding a mirror. "My Lord Emissary, there are images in the Haofang Mirror!" Images? Out of curiosity, Ling Jinbao paused and looked over, only to see that what was reflected in the mirror was not He Jing's face, but rapidly shifting scenes. Dilapidated buildings, orderly streets, and the fleeting image of a flood dragon head painted on half an earthen wall... Oh? He had seen that design inside Panlong City earlier. In other words, what was appearing in the mirror was the scene inside Panlong City? Moreover, this manner of projection was as if the mirror was borrowing someone's field of view—whatever that person saw, He Jing could see as well. Ling Jinbao leaned in to peek from the side. He Jing frowned slightly, but then pointed at the image and asked him: "Mr. Ling, what group is this?" "Those?" Ling Jinbao had a decent understanding of the factions currently in Panlong City. "They seem to be Andongese." "Andongese?" Ling Jinbao pointed north. "They share the Panlong Desert border with the Yuan Kingdom. I heard they launched a sneak attack on Blackwater City just a few days ago and suffered a crushing defeat." He Jing let out an "oh." Ling Jinbao simply identified all the different factions appearing in the images for him, one by one. Upon hearing that the Grand Marshal, the Yuan army's arch-nemesis, had also sent men to the scene, He Jing's brow furrowed. "Is it sheer coincidence? So many different factions have converged on Panlong City tonight, and they even share grievances against one another." "A few days ago, the strange anomalies in Panlong City intensified, and an illusory city even appeared in the sky above it. Who wouldn't want to come investigate?" Ling Jinbao glanced at He Jing. "It seems to me that Emissary He came for the same reason. Why didn't you go in earlier?" The Heavenly Palace had clearly sent two groups. Why had Zhang Lianhai entered Panlong City while this high official surnamed He remained outside? Ling Jinbao had a hunch that He Jing had arrived long ago, but had simply chosen not to enter. Regarding the major news in Beijia some time ago, he had only heard that the mountain spirit of Mount Xu had rebelled and that Zhaixing Tower and Lingxu City had fallen into turmoil. He did not know that Zhaixing Tower had lost a divine artifact, and that it was tied to the Dafang Pot.