Chapter 849: Each Feeling Uneasy

The lamp master was beyond tears, and the others found it utterly baffling. Fu Liang couldn't help but ask, "Master, can even a lamp spirit's avatar be seized?"

"A lamp spirit's avatar is neither tangible nor intangible, neither soul nor spirit; it exists between the ethereal and the void," He Jing explained, glancing at him. "If a deity comprehends its nature, seizing it is not difficult. Put it away. Your lamp spirit was the weakest, which is why it was chosen."

What did this rogue deity intend to do by forcibly seizing the lamp spirit essence from the Celestial Palace envoy?

He Jing's heart felt heavy. "Tonight is truly bustling," he murmured, "with all sorts of strange things appearing."

Was there still a force within the city capable of summoning a divine descent?

The struggle over the Great Square Pot was indeed fierce.

The worst part was that He Jing knew he had no choice. The deities of Lingxu City could absolutely not tolerate the Great Square Pot being seized by another deity's avatar. If the Celestial Palace found out he had stood before the Panlong Ruins but dared not enter, allowing the Great Square Pot to fall into others' hands, their thunderous wrath would undoubtedly descend!

Lately, the gods' tempers had been particularly short.

After much internal struggle and deliberation, He Jing finally sighed softly, resolving to enter the city and retrieve the pot.

"Come, all of you, follow me into the mystic realm!"

He was the first to step onto the land bridge, directly facing the majestic South Gate of Panlong City. With other divine avatars now present, even if Panlong City was a dragon's den, he had no choice but to enter.

"A mystic realm?" Everyone was greatly surprised. A disciple sought clarification, "Are we to charge into the red light pillar?"

While Celestial Palace attendants were known for their fearlessness, this action seemed… excessively reckless.

He Jing cast them a disappointed look. "Haven't you understood yet? Once we pass this South Gate, we will have entered the mystic realm!"

"These Panlong Ruins are, in themselves, a mystic realm disguised as reality!"

Otherwise, why was the city bustling while the outside remained silent? Why did the Que beasts rampage throughout the ruins but never venture into the desert?

The reason was simple: the entrance to the mystic realm was right at the South Gate! Every team had entered without realizing it.

The Celestial Palace attendants strode through the South Gate, following He Jing. Many murmured prayers, "May the gods protect us; we are fearless!"

Their voices grew louder with each chant.

He Jing glanced at them from the corner of his eye but said nothing. In fact, the deities of Lingxu had already given instructions regarding this expedition to the Panlong Desert:

No summoning of gods was permitted.

Even if they tried, the celestial gods would not descend. They had learned their lesson from the last time.

In a flash, the Celestial Palace team passed through the last of the South Gate's triple doors and vanished without a trace, just like the others.

A few moments later, the towering red light within Panlong City also ceased. The Panlong Ruins stood solitary in the desert, with only the night wind howling all around.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared in the sky when Zhao Qinghe suddenly exclaimed:

"There's something in the sky!"

Everyone looked up, seeing a small green light moving rapidly within the clouds. From such a distance, it resembled a firefly. Yet, each flash of lightning illuminated its glow onto the city. He Chunhua looked up, his face even tinged green by the light.

He knew it must be Naraka Tianzun's avatar, but why was the green light merely hovering in the sky and not descending? Looking closer, Naraka Tianzun's avatar repeatedly attempted to descend but was obstructed by something unseen. It was as if the sky was a transparent barrier, isolating Naraka Tianzun's avatar. The moment this thought occurred to He Chunhua, he broke out in a cold sweat!

This wasn't right. Something was very wrong here!

He gazed around blankly; the Panlong Ruins appeared unchanged, desolate and ruined, with only a few plants subtly growing in scattered corners.

Why couldn't Naraka Tianzun's avatar descend?

Could it be...?

Just then, the light in the sky suddenly stopped moving and no longer attempted to collide with the barrier. Its glow gradually shifted from green to a light golden-red, like sunlight... or perhaps candlelight. It flickered twice more, then vanished.

"Look there!" Qiu Hu exclaimed, pointing to another part of the sky.

The clouds there were thin, revealing something that seemed to be moving within them. Several flashes of lightning illuminated its silhouette, which resembled a colossal whale. Qiu Hu murmured, "Could it be a Kun?" A Kun was an ancient colossal creature said to inhabit the cloud seas. However, this shadow in the sky appeared to have no fins.

No one could tell for sure if it was truly the silhouette of a massive fish or just a peculiar cloud formation. Its speed, seemingly slow, was in fact swift as it moved towards the spot where the green light had been. But the green light had vanished, and the colossal entity seemed unwilling to give up, circling the spot twice as if searching.

He Chunhua was utterly incredulous: What was this enormous shadow, and how dared it pursue Naraka Tianzun's avatar?

He Lingchuan's expression was equally grim.

The statue in He Chunhua's hand also glowed green, resonating with the sky. So, that light earlier must have been Naraka Tianzun's avatar descending in response to his plea, right?

He had meticulously set up such an elaborate scheme, playing along with He Chunhua for so long, precisely to "receive" the celestial deity's avatar within the Panlong Mystic Realm. But why had Naraka Tianzun's avatar vanished before the red colossal shadow appeared?

Was it the Great Square Pot's doing?

It didn't seem so.

A hidden worry stirred within He Lingchuan. The turn of events deviated from his original plan.

As for the red colossal shadow, this was the second time he had seen it appear in the sky above the Panlong Mystic Realm. The last time the red colossal shadow appeared at the zenith of the sky, he had assumed it was a bug caused by the Great Square Pot attempting to simulate his conversation with Naraka Tianzun's avatar. But it now seemed that the Great Square Pot's subjugation of its lid had begun long ago. That artifact was likely formidable, and the Great Square Pot must have expended considerable energy to reveal any weakness.

Now, with an additional "God of Destiny" avatar as its opponent, and a horde of wandering cultivators and monsters throughout the mystic realm, the Great Square Pot must surely be straining. Just now, Naraka Tianzun's avatar had struck the mystic realm's barrier, and it wasn't as trivial as a fly hitting a glass pane. In fact, each impact sent a flash of blue light across the sky, followed by a roar of thunder that shook the entire mystic realm to its foundations.

He Lingchuan hadn't anticipated the sheer force of Naraka Tianzun's avatar. He had seen the Great Square Pot (or the black dragon form it sometimes took) devour the nameless deity's avatar from Nian Songyu's body, and he had seen it consume the Hundred-Faced Nightmare. But this time, he hadn't personally witnessed the red colossal shadow devour Naraka Tianzun's avatar.

Where had that cursed thing gone? What if it broke through the sky's limitations and descended...?

His end would be upon him!

Furthermore, he could discern that the Great Square Pot itself was a divine artifact still in the process of self-improvement, far from perfection. Against a true god like Naraka Tianzun, would its defenses prove impregnable?

Even with the most meticulous plan, encountering unforeseen variables inevitably made He Lingchuan's heart race with unease. Indeed, this matter was far from as simple as he had imagined.

At that moment, He Chunhua glared at He Lingchuan, his forehead slick with cold sweat. "What have you done?" he demanded.

"You ask me?" He Lingchuan calmly replied, instantly suppressing the tumult in his mind. "Weren't you the one who invoked the deity?"

"Why can't the celestial deity's avatar descend?" He Chunhua looked from He Lingchuan to the sky, his eyes wide with dawning horror. "Could it... could it be... could this *be* the mystic realm?"

The Panlong Ruins were known as a place of spiritual anomalies; the last time Sun Fuping summoned a deity, its avatar was damaged here. He Chunhua, having witnessed it, naturally remembered it vividly. However, Naraka Tianzun had assured him multiple times that as long as the divine descent ceremony was conducted *outside* the mystic realm, it would maintain control.

The previous entrance to the Panlong Mystic Realm had been within the well of the Mitian Temple. This time, the red light pillar had also appeared in the well, and even the pure white monsters had emerged from it to wreak havoc. Based on both past experience and current observations, He Chunhua had confidently assumed the temple well was still the mystic realm's entrance. He believed that by standing outside it and summoning Naraka Tianzun, the vengeful spirit possessing He Lingchuan and the Great Square Pot would be powerless against them.

But only now did he realize that he had been inside the Panlong Mystic Realm all along!

When had he entered?

He immediately recalled the mysteriously closed South Gate, the eerie dense fog beneath it, and the soldiers who couldn't escape even by leaping from the city walls...

Why hadn't he realized it sooner?

Right, because his eldest son had been constantly trying to stop him! The more He Lingchuan tried to dissuade him, the more his subconscious became convinced that this was reality, outside the mystic realm! Otherwise, why would He Lingchuan bother to interfere?

At this realization, He Chunhua finally understood: "You stopped me because you didn't want me to contact the celestial deity? You didn't want the deity to discover the anomaly here?"

This vengeful spirit had been obstructing him all along, not to interrupt the divine descent ceremony, but to prevent him from communicating with Naraka Tianzun! They were already inside the Panlong Mystic Realm; who knew if He Chunhua could even reach Naraka Tianzun? If not, he would certainly discover the anomaly. Even if he could, once Naraka Tianzun sensed something amiss, the descent might be canceled. He Lingchuan had clung to him persistently, precisely to deny him that opportunity, to force him into a direct invocation.

And now, Naraka Tianzun's avatar had responded to his summons, only to be blocked outside the mystic realm!

To He Chunhua's accusations, He Lingchuan simply replied, "You're delusional."

Evidence? Ha, without proof, he wouldn't admit a thing.

He Lingchuan ignored him, merely speaking into his collar, "Tao Ran, act."

Tao Ran was a Rongshan disciple stationed at Panlong's South Gate, renowned for his archery skills. He Lingchuan had secretly sent him an eyeball spider earlier, allowing Tao Ran to hear his commands. As soon as He Lingchuan finished speaking, Tao Ran, positioned far away on the South Gate, drew a command arrow and fired it towards Liren Street in the west. This was an explosive arrow He Lingchuan had provided, designed to detonate only upon impact. Its arrowhead was also pre-coated with wind-calming bead powder to prevent it from being affected by strong winds.

Before He Lingchuan had descended the city to the east with He Chunhua, he had instructed Tao Ran to closely monitor the whereabouts of Grand Marshal Le Zhengqing's team. If anyone was to be ensnared, it would be this particular team.

In the pitch-black Panlong City, this order was initially challenging, and Tao Ran had remained constantly on edge. However, the incessant flashes in the sky frequently illuminated the city, allowing Tao Ran to deduce that Le Zhengqing and his group were likely hiding somewhere near Liren Street, give or take. That location was directly opposite their eastern position, making it ideal for diverting trouble westward.

His bow possessed an enchantment that granted it long-range accuracy. Tao Ran raised his bow and fired a high shot. The arrow pierced through the whirlwind and accurately struck the tallest pavilion on Liren Street.

Immediately, a thunderous "boom" echoed, sending debris scattering and black smoke billowing skyward. The explosive sound and visual spectacle were utterly overwhelming. In Panlong City, swarming with Que beasts, an explosion of this magnitude was akin to a dinner bell.

On the South Gate, everyone immediately turned and concealed themselves within the wall's hidden passages.