Chapter 2396: Jointly Facing the Enemy

One person, one scorpion demon.

Scorpion demon? Seeing that oily, smooth shell, everyone's hearts stirred—could it be?

The True Person Mingke had placed the withered leaf butterfly in the Panlong Ruins earlier and had already seen two people plus a scorpion demon enter the Panlong Secret Realm.

Is this scorpion that scorpion?

"We come from Cangyan." The person at the front spoke first: "May I ask if the Esteemed Mingyao is present?"

Not only the disciples, but even the True Persons were slightly surprised.

They came straight to the point, showing these two Cangyan visitors not only knew that the immortals of Ling Mountain were gathered here, but also knew that Mingyao was the honoured one here.

How did they know? Could they have been surveilling us all along?

Ling Jinbao instead said: "I knew it—Cangyan would not be absent."

Before the disciple could answer, Esteemed Mingyao waved his hand, and the door opened without wind:

"Please enter."

The visitors were naturally He Lingchuan and Zhu Xiuer. They carefully passed under the eaves, avoiding detection by the spies of Yujing City in the sky.

Ling Jinbao spoke first: "How should we address you two?"

"Cangyan, Tiger-Wing General Lu Chenxin." He Lingchuan pointed to himself, then to Zhu Xiuer: "This is the Mistress of Pan Si Cave."

He gave the alias he used when undertaking tasks in the Panlong World.

He had not used this name for at least thirteen years.

Pan Si... Cave? True Person Mingke's eyes flickered slightly: "Isn't Pan Si Cave on the Yangshan Islands? I heard it is the lair of the Earth-Spit Spider Empress."

He Lingchuan laughed: "True Person Mingke is indeed well-informed."

As his words fell, the scorpion before everyone's eyes flashed with light, instantly transforming from oily and smooth to furry, and its size suddenly expanded.

The Earth-Spit Spider Empress bristled with hair-like spines, visually appearing much larger than a scorpion.

It spoke in a deep, resonant voice: "True Person Mingke, long time no see?"

True Person Mingke was startled, then clasped his hands in salute: "The Spider Empress is well—this is truly a long time apart, nearly three thousand years, I suppose?"

"Isn't it just?" Zhu Xiuer's face showed no expression, but her voice was cheerful: "You also survived—excellent!"

In the Immortal-Demon War, many immortals perished, let alone the later fluctuations of spiritual tides.

What an extraordinarily long three thousand years! For every immortal, surviving before time is the greatest challenge.

True Person Mingke did not know the Earth-Spit Spider Empress had two forms; Zhu Xiuer's true body had already perished in the Immortal-Demon War. Anyway, their appearances are identical—if they remain silent and still, even He Lingchuan cannot tell this pair of sisters apart.

Time is pressing, Esteemed Mingyao lightly coughed, interrupting their pleasantries: "What brings you two here?"

Lu Chenxin? Never heard of him. But how could he know how many generals Cangyan has?

After the Nine Abyssal Great Emperor unified the Flashing Gold Plains and distributed rewards, many generals with military merit were promoted.

"The Panlong Desert has undergone changes; the Nine Abyssal Great Emperor ordered us to come nearby to assist. Unexpectedly, it is the Earth Mother who attacks." He Lingchuan also got straight to the point: "This primordial great demon is truly difficult to deal with—why not join forces to subdue it? Esteemed, what do you think?"

Esteemed Mingyao glanced at True Person Mingke, seeking his opinion, and the latter nodded.

Their master-disciple bond is as close as brothers; a single glance completes information exchange. Esteemed Mingyao's question was: Are these two truly from Cangyan?

True Person Mingke nodded, because he knows the Earth-Spit Spider Empress has long pledged allegiance to Cangyan, and she is straightforward, disliking deceit.

Esteemed Mingyao fell into brief contemplation.

Through the withered leaf butterfly, he had indeed seen these people enter the Panlong Secret Realm.

"Where did you come from?" he asked, knowing full well: "How did you not disturb our outer barrier?"

"Panlong Secret Realm." Direct and to the point—that's Zhu Xiuer's style: "You didn't already see us enter the Panlong Secret Realm? Since you know the relation between Panlong Ancient City and the Nine Abyss, you should also understand we can pass freely through this desert."

They did not come straight up from beneath this house—already polite enough.

He Lingchuan also went along with it. In this special time, sincerity is the best killer technique.

Esteemed Mingyao and True Person Mingke exchanged glances, both startled in their hearts.

Had our surveillance set up in the Panlong Ruins been discovered by the enemy?

The Panlong Secret Realm's control over the desert is indeed formidable.

Zhu Xiuer's words also displayed our strength.

At this moment, another True Person, Chonghui, spoke: "Why should we cooperate with Cangyan?"

Stop the Earth Mother, and Cangyan benefits—what good does this do for Ling Mountain?

"Why?" Zhu Xiuer glared at him with all her eyes: "To prevent the 'Yang Pass Way' and the Great Square Vase from falling into the hands of the Heavenly Demons! To prevent the Holy Eminence of Lingxu and the Heavenly Demon from descending prematurely into the world! Do we really need to say more?"

True Person Chonghui immediately fell silent.

He asked this not only out of immortal arrogance, but also on behalf of Esteemed Mingyao. Zhu Xiuer's reply shows that Cangyan also knows the urgency forcing Ling Mountain to act.

Everyone is anxious—this is the premise for cooperation.

Esteemed Mingyao immediately said: "Good, we have long wanted to witness Cangyan's methods. Before your arrival, we were discussing how to enter Yujing City."

Since both sides must face the Earth Mother and Heavenly Demon, let us join forces.

Zhu Xiuer then asked True Person Mingke: "Do you wish to use the Beanpod Garden?"

The Beanpod Garden is a vast mustard-seed space, and also one of the reasons He Lingchuan chose to cooperate with Ling Mountain.

True Person Mingke nodded: "I have brought it—it can hold everyone present with plenty to spare. The current difficulty is: we can hide in the mustard-seed space, but who can bring us into Yujing City?"

This infiltrator must be utterly reliable.

Esteemed Mingyao waved his hand—the sand table on the desk transformed into a model of Yujing City's gate, with the Qingtu Great Ghost standing before it, especially ferocious and conspicuous.

"This is the Qingtu Ghost. One thousand three hundred years ago, the Earth Mother swallowed the Tayang relics and also took this Qingtu Great Ghost under her command. We have tried several times—this thing guards the gate reliably, it can remember every demon inside the city, and relies not only on sight to recognize them, but also verifies their aura."

Zhu Xiuer: "Demonic aura?"

"Yes, demonic aura. Every demon's aura is unique, and the Qingtu Ghost is especially sensitive to living beings. So, ordinary disguise arts cannot possibly deceive it." True Person Mingke shook his head: "This is the conclusion we reached at the cost of five lives."

Zhu Xiuer showed no reaction, glanced at He Lingchuan.

Very good, this is exactly the detailed information they wanted. Our side only has three people total, and we can't afford to sacrifice anyone for trial and error.

Zhu Xiuer thought for a moment: "You've also captured quite a few monsters from Yujing City, haven't you? If we use bewitching worms to control the prisoners, letting them carry the Doukou Garden into the city?"

"No good, we've tried similar methods before. The Qingtu Ghost Eye has clairvoyant ability, and the bewitching worm is also a living creature—it can't escape its sight."

A soft "hiss" came from beside He Lingchuan's ear—it was Dong Rui's voice transmission: "Hey, you can't even handle a little parasitic worm now?"