Chapter 2480: Never Seen Before Strange Affairs

The immortals immediately thought of how he had made his fortune—this rascal had first appeared on the Flash Gold Plains under the banner of capturing evildoers to be judged in the Nine Abysses, and countless people had personally witnessed him drawing out the souls of evildoers.

Whether the Great Emperor of the Nine Abysses is a reincarnation of the Dragon God is another matter, but being versed in soul-sealing secret arts seems reasonable enough.

To build such a vast empire, this person must certainly have more than just two tricks up his sleeve.

Dong Rui quickly realized: "I see you're speaking nonsense with a straight face. Are you trying to make use of the Great Square Vessel?"

The True Person of Si Hai had never dealt with He Lingchuan before, didn't know his tactics, and could only speculate seriously:

"You want the earth mother's essence to feign death?"

"One could say that." How could He Lingchuan possibly have no longing for the earth mother?

As for whether the effect of body-soul separation can be achieved, He Lingchuan still has confidence in the Great Square Vessel. Treasures swallowed by this device are mostly in a state of disappearance.

The problem is, the earth mother has no confidence in him—not even a bit.

If it disagrees, the Great Square Vessel cannot make decisions for it by force.

"But this brings a trouble: the earth mother has just escaped Guan Biao's control, and now likely does not wish to be sealed again." Being sealed, in fact, is a synonym for being detained and controlled. The earth mother was brought back to Changfeng Valley to guard the gate for nearly a thousand years, then forced into sleep by Guan Biao for several thousand years—so reacting poorly to the two words "seal" is not unreasonable.

Master Mingyao laughed and cried: "What's the difference between your method and directly killing it? Both require it to lose form and spirit—it would be strange if it agreed."

The two great immortals exchanged a glance, understanding each other without words.

Their purpose in this journey had already shifted from merely "teaching the earth mother a lesson, upholding the dignity of Ling Mountain" to winning over the earth mother and the Great Square Vessel. If they followed the Great Emperor of the Nine Abysses' approach, Ling Mountain would simply hand over the earth mother to him, and even have to lend a hand.

What benefit would this bring to Ling Mountain?

Even though they understood this in their hearts, having fought this battle to this point, they were already deeply entrenched and had to see it through to the end.

"Since the Great Emperor of the Nine Abysses has a way, we will fully cooperate." Si Hai True Person immediately made a decision: "No matter what, we must win this battle!"

The enemy is strong; everything can wait until after victory. But don't—before the steamed buns are even cooked, everyone is already scrambling to grab a share.

"Good, thank you all!" He Lingchuan also felt relieved—no wonder Si Hai True Person was chosen as the leader of this operation; his decisiveness is far stronger than that of ordinary immortals.

Zhu Xiuer timely asked him: "Where are we going to fight now?"

"To our own territory."

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Du Zhishan Secret Realm.

Li Yun, under the sect master's order, took the wave drum and reopened the entrance to the earth mother's nest, personally entering to investigate.

After a long while, he returned to the surface to report to Wang Ye:

"The earth mother is still asleep; I cannot wake it."

Wang Ye frowned tightly.

If the earth mother is asleep, how should we interpret the earlier sudden accident at the locust house? A giant stone man burst from the ground, only to be dragged back by stone chains—this is a fact witnessed by many.

To clarify the situation, perhaps he must personally go forth, using contractual power to forcibly awaken the earth mother.

The earth mother has been in long slumber due to severe soul injury; if suddenly interrupted, it might suffer greater harm. The contract between Changfeng Valley and the earth mother also states that the earth mother must fulfill its duties, while Changfeng Valley must protect and guard the mountain spirit beasts, not enslave them excessively to exhaustion.

Once the earth mother is forcibly awakened, it will surely be furious.

So Wang Ye made a decision: "I'll do it—this is a major matter; we must get to the bottom of it!"

Changfeng Valley experienced a great upheaval tonight; everyone urgently needs the truth.

As his words fell, the ground suddenly trembled.

Another earthquake—at least magnitude six or seven—no one can ignore.

The disciples of Changfeng Valley were uneasy, all discussing: tonight's omens keep appearing—what on earth is going on?

A strong wind swept by, scattering the clouds and mist on the mountain.

Li Yun suddenly pointed far away, speaking urgently: "Sect Master, please look over there!"

The Ghost Claw Locust House is located on the mountainside; people on high ground have always been able to overlook the distant scenery.

Changfeng Valley's territory is vast; beyond Du Zhishan lies an endless plain, where the land is moist and lush—at this season, golden fields sway in the wind, wheat waves rolling.

Yet at this moment, the plain unexpectedly sprouted a city out of nowhere!

It rose slowly from underground, but the land outside the city showed no signs of being turned over, as if it had always been embedded there.

Changfeng Valley also has many cities under its jurisdiction, but none as majestic as this one—just the outer walls have two layers, one higher than the other, not to mention the thickness.

This city gives the people of Changfeng Valley the feeling of ill intent, its entire body exuding a fierce aura.

From a high vantage point, the city's buildings are densely packed, staggered in height. After just a few glances, the people of Changfeng Valley can tell this city is very prosperous, for it possesses various grand and magnificent structures, the most striking being a multi-gem tower, thirty-three stories high, piercing the clouds.

Besides the jade pavilions and terraces on the immortal mountains, no city within Changfeng Valley's territory can match such an imposing architectural complex.

The night is deep; the lights in the city are like stars in the sky—brilliant and bright.

Even stranger, they only saw half the city—the southern-central part was clearly visible, while the northern-central part remained hidden in thick clouds and mist.

The mist surging from the horizon churned, so dense that even immortals could not see through it.

What on earth is going on with this city?

The high-level officials of Changfeng Valley were discussing when the earthquake began again.

This time, most people could clearly see that the earthquake's origin was the golden plain expanding toward the Du Zhishan mountain range!

Or rather, it advanced dozens of zhang toward the Du Zhishan range, turning vast tracts of land into wheat fields.

The boundary markers of Du Zhishan that once stood on that land had naturally disappeared by now.

"How absurd! This city is invading our land!" Could there really be an enemy daring to bully Changfeng Valley? Wang Ye first ordered the activation of the barrier, sealing off the entire Du Zhishan to prevent outsiders from setting foot inside. The strength of Changfeng Valley's barrier is renowned even in the immortal realm—making it difficult for the opposing side to attack.

Then he began assigning troops, ordering more than ten immortals to lead five hundred disciples down the mountain to investigate the details of this strange city.

Guan Biao the menial worker was naturally not among them. He stood beneath the Ghost Claw Locust Tree, together with other menial workers, witnessing hundreds of rainbows swooping down onto the plain, unable to suppress his longing, yet also relieved he had not chosen the "descend the mountain" option fate offered him—otherwise, he would not have seen these wonderful subsequent events.

The distance between the two sides is not small, but the immortals, riding their flying artifacts, should arrive within dozens of breaths.

However, a strange thing happened: when the immortals flew to the border between the two places and tried to go further, their flight techniques failed!

No matter what artifact, none worked—they simply could not fly up, unless they were naturally winged avian demons.