Chapter 1200

He's seen countless examples of what happens when you do that—why is he still so stubborn?

So the safest approach is to avoid contact entirely and just let the Divine Bone Necklace swallow it whole! The Great Vase even took in a heavenly avatar—how could it fail to subdue the Luo Sheng Armor? Let these two peerless treasures fight it out on their own.

Just now, the Luo Sheng Armor sensed his approach and foolishly jumped around, unaware its doom was near.

By the time it realized the danger, it was already too late.

But after devouring the Luo Sheng Armor, the Divine Bone Necklace still wasn't satisfied—it continued to glow and heat up—

Of course, only He Lingchuan could feel it.

They walked several li through the night, and the Divine Bone Necklace kept urging him on—clearly, whatever it's interested in is on him!

What could it be? He already had an idea.

It's been in his hand for so long with no apparent use—better to feed it to the Divine Bone Necklace.

He Lingchuan rubbed his storage ring and casually pulled out a black, hard object.

This is the reason the Luo Sheng Armor broke its seal and pursued He Lingchuan—

He Lingchuan obtained the heart-scale from the White Bear King of Bai Mao Mountain!

As soon as he took out the scale, the Divine Bone Necklace trembled with excitement.

I want to eat it!

I want to think about eating it!

From Bai Mao Mountain all the way here, it's been drooling the whole journey.

He Lingchuan teased its appetite for so long—finally, he fed the heart-scale into the Divine Bone Necklace's mouth.

With a soft swoosh, the heart-scale vanished.

The Divine Bone Necklace finally settled down and stopped burning people.

He Lingchuan patted his chest: "You've done a good deed too."

Even he dared not touch the Luo Sheng Armor, but the Divine Bone Necklace swallowing it counts as eliminating a hidden danger for the Jin Jin Plains.

Let this evil thing, along with the sorrow it brought, vanish together into history.

￥￥￥￥￥

Dawn broke, the sky blazing with rosy light.

For the past seven or eight days, it had been overcast, but today the clouds finally parted to reveal the sun.

The dreary mist was driven away, and under the sunlight, the forest looked as if two layers of filter had been added—suddenly vivid, and even the travelers' moods improved.

"Hurry up," Dong Rui urged all members, "Don't slack off—we're still far from Ju Lu Port!"

It's already confirmed that the Heavy Martial General can track fox spirits, so they must march day and night to shake off their pursuers.

The foxes were clearly exhausted, all panting with tongues out.

Earlier, Dong Rui had painted them a big picture, saying reaching the Jing Shan territory would be enough.

Of course, he didn't explain why: the land in Jing Shan is damp, allowing him to use the Snail Toad to carry companions on the march, while the foxes could take the chance to rest.

Last night, strange phenomena frequently occurred at Jing Shan, and the fox spirits also witnessed them. He Lingchuan and Dong Rui returned safely, saying the Yaoren army had been repelled by unexpected attackers, but not a word was mentioned about their experience at E Shan.

San Wei, being an experienced and knowledgeable great demon, didn't press further when people didn't want to speak.

As the fox troop passed through the forest clearing, sunlight poured down from above in countless strands, illuminating their fur.

He Lingchuan's gaze swept over, and he suddenly exclaimed, pointing at the three-tailed fox spirit: "Step back!"

Step back where? The fox spirit blinked in confusion.

"Step back into the sunlight—hurry!"

The three-tailed fox spirit retreated a few steps and stood in the sunlight.

Then, He Lingchuan clearly saw—

A faint golden thread on its shoulder, one end extending into infinite void.

But only when standing in sunlight could this thread become visible.

He asked Dong Rui and the other fox spirits: "Can you see the abnormality on its shoulder?"

All companions, including the two monkeys, shook their heads.

What abnormality? But Dong Rui immediately understood—after all, he seemed to have encountered something like this before.

Could it be?

"I roughly know how the Heavy Martial General is tracking you." He Lingchuan slowly drew his long blade, to avoid misunderstanding by the fox spirits: "Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

San Wei also showed him considerable trust, remaining completely still as the cold blade edge approached its neck.

The blade tip hovered above its shoulder, making two light lifts—as if snipping something—but no one else could see it.

He Lingchuan sheathed his Floating Life blade: "Alright. If the Yaoren haven't planted a second divine ability, they shouldn't be able to track you anymore."

Dong Rui raised his index finger and gestured toward the sky.

He Lingchuan nodded, confirming his guess: "Yes."

What kind of silent riddle are these two playing? San Wei asked: "What exactly is this divine ability?"

"It's not a divine ability, but a divine technique." He Lingchuan explained: "Have you ever entered a god's temple?"

"No, I've never gone to such a place." San Wei pondered: "Are you saying I've been targeted by a god?"

"Exactly. But this divine technique only manifests in sunlight—I couldn't see it last night either."

"For the past few months, I've hardly ever left Bai Tou Ling." San Wei thought: "Perhaps it happened when I clashed with the Great Supervisor of Yaoren—maybe I fell victim to their secret scheme?"

After ruling out other possibilities, this seemed to be the only remaining explanation.

He Lingchuan added: "From now on, if the Yaoren stop shadowing us like a shadow, it will mean we've truly shaken them off."

The group and the fox spirits marched another ten or so li, while Dong Rui quietly sent the bat spirit puppet into the high sky.

Several hours later, the bat returned to report: the pursuers stopped at the spot where He Lingchuan swung his blade, as if losing direction, no longer pursuing this way.

The sky is vast and the earth wide—who knows where the fox spirits will go? This operation by the Martial General has ended in utter failure.

Upon hearing this, all the fox spirits breathed a long sigh of relief.

The Yao people have been relentlessly pursuing them, a constant threat to their very existence; only now are they truly safe.

The fox spirits looked at He Lingchuan with eyes full of gratitude, and Sanwei thanked him again.

Dong Rui then said: "How is it that even Yao State requires divine assistance?"

"The Flash Gold Plains are a chaotic land, where all kinds of deities come to plant their faith and expand their influence—it's no surprise Yao State would ally with any side." He Lingchuan said, "The deities also welcome good relations with powerful nations, which makes it easier for them to operate in the mortal realm."

He asked Sanwei: "Which deities have a presence in this region? Do you know?"

"Of course." Sanwei replied disdainfully, "Those frauds who play at divinity spend their days hiring shamans to deceive the common folk."

These great demons feel nothing but contempt for them.

As they journeyed on, the fox spirits told He Lingchuan about the ecology surrounding Yao State.

Not long after passing Jing Mountain, He Lingchuan caught the scent of earth and grass in the forest.

On this side of the mountain, the humidity is high.

Yet he shook his head at Dong Rui, signaling him not to take out the snail toad for travel.

Since the deities' line of sight has been severed by the Floating Life Blade, the Yao people can no longer track the fox clan. The snail toad, as their secret weapon, no longer needs to be revealed.

We're just traveling— the fox clan is hardly incapable of walking.

Regarding Sanwei's injury, Dong Rui and Lingguang also devised a more reasonable treatment plan.

Sanwei's shoulder wound resulted from the combined effect of the "Bone-Binding Maggot" divine ability and the regenerative technique. It is remarkable that the regenerative technique lasted this long without failing—truly, the skill of the Qingyang National Preceptor is extraordinary.

But treating this thing as if it were alive makes things much easier. Lingguang specially prepared a medicine to act as bait, drawing out the regenerative maggot toxin from the wound.

With the maggot toxin's suppression lifted, Sanwei's regenerative capacity as a great demon finally emerged. Combined with Lingguang's medicine and the warming touch of foxfire, it could walk smoothly after just half an hour.

Dong Rui looked on, not without envy: "Your foxfire is truly a fine thing."

Foxfire is extremely gentle—ideal for experimentation and adjustment. Lingguang also wanted to use it to enhance the medicine cauldron.

Facing their lifesavers, the three foxes were generous: "I'll share some with you."

Having said that, it drew two strands of foxfire from its source and gifted them respectively to the two.

After severing the deities' connection, Sanwei sent several fox spirits to the vicinity of White Head Ridge to retrieve their lost offspring.

The mountain demons and wild beasts near White Head Ridge also revealed the whereabouts of the Martial General to the fox spirits.

After leaving Jing Mountain, he indeed returned to Yao State.

He himself was wounded, and his army suffered casualties in the battle at Jing Mountain. After losing the fox spirits, he could only return home to report.

For the proud and arrogant Martial General, this was a setback.

Naturally, the angrier he became, the happier the fox spirits were.

A few days later, Sanwei's injury had mostly healed, and He Lingchuan escorted them to Giant Deer Harbor.

This place is now Peng State's territory, with strict entry and exit controls—boarding a ship requires a permit from the Maritime Trade Office. But once He Lingchuan revealed his identity as Mu State's envoy, passage was smooth and unimpeded.

He saw the fox spirits off onto the ship, standing on the shore as the vessel raised its sails and set sail westward.

The mission to escort the fox spirits is complete.

He Lingchuan still felt a small regret in his heart— the Blessed Isles also need a versatile great demon like Sanwei. But after probing Sanwei's intentions these past days, he found they had no interest in any place outside Mu State.

After all, the Blessed Isles' reputation is still too small, their fame not loud enough to attract such a great demon.

Yet he has at least formed a good bond with a great demon, and himself gained a great harvest: the Robe of Luo Sheng.

Now he has official business at Giant Deer Harbor:

According to He Lingchuan's agreement with Peng State, the merchant office established by the Blessed Isles in Giant Deer Harbor has already opened, focusing on trade and cargo flow, and progress has been quite smooth so far.

Leveraging ties with Peng State officials and relying on the Isles' own wealth, the merchant branch opened to great success, already securing several major deals.

Ding Maodong understands the intentions of the chief patron, dispatching several dozen capable subordinates to focus on managing this branch.

Besides ensuring good business, the Blessed Isles' Giant Deer Harbor branch will also become a hub for gathering and dispersing various information.

Infiltrating the power of the Blessed Isles bit by bit—this is merely the first step of He Lingchuan's plan.

When He Lingchuan suddenly arrived for inspection, everyone at the branch snapped to attention, fearful that even the slightest mistake might displease the great leader.

After He Lingchuan finished reviewing the reports and listening to the briefing, night had already fallen.

He paid out of his own pocket, hosting a reward banquet at the largest restaurant in Giant Deer Harbor for everyone at the merchant branch.

Naturally, Dong Rui also rushed over to join the gathering.

At the table, the usual flattery and fervor went unmentioned. Though Dong Rui is a great idler, he is a close friend of the chief patron—someone even lavished him with flattery, making him beam with joy and drink two or three extra jars of wine.

That night, they rested in Giant Deer Harbor.

I don't know if it was from drinking too much wine, but He Lingchuan dreamed again—and not just one dream, but two in a row! Since obtaining the Divine Bone Necklace, he has lost the freedom to dream. These past years, he has only dreamed after obtaining leaves from the Wen Dao Tree, in which he traced the past of the Wen Dao Tree and the Great Return Sect.

Otherwise, once asleep, he only enters the World of Coiled Dragon.

(End of Chapter)