Chapter 1295: This Is Only the Beginning

Although this is a record from over a hundred years ago, not every deity is as lucky as Naraku, able to ascend from a minor deity to a major deity in just over a century.

“According to your human calendar, in the past three years, seven Lingxu deities have died, eleven of ours have died, twenty-two from other factions have died, and thirty-four or thirty-five — or perhaps thirty-seven or thirty-eight — rogue deities have died! We can't get an exact count.” Pu Yin stated somberly. “It's been a long time since we've seen such a large-scale divine demise.”

Nearly eighty deities have perished in recent years? He Lingchuan keenly noticed that this number didn't align with the frequency of the Poured Nectar manifestations.

Pu Yin paused, waiting for him to ask a question. Listening to his questions would also reveal the masked man's understanding of the Celestial Realm.

The other man slowly responded, “It seems the fallen rogue deities aren't significant enough to warrant several proper Poured Nectar manifestations.”

Indeed, as He Lingchuan gained a deeper understanding of deities, he had learned that some minor or newly ascended deities lacked sufficient power, meaning even their demise wouldn't accumulate enough energy for a single Poured Nectar event.

Sometimes, the Poured Nectar that descended from the heavens was the cumulative result of multiple divine demises.

“So, this is just the beginning,” He Lingchuan mused. “Winter is coming; the strongest don't always win in the end, but the weakest are always eliminated first.”

Pu Yin slowly stated, “They covet what doesn't belong to them.”

As an organized deity, Pu Yin naturally looked down on the other rogue deities.

“What about you all?”

“What do you mean?”

“Eleven of your deities have died too,” He Lingchuan reminded him. “You and the Lingxu deities are equally anxious.”

Pu Yin chuckled twice, then said no more.

He Lingchuan could discern a deeper meaning in the chuckle.

It was always like this. Whenever the minor deities on Platinum Island discussed the recent turmoil in the Celestial Realm, they would invariably clam up. He Lingchuan suspected they either truly didn't know or that the matter was extremely significant.

But if the deities refused to speak of this secret, how would humans ever come to know it?

“Fine, let's change the topic. My second question: I'd like to know Naraku's current situation.”

The sudden shift in topic surprised Pu Yin. “Naraku?”

“Isn't he one of the Kshatriya deities? And a major deity at that, so you should know more about him.”

Indeed, Naraku belonged to the Kshatriya deities. This was one of the most useful pieces of information He Lingchuan had gleaned from the minor deities on Platinum Island.

While there were many deities among the Kshatriya, major deities were few. Naraku's addition had significantly altered the situation.

He Lingchuan continued, “I already know that Naraku was injured recently, causing a significant reduction in his divine power, and that he's been largely reclusive.”

“You know quite a lot, for a human,” Pu Yin said, a hint of surprise in his voice. “Is there a connection between you and Naraku?”

The relationship between humans and deities typically fell into a few categories, but none of them involved equality.

He Lingchuan tilted his head. “An old friend is quite concerned about him and wants to know how he's been recently.”

“Naraku rarely appears in public, but I've heard his followers in the west are very effective, acquiring a substantial amount of Nightmare Qi for him,” Pu Yin said, stroking his chin. “There have been continuous wars there, with no signs of abating yet.”

Though Pu Yin's voice was indifferent, He Lingchuan detected envy. Minor deities like Pu Yin were considered successful if they could establish a few temples, attract worshippers, and have followers perform tasks for them. Naraku's followers, however, could incite bloody chaos among humans and then use Torture Dragon Pillars to offer vast amounts of Nightmare Qi to him.

The power a major deity could unleash in the human world was truly enviable to Pu Yin.

“The west?” He Lingchuan repeated. “Yuan State?”

He Chunhua was a follower of Naraku. The fiercer the war between him and Dong Haoming, and the more severe the casualties in Yuan State, the more Nightmare Qi Naraku naturally acquired.

It appeared that Naraku's investment in He Chunhua had been very profitable.

“No, not just there,” Pu Yin said, extending a hand towards him.

He Lingchuan tossed him a Torture Dragon Pillar. Only then did Pu Yin continue, “Naraku's followers aren't just causing trouble in Yuan State. Among the Kshatriya deities, he's the one who has benefited the most recently. I've heard that his followers are expanding their influence in the northern Baling region and several tribes in the west.”

“He's not very sociable, is he? Otherwise, you'd all get a share,” He Lingchuan said with a smile. “If even major deities are so reclusive, no wonder your Kshatriya deities aren't as unified as the opposing side.”

Pu Yin coldly replied, “They just have too many outdated rules. And who told you the Lingxu deities are unified? Their internal infighting is unparalleled in the divine realm, yet they still put on a show of strength to outsiders!”

He Lingchuan then asked, “Speaking of the Lingxu deities, they seem particularly displeased with Beijia recently, don't they?”

He had assumed this, but it was a question that could never be wrong, regardless of when it was asked.

In recent years, with frequent Poured Nectar manifestations and the resurgence of spiritual energy in the human world, the situation, in He Lingchuan's terms from another world, was 'water being drawn faster than it's replenished.' This meant the deities' agents in the human world weren't working hard enough, so the Lingxu deities couldn't possibly be satisfied with Beijia.

He had also visited Beijia and witnessed the power struggles between the Heavenly Palace and Lingxu City, and between deities and demon emperors.

Besides, how many superiors are ever truly satisfied with their subordinates' work?

As expected, upon hearing this, Pu Yin burst into laughter. “Dissatisfied? Lingxu has never been satisfied with Beijia. But you're right, the war between Beijia and Mou State has been too lukewarm, resulting in Lingxu acquiring even less Nightmare Qi than from a tiny internal conflict in Yuan State!”

In other words, a vast empire like Beijia was performing worse than He Chunhua? How could that be acceptable?

“I've heard it said that Naraku's rapid rise was due to Beijia's negligence back then. He's a major deity, and no major deity has ascended so quickly in the past three thousand years!” Pu Yin continued. “That's why the Lingxu deities are extremely annoyed and hope to prevent such incidents from recurring.”

He Lingchuan understood.

The leap from a minor deity to a major deity required an immense amount of energy. There was only so much Nightmare Qi generated in the human world; if Naraku acquired a larger share, other deities would naturally receive less.

Furthermore, the emergence of a major deity, to some extent, altered the power dynamics of the divine realm. The Lingxu deities likely disliked this change intensely.

“I also received news —” Pu Yin lowered his voice, “— the Lingxu Sage Venerable is greatly displeased and has demanded that both Beijia and Yao State increase their Nightmare Qi recovery efforts!”

“So, will Beijia intensify its troublemaking next?”

Pu Yin snickered. “What do you think?”

He Lingchuan gave a slight smile.

“By the way, I heard that over a hundred years ago, the mainstream belief in Yao State was originally in Kshatriya Heaven, but later they converted to Myozan Heaven. Is that true?”

Small states on the Glimmering Gold Plains typically had complex internal beliefs. For instance, the former Bo State, though small in territory, had at least a hundred temples within its borders, most of which were dedicated to different deities.

Pu Yin's face was impassive. “That question is inconvenient to answer.”

“Understood.” If it weren't true, Pu Yin would have already refuted it.