Since We're Already Here

The moment Qi Yuan spoke those words, Ye Liuyun's expression shifted slightly, though it vanished just as quickly. "Your Excellency must be joking. I am not of the Dragon Clan," Ye Liuyun said calmly. His heart was filled with curiosity, tinged with a sliver of wariness. He had clearly used a treasure to conceal his aura. How had the other party discovered it? "No five claws, not an Azure Dragon, and not a Torch Dragon either. You're indeed not a true dragon—at best, only half a dragon," Qi Yuan remarked casually. Just moments ago, his eyes had perceived the information regarding Ye Liuyun. It displayed that the other party belonged to the Dragon Clan, which was why he had made that remark. Hearing Qi Yuan's words, Ye Liuyun cast aside his earlier slight disdain, though an odd mix of emotions surfaced within him. He was of authentic Dragon Clan descent with a dense, rich bloodline. If he wasn't a true dragon, who was? As for five claws, Torch Dragons, or Azure Dragons, he had never even heard of them—they were probably just some mixed-blood mongrel dragons. Though he thought so inwardly, he kept it to himself. Coming here this time, he wanted to avoid exposing his identity as much as possible. He scrutinized Qi Yuan earnestly. "And Your Excellency is?" "The guardian deity of Qingshui Village, Origin Celestial Venerable," Qi Yuan answered honestly. Ye Liuyun wore an odd, bewildered look. The pageboy and maid behind him looked equally bewildered. In Ye Liuyun's eyes, Qi Yuan's strength indeed matched the status of a village-level guardian deity. Yet those maids and guards did not look the part at all. Six True Gods attended to him, revering Origin Celestial Venerable like an ancestor. Such a sight was simply unimaginable. Within his clan, his own status was esteemed, and even uncles stronger than him treated him with respect. However, it was utterly impossible for them to act like these True Gods—holding parasols and feeding fruit. If he asked the elders in his clan to feed him fruit, his legs would probably be broken. It wasn't because those elders didn't dote on him, but because... they couldn't cast away their pride. "Your Excellency is also here to attend the Hundred Flowers Gathering?" Ye Liuyun asked. "Yeah," Qi Yuan nodded. "Why don't we travel together?" Ye Liuyun extended an invitation, exceptionally curious about Origin Celestial Venerable. "Sure." Qi Yuan did not decline. The group set off together toward the North Sea God Eye. Ye Liuyun remarked, "The evil dragon that wreaked havoc in these parts lacked sufficient strength, but his talent was indeed formidable—he was hailed as the hope of the North Sea Dragon Clan. In the end, Third Miss Huang slew him with a single sword strike. Because of that, the North Sea Dragon Clan formed a feud with the Phoenix Clan." As Ye Liuyun spoke, he glanced at Qi Qi and cautioned, "If this young lady is going to the North Sea God Eye, it would be best to conceal your aura. Otherwise, if the North Sea Dragon Clan senses it, it might invite disaster." "Thank you for the warning," Qi Qi said. Beside them, Wang Wenqi looked at Qi Qi and cast a Dao art. This Dao art isolated the Phoenix Clan aura on Qi Qi. Of course, if a True God came into close contact, they could still catch a scent of the Phoenix Clan. Unless, like Ye Liuyun, she suppressed it with a precious treasure. Seeing this, Qi Yuan did not intervene. "Does Fellow Daoist have any preparations for this trip to the North Sea God Eye?" Ye Liuyun inquired. "I'm prepared at every moment," Qi Yuan replied. He was always prepared to slay evil gods. Unfortunately, he had not encountered any along the way. "It seems Fellow Daoist possesses grand ambitions. You will surely distinguish yourself at the North Sea God Eye this time." In his speech, Ye Liuyun constantly probed to figure out Qi Yuan's true identity. "Are there many treasures at the Hundred Flowers Gathering?" Qi Yuan asked. After all, Great Venerable Shenlei was not a native of the Northern Lands and did not know much about the gathering. Qi Yuan's subordinates had all just broken through to True God and had never had contact with the event either. "I heard that at the previous Hundred Flowers Gathering, a prodigy won seven supreme treasures capable of enabling breakthroughs to True God." Endless envy laced Ye Liuyun's voice. Hearing this, Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. "So many? How did he win them?" What he lacked most right now were such treasures. If he had more of them, he could continuously mass-produce True Gods. The forces under his command would grow even larger. "This... is actually rather difficult. Deep within the North Sea God Eye sleeps a Great Venerable named Great Venerable Qionghua. She is indisputably the foremost figure among the North Sea Water Clan. The original intent of the Water Clan holding the Hundred Flowers Gathering was to make all hundred flowers bloom in order to awaken Great Venerable Qionghua," Ye Liuyun explained eloquently. In his heart, he was already certain that this Origin Celestial Venerable was either an outsider or someone without a major local backer; otherwise, he wouldn't be ignorant of even this. "To make all the flowers bloom, wouldn't adding some fertilizer do the trick? If that really doesn't work, couldn't we just find a dwarf to kiss Great Venerable Qionghua awake?" Qi Yuan indulged in fanciful thinking. Ye Liuyun nearly lost his composure. Qi Qi chimed in from the side, "My godfather has always spoken like this. Please bear with him, Your Excellency." Hearing Qi Qi's form of address for Qi Yuan, Ye Liuyun was even more at a loss for words. This guy... really knew how to live adventurously. Taking someone of Phoenix Clan bloodline as a goddaughter! His audacity was truly staggering! If Third Miss Huang were still around, wouldn't she cleave him in two with a single sword strike? Ye Liuyun continued to explain, "Every True God who arrives at the North Sea God Eye will visualize. If one visualizes a True God related to Great Venerable Qionghua, using the God Visualization Art to awaken her past memories, fresh flowers will bloom in the Hundred Flower Garden. Depending on how many memories are awakened, different flowers will bloom, and the bestowed treasures will also be completely different." Hearing this, Qi Yuan paused. "What if I don't know Great Venerable Qionghua?" He didn't know Great Venerable Qionghua at all, nor could he visualize any True God connected to her. How could he awaken her? Hearing this, Ye Liuyun said softly, "Your Excellency only needs to visualize a True God; even one that has already been visualized before is fine. You may not have met Great Venerable Qionghua, but the True God you visualize might have encountered her at some point. As long as you can depict Great Venerable Qionghua from other people's memories, she may awaken." "Pretty interesting." Qi Yuan felt the premise of this game was quite intriguing. Basically, based on the descriptions of other True Gods, memories would be implanted into Great Venerable Qionghua to finally awaken her? Call it implanting memories, or perhaps... reconstructing a Great Venerable Qionghua from others' memories and having her awaken. Would this awakened Great Venerable Qionghua still be the original Great Venerable Qionghua? "Unfortunately, I've never met her, and I can't visualize a True God related to her." Qi Yuan was telling the truth. He felt somewhat deflated. Could it be that he was fated to miss out on Great Venerable Qionghua's treasures? "Still, since we're already here, we might as well take a look." Qi Yuan possessed the fine traditional virtue of his countrymen. Since they had come all this way, how could they turn back now? About half an hour later, Qi Yuan, Ye Liuyun, and their party arrived at the North Sea God Eye. A palace stood here, gathering numerous experts, most of whom were True Gods. With True Gods gathered in one place, it was remarkably bustling. Qi Yuan swept a glance over them, his interest waning. They were all Ancient Gods without a single evil god—boring. Qi Yuan's arrival also drew considerable attention. After all, when other True Gods arrived, they brought at most one or two pageboys or maids. Qi Yuan arrived with a security squad of over twenty people. Among them were six True Gods, exceptionally conspicuous. "Which family is this from...?" "Never heard of them." "What grand pomp!" "Four True Gods serving as maids, tsk-tsk... could he be the biological son of a Great Venerable?" The Ancient Gods present looked at Qi Yuan one after another, all harboring some envy. Others took a single glance and turned away, seemingly displeased by such profligate display. Qi Yuan and Ye Liuyun entered the palace and casually found a spot to sit down. Only when everyone had arrived would the North Sea God Eye open for them to enter together. "Mm, I want to eat those things over there. Bring them to me." Qi Yuan had walked the whole way and was indeed a bit hungry, promptly instructing the Four Heavenly Kings. The Four Heavenly Kings originally possessed very fine appearances, and after ascending to True God, their beauty had grown even more striking. In the grand hall, they easily outshone the rest. While other True Gods relied on talent to reach the True God realm, these Four Heavenly Kings had relied on looks. Hearing Qi Yuan's order, the Four Heavenly Kings showed no hesitation, heading straight over to gather the food Qi Yuan wanted. Four fairy-like maidens heading out to clear banquet tables was indeed a rather baffling sight. Seeing this, Ye Liuyun could not help chuckling softly. "Qi Yuan, you truly are an intriguing fellow." On the road, he had already learned Qi Yuan's name. "If I can't make the flowers bloom and can't win supreme treasures, I can't come all this way for nothing, can I? I have to eat more." Qi Yuan's reasoning was entirely sound. The Four Heavenly Kings brought over some dishes. Qi Yuan said to the Eighteen Arhats, "Eat together." Right at that moment, an aged voice sounded nearby. "Is Your Excellency Origin Celestial Venerable of Qingshui Village?" An elder dressed in a yellow Daoist robe appeared. The aura emanating from him was impressively that of the Second Step of Sky Treading. Among the True Gods present, this counted as the very peak tier. The moment he appeared, the six True Gods beside Qi Yuan all looked at the old man warily. "Yeah. Are you... here begging for food?" Qi Yuan casually glanced at him. "This old man is Venerable Huanghun of the Ancient God Alliance. Some time ago, someone in our alliance offended Origin Celestial Venerable. This old man has specially come to offer an apology." Venerable Huanghun looked at Qi Yuan, his gaze sincere. Seeing an expert of the Second Step of Sky Treading adopt such a posture before someone who wasn't even a True God, the gods present were all quite astonished. "The person who offended me was slain by my sword. That matter is wiped clean. Sigh, I thought you would follow the routine where slaying the younger generation brings out the old fogey. Now that you've come to apologize to me, I'm actually rather unaccustomed to it," Qi Yuan answered casually. "We are all fellow Ancient Gods; we should watch out for and help one another. How could we slaughter each other?" Venerable Huanghun said. He swept a glance over the people beside Qi Yuan and sent a divine sense transmission, "Are these... all the latest God Visualization Arts visualized by Your Excellency?" Venerable Huanghun had heard of Origin Celestial Venerable's deeds and knew he had previously visualized several formidable God Visualization Arts. Later, when Feihuang City weathered its crisis, Venerable Huanghun also received word that Origin Celestial Venerable had seemingly visualized another extraordinary God Visualization Art to create a True God, thereby resolving the calamity. Venerable Huanghun knew Qingshui Village's past strength better than anyone. Now, so many True Gods had suddenly appeared? For what reason? Simple! God Visualization Arts! He instantly recalled how recently, brilliant golden light had erupted in the Mountain of Visualization, where twenty-one Legendary God Visualization Arts had emerged into the world. Connecting that with the powerhouses around Origin Celestial Venerable, he made a bold guess: that legendary figure was none other than this village-level guardian deity, Origin Celestial Venerable. How could he possibly offend such a figure? He had to rope him in with everything he had! Before others realized Origin Celestial Venerable was the prodigy who had shaken the Mountain of Visualization, he wanted to establish a solid relationship first. Furthermore, Venerable Huanghun's friendly gesture gave the other True Gods the impression that this young man was indeed the scion of a Great Venerable. Otherwise, why would a powerhouse at the Second Step of Sky Treading like Venerable Huanghun lower himself to curry favor? "Yeah, I visualized them," Qi Yuan answered via transmission to Venerable Huanghun's inquiry. Hearing this, Venerable Huanghun grew even more thrilled. "Could Your Excellency sell some of those God Visualization Arts to me? This old man will certainly pay a high price!" Venerable Huanghun's eyes burned with intense desire. God Visualization Arts were not only meant for subjects to use. Even some True Gods utilized them. For someone like Venerable Huanghun at the Second Step of Sky Treading, advancing his cultivation was extraordinarily difficult. A powerful God Visualization Art could be just the thing to help. However, there was a condition: the True God depicted in the visualization art had to follow a path very close to Venerable Huanghun's own. Otherwise, it would be virtually useless. Qi Yuan shook his head. "My God Visualization Arts are strictly not for sale. I only give them to my subjects. If you come to my Qingshui Village, I wouldn't mind bestowing a few upon you." Hearing this, Venerable Huanghun felt a touch of disappointment. He wanted to purchase visualization arts precisely to see if there was a path he could draw reference from. Even if there wasn't, he wouldn't lose out—he could grant them to the subjects under his domain. He cultivated water manipulation arts, which belonged to a very common, popular path. It was very difficult to find a suitable visualization art for that, but one always had to try one's luck, didn't they? Yet to become Origin Celestial Venerable's subject just for a visualization art that might not even elevate his own strength—that was something Venerable Huanghun could not bring himself to do. "I hope there will be opportunities for cooperation in the future." Nevertheless, Venerable Huanghun remained very cordial. Origin Celestial Venerable possessed boundless potential; such a prodigy was well worth befriending. Just then, a woman's voice rang out: "Since everyone has arrived, please follow me into the North Sea God Eye!" A dignified and luxurious woman arrived, and the crowd before her nodded slightly. Qi Yuan popped a grape into his mouth and followed the True Gods toward the North Sea God Eye. The North Sea God Eye looked very peculiar, resembling a sunken vortex. However, terrifying spatial ripples emanated from outside the vortex. What the vortex swirled was not water, but space itself. Holding a token, the woman shone it over every True God. After confirming there was no New God in disguise and verifying that the invitations were legitimate, everyone filed inside. In an instant, the scene before their eyes changed drastically. What appeared before Qi Yuan was akin to an underwater Dragon Palace. Budding floral bouquets met their gaze. Numerous verdant plants grew lush and dripping with green. All manner of shells, crabs, and squids continuously swam about in the water. "Is there a Golden Cudgel here?" Qi Yuan suddenly thought of it and blurted out. The people nearby looked at Qi Yuan with strange expressions, having never heard of such an item. Ye Liuyun asked, "What kind of item is that?" "It's a monkey's weapon. Pretty strong—it can calm the sea," Qi Yuan shrugged. According to the description in Journey to the West, the Golden Cudgel was actually somewhat ordinary. Yet in Qi Yuan's memory, that was a supreme treasure. What man wouldn't want a treasure like the Golden Cudgel that could grow large or small at will? Slaying demons and subduing monsters, making all fiends submit in awe. Unfortunately, he currently had too little evil god spiritual power, and there were too few supreme treasures available for breaking through to the True God realm. Otherwise, visualizing Sun Wukong would definitely be magnificent. Just then, the woman in luxurious attire spoke, her face filled with anticipation: "The Hundred Flowers Gathering has begun. May everyone... awaken the flowers of this sea!" Gathering after gathering, two-thirds of the flowers across the sea had already bloomed. One-third remained unbloomed. Once they all fully bloomed, Great Venerable Qionghua would awaken. The North Sea Water Clan would then have their backbone and no longer fear harassment from the Dragon Clan. The gods present looked at the budding flowers, deep in thought and eager to try. After all, there were quite a few supreme treasures within the North Sea God Eye. If one could obtain a single one, it could forge a True God. Having an additional True God-level combatant among their subjects would provide one more guarantee of survival in such chaotic times. At this moment, Ye Liuyun spoke up, "Brother Qi, I'll go give it a try." He was also itching to step forward, clearly having anticipated the blooming of the hundred flowers for a long time.