"Mortals are simply too weak and irresolute. Frighten them just a little, and they lose their wits."
Remembering the terror he had once felt when facing the sand leopard, He Lingchuan could not help shaking his head. "That's trickery!"
"Say whatever you like." The old temple attendant drew a few labored breaths. "Secondly, the finer the vessel, the stronger its soul usually is, and the greater its resistance to a celestial god. Having an avatar descend to the mortal realm is inherently difficult—ten parts effort for merely one part reward. Expending additional energy to suppress the vessel's original master, to suppress an unwilling soul, is a massive nuisance."
It gave a cough. "That is why a mark is necessary... With a divine imprint mark, suppressing a mortal soul becomes effortless!"
He Lingchuan gave a slight sneer. "After all that talk, it turns out forcibly suppressing a mortal's soul isn't so easy for a celestial god after all."
So in this regard, celestial gods were not quite so omnipotent, nor mortals quite so frail.
Shi Nan let out a scoffing laugh. "That is only because we are blocked by the barrier between the two realms, wholly unable to display our true power! Otherwise—"
Otherwise, why would beings like mere ants ever catch their eye?
He Lingchuan followed up immediately. "Then how can a divine imprint mark be removed?"
Shi Nan broke into a high-pitched cackle. "You want to remove the mark?"
"Of course."
He noticed the fellow's ill-intentioned grin.
"The tribute you offered," Shi Nan said, "isn't enough anymore."
This wild god was insatiably greedy; even for a few words off its tongue, it calculated a price. He Lingchuan said without hesitation, "Then forget it. Until we meet again."
"You truly won't ask?"
He Lingchuan nodded to Dong Rui, and the two turned to leave.
"Hey, wait!" Shi Nan probably had not had business in ages, and He Lingchuan was the only fat sucker to come knocking recently. At this moment, it became remarkably agreeable. "How about this: take a token of mine. When I find an offering that satisfies me, or some valuable intelligence, I will naturally tell you."
This time, He Lingchuan refused even more bluntly. "Forget it."
Carrying Shi Nan's token would be tantamount to wearing a tracking beacon—and likely one with eavesdropping and surveillance functions as well.
He Lingchuan harbored far too many secrets. How could he keep such a thing on his person?
Shi Nan scrutinized He Lingchuan for a couple of moments, then suddenly said, "How about this: I'll let you advance three more questions."
"Why the sudden charity?"
"Consider it an investment. My judgment of people has always been sharp." Shi Nan gave a low laugh. "In return, you must deliver another used Dragon-Torture Pillar to me within one year."
He Lingchuan smiled back at it. "Five questions."
"Four."
"Five, or we drop it entirely."
The old temple attendant held up five fingers. "Fine, five questions. Choose them carefully."
He Lingchuan pondered seriously for a moment. "The same question as before: how can a divine imprint mark be removed or concealed?"
Shi Nan gave a rasping chuckle. "I knew you would still ask this... Give up hope. Unless the god who planted the mark revokes it personally, it cannot be erased, nor can it be concealed."
He Lingchuan's expression finally changed.
Was there truly no way out?
Shi Nan could not see his face, yet seemed able to relish his trepidation. "Wait obediently for the descent of Nailuotian. That is your fate! In the end, mortals must all accept their destiny."
At the side, Dong Rui spoke up: "Hey..."
Before he could utter another word, He Lingchuan abruptly raised a hand, cutting him off.
Silence filled the room. Man and god alike watched He Lingchuan's solemn face as he sank into deep thought.
Shi Nan grew impatient, dropping one finger until only four remained upright. "Four questions left."
He Lingchuan inhaled deeply. "How many avatars can a celestial god send down?"
"To the mortal realm?" Shi Nan answered without hesitation, "At any given time, only one. That is an iron rule!"
"You—" He Lingchuan quickly swallowed his question before it counted as another. "I've seen some deities manifest miracles in multiple places at once."
"Do you think divine descent is child's play, something to toss down on a whim?" Shi Nan glared. "Manifesting miracles doesn't necessarily require an avatar."
Three questions remained.
"Can a vessel that has received a divine imprint mark be lent or transferred to another deity for use?"
"What kind of question is that?" Shi Nan shook his head. "No!"
Two questions left. He Lingchuan thought for a long while. "Are there any recorded cases where a vessel resisted successfully, causing a celestial god's descent to fail?"
The old temple attendant's eyelids drooped. Only after a couple of breaths did it reply, "None to my knowledge."
Both answers had been exceptionally brief. Listening from the side, Dong Rui felt they were being swindled.
Only He Lingchuan understood their true weight.
These would very likely serve as the foundation for his future actions; naturally, the simpler and more definitive they were, the better!
Shi Nan urged him, "What about the final question?"
This temple attendant was old and frail; even without a full descent, merely maintaining communication was pushing the body past its limits.
"I want all the information you have on the god Bilu—that is, Nailuotian!"
"..." Was this kid saving an ultimate move just for the end?
"How can that possibly count as a single question?"
"Strictly speaking, all my previous inquiries about divine descent only count as one." He Lingchuan tapped the altar table, where the glazed gold still gleamed translucent under the dim lamplight. "You've already made an enormous profit."
The old temple attendant let out a long sigh. "Very well."
"Originally, Nailuotian was merely a minor god named Bilu, of a divine rank similar to mine. In the divine realm, minor deities like us are beyond count."
He Lingchuan listened in silence. Beyond count? This fellow was exaggerating.
General Red had once mentioned that the celestial gods of the divine realm numbered merely around a hundred thousand, divided into several upper and lower ranks.
"That fellow also lived through the ancient war, but had always kept a low profile, living in seclusion. Most inhabitants of the divine realm had never even heard its name. Only later did we discover that it had actually been quite active—not in the divine realm, but in the mortal world!"
He Lingchuan's expression shifted. "How so?"
"You've used up all your questions; you can only listen now," Shi Nan said at an unhurried pace. "In the mortal realm, it quietly erected numerous shrines, gathered a host of followers, and sent them everywhere to harvest nightmare energy on its behalf!"
Nightmare energy! He Lingchuan was slightly startled. Could it be?
"Yes, harvested using Dragon-Torture Pillars," Shi Nan sighed. "One hundred and sixty or seventy years ago, Dragon-Torture Pillars suddenly surfaced in the mortal realm. Initially, few celestial gods knew how to use them, yet Bilu had already secretly acquired a considerable number, sending its followers to roam the mortal realm and harvest nightmare energy everywhere for it."
"By seizing the initiative in that manner, relying on immense quantities of nightmare energy, it rapidly rose to become an orthodox god in just over a century!" Shi Nan gave a wry smile. "By the time the other deities realized what was happening, Lingxu City and the celestial gods above it had already begun stringently investigating and searching for Dragon-Torture Pillars, sparking numerous wars over them."
The pioneers feasted on meat; the latecomers could not even taste ash, left only to take beatings.
It let out a sigh. "In short, Bilu rose too quickly. In the end, all the celestial gods had no choice but to acknowledge its elevation to orthodox god. Such fortune truly leaves other gods green with envy."
Chapter 725