Qi Qi was utterly bewildered.
Anyone in the Mortal Heart Realm with even a shred of common sense knew that Great Venerable Youlong governed agriculture.
Yet out of nowhere, an Earth God had appeared.
Qi Yuan smiled. "That just shows how little you know!"
In his past life on Blue Star, incense had burned extraordinarily bright for the Earth God.
Qi Qi still couldn't comprehend it. Gods holding specific divine offices were exceedingly rare and precious.
How many mortals cultivated Great Venerable Youlong's God Visualization Art? Qi Qi knew there had to be countless.
When considering crop yields for her godfather's fief, she had contemplated Great Venerable Youlong's visualization art, but ultimately abandoned the idea. With so many people visualizing him, the technique yielded virtually no benefit.
"Take Xiaoxue to the fields and give it a try."
Qi Yuan did not elaborate. He was still busy compiling his *Qi Yuan Scripture*, not to mention pondering which village to crash for a feast tonight.
As Qi Qi led her maid Xiaoxue out, the image of the big black dog pinning Zhu Zhuangshi to the ground during the feast popped into her head.
"Xiaoxue, now that you've reached Purple Mansion, you won't bully me, will you?" Qi Qi teased.
"Young Miss, how could I ever!" Xiaoxue waved her hands in a flustered panic.
Qi Qi laughed. "How does it feel?"
The confusion in her heart was hard to dispel. The only plausible explanation was that this True God was exceptionally powerful, holding secondary divine authority over agriculture. Only that could account for an Epic 1-Star rating.
Together, the two arrived at the field ridges. Now that Qingshui Village had water, they had planted various crops—wheat, rice, sweet potatoes, and the like. These bore some resemblance to Blue Star's produce, yet were not entirely the same, each carrying a faint trace of spiritual energy. Being a world of cultivation, growth was not bound by the four seasons.
"Young Miss!" Village Chief Yulei greeted Qi Qi with deep respect. As the god's adopted daughter, she was the treasure of Qingshui Village.
Qi Qi glanced at the linen-robed man standing beside the village chief. "And he is?"
"Seeing Young Miss so diligent about farming lately, I invited Mr. Xu Youping from Shisha Town. Mister Xu is the most skilled in agriculture among the seven nearby towns. He once visualized Great Venerable Youlong and gained remarkable insights," introduced Village Chief Yulei.
Shisha Town was the only town among the seven under Feihuang City that still worshipped Ancient Gods. Xu Youping served as a director in charge of agriculture in Shisha Town, holding a position of considerable esteem. His visualization of Great Venerable Youlong had yielded substantial achievements. While legions visualized Great Venerable Youlong, true talents occasionally stood out to claim noteworthy results, and he was one of them.
Surveying Qingshui Village's fields, Xu Youping sighed. "The soil is far too barren. Even if I do my utmost, I fear I can only increase yields by half a decile."
Village Chief Yulei was not surprised by this assessment. "That is already quite good."
Standing aside, Qi Qi turned to Xiaoxue. "Didn't Lord God say your origin divine ability is related to farming? Why don't you give it a try?"
Village Chief Yulei looked at Xiaoxue, his eyes widening in disbelief. Weren't they having a feast together just yesterday? Hadn't Xiaoxue been merely at the Origin Core realm? How had she jumped straight to... Purple Mansion?
A God Visualization Art!
At this realization, Village Chief Yulei's composure crumbled entirely.
Xu Youping glanced at Xiaoxue and cupped his hands. "I had no idea I would meet a fellow practitioner here!"
Shisha Town had its share of Purple Mansion experts, so Xu Youping remained poised and neither servile nor arrogant. He assumed that Xiaoxue, like himself, had visualized Great Venerable Youlong and learned a bit of agricultural craft.
"Alas, too many people visualize Great Venerable Youlong," Xu Youping lamented. "Even those who rely on themselves to become True Gods can only increase crop yields by sixty or seventy percent."
Xiaoxue was eager to test her skills. "Let me give it a shot!"
As she prepared to activate her origin divine ability, Xu Youping watched curiously. Suddenly, Xiaoxue's face fell into a pout. "Young Miss, part of my origin divine ability... requires your cooperation."
Village Chief Yulei stared blankly.
Xu Youping froze as well.
An origin divine ability... requiring someone else's cooperation? That was utterly unheard of.
"How do I cooperate?" Qi Qi asked curiously.
"You just have to pray to me for a good harvest," Xiaoxue said.
Though puzzled, Qi Qi obliged: "May all the crops in my godfather's fief thrive and flourish, with a bumper harvest of all five grains and yields soaring to the heavens!"
Xiaoxue closed her eyes.
A peculiar aura diffused from her body. The origin divine ability she wielded was extraordinary; one of its aspects was Reaching Heaven and Earth—transmitting the prayers of the multitude directly to Heaven.
Even Xiaoxue felt a twinge of doubt. And then... Heaven answered.
Qi Qi watched her. "How is it?"
Xu Youping commented with a strange expression, "This is the first time I've ever seen anything like—"
Right then, Xiaoxue's stature suddenly shrank drastically until she looked like a little porcelain doll. A wisp of peculiar vapor gathered in her hands. She opened her eyes, her gaze imposing yet remarkably benevolent: "By decree of Heaven, let this land enjoy... favorable weather and a bountiful harvest of all five grains!"
At her proclamation, the vapor drifted from her hands and settled across the fields—not only over Qingshui Village, but extending toward Shijia Village, Chenxi Village, and beyond.
"What is this...?" Xu Youping stared at the expanding mist, completely lost. Who managed farming like this? Shouldn't it be about calling rain, fertilizing, tilling the soil, weeding, and exterminating pests? What was this little potato doing?
In the next breath, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
As the vapor sank into the soil, an astonishing transformation unfolded. Crops that had been mere tender sprouts surged upward at a speed visible to the naked eye. Stalks thickened and branches spread wide. The previously barren expanse was rapidly blanketed in lush emerald green, the seedlings appearing to age through entire seasons in moments.
"Pulling sprouts to force growth?" Xu Youping's eyes bulged. "Could it be that sort of spell? But... such spells only make crops look like they're growing fast; they never actually bear fruit!"
In his mind, only an artificial growth-forcing spell could explain this phenomenon.
Qi Qi's heart skipped a beat at his words. Could it truly be such a crooked agricultural domain? Farming in name, but wicked at its core?
Yet what happened next immediately dispelled every doubt.
The crops did not merely sprout—they bore fruit. In just a dozen breaths, wheat and rice blanketed the fields in a sea of radiant amber, waving like golden waves. The stalks hung heavy with grain, and judging by the density, the harvest surpassed normal yields by an unimaginable margin.
"It wasn't forcing growth after all! How can this be?" Xu Youping grabbed a handful of grain stalks, inspecting them frantically, completely unsettled. "What origin divine ability is this? Which god did you visualize?!"
At a single glance, the tender seedlings had directly... matured. Not only that, the yield had more than doubled! Either feat alone would stun the realm, yet both had occurred simultaneously. This was simply... absurd.
"This origin divine ability is called Reaching Heaven and Earth. The god I visualized is called the Earth God," Xiaoxue answered hurriedly, seeing no reason to hide it.
"The Earth God?" Xu Youping muttered the title, his mind reeling. "How could such a True God exist? Why have I never heard of him?"
He ranked third among agricultural administrators in Shisha Town and knew virtually every farming-related deity inside out. Yet this Earth God was completely foreign to him. Had it been a deity with modest accomplishments, that would be one thing, but this Earth God seemed on par with Great Venerable Youlong. How could he have never heard of such an exalted figure?
Xu Youping racked his brain. "Is this origin divine ability... a one-time use?"
If so, it would at least make some sense. He glanced at the visibly weakened maid.
"Mm... the toll on me was enormous," Xiaoxue admitted. "I'll need to eat an entire roasted pig before I can recover enough to use it again!"
Xu Youping fell silent.
Qi Qi was equally speechless.
***
Inside the temple, a curious glint flashed in Qi Yuan's eyes as he looked at the God Visualization Art in his hands, which was still shimmering with golden radiance.
"It seems this visualization art can be granted to others as well. The results might be somewhat inferior to Xiaoxue's, but... it will suffice."
Qi Yuan felt it was high time every village had an Earth God. An Earth God did not merely oversee agriculture; he also guarded local peace. Furthermore, their ears were remarkably sharp, picking up on the slightest breeze or disturbance. In *Journey to the West*, whenever Sun Wukong ran into trouble, he would always summon the local Earth God for information.
***
Shisha Town.
Xu Youping returned to town with a heavy mind, heading straight for the temple.
"Greetings, Lord God!"
The deity of Shisha Town was named Ruoyu, a divine creature at the peak of the Purple Mansion realm. Dressed in white with a single feather pinned in his hair, Ruoyu had sunken eyes that conveyed deep exhaustion.
"Have you seen that Ancient God of Qingshui Village?" Ruoyu asked.
Nowadays, aside from Shisha Town, nearly all neighboring towns and villages worshipped New Gods. Qingshui Village's Origin Celestial Venerable was an exception, and having slain several New Gods in quick succession, he stood out prominently. Many gods had already taken notice. However, since Qingshui Village fell under Kuangfeng Town's jurisdiction, other powerful New Gods had refrained from taking action.
"I did not see him, but... something utterly extraordinary occurred today!" Xu Youping emphasized.
"Oh?" A spark of curiosity lit Ruoyu's gaze.
Xu Youping recounted everything that had transpired. Ruoyu's eyes widened in amazement. "A god even more formidable than Great Venerable Youlong who also governs agriculture? How strange, why have I never heard of him?"
Ruoyu had already awakened his memories from before his mortal demise, yet he had no recollection of such a deity.
"If this person came to Shisha Town, I am certain our grain harvest would multiply several times over year after year, and no one under our domain would ever starve!" Xu Youping said excitedly.
Ruoyu nodded. "Indeed."
Yet Ruoyu felt little genuine excitement. What did it matter if grain yields doubled, grew tenfold, or even multiplied a hundredfold? It could not alter the broader situation. The threat of the other six towns loomed right at their doorstep, while Ancient God Yuan had not shown himself in ages. Undercurrents surged across Feihuang City. Only martial power could break the deadlock.
No matter how rich Qingshui Village's harvest was or how much grain they hoarded, once the evil god Shelang of Kuangfeng Town intervened, wouldn't all of it fall straight into Shelang's hands?
"And what of Origin Celestial Venerable? What is your assessment of him?" Ruoyu asked.
"In ancient times, this Ancient God must have held an exalted status. Now, he has produced two God Visualization Arts, both exceptionally rare and precious. If granted several decades, along with treasures required to break through to True God, he might truly achieve True Godhood like Ancient God Yuan," Xu Youping replied earnestly.
Hearing this, the worry in Ruoyu's eyes deepened. Days ago, members of the Five Great Families had secretly contacted evil gods from the other six towns, seemingly plotting something monumental. A profound crisis loomed. Little time remained.
"Tell the god of Qingshui Village that great upheaval is likely approaching Feihuang City. Tell him to be prepared, and if... the outcome is sealed, prioritize his own survival," Ruoyu instructed, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.
Xu Youping's enthusiasm vanished as though doused in freezing water. "Lord God, has the situation grown that dire?" he couldn't help asking.
***
In Qingshui Village.
Shi Chongshan led an elderly man behind him, his eyes filled with curiosity. "Yulei, why did Lord God have us bring our most skilled farmers here?"
By now, the leaders of each village had each brought along their village's foremost farming elder.
"Could it be related to the strange phenomenon in the fields today?" Chen Xifan mused.
Today, the crops in all the fields had experienced explosive growth, maturing in the blink of an eye. Such a divine miracle had left everyone dumbfounded.
"Lord God visualized a new God Visualization Art and intends to bestow it upon those skilled in agriculture," Village Chief Yulei puffed on his long pipe, his tone thick with envy.
Shi Chongshan and Chen Xifan's hearts skipped a beat.
"A new God Visualization Art?"
"Bestowed upon those skilled in farming?"
"Tell me, is it too late for me to learn farming right now?"
The village leaders were burning with jealousy. This was a brand-new God Visualization Art! Back then, Zhu Zhuangshi's black dog had learned an art, rising so drastically in status that it sat directly at the feast table to eat. That alone had driven them mad with envy.
The elderly farmers erupted in ecstatic joy.
"An old codger like me actually has a chance to study a God Visualization Art?"
"Lord God is truly the greatest!"
They trembled with excitement.
Led by Yulei, the group approached the temple, prostrated respectfully, and stepped inside. Entering, the dozen or so people saw Qi Yuan sitting with his eyes closed, in the midst of devising cultivation methods.
"You're here?" Qi Yuan opened his eyes, cutting straight to the chase. "These are... the ones proficient in farming?"
"Yes!" the old men answered hurriedly, their faces beaming with undisguised delight.
"This God Visualization Art is hereby granted for all of you to visualize!"
Qi Yuan tossed the art into the air.
Yulei, Shi Chongshan, and Chen Xifan stared at the golden-gleaming scroll, their eyes practically bloodshot with longing. This was an Epic-grade art guaranteed to forge True Gods. Chen Xifan was practically drooling.
The elderly men dropped to their knees in tearful gratitude before eagerly commencing their visualization.
Standing aside, Chen Xifan couldn't resist speaking up. "Lord God... that God Visualization Art for the big black dog... could I take a look at it? Lately, I've been spending plenty of time hanging out with the village hounds to learn their ways."
Hearing this, Shi Chongshan cursed Chen Xifan for being shameless. How could anyone say such a thing with a straight face? He quickly stepped forward as well. "Lord God, the day before yesterday I swore an oath of brotherhood with the Divine Hound! My heart yearns deeply for that visualization art!"
Qi Yuan gave them an amused look. "That visualization art has its limits. It can likely only produce a single True God, so I won't be sharing it with you."
After all, creating ten Purple Mansion cultivators paled beside forging one True God.
The two men were struck dumb.
A True God?
They had never even dared to dream of such heights; reaching the Purple Mansion realm would already surpass their wildest hopes! Yet Lord God was thinking on the scale of True Gods. He was holding them in far too high regard. Could an impoverished mountain village like theirs actually produce a True God? Had their ancestral tombs caught fire with auspicious smoke?
"Today, we continue hunting evil gods, and then we feast. The more evil god spiritual power we gather, the more God Visualization Arts I can produce. Rest assured, none of you will be left empty-handed in the future," Qi Yuan said casually. "Prepare yourselves. The expedition begins!"
"Yes!"
The crowd rejoiced, though a few harbored quiet worries, fearing Lord God was merely painting them a grand pie in the sky.
***
Feihuang City.
Huang Mengying rested her chin on her hands, staring out the window at the drizzle, her eyes clouded with gloom.
A man in tight-fitting martial attire knocked and entered. The gloom in her gaze instantly receded, replaced by a cold detachment. "How goes it?"
The man kept his head lowered, his complexion grim. "A few days ago, the Five Great Families colluded with the evil gods of each town. They appear to be plotting something immense."
"Ushering in a New God?" A chill ran through Huang Mengying's heart. Had the Five Great Families finally reached this point and cast aside all pretense?
"Most likely," the man replied.
"Pass down the order to stockpile more medicinal herbs. Furthermore, head to neighboring cities to purchase herbs at high prices and hire physicians!" Huang Mengying commanded.
She had a good idea of what kind of New God the Five Great Families sought to summon: a New God associated with plagues. During this period, the Five Great Families and those New Gods would surely spread pestilence. They possessed no means to slay those evil gods or prevent the spread, so they could only take precautions to minimize casualties.
"Understood," the man said.
Then Huang Mengying recalled something. "How fares that Ancient God in Qingshui Village?"
She and Nangong Wuji had met him once before, leaving a lasting impression on her.
"According to reports from below, he seems to have conquered several more villages belonging to New Gods."
Huang Mengying sighed softly. "He truly is an Ancient God who loathes evil. Regrettably, his strength remains somewhat lacking, and the time left to him... is running thin."
In such chaotic times, those who held faith in Ancient Gods had no way to survive. Though worshipping New Gods offered temporary peace, over time believers were assimilated, entirely losing themselves. Huang Mengying naturally refused to watch the land where she was raised become overrun by the living dead.
Remembering another matter, she asked, "How is our communication with... the Ancient God Alliance?"
The man's expression darkened. "The Ancient God Alliance has no spare hands to aid Feihuang City. Their contact stated that if we abandon the city, they can extend assistance."
"Abandon the city... speak no more of this." How could she leave the soil that had nurtured her, or bear to see countless mortals turned into walking corpses? "Find an opportunity to pass word of the Ancient God Alliance to the Ancient God in Qingshui Village. He possesses remarkable potential. If he goes to the Ancient God Alliance, he may well become a True God in the future."
Chapter 179