Yet He Jing had held out until this very moment.
Fu Liang caught the item, slotted profound crystals into the formation plate, and muttered an incantation under his breath, sacrificing three years of his lifespan.
The others drew the Que Beast King’s attention to buy him time.
At last, the array on the bronze talisman flared to life, though Fu Liang looked visibly more withered, the hands holding the talisman trembling uncontrollably.
"It's ready!"
A temporary consumable teleportation array like this demanded a heavy price.
The remaining two attendants breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, they could get out!
Their fearlessness in battle did not mean they wished to die. Especially after watching their comrades dragged into beastly maws, their brains and viscera strewn across the ground, who wouldn't feel a chill of dread?
To their shock, He Jing took the talisman, barked "Fall back!" at them, and flung it onto the ground in front of him!
The talisman array activated. With it as the center, intricate lines rapidly spread across the ground over a radius of two zhang.
The Que beasts stepping into its bounds vanished with a whoosh.
They weren't dead; they had been teleported to the ruins three li away, where the other talisman plate for the Lesser Mountain-Moving Array was situated.
Moreover, it was a one-way teleportation array that would last no longer than twenty breaths.
The Heavenly Palace's custom bronze talisman for the Lesser Mountain-Moving Array boasted a maximum teleportation range of over three li. In this age of declining spiritual energy, such a distance was utterly outrageous for a non-stationary teleportation array.
Fitting a grand hall inside a snail shell—this single array represented the painstaking blood and sweat of countless Heavenly Palace talisman masters.
The Lesser Mountain-Moving Array Fu Shanyue had used in the Baoshu vassal demon kingdom had been drawn on the spot, with an effective range of less than one hundred and twenty zhang.
The Que Beast King charging at the Heavenly Palace squad failed to stop its momentum and was teleported away just before crashing into its foes.
Watching the Lesser Mountain-Moving Array flash repeatedly as Que beasts vanished from the battlefield one after another, He Lingchuan could hardly keep himself from slapping the wall in sheer admiration.
Normally used to save one's own skin, this array had been used in reverse by He Jing to instantly cast formidable foes far away.
To retain the clarity of mind to devise such a maneuver in dire extremity—the man possessed a truly brilliant head.
If the Dafang Pot was claimed, the secret realm would likely collapse, winning He Jing and the surviving three a narrow chance at survival.
Yet if they failed to unearth the Dafang Pot, they wouldn't even have an escape route left!
Had they used the Lesser Mountain-Moving Array to flee, they could have at least holed up until the other squads were wiped out by the Que beasts.
Life was precious; every extra moment lived was a victory.
Only by surviving could one bide their time and plan anew.
Yet He Jing had plunged into death to find life, staking everything on a single gamble.
Could a man so ruthless toward himself show any mercy to his enemies?
He truly lived up to his rank as one of the Heavenly Palace's Four Great Duyun Emissaries, rivaling Bai Ziqi in his own right.
At that thought, He Lingchuan’s killing intent flared.
Under no circumstances could this wretch be allowed to escape the Panlong Realm!
Several dozen zhang away, lurking amid the ruins, Qiu Hu finally received the directive transmitted through the eyeball spider.
"Strike!" He Lingchuan's instruction was crisp and direct. "Don't seize the pot, only kill!"
Qiu Hu instantly slipped on his mask, ducked low, and darted forward.
Amid the chaotic melee around General Red's Cenotaph, no one noticed a minor anomaly occurring in front of the distant Mitian Temple:
The soaring crimson pillar of light had long since vanished. With neither humans nor Que beasts before it, the front of the temple lay completely desolate.
Right at that moment, a speck of emerald light suddenly surfaced from the pool-well!
Lush and vivid, like a firefly.
Emerging into the open, it circled half a turn above the well as if getting its bearings, then silently drifted toward General Red's Cenotaph.
Had He Lingchuan seen this, it surely would have made his flesh crawl.
Unfortunately, he could not.
***
The beast pack's numbers were instantly cut in half, and the Que Beast King had been teleported away.
Without its driving command, the remaining Que beasts' attacks weakened considerably, no longer fighting with the same desperate fervor.
He Jing pointed at the hard ice beside him. "Dig it out, quick!"
The enemy had only been temporarily cleared from the scene. For the Que Beast King, wasn't a distance of three li merely a matter of taking a few strides?
The time bought by the Lesser Mountain-Moving Array was exceedingly brief.
Of the devouring child ji beasts, only the mantis-like one remained alive, battling the surrounding Que beasts on their behalf. But being relatively small, it was agile yet lacked brute strength, frequently snagged by the freezing frost spat by the beasts. Its body grew steadily heavier, its movements less nimble.
In the end, two Que beasts clamped onto it simultaneously, wrenching violently in opposite directions.
*Crack-squelch!* Head separated from body.
Yet it had bought the four men from the Heavenly Palace precious time. Disregarding everything else, they chipped away at the ice with all their might, making notably faster progress.
After waging war for so long, the divine abilities and magic artifacts in their hands were entirely depleted, leaving only their remaining stamina.
If they didn't spend it now, they would never have another chance.
He Jing tried several times to wrench the Dafang Pot free, but still failed to dislodge it.
Fu Liang yelled, "Dig it out along with the gauntlets!"
The ice clinging to the gauntlets was nearly cleared away.
He Jing gritted his teeth in silence.
That this suit of armor gripped the Dafang Pot with such tenacity was downright bizarre.
Why on earth was the Que Beast King guarding the Dafang Pot with its life? The question surfaced inexplicably in his mind once more.
Just then, Fu Liang let out a cheer: "It's loose, it's loose..."
General Red's armor had loosened. The helmet unexpectedly slipped off on its own, tumbling down to cover the gauntlets.
Fu Liang was quick on his feet, scooping up the helmet, but the whistle of slicing air erupted behind him.
*Swish, swish!* Several concealed arrows shot toward them, avoided by the four men.
Over a dozen figures burst from the nearby ruins, sprinting toward General Red's Cenotaph in broad strides.
Every newcomer wore a mask, uttering not a word as they raised their weapons and slashed.
With He Jing's cultivation level, when would he ever have cared about such small fry under normal circumstances? Regrettably, plagued by internal injuries and drained of strength, every lift of his arms brought excruciating pain stabbing through his chest.
The two leading assailants focused entirely on pinning him down, while the rest went for the Dafang Pot.
Seeing that the situation had turned sour, He Jing barked in a low voice, "Retreat..."
Surveying the surroundings, he saw shadowy figures moving across the low hill opposite them—quite a few people were still rushing this way. He couldn't tell whether they were Bao Guanjie's men or another faction altogether.
Wolves encircled them on all sides; their position was indefensible.
A beastly roar came from not far off, carried over on the evening breeze.
It was the furious bellow of the Que Beast King. This meant the beast pack hurled three li away would soon return to General Red's Cenotaph.
They had twenty breaths of time at most, not even enough to finish unearthing the treasure.
Deciding decisively, He Jing resolved to pull back and leave the pressure for these enemies to bear.
Yet Fu Liang and the other two attendants were burning with rage. How valiant had their own stand against the Que beasts been just now, while these cowards shrank on the sidelines watching the show, not daring to step in?
Now that the Que beasts were gone, they wanted to swoop in and reap the spoils?
Just as He Jing gave the command, Fu Liang let loose a torrent of abuse: "Bao Guanjie, if you want to rob us, do it out in the open! Don't think putting on a mask means nobody recognizes you!"
The opposing leader froze.
Darkness swam before He Jing's eyes.
Fu Liang had cursed so smoothly that He Jing hadn't even had time to cover his mouth. He stomped his foot in fury. "Idiot!"
What was the point of mouthing off? Calling out the enemy's identity—was he practically begging them to silence witnesses?
Sure enough, the opposing leader barked in a hushed tone:
"Kill them, leave none alive!"
The enemy's techniques turned vicious in an instant, every strike aimed straight at their vitals.
They had all donned masks precisely to avoid being recognized by the Heavenly Palace squad. If they succeeded in taking the treasure and He Jing recognized their faces, the nation behind them would suffer catastrophic retribution.
The might of Lingxu City was feared throughout the world.
Now that the Heavenly Palace squad had shouted Bao Guanjie's name aloud, they had to go through with it—they must silence all witnesses!
This had also stemmed from the customary arrogance of Heavenly Palace retainers, who had never imagined a trivial, petty state would genuinely dare to take their lives.
Right then, another six or seven figures rushed in to join the battlefield.
They lacked masks, not being as thoroughly prepared as Bao Guanjie, but they had smeared soot and ash across their faces. Looking like Kitchen Gods, it was impossible to tell who was who in the darkness.
Around General Red's armor, a chaotic din of clashes broke out.
These newcomers all lunged straight for the Dafang Pot, drawing off the attacks of the people of Baling and lightening the pressure on He Jing instead.
Bao Guanjie's eyes flicked around before he bellowed, "Yuezheng Qing, you won't take the Dafang Pot!"
The man opposite him was indeed Yuezheng Qing. Hearing Bao Guanjie blurt out his name, he flared with rage and cleaved a blade straight at him. Earlier, Tao Ran had fired explosive arrows toward their hiding spot to bait the Que beasts into attacking them. Yet Yuezheng Qing had reacted with lightning speed, leading his men in an immediate sprint to slip away before the beast horde arrived, losing only a few people.
Dodging the blow, Bao Guanjie continued to incite: "The Heavenly Palace will remember you, lackey of Dong Haoming!"
With everyone's disguises blown, there was no turning back—better to wipe out the Heavenly Palace squad together!
How could He Jing let him have his way? Catching his breath, he barked, "Yuezheng Qing, help me eliminate these men, and Beijia will dispatch troops on Dong Haoming's behalf! The Yuan Kingdom will fall right into your hands!"
Yuezheng Qing's gaze wavered at once.
He had come to the Panlong Desert to seize the treasure under Dong Haoming's orders, which at the end of the day was meant to aid their campaign. If Beijia was truly willing to send troops to support the Grand Marshal, it would settle the war in one fell swoop, leaving the Yuan Kingdom with no hope of survival.
What would be wrong with yielding the pot to them?
He Jing's words had struck the bullseye, instantly shaking his resolve to fight.
If Yuezheng Qing aided He Jing at this critical juncture, he would certainly earn the Heavenly Palace's goodwill afterward—something no amount of money could buy.
Over on the other side, Fu Liang parried an axe from a Baling fighter and was just about to turn around when he heard a soft *thwip*, accompanied by a cold sensation plunging through his heart.
He looked down, only to see a bloody blade tip protruding from his chest.
Fu Liang opened his mouth to speak, but his fingers slipped, his weapon clattering to the ground.
He looked up at He Jing once more, his eyes filled with terror and longing, before he slowly collapsed.
"Who, who did that!" He Jing roared in fury. Behind Fu Liang, he saw a man wearing a calico cat mask retreating swiftly, the long saber in his hand dripping fresh blood. He Jing snatched out a withered pinecone and shook it twice toward him in rapid succession: "Kill him!"
This was no real pinecone, but an object carved from seabed wood. With a single shake, four or five demonic beasts emerged from within—bear demons and wolf demons, all mummified husks—lunging straight at Fu Liang's killer the moment their feet hit the ground.
They were immense and grotesque in form, yet possessed startling speed. When a man from Baling crossed the bear demon's path, the beast casually lashed out twice with its paws, tearing his ribcage wide open.
Everyone had assumed He Jing was at the end of his rope and sought to pick on an easy target, only to watch him deploy such lethal means, filling them with dread.
Yet what they did not know was that this final trump card of He Jing's had originally been saved for someone else—
No matter how perilous the battle against the Que beasts had been, he had never forgotten that a formidable enemy still lurked in the shadows: the treasure thief who had thrown Mount Xu into turmoil!
That wretch had orchestrated everything; surely he would show himself in the end?
Yet plans could never keep up with changes. If he did not use this final reserve now, He Jing would lose his own life right here.
Chapter 845