"Such a thriving town. What a pity."
Madam Wang glanced at the scenery outside, her gaze filled with wistful sorrow.
Across the farmlands stretched unbroken sweeps of emerald green, with sturdy, upright crops heavy with fruit.
Yet no matter how fine the scenery or how prosperous the future seemed, it would all be crushed beneath the footsteps of the evil gods.
Only by fleeing south—further and further south—would there be the faintest chance of surviving the fires of war.
"Let us go." Madam Wang lingered no longer.
Nearly all of the Northern Lands had fallen. Only by heading to the Ancient God Alliance and migrating south through their channels would there be a ray of hope.
At least in the Southern Lands, most of the ancient homelands remained in the hands of the Ancient Gods.
***
Dawn broke.
Outside the temple, Qi Qi took a deep breath. "Godfather, you're going to scare me to death!"
Qi Qi stared at Qi Yuan hanging from the tree alongside a blood-red bridal gown, the terror in her eyes not yet fading.
Anyone who saw two people hanging from a tree first thing in the morning would be scared half to death, just as she was.
"The goddaughter of a dignified Celestial Venerable, frightened of this?" Embracing Xiao Jia, Qi Yuan dropped down from the tree. "This is Xiao Jia, my... wife."
Qi Yuan pointed at Xiao Jia and introduced her to Qi Qi.
Xiao Jia seemed to understand his words, and a wooden plaque that read "Happy" dropped from her sleeve.
"Huh?" Qi Qi was somewhat bewildered.
In truth, when she had first arrived at Qingshui Village, she had vaguely glimpsed this red bridal gown.
She had always assumed it was some kind of treasure; who could have imagined it was actually her godfather's... wife?
"What did you come to see me for?" Qi Yuan sensed that there were others outside the temple. "Did something happen?"
"Godfather, a massive upheaval occurred in Lin Country. The late emperor... has passed away, and the governor of Feiling Prefecture has been reassigned." Qi Qi summarized the news she had gathered the previous night.
In Qingshui Village nowadays, logistics and general affairs were all handled by Qi Qi.
After all, Qi Yuan was just here to play a game. If he were tasked with managing a village, let alone an entire city, he couldn't be bothered.
He was adept at fighting and killing, but as an administrator... not so much.
Fortunately, Qi Qi made for a competent housekeeper, keeping everything organized and running smoothly.
"When will the evil gods attack?" Qi Yuan asked.
Hearing this, Qi Qi furrowed her brow and said, "Of the seven cities in Feiling Prefecture, four belong to the evil gods. If a new god descends, they will likely take about two years to consolidate forces before marching on Feihuang City."
At this point, Qi Qi's face was clouded with worry.
Time was running short for Qingshui Village.
Qi Yuan's brow twitched. "They're that dilly-dallying? That won't do. It looks like I need to draw up a detailed plan."
Speaking of this, Qi Yuan surged with enthusiasm.
His cultivation talent was mediocre, but his ability to make plans was top-notch.
Every plan he meticulously devised was thorough, detailed, and seamless. Once set in motion, it would advance with irresistible force.
Every plan he created had been successfully carried out.
"What plan?" Great Venerable Shenlei leaned in.
"To unify Feiling Prefecture, of course," Qi Yuan answered casually.
Just then, Great Venerable Shenlei said in a deep voice, "An evil god at Step Two Sky Treading might descend upon Feiling Prefecture. If this old man doesn't intervene, it will be very difficult for you to win with your current strength."
Great Venerable Shenlei's concern was not without reason.
Take the Eighteen Arhats and the Four Heavenly Kings, for instance.
Their talent was formidable, their futures boundless.
Yet they were all gods at Step One Sky Treading, possessing merely a single divine aperture.
Overcoming someone with three, or even four divine apertures, was already pushing their limits.
Defeating an evil god at Step Two Sky Treading was practically impossible.
At Step Two Sky Treading, one had condensed at least twelve divine apertures.
A feat of the weak overcoming the strong like Dragon Subduing Arhat's would be difficult to repeat.
"Step Two Sky Treading is strong, but my plan is airtight," Qi Yuan said, not caring in the least.
Great Venerable Shenlei laughed heartily. "Don't come begging me to intervene when the time comes. If this old man steps in, I'll probably have no choice but to take you and run for our lives, leaving the Northern Lands altogether."
If Great Venerable Shenlei made a move against Step Two Sky Treading, it would inevitably attract the attention of the Northern Lands' mighty evil gods.
When that time came, Great Venerable Shenlei would barely be able to protect himself and would have to flee.
Qi Yuan glanced at Great Venerable Shenlei. "There is indeed a slight issue in formulating this plan. Great Venerable Shenlei, have you heard of the Ancient Clan?"
Qi Yuan recalled what Great Venerable Qionghua had said: within the Ancient Clan, there might be a method to break through to True God.
Hearing this, Great Venerable Shenlei immediately understood what Qi Yuan meant. "You want to follow in the footsteps of Great Venerable Aoshi?"
He knitted his brows, clearly not very supportive of Qi Yuan's decision.
"You aren't even a True God yet. Rashly stepping into the Ancient Clan's Ancestral Land is a dead end. Within the Ancient Clan are many heroic spirits who fell during the Hongtang Great War, as well as evil gods. Even if you get in, you might not be able to replicate Great Venerable Aoshi's path. Right now, most of the Ancient Clan's Ancestral Land is under Great Venerable Aoshi's control, and even he cannot duplicate his past success."
"It doesn't matter. Everything is worth a try. Right now, all I need is a way into the Ancient Clan's Ancestral Land. I believe that as long as one works hard, any quest can be completed!"
Games were made to be played.
How could any quest be impossible?
If it were, it only meant one wasn't strong enough!
Furthermore, Qi Yuan's eyes could see hidden information and his ears could pick up whispers and inner voices. Once inside the Ancient Clan's Ancestral Land, he had great confidence he could replicate Great Venerable Aoshi's breakthrough to True God.
Just then, Yulei, the chief of Qingshui Village beside them, piped up at the top of his lungs, "Lord God, our Qingshui Village has a channel to enter the Ancestral Land."
"Oh?" Qi Yuan's eyes lit up upon hearing that.
Village Chief Yulei hurried to explain, "Our Qingshui Village is actually a remnant bloodline of the Ancient Clan. We possess the qualifications to recommend you, Lord God, to enter the Ancestral Land!"
Village Chief Yulei sounded rather anxious.
Before the Lord God had set off for the Hundred Flowers Gathering, he had already prepared to inform Qi Yuan of this to demonstrate his loyalty.
Hearing this, the smile in Qi Yuan's eyes deepened. "See that? The quest hint has popped up. When can I go to the Ancestral Land?" Qi Yuan inquired.
"Roughly... about half a month," Village Chief Yulei answered, sharing more details regarding the Ancestral Land with Qi Yuan.
An entrance to the Ancestral Land existed right here in Qingshui Village.
However, entering the Ancestral Land without reaching the realm of a god almost certainly meant death.
And opening this entrance required half a month of preparation.
"Half a month? That long?" Qi Yuan frowned. "How long did Great Venerable Aoshi stay in the Ancestral Land before breaking through to the realm of True God?"
"About one day," Great Venerable Shenlei replied.
"Understood. I know how to structure the plan now.
"For the first three days, march on Feiwu City and seize it.
"From day four to day ten, take two more cities.
"From day eleven to day seventeen, break through to True God and summon the big boss.
"From day twenty to day thirty, conquer the entire territory of Feiling Prefecture!"
Qi Yuan was in high spirits.
In mere moments, his meticulous plan was completely drafted.
It had order and sequence, rigorous logic, and solid cause and effect. Qi Yuan felt that once executed, it would surely sweep through with irresistible force.
Great Venerable Shenlei was stunned hearing this. He stared at Qi Yuan with a strange expression. "I won't intervene this time."
He couldn't afford to make a move.
"Just stay behind and watch the home base for me," Qi Yuan replied, unconcerned.
Seeing Qi Yuan's manner, Great Venerable Shenlei couldn't help asking, "Are you serious?"
He had always thought of himself as rash enough.
Whenever his close friends ran into him, they would always urge him to lay low and be more cautious.
Yet compared to Qi Yuan, he felt he wasn't reckless at all.
"Of course I'm serious. Speed is the essence of war; I'm going to catch them off guard!" Qi Yuan said.
He couldn't be bothered to wait for the enemy to slowly march over before defending the city.
It was much better to attack directly.
"However, once you wage war on those cities, the Step Two Sky Treading evil god heading for Feiling Prefecture will certainly speed up his descent. Perhaps instead of two years, he will descend in just half a year!" Great Venerable Shenlei said grimly, trying to impress upon Qi Yuan the gravity of the situation.
"Half a year? No wonder they haven't conquered the Mortal Heart Realm after all these years; they drag their feet so much. Tell you what: once I return from the Ancestral Land, I'll immediately send troops to occupy Feiling Prefecture and speed things up for that Step Two Sky Treading evil god."
Qi Yuan waved his hand grandly and turned to Qi Qi.
"Hurry and summon the chef squad, the musical band, and the mourning squad. We're heading to Feiwu City right now!"
The moment those words were spoken, even Qi Qi was thrown for a loop.
"Right now?" Qi Qi was somewhat at a loss.
The plan sounded as though it had been decided on an absolute whim.
And what was the point of bringing along a chef squad, a musical band, and a mourning squad?
"I never repeat myself!" Qi Yuan said.
Hearing this, Qi Qi's expression stiffened. "Understood!"
To her godfather's words, she gave unconditional obedience.
Beside them, Great Venerable Shenlei looked at Qi Yuan with a peculiar expression. "You kid... have the demeanor of my younger days."
"Don't flatter yourself."
"This war of yours... is a bit too much like child's play," Great Venerable Shenlei couldn't resist remarking.
"It's just playing a game; isn't child's play completely normal?" Qi Yuan shrugged.
Hearing this, Great Venerable Shenlei seemed to grasp something and couldn't help chuckling. "Treating life as a game—truly intriguing. This old man overcomplicated things."
"It was a game to begin with. Why make it so complicated?" Qi Yuan said breezily.
Fifteen minutes later, outside the Qingshui Village temple.
The mourning squad, the chef squad, and the musical band had assembled.
These three squads totaled nearly a hundred people, gathered together in a lively hubbub.
"Aiya, I was halfway through washing clothes and haven't even hung them out to dry!"
"What happened? Did some evil god kick the bucket and need us to mourn for them?"
"Where's the feast?"
The crowd on the grounds was in an uproar, bearing not a shred of military discipline.
However, with Qi Yuan's arrival, the chaotic scene fell dead silent in an instant.
Qi Yuan looked down at the three hundred villagers, the Eighteen Arhats, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the three auxiliary columns.
He declared, "Gathered here today, we have only one objective: our blades point toward Feiwu City!
"In Feiwu City, we feast!" Qi Yuan roared at the top of his lungs.
Great Venerable Shenlei watched all of this with an utterly bizarre expression.
Yet the members of the musical band, the mourning squad, and the chef squad, upon hearing Qi Yuan's shout, were flushed with excitement.
"Feast!"
"Feast!"
This routine was something they were intimately familiar with and well accustomed to.
In Qi Yuan, they placed boundless trust.
Besides, when the fighting started, they wouldn't be the ones charging on the front lines anyway.
Chapter 196