Chapter 976: Divine Realm News

Chapter 966: News from the Divine Realm

"That doesn't sound difficult," He Lingchuan said, but he didn't agree immediately. "Are there already deities residing on those two islands?"

A temple attracts followers, and this minor deity seemed quite ambitious.

"Yes, but their influence isn't strong," Shina replied. "One of the deities there recently perished. I plan to build a temple in that vacant spot."

So, he was claiming territory. He Lingchuan considered this. "I can build the temples, but you'll have to handle the long-term maintenance yourself. I won't be staying in this archipelago permanently."

"Alright."

Shina had no objections and then said, "Besides the two Imperial Dewfalls arriving in half a month, there will be three more between three and three and a half months from now! One of them will be quite abundant, and it's possible two might occur back-to-back. Beyond that, it's uncertain."

"That frequent?" He Lingchuan's heart skipped a beat. Sometimes it wouldn't appear for sixty years, or two would fall within three years. Now, five events were expected within half a year!

The frequent appearance of Imperial Dewfalls could only signify turmoil in the Divine Realm and the successive demise of celestials. "Good, that's great news."

Shina indeed confirmed, "The Divine Realm has been a bit turbulent lately."

"Just a bit? Tell me more."

Given the nature of celestials, not making excessive demands already showed sincerity for further contact. He Lingchuan made a note of this and decided to probe further later.

"As for Naraka," Shina hesitated before speaking, "there's a small, unreliable rumor in the Divine Realm recently. It seems Naraka himself might be having some issues."

"In what way?" Only He Lingchuan knew that Naraka's clone had failed to return, instead transforming into a small tree within the Grand Flask. However, the power of a celestial, especially a proper deity, was vast and profound; even losing a clone should not be an unbearable loss.

He Lingchuan's brows twitched slightly.

"Also, he's been in seclusion recently, temporarily canceling several appointments with proper deities. This is rare, very rare."

"The Divine Realm hasn't been this turbulent in a long time, and for him, as a proper deity... to choose this time to be absent and in seclusion!" Shina coughed lightly. "Given Naraka's temperament, he wouldn't do this without a compelling reason."

"That's it?" He Lingchuan was disappointed. "The signs aren't obvious, and the inference is too far-fetched, isn't it? Maybe he's just holed up calculating his own fortune."

"No." The boy was rude! Shina was somewhat displeased. "Do you still want to hear it?"

"Yes, please tell me," He Lingchuan smiled. Was Shina's rank too low to be privy to such information?

"How could one know for sure? He wouldn't say explicitly," Shina murmured. "But he was absent from an extremely important joint deliberation between Lingxu and the various deities, and I still haven't heard the reason." Thus, He Lingchuan understood that Mount Lingxu also had some influence in this area.

"Why are you interested?"

"Who isn't interested in the secrets of the Divine Realm?" He Lingchuan said earnestly, "The arrival of Imperial Dewfall signals the fall of a celestial. Are these turmoils related to the Heavenly Palace incident that occurred in Beijia last year?"

Shina chuckled, "Yes, it's an important reason."

Or...? Or what? He Lingchuan felt that what Shina omitted was the crucial information. Shina deliberately avoided answering. So what was the true main reason for the turmoil in the Divine Realm?

Intelligent people listen for unspoken meanings and observe implied intentions.

Shina offered such valuable information, yet only asked him to build two temples and find a Dragon Punishment Pillar. The trade seemed unequal; however, the Dragon Punishment Pillar cost He Lingchuan virtually nothing, and building temples was just a matter of bricks, tiles, and a small sum of money. Collecting a few pieces of gossip and intelligence from the Divine Realm also required little effort for Shina at this stage.

Establishing a relationship would lead to long-term business in the future. He Lingchuan was well aware of this. Therefore, He Lingchuan believed Shina was hinting at something else. But it refused to say more; it had not yet lowered its guard around He Lingchuan.

Their bilateral relationship was still in the testing phase, full of outward pleasantries but inward suspicion, each wary of betrayal from the other. Both parties had gained something, and their expenditures were within acceptable limits, which allowed this peculiar "acquaintance" between human and deity to continue.

Shina then asked him, "How should I contact you afterwards?"

"I'll contact you again in two months," He Lingchuan said.

The transaction concluded, and Shina departed.

He Lingchuan, having obtained the Imperial Dewfall information, also left contentedly, remembering to open the temple doors and windows. As for building the temples, he entrusted the task to Fang Canran upon his return to Platinum Island.

He desperately needed news from the Divine Realm, so a minor deity who was both greedy and ambitious was the best choice at the moment. He still couldn't let Shina track his movements.

Shina's words made him understand: The Heavenly Palace incident was only one, not the sole or even primary, reason. It was like the difference between having a large chunk of flesh excised and having a leg directly broken.

Yangshan Archipelago, Bone Rod Reef.

It was just past midnight, and by rights, the Earthly Fiend should have been gushing, yet the entire island was clean, with no trace of the gray mist.

On this starlit, clear night, a fox-bat flew on the wind to hover over Bone Rod Reef, circling twice as if pinpointing its location, before slowly descending. Its chosen landing spot was in a depression on the island's side, filled with broken reef rocks, the depth of which was unknown. Only a few insiders knew that this was the surface fissure of the Earthly Fiend's Yin Vein!

Though called a reef, the island was actually quite large, shaped somewhat like a bone rod, narrow in the middle and wider at both ends. The closest Earthly Fiend Yin Vein fissure to the northern shipping lane of the Yangshan Archipelago was on this island. The fissure was not large and was low, requiring one to squat down to see it.

Underneath a large, flat white rock, there was a dark, pitch-black crack. There were only seven such fissures in the entire Yangshan Archipelago. Yet, the dense Earthly Fiend energy emanating from them could turn most islands into uninhabited zones.

Previously, it would fly to Dragon Ridge Island on sunny days to find fruit, so it was quite familiar with malevolent energy. But as it crawled into this crevice, it was exceptionally cautious, taking two steps forward, two steps back, ready to retreat at any moment. But this didn't affect the fox-bat. It probed around the fissure opening for a long time, confirming no malevolent energy emerged from the shadows, before carefully crawling inside.

Beneath the reef rock, interconnected caverns crisscrossed. The fox-bat searched through several before finding its target.

The old woman, prostrated on the ground, murmured prayers, unaware that a deity had just descended upon her. She had only a few teeth left, the rest were empty sockets, making her smile somewhat eerie.

The first time is unfamiliar, the second is familiar. Their next meeting would allow for more formal communication.

(End of Chapter)