Chapter 2090: The Spirit of the Great Square Vase

He Lingchuan immediately recalled that one of the reasons Panlongcheng withdrew its troops from the immortal realm was that the Red General had gone into seclusion.

The situation remained unstable, so why would the Red General suddenly go into seclusion? Zhong Shengguang didn't mention it, and everyone felt uneasy but didn't ask further. Later, however, the Red General emerged from seclusion, appearing unharmed, and everyone relaxed and stopped worrying.

But when He Lingchuan had free time to reflect, he remembered that years ago, when he first entered Panlongcheng and saw the Red General for the first time, the latter exuded a powerful aura. It felt like standing before a mountain— the closer one got, the more towering and immovable it seemed.

But now, when he encountered the Red General again, the latter seemed like a black hole— unfathomable, yet known to be immeasurably deep.

Knowing that He Lingchuan was no longer his former self and could withstand a few moves even against immortals, he still could not assess the Red General's strength.

Undoubtedly, compared to several years ago, her strength had greatly increased. This was also reflected in Panlongcheng's campaigns of conquest and expansion of influence.

Zhong Shengguang patted He Lingchuan on the shoulder and said: "The Red General told me that, regarding the method of descent using the Great Square Vase, Lady Lady Lady Mitian has also been exploring and testing it. He also lacks confidence."

"I understand." He Lingchuan knew clearly that although the Red General was powerful, she remained within the category of a deity's descent. Lady Lady Lady Mitian intended to use the Red General's body to "fully" descend into the human realm— that is, to transfer his own consciousness and power entirely into her body, thereby bypassing the barrier between the two realms.

This method of sneaking in was a loophole in the cosmic laws, but it had to be carried out through the medium of the Great Square Vase.

Just as Zhong Shengguang felt anxious while crafting the Bright Lamp, Lady Lady Lady Mitian felt no less uneasy when testing the properties of the Great Square Vase. After all, this idea and action were unprecedented— he was the first to attempt such a thing.

Whether it would succeed as he envisioned, Lady Lady Lady Mitian himself had no certainty.

"So, the Red General went into seclusion recently because of this?" He Lingchuan sensed something amiss. "She must be cooperating with Lady Lady Lady Mitian's test?"

Zhong Shengguang sighed: "It cannot be helped."

The Red General had long ago made a pact with Lady Lady Lady Mitian and could not resist his possession.

He Lingchuan had known for a long time that there was almost only one way to free oneself from the curse of a deity's descent: to erase the demon seed's "mark" within the body. He himself had used a bug-exploit method, planting a clone of Naluotian into the Great Square Vase, so that Naluotian could not send a second clone down to the lower realm.

But the Red General's troubles were far more complicated.

Although He Lingchuan knew Zhong Shengguang had already given deep thought to the matter, he could not help but suggest: "What if we lure Lady Lady Lady Mitian into the space inside the Great Square Vase and trap him there?"

"The space inside the vase?" Zhong Shengguang glanced at him, his gaze strange. "Where did you get the idea of a space inside the vase? How did you come up with that?"

"There isn't one?" He Lingchuan said dryly. "Since it's a vase, isn't it empty inside?"

"Although it's called a 'vase,' after I obtained the Great Square Vase, I repeatedly extended my divine sense into it, and the inside was always a chaotic void, as if nothing existed. Yet I could still clearly feel that the inside should be..." Zhong Shengguang chose his words carefully, "there is some kind of presence. But I cannot communicate with it in that form. It's like how humans cannot communicate with heaven and earth, or with the laws themselves."

"Ah, I see." He Lingchuan looked enlightened, but his heart surged with turmoil.

In the era of Panlongcheng's history, the Great Square Vase had not yet opened an inner space!

But when He Lingchuan first entered the ancient Panlongcheng and first jumped into the pool before the temple, this divine artifact's inner space already existed and had already accommodated so many heroic souls of Panlong!

Moreover, recalling the scene of Panlongcheng's fall as seen in the Dàyuān Heavenly Pearl, remembering Zhong Shengguang's plea and vow before his suicide, and recalling Miao Zhantian's account of the Red General being struck by a thousand thunders on the day of the city's fall, he finally understood:

The Great Square Vase itself is indeed constantly evolving. Before meeting He Lingchuan, its most astonishing transformation was the emergence of its inner space— from "nothing" to "something," from chaos to the creation of heaven and earth. And this was very likely brought about by Zhong Shengguang and the Red General.

And there is another crucially important point:

During the era of Panlongcheng, the Great Square Vase likely had some means of communication with Zhong Shengguang. Otherwise, during the perilous moment of Panlongcheng's fall, why would Zhong Shengguang be so certain that the Great Square Vase would accept his request?

He Lingchuan now very much wants to know: who exactly told Zhong Shengguang that the Bright Lamp could help the Red General resist Lady Lady Lady Mitian? And why did Zhong Shengguang believe it without doubt?

But after this vase came into He Lingchuan's hands, that kind of communication became very... profound.

He naturally knows that the vase itself possesses will— otherwise, why would it bring him into its inner space, why would it temper and transform the seeds of the Juoluo tree and the Wendaotree for him? Yet it never communicates with him directly, only allowing him to comprehend things on his own.

Anyway, his relationship with Zhong Shengguang is already extraordinary, so he simply asked directly:

"Commander, who exactly certified that the Bright Lamp is useful against the Red General? Could it be the Great Square Vase?"

The latter remark, he only made offhand, never expecting Zhong Shengguang to hesitate slightly, then actually nod:

"Mm, I suppose one could say that."

That means, though not entirely accurate, it's not far off.

"Great..." He Lingchuan's throat felt a little dry, "Can the Great Square Vase communicate with you directly?"

He emphasized the two words "directly."

The Great Square Vase can also communicate with him, but basically through a guessing-game approach— it will never tell him directly, "You need to go find the Bright Lamp"!

How unfair!

Zhong Shengguang hesitated again, then said: "The Great Square Vase cannot, but the spirit of the Great Square Vase once could."

He emphasized again: "Once."

"Spirit?!" At that moment, He Lingchuan's mind flashed with countless thoughts like a revolving lantern.

Probably because his expression was too shocked, Zhong Shengguang instead found it strange: "The Great Square Vase is also a magical artifact. Magical artifacts have spirits— isn't that strange?"

He Lingchuan could only say: "Not strange."

The Soul-Capturing Mirror, which constantly lies in his arms babbling nonsense, is also a spirit; the blood demon clinging to his cloak, in a certain sense, can also be considered a spirit.

But what about the spirit of the Great Square Vase? Why doesn't it come to find him?

Clearly, over a hundred years ago, it could communicate directly with Zhong Shengguang!

That's right— before Zhong Shengguang sent him overseas to fetch the Bright Lamp, he had asked him a question:

Do you think the Great Square Vase has a spirit or not?

Ah, now I understand.

"But he told me that the Great Square Vase will one day no longer need a spirit." Zhong Shengguang patted He Lingchuan's shoulder again, "Now back to the matter at hand. You've been leading troops lately— have you noticed any slight difference in the elemental force?"

"It's grown stronger." He Lingchuan didn't elaborate fully, "Elemental force doesn't come from the Great Square Vase, does it? Why don't you ask the vase's spirit? Maybe then you'll get an answer."

Why go far when the near is at hand?