Chapter 1194: Disconnected

With countless precedents, why was it still so stubborn?

Therefore, the safest method was to avoid direct contact and let the God Bone Necklace swallow it whole!

The Grand Square Pot had even subdued a Celestial Avatar; how could it fail to subdue the Rakshasa Armor?

Let these two extraordinary artifacts compete with each other.

Just a moment ago, the Rakshasa Armor had sensed his approach and foolishly rejoiced, unaware that its end was near.

By the time it realized the danger, it was too late.

However, after devouring the Rakshasa Armor, the God Bone Necklace was still not satisfied and continued to glow and emit heat—

Of course, only He Lingchuan could feel it.

They had walked several miles in the dark, and the God Bone Necklace kept urging him, which could only mean that what interested it was on his person!

What could it be? He already had an idea.

It had been in his possession for so long and seemed useless; he might as well use it to feed the God Bone Necklace.

He Lingchuan touched his storage ring and casually took out something dark and hard.

This was the reason the Rakshasa Armor broke through its seal and pursued He Lingchuan—

It was the heart scale He Lingchuan had obtained from the White Bear King of Mount Baimao!

As soon as the scale was brought out, the God Bone Necklace trembled with excitement.

It wanted to eat!

It really, really wanted to eat!

It had been craving it all the way from Mount Baimao to here.

After teasing its appetite for so long, He Lingchuan finally fed it into the God Bone Necklace.

With a whoosh, the heart scale disappeared.

The God Bone Necklace finally settled down and was no longer hot to the touch.

He Lingchuan patted his chest: "You've done a good deed."

Even he dared not touch the Rakshasa Armor, so the God Bone Necklace swallowing it was a way of eliminating a hidden danger for Shanjin Plain.

Let this evil artifact, along with the miseries it brought, vanish into history.

In the early morning, the sky was bathed in radiant light.

The past seven or eight days had been heavily overcast, but today the clouds finally parted, revealing the sun.

The misty haze was driven away, and the forest, illuminated by sunlight, seemed to gain two layers of filter, instantly becoming vibrant, which also uplifted the travelers' spirits.

"Hurry," Dong Rui urged all members. "Don't be lazy, Julu Port is still a long way off!"

It was confirmed that General Chongwu could track the fox demons. Therefore, they had to travel day and night to shake off their pursuers.

The foxes were clearly tired, panting with their tongues out.

Earlier, Dong Rui had sweetened the deal for them, saying they would be fine once they reached the Jing Mountain territory.

Of course, he didn't explain why: the soil in Jing Mountain territory was moist, allowing him to use his snail toad to carry his companions, and the foxes could also rest.

Last night, the fox demons had also witnessed the frequent strange phenomena in Jing Mountain. He Lingchuan and Dong Rui returned safely, stating that the Yao army had been repelled by uninvited guests, but they said nothing about their experience in Kesu Mountain.

Three-Tail was also a knowledgeable and experienced great demon, so if they didn't want to talk about it, it wouldn't press the matter.

As the fox pack moved through the clearing in the forest, sunlight filtered down in countless rays, illuminating their fur.

He Lingchuan's gaze swept over them, then he suddenly uttered a surprised sound, pointing at Three-Tail and saying, "You, go back!"

Go back where? The fox demon was startled.

"Back into the sunlight, quickly!"

Three-Tail took a few steps back and stood in the sunlight.

Thereupon, He Lingchuan clearly noticed—

There was a faint golden thread on its shoulder, with the other end extending into the infinite void.

However, this thread only became visible when standing in the sunlight.

He asked Dong Rui and the other fox demons, "Can you see the abnormality on its shoulder?"

All his companions, including the two monkeys, shook their heads.

What abnormality?

But Dong Rui quickly reacted; after all, he seemed to have encountered such a situation before.

Could it be?

"I probably know how General Chongwu tracks you," He Lingchuan slowly drew his long saber, to avoid any misunderstanding from the fox demon. "Don't worry, I won't harm you."

Three-Tail showed considerable trust in him, remaining still as the cold blade approached its neck.

The tip of the saber made two feigned cuts above its shoulder, as if severing something, but others could not see anything.

He Lingchuan put away his saber, Fusheng: "Alright. If the Yao people haven't planted a second divine ability, they shouldn't be able to track you anymore."

Dong Rui raised his index finger and pointed to the sky.

He Lingchuan nodded, confirming his guess: "Correct."

What riddle were these two exchanging? Three-Tail asked, "What exactly is this divine ability?"

"It's not a divine ability, but a divine art," He Lingchuan explained. "Have you ever entered a temple?"

"No, I never go to such places," Three-Tail mused. "Are you saying I've been targeted by a deity?"

"Precisely. But this divine art only appears in sunlight; I couldn't see it last night either."

"I've barely left Baitou Ridge in recent months," Three-Tail thought. "Perhaps I was ambushed by the Grand Overseer of Yao Kingdom when we fought?"

Excluding other possibilities, this seemed to be the only one left.

He Lingchuan added, "From now on, if the Yao people no longer follow us like shadows, it means we have indeed gotten rid of them."

The group and the fox demons continued for another ten miles. Dong Rui quietly released his bat demon puppet into the high sky.

A few hours later, the bat flew back to report that the pursuers had stopped at the spot where He Lingchuan had swung his saber. They seemed to have lost their direction and were no longer pursuing them here.

With the world so vast, who knew where the fox demons would go? General Chongwu's operation was a complete failure this time.

Hearing this, all the foxes let out a long sigh of relief.

The relentless pursuit of the Yao people had always been a major concern, but now they were truly safe.

The fox demons looked at He Lingchuan with gratitude. Three-Tail also thanked him again.

Dong Rui then asked, "How did the Yao Kingdom also get help from a Celestial?"

"Shanjin Plain is a chaotic land where various deities come to establish beliefs and expand their influence. It's not surprising for the Yao Kingdom to collude with any of them," He Lingchuan said. "Celestials are also willing to build good relationships with powerful nations, as this facilitates their development in the mortal realm."

He asked Three-Tail, "Do you know which Celestials are involved in this area?"

"Of course," Three-Tail said disdainfully. "Those deceitful beings constantly find charlatans to fool commoners."

These great demons deeply despised such practices.

As they traveled, the fox demon recounted the surrounding environment of the Yao Kingdom to He Lingchuan.

Not long after crossing Jing Mountain, He Lingchuan smelled the fragrance of earth and green grass in the forest.

This side of the mountain was very humid.

But he shook his head at Dong Rui, signaling him not to bring out the snail toad for travel.

Since the Celestial's line of sight had been severed by the Fusheng Saber, the Yao people could no longer track the fox clan. There was no longer a need to reveal the snail toad, which was their secret weapon.

It was just a journey, and the fox clan was perfectly capable of walking on their own.

Regarding Three-Tail's injuries, Dong Rui and Ling Guang also devised a more reasonable treatment plan.

Three-Tail's shoulder injury was the combined result of the "Bone-Adhering Maggot" divine ability and the Animation Art. What was remarkable was that the Animation Art had lasted so long without failing; National Master Qingyang's skill was truly impressive.

However, treating it as a living entity made it easier to handle. Ling Guang specially formulated a drug as bait to draw the animated maggot poison out of the wound.

Without the suppression of the maggot poison, Three-Tail's natural healing abilities as a great demon finally manifested. Coupled with Ling Guang's medicine and the warm cauterization of the fox fire, it could walk smoothly after only half an hour.

Dong Rui watched, not without envy: "Your fox fire is truly a good thing."

Fox fire was very gentle, making it excellent for experiments and adjusting properties. Ling Guang also wanted to use it to empower the medicine furnace.

Facing its saviors, Three-Tail was very generous: "I'll share some with you."

With that, it separated two wisps of fox fire from its essence and gifted them to the two individuals.

After severing the Celestial connection, Three-Tail also sent several fox demons near Baitou Ridge to retrieve their lost offspring.

The mountain monsters and wild creatures near Baitou Ridge also revealed General Chongwu's whereabouts to the fox demons:

After leading his army away from Jing Mountain, he had indeed returned to Yao Kingdom.

He himself was wounded, and his army had suffered casualties in the battle at Jing Mountain. After losing track of the fox demons, he could only return to report his failure.

This was a setback for the proud General Chongwu.

Naturally, the more vexed he was, the happier the fox demons became.

A few days later, Three-Tail's injuries had mostly healed, and He Lingchuan also escorted them to Julu Port.

This was now Peng Kingdom territory, and entry and exit management was relatively strict; to board a ship, one needed approval from the Maritime Trade Office. However, as soon as He Lingchuan revealed his identity as the special envoy of Mou Kingdom, he was granted smooth passage.

He escorted the fox demons onto the ship, standing on the shore and watching the vessel hoist its sails and depart, heading west.

The mission to escort the fox demons was complete.

He Lingchuan still felt a slight regret. Yangshan Archipelago also needed a versatile great demon like Three-Tail. However, he had subtly sounded out Three-Tail over the past few days, and it was not considering any place other than Mou Kingdom.

Ultimately, Yangshan's reputation was not yet grand enough, nor its fame resonant enough, to attract such a great demon.

But he had at least formed a good relationship with another great demon, and he himself had made a significant gain:

The Rakshasa Armor.

Now, he also had official business in Julu Port:

According to the agreement between He Lingchuan and Peng Kingdom, Yangshan Archipelago's merchant guild retail outlet in Julu Port had opened, primarily dealing in trade and cargo flow, and was currently progressing quite smoothly.

Relying on its relationship with the Peng Kingdom officials and the financial resources of the archipelago itself, the guild's branch had a successful opening, having already secured several large deals.

Ding Zuodong understood the chairman's intentions and dispatched dozens of competent subordinates to focus on managing this branch.

Besides ensuring good business, Yangshan's Julu Port branch would also serve as a hub for various information.

Gradually infiltrating the power of Yangshan Archipelago was only the first step in He Lingchuan's plan.

When He Lingchuan suddenly arrived for an inspection, everyone at the branch instantly became tense, fearing that even a minor mistake might displease their esteemed leader.

By the time He Lingchuan finished reviewing the reports and listening to the briefings, it was already dark.

He personally paid for a celebratory banquet for everyone at the merchant guild's branch in Julu Port's largest restaurant.

Of course, Dong Rui also rushed to join the gathering.

During the banquet, there was no end to the flattery and lively atmosphere. Although Dong Rui was a man of leisure, he was a close friend of the chairman, and some people lavishly flattered him, delighting him so much that he drank two or three extra jars of wine.

That night, they rested in Julu Port.

Perhaps it was due to drinking too much wine, but He Lingchuan surprisingly had dreams again, and not just one, but two in a row!

Ever since he obtained the God Bone Necklace, he had lost the freedom to dream. In the past few years, he had only traced the history of the Dao-Seeking Tree and the Great Return Sect in his dreams after acquiring leaves from the Dao-Seeking Tree.

Other than that, whenever he fell asleep, he would only enter the Coiling Dragon World.