Chapter 1897: You Can Keep Guard?

"Alright," He Lingchuan readily agreed. "I'd appreciate that."

He was short on information, and even biased accounts would be helpful. It seemed that the immortals' mortal enemies were the ones who knew them best.

"I know your origins," Naraka whispered, seeing He Lingchuan's increasingly arrogant demeanor. "Even if you now claim to be the reincarnation of a Dragon God, you're actually just the son of a border city prefect from Yuan Nation! It's one thing to deceive others, but don't deceive yourself into thinking you truly possess immense power!"

"And I know your origins too," He Lingchuan said, crossing his legs. "You were just a minor, obscure wild god in the God Realm, and you've only risen to prominence in the last hundred years or so. If the Spirit Void Deities truly valued you, why would you be associating with Brahma?"

"Mind your words and actions," Naraka warned him. "Don't miss out on a great opportunity."

"A great opportunity?"

Naraka chuckled softly. "Let's assume, for argument's sake, that you could conquer the entire Blazing Gold Plain, just like Emperor Blazing Gold did over a thousand years ago. Then what? Do you think winning all the battles means it's over, that you'll ascend to ultimate power, secure your reign, and your people will be as docile as sheep?"

He Lingchuan deliberately countered, "Why not?"

"How would you control such a vast territory? Do you possess that ability?"

Conquering a kingdom is difficult; defending it is even harder!

"As I just said, the people of the Blazing Gold Plain are restless and cunning by nature. When you defeat them, they'll be as obedient as can be; but the moment you leave, those unruly people will rebel! You'd be fighting fiercely on the front lines, only to find your rear ablaze with people trying to kill you, seize your supplies, reclaim their cities, and cause chaos. Would you turn back, or divide your forces? If you have to look both forward and backward, could you still win?"

He Lingchuan was somewhat impressed. "You know a great deal."

Over the past few millennia, the Heavenly Deities had indeed carefully studied humans and human nature, proving superior to the immortals in this regard.

"This is a bloody lesson from the Blazing Gold Plain over the past few centuries," Naraka continued. "Take Yao Nation, for example. Do you think it couldn't sweep across the Blazing Gold Plain with its power? They've tried many times."

Yao Nation was once a dominant power in the Blazing Gold Plain, unrivaled in strength.

"And what was the outcome?"

"Battles went smoothly; no one could stand against them. But governing was a headache. As you humans say, 'Press down one gourd, and another pops up.' Yao Nation once believed in Brahma, and as one of Brahma's primary deities, Naraka was quite familiar with Yao Nation's past. 'Yao Nation also had ambitions, wanting to emulate the Blazing Gold Empire, but they repeatedly failed. The territories they conquered, hah, they simply couldn't manage them! One hundred and sixty years ago, the Yao King launched his last expedition, hoping to achieve success in one fell swoop, but he exhausted his people and resources, almost collapsing the nation.'"

He Lingchuan smirked slightly. "So they later converted to the Wonderful Ocean Deity?"

"Yao Nation's expeditions were a strategic error on Brahma's part at the time, which the Wonderful Ocean Deity exploited." Naraka felt no compunction in blaming an ally, as those decisions weren't made by him. One hundred and sixty years ago, he wasn't yet a primary deity.

"Such vast land and such a massive population of unruly people cannot be controlled by a fake Dragon God like you. Only the power of true deities can help you," Naraka said very sincerely. "When the Beijia Nation was founded six hundred years ago, and the Yao Nation two hundred years ago, were their founding monarchs dumber than you? Why did they have to rely on the power of the Heavenly Deities? You should think about this carefully."

He knew that He Lingchuan couldn't make such a major decision immediately.

He Lingchuan chuckled, "As expected of Naraka, you're practically breaking your heart over me."

Naraka hadn't been a primary deity for long and was willing to humble himself to act as a personal persuader, unlike other primary deities who were more arrogant.

"Let's exchange information one last time," He Lingchuan said, having sat for a while and now cracking his neck. "How do the Spirit Void Deities plan to deal with me?"

"Alright, I'll show some sincerity first: You've established the Yangshan Merchant Guild, haven't you? If they can't catch you, they'll target your people. From what I know, they've already given orders, and even your business with the Allied Forces will be in jeopardy," Naraka said with a smile. "But I understand the Spirit Void Deities well. Until they decide on the successor to the Wonderful Ocean Deity, their attention to you will be limited. Even if you're flying some naive flag of the Dragon God saving the world, they won't actually take you seriously, viewing it merely as a ridiculous fantasy of mortals."

He Lingchuan understood.

The reasons were manifold.

As for him, no Heavenly Deity believed he was truly the reincarnation of a Dragon God, nor did any believe he could genuinely unify Blazing Gold. As for the Spirit Void Deities themselves, this was a prime period for vying for power and benefits; any deity who spent extra effort monitoring He Lingchuan would feel they were at a disadvantage.

The information and assessment provided by Naraka were extremely valuable to He Lingchuan.

He also needed to provide information of equivalent value in exchange, otherwise there wouldn't be a next time.

"Alright, I'll give you a reliable piece of information too," He Lingchuan immediately said. "The Wonderful Ocean Deity's failed operation this time resulted in the Spirit Void Deities losing over nine hundred Dragon Punishment Pillars. They're very agitated, so you should be careful."

"Lost... nine hundred!" Naraka was startled, then realized. "No wonder they're so furious. Where are these Dragon Punishment Pillars?"

"Naturally, they were lost in the mortal realm." Before Naraka could ask further, He Lingchuan raised his hand, and the Heavenly Palace Candle extinguished instantly.

Without the medium for communication, the smoke in the air dissipated once again.

The sensation of constantly being spied upon also vanished immediately.

He Lingchuan stood up and put the statue back into the Soul-Capturing Mirror.

He forcibly ended the remote communication, leaving Naraka with no recourse.

He needed to leave the great demon deity wanting more, so he would be willing to be summoned again next time. Moreover, He Lingchuan himself was very cautious; Naraka's cunning was no less than that of the Wonderful Ocean Deity.

Putting away the Heavenly Palace Candle, he wasn't in a hurry to leave but instead gazed out the window, lost in thought.

Madam Zhu, who had been standing behind him like a statue, finally spoke, "Did you gain anything from your conversation with Naraka?"

"Yes, something very important. His words confirmed my assessment," He Lingchuan said seriously. "The Wonderful Ocean Deity's death has far-reaching consequences, even beyond the control of the Spirit Void Venerable."

"Indeed," Madam Zhu agreed. "The Wonderful Ocean Deity's legacy is not something the Spirit Void Venerable can simply bestow upon anyone they wish, nor was it entirely up to the Wonderful Ocean Deity himself."

There was an inherent problem: the Wonderful Ocean Deity's decision to apprehend True Man Qianhuan was spontaneous. Or rather, it was because He Lingchuan had revealed True Man Qianhuan's hiding place to Bai Ziqi that the Wonderful Ocean Deity made such a bold move.

He had no time or inclination to arrange his affairs or seriously pave the way for his successor, as he simply did not believe he could die in the mortal realm.

Against Qianhuan, if he couldn't win, couldn't he at least escape?