Chapter 1894: All So Familiar

Wang Han interrupted, "Revered Lingxu is the chief deity of Beijia! The God of a Hundred Battles is also a Great God..."

"The God of a Hundred Battles ranks eleventh among the Revered Lingxu deities, far below the Radiant God!" Xun Yu chuckled. "Believe it or not, whoever emerges victorious between Bai Tan or Chen Chuihua, who are fighting to the death in the former Yao Kingdom, will be assigned a deity of higher rank than the God of a Hundred Battles! The truth is, the gods don't value us!"

"You, you're just making wild guesses!" What Wang Han actually wanted to say was "twisting logic."

What kind of alliance dares to request Revered Lingxu as their chief deity?

But he couldn't bring himself to say it in front of Situ He.

"What makes you think the God of a Hundred Battles won't focus on supporting us?"

"They know our lord has a deep-seated vendetta against Bixia, yet they want to stop this war. That means they don't respect our lord. If they want us to fight, we fight; if they want us to stop, we stop!" Xun Yu said coldly. "Our lord has designs on the Yao territory, and now would be the best time to intervene. But in my opinion, the gods will definitely not allow you to enter that battlefield right now. If you don't believe me, let's test it and see if the God of a Hundred Battles permits it."

"Not let me invade Yao territory?" Situ He stroked his chin. "Why?"

"Because rumors are spreading that the Dragon God is about to sweep across the entire Glimmering Plains!" Xun Yu said. "If the Yao territory remains in chaos, how will it resist the Dragon God? I suspect the gods will intervene in the Yao war very soon, though I don't know which side they'll favor."

Situ He said without hesitation, "They'll help Bai Tan."

Xun Yu's point was incisive: "In that case, they don't actually need an allied army."

Both Situ He and Wang Han were speechless.

"All in all, accepting the God of a Hundred Battles' terms might not be beneficial, but confronting or killing Island Lord He would definitely be harmful," Xun Yu pleaded earnestly. "You absolutely must not make such a foolish mistake!"

As Situ He's childhood companion, he spoke without restraint.

Wang Han, meanwhile, said, "Even if our lord doesn't accept the God of a Hundred Battles' terms, at least wait and see the reactions of other factions. The gods probably aren't only approaching our lord to deal with Yangshan."

Situ He nodded; that point was very practical. The news that the Dragon God had killed the Radiant God caused a huge stir across the Glimmering Plains. Not only was the public reaction strong, but various nations, regions, nobles, and powerful families also reacted intensely.

They preferred to maintain the status quo and instinctively abhorred change.

Confusion, suspicion, vigilance, fear—a full spectrum of emotions, with perhaps a few even welcoming the news with joy.

Situ He casually instructed Xun Yu, "Send someone to watch the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce in Jucheng, especially Jiang Lishui's movements."

"Are you going to summon him for questioning?"

"No, no need. Just keep an eye on him for now." Situ He knew that questioning Jiang Lishui wouldn't reveal anything.

He waved both men away and sat by the window, deep in thought for a long time.

Several meteors streaked across the late summer sky, bright but fleeting.

In the Glimmering Plains, all figures of exceptional talent and brilliance ultimately met this fate.

Would He Xiao meet the same end?

Situ He let out a heavy sigh. Regardless of how his two strategists analyzed it, he was gradually leaning towards the gods' judgment:

He Xiao was the Dragon God, the Great Emperor of the Nine Hells!

This man was simply too capable! Now, it truly seemed as if he wasn't human.

In just two or three years, who else could have built such a vast commercial empire in the chaotic Glimmering Plains?

Who could navigate the Glimmering Plains' complex network of factions, both large and small, and make them open their doors wide for Yangshan?

The word "empire" sent a shiver down Situ He's spine.

A significant reason Situ He previously couldn't discern He Xiao's true nature was his inability to grasp the man's goals, his ambitions, or his ultimate purpose.

But if He Xiao was the Great Emperor of the Nine Hells, then all his strange past actions made perfect sense:

This man had his sights set on the Glimmering Plains and his sword pointed at the gods.

No wonder the gods wanted him dead immediately.

In fact, both advisors had overlooked a crucial point:

The Divine Dragon had fallen in the Glimmering Plains precisely to fight against the gods; now that the Dragon God was about to re-emerge, how could Situ He, as a native of the Glimmering Plains, have the face to be a pawn for the gods and confront the Dragon God?

Anyone who dared to stand against the Dragon God would first have to confront this very question.

Situ He rubbed his face vigorously and muttered to himself:

"Brother He, oh Brother He, what am I to do with you?"

***

Narrow Pass Town, northern Glimmering Plains.

This was the human settlement closest to the wilderness. Beyond Narrow Pass Town to the north lay untouched deep mountains and ancient forests.

Apart from merchant caravans who believed in seeking fortune through risk, ordinary people dared not easily set foot in the monsters' territory.

However, today this particular group was moving from north to south, emerging from the monster-infested forest back into human view.

Dusk was approaching, but the temple north of Narrow Pass Town remained unlit.

The temple doors had been smashed to pieces, and the temple priest had long since been dragged out by the Black-Armored Army.

The instigator, He Lingchuan, was still himself outside the temple, but by the time he stepped inside, he had transformed into the Great Emperor of the Nine Hells.

Madam Zhu followed behind him and saw a multi-eyed, multi-armed statue of a god in a combat stance enshrined in the altar.

"It's indeed the God of a Hundred Battles," Madam Zhu said to him. "Do you want to speak with the God of a Hundred Battles?"

Not only did the Sky Demon want to know what had happened within the Upside-Down Sea, but He Lingchuan also wanted to understand the impact of the Radiant God's death on the demon realm.

"What could he tell me?" A low voice emanated from beneath the mask as the Great Emperor of the Nine Hells casually swung his blade, slicing the God of a Hundred Battles' statue in two.

The statue tumbled to the ground, shattering into several pieces.

The candles on the offering table were also cut down. He took a pale golden-white candle from his storage ring and placed it on the candelabra.

Before Bai Ziqi's defeat, the spirit of the Eternal Lamp had already been extinguished, but the candles where the lamp spirit resided still possessed many wondrous uses.

He Lingchuan then took out another statue, placed it in the altar, replacing the God of a Hundred Battles' statue, and then waved his hand to cast a soundproof and windproof barrier.

"What is this?" Madam Zhu looked at the statue, finding it unfamiliar.

He Lingchuan lit the candle and turned to sit on a chair.

The light from the pale golden-white candle solidified and contained the statue, gradually making it indistinct.

With two sputtering sounds, the candle flame flared up, followed by two brief flashes of intense light within the temple, before everything returned to normal.

After that, the candlelight became very steady, casting the motionless shadows of the Great Emperor of the Nine Hells and Madam Zhu on the wall.

But Madam Zhu could feel as if a pair of eyes was secretly watching them.

He Lingchuan crossed his legs:

"Come out. There's no need for pretense. You know who I am. We're already so familiar with each other."

Thick candle smoke gathered, quickly forming a human face, identical to the statue on the altar.

Without needing incense, prayers, or even a temple priest or any living person as a medium, He Lingchuan had summoned this deity.

This was the miraculous use of the Celestial Palace Candle.

"The Great Emperor of the Nine Hells?" a low voice, which He Lingchuan had heard before, resonated. "No, you are—"

"He Lingchuan?"

He Lingchuan was sitting there, fully adorned in the Great Emperor of the Nine Hells' attire, black armor and black mask, with only the Blood Demon, transformed into the Cave Infant King, keeping watch on the roof.

How many deities could instantly discern his true identity? Madam Zhu was very curious, especially since the other party hadn't called him "He Xiao," but "He Lingchuan"!