Chapter 847: A Summons

Some families of que beasts originally lived in the great snowy mountains and possessed an innate talent for mimicry and camouflage. Ordinarily, they disguised themselves as mountain rocks and simply waited for prey to wander into their jaws.

After coming to Panlong City and familiarizing themselves with the terrain, they had disguised themselves as buildings instead. Sure enough, the same trick worked just as well here.

He Lingchuan stopped moving the moment he reached the vicinity of the Red General’s cenotaph because he had come here during his previous visit to the Panlong Secret Realm and remembered the area perfectly.

The area around the Red General’s cenotaph was empty. Every nearby building had been razed to the ground, so where could such a tall tower possibly have come from?

Inside this Panlong Secret Realm, anything that defied common sense had to be treated with extreme, extreme caution.

That was the precious lesson He Lingchuan had learned as someone who had cleared this dungeon-of-sorts once before.

Who knew why such a gigantic creature had insisted on planting itself here and pretending to be a tower?

What was it guarding? The Generous Pot?

The little ghost-faced monkey that had previously been mauled by Zhang Lianhai’s lamp spirit was injured. It scampered onto the giant que beast’s shoulder, chattered rapidly for a while, then very humanly pointed at the half-burned candle in the Heavenly Palace party’s hand.

No explanation was needed. It was obviously tattling, saying that these dozen or so people belonged to the same group that had injured it earlier and dug up the grave!

A cold light appeared in the giant’s pale eyes. With a snort, it blasted a stream of frosty white vapor from its nostrils.

The temperature around them immediately dropped by several more degrees. Only now did everyone finally understand where the raging wind and snow had come from.

Apparently, the mere arrival of this creature had altered the weather throughout the entire Panlong Ruins!

It was said that clouds followed dragons and winds followed tigers. A creature capable of controlling wind and snow possessed power far beyond that of an ordinary aberrant creature.

The moment the aberrant creature looked at them, an icy chill pierced everyone’s heart. Their bodies trembled, their spines stiffened, and they found themselves unable even to take a step. In the past, when gods summoned by the Heavenly Palace descended before their worshipers, the feeling had been much the same!

It was the instinctive reaction of living creatures faced with overwhelming power and something vastly larger than themselves.

The Heavenly Palace party shouted hoarsely, “Take the pot and run!”

He Lingchuan inwardly marveled at their loyalty. Even at a time like this, their first concern was still completing the Heavenly Palace’s mission. At the same time, he and Qiu Hu slowly backed away.

Under no circumstances could they stand in the path the others would use to escape, lest they be dragged into the disaster.

And under no circumstances could they get drawn into the monsters’ battlefield, lest they be dragged into the disaster.

The Heavenly Palace party immediately retreated. The king of the que beasts suddenly roared, the sound exploding like thunder across level ground, and category sixteen winds[1] erupted directly in front of it. Not only would an ordinary person not have been able to run, but they would not have even been able to stay standing. Several people were swept straight into the air.

Hailstones of every size were mixed into the gale, hurtling through the air like bullets.

When those people finally crashed back down, their bodies were riddled with holes.

The other Heavenly Palace attendants fared little better. They staggered in every direction, and someone shouted, “Form the array! Quickly, form the array!”

But the king of the que beasts was unbelievably fast. With its tremendous height and long legs, it bounded back and forth from one side to the other, and every leap claimed one or two lives.

Before the array could even take shape, three Heavenly Palace attendants were already dead.

Judging by the creature’s expression, it was enjoying itself immensely.

Whatever the case, the que beasts’ attention had now been drawn to the Heavenly Palace attendants, and the entire group of aberrant creatures gradually shifted away from the tomb.

Several bolts of lightning streaked across the night sky in succession, while red light continued flickering in the firmament.

The Fleeting Life saber suddenly emerged and began trembling wildly in He Lingchuan’s hand.

He and the treasured saber shared an intimate connection, so he immediately understood its state:

Urgent!

Urgent, urgent, urgent, urgent!

What could possibly make it this anxious?

The last time the treasured saber had warned him of danger on its own was in front of Star-Plucking Tower, when it cautioned him not to approach too closely.

What is it this time?

He Lingchuan instinctively looked around, then fixed his gaze on the tomb and frowned.

Seeing his expression, Qiu Hu peered out, then gestured: What is it?

He Lingchuan whispered, “There’s light coming from the tomb. Can you see it?”

Ever since the king of the que beasts revealed itself, the fierce wind and flying debris had thrown the area into complete chaos. From thirty meters away, ordinary people could barely even tell where the tomb was anymore. However, He Lingchuan could see red light shining out from the burial pit, and the light was as conspicuous as a lantern on a snowy night to him.

Qiu Hu looked surprised. He leaned out again for another careful look, then withdrew and shook his head at He Lingchuan. “I don’t see anything.”

“You can’t see the red light in the tomb?”

Qiu Hu answered with certainty, “No, I don’t see anything.”

Only I can see it? He Lingchuan’s thoughts stirred. Is that what Fleeting Life’s frantically trying to draw my attention to?

Red light... He raised his head and looked at the sky. Red light flickered in the firmament, almost perfectly synchronized with the light inside the tomb.

Above and below, moving in unison.

He Lingchuan had the distinct feeling that something was calling to him.

Is it Panlong City? Or something else?

Should I risk responding to that summons?

After everything they had endured together, Fleeting Life had never once led him into a trap.

He made his decision and told Qiu Hu, “I’m going over there. We’ll stay in contact through the eyeball spider.”

He’s going over? Qiu Hu froze for a moment but immediately nodded and began retreating. He could not see the red light He Lingchuan described, which meant there was definitely something abnormal ahead.

The king of the que beasts had been drawn away by the Heavenly Palace party and had temporarily left the tomb. This might be the best opportunity they would ever get to seize the treasure.

He Lingchuan draped Mountain Monarch Bo’s hide over himself, waited until the king of the que beasts made another enormous leap into the distance, then suddenly burst forward at full speed!

The whirlwind followed the king of the que beasts, leaving the burial ground unusually free of wind. It was a perfect opportunity.

He Lingchuan’s movement technique was extraordinarily fast. His toes touched the ground only three times as he crossed dozens of meters in the blink of an eye.

A swallow skimming the water three times would have looked no different.

But the second time He Lingchuan touched down, an arrow was shot at him from a distance.

Whoosh!

He had long since expanded his spiritual sense and was listening in every direction. At that instant, he twisted his body and shifted his step. The arrow scraped past the outside of his trouser leg.

There really is a third faction hiding nearby!

With Mountain Monarch Bo’s hide covering him, others might not have seen him directly. However, this treasure was poorly suited to rapid movement, since it could easily become misaligned with the surrounding scenery. Someone had evidently noticed that something seemed off and fired an arrow to test the area.

Fortunately, He Lingchuan dodged in time. With one more leap, he reached the Red General’s cenotaph and saw the grave that had been dug open.

The damage covering the armor was shocking, but that suit of red battle armor was simply too familiar. Even its seated posture looked like one the Red General had often assumed.

It had remained here in silent slumber for more than 150 years!

And nestled in its arms was that inconspicuous little pot.

Is that really the true body of the Generous Pot?

If it were genuine, He Lingchuan would be extremely surprised.

Would the Generous Pot really expose its true form and put itself at risk for my sake?

That did not fit his understanding of it at all.

Also, the object emitting that faint red light was not the little pot, but the Red General’s armor!

That, too, caught He Lingchuan completely by surprise.

Is the Red General summoning me?

He had no time to think further. Not far away, the king of the que beasts seemed to sense something and abruptly turned its head toward him.

He was covered by the invisible snakeskin, yet the king of the que beasts’ gaze locked directly onto him without the slightest deviation.

It had seen through his disguise. With a low roar, it leaped straight toward him!

Boom!

The impact shook the ground violently three times over.

Aside from the Red General’s armor, which did not budge at all, nearly everyone nearby was knocked off their feet.

The king of the que beasts reached directly for He Lingchuan.

If it caught him, it would squeeze him until he burst. It seemed to enjoy that feeling immensely.

However, He Lingchuan was one step faster. His fingertips touched the Red General’s armor first!

In the eyes of the king of the que beasts, the man vanished into thin air.

Its sweeping hand caught nothing.

Inevitably, its palm struck the Red General’s armor as well. The armor remained completely unmoved. The king of the que beasts, however, yanked its hand back at lightning speed and shook it twice.

The motion looked exactly like a person who had slapped a hedgehog and instantly regretted it.

The creature clearly froze for a moment, apparently wondering where He Lingchuan had gone.

But in the next second, the king of the que beasts flew into a rage. It charged toward a large temple roughly a hundred meters away and began smashing everything in sight.

A petty thief had slipped away right under its nose.

Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!

Qiu Hu, who was watching from a distance, frowned.

This king of the que beasts is exceptionally violent and seems to be filled with hatred toward every living creature, yet it occasionally pauses to think. Does it actually possess intelligence?

The temple had stood for more than a century despite countless years of wind and weather. Its outer walls were entirely made of stone, with each enormous block weighing several tons. Yet this massive, sturdy temple was smashed down by a single shoulder charge from the unexpected intruder!

However, the creature was not destroying things merely to vent its anger. It casually picked up the huge stones and hurled them at the Heavenly Palace guards and the humans hiding nearby—

Yes, another group had been hiding here all along, numbering nearly twenty people. Qiu Hu did not recognize any of them and had no idea which ragtag army or adventuring party they belonged to.

The Panlong Secret Realm was truly a chaotic mix of every sort of person at the moment. No one could say exactly how many different factions were running around inside.

This group had originally hidden themselves perfectly and had been determined not to stick their necks out. Who would have expected disaster to come crashing into them of its own accord?

Boulders that more than a dozen men together could not lift were no heavier than sandbags in the creature’s hands. It could throw them from any posture it pleased.

Faced with that kind of brute strength, the humans fled in panic beneath the rain of stone.

The king of the que beasts picked up several unlucky victims who had been flattened, tossed them into its mouth, and chewed with wet crunches and bursts before chasing after the Heavenly Palace party.

Qiu Hu watched silently without the slightest sympathy.

If they were afraid of dying, they should have stayed far away.

Hiding at the edge of a battlefield meant they had been hoping to swoop in and steal an enormous prize.

As the saying went, birds died for food.

The Heavenly Palace attendants had already formed two combat arrays, but against a leader-class aberrant creature of such enormous size, they were clearly outmatched. Their formations were broken apart almost immediately, forcing them to retreat while fighting.

From this alone, one could see how much stronger and more disciplined the Heavenly Palace party was compared with the others. Even against an aberrant creature like this, they could still cover one another while withdrawing, minimizing their losses.

Just then, the king of the que beasts suddenly stopped attacking.

It leaped high into the air and bounded straight back to the Red General’s cenotaph.

Watching from afar, Qiu Hu realized that He Lingchuan had been right.

The creature had been guarding this burial ground all along and refused to stray far from it.

What is it, some kind of tomb guardian?

It slammed a fist into the empty air to its left.

Buzz!

With a muffled vibration, five people suddenly appeared there.

So someone else had secretly turned invisible and tried to steal the Generous Pot while the king of the que beasts had been drawn away.

Unfortunately for them, it caught them in the act.

Although their concealment had been broken, they were not easily sent flying. The faint light circling above their heads transformed back into a lamp spirit. Its golden glow illuminated the ashen face of Heavenly Palace Cloud Envoy Hé Jing.

The enormous king of the que beasts stood face-to-face with him, only about fifteen meters away. It opened its mouth and roared. Chunks of flesh, fragments of ice, and freezing wind blasted outward together, rank and foul.

Fortunately, the lamp spirit’s barrier blocked the blast. Otherwise, anything it touched would have frozen instantly.

The creature could actually see through illusions. Their plan to avoid battle and steal the target had failed.

If they wanted the Generous Pot, it seemed they would have no choice but to fight for it head-on.

* * *

The instant He Lingchuan touched the Red General’s armor, brilliant red light suddenly filled his vision.

He instinctively shut his eyes.

Then, when he opened them again, he was stunned to discover himself in the middle of a vast ocean, surrounded by pale red seawater that felt pleasantly warm.

1. This is 100–109 kts or roughly 115–125 mph = 185–202 km/h = 51–56 m/s. ☜