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

Chapter 213: Listening to Music in the Pavilion

In the communication area of the Ancient God Alliance.

The Dusk Venerable expressed his frustration and said, "Right now, the top generals under the Origin Heavenly Venerable are sweeping through Feng and Lin Countries. This will definitely draw the attention of the evil god camps! I am willing to go to Lin Country to assist the Origin Heavenly Venerable. Who will join me?"

"So it was the Origin Heavenly Venerable behind today’s grand show. I'll go too!"

"Who is this Origin Heavenly Venerable? This action seems unwise."

"They're just showing off. Once the evil god camps mobilize, they’ll all die. Supporting them now is just throwing our lives away!"

"They eliminated the evil gods, and you call that showing off? We've been hiding like turtles, so what kind of show are we putting on?"

"We in the Ancient God Alliance can’t eradicate the evil gods in Lin and Feng Countries? Why didn’t we do it? We endured for the sake of the bigger picture! Is that also wrong?"

"If all the ancient gods in the Ancient God Alliance go to assist the Origin Heavenly Venerable, even the evil god camps would have a hard time dealing with us!"

"We should be developing quietly. Starting a war lightly will drag the Ancient God Alliance and the entire Fanxin Realm into a disaster."

"We keep retreating, and retreating... What, should we wait until the evil gods are at our door before we start resisting?"

The group was filled with debate, with different ancient gods expressing their opinions.

After half an hour of heated discussion.

Under a locust tree, the Dusk Venerable sighed deeply.

Surrounding him were nearly twenty ancient gods.

These twenty or so ancient gods had voluntarily left the Ancient God Alliance, intending to go to Qing Shui Village to support the Origin Heavenly Venerable.

At this moment, these ancient gods were full of righteous zeal, ready to face death.

"Dusk Venerable, we should get going," said the Fire Lotus Venerable, her voice gentle like a southern maiden.

"We've waited long enough. Those who were meant to come have arrived. The others have made their own choices; there's no need to wait any longer," another ancient god said, with a tone of resignation.

The Ancient God Alliance had over three hundred ancient gods, yet only about twenty had come.

Not even a tenth.

But this was to be expected.

Going to support Qing Shui Village meant facing the evil god camps’ assault.

With their current strength, they had little hope of withstanding an attack from the evil god camps.

At this point, the Fire Lotus Venerable asked the Dusk Venerable, "You are most familiar with the Origin Heavenly Venerable. Do you know why Qing Shui Village suddenly gained so much power and why they suddenly attacked the evil gods in Feng and Lin Countries?"

As soon as she asked, the other ancient gods also looked at the Dusk Venerable.

They were all very curious about this.

Qing Shui Village was a previously unknown place, and suddenly it had produced several true gods who dared to challenge the surrounding evil gods.

It was astonishing and hard to comprehend.

Even the evil gods probably hadn't anticipated this.

The Dusk Venerable frowned and pondered before saying, "The Origin Heavenly Venerable... once visualized twenty-one legendary-level visualization techniques!"

Facing these ancient gods who were willing to go to Qing Shui Village, the Dusk Venerable decided to trust them.

"What? That peerless genius was him!" The usually calm Fire Lotus Venerable showed a look of shock.

Back then, the story of an ancient god who had visualized twenty-one legendary-level visualization techniques had shocked the entire Fanxin Realm.

Almost all the ancient gods in the Ancient God Alliance had heard of it.

They had assumed it was a peerless prodigy from the southern region.

They never expected it to be someone from the fallen zone.

"If that's the case, it makes sense," the ancient gods murmured among themselves.

At this moment, one ancient god suddenly had a thought.

"Could the eight mythological beings who appeared in the visualization land recently... also be his work?" the ancient god said, his voice trembling.

Visualizing twenty-one legendary techniques was already extremely rare.

Eight mythological beings? That was unheard of.

The odds that these were the same person were low, but it was possible.

"I don't know," the Dusk Venerable shook his head.

"If it is him... then I think those old fellows in the alliance were right. We should develop quietly and accumulate strength," one of the ancient gods couldn’t help but say.

"They call it quiet development, but what have they developed? They’re just being cowards!"

The ancient gods debated heatedly.

The Dusk Venerable’s eyes grew firm. "If he really visualized eight mythological beings, then we must protect him at all costs!"

The other ancient gods nodded in agreement.

The evil god camps were indeed powerful, but that didn't mean Qing Shui Village was already doomed.

…

Half a day passed in the blink of an eye.

The Shenlei Venerable had already returned to Feiwu City and even visited Qing Shui Village.

Now, he was gritting his teeth, glaring at the big black dog beside him. "Couldn't you have stopped the Origin Heavenly Venerable?"

The big black dog trembled, feeling deeply wronged.

Today was a particularly bad day for it.

Its sworn brother, Shi Chongshan, didn’t even bring it tea or water.

Zhu Zhuangshi even went as far as to sit right on it.

And now, even the Thunder God Venerable was picking on it.

How could a dog stop the Origin Heavenly Venerable?

Should it just bark endlessly?

It didn’t want to end up on the dinner table.

"Sigh, where in the world is Qi Yuan!" The Shenlei Venerable felt a deep sense of desolation.

Originally, he had been moved by Qi Yuan's actions when he led a group to kill Zhang Feng. He had planned to come back and advise Qi Yuan to lay low and move the gods elsewhere.

But before he could even try, Feiwu City and Qing Shui Village were already empty.

When he asked around, he learned that Qi Yuan had initiated a "One-Day Plan to Kill a Hundred Gods."

Now, all the ancient gods of Qing Shui Village had set out to hunt evil gods.

Such a high-profile move would surely drag the entire Feng and Lin Countries into a crisis.

"I don't know where godfather went," Qi Qi said calmly, seemingly not surprised by Qi Yuan's actions.

The Thunder God Venerable couldn’t help but feel like roaring at the sky.

Then, he quickly activated his communication jade slip.

In the southern region.

Within a cave.

The Shenlei Venerable's projection appeared. He looked at the Lishan Venerable in front of him and immediately shot out a thunderbolt.

Lishan Venerable was startled, but with a wave of his hand, he dispersed the thunderbolt and demanded, "Shenlei Venerable, what are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" Shenlei Venerable was furious. "You knew Qi Yuan visualized eight mythological beings, so why didn't you keep him in the southern region? Those are eight mythological beings! How many more can the Visualization Mountain even support?"

The foundation of the Visualization Mountain was the Heavenly Pillar.

"He refused to join the Mythological Plan. He said he was determined to kill the Yang God. Given his courage and ambition, I couldn’t force him. Such ancient gods are the ones I most admire!" Lishan Venerable murmured.

When Qi Yuan had boldly declared his intention to kill the Yang God, it had left Lishan Venerable in awe.

Shenlei Venerable, hearing this, was infuriated. "So you just let him go back without advising him to be cautious? I told you before, he’s even more reckless than I am!"

Lishan Venerable felt a sense of unease. "You mean he didn’t stay low and sent people to rescue you? That only shows how highly he regards you. It’s not a big deal; just advise him to be cautious in the future."

Lishan Venerable had heard Qi Yuan’s sincere words.

Qi Yuan had said he would develop slowly, build up strength, and only act when he was fully prepared.

"Not only did he send people to rescue me, but he also took twenty or so ancient gods to Cai Country and killed Zhang Feng!" Shenlei Venerable spoke with a mix of emotion and helplessness.

Lishan Venerable was surprised.

This Origin Heavenly Venerable was incredibly bold.

"Sigh, I didn’t expect him to be such a sentimental person. But it’s alright. You’re close to the North Sea Divine Eye. If you take him there, he should be safe."

The North Sea Divine Eye was a special place; even the evil god camps couldn’t easily invade it.

"Afterward, just keep an eye on him and advise him not to be reckless," Lishan Venerable thought the situation was serious but not catastrophic, certainly not as exaggerated as the Shenlei Venerable was making it out to be.

The Shenlei Venerable was known for his brashness, lacking the demeanor expected of a Great Venerable.

"Advise him? I just got back and heard that he’s leading those ancient gods to sweep through Feng and Lin Countries, planning to kill a hundred evil gods in one day!" Shenlei Venerable said through gritted teeth.

"What?" Lishan Venerable was utterly stunned.

Hadn’t he just parted with Qi Yuan less than a day ago?

He had just been talking about quiet development, and as soon as he returned to Qing Shui Village, he started a god war!

This was way too fast!

Was he out of his mind?

"This is bad. Once the evil god camps make a move, they’ll... have no way out," Lishan Venerable said worriedly. "I must go to Qing Shui Village immediately!"

Lishan Venerable quickly made up his mind to head to Qing Shui Village.

He couldn’t let Qi Yuan continue acting recklessly.

Hopefully, he could reach Qing Shui Village in time.

"Take him to the North Sea Divine Eye as soon as possible. You must keep Qi Yuan safe!"

"Hmph, as if I needed you to say that! Couldn’t you have given him better advice?" Shenlei Venerable said, still displeased.

…

Hua Ye City.

Located in the fallen zone, this city had no ancient gods, only new gods.

However, this new god had been in seclusion, never attempting to assimilate the city’s residents.

So the people here lived in constant fear but managed to survive.

At this moment, on a small hill in the city, two figures stood.

One was burly and imposing, clearly not someone to mess with.

The other was tall and handsome, his expression distant as if lost in thought. This person was Qi Yuan, who looked at the small hill and the pavilion on it with a sigh.

"Who would have thought we’d come to Xiaojiang Mountain."

"Lord, have you been here before?" Zhu Zhuangshi asked, surprised.

Qi Yuan’s origins had always been a mystery.

The villagers of Qing Shui Village and other ancient gods had often speculated about Qi Yuan’s identity in ancient times.

"Yes, I once traveled the world with an extraordinary woman. She said this was her birthplace. It used to be a bamboo forest, but now they’ve built a pavilion."

Qi Yuan sighed, feeling the passage of time.

Long ago, the Foodless Mother had brought Qi Yuan to Xiaojiang Mountain. She had taken a bamboo stalk, made it into a fishing rod, and fished with Qi Yuan.

The Foodless Mother had once murmured that she wished she had been born a few tens of thousands of years later.

"If it’s a place you’ve been to, why not revisit it?" Zhu Zhuangshi suggested tactfully.

He had followed Qi Yuan out to do great things.

But he wasn’t in a hurry.

"Yes, it’s a teahouse now. Let’s have a look around," Qi Yuan said casually. "There seems to be a treasure inside. We can grab it on the way."

Though it was called a teahouse, it was far from ordinary.

There were performances of singing, dancing, and playing musical instruments, all under one roof.

Before they even entered, a voluptuous woman greeted them with a wide smile.

"Are you here to listen to music or watch dancing? Would you like a private room?" the woman asked, her eyes lingering on Zhu Zhuangshi with a knowing smile.

"A private room," Qi Yuan replied.

"Very well!" The woman smiled so broadly her chest almost shook with laughter.

As they entered the pavilion, a sweet fragrance filled the air. In the center of the pavilion, seventeen graceful young women danced.

They wore gauzy robes, their slender waists swaying, their lotus-like steps light and graceful, each smile full of allure.

Zhu Zhuangshi couldn’t take his eyes off them.

The other patrons also clapped softly, admiring the girls' enchanting dance.

It was hard to imagine such decadence in the fallen zone.

Perhaps knowing that the future was bleak, these cultivators were indulging in every pleasure.

Madam Liu led the way, her gaze tinged with curiosity.

She couldn’t gauge the strength of these two guests.

But the burly one, no matter how well he hid it, she could sense that he was at least at the peak of the Purple Mansion level, maybe even an ancient god.

What were they doing in Hua Ye City?

Madam Liu couldn’t figure it out, but she dared not ask.

How many ancient gods still served the Fanxin Realm?
Most were now lackeys.

They couldn’t expose themselves, as they were all members of the Foodless Sect.

"Would you like any of the girls to play the zither or sing?" Madam Liu asked with a smile.

With a wave of her hand, images of over a dozen young women appeared in the air.

Each one was stunning, with charming expressions, not just enhanced by beauty filters.

Alongside each girl floated a brief description.

Some specialized in playing the zither, others in playing the flute, while some excelled in both dance and song.

Qi Yuan scanned the images but didn’t find what he was looking for. He asked, "Who can play the suona?"

Madam Liu was momentarily taken aback. "You have a unique taste."

It wasn’t uncommon for customers here to have peculiar preferences.

But asking for a suona was indeed unusual, if not rare.

It was like hiring two comedians to perform at a funeral.

"Whenever the suona plays, I feel like killing. I’m about to kill someone, so I need someone who can play it," Qi Yuan said nonchalantly.

The smile on Madam Liu’s face froze.

Killing?

She knew that something big was about to happen.

These two guests were clearly not ordinary people.

"There’s a new god overseeing this area. You might want to think twice before doing anything," Madam Liu hinted cautiously.

"Who can play the suona?" Qi Yuan ignored her warning and repeated his question.

"Xiao Xing studied the suona for a while," Madam Liu replied, seeing no other option.

"Then let’s have her." Qi Yuan sat by the window, where he could see the graceful dancers below.

"Please wait a moment."

Madam Liu left the room and went to another chamber.

"Xiao Xing, there are two guests in Room Seventeen. Pay close attention and see if you can find out their identities," Madam Liu instructed.

As a follower of the Foodless Sect, she was especially interested in mysterious figures like Qi Yuan and Zhu Zhuangshi.

"Try to find out who they intend to kill," Madam Liu added. "But most importantly, prioritize your safety."

Xiao Xing, dressed in a light yellow gown, nodded. "Understood, Madam Liu."