Chapter 701: Heaven Palace's Countermove

Zuju had clearly made up his mind. Since he had an agreement with He Lingchuan to attack the Celestial Palace, he might as well go all out, fully displaying his immense power to instill fear and respect in his opponents.

In this world, might always made right. This way, when the Celestial Palace eventually sought reconciliation, their attitude would be more deferential and their offerings more sincere.

He glanced at the Star-Gazing Tower, noticing something unusual. Huh? Why was the Landscape of Rivers and Mountains painting on the shrine still glowing? The array's core had been broken, and the Spirit Gathering Array was defunct, so this landscape painting should have reverted to a blank canvas. This was one of the Great Reversal Sect's treasures from ancient times, and Zuju knew a little about it. Commander Duyun, despite being unable to restrain him with this artifact, was still manipulating the landscape painting, seemingly up to something.

The lava monster had an ominous feeling, intensifying its hammer blows on Tian Shu Peak. He had to seize every second! As long as he could force the Star-Gazing Tower into the lava pool, a hundred countermeasures from the gods would be useless. However, Tian Shu Peak had been reshaped with his help years ago, and Zuju had personally reinforced it, making it exceptionally sturdy and reliable. Now, trying to break it again was far from easy. Zuju's creations were always top-notch; even he found it strenuous to destroy his own work.

Just then, Commander Duyun seemed to pull something out of the landscape painting. What was that? Zuju's eyes widened instantly. Another glazed orb, another star halo, and it was above Kai Yang Peak—this, this was… Another array core!

Damn it! These gods and humans had more tricks up their sleeves than holes in Honeycomb Mountain! Did they even have a spare array core?

"Attack!" With a wave of his claw, an endless stream of fire monsters, each a smaller version of himself about three meters tall, surged from the lava pool. They charged directly at the guards of the Garrison Palace. Zuju himself dove headfirst into the bottom of the lava pool and disappeared. Leaving his smaller avatars to continue attacking the Star-Gazing Tower, he hurried towards Kai Yang Peak.

Bai Ziqi let out a long breath, rushed back to the shrine, and suddenly pointed at the landscape painting, exclaiming, "The invaders and the spider demon haven't left the old array core yet!"

In the north, the Ruins Mountains were ablaze, and Spirit Void City was rocked by tremors. Even the most oblivious person was roused.

Tuyang Zhi and others stood at the Chunhe Cloth Shop, gazing at the volcanic eruption on Tian Shu Peak. The northern sky was stained blood-red.

"The signal has come," Tuyang Zhi said, his eyes barely concealing his excitement. "Today, we will not fear sacrificing ourselves for righteousness!"

The others echoed in unison, "To die for righteousness is our wish!"

"Everyone, the operation begins!"

Just fifteen minutes later, buildings such as the public office, prison, and warehouse next to the Chunhe Cloth Shop were blasted sky-high with a thunderous roar! The residence of the South City County Magistrate was only about three hundred meters from the Chunhe Cloth Shop. The magistrate and his wife were startled awake by the commotion, only to see their door kicked open and three or four masked figures burst in.

"Who are you, what do you want—" Before the magistrate could finish speaking, he was swarmed and hacked to pieces.

The events in South City County were just the beginning. Subsequently, violent explosions rapidly engulfed the main district of Spirit Void Lower City. Important facilities everywhere burst into raging flames, and vital lower-level officials disappeared or were assassinated. Following this, loud bangs also echoed from the Floating Island. In the homes of seven or eight powerful officials and great demons, fires suddenly erupted, or family members died suddenly.

Explosions, screaming residents, and surging government soldiers were everywhere. The Ruins Mountains to the north and Spirit Void City to the south were simultaneously plunged into chaos. For a time, many people felt lost and disoriented, unsure of what was happening.

At this moment, Fang Canran had left Spirit Void City and stood on a mountaintop west of the city, looking down at the lower city, his eyes reflecting the blazing fires.

"It's not enough, far from enough!" The suffering inflicted upon the world by the gods and Spirit Void had barely been repaid by less than one-millionth!

Ling Bo, the large parrot, descended from the night sky and landed on his shoulder. "The first phase of the operation has commenced successfully. When does the second phase begin?"

"Wait," Fang Canran said decisively. "Wait for He Xiao's signal. Some personnel should be starting to withdraw now, right? The Demon Emperor will soon seal off the entire city."

"Yes, they will escape Spirit Void with the panicked crowd." Ling Bo tilted his head and preened his wings. "The chaos in Spirit Void City won't affect He Xiao's operation, will it? After all, we didn't tell him."

"It will. It will alleviate some of his pressure," Fang Canran smiled faintly. "But there's no need to tell him." Every single person in Spirit Void City deserved to die! He was determined to make the imperial capital, peaceful for six centuries, forever remember this sleepless night.

He Lingchuan had intended to climb onto the giant spider's back. However, Madam Zhu Er's immortal form was like a small mountain, covered in sharp, quill-like bristles that not only drew blood but were also poisonous. His climb would be akin to scaling a mountain of blades, requiring extreme caution with every step.

Suddenly, Madam Zhu Er lowered her head close to the ground. There was a small, smooth, bristle-free indentation directly on the giant spider's forehead. He Lingchuan understood, and with a great leap, he entered it.

In mid-air, fierce winds raged, and He Lingchuan sighed, "Trouble's here."

"Huh?" Madam Zhu Er asked. "Wasn't this where you expected trouble?"

He Lingchuan gave a wry smile, truly wishing he was wrong. "I'm afraid there's more than one array core."

"Just smash it to pieces, right?"

"...Right." Madam Zhu Er, having reverted to her demon-immortal form, spoke with noticeable confidence. He Lingchuan raised his hand and fired two refined iron crossbow bolts directly ahead, in the direction of the raging wind. The arrowheads were coated with a bit of Wind-Calming Pearl powder, making them immune to the fierce gales. *Thud*, the crossbow bolts struck something, emitting a dull sound, but they didn't lodge. Indeed, something invisible was ahead; it wasn't He Lingchuan's imagination.

Just then, over a dozen large fireballs suddenly flew up from below, all slamming into the invisible object and creating a spectacular display of fireworks. This time, however, the fireballs hit with substantial force.

He Lingchuan was startled. He looked down and saw Zuju had unexpectedly reappeared on the summit of Kai Yang Peak.

"What are you doing back here!" He Lingchuan yelled at the fire monster avatar on his shoulder. "Didn't we agree? Your mission was to destroy the Star-Gazing Tower!"

In recent days, he and Zuju had discussed the attack plan, repeatedly mentioning the Celestial Palace's potential for backup measures and preparing contingencies. Yet, Zuju simply wouldn't stick to the plan! What a terrible teammate.

The Spirit Gathering Array was located directly beneath the Celestial Palace; it not only gathered spiritual energy for the entire Spirit Void City but also bore the crucial responsibility of suppressing Zuju. How could anything go wrong with it? Even the most meticulously protected array core was not foolproof. The safest method was to create a backup! Moreover, the Celestial Palace was well aware that the regularly operating array core had a flaw: it couldn't enter the void in winter. This posed a risk of being discovered by enemies or Zuju. How could they leave it unaddressed?

Although Zaifu Kua, the Vice Minister of Works, didn't know about any backup plans, He Lingchuan felt that given the Celestial Palace's capabilities, they might very well have a second plan. Zaifu Kua had said that the array core's flaw was a fundamental issue with the array formation and couldn't be repaired. Therefore, this backup method was likely for emergencies and not intended for regular use. But if the Spirit Gathering Array could be activated, it would suppress Zuju again. Even if it only lasted for half an hour, it would be enough for the Celestial Palace to react. That would be the end of He Lingchuan. What they lacked most now was time.

He Lingchuan blinked, suddenly realizing their situation had once again turned critical. All his painstaking efforts to destroy the array core had apparently only been the beginning.

"There's another array core here!" Zuju rumbled, desperately. "I'll help you smash it!"

Who was helping whom? Never mind. Since he was here, they should combine their firepower. Furthermore, He Lingchuan had already noticed that while the new array core had appeared, the Spirit Gathering Array had not yet recovered. This could be because the new array core still needed calibration, or it hadn't yet moved into its precise position. After all, the ground-based Spirit Gathering Array was a reflection of the celestial stars. Not a single one of the Big Dipper's ten stars could be out of place. They absolutely had to capitalize on this brief window of time.

Zuju's rapid-fire volleys of fireballs were truly astonishing; he could launch over a dozen in two breaths, and every single one hit its target. Such bombardment was not easily withstood. Given Zuju's power, it was unlikely that strong winds would deflect the fireballs; moreover, the array core was not small, so even a slight deviation in angle would still result in a hit. Zuju drew power from the earth's core, launching successive attacks with almost no rest. Clearly, the monster knew that if the array core became operational again, he would be utterly defeated tonight!

He Lingchuan could feel the vibrations emanating from mid-air and was greatly pleased: "Excellent bombardment. Keep it up!"

The small fire figure on his shoulder looked sideways. "Didn't you say I should stay at the Star-Gazing Tower?"

"You *were* supposed to stay at the Star-Gazing Tower." He Lingchuan thought the mountain-and-marsh creature was truly petty. He shoved the Wind-Calming Pearl into Madam Zhu Er's mouth. "Hold this, and let's go!—But the array core is shaking so violently; that means it's struggling. After all, this thing isn't connected to the Spirit Gathering Array yet, so it can't draw spiritual energy from the earth's core to replenish itself!"

Originally, the outer formation of the array core couldn't be broken, first, because Zuju couldn't attack the Ruins Mountain structures, and second, because it was closely linked to the main array, constantly drawing spiritual energy from hundreds of miles around for its own use. Now, the new array core wasn't connected to the main array, and its internal energy reserves were limited. How could it withstand Zuju's relentless bombardment? This window of opportunity was incredibly valuable; once it closed, Zuju wouldn't be able to damage it again.

Madam Zhu Er, holding the Wind-Calming Pearl in her mouth, leaped, covering several meters. The fierce winds around the array core had no effect on her, and she leaped directly onto the new array core. Logically, the outermost prohibition of the array core was lethal; anything that touched it, be it wood, stone, or living creature, would be instantly pulverized. But Madam Zhu Er's body emanated a layer of black light. She retracted her eight legs and stabbed them into the prohibition like needles! He Lingchuan, tucked into her forehead, could even feel the clash between the array's prohibition and her protective energy field.

It was like a living fish leaping into a boiling oil pot, with oil sizzling and splattering everywhere. Only here, it was electric arcs sparking, an unparalleled display of power, so clear that even the Celestial Palace in the distance could see it. He Lingchuan, however, felt a sense of relief. This time, the outer array formation consisted of thunderous lightning arcs, likely drawing on the power of heaven and earth to achieve such might.