Chapter 703: Two Defeats

The Battle God’s descent was originally intended for Zu Ju, but a temporary change of target was acceptable.

Both the Nether Spider Queen and Zu Ju are ancient great demons, but Mount Xu is Zu Ju's home ground, and the creature can draw power from the earth's fire, making it the most formidable opponent. Now that Zu Ju is subdued again, the Heavenly Palace's burden is reduced by at least seventy percent. The spider demon can only maintain its strength for a limited time; without spiritual energy replenishment, its power will diminish with prolonged combat.

In the current environment, the more spiritual energy it expends and the more powerful the divine abilities it unleashes, the more quickly it will be depleted.

We only need to use more elemental energy and wear it down through successive attacks.

If it escapes, that would be the real trouble for Mount Xu.

The lamp guardians chorused, "The Chief Envoy is wise! Our Lord is sagacious!"

Chief Envoy Duyun's expression softened slightly, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This enemy attack was extremely covert, so much so that even the Celestial God sensed danger. Fortunately, Chief Envoy Duyun handled it appropriately, resolving each issue. Otherwise, how could he have saved face before the Celestial God and his subordinates?

Someone immediately responded, "The divine disciples of the Battle God will be ready soon!"

What the Heavenly Palace refers to as "divine disciples" are the vessels used by Celestial Gods when descending to the mortal realm. They are usually nurtured on Mount Xu, in preparation for the gods' occasional needs.

A divine descent is by no means an easy or simple matter; the more thorough and meticulous the preparation, the greater the power the Celestial God can exert through the vessel.

For example, when Nian Songyu invoked a god in the Dragon Coil Ruins in the past, he had actually planned for a long time. However, his body was not a suitable vessel, and the divine avatar that descended could not even utilize half a percent of its power.

The Heavenly Palace naturally does not have such concerns, but the divine disciples must also calm their minds, cast out distracting thoughts, and wholeheartedly embrace the god's descent. Only then can the vessel's power be maximized.

No matter how urgent the situation, preparation work cannot be skipped.

"Why has Shenyuan not moved yet?" Chief Envoy Duyun's expression still showed no ease. "Fortunately, Zu Ju has already been subdued."

The Gui Beast Xiaori has already infiltrated the backup array core and is fiercely fighting the Spider Immortal, while Shenyuan still hasn't appeared.

Mount Xu was suddenly attacked tonight. Although the overall risk was eventually controllable, the commotion created was significant. Not only was the Emperor alerted, but divine communications inquiring about the situation were received several times, and the entire Spirit Void City was lit up by the disturbance.

Tomorrow, "Tianshu Peak Volcano Eruption" will again be the focus of heated discussion in Spirit Void City, and various suspicions and conspiracy theories will emerge anew.

What's most frustrating is that some of the suspicions are clearly true.

Chief Envoy Duyun disliked such sudden incidents the most, as they put the Heavenly Palace in a very passive position.

Several people nearby were drenched in sweat and immediately knelt down, declaring, "Your subordinates are incompetent! Shenyuan remains asleep and disobeys commands!"

Over a decade ago, Zu Ju went berserk, causing an earthquake in Spirit Void City, and it even took the Spirit Void Saint Venerable's personal intervention to subdue it. Spirit Void City learned its lesson and specially prepared several backup plans, one of which was the Gui Beast Shenyuan.

But this creature is extremely willful, eating when it wants and sleeping when it wants. When it was needed, it couldn't even be woken up.

Chief Envoy Duyun also knew that the more powerful a Gui Beast, the more erratic its nature and the more difficult it was to control. Now was not the time for accountability. He once again extended his staff into the Mountain and River Map and commanded, "Zu Ju, appear at once!"

A few breaths later, the rock-fire giant emerged from the lava pool, its entire being radiating reluctance.

Freedom was once within reach, but that brat named He messed things up!

It was filled with hatred!

Chief Envoy Duyun's face was stern, and he growled, "Apprehending the intruder can still atone for your misdeeds! Otherwise, you'll be stuck in this lava pool for the next hundred years!"

Zu Ju stirred, but did not obey his command.

Chief Envoy Duyun extended his staff, stirring the Mountain and River Map, and asked it, "Do you want to lose a few more years of cultivation?"

Zu Ju roared repeatedly in pain, but still refused to pursue.

Chief Envoy Duyun, Bai Ziqi, and others exchanged glances, all finding it strange. Everyone in the know understood that this Mount Xu swamp creature was selfish and had never been a good ally. It had previously betrayed the Great Return Sect and tonight betrayed the Heavenly Palace. But now, why was it willing to suffer rather than apprehend the intruder?

"I can't go!" Zu Ju finally spoke. "I made a contract with him; we absolutely cannot harm each other!"

Bai Ziqi asked curiously, "What contract?"

"No, I can't say!" Zu Ju was also full of grievance. When it negotiated the contract terms with He Lingchuan, it had tried to be as comprehensive as possible, but had forgotten only one clause:

If the plan failed, should the contract become void?

Without specific provisions, it meant it couldn't. So, as soon as it opened its mouth to answer, it would clearly feel the constraints of the contract.

Oh dear, it had been clever its whole life, why was it so muddled just this once?

Just then, the belly of Tianshu Peak suddenly split open, and a monster burst out, directly colliding with Zu Ju.

Even a powerful being like Zu Ju, caught completely off guard, was knocked onto its back and fell into the lava.

Ten thousand streams of lava erupted, no less than another volcanic eruption.

Everyone was speechless.

Chief Envoy Duyun couldn't help but want to press his forehead. Why did Shenyuan only come out now? Its reaction time was far too slow.

Zu Ju plunged headfirst into the lava pool, with no intention of fighting, and simply fled. The remaining giant beast spun agitatedly on the rock wall, looking malevolently towards the Star-Gazing Tower.

It even tried to ram it twice, to no avail, but the protective barrier trembled intensely.

Each time an attack was blocked, a tremendous amount of energy was consumed. Chief Envoy Duyun was displeased. "Bring it back," he ordered.

His subordinate replied with a bitter expression, "We've tried, but... but..."

But this massive creature wouldn't obey commands again.

During the Middle Ages, both immortal sects and demon clans had attempted to tame Gui Beasts, but successes were few. These monstrous creatures were incredibly wild, and disobedience was their normal state.

Chief Envoy Duyun sighed and personally retrieved an Ever-Burning Lamp from the main hall, whispering:

"Spirit Void Saint Venerable, please lend us your aid—go!"

He aimed the Ever-Burning Lamp at Shenyuan outside the tower, and with a gentle blow, the lamp spirit transformed into a white light and surged into Shenyuan's mind.

After that, Chief Envoy Duyun silently chanted.

The monster clearly paused, shook its head vigorously, and then became somewhat agitated, as if held back by something.

Chief Envoy Duyun's body swayed slightly, his face flushed, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Clearly, both sides were locked in a struggle.

Fortunately, after more than ten breaths, Shenyuan gradually calmed down, glanced up at the Star-Gazing Tower, and then slowly walked towards the mountain's core and burrowed back inside.

Chief Envoy Duyun opened his eyes and exhaled, personally returning the Ever-Burning Lamp to its original position.

Someone naturally offered him a wet towel to wipe away his sweat.

The Gui Beast's soul was chaotic; if compared to humans, it was somewhere between madness and idiocy. When the Ever-Burning Lamp spirit entered its mind, it could illuminate a sliver of clarity for it.

Fortunately, this massive creature was successfully persuaded back by Chief Envoy Duyun. Otherwise, if it went berserk and caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace, then...

Meanwhile, Bai Ziqi had, at some point, walked back to the shrine and was carefully observing the Beautiful Mountain and River Map.

"Where has that intruder gone?"

Earlier, the intruder was still on top of the spider demon, but everyone in the Star-Gazing Tower had just been distracted by Zu Ju and Shenyuan. By the time Bai Ziqi regained his focus, that person had vanished from the Mountain and River Map!

The other leaders came over to look and also found it strange.

The spider demon was still being held in the array core by the Gui Beast Xiaori. Where could the intruder have slipped off to? The lightning barrier around the array core was clearly still active.

A living person wouldn't just disappear without a trace, meaning they must still be inside the array core!

Bai Ziqi stared at the absurdly large crack on the glazed star ring and suddenly felt a jolt of alarm.

If the intruder were to sneak in through here, what would happen?

He pointed at the Mountain and River Map and said gravely, "Chief Envoy, please immediately send people to the array core. The intruder might be about to—"

Before he finished speaking, the array core displayed in the map plummeted vertically.

It just fell straight down from above Kaiyang Peak into the valley below, without any warning!

Immediately after, the Mountain and River Map also dimmed and stopped glowing.

The scenery in the map slowly faded, turning into a lifeless painting.

A deathly silence fell within the Star-Gazing Tower.

No, this can't be happening?

"No!" Chief Envoy Duyun was both shocked and enraged, slamming the table violently. At this moment, he cast aside all pretense of immortal composure. "How did the array core break!"

"The intruder probably burrowed down through the crack..." Bai Ziqi swallowed. "And damaged the Sky-Floating Stone?"

The tortoise shell was protected by a hidden array, making it difficult for enemies to find. However, the array core could float in mid-air year-round; this, like the floating islands, was all thanks to the Sky-Floating Stone.

Although Beijia had many enemies, no one had ever thought of bringing down the floating islands, because the islands were too massive, and the Sky-Floating Stones matching them were beyond human ability to destroy.

But the array core of the Spirit Gathering Great Array was different. Its diameter was only a few tens of feet, and the Sky-Floating Stone installed inside was only about two zhang square.

If the intruder used some methods, it might not be impossible to achieve.

The two major elements for the array core to function were that the star map matched and its own position matched.

It had to correspond to the celestial stars in the night sky.

Because the nine peaks on the ground could only stand motionless, the Spirit Gathering Great Array relied entirely on the array core to change its position to function. Now that the intruder had caused a free-fall accident, and the array core was out of place, the Spirit Gathering Great Array naturally collapsed.

But this fellow's ability to adapt to circumstances was truly remarkable. Bai Ziqi did not believe he initially intended to dig out the Sky-Floating Stone.

If he couldn't dig out the tortoise shell, he'd dig out the Sky-Floating Stone; such quick thinking, settling for the next best option, was truly precious.

With several explosive sounds, Zu Ju returned, its magnificent form filling the entire lava pool, and its firelight illuminating every detail within the Star-Gazing Tower.

As soon as the shackles were gone, it immediately sensed it.

But only when it saw with its own eyes that the Mountain and River Map was dim and lifeless did Zu Ju truly relax.

"I'm back!" The rock-fire monster's wild laughter echoed through the heavens and earth once more.

Everyone was stunned.

Chief Envoy Duyun ordered with a cold face, "Release Shenyuan again, immediately!"

Time rewound to a moment earlier.

The Spider Immortal and the Gui Beast Xiaori, these two massive creatures, were brawling, and it truly had nothing to do with He Lingchuan. Taking advantage of Xiaori's speed being slowed by spider silk, He Lingchuan seized the opportunity to leap from the spider demon's forehead and directly jumped into the star ring crack.

Zu Ju's high-frequency fire cannons lived up to their reputation, blowing two sections off the bottom of the array core. The crack extended from the bottom all the way to the platform, creating an opening for He Lingchuan to act.

Fortunately, the glazed ground of this array core could not melt into liquid; otherwise, his plan would also have been ruined.

Backup was backup; it still fell far short of the original.

He Lingchuan speculated that it wasn't that the Heavenly Palace didn't want to build the backup array core better, but perhaps there were objective reasons that made it difficult. For example, insufficient materials?