Chapter 2435

They had just left when dozens more arrived, all dressed in Long Wind Valley attire, yet no one gave Wind Dew Golden Lotus a second glance.

The spirit herbs on Du Zhi Mountain are truly abundant.

The leader asked:

"Where does Shangguan Biao live?"

The person beside him, bowing and scraping: "This one, this one!"

"Have you found him?"

"We've already sent out dragonflies to search the entire mountain. Elder Wu, rest assured."

Nearby, sect disciples whispered: "Could they have gotten wind of this beforehand and fled?"

Elder Wu immediately said: "Increase the manpower. Bring him back the moment he's found."

"Yes!"

￥￥￥￥￥

The encirclement in the Panlong Secret Realm was in full swing.

The underground guardian spirit was extremely cunning; despite the Earth Mother and demon army pressing step by step, it always managed to slip out of the encirclement at the last moment, then catch one or two careless demons.

However, the range of the Earth Cage Formation is limited, and it shrinks a little after each encirclement—could it possibly escape to the sky?

Since the Earth Mother's invasion of the Panlong Wasteland began, we've noticed this guardian spirit is quite weak; its capture is only a matter of time, and the Earth Mother is very patient. But occasionally, she feels something is off, though she can't quite put her finger on it.

Will the famed Panlong Secret Realm really be so easily broken?

At that moment, the one-eyed giant swung its massive wolf-tooth club in the tree hollow at a black shadow not far away, but accidentally flung it onto the city wall.

With a clatter, stones and dirt flew, and the city wall was smashed open with a hole.

This was a perfectly ordinary scene; the Earth Mother's avatar turned her head at the sound, then froze, red light flaring in her eyes.

Wait, this isn't right!

It also strode over to the wall, examined it closely, then raised its fist and slammed it hard against the wall!

With a "crack," that large section of the city wall collapsed instantly, dust flying everywhere.

The renowned Panlong city walls, famed far and wide, could not withstand a single punch from the Earth Mother!

The demons immediately cheered, which to bystanders sounded like a chorus of howls.

"Shut up!" the Earth Mother roared, fury blazing; a demon nearby about to join the howling was seized by a stone giant, lifted, and slammed to the ground.

Crack—its liver and brains spilled onto the ground, its entire skeleton shattered.

The demons fell silent at once.

"You idiot, can't you see there's something wrong with this city wall!" the Earth Mother's roar echoed like artillery across the city, "The Panlong city walls, famed for their strength—why are they so weak?"

Upon hearing this, the Bear King immediately turned and charged the nearest city wall.

Enraged, its massive frame instantly expanded by two more circles; combined with its tremendous momentum, the city wall was immediately blasted open with a hole two zhang square.

Other demons followed suit.

Only the sound of continuous booms could be heard as wall sections collapsed one after another, yet not a single section could withstand the demons' pushing and smashing.

It appeared so solid, so weathered, so hard—it should have withstood divine weapons and icy blades, yet it was so easily toppled?

The only explanation—

"This city wall is fake!" the Earth Mother squeezed out between her teeth, scanning the surroundings.

And if the city wall is fake, then the city before her eyes, this "Panlong Secret Realm" where the demons reside—could it possibly be real?

Moreover, what exactly are they hunting with the Earth Cage Pillars?

"No wonder!" the Earth Mother sneered, "No wonder this thing darts through the alleys, never approaching the city wall—it was afraid I'd discover the wall's... cat-nap!"

The buildings in the city, smashed by demons at random, are all ruins anyway—no one would suspect ordinary houses could have much hardness. But if the demons went to smash the city wall, they'd immediately expose the flaw.

So that "guardian spirit" appeared when the Earth Mother planned to smash the city wall, merely to divert the demon horde's attention.

The Bear King casually pulled a few bricks from the city wall, as easily as dismantling toy blocks: "Then, what's that thing underground?"

"This isn't the Panlong Secret Realm at all, and that isn't the guardian spirit." The Earth Mother decided instantly, "They're still trying to confuse us, to buy time. Get out—now!"

The demon army fell back, rushing toward the Shu Min Academy.

But trouble followed: the exit of the secret chamber had vanished.

Seeing the Earth Mother's anger about to erupt, the Bear King ventured carefully: "Mother Sovereign, this place... this place also feels like a secret realm."

But it is not the Panlong Secret Realm.

"Our people are still near the entrance; it has merely shifted the entry and exit points secretly." The Earth Mother said darkly, "You think this can trap me? This isn't the Panlong Secret Realm, and its strength is far inferior—we have plenty of ways to get out!"

The fame of the Panlong Ruins spreads far and wide; when it entered, it was cautious, conserving its magic power for a big move. The result? This is just a fake secret realm!

Well, well done. It spends all day hunting geese, yet today it was dazzled by a mere insect's trick.

The Bear King asked: "What now, what now?"

"Breaking this 'secret realm' is easy—it's likely far less stable than the true Panlong Secret Realm." The Earth Mother, no stranger to breaking secret realms, had an idea instantly, "Break its limits, and it can no longer exist."

"Break, break the limits?"

"This place is fake, the so-called 'Dragon God' is fake, but that thing burrowing underground is real." The Earth Mother gave another order, "Tighten the Earth Cage Formation, drag it out!"

The demons obeyed: every three or five major demons took charge of an Earth Cage Pillar, pushing them steadily toward the center.

This Earth Cage is also an Earth Net; the tighter it shrinks, the greater the resistance of the trapped object. Fortunately, the demons worked in unison, holding the pillars firm without being overturned.

The diameter of the Earth Net area shrank to fifty zhang.

Then thirty zhang... twenty zhang...

Ten zhang!

The Earth Mother grinned ferociously, still maintaining her stone giant form, a gray light flickered in her hand, and she seized a huge double-pronged stone halberd!

What she intended to do required no skill at all—just grab the giant fork and stab wildly underground.

In just a few breaths, the ground was full of holes.

The force of its giant fork is not merely superficial; it can pierce straight to the earth's core.

Moreover, the speed of its fork strike is astonishingly fast—even the Yaksha Sea King would gladly yield.

After who knows how many strikes, the fork transmitted the solid sensation of piercing an object; the ground also shuddered violently, and a long, mournful howl echoed from somewhere unknown.

"Got it!"

The surrounding scenery gradually faded, as if shedding a layer of membranous substance.

Soon, the demons realized they were still standing in the Shu Min Academy, but lush greenery was visible everywhere, and a light mist drifted around them.

This is the Panlong Ruins, not the Secret Realm.

They have returned to reality!

The demons let out a joyful cry, and few noticed a round object rolling along the ground over a hundred zhang away, like a horseshoe crab sliding on the seabed, then it swooshed and dove underground.

The Earth Mother's avatar sensed it, but did not take it seriously.

This thing is related to the earlier false Secret Realm, but it has already been dispelled; our primary task is no longer to pursue it, but to quickly analyze the current situation!