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

Chapter 223: For the Greater Good, Please Go Die

"Eat more fish; it will make the Heaven Pillar stronger."

Qi Yuan said as he stood nearby.

This recent visualization had greatly enhanced his subordinates' strength, as well as his own. The first step of his three-step plan had been completed to perfection. The next step was to lead his army and annihilate the demonic forces of Qingheng Continent with lightning speed.

The demonic power he would gain from this would allow him to use the Lost Glow Stick again, enabling him to return to the past for one final enhancement.

Qi Yuan wasn’t sure when that last journey to the past would take him. It could be any time between the present and the Hongtang War or even far before that. But whatever the case, it was a good idea to feed the Foodless Holy Mother more and strengthen the Heaven Pillar further. The next visualization should have even greater results than this one.

Thinking about this, Qi Yuan asked, "Do you know anything about the ancestral land of the ancient clan?"

He had always been curious about the ancestral land of the ancient clan but hadn’t found much information about it from others.

The Foodless Holy Mother’s expression grew complicated. "That place is extremely dangerous. Even a divine myth might perish there."

"Indeed, without a special method, it’s impossible to enter. Entering recklessly could lead to death even for a divine myth," Qi Yuan agreed.

It seemed the Foodless Holy Mother didn’t know much more about the ancestral land than he did.

She lowered her head and continued eating her fish, saying nothing more.

Qi Yuan looked up at the stars, his face pale. Fortunately, his recent level-ups had been substantial, so the effects of losing the Pure Glazed Blood weren’t too severe. However…

"Before I leave, make more fish dishes—spicy fish stew, grilled fish with chili, and pickled fish," Qi Yuan continued.

"Alright."

For the rest of the day, the Foodless Holy Mother spent her time fishing by the lakeside. Dressed in her red robe, with her long black hair flowing down to her waist, her eyes reflected a coldness that seemed impossible to dispel.

Qi Yuan lay on a recliner the Foodless Holy Mother had found somewhere, though he wasn’t really resting. He watched the fish in the lake, his mind unusually clear.

Suddenly, he had a thought and asked the figure not far from him, "If you went back to the past, unable to change anything just like I am now, what would you do?" he asked curiously.

He truly didn’t have any good way to alter the past. Powerful divine techniques couldn’t be passed on to people in the past since divine techniques must be visualized, not taught. So, he couldn’t really enhance the strength of the Fanxin Realm’s forces.

What was he supposed to do—teach the Foodless Holy Mother nuclear fission?
The thought was amusing.

And even if he did, to a true god, it would be like a weapon for blowing up fish.

If he could physically go back to the past, Qi Yuan would have the confidence to change history. But in this state, he couldn’t.

The Foodless Holy Mother hesitated before slowly replying, "I would just be a passerby, looking at the mountains and rivers—that would be enough."

"No wonder you're the number one in the Fanxin Realm. You truly live a carefree life," Qi Yuan said, recalling how during the Hongtang War, the Foodless Holy Mother had led him to travel the mountains and rivers.

After a few hours passed, the table was filled with various fish dishes. The Foodless Holy Mother wasn’t greedy, making only enough to fill the table.

The fragrance of the food was strong, though Qi Yuan couldn’t smell it.

Looking at the fish, Qi Yuan felt a bit of pain in his heart. Still, he let drops of his Pure Glazed Blood fall onto the fish.

The impurities were cleansed once more, and Qi Yuan's body swayed slightly, feeling like he had a cultivation version of low blood sugar.

"Alright, I have to go now," Qi Yuan said, satisfied with his work as he clapped his hands.

The Foodless Holy Mother glanced at where Qi Yuan had been standing, her gaze then falling on the fish on the table.

"Thank you."

"No problem, helping each other is a traditional virtue!" Qi Yuan smiled.

In his heart, though, he was grumbling.

"This game really takes everything from you—even blood."

Without further hesitation, Qi Yuan’s figure vanished.

The bamboo house was now empty, and the red-robed woman’s expression froze as if she had realized some truth. A voice filled with despair suddenly echoed in her mind.

"Swallow him... Swallow everything..."

A trace of coldness flashed in the woman’s eyes as she looked at the fish in front of her, her gaze becoming even more complex. She chewed slowly, taking half a day to eat just half a fish.

...

In Feiwu City.

A group of people suddenly appeared in an open space.

These figures exuded terrifying auras, each with a look of excitement and exhilaration on their faces.

Venerable Wangsong muttered to herself, still feeling as though she were in a dream.

"I never thought I, Wangsong, would have the chance to step into the fifth step of ascension!"

The fifth step of ascension was the realm of the great venerables.

And among great venerables, it was not considered weak.

Moreover, she had already perfected the fifth step of ascension. One more step, and she would reach the sixth step.

"Sigh, sigh, sigh," Venerable Zanghun sighed three times in a row.

He ultimately couldn’t replicate the dynamic between Zhu Zhuangshi and the Great Black Dog—Venerable Shenlei was a hurdle he couldn’t overcome.

Venerable Shenlei had stepped into the divine myth realm!

A divine myth!
Since the Hongtang War, there hadn’t been a divine myth in the Fanxin Realm!

The gods present naturally envied him.

Qi Yuan glanced at the gods, a smug look in his eyes. "Take a day to consolidate your power. After that, I have a big task for us!"

These people needed time to stabilize their newfound strength and get used to it. When the war began, it would be easier to crush the enemy.

"Yes, my lord!" the thousand or so true gods answered in unison, their voices solemn.

"Here are some divine orifice elixirs, ten per person. Whether you can open new divine orifices will depend on your own abilities," Qi Yuan said, waving his hand once more. Each venerable received ten divine orifice elixirs.

The supply of divine domain elixirs was limited, so he couldn’t hand them out freely, but he had no such concerns with divine orifice elixirs. There were plenty of them.

"Thank you, Heavenly Lord!"

A thousand true gods bowed, making Qi Yuan feel as if he were the Jade Emperor himself.

Qi Yuan’s figure faded once again, reappearing in the city lord’s mansion.

There, Qi Qi was frowning, deep in thought. When she saw Qi Yuan appear, she quickly stood up.

"Godfather!"

Qi Qi was in charge of the logistics, information gathering, and diplomacy for Qi Yuan’s domain. She managed these tasks meticulously, greatly reducing the difficulty of Qi Yuan’s "game." All he had to do was handle the big battles without worrying about trivial matters.

"Godfather, there are some guests in the main hall," Qi Qi said quickly. "They are from the Ancient Ape Clan, the Well Dragon Clan, and the Ancient God Alliance..."

Representatives of several major ancient god forces from Qingheng Continent had arrived in Feiwu City.

"The Ancient Ape Clan and the Well Dragon Clan have likely come to join us in resisting the enemy. The Ancient God Alliance... their leader, a great venerable, is here, but their intentions seem unclear. They might not have come with friendly intentions," Qi Qi briefly explained each faction’s stance to Qi Yuan.

"And…" Qi Qi paused for a moment, "the Phoenix Clan has also sent someone to offer their support to you, Godfather."

Qi Qi herself had some Phoenix Clan blood.

"I see. I’ll go take a look and see who’s willing to become my subjects."

With that, Qi Yuan’s figure vanished again.

Meanwhile, in the guest hall, more than a dozen ancient gods were seated, each wearing different expressions and engaging in various conversations.

"The setting sun at the Sunset Slope was truly awe-inspiring, temporarily alleviating our crisis!"

"When the great sun hung in the sky, even I felt fear. That strike wasn’t even from a true god, yet it was so powerful. What kind of terror must a true god be capable of?" The leader of the Ancient Ape Clan, Yuan Kun, spoke, his voice tinged with helplessness.

He was in the third step of ascension, with unparalleled physical strength. Just a bit of the light from the great sun could have shattered his powerful body.

"The events at Sunset Slope are indeed strange, but that’s not something we should worry about. It was likely the work of the mysterious figure in the south who visualized eight divine myths. What we should be concerned about is how to deal with Venerable Liyang! The changes at Sunset Slope were only a small loss for Venerable Liyang. Who knows when the next wave of his army will come?"

"Yuan Kun, wasn’t your grandson killed by the Origin Heavenly Lord? Why have you come here?" an ancient god from the Ancient God Alliance asked, as if trying to stir up trouble.

"Hmph, my unruly grandson deserved to die. I, Yuan Kun, can still distinguish between family matters and the greater good!" Yuan Kun replied, clearly displeased with the ancient god’s insinuation.

"The greater good is something we all care about, isn’t it?" the ancient god from the Ancient God Alliance continued.

Yuan Kun couldn’t help but sneer. "Then why is your alliance so intent on taking control of the Northern Sea God’s Eye?"

Yuan Kun had never liked the Ancient God Alliance, and now that they had arrived with three great venerables, it was obvious they weren’t here to cooperate but to take over.

Most of the gods present had never thought much of the Ancient God Alliance, and now, after the alliance had lost over a hundred gods at Sunset Slope, they looked down on it even more.

"For the sake of the world, the Northern Sea God’s Eye should be controlled by the Ancient God Alliance. The Origin Heavenly Lord has many capable people under his command, but only one great venerable, Qionghua. We don’t feel comfortable with the Northern Sea God’s Eye in his hands. However, if the Ancient God Alliance, which puts the world first, were to control it, we would ensure everyone’s safety," the alliance leader said calmly.

Currently, the only way to resist the demonic army was through the Northern Sea God’s Eye. Several great venerables working together could build a strong defense, perhaps even deterring the demonic army from sacrificing lives to break through. The Ancient God Alliance was determined to seize control of the Northern Sea God’s Eye.

Ye Liuyun listened to their words, feeling even more disdainful. They were clearly after power, so why bother with such self-righteous rhetoric? In his view, the Ancient God Alliance was full of hypocrites. Too cowardly to face the demonic army, they chose to bully the Origin Heavenly Lord instead.

Of course, the alliance leader didn’t know that Qi Yuan was the one who had visualized twenty-one legendaries and eight divine myths, nor that it was Qi Yuan who had summoned the solar phantom. If he had known, he wouldn’t have dared to speak so boldly.

Just then, a lazy voice rang out.

"Who’s spouting such self-important nonsense? What is this… the Bright Palace’s branch?"

Qi Yuan, dressed in a green robe, appeared in the hall. He sat down in the main seat, his eyes openly fixed on the Ancient God Alliance leader.

Seeing Qi Yuan, Ye Liuyun quickly transmitted a message: "Brother Qi, be careful. The Ancient God Alliance is up to no good."

The alliance leader glanced at Qi Yuan, his voice calm. "My request may seem excessive, but if you hand over control of the Northern Sea God’s Eye to the Ancient God Alliance, we will certainly compensate you!"

"Are you deaf?" Qi Yuan’s gaze suddenly turned cold.

The gods in the hall were all taken aback.

Brother Qi, how can you be so bold as to speak to three great venerables like that!
At the same time, it was incredibly satisfying.

They had long despised the Ancient God Alliance, but they had always been too afraid of its power to say anything.

The alliance leader’s expression didn’t change much as he continued, "Your anger is understandable. But if you hand over control of the Northern Sea God’s Eye, I will let this go…"

"It seems some people really don’t understand human language," Qi Yuan interrupted. He spread his hands, looking somewhat helpless.

"When I said you were from the Bright Palace’s branch, I wasn’t making small talk. I was telling you… you’re heading west."

Qi Yuan’s lazy voice fell, and the gods in the hall were shocked.

Ye Liuyun’s eyes widened.

How does Brother Qi dare to keep surprising me like this?

The other gods were also astonished. The Origin Heavenly Lord’s words had completely offended the Ancient God Alliance. The alliance might not take action now, out of respect for their shared status as ancient gods, but they would certainly take secret revenge later.

The alliance leader’s expression hardened, but he seemed to maintain his composure. "If you take back what you said, there’s still time."

Hearing this, Qi Yuan seemed to realize something. "You're right, I should take it back because you’re very strong…"

The gods in the hall were confused.

This is too shameless. How can you talk tough and then back down right after?

Ye Liuyun also had a strange look on his face.

Is Qi Yuan really going to back down?
A hint of a smile appeared in the alliance leader’s eyes as he softened his expression. But behind that smile was a barely concealed killing intent.

Qi Yuan then continued, "The Bright Palace is too weak, just a bunch of Purple Mansions. So, I take back what I said—you’re not from the Bright Palace’s branch; you’re the Bright Palace itself! And you’re not just heading west; you’re already on your way!"

The alliance leader’s smile froze, and the killing intent in his eyes was no longer hidden.

"For the greater good, I won’t hold your words against you," the alliance leader said.

Qi Yuan, however, lazily replied, "For the greater good, please go die."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Yuan clapped his hands.

"Huanghun, Huolian, take these three from the Ancient God Alliance and send them on their way!"

With his command, two terrifying figures suddenly appeared near Qi Yuan, their overwhelming auras spreading through the room.

The alliance leader’s face turned pale.

"Huanghun… you’ve become a great venerable?"

"And Huolian… what’s going on?"

The ancient gods from the Ancient God Alliance were all shocked. Just a few days ago, they had seen Huanghun and Huolian, both of whom had been in the second step of ascension. Now… how had they become great venerables?