Chapter 3104: The Great Datiemo Withdraws, Two of Five Gone

He Lingchuan shrugged, completely unbothered: "These two are too impulsive."

Lingxu Shengzun liked to pin the blame on him, just as he liked to put a black hat on Lingxu Shengzun's head—tit for tat.

There's no doubt that the original draft diagram of the altar formation that Naluotian brought out was inconsistent with what Lingxu Shengzun had given to several of the Datiemo.

Naluotian laughed: "The most interesting part is, Duoluotian pointed at me on the spot and said that the formation diagram Lingxu Shengzun gave them for review only had the top three layers of the original draft. Once he saw the lower layers, he'd know this was a sacrificial altar."

Which Datiemo isn't a figure standing at the peak of the two realms? Their vision, experience, and erudition are all top-notch. Besides, they had Naluotian's intel, so they formed a first impression. After careful comparison, it wasn't hard to see through this trap.

"The problem now is, they can't confirm whether this draft diagram was actually made by Lingxu Shengzun's hand, or if you just tacked on a tail to a dog."

He Lingchuan instantly cried out in injustice: "Everyone in the celestial realm knows, right? I've always been upright and impartial—how could I possibly deceive people with a fake?"

Naluotian wanted to roll his eyes, but alas, being a smoke-and-mist humanoid face, he couldn't make that expression.

"But regardless, here's the good news: Pishatian and Duoluotian have decided to withdraw from the Divine Initiation Plan! Of course, they had already refused Lingxu Shengzun a few days ago—my intel is just a bit delayed."

He Lingchuan's joy was no small matter: "Really?"

"At least Duoluotian told me that himself, in no uncertain terms. And Pishatian has always been sly and suspicious—now that he's started doubting Lingxu Shengzun, I reckon they'll be even harder to work with going forward."

Originally, these two sides were each harboring their own ulterior motives, merely forced together for the sake of descending to the human realm.

These visiting Datiemo were also clear-headed in their hearts—Lingxu Shengzun might not harbor good intentions toward them. But they had previously concluded that the spiritual energy of the human realm was too difficult to handle, so Lingxu Shengzun had no choice but to rely on these external forces.

Now that Lingxu Shengzun is suspected of plotting against them, these few Datiemo naturally don't want to take any more risks.

"Even the life of a Datiemo is still a life."

After enduring countless hardships to cultivate to this level, finally able to stand in the celestial realm and command wind and rain—who wouldn't cherish their own life a hundredfold more?

The Five Datiemo—two have already departed.

I don't know if this could deal a fatal blow to Lingxu Shengzun's Divine Initiation Plan, but no matter what, as long as one fewer Datiemo descends, it reduces the pressure of resistance on humanity's future.

He Lingchuan seized the key point again: "What is the Divine Initiation Plan?"

"You still don't know?" Naluotian spoke concisely: "Lingxu Shengzun is about to lead the Great Celestial Gods down to the lower realm, and they call this second descent the Divine Initiation Plan."

In other words, the previous Pujun descent was the Divine Descent Plan, while Lingxu Shengzun's planned second descent, with passengers being the most weighty Great Datiemo, is called the Divine Initiation Plan.

"Does the name of this plan carry any significance?" Why use the character "initiate"?

Naluotian was very straightforward, replying: "I don't know."

As he spoke, the smoke and mist and human faces in the air gradually dissipated. But before leaving, Naluotian laughed heartily a few times, feeling immensely refreshed.

He Lingchuan stepped out of the tent and also let out a long, deep sigh toward the heavens.

Just then, a messenger rushed through the crowd, urgent report in hand.

Before he could approach He Lingchuan, the guards beside him stepped forward a few paces, raised a hand to block him, then snatched the urgent report from his grasp. After checking that no divine abilities or curses were attached, the guard turned and presented the report to He Lingchuan with both hands.

He Lingchuan opened it and his gaze froze.

It read: The ruler of Xuan Yi State was ambushed by the Datiemo Pili Tian in the outskirts of Ducheng, severely wounded and died without recovery.

Below is a brief account of the events.

He Lingchuan finished reading, silent and speechless.

Xuan Yi State has long been a steadfast vassal of Cang Yan, firmly following him for over a decade. The ruler of Xuan Yi State himself also maintained close ties with the Jiuyou Great Emperor.

This state, from military organization and personnel renewal to policies and laws, largely emulated Cang Yan, and in recent years has been governed with notable success, its people living in peace and prosperity.

Its national strength, territory, and population are all comparable to those of Shen State.

Perhaps precisely for this reason, Lingxu Shengzun arranged a surprise attack on Xuan Yi State on the day of the Gods' Descent. Only, that time was accidentally thwarted by Fan Shuang.

Evidently, the demons are not yet resigned; to ensure success, they even dispatched Pili Tian.

Xuan Yi State borders Cang Yan and is one of the key allied states in the War Alliance. The ruler's demise is a heavy blow to the prestige of Cang Yan and the War Alliance.

The urgent report also mentioned that, just after the ruler of Xuan Yi State was killed, domestic unrest erupted into a coup.

Clearly, this is a combo move the demons had prepared long in advance.

Cang Yan has already mobilized emergency troops to assist Xuan Yi State in quelling the rebellion and restoring stability, to prevent further deterioration.

He Lingchuan clearly understood that the ruler of Xuan Yi State's philosophy and governance had won the people's hearts, and he left behind heirs—his death would not suddenly cause Xuan Yi State to turn toward the demons.

But Lingxu Shengzun insisted on expending great effort to kill the ruler of Xuan Yi State, and aside from various strategic intentions, He Lingchuan muttered to himself: "He wants to give me a show of force."

There's certainly some personal grudge involved here. Who made He Lingchuan kill so many capable aides under Lingxu Shengzun's command?

While he was reading the letter, the messenger stood motionless in place. The guard waved him away, but he acted as if he hadn't seen it.

"Get out! You have nothing to do here."

But the messenger still refused to budge, just as before, staring intently at He Lingchuan.

The guard snapped: "You!"

He Lingchuan's gaze swept over the messenger, and his heart stirred.

He remembered that when this messenger previously delivered intelligence, he had only gripped the envelope with one hand, never raised it with both hands above his head, and his gaze toward the Jiuyou Great Emperor had also been strange.

What kind of figure is the Jiuyou Great Emperor? A killer general without equal stands beside him, yet even they must cower under his aura, heads bowed and eyes downcast. Those with weaker mental fortitude can't even breathe smoothly.

But this messenger looked at him with both scrutiny and inquiry—utterly lacking reverence and awe.

By the campfire, soldiers laughed and chatted; who knows who said a few offensive remarks, but several stood up and started grappling. Others waved their fists and cheered them on.

Amidst this background noise, He Lingchuan asked the messenger: "Who sent you?"

Upon hearing this, several guards beside him changed expression, drew their swords, and stepped forward.

But the messenger acted as if he hadn't seen it, speaking in a flat tone: "Jiuyou, we need to talk."

This tone, this demeanor, made He Lingchuan stare at him for several seconds before turning and striding into the large tent first.

"Come in."

The messenger then strode boldly into the tent, not even glancing at those few guards.

In the corner of the tent stood a low table, beside it two round futons. He Lingchuan sat down by himself, pointed to the opposite side, and said: "Please sit."