Chapter 860: 幻灭

Taking advantage of the enemies being driven back by several corpse puppets, He Jing turned and ran towards the tomb. The Red General's armor had already loosened from being hacked and chiseled by so many people; one more pull, he thought, might do the trick.

He hadn't forgotten his primary mission: the Great Square Pot!

As expected, the Red General's gauntlet had already drooped.

The tomb was very dark. He Jing had to lean in to look, and the next second, his pupils constricted.

Empty?

Empty!

The gauntlet still held its original gripping posture, but there was nothing inside except for a few shards of ice.

Where was the Great Square Pot?

Where was the pot everyone had been eyeing?

Everyone had clearly seen the Great Square Pot right here moments ago...

Before he could finish his thought, He Jing's peripheral vision caught a faint glimmer.

The light was like the frost he used to see on the ground through a crack in the door when he was a child – inconspicuous but chillingly cold.

It felt as cold as frost on his neck.

He Jing inwardly cursed, his body suddenly losing all strength.

His last thought was regret.

He had already decided to retreat after releasing the corpse puppets, so why had he come back to seize the pot?

Wasn't it because he clung to a sliver of hope, thinking he'd try one last time?

Greed, an insatiable greed!

It was too late for regrets.

Others only saw a faint light flash within the tomb. Then, the movements of the Palace Envoy abruptly stopped.

Bao Guanjie, who was just rushing over, was about to swing his saber when he saw a thin line of blood appear on the back of He Jing's neck.

Someone had actually ambushed him from the front, severing his neck, including the cervical vertebrae, in a single strike—so fast that blood didn't even have time to gush out!

The most terrifying thing was that the attack was completely silent, like wind rustling through phoenix trees, without a hint of killing intent beforehand.

Bao Guanjie also vaguely sensed that something had leaped to the back of the tomb.

Then, the head of the Celestial Palace Envoy fell to the ground, and blood from his neck spurted three feet away!

Many people nearby were splattered with blood.

The red glow in the eyes of the rushing corpse puppets vanished, and they collapsed instantly—their controller was dead, rendering them motionless.

Someone in the back cried out, "He Jing is dead! The Ba Ling people killed the Celestial Palace Envoy!"

The powerful shout echoed for several miles.

Bao Guanjie was furious. "Who, who's spouting nonsense!" he roared.

He turned to look but couldn't find the person who had shouted.

Le Zhengqing rushed to the edge of the tomb and used his saber to pry at the Red General's gauntlet.

With He Jing as a cautionary example, no one dared to lean in and look.

"It's empty!"

The Red General's gauntlet was empty; the Great Square Pot had vanished without a trace.

Clearly, the person who killed He Jing had also taken the Great Square Pot!

Everyone's gaze immediately focused on Bao Guanjie.

Everyone had just witnessed Bao Guanjie rushing behind He Jing, after which the Envoy's head fell off and the Great Square Pot disappeared.

If not him, then who?

Bao Guanjie's eyes were bloodshot, and he roared agitatedly, "It has nothing to do with me! I didn't kill the Envoy!"

Someone assassinated He Jing right in front of everyone and then framed him for murder and theft? How could it be so absurd!

At that moment, a thundering beast roar came from very close by.

The King of Que Beasts was here.

The crowd exchanged glances, let out a shout, and turned to flee!

The formidable Celestial Palace team had been decimated by the King of Que Beasts; could they possibly stand against this monstrous creature?

Besides, with the Great Square Pot gone, why would they stay here and face certain death?

Run! Everyone ran without looking back.

It wasn't until the various teams had run a hundred paces or more that the commotion behind them gradually subsided.

Bao Guanjie stopped to catch his breath. His subordinate couldn't help but ask him, "My lord, what about that Envoy and the Great Square Pot...?"

"I didn't kill him! I didn't take it!" Bao Guanjie roared. "Don't you believe me either?"

No sooner had he spoken than a red light suddenly flashed before their eyes.

Everyone in the Coiling Dragon Secret Realm noticed a thin layer of red light emanating from every patch of ground, every building, every city wall, and every pond.

The red light then rapidly receded, as if an entire carpet was being pulled away from behind.

The crowd took a few steps, unable to keep pace with the receding red light, and could only watch it contract towards the central-southern part of Coiling Dragon City.

That was the location of the Mitian Temple.

Finally, the red light transformed into a pillar of light that shot skyward.

This time, the pillar of light lasted only two or three breaths before dissipating.

People exchanged glances.

There were too many strange occurrences in the secret realm; no one was sure what this new development meant.

Bao Guanjie casually pressed against a nearby dirt wall, and the sound of crumbling soil echoed far into the quiet night.

"Listen," he said. "The beast roars are gone."

The low growls of the Que Beasts had previously filled the entire secret realm, but now the city was eerily quiet, without beast roars or footsteps.

Only the mournful sound of the wind remained.

Bao Guanjie led his subordinates through a few alleys to an open space.

"Huh?" Everyone immediately felt something was wrong. "Where are the bodies?"

Just a quarter of an hour ago, there had been a fierce battle in this open space, with casualties among both Que Beasts and humans.

Yet, the ground before them was spotless, with only a few bits of rubble; there were no corpses, not even a single bloodstain.

Seeing this, Bao Guanjie finally let out a long breath and stopped. "We've left the secret realm!"

"Huh?" Others hadn't quite grasped it.

"That red light just now was the secret realm disappearing," Bao Guanjie said with a touch of melancholy. "Someone must have obtained the Great Square Pot and broken the secret realm!"

Everyone looked up at the sky, seeing that the thick clouds had dispersed at some point, and a bright moon was setting in the west.

Dawn was approaching.

Just like that? They had inexplicably entered the secret realm and just as inexplicably left it?

"My lord, what do we do now?"

The relief of surviving the ordeal was only now slowly rising within them. They exchanged glances, sighing with emotion.

How had they managed to survive in that dreadful place, crawling with monsters and offering no escape!

Before Bao Guanjie could reply, a scout from his team rushed over. "My lord, two Celestial Palace guards are still alive, about thirty yards ahead, running west!"

Two survivors?

A fierce glint flashed in Bao Guanjie's eyes. "Chase them and kill them!"

Eliminating these two would make it much harder for the Celestial Palace to investigate He Jing's death. Not to mention, all the various factions who participated tonight might keep silent once they returned.

After all, they had all stumbled here and offended the Celestial Palace.

If these two weren't eliminated, their accusations back in Lingxu City would immediately bring great misfortune upon Bao Guanjie and Ba Ling Kingdom!

Zhao Qinghe and He Chunhua emerged from their hiding place and proceeded cautiously. The shout "He Jing is dead!" that had just echoed was from Zhao Qinghe.

He Chunhua's reaction was swift:

The death of a Celestial Palace Envoy in the Coiling Dragon Desert was a monumental affair. The Yuan Kingdom simply couldn't bear the wrath of Beijia, so it was best to quickly divert the trouble elsewhere.

Every wrong has its perpetrator, so let the Celestial Palace go after Ba Ling.

They also saw the red light receding.

A thought flashed through He Chunhua's mind, and he immediately told Zhao Qinghe, "Cut me, quickly!"

Zhao Qinghe thought he'd misheard. "My lord?"

"Don't hit a vital spot, but make it severe!"

Seeing his resolute expression, Zhao Qinghe drew his saber and pierced through his right shoulder.

Blood gleamed, a clear sign that the blow had not been held back.

He Chunhua doubled over in pain. Zhao Qinghe retrieved his saber and supported him. "My lord, I apologize!"

"No, this is perfect!" He Chunhua knew Zhao Qinghe had acted with discretion, carefully avoiding bones and meridians, so he endured the pain and said, "Do not speak of this to anyone else!"

"Yes!"

Immediately after, the red light receded from beneath their feet.

Zhao Qinghe quickly treated He Chunhua's wound, then helped him continue southward. Their journey was smooth; they didn't even encounter a single Que Beast.

He Chunhua remained silent, his mind filled with endless doubt.

The secret realm had indeed vanished, but had everyone managed to escape?

Soon, dense footsteps could be heard ahead.

The two quickly ducked into a low hut, on high alert. Indeed, dozens of people were approaching, led by He Chunhua's personal guard, Hu Xuan.

They immediately emerged to meet them. "Why are you here?"

"My lord!" Hu Xuan exclaimed, his face beaming. "The south city gate is open! Oh, you're injured!"

Despite his suspicions, He Chunhua breathed a sigh of relief at the good news. "How did it open?"

"A moment ago, a flash of red light passed, and the south city gate returned to its original state, with one outer leaf standing and the other fallen," Hu Xuan said, coming to support him. "We sent people in and out several times; there was no anomaly."

"The secret realm has vanished, and we've returned to reality," He Chunhua said, looking towards the Mitian Temple with a hint of emotion.

Twice now, he had entered the Coiling Dragon Secret Realm, and both times he had returned empty-handed.

Zhao Qinghe asked him, "My lord, should we go and take a look?"

"No," He Chunhua replied. His despondency gradually faded, replaced by a sense of relief. "If we go now, there will likely be nothing left."

He still vividly remembered how the Coiling Dragon Secret Realm had disappeared last time. Rushing to the Mitian Temple now would just be a futile effort.

But at least he had survived again, unlike so many from the Celestial Palace, including the Envoy and the Lantern Keeper, who had all lost their lives here.

He had witnessed the chaotic battle at the Red General's Tomb firsthand, and at the last moment, he had maintained his composure and refrained from joining the struggle.

Otherwise, he would have surely been dead by now, wouldn't he?

"Where are the Rongshan people?"

"After descending from the city wall, they left through the south city gate," Hu Xuan replied, glancing around but not seeing He Lingchuan, so he dared not ask.

He Chunhua asked about the Rongshan people, but his thoughts were on He Lingchuan.

After the failure of the Naraka Divine Descent, He Lingchuan's whereabouts became a mystery, and he hadn't reappeared since.

Yet, He Chunhua was inexplicably convinced that he was still alive.

Was he truly the malevolent spirit of Coiling Dragon City? How much of what happened in the secret realm tonight was connected to him?

Even He Chunhua, shrewd and composed as he was, now found his mind a jumbled mess, countless thoughts swirling without a clear path to untangle them.

He knew only one thing:

The Great Square Pot had been taken.

Who took it? It was impossible to say.

Neither he nor Zhao Qinghe had approached the Red General's Tomb; they had merely hidden in the shadows, observing the battle. From their vantage point, they hadn't clearly seen how He Jing died or how the Great Square Pot disappeared.

Was it Bao Guanjie or someone else who took this treasure?

Zhao Qinghe asked him, "My lord, should we go look for the Ba Ling people?"

In truth, he was asking He Chunhua if they should try to reclaim the Great Square Pot.

He Chunhua looked back the way they had come; the vast Coiling Dragon City was silent in the darkness. In such a massive city, where would they even begin to search for the Ba Ling people?

He sighed and shook his head.

Suddenly, a warmth spread in his chest. He pulled out the Naraka statue and saw it flashing continuously.