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

Chapter 246 Old scoundrel, drop gold coins!!

Upon hearing these words, the air inside the villa suddenly froze.

"The Heavenly King of the Pagoda?!"

Even though Lu Chen had already secretly speculated about the possible intentions of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

But the weight of this priesthood still exceeded his expectations.

He originally thought that the most appropriate position to deal with the Plague Prince was a divine office at the level of the Four Heavenly Kings.

To everyone's surprise, the Heavenly King Li Jing offered him a high-ranking position in the Ministry of War, equivalent to "Deputy Marshal".

"So, my good brother, are you satisfied?"

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King smiled broadly, his divine voice filled with confidence.

In His view, such a weighty divine office would be coveted by any mortal, and even the greatest saints in the human world would find it hard to resist the temptation.

There's absolutely no reason for them to refuse!
"This……"

Sure enough, Lu Chen's expression changed.

"Your Majesty, this... is far too precious!"

“Alas, my dear brother, you are mistaken.”

Seeing that Lu Chen was clearly interested, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King felt delighted, and his divine voice became even more intimate:
"You should know that even in the Heavenly Court, this pagoda is an extraordinary treasure. Now, you and I are brothers who share this pagoda. This position is certainly prestigious, but with your ability to control the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, you are truly worthy of it!"

“This…” Lu Chen suddenly sighed softly, cupped his hands and said, “I appreciate the Heavenly King’s kindness, but I’m afraid I cannot accept this favor.”

"what?!"

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's divine senses visibly faltered: "Why is that? Could it be that my virtuous brother... is still not satisfied with this position?"

"No, no," Lu Chen quickly waved his hand, his tone sincere: "How could a junior like me have any reason to be dissatisfied with such a high position? It's just..."

"But what is it? Brother, please speak freely!" The voice of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King already revealed a hint of urgency.

He simply couldn't understand how anyone could refuse such an opportunity.

"However, I am already the Plague Commander of the Plague Department. In terms of lineage, I have a master above me, five Plague Envoys on my left and right, and a number of Plague Department generals under my command. It seems that the Heavenly King's bestowal of this position upon me is not very meaningful."

In the past, Lu Chen would have been completely powerless against the divine office of the Heavenly Court.

After all, among the mortals, only one in a million can receive a divine position in the Heavenly Court; it is an opportunity to bring glory to one's ancestors and ascend to heaven in one step.

But ever since he received the celestial register of the Horse and Grass Register, and learned from his elder brother that the seemingly glamorous divine office was actually hollow inside, he had no idea what to do with it.

He had long since demystified this so-called "divine office".

Moreover, the title of "Pagoda-Stabilizing Heavenly King" held by the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King is even more absurdly nominal.

Although he claimed to be able to command the Giant Spirit God and the Four Heavenly Kings, he didn't even grant them the authority to deploy heavenly soldiers and generals.

Therefore, Lu Chen had reason to suspect that this so-called "driving" was nothing more than a perfunctory excuse.

It remains to be seen how much effort can be mobilized and to what extent it can be of assistance.

This kind of title, which is all in name only, is even more useless than a chicken rib. What's the point of having it?
If you seek only empty fame.

He is more than capable of handling the Plague Prince's duties right now.

"Heh, trying to bribe me with this empty title and use me to control Nezha? This old Heavenly King is really cunning."

Lu Chen inwardly scoffed, but outwardly maintained a sincere expression.

Meanwhile, inside the statue, deep within the sea of ​​consciousness.

Upon hearing this, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King's divine sense sank, and he cursed inwardly:
"Damn it, this kid has such a big appetite? Even the power to command the Four Heavenly Kings and the Giant Spirit God can't satisfy him? What exactly does he want?"

He paused for a moment, suppressing his turmoil, and his divine voice remained gentle: "My dear brother, you are truly indifferent to fame and fortune, and have lofty aspirations. If you have any needs, please speak frankly. If I can do it, I will not refuse, and it will be my way of apologizing to you."

—The old guy has finally figured it out.

Lu Chen was secretly pleased, but his face showed some difficulty. He clasped his hands in a fist again and said, "Brother, if you say that, I don't know how to respond."

“Brother, please speak freely.”

“Then… I shall presume to take the liberty.” Lu Chen paused, his tone suddenly becoming fervent:
"Previously, inside the Seven Treasures Exquisite Pagoda, my elder brother displayed unparalleled divine power, sweeping away thousands of demons."

Such charm truly captivated me.

In the chaos, the younger brother overheard the demons praising his elder brother's method of "physical ascension to sainthood."

Therefore, I... truly yearn for it!

He bowed deeply and said, "Brother, would you be so kind as to pass on this sacred method to me? I would be eternally grateful and will never forget it!"

Although the method by which the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King achieved sainthood through physical means was not a top-tier divine power of the Heavenly Court.

But for Lu Chen now, it is absolutely the "heavenly divine power" he has been dreaming of!
Why not take advantage of this readily available opportunity instead of waiting for Nezha to come along?
Besides, Nezha smashed the Southern Heavenly Gate; who knows how long he'll be imprisoned by the Northern Exorcism Bureau? The opportunity to become stronger is urgent!
Within his sea of ​​consciousness, the originally composed divine will of the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King suddenly froze upon hearing the words "physical sainthood."

"So that's what this kid was after! He's got a real wolf in sheep's clothing!"

Despite his anger, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King forcibly restrained himself and did not lose his composure.

The radiance of the statue paused only slightly before His voice came again: "My dear brother, you are unaware of this. It is not that I am stingy with the method of achieving sainthood in the flesh, but rather that even if I were to teach it, you would... be unable to practice it."

"Why?"

"The reasons for this... I cannot say more. If you do not believe me, my dear brother, you can ask your master, the Plague God, and you will know that what I say is true and there is nothing I am hiding."

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King paused for a moment, then said, "Besides this, my brother, please feel free to ask, and I will never refuse."

Got~
It seems that the method of achieving sainthood through physical means is out of the question.

Lu Chen clicked his tongue inwardly, feeling a little regretful.

"Fine, then let's get some real benefits!"

His mind raced, and he chuckled, "Since you're in trouble, brother, I won't force you. It's just that my cultivation is low, and I often feel powerless to protect myself in the mortal realm..."

"This is simple!"

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King immediately chimed in, fearing that Lu Chen might make other difficult requests: "Brother, if you can offer sacrifices to the Four Heavenly Kings and the Giant Spirit God, I will guarantee that you will advance to the sixth rank of Spirit Master within a year. At that time, you will be able to dominate the mortal realm."

If that's still not enough, you can worship him as a brother deity a year later.

Within three to five years, I will definitely help you reach the eighth rank!

Is that alright?!

—Three to five years?

Lu Chen's lips twitched.

He himself reached the fourth rank in just over three months, and this old guy is trying to fool him with empty promises of advancing to the eighth rank in three to five years. That's too perfunctory.

He feigned hesitation and sighed, "Alas, brother, you do not know this, but I am not good at killing by nature. Besides, three to five years is too long and there are too many variables."

"I wonder if my elder brother could... bestow divine power upon me, helping me directly reach the eighth rank, or even the ninth rank?"

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was rendered silent.

After a long while, the divine voice rang out again, chuckling, "Brother, although the spiritual power of a spirit originates from the gods, it must eventually merge with the physical body and soul slowly; this is the natural order of things."

There are precedents for people rising to the top in one step.

These are all extraordinary individuals who defy the creation of heaven and earth, and are rare and hard to come by.

Forcibly infusing it with immense divine power would not only be useless, but would also pose a great risk of causing the body to explode and die.

Even if my dear brother were willing, as his elder brother... I would never dare to take such a risky step!

Are you kidding me? What if this kid dies?

The Seven Treasures Pagoda will likely be damaged as well.

This is a risk that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King absolutely cannot take.

"However, since you are worried about strength, how about I teach you a magical offensive technique?"
With your talent, my dear brother, you will surely achieve some success in three to five years of diligent study, and great success in thirty to fifty years!

He's just making empty promises again...

Seeing that the old man was unwilling to produce any substantial information, Lu Chen lost patience and shook his head directly: "Thirty or fifty years is too long. I won't learn it."

"Then... what about the magic weapon?"

"A magic weapon?" Lu Chen's eyes lit up, and he instantly became interested.

—That's possible!
It is said that in addition to the Seven Treasures Pagoda, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King also possesses several other extremely powerful magical treasures.

—The Demon-Revealing Mirror.

—The Divine Halberd of the Heavens.

And the Demon-Binding Rope that appeared in "Journey to the West" and once bound the Great Sage Equaling Heaven.

Seeing that he had become interested, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King smiled and said, "I wonder if my worthy brother has any suitable weapons? I have a few celestial weapons here..."

He had not finished speaking.

Lu Chen spoke first: "I've heard that you possess two supreme treasures, brother: one is the 'Demon-Revealing Mirror,' which can identify all demons and evil spirits in the world; the other is the 'Demon-Binding Rope,' which is used to bind Golden Immortals and Saints. They are truly incredibly powerful! Is this true?"

Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King: "..."

　Staying up late is bad for your health, so after finishing the second update, the author went to sleep.

　　People are not feeling well
　　
　
(End of this chapter)