Chapter 2464: The True Earth Mother

The three sides in the battle were all a bit dazed, their offense and defense unconsciously coming to a halt. Mingke Xianren took the opportunity to retreat to He Lingchuan's side and asked in a low voice: "Is this the turning point?"

"Yes." He Lingchuan then openly declared, "I have awakened the Earth Mother, the true Earth Mother."

A turn for the better! Mingke Xianren instantly rejoiced: "Finally!"

After all the twists and turns, they had still completed their primary objective of entering Duzhi Mountain!

No wonder the Jiufang side had been desperately refusing to leave earlier, using every means to delay time.

The true Earth Mother has awakened; Shangguan Biao can no longer cover the sky with one hand in Yujing City!

"Don't let your guard down." He Lingchuan whispered to his companions, "The real great change is only just beginning. Shangguan Biao will not admit defeat easily; he will surely exert all his strength to seize back control."

From Shangguan Biao's performance as a menial in Duzhi Mountain, it can be seen that this person could stand out in the Changfeng Valley, where demonic cultivators run rampant, not by relying on madness, but on tenacity and perseverance.

Such a person would not easily admit defeat even at the last moment, and would always leave a backup plan for everything.

He Lingchuan also very much wanted to see what other tricks the opponent could come up with.

Just as he finished speaking, the strange sounds from underground ceased.

The mountains that had seemed like the apocalypse had just descended suddenly returned to calm, with only the cracking sounds of a few fallen trees, indicating that things were not so simple.

The battle by the locust house among the three sides also did not resume. Everyone stared at each other, feeling that something was brewing underground. Li Yun looked at the stone statue possessed by Shangguan Biao and shouted loudly: "Earth Mother, what is going on?"

The stone statue stood motionless, its gaze fixed, ignoring him completely. Shangguan Biao was busy handling other affairs.

Just thirty breaths later, the ground behind the locust house exploded without warning!

A giant hand stretched out, pressing down on the ground.

Just this one hand alone was two zhang in length.

Then, a colossal entity surged up from underground.

Broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, its entire body covered in moss and small trees, its eyes glowing red.

The people of Changfeng Valley stared dumbfounded:

Another Earth Mother!

But this one is super-sized.

And... they all turned toward the other stone statue, wondering what this was all about?

Meanwhile, He Lingchuan stared at the newly appeared giant Earth Mother, his eyes shining.

This is the Earth Mother's essence that has long lain dormant underground!

As soon as it appeared, the divine bone necklace began to heat up, burning intensely, causing the Earth Mother that He Lingchuan saw to glow entirely red.

This is the Great Square Vessel telling him: this is useful, this is useful!

Seize it, seize it quickly!

Nowadays, ingredients that can make the Great Square Vessel this excited—oh, I mean treasures—are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

He Lingchuan's gaze shifted a few times, and he saw that the giant Earth Mother was wrapped in seven or eight chains, also made of stone, each with a diameter over one zhang, but appearing rather thin on the Earth Mother's body.

Every movement of the Earth Mother made them clank and clatter.

These chains are the shackles worn by the mountain-guarding spirit beasts, so the sect can control them. Even the Great Fire Spirit Beast of Mount Xushan has copper bracelets on it to suppress it.

As soon as the Earth Mother appeared, it lunged at the stone statue, seeming to want to punch it flat.

The stone statue came to its senses and hurriedly retreated several steps.

Before the immortals of Ling Mountain could even rejoice, the stone chains behind the Earth Mother suddenly clanked and pulled tight, forcibly checking its lunge and even violently dragging it back underground.

Despite the Earth Mother's tonnage, it could not lunge forward, but that punch still landed heavily on the stone statue possessed by Shangguan Biao.

The stone statue was sent flying like a toy ball, making no sound. Instead, the Earth Mother's body suddenly lurched backward.

Though it was its own punch, it felt as if it had been heavily punched itself, its massive form pushing Jin Shan over and toppling the jade pillars, perfectly falling into the cracked ground.

The Earth Mother's howl was also filled with bewilderment.

The ground quickly closed in, and He Lingchuan, Sihai True Person, and Zhu Xiuer immediately lunged forward.

They still did not understand what had happened, but the Earth Mother had finally emerged with great difficulty; if it only showed its face and then retreated, their trip would be an utter failure.

Others felt their vision blur, the surrounding scenery suddenly changing.

And to the people of Changfeng Valley, the giant Earth Mother fell into the underground, and the ground suddenly closed over it.

And these intruders before their eyes also instantly became illusory, vanishing from the spot!

What is going on?

The people of Changfeng Valley walked back and forth a few steps, confirmed the battle had ended, and were just as bewildered as at the beginning.

￥￥￥￥￥

Before the Earth Mother was completely dragged underground, He Lingchuan had already jumped onto its shoulder.

That invisible barrier also blocked his entry, but the divine bone necklace emitted a faint red light, flashing only twice, and he jumped in, like a fish entering water.

Afterward, the scene before his eyes changed.

He and the Earth Mother were no longer in Duzhi Mountain, for as far as the eye could see were black rocks, this place had not a single tree, no, not even a blade of grass, not a hint of green!

This is an endless plain; every inch of land He Lingchuan could see was composed of rock, with no soil, no water, and certainly no sign of life.

Night had already fallen; looking up, there were no stars or moon, but the sky was often illuminated, for one bolt of Lei Ting after another descended from the heavens, striking the ground—

On average, a lightning strike struck every five or six breaths, sometimes seven or eight bolts of lightning flashing simultaneously across the plain, varying in form, strange and bizarre, unchanging in their terrifying power.

But when they struck the ground, they only left a pit.

No wonder there is not a trace of life here; this plain probably endures tens of thousands of lightning strikes each day, striking at random locations.

He Lingchuan had never been here before, but upon looking around, he blurted out:

"Lei Ting Tian Yuan!"

The world has several major forbidden zones, and Lei Ting Tian Yuan is one of them. This is the homeland of lightning, forbidden to ordinary living beings.

Even immortals do not like to come here. The might of Lei Ting Tian Yuan—no living being wishes to willingly endure it.

Moreover, the lightning here varies in strength and thickness. The few bolts of ordinary lightning in the distance are nothing, but on Lei Ting Tian Yuan, terrifying lightning pillars occasionally strike down, capable of reducing even immortals to dust.

However, on the plain, the pits formed by lightning strikes have become pools. Only, the pools are not shimmering with ripples, but with surging light waves and electric tides, constantly emitting a piercing blue-white glare.

Lei Chi!

In these pools, the lightning and thunder seem like liquid water, surging and churning without wind.

As the ancient saying goes, one must not step beyond Lei Chi even half a step.

After seeing these Lei Chi with one's own eyes, no one would ever ask why.

The worst part is, as soon as the Earth Mother was brought into this space, she fell into the largest Lei Chi!

The Earth Mother stands over five zhang tall, but this pool has a diameter of at least thirty zhang, an irregular egg shape. It is held by over ten stone chains, the lower ends likely locked to the pool bottom, with the pool water submerging the Earth Mother's waist.

He Lingchuan stood on its shoulder looking down; the pool surface writhed with lightning like dragons and snakes, a few small trees on the Earth Mother's body shed their branches, which entered the Lei Chi and vaporized in a second, leaving only a soft hiss.

(End of Chapter)