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

Chapter 233: Strength Ascending, Experts Rising Like a Tide

Qi Yuan stood atop the empty Mountain of Visualization, his thoughts in turmoil.

He couldn't shake the feeling that the Visualization Techniques were far more complex than they seemed, and that this mountain held secrets beyond his comprehension.

"In other worlds, I've never encountered or even heard of anything like the Mountain of Visualization," Qi Yuan murmured to himself as he descended from the mountain.

Meanwhile, in the endless mountain range:

Dong Jianghe's gaze wandered restlessly, and he sobbed, "I gave up a Mythic-level Visualization Technique to join Qi Yuan. The price I paid was too steep."

The God of Cats gave Dong Jianghe a sidelong glance. "Stop obsessing over that so-called Mythic Visualization Technique! Don't you realize that since Qi Yuan arrived, Mythic-level Visualization Techniques have become common?"

Over the past two days, those who had joined Qi Yuan had learned the secret behind the strength of the Thunder Grand Venerable and others—it was due to the Visualization Techniques!

Qi Yuan hadn't just visualized eight Mythic-level Techniques; he had even traveled back in time to visualize a whole array of such techniques.

Yet Dong Jianghe remains puzzled, his gaze fixed on Shenlei Grand Sovereign at the forefront. He couldn't help but wonder, "Doesn't the Shenlei Grand Venerable already have a Visualization Technique? Why is he here?"

"Not only is he here, but so are the other ancient gods and villagers who already have Visualization Techniques," the Black Dragon Venerable said meaningfully.

Dong Jianghe inhaled deeply. If his guess was correct, it was terrifying.

This meant that Qi Yuan wasn't lacking in Visualization Techniques—what he lacked was the spiritual power of the evil gods.

Dong Jianghe’s pride crumbled once more. "If the title of Young Heavenly Emperor has to go to Qi Yuan, so be it!" Dong Jianghe said, trying to console himself.

The God of Cats glanced at him without comment.

At that moment, a calm voice echoed through the area.

"I possess countless techniques that can solve the mysteries of the world, comprehend the principles of Yin and Yang, and observe the cycle of life and death."

"My blessings, I now bestow upon you all!"

A man in a dark robe appeared, surrounded by countless specks of light, each representing a Visualization Technique.

All the ancient gods and villagers looked at these Visualization Techniques with a sense of reverence.

Even the previously nonchalant Shenlei Grand Sovereign couldn't maintain his composure.

Gasp!
"There are so many more powerful ones than mine?"

After receiving the Visualization Technique of the Nine Heavens Thunder God, Shenlei Grand Sovereign had been quite pleased with himself.

He had thought it was the most powerful Visualization Technique Qi Yuan could offer!

After all, the Thunder God’s power was beyond his comprehension, controlling thunder across heaven and earth, from the thirty-three heavens above to the nine hells below.

But now, as he looked at the Visualization Techniques surrounding Qi Yuan, many of them radiated an unfathomable aura that even he found mysterious and overwhelming.

Especially the three Techniques at the top—they looked simple, yet seemed to be the source of everything.

When Shenlei Grand Sovereign gazed at them, he felt an urge to worship.

And now, these Visualization Techniques were to be bestowed upon them!

The gathered ancient gods felt a mix of solemnity and excitement.

"Thank you, Heavenly God, for your blessing!"

"We vow to follow the will of the Origin Heavenly God. Should we stray, may we suffer the wrath of heaven and earth!"

Every ancient god was filled with excitement. Even Dong Jianghe finally admitted that his Mythic-level Visualization Technique was nothing in comparison.

Everyone looked at Qi Yuan with the reverence of devoted disciples. The elderly Lishan Grand Venerable, with his white hair, even had tears in his eyes.

It was as if he saw hope for the world.

Lingzhong Grand Venerable remained silent, as if he had come to a realization.

At that moment, Qi Yuan’s gentle voice echoed.

"Once, the War God Xing Tian fought with the Emperor for divinity. The Emperor severed his head, but Xing Tian did not die. He used his nipples as eyes and his navel as a mouth, wielding a shield and an axe as he continued to battle!"

Lingzhong Grand Sovereign seemed to feel something.

His gaze was transfixed on one of the Visualization Techniques.

It was as if he saw a terrifying deity, holding a giant axe and shield, battling fiercely with the Emperor.

Even after the Emperor severed his head, this terrifying deity continued to fight, relentless and undaunted!

Lingzhong Grand Venerable was deeply moved.

He thought of the ancient gods of the Mortal Heart Realm who had perished in battle.

The Heaven Pillar had been broken, the legends had fallen, and the backbone of the Mortal Heart Realm was shattered.

Yet, the ancient gods of the Mortal Heart Realm never gave up their resistance against the evil gods.

After the Heavenly Pillar broke, major battles ceased, but skirmishes continued, and nearly two-thirds of the ancient gods perished.

Even the ancient gods who chose the Mythic Plan did so only to give the younger generation a chance. The elders chose to sacrifice themselves to pave the way.

The War God Xing Tian was just like the indomitable Mortal Heart Realm!

All the ancient gods who looked at Xing Tian's Visualization Technique felt as if they were witnessing Xing Tian’s relentless struggle against the heavens.

"If all the gods of the Mortal Heart Realm were like Xing Tian, even in defeat, we would fight without regret!" one ancient god sighed.

"Even such a great deity faced hardship; what chance do we have?"

"Heavenly Sovereign..."

The ancient gods discussed among themselves, and those who had recently pledged their loyalty to Qi Yuan looked at him with even greater reverence.

Xing Tian’s Visualization Technique floated before Lingzhong Grand Sovereign.

Lingzhong Grand Venerable took a deep breath. "Thank you, Heavenly God, for your blessing. I will rid the world of the evil gods!"

Qi Yuan’s gaze then fell upon the Dusk Grand Venerable.

The Dusk Grand Venerable seemed to sense this and grew solemn.

"Gonggong fought with Zhuanxu for the throne and, in a rage, rammed into Mount Buzhou, breaking the Heavenly Pillar and severing the earthly supports!"

In the Visualization Technique, all the ancient gods seemed to witness a majestic deity who commanded all the waters of the world, charging towards a mountain far taller than the Heavenly Pillar itself.

The Dusk Grand Venerable, who had previously received the technique to break curses, now obtained the Visualization Technique of the ancient deity Gonggong!

The Dusk Grand Venerable received the Visualization Technique and bowed deeply.

Qi Yuan continued to recite.

Tota Heavenly King Li... Red Boy... the Star Lords... the Ten Kings of Hell...

One by one, figures from myth and legend emerged from Qi Yuan’s memory.

Each legend was a story buried in time.

Every follower received a deity that belonged to them.

Each person in the crowd obtained an extremely powerful Visualization Technique.

Shi Chongshan received the Visualization Technique of the Deity Erlang Shen, his gaze deepening!

Shenlei Grand Venerable was even more shocked to receive the Visualization Technique of one of the Six Royal Emperors, the South Pole Longevity Emperor.

It was as if powerful deities were being reborn through each of Qi Yuan's followers.

Finally, Qi Yuan was left with three Visualization Techniques.

These three represented the supreme deities in Qi Yuan’s memory—the Three Pure Ones.

At this point, every follower had received a Visualization Technique, making them more or less on par with dragons.

However, when Qi Yuan tried to grant the Three Pure Ones to those he deemed worthy, none of them were able to visualize them.

In the end, Qi Yuan even had all the ancient gods try to visualize the Three Pure Ones.

But none of them succeeded.

This left Qi Yuan surprised, and the ancient gods present were deeply shaken.

"Heavenly God, the status of these three deities is too high for us to visualize!" one Grand Venerable said, deeply moved.

The idea that the Visualization Techniques were too high in rank to be visualized was difficult to comprehend.

Or rather, such a situation had never occurred before.

This was the only explanation that made sense now.

The ancient gods present couldn't imagine what kind of beings these three were, given that they could visualize deities of unimaginable power.

Yet they couldn’t visualize these three...

Shenlei Grand Venerable then suggested, "Perhaps the Heavenly God should attempt to visualize them?"

With this suggestion, all the gods nodded.

If their ranks weren’t high enough, then Qi Yuan’s certainly would be.

Qi Yuan thought about it and nodded. "You make a good point."

...

Thunder roared, and rain poured down.

The city of Feiwu was engulfed in silence.

After some time, Qi Yuan opened his eyes. His once deep and ancient gaze was now calm, as if he were an ordinary mortal.

"The Three Pure Ones live up to their name. Now I... stand at the pinnacle of myth, don't I?"

Qi Yuan pondered.

After visualizing the Three Pure Ones, his power had skyrocketed.

For him, defeating a military commander would no longer require a sword—just a glance would suffice.

Even the most powerful version of Wushi Shengmu in his memory would not last a single round against him.

And as for the split of Blood Sun Great Sage in the past, Qi Yuan felt he could destroy it in the mortal realm!

His strength had increased by tenfold, no, a hundredfold.

He even felt that he could be considered the greatest myth he had ever encountered!

However, his cultivation remained at the Seventh Step of Ascension.

Once the seven steps were completed, one could reach the level of the Sun God.

Yet these seven steps seemed boundless, with no clear path forward.

Just as others had said, he was stuck at the level of myth and could advance no further.

A flash of contemplation crossed his tranquil eyes.

At that moment, a voice, elegant, serene, and mysterious, echoed in his ear.

"Godfather, an envoy from the evil gods has arrived."

The speaker was Qi Qi. At this moment, she was dressed in a brown gown, her aura more profound and her demeanor colder.

She was quite different from the mischievous girl she once was.

Qi Qi had visualized the deity Houtu, one of the Six Royal Emperors, and a being of supreme nobility.

"An envoy from the evil gods?" Qi Yuan was surprised.

He hadn’t expected the evil gods to send an envoy to see him.

Now that the battle was drawing near, he decided to meet with them.

After about a hundred breaths' time, the evil god's military commander, Wu Kui, stood before Qi Yuan, led by Qi Qi.

For some reason, when Wu Kui saw Qi Yuan, he felt an overwhelming urge to bow in reverence.

This feeling was far stronger than what he had felt in the presence of the Sun God.

He was deeply shocked.

Despite both being at the Seventh Step of Ascension, how could there be such a vast difference between them?

Especially in this remote city of Feiwu, his divine power seemed to tremble uncontrollably, as if a terrifying deity lay dormant within the small city.

Seated in a high place, Qi Yuan glanced at Wu Kui, a look of regret in his eyes. "It's a pity I let you all escape last time, but it's fortunate we meet again."

Last time, Qi Yuan had swept through the evil gods of Qingheng Continent and was preparing to eliminate the remaining military commanders.

But before he could act, those evil gods fled, leaving Qi Yuan at that time feeling somewhat regretful.

Wu Kui's heart tightened, but remembering his master's instructions, he spoke firmly, "Greetings, Heavenly Sovereign. On behalf of my master, I come to... negotiate peace!"

His words left the ancient gods serving Qi Yuan in shock.

Qi Qi's eyes also reflected a complex emotion.

The evil gods... actually wanted to negotiate peace.

This was something they had never dared to imagine before.

There was a time when the evil gods would never have shown weakness to their enemies, let alone sought peace.