Chapter 839: Abnormality Arises Again

Bao Guanjie asked the burly man, "You seem unfamiliar; what is your name?"

"Lezheng."

Lezheng was not a given name, but a surname.

He was also being cautious. After all, Yuanxi was a remote borderland, far from the northwest front line, so how many people would recognize him?

Unfortunately, he had met He Chunhua.

Although he hadn't given his full name, He Chunhua immediately remembered that the Grand Marshal had a fierce general under his command named Lezheng Qing. This general had suppressed rebels two and a half years ago and had engaged in a back-and-forth battle with Yuan General Wu Di last year.

It seemed Ling Jinbao's intelligence was correct.

The Grand Marshal sending Lezheng Qing to Panlong Desert demonstrated his strong desire for the Great Flask.

On the other hand, in a situation where good generals were scarce, eliminating Lezheng Qing would undoubtedly weaken the Grand Marshal's power.

With that thought, He Chunhua said nothing, turning and walking towards the temple.

His intention was clear: he planned to observe from the sidelines.

Zhang Lianhai smiled, "A truly wise person knows when to adapt."

Bao Guanjie's face was grim.

He Chunhua commanded the largest force; if he refused to cooperate, their side would be at a disadvantage against the Heavenly Palace.

Fortunately, Lezheng Qing had already spoken, saying, "Please move aside."

The Lamp Spirit transformed into a two-headed snake, hissing at him. Zhang Lianhai said indifferently, "You can only enter if you defeat us."

There was an open space inside the temple, guarded on all sides by the Blackwater City army. He Chunhua and his son walked in.

The outer wall had long since collapsed, allowing them to see the situation by the pool directly from their position.

Bao Guanjie and Lezheng Qing seemed to have reached an agreement, leading their teams to move simultaneously to both sides of the Heavenly Palace's contingent.

Zhang Lianhai's expression also grew solemn.

These individuals' greed for the supreme treasure had already surpassed their awe of the Heavenly Palace!

They had to be taught a lesson.

In the previous battle of Blackwater City, all the factions had held back, with no one revealing their true capabilities.

He Lingchuan was eager to see what their true strengths were.

He Chunhua asked, arms crossed, "Do you think they truly dare to attack the Heavenly Palace?"

"Otherwise, how would they report back? Everyone here is on a mission. As subordinates, they only need to answer to their superiors; who cares if chaos follows?" He Lingchuan pointed again. "Look, more people are coming. Tonight is certainly lively."

From the shadows of the buildings, another one or two hundred people unexpectedly rushed out!

He Chunhua took a closer look and was utterly dumbfounded.

Judging by their armor and weapons, they were actually Andong people!

That's right. On the very night Liao Shan besieged Blackwater City, the Panlong Ruins first emitted a red light. Liao Shan had then taken the opportunity to dispatch a team to the ruins to seize the treasure.

He Chunhua had almost forgotten about it, not expecting the Andong people to still be there.

He Lingchuan silently calculated in his mind. Tonight, the Panlong Ruins had unexpectedly gathered the forces of the Heavenly Palace, Baling, the Grand Marshal, the Andong people, and He Chunhua, with Jianyang Gate still waiting outside the city.

Of course, if He Lingchuan counted himself as a separate force, that would make a total of seven teams, all here for the Great Flask.

This was only what he had seen. Panlong Ancient City was so vast; who knew if other forces were hidden within? Most likely, there were.

"What do you think, Dad?" He Lingchuan asked. "Can the Heavenly Palace hold its ground?"

He had to distract He Chunhua to ensure he had no opportunity to cast divine spells.

"If the Andong people also enter, it's hard to say," He Chunhua replied. The Andong forces were numerous, second only to the Blackwater City army. If they united with the Baling people and the Grand Marshal, the three factions combined would number nearly three hundred. "And with us waiting on the sidelines, even if we don't act, the Heavenly Palace will be wary."

The He father and son had only retreated to the temple, just over ten zhang from the pool. If these four factions fought to the death, who was to say the Blackwater City army wouldn't seize the opportunity?

He Lingchuan then asked, "Why doesn't Zhang Lianhai go in himself?"

Everyone knew that to seize the Great Flask, one had to enter the red light.

He Chunhua shook his head; he couldn't understand either.

Could a few attendants entering be enough to seize the Great Flask? Surely Zhang Lianhai wouldn't be so overconfident.

So, how did the Heavenly Palace envoy plan this?

He Lingchuan knew one crucial detail more than his father: he had taken the lid from Mount Xu, and half a year later, the Great Flask had appeared. These two major events were not just sequential; they were causally linked.

The Heavenly Palace must be very clear that this expedition to the Panlong Ruins might not only lead to finding the Great Flask but also to capturing the true culprit who caused chaos on Mount Xu!

In such a situation, how could the Heavenly Palace possibly send just a few attendants into the red light as a mere formality?

Based on his understanding of the Heavenly Palace, even if they didn't come out in full force, they would at least be secretly plotting something sinister.

"Hmm, could it really be as he imagined?"

He Lingchuan suddenly felt a little worried.

He Chunhua suddenly pulled a die from his storage ring and threw it onto the ground.

The die had a reddish-gold base, with different colors and patterns on each of its six sides. He Lingchuan even noticed one side was dark, featuring what looked like a grinning demon's head, baring its fangs.

The die rolled twice on the ground.

Both He Chunhua and his son watched, eager to see which face would land upright, but it got stuck in a stone indentation, standing upright on its edge!

"Oh, come on!" This clearly meant it didn't count, a fact Young Master He, who had gambled a fair bit, understood immediately.

He Chunhua's face grew even grimmer. This die was a divination tool, its six faces representing six different answers: auspicious, inauspicious, very auspicious, very inauspicious, mediocre, and a blank face, which signified unpredictability.

He had thought the worst outcome would be to roll a blank face; he never imagined that none of the six faces would land!

Was it the power that interfered with the red thread on his wrist?

He Chunhua instinctively looked up at the red light pillar.

Further throws were useless; for the same question, only the first throw was valid.

He Lingchuan asked curiously, "What kind of treasure is this?"

"The die can divine short-term fortune or misfortune," He Chunhua explained. He went to bend down and pick it up, but his eldest son was faster, snatching it into his hand.

"With a treasure like this, why didn't you bring it out before, Dad?" He Lingchuan asked, turning the die over and over in his hands.

"I obtained it by chance recently," He Chunhua said, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Chuan'er, you try too. In these Panlong Ruins, our fates are intertwined. If I can't divine it, perhaps you can point us in a direction."

"Okay," He Lingchuan said, his heart stirring, and he casually threw the die.

*Roll, roll.* The die spun twice on the ground and didn't get stuck this time.

Everyone was curious and gathered around to look:

The blank face was facing up.

This face was white, with no pattern at all.

"What does this mean?"

He Chunhua's brows furrowed deeply. "Undetermined," he said.

There was no fixed outcome; no fortune or misfortune could be divined.

He Lingchuan, however, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "As long as it's not an ill omen, it's fine!"

He had been startled when He Chunhua took out the die. Naraku Heaven claimed to be the God of Fate, and this die clearly looked like a small item it had given to He Chunhua.

What if He Chunhua had actually divined something? Then...

Fortunately, fortunately.

By the pool, the three factions other than the Heavenly Palace had been secretly exchanging glances.

The main focus of Zhang Lianhai's precautions was, of course, the Baling people.

Bao Guanjie spoke endlessly, continuously trying to persuade him to yield, as if he didn't notice Zhang Lianhai's face, which was full of refusal.

They still wanted to make another attempt, or several.

This also indirectly indicated that Baling was indeed extremely reluctant to provoke Beijia.

"This is too slow; are they going to drag this out until dawn?" He Lingchuan secretly gestured to Qiu Hu, then pointed to the pool, indicating, "Go give them a nudge."

He needed to stir things up quickly.

Qiu Hu understood. He formed a hand seal behind his back, and a small, earthy yellow mud snake, no longer than a chopstick, emerged from a crack by the pool, almost blending in with the sand.

The barriers set by the Heavenly Palace attendants were all designed to keep outsiders away; who would have expected a snake to emerge from under the pool basin behind them?

As soon as it emerged, it darted straight for a Heavenly Palace attendant and bit him on the ankle!

The attendant cried out in alarm.

His staff had originally been pointed outwards, and his mind was tense. Startled, he instinctively unleashed the divine power he had accumulated.

*Bang!* A fireball narrowly missed an Andong person.

At the same time, the mud snake collapsed, turning back into a lump of mud.

This move, destroying the spell and erasing all traces, was executed perfectly. He Lingchuan cast an approving glance at Qiu Hu.

The situation by the pool was already tense; it couldn't withstand such provocation. When the Heavenly Palace suddenly made a move, the remaining three factions immediately counterattacked.

Instantly, divine powers and arrows flew wildly through the air.

Bao Guanjie and the Andong people teamed up to contain the Lamp Spirit, while Lezheng Qing seized the opportunity to charge directly at Zhang Lianhai.

To catch the thieves, first catch their leader. If Zhang could be controlled, everything else would be easy.

At this point, he hadn't considered simply cutting him down.

Zhang Lianhai dodged, then suddenly shouted, "General He, how about you join forces with me? You can lead your entire army in!"

He Chunhua was currently hiding in the temple with two or three hundred elites. Whichever side he joined, the scales of victory and defeat would likely tip immediately.

At Zhang Lianhai's shout, the faces of the other three factions changed.

He Chunhua, however, stood with his hands behind his back, silent.

The strongest and most difficult to contend with in the field was the Heavenly Palace faction. If their side were to assist the Heavenly Palace, even if they could enter the pool, they might not ultimately seize the Great Flask.

It would be better to eliminate the strongest first; then the remaining parties would still have hope.

As he chose to stand by and watch, the other three factions felt much more confident, and their attacks became even more relentless.

Zhang Lianhai roared furiously, "The Heavenly Palace is determined to claim the treasure in these ruins! If you dare to seize it, your fate will be the annihilation of your clans and nations!"

His opponents heard this, paused for a moment, then continued their attack.

The Heavenly Palace's threat was thunderous, making their hearts tremble. But they couldn't stop, because everyone present, except for He Chunhua, was acting on orders.

Their superiors had ordered them to seize the treasure. Could they really report back that the Heavenly Palace wanted it, so they had simply conceded? That was out of the question!

Whatever their superiors commanded, they simply had to obey.

As for how the Heavenly Palace would retaliate, that was a matter for later. Since they had already started, they weren't afraid of offending anyone.

Moreover, the Lamp Spirit was truly difficult to deal with; even with the combined attack from the opposition, it had instantly killed four people. Seeing how ferocious it was, who would dare to hold back?

In mere moments, the Heavenly Palace contingent was reduced by three men, Baling Kingdom and Andong each lost six, while Lezheng Qing's forces, having been somewhat preserved, suffered only three killed and four wounded.

He Chunhua also heard Zhang Lianhai's threat and frowned slightly.

Was the Heavenly Palace's obsession with the Great Flask that strong?

If he were to seize the Great Flask, would he then become an enemy of the Heavenly Palace?

Others might consider this and perhaps retreat, but He Chunhua, on the contrary, wanted to stay even more.