Chapter 2381: Lingshan Immortal

Zhu Xiuer was a little worried: "Can this Secret Realm still hold out?"

"If it's only about contending with Earth Mother for control of the entire wasteland, it can still hold on for a while. But Earth Mother can't wait that long; she will surely act in advance."

Dong Rui also said: "Earth Mother isn't stupid. If she delays taking Panlong Ruins by a day, the reinforcements from Lingshan will be that many more."

"But when Earth Mother attacks, she doesn't seem as rash and reckless as she usually appears." He Lingchuan mused, "The materials Liu Qingdao gave me show that before attacking Bailiang Mountain, she made preparations for over two months. Against the renowned Panlong Ruins, she should also exercise sufficient caution. Her usual 'rashness' is actually more like camouflage."

"Yes, otherwise she wouldn't have probed like that earlier." Zhu Xiuer agreed, "The Panlong Secret Realm still has resistance; if it were me, I wouldn't act in the short term."

"This brief window of time, we must make good use of it, but we also can't drag it out too long."

Afterwards, He Lingchuan casually plucked a palm-sized stone carving from the wall of Nancheng Gate, threaded a black string through it, blew on it, and the stone carving actually shrank down with a zoom, becoming no bigger than a thumb.

"We are inside the Great Square Pot, where communication is difficult. This is the 'Wind-Following Ear'; put it on your person and we can talk." He Lingchuan handed it and a clam horn to Dong Rui, "Also, you need to change your face. The Dead Leaf Butterfly has already seen your face, so those immortals will be able to recognize you in the city."

Inside and outside the Secret Realm are two different worlds, requiring special communication tools.

"Alright." Dong Rui wound the rope twice around his hand, concealed his form with Lord Boshan's skin, and leapt into the Blessing Pool.

Before departing, he turned and saw He Lingchuan sitting cross-legged on the city battlements, slowly closing his eyes.

That black dragon statue also came to life, beginning to swim along the city walls filled with the city, extremely imposing.

What is this guy planning to do now? Dong Rui shook his head, quickly passed through the Blessing Pool, and returned to reality.

"Huh?" As soon as he emerged, he sensed something was wrong, looked around, and said, "Shouldn't I have come out of the Blessing Pool?"

He had jumped into the Blessing Pool of the Panlong Secret Realm, but returned to reality in a tall circular building, doorless and windowless, still emitting a damp, musty smell.

It was a large warehouse.

"The Secret Realm is now under my control." As the de facto ruler, they wanted to start from where? "There are too many avian demons in the sky, all Earth Mother's spies; you can't ride a crane back anymore. Check around for any Dead Leaf Butterflies, and leave on the Snail Toad."

Dong Rui clung to the granary door, carefully peeking left and right; he saw nothing, but the bat in his arms twitched twice, reminding him:

On the pool tiles of the Blessing Pool, a Dead Leaf Butterfly was perched.

When it landed, it used camouflage to conceal itself, but bats usually track prey without eyes, which is how they could detect it quickly.

It turned out their hiding place was the warehouse of the Mitianshen Temple, not far from the Blessing Pool.

The Haihai True Person and others indeed noticed the abnormality here, hence they sent the Dead Leaf Butterfly to observe up close.

The warehouse was very safe, with no spies present. Dong Rui summoned the Snail Toad and silently left the Panlong Ruins underground.

On the road to Heishuicheng, under Dong Rui's control, the Snail Toad also carefully avoided the blackened zones, lest it attract Earth Mother's attention.

……

Ling Jinbao sat in the downstairs hall of the inn, had just drunk two cups of wine, and the dishes he ordered hadn't even arrived yet, when the Haihai True Person called him upstairs.

He thought for a moment, grabbed the plate of stir-fried peanuts on the table, and tucked it into his sleeve.

"Several Immortals, what happened?"

As he entered the guest room, Mingyao Zunzun extended his hand to set up a barrier, then said:

"Someone has entered the Blessing Pool at Panlong Ruins. Two people, and a scorpion demon."

"Huh?" Ling Jinbao started, "Entered means……?"

"Entered the Secret Realm. Because they went in, they haven't come out yet." The Blessing Pool's water is only knee-deep; who could hold their breath and play in there?

"How long have they been in?"

"Several hours." Mingyao Zunzun said, "My Dead Leaf Butterfly discovered that one of them cut his finger, dripped blood into the pool water, and then the three of them jumped into the pool and vanished."

After he said this, several immortals stared at Ling Jinbao, making him feel guilty inside.

Well, this kid dumped a whole bucket of earth dragon blood, why didn't he try cutting his own finger?

"Ah……" Ling Jinbao scratched his head, "Then I'll go to the ruins now and try again."

"Going now is too dangerous. Not long ago, Earth Mother already probed Panlong Ruins." The Dead Leaf Butterfly is Mingyao Zunzun's eyes and ears, having observed the clashes between Earth Mother and Panlong Ruins clearly.

"Earth Mother probably hasn't probed the depths yet, but has already dispatched avian demons and monsters to monitor the ruins from ground and sky in all directions." Haihai True Person said to Ling Jinbao, "If you go now, you'll startle the snake; half the ghost city's monsters will chase you."

Ling Jinbao shrank his head in a second: "Then I'll forget it. But who would know the method to open the Panlong Secret Realm?"

"Hard to say." Haihai True Person glanced at him sideways, "Those who have entered the Secret Realm are not few; perhaps someone else found a more reliable witness, who explained the details clearly."

Ling Jinbao laughed: "I reckon it's not that just anyone's blood can do it. Otherwise, over all those past years, the trick of cutting blood and dripping it into the pool would have been tried by countless people."

"How do you know they didn't go in?"

"Um……" Ling Jinbao swiftly changed the subject, "Are those three still in the pool? Oh, I mean, are they still in the Secret Realm?"

Mingyao Zunzun took over: "My Dead Leaf Butterfly is monitoring the Blessing Pool. Unless they come out invisible, they can't escape my eyes and ears."

"They came later, so they don't know your eyes and ears are nearby." Haihai True Person inferred, "If they had noticed early, they would have hidden when entering the pool. So, they must still be in the Secret Realm now."

Mingyao Zunzun took out a blank scroll, then took a brush, dipped it fully in ink, and flung it onto the scroll.

The brush tip lightly landed on the scroll and began to draw itself properly and automatically.

This is called the "Heart Brush"; it doesn't need the holder to grip it, and can faithfully reproduce what the holder sees and thinks in his heart, completed in one go, with hardly any corrections.

Soon after, half an incense stick's time later, the portraits of the two people and one scorpion leapt onto the paper, with facial details also very clear.

Mingyao Zunzun then handed this portrait to Ling Jinbao: "There are more and more cultivators in the city; you have wide connections, take it and ask which faction it belongs to."

"Alright." Ling Jinbao put it away and asked again, "So what about us now?"

"Don't rush to act." Haihai True Person waved his hand, "By the way, Lingshan sent word simultaneously; the reason those two heavenly demons came to seek Earth Mother is that they want the divine artifact 'Yangguan Dao' in her possession, left behind by the ancient great immortal Shou'an True Person; perhaps it has great use for the heavenly demons' large-scale divine descent plan."