"Why don't we talk about conditions?"
Vishnu still had the same warm smile, holding the Divine Tree, as if the furious Jinmu before him was his Lakshmi.
A picture of harmless joy!
"Ha! Talking conditions again!"
Jinmu glared, his wide mouth exhaling breaths like thunder, causing the colors of heaven and earth to change, his back teeth clenched with a crunch, sounding like an earthquake deep underground.
His hands were clenched into fists even tighter.
He remembered it clearly!
The last person who negotiated with him was Indra, and that ended with him being tricked into throwing away Mount Mandara from his hands.
And now this again!
Did they take him for a fool?!
Vishnu blinked, smiling softly.
"This Wish-Fulfilling Divine Tree is very important to the Devas!"
"As long as the Wish-Fulfilling Divine Tree is given to the Devas, I will, on the behalf of the Protector Gods, ensure a fair distribution; the next treasure that emerges from the Milk Sea will belong to the Asuras," Vishnu said in a calm voice.
Upon hearing this, Jinmu's face became stern, suspicion written all over it as he stared intently at Vishnu, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the Milk Sea below.
The Milk Sea roiled like glue, exceptionally sticky.
This suggested that the churning of the Milk Sea was reaching its final stages, with very little left inside. What was about to emerge could be the legendary Amrita, which grants immortality to gods.
Would he take the gamble?
The Divine Tree before him was precious indeed, yet compared to the immortal Amrita, it was of little consequence.
He and his brother Jīnchuáng had undergone such arduous ascetic practices, all for power and immortality, right?!
If he had the Amrita, he would be utterly invincible for the next thousand Ages of the Devas, fully capable of ascending to the Heavenly Realm. At that time, all the rare treasures and beautiful Apsaras of the Heavenly Realm would belong to him.
As for the Protector God in front of him.
Jinmu would never admit that he was quite wary of Vishnu.
He narrowed his eyes with a solemn gaze, raising his finger towards Protector God Vishnu.
"Hmph, I can't trust those Devas. I want you to make a promise right now that all Devas will not go against your oath!" Jinmu said coldly.
"As you wish!"
Vishnu nodded gently, raising his right hand towards Jinmu, and smilingly said, "In the name of Protector God, I ensure a fair distribution between the Devas and Asuras. The Wish-Fulfilling Divine Tree that stands before us will belong to the Devas..."
At this point, Vishnu smiled, turning his head to look at the Devas.
"The next treasure that emerges from the Milk Sea will belong to the Asuras!"
Vishnu's voice spread throughout the entire Milk Sea.
The voice reverberated across the Milk Sea, and two spheres of light emerged above it, with the figures of Brahma and Shiva appearing in them, nodding slightly towards Vishnu as witnesses to his declaration.
Seeing this scene, Jinmu felt a little reassured and let out a breath of relief, his clenched fists slowly unfolding.
Brahma and Shiva had arrived; Vishnu couldn't possibly speak falsely!
On the other side, the Gods brought their hands together.
"Praise Lord Brahma! Praise Mahadeva Shiva!"
"Praise Lord Brahma! Praise Mahadeva Shiva!"
...
After the Gods had sung their praises, led by Surya, one after another, they turned their heads with agonized expressions and looked towards Vishnu with resignation.
Teacher Bi, how can you side with the Asuras?
What if the Amrita is no more?
Vishnu smiled faintly but offered no explanation. After he opened his palm, the Wish-Fulfilling Divine Tree, accompanied by the golden light, descended slowly, landing in front of the gods.
"Heavenly Emperor, take good care of this Wish-Fulfilling Divine Tree," Vishnu said with a smile.
Indra, with a smile on his face, held his hands together in front of him, protecting the Wish-Fulfilling Divine Tree, and then nodded slightly to Vishnu.
Vishnu gave a light laugh and disappeared in a flash of golden light.
Whoosh!
Indra's face was full of emotion.
As expected, Vishnu is really reliable!
If he remembered correctly, what remained in the Milk Sea were Helakela and Amrita, one extremely poisonous and the other granting eternal life.
"Helakela is indeed a great thing!"
Indra secured the Wish-Fulfilling Divine Tree and subconsciously reached for his Divine Armor.
The gold Sun God Armor was very tough and emitted a faint warmth, soothing his fingertips.
He had already prepared to absorb the Helakela with the first layer of Divine Armor.
Indra grew more expectant as he turned to see the Devas weighed down by heavy thoughts—Surya and others were clearly worried about the treasures emerging from the Milk Sea falling into the Asuras' hands.
"Don't worry!"
"Would the Supreme Lord harm you now? You lack devotion!"
"The main event is coming up!"
Indra said.
Surya's eyes suddenly brightened as he turned and whispered, "Heavenly Emperor, has the Supreme Lord told you something?"
Indra shook his head with a gentle smile and approached the tail of Shesha, hugging it with both hands.
Witnessing this scene, the light of the sun flickered in Surya's eyes as he had an epiphany.
"The Supreme Lord must have told the Heavenly Emperor something we don't know."
"Don't worry!"
Surya said.
Upon hearing this, the Devas finally set their minds at ease and returned to their places.
Garuda, who had been helping the Devas pull the tail, suddenly tilted his head, his eyes widening with confusion, resentment, sorrow, and a sense of grievance.
"Did the Supreme Lord really tell the Heavenly Emperor something?"
"I am the Supreme Lord's mount; why wouldn't the Supreme Lord tell me!"
"In what way am I less than the Heavenly Emperor?!"
Garuda's proud figure couldn't help but slump as his wings drooped, unable to understand this matter.
But before Garuda could figure it out, the many Gandharvas around him had already sprung into action, pulling on Shesha's tail to drag it, and Garuda too, driven by his frustration, pulled with all his might.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With the tortoise bearing its weight, the massive body of the thousand-headed Serpent King Shesha once again turned, rubbing against Mandara Mountain.
Blub! Blub! Blub!
Steam rose from the Milk Sea, with bubbles erupting from this viscous sea like a volcanic explosion.
"It's turning so fast! It seems everyone is putting in a lot of effort!"
Indra, looking at Mandara Mountain spinning like a top, remarked with feeling.
He gripped Shesha's serpentine body and exerted his strength valiantly.
The Asuras were also bustling with activity.
Rolling flames and venom spewed from each of Shesha's heads, forcing the Asuras to unleash their Divine Power in defense, pulling even harder, with Jinmu's voice echoing relentlessly in this place.
"We're at the final stage!"
"Protector God Vishnu has already promised that the next treasure will belong to the Asuras; Amrita will be ours, Immortal Power is right before our eyes!"
"Quick!"
"Even quicker!"
Jinmu turned to the Asuras behind him, giving orders.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With both sides stirring continuously, the rumbling beneath Mandara Mountain grew louder and louder, as if countless stars were exploding, shaking the heavens and splitting the earth, and at this moment, the Milk Sea churned up tremendous waves.
Boom!
Suddenly, a huge wave burst forth from the Milk Sea, forming a vortex.
Jinmu let go of the snake's head in his hand, stepped forward, and looked out excitedly over the Milk Sea. He raised his hands high and shouted.
"It's coming!"
"Our treasure is emerging!"