Chapter 711: The Generous Gift of the Hundred-Handed Pot

**Chapter 705: The Gift from the Grand Flask**

In its awakened state, the spirit-gathering array was virtually impossible to rebuild, star map or no star map. Therefore, its relationship with Beijia was no longer one of subordination, and the offerings from Lingxu City had to be more plentiful and of higher quality.

Bound by the Oath Chains, it had destroyed the Stargazing Tower and stolen divine artifacts, utterly offending the Sky Palace and its gods. To ensure a way out for both parties, it intended to keep a contingency plan: once the Oath Chains were broken, it would betray He Lingchuan and the Spider Immortal to the Sky Palace, thereby mending its relations.

This was a clear case of playing both sides for its own selfish gain.

Though effective, the Oath Chains were not omnipotent; they couldn't suppress the malice brewing in its heart.

He Lingchuan, however, knew that this creature had never genuinely intended to honor the agreement from the beginning. Therefore, he wasn't surprised or enraged, having encountered such deceitful characters frequently in his own world.

It loved to play petty tricks, take advantage, and treat everyone else as fools.

With Ju Ju's defection to the enemy, the chaotic situation had once again reverted to a conflict solely between He Lingchuan and the Sky Palace.

Fortunately, he usually kept the little fire creature contained within his mirror, only releasing it for missions. Thus, Ju Ju knew nothing of his origins, appearance, or dwelling.

The pursuers' objective was clear: intercept He Lingchuan and the Spider Immortal, and tonight would be counted as a victory.

Madam Zhu raced through the forest, appearing to barely touch the ground. Her speed was so phenomenal it would make the fastest warhorses hide in shame.

Once it left the territory of Mount Xu, it was beyond the range of the spiritual rain and no longer affected by the slowing influence of primal energy.

They were only three *li* from Thousand-Heart Rock.

He Lingchuan suddenly felt something amiss and looked down: Madam Zhu had a wound on her left abdomen, from which flesh constantly transformed into black smoke and dissipated. However, the Spider Immortal's vitality was incredibly strong, and its flesh regenerated rapidly. This continuous cycle meant that smoke was always rising from the spider demon's body.

“Is your injury serious?” He Lingchuan couldn't help but ask. “What divine ability did Hundred-Battles Heaven use?”

No matter how thoroughly he had planned tonight's ambush, he could not have foreseen that the descending deity would be Hundred-Battles Heaven.

“It is,” came the reply, clearly indicating great pain.

“Ruin,” Madam Zhu stated, maintaining her swift pace. “This is its signature technique, capable of instantly disintegrating and annihilating anything it touches. Fortunately, it is currently using a divine avatar, so its power is far less than before.”

It shifted its eyes to glance at He Lingchuan: “However, it would be more than enough to deal with you.”

If that spear tip were to touch He Lingchuan, he would be instantly annihilated.

He Lingchuan shivered. No wonder the Sky Gods were considered invincible; this was a power that virtually no contemporary cultivator could contend with.

“But it isn’t feeling well either,” Madam Zhu added. “As a reciprocal gesture, I gave it a dose of my venom.”

That was how the bleeding wound on Lu Shishi’s back had appeared.

Even in her demon nest, Madam Zhu's venom was exceptionally potent, capable of melting living beings into a pool of blood in mere moments. Now, in her Spider Immortal form, its toxicity was even more formidable.

He Lingchuan considered for a moment. “Let me help you.”

With that, he drew his sword, Fusheng, and climbed onto her back.

Madam Zhu had no objection. As long as the Ruin power remained, it would continuously drain her strength.

The power contained within this immortal shell was incredibly precious, and she didn't want to waste even a shred of it.

However, moving across the body of the rapidly moving spider demon was akin to maneuvering on a mountain of swords; countless three-foot-long spikes were aimed at him from every angle. If not for his agile Swallow Return movement technique, he would likely have been impaled with dozens of bloody holes by now.

Madam Zhu’s eyes flickered with a faint light, and the spikes near her wound immediately softened, becoming pliable and elastic.

This maneuver bore a striking resemblance to a porcupine's ability. He Lingchuan effortlessly moved into position and began to saw away large pieces of flesh around the wound.

Sometimes, no spell or divine ability was as effective as simple physical removal.

Madam Zhu hissed in pain, yet she continued to keep her muscles relaxed.

Despite Fusheng’s sharpness, even without activating its special effects, He Lingchuan found cutting the wound exceptionally difficult, feeling tougher than refined steel.

If only there were some additional assistance.

No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than the Fusheng blade began to glow with a reddish hue.

“Eh?” But it wasn't just Fusheng; a faint red light also emanated from his own body. This was primal energy. This sensation was incredibly familiar to him — it was the primal energy of the Great Wind Army!

He Lingchuan was momentarily stunned. He was actually using the Great Wind Army’s primal energy in reality? How was this possible!

Madam Zhu urged, “Hey, are you done yet? Why did you stop halfway through the procedure?”

“Almost!” He Lingchuan suppressed his astonishment, prioritizing the completion of the surgery.

With the enhancement of primal energy, the task became much easier. It wasn't that the demon immortal's physical strength had decreased; rather, primal energy inherently exerted a restraining effect on great demons, and Fusheng, empowered by it, gained astonishing sharpness.

Soon, He Lingchuan excised two chunks of flesh, each the size of a wine barrel, and cast them to the ground. Within moments, they disintegrated into dust.

Madam Zhu, however, felt much more relieved. With the Ruin power removed, her wound rapidly mended and healed, fully restoring itself within a dozen breaths.

Only then did He Lingchuan have a chance to grasp the Fusheng blade and examine it closely.

This treasured weapon had been with him for too long, and the battle at Mount Xu had been too intense, causing him to subconsciously overlook Fusheng.

When he calmed himself and focused, he discovered that a new characteristic had silently been added to Fusheng: *The wielder can draw upon the primal energy of Panlong City. Its intensity is dependent on the wielder's rank and the current state of Panlong City.*

He Lingchuan had always known that Fusheng's properties could evolve, but he had never anticipated such a delightful surprise!

Primal energy, oh, primal energy! Seven or eight tenths of the disadvantages he had faced since leaving Yuan Country were related to it. As a lone fighter, when he confronted Beijia's powerful experts, he would be suppressed by their primal energy from the very beginning of the fight.

Now, this weakness was suddenly compensated for, effectively causing He Lingchuan’s own combat power to surge. How could he not be ecstatic?

This new power must have emerged after the lid of the Grand Flask was absorbed into the divine bone necklace, completing the divine artifact. Otherwise, the earlier struggle at the array core, though thrilling, had offered no primal energy assistance.

After this wave of delight, a host of questions flooded his mind, some of which contradicted his previous understanding.

However, He Lingchuan had no time for further contemplation, as Madam Zhu immediately warned him: “Hundred-Battles Heaven is here.”

Two arcs of light shot out from the side, moving at a speed not much slower than Madam Zhu’s. *Hmm, why two?* He Lingchuan clearly saw the approaching figures and immediately tensed.

Besides the God Hundred-Battles Heaven, how was Imperial Advisor Qingyang also here? Moreover, he saw Imperial Advisor Qingyang launch a whistling arrow into the sky, which exploded into a brilliant burst of red, yellow, and white light. *Good heavens, they’ve even deployed signal flares.* He recalled that the Sky Palace ground troops were not far from here, reachable by horse in just over a quarter of an hour.

He Lingchuan decisively stated, “We must shake them off. We cannot let them encounter Wuchan.”

With such rapid pursuit and escape, it would be difficult for He Lingchuan to rendezvous with Dong Rui.

Even if Dong Rui could rush to their aid, these two formidable figures were pursuing too closely! Wuchan needed time to burrow underground, and after witnessing Hundred-Battles Heaven’s divine technique, He Lingchuan seriously doubted whether Wuchan could escape in time from its grasp.

That was a character who could dig three *zhang* into the ground.

No matter how tough Wuchan’s shell was, it might not withstand a combined attack from God Hundred-Battles Heaven and Imperial Advisor Qingyang. Moreover, he had personally experienced Imperial Advisor Qingyang’s techniques; the oldest Imperial Advisor of Lingxu City truly possessed formidable abilities.

Wuchan was He Lingchuan’s most crucial means of escape from Lingxu City; it absolutely could not be damaged.

“My illusions won’t fool them,” Madam Zhu stated. Aside from their various divine abilities, they also possessed primal energy, a devastating weapon. Even if a mirage demon were present, it likely couldn't deceive the eyes of those two. “You’d better have another plan!”

“Hmm, I actually do have a backup plan,” He Lingchuan replied. With Ju Ju's obstruction, the simplest escape route had failed. He Lingchuan knew it was time to activate Plan B.

Alas, he had anticipated beforehand that it would likely come to this point.

He pulled a gourd from his sash and shook it twice. “Head west, towards the Sea of Grass! Also, have Dong Rui meet us there for support. Heh, since they’re pursuing us so relentlessly, I’ll give them another grand gift!”

Madam Zhu remained silent, turning westward. Along the way, she released large quantities of fine spider silk, which spread densely through the air. Anything caught would immediately stick, forming a multi-layered net.

To the west, near the water, the forest grew dense, providing ideal conditions for her to string her webs.

Unless the pursuing enemies could sprout wings and fly, they would inevitably become entangled in the webs, making it impossible for them to maintain their speed.

It was well-known that her spider webs were impervious to blades, water, and fire.

Madam Zhu herself had a history with Hundred-Battles Heaven and wouldn't flinch from a direct confrontation. However, she clearly understood that the current situation was unfavorable. Once entangled and delayed by Hundred-Battles Heaven and Imperial Advisor Qingyang, and with Beijia's reinforcements arriving, she would undoubtedly be overwhelmed and exhausted by their superior forces!

With no advantage in heavenly timing, geographical benefit, or human harmony, not fleeing would be courting disaster.

Furthermore, the immortal shell had been painstakingly reclaimed, and its power was finite, diminishing with each use. She sought to conserve it as much as possible.

Therefore, running was the only option.

Meanwhile, He Lingchuan retrieved a bow and arrows from his storage ring and also fired a signal arrow into the sky.

This was actually a firework, which, upon reaching mid-air, burst into a shower of stars in red, orange, yellow, green, and blue, even forming the pattern of three or four lotus blossoms. It was exceptionally beautiful.

Crucially, it was highly visible.

The localized thunderstorm only affected the area around Mount Xu, so this single burst of light against the dark sky was clearly visible for over ten *li*.

He wasn't boasting; he had long since thoroughly explored the mountainous terrain surrounding Mount Xu.

When planning such a significant operation, where failure often meant martyrdom, it was essential to conduct all research beforehand.

The Mount Xu territory was crisscrossed with streams and rivers, which naturally connected to external water systems. One of these upstream sources was the Sea of Grass.

That area was vast, with complex bodies of water, including shallows and reed marshes, making it highly suitable as an alternative escape route after leaving Mount Xu.

He Lingchuan had done his research meticulously; he knew that while the shallows of the Sea of Grass were extensive, the deep-water areas were far vaster, with depths reaching up to sixty *zhang* (two hundred meters).

Even a descending god would find it difficult for their divine sense to penetrate such deep and vast lake waters.

Of course, most importantly, there were people waiting there to meet them.

As for Ju Ju, He Lingchuan had, in fact, never fully trusted him.

This old demon had a notorious history, having betrayed both the Grand Rejuvenation Sect and the Sky Palace. Once the Oath Chains were removed, how could He Lingchuan be certain it wouldn’t betray him?

Betraying masters or allies for personal gain seemed to be Ju Ju’s standard modus operandi.

Therefore, having multiple backup plans was essential. He Lingchuan would never place all his hopes on Ju Ju.