Chapter 2318: I Trust You

"However, the human realm was in ruins, and even the most powerful could barely find traces of living beings. Those who miraculously survived were hidden in forgotten corners; if they didn't die then, they would be hard to find later," he paused. "It was a matter of timing and fortune. At that very moment, the Immortal Shoushan happened to forge a magical artifact. Its most basic ability was to search for living beings amidst the vast dust and smoke. Whether their bodies were intact or their souls still lingered, it could keenly detect them!"

"With this artifact, Immortal Shoushan indeed helped countless living beings survive. Thus, he named this artifact, which saved so many lives, 'Yangguandao' (Path to Life)."

"Using it to search for the nascent consciousness of the Hidden God Monarch—wouldn't that be an instant success?" He Lingchuan's lips curved slightly, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "A treasure Immortal Shoushan used to save people and souls, yet the gods want to use it to annihilate divine consciousness?"

"Exactly."

Upon hearing this, He Lingchuan finally understood:

"Those two sky demons who successfully descended on Puluo Island—they came down to accomplish this task?"

"Precisely," Frost Leaf gave him an affirmative answer. "Legend has it that 'Yangguandao' is most likely in Shaocheng right now. They are going there to try and retrieve it."

"Are there no other experts in the Celestial Palace who can retrieve it?"

"The Celestial Palace has spent a great deal of effort gathering intelligence on 'Yangguandao.' After all, it's an ancient legend, and verifying it was very difficult. It was only confirmed less than half a year ago. Furthermore, these two sky gods also need to continue testing their descended bodies, which must be their mission." So, this trip to Shaoguan served a dual purpose.

"Attempt to retrieve?" He Lingchuan also noticed this detail. "They came down personally, yet they're not confident about obtaining Yangguandao?"

"If you knew who the current holder of 'Yangguandao' is, you'd understand why their trip won't be easy." Frost Leaf smiled. "Have you heard of 'Mother Earth'?"

"I think so." He Lingchuan seemed to have heard it somewhere, but the impression wasn't deep.

"That's a cunning and greedy giant demon," Frost Leaf hinted. "For more specific information, you'll have to investigate yourself."

Hearing this, He Lingchuan asked him, "How can I verify the information you've given me?"

"You can't verify it," Frost Leaf said frankly. "This information is top-secret. Very few people know it, and you won't be able to ask them. I can swear on my divine soul that it's true."

"No need," He Lingchuan shook his head. "I believe you."

Frost Leaf, on the other hand, looked slightly surprised. "You trust Begash's Imperial Advisor?"

"Haven't we dealt with each other before? While Imperial Advisor Frost Leaf is ruthless, he's a man of his word," He Lingchuan laughed. "This information is very valuable, certainly worth a golden core."

To Emperor Jiuyou, a golden core, no matter how precious, was just an exotic item. Keeping it would be like twiddling a walnut; after all, Cang Yan didn't lack treasures. Exchanging it for top-secret information about the sky demons was an excellent deal.

He Lingchuan pondered, then asked Frost Leaf:

"Can the Hidden God Monarch's body truly produce over ten thousand descended bodies?"

"You've heard that rumor too?" Frost Leaf chuckled. "I haven't personally seen the Hidden God Monarch, but you've seen the true form of the Illusionary Immortal."

"Yes, a giant clam shell that could encompass the entire Inverted Sea." To this day, the Illusionary Immortal's true body remained the largest demon He Lingchuan had ever seen.

"Then how many descended bodies do you think the Illusionary Immortal's body could produce?"

"External avatars?" The Illusionary Immortal had the ability to manifest from nothingness, personally forging several powerful external avatars, each of immense power. He Lingchuan thought for a moment, "It depends on their power. If they're at the immortal level, I'd say no fewer than dozens, perhaps a hundred; if below immortal, then perhaps more."

After all, the Illusionary Immortal's body was quite unique.

"Even if the Illusionary Immortal isn't as uniquely talented as the Hidden God Monarch, do you think the descended bodies produced by the Hidden God Monarch could be dozens of times more numerous than those of the Illusionary Immortal?"

He Lingchuan thought about it, then smiled, "I see."

It seems that painting grand visions is a high-level skill every leader must master, and neither the human realm nor the demon realm is an exception.

It wasn't that no sky demons had doubts, but as long as this illusory number remained unproven, the sky demons would continue to cling to their illusions.

At the deepest core of humanity, or perhaps divinity, there will always be a pure foolishness.

He Lingchuan leaned slightly forward and whispered, "Oh, by the way, you wouldn't happen to know where the Hidden God Monarch's body is hidden, would you?"

"Fewer than three people in the whole world know that secret, and unfortunately, I'm not one of them," Frost Leaf also leaned in, lowering his voice. "If I knew, I would have used that information directly to exchange for the golden core with you; the odds would be even better."

The Hidden God Monarch's safety directly determined whether the gods' descent plan could be implemented.

He Lingchuan gave a slight sneer, "It seems the gods don't quite trust you either."

Frost Leaf made a profound statement: "The gods don't trust anyone."

"The gods deliberately kept it from you; it seems that decision was correct," He Lingchuan was also curious. "Why would you betray the Hidden God Monarch's intelligence?"

What he really meant was, why would Frost Leaf, as a "Son of God," betray the gods, and how dared he?

"Mingling in this turbid mortal world, it's inevitable to be entangled in karma," Frost Leaf showed no trace of guilt. "The complexity of the situation within Begash is actually beyond your imagination."

"Even in Begash, not everyone welcomes the gods' descent?"

"You're asking the obvious."

He Lingchuan stood up and casually said, "Alright, the golden core is yours."

Frost Leaf stretched, looking completely relaxed, then suddenly asked an unrelated question, "I heard you obtained the Godhead of Destiny?"

"Your intelligence is quite keen." He Lingchuan had once displayed the Godhead of Destiny in front of Wang Xingyi, the Imperial Advisor of the Mou Kingdom, and the latter would certainly report it upon his return.

He just wondered from which high-ranking official in the Mou Kingdom Frost Leaf had obtained this information.

"I've also heard a legend that a person who just obtains the Godhead of Destiny has one, and only one, chance to glimpse their own fate," Frost Leaf rubbed his hands. "I want to ask you, did you truly see your future?"

He Lingchuan didn't deny it: "Something like that. But a future revealed in advance doesn't necessarily come to pass."

"Was it good, or bad?"

He Lingchuan shrugged: "I can only say it was a bit unexpected."

"Since you have the Godhead of Destiny, you should know if fate can be altered?"

He Lingchuan remained noncommittal: "Why do you ask?"

Frost Leaf chuckled: "Who wouldn't be interested in defying fate and changing destiny?"

"I only believe that human effort prevails," He Lingchuan said calmly. "I believed it then, I believe it now, and I will believe it in the future."

Frost Leaf's smile slowly faded, and after a moment of silence, he said, "I have one more request for the Great Emperor."