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

Chapter 208 Venus!

"Damn it! It's gone at the crucial moment," Lu Chen couldn't help but complain.

Lan'er rolled her eyes: "What do you know? This is a golden opportunity for us! If Master keeps activating the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, how will the two of us escape?"

"You mean... if we act now, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King will be completely unaware?" A glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes.

"Otherwise what?" Lan'er raised an eyebrow: "The Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda can suppress many peerless evil spirits entirely because of its innate spiritual treasure foundation and supreme fortune."

However, over the years, the evil within the tower has increased day by day, and even innate spiritual treasures cannot escape the calamity of declining fortune.

Therefore, Master no longer unfolds the pagoda as often as before, just to slow down the dissipation of fortune.

But once the pagoda is sealed, our master won't be able to sense what's happening inside. Wouldn't that give us an opportunity?

"I see." Lu Chen suddenly realized.

"By the way, do you know the real name of that extraordinary treasure?" Lan'er changed the subject.

"How could I possibly know such a divine object?"

"This treasure is called the [Destiny-Stabilizing and Soul-Suppressing Lotus]. It is said to be the core spiritual material used to refine the Exquisite Pagoda. It is said to have been missing for ten thousand years. Now, by chance, a single one has appeared in the world, which is why Master is so eager to obtain it at all costs... Who would have thought that you would be such a variable?"

"The Soul-Suppressing Lotus of Destiny..." Lu Chen pondered the name. "It sounds like something that gathers the fortune of heaven and earth; no wonder it has such power. By the way, Lan'er, I actually have something I wanted to ask you..."

"Don't ask yet!" Lan'er suddenly interrupted urgently, "The Jiangshui Dragon Seed is about to be born! Quickly gather your magic power into its five internal organs to help it break free of its shell!"

As he spoke, Lu Chen felt a burning sensation in his internal organs approaching its limit. He dared not be careless and focused his mind, channeling his magic power to the fullest extent.

The azure dragon energy surrounding Lan'er became increasingly powerful.

"They're here!" Lan'er shouted, her voice echoing across the surrounding area.

--hold head high!!!

A sharp dragon's roar pierced the sky, causing the surrounding air to tremble.

Suddenly, Lu Chen's body shone brightly, and a rich glow burst forth from the top of his head.

A young dragon, blue and white in color, burst forth from the rosy light, soaring straight to the dome and circling and dancing.

The dragon was only about ten zhang long, with delicate scales, clearly still a juvenile.

Even so, the majesty of the true dragon was enough to make one's heart tremble.

Lu Chen breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully, he emerged from the divine light above his head…it would have been too embarrassing if he had come out from somewhere else.

After circling several times, the young dragon swooped down, lightly brushing against Lu Chen twice with its tender dragon horns before flying towards Lan'er.

Lan'er's dragon eyes softened instantly. She let out a soft murmur, and her dragon body slowly stretched out, gently wrapping around the river dragon. She rubbed her head against its scales, her eyes full of affection.

Lu Chen stood quietly to the side, not disturbing him.

After a moment, Lan'er composed herself, knowing that time was of the essence, and said, "I will now teach it the 'Boating on Weak Water' technique. As a true dragon, it has not yet merged with the Weak Water, so carrying you should be no problem."

Lu Chen nodded emphatically, then couldn't help but ask, "Even Great Luo Golden Immortals are wary of the Weak Water, how confident are you?"

Lan'er chuckled: "Don't worry, the innate supernatural power of my dragon race is water control. Although the Weak Water is extraordinary, its essence is still water. My dragon race is born with the ability to control all waters; we only need to master the methods."

"Alright, alright, you're playing with concepts, huh? Then I'm relieved." Lu Chen smiled dismissively. "Let's get started, hurry up!"

Lan'er nodded, and then a dragon's roar rang out again.

His body radiated a rolling, cyan-gold divine light, enveloping the Jiangshui Dragon Seed within it. Countless profound runes surged from the divine light, flowing into the young dragon's body like streams.

Lu Chen wasn't idle either. He turned around and rushed to a nearby fruit tree, picking all the fruit and putting them into his storage ring for future use.

At the same time, he consumed two more fruits and activated the [Huai Lan Tuning] divine power to adjust his condition to its peak, making final preparations for the upcoming Linglong Tower challenge!

...Meanwhile, outside the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda.

The pagoda in the hands of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King has put away its lotus flower, and the flowing light on the pagoda body has disappeared, restoring its ancient and simple appearance.

He stepped forward with a smile, and asked knowingly, "Why has the old star lord come in person?"

Taibai Xingjun gave him a reproachful look, stroked his beard and laughed, "If I hadn't come, I'm afraid you immortals would have really made a hole in the Heavenly Court today."

All the immortals wore smirks.

Taibai Xingjun's gaze swept over the gods present, and he slowly spoke: "Heavenly King, Fengdu Immortal, Plague God..." He called out the names of the core deities one by one: "How about we, for my sake, temporarily put aside this and go into the hall to calmly discuss this matter?"

The immortals looked at each other in silence.

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King laughed first, "Since the old star lord has spoken, how could I, the general, refuse? I just wonder what the other immortals think?"

Jun Caishen turned to look at the Plague God, the Kitchen God, the Fengdu Emperor, and others, then stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "We will naturally comply with the Old Star Official's mediation."

Upon hearing this, Taibai Xingjun smiled, flicked his whisk, and bowed to the assembled immortals, saying, "Thank you all for granting me this honor. Heavenly King, how about we meet at your Cloud Tower Palace for a chat?"

"Please, Elder Star Lord!" The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King stepped aside to greet him, then turned to the Plague God and the others, gesturing for their arrival. "Everyone, please!"

Several beams of rainbow light shot into the sky and instantly entered the Cloud Tower Palace.

A moment later, immortals gathered in the main hall of Yunlou Palace, creating a solemn atmosphere.

Guest seats on the left: Taibai Xingjun, and the three brothers Jinzha, Muzha, and Nezha.

On the right is the Emperor of Fengdu seated in the head seat, with Zhang Heng and Yang Yun, the two Ghost Emperors of the Five Directions, standing behind him;
On either side are, in order, the Plague God, the Water God, the God of Wealth, and the Kitchen God.

The main seat in the main hall is naturally occupied by the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

Then, fairies gracefully entered, offering up exquisite wine and nectar.

"Please!" The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King raised the celestial cup in his hand.

Now that things had come to this, the immortals could not refuse, so they all raised their wine cups and drank them down in one gulp.

After setting down their wine cups, everyone's gaze fell on Venus, waiting for him to speak.

Taibai Xingjun waved his whisk and slowly smiled, “Fellow immortals, there is a saying in the mortal world: ‘Everything should be handled with leniency and discussed.’ The commotion at the South Heavenly Gate today is truly inappropriate. If I had not spoken up in time, those sitting here now would probably be the two celestial beings, Marshal Tianpeng and Marshal Zhenwu.”

Upon hearing this, the expressions of all the immortals changed slightly, and they looked at each other in bewilderment.

The Great Emperor of Fengdu broke the silence first, laughing, "Old Star Lord, you jest. Within the Three Realms, who doesn't know that you are a high-ranking official before the Great Heavenly Venerable? If you hadn't come to this celestial conflict, how dare the Northern Exorcism Institute rashly intervene?"

Upon hearing this, Taibai Xingjun stroked his beard and laughed, "Your Majesty flatters me! I am but a mere civil official, how dare I overstep the heavenly rules? Enough of this idle talk, let's get down to business."

He changed the subject and looked at the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, saying, "Heavenly King Li, I have heard about this conflict. In principle, although your department can raise its own military supplies, it is still unseemly to make a big fuss. Moreover, the Heavenly King is imprisoning mortals. You should know that one day in heaven is equivalent to one year on earth. This delay is not appropriate for either public or private reasons."

Before the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King could speak, the God of Wealth opposite him clasped his hands again and said, "Old Star Lord, please understand! My sworn brother's trip was purely for a mortal mission, and he had no intention of offending the Heavenly King. This humble god has already informed you that all the rare treasures in the secret realm can belong to the Heavenly King, only asking that you release my virtuous brother. But the Heavenly King has refused to budge, which has led to the situation just now, which is truly not what we wanted!"

The Plague Lord also spoke in a cold voice: "Since the old Star Lord has stepped in to mediate, I, too, will make my stance clear. All the treasures of the secret realm will belong to the Heavenly King, and that extraordinary treasure will be separated by Fellow Daoist Shui De using the Ren Water Divine Power and presented to the Heavenly King. In addition, I am willing to offer another spiritual treasure as a token of apology for today. However—"

His tone suddenly shifted, becoming resolute: "This man, the Heavenly King, must release him no matter what!"

"That's right!" the Kitchen God immediately agreed.

Taibai Xingjun was taken aback, then laughed and said, "King Li, the Plague God's move is already full of sincerity. You have received so many treasures for free, why don't you agree?"

The immortals turned their gazes to the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and couldn't help but wonder what kind of treasure it was and what its purpose was.

Why won't Li Jing allow it?!

“Alas…” The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King’s expression changed slightly. He sighed deeply, stood up, and invited, “Old Star Lord, please let us speak in private.”

(End of this chapter)