Chapter 2359: The Power Guarding the Wasteland

They, the brothers Xiyu and Wuyou, had even participated in the Immortal-Demon War, and this so-called "giant demon" before them was nothing but a turtle that had shrunk its head in ancient times, not even daring to set foot on the battlefield of the Immortal-Demon War. Nowadays, there are few top-tier true immortals left in heaven and earth, yet the Earth Mother swaggered out, flaunting her might before them!

Tsk! This truly proves the human saying: when there are no tigers in the mountains, monkeys proclaim themselves kings.

Wuyou did not wish to engage in a pointless dispute with the Earth Mother, after all, the two of them were sent to carry out this liaison and assistance work, and should not stir up internal conflict within the Holy Lord's plan, so he quickly interjected: "The Panlong Ruins lie on the Chi Pa Plateau, neither fleeing nor hiding—why must the Earth Mother first devour the Panlong Wasteland?"

"This place looks decent; I want to take it for myself."

The two gods: "..."

What's so good about this place? The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is so concentrated here, yet deserts and gravel plains still exist, and the greenery level falls far short of other regions. What does the Earth Mother want the wasteland for? To collect every type of terrain?

The Earth Mother glanced at them; though the stone-faced man showed no expression, Wuyou felt he could still intuitively sense its disdain.

"If the Panlong Ruins were so easy to seize, would you have come to me for help?" Though she was iron-hearted and stone-bellied, this did not mean her mind was dull: "Isn't your Holy Lord of the Lingxu Sect proclaimed as the leader of all gods, with boundless magic power? Why can't he handle the Panlong Ruins?"

"The time has not yet come; the Holy Lord, your elder, has not descended to the mortal realm."

The little stone man kicked off a patch of grass from the city battlements: "He has better eyesight than you, knows to come find me. Otherwise, with just you lot, you couldn't move even a hair's breadth of these ruins!"

The two demons exchanged a glance; the Earth Mother's tone was arrogant, but her reasoning was sound.

When Panlongcheng flourished, they opposed it; after Panlongcheng fell, they still could not do anything to it!

Expertise lies in specialization; among the immortals, this Earth Mother may not be the strongest in martial prowess, but in dealing with ruins and resentful places, she is a true specialist. That is why the Holy Lord of Lingxu thought to cooperate with her—each taking what they need.

"Though the Panlong Ruins appear isolated, they in fact secretly control the entire Panlong Wasteland. In my eyes, the wasteland and the ruins have already become one whole." Others can only observe with their eyes, but what level is she? Upon entering the Panlong Wasteland, above and below ground, she can perceive everything clearly: "If you wish to defeat a powerful enemy, must you not first devise ways to clip its wings and isolate it?"

Wuyou laughed: "Well said. So what should we do next?"

The Earth Mother, proud and haughty, yet spoke of a "powerful enemy"—it seems she has discovered the extraordinary nature of the Panlong Ruins.

"When I intervene in this wasteland, I can feel that originally, a force influenced the entire land. But for some unknown reason, it has weakened; otherwise, this place should not be in its current state."

"Exactly." Wuyou nodded; this old thing still has some skill: "On the third day after we destroyed Panlongcheng, a strong wind swept across the entire wasteland, quickly turning it into a barren land, with three-corpsed insects drifting everywhere, making it unapproachable by strangers. After Panlongcheng's fall, we instead found we could not tidy it up. The Holy Lord judged this to be the method of the Great Square Vase protecting the Panlong Wasteland, keeping us from approaching."

As the little stone man shook his head, his neck remained quite flexible:

"Wrong. As you just said, Panlongcheng has already been destroyed—what is there to guard in a ruined city?"

Xiyu spoke: "Didn't we say before? The Great Square Vase has merged with the Panlong Ruins; guarding the ruins is guarding itself, and it refuses to let us take it!"

The Earth Mother tilted her head: "Are you certain this Great Square Vase could once be taken?"

"Of course!" Xiyu explained: "The Great Square Vase once lay in Bei Jia, later a barbarian demon king secretly presented it to the ruler of Panlongcheng."

This history of transfer shows the Great Square Vase was originally movable.

"Whose handiwork is this Great Square Vase?" The Earth Mother, having never intervened in the Immortal-Demon War, is unfamiliar with many details and postwar affairs.

"The Six Great Immortals of Antiquity, including the Three Waters True Person and the First Shore True Person."

"Then that's not right." The Earth Mother grunted: "The force that has always influenced the Panlong Wasteland is not purely the power of a magical artifact!"

Hmm? The two demons exchanged a glance; Xiyu could only say: "The Great Square Vase counts among divine artifacts, not ordinary magical tools."

In fact, the Great Square Vase also transcends the rank of divine artifacts, but he did not wish to say so. Before their descent, the Holy Lord had specially instructed: this Earth Mother is a particularly greedy being, and dealing with her is like making a pact with a tiger—one must be highly vigilant and extra cautious.

The Earth Mother chuckled: "You go to such great trouble, just for one divine artifact?"

Divine artifacts sound impressive, but as an ancient great demon like her, who doesn't have one? In ancient times, demons stirred up wind and rain in the mortal realm, wielding great power; to claim they would mobilize armies for a single divine artifact is to treat her like a three-year-old child to be deceived!

That Great Square Vase must have some far greater use!

"The Great Square Vase is deeply connected to our Holy Lord; the Holy Lord wishes it to return to its original owner."

"Connection?" The Earth Mother chuckled: "If there is a connection, why wouldn't she want you Holy Lords to obtain it?"

"The specific reasons, we are not entirely clear about."

The Earth Mother studied them closely, temporarily unable to tell whether these two little demons truly do not know or are merely making excuses.

"As I said before, the force guarding the Panlong Wasteland is not entirely from magical artifacts, but mixed with blood oaths, contracts, and vengeful curses!" The Earth Mother spoke slowly: "I have felt similar forces in many relics; it is not hard to discern."

She is very practiced in this; she will not mistake it.

"Blood oaths, vengeful curses?" Xiyu was greatly surprised, but immediately blurted out: "The people of Panlongcheng!"

Only the living, or those who were once alive, can establish blood oaths. The Great Square Vase certainly would not do such a thing.

"Even alive, it's hard to deal with; dead, it's even harder to shake off." Wuyou furrowed his brow: "But since this force has weakened, how should we proceed?"

The Holy Lord of Lingxu keenly detected that the force guarding the Panlong Wasteland had weakened. But He could not descend in person, so He could not judge further details. Thus He sent two demons, who found the Earth Mother, this specialist.

The Earth Mother did not answer, but said: "Aren't you supposed to find people for me? Those who once entered the Panlong Ruins and saw the so-called 'guardian deity'."

"They were brought into the city three hours ago and handed to your subordinates for supervision." Xiyu countered: "You don't know?"

Isn't it said that the Earth Mother in Jade Capital City is an all-knowing presence?

The little stone man straightened his body and suddenly let out a furious roar!

That sound was like a thunderclap from the horizon, utterly mismatched with his small frame.

The monsters beneath the city walls, whether large or small, were so frightened they prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling and daring not to move.