Envy, Jealousy, and Hate: I Can Be a Dog Too!

Within the chat group, Dong Jianghe was being utterly arrogant. "I might not be able to beat you old fogies, but taking down a newcomer is child's play for me. "That newcomer didn't listen to my advice, so he's bound to suffer a huge loss. "Just now, I searched through ancient texts and incense records, yet I couldn't find a single True God related to a divine dog. "That newcomer might know of some divine hound True God, but its incense offerings in the past were definitely pitifully bleak. Even if he visualizes it, it'll merely be at the most ordinary Common tier." Dong Jianghe held forth with great swagger in the group. Once, he had visualized a Scarce 3-Star God Visualization Art, prompting countless guardian gods in the group to flatter him. It went straight to his head. He had mocked several people in succession, including Venerable Shenmiao and Venerable Heilong. Originally, both of those Ancient Gods had visualized Scarce 1-Star arts and were overshadowed by Dong Jianghe. Yet after being mocked by him, they successively visualized Rare 1-Star God Visualization Arts. Now, the two of them frequently settled scores with Dong Jianghe in the group. A Rare 1-Star God Visualization Art could produce subjects in the True God realm, possessing boundless might. "That newcomer from earlier—I think he's got what it takes!" Venerable Heilong chimed in. When he had first joined the group, Dong Jianghe asked his age and then blurted out in shock right in the group: *Old man!* Venerable Heilong, deeply offended by being labeled an old geezer, had held a grudge against Dong Jianghe ever since. "Newbie, you're out. Did you succeed in your visualization?" Dong Jianghe asked. Perhaps to help visualizing Ancient Gods learn more about God Visualization Arts, any Ancient God who entered the Mountain of Visualization would be randomly assigned to a specific chat group, and their consciousness would pass through it upon leaving. They could also enter the chat group at any time to converse. At this moment, in group leader Dong Jianghe's eyes, Qi Yuan was shown as online. The others were also very curious. "I barely managed to succeed." At this moment, Qi Yuan felt both joy and apprehension in his heart. "See that? Anyone mocked by Dong Jianghe is bound to succeed!" Venerable Shenmiao said. The others were equally excited. "This newbie has a question to ask all the big shots. "If I were to completely fabricate a deity, visualize a God Visualization Art from it, and give it to my subjects to cultivate, there shouldn't be any issues, right?" Qi Yuan inquired in the group. "Stop talking nonsense! A completely fabricated deity cannot possibly be visualized. "It wouldn't pass the Two Inquiries of the Heart at the Mountain of Visualization at all. "Furthermore, an imaginary deity has never received incense offerings. Even if it managed to pass the Two Inquiries of the Heart, it couldn't condense into a visualization art. "As long as a visualization art successfully condenses, it can be cultivated without any problems." Dong Jianghe, as the group leader, was quite active in the chat. "Hurry up and tell us: what rank is the God Visualization Art you visualized? Even if the rank is too low, it's fine. We're all very friendly and won't mock you." While Dong Jianghe said this, his true thought was that if the newcomer's God Visualization Art was of a pitifully low rank, he would earn the right to yap and gloat for half a day. The other Ancient Gods were also watching the group messages closely, deeply curious about whether the newcomer had visualized a God Visualization Art. "The rank is indeed very low, barely scraping the average line. It can't compare to you big shots." Qi Yuan looked at the rank displayed on the God Visualization Art with some dissatisfaction; it seemed to have just reached the median. However, recalling that Blue Star had plenty of higher-tier deities, Qi Yuan felt his confidence return. "The average line? Common 1-Star?" Excitement was already practically spilling from Dong Jianghe's text. He was already composing his words, preparing to thoroughly lecture the newcomer while suppressing Venerable Shenmiao and Venerable Heilong. "Rare 2-Star. Sigh, barely the average line," Qi Yuan said. There were seven ranks in total: three before Rare and three after Rare. Wasn't that right on the average line? A dead silence fell over the group. Venerable Shenmiao quickly chimed in: "Amazing, Big Shot! There really is a divine dog? Why didn't I know about it?!" "Rare 2-Star? Aside from Venerable Baixi, this is the highest! Truly, anyone mocked by Dong Jianghe is guaranteed to produce a masterpiece!" "I'm so jealous! Producing a Rare 2-Star means that as long as you have enough resources, one of your subjects is guaranteed to become a True God!" This also meant that had the great upheaval of heaven and earth not occurred, Qi Yuan would have had a chance to step into the Great Venerable realm. For an Ancient God to become a Great Venerable, at least one among their subjects had to reach the rank of a Venerable God. At this moment, Venerable Baixi appeared in the group: "The newcomer is quite good. Full of potential." Seeing Venerable Baixi, group members like Venerable Shenmiao and Venerable Heilong began to flatter him wildly. "When will Venerable Baixi become a Great Venerable?" "Venerable Baixi once visualized three Rares and one Epic—he's the true big shot!" "Before long, Venerable Baixi will probably become a Great Venerable." Those who had just been praising Qi Yuan immediately turned to flattering Venerable Baixi instead. Qi Yuan joined in as well: "To think he's a big shot just a single step away from becoming a Great Venerable—terrifying to such an extent!" "Newbie, which region's Ancient God are you?" Venerable Baixi asked in the group. "Lin Country," Qi Yuan answered honestly. Feihuang City belonged to Lin Country. "Lin Country seems to be in the northern region, which is a fallen zone... Newbie, do you want to leave that place and come to my Hu Country to... strike it rich together?" Venerable Baixi extended an olive branch. "Big Shot, I want to come to Hu Country too!" "Big Shot, take me in! I don't even have shoes to wear, though I've got clothes on!" "Whoa, newbie, being in a fallen zone is super dangerous!" Seeing these replies, Qi Yuan felt a warm glow in his heart. There truly was warmth to be found in the world. "Thank you, Big Shot, but as an Ancient God of my domain, I shall defend my fiefdom to the death. I'd rather die than yield!" Qi Yuan declared with righteous grandeur. The game's quest, after all, was to protect Qingshui Village. "The newcomer's got guts!" Venerable Shenmiao remarked. "If only there were more Ancient Gods with backbone like you," Venerable Tianbao said in the group, his words tinged with helplessness. "A former friend of mine ended up defecting to a New God." At the mention of this, the atmosphere in the group grew somewhat somber. "Newbie, I'm also in the northern region. If you have time, come visit me. I'm in Jiang Country, not very far from your Lin Country," Venerable Tianbao offered in the chat. "However, you must be careful of Lü Country. That friend of mine is in Lü Country." "Alright," Qi Yuan replied offhandedly. Exiting the chat group, Qi Yuan wore an expectant look in his eyes. With a wave of his hand, a God Visualization Art was inscribed onto a piece of cloth. Recorded upon it was a God Visualization Art, and the visualized deity was... the Howling Celestial Dog. *As expected, the stronger the deity one wishes to visualize, the more divine spiritual power is required.* During the visualization, he had already sensed that the evil god spiritual power obtained from slaying two evil gods was just barely enough to visualize the Howling Celestial Dog. If he wanted to visualize even more powerful deities, he would need to hunt more and stronger evil gods to amass greater amounts of evil god spiritual power. *** Inside a mud-brick house, the fat man sat in the courtyard teasing his black dog. "Good thing I brought you some bones, or you would've starved to death." The fat man tossed his hand, and a pile of bones clattered to the ground. These bones were scraps he had gathered while feasting at the banquets. As the bones hit the ground, the scrawny black dog let out a joyful bark and began gnawing at them. Seeing this, the fat man looked pleased. "Good thing the Ancient God descended, or before I even starved to death, you little brat would've starved first!" As he spoke, the fat man gave the black dog a disdainful kick with his thick foot. The black dog let out a low growl, yet did not dare resist, continuing to chew on the bones. "Yo, Zhu Zhuangshi, abusing animals, are we?" At that moment, Qi Yuan appeared in his green robe, staring at the black dog with an amused expression. The fat man hurriedly scrambled to his feet. "Lord Deity, this lowly one was just playing with it." He felt bewildered. What had the Lord Deity come to find him for? "Is this black dog of yours the only black dog in the village?" Qi Yuan asked, gazing intently at the dog, which had tucked its tail between its legs. "Yes." The fat man's heart seized up. "Lord Deity, this dog of mine is old and skinny. Its meat doesn't taste good at all!" The Lord Deity loved banquets; could he have taken a liking to his dog?! "Oh, lend me the dog for a bit," Qi Yuan said. With that, Qi Yuan flicked his hand lightly. The big black dog, still clamping a bone in its jaws and tucking its tail, found itself involuntarily following Qi Yuan away. Seeing this, the fat man looked devastated. Only after Qi Yuan's figure completely vanished did he dare wail in grief, "My dog! Oh, my dog!" By this time, Qi Yuan had already brought the big black dog back to the shrine. The bone remained clenched in the dog's mouth; with Qi Yuan present, it didn't dare chew on it at all. "A dog at the Origin Core stage should be able to visualize, right?" As Qi Yuan spoke, he took out the cloth inscribed with the God Visualization Art and tossed it before the dog. "This is a God Visualization Art. Take a look." Qi Yuan also glanced at it. *[God Visualization Art: Howling Celestial Dog Chapter. Possesses growth potential.]* The big black dog seemed to possess spiritual intelligence. It set down the bone and immediately fixed its eyes upon the God Visualization Art. It was as though the cloth were the most fragrant delicacy in the world. "Sure enough. As long as it can understand it, that's all that matters." Qi Yuan stood by, watching attentively. The big black dog lowered its head, reading intently and scrutinizing every detail, an almost human look appearing in its eyes. All of a sudden, the big black dog crossed its hind legs on the ground, sitting cross-legged like a human to begin cultivating. Qi Yuan could clearly sense that the big black dog's strength was steadily rising. "Cultivating just like a human—pretty interesting." Qi Yuan watched for a while, and seeing no further unusual transformations in the dog, he stopped paying close attention. *According to the group members, as long as a God Visualization Art is used, it can rapidly boost a subject's strength, achieving quick results.* This kind of God Visualization Art drew upon the ancient fallen Ancient Gods. To a certain extent, it recreated the might of those ancient deities within the bodies of the subjects. There was no need for slow, tedious cultivation; it was a fast-track technique. Its early-stage results were exceptionally potent. About an hour passed before Qi Yuan looked back at the cultivating black dog. "It actually reached the late Origin Core stage?" At the start, this black dog had only been at early Origin Core. In just an hour, it had reached the late stage—truly terrifying. "It seems my experience has increased quite a bit as well." A gleam of delight surfaced in Qi Yuan's eyes. Indeed, the cultivation breakthroughs of his subjects provided reciprocal feedback to him. "Whatever, I'll check again tomorrow morning. Time to sleep, time to sleep." Qi Yuan dug another pit, called Xiao Jia out, and the two burrowed into the pit to sleep. "Bringing you into the game means you can't eat snacks. Sigh." Qi Yuan wrapped his arms around Xiao Jia's body, pondering whether he should send her back to the Canglan Realm. After thinking it over, he gave up on the idea. Xiao Jia's delicate body was icy cold; it took holding her for a long time before she warmed up. Holding the wooden plaque of affection, Qi Yuan drifted into dreamland alongside Xiao Jia. The next day, a blood-red light shone across the firmament. The soil inside the shrine shifted, and a figure crawled out of the earthen pit. He checked his character level and beamed with joy. "I actually leveled up!" This level naturally hadn't come from slaying monsters. It was the feedback granted by the surge in his subject's strength. He immediately turned his gaze toward the big black dog, only to find it still sitting cross-legged in the shrine. The aura radiating from its body was unmistakably... early Purple Mansion! "From Origin Core to Purple Mansion overnight—terrifying to such an extent!" Even Qi Yuan was somewhat stunned. Back in the Liufeng Realm, his mass-production of Purple Mansion cultivators had already been exaggerated enough. Yet that mass-production had only elevated them from late Divine Infant to Purple Mansion. This, however, was a leap from Origin Core straight to Purple Mansion in a single night—simply sensational. Even folks from the Dou Qi Continent would have to drop their jaws and declare it terrifying to such an extent. Still, Qi Yuan also noticed that upon reaching early Purple Mansion, the black dog's cultivation speed dropped noticeably, its progress slowing down. Of course, compared to ordinary cultivation, it was still vastly faster. Qi Yuan looked at the black dog, delight shining in his eyes. "It seems this God Visualization Art is genuinely effective. "My village finally has a powerhouse general!" Qi Yuan looked upon the black dog with immense anticipation. "Just as well. This black dog's strength is now on par with the New Gods of neighboring villages. "I'll stay here and continue adapting the *Qi Yuan Scripture*, and let the big black dog hunt evil gods for me to amass evil god spiritual power." Days ago, Qi Yuan had already conducted tests. When his subjects eliminated enemies—such as divine abominations—his own strength would also increase. In other words, when these subjects killed enemies, they didn't gain experience, but he did. He had become the ultimate exploiter. *** In Qingshui Village. Village Chief Yulei wore a grave expression. Ahead, Wang Chongshan of Shijia Village led a group of mourning women dressed in funeral attire, an excited look on their faces. "Is the Lord Deity preparing to move against other evil gods?" Village Chief Yulei nodded. "Most likely." He too had received word and gathered quite a few people. Just then, Chen Xifan of Chenxi Village arrived, leading several plump, chef-faced villagers. "Chenxi Village has arrived! When do we start the feast?" Chen Xifan was also excited. In the past, he had only cooked feasts within his own village. He never expected that this time, they would be hosting a feast in another village. "Once the Lord Deity arrives, we shall set out." Village Chief Yulei looked at the fat man behind him, his tone tinged with displeasure. "I told you to organize a suona troupe. Why were you dragging your feet?" The fat man, Zhu Zhuangshi, wore an aggrieved expression. "None of the people in our village have any schooling. They don't really know how to blow the horns." Seeing this, Wang Chongshan of Shijia Village chimed in hurriedly, "Our Shijia Village has a musician. Why not hand the suona duties over to us?" Upon hearing this, Village Chief Yulei glared at Wang Chongshan. Shijia Village was trying to snatch this job too?! Utterly shameless! Qingshui Village was the Lord Deity's direct lineage! Seeing this, Wang Chongshan dropped the subject and turned to the fat man instead. "Zhu Zhuangshi, we're about to march into battle. Why do you have such a funeral face?" Zhu Zhuangshi shot Wang Chongshan a fierce glare in return. Wang Chongshan was left utterly baffled. Village Chief Yulei looked at Zhu Zhuangshi and chided, "It's just a dog! If the Lord Deity wants to eat it, then let him eat it. "When the Lord Deity descends in a moment, are you going to look at him like that too?" Zhu Zhuangshi's gloomy expression softened slightly. The people gathered from the three villages wore solemn yet expectant expressions. Soon, they would witness the Ancient God unleashing his divine might. Right then, Shrine Official Shentu's voice rang out: "By the order of the Ancient God, the Divine Hound has arrived!" Everyone was bewildered, unsure of what had just transpired. In the distance, a massive black silhouette appeared, draped entirely in thick black fur. Two large bulges protruded from its spine, as if something were about to tear its way out. The colossal beast parted its jaws to reveal rows of densely packed, razor-sharp fangs, looking immensely formidable. "A black dog?" "A big black dog!" "Purple Mansion!" The villagers wore expressions of astonishment and confusion. How had such a powerful divine hound suddenly appeared beneath the deity's banner?! The Purple Mansion realm—that was comparable to the New Gods of the neighboring villages! The fat man, Zhu Zhuangshi, widened his eyes as he stared at the divine hound. "That's... my big black dog! My big black dog!" A look of pure delight sprang into his eyes. So it really was his big black dog! The black dog seemed to hear the voice of its former owner and swung its massive head over. It raised a foreleg, and just as Zhu Zhuangshi used to kick it, it pinned Zhu Zhuangshi flat onto the ground. With his belly pinned under the thick dog paw, Zhu Zhuangshi was completely unable to move. A pleading look came over his face: "Lord Dog, I was wrong! I was wrong! You're not my dog—I'm your dog!" Only then was the divine hound satisfied, pulling its leg back. The onlookers witnessing this scene remained frozen in shock for a long time. Village Chief Yulei stared at the black dog, his eyes gleaming. "A God Visualization Art!" Only a God Visualization Art could explain the black dog's sudden surge in power. Moreover, leaping from Origin Core to Purple Mansion indicated that this God Visualization Art was of no ordinary rank. The gazes of the other villagers toward the big black dog instantly turned green with envy. Zhu Zhuangshi's eyes were wide as well. He had never imagined that the Ancient God taking his big black dog was actually to bestow such a heaven-defying opportunity upon it. He envied it; he was consumed with jealousy! He desperately wished he could turn back the clock to the day the Lord Deity came asking for the dog, so he could have barked on the spot and declared that he could be a dog too! "Swords pointed toward... Xiaoshi Village!" Shrine Official Shentu declared at that moment. And so, led by the big black dog, the mourning troupe, the suona troupe, and the feast-cooking chefs set off in a grand, sweeping procession toward Xiaoshi Village. *** Meanwhile, within Xiaoshi Village. The evil god Liu Yan wore a grim expression. He glared at the villagers behind him, his eyes flashing with savagery. "Are you all looking to rebel?!" The villagers behind him trembled violently. "Lord Deity, we wouldn't dare!" "We are willing to die for your lordship!" The assimilated villagers' eyes glowed with red light. Their consciousness had long been assimilated, turning them into extensions of the New God. "Humph! What in the world is Shelang from Kuangfeng Town doing? I sent a message so long ago, yet he hasn't dispatched anyone to assist me!" Liu Yan fumed. In front of Shelang, he naturally wouldn't dare speak like this. However, with Shelang absent, he was much bolder. Those behind him were all his subjects, so he had no fear of his words leaking out. Right then, a burly man hurried over with urgency written all over his face. "Lord Deity, the people from Qingshui Village are here! "They've brought suona players, mourning wailers, and even people carrying pots, pans, bowls, and ladles!" Hearing this, Liu Yan grew even more furious. "They certainly came well prepared!" Recalling something, he asked, "Are they carrying a coffin?" The burly man froze for a moment. "No. Their deity hasn't come either. Leading them is a black hound, and judging by its aura, it looks exceedingly ferocious!" Liu Yan flew into a towering rage. "To actually send a stray dog to face me! For this brat to humiliate me so—this is utterly intolerable!" Even an evil god had pride. Without having clashed head-on against Qingshui Village's deity, he refused to believe he was any weaker than that god.