Gods of the Nation: You worship the God of Longevity, I worship the King of Hell!

Chapter 133 [Consecration]!! (Please continue reading!!!)

"That's right, a dead knot!"

"Then... what exactly is the deadlock? Could you tell me?" Lu Chen hurriedly asked.

If it's not a matter of magic power, then what could it be?
It's astonishing that a deity would use such a serious term as "dead knot."

The Kitchen God pondered for a moment, then flipped his hand, and a palm-sized, gray leather book with charred edges appeared before Lu Chen's eyes.

The object resembled a scroll of calligraphy, but it was rolled up.

Moreover, it differs from the Kitchen God, who radiates divine light from his body.

This booklet was devoid of any spiritual energy, dull and lifeless, like an inanimate object, and seemed completely out of place compared to the Kitchen God.

"This is my personal magic weapon, called the [Fireworks Book], also known as the [Record of Human Affairs]. All the good and evil deeds of every household will automatically transform into red (good) and black (evil) fire marks and be inscribed on the book. What you seek is nothing more than to find out the real culprit. In the past, I would have only needed to open this book and take a look to know."

The Kitchen God paused, a hint of bitterness in his voice: "But now, this Book of Fireworks... I can no longer open it."

"Why? Could it also be related to entering the temple?" Lu Chen's mind raced.

"Young friend, you are indeed quick-witted. That's right. The divine power of the [Fireworks Manual] comes from the fireworks of countless homes."

"And what gathers in this temple is incense, which is completely different from smoke and fire."

"Since I moved into this temple, the incense book has lost its source of divine power. Over time, it has lost all its spiritual essence and can no longer be opened."

"This is why I do not care how mortals worship me; it is this difficulty."

"Without the help of the firework book, how can I be called the Kitchen God, and how can I help the common people?"

The Kitchen God's voice grew increasingly low: "This time, what has been severed is not just a hand or a foot, but all four limbs are rendered useless."

Therefore, although he still holds the position of Kitchen God, it is merely a nominal title.

The more he talked, the more dejected the Kitchen God's voice became.

Lu Chen suddenly realized that this was the reason!

No wonder I always felt that the Kitchen God was deliberately avoiding offerings, and I thought that the lack of incense had weakened his magic power, just like Zhong Kui.

So the problem was that his natal magic weapon had lost its effectiveness!
"This……"

Lu Chen quickly began to ponder.

Completely devoid of spirit, devoid of divinity? Reduced to a lifeless object?

That's how it is.

If we could reinfuse the spiritual essence and rebind the magic weapon's divinity to the Kitchen God, wouldn't that be wonderful?
Lu Chen's heart was pounding!

My blood is racing!
Is there a way to resolve this problem within the Taoist community?
—Yes, some brothers!
He immediately straightened his back and pressed on, "My lord, if I may be so bold as to ask, if this [Fireworks Book] can regain its divine power, can you use this treasure to find out the real culprit?"

"Restore the power of the Fireworks Book?!" The Kitchen God's expression hardened, and for the first time, a noticeable fluctuation appeared in his eyes.

After a moment's thought, He solemnly nodded: "If you truly have a way to restore this treasure's power, then I will naturally have a way to solve your problem and find the real culprit."

"Very well! In that case, I will leave the task of rekindling the spiritual energy of this treasure to this junior!"

"What did you say? Is this true?!" The Kitchen God's pupils shrank, his divine light rippled, and he almost lost his composure and stood up.

Lu Chen's gaze was firm: "To be honest, sir, I dare not say that I am 100% certain of success with this method, but I have at least a 50% chance of winning!"

The Kitchen God's eyes flickered uncertainly. He suppressed the shock in his heart and solemnly said, "Young friend, do not speak recklessly. The [Fireworks Manual] is no ordinary magic treasure. Even if you have some connections in Heaven or the Underworld, if you want to borrow its divine power to infuse spiritual energy, it will be in vain if you use the wrong method!"

Lu Chen smiled calmly: "Don't worry, my lord, I have my own secret technique and don't need to rely on the power of other gods at all."

"What kind of supernatural power could possibly possess such heaven-defying ability?" the Kitchen God asked with great curiosity.

Lu Chen's expression turned serious, and he declared firmly, "This method is called—[Consecration]. Has the Kitchen God heard of it?"

"Consecration?" The Kitchen God frowned, clearly not understanding. "Please enlighten me, young friend."

As soon as he finished speaking, a cup of tea appeared in front of Lu Chen, with wisps of steam rising from it.

The Kitchen God gestured for them to enter.

Lu Chen recalled the benefits of tasting fine wine on Chenghuang Street and knew that the tea and wine of these immortals were of great help to the soul, so he did not refuse and drank it all.

A warm, soothing energy instantly flowed through my limbs and bones, invigorating my spirit.

He put down his teacup and explained, “According to the records of my ancestors, this ‘consecration’ technique is used specifically to infuse statues and ritual implements with spiritual energy and bind them with divinity.”

In layman's terms, it's like giving an inanimate object a 'smart interface'.

This allows it to connect with the divine and bear spiritual power, transforming it from an ordinary object into a magical artifact imbued with spirit.

As Lu Chen spoke, he pointed to the dimly lit book of firework in the Kitchen God's hand.

"According to what you've said, this object has lost all its spiritual power and is essentially no different from an ordinary object. Strictly speaking, it can no longer be considered a magic weapon. Am I correct?"

The Kitchen God stared at the book of incense in his hand, then looked at Lu Chen, frowning as he said, "It's not entirely correct, but it makes some sense. Continue."

Lu Chen smiled slightly: "My lord, I have finished speaking. In short, this method may help you reopen the [Fireworks Book]."

"How exactly will this be implemented?" the Kitchen God pressed.

"You need not worry about that, sir. I have my own set of ceremonial regalia. If you trust me, you may let me give it a try. There is no loss if I fail, and if I succeed by chance, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing?"

The Kitchen God was momentarily hesitant and clearly lost his composure: "Is it really... a 50% chance of winning?"

"A minimum of 50% guaranteed!" To enhance his persuasiveness, Lu Chen immediately added, "To be honest, sir, the merit-making method I mentioned earlier helped a well dragon king accumulate a massive amount of merit, enabling him to be promoted to a golden dragon guardian under the God of Wealth, and even brought rain to Longhu County, which had suffered from a three-year drought. Therefore, I have the same confidence in this [consecration] method!"

Facts speak louder than words.

With the successful case in Longhu County as a precedent, the Kitchen God was clearly tempted.

Besides, the situation has already deteriorated to this extent, so we might as well try anything as a last resort.

"Very well! In that case, I will trust you this once!" The Kitchen God finally made up his mind, and said in a resounding voice, "If you can truly help me rekindle the [Fireworks Book], I will not only help you find the real culprit, but also reward you handsomely!"

Lu Chen jumped up and bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Kitchen God! In that case, Kitchen God, wait for my message! Once I'm ready, I'll inform you of the next plan."

For religious ceremonies, the most important thing is to choose an auspicious day according to the Chinese calendar.

When I was in Longhu County before, those days happened to be auspicious days.

However, Lu Chen was unable to calculate an auspicious day within the Kitchen God's sea of ​​consciousness.

The date can only be calculated after he leaves. In addition, he also needs to prepare various ritual implements, talismans, and the nine volumes of the Lesser Three Scriptures.

There's still a lot to prepare, and it will all take time!
Seeing Lu Chen's confident and assertive words, the Kitchen God took a deep breath and suppressed his turbulent emotions.

"Very well, I believe you possess considerable abilities and will not disappoint me. I will await your good news!"

"Rest assured, sir, I will do my utmost!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Kitchen God nodded slightly.

The surrounding scenery changed drastically in an instant, and boundless white light once again engulfed Lu Chen's vision...

……

Meanwhile, in the backyard of the Wu Clan Temple.

The night is getting darker.

A faint, smoky aroma filled the air, causing many people's stomachs to rumble.

Sun Yourong, Sun Dechang, and Wu Lao all surrounded Lu Chen, who remained motionless.

His face showed concern.

"Unbelievable! Young friend Lu actually activated this Kitchen God statue! We've really struck gold this time!"

Old Wu could not hide his surprise: "What's even more incredible is that on the first offering, I was directly pulled into the consciousness of the deity! Such an encounter... is simply unheard of!"

Even with Mr. Wu's extensive experience, he couldn't help but gasp in shock.

Normally, only those with a God-serving rating of 20% or higher can receive this honor.

Can a 20% increase in the level of service to the deity be achieved by making an initial offering on the morning of a difficult road?

This goes beyond mere talent!

"Old Wu, how long has it been?"

Sun Dechang couldn't help but feel somewhat worried.

Bringing something into one's consciousness can be good or bad; it can incur the wrath of the gods.

It will cause irreversible damage to the soul.

Although the probability is less than one in ten thousand.

But as long as the possibility exists, Sun Dechang cannot help but worry.

"About four or five minutes, they should be out soon," Old Wu replied, then turned to Sun Yourong and suddenly asked, "Rongrong, I heard that young friend Lu worships three deities: the God of Wealth, the King of Hell, and the Plague Emperor Haotian of the Plague Department. How high are the levels of these three deities?"

Old Wu couldn't help but be curious.

Such cases of being drawn into one's consciousness during the first offering are extremely rare.

He wanted to glean some insight from the servant's demeanor, to see what secrets this young man was hiding.

“This…” Sun Yourong was a little embarrassed, after all, the Divine Servants’ Du was quite private to some extent.

So after thinking about it, she politely declined, saying, "I'm sorry, Mr. Wu, if you really want to ask, you should ask him yourself. It's really not appropriate for me to bring this up."

Old Wu paused, still unwilling to give up: "Alright, then let me ask you another question, so as not to put you in a difficult position. Young friend Lu, is the one with the highest level of divine service above 30%, no, 35%?"

Sun Yourong looked at her grandfather, and seeing Sun Dechang nod slightly, she replied softly, "He surpassed... and far surpassed."

--hiss!!!

Far exceeding 35% of the God-Servant's Degree?

At such a young age?
Mr. Wu felt a little dizzy for a moment.

When Lu Chen was that age, Wenchang Dijun's divine favorability was only 10%.

Even so, they are already outstanding individuals.

"Old Sun, you have a sharp eye! Not only are you ruthless, but you're also steady!" Old Wu exclaimed.

"Hahaha!" Sun Dechang burst out laughing on the spot.

"Hey, what's wrong? What happened?"

Just then, Lu Chen's voice suddenly rang out, breaking the atmosphere in the courtyard.

"You're out?" Sun Yourong quickly stepped forward and looked her over carefully. "Are you alright?"

"What could possibly happen? Everything's fine."

Having just drunk a cup of celestial tea, Lu Chen felt refreshed and incredibly comfortable.

"Young friend, what did the Kitchen God say? Will we be able to successfully worship him using this method in the future?" Old Wu asked anxiously.

"Uh... Mr. Wu, it might not be possible for the time being."

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Old Wu's heart tightened.

"Well... let's talk about that later. The problem can be solved!" Lu Chen didn't want to reveal too much, so he said instead, "Elder Wu, I have a favor to ask."

"But it doesn't matter!"

Lu Chen's gaze returned to the Kitchen God statue: "This junior would like to temporarily take the Kitchen God statue back. Perhaps we can rent it temporarily, or I can simply hire one directly. Approximately how much would it cost?"

Old Wu immediately understood that this action must be related to "repairing" the Kitchen God, and immediately waved his hand:

"Young friend Lu, why are you being so polite? You've been a great help to my Wu family by activating a deity. Since you're so kind, please leave. There's no need to discuss any fees. But how many days will it take?"

Lu Chen placed his hands behind his back, his fingertips twitching slightly as he calculated the auspicious date.

Exactly!

Two days later, it will be an auspicious day!
"It will take anywhere from three to four days!"

Lu Chen deliberately set aside some time.

"no problem!"

Mr. Wu readily agreed.

(End of this chapter)