The Black Dog Howls to the Heavens, the Vertical Eye Displays Its Might!

Far off from Xiaoshi Village, two men clad in iron armor concealed themselves at one edge, amused looks in their eyes as though watching a play. "Are we really not going to help Liu Yan?" the tall armored man asked. "That fellow Liu Yan is overbearing and insolent, showing Lord Shelang little respect. He should have died long ago to free up some space!" the short armored man replied. The tall armored man nodded. "The Ancient God of Qingshui Village does have some ability, having slain two New Gods already." The short armored man said, "It works out perfectly. None of the New Gods beneath Kuangfeng Town belong to the lord's direct faction. Once they're wiped clean, the lord can take action, slaughter Qingshui Village's Ancient God, and bring his own followers here!" The evil god Shelang of Kuangfeng Town had naturally learned of Qi Yuan's arrival several days ago. Yet Shelang had paid it no mind. By coincidence, none of the New Gods that had descended beneath Kuangfeng Town belonged to his direct lineage; some were even from rival factions. Thus, he intended to borrow the hands of Ancient God Qi Yuan to butcher the villages under Kuangfeng Town clean. When the time came, he would slay Qi Yuan and blatantly install his own people. Of course, Shelang was no fool either; he understood the peril of nursing a tiger. Hence, he had dispatched two shrine guards to scout the enemy's situation. Just then, the blare of suonas rang out. The two shrine guards perked up and looked over. A long procession was advancing swiftly. Except, this procession did not look like an army marching to war—it looked like a funeral procession. The tall armored guard couldn't help smiling. "This Ancient God of Qingshui Village truly is quite a peculiar deity." "The divine hound leading them is rather extraordinary!" the short one said. "Merely early Purple Mansion. Nothing to fear," the tall one dismissed. As shrine guards, the elite warriors of Kuangfeng Town, they too were at early Purple Mansion. There were over thirty guards of their realm in Kuangfeng Town. Naturally, they looked down on a mere black dog at early Purple Mansion. "I heard that Ancient God in Qingshui Village isn't even at the Purple Mansion realm, but he possesses a powerful sacrificial vessel. It was solely by relying on that sacrificial vessel that he slew two New Gods!" the short one remarked. "That vessel is as good as in Lord Shelang's bag!" Across the seven towns, Lord Shelang's renown was modest. Yet these assimilated shrine guards knew best: the Shelang they worshipped wasn't simply at the peak of the Purple Mansion realm. He had opened half a divine aperture! He could be called a demigod! That was why Nangong Wuji, also at peak Purple Mansion, had been wounded by Shelang. The two remained concealed to the side as the sound of suonas grew louder. The tall one chuckled, "The show begins!" Both watched the village squabble with the haughty condescension of superiors. At that moment, Liu Yan soared into the air from Xiaoshi Village, a terrifying aura radiating from his body. "To send a mere dog forward to provoke me—Qingshui Village humiliates me so, retribution shall surely follow!" Before the suona troupe even arrived, their sound preceded them. The evil god Liu Yan took flight, the villagers' faith coalescing into a sacrificial vessel that radiated the aura of an origin divine ability. Without the slightest hesitation, he struck directly, venting the fury in his heart. This origin divine ability strike had been accumulated over decades and was exceedingly dreadful. Its power was such that even a mid Purple Mansion cultivator would struggle to parry it with ease. Of course, there was only one strike. Zhu Zhuangshi looked anxious. "Can Big Black handle this?" Although the big black dog was at Purple Mansion and would certainly outlast Liu Yan in a war of attrition, it had only just broken through via the visualization art. Its mastery over its origin divine ability was unpracticed. Unless the energy tier of its origin divine ability was overwhelmingly high, how could it withstand this attack? Village Chief Yulei and Shrine Official Shentu thought the same. Neither had expected the enemy to be so troublesome. Meanwhile, at the head of the villagers, mockery flashed through the big black dog's eyes. It leaped suddenly toward the firmament, unleashing an earth-shattering roar like a lion's. Opening its gaping maw toward the sky, it inhaled. Then... something horrifying occurred. The clouds in the sky, like river water rushing into an enormous chasm, poured entirely into the big black dog's mouth. The divine ability of the Howling Celestial Dog: Swallowing Clouds and Spitting Mist! The big black dog had obtained it through visualization! Having swallowed the clouds of the sky like a whale, the big black dog exhaled toward Liu Yan. Instantly, a multicolored mist surged forth. Heavenly Scorch, Earthly Fire, Astral Wind, and more mingled within it. This was no ordinary mist. Liu Yan's eyes went wide. "Your origin divine ability... how is it not of this world's origin?!" He could not comprehend it, and a blood-curdling shriek tore from him. His sacrificial vessel had already been incinerated within that origin divine ability. His body was fragmenting inch by inch. That was no mist! It was fire! In the distance, the tall man and short man stared wide-eyed. "Not an origin divine ability of this world... an evil god?" Qi Yuan already knew how to conceal the origin of his divine abilities, even influencing observers through his Stellar Golden Core. The big black dog, however, did not know how to do that. The origin divine ability it had just grasped had not had time to adapt and convert into this world's origin divine ability. Thus, the moment it struck, every expert present could tell that this origin divine ability did not belong to this world! The faces of the tall and short guards paled. The emergence of an evil god was something they had to report to Lord Shelang at once. Just as they prepared to slip away quietly... Suddenly, a vertical pupil manifested beside the big black dog. A voice that seemed to embody the rules of heaven and earth resounded: "What petty scum dares spy here?!" Everyone's gaze was drawn involuntarily to the phantom of that vertical eye. "This..." The short armored guard trembled all over. Merely facing the phantom of this vertical eye struck terror into his soul and made his entire body shake, as though confronting an insurmountable, majestic heavenly god. "What kind of... True God is this?" The tall man could not comprehend it. He had once seen a subject of an Ancient God visualize an origin divine ability at the Great Venerable rank. Yet compared to this phantom vertical eye, that wasn't even a hundredth, not even a ten-thousandth of this! This was an existence beyond his comprehension! Following that majestic, cold, and emotionless voice, a beam of golden light appeared out of thin air. In that instant, the bodies of both the short and tall armored men were reduced straight to ashes! They vanished completely from this world. In Kuangfeng Town, Shelang's eyes snapped open, a trickle of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. "What happened?" Just now, a sudden foreboding of imminent catastrophe had washed over him, as if some immense horror had descended. And his body had sustained unexplained injuries for no apparent reason. "Could it be... a god is targeting me?" Shelang's expression shifted uncertainly. "I must... keep a low profile lately." Shelang decided that before he figured this matter out, he had to lay low. ... "This..." Village Chief Yulei stared at the vanished vertical pupil, unable to calm his heart for a long time. Shi Chongshan was the same; in all his years, this was the first time he had seen such a mighty, majestic, indescribable phantom. The big black dog, however, knelt on its front legs, wagging its tail furiously. The people present wore solemn expressions. They all knew this matter was utterly terrifying and must never be leaked. "If anyone leaks what happened today, their soul shall perish and their corpse be destroyed!" Village Chief Yulei declared. Zhu Zhuangshi also realized the gravity of the situation. The mourning aunts and grandmothers, as well as the fat-headed, big-eared cooks, all nodded. Even the weakest among them was at Foundation Establishment. Most were at Origin Core. Far away, in the shrine, Qi Yuan opened his eyes with a hint of surprise. "Buy one, get one free?" He hadn't expected that simply visualizing the Howling Celestial Dog would come with... the mega-gift of True Monarch Erlang! True Monarch Erlang possessed an exceptionally legendary status in Blue Star's mythical history. Yang Jian in *Investiture of the Gods*, the Erlang Shen who split the mountain to save his mother, the God of Guankou who fought the Great Sage Equal to Heaven to a standstill... In any myth or legend, he was top-tier combat power. Qi Yuan could sense that even a hundred units of evil god spiritual power from previous levels wouldn't have been enough to summon this great god. Yet visualizing the Howling Celestial Dog had yielded a buy-one-get-one-free bonus! Although that was not the true body of True Monarch Erlang, nor even a projection, but merely a phantom condensed from the Howling Celestial Dog's memories, it was still terrifyingly formidable. "So, should I visualize buy-one-get-one-free figures in the future?" Qi Yuan pondered, but ultimately dismissed the thought. Let nature take its course. Still, this feeling of leveling up while sitting back was delightful. Right now, he was at Level 30 as a divine creature. According to this world's calculations, he was already at early Divine Infant. This was much faster than leveling up in the Wangyue Continent and Liufeng Realm. "Let's go, time for the feast!" Qi Yuan waved his hand. "Qi Qi, time for the feast!" In Qingshui Village, Qi Qi, who was frowning at the crops, and her maid Xiaoxue heard his call. Qi Qi's furrowed brow smoothed. "Let's put these vexing matters aside for now and go feast with Godfather!" Hearing this, Xiaoxue's eyes lit up. As though succulent pork were already laid out before her, drool involuntarily escaped her lips. ... "Everyone, turn your grief and indignation into an appetite—let's dig in!" Qi Yuan's opening words for the feast were simple, without much elaboration. Yet the aunts and grandmothers of Shijia Village wept with world-rending sorrow. Even Qi Yuan felt sadness welling up inside while eating. "Godfather... you actually visualized such a powerful God Visualization Art!" Qi Qi sat beside him, amazement in her eyes. She hadn't witnessed the vertical eye displaying its might; she only realized Qi Yuan had given a God Visualization Art to the big black dog upon seeing it after the feast began. The big black dog sat next to Qi Yuan, wagging its tail furiously, a pig trotter clutched in its paws, pride gleaming in its eyes. Seeing this, Zhu Zhuangshi, sitting nearby, looked thoroughly dejected. Village Chief Yulei hesitated to speak as well. Giving such a precious God Visualization Art to a dog... What an utter waste of heavenly gifts! "Sigh, a God Visualization Art so powerful that it can create a True God... to use it so casually is truly a pity," Qi Qi couldn't help remarking. Zhu Zhuangshi, who had been silent all this time, chimed in aggrievedly, "Lord Deity, where do I fall short compared to Big Black?" The big black dog immediately glared at Zhu Zhuangshi. If Qi Yuan hadn't been beside it, it probably would have attacked its former master on the spot. "Because you're not a dog," Qi Yuan answered honestly. "I... I can be a dog too," Zhu Zhuangshi said, stealing a glance at the big black dog. Compared to such a mighty God Visualization Art, what was wrong with being a dog? This was an opportunity to become a True God! Qi Yuan chuckled upon hearing this. "There will be plenty of chances in the future." Qi Qi's eyes sparkled with pleasant surprise. "Godfather has seen other True Gods as well?" "Quite a few," Qi Yuan answered honestly, adding silently in his heart: *On TV, in movies, and in miscellaneous books.* Qi Qi was delighted. Her investment in this godfather was indeed not in vain. Her judgment was spot on. "Godfather, powerful God Visualization Arts like this are hard to come by through visualization. You shouldn't give them away so casually to... dogs," Qi Qi said earnestly. In her view, even Godfather probably couldn't visualize many arts of this tier. After all, there were only so many True Gods, and those who had once received incense offerings were few. If Godfather had seen them, other Ancient Gods must have seen them too. Then the God Visualization Arts condensed would not be unique, and perhaps not as powerful. "No worries, there are plenty. As long as there's enough evil god spiritual power, there's everything one could ever want." Qi Yuan looked forward to it. If he visualized all the celestials and gods in the heavens, what a sight that would be! It would surely be quite interesting, wouldn't it? Looking at her godfather, Qi Qi stopped advising him and said instead, "Godfather, we now hold four villages. Continuing to hold a feast every time we conquer a village is not a long-term solution." Qi Qi spoke the truth. Right now, everyone was dining on fine food and wine, but as their numbers grew, this pace would definitely become unsustainable. Holding feasts every single day would quickly deplete a village's reserves. Even if they conquered a new village, what if that village didn't have enough grain or meat? Qi Yuan nodded. "Then we just need to conquer more villages. As long as the hot potato keeps getting passed, there will always be a feast to eat." Qi Qi gave a wry smile. "Godfather, that won't work. We need to build our own base." Qi Yuan understood her meaning. "It's all because the enemies are too poor! Otherwise, we could hold feasts for them every day!" Qi Yuan sighed. These New Gods were simply too useless. Having operated here for so many years, they still couldn't become filthy rich. Their leftover wealth was barely enough to host a splendid feast without pinching pennies. Hearing this, everyone present felt a twinge of pity for those deceased evil gods. Killed, stripped of belongings, used for resources, and had a feast held in their wake. How pitiful. Indeed, one must never oppose Origin Celestial Venerable; the outcome was just too tragic. Qi Qi was rendered speechless, saying, "We must plant more crops and ensure good yields." Qi Yuan nodded upon hearing this. "Should we raise some pigs as well?" Xiaoxue, who was currently eating pork, nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! I support raising pigs!" "Then I'll leave that to you," Qi Yuan said, looking at Xiaoxue. Raising pigs couldn't very well be handed to his goddaughter, could it? Xiaoxue froze for a moment, then her eyes beamed. "Understood!" Qi Yuan then asked, "How many New Gods are left in Kuangfeng Town?" "Including the one in Kuangfeng Town itself, nine remain." "In that case, over the next few days, we'll slay one a day!" Qi Yuan issued the order. They couldn't kill too many in one day, or the feasts would clash. ... Kuangfeng Town. Inside the shrine. The evil god Shelang manifested, looking unwell. "What brings you here?" Ever since his inexplicable injury, he had been lying low to nurse his wounds. "Lord Deity, our Five Great Families are preparing to welcome that lord!" A plump man said with excited eyes. Shelang's eyes flashed with surprise. "Isn't that supposed to be several years from now?" "We have confirmed that Ancient God Yuan is severely wounded and unable to awaken. This is our best opportunity to welcome the New God!" "That is good news," Shelang said slowly after a moment's hesitation. If a True God descended, Feihuang City would fall completely under his control. "However, welcoming the New God will require Lord Shelang's assistance!" The plump man pleaded. "Oh?" "Welcoming this True God requires creating an environment of plague. We still need Lord Shelang's help for that." "Spreading plague in Feihuang City? Very well, but you must wait a few days for me." Hearing this, the plump man was overjoyed. "We thank Lord Deity for your trouble!" ... In Qingshui Village, Qi Yuan walked alongside Qi Qi along the ridges of the fields, looking at the scrawny crops with mixed feelings. "You're right, these crops look rather..." Over the past two days, Qi Yuan had eliminated two more New Gods. He had gained two more portions of evil god spiritual power. One of them was at the Purple Mansion level, far surpassing the others. Now, as their territory expanded, he also felt the shortage of food. This made him sigh; the Canglan Realm, where one could practice inedia, was far better. The cultivators here ate far too much. "Does Godfather have a solution?" Qi Qi had been overseeing logistics for Qi Yuan's territory. "At present, even if we pool all our grain together, it's only enough for three months." "Pity I don't have Jinkela," Qi Yuan couldn't help lamenting.