Chapter 843: Red General's Tomb

The young attendant shouted, "In your shadow!"

He saw clearly that two small monkeys, or ape-like creatures, were standing in the guard's shadow. Hearing the shout, one turned its head and grinned at the young attendant. Only then did everyone get a clear look: the monkey's face was like a grotesque mask, with two triangular eyes that were all white, pupils the size of grains of rice, a nose as large and hooked as an eagle's beak, and a face covered in wrinkles. Yet, its mouth could stretch all the way back to its ears, revealing a mouthful of gleaming steel teeth. Thick blood still clung to its teeth.

Caught red-handed, they showed no panic. One lunged at the guard, opening its mouth wide and directly engulfing his head, while the other dragged the guard's shadow, swiftly pulling him away! Their mouths looked large, but when opened, they were incredibly enormous. The wrinkles on their cheeks stretched flat, and a whole watermelon or even a human head could fit inside. No wonder the previous victims couldn't cry for help; their voices must have been swallowed too.

As for dragging the shadow and thus dragging away the shadow's owner, this trick was also unprecedented for everyone present. Zhang Lianhai seemed to recall hearing of similar divine arts. But that was a profound technique only gods or immortals could perform. Could a mere ghastly-faced monkey in this haunted place do it? He felt a deep sense of dread.

The Lamp Spirit, which had long enjoyed divine favor in Mount Xu, naturally wouldn't stand by and watch the guard be dragged away. It flew down, transformed into a fierce tiger, and tore at the ghastly-faced monkey, biting furiously. Unfortunately, the guard whose head was swallowed had his skin peeled back, and four large bloody holes on his neck gushed blood—his arteries had been severed. His companions quickly rushed forward to seal his acupoints and save him.

The other ghastly-faced monkey immediately leaped onto the rooftop and shrieked. The biting cold wind carried its cries far and wide. Zhang Lianhai pointed at it, "Silence!" He unleashed two divine abilities; one was deflected by the strong wind, the other struck the ghastly-faced monkey's chest, sending it tumbling backward. But it was too late. Nearby, several monsters' roars echoed in succession, seemingly in response to the ghastly-faced monkey.

Zhang Lianhai took a deep breath and decisively said, "Go, hurry!" Since they were exposed, it was time to get straight to their objective. He formed a hand seal, and a Lamp Spirit whirled away to cover their retreat. This creature had no emotions, facing any number of enemies without fear or reverence. Everyone ran frantically. Another Lamp Spirit flew ahead, illuminating their path and clearing the way of wind and snow. Otherwise, the further west they went, the stronger the wind would become. It was already approaching a force nine gale, which would undoubtedly affect their speed. A single monster wasn't terrifying; they could handle it. But if their opponents gathered in groups, no one would dare to take chances. Their only way out was probably to seize the opportunity while the Lamp Spirits engaged the giant monsters, and quickly rush to General Hong's cenotaph!

The young attendant hastily looked back and indeed saw dozens of monsters charging out from behind. The Lamp Spirits swirled around them relentlessly, trying their best to hold them back. These creatures weren't very intelligent; their entire attention was drawn to the Lamp Spirits, making them forget to continue pursuing the Heavenly Palace team. Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Taking advantage of the time the Lamp Spirits bought them, the team advanced at full speed. They encountered monsters surrounding them a few more times but managed to escape each time with all their might. However, Panlong City was quite large, and the Heavenly Palace team was unfamiliar with its various crossroads, which caused significant delays. Zhang Lianhai dispatched all his Lamp Spirits to confront the enemies, but loyal guards still fell one after another. Fortunately, General Hong's tomb was almost in sight.

Zhang Lianhai ran two more steps, then suddenly, with a *thump*, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Everyone else turned pale with alarm. They had just broken through, and Zhang Lianhai hadn't been injured. Why was he spitting blood?

"The Lamp Spirit!" Zhang Lianhai exclaimed in disbelief, "My Lamp Spirits have been shattered." He was a Lamp Keeper, and all his life's energy and divine abilities were tied to the Lamp Spirits, with which he had long been inseparable. The destruction of the Lamp Spirits was an extremely heavy blow to his body and mind. What kind of monster could possess such power to shatter the Heavenly Palace's Lamp Spirits? The most terrifying thing was that *that* thing would surely follow them.

The young attendant grabbed and supported him, crying, "My lord!" "Quick, to the ce-ce..." Zhang Lianhai's face was deathly pale, his words disjointed. He barely managed to raise a finger, pointing eastward. At this point, there was no time for words; only by reaching it could there be a glimmer of hope. Almost there, almost there! Less than forty *zhang* from General Hong's cenotaph! The young attendant hoisted him onto his back and sprinted a hundred meters.

Suddenly, a deafening long howl came from behind. The bodies of the frantically running Heavenly Palace team stiffened for an instant. Zhang Lianhai's heart sank: It was here. Everyone looked back, but saw nothing, only the swirling snowflakes around them paused, then in the blink of an eye, formed into a dozen snow beasts, resembling both leopards and wolves—agile and fierce—charging at them head-on. The guards, heedless of their own safety, rushed to block, barely creating a path for the young attendant to escape. Two handfuls of warm blood even splattered onto his face, making him squint.

Fifteen *zhang* left, and the strong wind pushed them back. From behind came a short, close cry of "Ah!", which was immediately swallowed by the wind and snow. The young man knew that the last two guards were also gone. But he finally reached General Hong's tomb!

In the past, when General Hong died in battle, less than half a day later, Zhong Shengguang committed suicide and Panlong City fell. Therefore, this generation's god of war was not buried by the people of Panlong City, but by their sworn enemies. The allied forces of Ba Ling and Xian You, out of respect for this formidable adversary, erected a cenotaph for him. It covered less than half a *mu*, with stone carvings on either side taken from finished products within Panlong City. The stele, however, was quite grand, standing ten feet tall, with five simple, large characters: "Tomb of General Hong."

The red paint had long since peeled off, and even the characters were faded and indistinct. But at that moment, two more wisps of spectral light flew in, and in front of the young attendant, entered General Hong's tomb. Zhang Lianhai jumped to the ground, forcing himself to wield his long staff, striking the tomb ground fiercely. Exerting his remaining strength, his true energy penetrated the tomb, instantly blasting open all the stone slabs on the tomb ground. Tomb earth scattered, revealing the underground chamber!

Amidst the sand, a pale red armor sat. Despite over a hundred years of erosion, it hadn't rusted. However, the armor was riddled with scars and multiple penetrations, some clearly bearing the marks of lightning burns. If Zhang Lianhai had been calm, he might have found it strange why General Hong's armor was in a sitting posture. When Panlong City's enemies buried this empty armor, they likely wouldn't have specifically adopted this posture—especially since the helmet was still neatly perched on top of the armor. From behind, it looked as if General Hong himself was sitting with bowed head and arms crossed.

But how could Zhang Lianhai have time to consider this now? In his eyes, there was only the item protected between the armor's arms: a palm-sized, lidless small pot. It was a two-handled pot, bronze-colored, of unknown material. Dragon-shaped carved rings adorned its handles, and esoteric runes were etched onto its body. Other than that, there were no superfluous decorations, making it quite simple. As a learned and knowledgeable Lamp Keeper, Zhang Lianhai recognized at a glance that the runes on the pot were actually in two languages: the language of the gods and the language of ancient immortals. They conveyed the same meaning: "Penetrating Heaven and Earth, Pervading Void and Reality." Another wisp of spectral light drifted over and, in front of Zhang Lianhai, entered the pot's opening.

This was the supreme treasure coveted by all gods. This was the divine artifact stained with the blood of countless people. This was the source of so much bloodshed, the true form of the Great Square Cauldron? Zhang Lianhai forgot his injuries and lunged forward. The anomalies within the Panlong ruins all originated from the Great Square Cauldron. If he could seize it, perhaps he could end all this chaos! But he was less than seven *chi* from the Great Square Cauldron when a vast shadow suddenly appeared overhead, completely engulfing him.

***

The South Gate of the Panlong Ruins. Several more groups of monsters passed by. The people on the wall were all hushed in fear, daring to breathe heavily only after the monsters had gone far away. Time passed, minute by minute, incredibly slowly. After an unknown period, new guests arrived at the South Gate again: Yue Zhengqing with four or five men, equally disheveled and still shaken. He had entered Panlong City with over a dozen subordinates, but now only a few remained. Finding the South Gate closed, he also wanted to get onto the wall.

He Chunhua instinctively pressed the saber at his waist. The Grand Marshal's troops and the Kite Army were mortal enemies. Should he let them up? Of course! He immediately ordered his subordinates, "Move the barricades!" Intercepting and causing a commotion below the city gate would only attract monsters; letting these few Grand Marshal's subordinates onto the wall and then seizing an opportunity to slit their throats with a few quick slashes—wouldn't that be easy? With their numerical superiority, couldn't they handle five or six opponents? However, upon seeing the defending soldiers on the wall, Yue Zhengqing's expression changed. He no longer requested to climb the wall, instead turning and leaving quickly with his subordinates. This city was full of dangers, and there were few suitable hiding places. His willingness to abandon the seemingly safe city wall most likely meant he had sensed the ill intent of the Kite people. He Chunhua could only inwardly sigh in regret.

Afterward, everyone heard a loud and terrifying beast roar. The roar echoed through the ancient city of Panlong, as if it could tear the sky apart. One roar silenced a hundred beasts. Even from such a distance, many people were shaken to their core, trembling uncontrollably, and a great fear spontaneously arose. With a clatter, someone's weapon fell to the ground. He Chunhua's voice was hoarse: "What was that?" So, the giant beasts that had previously passed below the city walls weren't the leaders? This roar alone signified the arrival of the monster king!

He Lingchuan licked his lips and genuinely said, "I hope it doesn't find us." He had heard roars of this magnitude in the foreign realm of Fojie; at that time, it was from the Thunder-Clasping Giant Beast Lord, whose voice shook for dozens of miles. It was also He Lingchuan's first time seeing such a magnificent monster. No, the beast roar from the ruins just now was even more soul-stirring than that of the Thunder-Clasping Giant Beast Lord. How many secrets were hidden within the Great Square Cauldron, that even non-human entities were there?

Immediately afterward, a blizzard began in the city without warning. The thick city walls were instantly covered in white frost, and thinly dressed soldiers quickly sought refuge in the wall's inner passages to avoid being frozen solid. He Chunhua's breath came out in a white cloud: "Two tornadoes went east." "The spectral lights that emerged after the monsters died also went in that direction," He Lingchuan said. "They are all going to the same place." "Where?" He Lingchuan shook his head; he didn't know either. But soon, the beast roar sounded again from the east, sounding even more majestic. "So fast!" He Chunhua's face changed. "In such a short time, it crossed more than half of Panlong City?"