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

Chapter 377: My World, My Salvation

The moonlight poured down like a clear river, and the Milky Way hung low in the sky.
Qi Yuan looked at the heavens, his expression complex.

"Only... three years left?"

His comprehension of the myriad paths had only reached 3%. It was impossible to achieve perfection within three years.

At that moment, Zero-One hesitated. "Master..."

"Oh, what is it?" Qi Yuan asked casually.

"Nothing, nothing," Zero-One’s voice was still cold, emotionless, like that of a machine.

"Zero-One, ever since you evolved, you’ve changed." Qi Yuan stretched lazily.

"Zero-One has not changed, always Master’s most loyal servant." Zero-One performed a robotic bow. "Relieving Master’s burdens is Zero-One’s primary directive!"

"Good." Qi Yuan continued to close his eyes, contemplating the myriad paths.

He had entered the Mountain and Sea Scrolls and traversed many worlds, gaining a fast understanding of the myriad paths. But no matter how fast he progressed, there were still limits.

The moonlight shone on Zero-One’s mechanical arm. Standing by the river, it gazed at its reflection in the clear water and muttered, "Is everything coming to an end?"

...

In the Origin Land.

Within the Eastern Alliance, dozens of titled Martial Lords gathered.

Their expressions were grave.

The leading woman spoke, "The worlds are about to converge. We old folks must take action. Let’s follow the Eastern Lord’s command, unify the worlds, revive the Ancestral Demon Lord, and assist the Eastern Lord!"

The other Martial Lords nodded. "Yes, it’s time we acted!"

"The memory fragments have already been forged. Now we just need to piece them together to create the Ancestral Demon Lord!"

"The fated ones... should be harvested."

The Martial Lords gathered, discussing various details.

At that moment, the Black Deer Martial Lord suddenly said, "The Heavenly Sovereign... seems to have connections with those memory fragments. Will he... stop us?"

For the Eastern Alliance, the stories within the Mountain and Sea Scrolls were crafted to reconstruct the memory fragments of the Ancestral Demon Lord. Then, they would be assembled.

As long as 60% of the worlds followed their original trajectories, the plan would succeed. The rest would involve slaughter and devouring. In the end, all false beings would perish, leaving only one survivor.

That sole survivor would be the Ancestral Demon Lord.

As for gathering... fate?
All the world-rebooters must be slain, and their fate gathered upon the Ancestral Demon Lord. Then, the Ancestral Demon Lord would regain all of its power.

"Trust the Heavenly Sovereign to prioritize the greater good," one of the titled Martial Lords said.

"They were created by the Eastern Lord, after all. They are false, destined to fulfill their purpose by sacrificing themselves to become the one true being," another Martial Lord added.

"Sacrificing oneself is the essence of their existence!"

"They wouldn’t have had the chance to be born if not for the Eastern Lord’s gift of life."

"They are fated to perish. Now... it’s just that the hand that pushes them toward destruction has shifted from the great calamity to us."

"The destruction of the world is inevitable. The Dawn Song is near. It’s time... to make a choice."

"Everything for the world!"

"Even if we perish, we must protect the world!"

"Whoever dares to stop us, kill without mercy!"

"Killing a million to save the world is worth it!"

...

In the Upper Realm.

Within the sacred land, in the Third Heaven, an old man sat at a fishing platform, casting his line into the myriad heavens.

A voice echoed, "In that strange land, a Yang God has descended."

"Oh? Who is it?" the old man asked, surprised.

"Someone named Qi Yuan."

"Never heard of him." The old man shook his head. "But he’s bold to scheme over that strange land."

"He seems to have some connection to the Moon God Palace," the voice murmured.

"Moon God Palace?" The fisherman hesitated, then said, "If it’s the Moon God Palace, it makes sense. The Moon God Palace is in a precarious position. If they don’t find a way to break through soon, they may fall from the Sixth Heaven.

"Unfortunately, their luck is bad—they’ve set their sights on that strange land."

"What’s so special about that place? I've heard many Yang Gods are wary of it."

"In that sacred land resides a member of the Holy Light Race."

"What... the legendary Holy Light Race?" As a Yang God sitting high in the Nine Heavens, there was little left in the world that could surprise him, but now he was genuinely shocked.

The Holy Light Race was a taboo among the Yang Gods, a forbidden existence.

"The Holy Light Race, huh? It seems that Yang God’s scheme will come to nothing."

The Holy Light Race was extraordinary, often found in strange lands. They possessed an immensely powerful ability known as the Holy Light Word.

Whatever the Holy Light Race said, those who heard it would believe it.

Once, a minor Yang God in the Lesser Principle Realm entered a strange land and encountered a member of the Holy Light Race. The Holy Light being said, "I am your father."

And... that Yang God believed it.

The Holy Light Word was this overwhelmingly domineering.

Thus, wherever the Holy Light Race appeared, Yang Gods tended to avoid it. Otherwise, they risked losing their lives and becoming nourishment for the Holy Light beings.

"The Holy Light Race is impossible to counter. Unless you are at least one realm higher, you will be deceived. Even if you are stronger, there’s still a chance you’ll be tricked," the fisherman sighed.

"The Holy Light Word is on par with the Nine Heavens’ supreme principles—it’s nearly impossible to resist," another Yang God added.

"I have some ties to the Moon God Palace. I should pass this information about the Holy Light Race to them," the fisherman thought aloud.

Perhaps the Moon God Palace didn’t know this. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent a Yang God to scheme over that strange land.

"Unfortunately, even if they are told, it’s already too late.

"That strange land is in the Lower Realm. A Yang God descending to the Lower Realm cannot return unless they capture the strange land and transform it into their celestial body."

"Alas, it seems the Moon God Palace will lose another Yang God. Difficult, difficult... are we about to witness the fall of a sacred land?"

The murmurs in the hall carried endless sighs.

...

The snow fell cold and silent, and all was still.

Zero-One sat by the riverbank, holding Xie Xinsu.

The wide river was covered with a thick layer of ice.

Qi Yuan, dressed in white, blended into the snow, making it hard to distinguish him from the surroundings.

Snow fell on their shoulders—Zero-One, Xie Xinsu, and Qi Yuan—until everything was blanketed in white.

"The myriad paths of the world... there are too many..."

At that moment, Qi Yuan couldn’t help but sigh.

Snow had its own path.

The wise True Lord once said, snowflakes don’t speak because they have no mouths.

To comprehend the path of snow, the most effective way would be to communicate with a snowflake that has a mouth.

"Hey, snowflake, why don’t you have a mouth? Without one, how can you explain your path? How am I supposed to understand your path? Always making me guess!" Qi Yuan muttered.

The thoughts of snowflakes are unknowable.

The myriad paths of the world are all guesswork.

Zero-One chuckled. "Master, anything is possible in this world.

"Who knows, maybe in the next moment, you’ll comprehend the myriad paths and understand everything."

If anyone else had heard this, they wouldn’t have believed it.

But Qi Yuan was different—he nodded seriously. "You're right. Anything is possible.

"Maybe in the next moment, the myriad paths will fall in love with me, grow mouths, and start introducing themselves!"

Qi Yuan imagined wildly.

With his incredible charm, wasn’t it normal for the myriad paths to fall in love with him?
After all, this is just a game, right?
Anything can happen in a game.
What if this game is actually a romance?

Just then, a voice called out, trembling slightly.

"Mr. Qi!"

Qi Yuan turned and saw a young woman.

She was dressed youthfully, wearing leg warmers over her slender legs.

"Doctor Zhong Niao, long time no see," Qi Yuan said calmly.

The person calling him was Dr. Zhong Niao, the doctor who had once treated him for his mental illness.

Later, she also stepped onto the path of cultivation.

Over the years, she had reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage and was just one step away from forming her Core.

"Mr. Qi, I... have something to ask of you!" Zhong Niao stammered, clearly mustering great courage to seek him out.

"Go ahead," Qi Yuan said, his gaze clear and calm.

"Recently, my nightmares have been getting worse..." Zhong Niao had once told Qi Yuan about her nightmares.

In her dreams, many women who looked just like her would stab her with knives.

Back then, Qi Yuan had told her she was suffering from kidney deficiency.

Now, the nightmare had returned, becoming clearer each time.

"Your kidney deficiency has gotten worse," Qi Yuan chuckled.

Zhong Niao felt helpless upon hearing this.

She wanted to say, "Brother, you swallowed a star, and you still think I’m suffering from kidney deficiency?"

But now, she was starting to wonder—was she really suffering from kidney deficiency?

"Mr. Qi, can kidney deficiency be cured?" Zhong Niao asked, tormented by her nightmares and desperate for Qi Yuan’s help.

"It’s simple: just kill the ones trying to kill you."

"Huh?" Zhong Niao was confused.

Qi Yuan looked up at the sky and said, "Soon, the other worlds from the Mountain and Sea Scrolls will start to appear here.

"Just think of them as parallel versions of yourself.

"They’ll kill each other until only one remains."

"What?" Zhong Niao was stunned and deeply shocked. Parallel versions of herself would try to kill her?

"But don’t worry." Qi Yuan smiled, "As long as I haven’t become the Myriad Dao Martial God, the worlds won’t merge.

"Who knows what will happen after they merge?"

Regarding the Eastern Lord, the boss of this game, Qi Yuan remained vigilant.

In every game, there was always a final boss.

And in this game, who seemed most like the boss?

It was clearly the Eastern Lord.

The most suspicious thing was that whenever the Eastern Lord spoke, his words seemed to carry an irresistible charm, convincing anyone who heard them.

If not for this, Qi Yuan might have truly believed the Eastern Lord was saving the world, fighting against the Root Demons.

But now, Qi Yuan’s instincts told him that the Eastern Lord was a liar. His words were false.

Come on, this is obvious.
Anyone who tries to deceive Qi Yuan is clearly a bad guy.
Could he really be some beautiful woman?

As for saving the world?

This world belongs to Qi Yuan!
After all, once he becomes the Myriad Dao Martial God, this world will be his.

If the world is destroyed, he’ll fall from the realm of the Myriad Dao Martial God.

So, of course, he’ll save it!
Qi Yuan will save it himself.

The Root Demon may seem powerful, but it has a similar origin to his divine ability, Void Realm Sovereign: Heart Demon Guidance.

When the time comes, Qi Yuan will unleash his Great Forgetfulness Mind Sutra and say to the Root Demon, "I am your father."

And the Root Demon won’t invade this world, right?
Of course not.

If the Root Demon doesn’t invade, that means the world won’t be destroyed, right?

So why kill and support the Eastern Lord?
Qi Yuan had his own plans.

As he spoke, Qi Yuan softly commanded the world:

"Condense."

At the same time, in the Origin Land.

Within the Eastern Alliance, countless Martial Lords turned pale in shock.

"What’s going on? Why has the progress of the world’s merging... stopped?"

"What’s happening?"

"There’s a mysterious force resisting the fusion of the Mountain and Sea Scrolls at the End Land!"

"Who could it be?"

"Is it the Heavenly Sovereign?"

The Martial Lords immediately thought of Qi Yuan.

Only Qi Yuan had the power to do something like this.

"What’s the Heavenly Sovereign doing? Why is he sabotaging the Eastern Lord’s plan?"

"Heh, isn’t it obvious? In the Mountain and Sea Scrolls, he hindered the Heaven-Mending Pavilion’s progress.

"It’s clear he’s targeting the Eastern Lord. He wants to destroy this world!"

"That’s impossible! The Heavenly Sovereign isn’t that kind of person!"

The Martial Lords argued among themselves, full of suspicions and speculations.

Some thought it was a misunderstanding, while others believed Qi Yuan was secretly meddling.

At that moment, a voice rang out.

"You’re right—I’m the one stopping the fusion of the Mountain and Sea Scrolls."

As the voice fell, Qi Yuan appeared, dressed in a long robe.

Zero-One stood behind him, holding a cat, its eyes filled with curiosity as it observed the world.

"Heavenly Sovereign, what are you doing?" Black Deer Martial Lord asked, his face no longer kind.

"Once I become the Myriad Dao Martial God, I’ll allow the worlds to merge.

"If they merge now, there will be too many paths, and I’ll waste too much time," Qi Yuan said, yawning.

"Heavenly Sovereign, this must not happen! Without the merging, the Eastern Lord’s partner cannot be revived. How will we... assist the Eastern Lord and fight the great calamity?"

"When the Dawn Song begins, we’ll all die!"

Qi Yuan smiled. "There’s no need to revive the Eastern Lord’s partner. I’ll deal with the great calamity myself!"

"Heavenly Sovereign, the Eastern Lord has said that only by reviving his partner can the great calamity be resolved. Though your strength is great, it might not be enough to face the calamity!" Black Deer Martial Lord said anxiously.

He looked distressed, as if worried that Qi Yuan was straying down the wrong path.

"I haven’t even fought the great calamity yet. How do you know I’m not strong enough?" Qi Yuan said with a smile.

"The Eastern Lord said the only way to save the world is by reviving his partner!" one of the titled Martial Lords said firmly. "If you go, it won’t work."

"If there were an all-knowing, all-powerful god, could they save the world?" Qi Yuan asked, curious.

"Absolutely not!" the titled Martial Lord said confidently.

"Absolutely not!" echoed the other Martial Lords.

"Interesting, interesting," Qi Yuan said, now certain of his suspicions. "I’m starting to get it."

"Heavenly Sovereign, please reconsider!"
"Don’t let your personal desires ruin the Eastern Lord’s plan!" one of the titled Martial Lords said earnestly.

Qi Yuan responded lazily, "Haven’t you noticed that your faith in the Eastern Lord is a bit excessive?
"Such blind trust isn’t healthy."

"Something strange is going on."

"It’s clear the Eastern Lord has brainwashed you all!"
"How could the Eastern Lord solve something that an all-knowing, all-powerful god couldn’t?"
"It’s laughable, full of contradictions."

"Now, let me show you what it looks like to think with an unbrainwashed, free mind."
"Old Man Shenlei, come over here. I have a question for you."

Qi Yuan decided to use facts to reveal the truth.

Old Man Shenlei appeared.

The other Martial Lords held their breath, eager to see what Qi Yuan would do next.

"You say that an all-knowing, all-powerful god couldn’t solve this problem. But I say I can. Would you believe me?" Qi Yuan asked confidently.

He was sure that Old Man Shenlei would set a good example for these Martial Lords, helping them realize they had been brainwashed.

Old Man Shenlei thought for a moment, then replied, "I... believe you."

"..." Qi Yuan.