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

Chapter 214 A Deadly Moment! Lu Chen: Watch my brilliant plan!

"The King!"

The Kitchen God was burning with anxiety, but his face remained calm. He raised his wine cup and stepped forward with fluid, natural movements.

As expected, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's gaze was drawn to this sudden action, and he temporarily shifted his sharp eyes away from the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda.

The Kitchen God smiled and said, "I would like to have a drink with the Heavenly King as a way of congratulating him."

"Congratulations?" The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King asked, puzzled, "Kitchen God, what is this cause for celebration?"

Inside the main hall, not only was the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King treated with great hospitality, but the three Nezha brothers were also not neglected.

Although Jinzha and Muzha do not drink alcohol, they were flanked by the God of Wealth and the Water Deity, and chatted happily.

Nezha sat opposite the Plague God, neither of them speaking, but simply raising their cups and drinking heartily, one cup after another, as if they wouldn't stop until they had knocked the other out.

The Kitchen God's "Congratulations!" instantly drew the attention of all the deities in the hall.

The God of Wealth and the God of Plague exchanged glances, knowing that something must have happened.

The Kitchen God raised his hand and pointed at the three Nezha brothers, his smile growing even warmer: "King Li, I have been moved by the sight of the three princes, who are full of heroic spirit and awe-inspiring. Therefore, I cannot help but wish to congratulate you, King Li."

"Oh? I'd like to hear the details." The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was clearly intrigued.

"Everyone says the Li family is full of dragons and tigers, each one possessing unparalleled divine power, shaking the three realms. But when it comes to the merit of strategizing and protecting the family and the country, it ultimately belongs to you, Heavenly King Li! If it weren't for your excellent teaching, how could you have raised such outstanding offspring?"

Then, the Kitchen God, with a mind racing and a silver tongue, delivered a perfectly timed compliment.

It was neither obsequious nor flattering, yet every word resonated with the heart of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

Hearing this, Li Tianwang burst into laughter, feeling extremely happy.

"Thank you for your kind words, Kitchen God!" The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King raised his wine cup: "Come, I, the General, toast you!"

"Heavenly King, please!"

The two drank it all in one gulp, and then the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was invited by the Emperor of Fengdu to drink with him. The banquet was filled with laughter and joy.

Seeing this, the Kitchen God breathed a sigh of relief.

"Kitchen God, is there any movement inside the tower?"

Four divine voices simultaneously entered the Kitchen God's ears; they were the voices of the God of Wealth, the Emperor of Fengdu, the Water God, and the Plague God.

The Kitchen God replied, "Young friend Lu must have already broken through the Samadhi True Fire Heaven, and is now probably on the third level!"

"Hey, this kid's got some skills!" came the laughter of the Emperor of Fengdu.

A look of joy also flashed across the eyes of Jun Caishen and the others.

Only the Plague Lord, holding his wine cup, his divine eyes darting about, secretly thought to himself, "I never imagined this lad would actually obtain the opportunity for [physical ascension to sainthood]..."

His fingertips lightly traced the rim of the wine cup, as if he were making a deeper calculation in his mind.

……

Meanwhile, on the third floor of the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda.

--boom! !
Lu Chen and Lan'er broke through the transmission "secret passage" at the same time and crashed heavily to the ground.

Fortunately, this time, Lan'er reacted quickly, wrapping her dragon tail around Lu Chen's waist and supporting him steadily, thus sparing him from physical pain.

"Lan'er, thank you so much!"

"Don't mention it." Lan'er retracted her dragon tail and transformed into human form.

The man and the dragon looked around and found themselves in a deep passageway. The walls were neither gold nor stone, but covered with obscure runes, even under their feet.

Stepping on it felt icy cold, as if a chill was seeping into your bones from the soles of your feet.

The air was filled with an indescribable, fishy stench that made people nauseous.

An invisible malevolent aura flowed ceaselessly within the passageway, causing the protective true fire to flicker and sway.

Even so, it still hurts like being cut by a knife when it scratches your body.

This must be the demon that Lan'er mentioned!
"Fortunately, I had the Samadhi True Fire protecting me, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!" Lu Chen secretly rejoiced.

However, before he could even catch his breath, his expression changed drastically again!

He was shocked to find that the magical power within his body had vanished almost without a trace, and he could barely even open his storage ring!

"How could this be? Why is my magic power being suppressed so severely!"

"You should be content with retaining even a trace of your magic power."

Lan'er explained, "From this level onwards, the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda will unleash its full demon-subduing power. After all, the lower levels imprison ancient evil spirits, and without reducing their magical power, how can we suppress them for long?"

He paused, then added, "In fact, the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda in its prime also had demon-subduing restrictions in the Three Thousand Weak Water Realms and the Samadhi True Fire Heaven. It was only later that the pagoda's fortune was exhausted that the restrictions on the first two levels had to be removed, and all the power was concentrated to support the lower levels."

If you were at your peak, would you still want to have magical powers?
Not even a tiny bit!

"Well, it seems there really is a big problem with this pagoda! But it's a good thing!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, activating the fire in the stove does not require magic; it only requires a thought. Otherwise, I might have really perished here today.

"So, what do we do next..."

"Next, you only need to do one thing—sensor the boundary hub. You are naturally connected to it; calm your mind and you will surely find its location. And where the boundary hub is, there lies the extraordinary treasure!"

"Okay!" Lu Chen nodded in agreement.

"Remember! This level is guarded by celestial soldiers and generals! Although the demon-subduing restrictions also suppress them, preventing their divine sense from extending too far, even so, if we encounter even a small squad, we will both face certain death! Especially you—the celestial soldiers and generals are not mindless puppets like the Fire Spirit Guards. Although your Samadhi True Fire can harm them, if even one of them gets close to you, you will have absolutely no chance of survival!"

"Don't worry, I know my own limitations."

"Let's go then, the rest is up to you!"

Lu Chen didn't know how to perceive it either. After thinking for a while, he closed his eyes and visualized the appearance of the secret realm [World Pivot].

"call--"

In an instant, the hem of his clothes fluttered even though there was no wind.

In the darkness, there seemed to be a faint connection that gently tied him to something in the distance.

I could even hear a joyful rhythmic sound!

Lu Chen suddenly opened his eyes: "Found it, come with me!"

He turned around abruptly and ran behind him.

Slow down!

The two, one human and one dragon, cautiously probed forward. "Is it far?" Lan'er asked in a low voice.

"Thank God, it's not too far after all!"

The passageway was pitch black, with only a few nameless crystals embedded in the walls emitting a faint light, barely illuminating a few feet ahead.

Lu Chen's heart pounded, and his palms were sweating profusely, fearing that something terrifying might suddenly leap out of the darkness.

"By the way, Lan'er, is there any pattern to the patrols of the celestial soldiers and generals on the third level?"

As Lu Chen walked, he asked in a low voice.

"I don't know about that. My master never went into those details either."

"Alright, then we'll have to be careful!"

"Ok!"

The man and the dragon, guided by a faint yet clear sense of attraction, struggled forward through the deep tunnel.

—Moo!

But at that moment, a deep roar suddenly came from the depths of darkness!
Carrying a rolling wave of sound.

He bumped into Lu Chen.

He was thrown off his feet.

Fortunately, Lan'er pulled him back in time.

"What's that noise?!" Lu Chen's heart pounded like a drum.

"It's a terrible omen!" Lan'er said calmly. "They just howl every now and then, it's nothing serious."

"Okay! Let's go!"

Lu Chen steadied himself and continued forward.

After going around countless turns and taking countless forks in the road, the two of them finally turned onto a straight, long road.

Lu Chen's feelings grew stronger.

"This way, it's not far!" He sped up again.

Soon, a fork in the road appeared ahead.

"Turn right!"

I sensed that the boundary pivot was right in front of me.

At this moment, Lu Chen was overjoyed. He never expected that the third level would go so smoothly.

It seems that luck has finally turned in his favor!
"Wait!"

Just then, Lan'er suddenly grabbed him, her voice extremely low: "No... I sense a presence ahead... It's heavenly soldiers! Oh no, they're coming this way!"

Lu Chen: "..."

The hairs on his body stood on end instantly: "We've been discovered?!"

"Not necessarily! My divine sense is stronger than that of ordinary heavenly soldiers; I'll just detect them earlier. Run!"

Lan'er turned and ran back!

Lu Chen followed closely behind.

However, after running a few steps, he found that the surroundings were still eerily quiet, and he could not hear even a single footstep.

"What's going on? They're chasing us, why are we so quiet?" Lu Chen couldn't help but ask.

Lan'er spat, "Do you think heavenly soldiers and generals are mortals? Do they need to make footsteps? They are all immortals, walking on air and landing silently, able to take lives without a sound!"

Lu Chen was speechless.

That makes sense!

Unexpectedly, the two of them had only run a few steps when Lan'er suddenly grabbed him again.

"What's wrong?" Lu Chen turned around and saw that Lan'er's face had turned ashen white.

"This...there are heavenly soldiers and generals here too!"

——Buzz! !
Lu Chen's head suddenly exploded!

A chilling coldness instantly rose from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, making him feel as if he had fallen into an ice cellar!
They were attacked from both sides, with solid tunnel walls on both sides.

At this moment, there is no way to retreat, no way to avoid it!
"Not good! They may have sensed my presence and are rapidly approaching us!"

Lan'er was so frightened that she immediately revealed her true form, curled up into a ball, and her dragon eyes were filled with panic.

At this moment, Lu Chen's heart was pounding, and his brain was racing: "Calm down! I must calm down!"

--boom! ! !

Like a thunderbolt exploding in his mind, an idea suddenly surged into his head. Lu Chen's pupils shrank, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Lan'er, listen to my command!"

"What?!" Lan'er was both surprised and suspicious, not understanding what other options Lu Chen could possibly have at this moment.

"Don't ask questions, just follow my instructions!"

A resolute glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes!

……

Meanwhile, outside the passageway.

A squad of ten celestial soldiers was on patrol. The leader, dressed in silver armor and carrying a long spear, had eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

"Wait!"

The leader suddenly stopped, his brow furrowed, and looked towards a passageway ahead: "Something's amiss, follow me!"

Before he finished speaking, he flashed out.

Nine heavenly soldiers followed closely behind.

"That is……"

At this end of the passageway, the leader's eyes were sharp as he gazed into the depths.

But from the darkness, a long procession of Fire Spirit Guards slowly approached...

(End of this chapter)