In fact, it knew very well that unless it was breached by brute force, this immortal cave could only be entered by someone designated by Venerable Muling.
On that point alone, he was worthy of its serious attention.
That old fellow Muling really had a few tricks up his sleeve. A person he favored might actually be worth pinning some hopes on.
He Lingchuan continued to ask it, "If I can destroy the formation eye, I will need you to assault Zhaixing Tower and help me seize the treasure. How about it?"
The celestial god's wrath was no trivial matter; would Juju be willing to bear it?
Sure enough, the rockfire monster sank into deep thought.
It was different from He Lingchuan. The latter could dust off his backside and leave once the destruction was done, but Juju could not leave Mount Xu; it had to coexist with Lingxu City for the long haul.
Once the Spirit Gathering Grand Formation was broken, its relationship with Lingxu City would plunge to freezing point.
As if hearing its inner voice, He Lingchuan said, "Breaking this formation is just like going back more than a decade. Back then, with no formation binding you, wasn't life great? You were still the immensely powerful Juju. What could Lingxu City dare do to you? Look at how things are now instead—Lingxu City has tied your hands and feet with the Spirit Gathering Grand Formation, starving you so that you only eat intermittently, while your power steadily declines. Wait a few more years, and even without the grand formation suppressing you, you'll be reduced to nothing more than a tiny spark."
To put it bluntly, Juju's relationship with Lingxu City depended on its strength.
The stronger it was, the more amicably Lingxu City would treat it.
"Besides, didn't Lingxu City deceive you first?" He Lingchuan's words were like a devil's whisper. "Don't you want revenge?"
The giant bear made of rock and fire smacked its lips. "Fine. If you can destroy the formation eye, I will help you snatch the divine artifact from Zhaixing Tower. A mutual benefit."
Yet it sneered inward. If it truly managed to break free, it could do whatever it pleased afterward—first kicking this little creature aside, and then settling scores with the Heavenly Palace!
As long as it cast off the suppression of the Spirit Gathering Grand Formation, how could Lingxu City deal with it so easily?
"I need information." He Lingchuan considered for a moment. "You should know the construction of the Spirit Gathering Formation better than anyone. Tell me everything you know about the defenses and formations at Zhaixing Tower and the formation eye."
"You don't know?" So he had come here trying to get something for nothing? "You don't even know the details, and you want to break the formation eye?!"
He Lingchuan said calmly, "The construction of the Spirit Gathering Grand Formation has been top secret to this day. I've questioned participants and insiders, but could only piece together a general outline. For an operation this critical, wouldn't I need to cross-check everything with you repeatedly?"
Mmh, that made sense. Juju fell quiet.
Next, He Lingchuan asked questions, and it filled in the details.
This basically aligned with the information pried out of Zaifu Kua, with plenty of details added.
Everyone knew the devil was in the details.
For He Lingchuan, the more detailed the picture, the better.
He also asked Juju, "If you smash Zhaixing Tower, will the celestial god descend in person to deal with you?"
"Descend?" Juju scoffed. "The barrier between the two realms is heavily fortified. How could a celestial god's true body ever descend? At most, it would be divine descent!"
"When the formation eye of the Spirit Gathering Grand Formation was installed, I heard the celestial god took action against you in person?"
"That was divine descent!" Juju said loudly. "The primary god Lingxu descended directly into a vessel prepared in advance, allowing it to unleash a fraction of its true body's might. But the loss in that process is colossal! If it exerts ten parts of its power, nine parts are lost in the projection itself, and what's actually brought into battle isn't even one part!"
He Lingchuan was moved. "Such massive wasted energy?"
"Did you think the laws of the world were a joke?" Juju grew instantly suspicious. "Hmm? You want to destroy the formation eye, yet you don't even know common knowledge like this?"
"My knowledge of celestial gods isn't deep." He Lingchuan quickly shifted the topic. "Even if I could let you out, if the celestial god suppresses you again the very next moment, wouldn't my effort be wasted?"
Juju scoffed dismissively, "Wishful thinking! The Heavenly Palace has enjoyed peace for too long—how could they match me on short notice? Besides, even if endless reinforcements follow, all I need to do is hide underground, and what can they do to me!"
Once the Spirit Gathering Grand Formation broke, as long as it retreated beneath the earth, what Heavenly Palace or celestial god could possibly reach it?
He Lingchuan couldn't help smiling. Compared to Juju's strength, the celestial gods were probably far more troubled by that very point.
He asked again, "I heard that choosing a vessel for divine descent isn't easy either."
"Of course. It must be someone of extraordinary talent whose physique or cultivation far surpasses ordinary people, just to barely bear the descent of a celestial god. Otherwise, the instant of descent, the body would collapse completely," Juju said. "Moreover, different celestial gods have different requirements for a body. If they are influential in the mortal realm, they will deliberately cultivate and stockpile their own vessels for future use."
"These so-called vessels are all living people."
"Nonsense!" Juju's bear eyes widened. "How could you use a corpse?"
"Even if a vessel is prepared, a celestial god won't descend unless absolutely necessary. Modern humans have frail bodies. A celestial god borrowing a human body to fight is like holding porcelain in both hands to brawl with an opponent—bumps and scrapes are unavoidable, and with the slightest exertion, it shatters!" Juju answered in great detail this time. "Cultivating a vessel isn't easy. I heard that after Lingxu's vessel was ruined last time, it hasn't had a new one available even to this day. Add to that the massive energy drain of divine descent, and celestial gods are inherently unwilling to do it."
The last time Holy Venerable Lingxu descended had been to fight this fellow. Juju's strength was such that even the great demons of Lingxu City couldn't overcome it; if a celestial god wanted to suppress it in the mortal realm, it wasn't so simple either.
Ten years had passed, yet with all of Beijia's power, they still hadn't found the next suitable vessel for Holy Venerable Lingxu.
That showed just how difficult selecting a vessel for divine descent truly was.
Naturally, in that instant, He Lingchuan thought of Panlong City, and of the daughter Zhong Shengguang had sacrificed.
If choosing a human vessel was so difficult for gods, then how had Zhong Shengguang's beloved daughter, Zhong Wuhan, managed to bear Mitian's descent time and again?
Could it be because Mitian's power was far inferior to Holy Venerable Lingxu's, causing less damage to the vessel?
Or perhaps...
...it had something to do with the Dafang Pot?
"A vessel's capacity must also depend on the celestial god's power, right?"
"What else?" Juju sat back, resting right on the magma's surface without sinking, though the pool sent splashes of molten rock in every direction. "Those lesser gods have weaker power, so it's easier for them to find matching vessels. Back in the Middle Ancient Era, I even heard that celestial gods had a method of semi-descent."
"Semi-descent?"
"Mm. If there truly is no suitable vessel, they can split off a much tinier portion of power and temporarily descend onto any random body. However, their performance will be greatly restricted, and an agreement must be made with the host beforehand."
"An agreement beforehand?" He Lingchuan immediately thought of Nian Songyu. Had the deity behind Sun Fuping persuaded Nian Zanli to accept a semi-descent? "Can the person being descended upon survive afterward?"
"Perhaps. That's beyond me." Juju spread its two paws. Did it look like it cared about human lives?
Hearing this, a thought struck He Lingchuan. "What if there is no agreement at all, and they forcibly invade a human's sea of consciousness?"
"No agreement?" Juju denied flatly. "Impossible! No matter what kind of divine descent, permission must be granted. Even gods cannot violate the laws of the world!"
"Why not?" He Lingchuan retorted. "I know Miaozhantian has done it multiple times, forcing her way into people's minds without their consent."
"Miaozhantian?" Juju also knew of this celestial god. "By invasion, do you mean she used the Scales?"
"Correct. And not just her alone; countless gods followed."
"Miaozhantian's divine artifact, the Scales, is world-famous! Strictly speaking, that is not an invasion, but using the power of the Scales to pass judgment on a human soul! But whether the final verdict is right or wrong, she cannot directly obliterate the human soul. Once the judgment is complete, she must leave," Juju said. "The boundary of the laws is not a thin line, but a broad gray area. Miaozhantian's trick skirts the edge of the laws. But unleashing it in the mortal realm carries a very steep cost."
"What if, during the judgment, another spectating god suddenly wants to seize the human body?"
"Even then, they must obtain the vessel's consent! Moreover, such an act also harms Miaozhantian while she is casting the technique. Even though she is an orthodox god of boundless magical power, she certainly wouldn't welcome such unforeseen complications!"
He Lingchuan recalled his own trial. In the end, when that unknown celestial god attempted to strike, Miaozhantian had sharply reprimanded them.
"By the way, who is Nailuotian?"
"Never heard of them!" Juju grew impatient. "For Muling's sake, I've answered so many questions. It's your turn to show some sincerity!"
It had patiently said all this—every topic high-level, things ordinary cultivators could never access. It could be said to be brimming with sincerity.
If He Lingchuan wanted to cooperate, he needed to offer something.
The puppet raised a hand and tossed the hemp sack into the magma pool. With a hiss, a plume of black smoke billowed from the pool.
"Just this little bit?" The sack instantly vaporized, of course, but Juju had only eaten a few chunks of Shaoling ore—not even enough to get stuck between its teeth. "Who are you trying to fool?!"
"What's the rush? After meeting with you, I need to go back and plan in detail," He Lingchuan said calmly. "We'll keep in touch."
"You think you can just leave?" The rockfire monster slammed a fist onto the ground, shaking the entire cavern. "Where are my offerings?"
This fellow wanted to cooperate with it, yet had only brought a few dozen jin of ore to find it?
Furious magma surged up over the banks and crept toward the puppet.
"Doesn't matter. This is merely a puppet," He Lingchuan said indifferently. "Burn it or eat it as you please, but I won't come back next time. You can stay right here, be a good watchdog for the celestial gods, and watch the food in your bowl dwindle to nothing."
The magma glowing with red flames was about to wash under its feet, yet the puppet stood firm, completely expressionless.
An ordinary mortal like this would melt the instant it was scorched.
He Lingchuan remained as calm as could be.
Two feet away from the living man, the magma halted.
Its surface rippled continuously, but in the end, it did not advance another inch.
It seemed Headmaster Xu Shichu of Shumin Academy was right: dealing with intelligent creatures really saved effort.
It could calculate pros and cons and keep its emotions under control.
Under He Lingchuan's control, the puppet immediately spoke up: "You can manifest an avatar, can't you? Give me one, and we'll keep in touch."
Chapter 627