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

Chapter 203 Conquering the Exquisite Tower! What if—I actually have one?!
At this moment, Lu Chen sat on the green grass, munching on fruit to recover his strength, while secretly circulating [Huai Lan's Tuning] to restore his mana.

It must be said that the fruit inside the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda is indeed extraordinary. Although it is a rare and precious material, the spiritual energy within it cannot be absorbed by Lu Chen, but it has a miraculous effect on replenishing blood and qi.

After taking two pills, he recovered about 70-80% of his condition and was full of energy again.

--boom! ! !

The water surface suddenly exploded, and the angry roar of the dragon fairy came from it.

Lu Chen turned around, looking surprised: "Huh?"

The dragon transformed back into a girl in green, landing barefoot before him. She bent down and asked, word by word, "I say, who—are—you?!"

"Fuck you!"

Lu Chen picked up the fruit to continue eating, but was knocked away by a divine light.

The next instant, the girl in blue shamelessly snuggled into his arms, tilting her head back and demanding again, "Speak!"

"Lu Chen!"

"I didn't ask your name! I asked for your identity! Do you know what's happening outside Yunlou Palace right now..."

The girl suddenly stopped talking halfway through her sentence.

Lu Chen's pupils contracted, and he grabbed her shoulder: "What happened outside the palace?!"

“Tell me, and I… I’ll tell you!” The girl stubbornly refused to back down.

Lu Chen shoved her away, stood up with his hands behind his back, chin slightly raised, an air of arrogance rising within him: "I am the head of a newly noble family in Jiangcheng, the mighty and virtuous General of the Underworld, and the Plague Guardian God—the Plague Prince! The God of Wealth is my sworn brother, the Kitchen God is my friend, and I am also the successor to the God of Wealth appointed by the Supreme Being of the Underworld!"

A long list of titles rained down, leaving the other person dumbfounded. After a long while, they gasped in shock: "Hiss! If that's the case, then... no wonder!"

Lu Chen's mind raced, his eyes suddenly lit up, and his voice trembled uncontrollably: "Could it be... that the Plague King, and my sworn brother, are currently challenging your Ministry of War outside?!"

“This…” the girl stammered.

"Alright, that's enough, I understand!" Lu Chen was so excited that she jumped up and down, "I told you, supporting a family is the best policy! In crucial moments, it's the family that's always there for you! I can finally get out of here!"

I advise you not to be too optimistic.

The girl in green poured cold water on you: "In these forty-nine days, your master... will not let you out no matter what."

"Forty-nine days?!"

Lu Chenhu's body trembled.

The girl covered her mouth, realizing she had let something slip, but then thought it didn't matter, since the boy couldn't escape anyway.

Lu Chen's fists clenched until they turned white, and frost instantly covered his entire face: "In other words, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King is going to imprison me for a full forty-nine years!"

"According to your human way of thinking, that's correct!"

Lu Chen was stunned for a moment, then pointed at the thunderclouds overhead and cursed, "Fuck your mother, Li Jing! You've kept me locked up for so long, my parents must be old and dying by now! My little sister is almost sixty!"

"Hey, how dare you insult my master like that in front of me? Are you looking for death?" The girl in green suddenly turned cold.

Although Lu Chen didn't care, he still took a few deep breaths and tried to suppress the anger in his heart.

After all, anger will only cloud your judgment at this point.

He looked at the girl in front of him, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Dragon Girl, may I ask how you are addressed?"

"You... just call me Lan'er."

"Miss Lan'er, could you please convey a message to your master? Tell him that I have no interest in that rare treasure and that it is your master's. All the rare and precious materials in the secret realm can go to the Ministry of War, as long as I am allowed to leave."

Lan'er shook her head: "No!"

"Why?"

"Because the Boundary Hub is on you, the extraordinary treasure is essentially bound to you. If you leave, the extraordinary treasure will also fly away. Therefore, Master must first refine the Boundary Hub and then refine the extraordinary treasure, which takes forty-nine days."

Lu Chen: "..."

He's a complete bastard!
If I had known that I would provoke the ultimate boss, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, I shouldn't have acted rashly and used the Dragon-Tiger Opening Array to subdue the Realm Hub!
But back then, who could have imagined that the one blocking the way wasn't one of the Four Heavenly Kings, but rather this Grand Marshal who subdued demons across the Three Realms!

Forget it, there's no point in worrying about this right now.

He composed himself and retorted, "It's true that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King is the Grand Marshal of the Army and in charge of the Ministry of War. But my Plague Department is not to be trifled with either. Besides, if the Plague Department comes to demand our people, how could my sworn brother remain silent? How could the Underworld sit idly by? When the immortals exert pressure, even your master might not be able to withstand it, would he?"

"Hmph! You underestimate the authority of the Ministry of War!" Lan'er sneered, her face full of disdain. "Let me tell you the truth, even if all the righteous gods of the Eight Departments of Heaven came today, Master would not let you out! Because that treasure is too important to Master! So important that... even if the Great Heavenly Venerable knew about this, he would only agree to Master refining it! As for you, you are utterly insignificant!"

Lu Chen's mind went blank.

He suddenly realized something and tentatively asked, "Could this extraordinary treasure... be related to the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda?"

Upon hearing this, a flicker of panic flashed in the other person's clear eyes, and they hurriedly shook their head, saying, "Who said that! Don't make wild guesses!"

"It seems so."

Looking out over the vast Three Thousand Weak Waters, Lu Chen already had a general idea in his mind.

There must be some terrible problem with this Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, and that rare treasure is just the right remedy, providing crucial benefits to the pagoda.

Therefore, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was determined to keep him at all costs.

Furthermore, Lan'er also revealed that even if the Great Celestial Venerable knew about this matter, he would only agree to it.

This further confirmed his guess.

After all, countless demons and monsters are imprisoned inside the tower. If this treasure is lost, the release of those terrifying forces will surely shake the Three Realms!

With this thought in mind, Lu Chen suddenly understood.

"I see!" His eyes lit up, and he thought to himself, "Since this treasure is currently in trouble, can't I take advantage of the situation? Instead of waiting for someone else to save it, I'd better think of a way to save it myself!"

right! Just do it!

After saying that, his gaze involuntarily fell on Lan'er.

"Why are you looking at me like that?!" Lan'er felt uneasy under his gaze.

"boom!"

Without saying a word, Lu Chen knelt on one knee, tears streaming down his face, crying so heart-wrenchingly that it seemed as if his liver and intestines were being torn apart.

"Fairy, you don't know! My parents are over eighty years old and frail, relying on medicine to keep them alive; my younger sister has just come of age and is waiting for me to earn money to prepare her dowry; I also have a childhood sweetheart fiancée with whom I have long been engaged. I promised her that after completing this mission, I would retire from this life and go back to marry her!"
My neighbors are all elderly people living alone, without children or relatives. They have no one to rely on, and there are four or five hundred of them in total. They all depend on me for support! I can't stay here!
If I'm not here, my elderly parents will starve to death! My younger sister will be left to wander the streets, suffering endless bullying! My fiancée will surely commit suicide for me, her life extinguished! And those four or five hundred neighbors will freeze and starve to death sooner or later!

Oh, right! I have three thousand employees, all of them unfortunate people with disabilities! They all have families and are the pillars of their families! If I'm not here, they will lose their jobs, suffer the cold stares of others, and might even starve to death! All things considered, I have at least ten thousand lives on my shoulders!
Fairy!!! Please! Have some compassion and help me find a way to escape, okay?!

If you help me escape, I will surely have a golden statue made for you, offer incense, and worship you day and night!

At this moment, Lu Chen put all his acting skills to the extreme, crying so hard and sincerely that even he almost believed it himself.

Lan'er was indeed deeply moved: "I never expected you... to be so kind-hearted."

"I wouldn't call it kindness, it's just that I can't bear to see people suffer!" Lu Chen said, wiping away tears.

“To be honest…” Lan’er sniffed, “Although I know you’re lying to me, you’re acting so hard that I do feel a little sorry for you.”

Lu Chen: "..."

He's not smart when he should be, but he's quite clever when he shouldn't be!

This is so damn awkward!
"Fine," Lu Chen silently stood up, instantly erasing all traces of his performance, and cut to the chase: "Lan'er, I see you've been stuck here for a while now, and you must want to go out and see the outside world, right? Name your price, how can you help me?"

Lan'er sighed, her expression forlorn: "Although I have been here for a thousand years and am indeed feeling suffocated, there is absolutely no way you would ask me to betray my master! You should just give up."

"What, are you bound to this tower? Can't get out?"

Lan'er's expression changed slightly, but she still gave a soft "hmm".

Lu Chen sneered: "It seems that your master never treated you as a disciple, but only as a servant to be driven around."

"You're not allowed to talk about Master like that!" Lan'er suddenly looked up and said urgently, "Master saved my life! If it weren't for His intervention a thousand years ago, I would have been wiped out by the Dragon Clan!"

Why did the dragons kill you?

“Because…” Lan’er revealed her true form as a dragon: “I was born with this body, and the dragon race considers me a heretic.”

After saying that, she transformed back into a little girl.

"I understand." Lu Chen nodded, his tone certain. "The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King must have taken a liking to your innate divine abilities as a dragon, which is why he rescued you and made you the guardian deity of this realm. Isn't that still treating you as a servant? Otherwise, why would he have placed a restriction on you, preventing you from ever leaving?"

"You... never mind." Lan'er was too lazy to say more. "Anyway, just stay here and rest. Once the treasure is successfully refined, you can leave. I won't lie to you, you guessed right. The Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda is indeed having problems right now, which is why we urgently need to refine that treasure as a supplement. If you want to blame someone, blame your bad luck."

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the other person suddenly tremble and freeze in place.

"What's wrong with you now?" Lan'er felt that he was always so easily startled.

Lu Chen swallowed hard, his eyes suddenly widening as he murmured, "Lan'er, I just had a shocking idea. Let me ask you something... Do you think my idea is feasible?"

"Oh, don't bother. You can't escape, and I won't help you. To put it bluntly, if I really helped you, my master definitely wouldn't let me live. Staying here, at least I can still survive."

Lan'er looked dejected.

The yearning for freedom is the nature of all living things, and she is no exception.

"Let me finish," Lu Chen interrupted her, his expression unusually serious. "You said that extraordinary treasure has a miraculous use for the Exquisite Pagoda, and the Heavenly King refined it to complete the pagoda. Now, this extraordinary treasure is destined for me, and I feel closer to it. Is there a possibility—that I should refine it? At that time, will the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda... also obey my commands? If so, wouldn't you be able to leave too?"

Upon hearing this, Lan'er froze, as if she had heard a fairy tale. It took her a long time to recover before she burst out laughing.
"Are you alright? You're just a mortal, trying to refine a rare treasure? Do you even know what's needed to refine it?"

"what do you need?"

"It's the divine fire from the lower level of the pagoda—the Samadhi True Fire! Have you, a mere mortal, ever heard of the Samadhi True Fire? Even if you have, do you possess it? You have nothing, yet you dare to spout such arrogant words?"

Unexpectedly, after she finished speaking, Lu Chen's expression became extremely strange, even turning into an excited blush.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently: "What if I said... I could have it?!"

"You possess the Samadhi True Fire?!"

Lan'er's eyes suddenly opened!

"Watch closely!" Lu Chen focused his mind and concentrated his energy, directing it towards his brow.

The next second, a seed wreathed in flames suddenly appeared between his brows.

"This is..." Lan'er's eyes widened instantly, her pupils transforming into dragon eyes, filled with shock and disbelief: "The hearth fire?! You actually possess such a divine object?!"

Yes! I really do!

The air solidified instantly.

The man and the dragon locked eyes, as if time had stood still.

But after a long while, Lan'er shook her head dejectedly, her face full of regret, as if she had fallen from great joy into great sorrow.

"Although you have the fire in the hearth, which greatly surprised me! But... it's still not enough! You can't get through the Three Thousand Weak Water Realm!"

"Isn't it you?"

Lan'er shook her head again: "I can't. I've lived for thousands of years, and my dragon body has long been assimilated by the Weak Water. I can swim on my own, but I can't carry people. So... I can't help you."

——Buzz!!!

Lu Chen's heart suddenly felt as if it had sunk to the bottom of a deep, cold pool.

He grabbed a blade of grass beside him and clenched it tightly: "Is there really no other way?! I have a fire in the stove, I'm just missing a sliver of hope!"

Lan'er sighed, her voice tinged with a sense of shared sorrow: "You should accept your vows in peace, at least you'll be able to get out alive. Unlike me, I'm trapped here for eternity, with only the Weak Water for company, and I don't even have a single member of my own kind. If you stay one more day, it's actually a good thing for me, at least I'll have one more person to talk to."

Lu Chen, feeling heavy-hearted, casually remarked, "Same kind, my foot! You're clearly a mutated species. Strictly speaking, you're not even a dragon. What kind of kind could you possibly be..."

Lan'er paused for a moment, then nodded: "That's true. But... an ordinary dragon would do. I have a way to make them adapt to the Weak Water, as long as they're dragons. It's a pity that Master won't even give me an ordinary dragon..."

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Chen suddenly opened his mouth wide and his eyes widened again!

"What's wrong with you now?" Lan'er rolled her eyes and said irritably, "You have a hearth fire, but do you have a dragon too?!"

"brother--!"

Lu Chen swallowed hard: "What if I said—I really do have it?!?"

　Brothers, this chapter is 4,000 words long and won't be divided into chapters. One of the chapters is to repay Descartes.

I just received a 150 yuan tip, as well as various other tips. Thank you so much, it's really too much of a waste.

Let's speed things up now, okay?

To put it simply, the fighting at the Ministry of War wasn't even the climax yet.

The real climax came later.

　
(End of this chapter)