A Feast, Thirty Days in a Row!

The wolf-dog in the red gown soared into the air, its posture seductively sinuous. The people of Shijia Village all looked terrified. Qi Yuan stared at the red-gowned wolf-dog—the god of Shijia Village—with a peculiar glint in his eyes. "A consummate Divine Infant who wields a thread of an origin divine ability?" With a single glance, he saw through this supposed deity's modest strength; it was barely stronger than the villagers down below. A mere consummate Divine Infant had managed, through the worship and offerings of the villagers, to condense a wisp of an origin divine ability. That was already alarming enough. If Divine Infant cultivators in the Canglan Realm could master origin divine abilities through such means, the realm would undoubtedly fall into utter chaos, and "gods" would be running amok everywhere. After all, Great Shang had dozens of Divine Infant cultivators, and the hundred nations harbored thousands, yet not a single Purple Mansion cultivator existed among them. That showed just how vast the chasm was between the Purple Mansion and Divine Infant realms. The red-gowned wolf-dog struck an alluring pose, sticking out its broad, thick tongue. "A newly born Ancient God must taste delectable." A New God could elevate its cultivation by devouring an Ancient God. The wolf-dog's eyes glittered as it stared hungrily at Qi Yuan. Maintaining an air of lofty composure, Qi Yuan said casually, "Hmph. A mob like you ought to fill quite a bit of my exp bar, right?" Upon entering this world, Qi Yuan had discovered that his character level was different from the previous scale of level 1 to level 100. Right now, he was a Level 1 Divine Creature. And the red-gowned wolf-dog before him was a Level 55 Divine Creature. The disparity between them… was immense. It was comparable to the gulf between early Origin Core and late Divine Infant. On top of that, his opponent was a deity standing on its home territory, a Divine Infant who wielded an origin divine ability. Under normal circumstances, it would indeed be able to one-shot him. If Qi Yuan did not summon his Stellar Golden Core, bridging so many levels with his in-game strength alone was truly difficult. "My people, offer your devotion unto my body!" "Follow me into battle!" The red-gowned wolf-dog suddenly let out a coquettish roar. The villagers of Shijia Village knitted their brows, their faces turning pale. Evidently, despite its surface disdain toward this suddenly manifested Ancient God, the wolf-dog went all out from its very first move. Countless motes of red light drifted out from the villagers' bodies, coalescing into the wolf-dog's hand. In the end, they formed a massive spiked mace. Watching the mace take shape, Shentu's teeth chattered. "That's a sacrificial vessel!" A sacrificial vessel was forged from the offerings of myriad mortals, embodying the hearts of the masses and representing the realm's origin. Of course, in Qi Yuan's terms, it was simply an artifact capable of casting an origin divine ability. "Interesting," Qi Yuan remarked in surprise. This was the first time he had seen someone else engrave an origin divine ability into an artifact like he did. Just then, Village Chief Yulei arrived with nearly a hundred villagers. Seeing the red-gowned wolf-dog drawing upon the villagers' offerings, terror filled their eyes. "We're done for!" "It's an evil god…!" "Quick, let's help Lord God!" Village Chief Yulei shouted. Without hesitation, the villagers formed a united front to aid Qi Yuan. Yet Qi Yuan simply said, "The more people there are, the livelier the funeral feast will be." He harbored no fear toward a Level 55 Divine Creature. "Sword, come!" he called out softly. The longsword at his back shot out of its scabbard with a sharp clang. The blade was blood-red from tip to hilt, inscribed with intricate patterns. Around the hilt sat seven figures with hideous faces, each bearing a distinct expression. Towering blood qi billowed outward at that moment, turning the sky over Shijia Village crimson. A shroud of scarlet spread across the heavens, as though an archdemon had descended upon the world. The villagers of Qingshui Village, who had come to lend aid, ground to a halt. That horrifying blood qi… felt like an evil weapon forged through the slaughter of ten thousand living souls. Seeing this, the villagers of Shijia Village turned pale with fright. "An evil god!" "He's actually an evil god!" Only a moment ago, the villagers of Qingshui Village had called the deity of Shijia Village an evil god. Now, the villagers of Shijia Village turned around and branded Qingshui Village's god an evil god instead! Qi Yuan looked at the red-gowned wolf-dog. "You have the support of your worshipers and the blessing of your shrine, but I have a sword to take your dog head!" This time, Qi Yuan felt entirely justified in saying "take your dog head." Because the creature literally had the head of a dog. "Go, sword." Qi Yuan did not bother attacking in person. A man of noble standing did not stand beneath a crumbling wall. He was only Level 1; if a stray blow grazed him, he would be in deep trouble. The longsword engraved with the origin divine ability shot straight toward the wolf-dog. Panic seized the creature's face. "Where did you get a sacrificial vessel?!" It could not understand. This newcomer had clearly abandoned his shrine and left his domain—how could he still wield a sacrificial vessel? And such a terrifying one at that! Compared to that nightmarish red sword, the spiked mace in its hand was nothing more than a tiny shrimp. "Chop off the dog head!" Qi Yuan commanded bluntly, ignoring its cries. The sword engraved with the origin divine ability tore toward the red-gowned wolf-dog. The origin divine ability of the Virtual Realm Sovereign's Inner Demon Summons took effect. How could a mere consummate Divine Infant withstand an origin divine ability at the Engraving level? Within half a breath, Shijia Village's guardian deity plunged into madness. "Eat! I want to eat!" The blade flashed past, and the wolf-dog's head dropped to the ground. A proud guardian deity had been slain with effortless ease. A vast deluge of experience poured into Qi Yuan's body. His level shot up from Level 1 to Level 2, then Level 3, finally coming to a stop at Level 11. The villagers of Shijia Village froze in disbelief. Village Chief Yulei was stunned. The villagers behind him were completely dumbfounded. Weren't deities who abandoned their shrines supposed to be frail and weak? How… how had he slain Shijia Village's New God? The fat man, who had previously been eager to watch Qi Yuan make a fool of himself, widened his eyes in shock. "Our god's head might not be quite right, but his strength… is absurdly high!" How could such a ragged village with such a rundown shrine give birth to a god this powerful? It defied all reason. Village Chief Yulei's gaze fell upon the blood-red sword. "It isn't the god who is strong—it's that sword!" He could tell that the aura of the origin divine ability contained within the blade was remarkably potent. Take it a step further, and it would become a divine artifact! A mighty divine artifact capable of holding down an entire city! "Our Ancient God was born embracing a sword. Could he… be the scion of some True God?" Village Chief Yulei reasoned. Otherwise, how could the birth of an ordinary guardian deity be accompanied by such a powerful sacrificial vessel? Hearing this, the other villagers were overcome with excitement. The god of their wretched village actually had an extraordinary pedigree! "With our god this strong, does that mean we'll get to eat two wowotou a meal?" The villagers indulged in wild fantasies. Meanwhile, the villagers of Shijia Village were thoroughly terrified. Especially the most tyrannical household in the village. They had been the ones to invite the New God, and their fates were bound tightly to it. Now that the New God had fallen, they… "No!" A hideous wolf head tore free from the torso of one of the villagers. Immediately after, more wolf heads burst forth from the bodies of a dozen others. "They've been assimilated by the New God! When the New God falls, they turn into… divine abominations!" Shentu warned hastily. The more devoted a mortal was to a New God, the more benefits they received, and the more the New God assimilated them into shrine guardians. If the New God perished, they would devolve into mindless divine abominations driven solely by slaughter. From that overbearing household, several dozen divine abominations emerged in the blink of an eye. "The big mob died, so it spawned mini-mobs?" Qi Yuan muttered, glancing at them. The blood-red sword turned into a streak of light. "Warding off all evils!" "Behead them all!" "Set up the feast!" "Keep it going for thirty days straight!" A feast held for a single god felt rather modest and would only last one day. But if he slaughtered an entire household, wouldn't they be able to feast for days on end? The streak of scarlet light darted through Shijia Village. With every wolf-dog hybrid slain, the delight on Qi Yuan's face grew a fraction wider. The feast could be extended by another day. Within a dozen breaths, all the terrifying divine abominations were cut down by Qi Yuan. His experience rose by a modest margin. Compared to the guardian deity, the experience yielded by these abominations was hardly worth mentioning. Having eliminated all the abominations, Qi Yuan and Shentu descended into Shijia Village. Qi Yuan wore a dignified expression, radiating a formidable aura. The blood-red sword slid back into its scabbard. Seeing this, the remaining villagers of Shijia Village threw themselves to their knees. "Lord God, have mercy!" Fleeing was out of the question; their only hope was begging for their lives. "We never believed in the New God! That dog-bastard Shi Fugui forced us into it!" The burly man who had been pinned down earlier also knelt solemnly. "Thank you, Lord God, for saving my boy. This life of mine belongs to you!" Facing Qi Yuan, the villagers were gripped by absolute dread. After all, this deity had just slaughtered their village's guardian god. They kept their heads bowed, quietly awaiting their fate. Ancient Gods despised mortals who had pledged devotion to New Gods. Tyrannical deities would execute them on the spot, while the gentler ones showed some measure of mercy. Judging by the blood-drenched aura of this god's sacrificial vessel, he was clearly not someone to be trifled with. The fate awaiting them promised to be grim. "Your guardian god is dead. What should you be doing?" Qi Yuan asked, breaking the silence as he addressed the kneeling villagers. The villagers' hearts leaped into their throats, having no idea why the Ancient God would ask such a question. "Denounce the New God's crimes and hold a tribunal!" "Pledge our loyalty to the Ancient God once the tribunal concludes!" "Build a new shrine and erect a new statue for the Ancient God!" The villagers offered their trembling answers, resigning themselves to this reality. Compared to losing their lives, toiling to erect a shrine and fashion an idol was nothing. Listening to their scattered chatter, Qi Yuan was at a loss for words. Did these people… have no common sense? "The evil god is dead, so the proper thing to do is hold a funeral feast!" "I've already slain over thirty of that evil god's lackeys, which means this feast… will last for thirty days straight!" Qi Yuan announced loudly. His voice reverberated across Shijia Village. The villagers of Shijia Village were thoroughly baffled. A feast? What on earth? The burly man surnamed Wang twitched, then quickly piped up, "Hurry and prepare—set up the feast!" Taking their cue, the other villagers nodded eagerly. "Right! Set up the feast!" At a time like this, escaping with their lives was already a blessing; they would simply do whatever the Ancient God commanded. Before long, lanterns illuminated Shijia Village as banquet tables were laid out. The villagers of Qingshui Village exchanged glances, but once Qi Yuan gave his nod, they scurried hungrily to the tables. Gazing at the dazzling spread of dishes, which even included meat, every one of the Qingshui villagers drooled with envy. They had starved for far too long. Without a deity's blessing and cut off from water, their fields yielded almost nothing. Shijia Village, on the other hand, had granaries overflowing with grain, along with no shortage of plump pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, and fish. Even Qi Yuan felt a pang of surprise. No wonder everyone flocked to the New Gods. Following a New God truly came with good food. More than thirty tables were prepared, but because Qi Yuan had not picked up his chopsticks, no one else dared to touch the food. At that moment, Qi Yuan stood up and raised his cup. "Today, we gather here with heavy hearts." "The heavens weep and the earth mourns. My dear brother, the guardian deity of Shijia Village, the Wolf-Dog God, has unfortunately met his end today, leaving us forever." Qi Yuan spoke with stirring passion, his tone laced with theatrical grief. The people of Shijia Village looked at one another, and the villagers from Qingshui Village wore expressions of utter… bewilderment. Qi Yuan extended a hand. "On this sorrowful day, we offer our deepest remembrance." Seeing this, the burly man surnamed Wang shot a swift glance to the crowd. At once, several older women dressed in mourning white stepped forward from Shijia Village. "O God, what a tragic death you suffered!" "Wuu wuu…" These women were professional mourners. They wailed piteously and convincingly, sounding as though they had truly lost their own kin. Hearing their laments, Qi Yuan felt the proper sense of ritual had been established. "Eat!" he declared, immediately digging in, practically ready to swallow a roasted pig head whole. He was simply… too starved. Never since crossing over had he experienced hunger like this. The villagers of Qingshui Village ate voraciously, like reincarnated hungry ghosts. Some devoured their food covertly while stashing portions into their clothes. They had gone hungry for far too long. *** Back in Qingshui Village. Two old men lay on a haystack, gnawing on wowotou. "Sigh, when will these days ever end?" "Soon. If Lord God dies in Shijia Village, our Qingshui Village won't last either. Fortunately, I've still saved some rations, so at least I won't die an empty-bellied ghost." "This newly born Ancient God is truly bizarre. If he had stayed in the village, our Qingshui Village might have held on a little longer. Marching into Shijia Village was like throwing meat buns at a dog." These two old men voiced what almost everyone felt. No one believed a newly born Ancient God could defeat a New God. And… even if he did win, his end would still be grim. Feihuang City had practically fallen halfway into the hands of New Gods. There was scarcely any room left for Ancient Gods. Just then, rustling footsteps drew near. One of the old men looked over in confusion. "Sister Jiang, what are you doing out in the dead of night?" A frail-looking middle-aged woman lifted her head, her eyes gleaming despite her feeble voice. "Going to a feast." "Huh?" The words sounded faintly familiar; the old man wondered if he had heard them somewhere earlier today. "Lord God slew the evil god. Shijia Village is hosting a funeral feast, and we're going over to help out… and eat." Hearing this, the old man froze. Lord God killed the evil god? On the evil god's home turf? His eyes lit up. "A feast!" None of the rest mattered—only the feast did. *** In Shijia Village, the evil god had been subdued, and its foremost patron family had been wiped out by Qi Yuan. Mountains of grain and provisions were unearthed. The feast on the first day was for the evil god, and on the second day, the feasting continued. In any case, with so many dead, the banquet had to go on! One day, a carriage drawn by a scrawny horse ambled along. Inside sat an emaciated old man dressed in scholar's robes. His eyes were half-closed, and he appeared severely injured. "Sir, are you all right?" Huang Mengying asked worriedly. "The New God of Kuangfeng Town is rather formidable. Currently, five hundred guards are stationed in the town, making it as solid as a fortress. On its home turf, this old man… clashed with it… and sustained heavy injuries. I will need three years of recuperation before I can act again." The scholar-robed elder sighed, full of self-reproach. "Alas, I have failed City Lord Huang's trust." Hearing this, Huang Mengying's worry deepened, though she said softly, "It is enough that you are safe, Sir." "What a pity. Out of the seven towns, six have fallen under the dominion of New Gods. Feihuang City cannot hold out alone," the elder lamented. Feihuang City had always revered Ancient Gods. An Ancient God was enshrined within the city as well. However, twenty years ago, that Ancient God had fallen into a deep slumber and never awakened. The situation in the city shifted drastically. Many prominent families began agitating in secret, plotting to welcome a New God. Huang Mengying's father, the City Lord of Feihuang City, naturally refused to welcome a New God and suppressed those influential clans. Yet, seeing that they could not sway Feihuang City directly, those families colluded with the surrounding towns, plotting in rural settlements to topple the Ancient Gods and usher in New Gods. Now, six of the seven major towns subordinate to Feihuang City worshiped New Gods. As for the villages, almost all had embraced New Gods, leaving very few that still honored Ancient Gods. The scholar-robed elder was an old friend of the City Lord and a late Purple Mansion expert. The City Lord had personally invited him to move against the New Gods of the six towns and prune their power. Tragically, after slaying only one New God, he suffered grievous injuries upon encountering the second. Just then, the lively blare of suona horns drifted over from the distance. Such a cheerful sound was exceptionally rare among the villages around Feihuang City. The elder blinked in mild surprise. "Boy, what is happening in the village ahead?" "Sir, I'll go ask." The young attendant driving the carriage hopped down and ran toward the settlement. Before long, he returned. "Sir, that's Shijia Village ahead. They… are holding a funeral feast!" "Shijia Village, a funeral feast?" The elder was bewildered. If he recalled correctly, Shijia Village was guarded by an evil god. "The Ancient God of Qingshui Village killed the evil god of Shijia Village, and now they're holding a feast!" Hearing that, the elder broke into a smile. "Such a fascinating turn of events—this old man must see it for himself." Beside him, Huang Mengying's interest was also piqued. What had occurred sounded truly unbelievable. In times like these, it was rare enough for an Ancient God to slay a New God. For one to kill a New God and brazenly throw an open feast afterward was virtually unheard of. After all, the New Gods held immense sway, and many Ancient Gods could barely protect themselves, unwilling to make enemies of them. "Come, let's have a look." Huang Mengying was curious as well. She had read the county annals thoroughly and knew the deities worshiped across Feihuang City's villages like the back of her hand. Qingshui Village worshiped the Foxtail Grass God, the lowliest rank of deity. How could such a god possibly slay the evil god of Shijia Village? With different thoughts swirling in their minds, the elder and Huang Mengying rode the carriage into Shijia Village, greeted by a bustling, lively scene. At the same time, they spotted several coffins arranged on the ground, accompanied by wailing mourners. What ought to have been a somber funeral appeared thoroughly comical at this moment.