Chapter 2618: The Soft Rib of the Nine Abysses Great Emperor

It is often said that heroes emerge from youth, but in truth, when facing new environments and new circumstances, young people always adapt more easily and shine more readily than the old-timers.

When Endu Heng entered the Supreme Divine Hall for the first time to pay his respects to the Lingxu Holy Venerable, his expression was a feigned composure, but his hurried breathing betrayed his inner unrest.

Lu Yongyan waited for him to finish the great rites, then immediately said:

"Now, present your findings to the Holy Venerable."

"Yes." Endu Heng bowed toward the divine image and said, "Since He Lingchuan, taking advantage of the Dragon God War, unified the Flashing Gold Plains, the Nine Abysses Great Emperor and his Cangyan Empire have become the greatest obstacle before the Heavenly Palace and the Bekka, causing more trouble for the heavenly realm over the years than even the Spirit Mountain."

How much more than two measures?

He Lingchuan's claim to fame twenty years ago was causing a ruckus in the Heavenly Palace; from then on, he frequently slapped the faces of heavenly gods and the Bekka, then, before the Dragon God War, he schemed against Miao Zhantian, exterminated Bai Ziqi and the Qingyang Old State Preceptor, defeated the Jia Lou Tian incarnation and reclaimed the Panlong Ancient City and the Earth Mother, and then stole the Hidden God Monarch's corporeal form from the Lingyun Palace...

Each and every one of these incidents made the heavenly gods hate him to the bone. Is this merely a thorn in the eye, a splinter in the flesh? No, this is clearly the bane of the Lingxu multitude; many heavenly gods, upon hearing his name, feel their qi disrupted.

The Lingxu Holy Venerable remained silent—this is common knowledge, and also this young man's opening remarks; what follows should be the crux.

"The reason he can provoke divine wrath yet roam free is, firstly, because his power has consolidated, he sits upon a vast empire, and assaulting him is exceedingly difficult."

How vast is the Cangyan Empire? Its troops are strong, its horses sturdy, and it teems with extraordinary individuals and countless great demons; within his own domain, the Nine Abysses Great Emperor is certainly not an opponent easily subdued. Even if immortals or heavenly gods intervene, the success rate can be imagined as so low as to make one's hair stand on end.

This point is the same as with the Demon Emperor and the Mou Emperor.

"Secondly, he excels at covert operations and striking from the shadows. By the time we discover him acting in person, he has already fled a thousand li away."

Whether it was causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace, seizing the Jade Capital City, or stealing the Hidden God's corporeal form, He Lingchuan has more than once demonstrated this method.

"He is both powerful and averse to prolonged conflict, knows when to advance or retreat, possesses strategy, and is especially adept at assessing the situation and adapting on the fly—such an opponent is worthy of the Holy Venerable's attention."

In the presence of the Lingxu Holy Venerable, Endu Heng replaced the words 'headache' with 'attention.'

The Lingxu Holy Venerable still remained silent.

Lu Yongyan spoke on his behalf: "So then?"

"All things have two sides; strengths can sometimes be weaknesses, and also flaws. The Nine Abysses' character of leading from the front, brave and diligent, destined him to be easily wounded." When he first entered the Star-Plucking Tower, Endu Heng was still somewhat nervous, but now, the more he spoke, the steadier he became: "I have studied all of the Nine Abysses Great Emperor's battles. In that so-called Dragon God War, Qingyang once tried to lure him into an ambush with a lone horse, to surround and annihilate him. That trap itself succeeded, but the Nine Abysses' strength was too great; Qingyang failed to behead him and was instead slain by him. This shows that even back then, Qingyang had already realized this point—unfortunately, his subordinates lacked sufficient strength, otherwise he could have eliminated this great scourge for Bekka and for the Holy Venerable."

The Lingxu Holy Venerable grunted in acknowledgment, said nothing more, but clearly agreed with this view.

"The Cangyan Empire grows ever stronger, and its sharpest point is none other than the Nine Abysses Great Emperor himself. Remove just him, and the resistance of the heavenly gods descending to the realm will weaken by five or six tenths." Endu Heng did not beat around the bush, speaking directly: "To deal with the Nine Abysses, we must still lay a trap and strike at his soft ribs!"

"Soft ribs?" The Lingxu Holy Venerable's deep voice echoed in the hall.

Who wouldn't want to seize the enemy's soft ribs? But where does the Nine Abysses even have any soft ribs now?

Before the Dragon God War, he was merely the island lord of Yangshan; after the Dragon God War, he became the Nine Abysses Great Emperor.

Territory, strength, resources, manpower—these are no longer comparable.

Lu Yongyan interjected: "Although the Nine Abysses also bears the surname He, he is not close to the Shen Wang father and son, so threatening him with Shen State is ineffective. Moreover, he forgets private matters for public duty, wholly devoted to the affairs of the Cangyan State, and there is no word of any personal hobbies."

The Nine Abysses Great Emperor is the most studied subject among heavenly gods and the Bekka, yet no matter how thoroughly researched, his life, compared to other emperors, is truly as clean as a blank sheet.

What kind of soft ribs could such a person possibly have?

"He has always had a soft rib!" Endu Heng declared firmly, "It is none other than Panlongcheng!"

The hall fell silent once more.

Since Lu Yongyan assumed the post of Du Yun Chief Envoy, he has also come to understand the history of the Great Fang Vessel and Panlongcheng.

For many years, the Great Fang Vessel has been selecting candidates to resist the heavenly demons—first choosing the Abyss King, then Zhong Shengguang, and finally He Lingchuan.

When Panlongcheng was breached nearly two hundred years ago, various omens appeared. Thus, the Heavenly Palace also has reason to believe that since He Lingchuan was chosen by the Great Fang Vessel, it is not strange that he would have some connection with Panlong Ancient City.

But can that shattered, wind-sand-eroded dead city truly be called the Nine Abysses' "soft rib"?

"Chief Envoy Lu has granted me access permissions, allowing me to peruse the sealed intelligence scrolls." Endu Heng spoke solemnly, "Twenty years ago, when He Lingchuan first displayed abnormality, it was when the He father and son were forced to enter the Panlong ruins; he must have gained the Great Fang Vessel's favor there."

"After he ransacked the Star-Plucking Tower, he returned to his hometown and, together with He Chunhua, re-entered the Panlong desert. The cause was our Heavenly Palace's He Yun Chief Envoy, ordered to proceed to the Panlong ruins. Eyewitnesses gave vague accounts, so that expedition's process remains unclear, but afterward it became known that the He father and son fell out, and He Chunhua returned, claiming the eldest son had sacrificed himself."

"The Nine Abysses Great Emperor's third return occurred when Shangguan Biao controlled the Earth Mother, preparing to devour the Panlong ruins." Endu Heng raised his third finger, "Three times. From this we can see that each time the Panlong ruins encountered a major upheaval, the Nine Abysses Great Emperor would rush there. Subordinates infer that between the Nine Abysses Great Emperor, Panlong Ancient City, and the Great Fang Vessel, there exists a bond not easily discerned by others."

Lu Yongyan also said: "Shangguan Biao once told the Supreme God that he judged the secret realm within Panlongcheng to be the nexus linking the Great Fang Vessel and reality. Therefore, as long as he drags away the Panlong ruins and devours the Panlong secret realm, he can naturally seize the Great Fang Vessel."

"I beg your pardon for speaking frankly!" Endu Heng spoke rapidly, "The Battle of the Jade Capital City was truly the best opportunity to capture the Nine Abysses Great Emperor; he journeyed ten thousand li away, bringing only a few companions on this adventure. We ultimately failed to seize it properly—truly a pity!"

Had we won that battle, not only would we have resolved this Nine Abysses, a great internal menace, but the Lingyun Palace would not have encountered trouble, the corporeal form of the Hidden God Monarch would not have been stolen, and the Lingxu Holy Venerable and the Lingxu multitude would not have fallen into this passive predicament...

One drink, one peck—could it be predestined?

"All that has passed yesterday is now gone." Lu Yongyan lightly coughed, then gave Endu Heng a look.

He wanted this young man to perform well, not to let him speak freely!

Fortunately, the Lingxu Holy Venerable did not grow angry, but simply said: "The Panlong ruins have been dragged away by the Earth Mother; how do you intend to make them become the Nine Abysses' soft rib?"

Thank you Yang Mulin classmate for the tip~~

Thank you Old Tiger 2007, and to one who passes through life without regret, for the tip~

(End of Chapter)