Chapter 564: Mutual Exchange

Chapter 560: Mutual Exchange

Dong Rui was worried. "That Mai fellow committed a huge crime; even the Celestial Palace is investigating him. It seems I'll have to leave the city to lie low for a while."

"Lie low? Nobody even knows who you are," He Lingchuan retorted, chuckling. "And that Mai fellow is hiding so well; in a city as vast as Spirit Void City, who could find him?"

The journey to Mount Ruin still required a plan and assistance; he couldn't afford to scare Dong Rui away.

"Besides," He Lingchuan continued, looking at Dong Rui, "the Celestial Palace only has clues about the Elixir of Immortality case. They'll investigate that first and won't have time for the Mai fellow right now. Have you found out where Zhu Erniang's remains are hidden on Mount Ruin?"

Xiang Yan, the retired official from Chiyan Kingdom, had said that an ancient artifact needed to be placed within the array's core to activate the resonance between heaven and earth.

At the time, he felt this sounded very much like Zhu Erniang's remains, especially given the unique star map on her abdomen. However, he had to confirm it before proceeding with any further actions.

Dong Rui shook his head, taking a sip of wine. "There are nine main peaks on Mount Ruin, seven of which have buildings on them. The other smaller, miscellaneous peaks don't count. I've explored all of them, even visited all the scenic spots on the mountainsides and peaks, but found nothing."

Both knew that Spirit Void City had opened the ancient immortal sect ruins on Mount Ruin to the public for free, demonstrating its magnanimity.

"Could it be in a cave?" After all, immortal mountains often had many caves.

"I've checked all the immortal herb fields and immortal grottoes; it's not there."

He Lingchuan asked him, "Didn't Zhu Erniang give you a magical artifact to find the remains?"

"Yes, but the sensitivity is too weak," Dong Rui replied, pointing to his eye. "You have one too, right?"

He Lingchuan knew from the gesture that he was referring to the eyeball spider.

As expected, Zhu Erniang had also equipped Dong Rui with one of these small spies. No wonder He Lingchuan had felt something was off when he counted Zhu Erniang's eyes, always sensing one was missing.

The eyeball spider had reacted upon entering Spirit Void City, confirming that Zhu Erniang's remains were in the direction of Mount Ruin. However, the exact location remained elusive, likely requiring them to get closer.

"You even went to the Celestial Palace?"

"I also went to Star-Picking Tower and paid respects to the gods," Dong Rui chuckled. "The eyeball spider told me something was blocking its perception, probably a barrier."

When He Lingchuan accepted this mission, he didn't know much about Spirit Void City, let alone what Mount Ruin was. But now he knew that the floating islands were where the city's powerful elite resided, making the idea of them hiding the remains on Mount Ruin sound illogical.

Yet, the eyeball spider confirmed the spider remains were indeed there.

"Can you pinpoint the exact location of the barrier on Mount Ruin?"

"Of course... I can't!" Dong Rui retorted impatiently. "Do you think that's really a tourist spot? The gods themselves might be watching us. I didn't dare to draw attention to myself. You know, I got my ghost ape embryo from Spirit Void City."

He Lingchuan let out an "oh." This fellow's most powerful enforcer, the ghost ape, was originally the offspring of a general in Spirit Void City. That was also why he had been wanted. Although the warrant had been canceled, the victim might still go after him if they knew a demonic puppeteer had entered Spirit Void City...

"So you didn't bring the ghost ape with you?"

"No!"

"Then what other models, uh, I mean, demonic puppets did you bring?"

Dong Rui glared at him. "Didn't you break them all?"

"You're a demonic puppeteer; having no puppets with you is like a tiger without claws and teeth. How can that work?"

"Are demonic puppets that easy to make?" Dong Rui sneered.

"Don't hold anything back. We're on the same side now; we might need them in a few days."

Dong Rui remained unmoved. "It's not that convenient; you don't just get whatever you want whenever you want it."

"So you *do* have something?" He Lingchuan mused. "What have you created? Another flying demonic puppet?"

"No!" Dong Rui denied vehemently.

*Hmph*, so he does. He said the same thing in the Demonic Lair Swamp, only to ride out on two spider puppets later. He Lingchuan changed the subject. "Try to ask Mai Xuewen about the location of the Mount Ruin barrier, or where the remains are."

Dong Rui looked at him as if he were insane. "How could Mai Xuewen, a wanted criminal, know that?"

"Before you found out today that he was also a wanted criminal, didn't you think he was incredibly resourceful?"

Dong Rui remained silent, tacitly agreeing.

Someone who could obtain relics from the Azure Palace collection, help him escape Begia back then, now cause such trouble for high-ranking officials like the Grand Minister of Agriculture, and almost single-handedly unravel the mystery of the Elixir of Immortality—such a person truly deserved to be called incredibly resourceful.

"Such a person doesn't just spring from a rock," He Lingchuan said calmly. "He must have his own network and intelligence sources. To consistently direct the clues about killing demons for their pearls towards Baisha Jue for years on end, a person with such patience either harbors deep-seated resentment or this is simply their assigned task, allowing them to persevere."

He paused. "Mai Xuewen likely belongs to an organization; he's certainly not acting alone. Don't those two guards in your courtyard prove that?"

From Wan Song to Wu Kai, from Wu Kai to Cen Boqing, and then to the power behind the Azure Lotus Temple—it was a layered hierarchy ascending upwards. How difficult would it be to overturn the shadowy forces behind the Elixir of Immortality case?

If it were group against group, it would be much easier.

He Lingchuan had to encourage him. "How do you know it won't work if you don't try?"

Dong Rui hesitated for a moment before saying, "Actually, I've already inquired around and got two pieces of information."

He hadn't come to Spirit Void City for nothing.

"First, the person who stole Zhu Erniang's remains committed a grave error back then. They offered the spider remains to the Emperor to avoid execution, but their entire family was expelled from Spirit Void City." He paused. "This happened one hundred sixty or seventy years ago; no one knows their whereabouts now, and I couldn't be bothered to investigate."

Residency in the Floating City wasn't permanent; moving out symbolized a fall in social status.

"I also asked about the location of the remains," Dong Rui said, scratching his head. "They told me, 'If you don't want to die, don't ask around recklessly!' The words 'Earth Spider remains' shouldn't even be mentioned in Spirit Void City!"

He Lingchuan looked at him suspiciously. "Who did you ask?"

Dong Rui chuckled. "Can't say!"

"Then..."

Dong Rui interrupted again. "Anyway, this person is of high status, and their information is reliable. What they say is definitely true."

He Lingchuan calmly stated, "You said this person has high status, so can they get close to the remains?"

"Well..." Dong Rui pondered. "I'm not entirely sure, perhaps?"

"Then tell them that the next demonic puppet you plan to create *must* be made from the Earth Spider remains."

"What does my next demonic puppet have to do with them? Why would they help me?" Dong Rui said with contempt. "Aren't you supposed to be so clever? Why are you giving me such terrible ideas?"

"I just arrived in Spirit Void, so I need some time to get acquainted first," He Lingchuan said, looking at him. "What's the second piece of information?"

"About a decade ago, Mount Ruin, along with all of Spirit Void City, experienced a severe earthquake. A large number of old buildings collapsed, and there were many civilian casualties. Reportedly, the rescue and cleanup efforts after the quake lasted over half a month, and the subsequent reconstruction took several years."

"That serious?" He Lingchuan frowned. "How powerful is the primal energy possessed by Spirit Void City? How could it not even control an earthquake?"

Wasn't one of the important functions of primal energy to ensure favorable weather and minimize disasters for a region?

During the ten to thirty years after the founding of Yuan Kingdom, its national power and primal energy reached their peak. Even if floods, fires, droughts, or even earth dragons "turning over" occurred, they were suppressed instantly or their intensity greatly reduced, never persisting unchecked.

Spirit Void City was known as the foremost city in the world and a renowned land blessed by gods. How could such a severe natural disaster occur there?

"One of the two young men guarding my gate originally lived in the northern suburbs of Spirit Void City, at the foot of Mount Ruin's Tian Shu Peak. He recalled occasional tremors in Spirit Void City when he was a child, but they were minor ground shakes, nothing serious. It wasn't until the great earthquake he experienced firsthand over a decade ago that it was truly catastrophic. That night, lightning flashed and thunder roared over Mount Ruin to the north, Tian Shu Peak erupted with countless rays of intense light, dark clouds rolled in the sky, and gray mist and white vapor obscured everything."

"Countless rays of intense light?" He Lingchuan repeated, finding the description unusual. "Was it a volcanic eruption?"

"Yes," Dong Rui said, taking a bite of food. "Tian Shu Peak erupted in the evening. His family didn't even bother gathering their belongings and immediately fled into the city. Fortunately, they left in time. When they returned to the town a few days later, they found that the townspeople who hadn't evacuated, along with all the chickens, cattle, dogs, and sheep, had died."

The toxic fumes, gases, and ash from the volcanic eruption were extremely harmful to living creatures.

"Afterward, no one dared to live at the foot of Tian Shu Peak anymore; it seems to have been converted into a military camp," Dong Rui added. "I asked around, and no one could remember when Mount Ruin last erupted."

That meant Mount Ruin was usually very stable. "The Celestial Palace is supposed to be the earthly dwelling of gods. How could a volcanic eruption occur there?"

Dong Rui took a sip of wine. "There's a popular rumor that the gods keep a great demon inside Mount Ruin, and the volcanic eruptions are just the demon losing its temper. I think there's a lot of truth to that."

"How so?"

"Oh, you'll understand if you go to Mount Ruin and see for yourself," Dong Rui said, keeping him in suspense. "You'll be going anyway, right?"

"Yes." That was one of the main objectives of He Lingchuan's trip to Spirit Void. He changed the subject. "By the way, I remember you've been pardoned by Spirit Void and are no longer a wanted criminal."

"Mm-hm, that's right."

"Then why are you still hiding indoors, afraid to go out and meet people all day?"

*Who wouldn't want to go out openly?* Dong Rui retorted testily. "I have many enemies. Spirit Void City might have pardoned me, but my enemies certainly won't spare me."

He Lingchuan stretched. "You should head back now, shouldn't you?"

Dong Rui grunted and stood up, only to see He Lingchuan extend a hand towards him.

"Now what?"

"Where's my turtle pearl?" When this fellow left the Demonic Lair Swamp, he had taken He Lingchuan's turtle pearl, whether intentionally or not. "It's time to return it, isn't it?"

Dong Rui rolled his eyes, about to retrieve the turtle pearl and return it to its rightful owner. He Lingchuan suddenly added, "Oh, I almost forgot something important: Do you have any—"

He lowered his voice even further. "Divine bones?"

Dong Rui's heart suddenly leaped, though thankfully, his face remained expressionless. "What are divine bones?"