"Nangong Wuji of Feihuang City requests an audience with the god!"
The Confucian-robed elder possessed tremendous power—he could slaughter a town-level deity with a flick of his sleeve.
Yet this time, coming to meet the god of Qingshui Village, his attitude was exceptionally respectful.
At that moment, Qi Yuan, who had been burying his head in his food, looked up. He eyed Nangong Wuji. "You here for the banquet too? Come, have a seat. Eat as much as you like."
Nangong Wuji studied Qi Yuan, a flicker of astonishment darting through his eyes.
He could sense hardly any rich divinity coming from Qi Yuan.
That meant this god was actually of very low tier.
"Then this old man shall not decline your courtesy." Nangong Wuji walked over.
Huang Mengying followed behind with curiosity written all over her face. She was deeply intrigued by how this New God had managed to kill the god of Shijia Village.
She was also somewhat curious. How could a god sit together with these ordinary mortals... and eat from a banquet?
She had seen plenty of gods. They might not have been terribly powerful, but they prided themselves on their nobility and utterly refused to sit alongside mortals.
This god was almost excessively down-to-earth.
As Nangong Wuji and Huang Mengying approached, villagers hurriedly pulled out a pair of chairs for them and added two sets of bowls and chopsticks.
All the villagers looked at the elder and the young lady with wide-eyed curiosity.
After all, these were prominent figures from the city.
"Is your lordship a newly born god?" Huang Mengying could not help but ask.
If her memory served her right, the god of Qingshui Village was a foxtail grass deity, not human in shape.
"More or less." Qi Yuan was wholly focused on feasting.
Truth be told, back in the Canglan Realm, he had achieved inedia long ago. No matter how good the food was, it all tasted roughly the same.
Or perhaps it was just a matter of growing older.
Yet feasting here in Shijia Village, he had rediscovered the flavors of his childhood.
"How did your Venerable self come to suddenly slay the New God of Shijia Village?" the Confucian-robed elder, Nangong Wuji, asked.
Generally speaking, any deity could be addressed as 'Venerable.'
Nangong Wuji using such an honorific was like addressing an assistant director simply as 'Director.'
Huang Mengying was equally puzzled.
Nowadays, the few Ancient Gods remaining in Feihuang City barely dared provoke the New Gods.
Those who dared make a move against the evil gods were few and far between.
"I just got here and was rather hungry, and my territory is dirt-poor.
"What was I supposed to do when I got hungry? I couldn't just go around robbing people of their food—how would that make me any different from a bandit?
"So a plan hit me.
"When people die, don't they host a funeral banquet? With big feasts to eat!
"I killed their god, and now they've started a feast.
"As you can see, my reasoning was sound," Qi Yuan said as if it were the most natural thing in the world, contentedly devouring his meal.
Upon hearing this, Nangong Wuji froze.
Huang Mengying was utterly rendered speechless.
The excuse sounded absurd beyond belief.
Naturally, she did not believe a word of it.
Even so, Huang Mengying still said, "Your Venerable self killed the evil god of Shijia Village... I fear you may incur the wrath of the evil god of Kuangfeng Town."
Shijia Village fell under the jurisdiction of Kuangfeng Town; the two evil gods were essentially superior and subordinate.
"If I've offended it, so be it." Qi Yuan did not care in the slightest.
After gorging on the feast for a few days, the gnawing hunger in his belly was gradually fading. It was about time he moved on to the next banquet.
No, the next monster hunt.
"The god of Kuangfeng Town has cultivation far surpassing that of Shijia Village's evil god.
"Master Nangong Wuji was injured at that very evil god's hands," Huang Mengying said, a pained expression crossing her face.
Qi Yuan looked toward the Confucian-robed elder.
[Nangong Wuji, Level 82 Divine Creature.]
"Not bad at all. You're qualified to blow the suona horn for me.
"My funeral band is still missing a member. Want to join my side?" Qi Yuan looked at Nangong Wuji with an eager gaze.
Based on the Canglan Realm's grading, Nangong Wuji's strength was equivalent to late Purple Mansion.
Who would have thought that while crashing a village funeral feast, he would see a late Purple Mansion cultivator coming to sponge a meal too?
The waters in this world ran deep indeed.
After all, as he galloped across Great Shang, it had been rare enough to cross paths with even a late Divine Infant cultivator.
Hearing this, Nangong Wuji could not quite make sense of Qi Yuan's words and offered only an awkward smile. "What Lady Huang says is true. By slaying the evil god, your Venerable self has thoroughly provoked their lineage. Before long, the evil god's minions will likely trace their way here."
"This humble woman is the daughter of the city lord of Feihuang City," Huang Mengying offered, attempting to recruit Qi Yuan as well as save his life. "Your Venerable self might as well leave Qingshui Village and come to my Feihuang City.
"I will erect a shrine and sculpt a divine statue in your honor!"
Any Ancient God out in the wild who dared slay a New God would inevitably face a combined hunt by the New Gods, suffering an utterly gruesome fate.
"No, don't mention this again. I won't be leaving Qingshui Village." Qi Yuan waved a hand.
His quest was to protect Qingshui Village; how could he possibly abandon it?
Seeing Qi Yuan's reaction, Huang Mengying knew further persuasion was useless and could only let out a soft sigh.
She had already explained the gravity of the situation. If he would not listen, there was nothing she could do.
She felt a pang of regret. Feihuang City's forces were still simply too weak.
Otherwise, why would they ever allow the New Gods to run rampant so freely?
"Here, this is pig's ear. Have some." Qi Yuan picked up a slice of braised pig's ear with his chopsticks and placed it toward Nangong Wuji.
Nangong Wuji smiled and declined. "I do not eat meat."
Qi Yuan blinked. "Are you a Buddhist monk? Wait, no, your hair is quite thick. Don't tell me you're a vegetarian?"
Nangong Wuji did not fully grasp the terms, but explained, "I am a devotee of the Holy Mother of Inedia."
Seeing Qi Yuan's puzzled expression, Huang Mengying explained, "The Holy Mother of Inedia is a powerful Ancient God.
"The Holy Mother of Inedia believes that humanity is at its purest when born, and that walking through this mortal world muddies that purity.
"The food consumed, the spiritual energy refined, and the air inhaled all bring harm to the body, polluting oneself.
"Only through complete inedia, severing all sustenance from heaven and earth, can one forge the Glazed True Self!"
Hearing that, Qi Yuan was at a loss for how to even comment. "This Holy Mother of Inedia sounds a few bricks short of a load."
Nangong Wuji took no offense at the criticism.
Virtually no one looked favorably upon his faith, after all.
Nor was he practicing absolute inedia just yet.
At the table, Huang Mengying ate quite a bit, while Nangong Wuji merely drank a small bowl of water.
In the end, as the meal drew to a close, Huang Mengying said, "If your Venerable self encounters difficulties, you may always come to my Feihuang City. Feihuang City's gates will forever remain open to you."
"Mm." Qi Yuan nodded, committing Huang Mengying's words to memory.
Watching Huang Mengying and Nangong Wuji depart, Qi Yuan remained seated at the table.
He asked, "Whose banquet are we hosting tomorrow?"
The burly man Wang Chongshan hurriedly answered, "Lord God, it's Shi Gangqiang's."
"Good. Make it grand." Qi Yuan gave a broad wave of his arm.
Just then, a troubled look surfaced on Wang Chongshan's face. "Our Shijia Village's pork... we don't have much left in stock."
With banquets held every single day lately, Shijia Village had already slaughtered several pigs.
Hundreds of people feasted day in and day out, eating rich, lavish spreads.
There was still plenty of grain left in the storehouses, but they were fresh out of pigs.
"Out of pigs?" Qi Yuan's expression turned grim. "Which nearby village has the most pigs?"
***
Kuangfeng Town.
Murmured whispers echoed within the hall.
"Lord Shelang, were you able to capture Nangong Wuji?" asked a man dressed in fine silks and satins, looking remarkably prosperous.
Inside the shrine, the divine statue opened its eyes. "He is very strong. He slipped away.
"However, he was heavily wounded by me. For three years, he will not be able to battle any formidable experts again."
Hearing this, the plump man looked delighted. "As expected of Lord Shelang."
"When will you be able to welcome that Venerable's descent?" the evil god Shelang asked.
The 'Venerable' he referred to was a New God—a True God.
The plump man showed a hesitant expression. "Presently, Feihuang City is still under the city lord's control.
"As for Ancient God Yuan, we do not even know whether he is still alive. This matter requires a long-term plan."
"You had better hurry," the evil god Shelang said, his voice laden with savagery.
The plump man's heart tightened, and he hastily replied, "Rest assured, my lord. Within three years, we will surely usher the New God forth."
The evil god Shelang's eyes flickered restlessly. "Too slow. Far too slow."
The plump man dared not speak.
Yet he could not help but grumble inwardly.
*If you think it's too slow, why don't you march right into Feihuang City yourself?*
*Is it because you don't want to?*
Naturally, he kept such thoughts strictly to himself.
Remembering something, the plump man added, "Recently, we received an order. A young woman connected to an Ancient God has wandered into the vicinity of Kuangfeng Town. We humbly ask my lord to intervene and capture her."
"An Ancient God? Which one?"
"This humble one does not know. Probably... a True God."
"A True God? This venerable one will remember that.
"What is her name, and what does she look like?"
"Her name is... Qi Qi. This is her portrait."
***
Along a dim mountain path, a resolute look burned in the young maiden Qi Qi's eyes.
Beside her, her maidservant Xiaoxue panted for breath. "Miss, how much further do we have to go?"
"According to the map, we're almost there." Qi Qi's gaze remained firm.
She hailed from a prominent clan.
When she was young, the evil gods descended, and her entire clan fell.
Only she had survived, carrying the clan's keepsake token, and now she was rushing toward a remote little hamlet.
According to the records inscribed within the clan's token, the divine statue in that tiny, secluded village had been sculpted by her own ancestors.
Concealed within that statue was a treasure: the Yin-Birthing Stone.
This singular treasure... could create a True God!
At present, the New Gods and Ancient Gods were locked in conflict.
The Ancient Gods had steadily remained at a disadvantage, entirely because the New Gods were an endless, replenishing tide.
Yet when an Ancient God fell, they were gone for good; no new Ancient Gods were ever born.
One hundred thousand years ago, the world underwent a cataclysmic shift. The divine creatures of this realm could no longer rely on their own strength to break through the threshold and step into the realm of True Gods.
Thus, every Ancient God lost was one fewer forever.
Of course, scattered across the earth were a few fragmented treasures, such as the Yin-Birthing Stone, that could help an entity step into the True God realm.
Yet such treasures were far too rare.
As a result, the number of new Ancient Gods born was vastly outstripped by the number of those that perished.
Qi Qi's purpose in coming to Qingshui Village this time was precisely to retrieve the Yin-Birthing Stone from the statue.
That way, she would be able to foster a new Ancient God.
Perhaps she might even avenge her slaughtered kin.
"Miss, what that granny we met on the road said... could it be true?" Xiaoxue asked, recalling the incident.
A few days prior, while hurrying along their path, they had encountered a half-crazed old woman.
The crone had claimed Qi Qi possessed noble heritage and urged Qi Qi to go with her.
Naturally, Qi Qi had not followed a raving lunatic.
She gave a self-deprecating laugh. "My parents are both dead. What good is noble heritage?"
The maidservant Xiaoxue nodded upon hearing that; it made sense.
Yet another thought struck her, and she continued, "Miss, if the guardian god of Qingshui Village is still around, how are we going to obtain his divine statue?"
Generally, retrieving something from within a divine statue required the god's consent.
After all, to a god, a divine statue was their second body.
"I brought a treasure with me this time that can craft an even more precious divine statue.
"When the time comes, I will sculpt a statue and trade it with that god.
"Besides, I still have a keepsake token. Hehe." Mentioning this, Qi Qi's eyes lit up.
Back when her ancestors created the statue, they had established a covenant with it.
However, a somber thought crossed her mind, and Qi Qi's gaze dimmed somewhat. "I heard Qingshui Village seems to be on the verge of ruin. Perhaps we won't even find that god there.
"That statue might already be completely hollow, with no god residing within."
Nowadays, the evil gods ran rampant, and the clash between old and new deities raged on.
The Ancient Gods were permanently on the back foot.
Many villages had long since become playgrounds for the evil gods.
All the common folk had lost their own minds, reduced to puppets who knew only to worship the evil gods, becoming extensions of those wicked deities.
Take Shijia Village, for example. Given another hundred years under that evil god, its villagers would have slowly turned into walking corpses, assimilated as part of the evil god itself.
And the evil god's own power would have swelled enormously as well.
After a few hours, Qi Qi and her maidservant Xiaoxue finally arrived at Qingshui Village.
Surveying the desolate settlement, Qi Qi felt an ache in her heart.
Originally, the Mortal Heart Realm was a place where everyone lived and worked in peace and contentment.
Yet now... one side lived in unbearable misery, while the other... had been transformed into walking corpses.
"Granny, where are the villagers of Qingshui Village? And what about the guardian god?" Seeing an elderly woman, Qi Qi immediately stepped forward to ask.
The granny looked at Qi Qi with sharp vigilance. "Who are you?"
"Granny, my name is Qi Qi. I come from Tianfu..."
"Tianfu?" The granny looked at Qi Qi, confirming her bloodline, and sorrow pooled in her eyes. "You too carry the blood of the Ancient Clan?"
Ten years ago, an evil god descended, and the myriad citizens of Tianfu refused to bow.
The god's fury wiped out the city, reducing Tianfu to scorched earth, and every last citizen perished in battle.
The people of Tianfu shared the Ancient Clan's bloodline, and not one among them had been willing to worship the New Gods.
Toward a girl who shared the same bloodline, the granny naturally felt far more trusting.
"Yes." Qi Qi nodded, her expression seemingly devoid of sorrow or joy.
"Under Lord God's leadership, our villagers went to crusade against the evil god of Chenxi Village.
"Lord God said Chenxi Village has lots of pigs, so slaying their evil god will let us throw a banquet." The granny possessed an open and hearty nature; drool almost leaked from the corner of her mouth, completely shedding her grief from moments ago.
Qi Qi froze in utter bewilderment.
What did one have to do with the other?
She was also deeply baffled: why would the god of Qingshui Village march off to crusade against an evil god?
Could it be that this god was remarkably strong?
Yet the divine statues of Qingshui Village were all crafted by the Qi family. She knew their grade better than anyone; how could such a statue ever give rise to a formidable deity?
"Granny, where is Chenxi Village?" Qi Qi could not help but ask.
"Follow the main road ahead, go straight for three li until you see a pavilion, then turn right..."
"Thank you, Granny!" Qi Qi hastily took her maidservant Xiaoxue with her, rushing off toward Chenxi Village.
Along the way, confusion was written all over Xiaoxue's face. "Miss, how does the god of Qingshui Village have such brazen guts, daring to make a move against an evil god!
"Feihuang City... is practically fallen territory!"
Right now, the battle between evil gods and Ancient Gods was fierce, spanning many battlegrounds.
Different battlegrounds had their own dynamics, but overall, the New Gods were far more powerful.
Feihuang City belonged firmly to the fallen zone.
Most of the cities around Feihuang City had been seized by the New Gods.
In such an environment, Ancient Gods were perpetually on the defensive.
Because of this, many Ancient Gods chose not to resist, offering no opposition at all.
Some even chose to become lapdogs to the New Gods.
For the god of Qingshui Village to openly strike at an evil god was completely unforeseen.
"Perhaps the god of Qingshui Village is a venerable one who holds great righteousness in his heart, unwilling to watch the evil gods slaughter all living beings!" Even before meeting the god of Qingshui Village, Qi Qi had already conceived immense admiration for him.
She felt that this was a truly great deity, willing to sacrifice himself for the common people of the realm.
Such an Ancient God was perhaps more prone to an early death in the Mortal Heart Realm, yet he was undeniably worthy of deep reverence.
"Yet such venerable deities are the easiest targets for the evil gods to hunt down, while the Ancient Gods who grovel for survival and defect to the New Gods live long lives instead. This world is simply too unfair!" the maidservant Xiaoxue lamented.
The two quickened their pace toward Chenxi Village.
Right then, an urgent shout suddenly rang out.
"You're an esteemed Divine Infant cultivator, and you can't even catch a pig?!"
"Hurry up! Catch these pigs, or how are we going to hold the feast!"
Qi Qi and Xiaoxue looked over, only to see a massive herd of pigs galloping madly toward them.
Every one of these pigs was stout and muscular, and what was more, they all possessed cultivation, mostly at the Origin Core stage.
The pigs fled frantically, kicking up clouds of dust.
Behind several hundred pigs, a handsome man with a longsword on his back had both hands stuffed casually into his pockets, stepping on a plump domesticated pig with his left foot as he hurled furious scoldings.
"If we didn't need them alive, I'd have lopped off every single one of their heads with one sword strike!" the handsome man cursed, yet his entire body radiated the glow of divine radiance.
Qi Qi's eyes widened. "He's the god of Qingshui Village?"
The maidservant Xiaoxue was dumbfounded as well.
Just moments ago, their minds had been painting a grand, imposing picture of Qingshui Village's god, and now they were told he was... herding pigs?
"Hey, what are you two standing around for? Hurry up and help block the pigs! I'll reward you with a pig's tail to eat!" Qi Yuan hollered from afar.
Shentu, who was dragging a pig by each hand, cast an almost pleading glance toward Qi Qi.
Helpless, Qi Qi retrieved an array plate from her robes.
Nine Heavens Yin-Yang Dragon-Trapping Formation!
The instant the array plate emerged, the space around Qi Qi shifted dramatically. Over a hundred Golden-Armored Divine Generals materialized, brandishing long spears with solemn, imposing countenances as they advanced forward.
"Trap!"
The hundred Golden-Armored Divine Generals roared in unison. Their long spears dissolved into immortal tethers, firmly binding all the stampeding pigs.
Seeing this, Qi Yuan could not help but clap his hands. "Not bad, not bad at all. I'll reward you with a whole pig's head later."
Hearing that, Qi Qi felt intensely embarrassed.
Such a formidable formation array had just been used by her to corral pigs.
At this moment, Village Chief Yulei and Shrine Official Shentu walked over, casting admiring looks at Qi Qi.
"Fine girl, not bad at all!"
"Quite capable! Stopped several hundred pigs in their tracks just like that."
Praised by the locals, Qi Qi's toes curled so hard in her shoes she could have dug out a whole mansion.
"Haha, minor issue," Qi Qi offered with an awkward yet polite smile.
Smiling as she watched the villagers shoulder the pigs, she walked over to the remarkably handsome man, doing her best to stay composed.
Yet when she caught sight of the pig squealing incessantly under his foot, the corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"May I ask if your Venerable self is the guardian god of Qingshui Village? This humble woman is Qi Qi, come from Tianfu."
Chapter 173