Chapter 2750

The moat not only has a great lake, but also a network of waterways. The body of water closest to the western ring-shaped mountain wall was originally a small stream; although it received lake water, its width was only a little over one zhang, and its deepest point was less than four chi, so clear that fish and shrimp could be seen.

However, before the Earth Mother returned to the Dragon-Trapping Moat this time, the stream had already become a river, less than two zhang wide but with a depth generally reaching three zhang! For a river, this is already quite deep; standing on the bank, one can only see a murky red expanse, unable to see the bottom at all.

Moreover, its distance to the western ring-shaped mountain wall inside the moat has also shrunk from the original eighty zhang to the current eighteen zhang.

Of course, this is merely one of hundreds of streams and rivers inside the Dragon-Trapping Moat; how could the Earth Mother possibly care about it?

With the passage of time, the terrain inside the Dragon-Trapping Moat often changes. As an ancient being spanning time, the Earth Mother understands the vicissitudes of the sea turning to mulberry fields best of all.

Therefore, the other end of the Great Mountain-Moving Array is opened at the riverbed.

Water is a medium that most divine abilities cannot penetrate; using it to conceal one's movements is ideal.

Duanmu Heng in the Western Dragon Moat also received the news almost simultaneously:

The heavenly gods have already entered the Dragon-Trapping Moat's waterways.

Yes, the heavenly gods of the Lingxu multitude have truly descended; each can fully exert their power in the mortal realm!

Lingyun Palace, acting on the Lingxu Holy Venerable's command, has indeed succeeded in producing a hundred divine bodies before the deadline.

For three thousand years, the mortal realm has never seen such a large-scale collective divine descent, but the process was not a grand, shocking spectacle; instead, it chose the most desolate, uninhabited island, proceeding silently and without a trace.

This is a secret operation.

After landing, the heavenly gods rushed nonstop to the Dragon-Trapping Moat, meticulously preparing for today's plan.

And in the Western Dragon Moat, the confidant Mo Xu Bai seized the opportunity to ask: "My lord, how are you certain that the Earth Mother will not immediately dive underground upon discovering the Shen State and the Baoling army approaching?"

All our arrangements today revolve around the Earth Mother we have crafted. If this colossal being flees prematurely, Duanmu Heng and the heavenly gods' three years of meticulous preparation will come to nothing.

Duanmu Heng smiled faintly: "The most important reason is that the Emperor of the Nine Abysses himself is not here."

￥￥￥￥￥

Few people know that the Earth Mother also dreams.

For the vast majority of the time, it remains awake. Since Guan Biao was slain by the Emperor of the Nine Abysses and the Earth Mother reclaimed control of Jade Capital City, it has kept its eyes open.

But after traveling for over three years, it has also grown somewhat weary. Especially each year, it must transport troops for Cangyan, marching thousands of miles; this year, it even made an additional trip, the distance especially great, the troops especially numerous, leaving it feeling utterly exhausted. Returning to the Dragon-Trapping Moat is like a weary traveler finally soaking in the hot springs of their homeland, relaxing completely, even the six senses becoming unusually dull.

It slept soundly.

When it opened its eyes midway, still five-sixths dazed, the surroundings were also a dark cavern, gloomy and damp; it could sense the seepage of groundwater and hear the rustling of small insects and pupae in the soil layers.

This is an environment it likes and is familiar with.

Outside, it is probably summer, for a few fireflies drifted down lazily, and under the faint purple glow, each pale stalactite glittered with tiny specks of light—this is the reflection of minerals within the stone.

Hmm? Wait, stalactites?

On the Earth Mother's plains, there are no stalactites!

The Earth Mother shuddered, and drowsiness immediately receded by a third.

But this place, it is also very familiar.

Even that deep fissure directly ahead, it knows leads to the underground, two hundred zhang deep, with dark currents at the bottom where fish swim, known as blind eels.

This is the garrison of Changfeng Valley!

Long ago, it signed a contract to become the mountain-guarding divine beast and has resided in the medicinal valley fissure behind the Changfeng Valley garrison.

It has lived here for many, many years; of course, it is familiar with every blade of grass and tree here.

The Earth Mother is somewhat displeased.

Having signed the contract, it lost freedom; mountain-guarding is tantamount to imprisonment. It dislikes this experience from the bottom of its heart and had not thought of it for a long time—how could it dream again of Changfeng Valley today?

Yes, it knows it is dreaming.

Those old, rotten sesame and millet affairs are boring beyond measure.

The Earth Mother has no interest in returning to the surface to take a look; it turned over, intending to continue sleeping.

Perhaps the next dream will not be so hateful.

But it heard the sound of "dang-lang" twice, the clashing of metal. At the same time, its arms felt bound.

This feeling is equally familiar. As a mountain-guarding beast, it had two rune chains bound to its body; this is a restriction, used to limit its range of movement—mountain-guarding beasts are actually just another name for watchdogs, and watchdogs need to be leashed.

These two sounds brought back a flood of unpleasant memories, and the Earth Mother awoke instantly.

Wait a moment, could it be?

It raised its body and headed toward the fissure's exit.

This fissure exit is very narrow, like a person's mouth split open; even a fat autumn bear might not be able to jump in. But the Earth Mother can squeeze out through a crack the size of a teacup's mouth—provided it has freedom of movement.

The Earth Mother was nearly reaching the surface, even catching sight of the blue sky and white clouds from within the fissure, when again came the sound of "dang-lang"—the two chains behind it were pulled taut,.

Only two steps away from leaving this place, yet it was seized again.

The Earth Mother felt nothing strange about this.

Damned dream.

But just then, it seemed to see something odd in the blue sky.

To be precise, after the white clouds drifted away, it noticed a large section missing from the heavenly canopy, as if a panel had been removed, or as if it were inside a mirror, seeing instead the person outside the mirror.

Hmm? How could it be Pak Chi-hai?

This man looked anxious, one hand raised to fiercely pound the invisible barrier before him, the other shouting hoarsely, but not a sound reached the Earth Mother's ears.

He seemed to be performing a silent mime; seeing the Earth Mother's bewildered face, he grew frantic, gesturing wildly at it.

What does this mean—Pak Chi-hai is isolated outside the dream?

The Earth Mother knows that Pak Chi-hai was appointed by the Emperor of the Nine Abysses as the night-wandering god of the Panlong Secret Realm and the Earth Mother's plains, responsible for patrol duties. Obviously, he has some urgent matter to communicate with the Earth Mother, yet he is cut off from the dream.

What is going on with this dream? The Earth Mother feels something is amiss.

Pak Chi-hai seems to be repeating a phrase over and over, still gesturing outward; the Earth Mother reads his lips, as if he were saying:

"Wake up quickly, powerful enemies approach!"

Have enemies arrived?

But the little stone man avatar did not notify it.

As the nightmare of the plains, Bao Chihai should have had the ability to enter the Earth Mother's dreamscape and make contact with her. Yet the nightmare was isolated outside the dreamscape?

Bao Chihai's previous incarnation was an immortal thief, of ancient vintage and powerful magic power.

What kind of dreamscape could even he not enter?

The Earth Mother was just sensing something was amiss when a mass of thick clouds drifted in from the horizon, sealing the sky tight; Bao Chihai was naturally also blocked behind the cloud bank, and contact was lost.