A Master of the Stars Ain't Shit!

"Celestial Venerable!" "My Lord!" The many Ancient Gods present, along with the thousand-plus villagers, all turned their gazes toward Qi Yuan. Venerable Huanghun's breathing grew slightly ragged. Great Venerable Shenlei looked at Qi Yuan as well, though he refrained from blurting out anything rash this time. "This time, I pressed forward in one fell swoop and visualized quite a few God Visualization Arts." Now that the Holy Mother of Inedia had eaten her fill—or rather, now that the Heavenly Pillar had been repaired—visualizing atop the Mountain of Visualization had returned to normal. Qi Yuan had used up all the evil god spiritual power at his disposal, visualizing numerous powerful God Visualization Arts. Every single ordinary villager would receive one. Wei He stood among the crowd, an expression of resolute grit fixed upon her youthful face. Her elder brother, Wei Ting, had visualized the Giant Spirit God and possessed formidable strength. She, too, wished to visualize a mighty god, to gain immense combat power and repay the kindness of Origin Celestial Venerable. "The sixty of you, step forward." Qi Yuan looked toward Wei He and waved his hand, immediately singling out sixty villagers. Upon seeing this, the Ancient Gods watched with intrigued expressions. They were intensely curious to know what grade of God Visualization Arts these ordinary villagers would receive. Wei He lifted her head. Her frame was frail, yet her gaze was extraordinarily firm. "What I bestow upon you are the Sixty Jiazi Gods." Qi Yuan waved his hand, and sixty scrolls of God Visualization Arts instantly hovered in midair. The Ancient Gods, who had been watching in anticipation, froze in place. Because... "Legendary!" "Sixty Legendary arts!" "How is that possible?!" "I want a Legendary one too!" an Ancient God couldn't help blurt out. After all, even Rare-grade God Visualization Arts were of immense utility to them. Above Rare lay Epic, and above Epic was Legendary. They didn't dare even dream of Mythological arts, and as for Legendary, they had only harbored the faintest hopes. Yet Origin Celestial Venerable had casually produced sixty Legendary arts in one go. How could they not be shocked? Back then, Qi Yuan bringing out twenty-one Legendary arts all at once had shaken the entire Mortal Heart Realm. And now... it was a full sixty! Seeing this, Great Venerable Shenlei's nose nearly twisted with envy. The jealousy burning in his chest was practically overwhelming. "The Sixty Jiazi Gods are also known as the Taisui. The Taisui are the sovereign lords who preside over the course of a year." The sixty scrolls of God Visualization Arts descended into the hands of the sixty villagers. Agitation and delight washed over all sixty faces. Wei He held the scroll of Jiazi and bowed deeply to Qi Yuan. "Thank you for the bestowal, Celestial Venerable!" "Thank you, Celestial Venerable!" "Hurry up and visualize. You must break through to True God as quickly as possible." Qi Yuan looked toward the remaining villagers and swept his hand again. In an instant, over a thousand shimmering golden God Visualization Arts appeared. The villagers before him were thoroughly flabbergasted. The Ancient Gods were completely dumbfounded as well. Because among these God Visualization Arts... not a single one was below Epic, and the vast majority were Legendary. "The Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits, the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends!" "The Twenty-Four Heavenly Lords of the Thunder Bureau!" "Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals!" "Thousand-Li Eye and Wind-Accompanying Ear!" "The Calabash Brothers!" These thousand-plus God Visualization Arts had everything one could imagine, and there were even Mythological-grade arts interspersed among them. The Ancient Gods present watched with greedy eyes. "I sense it! There is one of the same path as mine, and it's Legendary!" "How can this be... So many formidable gods!" "Even a Mythological powerhouse might not necessarily be able to forge a Legendary-grade God Visualization Art..." one Ancient God muttered with a trembling voice, utterly dazed. Over a thousand Epic, Legendary, and even Mythological God Visualization Arts! Just the divine beings standing behind these arts alone could effortlessly suppress the Mortal Heart Realm! This... Terrifying conjectures sprouted within the hearts of quite a few Ancient Gods. Ripples stirred within Venerable Huolian's beautiful eyes as she recalled the blazing sun traversing the sky that day. The Celestial Venerable... was undoubtedly a Master of the Stars. And by no means an ordinary Master of the Stars, either. Even among Yang Gods, there were vast divides in strength. "Quickly visualize and break through to True God. In the future, I intend to lead a hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals to slaughter all in our path!" Qi Yuan declared smugly. For some reason, he recalled the golden-furred ape he had slain that day at the North Sea God Eye. He had killed one of their supreme talents, yet the Ancient Ape Clan hadn't made a single move. Could they be brewing some plot? If so, he would simply follow the example of Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li, lead a hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, and charge straight over. That ought to be enough to flatten the Ancient Ape Clan, right? Their hearts shaken, the villagers accepted the God Visualization Arts one after another and began cultivating. Watching this scene, the eyes of the thirty-odd Ancient Gods turned bloodshot. Every single one of those God Visualization Arts made them green with envy! Not just a few—every solitary one! Bestowing such peerless arts upon ordinary villagers seemed, in their eyes, no different from feeding Divine Domain Celestial Liquid to pigs! "My Lord... this is... too wasteful," an Ancient God couldn't help stammering. "How is it wasteful? They've followed me for so long; even if they have no glorious merits, they have worked hard. What's wrong with handing out a few benefits?" Qi Yuan replied nonchalantly. Besides, this wasn't mere charity. After all, these people would be his foundational force in the future, fighting on his behalf. That Ancient God fell silent, and Great Venerable Shenlei was left speechless as well. These villagers hadn't even followed Origin Celestial Venerable for a hundred years. No, they hadn't even followed him for a year! That counted as 'following him for so long'? If someone from Blue Star saw what Qi Yuan was doing, they would have pegged him as a brainless rich fool flinging money left and right. They would look at him like an idiot. However, once that money was being showered onto oneself, well, excuse me—that wasn't an idiot, that was a generous godfather! At this moment, both the villagers and the Ancient Gods felt precisely this way toward Qi Yuan. Right then, Great Venerable Shenlei spoke with difficulty. "Actually, those Legendary thunder arts from earlier... I felt they were quite suited to this old man." Great Venerable Shenlei was dropping hints. Among those thousand-plus arts, there were easily more than a dozen Legendary thunder arts and nearly a hundred Epic ones. Every single one made Great Venerable Shenlei drool. He feared Qi Yuan had already emptied his entire stockpile, leaving nothing impressive for him. Qi Yuan smiled. "This time, I deliberately chose something even more formidable for you." This time, he had specifically visualized a few exceptionally powerful entities. The one picked for Great Venerable Shenlei was the absolute strongest—the Lord of the Heavenly Court's Thunder Bureau! For one who governed an entire bureau, how could his might be compared to an ordinary Mythological? In Qi Yuan's mind, even the blood-colored stars in the sky were mere small fry compared to him. Among the countless Star Lords of the Heavenly Court, which one possessed a true body weaker than an ordinary Yang God? Take the Seven Star Lords of the Northern Dipper—the true form of any single one of them was likely far beyond what that blood-colored star in the heavens could match. Not to mention a colossal figure of the caliber of the Nine Heavens Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Celestial Venerable. "A formidable one?" Great Venerable Shenlei asked, full of anticipation. "All thirty of you get one," Qi Yuan said. For the twenty-one Ancient Gods of the Ancient God Alliance, the eight Ancient Gods who had followed him from the Ancestral Land, and Great Venerable Shenlei, he had prepared an art for each of them. Because he lacked sufficient True God power, he had exerted considerable effort on these thirty Ancient Gods. His sole aim was to maximize their combat prowess. He had only one chance left to return to the past. Ancient God Wangsong looked at Qi Yuan, his heart trembling. The elder twin sister had always been calm and composed, yet even she could not keep her composure now. "These are what I prepared for you!" Qi Yuan swept his sleeve, and thirty scrolls of God Visualization Arts instantly manifested in the air. The gazes of everyone present froze. Even though they had prepared themselves mentally after seeing over a thousand Epic and Legendary arts, when they witnessed these thirty Mythological arts, their breathing still seized up. Mythological! Every single one was Mythological! Moreover, these Mythological arts appeared far more formidable than imagined. "Ancient God Wangsong, what I give you is the Imperial Preceptor Chisongzi, a primeval deity. Do not disgrace his prestigious name." "Venerable Huanghun, yours is the Water Official Great Emperor, Calamity Reliever!" "Venerable Chifeng, the Star Lord of Water Virtue, ruler of all waters under heaven!" "You, Water Luminary!" "As for you two sisters, one takes the Sun Luminary, and the other takes the Moon Luminary!" ... "You... Southern Xuanzhen Wanfu Celestial Venerable." ... "Great Venerable Shenlei... the Nine Heavens Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Celestial Venerable!" As though handing out cabbages, Qi Yuan distributed all thirty Mythological-grade God Visualization Arts in the blink of an eye. The moment the Ancient Gods received their arts, their consciousnesses surged into them. In an instant, boundless floods of information crashed into their minds. Their expressions shifted between wild delight, stunned disbelief, and dazed confusion. Eventually, everyone's awareness returned to reality, and they looked toward Qi Yuan. "We thank the Celestial Venerable for bestowing these arts!" Qi Yuan looked at the thirty Ancient Gods, his eyes filled with anticipation. "I hope that all of you can step into the realm of... Great Venerables!" God Visualization Arts were, in essence, a borrowing of power. The very first visualization yielded the best results and offered the greatest boost. A Legendary-grade visualization art could allow a True God at One Step of Sky Treading to shatter over a dozen divine apertures in one sitting. A Mythological-grade art was even more terrifying. Take Zhu Zhuangshi, for instance; he had visualized Marshal Tianpeng. By now, he had already reached Three Steps of Sky Treading, only a hair's breadth away from becoming a Great Venerable. And that was with a shallow foundation, having started merely as a Divine Infant. Had he been an Ancient God, he might already be a Great Venerable by now. Having received God Visualization Arts tailored to their respective paths, these thirty Ancient Gods would experience an even greater and more staggering initial boost. Qi Yuan placed particularly high hopes on Great Venerable Shenlei. Great Venerable Shenlei was only at Four Steps of Sky Treading. With an art derived from such a supreme figure, breaking through several minor realms in succession would pose no problem at all. "Work hard, everyone. There is still a little over a day left. Seize the time while the Heavenly Pillar still stands and cultivate quickly." Leaving those words behind, Qi Yuan's figure vanished. The thirty Ancient Gods remained behind, awe-struck. A broad grin spread across Venerable Zanghui's face as he turned to Great Venerable Shenlei. "Haha, what the Lord bestowed upon me this time is no ordinary Mythological art! "Great Venerable Shenlei, just you wait and see what it means to look upon a man with new eyes after three days' absence!" Venerable Zanghui had borrowed this phrase from Qi Yuan, having committed it to memory after hearing him say it once. Right now, he was utterly smug, having visualized the Earth Luminary. The Earth Luminary was one of the Nine Luminaries. With merely a cursory brush of the technique, Venerable Zanghui had realized this was far from an ordinary Mythological visualization art. Origin Celestial Venerable had surely noticed his extraordinary qualities and thus granted him such a powerful art. Great Venerable Shenlei's consciousness was completely immersed within his God Visualization Art, paying no heed to Venerable Zanghui whatsoever. After all, this art of his... with just a single glance, he had felt a sheer, overwhelming terror. All living beings and all creation, even those once standing above True Gods, gave him an inexplicable feeling—they were nothing special. Compared to the Thunder Ancestor, what did the Great Sage Blood Sun in the sky amount to? Venerable Zanghui continued, "Our Lord's true body is bound to be a Master of the Stars, a mighty Yang God. "And what I have visualized must surely be the strongest right-hand general under him, a half-step existence above True Gods!" Venerable Zanghui felt light as a feather, floating on air. "A petty Earth Luminary dares act so insolent?" the younger twin sister couldn't resist retorting. "I am the Moon Luminary—I am the Lord's foremost divine general!" Those who visualized the Nine Luminary Star Officials knew there were nine of them, but they did not know who was who. All nine of them privately believed that they were the strongest. "I am the Master of the Stars' greatest general!" another Ancient God argued. He felt that what he had visualized far surpassed ordinary Mythologicals, to the point where even existences above True Gods would be no match for it. At this moment, an Ancient God who was usually reticent spoke up. "A Master of the Stars... ain't shit." The Ancient Gods turned toward Zhuge Yan with piercing gazes. "What I visualized is the Southern Xuanzhen Wanfu Celestial Venerable, one of the Ten Directions Celestial Venerables. "A Master of the Stars... an ordinary Master of the Stars wouldn't even have the right to step foot into my immortal cave." Zhuge Yan's words struck the crowd of Ancient Gods into dead silence. A Master of the Stars... was already beyond an ordinary Yang God. Yet a Master of the Stars didn't even qualify to enter Zhuge Yan's immortal cave? And that was merely... one of the Ten Directions Celestial Venerables. Just what kind of unfathomable horrors were the remaining nine Celestial Venerables? The Ancient Gods fell mute. Then, another Ancient God spoke up: "A Master of the Stars is indeed quite ordinary. The god I visualized happens to be a Master of the Stars—and an extraordinary one at that." Hearing this, the others drew in a sharp breath of cold air. Zanghui, who had visualized the Earth Luminary, finally broke down. "None of you got ordinary Mythologicals?!" Not only were they not ordinary, but it sounded like his was actually the weakest! The joy in his heart vanished without a trace. Finding out that what one visualized was 'somewhat weak' was indeed lamentable, but learning that one's friends had visualized 'overwhelmingly strong' gods was far more agonizing. Right then, the long-silent Great Venerable Shenlei snapped his eyes open, lightning crackling within them. "Today, I shall show you all what it means to step into the Mythological realm in a single day!" Great Venerable Shenlei was filled with boundless heroic spirit. The Nine Heavens Thunder Sound Universal Transformation Celestial Venerable was the supreme head of all thunder! The visualization had bestowed far, far too much upon him. He was even confident he could achieve Mythological status in a single day. The Ancient Gods looked at Great Venerable Shenlei, their hearts churning with terror. "Stepping into Mythological in a single day... Is this even a Mythological visualization art anymore?!" ... Above the Heavenly Pillar, within the bamboo cottage. In front of the woman in the red dress sat an array of various fish. At this moment, she cradled a basin of fish, her eyes glazed and hollow. Suddenly, she sensed something. A flicker of delight surfaced deep within her gaze, only to vanish just as swiftly. She spoke into the empty air before her. "Qi Yuan, I'm hungry." Looking at the frail Holy Mother of Inedia, guilt flickered in Qi Yuan's eyes. "My bad. I visualized too much." He couldn't perceive her with divine sense, but merely looking at her appearance told him how exhausted she was. Looking at the fish, he didn't hesitate. Blood dripped from his fingertips, pure and transparent, landing upon the fish. Qi Yuan's body suddenly shuddered, his complexion turning noticeably paler. Expending this much blood at once was grueling even for him. The Holy Mother of Inedia looked at the fish, her eyes lighting up as though gazing upon an exquisite delicacy. Instead of rushing to eat, she looked toward Qi Yuan. "How did you do it?" "It's a secret," Qi Yuan replied without a second thought. "Eat slowly. I hope your body fully recovers before I leave. Otherwise, I'll feel terribly guilty." Qi Yuan had never liked owing debts to others. The Holy Mother of Inedia said nothing more. An icy chill returned to her eyes as she slowly began eating the fish. After an unknown stretch of time, she set down her chopsticks and lowered her head, seemingly turning something over in her mind. Finally, her vermilion lips parted slightly, and she spoke. "Since we met by chance... when you leave, let me know. I'll... see you off."