My Golden Core is a Star, do you call this cultivating?

Chapter 210: The Four Saints Defend, Tianpeng Shows His Might!

In the capital city of Cai Country.

Cough, cough... Zhang Feng coughed up blood, his face pale as a ghost.

The burly man beside him, clad in iron armor with intricate patterns and densely carved depictions of various figures, looked at Zhang Feng with a furrowed brow. "How bad are your injuries?"

The burly man was a captain from the nearby evil god’s military camp, possessing the power of three steps to heaven.

"It will probably take decades of recuperation before I can take action again," Zhang Feng replied, his expression filled with sorrow. "During this time, I'm afraid I won't be able to serve our lord."

"You were too careless to have been injured by an assassin. The assassin has been dealt with, but your injuries..." The burly man frowned, his face clouded with uncertainty.

The camp leader had always valued Zhang Feng, entrusting him with various difficult and dirty tasks. After all, Zhang Feng was an ancient god, so he was naturally used ruthlessly.

"Sigh, the assassin was also a three-step ancient god. Because of my loyalty to the camp leader, I've made too many enemies among the ancient gods, often facing assassination attempts," Zhang Feng said helplessly.

The burly man examined Zhang Feng's injuries and said, "You should rest and recover. I will report this matter truthfully to the camp leader."

With that, the burly man left the palace with three new gods.

As he squinted, seemingly deep in thought, one of the new gods couldn't help but snort, "That Zhang Feng must be faking his injury!"

"Yes, he's just trying to avoid doing the camp leader's bidding!"

"His brother-in-law is dead, and instead of avenging him, he wants us to do it!"

The new gods all suspected Zhang Feng of deceit.

"He claims he was attacked by a three-step ancient god, yet he can't even produce the assassin's corpse!"

Last night, after receiving news of Zhang Feng's injury, they had rushed to Cai Country to support him, only to be turned away. They hadn't seen Zhang Feng until daylight.

The burly man sighed as he glanced at his subordinates. "His injuries don’t seem fake. Whether he's faking or not, it seems we truly won't be able to rely on him for the next few decades."

"Hmph, this is our territory! With the camp leader in charge, where would a three-step ancient god dare to act? An assassin? What a joke!"

These new gods were full of confidence.

In the fallen zone, ancient gods were on the brink of extinction, fortunate enough not to be wiped out entirely. They rarely engaged in assassination attempts. Those who could flee had already fled.

However, at that moment, a terrifying voice rang out like thunder.

"Execute the traitor Zhang Feng! Those who stand in our way shall be killed without mercy!"

The four new gods present were stunned.

Was there really an assassin?

Inside the palace, Zhang Feng also froze.

There really was an assassin!

"How bold!" the burly man roared. "Who dares to act so brazenly in my presence?"

The burly man was furious.

It seemed Zhang Feng truly had been attacked. Being ambushed before was one thing, but to have someone come openly after Zhang Feng while their camp was present was a direct affront to him.

How could he not be angry?

He soared into the sky.

Seven new gods around him also took to the air.

A powerful aura of evil godly energy spread, enveloping the entire capital of Cai Country.

All the ordinary citizens trembled in fear.

At that moment, Qi Yuan and his group stopped above the capital city of Cai Country.

Qi Yuan looked at the burly man, squinting. "Are you Zhang Feng?"

Beside him, Wang Wenqi quickly replied, "My lord, that is not Zhang Feng!"

The burly man also scrutinized Qi Yuan, his eyes widening in surprise. "I wondered who would dare come to the capital of Cai Country with such boldness. Twenty or more true gods!"

Indeed, the appearance of Qi Yuan and his group was imposing.

More than twenty true gods, most of whom were at the level of two steps to heaven. In the surrounding countries, this would be considered a very strong force.

However, the burly man was not afraid.

This time, their camp had sent only elite troops to the capital of Cai Country. Eight true gods, with four at three steps to heaven and four at two steps to heaven.

Even though they were outnumbered, their strength far surpassed that of Qi Yuan's group.

Moreover, he was a peak three-step true god, on the verge of forming a divine domain.

He alone could suppress these ancient gods.

"So many people, all potential trophies!" The burly man said, his voice filled with excitement.

"You're not Zhang Feng, yet you dare block our way. Are you seeking death?" Qi Yuan's voice was cold, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

At that moment, a regretful voice interrupted. Zhang Feng, pale and weak, rose into the air. "Wenqi, I deeply regret what happened to your great-grandfather. Who could have known he would be so stubborn? If he had joined me in serving the new gods, he wouldn't have angered them, leading to such a tragedy. His death was unfortunate, but it was to avoid bringing disaster to the innocent people of the city. For the greater good, for the sake of the people, it’s best not to resist the new gods."

Wang Wenqi's eyes turned red with anger at Zhang Feng's words.

Qi Yuan, growing impatient with Zhang Feng's hypocritical speech, cut to the chase. "Why are you pretending to be injured? Do you think I'll spare you because of it?"

Qi Yuan's gaze was sharp, seeing through Zhang Feng’s deception.

Zhang Feng coughed again, spitting blood.

The burly man, now suspicious, looked at Qi Yuan. "It seems that the assassin who attacked Zhang Feng last night was one of your associates. We were mistaken about Zhang Feng."

The other new gods also felt a pang of guilt for doubting Zhang Feng.

"An assassin? What happened to him?" Qi Yuan asked, recalling Thunderbolt Great Venerable.

"He was naturally executed!" the burly man boasted. "And next, you will be too!"

Executed?

Qi Yuan paused for a moment, then laughed. "As if Zhang Feng could manage that!"

Even if Shenlei Great Venerable was injured, he was still a Great Venerable. There was no way someone like Zhang Feng could defeat him without killing him.

If Shenlei Great Venerable had such a poor showing, Qi Yuan would tease him for three years.

Qi Yuan was certain that Shenlei Great Venerable hadn’t arrived yet, which made sense. If Shenlei Great Venerable was hunting Zhang Feng, he would be much more cautious, avoiding all major cities. Any delay along the way would be understandable.

Feeling reassured, Qi Yuan relaxed. He eyed the evil gods before him with a greedy look.

"So much evil god power."

He figured he could conjure up quite a few powerful deities with this.

The burly man felt uncomfortable under Qi Yuan's gaze. "I don't like the way you're looking at me!"

After all, he was supposed to be the hunter, while Qi Yuan and his group were the prey—his trophies.

"I don't care if you like it or not," Qi Yuan responded indifferently. "Except for Zhang Feng, kill the rest!"

His command left both the ancient gods and the new gods momentarily stunned.

Shouldn't the goal be to capture them alive? How do you capture someone dead?

But since Qi Yuan had given the order, the ancient gods hesitated no further. They spread out, surrounding the eight evil gods, including Zhang Feng.

The burly man’s smile faded. "Am I still dreaming? A group of two-step ancient gods dares surround us?"

He was utterly confused.

These ancient gods must have lost their minds!

But then he remembered they had come to assassinate Zhang Feng and had done so with such arrogance, making everything a bit more understandable.

"Attack! We have to find someone, and Thunderbolt Great Venerable is just too unreliable," Qi Yuan muttered, looking annoyed.

As the other ancient gods followed his order, they unleashed their divine domain seedlings without hesitation, facing the powerful evil gods.

Instantly, nearly twenty divine domain seedlings bloomed.

The space above the capital city of Cai Country froze.

The smile on Zhang Feng’s face disappeared.

Fear replaced the confidence on the burly man’s face.

"Divine domain seedlings..."

"How is this possible?"

They couldn’t comprehend it. How could they encounter such powerful ancient gods—and not just one but several?

In the presence of the divine domain seedlings, these evil gods, whether they were two-step or three-step, were completely immobilized.

Their dozens of divine apertures became dull and sluggish.

The difference between a Venerable and a Great Venerable was the divine domain.

The number of divine apertures determined the amount and flow of divine power.

But when a Great Venerable's divine domain was unleashed, it could block the divine apertures of a Venerable.

At that moment, the three-step evil gods were as weak as dogs and chickens.

"I’ll take care of the killing. It's been too long since I've beheaded anyone, and it's getting boring!"

Qi Yuan's voice broke the tension.

Due to the limitations of this world, Qi Yuan had been stuck at the peak of the Purple Mansion for a long time. In previous battles with deities, it was always his followers doing the killing. He’d only been able to watch from the sidelines, feeling his hands itch with the desire to fight.

The last time, when Shenlei Great Venerable had subdued an evil god for Qi Yuan to kill, Qi Yuan had failed, leaving him frustrated.

Now, with so many heads ready to roll, he couldn’t wait.

"Sword, come forth," Qi Yuan commanded, and a blood-red long sword materialized, darting through the air like a dragon.

The sword entered the divine domain seedlings with ease.

It flashed across the eight powerful evil gods.

One by one, the terrifying evil gods fell.

Their heads rolled, and their bodies were smashed by Qi Yuan's sword.

They were dead, thoroughly and completely.

"Now I can finally enjoy a feast without worry."

Having slain the eight evil gods, Qi Yuan absorbed a large amount of evil god power, and his experience surged.

Finally, he turned his attention to Zhang Feng.

At that moment, Zhang Feng lay there like a dead dog, unable to move under the pressure of the divine domain seedlings and the combined divine power of the other gods.

Qi Yuan exhaled with satisfaction. "It feels good to bully the weak!"

After being cautious and restrained for so long, he could finally unleash his full power.

He looked at Zhang Feng, his gaze turning cold and sharp. "I've wanted to kill you for a long time."

Zhang Feng, pinned down by the other gods, looked terrified. "Have I offended you, my lord?"

He racked his brain but couldn’t recall anything.

But hearing Qi Yuan mention "a long time ago," could it be from ten thousand years ago?

"Yes," Qi Yuan replied. "Before I kill you, I'm going to... read your soul!"

Qi Yuan rarely used soul-reading. He usually just killed his enemies outright.

Zhang Feng's face twisted in fear. "What have I done to offend you, my lord? Please, enlighten me so that I may die knowing why!"

Zhang Feng had always been a survivor, clinging to any chance of life.

"Tianbao Venerable was a respected elder, but I never had the chance to meet him. You were closest to him, so I want to see what he was really like."

Without waiting for Zhang Feng to respond, Qi Yuan’s divine sense violently pierced Zhang Feng’s sea of consciousness, tearing through it.

An endless stream of memories flooded into Qi Yuan's mind.

In Zhang Feng’s memories, Qi Yuan finally saw the kindly old man.

He always wore simple linen robes and fished by the lakeside.

With all the memories in hand, Qi Yuan looked at the now vacant-eyed Zhang Feng.

"Tianbao Venerable, I will remember you."

This time, Qi Yuan had learned much about Tianbao Venerable and knew quite a bit about him.

Qi Yuan always remembered those who had shown him kindness.

Being remembered meant not being completely erased from existence.

One day, when he reached the pinnacle of divinity, those who had passed might yet return.

After speaking, Qi Yuan ended Zhang Feng’s life with a single stroke of his sword.

Wang Wenqi, who had been holding back her emotions, finally let a single tear fall.

The elder twin sister spoke urgently, "My lord, we must leave quickly. The evil god army will likely arrive soon. If they send a Great Venerable next time, we’ll be in serious trouble!"

Qi Yuan nodded in agreement. Then, he suddenly shouted, "Good morning, people of Cai Country's capital! We can't have a feast this time, but next time I come, I'll treat you all!"

Qi Yuan was disappointed that he couldn’t feast in the home of the slain, but at least there would be another chance.

The citizens of Cai Country's capital were left bewildered, finding the whole situation incomprehensible.

"Let’s go!"

Qi Yuan knew it was time to leave. While they were strong, they still had a significant gap to bridge if they were to face the full force of the evil god’s army.

If the evil god’s army fought without fear of death, like mindless machines, they could indeed hold Qi Yuan’s group at bay.

In an instant, the group transformed into streams of light, fleeing rapidly.

Killing and then running—it was thrilling.

Qi Yuan was used to this feeling.

The only downside was not being able to feast in the victim’s home.

But then, a deep, booming voice echoed through the air.

"Since you've come, why not stay a while?"

All the ancient gods' faces changed upon hearing this voice.

"A Great Venerable!"

A Great Venerable was making a move!

In the distant north, a massive pillar of light shot towards them with terrifying speed.

The light pillar was filled with a destructive aura, capable of dissolving everything in its path.

This was clearly an all-out attack from a Great Venerable, delivered from thousands of miles away.

The difference between a Venerable and a Great Venerable was like the gap between an Yin God and a Purple Mansion cultivator.

Though they had consumed the divine domain elixir and could manifest divine domain seedlings, their seedlings were nothing compared to a Great Venerable’s complete domain.

Even from thousands of miles away, the full-force strike of a Great Venerable felt like an unstoppable force of annihilation.

The elder twin sister’s expression was grave. "We must all work together to help the lord block this attack!"

She called out to the other seven ancient gods.

These seven were all veteran ancient gods, incredibly powerful.

If the eight of them combined their strength, they might be able to block the attack.

But even then, it would come at a great cost.

If two of them survived, it would be considered lucky.

Such was the difference between a Great Venerable and a regular Venerable.

"No need for you to act!"

Suddenly, Zhu Zhuangshi stepped forward.

Chen Xifan, Shi Chongshan, and Mu Tong also stepped forward.

The elder twin sister was stunned.

Weren’t they only newly advanced to true gods?

For them to block this attack was nothing short of suicide.

Qi Yuan, however, nodded approvingly. "Northern Polar Four Saints, don’t disappoint me."

Indeed, these four were the ones who had practiced the Northern Polar Four Saints Divine Techniques.

Zhu Zhuangshi was the Marshal Tianpeng; Shi Chongshan was the Xuantian Shangdi, also known as the True Martial Great Emperor; Chen Xifan was the Marshal Tianyou; and Mu Tong was the Marshal Yisheng.

"Even if they’ve attained True godhood, the gap between them is still too vast..." The elder twin sister’s heart raced with anxiety.

These four had only recently begun to grow in power after practicing the divine techniques of godhood. Dying here would be such a waste.

But Qi Yuan’s orders could not be questioned.

All they could do was worry.

The four villagers soared into the sky, meeting the massive light pillar head-on.

They stared at the Great Venerable’s full-force strike without a hint of fear.

"Today, I’ll show you what real strength is!" Zhu Zhuangshi roared.

The other three echoed his battle cry.

Suddenly, time seemed to freeze.

With their shouts, the four villagers underwent a dramatic transformation, and a divine aura filled the air.

Terrifying shadows began to form behind them.

Behind Zhu Zhuangshi, a fearsome god with four heads and eight arms appeared, holding eight different weapons and standing over forty meters tall.

The Milky Way flowed between his palms, and terrifying lightning danced through his hair like tiny serpents.

The image of Tianpeng appeared.

The other three villagers underwent similar transformations.

Behind each of them, terrifying shadows of gods materialized.

The shadows were like divine beings descending, impossible to look at directly.

Even a glance filled one with awe.

Then, the sound of the Milky Way surging filled the air.

The clamor of golden-armored soldiers echoed through the sky.

The ancient gods couldn’t help but stare at the shadows.

It was as if they could see beyond the shadows, where legions of soldiers stood.

"Is this... godhood?"

"Why is it a thousand, ten thousand times more terrifying than I ever imagined!"

The ancient gods trembled in awe.

A purple thunderbolt flashed, and the Milky Way surged.

Countless sounds of armored soldiers on the march filled the air, and it seemed as if behind the shadows were endless legions of divine warriors, all clad in golden armor and wielding long spears and halberds.

Every soldier was a god!

These divine soldiers formed an army so vast it was impossible to count.

The battle cries rang out.

"Tianpeng! Tianpeng! Nine Yuan Spirit Warriors!"

"Heavenly Armored Warriors! Defend the South and repel the evil!"

"Heavenly Generals! Defend the North and strike the enemy!"

"Three hundred thousand soldiers, protect the Nine Heavens!"

The ancient gods were stunned.

Godhood?

Nonsense!

Where in the world of Fancheng are there gods commanding three hundred thousand true gods? Three hundred thousand true gods as soldiers!

Not even the legends of the Hongtang War dared to exaggerate like this.

"I am the Great Marshal of the Northern Polar Four Saints, Tianpeng!"

"How dare you harm me!"

Zhu Zhuangshi shouted again.

The terrifying shadow behind him opened its eyes.

The other three marshals also opened their eyes.

A powerful aura swept across everything.

At that moment, words couldn’t capture the scene.

The shadows of the Northern Polar Four Saints reached out, grabbing the terrifying pillar of light that was meant to destroy everything.

"Ahhhh!" Zhu Zhuangshi shouted.

The other three villagers also displayed a fierce determination!

They used their godly bodies and divine domain seedlings to directly confront the Great Venerable’s full-force strike.

Boom!

The pillar of light shattered into nothingness!