That was no ordinary branch, but a Dragon-Torture Pillar crafted from a Juluo tree branch, divine bone, and other materials. A few months ago, short on materials, He Lingchuan had only been able to produce a crude, makeshift version.
Yet a Dragon-Torture Pillar was still a Dragon-Torture Pillar; as long as it possessed the ability to absorb nightmare energy, it was the real deal.
Currently, inside the transparent colored glass—or resin—at the middle section of the wooden tube, a pale red liquid gathered, sometimes flowing like water, sometimes dissolving into a red mist.
After returning from Wange Marsh, the Marquis of Songyang's men had returned this Dragon-Torture Pillar to He Lingchuan.
Because the cicada plague had genuinely plunged Wange Marsh and the surrounding forests into misery, the Dragon-Torture Pillar had absorbed a portion of nightmare energy, not only from humans but also from other perished creatures. No one knew the exact measure, but it appeared to be quite substantial.
"No matter its appearance, it is still a Dragon-Torture Pillar. It works, and it cannot be traced by Lingxu City." He Lingchuan clasped his fists and bowed. "Greetings, Celestial God Shi Nan!"
The old temple attendant gave a grunt, his gaze sweeping between the two of them before settling on He Lingchuan. "What do you ask of me? You hardly look like pious devotees."
What kind of pious devotee showed up wearing a mask?
"I come seeking guidance." He Lingchuan pointed to the wooden tube. "This Dragon-Torture Pillar is your payment."
His choice of words was deliberate—he called the pillar payment, not an offering of thanks.
Payment could be settled and quantified.
It also implied that if Shi Nantian's answers failed to satisfy him, getting hold of the Dragon-Torture Pillar would not be so simple.
The old man's skin sagged so heavily that no matter how he smiled, it looked entirely hollow. "Bargaining with a celestial god? You have quite the nerve."
Dong Rui chimed in opportunely, "There are eleven other temples on this island. If you refuse to answer, we can always ask other deities."
"Them?" The old attendant chuckled twice with unconcealed disdain, but ultimately nodded. "Ask."
This God Shi Nan had once appeared in the Panlong world.
The last time He Lingchuan entered the Panlong world before launching the Mount Xu operation, Shi Nan had used a borrowed vessel to barge into Panlong City and warn Mitian.
At the time, He Lingchuan had wanted to seize the chance to ask him a few questions, but Shi Nan refused to let him freeload, offering only the location of his temple.
If a mortal wished to seek help from a celestial god, shouldn't they properly demonstrate their sincerity?
To put it in a nutshell:
Bring an offering.
The initial impression this God Shi Nan left on He Lingchuan was not the aloof detachment typical of other celestial gods, but rather an attitude bordering on human mercenary calculation.
He Lingchuan surmised that this likely had to do with his standing in the divine realm.
He referred to himself as a minor god, an unsanctioned wild god; thus, he had no standing to put on airs before a supreme being like Mitian.
Furthermore, back then, he had openly shown a longing for Dragon-Torture Pillars and nightmare energy. He Lingchuan therefore knew this would be the best compensation—one Shi Nan would find hard to refuse.
With a Dragon-Torture Pillar, he could dispatch his followers to battlefields to gather nightmare energy.
It was equivalent to skimming off the Tianluo Star's reserves to feather his own nest.
He Lingchuan felt not the slightest moral burden about handing over the Dragon-Torture Pillar. The mortal realm's nightmare energy was going to be sucked away by the Tianluo Star anyway, so what did it matter if a Dragon-Torture Pillar siphoned off a little for someone else?
He Lingchuan organized his thoughts. "I noticed you made straight for me just now. Why?"
There was no point claiming he had mistaken his target; celestial gods did not suffer from senile blindness.
The old attendant let out a raspy cackle. "You make for an exceptional vessel. It is hard for a celestial god not to notice."
To put it plainly, he couldn't help himself.
Despite the mask, he had seen straight through the mortal's value at a glance.
From the moment He Lingchuan produced the Dragon-Torture Pillar and brought up nightmare energy, Shi Nan understood that this young fellow had already brushed against the core secrets of both worlds, meaning there was no need to mince words.
He Lingchuan still remembered when National Preceptor Sun Fuping had invoked a god in the Panlong Ruins; the vessel prepared had been Nian Songyu. Yet the descending god's avatar had bypassed Nian Songyu entirely, aiming straight for He Lingchuan instead—only to be repelled by the divine imprint mark inside his sea of consciousness.
"What qualifies as an exceptional vessel, and how does one come to be?"
"Mortals typically cannot withstand even one percent of our power, leaving them unfit to serve as vessels at all. But there are always exceptions. If someone's body can endure four or five percent of that power, they qualify as a vessel. If they can bear ten percent, they are considered outstanding."
"Ten percent?" He Lingchuan was somewhat surprised. "Even an outstanding vessel can only take that much?"
"You humans—" Shi Nan could not conceal the disdain and arrogance in his tone. "Under these spiritual energy conditions, your bodies are utterly fragile. For a celestial god to use your vessel is like wearing a coat made of thin paper. One careless move, and a tear opens; another slip, and it shatters completely."
He Lingchuan thought of Lu Shishi, the vessel of Celestial God Baizhan. When the possessing deity departed, she had indeed shattered like a paper figurine.
Shi Nan's analogy was remarkably apt.
Yet he continued, "Among you, there are rare paragons who can allow a celestial god to exert twenty or thirty percent of their power. But such vessels are one in a million, one in ten million—even in the Beijia Kingdom, they are practically impossible to come by. What's more—"
He paused briefly. "The power of each celestial god is unique, and each god's requirements for a vessel vary. No single vessel is universally suitable for all gods."
"At most, only twenty or thirty percent?"
"Only?" Shi Nan laughed heartily. "The might of the divine is beyond what you lowly beings can imagine! Even if we draw forth a mere twenty or thirty percent of our power, it is enough to sweep aside thousands of troops!"
Sweep aside thousands of troops? That sounded like boasting. But He Lingchuan had no intention of arguing over the point; whatever the god claimed, he would accept for now.
"If vessels are so fragile, how many times can one be used?"
"It depends on how fierce the battle is, and whether the celestial god cherishes the vessel." The old attendant stroked his white beard. "Used carefully, perhaps three or four times."
Three or four times? Yet Lu Shishi had perished in less than an hour while possessed by Celestial God Baizhan.
Though the clash with the spider immortal was ferocious at the time, Baizhantian's disregard for her life was surely the primary factor.
"After being used, is it possible for a vessel to emerge undamaged?"
"Virtually impossible." The old attendant shook his head. "Even if the vessel suffers no injury during combat, the divine descent itself inflicts harm. Both the vessel's sea of consciousness and physical body sustain damage. They require a long period of recuperation before they can welcome a divine descent again."
He Lingchuan drew out a long, contemplative murmur. "Are you certain?"
"This is common knowledge among us. What is there to be uncertain about?"
"I see." He Lingchuan nodded. It turned out the common knowledge was flawed.
He had not witnessed many divine descents, but the greatest counterexample was General Red.
Zhong Shengguang had sacrificed his daughter to Mitian, and He Lingchuan was virtually certain that General Red was Mitian's vessel. Yet General Red had always been full of vigor and life, showing no sign of impairment.
Could the damage have been hidden where no one could see?
He Lingchuan shook his head inwardly; that was unlikely. General Red bore heavy military responsibilities; had her body suffered damage, she would have collapsed long ago.
She even had the leisure to visit the Martial Review Hall to mentor contenders. By no stretch of the imagination did she resemble someone worn and broken.
Chapter 723