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

Chapter 219 I'm going to worship the jinx!!!
"Bad luck?!"

The dragon and the three demons were all speechless, their eyes fixed on Lu Chen.

"Lu Chen, do you have a similar... magic weapon?" Lan'er's face lit up with joy, and she hurriedly asked.

Lu Chen shook his head.

Lan'er's expression froze: "Then you..."

Lu Chen frowned, his tone thoughtful: "I've only thought of the first step of the solution, but I'm stuck on the second step and don't know how to proceed."

"What do you mean?" The Black Demon Lord's gaze shifted, seemingly carrying some hidden meaning: "Tell me."

Lu Chen said unhurriedly, "My plan is very simple. If this method is feasible, then for me, the best solution is undoubtedly to worship a god—as for which one, you can probably guess."

"A jinx?!" Lan'er blurted out.

Who can you pray to for bad luck?
Of course, the jinx is the obvious choice!

“It is indeed a jinx.” Lu Chen nodded: “However, the secrets of heaven within this Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda are completely obscured. Even if I can refine divine statues, I cannot communicate with the gods.”

Lan'er nodded in agreement, then looked puzzled: "So, the first step in your solution is just thinking about the jinx?"

Lu Chen smiled and held up the book in his hand, "The Thousand Demon Contemplation"—or rather, "The Heavenly Decree."

“Senior, this thing’s true name is so majestic, it must possess unparalleled power. Moreover, I have tested it before, and even the divine lightning of the underworld had no effect on it, which shows that this thing is extraordinary. Therefore, I guess that its grade may be even higher than the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda; even if it is not, this pagoda should not be able to suppress it, right?”

Lan'er's mind raced, and she instantly grasped the key point: "You mean, you want to use this 'Heavenly Decree' to summon the jinx?"

"That depends on whether you agree, senior."

Lu Chen's gaze was intense, fixed on the face of the Black Demon Lord, unwilling to miss any subtle change in his expression.

--quiet.

The surroundings fell silent again, with only the pounding of heartbeats breaking the silence.

A moment later, the Black Demon Lord suddenly laughed: "Boy, so you were waiting for me here."

He made a "please" gesture: "Come on, continue, finish what you have to say first."

Lu Chen nodded and said, "However, even if I could communicate with the jinx through the Heavenly Decree and ask Him to bring me bad luck, I still wouldn't be able to do it."

"Why?"

"Because there is no medium for blessing."

In the past, the monk Lingshui traveled to Longhu County to pray for rain in order to obtain the Qilin Knife and the "Mysterious Book of Divine Communication" so that he could create an image to communicate with the gods.

However, after Lu Chen personally cultivated it, he realized that the so-called "Mysterious Book of Divine Communication" was actually quite similar to the ritual of inviting gods, both of which mobilized the power of heaven and earth to open a channel for inviting gods.

It was this channel that made divine intervention possible.

The reason why simple statues of gods cannot bestow blessings is that the passage is too narrow, making it difficult for divine power to pass through; they can only maintain communication.

But all of this is based on one core premise—the unobstructed flow of celestial secrets.

If the secrets of heaven are obscured, all rituals involving invoking gods or creating images to communicate with them will be completely ineffective.

Therefore, Lu Chen is currently facing the same predicament as the man from Lingshui that day: he has the "Heavenly Decree" but no medium to bestow blessings.

What's the use of contacting the jinx?

Would He dare to personally visit the territory of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King and bestow blessings on the spot?
Even if He had ten times the courage, He wouldn't dare!

"Boy, it seems you've done quite a bit of research on the 'Heavenly Decree'," the Black Demon Lord's voice drifted over.

"That 'kind person' told me all of this," Lu Chen said, pursing his lips without comment.

"Hahaha!!!"

The Black Demon Lord suddenly burst into laughter, an unnamed fervor rising on his face: "Boy, you're quite interesting! Truly quite interesting!"
Tell me, who exactly are you?
I absolutely do not believe that someone who can subdue the Realm Hub, possess the Flame of the Hearth, and descend three levels of the Pagoda with a mortal body could be an unknown person!
Moreover, I see that the gold ingot pendant around your neck is a magical artifact of the God of Wealth, the Lord of Wealth.

Say!
If you tell me the truth, I will tell you the truth in return!

—It's finally time to lay the cards on the table!
Lu Chen stood up abruptly and solemnly clasped his hands in greeting: "I am the last disciple of the Kitchen God. I was favored by the Great Emperor of Fengdu and appointed as the God of Wealth of the Underworld, and concurrently the Protector of the Plague Department, the Plague Prince. The God of Wealth is my sworn brother, and the Water Virtue Star Lord is my uncle."

Lan'er: "..."

isn't it?
He didn't say that when he introduced himself before.

While it's certainly surprising, it's definitely not that exaggerated!

Sure enough, as soon as Lu Chen finished speaking, the three demons in the prison froze, their eyes turning into demonic pupils in shock, looking utterly incredulous.

"You, you...you brat, how could you possess such overwhelming power?!"

The stone spirit trembled all over.

This time, he was truly trembling. Even his voice was shaking.

The Black Fiend Demon Lord's expression shifted dramatically. He quickly rose, abandoning his previous languid demeanor, and clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.
"It is indeed Your Majesty who has arrived! This humble demon has no eyes to recognize Your Majesty, my apologies!"

The other two demons also quickly bowed.

Lu Chen waved his hand: "Senior, there is no need for such formalities. I am merely a mortal who has received a divine office."

"No, no, no," the Black Demon Lord said repeatedly. "The Lord is so young, yet he holds two great divine positions and has close ties with many departments of the Heavenly Court. This is something I have never seen before in my life. It is truly unbelievable and earth-shattering!"

"I imagine that when he is freed from this tower one day, his future will be limitless, and his divine power will be awe-inspiring!"

"Indeed, indeed, Your Majesty is mighty!" The two demons immediately changed their expressions, their faces full of flattery.

"There's no need for flattery," Lu Chen smiled slightly. "Why don't we seize the moment and speak about what's on your mind, senior?"

The Black Demon Lord composed himself, nodded solemnly, and after a moment's thought, said:

"As Your Majesty said, this Heavenly Decree is infinitely powerful. It can ignore the restrictions of the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, break through the void, and summon gods and demons from the Three Realms."

Therefore, it was perfectly acceptable for the emperor to use this edict to summon the jinx.

As for bestowing blessings…

The Black Demon Lord suddenly exuded arrogance: "My little demon's innate supernatural power may serve as a medium!"

"You?" Lu Chen was taken aback.

"Indeed! Your Majesty is wise and discerning, and you must have already seen the little demon's special ability—why is it that of my three brothers, only the little demon can manipulate objects from the void and use demonic powers?"

This is the innate divine power of the little demon, which allows him to ignore external constraints such as heavenly secrets, fortune, and divine power, and to create his own path to conceal heavenly secrets.

The reason why Your Majesty was able to escape this calamity just now was ultimately because the Little Demon had opened up a new passage for Your Majesty, which the Heavenly General failed to perceive.

"I see." Lu Chen suddenly realized, no wonder He was able to launch attacks even though He was in the Heavenly Prison.

But then Lu Chen realized something was wrong: "If you have such supernatural powers, why can't you get out of trouble on your own?"

"Your Majesty, you are unaware of this," the Black Fiend Demon Lord sighed, "Firstly, the suppression of this Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda is far too terrifying!"
Little Demon's current strength is less than one-thousandth of his peak strength. Even with the [Path-Clearing] divine ability, he can hardly break through the layers of restrictions on the tower.

"Secondly, when the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda subdued us, it directly suppressed our physical bodies with the enormous fortune within the pagoda."

If we try to escape, the power of this suppression will be fully unleashed, and we will be completely suppressed!
Therefore, although Little Demon possessed some skill, he ultimately could not save himself and was trapped in this tower for many years.

Lu Chen nodded upon hearing this, his brows furrowing again: "But if that's the case, how can you help me open the channel for blessings?"

"It's very simple, just burn your essence blood."

"Black Demon Lord said calmly."

"Big Brother!!" The two demons beside him immediately changed their expressions.

"Oh?" Lu Chen's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at Him with a meaningful expression. "Senior is willing to go to such lengths, presumably for—to escape, right?"

"That's natural." The Black Demon Lord made no attempt to hide it.
"If Your Majesty wishes to escape, how could I not also wish to regain my freedom? As long as Your Majesty can refine this Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, even if you cannot unleash its full divine power, releasing us should not be difficult."

He suddenly knelt on one knee, clasped his hands together and raised them above his head, his tone extremely respectful: "With such an opportunity before me, this little demon will naturally have to give it his all!"
If Your Majesty can help my three brothers escape this predicament, my three brothers will serve Your Majesty with utmost loyalty!
"I suppose there aren't any minor deities under Your Majesty's rule yet?"

—The Grass-Headed God!

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen's eyes flickered.

The so-called "grassroots gods" were actually private soldiers who had not been officially appointed by the Heavenly Court.

But since it can be called a "god", the requirements for strength are naturally extremely high!
According to legend, the 1,200 grass-root gods under Erlang Shen Yang Jian's command were all demons and monsters he met during his travels across the Three Mountains, Five Peaks, Five Lakes, and Four Seas.

These grass-root gods are all incredibly powerful and skilled, making them the best among all the demons in the world.

When Erlang Shen captured Sun Wukong, 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals were helpless against Flower Fruit Mountain, but were almost wiped out by these 1,200 grass-root gods.

This clearly demonstrates the formidable power of the Grass Head God!

This Black Fiend Demon Lord's strength is comparable to the Four Heavenly Kings; he is more than capable of being a minor deity.

For a moment, a glint flashed in Lu Chen's eyes.

The Black Demon Lord saw all this, clasped his hands in a fist salute again, and said in an even deeper voice, "We hope that Your Majesty will favor us and not despise us. If we become your subordinates, we will surely restrain our actions, cease our evil deeds, and wholeheartedly devote ourselves to doing good!"

"We hope Your Majesty will grant us your favor!" The other two demons also knelt down and echoed.

Lu Chen gave the three demons a deep look, sighed, and slowly spoke:
"But... words alone are not enough."

　Sorry, I've finished making the changes.

The second chapter is finished and is currently being polished.

　
(End of this chapter)