Bilu

What reason could have caused her to deviate from the common knowledge and natural laws of celestial gods? The Dafang Pot? That was the only explanation He Lingchuan could think of. He Lingchuan tapped his head. "There is a divine imprint mark inside my sea of consciousness, but I have no idea when it was planted." "Not surprising. How could such a prime vessel be unowned?" Even Shi Nan drooled over it. Dong Rui looked at He Lingchuan, looking him up and down. How was it that he was hearing about something this important for the very first time today? Shi Nan regarded He Lingchuan as a mere object, but the latter took no offense, simply pressing further: "Can such a divine imprint mark be planted in a sea of consciousness without my knowledge?" "To plant a mark, one must obtain the consent of the vessel's master! That is the prerequisite." Shi Nan asked him, "When was your mark planted?" He Lingchuan frowned. "I can't recall. Probably a very long time ago." He had combed through his own memories and those of his original self countless times, but had never found the slightest trace concerning the divine imprint mark. What could basically be confirmed so far was that the mark must have been planted on his original self. As an unlucky transmigrator, he had merely inherited it. Shi Nan added, "Heh, such things can be coaxed, especially when the vessel is young and ignorant." A hint of envy tinged his voice. "Which deity do you belong to?" "Nailuotian. Have you heard of them?" Shi Nan let out a long "Oh..." then said, "Never heard of them." "..." He Lingchuan felt a wave of disappointment. It was understandable that Mitian hadn't recognized it, since she claimed to have been in secluded cultivation for far too long; but even Shi Nan didn't recognize it. Although this god called himself a wild god, judging by his establishment on the Xunyang Sandbar with its numerous temples, he ought to be quite socially attuned. "You don't know all celestial gods, do you?" "Any celestial god of status and renown, I know," Shi Nan said casually. "If you give me a title I've never heard of, either it has always been obscure, or it's a new god that hasn't made a name yet, or..." "Or?" "Or it changed its name," Shi Nan said. "A celestial god's primary title is also its godhead; changing names isn't as easy as it is for you mortals." "Where did you hear this title?" Shi Nantian asked him. "A mark doesn't come with an origin label." While the two spoke, Dong Rui silently lit another seven incense sticks before the niche. Before he could insert them, He Lingchuan dumped out nearly half of the ashes from the censer and began tracing with his hand on the table. This time it was Shi Nan's turn to fall silent. This kid really showed him no respect at all! Yet for the sake of the Dragon-Torture Pillar, he wouldn't stoop to bickering with him. He Lingchuan drew the pattern of the divine imprint mark using the incense ash. Shi Nan looked at it for a few moments, remaining silent. He Lingchuan caught the look on his face. "You recognize it, don't you?" "This is the mark of the god Bilu," Shi Nan pondered. "It was only recently elevated to an orthodox god, and I didn't know it had changed its title. As you know, every deity has only one primary title, but can have many appellations." He Lingchuan hummed in acknowledgment. Mitian had many appellations as well, Moon Goddess being one of them. "Is this God Bilu strong?" "Every orthodox god is powerful," Shi Nan chuckled. "Congratulations, you caught the eye of an orthodox god! But I'm not close with Bilu!" He Lingchuan showed no joy. "Since the mark has already been planted on me, can its owner descend at any time?" "You've only given a single Dragon-Torture Pillar and a tiny wisp of nightmare energy, yet I have answered so many of your questions—every one a core secret, every one vital to your very life," Shi Nan said leisurely. "My generosity has its limits. If you want more answers..." He held out a hand toward He Lingchuan. "...you must offer more sacrifices!" This guy knew how to negotiate, cutting off right at the core question He Lingchuan cared about most. "What kind of sacrifice do you want? I have no more Dragon-Torture Pillars or nightmare energy." "Find me a few good vessels, or help me build a new temple in a bustling land." He Lingchuan shook his head. "Neither is possible right now." "Then come back to me when you can." Shi Nan kept his hand out, cool and unhurried. After all, he wasn't the one in a rush. The fellow truly had answered quite a few questions, and what was owed had to be paid. He Lingchuan handed the Dragon-Torture Pillar to the temple attendant, then took several items from his robes and placed them on the altar table. "Among these, is there anything that catches your eye?" He took out cold ice talismans, a lightning-ward plaque, and several other miscellaneous items. "Oho, you have quite a few good things." Shi Nan glanced over them and pointed to two. "Give me these two, and you may continue asking." The two he chose turned out to be glazed gold and a pulp bead! When He Lingchuan shattered the formation core of the Spirit Gathering Grand Formation, he had stolen a glazed gold pillar and later smashed it into a dozen large chunks. It was a precious material for artifact forging that money couldn't necessarily buy. After going to all the trouble to visit Mount Xu, he had to recoup his traveling expenses somehow. The pulp bead went without saying—obtained by killing demons and extracting their pearls, evidence of National Preceptor Qingyang's crimes. He Lingchuan didn't know what Shi Nan wanted with these two items. Perhaps for forging artifacts as well? After all, even celestial gods needed to win people over. "Back to my previous question." "A divine imprint mark is both a tracking anchor and a permission. However, the first time a god is summoned requires a divine descent ritual—meaning both the celebrant presiding over the ritual and the vessel must be present, and the entire procedure must be completed. Otherwise, the celestial god must forcibly suppress the soul of the vessel's original owner, which is extremely, extremely strenuous." The old temple attendant looked up, wisps of smoke drifting from his nostrils. "After the first descent, though, that's no longer necessary." He Lingchuan recalled when Sun Fuping summoned a god back then; he indeed conducted a ritual before summoning a divine avatar to descend upon Nian Songyu. Although his original self bore a divine imprint mark, it had likely never been descended upon. Thinking of this, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief. For Nailuotian to suddenly force a descent onto him wouldn't be so simple. This was truly the best news he had heard in recent days. "If a celestial god takes a liking to a vessel, can they forcibly seize it without consent?" Shi Nan's answer was direct: "No." He Lingchuan shook his head. "Two divine avatars once invaded my sea of consciousness, intending to usurp my body like a cuckoo in a magpie's nest. They didn't seem to think it was very difficult." "You're quite in demand, aren't you?" Shi Nan selectively ignored that he had just attempted the very same probing earlier. "Did they intimidate you?" "More than that. They attacked me directly." The divine avatar Sun Fuping summoned had turned into the sand leopard that fell off the cliff with him after entering his sea of consciousness; before Miaozhantian concluded her soul judgment on him, another celestial god had charged over, trying to drag him into the shadows. "Then that was intimidation, and it could only be intimidation. Threatening you with overwhelming power—as long as you show fear and weakness, which mortals usually do—they force your consent to let them possess you, and then brand you with their mark." Shi Nan chuckled. "That's the method with the lowest cost, and often the most effective."