Chapter 638: Cooperation Negotiation

It was clear to it that unless brute force was used, only individuals designated by Venerable Wood Spirit could enter this cave.

This alone made it worthy of its attention.

That old Wood Spirit still had some tricks up his sleeve. Perhaps the person he favored was worth looking forward to?

He Lingchuan then asked it, "If I can break the formation's core, I'll need you to attack the Stargazer Tower and help me seize the treasure. What do you say?"

The wrath of a Celestial God was no small matter. Was Zu Ju willing to bear it?

As expected, the lava-fire monster fell into contemplation.

It was different from He Lingchuan. The latter would cause destruction and then simply leave, but Zu Ju could not abandon Mount Xu; it still had to coexist with Lingxu City for a long time.

Once the Spirit Gathering Array was broken, its relationship with Lingxu City would plummet to rock bottom.

He Lingchuan seemed to hear its thoughts: "Breaking this array would be like returning to over ten years ago. Back then, without the array's restraint, weren't you content? You were still the immensely powerful Zu Ju. What could Lingxu City dare do to you? But now, Lingxu City uses the Spirit Gathering Array to tie your hands and feet, leaving you intermittently starved, your power gradually weakening. After some years, even without the array suppressing you, you'll be nothing but a tiny flicker."

Simply put, Zu Ju's relationship with Lingxu City depended on its strength.

The stronger it became, the friendlier Lingxu City would be towards it.

"Besides, didn't Lingxu City deceive you first?" He Lingchuan's words were like a devil's whisper. "Don't you want revenge?"

The giant bear formed from lava-fire smacked its lips. "Alright, if you can destroy the array's core, I'll help you seize the divine artifact from the Stargazer Tower. It'll be mutually beneficial."

Yet, it sneered inwardly. If it truly broke free, it could do whatever it pleased in the future. First, it would kick this little thing away, and then settle scores with the Celestial Palace!

Once it was free from the suppression of the Spirit Gathering Array, how easy would it be for Lingxu City to deal with it?

"I need information," He Lingchuan mused. "You must know best about the construction of the Spirit Gathering Array. Please tell me everything you know about the defenses and formations of the Stargazer Tower and the array's core."

"You don't know?" It scoffed. "So you're trying to gain something for nothing here? You don't even know the details, yet you want to break the array's core?!"

He Lingchuan calmly replied, "The construction of the Spirit Gathering Array has been top secret to this day. I've asked participants and insiders, but I could only piece together a general idea. For such a major undertaking, shouldn't I repeatedly verify with you?"

Hmm, that made sense. Zu Ju remained silent.

Next, He Lingchuan asked questions, and it provided additional details.

This information largely matched what he had already gleaned from Zhaifu Kua, with many added details.

Everyone knew that the devil lay in the details.

For He Lingchuan, the more detailed the information, the better.

He also asked Zu Ju, "If you destroy the Stargazer Tower, will a Celestial God personally descend to deal with you?"

"Descend?" Zu Ju scoffed. "The barriers between the two realms are formidable. A Celestial God's true form cannot descend; at most, it's a divine manifestation!"

"When the core of the Spirit Gathering Array was installed, it's said that a Celestial God personally acted against you?"

"That was a divine manifestation!" Zu Ju roared. "The main deity, Lingxu, descended directly into a pre-prepared vessel, able to wield a fraction of its true power. But this process involves immense consumption. If it used ten parts of power, nine parts would be lost during the projection, and less than one part would actually be available for combat!"

He Lingchuan was moved. "Such a huge waste of power?"

"Do you think the laws are a joke?" Zu Ju immediately grew suspicious. "Hmm? You want to destroy the array's core, yet you don't even know this basic common sense?"

"My understanding of Celestial Gods isn't deep," He Lingchuan quickly changed the subject. "Even if I manage to free you, what if you're immediately suppressed by a Celestial God? Wouldn't that make my efforts futile?"

Zu Ju dismissed it. "Dream on! The Celestial Palace has been peaceful for too long; how could they hastily contend with me? Furthermore, even if they had an endless supply of reinforcements, if I simply hide underground, what could they do to me?!"

Once the Spirit Gathering Array was broken, as long as it retreated underground, how could the Celestial Palace or Celestial Gods attack it?

He Lingchuan couldn't help but smile. Compared to Zu Ju's power, Celestial Gods probably found this aspect more troublesome, didn't they?

He then asked, "I've heard that the vessels for divine manifestations are also difficult to choose."

"Of course. They must possess extraordinary talent, with physiques or cultivation far surpassing ordinary people, to barely endure a Celestial God's descent. Otherwise, the body would instantly collapse the moment the divine manifestation occurs," Zu Ju stated. "Moreover, different Celestial Gods have different requirements for their vessels. If they are powerful in the mortal realm, they will intentionally cultivate and reserve their own vessels for future use."

"These so-called vessels are all living people."

"Nonsense!" Zu Ju glared with its bear eyes. "How can a dead person's body be used?"

"Even with a prepared vessel, a Celestial God won't descend unless absolutely necessary. Modern human bodies are frail. When a Celestial God uses a human body to fight, it's like embracing porcelain while sparring—collisions are inevitable, and it shatters with just a little force!" This time, Zu Ju answered in great detail. "Cultivating a vessel isn't easy. I heard that after Lingxu's previous vessel was damaged, there hasn't been a new one available until now. Plus, divine manifestations consume too much energy, so Celestial Gods are inherently reluctant to do it."

The last time Saint Venerable Lingxu descended, it was to fight against this creature. Zu Ju's power was such that even Lingxu City's great demons couldn't defeat it, making it far from easy for a Celestial God to suppress it in the mortal realm.

It had been ten years, and even with Beijia's capabilities, they still hadn't found a suitable next vessel for Saint Venerable Lingxu.

This demonstrated how difficult it was to select a body for divine manifestation.

Of course, in that instant, He Lingchuan recalled Panlong City and Zhong Shengguang's sacrificed daughter.

If it was so difficult for deities to choose human vessels, then how could Zhong Wuzhan, Zhong Shengguang's beloved daughter, repeatedly bear the descent of Mitian?

Was it because Mitian's power was far inferior to Saint Venerable Lingxu's, causing less damage to the vessel?

Or perhaps...

Was it related to the Great Square Cauldron?

"The vessel's capacity to bear power is also related to the Celestial God's strength, isn't it?"

"What else would it be?" Zu Ju sat back on the surface of the lava, not sinking, but causing the entire pool to splash. "Weaker lower-ranking gods find it easier to locate suitable vessels. In the Middle Ages, I even heard that Celestial Gods had a method of 'half-descent'."

"'Half-descent'?"

"Yes, if there really isn't a suitable vessel, they can split off even smaller portions of their power and temporarily transfer into any body. However, their performance would be severely limited, and it would also require a prior agreement with the individual."

"A prior agreement?" He Lingchuan immediately thought of Nian Songyu. Did the deity behind Sun Fuping persuade Nian Zanli to accept a 'half-descent'? "And would the person whose body was used survive afterwards?"

"Perhaps, I'm not sure about that." Zu Ju spread its claws. Did it look like it cared about human lives?

Upon hearing this, an idea struck He Lingchuan: "What if there's no agreement at all, and a forcible invasion of a human's sea of consciousness occurs?"

"No agreement?" Zu Ju instantly refuted. "Impossible! No matter what kind of divine manifestation, permission must be granted. Deities cannot overstep the laws!"

"Why not?" He Lingchuan countered. "I know that Miaozhantian has done this several times, forcing its way into people's minds without their consent."

"Miaozhantian?" Zu Ju also knew this Celestial God. "Are you saying the invasion involved it using its Heavenly Scale?"

"Precisely. And it wasn't just her; countless other deities followed."

"Miaozhantian's divine artifact, the Heavenly Scale, is famous! Strictly speaking, that's not an invasion, but rather using the Scale's power to judge a human soul! But regardless of whether the final verdict is right or wrong, it cannot directly destroy the human soul. Once the judgment is complete, it must leave," Zu Ju explained. "The boundary of the laws isn't a single line but a broad gray area. Miaozhantian's trick is to operate on the very edge of these laws. However, for it to manifest in the mortal realm, the cost is extremely high."

"What if, during the judgment process, other observing deities suddenly wanted to seize the human body?"

"That would also require the vessel's consent! Moreover, such an act would harm Miaozhantian, who is currently performing the ritual. Even though she is an immensely powerful upright deity, she surely wouldn't appreciate such unexpected complications!"

He Lingchuan recalled his own judgment process, where the unnamed Celestial God at the end had attempted to interfere but was sternly reprimanded by Miaozhantian.

"By the way, who is Naraka?"

"Never heard of them!" Zu Ju grew impatient. "Out of respect for Wood Spirit, I've answered so many questions. It's time for you to show your sincerity!"

It had patiently shared so much, all "high-level topics" that ordinary cultivators could never access, demonstrating its full sincerity.

If He Lingchuan wanted to cooperate, he should make a gesture.

The puppet raised its hand and threw the sack into the lava pool. With a hiss, a plume of black smoke rose from the pool.

"Is that all?" The sack, of course, instantly disintegrated, but Zu Ju only got a few pieces of Shaoling ore, barely enough to fill a tooth gap. "Who are you trying to fool?!"

"What's the rush? After meeting you, I need to go back and plan in detail," He Lingchuan calmly stated. "We'll stay in touch."

"Trying to leave already?" The lava-fire monster slammed its fist on the ground, making the entire cave tremble. "Where are my offerings?"

This fellow wanted to cooperate with it, yet only brought a few dozen catties of ore?

Furious lava overflowed onto the ground, flowing towards the puppet.

"It doesn't matter; this is just a puppet," He Lingchuan said indifferently. "Burn it, eat it, do as you please, but I won't come back next time. You can stay here and be a good watchdog for the Celestial God, waiting for the dog food in your bowl to dwindle."

The glowing red lava was about to surge to its feet, but the puppet stood still, expressionless.

An ordinary mortal would melt with such heat.

He Lingchuan remained perfectly composed.

When the lava was still two feet from the living person, it stopped.

Its surface continued to tremble, but it ultimately made no further progress.

It seemed that Dean Xu Shichu of Shumin Academy was right: dealing with intelligent creatures saved effort.

It could weigh the pros and cons and control its emotions.

The puppet, controlled by He Lingchuan, immediately said, "You can create a clone, right? Give me one, and we'll stay in touch."