Chapter 901: Dust to Dust, Tree to Tree

“Were you hoping to leverage the Lu family's fortune by cooperating with He Chunhua?”

“Of course!” Na Luo Tian's avatar replied readily. “You possess a rare and excellent physique, so I couldn't think of a reason to refuse.”

With the original body's consciousness already dissipated, He Lingchuan felt no disturbance.

He then posed another question, one that had troubled him for a long time:

“Why are the gods of Lingxu City so fixated on the Grand Cauldron?”

The Grand Cauldron naturally wouldn't provide an answer. He had also tried asking General Hong from the Dragon Coiling World, but every time he was about to speak, something would happen to interrupt his question.

Na Luo Tian's avatar, however, became evasive: “It's a secret, one known only to a select few true gods! Save me first, and I'll tell you.”

It had answered enough questions and demonstrated its sincerity in cooperating; now it was He Lingchuan's turn.

He Lingchuan smiled: “You truly live up to your name, Bilu—able to adapt to circumstances.”

He had met Mitian and Miaozhantian; both were aloof gods, unlike Na Luo Tian's avatar, which had such a pleasant demeanor.

It was clear how desperately it yearned to survive.

Having its consciousness erased was equivalent to losing its life.

In fact, over a century ago, Na Luo Tian was a minor deity, just like Shinnan. Both were quite... flexible in their dealings with humans.

The red silk net moved again, constricting even tighter than before. Na Luo Tian's avatar cried out in pain:

“If you spare me, all the gods' secrets will be revealed to you!”

He Lingchuan's expression showed hesitation.

Seeing this, Na Luo Tian's avatar quickly threw out another lure: “Imperial Nectar will descend in just over forty days, and it will be two consecutive occurrences! As long as I'm alive, you'll have access to crucial information, always keeping you one step ahead!”

“Forty days from now?” He Lingchuan's gaze shifted slightly. “But you're already trapped within the Grand Cauldron. If more gods fall from the heavens, you won't even know.”

“I can't escape, but I can teach you how to gather intelligence! You can't stand against the gods alone; spare my life, and I can be your ally!”

He Lingchuan's expression flickered. “You want to fight against the gods too?”

“The gods of Lingxu are our common enemy, and time is running out...” The silk net abruptly tightened, and Na Luo Tian's avatar could no longer maintain its human form, transforming back into a green light mass. “Save me!”

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let you harbor such illusions.” He Lingchuan spread his hands, a helpless look on his face. “You were right; no one can truly control the Grand Cauldron.”

With that, he deliberately snapped his fingers twice. “Hey, let it go.”

The silk net paid no heed, further constricting the green light mass until it was the size of a goose egg.

“See? It doesn't listen to me at all.”

The divine avatar let out a roar.

Its final curse, desperate and malicious, emanated from within the silk net:

“You will be consumed by fate, devoured by the Grand Cauldron! Your end will surely be far more tragic than mine!”

After that, there was no more movement.

Once it had shrunk to the size of a chestnut, its form solidified and no longer changed.

Just then, the sky began to faintly brighten.

He Lingchuan couldn't locate the source of the light, but the faint glow was enough to dispel the darkness and allow him to discern his surroundings:

He found himself in a desolate wilderness, with gravel underfoot and only a vast Gobi desert stretching as far as the eye could see. A profound silence enveloped the land.

He Lingchuan listened intently. There was no sound of insects or ants crawling beneath the ground, nor any trace of birds in the sky. Only the wind blew from distant mountains, moving freely through the sparse woodland.

The woods were not extensive, yet every tree thrived, its branches and leaves a vibrant green, forming a stark contrast with the harsh natural environment surrounding them.

He Lingchuan looked down and realized the pond at his feet was smaller than it had appeared in the darkness, its water clear and shallow.

The glowing green mass was gone. He Lingchuan focused his gaze and then noticed a solitary, verdant acorn lying at the bottom of the pond.

Was this... Na Luo Tian's avatar?

As he watched, the acorn turned from green to brown, then suddenly shifted.

He Lingchuan was slightly startled, initially thinking Na Luo Tian's avatar was playing another trick. To his surprise, something arched up from beneath the acorn, slowly extending out of the water.

It was a tiny seedling.

What was happening? He Lingchuan instinctively took two steps back.

The flow of time seemed to have accelerated dozens of times. Right before his eyes, the tiny seedling grew larger and thicker, its main trunk sprouted branches, and leaves unfurled along them...

In less than fifteen minutes, it had grown into an oak tree over a *zhang* tall; He Lingchuan had to crane his neck to look up at its canopy.

Among its branches and leaves, numerous freshly grown acorns were already nestled.

*Plink*, another acorn dropped to the ground.

He Lingchuan didn't dare to touch it.

A divine avatar, in the blink of an eye, had transformed into a tree. Even after witnessing the entire process, he still found it unbelievable.

How had this possibly happened?

He drew his knife and tapped the tree trunk; it indeed had the texture of wood.

And the oak tree showed no reaction whatsoever... it was just like any other tree.

He casually carved an equilateral triangle into the tree's bark.

Wood chips scattered.

“So, you're a tree now?”

Over three months had passed since the massive red shadow, Chaos, captured Na Luo Tian's avatar. This transformation seemed to be the final step in the Grand Cauldron's process of dissolving its spoils. What a coincidence that he had arrived just in time to witness Na Luo Tian's final moments and even pose a question?

The wind stirred, and the leaves rustled. As He Lingchuan listened, he couldn't shake the feeling that it sounded like Na Luo Tian's avatar was cursing.

He suddenly remembered True Master Sanshui.

After True Master Sanshui attained nirvana, the Spiritual Bell absorbed his remnant soul, transforming it into the leader of the Que Beasts.

After the Grand Cauldron integrated with the Spiritual Bell, did it also acquire or inherit this ability?

In other words, it forcibly shattered the divine avatar's consciousness and then transformed it into a tree?

Existing, but without consciousness.

Not annihilated, and brimming with vitality.

Only in the form of a tree could it both satisfy He Lingchuan's requirements and ensure that Na Luo Tian's avatar would not escape the Grand Cauldron's control.

Otherwise, a conscious, cunning divine avatar, constantly seeking to escape, would surely consume the Grand Cauldron's power to suppress it, wouldn't it?

Who knew how many more bizarre tricks Na Luo Tian's avatar might have up its sleeve? The methods of a god are ever-changing and unpredictable.

Even the Grand Cauldron would instinctively seek the most efficient method.

He Lingchuan chuckled, murmuring to himself:

“Who dares claim that sentience is superior to its absence? You are far more intelligent than humans.”

What a pity, though, that Na Luo Tian's avatar harbored so many secrets within itself, all of which were crushed along with its consciousness.

He Lingchuan merely sighed with emotion, not genuinely feeling any regret.

Na Luo Tian was the deity harboring the greatest malice towards him. Who knew how much truth or deception lay within the secrets it divulged? Who knew if it would set a trap for him—

Most likely, it would.

He Lingchuan aimed to extract its secrets, while it desired to seize his body. There was no point in keeping a source of information whose veracity was impossible to ascertain.

The acorn that had fallen to the ground seemed poised to take root and sprout once more.

What exactly was this place? Was it a second secret realm, following the Dragon Coiling Secret Realm?

He had intended to sheathe his knife and depart, but as he gazed at the sparse woods before him, a thought suddenly struck him:

Could these trees all be...?

As the thought arose, a slight chill ran down his spine.