Chapter 713: Second Phase Begins

The remaining teams exchanged uneasy glances, a subtle sense of unrest spreading among them. The grizzled veterans grumbled, complaining about the unknown delay in their shift change.

The guards of the Eye of the Storm were meant to rotate shifts every three *shichen* (six hours), a high-intensity, high-risk duty that required constant alertness.

In reality, however, the guards had long been rotating only every five *shichen* (ten hours). Yet, their allowances and extra pay were still calculated based on a three-*shichen* (six-hour) rotation—money that never reached the hard-working soldiers, leading to years of widespread complaints.

Unfortunately, their grievances never reached higher command, making their complaints futile. Just then, several lotus-shaped fireworks soared into the night sky from the opposite side.

"Huh, that looks like it's near Tianji Peak? What's happening at Mount Ruin now?" Everyone knew those were signal flares.

At that moment, a young man, carrying a pack, swiftly ran up to the guard captain. "Sir, I'm delivering supplies to my team!" The guard captain recited mechanically, "Which team?"

"The Yuan family, I'm from Guard Yuan's family." Most people remaining in the Grass Sea were logistics personnel for competition teams. Teams operating in the Fujei Realm for days often needed regular rotations of personnel and resupplies.

Thus, it was not unusual for humans and monstrous beasts to frequently enter and exit the Eye of the Storm. Due to the unusual circumstances at Mount Ruin and Lingxu City, the guard captain's attention wasn't on mere idlers. He waved his hand, "Go on in." For the first five days after the competition began, all personnel entering and exiting had to be strictly registered.

However, by now, people were moving in and out freely, and the guard captain saw no need for strict checks. As long as it wasn't a Dona beast passing through the Eye of the Storm, he couldn't be bothered.

The young man bowed and entered. Once inside the Fujei Realm, the guards on the other side of the Eye of the Storm were equally indifferent to him.

The area was barren, without a single tree. Fortunately, the terrain was rolling hills, and once he crossed two small mounds, his movements would be concealed from others.

The young man, using his inner energy, moved with remarkable speed. He carried a gourd in one hand, splashing liquid onto the ground every dozen steps or so.

The liquid flowing from the gourd was not water, but a semi-transparent, pale yellow, viscous fluid with a peculiar fishy odor.

He ran directly towards the densest part of the storm. After just a few dozen breaths, the Lingxu guards stationed in the Fujei Realm heard an exceptionally loud beast roar from a distance.

One roar followed another, like a series of thunderclaps rolling across the sky. "Huh, why is it coming from *that* direction?"

Because of their close proximity, the ground trembled violently. The guards' expressions changed. A commander grabbed a messenger, pointed at the Eye of the Storm, and yelled, "The Thundering Colossus is acting strangely! Go quickly and inform the Human Realm!" With that, he kicked the messenger through the entrance.

The Thundering Colossus roared twice more, then stopped. The guards waited for a while, and when no new sounds emerged, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps it was just a routine display of power? But before long, pebbles on the ground began to bounce. A rumbling sound approached from the distance, as if a massive army was advancing towards the Eye of the Storm.

...Ahead lay the boundless Grass Sea. Thin ice had formed on the lake's shores, and in this season, only reeds still swayed.

Imperial Advisor Qingyang and Bai Zhantian pursued to this point, just in time to see the giant spider leap into the air and plunge into the lake dozens of yards ahead, creating ripples.

"It's gone into the water." Bai Zhantian's gaze sharpened, and she strode forward. Without needing to cast a spell, she ran across the rippling water as if on solid ground.

Reaching the center of the ripples, she raised her long spear, gathered energy for about two breaths, and plunged it fiercely into the water! The spearhead, extending beneath the surface, instantly grew ten *zhang* (about 33 feet) longer and three times wider, directly reaching the lakebed.

Most terrifyingly, the water within a five-*zhang* (about 16 feet) radius of the spearhead completely froze, immobilizing all living creatures until they were silently consumed by the annihilating power unleashed from the spear tip!

Within two breaths, it stabbed and thrust over thirty times in all directions, churning the water beneath her feet into colossal, murky waves.

But no fresh blood emerged from the depths. It appeared the Spider Immortal was moving swiftly even underwater. Everyone knew the underwater terrain of the Grass Sea was complex; ordinary cultivators pursuing her here would likely have to give up.

However, Bai Zhantian glanced at Imperial Advisor Qingyang. "Find them." Imperial Advisor Qingyang nodded, and her short staff glowed with a faint green light.

She dipped her staff into the lake and called out clearly, "Local Water Spirit, come quickly and present yourself!" After repeating this three times, she withdrew her staff and waited quietly.

The Grass Sea was vast; how long would it take to search it by herself? The best method was to seek help from local inhabitants.

This was the outskirts of the Demon Kingdom's capital, where the density of demons was unusually high. After more than twenty breaths, a massive head indeed emerged from the water, nodding in greeting to her. "Grass Sea Water Spirit greets Imperial Advisor Qingyang!" It was a giant eel, its head half-gray, half-white, appearing somewhat faded, probably resembling a reef when submerged.

When it opened its mouth, at least two large rows of fine, serrated teeth were visible. Although it called itself the Grass Sea Water Spirit, its domain actually encompassed every stream, river, and lake from here all the way to Mount Ruin.

"There's a giant spider and a living person underwater. Find them for us and keep a close eye, but don't alert them." The giant eel paused for two seconds before assenting.

The Grass Sea hunt hadn't ended yet, so there were many humans around. Fortunately, one target was a giant spider; otherwise, how would it distinguish them?

Having received the order, it submerged and vanished. Bai Zhantian frowned. "This isn't good. Zhu Erniang and I fought in ancient times. Her magic power is mediocre, but she has many tricks."

"We've already mobilized the army, and with the help of the Grass Sea aquatic creatures, our chances of success increase with time." Imperial Advisor Qingyang knew well that the Spider Immortal's form could not be maintained indefinitely.

"Let's start searching this area. By the way, you must have another tracking method, don't you?" A deity's means were diverse; Imperial Advisor Qingyang didn't quite believe that Bai Zhantian couldn't track the intruder and the Spider Immortal.

Bai Zhantian nodded and exhaled a puff of white mist forward. Imperial Advisor Qingyang immediately saw a shimmering, indistinct golden thread of silk appear within the mist.

In fact, "golden light" was a more accurate description than "golden thread," as it hadn't yet woven together but was diffused in the air, like a spider's web swaying in the wind.

"This is a karmic thread, used to trace causality and find someone," Bai Zhantian explained.

"During the recent fight, I took the opportunity to entangle it around the Spider Immortal. However, it will take three *shichen* (six hours) for the karmic thread to fully solidify." Imperial Advisor Qingyang was curious, "Is this the legendary karmic thread? I thought it would be immediately visible."

"On an ordinary person, it is indeed immediately visible," Bai Zhantian explained.

"But the spider demon still possesses half-immortal power. I don't want it to detect me instantly, so it's best to proceed slowly." This meant they would only precisely know the Spider Immortal's whereabouts after three *shichen* (six hours).

This, however, didn't hinder their immediate efforts to capture her. Before she finished speaking, dozens of people rushed towards them from ahead. Imperial Advisor Qingyang recognized their uniforms; these were guards stationed at the Eye of the Storm in the Grass Sea.

"Why are you only just arriving?" Within Lingxu City, no one would mistake that emblem. But the guards looked at Imperial Advisor Qingyang with doubt on their faces.

Didn't everyone know that Imperial Advisor Qingyang's crimes had been exposed and she had been taken into custody by the Heavenly Palace? Imperial Advisor Qingyang didn't scold them. Instead, she produced a token, which glowed with a faint green light.

Seeing the divine energy burst from the token in her hand, the guards no longer had any doubts. Authority was tied to divine energy. Whatever had happened to Imperial Advisor Qingyang was beyond their comprehension. They only needed to recognize the divine energy. So, when Imperial Advisor Qingyang pressed further, asking, "Why are there only a few of you?" the leader of the guards immediately replied, "The Thundering Colossus has burst out of the Eye of the Storm and is rampaging through the Grass Sea! Imperial Advisor, please intervene!"

"The Thundering Colossus?" Imperial Advisor Qingyang was startled.

"How could it enter the Human Realm?" Such lord-level Dona beasts were extremely territorial and rarely left their domains.

Crucially, the space-time barrier restricted monsters of this magnitude; it couldn't pass through the Gate of Storms. Therefore, Lingxu City had never worried about a lord-level behemoth breaking into the Human Realm.

At this point, Imperial Advisor Qingyang suddenly recalled news she had heard recently: the Thundering Colossus had laid eggs, repelled an attack from a Fujei Realm sandstorm and another quasi-lord monster, and Human Realm warriors had also been affected.

A Heavenly Palace team that had entered the Fujei Realm had even submitted intelligence suggesting the Thundering Colossus might have been downgraded, though this had not been definitively confirmed.

Now, it seemed the news was accurate. Unfortunately, this intelligence had not been taken seriously by the Grass Sea guards. Moreover, everything felt wrong today.

Mount Ruin and Lingxu City undergoing sudden changes, and even the lords of the Fujei Realm showing interest in interfering with the Human Realm? Imperial Advisor Qingyang, having lived so long, deeply understood the meaning of the phrase, "Something abnormal must be demonic." How could such coincidences exist in the world? Nine times out of ten, this incident was connected to the intruder!

She glanced at Bai Zhantian, who remained completely unfazed, not even twitching an eyebrow. "What's the big deal about one Dona beast? Let's catch the intruder first!" In Bai Zhantian's view, how much havoc could a Dona beast possibly wreak?

The Human Realm was Lingxu City's home ground; with more reinforcements, it could be suppressed quickly. In contrast, the intruder making off with the spider's shed skin and divine artifacts was the paramount concern, deeply resented and feared by the deities!

Imperial Advisor Qingyang also understood the stakes. With a silent sigh, she immediately ordered, "Form groups of five and search this area at once. Also, dispatch two thousand more people from the Grass Sea." She didn't know that the Emperor had already transferred five thousand people from the Grass Sea to reinforce the Heavenly Palace, leaving only a thousand here.

Furthermore, the Thundering Colossus's rampage shortly after its violent emergence had caught the guards off guard, resulting in significant casualties.

The soldiers, pale-faced, anxiously stammered, "But... but the Thundering Colossus is already..." Imperial Advisor Qingyang's tone sharpened, "Go quickly!" Two soldiers suddenly pointed to the side. "They're here!" Imperial Advisor Qingyang and Bai Zhantian also felt the ground tremble and instinctively turned to look.

Normally, crossing the long slope twenty yards away would reveal the Grass Sea's famous white sand beach. But now, hundreds of guards were pouring over the slope, running towards them and shouting loudly, in a complete rout.

Immediately afterward, a large horde of monsters emerged from behind the slope! Dona beasts! They varied greatly in size; the smaller ones weighed three to four hundred *jin* (approx. 330-440 lbs), similar to wild boars, while the larger ones were over a *zhang* (about 10 feet) tall and weighed tens of thousands of *jin* (thousands of pounds), comparable to giant elephants.

There were at least two to three hundred of them, and their running shook the ground. Not to mention, the leading Thundering Colossus was even more imposing than all its smaller counterparts combined.