A group of Ancient Gods conversed in secret, filling in the blanks in their heads.
They could hardly be blamed for thinking this way.
After all, they were trying to fathom Qi Yuan's thoughts using the logic of a normal person.
Qi Yuan had called out their secrets, making it difficult to understand his motives.
Regardless, running was without question the wisest choice.
Since they had been willing to defect to an evil god, they naturally valued their lives above all else.
"Don't tell Ancient God Yan Xi about this. He might have betrayed us long ago—he was probably the one who leaked our information!"
They exchanged voice transmissions while pretending on the surface as if nothing had happened.
"Elder She, how about the two of us team up when we enter the Ancestral Land so we can look out for each other?" the burly, dark-skinned man asked, looking toward She Lao.
She Lao nodded absentmindedly. "All right."
"I have a treasure here that lets us combine our offense and defense, channeling our divine spiritual power together. Would you care to join me?" the burly man asked.
She Lao's expression changed violently. "No need!"
While such a treasure would indeed bolster their combat power, it would also bind him right beside the burly man.
What a vicious heart!
He actually intended to slaughter him right here!
All hesitation vanished from She Lao's heart, leaving only one thought: run the moment they entered the Ancestral Land.
The other traitors watched this exchange and came to the exact same conclusion.
The burly man stood there bewildered, having no idea what had just occurred.
Why did She Lao react so drastically?
The older twin sister, however, showed a thoughtful expression as she watched.
"Come on, let's head in and take a look at the Ancestral Land," Qi Yuan said beside them, itching to try.
At that moment, the murky gray sky ahead turned white, and a transparent membrane appeared in their line of sight.
"It looks a bit like an energy shield. Rather interesting." Qi Yuan looked at the membrane rising over the Ancestral Land, an intrigued expression on his face.
In typical cultivation worlds, such formations tended to have an immortal cultivation aesthetic.
Here, it carried a sci-fi flavor.
The group looked at the energy shield and swiftly passed through it.
Zhu Zhuangshi, Yulei, Zhao Zun, and the others followed Qi Yuan, crossing straight through the barrier into the Ancestral Land.
All of a sudden, several powerful auras erupted.
She Lao's body surged with immense divine spiritual power as he bolted directly away.
The three Purple Mansion attendants beside Ancient God Yan Xi suddenly burst forth with the strength of Step Two Sky Treading. Their divine apertures ignited, and they fled at top speed.
The remaining Ancient Gods whom Qi Yuan had singled out summoned every ounce of their strength and fled for their lives.
Their speed was ten thousand times the speed of sound.
"What's going on?" The burly man was dumbfounded. Seeing those Ancient Gods running, he didn't even think before sprinting right after them.
The rest of the Ancient Gods stood frozen where they were, staring at each other in bewilderment.
Qi Yuan looked ahead and couldn't help marveling, "Do you get a prize for coming in first in a running race in the Ancestral Land?"
The younger twin sister snapped out of her confusion. "I've never heard of such a thing."
"Why is that dark, burly fellow running after them?" Qi Yuan could guess why the others were fleeing, but why was that burly man running?
While the other Ancient Gods were filled with confusion, Ancient God Yan Xi eventually looked at Qi Yuan, reverence in his eyes. "Senior, was it a Great Venerable who sent you in?"
At those words, the confusion in the eyes of many present only deepened.
Qi Yuan was utterly bewildered. "What Great Venerable?"
Venerable Yan Xi grew puzzled. "Did some Great Venerable not discover that Great Venerable Aoshi was plotting against the Ancestral Land and had turned several Ancient Gods to his side for this operation?
"Aside from Good Luck Venerable, the other Ancient Gods, including She Lao, defected to the evil god long ago."
Yan Xi's words stunned the rest of the Ancient Gods on the scene.
"What? They defected to Great Venerable Aoshi?!"
"Great Venerable Aoshi is even scheming after the final gate? Could it be..."
"I knew it! When this senior called them out just now, I suspected something was amiss."
The crowd buzzed with discussion, and Venerable Yan Xi disclosed even more truths to everyone.
A year ago, Venerable Yan Xi's family had been captured by Great Venerable Aoshi, and he had been coerced into bringing three Step Two Sky Treading experts—disguised as attendants, but actually True Gods—into the Ancestral Land.
She Lao and the other True Gods had also been swayed to Aoshi's side long ago.
Their purpose in entering the Ancestral Land was twofold: first, to secretly assassinate the Ancient Gods present, and second, to follow Great Venerable Aoshi's orders and seize control of the final gate.
When the other Ancient Gods heard this, they were all thoroughly shaken.
"Thank goodness this senior called them out." The other Ancient Gods came to their senses and looked at Qi Yuan. "Senior, were you truly not ordered by a Great Venerable to apprehend those traitors?"
"No."
"Then how did you realize they were traitors, Senior?"
"I didn't realize anything." Qi Yuan blinked. "I was just telling their fortunes."
He had indeed noticed something was wrong with those people, but as for the specifics, he had no idea.
His eyes could reveal hidden information, but that didn't make him omniscient.
"Fortune-telling?" Venerable Yan Xi felt that sounded preposterous.
Yet Qi Yuan's expression didn't look like he was lying to them at all.
Besides, there was no need to lie about such a thing.
"Your fortune-telling... is rather formidable." The older twin sister stared intently at Qi Yuan, as if trying to see through to his inner thoughts.
"Was it a coincidence?"
"They must have thought, just like us, that he was an operative sent by a Great Venerable, which frightened them away.
"Otherwise, if She Lao had led those True Gods to strike at us in secret, we might have been completely wiped out!"
A wave of lingering dread washed over the Ancient Gods present.
Fortunately, a twist of fate had scared the enemy off.
"Regardless, you have saved our lives. I offer my profound thanks!" one True God bowed deeply.
"Fellow Daoist, you saved my life. Such a debt is greater than the heavens! If you have any commands, please do not hesitate to ask!"
These True Gods offered their heartfelt thanks with great sincerity.
No matter what, Qi Yuan could truly be credited with saving their lives.
"Truly anything I ask?" Qi Yuan's eyes lit up.
"Please, speak your mind, Fellow Daoist!" the True Gods replied politely.
In circumstances where a debt of gratitude arose from a misunderstanding like this, standard etiquette was to exchange pleasantries, present a few treasures, or leave it as a owed favor.
"Your strength isn't bad. How about becoming citizens of my Qingshui Village?" Qi Yuan said in all seriousness.
These were all True Gods. If he recruited them, Qingshui Village's power would skyrocket.
The moment he said this, every god present took on a bizarre expression.
"Fellow Daoist... are you joking?"
They were all Ancient Gods and, like Qi Yuan, guardian deities of their own cities.
They could accept having superiors, but... they couldn't accept having a 'daddy'!
The relationship between a guardian deity and his citizens was practically akin to that between a father and his sons.
That was why, back when Great Venerable Qionghua had willingly become Qi Yuan's citizen, the True Gods present had been utterly shocked and unable to believe it.
Now, Qi Yuan's proposal genuinely stunned them.
They assumed Qi Yuan had to be joking.
"I never joke.
"After all, a joke is only a joke if the person on the receiving end can accept it; otherwise, it's an insult.
"I am speaking to you with complete sincerity," Qi Yuan said earnestly.
The usually talkative younger twin sister fell silent.
Inviting True Gods to become his citizens... if this wasn't a joke, that was the real insult, wasn't it?!
It would be far better if it were just a joke.
"Does this person have mental issues?"
"He is rather peculiar."
"Bringing along so many mortals, and then the fortune-telling... it really is..."
The True Gods conversed via voice transmissions.
The older twin sister stepped forward and said, "I'm afraid we cannot fulfill this request of yours.
"How about this? You have brought over ten citizens with you, and the Ancestral Land is fraught with peril.
"Why not entrust them to our care, divided among us for protection, as a token of our gratitude?"
She wanted to repay the favor this way.
Qi Yuan waved his hand dismissively. "My citizens are safer following me.
"Since you won't become my citizens, I won't waste any more time with you."
He didn't mind the rejection in the slightest.
Seeing this, the others didn't press the matter further.
Even so, they all found this mysterious Qi Yuan rather intriguing.
Some also thought he was severely unwell in the head.
With that, the matter came to a close.
Qi Yuan's gaze swept over the Ancestral Land.
Beneath their feet, there was no soil, only various colors of metal that appeared to be alloys.
Qi Yuan could name some of these metals. To low-tier cultivators, they might be considered treasures, but to the True Gods present, they were worthless.
All around lay metal alloys, and as far as the eye could see, there were scrap metal shavings and shattered metallic contraptions.
Among them, an enormous metal foot rose high into the sky, its eighteen toes exceptionally eye-catching.
The metallic nails of the toes even seemed to be coated with colorful nail polish.
Inscribed upon the nails were various bizarre animal designs.
Qi Yuan had never seen such creatures before.
The younger twin sister looked at the massive foot ahead and said, "Legend has it that the ancestors of our Ancient Clan hailed from beyond the realm.
"The entire Ancestral Land is actually a magical treasure.
"The Ancient Clan arrived in the Mortal Heart Realm aboard this treasure.
"After descending upon the Mortal Heart Realm, the treasure shattered and became the Ancestral Land, leaving behind countless lost treasures."
At the mention of treasures, the True Gods present felt their hearts stir.
The treasures in the Ancestral Land were bizarre and abundant, and their effects were remarkably potent.
The last time She Lao came to the Ancestral Land, he found a precious celestial liquid that allowed him to open two divine apertures back-to-back upon drinking it.
Other treasures helped accumulate greater divine spiritual power, bolstering a cultivator's foundation and strength.
Therefore, despite the extreme danger of the Ancestral Land, these Ancient Gods continued to flock here.
"Treasures are plentiful, but this place also harbors terrifying perils.
"A single careless moment can cost you your life," the older twin sister said coldly. "Within the Ancestral Land dwell various puppet gods.
"They possess no fixed form. One might be a drop of liquid, a stone, or a wisp of mist.
"Yet they possess tremendous strength. The weakest are Step One True Gods, and the strongest can even rival Great Venerables.
"If one carelessly wanders into their territory, death is a very real possibility.
"Furthermore, these puppet gods have no fixed dwelling. They roam and hibernate across the Ancestral Land at will, so past experience is entirely useless. A puppet god could be slumbering anywhere.
"For example, that metallic foot ahead could very well house a slumbering puppet god. A single touch could awaken it."
At the mention of puppet gods, the True Gods took on grave, fearful expressions.
"Where are the treasures of the Ancestral Land?" Qi Yuan asked.
The younger twin sister couldn't help chiming in, "The deeper you go, the more abundant and precious the treasures become, but the danger also rises accordingly.
"According to our division, the Ancestral Land is split into seven tiers. Step One True Gods generally stay in the first tier, Step Two True Gods generally roam the first two tiers, and so on.
"In the first tier, the odds of surviving the dangers encountered by a Step One True God are about fifty-fifty, which is still manageable.
"Entering the second tier, one might not be so fortunate.
"Do you really know nothing about this? Don't you have a map?"
As the younger twin sister spoke, she looked at Qi Yuan with suspicion.
"I don't." Qi Yuan truly had no map.
"Take this." With a flick of her hand, a sheepskin map landed in Qi Yuan's grasp.
Qi Yuan glanced at it and committed it to memory. "This division is rather rudimentary. So if I just walk straight forward to the deepest part, that's the seventh tier?"
Qi Yuan felt the map wasn't of much use.
He had thought it would be an intricate labyrinth and was worried about getting lost.
Now it was simple: knowing the objective lay straight ahead, as long as the direction was right, there wouldn't be any issues.
His ultimate goal was the seventh tier, where Great Venerable Aoshi had obtained his opportunity to attain godhood.
Naturally, if he encountered other treasures along the way, he wouldn't pass them up, as he could use them to enhance his subordinates' strength.
"Yes," the younger twin sister confirmed with a nod.
"In that case, farewell everyone. I wish you good luck." Qi Yuan bade the Ancient Gods goodbye and began walking forward.
As he spoke, he looked toward a tall tower in the distance ahead. "There are good things over there. Let's go!"
At this, the older twin sister hurriedly called out to him, "Careful, Fellow Daoist! A puppet god has been slumbering in that tower, and it is exceptionally powerful!
"The slightest carelessness will awaken it!
"Three Ancient Gods have previously fallen inside that tower!"
The other Ancient Gods hastily chimed in with warnings as well.
Throughout the Ancestral Land stood many such towering spires that pierced the clouds.
These towers contained the most treasures, but they were also the most dangerous.
Even a tower in the first tier might harbor a puppet god on par with a Great Venerable. Consequently, no Ancient God ever entered these towers to seek treasures.
That was simply courting death!
"It's fine. My left eyebrow has been twitching nonstop, which means the treasures inside are calling to me!"
With a wave of his hand, Qi Yuan flew directly toward the tower, his citizens following right behind him.
The remaining Ancient Gods looked at each other in dismay.
The older twin sister spoke up, "This fellow daoist saved our lives. We... cannot simply abandon him like this!"
They swiftly flew over as well, landing outside the towering structure.
However, because they had been too cautious, they arrived too late.
Qi Yuan and his group had already entered the tower.
The faces of everyone present darkened.
"He's already inside! What do we do?"
"It's over. If the puppet god in that tower awakens, their fate will be horrific!"
The Ancient Gods stopped outside the tower, none daring to cross the line.
Once inside, even transforming into a gust of wind could potentially awaken the puppet god.
"We can only pray they have good luck and don't disturb it!"
"How is that possible? There are over a dozen of them, including Origin Core cultivators! Even if a pig were sleeping in that tower, it would be woken up!"
The Ancient Gods wore grim expressions.
At this point, calling out to Qi Yuan wasn't an option either, so they could only wait outside.
If the puppet god awakened, they would see if an opportunity arose to lend a hand.
Qi Yuan might be rescued, but the others would most likely meet gruesome deaths.
Meanwhile, inside the tower, Qi Yuan looked around with curiosity.
Standing atop an alloy floor that resembled marble, he curiously examined the bizarre items within the tower.
[Harte Titanium Vessel: A peculiar wine cup. Pour water in, and wine pours out.]
[Puppet God: Step Two Sky Treading, currently in hibernation. If the tower's alarm is triggered, It will awaken.]
[Myriad Things Pill Furnace: A specialized alchemy furnace.]
[Golden Gauze: A piece of erotic lingerie discarded on the ground.]
Qi Yuan's gaze swept over the area, and dense lines of information flooded his vision.
He also spotted the puppet gods hibernating inside the tower.
Their forms were indeed peculiar. One looked like a speck of dust drifting through the air at any moment.
Another was a metallic six-spotted ladybug.
Yet another was simply a brick.
"A single glance, and I can see fifty-seven puppet gods. No wonder... this tower is so dangerous."
Before Qi Yuan, nothing hidden could escape notice.
All fifty-seven puppet gods were clearly within his sight.
"So as long as I don't trigger the tower's alarm, these puppet gods won't wake up?" Qi Yuan murmured.
According to the other Ancient Gods, doing anything at all risked waking the puppet gods.
Even transforming into a wisp of wind upon entering might wake them.
"This is the moment for my eyebrows to show their power!" Qi Yuan was eager to give it a try.
His eyebrows could predict good and bad fortune.
Therefore, all he needed to do was imagine different paths into the tower and judge by his eyebrows, gradually mapping out a safe route that wouldn't trigger the alarm or wake the puppet gods.
Shifting his thoughts, he imagined boldly striding forward in his mind.
Immediately, his right eyebrow twitched.
That path was a dead end!
He shifted his thought again, and his right eyebrow twitched once more.
He tried again, continually testing different options. After roughly a breath of time, Qi Yuan's eyes brightened.
Beside him, Zhu Zhuangshi asked with a puzzled look, "Lord God, is something wrong with your eyebrows? They're twitching like crazy—I can barely keep track of them!"
Village Chief Yulei, Shrine Official Shentu, and the others also stared at Qi Yuan in astonishment.
His eyebrows were twitching far too fast and frequently; it was unnatural.
"Didn't I say my eyebrows can tell fortunes?" Qi Yuan smiled. "I've already divined the first safe step."
Hearing this, the villagers felt a shiver in their hearts.
A deity was truly a deity, as absurd as ever.
This was an Ancestral Land tower, a perilous purgatory, and he was finding the path by twitching his eyebrows!
True to his style!
Even so, they chose to trust their guardian deity.
He had already worked countless miracles.
Besides, when their guardian deity was willing to risk his own life, what did they have to fear?
"Come, follow me: left hand, right hand, one slow motion."
As Qi Yuan spoke, he took several dozen steps forward, but his walking posture was bizarre, almost as if he were dancing.
Seeing this, the villagers hesitated not a moment, mimicking Qi Yuan's strange posture step for step.
Furthermore, to minimize any disturbance, they even cast spells to alter their physical builds and clothing to match Qi Yuan's almost exactly.
Each carrying their own thoughts, the group moved as though performing a synchronized dance.
Qi Yuan came to a halt, and the group stopped at a safe node.
Qi Yuan had already divined in advance which area was safe to stand in.
He closed his eyes and began testing which direction to take next.
The surrounding villagers whispered among themselves.
"Look, quick! Lord God's eyebrows are twitching wildly again!"
"Is he really telling fortunes?"
"Could he just be too sleepy?"
"If I say right now that I find Lord God hilarious, will you guys beat me up?"
"Show some reverence toward a deity! We are professional believers, professional citizens. We cannot laugh at our god."
"Unless... he's just too funny."
Amid their quiet discussion, Qi Yuan opened his eyes once more.
"Follow me. Repeat the previous movements."
Leading the group, Qi Yuan navigated the tower with effortless ease.
In merely dozens of breaths, he brought everyone to the highest floor of the tower through this absurd routine.
Instantly, an aged, moldy fragrance permeated the air, seemingly lingering since antiquity.
The villagers' eyes widened as they stared at the liquid steaming with immortal qi ahead.
"Linmu Celestial Liquid!" Village Chief Yulei stared at the liquid, fanatical excitement filling his eyes.
"It's really this! Just a small sip accelerates the condensation of divine apertures by five times, and there's so much of it here!"
"Just how many tens of thousands of jin is this?!"
The villagers' eyes turned red with desire.
This was a celestial liquid that even True Gods coveted endlessly.
"Can this stuff actually be drunk?" Qi Yuan looked at the Linmu Celestial Liquid with a strange expression.
[Linmu Celestial Liquid: Formed by the Water Treasure Clan's specialized bath liquid dissolving into bathwater.]
Chapter 201