Chapter 2275: Wind and Water Alternate

"For such an effect to be achieved using the body from the experimental site, the true form must have descended," He Lingchuan said, his expression solemn. He sincerely hoped his guess was wrong. "If it's true, this world is in deep trouble!"

The Sky Demons had been conducting such experiments, and Dong Rui had also mentioned the possibility of success.

Sun Hongye had only observed this by chance.

Outside the view of ordinary people, what stage had the Sky Demons' secret experiments reached?

"Didn't we plant spies in the Celestial Palace?" the mirror asked him. "Why haven't we received any news about this?"

"The demon puppet experiment is one of the Celestial Palace's deepest secrets, handled by designated personnel, and not easily accessible," He Lingchuan explained slowly. "Furthermore, Chief Administrator Duyun has been critically ill multiple times recently, and the entire Celestial Palace is under high alert. I've ordered them to suspend gathering and transmitting information to avoid exposure. Two months ago, the Celestial Palace caught two internal spies and executed them by 'slicing death,' claiming they were sent by Mount Ling."

"What was the truth?"

He Lingchuan shrugged. "How would I know? At any rate, they weren't from Cang Yan."

In his secret letter, Fang Canran also mentioned that once the last hundred Dragon Punishment Pillars were distributed, his mission would essentially be complete, and he could finally go home!

In just a few years, his twin sons had grown into young boys. He planned to stop by an island on his way back before returning to Cang Yan.

Fang Canran's letter revealed an uncharacteristic joy and optimism—after years of wandering, he must have been eager to return home as he wrote.

He Lingchuan slowly folded the secret letter and sighed silently:

"Rest assured, Brother Fang. I promise you, your children will live their lives in peace and good health!"

This was the Emperor Jiuyou's guarantee.

Fifteen minutes later.

He Lingchuan closed the doors and windows, set up a barrier, and took a small clay figurine from his pocket. He placed it on a low table by the east window and lit an incense stick, inserting it into the figurine.

The smoke rose solitary and straight, indicating not a breath of wind in the room.

He Lingchuan sat by the low table, resting his chin in his hand.

"Lord Puyin, come out," he said calmly. "I know you're already here."

The solitary smoke gathered without dispersing, forming a blurry human face. Then, a high-pitched voice spoke:

"Oh, it's the Emperor Jiuyou summoning me. How rare."

This time, He Lingchuan had not summoned Naluotian, but Puyin, the Sky Demon he had first encountered many years ago when he set foot on Shanjing Plain.

At that time, Shizhoutou City was in danger, and its garrison commander, Yang Meng, went to Lord Puyin's temple behind the city for help, running directly into He Lingchuan.

Back then, small temples dotted the Shanjing Plain, and even the smallest temple gate was a facade for a deity. He Lingchuan had to mask his face no matter which one he visited, fearing his identity would be exposed.

Now, he sat unconcernedly in his imperial study, effortlessly summoning the "celestial god" who had once been so lofty.

"I have a few questions for you," He Lingchuan said, taking out seven Dragon Punishment Pillars and gently placing them on the table. "If the information is useful, I'll add seven more. If I discover any falsehoods, I'll have your temple in the Xiyin Archipelago torn down."

Lord Puyin wondered how He Lingchuan knew about the temple it had just managed to establish and the new group of believers it had cultivated in the Xiyin Archipelago only half a year ago.

Building new temples and attracting believers was now ten times more difficult than in the past.

With the resurgence of spiritual energy, human physiques and lifespans had changed. Those with the means pursued cultivation to become immortals, significantly reducing the number of people who worshipped gods. Secondly, the vast Shanjing Plain, once a reservoir of faith for minor deities, saw the rise of Emperor Jiuyou and the Cang Yan Empire, which dismantled all temples and forbade people from privately worshipping gods.

Thirdly, many humans' attitudes towards celestial gods had shifted. What was once reverently called "gods" was now directly referred to as "demons." A single character difference marked the distinction between faith and dread.

Therefore, minor deities like Lord Puyin could only develop their followers in remote, undeveloped areas. These places were isolated, backward, and conservative, with people resistant to new ideas, ensuring the deities still had an audience.

Among minor deities, Lord Puyin was doing relatively well; some minor deities no longer even had temples in the human realm.

Without a temple, there was no name, and humans would no longer recognize it.

Influence in the human realm was also one of the important criteria by which the divine realm judged a deity's power.

Lord Puyin's materialized face shifted. "Ask away," it said.

Although the person before it had also dismantled its temple, there were still benefits to interacting with one of the world's most powerful figures, which was why it had answered the summons.

"The Emperor's Dew hasn't fallen for three months. I hear things are much more peaceful in the heavens. What information do you have for me?"

Lord Puyin almost rolled its eyes. "Even chaos has an end. The celestial realm has been in turmoil for so many years; did you think the chaos would never cease?"

He probably wished all celestial gods were dead, didn't he?

"Shanjing Plain was in chaos for a thousand years, and the celestial realm has only been chaotic for a mere few years. Timewise, it's still far from over, isn't it?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "If you're going to tell me that celestial gods understand order, peace, and morality better than humans, I won't believe it. So, what's the real reason? Speak."

Intelligent people in the human realm used to view them through rose-tinted glasses, resenting how immortals and immortal sects were so uncompetitive, constantly fighting, unlike the harmonious, friendly, and unified demonic realm—no wonder Nightmare Qi kept flowing towards the demonic realm... until the Dragon Punishment Pillars appeared!

Once the Dragon Punishment Pillars emerged, even demons began to fight fiercely over them. A few years later, the human realm's strong figures had their illusions about the demonic realm shattered. No one dared to claim "they are superior to us" anymore.

"I'm telling the truth!" Lord Puyin sneered. "Now, only seventeen righteous gods remain in the celestial realm, and out of the original hundred thousand celestial gods, only just over sixty thousand are left. The necessary battles have largely concluded, and this great calamity should be over."

It had only been twelve years since Miao Zhatian's fall, and the demonic realm had already lost a third of its population!

The birth of new Sky Demons was rare and difficult, even requiring the use of Nightmare Qi stored in Dragon Punishment Pillars. With so many adult Sky Demons dying in recent years, it was no wonder that the Emperor's Dew descending upon the human realm was becoming increasingly worthless.

He Lingchuan already knew these figures and felt no ripple of emotion.

Since ancient times, humanity's population had decreased by far more than thirty percent. Their flesh, blood, and lives had been entirely converted into Nightmare Qi, allowing the demonic realm to enjoy three thousand years of peace.

"I am well aware of all this, and the cause of the demonic realm's successive wars isn't solely the Dragon Punishment Pillars, but hatred," He Lingchuan said slowly. "Only hatred possesses the power to transcend space and time. Therefore, if the demonic realm's war has temporarily ceased, there must be some other fundamental reason temporarily suppressing the power of hatred."

Mitian truly was an ancient god of death, one of the creators of Tianluoxing, possessing profound knowledge of the demonic realm. The Dragon Punishment Pillars it had concocted fundamentally destroyed the demonic realm's effective system of several millennia, using human nature—no, demonic nature—to oppose and break down order.

Once order was broken, whatever had been forcibly suppressed would resurface.