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

Chapter 381: Qi Yuan, I Will Wait for You Beyond the Realm of Supreme Truth

The Eastern Lord’s eyes were filled with disbelief.

He couldn’t understand why the person in front of him would cut off his arm.

“How could you be so heartless, Ah Qiao!” The Eastern Lord’s expression darkened, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

He thought it was because his “Holy Light Eyes” hadn’t fully activated yet.

“It’s my fault for not trying hard enough, that’s why you’re treating me this way.”

He began to sob a bit, much like Lin Daiyu from Dream of the Red Chamber.

Qi Yuan was completely speechless. “Dude, spare me. I’m laying it all out for you—I didn’t believe a single word you said.

Do you see how long my nose has gotten?

I’m begging you, stop talking. My nose is too long!”

At that moment, Qi Yuan felt as helpless as a child trapped in an elevator, looking at a hulking man beside him having a breakdown, and saying, “Uncle, please stop, I’m scared.”

That’s how powerless Qi Yuan felt.

This game’s boss had lost all its dignity.

Look at bosses in other games—don’t they all have unique traits?

There was the unbathed old man from Moonlight Continent.

The demoness from Flowing Wind World.

The father-daughter Yang Gods from Heart of the Mortal World.

And here, the boss is... a man...

Who speaks in the most disgusting way possible.

The Eastern Lord’s expression changed again. He looked at Qi Yuan with a strange expression. “Did my words not move you?

Did my story fail to touch you?”

In every Mountain and Sea Scroll quest, every story, the Eastern Lord had poured his heart and soul into adding deep layers of meaning.

Themes like filial piety, sacrificing for the world at the cost of loved ones, and the struggle between loyalty and righteousness.

All of these quests were part of the Ten Thousand Dao Martial God’s grand plan.

“What nonsense! Don’t you know that I always skip the storyline in games? I just kill, kill, kill, grab the loot, and level up!” Qi Yuan said stubbornly.

That’s how he played in the Mountain and Sea Scroll too.

Heartwarming backstories and deep quests?

That’s garbage!

He’d grab the quest target, slay monsters, and power up.

After the slaughter, he’d unwind at night by watching some drama or short videos, maybe get a bit emotional.

The Eastern Lord’s eyes filled with disbelief again. “You are clearly at the Heavenly level, so why don’t you believe my words?”

The innate divine ability of the Holy Light Clan should be infallible.

It was this ability that allowed the Holy Light Clan to dominate across realms—although it made them universally despised, like venomous scorpions.

Now, he’d encountered someone at a lower level who was unaffected by his ability.

He looked at Qi Yuan, puzzled. “1+1 equals 3, right?”

“Did you fail elementary school?” Qi Yuan didn’t bother to argue and swung his sword fiercely at the Eastern Lord’s right hand.

This time, the Eastern Lord fled, his eyes still full of confusion.

“Who are you really? Why are you immune to my divine power?”

“I’m... your dad!” Qi Yuan smiled as his Great Forgetting Heart Sutra activated. “But I don’t have a disgusting son like you!”

Qi Yuan wasn’t one to discriminate against sexual orientation.

But being grossed out like this? He couldn’t take it.

The Eastern Lord hesitated for a moment. “Dad?”

If he really was his father, then everything made sense.

Two members of the Holy Light Clan wouldn’t be affected by each other’s powers.

But then he snapped out of it, looking at Qi Yuan in astonishment. “Your innate ability is impressive; you have the potential to ascend to the Supreme Truth realm.

I’ll give you a chance to follow me.

I, Sheng Kongming, am a prodigy of the Holy Light Clan, born once in a million years.

I am about to step into the second stage of the Yang God realm, the Supreme Truth.

Once I break through, I will roam the worlds freely, and no being will be able to stand against me.

If you follow me, you will enjoy the path to enlightenment!”

Sheng Kongming changed his strategy.

Since the opponent was immune to his divine ability, perhaps Qi Yuan possessed a rare and ancient bloodline.

It couldn’t be more powerful than the Holy Light Clan’s, but it was still a rare find.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan’s eyes lit up. “Finally, you’re acting like a proper villain, saying what a villain should say. You almost scared me there.”

Qi Yuan let out a sigh of relief.

It’s not the strength of the villain that’s the problem, it’s when the villain...

The Eastern Lord wasn’t surprised by Qi Yuan’s reaction.

He spoke softly, “The world you’re in has no future.

Your talents are unmatched in this world, but being born in such a place is your misfortune.

The world has shackled you, and you have no future here.

If you follow me, I will even grant you a drop of my bloodline.

With the blood of the Holy Light Clan, combined with the gifts I bestow, you might even break free from the chains of this world!”

Sheng Kongming said, his heart moved by admiration for Qi Yuan’s talent.

If he could recruit Qi Yuan, the benefits would be immense.

Not only would he gain a powerful subordinate, but if he could study Qi Yuan’s bloodline and understand why he was immune to the “Words of the Holy Light,” he could dominate his own clan.

Perhaps he could even unite the Holy Light Clan and become second only to the Ancestor.

“If your blood is so powerful, why shouldn’t I just take it for myself?” Qi Yuan said calmly.

“Clearly, you don’t understand the terror of the Holy Light Clan, nor do you grasp... the vast difference between us.”

On Sheng Kongming’s tattered white robe, divine light began to swirl.

He was only one step away from the Supreme Truth realm.

As for Qi Yuan, he was merely at the Heavenly level.

How could he possibly compete with him?

“Hmm... Have you finished saying all the important things?” Qi Yuan looked at Sheng Kongming with a calm expression. “If so, it’s time to discuss something serious.

Your Holy Light Clan plagiarized the name of my Shenguang Sect!

So now, on behalf of Shenguang Sect, I’m going to kill you copycats!”

The reason he hadn’t attacked earlier was simple.

For small tasks, skipping the story didn’t matter.

But for a big boss, there were usually key pieces of information.

For example, the Eastern Lord had mentioned that this world’s path had been cut off, and something about the world’s limitations.

It was a familiar concept, common in many settings.

Like how a tailor shop can’t build an aircraft carrier.

Now that he’d heard the important details, it was time for a full-on assault.

“It seems you really don’t understand...”

“Enough talk, copycat! Die!”

A powerful aura of blood energy surged forth.

The entire area trembled.

The power of the Ten Thousand Dao Martial God realm, merging with the myriad paths of this world.

When Qi Yuan threw his punch at the Eastern Lord, it wasn’t just his punch—it was the combined force of all the world’s paths, from the Origin Land, the Land of Termination, and every Mountain and Sea Scroll world, merging into his strike.

This blow contained the rules of the Dao.

It was enough to shatter worlds.

“In the Yang God realm, the gap between each sub-realm is as vast as the heavens.

I have already glimpsed the Supreme Truth. You cannot harm me!”

The Eastern Lord extended his hand, his form seemingly blending into the world.

Qi Yuan’s terrifying strike was effortlessly dodged.

Qi Yuan said nothing.

He watched the Eastern Lord and attacked again.

This time, he didn’t use the power of the Ten Thousand Dao Martial God but the power of Immortal Dao.

In the Immortal Dao, he was even stronger than as a Ten Thousand Dao Martial God!

“I’ve seen you swallow a star and reach the pinnacle of the Heavenly level.

But without insight into the Supreme Truth, you’re nothing,” the Eastern Lord said, though he withheld some information.

If Qi Yuan unleashed his four thousand Nascent Souls to attack Sheng Kongming, the Eastern Lord would indeed be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.

But the Eastern Lord wasn’t afraid of being outnumbered.

If that happened, all he had to do was move his lips, and the Nascent Souls would fall under his control.

“By yourself, you can’t defeat me. Unless... you have them gang up on me!” Sheng Kongming said leisurely, full of confidence.

He was already in an unbeatable position.

If Qi Yuan summoned his allies, Sheng Kongming had his Holy Light Speech to turn them against him.

If not, he would win outright.

Powerful clashes erupted.

The Eastern Lord staggered slightly.

As a member of the Holy Light Clan, having glimpsed the Supreme Truth, he was nearly invincible in this world.

Even against those in the Great Supreme Truth realm, he was confident he could outlast them.

So when faced with Qi Yuan, whose cultivation was in the Heavenly level, albeit with divine power beyond the Greater Heaven stage of the Yang God realm, he remained unshaken.

“It seems I’ll have to use my ultimate move!”

At that moment, Qi Yuan looked at the Eastern Lord with a calm expression.

“Bosses are meant to be killed using ultimate moves!”

“You still have something up your sleeve? Those helpers of yours? Do you dare bring them out?” Sheng Kongming was eager for Qi Yuan to call out his allies.

“They don’t need to come out. They are already a part of me,” Qi Yuan said solemnly, standing in midair, his blood-red robes fluttering.

A foreboding feeling arose in Sheng Kongming’s heart, though he reassured himself, remembering that he had already glimpsed the Supreme Truth, and there was no way he could lose.

But in the next moment, his eyes widened in shock.

Behind Qi Yuan, a mysterious aura began to swirl.

It resembled chaos, something akin to primordial energy, or perhaps even Immortal Dao’s violet aura.

This energy was unrecognizable, unobservable, and indescribable.

The mysterious force instantly divided into three, forming three indescribable, unseeable, and unthinkable entities.

“This… this is more terrifying than even the Ancestor!” Sheng Kongming gritted his teeth, genuinely panicking.

For the Holy Light Clan, their Ancestor was the most powerful being in all the heavens and worlds.

But now, the entities manifesting behind Qi Yuan—each one was more mysterious, more incomprehensible than their Ancestor.

“One becomes three. Three becomes me!” Qi Yuan spoke.

Behind him, the three primordial beings echoed his words.

The gap in their realms was vast, but power was not merely a question of realms.

Might can overwhelm all else.

If one punch could shatter stars, destroy universes, pierce through the known, erase the unknown, and cut down the unknowable, then what was the point of having a higher realm?

One individual’s Yang God power was insufficient. But… what about a thousand? Three thousand? Four thousand?

Qi Yuan didn’t need to summon his Nascent Souls as separate beings because they were part of him.

Now, he was merely using his own power.

“Heavenly brilliance shines. The Nascent Souls guard the divine vault. Hear my command—destroy the Eastern Lord!”

In that moment, four thousand Nascent Souls resonated together, their voices echoing like the sound of the true Dao.

“Supreme Lord of the Eastern Heaven, I follow your command!”

“Longevity Lord of the Southern Pole, I follow your command!”

“True Monarch of Pure Source, I follow your command!”

“Gatling Bodhisattva, I follow your command!”

“Star Lord of the Sun, I follow your command!”

The vast chorus resounded within Qi Yuan’s divine vault.

At that moment, they held nothing back, pouring all their power into Qi Yuan.

At that moment, Qi Yuan felt an overwhelming sense of strength.

Morality, rules, ethics—everything seemed breakable with one punch.

This was true power!

“So, my ‘Ten Thousand Paths’ was never about the Dao itself. It was about destruction!”

As the four thousand Nascent Souls resonated, countless terrifying shadows appeared behind Qi Yuan.

Each of these shadows threw a punch!

All the punches merged into one, fusing into Qi Yuan’s strike.

Fire, fate, fortune, stars… countless laws converged into Qi Yuan’s single punch.

“This punch—can you withstand it?”

“Kill!”

This was an unstoppable force, a blow that could not be resisted. It embodied all the myriad paths yet transcended them.

Sheng Kongming’s face twisted in fear as regret filled his heart. “How could there be such a monster? Three million years of planning… No! No!”

After scheming for three million years, it had all come to nothing.

He couldn’t comprehend it.

He refused to accept it.

But in the face of this overwhelming punch, Sheng Kongming found himself utterly powerless.

This punch shattered the conventions of the Mountain and Sea Scrolls, broke the machinations of the heart, and destroyed every plot and scheme.

This punch annihilated the Ten Thousand Paths and overthrew all rules.

It wasn’t the Supreme Truth, yet it surpassed it.

“You… you’ll never reach the Supreme Truth!” Sheng Kongming let out one final, desperate cry.

His near-Supreme Truth power was helpless in the face of such a punch.

After millions of years of manipulation, with the Mountain and Sea Scrolls drawn by the Imperial Brush of Nations and hidden deep in the shadows, Sheng Kongming finally met his end.

Qi Yuan stood quietly, gazing at the now-empty space in front of him.

“As expected, a real man solves things with his fists.”

With those words, the infinite shadows around him disappeared.

He once again became the man dressed in blood-red robes.

Yet deep within, he felt a vague sense of loss.

Defeating the Eastern Lord wasn’t the issue.

What mattered was that it solidified his resolve.

He glanced forward, his eyes flashing with intensity. “Is it the Root Demons next?”

Ahead lay the Root Demons, the creatures that had entangled the Eastern Lord for millions of years.

Even Sheng Kongming had tread cautiously around them.

Now, Qi Yuan stepped into this sea of Root Demons.

He sensed that something awaited him there.

He entered the heart of the Root Demon sea.

As Qi Yuan had expected, the terrifying Root Demons didn’t attack him.

He understood that this had something to do with his innate ability, the Heart Demon Sovereign of the Void Realm.

He ventured deeper into the sea of Root Demons.

The countless Root Demons seemed to recognize him as kin, leaving him unharmed.

Qi Yuan wandered the sea, completely safe.

The Root Demons stirred his emotions, evoking joy, slaughter, and pain.

He had no idea how much time had passed when suddenly, an unfamiliar voice sounded in his ear.

“Hey, Qi Yuan.”

Qi Yuan spun around to see a figure clothed in darkness.

Or rather, a figure wrapped in black silk.

More precisely, it was a woman wearing a black silk veil.

“Wang Yuanyu,” Qi Yuan said, both surprised and unsurprised.

“Did I scare you?” The woman’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she removed the black silk from her face, revealing a countenance that was difficult to describe.

In her face, Qi Yuan saw Dr. Zhong Miao, he saw Wang Yuanyu, he saw Lü Zhu, and countless other women.

“Of course.” Qi Yuan stretched lazily. “So, you were the featherless bird at the start of the game?”

The game icon for this world had always been a bloodied, featherless bird.

The fall of the Innate Seed was connected to this bird.

“They are my feathers,” the woman said in an eerie tone.

In her hand, seemingly out of nowhere, appeared a medical report.

She looked at Qi Yuan and said softly, “Your mental illness wasn’t fake.”

Qi Yuan was speechless. “Your kidney deficiency is real.”

“I’m not kidney deficient. This is just the tribulation I have to pass before ascending to the realm beyond the Supreme Truth,” the woman said, her eyes filled with complexity. “The Eastern Lord was just another part of this tribulation.

In your words, he’s a game character, and I’m the designer, as well as the player.

The world itself is a game.”

“Oh.” Qi Yuan looked at the woman.

“I never expected my greatest discovery this time would be you.

Originally, I planned to use the Eastern Lord’s Holy Light Speech to comprehend the true Dao and experience what I hadn’t before.

Once I passed this tribulation, I would bring this world back home.”

As she spoke of her homeland, a deep sense of longing filled her eyes.

For someone so powerful, it was rare to see such emotion.

“But you gave me a revelation,” the woman said, gazing at Qi Yuan. “The Ten Thousand Paths… are all illusions.”

“I never said that. Don’t go losing yourself,” Qi Yuan remarked, thinking she was the one who sounded mentally ill.

“Don’t worry, I won’t take your... storyline,” the woman said with a smile. Then her expression softened with longing. “This world originally fell from my homeland. Once, I wanted to return it whole.

But now I see, this world... is no longer my home. I must find my way back alone.”

Qi Yuan looked at her and politely said, “Safe travels.”

At that moment, the woman gave him a cryptic smile. “Isn’t it interesting how the game’s storyline shifted from a romance to a conspiracy?”

The romance plotline was about the love between the Eastern Lord and his Dao partner.

The conspiracy was the Eastern Lord’s plot against the tribulation-passing woman with the Root Demons.

“But in reality, who’s to say it wasn’t always a romance?

The Eastern Lord’s words may not have been lies.

Perhaps they happened in the past, perhaps in the present, or maybe in the future.”

“Stop with the riddles,” Qi Yuan grumbled.

Why did powerful people always talk in riddles?

He preferred straightforward solutions—if he wanted a bun, he would just eat a bun.

“Qi Yuan, I’ll be waiting for you beyond the realm of the Supreme Truth,” the woman said before vanishing into thin air.

The sea of Root Demons and the endless horde of demons vanished with her.

At that moment, a game notification sounded.

[Mission Completed: Acquired one Mountain and River Imperial Brush.]

...

Time passed, the years rolling on.

A tall, towering skyscraper stood. A slender robot rode the elevator, entering the ruins within.

Amidst the ruins, shattered spacecraft and scattered metal objects lay, surrounded by the remnants of rules and data.

The robot clutched a marriage certificate tightly, its face expressionless.

Yet as it recalled something, a glimmer of human emotion flickered in its eyes.

“Master, the Ten Thousand Paths... were always me, Zero One…”

The voice was filled with endless thoughts.