Chapter 721: Return Echo 2 in a flurry

Chapter 715: Echo 2: Overwhelmed

“What’s this?” Dong Rui took it, examining it. It was larger and rounder than a goose egg, light red with spots.

“It’s the egg of some kind of Danau beast,” He Lingchuan said. “I found it in the Flaw Realm and was planning to have someone auction it off.”

Dong Rui was delighted: “This is great, this is great!”

With a new toy in hand, his sleepiness vanished. He immediately held the Danau beast egg, pulled out a complete set of tools, and squatted down to study it.

Madam Zhu thoughtfully lay down by the entrance, curling up in the shadows: “You two rest, I’ll keep watch.”

After tonight’s battle, He Lingchuan had realized that the two spider demons had very different personalities. If it had been Madam Zhu Er, she would likely have run without looking back and wouldn’t have sought trouble with Bai Zhantian again after escaping danger.

Since Madam Zhu volunteered, He Lingchuan had no objection. He extinguished the bonfire, sat down on the other side, and closed his eyes to meditate.

As soon as he sat down, exhaustion washed over him.

Last night’s adventure was short, but it was thrilling from start to finish, making every second feel like a year.

Fortunately, they escaped alive and in one piece.

However, they hadn’t escaped far. He Lingchuan still felt the danger hadn’t completely passed and dared not sleep soundly.

Outside the cave, autumn insects chirped, and occasionally, birds rustled. The serenity of this place stood in stark contrast to the clamor of Lingxu City over a hundred miles away.

How many people had spent the past night and day sleepless?

***

Mount Xu, the Heavenly Palace.

Divine attendants and guards moved in and out, as busy as worker ants.

Everyone wore a solemn expression, hurrying to and fro.

The post-disaster cleanup was truly overwhelming. After the baptism of volcanic eruption and lava splashes, Tian Shu Peak, once lush and home to ethereal forests, was now barren.

Everywhere lay ruined walls and broken wood, scorched debris, with black smoke curling upwards.

Some mountaintops had even been leveled by several yards.

Upon seeing the current state of Tian Shu Peak, devout believers felt as if the sky had fallen. Some wept openly on the spot, while others fainted.

More followers knelt on the surviving white jade steps, heartbroken, prostrating themselves and kowtowing, hoping the Heavenly God’s wrath would subside, while tearfully cursing the invaders to a terrible end.

How peaceful the present world was.

How sublime the Heavenly God was.

How mighty Beijia was.

All beings in the mortal realm should praise, extol, and uphold it!

How could anyone, how dare anyone, destabilize or destroy it?

Such traitors were enemies of Beijia, enemies of all under heaven, enemies of all living beings!

They all deserved to be ground to dust.

They all deserved to die without a burial place!

Immense spiritual power surged towards the sky, so much so that two spectacular rainbow bridges appeared beside Tian Shu Peak at sunrise.

The Stargazer Tower was destroyed, so Heavenly Palace personnel temporarily moved to Knowledge Peak behind it for discussions, taking the Heavenly Scroll with them.

As a gift to ease relations, the Mountains and Rivers Tapestry was also salvaged by Zu Ju from the depths of the earthfire and returned in its original state.

The immortal treasure was truly robust; it had been submerged in the deep lava for a brief period and was only slightly damaged, still fully functional.

Knowledge Peak was quiet, with only a few high-ranking officials from the Heavenly Palace and the Royal Court present. The wailing and cries from Tian Shu Peak could not reach here.

Bai Ziqi had just rushed back from Tian Shu Peak. After seeing the collapsed ornate buildings and smoking charred debris, no one’s face looked good.

The atmosphere on Knowledge Peak was grim. The generals and guards responsible for guarding Mount Xu last night had already been ordered to be executed by the Heavenly God; everyone present hunched their shoulders, fearing the wrath of the Heavenly God and the Emperor would extend to them.

Last night’s incident was a great humiliation for the Heavenly Palace.

Bai Ziqi dared not imagine the reactions of the Beijia citizens and the thirteen vassal demon states once news of the Stargazer Tower’s destruction spread.

Of course, these concerns were for Chief Minister Duyun and the Emperor to worry about; the top priority right now was to capture the invaders as quickly as possible.

The Demon Emperor had arrived, and discussions regarding the capture of the invaders had been held round after round.

Bai Ziqi could tell that the Emperor was also forcibly suppressing its anger.

The unrest in Lingxu City had not yet subsided at all, and those causing chaos were still fleeing throughout the city. The Demon Emperor should have been holding court in Lingxiao Palace, issuing orders to suppress the terror and riots.

But with such a major upheaval in the Heavenly Palace, it had no choice but to first ascend Mount Xu to consult with the Heavenly God.

Everything has its priorities.

The Demon Emperor was stretched thin; it would be strange if it weren’t furious.

According to current analysis, the invaders on Mount Xu were not exceptionally powerful, and their numbers were even fewer. However, their angle of attack was incredibly cunning, allowing them to awaken the long-slumbering Immortal Shedding and thus unleash Zu Ju for their own purposes.

Their objectives were actually threefold:

First, to destroy the stable foundation of the Heavenly Palace, which was the Spirit Gathering Array.

Second, to seize divine artifacts amidst the chaos, cutting off the Heavenly God’s tracking of the Grand Flask.

Third, to incite chaos in Lingxu City, causing its citizens to live in constant fear.

Each one was an unforgivable sin.

Thus, the characters appearing on the Heavenly Scroll were as startling as blood.

Clearly, the Heavenly God was also furious and would undoubtedly capture all these rats and offer them as blood sacrifices to vent its anger.

The Demon Emperor said, “I recall this spider demon once went on a killing spree in Lingxu City and fled after being placed on the Earth Ranking wanted list, didn’t it?”

Grand Minister of Agriculture Yao Mao immediately replied, “Your Majesty has an excellent memory. This demon has lived in seclusion for many years in the Demon’s Nest Swamp in the southern part of Baoshu Kingdom, which is a deserted area in the deep mountains and vast marshes. However, spider demons and humans have always had business dealings; even the fluorescent spores used as streetlights in Lingxu City are a specialty of the underground spider lairs.”

The Demon Emperor pondered: “Send people to the Demon’s Nest Swamp to investigate.”

“Yes.”

“Furthermore, since it has lived peacefully in the Demon’s Nest Swamp for decades, why did it suddenly come to Lingxu City to seize the Immortal Shedding? How did the invaders persuade it? This must also be thoroughly investigated.”

The Grand Minister of Agriculture assented.

“As for Zu Ju...” The Demon Emperor sighed deeply, looking up at the opposing peak.

From Knowledge Peak, one could see the chipped corner of Tian Shu Peak opposite, where the lava pool was still churning. The triumphant aura of the lava monster almost seemed to spill over to their location.

Negotiations between the Heavenly Palace and Zu Ju had already taken place three times, but no agreement had been reached.

The lava monster, having suppressed its anger for over a decade, demanded exorbitant prices upon regaining freedom, terms so steep that even the wealthy Heavenly Palace felt a pang in their chest.

However, even if the Heavenly Palace could subdue Zu Ju again, it would be a Pyrrhic victory. The Abyssal Beast, specifically used to deal with Zu Ju, had now returned to the base of Knowledge Peak to recuperate and could not be deployed again in the short term.

Moreover, a life-and-death battle would first and foremost affect the entire Lingxu City.

The source of the region’s geomantic energy was Mount Xu. If they were to forcibly act against the lord of Mount Xu, the resulting upheaval would surely dwarf the great earthquake that struck Lingxu City more than a decade ago.

Not to mention a mutually destructive outcome, after Zu Ju broke free from the Spirit Gathering Array’s restraints, even if it couldn’t defeat the Heavenly Palace and Lingxu City, it could burrow underground at any time. Ha, they just couldn’t catch it!

This alone made it invincible.

Not to mention that Zu Ju had also threatened to move the positions of the main peaks, such as Tian Shu Peak and Tian Quan Peak.

Back then, it could move these main peaks in conjunction with the grand array; now, it could do it again according to its own will, though it would require more effort and time—perhaps two or three months.

As long as the earthly peaks did not align with the Big Dipper stars, even if the Heavenly Palace managed to find another star map, they wouldn’t be able to reconstruct the Spirit Gathering Array.

Having such a malicious neighbor would be enough to make your life utterly miserable!

Furthermore, after last night’s unprecedented upheaval, the Heavenly Palace and the Demon Emperor were even more eager to resolve matters quickly and peacefully.

The Heavenly Palace being attacked, earthfire erupting, the Stargazer Tower destroyed, and Lingxu City being trampled—the negative impacts of this series of unprecedented disastrous events would require an unknown amount of effort for Beijia to mitigate.

The Heavenly Palace’s ornate halls could be rebuilt, but the unsettling of people’s hearts would not be easily rectified.

Chief Minister Duyun interjected, “I will speak with Zu Ju again.”

As he held his position, it was his duty to tackle this tough challenge.

Chief Minister Duyun’s face was pale, not only due to the damage to the Heavenly Palace but primarily because his spirit and soul had been severely drained from controlling the Abyssal Beast last night. He should have been in secluded meditation for ten days or half a month, but unfortunately, with the Heavenly Palace in turmoil and Lingxu City in chaos, he had no choice but to preside over the situation.

No matter how arrogant and troublesome the lava monster was, it was ultimately an internal matter for Lingxu; it could eventually be resolved, provided a price was paid.

Capturing the invaders to set things straight was the immediate priority.

The Demon Emperor shook its head: “What exactly attracted the Thunder Roar Beast to attack Lingxu City? Has the reason been found?”

Everyone exchanged glances, and Bai Ziqi replied, “No physical object was found. However, the Thunder Roar Beast has always lived in seclusion in the Flaw Realm. This subordinate infers that whatever provoked it into a berserk rage, disregarding its own life, must be related to its offspring.”

Although the Thunder Roar Beast had been subdued, it left behind nothing but devastation and mud; no useful clues could be found.

The Demon Emperor hummed, “I also surmise the same. Thunder Roar Beasts lay eggs only once every few centuries and cherish them as their very lives.”

Coincidentally, the maintenance of the Beijia Demon Emperor’s own bloodline was similarly difficult, producing only one or two offspring every few centuries. Therefore, it could understand the Thunder Roar Beast’s profound love for its descendants.

A Heavenly Palace general reported, “According to feedback from the Flaw Realm hunting party, the Thunder Roar Beast laid three eggs, all of which were destroyed by the Wu Beast leader a few days ago.”

The Demon Emperor’s gaze deepened: “Then it should have sought revenge from the Wu Beast. Why did it come to the human realm to trample Lingxu City?”

No one could answer this question.

At this moment, a timid attendant by the side said, “Your Majesty, the person in the Mountains and Rivers Tapestry, they’re not moving anymore! It seems they’ve stopped!”

Everyone was slightly surprised and moved towards the Mountains and Rivers Tapestry.

Indeed, a golden speck in the map remained motionless.

“Before Heavenly God Bai Zhantian returned to the Divine Realm, he secretly placed a karmic thread on the Spider Immortal. This map shows the Spider Immortal’s location,” Chief Minister Duyun stated solemnly. “Originally, it was moving very quickly, but it has only now stopped.”

The Demon Emperor asked, “Where is this?”

“It’s an uninhabited and obscure mountain range, Mount Pei.”

Despite the destruction of the Stargazer Tower and the attack on Lingxu City, with so many events unfolding last night, the Heavenly Palace remained calm and unafraid of the invaders escaping a thousand miles away, largely due to the karmic thread secretly laid by Bai Zhantian.

Three hours later, just after midnight, the karmic thread settled.

The Spider Immortal, bound by it, had its location revealed on the Mountains and Rivers Tapestry.