NOVEL NEXT Chapter 291: Supreme Will
Zhou Xuan encountered the "Nuo God," and both of them were quite surprised.
"Zhou Xuan, have you taken care of all those God-level beings above the Heavenly Dome?"
The wooden board of Fangxiang asked Zhou Xuan.
Zhou Xuan hesitated for a moment and asked, "You're not actually the Nuo God, are you? If the Nuo God were awake, my Secret Realm would have sensed it."
If not for the lack of response from the Secret Realm, Zhou Xuan might have been deceived by this fake Nuo God, gleaming with a ghostly bluish light.
Its aura was identical to that of the Nuo God; it was impossible to distinguish them simply from the aura.
"Of course I'm not. I'm the God of Suffering."
The God of Suffering, residing within the wooden board, said, "I was planning to assist you as reinforcement."
"Reinforcement for what?" Zhou Xuan was very curious, pointing at the wooden board.
"You're heading to the Heavenly Dome to put on a show for Gong Zheng. I feared you wouldn't be able to fool that old fox, so I wanted to give you a hand. I went from Mingjiang Prefecture to Ping Shui Prefecture, picked up the Nuo God's Heavenly God aura from the Zhou Family Ancestor Tree, and brought it back."
The God of Suffering explained.
If the fake revival of the Blood Well couldn't trick Gong Zheng, perhaps adding a fake Nuo God to the mix might do the job?
"Although your intention is sincere, let's be honest—why would a Heavenly God of your stature stoop to play such a ridiculous role?"
"I figured you'd be able to suppress them for the most part, and I'd just add the final touch."
"Enough of this, old buddy Suffering. Return the Zhou Family's Troupe board to us. My task is already completed."
Zhou Xuan couldn't help laughing; he truly hadn't expected the God of Suffering to be this invested in helping him.
"It's not so much investment. I've just owed you too many favors. If I can lend you a hand, I'll do it. But, tell me—how did you manage it? Gong Zheng, that ancient god, I've witnessed his cunning firsthand. He's definitely wily and calculated."
"He has solid mental resilience. So when I went to the Upper Heavenly Kingdom, I didn't just act—I really almost revived the Blood Well."
The wooden board of Fangxiang seemed visibly startled and asked, "The Blood Well Venerable actually came back to life?"
"No."
Zhou Xuan replied, "I allowed his consciousness to descend into my body and then used his power to sever one of Gong Zheng's Dharma Bodies."
"You even cut off Gong Zheng's Dharma Body?"
The God of Suffering thought he understood Zhou Xuan, but he had clearly underestimated this newly ascended Nuo God, whose ascent at just four incense offerings had already stunned Mingjiang Prefecture.
"I had to give them something to remember me by; otherwise, they'd keep pushing their luck later on."
Zhou Xuan spoke decisively, his aura assertive, further earning the God of Suffering's admiration.
"My body is the strongest vessel in Jing Country. Even the Three-headed Stone Buddha once noted my exceptional nature. So I used my unique traits to host a fraction of the revived Blood Well's essence and struck Gong Zheng with it,"
"Gong Zheng's Dharma Body fell, the revival aura of the Blood Well dissipated, and everything returned to normal... like birds retreating to the forest, leaving a blank, snowy earth behind."
Zhou Xuan was in very high spirits. By the time he reached the end of his account, he nearly broke into singing.
"No wonder the Nuo God chose you personally as the bearer of his legacy. Your trip to the Upper Heavenly Kingdom, to take down Gong Zheng's clone in that realm—it never even crossed my mind."
The God of Suffering remarked to Zhou Xuan, "Still, you've stirred up a major problem this time."
"What kind of problem?"
"You've pushed Gong Zheng to the edge."
The God of Suffering explained, "After his Dharma Body fell, his strength will be greatly weakened. Above the Heavenly Dome, it's always a spectacle of New Gods cutting down Old Gods. Gong Zheng's diminished strength means he likely won't be able to maintain his rightful place in the Divine Country. It's only a matter of time before one of those daring nine-incense offerings from Jing Country ascends to the Heavenly Dome to challenge his divine status."
"An ancient god who's lived for two thousand years, forced into hiding—do you think he might hold a grudge against you?"
"If he resents me, he will descend to the human world. I'm not afraid of him."
Zhou Xuan replied.
The heavens of Jing Country make it difficult for gods to descend.
They must either, like Peng Hou, rely on blood-soaked divine rituals with the help of the Ancestor Tree to enter the human world.
But such ceremonies require grand preparation, impossible to accomplish without the scale of the Tree Clan.
Or they can rely on a Daoist manifesting in the human world, suppressing their divine incense power to below nine offerings.
But if Gong Zheng lowers himself to nine offerings, Zhou Xuan wouldn't fear him at all.
With the Zhou Family's incense fire nourishing him, as long as Zhou Lingyi descended, the siblings' incense flames would link, making Zhou Xuan a firm eight-incense Nuo God aiming for nine.
The storyteller, Mountain and River Map, coupled with Zhou Xuan's extra insights into the sixteen forms—among the disciples of the Tangkou below nine offerings, who could face his sharpness head-on?
God-level beings descending through Daoist intermediaries lack the battle strength of true nine-incense beings in the human world.
"Still, don't underestimate an ancient god with two thousand years of wisdom. He'll have some inexplicable tricks up his sleeve, so it's better to stay on guard."
The God of Suffering advised earnestly.
Zhou Xuan took the warning to heart and replied, "I'll keep an eye on Gong Zheng's movements in the future... always guarding against his mad-dog retaliation."
"By the way, after severing Gong Zheng's Dharma Body, did you retrieve the Divine Status?"
"I did."
"Good. As long as you got it back. Let me tell you, utilizing Divine Status to 'point the divine' isn't something just anyone can pull off, but you certainly can."
The God of Suffering clearly knew what Zhou Xuan intended with the Divine Status, so he began explaining the mysteries of "Divine Pointing" proactively.
"Alright, take your time explaining."
Zhou Xuan eagerly listened.
"Divine Status descends, pointing mortals to godhood... but one must have the qualifications."
The God of Suffering said, "Who left behind the twenty-four Divine Statuses? Jing Country's Supreme Will."
"The Supreme Will resides above the Upper Heavenly Kingdom and left behind a Sealing Platform. The Sealing Platform is Its handiwork—a place where New Gods slay Old Gods, holding a Divine Status in one hand and the severed head of an Old God in the other. Ascend to the Sealing Platform, and you will be sheltered and blessed by Its power, becoming a true God-level being.