On Myriad Gods Mountain.
Seventeenth Godchild Ha Jin and Three Hundredth Goddaughter Xi Shui, offspring of Pillar Tiankai, gathered together in a grand hall.
Seventeenth Godchild was an undisputed veteran godchild. He had already stepped into the peak Divine Oracle realm, merely a single step away from entering the God Lord realm.
Once one broke through to the God Lord realm, they would become a true viceroy of their own territory.
"The new imperial prince, Qi Yuan?" Seventeenth Godchild Ha Jin laughed boisterously. "Another fat sheep has arrived."
Xi Shui's gaze turned playful. "Shall I send him a transmission now to invite him over?"
Veteran godchildren like them never showed the slightest courtesy toward younger siblings who arrived after them.
"Mm. He has just entered the True God realm and won't have enough resources to construct a divine kingdom. Offer him a chance to pledge allegiance to me," Seventeenth Godchild said with supreme confidence.
Constructing a divine kingdom required an astronomical amount of resources.
Relying solely on whatever plane-world resources occasionally surfaced in the All-Heavens Divine Mirror, any divine kingdom built would likely turn out to be shoddy tatters.
Therefore, most later godchildren chose to serve veteran godchildren, or banded together and picked sides.
Of course, if anyone acted like a maverick and refused to join a clique, they would simply be isolated.
Those who came first blocked the path of those who followed.
Unless, of course, that newcomer possessed overwhelming talent and caught the eye of other True Gods who chose to invest in them.
"If even a tenth of this batch of godchildren pledges allegiance to you, Brother, your influence will soar dramatically. In the Nebula Domain, even Sixty-Six won't be able to rival you," Xi Shui giggled.
Seventeenth Godchild Ha Jin nodded.
He had ambition as well as lofty aspirations.
Only by standing out among the myriad godchildren could he catch the eye of their Father God Tiankai and secure more resources.
"One-tenth is far too difficult," Godchild Ha Jin remarked.
The two sat together, discussing the current situation in the Nebula Domain for roughly an entire day.
Right at that moment, a complicated look surfaced on Xi Shui's face. "Brother, that Qi Yuan... is unwilling to join our little gathering."
Xi Shui giggled no more.
Ha Jin laughed no longer. "It seems he refuses to give me face. I'd like to see if he plans to collude with Sixty-Six instead."
***
"What a bizarre transmission. I have social anxiety, so I'll pass on useless socializing."
Looking at the dozens of transmissions in his residence, Qi Yuan dismissed them one after another.
Seeing this, Feng Ye wore a conflicted expression. "Your Highness, rejecting the invitations of these highnesses will likely offend them."
In the past, newcomers among the godchildren mostly chose to cooperate with or even pledge loyalty to veteran godchildren.
Only in this way could they obtain sufficient resources to perfect their divine kingdoms and elevate their potential.
For a True God, the deeper the foundation of their divine kingdom, the greater their potential and strength naturally became.
"Me not attending their parties means offending them?" Qi Yuan showed a look of utter incomprehension. "There is no such logic in this world."
Hearing this, Feng Ye did not argue further. He only felt that this highness was terrifyingly pure and naive.
He merely wondered if following such a prince held any future at all.
"I'll go check the All-Heavens Divine Mirror and see if I can rustle up some faith," Qi Yuan said.
"Your Highness, please be careful. Never descend in your true body rashly, or else... there may be danger," Feng Ye cautioned.
"Don't worry."
Holding the All-Heavens Divine Mirror, Qi Yuan let his consciousness descend into it.
The so-called All-Heavens Divine Mirror resembled a broken fragment of jade. Yet this jade was as transparent as glazed glass, looking completely ordinary and no different from a mundane object.
"Sure enough, the inside of this All-Heavens Divine Mirror is no different from a chat group.
"If there is a difference, it's... coordinates.
"With the other party's consent, I can even descend my consciousness to the plane where they are located," Qi Yuan murmured.
This gave him an odd feeling.
It felt as if he were an evil demon enticing everyone to send him their coordinates so the celestial fiend could descend.
At this moment, the chat group was rather lively.
"I, Gou Budao, am suave and charming, boasting tens of millions of fans! Why would I ever trick you?"
"What are 'fans'?"
"You bitch, you're utterly uncultured! Did you skip compulsory education?"
"Why are you cursing at people?" In the Great Ruins World, Wen Zhuyun watched the messages, her chest heaving with indignation.
Some time ago, she had visited her ancestral home and rummaged out a broken piece of jade from the house, which accidentally led her into this bizarre place.
She had been quite curious.
Especially since there seemed to be other people here communicating with her through text.
Right now, the one speaking with her was named Gou Budao.
According to Gou Budao, he was a Daoist cultivator who was wildly popular.
As Wen Zhuyun chatted in the group today, she inadvertently revealed the secret yearning of a young maiden's heart.
She asked the people in the group what she should do and how to confess her feelings, having fallen in love at first sight with Yan Yuqing, the young master of the Vice Minister of Rites' household, while she was merely a merchant's daughter.
She did not dare.
In the end, this Gou Budao told her that since she liked him, she should treat him to some delicious shit.
At that, Wen Zhuyun was nearly infuriated to death, feeling that Gou Budao was far too improper.
She was also confused. Gou Budao had previously spoken with refined eloquence and seemed very knowledgeable, which was why she had gathered the courage to ask in the first place.
Yet not only did he tease her, he even insulted her. Wen Zhuyun felt deeply wronged.
"I was scolding a dog," Gou Budao said. "Humans are my favorite creatures in the world. Every single one is an adorable ice cream machine. How could I bear to curse at a human?"
Hearing this, Wen Zhuyun was dazed, completely unable to decipher the meaning behind Gou Budao's message.
"Wait. You're not human?" At this moment, Zuo Jingyun, who had been lurking silently, sent a message.
"Wait, you guys aren't dogs?" Gou Budao paused, then showed a look of wild delight. "You're... humans?!!"
"Haha, I struck gold! So many ice cream machines!"
Gou Budao's messages bordered on madness, bubbling with frantic excitement.
The group fell silent.
Wen Zhuyun also felt something was off.
Gou Budao was a dog?
Were the strange tales in the folklore records all true?
Could dogs really become spirits?
Then again, considering that everyone here could enter this chat group, a dog turning into a spirit was normal enough.
"Um, Big Brother Gou, why do you call us ice cream machines?" Wen Zhuyun asked in confusion.
"Heh heh, I'm not telling," Gou Budao chuckled.
Right then, a notification sound chimed.
Gou Budao blinked.
"A new dog arrived?"
"No, a newcomer?"
Wen Zhuyun looked on curiously as well.
Was the newcomer a human, a dog, or some other creature?
"I am a god. You may call me Origin Celestial Venerable." The newcomer was naturally Qi Yuan.
He briefly skimmed the earlier messages and sent a reply. There were very few people in this group—only seven including him.
The only frequent talkers were Gou Budao and Wen Zhuyun. The rest mostly lurked, and even when they spoke, they did so tentatively without disclosing any personal information.
Except for Gou Budao and Wen Zhuyun, that is, who had practically revealed even the color of their underwear.
"A god? You talk big," Zuo Jingyun spoke up. "Why don't you go measure yourself against the Heavenly Dragon Great Emperor?"
Zuo Jingyun naturally did not believe in gods.
Ever since the Seven Warriors slew the god, there had been no gods in this world.
"If I went to measure myself just because you told me to, wouldn't that hurt my pride?" Qi Yuan said. "I come from Myriad Gods Mountain and am a True God. I entered the All-Heavens Divine Mirror to grant your wishes and collect your faith."
Sincerity was the ultimate winning move; Qi Yuan hid nothing.
The moment these words appeared, the group fell into a brief silence.
In two unknown locations, two murmurs sounded respectively.
"Myriad Gods Mountain?"
"This True God is rather green, rather foolish. I wonder... what he tastes like?"
On the other side, in the chat group, Zuo Jingyun slowly typed: "Your backstory is poorly made up. The Heavenly Dragon Great Emperor claimed that he was the dragon of myriad dragons, a terrifying black dragon that swallows worlds whole."
Right then, Gou Budao asked: "Do you take a shit?"
Qi Yuan fell silent. Only after a good while did he reply, "True Gods do not shit."
"What a pity. I was hoping you could grant my wish. I haven't eaten god-flavored ice cream before," Gou Budao said, somewhat disappointed.
If the other party produced ice cream for him every day, so what if he worshipped him?
"Origin Celestial Venerable, can you truly grant our wishes?" Wen Zhuyun asked full of anticipation.
As for faith?
What was that?
When short on money, pray to the God of Wealth; when sick, pray to the God of Medicine.
Her bottom line for faith was that any god was worthy of worship, so long as it worked.
"Yes. You only need to offer me your faith."
"Rest assured, even if you reveal your coordinates, nothing bad will happen.
"Now that Origin Celestial Venerable has arrived, needing only your faith, spring has come for the common folk." Qi Yuan maintained total sincerity.
Wen Zhuyun's head was spinning; coordinates and such were beyond her comprehension.
"Origin Celestial Venerable, I can offer you my faith, but could you grant me one wish? It's just... I like Master Yan Yuqing from the Vice Minister of Rites' family, but I don't know if he likes me..." Wen Zhuyun asked hesitantly.
When she had consulted Gou Budao earlier, he had told her to treat the Vice Minister's son to shit.
Totally unreliable.
Now that a self-proclaimed True God had arrived, would this one finally be reliable?
"Isn't that easy? How about I find someone to help you ask whether he likes you?" Qi Yuan suggested.
Wen Zhuyun froze for a second, then said bashfully, "Would that be bad? What if he doesn't agree and gets angry?"
Hearing this, Qi Yuan really wanted to pry Wen Zhuyun's head open and inspect what was inside.
This girl was far too love-struck.
Ordinarily, upon stumbling into a chat group like this, the very least one should do was see if they could get secrets to wealth or engage in cross-realm commerce.
Aiming higher, one could exploit information asymmetries to embark upon an extraordinary path.
Yet this girl had completely lost her mind to romance.
"He is, after all, the scion of a high official's family, surrounded by many guards. If he gets angry and beats you up, what then?" Wen Zhuyun fretted.
In the Great Ruins World, there were all sorts of supernatural legends.
Officials there possessed righteous Noble Qi protecting their bodies, making them impervious to ghosts, monsters, and gods.
"He beats people? That fierce?" Qi Yuan said. "Looks like I should keep my distance to avoid courting trouble. How about this: I'll find a burly man to go ask Yan Yuqing whether he likes you."
Qi Yuan replied after some thought.
He couldn't be bothered to descend in his true body.
He had so many Divine Infants, so he could naturally summon one to act on his behalf.
Now that he was in the True God realm, his Divine Infants could easily descend into this world.
As for Canary and Ning Tao living on his Stellar Golden Core, he could even bring their phantoms along.
"A burly man? Is he tall? Is he imposing?" Wen Zhuyun asked.
"Rest assured, very tall, very imposing." Qi Yuan pondered whether he should just send the Giant Spirit God to ask.
Giant Spirit God ought to be tall and imposing enough, right?
"However... will one person be enough?" Wen Zhuyun asked, slightly uneasy.
After all, whenever Yan Yuqing went out, over a dozen guards accompanied him, some even wearing armor. A single burly man probably wouldn't even be able to get close to him before being seized as an assassin.
"One isn't enough? How about this: I'll call ten of them, every single one burly!" Qi Yuan said.
Barefoot Immortal, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Bull Demon King, and the rest—if all of them went to ask Yan Yuqing, they would surely get an answer, wouldn't they?
"Ten is plenty!" Wen Zhuyun was delighted, her expression beaming. "In five days, it'll be an official rest day, and Yan Yuqing will go out then. Thank you so much, Origin Celestial Venerable!"
"Easy enough. See you in five days," Qi Yuan said in the group.
He glanced at the others, then asked: "Does anyone else have a wish they want granted?"
However, the group remained silent; nobody answered.
After about several dozen breaths, Gou Budao chimed in: "Why don't you be my ice cream machine?"
If it were a god, this ice cream machine would probably have better thermal insulation and airtight sealing, right?
"Get lost!" Qi Yuan was speechless.
This Gou Budao was constantly disgusting him.
Zuo Jingyun chuckled and said, "Origin Celestial Venerable, you'd better grant Wen Zhuyun's wish first before saying anything else."
Actually, he left some thoughts unspoken.
There wouldn't be many silly, naive sweethearts like Wen Zhuyun, and the others wouldn't be fooled so easily.
If you really were a True God,
why bother dispatching someone to ask Yan Yuqing whether he liked Wen Zhuyun just to grant her wish? Couldn't you just use divine abilities to make Yan Yuqing fall in love with her?
If you couldn't even manage something so simple, how dare you call yourself a god?
You were nothing more than an edgy chuunibyou teenager like the Heavenly Dragon Great Emperor.
"Sigh, why don't you people believe in a True God?"
"Just you watch. Five days from now, I will grant Wen Zhuyun's wish. Don't you dare bark like dogs when the time comes!" Qi Yuan remarked casually.
"Woof, woof, woof!" Gou Budao posted.
***
"So-called gods are nothing more than powerful mortals," Zuo Jingyun murmured to himself in the True Martial World.
Thirty years ago, someone had claimed to be a god and wreaked havoc across the martial world.
And that so-called god was merely a martial artist who had consumed the blood of an exotic beast, the dragon turtle, gaining a thousand-year lifespan and drastically boosting his martial arts prowess.
In the end, the Child of Destiny descended into the world, and the world's seven strongest warriors, wielding divine artifacts, decapitated and slew that god.
"Alas, though I have practiced diligently for thirty years, I have only reached the Grandmaster realm even now. Although I acquired that mysterious jade... the cultivation method Gou Budao gave me only made my physical body stronger."
Zuo Jingyun had an archenemy—one of the Seven Warriors who had slain the god.
Over the years, he had been hunted relentlessly by that warrior's disciples and followers.
After entering this chat group, he considered it his opportunity. After observing the members, he chose to chat privately with Gou Budao to make a trade.
He had shared some medicinal formulas, while Gou Budao gave him some cultivation methods.
Gou Budao's methods were indeed effective, not even inferior to the secret scriptures of the Seven Warriors, but they were still far from enough to defeat his enemy.
"If what this Origin Celestial Venerable says is true, he must be an extraterrestrial fiend. The True Martial World... has slain quite a few extraterrestrial fiends," Zuo Jingyun murmured. "A pity that in my cooperation with Wu Santong, the Green Flame Divine Art he passed to me is far too weak. The world he resides in must have an underdeveloped martial dao."
Wu Santong was also a member of the chat group, a martial artist and the sect master of the Kongshan Sect, seemingly brimming with ambition.
Chapter 594