Chapter 847: Qu Beast, Pot Lid, and Three Waters Realman

Otherwise, Ling Jinbao would immediately deduce it.

As it is now, he can only guess that this person named He is extremely cautious and doesn't want to take risks himself, so he's letting Zhang Lianhai and others go first.

Frankly, the Heavenly Palace, in the eyes of ordinary Daoist sects, is an unapproachable and unpredictably powerful entity. Yet, a dignified Du Yun Envoy was so timid, which Ling Jinbao found a bit hard to believe.

Or was it that He Jing possessed more information about Panlong City and the Great Square Cauldron, and that information made him unwilling to take anything lightly?

He Jing looked at him and smiled slightly, "This is the Heavenly Palace's arrangement. Oh, Mr. Ling, are you leaving now?"

"Giving a dismissal order after getting information?" Ling Jinbao secretly cursed. Stroking his chin, he said, "May I stay and watch? I'm curious."

He Jing hadn't expected him to be so thick-skinned and frowned, saying, "I apologize, but this is a palace treasure."

We do not share the images from inside the city.

Ling Jinbao chuckled and waved to his disciples, "Come on, let's go!"

If he had harbored any lingering illusions about the Great Square Cauldron before, after seeing He Jing and his group, those misguided notions vanished like smoke.

Since the Du Yun Envoy himself had come, any benefits would certainly not fall to Jianyang Gate.

Oh well, time to go home.

Ling Jinbao led his disciples farther and farther away without looking back.

After a Heavenly Palace attendant followed them for three *li*, he returned to report, "Jianyang Gate has left..."

He Jing waved his hand, his expression solemn. "They were wise to leave," he stated. "This city, and the red light, are all traps!"

After modification, this Vast Square Mirror actually shared its field of vision with the young attendant beside Zhang Lianhai. He Jing would not miss anything the youth saw.

This was because he knew clearly that the trip to Panlong City likely concealed deadly dangers!

After an unknown person wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace and stole a divine artifact, it was entirely reasonable for the Great Square Cauldron to become complete again and for Panlong City to undergo strange changes.

For two ultimate treasures to recombine, it would be strange if they didn't cause some commotion.

But there was a key question here:

Where was the person who stole the Great Square Cauldron Lid?

This person went through immense hardship and took extraordinary risks just to make the Great Square Cauldron whole again. Would he be willing to simply leave the cauldron and walk away? What would be his motive then?

Therefore, this thief was most likely nearby, secretly guarding the Great Square Cauldron.

The Great Square Cauldron was a very mysterious treasure. Heavenly deities had pondered it for so long and still often debated its use. But He Jing understood at least one thing: this item was fundamentally difficult to control. The various strange changes it was now undergoing might not align with the thief's wishes.

This was also why the Heavenly Palace had urged He Jing to rush here urgently.

But the thief could easily take advantage of the situation and set a trap.

It was just unknown what their intention was.

Therefore, He Jing would not foolishly rush into Panlong City as the leader. By utilizing the power of the Vast Square Mirror, he could sit safely in the desert and observe the changes within Panlong City.

Sure enough, one look revealed the problem.

Although the red light had spread across the entire city for only a brief moment just now, he had personally watched the people on Panlong City's South Gate suddenly vanish.

However, when he later looked through the Vast Square Mirror from the perspective of the young attendant, the teams inside the city were moving about normally, seemingly unfazed by the expansion of the red light, and even Zhang Lianhai and his group didn't mention it at all.

Why was that?

He Jing looked at the expressions of the people in the city, and a thought popped into his mind:

Did they not know?

Just then, the Heavenly Palace attendant staring at the Vast Square Mirror instinctively let out a gasp because he clearly saw a giant palm suddenly emerge from the red light of the Mitiant Temple's well and drag the person by the well into it!

He Jing also stopped dead in his tracks.

Obviously, the red light pillar represented the entrance to the Great Square Cauldron's secret realm. Now, was something rushing out from within the secret realm?

Subsequently, everyone watched as one bizarre-looking white-furred beast after another leaped out of the well. They also noticed that wherever they passed, the ground frosted over and small ice crystals formed in the air.

Clearly, these monsters' native environment must be an icy, snowy land.

"Let's go, let's take a look."

While observing the images in the Vast Square Mirror, he led his subordinates forward towards Panlong City.

By the time Zhang Lianhai and his group hid in the high tower to evade the monsters, He Jing had also approached the wide land bridge in front of the Chiba Plateau.

Crossing this land bridge, which also served as a moat bridge, would lead one to the foot of the South Gate.

But He Jing did not cross the bridge; instead, he ordered his group to wait for a long time where they were.

Under their gaze, the Panlong Ruins remained silent; except for the red light soaring skyward, there were no strange sounds whatsoever.

Only the desert night wind passed through the open gateway of the South Gate, creating a low, moaning roar.

As always.

This was extremely wrong. Panlong City in the Vast Square Mirror was clearly so bustling, with human shouts and beast roars exceptionally loud. How could He Jing and his group, standing outside the city, hear no sound at all?

The Panlong Ruins before them were simply a deserted ghost town.

Where were the people? Where were the monsters? Where had they gone?

An attendant beside him asked for instructions, "Lord Du Envoy, shall we enter?"

He Jing waved his hand, lost in deep thought. "These monsters, I seem to have heard of them before," he murmured.

The attendants dared not ask further. Only his most trusted disciple, Fu Liang, respectfully said, "Lord Du Envoy possesses vast knowledge and experience, unmatched by anyone in the Palace. That is why you are so exhausted; you had to go to the Wange Swamp, and now you must come to the Panlong Desert."

Within the Heavenly Palace, He Jing was indeed known for his extensive knowledge. Other Du Yun Envoys, such as Bai Ziqi, though reputed for their perceptiveness, had to concede defeat in this regard.

He Jing sighed, "I went to the Wange Swamp, who knew that afterward, changes would occur in the Heavenly Palace, and the Star-Picking Tower would nearly collapse."

Fu Liang immediately said, "If you had been at the Star-Picking Tower then, Mount Xu would not have suffered such devastation."

He Jing glared at him, "Nonsense! Lord Chief Envoy was also there. How dare you speak such insolent words?"

Fu Liang grinned obsequiously, "Monsters, you were talking about the monsters in the city, Lord."

"The activities in the Sea of Grass in the northern suburbs of Lingxu City, I remember you went there?"

"Yes!" Fu Liang chuckled. "Your disciple went with the Heavenly Palace Guard and even brought back two Danube Beasts."

"The Fù Realm, connected to the Sea of Grass, is a minor world," He Jing said slowly. "There is more than just that one minor world connected to our Greater Thousand World."

He pointed at the image in the mirror, "These monsters likely come from another minor world and are also known as Que Beasts."

The disciple asked curiously, "Que Beasts?"

"Their bodies are covered in unusually thick white fur. Some of them also possess the divine power to control ice and summon snow. Hmm, look at this monster Zhang Lianhai just killed. It can make its outer appearance as hard as rock, impenetrable to swords and spears. This serves as both camouflage and protection. Hmm, and its blood... The blood is deep purple. When it flows out and touches the air, it solidifies into amethyst."

"At a Dunyuan auction five or six years ago," He Jing continued, "an amethyst nearly four feet tall, with three gradient colors, was sold. That was solidified Que Beast blood. Once the amethyst is shattered—" he pointed at the mirror, "just like this person is doing, the crystal will release a large amount of cold air and then turn back into liquid."

A Heavenly Palace attendant in Panlong City curiously shattered a piece of purple blood and was almost frozen solid as a result.

He Jing said contemptuously, "Lacking an understanding of priorities, does Zhang Lianhai only teach such subordinates?"

However, his expression quickly turned solemn because a giant beast soon walked past the high tower where Zhang Lianhai and his group were hiding.

Zhang Lianhai also became alert, ordering everyone to remain silent, still, and hidden.

As a result, the giant beast was soon lured away by other human teams.

"The monsters emerging from the red light are getting stronger and stronger," He Jing said. "This is why they were named Que Beasts. When they first invaded the human world, ordinary people called them 'Que' because of their massive, gate-like bodies." He Jing's brows were tightly furrowed. "Frantic and wounded... Hmm... who injured them earlier?"

Fu Liang then asked him, "Lord Du Envoy, how could monsters from another minor world appear in Panlong City? Is this place, like the Sea of Grass, also a nexus where two worlds converge?"

He Jing waved his hand. "This is not something you need to know," he stated.

Because this concerned the treasure stolen from the Star-Picking Tower—the Great Square Cauldron Lid.

On the night of the shocking incident at Mount Xu, the Heavenly Palace issued a gag order, requiring all those who knew about the incident at the Star-Picking Tower to remain silent about the entire process, especially not to leak the news of the divine artifact's theft.

Of course, such news could not be completely suppressed. The high-ranking officials and influential figures in Lingxu City would certainly know.

But it was enough for this matter not to spread widely and not be turned into a laughingstock for commoners after meals.

There was a distinction between internal and external matters. As for such news, the Heavenly Palace would not hide it from He Jing.

After seeing these monsters, he recalled a legend about the cauldron lid:

Legend has it that after the Great Square Cauldron was collectively refined by several High Immortals, it began to display extraordinary properties. All the immortals were amazed. Only one of them, True Lord Sanshui, believed its existence would bring harm rather than benefit, fearing that future generations would be powerless to control it. He therefore strongly advocated for its destruction.

No matter how much he argued, the other immortals disagreed. So, in a fit of rage, True Lord Sanshui stole the cauldron lid, rendering the Great Square Cauldron incomplete.

However, the components of this divine artifact had mutual connections. He tried many methods but could not fully conceal its presence. How could the other immortals give up? Of course, they pursued him relentlessly.

True Lord Sanshui evaded countless pursuits and endured many battles. Just as he was about to be caught by other High Immortals, True Lord Sanshui vanished.

Both he and the cauldron lid disappeared completely.

The High Immortals searched diligently for a hundred years, to no avail. They had no choice but to let the matter drop.

Two thousand years later, the immortals of the world had long disappeared. Yet, the Great Square Cauldron Lid resurfaced in the human world and was somehow found by the Ke family, who presented it to the Heavenly Palace as a supreme treasure to be enshrined.

Why did the Heavenly Palace, from top to bottom, only worship it, but not truly take possession of the Great Square Cauldron Lid like other divine artifacts?

The reason was also very simple: this item simply wouldn't recognize a master!

No one could truly take it for their own use.

The ancient immortals couldn't, and neither could the later Heavenly Palace.

As for anecdotes about Que Beasts, He Jing used to merely skim over them. After all, at his level, he encountered countless strange tales and historical oddities daily.

Now, Que Beasts had appeared in the Panlong Ruins!

He Jing could only guess that when True Lord Sanshui was pursued with nowhere to hide back then, that minor world happened to open, and he simply escaped into it with the cauldron lid. Once this minor world closed, the connection between the two worlds was severed, and the immortals of the world could no longer find the exact whereabouts of the cauldron lid.