Chapter 720: Echo 1 Who Is It?

**Chapter 714: Echoes 1: Who Is It?**

Days of heavy rain had made the ground outside Lingxu City damp, which was conducive to the snail-toad's travel.

Next stop was Qingstone Town, in the southern suburbs of Lingxu City. They had set off from there tonight, and He Lingchuan hadn't even checked out of his room yet.

During their underground journey, He Lingchuan took a mirror from his pocket and shined it on the three of them.

“What are you doing?”

“To check if any tracking spells have been planted on us.” He Lingchuan checked very carefully. “Tonight's opponents were unusual, employing various methods, so it's best to be cautious.”

After checking a full three times, the two people, the spider, and the bat demon puppet were all fine.

Only then did He Lingchuan breathe a sigh of relief. He sat down, took out the xun, and asked Zhu Erniang, “How can you sustain this for so long?”

Zhu Erniang tucked her eight legs under her, squatting comfortably. “What do you mean?”

“Last time in the Demon Lair Marsh, you wore a smaller exuviae to fight King Siwen and Lord Boshan for three hours. After returning to the spider's nest, you immediately shed the outer shell. It's clear that exuviae cannot be worn for long.” He Lingchuan kept examining her body. “This immortal exuviae must be an even greater burden for you, mustn't it? You've been wearing it for so long; why aren't you eager to take it off?”

Last time, Zhu Erniang had hastily shed the exuviae, which gave He Lingchuan an opportunity. Why was she fine now?

“Shed it in front of you?” Zhu Erniang's eyes all turned toward him, and she said ominously, “Do you think I'd make the same mistake twice?”

Shedding her skin was when she was most vulnerable. Last time, He Lingchuan had taken advantage of her. This time, she wouldn't make that mistake again.

It wasn't specifically against He Lingchuan; it just didn't want to give anyone an opportunity!

He Lingchuan couldn't help but rub his nose and swore to the heavens, “I had no such intention, Erniang, you've wronged me! Now we're teammates in the same trench; if I harm you, aren't I harming myself?”

Zhu Erniang gave a dry chuckle, not believing a word.

“See? Didn't I meticulously carry out and perfectly achieve your entrustment?”

Zhu Erniang eyed him askance. “What exactly do you want to say?” She didn't think the young man was about to turn hostile immediately.

“I'm just curious—” He Lingchuan stroked his chin as he looked at her. “Are you really Zhu Erniang?”

Dong Rui immediately turned his head. “What did you say? She's not Zhu Erniang?”

Was there a second spider demon so ferocious in this world? Moreover, it could even wear an immortal exuviae to fight... Besides Zhu Erniang, who else could wear such a thing?

He Lingchuan shook the xun in his hand. “Even if Zhu Erniang hid a part of her spirit here, could an incomplete spirit truly control an immortal spider's exuviae at will?”

The compatibility between body and spirit is a fundamental principle of cultivation in the mortal realm.

One of the most important reasons heavenly deities cannot reside in the mortal realm for long is that human bodies are too fragile to match such powerful spirits.

Conversely, a weak spirit likewise cannot control an immortal's body.

Furthermore, Zhu Erniang was very clear about one thing when she entrusted him with the task in the Demon Lair Marsh: if He Lingchuan could find her immortal exuviae, they would likely face a life-or-death battle afterward. If she couldn't unleash the exuviae's power, even partially, then this trip would be pointless.

So, this whole situation seemed very strange no matter how one looked at it.

Zhu Erniang, however, yawned. “You're quite perceptive. Alright, I'm not Zhu Erniang.”

She admitted it so casually, but Dong Rui couldn't help but shiver and patted the snail-toad, signaling it to be alert. “Who are you?”

If her answer was suspicious, the snail-toad would fling her out.

“Isn't the answer obvious?” Zhu Erniang raised a front claw and pointed at the xun in He Lingchuan's hand.

He Lingchuan didn't seem particularly surprised. “You are Zhu Daniang?”

The name of this xun was “Zhu Daniang's Eye Socket.”

Zhu Erniang had also named his venomous fangs dagger “Zhu Erniang's Kiss.” According to her naming custom, this xun should be Zhu Daniang's relic.

“That's right.” Zhu Erniang — no, now she should be called Zhu Daniang — said faintly, “I perished in ancient times. Erniang allowed me to reside within her body so I wouldn't dissipate, nourished by her flesh and blood. But I usually sleep and only awaken when she summons me.”

“Residing? Two spirits in one body?” He Lingchuan gave a thumbs-up. “You two are quite something; this is even possible?”

“After I perished, Erniang ate my physical body so it wouldn't go to waste,” Zhu Daniang said as if it were perfectly natural. “I paid her, and she let me reside. Moreover, we were originally born from the same egg, and in the later stages of our cultivation, our hearts became attuned, making us like a single entity.”

She paused. “But after several shed-dings, she grew weaker and weaker and was almost unable to sustain my spirit. Therefore, I had to come out and adventure with you all.”

As long as Zhu Erniang had strength to spare, she could nourish her sister's spirit. But once she could no longer protect herself, Zhu Daniang would either have to find her own way or be devoured by her sister.

The world of spider demons was just that realistic.

“How long can you wear this immortal exuviae?” This was He Lingchuan's main concern. “Don't tell me you'll have to take it off tomorrow morning; the snail-toad can't transport something this big!”

Once the immortal exuviae was unworn, it would automatically revert to its original size, a giant spider form reaching four zhang (thirteen meters) in height.

Such a monolithic creature could not be stored in a mud palace.

He Lingchuan's storage ring also didn't have that much space.

If they were still within Beijia territory, transporting the immortal exuviae would be a major problem.

Zhu Daniang smiled. “No need to worry; we've already considered that. If I enter dormancy, I can last for at least half a month in the immortal exuviae.”

He Lingchuan felt relieved. “That's good.”

He didn't ask Zhu Daniang how she would manage to last, as it concerned a core secret, and the other party would surely not reveal it.

Although he had retrieved the immortal exuviae for the spider demon and completed the task beautifully, ultimately, the two sides had been adversaries just a few months ago, and their relationship wasn't so close that they would confide everything.

Of course, now they had a common goal, which was to successfully escape from Beijia Kingdom.

Soon after, the snail-toad arrived at Qingstone Town and surfaced in a secluded, uninhabited spot.

As soon as they returned to the inn, the large parrot, Old Ling, immediately flew in through the window, flapped its wings, and said:

“Well done! I just flew two rounds in the sky and saw the fireworks to the north!”

The so-called fireworks were the volcanic eruption of Mount Tianshu.

Its voice was full of delight.

“My master says that since you've accomplished this, you are now our reliable comrade.” The parrot handed over a note and an iron thumb ring. “There are many people who can be useful to you. Their addresses and passcodes are written on the note; the thumb ring is the token.”

He Lingchuan took them and asked, “What if I hadn't succeeded?”

The parrot cackled twice. “If you didn't succeed, you didn't succeed, simple as that. Who do you know has succeeded in the past few hundred years?”

“Old Fang is truly thoughtful; he knows exactly what I need most right now.” He Lingchuan took the note, read it several times, memorizing it, then ignited a wisp of true fire and burned it.

He knew in his heart that if the Ruins Mountain project hadn't succeeded, the parrot might not have brought him a note and a thumb ring.

“Lingxu City is in chaos. Is Old Fang alright?”

The parrot shook its head. “No need to worry, he's already prepared.”

He Lingchuan had witnessed Fang Canran's ability to hide himself in plain sight. Since he was confident, there was no need for He Lingchuan to worry.

After this incident, He Lingchuan could appreciate Fang Canran's ruthlessness and his hatred.

A biting hatred for Lingxu City.

“Is he going to remain in Lingxu City?”

The parrot did not answer. Instead, it simply said “farewell,” flapped its wings, and flew away.

Meeting with He Lingchuan now was likely the most dangerous task in all of Lingxu City, so it naturally didn't want to linger.

The chaos in Lingxu City hadn't yet spread here. He Lingchuan and Dong Rui checked out as usual, led the rock goat, brought along the squirrel Xiao Qiao, released the snail-toad in a secluded spot, and plunged into the ground.

This little creature knew too many of his secrets. He Lingchuan had “consulted” Xiao Qiao, and the squirrel expressed its willingness to work for him long-term and stably, with preferential pay, of course.

They didn't even plan to stay overnight in Qingstone Town. Their immediate priority was to get away from Lingxu City, the farther, the better.

After traveling tens of miles westward, the snail-toad reported to Dong Rui that it was tired.

For He Lingchuan's Ruins Mountain project, it had been busy for the past two days.

This large creature could appear and disappear mysteriously in the rain, but it didn't like long-distance travel.

Dong Rui immediately felt sympathetic and requested a break. Even when riding horses, they needed to stop for water and fodder periodically.

Only then did they return to the surface. They saw that the surroundings were a desolate wilderness, dark and somber, with no signs of human activity, save for the mountain wind sweeping across the ridges and the cawing of crows.

It happened to be their ideal resting spot for the moment.

They found a mountain cave with several large trees outside completely shielding the entrance. This way, even if birds flew overhead, they wouldn't necessarily spot any movement inside the cave.

The two lit a bonfire, boiled some water, and ate some dry rations.

After a thrilling night, a few sips of hot water and a few pieces of beef jerky made them feel alive again.

Dong Rui let out a long sigh, leaned against the cave wall, and wiped his forehead. “I never knew hot water could taste so good!”

“How dramatic!” Zhu Daniang scoffed. “You only walked around the outside of Ruins Mountain; you didn't even go in.”

Killing, arson, and instigating fights—all of this was done by her and He Lingchuan.

This young man was at most a charioteer, driving an unconventional mount.

“Contending with Lingxu City—not everyone can handle such a blessing.” Dong Rui knew his task wasn't heavy, but the psychological pressure from this job was immense.

The most outrageous thing he had ever done before was merely capturing the children of Lingxu City officials to turn them into demon puppets.

And this person and spider in front of him? They had directly uprooted the heavenly deities' foundation in the mortal realm and thoroughly offended Lingxu City.

When it came to causing trouble, he really wasn't fit to even carry the shoes of someone named He.

He stared at He Lingchuan. “What treasure did you steal from the Heavenly Palace?!”

“How can taking back what's mine be considered stealing?” He Lingchuan glanced at Zhu Daniang. “Just like they took back their immortal exuviae.”

“How old are you? Could the Heavenly Palace steal something from you?”

He Lingchuan smiled without a word.

Dong Rui knew that when he put on that stubborn look, he wasn't going to explain. So he snorted, found a dry corner, spread out a mat, and lay down.

He urgently needed to catch up on sleep.

He Lingchuan, however, took out three oval stone eggs and handed them to him:

“These are for you.”