The Realm Lords present looked upon that character "Wu," terror stamped across every face.
The old man in particular wore a look uglier than if his own mother had died.
"Wu Dao Dao Lord, what do you think?" Qi Yuan asked casually.
The character "Wu" turned directly toward the old man, its voice profound and ethereal. "I am a Dao Lord. Do you look down on me?"
The old man dropped straight to his knees in terror. "This old man wouldn't dare!"
The character "Wu" let out a chuckle and turned toward Qi Yuan. "It seems he does not look down upon this venerable one."
At a realm such as his, after living through who knew how many ages, how could he be stirred by such trifles? What he pursued in life was nothing more than breaking the Cycle or climbing to an even higher realm.
Hearing this, the old man breathed a sigh of relief, though the anxiety in his heart had yet to dissipate. After all, he had never before laid eyes on an existence like a Dao Lord, and the thoughts of a Dao Lord were impossible to fathom.
Qi Yuan stretched lazily. "Since he doesn't look down on you, there's nothing more for you to do here. Hurry along, then."
With a flick of his hand, the character "Wu" vanished without a trace.
His summoning of the Wu Dao Dao Lord had merely been an act of whim.
As the character "Wu" dissipated, that terrifying, oppressive, suffocating aura vanished with it, and the Realm Lords present all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Yet when they turned their gazes back to Qi Yuan, their expressions grew peculiar.
To be on friendly terms with a Dao Lord, and even to wave away the Wu Dao Dao Lord at the end—just what kind of strength and realm did this Qi Yuan possess...?
Just then, Qi Yuan turned his gaze toward Sword Guardian Wuming. "Quickly now, tell me how I can obtain Mingzun's remains and seal the Dao fruit."
He had always conducted his affairs according to the rules.
He also needed to seal the variant Dao fruit. Otherwise, if more and more variant Dao fruits found their way into the Immortal Realm, word would likely leak out that the Immortal Realm was a world created in a dream by Dao Lord Nan Ke. If that happened, the Immortal Realm might well collapse and vanish just like the Nan Ke Universe.
Preventing that would require the Advertisement Society's full efforts.
Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered with that hassle.
If it could be sealed, sealing it was best.
"If you wish to obtain Mingzun's gift, you must pass Mingzun's trial," Sword Guardian Wuming said. The moment his words fell, the sky plunged into pitch darkness.
Across the night sky, pair after pair of variant spirit eyes peered down at the assembled Realm Lords.
"The trial is quite simple. Whichever Realm Lord present slays the most variant spirits shall receive the gift."
The other Realm Lords looked up at the variant spirits, all of them feeling a prickle of pressure.
Had it been before, they likely would have unleashed their various divine powers the moment Sword Guardian Wuming finished speaking. But now, everyone looked at Qi Yuan.
If Qi Yuan didn't move, none of them dared to make a motion.
After all, with Qi Yuan present, how could any of them possibly compete?
"That simple?" Qi Yuan said, waving his hand.
It was an utterly ordinary strike, appearing to hold no divine power or Dao method whatsoever, without even a fluctuation of spiritual energy.
And yet, it was precisely such an attack!
Every variant spirit between heaven and earth swept cleanly into the grasp of his palm.
Seeing this, the other Realm Lords exchanged glances, finding the outcome shocking yet entirely reasonable.
Witnessing this scene, Tai Ri was filled with sighs and lamentations, no longer daring to look Qi Yuan in the eye.
A chosen talent who had once stood alongside him had long since left him far behind in the dust.
In fact, he would likely never have a chance of surpassing him in the future.
"Congratulations, Senior!"
The Realm Lords present spoke up one after another, offering their congratulations.
Vying for opportunities against an existence at the Dao Lord realm? That would be seeking death.
Sword Guardian Wuming took a deep breath and spoke slowly: "Since Senior has captured all the variant spirits, this... Sole Palace... shall belong to Senior."
The Sole Palace had been formed from Mingzun's manifestation.
In the previous stage, it had existed only in the past and future. Only now, reaching the Yang God second stage, had it transformed into a variant treasure.
That variant treasure was the Sole Palace.
As Sword Guardian Wuming's voice trailed off, the Sole Palace condensed into a miniature palace and descended into Qi Yuan's hand.
Qi Yuan looked at the delicate palace, a look of curiosity surfacing in his eyes. "The Sole Palace... is rather extraordinary."
It seemed to represent the one and only palace in all the world.
"Once I reach the Yang God realm, I won't bother living in some huge villa anymore. Living in this Sole Palace suits my status," Qi Yuan muttered.
Sword Guardian Wuming took a deep breath.
He had never imagined that Qi Yuan would be this formidable.
He had assumed that even with his master's hidden arrangements, seizing control of the Sole Palace would cost Qi Yuan considerable effort and time. Yet Qi Yuan had refined it in the blink of an eye.
Of course, given Qi Yuan's strength, if he truly wanted the Sole Palace, he had no need to go through the trouble of completing a trial; he could have taken it with a flip of his hand. But being lawful good and strictly abiding by the rules, how could he possibly seize it by force? Everything had to follow the rules.
In a way, this too was a form of "Do As One Pleases."
"With the Sole Palace in hand, I ask Senior to accompany me to the Ninth Heaven of the Immortal Realm to seal the variant Dao fruit," Sword Guardian Wuming said, his spirits bolstered.
If anyone else wielded the variant treasure without sufficient cultivation, sealing the variant Dao fruit might bring unexpected complications. But with Qi Yuan's strength, sealing it should be effortless.
"Hold on," Qi Yuan called out, halting Sword Guardian Wuming.
Sword Guardian Wuming looked at him in confusion. "Senior, please speak."
Only then did Qi Yuan drawl leisurely, "If I remember correctly, your Sole Palace has been harboring some criminals. Those criminals committed quite a few offenses in the lower realms. By right... they should spend at least a century mining."
Qi Yuan was naturally referring to those from the Taihuang Palace who had fled into the Sole Palace.
Hearing this, Tai Ri was initially on guard, but then joy surfaced on his face, and his gaze toward Qi Yuan filled with gratitude.
After entering the Sole Palace, those from the Taihuang Palace had truly been stranded with no one to answer their cries. Every day, they were partially devoured by the variant spirits. Now that the Sole Palace was gone, if they were left here, it wouldn't be long before every last one of them perished.
To Tai Ri, although the Taihuang Palace had been hostile toward Qi Yuan, most of that had been Great Sun's decree; many people had never wished to oppose Qi Yuan in the first place. Including himself—he hadn't wanted to fight Qi Yuan at all. It was simply that Qi Yuan had borne down upon the Taihuang Palace, leaving him with no choice but to resist. Otherwise, he might even have cooperated with Qi Yuan.
After all, he was merely Great Sun's sacrificial pawn, meant to break through to Supreme Venerable within the Linya Molt, only to die and be offered up in sacrifice.
Most of the people in the Taihuang Palace had never truly made an enemy of Qi Yuan.
Now, hearing that Qi Yuan intended to punish the people of the Taihuang Palace, he was startled at first, but hearing what followed brought joy to his heart.
Though it was a punishment, no matter how bitter mining might be, could it possibly be more bitter than staying here in the Seventh Heaven?
"Very well." Sword Guardian Wuming had no objection.
He couldn't be bothered to pay attention to those people from the Taihuang Palace, nor did he care about their lives. Since Qi Yuan had brought it up, he agreed immediately.
...
"So this is the Immortal Dao variant Dao fruit?"
Qi Yuan looked ahead into empty space.
Even if Realm Lords stood here, they would see nothing at all. But Qi Yuan's eyes still captured the aura of the Immortal Realm's Great Dao. What was more, his eyes could see hidden information.
Looking at the Immortal Dao fruit, a strange pang of greed arose within him, which he promptly snuffed out.
He knew this greed was induced by the Immortal Dao fruit itself.
After all, this was a Dao fruit left behind by Dao Lord Nan Ke, containing all of a Dao Lord's comprehension of the Immortal Dao.
*If I were to refine this Dao fruit, I would likely become the new Immortal Dao Dao Lord in an instant,* Qi Yuan thought to himself.
Naturally, he would not refine it.
He looked at the Dao fruit and sighed softly.
"If this Dao fruit were cast into a universe, Immortal Dao would flourish, and a new Immortal Dao Dao Lord might well emerge in the future."
Such was the terrifying might of a Dao fruit.
Any mighty figure who laid eyes on this Dao fruit would likely be tempted—even a Dao Lord. Refining this single fruit might allow one to command an additional Great Dao.
"Seal."
...
Time flowed by.
After sealing the variant Dao fruit, Qi Yuan accompanied Jin Li, Ning Tao, Canary, Jiang Lingsu, and Xiao Jia to attend the Fish Cloud Gathering.
Later, he traveled throughout the Canglan Realm, stepped into the void, and traversed the Nine Heavens of the Immortal Realm. Naturally, from time to time, he entered the Myriad Changes Society within the Universal Void Realm or conversed with other Dao Lords.
The Sword Dao Dao Lord and the Gou Dao Dao Lord had both chosen True Spirit Reincarnation ten years prior.
At night, Qi Yuan would hold his junior sister's hand, embrace Jin Li from behind, or hold Canary and Ning Tao in his arms, lamenting the relentless passage of time and the fleeting nature of years.
"In just another thirty billion years, the Immortal Realm is going to be destroyed. What am I supposed to do about that?"
This filled Qi Yuan with boundless worry and sorrow.
He worried so much that his hair was on the verge of turning white.
Of course, his hair couldn't actually turn white; he was a Yin God, after all.
So, a single nostril hair turned white instead.
Roughly thirty years drifted by.
Qi Yuan held the game jade slip, a smile in his eyes.
"Has the new game... finally arrived?"
...
"This is..."
Qi Yuan felt that his current state was rather bizarre.
In the past, whenever he began a new game, he entered almost in his true body. But this time, he sensed that something was off about his condition.
"Have I become an embryo?"
"Good thing it wasn't earlier. I'm not very good at running, after all—if I couldn't outrun the other brothers, that would've been tragic."
Qi Yuan muttered to himself.
At the same time, he felt this embryo's parents had good manners, not having wandered off into the tonsils.
"So weak... Sleep..."
Perhaps because the fetus was too feeble, Qi Yuan couldn't maintain consciousness and could only sink into slumber.
"Huh... Why haven't I been born yet?"
If he remembered correctly, a full year had already passed.
"Could I not be human?"
Pondering this, Qi Yuan drifted back to sleep.
Time flowed on, and roughly a hundred years went by.
Suddenly, an enormous, emerald-green fruit tumbled down from a gigantic tree.
The rind peeled away, and out crawled an immaculate white infant.
The moment of birth brought forth heavenly anomalies.
Five-colored divine light suffused the air, birds carried leaves in their beaks, and white deer bowed their heads.
The moment Qi Yuan looked up, he saw the tree that had nurtured him, relief flashing in his eyes.
"Good thing it isn't the Ancient Qi Toon Tree, or that would've been awkward."
"Right now, I am... a Yin God?"
Qi Yuan inexplicably recalled the nutrient fluid and other oddities he had seen in the ancestral land of the Mortal Heart Realm. In that race, infants seemed to be Yin Gods from the moment they were born. Now, he was a Yin God at birth as well.
Was there a connection between the two?
Still, if he was born a Yin God, shouldn't there be inherited memories or something?
Just then, an illusory figure descended, resolving Qi Yuan's confusion.
"Your father is one of the Twelve Pillars of Myriad Gods Mountain, the supreme and magnificent Divine Throne... Tiankai."
So he had gained a father?
Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered to acknowledge any father. Still, the title sounded quite grand.
One of the Twelve Pillars of Myriad Gods Mountain.
Did this Myriad Gods Mountain have any relation to the so-called Pantheon Mountain?
"A century ago, Divine Throne Tiankai toured the Origin Star Domain. Struck by sudden desire, he bestowed essence upon myriad things, giving birth to hundreds of millions of divine children. Yet... those who truly came into the world number only slightly over ten thousand. You are one of them."
Hearing this, Qi Yuan was left speechless.
This Tiankai had quite heavy tastes, going so far as to even... with this tree.
Yet on second thought—no, wait, that was fine. Tiankai truly lived up to being this body's "father"; he certainly inherited his style.
"Naturally, as you are now, you cannot yet be called a divine son. Only by breaking through to... the True God realm may you claim the title of divine son, journey to Myriad Gods Mountain, and gain the recognition of Divine Throne Tiankai."
With a gesture from the illusory figure, a flood of information poured into Qi Yuan's mind. And in that same instant, the illusory figure vanished.
"Myriad Gods Mountain?"
"The supreme domain above countless planes."
"The strongest being of Myriad Gods Mountain is named Emperor God?"
"Beneath Emperor God are the Twelve Pillars, and Tiankai is one of those Twelve Pillars."
"Wait... A Dao Lord?"
"No, that's different from a Dao Lord. They aren't omniscient and omnipotent."
According to the information he had received, cultivation in this world was also divided into seven ranks.
The sixth realm was not called Yin God, but Void God.
Only upon reaching the seventh tier—the Yang God realm—was one called a True God.
True God was likewise divided into five tiers.
The first tier: the Divine Kingdom realm.
The second tier: the Divine Oracle realm.
The third tier: the God Lord realm.
The fourth tier: the Spirit God realm.
The fifth tier: the Dao God realm.
The fourth and fifth tiers were similar to Yang God fourth and fifth stages in the Immortal Realm. But the Dao God realm... once stepped into, merely meant one's divine kingdom fell into a cycle or became eternally unchanging.
One could say that a Dao God expert was omniscient and omnipotent only within their own divine kingdom.
And Divine Throne Tiankai was a terrifying existence at the fifth tier of True God, the Dao God realm.
Furthermore, the fifth-tier True God existences upon Myriad Gods Mountain were not limited to the Twelve Pillars; there were other fifth-tier True Gods striving to seize those Twelve Pillar seats.
As for the Emperor God of Myriad Gods Mountain, His realm was unknown. Some said He was at the sixth tier of True God—meaning He was above True God.
*Why does this sound so similar to... Pantheon Mountain? Is there a connection between the two?* Qi Yuan mused.
"This Yin God of mine... is a bit weak," Qi Yuan muttered.
"Sure enough, just like a Void God."
Perhaps due to the world's laws, a Void God's destructive power in this realm was somewhat lacking compared to a Yin God's.
"The 'True God Method'? What a slapdash name for a cultivation technique," Qi Yuan grumbled inwardly.
Cultivation in this world was peculiar.
Advancing from Void God to True God was simple: make more people, or believers, believe that you were a True God. Then, ignite the divine fire and become a True God.
"It feels quite a bit like attaining godhood through faith... The more believers... the stronger the divine kingdom?"
In this present world, there were many planes. Yet ninety-nine percent of them had already been occupied by gods great and small. Finding new believers was extraordinarily difficult.
Therefore, according to the memories imparted by the phantom, Myriad Gods Mountain had constantly been waging war on other planar worlds to expand its domain.
*The planes occupied by Myriad Gods Mountain... are quite numerous. Put together, their total area is probably only the size of a single universe?*
*Can the faith of just one universe create so many Dao Gods? Even an Emperor God?*
*What if I had the people of my universe or the Immortal Realm believe in me...*
*This 'True God Method' is somewhat interesting.*
According to the information he had received, all gods within the territory ruled by Myriad Gods Mountain cultivated methods derived from the True God Method. However, due to differing "family backgrounds," the versions they cultivated varied.
The one Qi Yuan currently possessed could be considered an exclusive edition.
Looking at the True God Method, he did not begin cultivating immediately, instead using his eyes to examine it.
"As expected, even an exclusive edition technique still has quite a few backdoors and loopholes."
The stronger his power grew and the more knowledge he possessed, the more hidden information his eyes could see, and the more precise it became.
Chapter 591