Chapter 1113: Divergent Opinions

"Our Cave Spider clan is already exceptionally gifted in our innate abilities and methods, yet every time I molt, I still face the threat of the 'Womb Enigma,'" Zhu Erniang said faintly. "I've molted several times now and have lost many of my old memories. Who knows if my next molt will bring on the Womb Enigma, wiping out thousands of years of memories?"

Zhu Daniang comforted her sister, "Why be so pessimistic? You're molting, which is different from typical transmigration."

He Lingchuan, however, understood that it was merely a matter of probability. If Zhu Erniang continued to molt, she would likely encounter the Womb Enigma sooner or later.

If the general environment didn't improve, few demon immortals would be spared.

Dong Rui also chimed in, "In the future, with the Emperor's Flowing Sap becoming more frequent and spiritual energy conditions improving, you won't need to molt. By the way, what does this have to do with the Bright Lamp Vessel?"

"Legend has it that Master Chuoyun once claimed that a spiritual medicine refined from the Bright Lamp Vessel could solve the Womb Enigma, allowing cultivators to retain complete memories during transmigration," Zhu Erniang said with a hint of sarcasm. "Who wouldn't hope to transmigrate with their memories intact? And with Master Chuoyun being so highly respected and renowned, everyone believed him. You can imagine how many people flocked to acquire the Bright Lamp Vessel back then. However, that prescription was eventually disproven."

"It didn't work?"

"No, it couldn't deal with the Womb Enigma at all. Cultivators who refined and consumed the medicine according to the prescription still didn't succeed." Zhu Erniang, who had always sought methods to preserve memories, was familiar with this history. "Of course, the Bright Lamp Vessel is a good medicine, but it's not what we've been diligently searching for."

Zhu Daniang added, "In ancient times, Bright Lamp Grass was also a rare and valuable medicinal herb. When that rumor spread, more people began to harvest it, making it even more endangered. Later, as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth weakened, spiritual herbs like Bright Lamp Grass became even harder to grow. Before today, I hadn't heard that name in seven or eight hundred years."

Dong Rui listened as if it were just an interesting anecdote, but He Lingchuan immediately sensed something unusual.

"Wait a minute," He Lingchuan interjected. "With the knowledge of ancient immortals, how could they have believed such a rumor? Immortals aren't simple villagers who would readily believe any baseless gossip, are they?"

Dong Rui shook his head, "A month ago, that was a bustling port, accessible from all directions! If you ask me, the Bright Lamp Vessel was sent away long ago; you'll never trace it."

Dong Rui interjected, "In any case, this tribute item is lost. Wang Xingyi wants to commission us to find it."

Fang Canran was only responsible for forwarding the task; he certainly wouldn't have as clear an understanding of the specific situation as the people directly involved.

"The treasure protection team is still investigating clues at Julun Harbor, suspecting the Bo Nation's royal family is responsible, and they are currently gathering evidence."

"It's light," Zhu Daniang explained to the two ignorant humans. "Bright Lamp Grass grows on east-facing cliff faces at the peaks of snow mountains. At that altitude, there's no rain, snow, frost, or dew, and it can absorb the first wisp of purple qi daily, just as the morning sun is about to rise."

He pondered for a few breaths. "Oh, the Ever-burning Lamps in the Heavenly Palace are said to have a similar effect, protecting the will of lamp keepers and believers from being seized by external evils."

"That's nothing compared to a true 'Heart Lamp'!" Zhu Erniang scoffed. "A Heart Lamp refined from the Bright Lamp Vessel can keep one's consciousness clear and will firm, preventing them from being trapped by inner demons! It truly acts like a guiding light, leading one through illusions. In the past, when we cultivated, we faced various obstacles. When breaking through, or when harassed by inner demons, as long as we had this Heart Lamp's protection, and weren't weak or incompetent, we could mostly pass through safely. To be honest, those who can cultivate to the point where inner demons become a torment are not weaklings either."

"Julun Harbor isn't within Mou Nation's immediate sphere of influence, and Mou Nation's treasure protection team transported the Bright Lamp Vessel secretly, without any fanfare. Yet, it was still taken," He Lingchuan chuckled. "Perhaps Fang Canran knew I'd handled cases in Beijia and thought of me to solve this one."

Furthermore, quite a number of immortals believed that using the Bright Lamp Vessel as medicine could solve the Womb Enigma. Even Zhu Erniang had paid attention to this.

Defeating bandits in the mountains is easy; defeating the 'bandits' within one's heart is difficult.

Few possessed a will as firm as his; other cultivators were even more helpless against inner demons.

Dong Rui gave a thumbs-up. "What a treasure! Worth fighting tooth and nail for!"

Zhu Erniang continued, "Besides personal use, the Bright Lamp Vessel can also be refined into magical artifacts, the most famous of which is called a 'Heart Lamp'."

Dong Rui listened with great interest. "Oh? What's that?"

Mou Nation couldn't tolerate such an affront.

General Hong certainly couldn't tell him this personally, as she herself was Mitian's eyes and ears.

"After absorbing energy for thirty-six years in this manner, the Bright Lamp Grass finally blooms, releasing the radiant essence it has nurtured for years. This radiant cluster is called the 'Bright Lamp Vessel.' It contains the essence of sunlight but without the overbearing power of true solar fire."

He Lingchuan nodded, but in his mind, he wondered what General Hong wanted the Bright Lamp Vessel for.

He Lingchuan had once vowed to conquer his inner demons, trying to sever them several times, but the more he tried, the deeper they seemed to hide. Even now, he wasn't sure if they were completely gone.

"If this job were easy, the Royal Advisor wouldn't have specifically sent it to me," He Lingchuan thought, his mind clear as day. "Let's go take a look first. This is just the first task; there are a few others in the Glittering Gold Plains as well."

In the Coiling Dragon World, she had two main responsibilities: dealing with Beijia and guarding against Mitian.

He Lingchuan uttered an "Eh?" "I seem to have heard that somewhere before."

Dong Rui asked curiously, "You suspect the host nation stole it? That's a very serious accusation."

As for Zhong Shengguang, he didn't seem inclined to speak about it.

"Are there any usable clues currently?"

Zhu Daniang chuckled. "The information Fang Canran gave you isn't complete. Perhaps he himself doesn't realize that the Bright Lamp Vessel isn't the fruit of the Bright Lamp Grass."

With the assistance of a Heart Lamp, that obstacle would be much easier to overcome.

"However, each person can only use one Heart Lamp in their lifetime; using more is ineffective. So, when to use it is also very important," Zhu Daniang added. "Indeed, it was precisely because the Bright Lamp Vessel has a protective effect on one's mind and soul that people were half-believing, half-doubting Master Chuoyun's rumor when it first began. Even a friend of mine, who excels at alchemy, researched it for many years and said it wasn't entirely impossible."

Zhong Shengguang had already explicitly stated that the Bright Lamp Vessel was prepared to deal with Mitian.

Julun Harbor belonged to the Bo Nation.

So, how exactly was it used?

"We can get the freshest testimonies by going there ourselves," He Lingchuan said, flipping through his letters. "The Royal Advisor hopes we can help track the whereabouts of the tribute item. If it's not easy to retrieve, we should hand over the clues to Mou Nation and let them take action."

"I'll go with you," Zhu Daniang volunteered. "The Yangshan Archipelago has been so peaceful for the past six months, I'm practically growing mold. And I'm tired of eating fish and pork..."

"Pork?" He Lingchuan sensed something was amiss. "Where did you get pork?"

Zhu Erniang's offspring could catch fish, and it was common for the Spider Queen Sisters to eat fish. But pork...?