Holy Mother of Inedia

Qi Yuan opened his eyes. He could see nothing, hear nothing. He even felt as if his thoughts had frozen at that very moment. Back in the Liufeng Realm, returning to the past and meeting Canary had happened in the span of an instant. But here, using the Lost Glowstick felt exceptionally protracted. Perhaps it had something to do with his frozen mind. After who knew how long, a sliver of light entered Qi Yuan's vision. Qi Yuan jerked his head up toward the firmament. An eerie, blood-colored celestial body hung high in the sky. He swept his gaze across the heavens but saw no sign of his Stellar Golden Core. "Did we go back to the past?" Qi Yuan wondered in surprise. Just then, strange expressions appeared on the faces of everyone present. "Where is this?" "It feels bizarre!" "The trees here are quite lush." The villagers woke one after another, looking at their surroundings with bewilderment. "Don't worry about where this is. Focus on visualizing, and then... break through!" Qi Yuan commanded. Hearing this, the villagers promptly immersed themselves again and began practicing their God Visualization Arts. Zhu Zhuangshi's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Old Zhu's finally made his comeback!" The Dragon Subduing Arhat and the Tiger Taming Arhat, however, were thoroughly stunned. They had just discovered to their amazement that the ambient aura here could actually sustain their breakthrough into the realm of True Gods. After an initial moment of shock, countless thoughts flashed through their minds, but then they remembered that their Guardian God had brought them here. The Guardian God possessed vast divine powers, capable of visualizing even Mythological-grade God Visualization Arts. This was nothing to be surprised by. As the villagers entered their meditative states, their bodies drifted into the air. Deep in the forest, a butterfly of mingled black and red fluttered past. Qi Yuan extended his palm to block its path. In a flash, the butterfly passed right through his palm. Curiosity sparked in Qi Yuan's eyes. "I can't affect this world, and this world can't affect me. So... how do we break through?" Qi Yuan pondered. On second thought, he was probably too weak right now to comprehend the principles behind the Lost Glowstick. It was like having a mortal memorize a profound immortal cultivation incantation—he might recognize every character, but when strung together, their true meaning eluded him. "Break through," Qi Yuan murmured softly. The wind rustled gently; a white deer drank beside a lake. Qi Yuan broke through in silence, unnoticed and unsung. In that instant, his rank became Level 90 divine creature. Immediately after, it shifted to Level 1 True God. A divine aperture coalesced within his body. A colossal flood of experience surged through him, forming divine apertures one after another within his frame. One, two, three... Finally, upon reaching the thirteenth, the condensation of divine apertures inside Qi Yuan's body ceased. Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes. "Level 13 True God?" He had broken through to Level 13 True God in a single breath. "So this is a Yin God? Feels... ordinary enough." Qi Yuan felt no waves in his heart, nor any great joy. "Right now... I guess I've upgraded from a fertilized egg to being malnourished." Qi Yuan maintained a very good mindset. He glanced back at the people behind him. The Dragon Subduing Arhat and the Tiger Taming Arhat had already stepped into the True God realm. A formidable aura radiated from both of them. With just a single divine aperture, Qi Yuan estimated they could already battle a Yin God with five apertures. That was already terrifying. At this moment, the two arhats kept their eyes closed, still consolidating their power in hopes of condensing another aperture. Right then, Qi Yuan suddenly felt the world violently tremble. The earth fractured. The lake tossed like water in a wooden basin, spilling outward in an instant, startling the white deer into a frantic leap, dripping wet. The blood-colored celestial body in the sky looked as though it were about to crash into the earth. Qi Yuan even had the sensation that if he climbed to the top of the mountain ahead, he could reach out and touch that terrifying blood-red orb. The villagers beside him were meditating with closed eyes. The scene before them did not affect them in the slightest. "Is this... the Hongtang Great War?" Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes and gazed toward the distant southwest. The tremor just now seemed to have emanated from the Heavenly Pillar. That Heavenly Pillar stood erect against the firmament, resembling Mount Buzhou of myth and legend. Yet now, the Heavenly Pillar teetered precariously, as if it might shatter at any moment. Qi Yuan's heart tightened. *Don't collapse before they break through to True God. That would be a joke.* Still, Qi Yuan estimated that it would take his eight subjects about six shichen to reach the peak of the Purple Mansion realm and then break through to True God. Judging by the looks of it, the Heavenly Pillar would not collapse in a day or two. His worry was somewhat unnecessary. Even so, he said, "Cultivate diligently here. I'll... take a stroll." Having given his instructions, Qi Yuan transformed into a streak of light and sped toward the Heavenly Pillar. Qi Yuan wanted to witness the ancient Hongtang Great War for himself. Besides, the mighty experts here couldn't harm him anyway. He would just treat it like watching a movie. ... Mountains and rivers sank into the earth. Within sunken chasms, scalding magma of red and yellow flowed. A gigantic, snow-white hand tumbled from the ancient battlefield, plunging into the molten rock. Lava splashed violently, resembling a volcanic eruption. The entire earth was covered in scars and ruin. Atop the Heavenly Pillar, several terrifying figures stood on the highest peak. Every single one of them was a Step Seven Sky Treading Mythological figure! A woman wore red robes, her brows like kingfisher feathers, her skin like white jade, her slender frame resembling a delicate jade bamboo shoot. At her willow waist hung half of a broken gold pendant. She looked like a frail, delicate woman, yet she was the foremost person of the Mortal Heart Realm. The Holy Mother of Inedia! "The evil gods' attacks are growing more frequent. Today, three hundred and twenty-seven True Gods have already fallen in battle," Great Venerable Cangxuan said, looking up at the blood sun with deep worry in his eyes. "The evil gods' target is the Heavenly Pillar! They want to sever the roots of our Mortal Heart Realm!" another Great Venerable said with a heavy voice. The seven Great Venerables present were the last Mythological powerhouses of the Mortal Heart Realm. All the other Mythological figures had already fallen in the Hongtang Great War. At this moment, the seven of them had gathered at the Heavenly Pillar solely to protect it from breaking. If they died in battle, hope would still remain for the Mortal Heart Realm. But if the Heavenly Pillar shattered, the Mortal Heart Realm would become like rootless duckweed. Yet they also knew they had no way to stop the evil gods from shattering the pillar. "In two days, the existence above True God will make his move. What do you all think?" an old man rasped at this point. Everyone fell silent. Above True God... Even if the seven of them joined forces, they would be no match for that being. "Him... I will stop him," a cool voice rang out. The other Mythological figures turned to look at the Holy Mother of Inedia, their gazes filled with admiration, sorrow, and helplessness. "Holy Mother of Inedia, how long can you hold back the existence above True God?" Great Venerable Cangxuan asked. "After the Heavenly Pillar shatters, we will need at least twenty breaths of time to send the seed out from within it." Inside the Heavenly Pillar resided the Heavenly Dao of the Mortal Heart Realm. Within that Heavenly Dao was the world seed of the Mortal Heart Realm. Normally, these Mythological figures could not enter the Heavenly Pillar to touch the world seed. Only when that being above True God smashed through the Heavenly Pillar would they have the chance to send the world seed out. As long as that seed was cast out, even if the being above True God entered the pillar and devoured the Heavenly Dao, he would not obtain it in its entirety. Then, the Mortal Heart Realm would still retain a glimmer of hope. "Twenty breaths," the red-robed Holy Mother of Inedia replied coolly, her eyes devoid of any emotional fluctuation. "Good!" The other Mythological figures nodded. The Holy Mother of Inedia was the strongest in the Mortal Heart Realm; having her hold back that existence above True God was the most suitable choice. Having spoken, the Holy Mother of Inedia glanced at the blood-colored celestial body in the sky, and her figure dispersed, vanishing to who knew where. Atop the Heavenly Pillar, the remaining six Mythological figures murmured softly. "This is the only thing we can do—leave a glimmer of survival for future generations." "Hopefully... they can seize it." Even in death, they could not thwart the evil gods. Straining their utmost, they could at most preserve a single sliver of life for those who came after. Whether future generations could grasp that chance was beyond their concern. Their voices dispersed into the air. Meanwhile, beneath the Heavenly Pillar, Qi Yuan came to a stop before a lake. Across the water stood a bamboo cottage surrounded by lush, emerald bamboo, with a zither placed in the courtyard. A woman in red robes seemed to be sitting with her head lowered, strumming the strings. She wore a plain red robe without any ornaments in her hair, unadorned and free of cosmetics, yet nothing could conceal her extraordinary demeanor. The melodious, tranquil music flowed like water, devoid of any rigid rhythm. "Is this... the Holy Mother of Inedia?" "I thought that since she ate nothing, she'd be malnourished." "After the Heavenly Pillar shattered, she died holding back the existence above True God, and all the divine spiritual power in her body turned into countless treasures, giving the world a chance to break through and become gods. "Was it truly pure selflessness, or a conspiracy?" Qi Yuan murmured to himself as he watched her. *Snap.* At that moment, a string beneath the Holy Mother of Inedia's fingers snapped. Within the red-robed woman's placid eyes, a trace of complex emotion seemed to surface. "Since you have come, why not step inside and take a seat?" Her voice sounded like a mountain spring striking jade. Qi Yuan froze slightly. He had heard her voice. Hearing it was one thing, since his ears could naturally pick up sounds in his vicinity. More importantly, could the Holy Mother of Inedia hear *his* voice? "Are you talking to me?" Qi Yuan couldn't resist asking. "How can you hear me? Did your ears mutate too?" Qi Yuan was genuinely curious. "Mm..." The Holy Mother of Inedia spoke softly. However, to Qi Yuan's ears, it sounded intermittent. He caught only the "mm." "Mm... My talent is unique. I can sense some..." "Mm... My talent... things from beyond this world." "Are you... a repeating machine?" Qi Yuan looked at her curiously. She seemed very considerate, repeating herself so he could hear clearly. At the same time, Qi Yuan was immensely intrigued. The Holy Mother of Inedia's talent was truly bizarre. After all, he currently had no way to affect this world. All living beings in this era should, by rights, be unable to see or touch him. Yet here was an exception. "In two days, the Heavenly Pillar will shatter. I can only hold out until that moment," the Holy Mother of Inedia murmured, staring toward where Qi Yuan stood, seeing only empty air. Qi Yuan's attention was immediately hooked. He looked at the towering Heavenly Pillar whose summit was lost in the clouds. "It will break in two days?" Then there was plenty of time. In two days, all the villagers would surely break through to True God. "Sigh, looks like my timing was pretty good. I'll finish my objective before the pillar breaks," Qi Yuan said. He was somewhat curious about this figure from ancient times. At that moment, a radiant smile bloomed across her peach-blossom face, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. "After I die, will all my divine spiritual power really turn into treasures, helping everyone break through?" she asked. She had heard everything Qi Yuan had muttered earlier. "Yeah. Speaking of which, you actually helped me quite a bit." Qi Yuan looked at her. The day the Heavenly Pillar shattered would be the day the Holy Mother of Inedia fell. Though her physical form perished, her divine spiritual power transformed into boundless treasures, assisting everyone at the peak of the Purple Mansion realm in their breakthroughs. Qingshui Village's initial rise had everything to do with those treasures. "I helped you..." Her gaze deepened. "Could you do me a favor?" "Oh?" Qi Yuan was surprised. This Holy Mother of Inedia seemed strange, as if something were wrong with her head. From her perspective, he was just a bizarre entity. What made her think he could help her? "In this world, no one has ever helped me, nor could anyone help me," she said, looking in his direction. *Grasping at straws in desperation?* Qi Yuan could only assume so. Indeed, if he were trapped in such a hopeless situation and encountered an unknown being, he would probably seek help too. The unknown often implied immense power. "How should I help you?" Qi Yuan asked. "In two days, the existence above True God will strike, and the Heavenly Pillar will break. "After it shatters, I need to stall him for twenty breaths. "The other Mythological figures will seize that chance to enter the pillar and send out the world seed. "Otherwise... if that being above True God completely devours the Heavenly Dao, this world will have no future left." *Above True God?* *Devour the Heavenly Dao?* *World seed?* Hearing this, Qi Yuan immediately understood the plan of the Holy Mother of Inedia and the other Mythological figures. That existence above True God harbored grand ambitions. If He completely devoured this world's Heavenly Dao, wouldn't Qi Yuan's quest to protect Qingshui Village come to an end? How could he keep playing the game then! This was entirely different from when he established his Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment with the Wangyue Continent. The Wangyue Continent's Heavenly Dao had already been shattered, merely gaining Qi Yuan as its master. The Mortal Heart Realm, on the other hand, was being forcibly devoured alongside total genocide. On top of that, it would cause Qi Yuan to fail his game. "Help! I'll definitely help!" Qi Yuan said hurriedly. "I want to see what an existence above True God is like anyway! "Though, to be frank, I can't guarantee I'll actually be of any use." Since he had come from the future, it proved that the Holy Mother of Inedia had indeed held off that being above True God for twenty breaths. So whether he was here or not probably made no difference. He just wanted to take a look and witness the legendary existence above True God—the so-called Yang God. After all, when playing this game, the ultimate boss would likely be that very Yang God. Gauging the boss's combat prowess in advance was very necessary. He also wanted to know if smashing a Stellar Golden Core down on it could crush the boss to death. "A pity we can only hear each other and can't interact. "Otherwise, I'd ask for your autograph to take back." Qi Yuan placed his hand over the zither and strummed, but his fingers passed straight through the strings. "Stay here for these two days," the red-robed woman said, turning her head toward the lake outside the cottage. "Mm... I might as well stay. If that being above True God shows up earlier than two days and I'm not around, it'd be a shame to miss it." Saying this, Qi Yuan glanced at a reclining chair in the courtyard and promptly lay down on it. Although he couldn't physically recline on it, pretending to lie down still counted. "You have two reclining chairs here. Do you get guests often?" Qi Yuan asked casually. The Holy Mother of Inedia froze for a moment, then murmured after a long pause, "Not often." Qi Yuan didn't pursue the topic. "I'm going to take a nap. Call me when the time comes." Sleeping was just a pretense; he was simply bored and decided to continue compiling the *Qi Yuan Scripture*. By now, he was already a Level 13 True God in the game. Yet the *Qi Yuan Scripture* was only compiled up to the mid Origin Core stage. He needed to pick up the pace. Otherwise, if he cleared the game while the *Qi Yuan Scripture* was still stuck at mid Origin Core, how was he supposed to break through to Divine Infant? After a few dozen breaths, the Holy Mother of Inedia looked at the reclining chair nearby and murmured softly, "Are you lying on the chair?" No reply came. She stared at the chair, lost in thought. "A pity only two days remain." She looked up at the blood-red celestial body. The time left for her, and for the Mortal Heart Realm, was running out. Precious moments like this were exceedingly scarce. A gentle evening breeze blew, carrying a slight chill at the foot of the Heavenly Pillar mountain. Compared to the devastated lands outside, the Heavenly Pillar was like an earthly paradise. Of course, the fighting here was actually the fiercest and most brutal. In the Hongtang Great War, every Mythological figure of the Mortal Heart Realm would perish in battle, without a single survivor. Suddenly, Qi Yuan seemed to be awakened by a rustling sound. He opened his eyes and saw a pot of bubbling, piping-hot fish soup in the courtyard. Surprise showed in his eyes. "Aren't you the Holy Mother of Inedia? Why are you cooking fish to eat?" The Holy Mother of Inedia had many followers in Feihuang City, Nangong Wuji among them. Once, Qi Yuan had hosted a feast and invited Nangong Wuji to dine. That believer had declined with excuses, stating that followers of the Holy Mother of Inedia did not eat the five grains. The Holy Mother of Inedia was even more particular, believing that all worldly things contained poison and eating them caused great harm. Only by validating the self could one attain the Great Dao. "You're awake?" The Holy Mother of Inedia glanced toward the reclining chair, a look of reminiscence surfacing in her eyes. "I like eating fish." "Seems the historical records can't be trusted," Qi Yuan remarked. "Would you like a taste? I made it myself," she said calmly. This would also be the last time she ever cooked fish. "Are you doing this on purpose? I can't eat the fish in your world." Never mind eating, he couldn't even catch the aroma of the soup. "What a pity. Such a delicacy, yet I cannot share it with you." Her voice carried a trace of disappointment. Hearing this, Qi Yuan didn't reply. With only two days left to live, it was only natural for her to feel emo. "Well, I have nothing else to do anyway. I'll watch you eat." Qi Yuan considered it; out of respect for the dying, he decided to keep her company while she ate so she wouldn't feel so lonely. The silver spoon in her hand paused. Beneath a high hair bun adorned with pearls and kingfisher feathers, her face was touched with faint makeup; when she smiled, she appeared charming and tender, her eyes glistening like autumn ripples. She ate this meal very slowly, chewing thoroughly. It seemed she truly savored eating fish, cherishing moments like these. "What realm are you currently at?" After finishing the meal, she asked casually. "I have two realms. In reality, I'm at Origin Core. In the game, I've opened thirteen divine apertures." "Thirteen..." she murmured. "Would you like me to take you on a tour around the Mortal Heart Realm? Perhaps it might help elevate your realm." "A tour?" Qi Yuan hesitated. His strength increased entirely through killing enemies. How could taking a stroll help him break through? Yet thinking about it, this was a dying person's request. Taking a walk around the Mortal Heart Realm might indeed help cultivate his state of mind. After a moment's thought, he said, "Sure."