Chapter 1829: Mutual Exposure of Secrets

The city wall, normally incredibly solid and impervious to damage, seemed to yield like water when the Grey Dragon pressed against it, allowing Miao Yun Tian to "sink" inside. As the Grey Dragon released her, Miao Yun Tian's legs remained embedded in the wall, with only her head and upper torso visible. The wall instantly solidified again, rendering Miao Yun Tian's struggles futile; she was trapped and unable to break free.

Decades earlier, Qian Huan had fallen victim to the same tactic. However, he was luckier than Miao Yun Tian; the Grey Dragon had only embedded his arm in the wall, allowing him to escape by severing it. The city wall is an extension of the Grey Dragon; in fact, the entire isolated city is intrinsically linked to it, allowing the Grey Dragon to weaponize the walls against its adversaries.

The Grey Dragon turned, glided back to Miao Yun Tian, and prepared to bite her. Alarmed, Miao Zhan Tian swung his long blade towards the dragon's eye with his left hand. The Grey Dragon's head flicked, effortlessly dodging the strike. Its eyes blazed red as it wheeled around and charged directly at him.

"Attack it first?" Miao Zhan Tian mused over Qian Huan's words even as he fought. Though unaware of the Great Evolution Heavenly Pearl, he quickly grasped the crucial insight that He Lingchuan had already understood. Qian Huan, that cunning old schemer, was using the Grey Dragon to deal with them, but conversely, wasn't he also using Miao Zhan Tian to wear down the Grey Dragon itself?

Earlier, on Grape Island, he and his sister had tag-teamed Qian Huan, sending him scrambling. Now, the tables had turned: the Grey Dragon and Qian Huan were tag-teaming him, making it incredibly difficult to fend them off. Qian Huan was one problem, but the Grey Dragon was another entirely. It could materialize from any part of the city. Several times, when it fell silent, Miao Zhan Tian assumed it had been thrown far away, only for it to burst forth from directly beneath his feet the next second!

In this world of the Sea of Consciousness, neither True Immortals nor Heavenly Demons could employ divine powers or escape techniques. Yet, this Grey Dragon moved with complete impunity, appearing and disappearing at will! Its power surpassed that of both Miao Zhan Tian and Qian Huan combined. This was incredibly unfair.

Miao Zhan Tian deduced that it must be part of some ancient artifact or magical implement, perhaps even a mere wisp of intent. The dragon's scarred body was testament to Qian Huan's relentless efforts during his seclusion. Had Miao Zhan Tian arrived a few years later, Qian Huan might have defeated the Grey Dragon himself and refined the supreme treasure. But now, he had found a better method.

Seeing Qian Huan turn back to torment Miao Yun Tian, Miao Zhan Tian disregarded the exposed vulnerability of his back and lunged onto the wall. A mist of blood erupted from his back as the Grey Dragon's claw raked him, narrowly missing a fatal blow. Yet, Miao Zhan Tian was faster, reaching his sister's side. He knew pulling her out was impossible; the wall was rock-solid, and he had already tested its strength. What he did next was horrifying: He drew his long blade and severed Miao Yun Tian's legs! Blood splattered as her body separated from her legs. Even though Miao Yun Tian was now only a torso, she could finally be moved.

Before the Grey Dragon and Jiao Tu could pounce, Miao Zhan Tian placed his sister onto his back. A bizarre phenomenon occurred: The two great Heavenly Demons merged, like two drops of pure water joining seamlessly. In just a moment, Miao Zhan Tian transformed into a two-headed, four-armed entity. His sister, Miao Yun Tian, had "re-grown" onto him, brandishing her forks at the Grey Dragon, temporarily without need of her legs. Miao Yun Tian had originally split from Miao Zhan Tian, and was now merely rejoining him. She could slowly recuperate on his body, until her legs regenerated. A mysterious gust of wind swept through, and the severed demonic limbs, still embedded in the city wall, disintegrated into ash and vanished. Deprived of their main body's sustenance, the limbs, formed purely of spiritual energy, could no longer sustain themselves.

Though his sister was now with him, Miao Zhan Tian's mood remained grim. His own spiritual energy was critically low, and he wasn't sure he had enough to share with her. Furthermore, caught between two powerful adversaries, Miao Zhan Tian suffered frequent injuries. In one particularly severe instance, Jiao Tu sliced open his abdomen, nearly damaging his tailbone. While he could use his spiritual energy to heal, this energy was his lifeblood for combat and survival, and every bit expended meant less for future use.

Miao Zhan Tian also attempted to rush onto the city wall and jump down, hoping to escape into the sea and evade the Grey Dragon's pursuit. As the city's guardian spirit, it shouldn't pursue enemies who had left Panlong City. However, when Miao Zhan Tian leaped from the city wall, he didn't land in the sea; instead, he reappeared in the pool in front of the Vast Heavens Temple! And then, the Grey Dragon immediately followed. After two failed attempts, the rate at which his wounds healed had significantly slowed. He couldn't escape, nor could he defeat them. At this rate, he wouldn't last much longer.

However, he did notice something: Qian Huan was remarkably cautious during the fight, specifically avoiding any attacks on the Grey Dragon or the city wall. This likely stemmed from his fear that the Grey Dragon might perceive him as an enemy and turn on him mercilessly. Consequently, Miao Zhan Tian climbed onto the city wall to engage in combat. As anticipated, Jiao Tu became hesitant, fighting with restraint. Miao Zhan Tian's pressure eased slightly.

But Qian Huan remained unhurried. He held the upper hand, both in the Sea of Consciousness and in the lower realm. Miao Zhan Tian was trapped within the Sea of Consciousness, and once his spiritual energy was depleted, he would perish there!

"The supreme treasure guarded by this Grey Dragon is connected to Panlong City, isn't it?" Miao Zhan Tian asked, retreating as he fought, conveniently passing a black dragon mark. He gestured casually at it. "You betrayed Panlong City back then, which led to its downfall. No wonder the Dragon God always disdained Spirit Mountain."

Qian Huan's assault immediately intensified, and he sneered: "You killed General Hong! You destroyed Panlong City! And didn't you lose a clone to Vast Heavens that very day? Have you forgotten?"

Qian Huan was certain that Shadow Dragons were soulless. However, the battles and conversations within the Sea of Consciousness could be heard by others! Qian Huan was well aware that He Lingchuan and his companions were watching the live feed through the Mirror of Primordial Light. The trouble was, he couldn't sever the connection! The Mirror of Primordial Light was linked to the network of laws within the Upside-Down Sea, but it was beyond his control. He Xiao had a close connection to the Great Cauldron; he might even know some of Panlong City's history. How would he react to Miao Zhan Tian's words?

"That was General Hong, not Vast Heavens!" Miao Zhan Tian corrected before continuing, "We later discovered that you were the one who revealed the location of the Great Cauldron Lid in the other realm to the Ke family, allowing them to achieve their great功. Otherwise, how would we have known the Great Cauldron was in Panlong City? Without your intelligence, how would we have known General Hong was severely wounded?" It was only with the Great Cauldron Lid, presented by the Ke family, that the Heavenly Palace could pinpoint the Great Cauldron's location and confirm that this supreme treasure was indeed in Panlong City!

Qian Huan roared indignantly, "Nonsense! What connection do traitors from the Abyss Kingdom have with us? Over a hundred years have passed, and you still dare to slander us!"

"For us immortals and demons, a century is but a fleeting moment," Miao Zhan Tian chuckled. "You never laid a hand on Panlong City? Then where did you acquire this supreme treasure that the Grey Dragon guards?" He hadn't been certain if such seemingly light words would affect the Grey Dragon, but Qian Huan's earnest, almost solemn refutation suggested they might. Could the Grey Dragon actually understand? No, that couldn't be right. Designated guardians of rare treasures typically lack independent consciousness. Independent consciousness implies emotions, thought, the capacity for compromise, doubt, gullibility, and susceptibility to confusion! For this Grey Dragon, as the solitary city's final guardian, to have consistently rebuffed Qian Huan, it had to be a mechanical, cold, and impersonal entity. So, who was Qian Huan trying to convince with his defense? Could there possibly be a fourth entity within this Sea of Consciousness, besides himself, Miao Yun Tian, and Qian Huan?

Miao Zhan Tian suddenly recalled an unusual force. When he and Qian Huan had battled using the Divine Fire Array, he had sensed a faint, fleeting, yet somewhat familiar power interfering. If even he had sensed it, how could Qian Huan, as the formulator of the Upside-Down Sea's laws, have remained ignorant?

"I always found it strange: why would Spirit Mountain make a deal with us and betray Panlong City?" Miao Zhan Tian continued. "Then it hit me: three millennia ago, Vast Heavens extracted your Mirage Pearl, hindering your cultivation progress. You needed a supreme treasure as a replacement!"

Qian Huan's claw deflected Miao Yun Tian's attack with a disdainful flick. "You, the goddess of the 'Eye of Truth,' are fabricating a monumental lie yourself! There's not a shred of evidence for events from thousands of years ago; you can simply spout nonsense. This pearl was presented by the Baling Kingdom. Do you honestly believe the Baling Kingdom is loyal only to you?"

He Lingchuan, stationed before the Mirror of Primordial Light, remained expressionless, though his eyes subtly shifted. He had heard everything. Miao Zhan Tian was currently plagued by both internal and external challenges. The Mirror of Primordial Light suddenly conveyed an invitation from Xiao Wencheng, who wished for He Lingchuan and his group to cooperate with the Illusion Sect in attacking the Divine Fire Array barrier. Despite Xiao Wencheng's customary earnestness, this time, He Lingchuan did not agree. He didn't even bother to reply. Xiao Wencheng then requested a cross-mirror meeting and discussion, but this plea vanished as if a mud ox had plunged into the sea. The Mirror of Primordial Light belonged to He Lingchuan, and without his consent, Xiao Wencheng couldn't act unilaterally. This was because He Lingchuan and his companions had relocated to Kidney Lake, which was Miao Zhan Tian's domain.

In the lower realm.

Excluding the lotus lamp at the bottom of Kidney Lake, only five anchor points of the Divine Fire Array remained. To focus all his power on assaulting Qian Huan's Sea of Consciousness, Miao Zhan Tian had further reduced the seven primary anchor points to five: three around the lake and two on the periphery, strategically placed to accommodate the Heavenly Palace forces. However, the remaining anchor points had been greatly reinforced, becoming incredibly sturdy. The divine starlight meteorites radiated astonishing heat, melting the surrounding ground and distorting the very air. Even the Illusion Sect's immortals, normally impervious to extreme temperatures, had to exert their true energy to approach, lest their hair and beards be singed. Yet, the Heavenly Palace army stood directly before the divine starlight meteorites, largely unaffected. The astonishing flames and intense heat caused them no harm, merely making them sweat more profusely.

As Miao Zhan Tian's understanding of the Upside-Down Sea's rules deepened, the range of divine powers he could deploy expanded. This time, the divine starlight meteorites mimicked the Twin Yin-Yang Bowl, focusing all light and heat on the enemies while rendering his own forces largely immune. Otherwise, the Heavenly Palace's current strength would be hard-pressed to contend with the Illusion Sect's indigenous forces. Only three demon immortals and Heavenly Demons remained, while their opponents numbered five. If another anchor point were to be destroyed, causing the Divine Fire Array to collapse, Qian Huan's three great Dharma forms would be unleashed to aid his true self, dooming Miao Zhan Tian's battle in the Sea of Consciousness to failure.