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

Chapter 224 The Great Battle Begins!! Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King: Ah!!! ...
"This... I don't know."

The Matchmaker smiled and then changed the subject:

"But you, old star officer, I heard on my way here that the South Heavenly Gate is quite lively today."

The Ministry of War, the Ministry of Water Resources, and the Ministry of Plague actually got into a dispute over a mortal, and even the Underworld and the Ministry of Finance got involved.

Ultimately, it was your intervention that calmed things down.

But you are not currently managing affairs at Yunlou Palace, so how could you be here in the Thirty-Three Heavens?

"Alas, I have important matters to report to the Great Celestial Venerable, and I am currently preparing to return to continue handling them."

Venus sighed softly.

"I see," the Matchmaker said with a smile. "Seeing how leisurely you look, I thought you had already taken care of everything."

He paused, then reminded him, "Why don't you old star officials hurry up? What if they start fighting again?"

"No rush, no rush~"

Venus stroked his beard and smiled: "Brother, you should hurry up and go too, His Majesty is waiting for you."

(PS: Here, "Your Majesty" refers to the Ziwei Emperor. All emperors can be addressed as "Your Majesty".)
The Old Man of the Moon leaned closer and whispered, "Brother, since we've met, I'd like to ask you something."

Venus glanced at him and asked with a smile, "What is it?"

"The uproar today was supposedly caused by that mortal—is this the sworn brother that the God of Wealth just recognized in the mortal realm?"

Venus was slightly surprised: "My dear brother, you also recognize this person?"

The Matchmaker waved his hand: "I don't know much about it. It's just that the God of Wealth came to me just now, asking me to help cancel a marriage. I hadn't even agreed yet, and now this big commotion has happened. It seems this kid is indeed extraordinary."

Seeing that He hesitated to speak, Venus smiled and asked again, "Brother, if you have something to say, please speak frankly."

The Matchmaker paused, lowering his voice even further: "Brother, this young man has such extraordinary connections, could it be..."

Venus's divine eyes narrowed, and he looked at Him.

The Old Man of the Moon immediately fell silent.

Venus, however, chuckled and said, “Brother, don’t overthink it. There aren’t that many ‘no way’ problems in this world. But I do have a saying I’d like to share with you.”

The Old Man of the Moon immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "Please enlighten me, Elder Star Lord."

Venus flicked his fingertips, and starlight instantly swirled before him, like a sea and a river: "Look, everything in the world has its destiny. Since you are in charge of human marriages, my brother, your primary concern should be the wishes of the common people. Do not be bound by ordinary sentiments. Otherwise, wouldn't you be neglecting your divine duties and disrupting the proper order?"

The Old Man of the Moon's eyes flickered slightly, his expression turned solemn, and he bowed, saying, "Thank you for your guidance, Elder Star Lord!"

Venus smiled and shook his head: "We're brothers, no need for such formalities. It's getting late, I'll take my leave now."

"Respectfully bidding farewell to the venerable Star Lord!"

Seeing Venus leisurely depart on auspicious clouds, the Old Man of the Moon stood in place, lost in thought.

A moment later, He composed himself and quickened his pace toward the Ziwei Heavenly Palace.

……

Meanwhile, inside the Linglong Tower.

A scene of utter chaos and debauchery!

If an outsider were here, they would certainly not believe that this was a divine tower that was supposed to suppress all the demons in the world.

At this moment, it resembled a peerless demon's lair.

Demonic energy surged, a foul wind blew, and the roars of all kinds of demons rose and fell.

"Brother, this kid is indeed in tune with the treasure; he's refining it way too fast!"

The stone spirit was overjoyed.

The extraordinary treasure melted rapidly in the Samadhi Fire, much faster than they had anticipated.

At this rate, it will be completely refined in just a few hours.

"Good heavens... just how much Samadhi True Fire has this kid absorbed into his hearth? It's so inexhaustible and the fire is so powerful!"

The red bird spirit was terrified.

He was originally a great demon born with a natural affinity for fire, and after becoming a demon, he further refined his body into an extremely powerful demonic flame.

But no matter how fierce the demonic flames are, how can they compare to the divine fire of the immortals?
This fire in the hearth can even absorb and subdue the Samadhi True Fire, let alone its demonic flames.

At this moment, the Black Demon Lord sat cross-legged, circulating his internal energy to rapidly recover his strength and prepare for the fierce battle to come.

Unlike the joy of the second and third demons, His face was ashen, and His brows were furrowed.

"Although bad luck can break through this layer of luck and lift the demon-slaying restriction, this thing itself is also a variable. What will happen next... is hard to say."

"What do you mean, brother?"

The Black Demon Lord said in a deep voice, "In the end, this tower needs to use this rare treasure to strengthen its foundation."

This child is connected to the treasure, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should be able to seize a portion of the tower's fortune and thus gain control of the treasure.

My bet is that while this treasure is wonderful, it's not enough for him to fully control the Linglong Pagoda.

If he only manipulates the methods of entry and exit, it would be an extremely good thing for us.

But what if this treasure's fortune far exceeds expectations, granting him the power to suppress it...?

The red bird spirit immediately understood: "Brother, are you afraid he'll betray us?"

The Black Demon Lord sneered, "Although this boy is not very cunning, he is extremely cautious. He may not truly trust us. It would not be surprising if he turned against us at the last minute."

The stone spirit and the red bird spirit exchanged a glance: "Then... what does this have to do with bad luck? What variable are you talking about, brother?"

Black Demon Lord: "As I just said, bad luck is also a kind of fortune. If this item is integrated into the tower along with the rare treasure, I cannot even predict what kind of changes will occur afterward."

"What should we do?"

"No rush, let's wait and see. If he really intends to do something..."

A murderous glint flashed in the Black Demon Lord's eyes. "Then subdue him! Force him to activate the Exquisite Pagoda to release us."

When all the demons come out, even if my two brothers and I are no match for them, our chances of escaping will be much greater.

Whether they can truly escape depends on their own fate.

"Alright, I'll do whatever you say, brother!"

The stone spirit and the red bird spirit nodded heavily, a fierce glint flashing in their eyes.

……

Outside the shattered prison, Lu Chen sat cross-legged, fine beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.

That extraordinary treasure had already been refined to a quarter.

"Lan'er, how much time has passed since I entered the pagoda?"

Lu Chen asked telepathically.

Thanks to the replenishment from the spiritual fruit, his energy and blood have recovered considerably.

After the restriction was broken, his magical power was also restored to about 70-80%.

"It's been about an hour and a half."

“A month and a half has passed in the human world.”

Lu Chen's heart sank.

At the current refining speed, it will take at least several more hours.

--slow!

—It's still too slow!

Lu Chen hesitated slightly before asking, "Lan'er, what would happen if I encountered some bad luck during the process of refining this extraordinary treasure?"

"What!" Lan'er's pupils shrank, and she transmitted her voice in alarm, "Lu Chen, don't do anything reckless! If bad luck really contaminates the entire Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, the consequences will be unimaginable! If the demons on the lower levels of the pagoda take the opportunity to cause chaos, then there will be great chaos in the Three Realms!"

Lu Chen felt a chill run down his spine, nodded slightly, and temporarily suppressed the thought.

Continue to increase firepower and do everything possible to refine the extraordinary treasure.

Fortunately, the fire in the stove had absorbed enough Samadhi True Fire.

Otherwise, he really wouldn't be willing to spend so lavishly.

After all, every bit of the Samadhi True Fire used is a bit less. However, although Lan'er tried to dissuade him, she did not completely dispel Lu Chen's idea.

In his view, bad luck and innate fortune are like yin and yang, complementing each other.

If a little bit of bad luck is added, it might have unexpected results.

Just like stir-frying vegetables, if you only add salt, the flavor of the vegetables will be limited.
Adding a little sugar to enhance the flavor will actually make it richer and more mellow.

There are countless similar examples in the world.

Therefore, Lu Chen felt that this method might not be impossible, and might even be able to accelerate the refining process.

However, the time is not right yet. The Black Demon Lord is watching us closely, and it would be unwise to take action now.

—The time is not right!
"Let's wait and see how things develop."

Having made up his mind, Lu Chen once again focused his attention on refining the essence.

……

Meanwhile, outside the Linglong Tower.

An amazing aroma of wine filled the entire hall.

His Highness's wine jars have long been piled up into a small mountain.

All the immortals were drunk.

Both the Water Deity Star Lord and the Fengdu Emperor were unsteady on their feet, swaying and staggering.

The God of Wealth was lying face down on the table, seemingly unconscious.

Even the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, whose capacity for alcohol was unfathomable, had reached his limit.

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King secretly groaned: He never expected these guys to be such heavy drinkers!
His drinking capacity is among the best in the entire Three Realms.

Today, I was so entangled by these people that I couldn't hold on any longer.

"Come, come, Heavenly King, let me offer you another cup." The Kitchen God, his face glowing, raised his cup and stepped forward again.

This time, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King finally waved his hand and said, "Kitchen God, that's enough. If you drink any more, you might mess things up."

"What could possibly go wrong?" the Kitchen God laughed. "We're in the midst of a lively drinking session. On such a fine day, how could we spoil the mood!"

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King still refused to answer, and deliberately changed the subject, looking surprised: "Strange, why did Taibai take so long? Given His speed, that shouldn't be the case."

"Perhaps the Great Celestial Venerable gave instructions in person, which caused a slight delay. It's alright, it's alright, let's continue drinking!"

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was in a dilemma. His gaze swept over Jinzha and Muzha, who were also entangled in the same situation.

The two sons understood immediately and got up to step forward.

"Kitchen God, my father really shouldn't drink today. If you don't mind, I'll do it for him. Anyway, we've already broken our vow against alcohol today, so whether he drinks one bowl or two, it's all the same!"

"Indeed, we'll keep you company with this wine."

The Kitchen God said, “Your Highnesses, this will not do... It would be better if I first paid my respects to the Marshal, and then we could drink together.”

Seeing that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was already exhausted, the Kitchen God was not about to let him go.

If we can get Him drunk, we'll have at least a 40% better chance of winning!

"This……"

Seeing that He was so persistent, the Heavenly King Li Jing felt increasingly uneasy.

Just moments ago, these people were all on the verge of war, ready to fight and kill each other.

Now they all address each other as brothers, their faces beaming with joy.

Logically speaking, Venus, considering the overall situation, would certainly stand on their side, and they should be aware of this.

If that's the case, why are you so relaxed?

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's heart tightened: "Could it be... a trap?"

He glanced at the pagoda instinctively.

The tower remained quiet, with no signs of abnormality.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

On second thought, it seemed ridiculous.

Could a mere mortal boy possibly cause chaos within his own pagoda?

Absolutely ridiculous.

Seeing His gaze shift towards the pagoda, the Kitchen God's heart pounded with alarm, and he quickly raised his cup again: "Marshal, please—"

"I'm not drinking anymore, I'm not drinking anymore, I'm really messing things up!"

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King waved his hand in refusal again, but his movement was too large and he accidentally knocked over the wine cup in the Kitchen God's hand.

With a loud "bang," the sound was sharp and piercing.

In an instant, all the immortals in the hall turned their gazes toward it.

Even Jun Caishen, who was bent over his desk, suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with vigilance.

Upon seeing this scene, the Heavenly King Li Jing felt a sudden sinking feeling in his heart, and a strong sense of unease welled up within him.

wrong!

Something's off about the way these guys look at us!
The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly froze.

Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and Jinzha and Muzha surveyed the assembled immortals.

The immortals were also scanning them.
As the stalemate continued, both sides secretly thought: This is bad!

At this critical moment——

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The Seven Treasures Pagoda, which had been sitting still on the table, suddenly began to shake violently!

An extremely dangerous thought, almost simultaneously, pierced the mind of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King like an icicle:

This is the pagoda warning Him and crying for help!

Someone is stealing ownership of the pagoda!

A thunderclap seemed to explode in the mind of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, leaving him completely blank!
"ah--------!!!"

He roared, and the hall shook instantly!

It transformed into a blazing golden rainbow, shooting straight into the tower!

Even though the Emperor of Fengdu, the Water Deity Star Lord, and the Plague Lord reacted extremely quickly and simultaneously unleashed their divine powers to try and stop them.

But it couldn't stop them in the slightest!
"Wow—"

Jinzha and Muzha once again manifested their wrathful forms, standing guard before the pagoda, and shouted fiercely:
"What exactly do you all intend to do?!"

The immortals looked at each other.

The Plague King snorted coldly, and the Plague Blade Twin Swords were already in his hands.

"Things have come to this point, there's no need to pretend anymore! Since being soft doesn't work... let's charge in!!"

……

Inside the Linglong Tower.

As the golden rainbow pierced through, the entire third floor was instantly filled with divine power, and a fierce wind swept through.

"Who dares to tamper with the foundation of my divine tower?!"

Unexpectedly, the divine voice of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, carrying supreme power and aura, had not yet spread.

Inside the pagoda, thousands of sinister and ferocious divine powers, already blotting out the sky and like mighty rivers, were the first to strike at Him!

　This chapter is a bit long, so there will be a little more than half a page left in the second update.

It also needs polishing.

Hold on.

　
(End of this chapter)