Chapter 2385

The long-armed ape licked the blood from the corner of its mouth: "Last year, a new monster that had just entered the city was bringing supplies down into the underground city when it got lost, turned toward the white house, and was caught by an avatar of the Mother Sovereign, who snapped its neck in one grab. And—"

"Also, I heard that many years ago, a thief hid in Yujing City, also wanting to sneak into that white house, but at the critical moment was discovered by the Mother Sovereign, seized, and had its soul extracted, suffering the torment of blazing fire scorching the soul every day!"

Dong Rui let out an "oh": "Immortal thief?"

"Yes, yes, an immortal thief. It's said that in life, its magic power was extremely strong."

Dong Rui paused for a few breaths before continuing: "Who did you hear this from?"

"From the old monsters in the city. Like the one-eyed giant Wang Shudong and so on—all of them have been following the Mother Sovereign's side for a long time."

"Then, does this immortal thief still exist now?"

"It does, it does."

Seeing its earnest expression, Dong Rui instinctively asked: "Have you seen it with your own eyes?"

"No." The long-armed ape said, "Legend has it he's imprisoned in some secret realm, suffering every day, but we can't see him."

"Aren't you curious?"

"In Yujing City, there are so many souls imprisoned or guardian spirits like this—too many to count." The long-armed ape confessed honestly, "Seeing so many, it's no longer strange."

"Alright, next question." Dong Rui paused again before asking, "Over these many years, have there been any monster rebellions in Yujing City?"

"Huh?" The long-armed ape blinked, this question truly came out of nowhere.

"You monsters, once you go outside, become brutally vicious and randomly eat people—seems life in Yujing City isn't easy, huh?" Dong Rui smiled, "Everything in the city belongs to the Earth Mother; you're oppressed, so have you never thought of rebelling?"

The Earth Mother is the strongest, so she enjoys the richest resources, and compared to the monster generals of the second echelon, the difference is already heaven and earth—describing it as one to ten thousand is too gentle. As for these low-level little monsters in the depths of Yujing City, having something to eat and not starving to death is already not bad.

This isn't winner-takes-all; it's the strong devouring all.

The long-armed ape stared blankly: "You, you're joking, right? This Yujing City is the Mother Sovereign's—we sneeze too loudly, and she knows it, and yet we rebel?"

"Really, no monster has ever done this?"

The deer-shu beside them suddenly chimed in: "I've heard there were. Seven hundred years ago, over a dozen monsters couldn't take it anymore, secretly plotted outside Yujing City to seize it, and even mobilized over two hundred companions. At first, things went quite smoothly, after all, they usually stood guard in the underground city. But when they reached outside the white house, no matter how they tried, they couldn't break in, and later they were all captured and killed, letting the city's monster soldiers publicly feast on their flesh. Since then, no more talk of rebellion has been heard."

Dong Rui nodded: "Last question—how does Yujing City tell you apart?"

"Huh?"

"City management is lax, with so many monsters frequently entering and leaving Yujing City—how does the Earth Mother distinguish you from mountain monsters and wild beasts? By tokens?"

"This..." Several monsters glanced at each other, "Before, outside monsters could sometimes sneak in by luck, but later a Qingtu Ghost was added to the city gate, staring at every monster entering the city—outside wild monsters can't fool it at all, invisibility tricks don't work, it can see through illusions."

Lu Shu added: "If someone tries to jump over the city wall from elsewhere to get in, that also won't work—they'll be instantly discovered by the Mother Sovereign."

Dong Rui stood up, walked to another compartment, and then spoke softly:

"Did you hear all that?"

"I heard." He Lingchuan's reply came in his ear, "Regarding the Mother Sovereign, what they know and what other prisoners know is largely the same."

This period, Dong Rui had caught not a few monsters from Ghost City for interrogation, but: "Not much new information. Too much time has passed, many legends have no traceable source."

Sometimes, time itself is the greatest obstacle.

"Ling Mountain pursues these monsters, mostly to gather some intelligence." Lingchuan cautioned, "You and they keep your distance, especially don't release the ghost ape face-to-face, or you'll definitely attract attention. Ling Mountain's people are also formidable. Moreover, on the Panlong Wasteland, eyes and ears of every faction are everywhere—you shouldn't stay in one place too long. The snail toad is too conspicuous; don't let it come out to wander."

"Understood." Dong Rui patted the snail toad, "Come on, don't eat! If you eat this kind of thing, you'll expose your form!"

The snail toad slowly swallowed the last poisonous mushroom, twitched its tendrils slightly in aftertaste, and only then, urged by Dong Rui, dove headfirst into the ground and vanished.

Behind Bai Yuan was a forest, and Lin Zi inevitably had some small creatures.

After the snail toad left, a branch of an elm tree in this forest moved, and its color changed from dark gray to green.

This wasn't a branch, but a chameleon.

It faced the ground where the snail toad had disappeared, its two eyes swiveling in different directions, as if assessing the situation. After a moment, it suddenly darted down the tree in a flash, scurrying a few times before disappearing into the leaf litter.

￥￥￥￥￥

Shen Wang had just finished his late meal, was strolling with Wang Hou in the garden to aid digestion, when suddenly a guard came rushing over, holding something:

"Your Majesty, a board-message transmission."

He held a black lacquered box in his hands, entirely black, with a gemstone inlaid on top.

Now this gemstone is yellow.

If it were red, it would mean the contents of the box are "ten thousand urgencies."

If it were orange, yellow, or blue-green, the urgency level decreases in that order.

Wang Hou, also accustomed to her husband's endless duties, said first: "You go ahead, I'll return first to read for a while."

He Chunhua casually plucked an apricot blossom, pinned it in his wife's temple hair, and said while praising: "You're more lovely than the flower, and let this flower get a touch of your blessing."

He didn't exaggerate—his wife of many years is still more youthful and charming than over ten years ago.

Wang Hou chuckled, heart content, and led the maid away.

Just as her back disappeared behind the flower bushes, He Chunhua's expression turned solemn, he casually took the box, and walked all the way back to the Imperial Study before gently pulling it open.

Inside the box were no letters or documents, but the back panel now had two additional lines of yellow characters.

This is also one of the divine powers of long-distance transmission, modeled on the principle of mutual-heart grass. Secret messages from two thousand li away can be instantly displayed on the box's back panel, hence the name "board-writing."

The military council overseeing this board-writing needs not to examine the contents—just look at what color the gemstone on the box's surface has turned, and one knows the level of military situation that has arrived.

The content of the board-writing is what You Jun delivered:

The cultivators gathering in Heishuicheng are increasing in number, led by the two immortals of Ling Mountain, coming to track down the Earth Mother.

Ordered to visit the residence of the Great Shaman of Piao Mantu, but the Great Shaman is not present.

The spy stationed by the Cangyan faction in Heishuicheng has shown no abnormal behavior.

Just these few lines, He Chunhua read them repeatedly for a long while before slowly putting down the board-writing, his face heavy and solemn.

The appearance of Ling Mountain's immortals in Heishuicheng is understandable—after all, the Earth Mother slaughtered Ling Mountain's city and looted its mines; they ought to come.

However, the disappearance of Piao Mantu's Great Shaman again indicates that the situation in Heishuicheng is complex, and variables have arisen.

(End of Chapter)