Gods of the Nation: You worship the God of Longevity, I worship the King of Hell!

Chapter 185 I want to worship Heaven, Deaf and Mute!
On the way back.

The atmosphere inside the car was deathly silent, each person preoccupied with their own thoughts.

Lu Chen leaned back in his chair, his brows furrowed, pondering how to break the Qian Tian Musical Array.

Based on the information currently available.

The pattern of this grand formation is simple and clear:
Once you enter the grand formation, you will trigger millions of musical notes within it, thus eliciting the sound of the zither.

Once the music begins, defeat is inevitable.

Therefore, the goal is to break the formation.

Then we must first stabilize these millions of notes to prevent them from being triggered.

Only in this way is it possible to break the formation.

but!

After several rounds of dealing with deities.

Lu Chen also accumulated a lot of hard-earned experience.

Take the rain-seeking ritual in Longhu County as an example; he clearly already sought out the God of Wealth to pull strings with the Water Deity Star Lord.

The latter agreed to help.

In the end, the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas still found the excuse of "an immortal passing through" and forcibly stepped forward.

It almost caused him to fail.

The same principle applies to the Plague God.

They agreed to remove Madam Zheng's murderous intent once the karma was cleared, but then a sudden incident occurred on Chenghuang Street.

Even in the previous case of dissecting a corpse, Li Chenghuang had set up a trap from beginning to end, staging a flawless self-inflicted injury scheme.

If it weren't for the Emperor of Fengdu casually pointing it out, he would probably still be in the dark.

So this time, who can guarantee that Dhritarashtra won't suddenly change his mind at the crucial moment when he breaks the formation and personally interfere with the music?

This possibility definitely exists!

And He said there were only two days left... Will there really be two days?

Maybe not?
What if Dhritarashtra is deceiving him?
You can believe what the gods say, but you can't believe everything they say.

Especially since they are deities standing on the opposite side of the contradiction!
"Lu Chen, are you... thinking of a way to break the formation?"

Lu Chen came to his senses when he heard Sun Yourong's gentle voice beside him and nodded.

Is there any way to break through?

"Not yet... yet."

"Sigh, this mission is indeed exceptionally difficult. Earning 20,000 military merits is no easy feat."

Taking the opportunity to interject, Xinyao couldn't help but pour out her grievances.

Lu Chen wholeheartedly agreed: "Yes, if even S-level missions are this difficult, the SS-level and SSS-level missions to come will probably be even more unimaginable."

Seeing this, Sun Yourong couldn't help but chuckle and comfort her, "Don't be too discouraged. It's not just you who finds it difficult; we all feel the same way. Remember the 'dead end' I mentioned to you before?"

"what happened?"

"Actually, don't be fooled by the fact that many SS-level and SSS-level missions have failed. Most of them are dead ends, and few families dare to take them on. Even those prestigious families with deep roots still hesitate. So many missions just hang on the mission list for decades or even centuries."

Sun Yourong paused, then said, "Take the Rakshasa Sect's SS-level cult mission for example. In the end, it was only with the help of the imperial court's 'Turbulent Demon Army' that it was barely resolved. You can imagine how difficult those missions are. So, really, don't be discouraged."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen couldn't help but smile: "I wouldn't be discouraged. You know my personality. As long as it's not the final verdict, no matter how difficult it is, I'll always give it a try!"

"That's good."

Xin Yao couldn't hold back any longer: "By the way, Lu Chen, I have a question... I've been holding it in all this way, and I want to ask you."

"You said."

"You...you really received a divine office in the Plague Department? What exactly is that position?"

Lu Chen thought for a moment and then nodded, saying, "I am the Plague Master of the Plague Department."

"The Plague Prince... the Great Protector of the Plague Department?!"

Although she had some suspicions in her heart, Xin Yao was still shocked when her suspicions were confirmed by word of mouth.

She immediately clasped her hands in a respectful fist salute to Lu Chen: "Big Boss! No! Great Boss! I was disrespectful before! I didn't recognize a true god!"

Lu Chen and Sun Yourong exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.

“But…” Xinyao’s tone suddenly changed: “You really intend to go toe-to-toe with the Four Heavenly Kings? Aren’t you…aren’t you afraid? They’re real gods, aren’t they?”

"got used to."

Lu Chen's three casual words caused Xin Yao's brain to freeze instantly.

"Xi...has he gotten used to it?"

……

After returning to the hotel.

Lu Chen didn't even have time to eat before immediately returning to his room to begin carving a simple statue of the Kitchen God.

Perhaps it was due to time constraints and heavy workload.

Lu Chen suddenly displayed astonishing endurance.

In just over an hour.

A simple statue of the Kitchen God was thus formed under the Qilin Knife.

"call--"

Lu Chen let out a long sigh, wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, and after resting for only a moment, he dared not delay. He lit a stick of incense and respectfully offered it before the statue of the Kitchen God. He didn't need to recite any complicated incantations to invite the Kitchen God.

There is no other reason.

—The fire in the hearth!
This is a wisp of divine fire that the Kitchen God has separated from.

With it, one surpasses any ritual for inviting deities.

As wisps of smoke slowly rose, the entire room gradually filled with a warm, smoky atmosphere.

A faint, shimmering light emanated from the statue.

"Hmm? Young friend Lu, this statue of yours is rather mysterious?"

The Kitchen God's divine voice echoed softly in the room, tinged with a hint of bewilderment: "Why is the divine communication between us so weak?"

Lu Chen quickly bowed and said respectfully, "This junior greets the Kitchen God. This is a simple statue I made, only for communication purposes, and it is not intended to bestow blessings. That is why the Kitchen God finds it inadequate. I hope the Kitchen God will forgive me!"

"I see." The Kitchen God changed the subject and asked with a gentle smile, "Young friend, what brings you here today?"

"I have a question that I am not clear about, so I have come to ask the Kitchen God for guidance."

"But it doesn't matter."

Lu Chen nodded in agreement and then recounted the whole story of what happened in Caomiao Village.

The details of the Qian Tian Music Array, in particular, were described in great detail.

"The Qian Tian Sound Array?" The Kitchen God's voice deepened. "I've never heard of this array before. But the Qian Tian Luo Yin Array you mentioned is infamous; it's one of the most malevolent arrays in the Three Realms!"

Lu Chen nodded quickly: "My senior brothers from the Plague Department said the same thing. Moreover, the Heavenly King of the Nation personally admitted that this Qian Tian Sound Array was adapted from the Qian Tian Luo Sound Array."

The Kitchen God responded and slowly said, "According to what you say, the key to this formation lies entirely in the sound of the zither. In my opinion, there are three paths, or three methods, to break it."

Lu Chen perked up and bowed again, saying, "Please enlighten me, Kitchen God!"

The Kitchen God slowly explained: "First: even if one's status far surpasses that of the Heavenly King of the Nation, one must at least be a great deity at the Dao Foundation level, with the Great Dao suppressing the enemy, in order to break through, such as the Plague God who controls the plague path, or the Nine Heavens Responding to the Origin of Thunder and Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable, the ancestor of thunder magic."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen said in a low voice, "In other words, it must be at least a Great Immortal of Star Lord level or above."

"good."

“But the Plague God has already decreed that he will no longer interfere in this matter. And among the great deities of the Star Lord's level, I currently only know one. Wait…”

Lu Chen seemed to suddenly remember something and abruptly looked up: "Then, Lord Kitchen God, you...?"

Upon hearing this, the Kitchen God couldn't help but chuckle: "My realm is still a step below that of the Star Lord. Moreover, my divine duty is not suited for combat and magic, and this formation is so strange and unpredictable that it is definitely beyond the control of my divine powers."

Lu Chen nodded in agreement, then asked, "What about the second route?"

The Kitchen God continued, "The second method is to find a magical artifact with the power to silence. If we can use the artifact's power to suppress the music within the formation, then breaking the formation will naturally be possible. However..."

"But what?"

"However, the owner of this treasure, young friend... I'm afraid you can't possibly be worthy of it."

"May I ask which great deity you are?" Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat.

"Laozi!"

The words "Kitchen God" struck Lu Chen like a thunderclap.

Lu Chen subconsciously swallowed hard: "The Three Pure Ones...?"

"Exactly. If we're talking about the Heavenly Court, the one with the most magical treasures and spiritual artifacts is none other than Laozi. Although the Sound-Fixing Pearl is just an insignificant magical treasure to Laozi, even so, it's something you can't possibly dream of, young friend."

“That’s natural.” Lu Chen shook his head with a wry smile: “The Three Pure Ones are the most revered of all immortals. Even if I wanted to worship them, I simply wouldn’t have the means.”

If they can't even make statues of gods, how can they talk about making offerings to them?

"And what is the last method?"

Lu Chen could only place all his hopes on this third path.

"I know two immortals who might be able to help you break the formation. Moreover, compared to the first two methods, this third path probably has the greatest chance of success."

The Kitchen God paused for a moment: "Young friend, have you ever heard of the two deities, the Deaf and the Mute?"

Lu Chen's eyes suddenly lit up: "Two guardian celestial attendants under the Wenchang Emperor?"

"Indeed, these are the two immortals."

Heaven is deaf but does not hear; Earth is mute but does not speak.

When the two work together, they can create a 'silence barrier' that silences all sounds and shapes in the surrounding area.

The weakness of this formation lies precisely in the sound of the zither. If you, young friend, can remain within the silence barrier and not hear the zither music, you will naturally be unaffected. In that case, the formation will collapse on its own!

Lu Chen's eyes grew brighter as he listened: "That makes sense! That makes sense! The Kitchen God's guidance is absolutely right! Heaven is deaf and earth is mute... How could I have forgotten them? These two, judging from their titles, are the immortal masters who can subdue this formation!"

"However..." the Kitchen God changed his tone again: "If you want to directly ask these two immortals for help, you absolutely cannot."

The earth is mute and does not speak of right and wrong, but only of the true principles of official rank; Heaven is deaf and does not listen to the mundane chatter of the mortal world, but only to the pronouncements of the Heavenly Way.

Therefore, even if you go to pray to them, you will not receive their blessings.

"This..." Lu Chen was stunned, as if struck by lightning: "Then why did the Kitchen God say that the third option has the best chance of success?"

The Kitchen God laughed and said, "Young friend, have you forgotten that there is also the Wenchang Emperor, the Grand Commander of the Heavenly Register Office?"

If you have a way to gain the Emperor's favor and get him to agree, wouldn't it be a matter of course for the two celestial children, the deaf and mute, to help you break the formation?

Moreover, I observe that you, young friend, possess exceptional talent, excelling in both literary and martial arts, and your courage far surpasses that of ordinary people.

You must have a very close relationship with Emperor Wenchang.

After all, you mortals have worshipped the God of Literature since childhood; your so-called level of devotion to the gods must be quite high, right?

Lu Chen: "..."

That really hit home, bro!
(End of this chapter)