Seed of the World

When Wang Wenqi saw the helmet, her eyes turned crimson. She did not speak; her reaction was answer enough. "So this Venerable Fengliu had ties to Jiang Country?" Qi Yuan murmured. If so, it meant he had killed a rather important Yin God. Countless memories flashed through Wang Wenqi's mind before settling into focus. Her voice turned chillingly cold. "He was Zhang Feng's brother-in-law, the scion of a Great Venerable!" Zhang Feng was an Ancient God and a good friend of Wang Wenqi's great-grandfather, Venerable Tianbao. In the end, that friend had betrayed the Ancient Gods and joined the camp of the New Gods. Zhang Feng had earned the favor of an evil god Great Venerable, who married his daughter down to him. Later, when the cities of Jiang Country fell, Zhang Feng had a direct hand in it. Evidently, Venerable Fengliu was that very evil god Great Venerable's son. "So it was him," Qi Yuan said calmly. Beside him, Qi Qi grasped the situation in an instant, her expression turning solemn. They had slain the offspring of a Great Venerable! This was a massive problem. If the Great Venerable retaliated, their current strength was nowhere near enough to resist. Though they had twenty True Gods, it was merely an advantage in numbers. Leave aside facing a Great Venerable—they wouldn't even be able to withstand a True God at Step Three of Sky Treading. "Godfather, are we still holding the feast?" Qi Qi felt the urge to retreat. She wanted to persuade Qi Yuan to leave. Even setting aside that Great Venerable, if just Zhang Feng showed up, it would already be difficult for them to get away. Qi Yuan looked up at the sea of stars in the night sky, his gaze brushing past the brightest among them. "If I get scared off by some spoiled brat in a video game, what's the point of playing?" Qi Yuan didn't care in the least. He had always ruled with absolute authority. Logistics, administration, and management were all left to Qi Qi. However, once he made a decision, it could not be altered. Hearing this, the worry on Qi Qi's face melted away, replaced by a sweet smile. "Whatever Godfather says goes." "Keep feasting! Continue carrying out the plan—conquer cities and seize territory! "My plan is that within a month, funeral feasts will be held across every corner of Feiling Prefecture!" Qi Yuan declared resolutely. Everyone present grew excited, their spirits fired up by Qi Yuan's resolve. Once desolate and bleak, Feiwu City had undergone a complete transformation with Qi Yuan's arrival. Along the wide main streets, flowing banquet tables stretched for several li. Many of the people who had remained in Feiwu City poked their heads out and stepped onto the streets to take part in this baffling feast. All they knew was that a new Ancient God had arrived to take over Feiwu City. For many commoners, there had been a brief flicker of excitement, but it was quickly overshadowed by confusion and dread regarding their future. They did not know how long this Ancient God would remain in Feiwu City. Perhaps, after joyfully gorging himself at the feast, he would pack up all his subordinates and leave. And those left to face the New Gods' vengeance would be none other than themselves. "Sister, what's happening... outside?" A weak voice drifted from inside the house. Yang Lian pushed the door open and looked at her frail little sister lying on the bed. She recounted what was happening outside. "A feast? I want to eat," the girl said, struggling to sit up. Yang Lian shook her head. "We don't know what kind of person that Ancient God is, or whether he is friend or foe. You can't go out, little sister." Lying in bed, disappointment surfaced in the little girl's eyes. "I'll go out in a bit and bring you back something delicious," Yang Lian said, caressing her sister's head with tender affection. "Most likely, they won't stay in Feiwu City for long before moving on." A resolute glint entered Yang Lian's eyes. "This is our chance as well. Rest and recover during this time. Once you're feeling better, I'll take you away from Feiwu City!" It was precisely because her little sister had fallen ill that they hadn't managed to leave earlier. Now that Origin Celestial Venerable had arrived, she could take the opportunity to slip away with her sister. "Mm." The girl nodded. "Remember, whether it's an Ancient God or an evil god, never reveal yourself before them, understand?" Yang Lian held her sister's hand tightly. "Until you become a Great Venerable, until you awaken your power, you must never trust anyone!" The frail girl nodded. Gazing at the starlit sky, Yang Lian's eyes filled with despair. "This world... is beyond saving. No one can save it. "Leaving is the only way to survive. "Little sister, you carry the Seed of the World within you. If you leave this realm and head to the Upper Realm to seek help from... other Yang Gods, perhaps only then can the Mortal Heart Realm be saved!" Naturally, Yang Lian knew doing so would also place the Mortal Heart Realm in great danger. After all, an innate world capable of creating boundless possibilities was an enticing prize to any Yang God. Yet the Mortal Heart Realm possessed no power to protect itself. Seeking aid from another Yang God was its only sliver of hope. Even if that happened, the Mortal Heart Realm might merely be claimed by that Yang God. Still, that was far better than having all living beings annihilated as was happening now. At the thought, Yang Lian gave a self-deprecating smile. "I'm thinking too far ahead. Even if you're lucky enough to escape with the Seed of the World, getting an audience with a Yang God would be nearly impossible. "Still, little sister, as long as you live, there is hope." "Mm." The little sister nodded firmly. Just as Yang Lian finished speaking, she sensed something and hurried out of the room. Outside the front door, a rhythmic knocking sounded. Yang Lian's breath caught, her nerves tightening. "Are they not in?" After knocking for who knew how long, a faint sigh came from outside. "Zhao Zun?" Hearing the familiar voice, the vigilance on Yang Lian's face melted away. She pulled the door open and immediately saw a familiar face. "What are you doing here? I thought you...!" Excitement shone in her eyes. She and Zhao Zun were old acquaintances. Seeing Yang Lian, a look of delight crossed Zhao Zun's face. "I followed our Lord God back to Feiwu City." Mentioning this brought a complex expression to Zhao Zun's face. After returning to the city, he had gone looking for many old friends and acquaintances. His adoptive father, the enemy who had seized his family fortune, had fled Feiwu City some days ago, only to be slain by rogue cultivators along the way. This left him full of mixed emotions. Most of his old acquaintances had fled; Zhao Zun had found very few. He hadn't expected Yang Lian to still be here. "The Guardian Deity of Qingshui Village?" Yang Lian was astonished. Looking at Zhao Zun, she only now realized that his current cultivation was unfathomably deep—far beyond what she could see through. "Yes. The lord bestowed a God Visualization Art upon me, which is how I reached my current cultivation," Zhao Zun explained, picking up on her confusion, his eyes brimming with reverence for Qi Yuan. Looking at her old friend, Yang Lian ventured to ask, "This time... when will you all leave?" In her understanding, since the Guardian Deity of Qingshui Village had slain an evil god, he would surely fear retaliation from other evil gods and wouldn't stay in Feiwu City for long. "Now that this city has been taken, it is the territory of our Qingshui Village. We will not abandon it!" Zhao Zun said earnestly. Presently, Qi Yuan was already planning the conquest of the remaining two cities. Zhao Zun would never leak a plan formulated by the Celestial Venerable, so he refrained from mentioning it to Yang Lian. Yang Lian was taken aback. She had never expected such an answer. "What if... the other evil gods attack?" "We kill them!" A fierce glint flashed in Zhao Zun's eyes. Back on the ancient battlefield of the Hundred Flowers Gathering, he had personally battled seven True Gods. He no longer felt his former terror toward evil gods. Yang Lian observed Zhao Zun's expression, knowing his character well enough to know he wouldn't lie. She thought of that Origin Celestial Venerable whom she had never met. "He must be a magnificent man." "He is the person I revere most in this life!" Zhao Zun's gaze blazed like a torch. "What a pity..." A wave of regret swept through Yang Lian's heart. Such an Ancient God was bound to perish at the hands of the evil gods in the end, buried alongside the Mortal Heart Realm. "Cough, cough..." Just then, a coughing sound came from the inner room. Yang Lian's heart clenched. Zhao Zun thought of something. "Your sister?" "Yes. Let me go check on her. You... please wait here for a moment." Yang Lian hurriedly stepped back inside. Once inside, she pulled the door tightly shut. Zhao Zun was a little surprised, but said nothing. After a few dozen breaths, Yang Lian emerged from the room with a helpless look on her face. "My sister says she deeply admires Origin Celestial Venerable and wants to give him a gift." Yang Lian opened her hand to reveal an exquisitely translucent jade leaf. The jade leaf was as thin as a cicada's wing, etched with vein-like patterns that seemed carved by the passage of time. Yet the entire leaf was blood-red, as if thoroughly soaked in blood. Taking the jade leaf, Zhao Zun was rather astonished. He could sense that this leaf was unusual. "I will deliver it to the Celestial Venerable." Remembering something, Yang Lian added, "My sister is very frail right now and cannot receive strangers." Zhao Zun nodded. He understood Yang Lian's meaning. "I will convey those words to the Celestial Venerable as well." After speaking a bit more with Yang Lian, Zhao Zun took his leave. Yang Lian shut the door tight and returned to the room. Looking at her even weaker sister, pity and sorrow welled in her eyes. "Little sister, why did you have to do that?" The frail young girl on the bed opened her eyes, clear and bright. "He killed an evil god. That makes him our benefactor." "Still, it isn't worth it," Yang Lian said. "Don't worry, Sister, he won't be able to detect me." Yang Lian knew this was true, which was why she hadn't stopped her. "Sister, have you noticed that Big Brother Zhao Zun... isn't like he used to be?" "Mm... it seems so." Yang Lian frowned. "The Celestial Venerable he serves must be no ordinary person," the young girl murmured. If he were ordinary, why would she have been moved by an impulse to bestow a treasure? "Perhaps in his past life, he was a... Mythological," Yang Lian ventured a bold guess. Otherwise, why would her sister bestow a treasure upon him? Only a Mythological figure was worthy of such a gift. Mythologicals were those at Step Seven of Sky Treading—figures of myth and legend. Mythologicals were the sturdiest backbone of this world. During the Hongtang Great War, the Holy Mother of Inedia had fallen in battle, and the True Gods of the Mortal Heart Realm suffered catastrophic casualties. Fewer than three in ten True Gods and Great Venerables survived. Yet among the Mythologicals at Step Seven of Sky Treading, not a single one survived. Every last one of the strongest Mythologicals had died fighting for the Mortal Heart Realm! The reason Children of Destiny were called Children of Destiny was not simply because heaven and earth favored them, but because they could visualize Mythological-grade God Visualization Arts. This was the Mortal Heart Realm's last visible hope. Yang Lian looked at her sister's frail body, infinite pity in her eyes. "Does it still hurt?" "A little," the thin little girl said, gritting her teeth. "Hold on just a little longer. You will definitely make it out of the Mortal Heart Realm, and when you do... it won't hurt anymore." Yang Lian embraced her sister, her thoughts drifting to Zhao Zun. Perhaps by then, she, Zhao Zun, and that Origin Celestial Venerable would all have fallen in battle in the Mortal Heart Realm. Only her little sister, carrying the Seed of the World, the hope of the realm, would sprout after countless ages. Yet... would what sprouted still be the Mortal Heart Realm? Would everything from the past still remain? *** Meanwhile, Zhao Zun returned to the Castellan's Manor. At that moment, Qi Yuan was gnawing on a pig's trotter. Looking at Qi Qi, he couldn't help but say, "You chew and swallow far too slowly when you eat. Xiaoxue's wolfing it down is what truly whets the appetite." Qi Qi shot Qi Yuan a dirty look. "Godfather, your daughter is a lady! A lady!" Inside the Castellan's Manor, the atmosphere was lively and harmonious. Ji Buran sat at the table as well, quietly chewing on a pig's trotter. Just then, Qi Yuan said, "In a few more days, the remaining two cities will be taken. My grand plan will finally take another step forward." Seeing daily progress on his plan felt utterly fantastic. Qi Yuan thought to himself that if everyone on Blue Star were bound to a progress bar or an experience bar, Blue Star would surely produce countless hard-working prodigies like him. Beside him, Qi Qi gnawed on a bone, not bothering to answer Qi Yuan. Did that even qualify as a plan? Truth be told, when Qi Qi heard her godfather's "grand plan," she found it laughably crude—less detailed than her notes on crop sowing, and less thorough than Xiaoxue's pig-raising guide. "Once the plan here is complete, we can return to Qingshui Village and prepare to enter the Ancient Clan's Ancestral Land." Qi Yuan was eagerly anticipating the Ancestral Land. "The Ancient Clan..." Hearing this, Qi Qi hesitated. "The Ancestral Land is extremely perilous. Godfather, you must be careful." "Don't worry. There's no one in this world who plays it safer than me." Qi Yuan spouted nonsense with a straight face. Qi Qi was rendered speechless once again. Did her godfather's behavior have anything to do with playing it safe? "Godfather, you aren't playing it safe at all. Great Venerable Shenlei is what real caution looks like," Qi Qi said helplessly. "Right now you're only at the Purple Mansion realm, yet you dare confront True Gods—and even Great Venerables." "I'm not in the Purple Mansion realm anymore. I have a... Stellar Golden Core! I'm already playing it very safe." Qi Yuan drank the fragrant broth, feasting heartily. "Godfather, what kind of nonsense are you babbling now?" "If I weren't playing it safe, I'd have secretly summoned my Stellar Golden Core right now and hurled it straight into the Heavenly Pillar to crush that old dog of an evil god to death!" Qi Yuan said with all seriousness. He had genuinely considered doing just that. The pity was that his Stellar Golden Core was merely a projection. If it were a real star, he would truly dare to clash head-on with that Yang God inside the Heavenly Pillar. Although his daughter said Yang Gods could swallow stars whole, Qi Yuan remained skeptical of the claim. Perhaps some Yang Gods really could swallow stars, but that didn't mean every Yang God could. The disparity between Yang Gods was vast, and the disparity between stars was just as vast. Qi Qi looked up at the night sky, amusement in her eyes. "Godfather, if you could really summon the stars from the sky, you might actually crush plenty of evil gods to death!" As for beings above True Gods, Qi Qi offered no comment. Such a realm was beyond her comprehension. Still, crushing a Mythological with a star would surely pose no problem. "Don't worry, I'm currently testing it. I've already begun preparations to swallow another star. When the time comes, I'll secretly drop it down and scare the daylights out of that old bastard." Qi Yuan gazed at the night sky. In the empty universe where Ning Tao resided, time continued to fly forward at high speed. The True Solar Fire was also steadily accumulating, and soon he would be able to swallow another star. When that happened, Qi Yuan would be able to condense two Stellar Golden Cores.