Chapter 722: Echo 3 Causal Line

As for the intruder, the God of One Hundred Battles also attempted to project a karmic link onto him, but failed. We speculate this may be related to the Great Square Pot.

The mention of "Great Square Pot" immediately silenced the hall.

Chief Envoy Du Yun, his chest heavy, coughed twice before continuing: “Additionally, during their pursuit of the intruder, Grandmaster Qingyang and the God of One Hundred Battles discovered he had also utilized primal energy.”

Everyone was shocked. “What?”

“Though only for a brief moment, Grandmaster Qingyang detected the presence of primal energy, and it was remarkably potent,” Chief Envoy Du Yun added. “The God of One Hundred Battles also confirmed this.”

Grandmaster Qingyang had dealt with primal energy her entire life; her assessment was almost certainly accurate.

“Are you suggesting the intruder is concealed within the Royal Court and the military, perhaps even holding an official rank?” The Demon Emperor was enraged. “Hmm, it’s not impossible, not impossible at all!”

Now, looking back, information regarding the array core and the Great Square Pot was top secret. How could an outsider possibly have stolen it so easily?

The existence of an inside agent is the most logical explanation.

Bai Ziqi also stated, “The past few days have been overcast, yet the intruder was still able to precisely calculate the array core’s location!”

“To be able to calculate the array core’s position indicates he understands the connection between the Sky Net Star and the Spirit-Gathering Grand Array, and how its angles are computed. Even our own officials don't perform daily calculations; the star chart on the spider's exuviae handles it automatically!” The Demon Emperor stated in a deep voice, “How many people in all of Lingxu City possess both this secret knowledge and such a level of skill?”

Immediately, several trusted ministers listed four or five names, and Nie Xiaolou, the dean of Tongshan Academy, was also mentioned.

The Demon Emperor closed his eyes, a suffocating feeling gripping his chest.

Even at a time like this, they couldn't set aside their petty self-interest... they simply wanted to investigate those recommended by Grandmaster Qingyang!

However, the Demon Emperor lacked the energy to argue; he simply commanded, “Investigate them all!”

He pointed to the Rivers and Mountains Map. “Since the karmic link has been established, send Yuan Shou to pursue!”

Catch him first; if he can't be caught... then conduct a thorough investigation!

Court Marshal Huo Ji'an coughed lightly. “General Yuan was severely wounded three hours ago while forcefully stopping the Thunder Colossus Beast.”

“Then Fan Long and Jin Jiao should go! They're still alive, aren't they?”

“Commander Fan was ambushed by an immortal; his body was destroyed, and only his soul remains for now.”

Yes, that had just been reported. The Demon Emperor fell silent for a moment before saying, “Do everything you can to save him. Send Jin Jiao and Frost Leaf to pursue the intruder.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Although the spider demon seized the immortal exuviae, it may not be able to unleash its full power, much less control it for an extended period. Calling its power semi-divine is being generous. The God of One Hundred Battles and Grandmaster Qingyang have already experienced this firsthand.” The Demon Emperor said coldly, “Bring it back! Bring back the one who damaged Mount Xu and stole the divine artifact! I want him to turn to dust, piece by piece!”

Blood-red characters appeared on the Divine Tome:

“Apprehend immediately, no errors permitted!”

With the gods and the Emperor in a furious rage, everyone knelt to the ground.

Bai Ziqi, standing nearby, also bowed his head and sighed inwardly.

He understood the immense pressure weighing upon the Emperor and the Heavenly Palace. Mount Xu and Lingxu City had been nearly turned inside out, and countless eyes, both within and outside the city, were fixed intently on the Royal Court and the Heavenly Palace, waiting to see when they would bring the intruder to justice.

For the intruder to cause such havoc in the Heavenly Palace and still roam free was an unbearable disgrace that the gods and the Demon Emperor would absolutely not tolerate!

Not for a single moment.

The intruder had to be captured and returned to the Heavenly Palace immediately. The humiliation endured by the gods and the Emperor's surging wrath could only be cleansed with the intruder's blood!

Bai Ziqi could well imagine the furious arguments among the deities on the other side of the Divine Realm.

However, he had a premonition that this particular capture attempt would not end well.

The intruder was far too enigmatic. The Heavenly Palace knew nothing about his appearance, identity, background, or even how he escaped Mount Xu.

To this point, they knew absolutely nothing about their enemy.

This was truly not a good sign.

However, he neither could nor dared to voice his concerns.

What exactly had gone wrong? Why had the imperial capital's six hundred years of peace been shattered overnight?

Why could a single individual, acting alone, turn the Heavenly Palace completely upside down?

At that moment, Royal Court officials rushed in to report Lingxu City's losses to the Demon Emperor.

This was merely a preliminary estimate.

The Heavenly Palace divine attendants couldn't help but step back, anticipating that the Emperor would soon erupt in a furious rage once more.

His wrath would ultimately transform into a bloody storm over Lingxu City.

But the Emperor, enraged to the point of laughter, chuckled twice instead. “Mount Ling! Good, good. After lying dormant for so long, it has finally grown impatient, has it?”

During the unrest in Lingxu City, the colossal painting of mountains and rivers that manifested in the sky was a brazen signal from their adversary:

“That's right, we did this!”

The spider demon suddenly roused the two individuals. “Quick, someone's here!”

It had planted numerous scouts within a ten-li radius of the cave, and at that moment, it received intelligence of outsiders approaching.

He Lingchuan's eyes snapped open in alarm. Dong Rui had already leaped to his feet. “Let's go!”

There was clearly no village or inn for miles, not a single soul in sight. Why had people suddenly appeared while they were sleeping?

Nine times out of ten, it was pursuers.

The two individuals and the spider didn't even consider scouting. They leaped into the Mud Palace, boarded the Snail Toad, and left Mount Pei without looking back.

Madam Zhu then said, “My scouts observed two contingents, totaling two to three thousand individuals, ascending Mount Pei from the east and south. The leading great demons were quite astute; my scouts barely looked at them twice before they sensed something. Additionally, birds are continually circling in the sky, likely sent by the opposition.” Fortunately, the campfire had already been extinguished last night.

“I also saw them deploying large battle formations near Mount Pei, likely to suppress evasion techniques and prevent our escape.”

Fortunately, they had already fled before the formations were complete.

Dong Rui couldn't help but ask, “Fang Canran doesn't know our whereabouts, does he?”

He Lingchuan shook his head. “You chose this spot; how could Fang Canran possibly know?”

“Uh...” All three felt a heavy weight in their hearts.

The Snail Toad's chosen overnight spot was random, yet Lingxu City could still track them.

What did this imply?

Their adversary possessed the ability to track them. If there were no distance limitations, they wouldn't be safe even if they fled to the ends of the earth.

After all, there's no logic in guarding against a thief for a thousand days straight.

Dong Rui coughed, then subtly glanced at his two companions. “Who are they tracking?”

It couldn't be him, could it? He'd never even entered Mount Xu!

If Lingxu City was tracking these two, he'd best part ways with them.

He Lingchuan instantly saw through Dong Rui's hidden agenda. Just as he was about to speak, the Snail Toad surfaced.

Madam Zhu frowned in displeasure and took two steps closer to Dong Rui. “What are you doing?”

Did this fellow intend to abandon them and flee on his own?

“What are you saying?” Dong Rui retorted, annoyed. “We're leaving the rain belt ahead; the ground is dry, and the Snail Toad can't move!”

The Snail Toad's ability to travel freely for hundreds of miles depended on the ground being sufficiently moist. In dry underground conditions, it could only manage a few miles at most.

Madam Zhu looked up and indeed, they had temporarily moved beyond the rain belt. Not a single drop of rain fell, and the sky was clear.

The warm winter sun shone down, dispelling the darkness from underground.

But this was not good news for them.

With pursuers behind them, this was precisely the time for them to flee a thousand miles, yet the Snail Toad was unable to move.

Their opponents could set up inescapable nets and blockades; could they possibly outrun Lingxu City's pursuers merely by foot?

Furthermore, after the battle at Mount Xu, Madam Zhu was utterly exhausted, and controlling the immortal exuviae was already a heavy burden for her. Could it still control the exuviae to sprint for a thousand miles?

He Lingchuan frowned, but the next moment his gaze suddenly fixed on Madam Zhu.

Madam Zhu initially paid it no mind, but the young man's prolonged stare made her curious.

“What are you looking at?”

Even in the morning mist, a cave spider remained a cave spider; it wouldn't suddenly transform into a beautiful maiden.

Why was he observing her with such a scrutinizing and surprised gaze?

“There's a line behind your head—a golden one.” He Lingchuan reached out to brush it, but his fingertips passed right through the golden line, feeling nothing solid.

Was the line illusory? “Can't you see it yourself?”

Madam Zhu had an eye on the back of her head, which, theoretically, gave her a 270-degree field of vision, leaving almost no blind spots.

Yet she replied, “I don't see anything.”

“Uh...” He Lingchuan pointed towards a tree. “Come over here.”

There was no sunlight beneath the tree's shade.

Madam Zhu walked over, and the golden line behind her head vanished.

“This golden line seems to only be visible when illuminated by sunlight.”

Madam Zhu stepped back into the sunlight. He Lingchuan carefully examined the golden line, observing how it extended infinitely backward, as if without end.

Its trajectory suggested it originated either from Mount Xu or from the sky.

“Are you feeling unwell?” He Lingchuan stroked his chin. “You're quite knowledgeable; do you have any idea what this is?”

Madam Zhu also fell into contemplation, then after a moment, she said, “Perhaps it's a tracking spell secretly placed on me by the God of One Hundred Battles? Gods still possess certain divine powers that are not easily dispelled.”

Seeing this, Dong Rui walked over and observed for a long time. “I don't see anything. Are you saying the God placed a divine ability on Madam Zhu that will expose our whereabouts? Can it be removed?”

If it couldn't be removed, he would have to part ways with Madam Zhu.

It was merely light, formless and insubstantial. In essence, the God had placed a beacon on Madam Zhu. How could it be removed? He Lingchuan was about to shake his head when he suddenly recalled something.

When Shao Jian first arrived at Dragon Coil City, General Hong, or rather Mitian, also made him stand under the sun and cast a divine spell that revealed a black line on his shoulder.

Although that was a black line and Madam Zhu's was a golden one, their essence should be similar, shouldn't it?

What had Mitian said back then?

Was it a thread of destiny, or a karmic link?

She had effortlessly severed that black line, stating that Shao Jian was being targeted by some wild deity. That act severed the passive connection between Shao Jian and the wild deity, making it impossible for him to be tracked further.

Now, was Madam Zhu facing the same trouble?

True to the nature of a god, what an insidious method. They had tried every means to escape Mount Xu, yet they hadn't escaped the God's scrutiny. As long as the thread of destiny remained unbroken, the Heavenly Palace could dispatch someone to find them, even if they fled to the ends of the earth.

Were they to part ways with Madam Zhu and leave her to bear all the trouble alone?

Their side did not have a god capable of severing such a link.

Was there truly no solution?

Having come so far, he did not want all their efforts to be for naught.