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

Chapter 189 Discussing the Dao with Heaven!
However, Emperor Wenchang only pondered for a moment.

The vast divine sound once again filled every corner of the hall.

"In that case, I am quite curious. Since these magnificent chapters were not written by you, how did they come to be spoken of by you? And from where did you hear them?"

Lu Chen was about to answer.

Deep within my mind, a sharp buzzing suddenly rang out!

The shock made him instinctively close his eyes and cover his ears.

When I opened my eyes again—

Where is the Wenchang Hall now?

We found ourselves amidst an endless sea of ​​stars!
An unimaginable and indescribable supreme Dharma form is slowly rising from the void.

Myriad divine lights flowed forth, and the vast Daoist charm was boundless.

Lu Chen felt like a drop in the ocean, so insignificant as to be not worth mentioning.

The majesty of the Emperor's Dharma image was even more powerful than the awe-inspiring presence of the Plague Emperor on that day!

"This...is this the power of a top-tier incense-burning deity?!"

Lu Chen strained his eyes to see, but still couldn't make out the Emperor's true face. He could only swallow his shock in silence.

"Say it."

The Emperor's voice wasn't loud, but the overwhelming pressure felt almost tangible, causing Lu Chen's entire body to creak and groan.

He clenched his teeth, clasped his hands in front of his chest, and raised his head, almost forcing the answer out of his chest:

"Your Majesty! These poems are not my own work, but were passed down through generations of my ancestors and were obtained by chance. Therefore, I have dared to recite them today and respectfully present them before Your Majesty!"

"Passed down from ancestors?"

The Emperor's divine voice deepened slightly, and the starry sea trembled in response:
"Young man, if you try to use your worldly cleverness on me, you are greatly underestimating me. If any literary masterpieces are published in the mortal realm, I will surely know. Even if they were written by your ancestors, why is there no reaction to them, but only when they come to you do they become apparent?"

After saying that, the oppressive aura suddenly increased dramatically!
Lu Chen's forehead veins bulged, the immense pressure making it almost impossible for him to breathe: "Your Majesty, please understand! The mortal world is full of myriad things, complex and endless. Even with Your Majesty's great powers, you may not know everything!!"

My ancestors were perhaps a reclusive clan, though their lineage declined in later generations, they still left behind many treasures. These poems and songs are merely elegant works created by my ancestors in their leisure time.

"As for why it has never appeared in the world... I, a humble citizen, truly have no idea."

"But based on my previous experience interacting with several deities—"

"The secret techniques I have used are unknown even to the immortals. Thinking about it this way, my ancestors must have had the supernatural power to conceal the secrets of heaven. It is understandable that the Emperor does not know about the existence of these magnificent chapters! After all, such supernatural powers to conceal the secrets of heaven are not surprising in the mortal world."

The Kitchen God once said that almost every prominent family in the capital had the supernatural power to conceal heavenly secrets in order to prevent the gods and immortals from spying on them.

This will come in handy right now.

At this moment, Lu Chen almost used all his strength to shout these words out from his throat.

The oppressive aura continued to rise, but in the blink of an eye, it receded abruptly like a tide.

call--

Lu Chen breathed a long sigh of relief, his whole body already soaked in "cold sweat".

A divine light suddenly swept across his body, as if it wanted to see through his very soul.

A moment later, the Emperor's divine voice rose again, but this time it carried a deeper, ineffable meaning:

"Young man, the opportunities you have encountered... are truly remarkable."

With just one glance, the Wenchang Emperor had taken in all the karmic entanglements that Lu Chen had recently encountered.

"The God of Wealth, the King of Hell, the Kitchen God? And there are even traces of the Plague Department?"

The Emperor's eyes narrowed slightly.

The karmic connections related to the "Plague Department" are extremely vague and obscure.

Even behind the figure of Yama, there was an even more indistinct outline, difficult to discern.

There is only one possibility to achieve this level of skill—

This child has come into contact with "Star Lords" and even beings of higher status!

Otherwise, given His Majesty the Emperor Wenchang, there would be no way He could not see it clearly.

"Young man, what is your background? How come you are so young yet have managed to befriend so many powerful figures from both the immortal and underworld realms?"

Lu Chen no longer hesitated and immediately introduced himself, saying loudly:

"Your Majesty, this humble subject... no, this lowly deity is the guardian deity of the Plague Department—'Plague-Holding Prince'; and also holds the position of 'General of Mighty Righteousness' of the Underworld."

"The God of Wealth is the lesser god's sworn brother, the King of Hell is the lesser god's close friend despite their age difference, and as for the Kitchen God..."

He paused briefly, then flipped his hand and took out an object:
"The little god also interacts with him frequently. The Kitchen God's natal magic treasure, the [Fireworks Book], had lost its spiritual power, and it was the little god who personally restored its divine light!"

Having said that, he presented the tattered page of the "Fireworks Book" that faintly shimmered with golden light as proof.

"It seems—you are indeed somewhat unusual."

As soon as the divine sound ended, Lu Chen felt the surrounding starry sea rapidly swirling, and countless divine lights suddenly burst forth.

When he opened his eyes again, he was already back in the Wenchang Hall.

"Speak now, what is the purpose of your painstaking efforts to beg me to manifest my divine power?"

Lu Chen bowed respectfully and got straight to the point:

"This humble god wishes to implore the two celestial attendants under the Emperor's command—'Heavenly Deaf and Earthly Mute'—to bestow blessings and help this humble god break through this formation!"

What formation?

"The Great Array of Heavenly Music!" Starlight rippled slightly above the statue.

A moment later, the Emperor's divine voice came, revealing neither joy nor anger:
"Since those poems and essays were not written by you, with such talent, shouldn't you feel ashamed to accept them?"

The implication couldn't be clearer: your skills are too poor, so what if you get two minor divine positions?

Give me a reason to bless you.

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen secretly took a deep breath, knowing that it couldn't be that easy.

"Alright, it's time to move on to the next stage..."

Suddenly, he straightened his back and plopped down on the prayer mat in front of the statue.

Deep within his consciousness, Emperor Wenchang's divine sense seemed to pause slightly.

But then he saw the mortal boy in front of him, who, after a moment of contemplation, said loudly again: "Your Majesty, I am indeed not proficient in poetry and songs, but there is one thing that I have some understanding of."

"I dare to ask Your Majesty a question today."

Before Wenchang Dijun could respond, Lu Chen had already posed the topic:

"I believe that 'Heaven has no favorites, but always favors the virtuous,' and 'to cultivate abundant blessings, one must rely on a virtuous heart.' Everyone knows that the Emperor is in charge of the literary fortunes of the Three Realms and determines the fame and rank of people in the human world."

"May I ask Your Majesty, when bestowing blessings, do you value more the brilliance of written words or the purity of one's virtue?"

Upon hearing this, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

Even the incense seemed to freeze for a moment, as if it had been put to rest.

a long time.

A slightly surprised and doubtful voice came from above the statue:

"Young man, what are you doing... wanting to discuss the Dao with me?"

"This humble god dares not. It is simply that such a golden opportunity has presented itself, and I truly do not wish to miss it."

Lu Chen spoke humbly, but in his heart he was certain: Yes! I want to discuss philosophy with you!
In fact, he knew perfectly well what was going on:

If he dared to insist that he wrote these poems in front of Wenchang Dijun, the supreme ruler of literature and Taoism, it would be tantamount to shooting himself in the foot.

If someone throws a question at you on the spot, even if it's just a couplet, Lu Chen is completely helpless.

Therefore, he took the initiative to expose the truth from the beginning, frankly admitting that these poems and songs were not written by him, and then using that cheap old ancestor as a cover.

Anyway, this guise has been tried by the God of Wealth, the King of Hell, the God of Plague, and the Kitchen God before, and all of them have been unscathed.

Between two evils, choose the lesser. Even if there is a risk, it should be the least risky option, which is much safer than forcing yourself to pretend.

Of course, this was just Lu Chen's initial move.

To get the mighty Wenchang Emperor to grant his blessing, a few "borrowed" poems are certainly far from enough.

He needed something more substantial to pique the Emperor's curiosity and perhaps even win his favor.

As a Taoist priest, what is Lu Chen's greatest skill?
It is neither a talismanic spell nor an internal alchemy practice.

He knew absolutely nothing about those things.

His greatest expertise lies in Taoist rituals and ceremonies!
In his previous life, he had immersed himself in this field for over a decade, and all he had learned were these things.

Since this world has never had these traditions...

These are Lu Chen's most powerful "copying"!
He couldn't grasp the profound meaning of poetry, lyrics, and prose.

But discussing the Tao...

He is the first "Double Flower Red Stick" in Qingfeng Temple in a hundred years!
He was well-versed in Taoist classics by the age of six, and by the age of eight he could debate with the old abbot on scriptures and Taoism, and they could argue back and forth.

In the same year, he participated in the Guanzhong Daolun (a Buddhist forum) and made a name for himself, becoming the first lecturer at Qingfeng Temple.

He spends his years discussing the Dao with fellow Daoists from all over the country, refining his Daoist practices.

If not for his age, given his experience and expertise in philosophical discourse, it wouldn't be impossible for him to be promoted to the rank of "High Master".

This is also the real reason why the old abbot entrusted him with almost all the religious ceremonies, big and small, in the temple back then.

Therefore, Lu Chen wanted to gain the upper hand by discussing the Dao.

I don't care about winning!
There is absolutely no chance of winning!

Do you really think that the God of Literature, Wenchang, is a vegetarian?
But as long as he can keep the argument going and go back and forth with this "leader" a few times, he has already won!
In this way, there is great hope for the bestowal of blessings!
The argument he just put forward, which includes the phrase "Heaven has no favorites, but always favors the virtuous," comes from the Tao Te Ching, the first classic of Taoism.
The following sentence, "To cultivate abundant blessings, one must rely on one's heart," comes from the "Yin Zhi Wen of Emperor Wenchang."

The Emperor did not react at this moment.

This shows that Lu Chen's probing action precisely proves that there is no such lineage.

It seems this strategy will work!
Sure enough, as Lu Chen raised this topic, Wenchang Dijun's divine voice finally showed a hint of interest.

"No mortal has ever discussed the Dao with me before. Young man, you certainly know how to find another way. Very well, then I shall test your abilities!"

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty!"

Lu Chen solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute, suppressing the overwhelming joy in his heart.

finally--

They've taken the bait!!!
　The second one is even faster.

　　The missing updates will be added later.

　　Since we are dealing with the God of Literature, there will inevitably be some obscure elements; otherwise, the plot would be illogical. Please forgive me.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)