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

Chapter 229: The Eve

Yang Lian was momentarily stunned. She hadn't expected such an answer.

This was a world seed, nearly equivalent to the essence of an entire world.

The seed of a primordial world represents infinite possibilities, something even the Yang Gods deeply coveted.

"God... are you really not going to reconsider?" Yang Lian was reluctant to give up. The only one who could take her sister out of the Mortal Heart Realm was likely the Origin God.

"No need," Qi Yuan replied firmly, his figure disappearing.

In the alleyway, only Yang Lian remained, her gaze complex as she looked at the spot where Qi Yuan had disappeared.

...

Meanwhile, outside Feiwu City, powerful figures were gathering.

The escape of the evil gods from their stronghold had shocked the entire world.

The higher echelons of the ancient gods in the southern region had engaged in intense debates.

Different gods held various opinions about the Origin Deity.

Some believe the Origin God was the savior of the Mortal Heart Realm, the last hope, and that they should firmly support him.

Others thought that while the Origin God might be powerful now, he had no chance against the two supreme evil gods. Only the Mythical Plan offers a slim hope.

Yet another faction saw the Origin God as another evil god and harbored distrust and skepticism towards him.

Most of those who had come to Feiwu City adhered to the first view.

Dongjiang He was among them, closely following his master. The arrogance on his face was gone, replaced by a layer of frustration: "Those old geeks are despicable. The mythical-level contemplation method I worked so hard to create... and they just took it away."

Dongjiang He had decided to come to the northern region with his master to become a citizen of the Origin God. However, some ancient gods in the southern region had forced Dongjiang He to leave his mythical-level contemplation method behind, arguing that the Mythical Plan had provided the resources for him, the chosen one, to create it, so it had to stay in the southern region.

His master consoled him, "Coming to the northern region might be the greatest opportunity of your life. A mythical-level contemplation method is nothing in comparison."

In the Mortal Heart Realm, a mythical-level contemplation method could at most allow a second-step to reach the third step overnight. As for a grand Venerable, a half-step increase would be remarkable.

In terms of potential and power growth, it wasn't even as significant as the legends Qi Yuan had contemplated.

"Right, the Origin God did say he would give me some benefits!" Dongjiang He's mood brightened at the thought.

Everyone in the group had come to Feiwu City, gathering and conversing with each other. Dongjiang He's earlier complaints were more about trying to show off to the others.

Unfortunately for him, the others in the group were already familiar with his tricks and didn't bother responding.

Nearby, Venerable Shenmao looked at Dongjiang He with disdain. "So, you're just at the first step of the Heaven Ascension Path, and you call yourself the young Heavenly Emperor! I’m at the third step—what does that make me, the middle-aged Heavenly Emperor?"

Venerable Heilong, who was a bit older, chuckled. "Among us, it turns out Dongjiang He is the weakest!"

"I still remember when the Origin God first appeared, Dongjiang He mistook him for a divine being who hadn't even reached the level of a true god," Venerable Baixi reminisced. "Who knew he was a myth all along!"

It hadn't been that long ago, yet it felt like a lifetime.

Dongjiang He wasn't happy with that remark. "How is that my fault? Back then, the Origin God acted like a clueless newbie who didn't even understand the realm of true gods. Who knew he was playing dumb, teasing us!"

Indeed, when the Origin God first joined the group, he had seemed like a total beginner, asking all sorts of basic questions.

"Who could have guessed... he was actually a myth all along!" Venerable Shenmao said, awe evident in his eyes.

The ancient gods present couldn't help but feel a deep admiration.

A myth, the only myth in the Mortal Heart Realm.

"Is it possible... that the Origin God we met at first wasn't actually a myth?" Venerable Heilong suggested, sounding thoughtful.

The ancient gods were taken aback.

Not a myth? Then, was he just a True God?

"Venerable Heilong, what nonsense are you spouting? How could anyone go from the Purple Mansion stage to a myth in just one month? Even a Yang God reincarnated couldn't achieve that!" Dongjiang He didn't believe it for a second.

The other ancient gods agreed with Dongjiang He.

The Origin God must have been a myth all along, just biding his time and gathering strength.

Once he was ready, he struck the evil gods with overwhelming force.

"That’s why we shouldn’t speculate idly or believe baseless rumors. Didn't some say the Origin God was mad, that he wasn't in his right mind? How could someone who has reached the level of a myth be anything but sharp?" Dongjiang He continued.

"Exactly. We interact with the Origin God in the group all the time—we know what he's like!"

"Such a peerless ancient god must be unmatched. Even the Foodless Holy Mother can't compare."

At that moment, Venerable Dusk appeared, radiating an aura of depth and ancient power.

All the grand Venerables and gods present turned their attention to Venerable Twilight.

"Such an aura..."

"I feel an overwhelming presence of water!"

The grand Venerables were astounded.

They had the distinct feeling that if Venerable Dusk chose to attack them, none of them would be able to withstand it.

Venerable Dusk's power was simply too great.

One of the deities, who also practiced water-based techniques, looked at Venerable Twilight with a mixture of fear and disbelief. He had once seen Venerable Dusk when they were both at the second step of the Heaven Ascension Path. Now, however, Dusk had become a grand Venerable, and not just any grand Venerable—he was far beyond reach.

Facing Venerable Dusk, the water-controlling God felt an urge to bow in submission.

"It's too late to meet the God today. The Origin God has already retired for the night. Please join us for a feast, and tomorrow, the Origin God will summon you," Venerable Twilight said, his voice calm and gentle.

At that moment, Qi Yuan was sleeping soundly on the crooked-neck tree, alongside Little Jia.

It was the first time Venerable Dusk had witnessed such a scene and was quite surprised. After all, at their level, who still needed sleep?

Someone had even secretly asked Qi Yuan about it.

The Origin God’s response had been simple: "Even true gods need to eat, so why not sleep?"

The ancient gods had been left speechless.

The ancient gods from the southern region, now in the north, were equally baffled.

Sleeping? What kind of true god needs to sleep? They thought it was some kind of intimidation tactic.

Nervous as they were, they accepted the situation.

But after the feast and seeing the Origin God the next day, they realized they had misunderstood.

The Origin God had genuinely been sleeping.

Now, Qi Yuan woke up groggily, stretching his neck.

"So, everyone... has arrived? Not bad, not bad. Nearly a thousand people have come. How was the feast? Did you enjoy it?"

Qi Yuan spoke like a host addressing his guests, surveying the thousand or so ancient gods before him.

"Enjoyed it!"

The grand Venerables and ancient gods examined Qi Yuan, eager to see what the legendary Origin God looked like.

Qi Yuan spread his arms, his demeanor lazy. "My goal is to ensure there's a feast everywhere in the Mortal Heart Realm. I’ve already achieved more than half of that."

When he first arrived in the Mortal Heart Realm, Qi Yuan had been hungry. Qingshui Village was dirt-poor, with no food to be found. Only by attending banquets could he fill his stomach.

He didn’t want anyone in this world to suffer from hunger as he had. So, he made it his mission to ensure that everyone had a feast to attend.

As Qi Yuan reflected on his past hardships, his gaze suddenly became sharp.

"I'm a lazy person. I don't like making grand promises, and I don't have the energy to persuade you with empty words!"

His words left the ancient gods present with mixed feelings.

Even Dongjiang He was taken aback and couldn't help but send a voice transmission to Venerable Shenmao.

"This Origin God is really something else!"

"Are you trying to say he's a bit unhinged?"

"Venerable Shenmao, you're in trouble now. I recorded your voice transmission earlier. If you don't give me that piece of Star God Copper, I'll play it for the Origin God!"

"You're playing mind games with me?"

In truth, the ancient gods all thought the Origin God was a bit unhinged.

After all, isn't it customary to say some polite things first?

Even if you don't have grand promises to make, at least offer some words of encouragement, right?

Qi Yuan, however, paid no attention to their reactions.

"You've come all this way, and I have only one request: become my citizens. If you agree, fill out the form within the time it takes for one incense stick to burn. If not, finish the feast and leave."

Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered to explain anything to a bunch of NPCs. Explaining himself would just take the fun out of the game.

As expected, Qi Yuan’s straightforward approach left the ancient gods feeling awkward.

Shouldn't there be some exchange of ideas, a discussion, before deciding whether to become his citizens?
Now, with such direct words, some ancient gods felt uneasy.

They whispered among themselves.

"This is too abrupt!"

"Shouldn't we discuss this first?"

"What if we become his citizens, and he suddenly decides not to fight the evil gods?"

"This makes us look bad. Couldn't we have discussed this in private?"

Many ancient gods were unhappy with Qi Yuan's approach.

It was too direct, too crude, and lacked finesse.

In truth, they had already mentally prepared themselves to pledge allegiance to the Origin God when they came to the northern region.

After all, only the Origin God dared to challenge the evil gods, offering them a chance to win the war.

"No need to guess what the Origin God is thinking. Just look at what he's done! He has taken the fight to the evil gods, slaughtering over ten thousand of them. He is our benefactor! For that reason alone, I am willing to become his citizen!"

"I am willing too!"

The gods present expressed their opinions.

Basic information registration forms floated down, and many ancient gods began filling in their details.

Some gods, however, hesitated, holding onto their forms, not ready to make a decision. Others preferred to wait and see or chose to leave quietly.

A quarter of an hour later.

In Feiwu City, Qi Yuan looked out at the gathered gods, his expression calm.

Among the crowd were not only the newly arrived ancient gods but also the other villagers from Qingshui Village.

Altogether, there were over four thousand people.

Among them, ninety-nine percent were True Gods, and there were even some like Big Black Dog who were only at the Purple Mansion level.

"Not bad. Not bad at all. As expected of my citizens, each of you has a strong spirit!" Qi Yuan couldn't help but praise.

After all, on Earth, outside of the military, it's rare to see thousands of people gathered with such energy. Most of the time, they would be slumped over, looking like they had just spent the night gaming at an internet cafe.

"With such a mighty force, united under Qingshui Village, how could we fail to wipe out the evil gods?" Qi Yuan mused.

The villagers of Qingshui Village, including Zhu Zhuangshi and the others, looked on with excitement.

From being cold and starving villagers to becoming True Gods feared by all, it was all thanks to the Origin God.

"We are willing to die for the Origin god!" Village Chief Yulei declared solemnly.

The other villagers from Qingshui Village, along with those from Xiaoshi Village and Chenxi Village, also shouted in unison, "We are willing to die for the Origin God!"

In this moment, they seemed truly ready to lay down their lives for the Origin God.

The ancient gods, including Venerable Dusk, were also moved and shouted in unison, "We are willing to die for the Origin God!"

For now, they did not mention the Mortal Heart Realm, only the Origin God.

Qi Yuan raised his hand, and the fervent cries died down, leaving the place in silence.

"We have met by fate, and I hope that when the matters of the Mortal Heart Realm are concluded, you all will have a bright future."

In the Flowing Wind Realm, Qi Yuan also had many subordinates.

But in reality, aside from a few familiar faces, he didn't even know most of them.

Those people didn't share the same goals as Qi Yuan.

Their goals were to increase their power and prolong their lifespan.

In the end, they chose to serve Qi Yuan, compelled by his primordial abilities.

There was some element of coercion involved.

But in the Mortal Heart Realm, things were different. Here, they shared a common goal.

These ancient gods were genuinely willing to serve Qi Yuan.

"God, when shall we... launch our counterattack against the evil gods?" Venerable Lingzhong asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

He had once been entrusted by the Foodless Holy Mother to deliver something to the Origin God before heading to the Heaven Pillar.

"After your strength increases from this time, and after resting for a day, we will be ready for the final battle!" Qi Yuan's eyes shone with determination.

To be honest, this plan was the most uncertain, the one he had the least confidence in, out of all his plans.

Two Yang Gods... could he really defeat them?

Even Qi Yuan himself wasn't sure.

The ancient gods, upon hearing this, felt a surge of excitement.

After all, they had witnessed the rapid growth of Venerable Shenlei, Venerable Dusk, Venerable Fire Lotus, and the others.

They didn't expect to become mythical-level beings like Venerable Shenlei, but gaining a powerful contemplation method and growing stronger was always good.

Qi Yuan looked over the crowd, his voice steady. "Everyone... let's set off!"

This time, he planned to use the Lost Glow Wand one final time to return to the past, to contemplate more gods and help these ancient gods grow stronger.

A single ancient god could use more than one contemplation method. For instance, he could contemplate more thunder gods like Lei Gong for Venerable Shenlei, which would further enhance his power.

Now, after slaying over ten thousand evil gods, including four mythical beings, Qi Yuan had more divine power than ever before, a hundred times more than during his last contemplation.

He could contemplate even more powerful gods.

This time, he intended to summon all the powerful, named gods.

Perhaps even the Three Pure Ones.

This would be Qi Yuan's last chance!