Chapter 373: The Source of Imperial Flowing Slag

Oh, he would like to, but unfortunately, the Necropolis—no, the Grand Flask—is a hundred times more haughty than this mirror. It never makes a sound, leaving him to guess its intentions entirely.

The mirror often conversed with him, and He Lingchuan had grown accustomed to its sudden remarks, so he voiced his question.

The mirror listened, quite haughtily. "Shouldn't you just ask me about something like this?"

"Oh? You actually have an answer? What a pleasant surprise!" He Lingchuan took out the mirror and faced it. "Then tell me."

"Actually, I don't have a definitive conclusion either."

He Lingchuan immediately lost interest. "Cut the nonsense."

"This is being rigorous, rigorous!" The 'He Lingchuan' in the mirror looked a little annoyed. "Not just me, even the seniors of the Tianyan Sect only have some theories."

"Something's better than nothing. Tell me one."

"The popular theory is that the Emperor's Dew is an occasional massive burst of world aura, much like volcanoes or earthquakes, arriving suddenly after a long accumulation. However, in the early Middle Ages, bursts of Emperor's Dew occurred one after another, sometimes every few days, other times every few months, with the most outlandish record being three times in three days."

"Three bursts of Emperor's Dew in three days?" He Lingchuan gasped, his back molars itching with envy. He wondered how much cultivation this could convert into.

"The original explanation was 'inertial bursts,' the mirror continued. "After major volcanic eruptions or earthquakes, there are often a series of subsequent bursts and aftershocks. However, a senior from the Tianyan Sect named Tianshengzi spent over a hundred years studying the patterns of Emperor's Dew appearances and proposed a daring hypothesis—"

"—he believed that the appearance of Emperor's Dew might be related to the demise of gods."

"Demise of gods?" He Lingchuan rarely seemed to hear this term. "The fall of gods? But the gods had already left our world after the cataclysm, which was before the start of the Middle Ages."

If there were no gods left in this world, how could there be a demise of gods?

"These gods always have a place of origin. The cataclysm merely forced the surviving gods back to their own worlds. However, some were too severely injured and died even after returning," the mirror continued. "In the early Middle Ages, Tianshengzi went to great lengths to obtain the times of these gods' demises. Then, when he compared them with the times of Emperor's Dew bursts, heh!"

He Lingchuan tapped the mirror surface. "Stop building suspense! Who taught you this bad habit?" He didn't ask how Tianshengzi managed to obtain the demise times of gods from another world, as it must have been incredibly difficult.

The mirror spun around on the table. "He discovered that all Emperor's Dew bursts occurred within two to three months after a god's demise."

"How many demises did he cross-reference?"

"Twelve times," the mirror chuckled. "Among them, three gods fell consecutively within ten hours! Tell me, is there really such a coincidence?"

The shortest interval for Emperor's Dew bursts was three times in three days, and two or three months prior, exactly three gods had fallen consecutively within ten hours.

The mirror was right; it was too much of a coincidence.

"But Tianshengzi's calculated error was up to a month," He Lingchuan pointed out the flaw. "Look at Lingxu City's predictions; their error doesn't exceed five days."

"Hey, it's been over two thousand years. Surely later generations would have gained some insights and made progress?" the mirror retorted. "When Tianshengzi revealed his hypothesis, few people agreed with it at the time. Even most of the Tianyan Sect's seniors considered it absurd, as Tianshengzi couldn't produce any evidence."

He Lingchuan nodded upon hearing this. Indeed, how could Tianshengzi find evidence for something so ethereal? The Tianyan Sect's judgment was perfectly understandable.

The mirror said, "However, perhaps someone in later generations adopted it?"

"If Tianshengzi's theory is correct, why would the demise of gods in the heavens cause Emperor's Dew bursts in this world?" This was a major event occurring in different worlds.

"How should I know?" the mirror said listlessly. "These are just things I've heard. Tianshengzi had already passed away when I was created."

He Lingchuan recalled the last Emperor's Dew burst. At that time, the He family and the supporting army had just reached Fengling Ferry. Everyone had complained that the amount of Emperor's Dew was too small, negligible when divided among them.

If Tianshengzi's words were true, then a god must have fallen two or three months before that burst.

What had happened two or three months prior?

He Lingchuan's mind stirred, and he unearthed an unassuming old memory from the depths of his mind.

Before the rebel leader Lu Yao of Woling Pass was killed, he had swallowed a black talisman. That should have been his last life-saving move, yet nothing happened, and Lu Yao was beheaded.

He Lingchuan showed the collected black talisman to Marquis Songyang. She peeled away the disguise on the talisman paper and recognized it as a 'God-Invoking Charm,' a spell that invites a deity to descend using one's body as a vessel.

As for why the charm didn't work, it was because the deity didn't respond to Lu Yao. At the time, Marquis Songyang speculated that the deity had abandoned Lu Yao or was unable to come, effectively 'standing him up.'

But hearing the mirror's words today, He Lingchuan formed another hypothesis in his mind: Could it be that the deity corresponding to that 'God-Invoking Charm' had already fallen? If his great patron was dead, it would be strange if Lu Yao could still summon it.

Indeed, three months before the Emperor's Dew burst, a major event that shook the court and public of Yuan Kingdom had occurred: Rebel leader Hong Xiangqian was defeated at Woling Pass!

Originally, the rebel army had advanced north like a hot knife through butter, reaching its peak after conquering Woling Pass. The imperial army couldn't defeat them no matter how they besieged them, and even Shihan and the capital were severely threatened.

Lu Yao's 'God-Invoking Charm' was clearly obtained from Hong Xiangqian, so this 'Sacred Master Jiayuan' also had a deity he worshipped. So, were his victories and defeats along the way also related to the deities? Could it be that the deity behind him suddenly fell, Hong Xiangqian lost his support, and that became one of the major reasons for the rebel army's defeat...?

At least chronologically, this series of events lined up.

Then the next question arose: who killed the deity behind Hong Xiangqian? Heaven and the mortal realm were already separated, so only a god could kill a god, right?

So, even gods weren't safe.

"Hey, why are you spacing out again?" The mirror shone its light on him, trying to snap him out of it.

"If Emperor's Dew appears again in three days, which god will have fallen?" It seemed the divine realm wasn't peaceful either, He Lingchuan thought with a hint of schadenfreude. If a few more gods fell and the human world received a few more rounds of Emperor's Dew, wouldn't his cultivation skyrocket?

"The Demon Emperor must know; the news came from Lingxu City," the mirror said mockingly. "You should go ask it."

"Maybe I'll really get the chance someday." He Lingchuan shrugged. "Who can say?"

After half a night of pondering, if he didn't sleep now, it would be dawn. He Lingchuan took off his outer robes and lay down, falling asleep the second his head hit the pillow.

Mirror: "..."

Is this guy a pig?

Now that they were so familiar, He Lingchuan pounded on the door. "Ah Luo!"

He called out a few times before the door creaked open. Ah Luo, disheveled and with a stern expression, was about to launch into a tirade, but when he saw it was He Lingchuan, his tone softened: "What is it!"

If it had been Hu Min, he would have undoubtedly been given a severe dressing-down. He Lingchuan was currently riding high in Panlong City, and besides, Ah Luo had won a good amount of money through his betting tips. Who could get angry at their benefactor?

He Lingchuan looked up at the sky. Wasn't the sun already high in the sky?

"The sun's already on your backside, how can you sleep at your age...?" Before he could finish his sentence, He Lingchuan saw a figure flash inside the room behind him. "Hmm? Who was that?"

"No one," Ah Luo said, shifting his body to block He Lingchuan's view. "Just tell me, what is it?"

"Aren't you going to invite me in for a seat?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "Your herbal tea is quite good."

Ah Luo didn't move. "I need to go back to sleep!"

"Sleep with whom?" They were all full of vigor; it wasn't strange to occasionally summon 'that' for 'that,' as humans had instincts and needs to be met. But Ah Luo's refusal to say or let him see meant the person inside wasn't from a brothel. Seeing Ah Luo's face growing fouler, He Lingchuan cleared his throat and returned to the main topic. "Can the Emperor's Dew ointment formula you gave me be improved further?"

"Is it not good enough?" Ah Luo asked, a little confused. "I haven't heard anything about Emperor's Dew coming again recently."

"I feel its potency is still a bit weak. I want to get an advanced version of the formula first, just in case." This was also He Lingchuan's intention. "I've grown recently, so the formula might need adjusting."

Ah Luo reached out to take his pulse. After pondering for a while, he said, "Your cultivation has indeed increased rapidly, and the blockages in your meridians have significantly reduced. You can certainly use a stronger formula."

Strong practitioners naturally require stronger formulas and more potent medicinal effects. For instance, the ointment General Hong uses would certainly be different from what an ordinary person uses... if she used it.

"So?"

"So, I need to give it some thought. Come back this evening!" Ah Luo took a step back and slammed the door shut. If He Lingchuan hadn't retreated quickly, he would have nearly been hit in the nose.

He Lingchuan suspected the guy didn't actually need time to think. He Lingchuan heard light footsteps from inside the room, more delicate than Ah Luo's.

Just as he turned around, Hu Min ran over from across the street. "Broken Blade, what are you doing here? We have a mission!"

He Lingchuan's spirits lifted. Had his first mission after joining the Great Wind Army finally arrived? He leaned against Ah Luo's door, raising his voice. "Should I call Ah Luo to join us?"

"It's not a combat mission, so we don't need him," Hu Min said, glancing at the wooden door. "Is he home?"

Ah Luo's muffled voice came from inside. "No!"

Before Ah Luo's patience ran out and he yelled 'get lost,' He Lingchuan and Hu Min tactfully walked away.

Hu Min, speaking from experience, shared some wisdom. "The first mission after joining the Great Wind Army is usually quite difficult. It's a tradition." It was a common tactic in the army to give new recruits a tough initiation.

"Isn't it a non-combat mission?"

"I don't know the exact details myself; the higher-ups specifically assigned it to you, Willow, and Door Plank—the three new recruits," Hu Min chuckled. "It's not for us."

General Hong had specifically ordered He Lingchuan to form his own small team. For a new recruit who had just joined the Great Wind Army, this was an exceptional honor. During wartime, everything was negotiable if one had military achievements and ability.