The Mythological Plan

Sitting beside Qi Yuan, Qi Qi could not help giving him a thumbs-up upon hearing his words. "Godfather truly is one in hundreds of millions. Out of all the Origin Core cultivators in our Mortal Heart Realm, not a single one... has formed a Golden Core like this." It was hard to tell whether Qi Qi meant it as praise or sarcasm. "The Mortal Heart Realm is indeed a bit lacking. I know a friend who not only formed a Golden Core, but also formed a Divine Infant," Qi Yuan said, thinking of True Monarch Dazhi. True Monarch Dazhi truly lived up to his name; he possessed great wisdom. Qi Qi took a slurp of soup with a rustling sound, set down her porcelain spoon, and then found it easier to speak. "Godfather, to be honest, I think condensing a Stellar Divine Infant would be much more impressive than a Stellar Golden Core." "How so?" Qi Yuan asked, eager to learn. "A Divine Infant is the foundation of a True God. The stronger the Divine Infant, the stronger you'll be once you become a True God. A Golden Core is merely a transition. It's going to shatter later anyway, so forming whatever you like makes no difference at all." Qi Qi shared everything she knew with Qi Yuan. "*Sigh*, you really are no match for True Monarch Dazhi. Sometimes a single conversation with him leaves me enlightened. A conversation with you just makes me feel like... I listened for nothing." Qi Yuan shook his head. Seeing that their conversation had ended, Zhao Zun, who stood nearby, gave Qi Yuan a report on Feiwu City's current situation. Though it was nominally reported to Qi Yuan, it was actually Qi Qi who listened intently the entire time. Once the report was finished, Zhao Zun said, "Celestial Venerable, I ran into an old acquaintance in Feiwu City. She said she had a gift for me to pass on to you." Zhao Zun recounted his encounter with Yang Lian and the circumstances of Yang Lian's younger sister to Qi Yuan. He also added Yang Lian's note: her sister was physically frail and did not wish to meet strangers. "Oh? A gift?" Qi Yuan's interest was piqued. "A little sister is giving me a gift? Seems the people's will is on my side, and destiny favors me!" With some anticipation, Qi Yuan looked at the blood-red jade leaf in Zhao Zun's hand. [Scarlet Jade Leaf, a special creation stained red by the blood of a True God. When worn while in the Mortal Heart Realm, luck +1.] "Luck?" Qi Yuan took the Scarlet Jade Leaf, curiosity flashing in his eyes. The word "luck" was rather mystical. Back on the Wangyue Continent, when he commanded the Heavenly Dao, he could also bestow luck upon others. However, it had been quite shallow. "I accept this lady's gift. I only wonder when I'll be able to return the favor," Qi Yuan muttered. Zhao Zun had already relayed her words, so Qi Yuan knew she did not want to meet strangers. Accepting the gift was enough; there was no need to be intrusive. Zhao Zun bowed his head. "This subordinate will convey the Celestial Venerable's words to her." "Mm," Qi Yuan replied. Half a day later, in the courtyard residence. Yang Lian looked at the familiar figure before her, a smile in her eyes. "There's no need for a return gift. Just thank the Origin Celestial Venerable on my behalf for his kindness." World luck—what kind of return gift could ever match that? Yang Lian felt that the deity would not be able to offer enough. Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. The Eighteen Arhats and the Four Heavenly Kings, who had set out on campaign, had already returned to Feiwu City. This time, the Eighteen Arhats and the Four Heavenly Kings had deployed together, dividing into two routes and advancing step by step according to Qi Yuan's plan. Caught completely off guard by the surprise assault, the evil gods in the remaining two cities were all slain. Of the seven cities in Feiling Prefecture, four had originally fallen entirely under the control of evil gods. Now, only the prefecture seat of Feiling Prefecture remained. According to intelligence gathered, the prefecture seat was about to be taken over by an evil god of the Two Steps of Sky Treading. This evil god was at the mid Two Steps of Sky Treading, possessing formidable strength. Even with the Four Heavenly Kings and the Eighteen Arhats attacking together, victory would be difficult to achieve. Presently, Feiling Prefecture was swept by surging undercurrents. On one hand, Qi Yuan dispatched troops to execute evil gods and wipe out their remnants. On the other hand, many remnants of the evil gods lay hidden in the shadows, waiting for the arrival of Feiling Prefecture's new god to eradicate the Ancient Gods. The entirety of Feiling Prefecture was gripped by turmoil and unrest. The prominent aristocratic clans that had originally intended to migrate did not stay just because Qi Yuan had purged the evil gods. Instead, they fled even faster and more urgently, terrified of getting caught in the crossfire. Most of those remaining throughout Feiling Prefecture were ordinary cultivators and impoverished masses. Naturally, there were also a few great clans who rushed toward Feiwu City, choosing to join the Origin Celestial Venerable in confronting the impending crisis. Within just a few days, Feiwu City—once desolate and empty—became lively again. Every day, open banquets were held across the streets, brimming with harmony and delight. This world shrouded in blood mist gained a touch of festive, joyful air. Qi Qi stood atop the city gate tower, looking down at the common people heartily feasting and smiling. She could not help recalling that day when she had stood atop the high mountain, watching with her own eyes as endless heavenly fires fell, burning Tianfu to the ground. Countless subjects had risen in resistance, only for the final Tianfu to be reduced to ashes. *Perhaps in this oppressive world, gathering together to eat the banquet of a slain evil god is the only thing worth being happy about,* Qi Qi thought to herself. *No wonder people hold banquets after someone dies. Perhaps it's just meant to dispel the fear of death with a lively atmosphere.* "Miss Qi Qi, the Celestial Venerable is preparing to return to Qingshui Village." "Alright, I'll go see Godfather off!" Qi Qi looked up, her gaze bright. Godfather was returning to Qingshui Village to head for the Ancestral Land. Meanwhile, she, along with the Four Heavenly Kings and a portion of the Arhats, would be responsible for guarding Feiwu City. *** Qingshui Village. When Great Venerable Shenlei received the news, the corners of his mouth could not help curling upward. "This guy really is reckless. He killed three evil gods just like that?" Learning the news, Great Venerable Shenlei was filled with emotion. This Origin Celestial Venerable was truly a man of action. "Venerable Fengliu is a bit troublesome..." Before arriving, Great Venerable Shenlei had familiarized himself with the gods of Lin Country. Venerable Fengliu was the scion of a Great Venerable, as well as Zhang Feng's brother-in-law. He had not expected Venerable Fengliu to be the new evil god designated for Feiwu City. After a moment's thought, he opened a jade slip. Instantly, within an ancient land, Great Venerable Shenlei's phantom projection materialized. A white-haired old man was meditating with his eyes closed. Sensing something, he opened his eyes. "Great Venerable Shenlei, has something gone wrong in the Northern Lands?" "*Cough*..." Great Venerable Shenlei coughed, his aura appearing somewhat frail. "This old man has come seeking a favor from you." "Don't tell me you failed to hold back again, recklessly attacked an evil god, and exposed yourself?" the white-haired old man said in grief and frustration. This good friend of his had every virtue except one—he was simply too reckless and refused to listen to reason. Otherwise, he would not have ended up covered in wounds. "*Cough, cough*, this time it wasn't my recklessness," Great Venerable Shenlei said awkwardly. "It's that... guardian deity of Qingshui Village. He's the one who was reckless, and I couldn't hold him back at all." "Oh?" Hearing this, the white-haired old man's interest was piqued. "So it was that disciple of yours who was reckless? Fascinating, truly fascinating. Isn't he staying in the village? Could it be that he ran out and seduced an evil god's daughter?" "Not that. He... killed all the evil gods in Feiling Prefecture," Great Venerable Shenlei said in a deep voice. To him, killing a few evil gods was no issue at all. The biggest problem was what to do after killing them. The entirety of the Northern Lands was occupied territory, practically the evil gods' stronghold. Hearing this, the white-haired old man was dumbfounded. "Where did he get such gall?" He muttered to himself, his expression turning fraught with worry. "Before the evil gods react, hurry and take him on the run to our Southern Lands! "His talent is extraordinary. To be able to visualize more than twenty Legendary God Visualization Arts—even if he isn't the Child of Destiny, he might as well be." "I... can't take him away," Great Venerable Shenlei said bitterly. "You can't even manage your own disciple?" the white-haired old man raged. "*Cough, cough*, is it possible that he isn't my disciple at all?" Great Venerable Shenlei grew even more embarrassed. "What?" "*Sigh*. When I first arrived in Qingshui Village, he told me he already had a master and refused to take me as his master. This old man couldn't very well force him... to be my disciple. Who would have thought he'd take a trip to the Hundred Flowers Gathering and accept Great Venerable Qionghua as his subject?" Every time he thought of this, Great Venerable Shenlei felt utterly bewildered. "A Great Venerable? As a subject? Great Venerable Shenlei, you aren't pulling my leg, are you?" The white-haired old man did not believe it. How could a dignified Great Venerable serve as the subject of a mere Purple Mansion cultivator? "I'm not lying to you. If I'm lying, may five bolts of heavenly lightning strike me down!" "Heh, heavenly lightning striking you is just scratching an itch, isn't it?" the white-haired old man chuckled. "In short, his talent is extraordinarily high, but he is exceedingly stubborn; this old man cannot persuade him," Great Venerable Shenlei said with a sigh. "Useless! Couldn't you just knock him out and carry him back?" The white-haired old man was exasperated by his friend's lack of resolve. "I don't want to play the villain." Great Venerable Shenlei remembered something and added, "His talent is too high; relying on supreme treasures alone won't let him break through to the True God realm. Therefore, he is going to the Ancient Clan's Ancestral Land to seek an opportunity for breakthrough." The white-haired old man fell silent for a long time before saying, "So you're asking me to be the villain?" The Ancient Clan's Ancestral Land happened to be located in the Southern Lands. Hearing that, Great Venerable Shenlei spoke leisurely: "If he emerges from the Ancestral Land without stepping into the True God realm, find an excuse to trick him. Make up some method for reaching the True God realm and keep him in the Southern Lands. If he does step into the True God realm, you must keep him in the Southern Lands all the more. His future is no less promising than that of the Child of Destiny. "He is the hope of our Mortal Heart Realm. "When the time is ripe and the great gate opens, let them... let these seeds of hope leave the Mortal Heart Realm," Great Venerable Shenlei pleaded with earnest devotion. Facing the evil gods, the Mortal Heart Realm had suffered defeat even at its peak; all the Mythological figures of the Hongtang Great War had perished in battle. Now, how could the feeble Mortal Heart Realm possibly overcome the evil gods? Thus, the Mythological Plan was set in motion. Gathering the strength of the entire clan and the entire realm, they would nurture the Child of Destiny, forge Mythological-level experts, and cultivate Mythological seeds. In the end, the Mythological experts would strike together, breaking open the great gate to escort the final hope—the seeds of the world—out of the Mortal Heart Realm. Of course, under the evil gods' blockade, the Ancient Gods who managed to escape the Mortal Heart Realm would likely be few and far between. Still... rescuing even one counted as a victory. The white-haired old man looked at Great Venerable Shenlei and said after a long silence, "Whether the Mythological Plan can succeed, even this old man does not know. If his talent is sufficient, a core slot... can be granted to him." "Thank you," Great Venerable Shenlei offered his sincere thanks. In the Mythological Plan, old men like them whose path had reached its end were given no core slots. Core slots were reserved for the Mythological seeds. Meanwhile, True Gods like them were sacrifices. Once everything was prepared, all the Ancient Gods participating in the Mythological Plan would divide into two paths. Along one path, a host of Ancient Gods would launch a sudden assault against the evil gods of the Mortal Heart Realm to draw their attention. Along the other, Ancient Gods would sacrifice themselves to open the great gate, sending forth the Mythological figures and Mythological seeds. "By the way, Zhu Kexiu earned the favor of the evil gods and was sent beyond the heavens some time ago. Now that he has returned, his Divine Domain has ascended to another level," the white-haired old man reminded Great Venerable Shenlei. Zhu Kexiu had once been Great Venerable Shenlei's friend. Yet that Great Venerable had chosen to defect to the evil gods, stabbing the Ancient Gods in the back. Back then, Great Venerable Shenlei had been so furious that he charged out rashly, taking on two Great Venerables single-handedly, one of whom was Zhu Kexiu. Had the white-haired old man not arrived in time, Great Venerable Shenlei might have fallen in that battle. "Damn it, that motherless bastard! Is this old man really no match for him now?" Great Venerable Shenlei cursed furiously. Once done, a wave of desolation washed over him. "Still, this old man truly won't have another chance... to have another bout with that thing." Hearing this, the white-haired old man felt a pang of heartache. He had brought up Zhu Kexiu on purpose, hoping to ignite Great Venerable Shenlei's desire for vengeance. Great Venerable Shenlei looked at the white-haired old man, a relieved smile appearing in his eyes. "If I trick that kid into staying in the Southern Lands, he's bound to resent me. This old man won't dare face him again anyway, lest it be awkward. Let this useless remnant of mine do one last thing for him. Feiling Prefecture, Zhang Feng—these enemies, this old man will sweep them clean on his behalf!" He was already severely injured, with barely three hundred years of lifespan remaining. With his current strength, he was no match for any Great Venerable. However, killing a Two Steps of Sky Treading in Feiling Prefecture and that Three Steps of Sky Treading, Zhang Feng, was something he was quite confident in. Still, once he finished slaying those two, he would likely have no chance of escaping the occupied territory. The white-haired old man looked at Great Venerable Shenlei, deeply moved. "Him... I will take good care of him." "Right, let's leave it at that. That fellow is probably heading back soon." Great Venerable Shenlei's phantom projection dissipated beside the white-haired old man. In the desolate expanse where blood-colored liquid flowed, the white-haired old man stood up and gazed at the sky, his expression bleak. Just then, his jade slip flickered. A figure cloaked entirely in a black robe appeared. Seeing this person, the white-haired old man's expression tightened. "Why have you come? Be careful!" The figure within the black robe spoke in a raspy voice: "This time, I discovered a new node. Its location is in the hea—" Hearing this, the white-haired old man was pleasantly surprised. "Another node found? That is wonderful news." The nodes were tied to the Mythological Plan—to whether they could open the gate of the Mortal Heart Realm and escape. The black robe remained motionless, showing no trace of joy. After about a dozen breaths, his calm voice came through: "I killed Great Venerable Lihua." Hearing that, the white-haired old man fell silent. His voice turned somewhat hoarse. "That had nothing to do with you." "Mm," the black-robed figure responded softly and vanished from the spot. *** Qingshui Village. Shi Chongshan went up to greet the big black dog, a warm smile on his face. "Sworn Brother, you're back." The big black dog nodded like a human. It glanced at Zhu Zhuangshi nearby, opened its dog maw, and spat out a large bone. Seeing this, Shi Chongshan said to Zhu Zhuangshi, "Aren't you going to thank my sworn brother? Even while feasting at the banquet, he remembered you and brought a bone back for you!" Looking at the bone, Zhu Zhuangshi wanted to cry but had no tears. Back then, when he returned home from feasting, he had brought back a bone for the big black dog. Now karma had come full circle. Not daring to vent his fury on the big black dog, he glared at Shi Chongshan instead. "Once I grow strong, I'll definitely give you what you deserve, you treacherous hypocrite!" Naturally, he would not eat the bone, nor had the big black dog truly meant to humiliate him. "Alright, what are you babbling about? Village Chief, select some people over the next few days to accompany me to the Ancestral Land," Qi Yuan said as he appeared, addressing Village Chief Yulei, who was watching the spectacle from the side. Hearing this, Village Chief Yulei's heart leapt into his throat. "Lord Deity, how many people should I choose?" "Hmm... seven or eight, I suppose," Qi Yuan said casually. For this journey into the Ancient Clan's Ancestral Land, the Dragon Subduing Arhat and Tiger Taming Arhat were definitely going. In addition, the Long Eyebrow Arhat and Happy Arhat would also follow. Qi Yuan figured he would bring another seven or eight villagers inside as well. "Lord Deity, may I go?" Village Chief Yulei asked hurriedly. "If you aren't afraid of dying, you may," Qi Yuan said indifferently. Entering the Ancestral Land was fraught with deadly peril for anyone who had not reached the True God realm. After all, even Great Venerables risked perishing within the Ancient Clan's Ancestral Land. Not to mention these villagers. "Have the villagers volunteer on their own, and make sure the dangers are clear to them. If no one volunteers, then... whatever. If too many volunteer, handle it as you see fit and pick eight formidable ones," Qi Yuan instructed. For this expedition into the Ancestral Land, Qi Yuan still needed to make some preparations. At any rate, according to Yulei and Shentu, many places within the Ancestral Land were fraught with danger, but many places were also entirely safe. Qi Yuan's twitching brows could signal fortune and disaster, making him well suited to venture into the Ancestral Land. Having said that, Qi Yuan looked toward Great Venerable Shenlei. "Old Geezer Shenlei, do you want to come along to the Ancient Clan's Ancestral Land this time and act as my bodyguard?" Great Venerable Shenlei shot Qi Yuan a sidelong glance. "You sure are dreaming, kid." "*Sigh*. You eat our Qingshui Village's food every day, yet you're completely useless. On this campaign, I asked you to join the orchestra and release heavenly lightning to fill in the background music, and you wouldn't even do that. You old geezer, you're stingy as hell, dropping zero loot. What are you doing here, posing as a mascot?" Qi Yuan grumbled indignantly. This Great Venerable Shenlei was eager when it came to feasting, but did not lift a finger for anything else. "Rest assured, once you return this time, this old man has a grand gift for you!" Great Venerable Shenlei stroked his beard, looking smug and leisurely. "Just don't make it too absurd," Qi Yuan said, shooting Great Venerable Shenlei a look. "My greatest expectation of you was just to add a bit of background music for me." "This old man is a dignified Great Venerable! You want me to discharge lightning while you fight? What are you thinking!" Great Venerable Shenlei glared at Qi Yuan. No one insulted people like this. To think that he, a dignified reckless powerhouse, would be reduced to discharging lightning every day—where was the decorum in that? Qi Yuan glanced at Great Venerable Shenlei and sighed. "Discharging lightning is a craft, too. Seems I'll have to summon the Thunder Bureau over." The Thunder Bureau was one of the Heavenly Court's Eight Bureaus. It oversaw the mortal world's clouds, rain, wind, and thunder, and possessed the authority to inspect the Three Realms and judge good and evil. Among the Eight Bureaus, the Thunder Bureau was illustrious, commanded by the Nine Heavens Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Celestial Venerable. This Celestial Venerable boasted an enormous background, rumored to be an incarnation of the Longevity Great Emperor, one of the Four Sovereigns. If Qi Yuan could visualize him, every time he marched into battle hereafter, he would be dripping with style, surrounded by boundless thunder. Of course, that Celestial Venerable's status was rather lofty; with Qi Yuan's current evil god spiritual power, he might not be able to visualize him. However, the Five Direction Thunder Emperors or the Thirty-Six Thunder Generals were certainly worth a try. Visualizing them would immediately max out the visual effects. "Where did this Thunder Bureau pop up from now?" Great Venerable Shenlei chuckled. "That Huaxia Dragon Group of yours is truly teeming with talent!"