Chapter 1297: The Essence of the Struggle Between Humans and Gods

He Lingchuan also frowned. This was indeed a serious matter.

"How did Garrison Commander Yang repel the Zhao army?"

"I wasn't on the front lines, so I don't know the specifics," the temple priest said, standing up after having rested enough. "But the Zhao army only attacked Shizhou Tou for three days before withdrawing. City Commander Liu likely heard that Shizhou Tou had held, so he led his troops back. However, Garrison Commander Yang blocked them outside the city and refused them entry."

"I heard that after several failed attempts to persuade him, City Commander Liu ordered an assault on the city." The temple priest spread his hands. "So, the two sides started fighting, and they're still entangled in conflict to this day."

"Which side is gaining the upper hand?"

"That's unclear," the temple priest said, his heart filled with apprehension.

He Lingchuan asked him, "Which side do you hope wins?"

The temple priest sneered twice and said nothing more.

He didn't know these two masked figures, so naturally, he wouldn't openly state his preference and give them ammunition. However, He Lingchuan could discern his attitude from his expression.

"How many residents does Shizhou Tou have?"

The temple priest also refused to answer this question.

After He Lingchuan finished his questions, both men put their veiled hats back on and left Puyan Temple.

They both stood in the open space in front of the temple, bathed in sunlight.

He Lingchuan immediately noticed a faint golden thread emanating from Dong Rui's body, its end stretching behind him.

As expected, the God of Puyan was also secretly watching, intending to monitor their movements.

The two rode their horses out of Bayuan Township and into the countryside before He Lingchuan drew his blade and cut the golden thread.

This was why he chose to visit the temple on a clear day.

"The God of Puyan is very cunning; it didn't reveal any useful information." Dong Rui felt it wasn't worth the two Punishment Dragon Pillars. Although the cost for He Lingchuan to create these items wasn't high, why should these minor gods get them so cheaply?

He Lingchuan, however, said, "It was very cautious. But if you connect the answers to these few questions, they are still very valuable."

"How so?"

"Naraka Heaven is desperately stealing Nightmare Qi; almost eighty celestial gods have fallen, more than the total in the past hundred years combined; Miaozhan Heaven seized Yao Kingdom from Kshatriya Heaven; the Lingxu deities are demanding that their mortal vassal states intensify the war; and this is just the tip of the iceberg of what we've heard. There are countless other divine conflicts and contradictions we're unaware of. What does all this look like when you connect it?"

Dong Rui pulled on his reins. "Heaven has suddenly fallen into chaos?"

"For the past few millennia, what has been the root cause of the widespread chaos in the mortal realm?"

"The root cause?" Dong Rui thought for a while. "Are you suggesting that the celestial gods are disrupting the mortal world?"

"It's about the struggle for resources," He Lingchuan said gravely. "As spiritual energy declines, immortals have to contend for it; as spiritual energy declines, natural resources become scarce, and the land can no longer sustain so many beings, thus warfare becomes the norm."

War is always the best means to quickly eliminate populations and living beings.

"The two realms are in a constant ebb and flow: as spiritual energy diminishes in the mortal realm, Nightmare Qi becomes abundant in the divine realm," He Lingchuan continued. "But now, all celestial gods are desperately seizing Nightmare Qi..."

"Cough," Dong Rui reminded him. "In recent years, fewer than a hundred celestial gods have fallen, and the divine realm's Nightmare Qi is still far more abundant than that in the mortal realm."

"I know, but don't forget how much Nightmare Qi the celestial gods demand. And the essence of Nightmare Qi is also spiritual energy."

Ever since the appearance of the Heavenly Net Star, the divine and mortal realms have been in constant contention, all for spiritual energy.

"Look, why did immortals disappear from the world back then? Wasn't it because the spiritual energy in the world became increasingly thin, making it impossible for them to sustain themselves? Giant whales cannot survive in tidal flats," He Lingchuan spoke fluently. "I ask you, under what circumstances do people begin to hoard large quantities of supplies?"

"...War and famine?" Dong Rui frowned for a long time. "If it's just panic, it wouldn't last for several years, would it?"

Excessive hoarding caused by temporary panic usually blows over quickly.

"Regardless of the specific cause, once hoarding and contention for resources begin, even the most abundant supplies won't be enough to go around, whether in heaven or the mortal realm. That's why the value of the Punishment Dragon Pillars has quintupled," He Lingchuan stated definitively. "It's a rare and excellent opportunity; wouldn't it be a shame if we didn't get involved?"

"What do you intend to do?"

"You heard what the God of Puyan just said: the Lingxu deities are demanding action from Yao Kingdom. Coincidentally, we're in the Shanjin Plains," He Lingchuan analyzed. "The reason the celestial gods chose to create chaos here is that the Shanjin Plains have a massive population but no strong governing power. If war breaks out, their gains will be maximized. An increase in total Nightmare Qi will alleviate the divine realm's resource contention."

"We want to cause a bit of trouble for the divine realm—just a little—and there are two ways: either pacify the conflict on the Shanjin Plains, or prevent the Nightmare Qi here from being absorbed by the Heavenly Net Star. As long as the divine realm receives less Nightmare Qi, it will force the celestial gods to contend for resources more fiercely, leading to greater casualties," He Lingchuan said slowly,

"Just as the celestial gods have done to the mortal realm for thousands of years."

He looked in the direction of Shizhou Tou. "Coincidentally, I also have something I want to do here."

"What now?" This was fast becoming Dong Rui's catchphrase.

"We'll split up," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "You go to Shizhou Tou to scout for battle reports, and I'll return to Ju City to gather people."

Then, he explained his plan.

"Oh, and didn't you get a lot of trinkets from Qu Yu's underground palace? They might come in handy this time."

Dong Rui's eyebrows rose higher and higher, and his gaze toward He Lingchuan grew increasingly strange. "That sounds like fun. Are you sure you want to do this?"

He Lingchuan burst out laughing, lightly tapped his horse's flank, and the steed galloped away. Dong Rui only heard a sentence drifting back from the distance:

"From now on, we're going to get more involved."

The weather suddenly changed in the evening; two thunderstorms broke out before the sun even set.

Crack! A startling clap of thunder in mid-air illuminated the surroundings.

Garrison Commander Yang stood atop the city gate, braving the heavy rain, gazing at the nearby forest.

Earlier, there had been torchlight in the forest, but now it was extinguished by the rain, leaving it pitch black. Yet, he knew full well that City Commander Liu's army was camped in the woods, waiting for the next opportunity to attack the city.

The enemy wouldn't give up unless they suffered a crushing defeat.

His expression was as grim as the rainy night. His confidant beside him comforted him: "You don't need to worry. Even Zhao Guangzhi and his cannibal army were scared off by you; how could City Commander Liu's disorganized rabble possibly capture Shizhou Tou?"

"Zhao Guangzhi has two elite forces under his command, fearless and brave in assault, yet they didn't show up this time. Perhaps siege warfare isn't suitable for them?" Garrison Commander Yang's expression remained strained. "His performance was not as legendary as expected, which might indicate another reason; but City Commander Liu is determined to take Shizhou Tou and won't be easily deterred by us. Besides, supplies are scarce within the city."

On the night City Commander Liu attacked, they ran out of arrows and had to leave the city under the cover of darkness to collect more, nearly being ambushed by Liu's forces.

After City Commander Liu learned this information, the ground in front of the city became unprecedentedly clean.