Chapter 177 A God's Request

Even with prior mental preparation, Wei Yuan's body still stiffened slightly for a moment.

Zhu Jiuyin's eyes were calm as he gazed at Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan felt as if that gaze directly penetrated his mountain god body, even transcending the realms of the human world and the Mountain Sea World, directly locking onto his true spirit.

Wei Yuan slowly exhaled.

Zhu Jiuyin, the god of Zhongshan, illuminates the Nine Netherworlds. When his eyes are open, it is day; when they are closed, it is night.

It would be strange if his eyes didn't possess any divine power.

I wonder if the monkey could beat him?

But he probably can't go online now. There are so many games in the app store…

Such a thought flashed through Wei Yuan's mind. Then, he collected his thoughts, looked at Zhu Jiuyin, and said frankly:

"God of the Nine Netherworlds, long time no see."

………………

Zhu Jiuyin slowly said, "It doesn't matter whether it's been long or short."

"I just didn't expect that after Yu the Great and Yao left, you would be the last person I saw from that era."

"The ways of the world are truly wondrous."

Wei Yuan said, "I didn't expect to see you again either."

If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to see you.

Zhu Jiuyin glanced at him and said indifferently:

"Your tone suggests otherwise."

"Back when you were recording my son's death at Zhongshan, you weren't so polite and reserved."

"You wrote and carved those words with great pleasure."

Wei Yuan: "…………"

Past me, just how stubborn were you back then?

It must be Yu the Great's influence…

That guy was even more stubborn.

Wei Yuan mentally shifted the blame to Yu, who couldn't speak, muttering to himself to alleviate the pressure of facing Zhu Jiuyin directly, finding dark amusement in it. However, the somewhat relaxed atmosphere suddenly became tense. Zhu Jiuyin calmly sipped his tea. Wei Yuan was silent for a moment before taking the initiative to speak:

"Zhu Jiuyin, you must have known it was me for a long time, right?"

Zhu Jiuyin is the title for the god who illuminates the Nine Netherworlds, a respectful title earned for his great contributions to the heavens and earth.

It wasn't considered disrespectful for Wei Yuan to address him this way.

Zhu Jiuyin: "Naturally."

"Then your reason for having me come here shouldn't be to reminisce about the old days."

Zhu Jiuyin was silent for a moment before saying:

"Very clever, a little more clever than you were back then."

"I asked you here because I want you to do something for me."

"What is it?"

"Help me kill Gu."

"Who?!"

Zhu Jiuyin: "Gu."

………………

The corner of Wei Yuan's eye twitched.

Gu was Zhu Jiuyin's son, the original god of Zhongshan, who was later executed by Emperor Yao.

Wei Yuan's thoughts couldn't help but pause. After a few breaths, he reacted and said:

"Are you talking about the ferocious beast born from Gu's corpse?"

Zhu Jiuyin nodded and said, "That's it."

"No matter what, that was my son. Even though he died, he died as a god."

"Killed by Emperor Yao, even consuming the elixir of immortality was useless. My son is already dead, and that bird was born from his resentment."

"As a father, I cannot allow his resentment to continue to exist in the world, unable to rest in peace even after death."

"Yuan, slay that ferocious beast and bring back his last true spirit…"

Zhu Jiuyin closed his eyes and said, "It's time for me to make a decision."

Wei Yuan said, "...Why don't you take action yourself?"

"Or have the experts from the Nine Netherworld countries take action?"

Zhu Jiuyin said slowly, "I have to support the Nine Netherworld countries. This is the contract between Emperor Zhuanxu and me."

"This contract is witnessed by heaven and earth, and I will not violate it."

"And gods should not interfere in human affairs, even the Nine Netherworld countries. This was also the contract between Zhuanxu and the gods back then."

"I can only ask you for help."

"Besides, Yuan, do you want a father to see his son die before his eyes for the second time?"

There was a hint of human emotion in the ancient god's tone. Wei Yuan was silent for a moment, not asking how Zhu Long knew he could travel between the two realms, and nodded, saying:

"I will do my best, but this will take time."

"Gu is your son. During his lifetime, his strength was no less than that of Xiang Liu, Gonggong's subordinate, or Chang Qin, the son of Zhurong. Even as lingering resentment, his strength is above that of ordinary mountain gods."

Zhu Jiuyin: "I can wait."

He raised his hand, and a dagger emitting a faint spiritual light appeared in his hand. There were traces similar to starlight on the blade. The dagger was well-protected. Zhu Long stroked the dagger and whispered:

"This is the first weapon Gu used when he was young."

"It was made by Ying Zhao, who gathered the gold of Kunlun, beneath the Huaijiang Mountains, where the four rivers converge."

"This dagger should be able to attract the ferocious beast formed from his resentment."

With a slight wave of his hand, the dagger landed beside Wei Yuan's hand. It was heavy and solid, and the blade was not sharp, but it gave people a heart-palpitating sense of fear. This was a true weapon from the Age of Gods, its sheer strength and sharpness surpassing even the power of so-called magic treasures of later generations. Wei Yuan placed the dagger on the table.

Wei Yuan couldn't help but whisper: "Zhu Jiuyin, you seem different from what I remember."

"I feel like you don't have the airs of a god at all."

Zhu Jiuyin pondered for a moment and said, "What do you think a god is?"

Wei Yuan frowned and answered:

"Contract, order."

Zhu Jiuyin nodded and said, "It seems that other gods have already told you these things."

"But why order and contract?"

He said, "Do you know why the Four Fiends' strength far exceeds that of ordinary mountain gods, but they can only be called ferocious beasts? Because in my Divine Land, whether one is a god or not is not determined by strength, but by agreement."

"And agreement often represents responsibility."

"I must support the Nine Netherworld countries and illuminate day and night; the Queen Mother of the West must stabilize Kunlun, the mountain of the divine realm; and the mountain gods must protect the creatures in the mountains and ensure their prosperity for generations. Even the water god Gonggong has a common contract with the water systems of the world. As long as this contract is upheld, although the sun and moon rotate, and the years change, even if the old friends who made the agreement with us have long since disappeared, the contract remains unchanged, then time is eternal. This is a god."

"We are called gods by all beings because we bear the responsibility for the heavens and earth, for all living beings."

"Not just because of mere strength."

"The Four Fiends are tyrannical and banished to the four directions, while corresponding to them are the Four Spirits. After the collapse of the heavens, the Four Spirits guarded the four directions for all things in heaven and earth, and were also favored by heaven and earth, able to command the purest power of heaven and earth."

"Living beings become gods because of contracts, but betraying contracts and relying on strength to commit evil."

"In the end, they are only reduced to the level of ferocious beasts."

Wei Yuan was thoughtful.

Then he said solemnly, "Thank you for your guidance."

Zhu Jiuyin shook his head and said calmly, "Just some simple insights."

The situation was much better than Wei Yuan had expected. Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and planned to take his leave. Although Zhu Jiuyin's attitude was peaceful, he still brought Wei Yuan a huge, invisible pressure, a pressure even stronger than that of Wu Zhiqi.

Zhu Jiuyin saw through Wei Yuan's thoughts and said slowly:

"Before you leave, there is one more thing."

"Did you bring a weapon?"

Wei Yuan's heart tightened slightly. He nodded, raised his hand, and with a grip, divine power gathered and turned into a battle blade, its edge restrained but heavy and solid.

Zhu Jiuyin looked it over thoughtfully and said:

"Acceptable."

"Follow me."

Zhu Jiuyin got up and led the way.

Wei Yuan had no choice but to follow closely behind, his heart heavy. He didn't know what other arrangements Zhu Jiuyin had. He couldn't help but ponder in his heart, looking at the scenery of the Nine Netherworld countries along the way. Questions arose one after another. He also thought of what the woman had said earlier, claiming that the Zhou Dynasty emperor was still alive.

Wei Yuan frowned.

The exile to the Nine Netherworlds happened during the time of Yu the Great.

Knowing about the Shang and Zhou dynasties undoubtedly meant that the Nine Netherworlds had once gone to the human world.

However, the return of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* had only been in the last hundred years.

It was impossible for the connection with the human world to be so strong from the beginning that living beings could travel back and forth. Moreover, the fact that Wolong Mountain blocked the road was something Wei Yuan himself had done. In other words, it could be inferred that the Nine Netherworlds had entered the human world in the last two or three decades.

Deliberately saying that the Zhou Dynasty emperor was still alive…

It was obviously a trap targeting his identity as the 'ghost god of Chaoge in the Shang Dynasty'.

She was deliberately sowing discord, hoping to use him as a pawn to reap the benefits.

This information gap was cleverly exploited. If the person she had contacted was not Wei Yuan, but the real ghost god Wu Yi of Chaoge, he would undoubtedly fall into the trap. With Wu Yi's character, even if he knew that the other party was intentionally using him, he would not hesitate to join forces with her to carve out a path for Chaoge City.

Wei Yuan thought of the proud Shang king again and sighed in his heart.

Along with his thoughts, the road under his feet had also come to an end.

Zhu Jiuyin led him to a secret chamber deep underground.

It was sealed by a heavy bronze door with patterns from the Age of Gods on it.

Zhu Jiuyin tapped lightly with his finger.

These patterns emitted light from the four corners, eventually converging in the center. With a click, the entire divine era formation was activated, and the light dissipated.

Zhu Jiuyin pushed the door open.

Wei Yuan held his breath and focused his mind, holding his sword in one hand, and walked in slowly.

He turned his eyes and swept around.

Then, his body stiffened slightly.

He saw pottery pots, pottery, a sharp kitchen knife, a cutting board, a steamer, and a cupboard next to it filled with a dazzling array of ingredients. He saw the ancient and dignified god Zhu Jiuyin sitting behind a long table, his elbows resting on the table, his fingers interlaced and pressed against his chin.

Zhu Jiuyin raised his chin slightly, gesturing to the ingredients and cooking utensils, his tone calm and composed:

"Cook."

Wei Yuan: "…………"

Damn it!

I'm not a cook!

ps: Today's first update... two thousand eight hundred words, today's first update...

Readjusting my schedule again.