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

Chapter 367: When You Meet the Eastern Lord, You’ll Understand

Qi Yuan descended into the Eastern Alliance, where several titled Martial Lords came to greet him.

"It’s truly an honor for the Eastern Alliance to have you join us."

The leader was an elderly man with flowing white hair, and several deer-like antlers growing from his head, giving him a sage-like appearance.

Before Spirit Elder Martial Lord brought Qi Yuan back, he had already informed the others about him. This particular base of the Eastern Alliance housed three titled Martial Lords and over a hundred Martial Lords.

The lesser Martial Lords, those of lower rank, stood at the back, while the Grand Martial Lords stood in front. The ordinary Martial Lords didn’t even have the right to greet Qi Yuan, but they gazed at him with deep reverence and envy in their eyes.

"I haven’t had the honor of learning your name yet. I am Black Deer," the elder introduced himself.

Qi Yuan glanced at him briefly, responding casually, "Qi Yuan."

"Ah, so it’s Martial Lord Qi Yuan!" Black Deer Martial Lord said politely.

At that moment, one of the Martial Lords sent a telepathic message to another.

"Die Mao, this distinguished guest has the same name as the person you’re looking for. Could it be him? Want to ask?"

"Shut up! The one I’m searching for is just a little Martial King. There’s no way it’s a titled Martial Lord. Don’t talk nonsense!"

"I’m just joking, no need to get upset. But what if the Qi Yuan you’re looking for really is this distinguished one? What will you do?"

"What else? I’ll strip that part of the bloodline away."

The two continued their silent conversation.

Meanwhile, Black Deer Martial Lord addressed Qi Yuan, "I’ve heard that you’ve been seeking information about the Spirit Realm Martial Lord. Our alliance’s library contains all the world’s knowledge. It holds records of many ancient secrets. Perhaps you would like to take a look to see if there’s anything related to the Spirit Realm Martial Lord?"

He continued extending his goodwill.

"No need. There’s nothing there." Qi Yuan yawned.

Old man Shenlei and the others had already scoured the Eastern Alliance’s library thoroughly. It had all sorts of secrets, but nothing about the Spirit Realm Martial Lord.

Black Deer Martial Lord was momentarily taken aback but then smiled. "It seems Mr. Qi Yuan is already well-acquainted with our library."

"Yes, I had someone search it thoroughly, but nothing was found."

Black Deer Martial Lord cast a meaningful glance at Fat Egg Martial Lord, who looked confused.

"Why is he looking at me like that?" Fat Egg thought, bewildered.

Qi Yuan didn’t care about these little gestures and asked, "Can I ask the Wall of the Eastern Lord ahead of time?"

"I’m afraid that’s not possible. It’s not that we don’t want to help, but the Wall of the Eastern Lord can only be consulted after the Blood of Ancestors Battle," Black Deer Martial Lord said, clearly embarrassed.

Qi Yuan sighed, a bit disappointed. "By the way, what kind of person is the Eastern Lord? Have you met him?"

At the mention of the Eastern Lord, many of the Martial Lords present showed expressions of deep respect.

"Back then, when the black crows filled the sky, the world was on the brink of destruction. The Eastern Lord stood up alone, facing the calamity head-on and snatching a glimmer of hope for all of us from the jaws of disaster. He is a true gentleman, the only sage left in this world!" Black Deer Martial Lord’s eyes were filled with admiration, and it wasn’t fake.

"I heard the Eastern Lord had a lover?" Qi Yuan continued. He was trying to figure out if the man and woman from the mural were the Eastern Lord and his lover.

"Not only is the Eastern Lord righteous and compassionate, but he is also deeply devoted. He wasn’t originally from this world; he came here for the sake of his lover, who was born here. When calamity struck, his lover died. He could have left this world, free from its fate and without karmic ties. But to protect his lover’s world, he chose to stay and face the disaster alone. Without him, we would have long since perished, our existence wiped from history," Black Deer Martial Lord said, his voice tinged with melancholy.

A female titled Martial Lord added, "If it were me, I couldn’t have done the same. I’d probably just take the body and leave the disaster far behind."

Black Deer Martial Lord nodded. "Over the years, the Eastern Lord not only held back the calamity but also used the Mountains and Seas Scroll to revive his lover. Once she is revived and they join forces, they will be able to resist the coming disaster."

"Oh? How exactly is he reviving her? I’m curious," Qi Yuan’s interest was piqued.

He was currently aiming to achieve the Purple Mansion Realm, having acquired the Purple Qi but still missing the underworld aspect. He had no idea how to bring someone back to life.

"The Eastern Lord’s lover’s spirit is scattered across the Mountains and Seas Scroll. The scroll is the key to reviving her, as well as reshaping the world. We’ve been repeatedly reenacting past events, gradually restoring her memories, or rather, recreating her past memories. But the Eastern Lord’s lover is too powerful, and the beings within the Mountains and Seas Scroll cannot bear her full essence. As a result, her spirit has been divided into many parts. Each part relives its past, reenacting the events of that time. Eventually, before the Morning Song begins, the Mountains and Seas Scroll and the End Land will collide, and all the parts of her spirit will merge into one. At that point, the Eastern Lord’s lover will be fully revived, and the history recreated within the Mountains and Seas Scroll will replace the history of the End Land. The dead will rise again, and the course of history will be rewritten," Black Deer Martial Lord explained.

The process sounded complicated. According to him, the Eastern Lord’s plan had two parts: reviving his lover and bringing back all those who had fallen by reviving them within the Mountains and Seas Scroll, reenacting their past lives until they were fully restored. The combined history of the Mountains and Seas Scroll would replace the predetermined, doomed history of the world.

"Oh, so it’s like turning the fake into the real, cloning people and implanting memories?" Qi Yuan summarized.

In simple terms, it sounded like cloning a bunch of people and having them act out a show. Once they had the original memories, they would believe they were the characters they portrayed.

"But wouldn’t that mean the beings in the End Land would perish?" Qi Yuan asked.

"When the Morning Song begins, this world will fall into silence, and they won’t be able to escape that fate," Black Deer Martial Lord responded.

The female Martial Lord sighed, "To encounter a man like the Eastern Lord in one’s lifetime would be a blessing."

A male Martial Lord added with emotion, "Guarding an entire world, laying out plans for ten thousand years, all to revive his lover. Such a love... it’s hard to find."

The other Martial Lords shared similar sentiments. If they were in the Eastern Lord’s position, they doubted they could do the same.

"It is moving. They should bury him in the North Pole and her in the South Pole," Qi Yuan quipped.

"What do you mean by that?" Black Deer Martial Lord asked, confused.

"Nothing," Qi Yuan waved off the question, not bothering to explain.

"Mr. Qi Yuan, the Eastern Alliance has prepared a welcome banquet in your honor!" Black Deer Martial Lord said, shaking off the somber mood and returning to business.

"Let’s go," Qi Yuan agreed without hesitation.

...

The next day.

Qi Yuan opened his eyes, his face showing a rare look of confusion.

"It’s too difficult, too difficult. Creating an underworld is harder than advanced math."

After hearing how the Eastern Lord was reviving his lover through the Mountains and Seas Scroll, Qi Yuan had thought about whether he could use a similar method to create the underworld. But no matter how he simulated it, the result was always... fake. The creation would only be a pale imitation, like two similar flowers.

"It seems I’m still too weak. Not only can I not turn the fake into reality, but I can’t even perform a proper resurrection. Am I doomed to create a cheap knockoff underworld?"

Qi Yuan felt a bit downcast.

He was already a Nascent Soul True Lord living in a modest house, and now the idea of creating a knockoff underworld seemed even more embarrassing. Even his junior sister, Jiang Lingsu, might look down on him.

"It looks like I’ll have to extort this game," Qi Yuan sighed.

Back in Liufeng Realm and the Mortal Heart Realm, Qi Yuan had frequently extorted benefits from the heavenly dao, and it had always been fruitful.

He looked up at the sky but was quickly disappointed.

"There’s no heavenly dao in this lousy world!"

Without a heavenly dao, how could he extort anything? As for replacing it? Forget it. He had no interest in such things.

"But maybe I can discuss it with my daughter. She contemplates Houtu, so she should know quite a bit about the underworld," Qi Yuan mused.

"Lord God!" A voice called out just then.

A headless, hulking figure appeared beside Qi Yuan. Although the figure was trying to suppress it, Qi Yuan could still feel the overwhelming battle intent radiating from him. If left unchecked, this battle intent would cause all the beings in the Origin Land to explode and die. That was the power of a Yang God.

Qi Yuan’s current Nascent Souls were each powerful enough to devour the entire Origin Land. Yet in front of Qi Yuan, they remained as respectful as they had been in Qing Shui Village.

"Great Bell Sovereign, you’re here. What’s the result of your discussions?" Qi Yuan asked, looking at the headless ancient god.

Great Bell Sovereign was an ancient being, one who had lived for an extremely long time. He had participated in the Great Flood War and had even met the Holy Mother of the Foodless Sect. He had also given Qi Yuan the "fish" left by the Holy Mother, allowing Qi Yuan to obtain the Devouring Progenitor.

His contemplation method involved the War God Xingtian, who represented boundless battle intent and indomitable will.

Qi Yuan had come to the Origin Land but was still considering how to return to the End Land. He had tasked them with figuring out how to make the journey back.

Qi Yuan’s question was simple: if he wanted to return to the End Land, how could he do it?

"Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu say that they can turn their bodies into bridges, spanning the Black Sea, linking past and future. If you need them, they’re ready to carry you at any time," Xingtian replied.

Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu were also powerful ancient gods within Qi Yuan’s contemplation method. These two were the emperors of the North and South Seas, respectively. They had existed even before Pangu split the heavens and the earth.

In Qi Yuan’s memory, Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu had been friends with Hundun, the Chaos Being. Hundun had no form or senses, an undivided entity. The two emperors had enjoyed their friendship with Hundun and had tried to open his senses, carving seven orifices for him over the course of seven days, which led to Hundun’s death.

Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu held powers related to time and space. In this special game world, they could transform themselves into bridges, connecting the past and future. Of course, this was related to the game’s storyline. The Origin Land and the End Land shared a strong connection.

In the full scope of Qi Yuan’s contemplative fantasy, Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu could transcend the limits of this world.

"Good, good. Blue Planet has many talented people!" Qi Yuan was quite pleased. "When I need them, I’ll call. In the meantime, inform everyone to continue training and strengthening their abilities. We may have a tough battle ahead."

"Understood." Great Bell Sovereign "nodded" before disappearing.

Qi Yuan was left alone in the hall.

After about an hour, a voice echoed throughout the hall.

"Brother Qi Yuan, the Blood of Ancestors Battle is beginning. Please make your way there."

"Alright."

In a flash, Qi Yuan appeared on a tall tower.

The tower stretched thirty thousand feet high, with a round platform at the top, large enough to resemble a city. Beneath the tower was the trial area for the Blood of Ancestors Battle.

On the platform, thirty-six thrones had materialized.

The thrones were made of some unknown material, still bearing traces of dried blood. Over thirty Martial Lords took their seats. Each was surrounded by a mysterious mist that obscured their faces.

Three thrones were situated at the highest points, larger than the others, reaching into the clouds.

Black Deer sat in the center, Qi Yuan on the left, and a female Martial Lord on the right. All three were also shrouded in the mysterious mist.

"Now that all the Martial Lords are present, let us observe the Blood of Ancestors Battle. If any promising talents appear, you may take them as your disciples," Black Deer Martial Lord said with a smile.

"I took a quick look. There’s nothing promising here. With their current talent, none of them will ever reach the Grand Sovereign stage," an old man scoffed, unimpressed. "These younger generations are getting worse and worse."

"It’s inevitable," another Martial Lord sighed. "The catastrophe severed the bloodlines. Without the Mountains and Seas Scroll, they wouldn’t even be able to reach Martial Spirit."

"Indeed, it’s not their fault."

"If we can’t reset the world, we’ll all perish. Forget about descendants—they’ll be an unattainable dream."

"We must complete the Eastern Lord’s mission, or we’ll never get another chance."

"Yes, the Eastern Lord is our only hope!"

The Martial Lords’ voices grew firm, as if the Eastern Lord was their unwavering faith.

Qi Yuan glanced at Black Deer Martial Lord. "You all have a lot of faith in the Eastern Lord."

Black Deer’s eyes gleamed with reverence and emotion. "If you ever meet the Eastern Lord, you’ll feel the same. He is the most trustworthy and dependable person I’ve ever met. He is also this world’s only remaining hope. Without him, the Origin Land would have perished long ago. The Mountains and Seas Scroll, the End Land—none of it would exist. We’d all be nothing more than bones in the ground. No, not even bones would remain. We owe the Eastern Lord everything."

"A lifetime isn’t enough to repay the Eastern Lord’s debt," Qi Yuan remarked with a grin.

Black Deer’s expression grew serious. "Mr. Qi Yuan, jokes about the Eastern Lord are not to be made lightly. When you meet the Eastern Lord, or when the Wall of the Eastern Lord speaks and you hear his voice, you’ll understand what kind of man he is. To be honest, when I first heard people praising the Eastern Lord, I was skeptical. How could such a person exist? But when I met him, I was ashamed of my narrow-mindedness. I was wrong, and I feel guilty for ever doubting him."

"Interesting, interesting. Now I’m curious to meet this Eastern Lord and see what kind of character he really is," Qi Yuan thought, his curiosity piqued.

These people were genuinely fanatical about the Eastern Lord. Qi Yuan could tell their minds hadn’t been influenced; their reverence was sincere and voluntary.