That meant He Lingchuan was safe for the time being. The mark in his sea of consciousness had indeed not been erased, but the celestial god's avatar could not descend either.
So He Lingchuan had been scheming against him all along!
No, more than that! Even Nailuotian had been played for a fool by He Lingchuan from start to finish!
All this time, both of them had been led around by the nose, never once escaping the trap he had so meticulously laid.
A chill ran through He Chunhua's heart.
That was definitely not his eldest son—definitely not!
In just one year, it was impossible for Chuan'er to grow so extraordinarily cunning that his intellect bordered on the demonic!
Which meant...
His spirits lifted, and he took two deep breaths to calm his emotions.
From this, it was clear that some connection must exist between He Lingchuan and the Dafang Pot. Otherwise, how could he have been certain that the Dafang Pot would trap Nailuotian's avatar rather than destroy it outright?
Two years ago in the Panlong Realm, the celestial god's avatar summoned down by Nian Songyu had been swallowed whole by the Black Dragon.
Hmm, could it be that celestial god's avatar was still alive as well, merely trapped inside the Dafang Pot?
Thoughts came in a wild rush. Even with He Chunhua's sharp mind, it felt like an entangled ball of yarn that could not be unraveled.
Nailuotian noticed his strange reaction. "Did you think of something?"
He Chunhua immediately cast his wandering thoughts aside, refusing to discuss any of this with Nailuotian. Instead, he focused entirely on a single point:
"May I ask, Venerable Divinity, how does my life line look from here on...?"
"The veil has lifted. In the parlance of you mortals, it manifests the fate of nine and five!"
The... the fate of nine and five?!
*Gulp.* He Chunhua swallowed hard, scarcely daring to believe his ears.
His voice trembled. "Y-You mean?" Did he possess the countenance of an emperor?
Nailuotian gave an affirmative grunt, taking it as an answer.
Overjoyed, He Chunhua leaped up in excitement, only to aggravate his injuries, the pain dropping him right back down.
"Thank you, Venerable Divinity! At last... I have finally lived to see this day!"
This was the destiny proclaimed for him by the God of Fate. No, no—this was decreed by Heaven itself!
He had swallowed humiliation and borne heavy burdens for twenty years!
He had guarded the borders and defended the realm for twenty years!
He had always known that when Heaven was about to confer a great responsibility upon a man, it first tested his resolve!
Ancestors above, his vows to avenge his past grievances and bring glory to his family were finally close to realization!
"Do not rejoice too soon!" Nailuotian doused him in cold water. "Fate is never set in stone. If you fail to cherish it, it will fall into someone else's hands. If you cannot bear the weight of this dynastic fortune, your entire clan will lose their heads!"
He Chunhua's eyes were bloodshot, his ecstasy surging so violently that it could not be suppressed. "Please grant me your guidance, Venerable Divinity!"
"You fought well in those campaigns putting down the southern rebellion. But have you thought about what comes next?" Nailuotian said coolly. "As mortals say, even a battered ship still has three jin of nails. The monarch of Yuan will not willingly yield the throne to you."
Could one become emperor simply by waging war well?
Ke Jihai and Zhao Pan were both formidable generals who knew how to command troops in battle. Why had they never seized the throne? Was it because they lacked the desire?
And after scheming for so many years in the north, would the Grand Marshal just sit back and watch He Chunhua take power?
He Chunhua drew several deep breaths, fighting to tamp down his surging emotions. "Once the southern rebels are subdued, I do have several ideas. However, my weapons and forces are not strong enough, nor do I have enough time."
He had only been Chief Administrator of Xiazhou for a year and a half. Although he had governed diligently, Xiazhou was hardly a fertile, prosperous land. During the rebellion of Governor of Xunzhou Nian Zanli, Xiazhou had been constantly forced to channel resources to General Zhao Pan's army on the front lines, which prevented He Chunhua from rapidly expanding his own strength.
Though he had scored several successive victories, He Chunhua had always kept a clear head and understood where his weaknesses lay.
If he marched the forces currently under his command straight north to clash with the Grand Marshal, most of them would probably be wiped out.
Troops, horses, grain, money, talent—these were all things he urgently needed right now.
Yet what he lacked most of all was time.
Time to nurture his wings and grow strong.
He subconsciously glanced at his wounded shoulder, which he had deliberately allowed Zhao Qinghe to slash in the Panlong Realm.
Nailuotian spoke slowly: "I have a congregation of followers, as well as additional power that can be placed at your disposal. These are far more formidable than the military strength you possess!"
He Chunhua was delighted. "Thank you, Venerable Divinity!"
A deity would never help him without reason. Especially after his venture into the Panlong Ruins had suffered such a catastrophic setback—after he had caused Nailuotian to lose an avatar—Nailuotian had not only spared him punishment, but had even increased its assistance.
This was utterly abnormal, even if his destiny now revealed the so-called "countenance of an emperor."
Could a celestial god truly hold a mortal emperor in high regard?
What had prompted this shift in Nailuotian's attitude?
Was it related to the 'crucial ability' it had lost? Or had something happened in the divine realm that forced it to rely more heavily on the mortal world?
There had to be hidden factors behind this that he knew nothing about!
Regardless, knowing that Nailuotian still needed him brought immense relief to He Chunhua's heart.
For now, it was enough for him to show nothing but joy and gratitude.
"If I ascend the throne, you shall be the principal god worshipped throughout our kingdom!"
Nailuotian was not about to be swayed by such a distant promise. "Once you return to Yazhou, you must forge a covenant with the god Kunsu and receive his mark!"
The god Kunsu? He Chunhua seemed to recall hearing the name somewhere. The celestial gods were countless in number, and ordinary mortals rarely knew of obscure, minor deities. Yet the word 'mark' caused his heart to leap violently. "Venerable Divinity, what do you mean by that?"
"You ask what you already know," Nailuotian sneered. "Kunsu is a subordinate god under my command. Whatever covenant He Lingchuan signed, you shall sign with Kunsu!"
Nailuotian wanted him to willingly become a vessel for God Kunsu? He Chunhua's face drained of color. "Venerable Divinity, I know nothing about God Kunsu..."
At present, he and Nailuotian were still partners. Once this covenant was signed, the relationship would become master and servant. If the celestial god wanted him dead, he would have no choice but to die, completely powerless to resist.
To a man like him, having his life and death held in another's hands was more agonizing than anything else.
It had been this way over twenty years ago; was it to be repeated over twenty years later?
"He is fiercely loyal to me, far more so than you. Offering your life to him is the same as offering it to me," Nailuotian remarked languidly. "Why? Are you unwilling?"
Did this crafty mortal think all that aid was being offered for free?
He Chunhua swallowed hard. "How could I be? It is just that..."
Nailuotian cut him off. "To secure your victory, the divine power I expend from here on will be at least ten times what was used before! Not only you, but even I can only win and cannot afford to lose, or else doom awaits us! If you cannot do this, I can only bestow my blessings upon someone else."
He Chunhua's mind raced. Decisive though he naturally was, he could not bring himself to answer immediately.
Even if he became the sovereign of a kingdom, what joy was there if his very life remained at the mercy of another? How could that be considered supreme rule?
Nailuotian's tone softened slightly. "Do you think you are nobler than the vassal demon kings of the Beijia Kingdom?"
He Chunhua was astonished. "Do they also sign such covenants?"
"The lives and deaths of the vassal demon kings are held directly in the hands of the gods of Lingxu!" Nailuotian scoffed. "Otherwise, how could Lingxu City maintain permanent control over the various vassal demon kingdoms? In the six hundred years of Beijia's history, rebellions by vassal demon kingdoms can be counted on one hand. Even when they did occur, they happened during transitions of power. The crucial underlying reason is that every vassal demon king must sign a covenant under the watchful eyes of the gods of Lingxu!"
As for the exact contents of that covenant, Nailuotian did not say. He Chunhua suspected that it might not even know all the details.
"So that's how it is! So that's how it is!" He Chunhua had heard renowned scholars and statesmen debate this matter more than once. Some had even suggested along similar lines that Lingxu City must hold some vital leverage over the vassal demon kingdoms.
Though not precisely accurate, it had not been far from the truth. Was the mystery that had puzzled the world for centuries truly this simple?
Once laid bare, it seemed almost trivial.
Yet he also understood that when it came to controlling people over a long period, the simpler and more direct the method, the better.
He Chunhua could not help asking, "Yet the vassal demon kings seem... to have always acted as they please?"
The relationship between the vassal demon kingdoms and Lingxu City was regarded as an exemplary model across the realm; the former enjoyed considerable autonomy and were by no means completely subservient to the latter.
This delicate balance had fascinated countless political commentators in other lands.
"That is because the covenant contains detailed provisions stipulating that the celestial gods cannot take a vassal demon king's life at will. It is a mutual constraint. Moreover, the gods rarely interfere in the internal conflicts of mortal realms," Nailuotian said. "The covenant God Kunsu will sign with you is of this very kind. As for the terms, you can see them for yourself when the time comes."
He Chunhua nodded. "I understand."
Yet in the depths of his heart, he wondered: Why did Nailuotian not sign the covenant with him personally?
Was it unwilling, or unable?
Would holding someone like He Chunhua directly in its own grasp not provide greater peace of mind?
Sure enough, sure enough... the secret information he had gathered through discreet inquiries—that a celestial god could only dispatch a single avatar to the mortal realm—appeared to be true!
Chapter 855