What shattered in the hearts of mortals was the shackle of the plane spirit's divine oracle.
"From this day forth, let divine statues be cast, and let all living beings place their faith in me!"
Right at that moment, a murmur echoed across the land.
Across mountains and rivers, countless divine statues rose from the ground.
Many toiling commoners and hunters, seeing such a bizarre spectacle, wore expressions of shock and dropped to their knees one after another.
Yet just then, a voice reached their ears:
"Those who place faith in me need not kowtow."
...
"Congratulations to Your Highness on breaking through to the Divine Oracle realm."
On Myriad Gods Mountain, a True God of the Divine Kingdom realm wore a look of profound awe.
Godchild Tan Ying wore a satisfied expression. "I got lucky this time, plundering a decent plane, and managed to break through by sheer fortune."
Though he spoke with modesty, the smug pride between his brows could not be concealed.
Among this batch of godchildren who had broken through to True God, Tan Ying's breakthrough speed was considered remarkably fast.
In less than half a month, he had crossed the Divine Kingdom realm and reached the Divine Oracle realm.
Such a feat was rare, but entirely natural.
Cultivation in the True God realm was not a matter of slowly grinding away with time.
Rather, the more resources one plundered and the more faith one gathered, the faster one advanced.
Not to mention, in the plane Tan Ying had plundered, time flowed differently than on Myriad Gods Mountain.
Of course, natural talent played a massive role as well.
"Your Highness's present strength is already enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the veteran godchildren," the True God attendant said with deep humility.
In this current batch of True God godchildren, there were only fifty or so; the rest were still in the Void God realm.
Yet Tan Ying was already in the Divine Oracle realm—an astonishing progression.
A grave look flashed through Tan Ying's eyes. "If I wish to surpass the top veteran godchildren, I must step into the God Lord realm.
"And if I wish to gain Father God's favor and inherit his authority, I must become a Spirit God."
At the mention of Spirit God, a complicated emotion surfaced in Tan Ying's eyes.
The Spirit God realm was an extraordinarily difficult hurdle to cross.
Pillar Tiankai had countless offspring, yet at present, not a single one had attained the Spirit God realm.
Seven godchildren in the God Lord realm had previously sought to break through to the Spirit God realm, only to perish amidst the tribulations.
Thus, among all the offspring of Pillar Tiankai, not a single one had reached the Spirit God realm so far.
As for bypassing the Spirit God realm and stepping straight into the Dao God realm...
That was even harder.
Doing so required a certain divine treasure.
However, those divine treasures had long been exhausted by the Dao Gods of the past; where would the current generation find any left to skip ahead?
"Now that I have freshly entered the Divine Oracle realm, I must rest and consolidate to recover my divine power.
"Go send word to the younger brothers and sisters of my batch and invite them to gather together," Tan Ying instructed.
This so-called gathering was nothing more than offering those younger brothers and sisters an opportunity to pledge fealty to him.
Such practices were commonplace.
Those top veteran godchildren and goddesses all operated the same way.
Once Tan Ying's realm stabilized, a sharp edge gleamed in his eyes.
"The Divine Oracle realm is indeed fundamentally different from the Divine Kingdom realm. A single divine oracle from me is enough to bend reality, leaving lower-tier True Gods with no choice but to obey."
The divine oracle he wielded was called Fire—simple and brutal.
And controlling fire ranked among the very finest of all divine oracles.
"Your Highness, forty-seven godchildren and goddesses of this batch have agreed to attend the banquet, but..." Just then, the True God attendant bowed his head and reported, "Godchild Qi Yuan refuses to come. He claims that he is... socially anxious."
"Oh? Refusing to give me face?" Tan Ying's eyes held a smile. "It seems I must go invite this younger brother in person."
About a quarter of an hour later.
At Qi Yuan's residence on Myriad Gods Mountain, an uninvited guest arrived.
"Having broken through to the Divine Oracle realm, I planned to invite the brothers and sisters of our batch to gather and look out for one another. Why was Brother unwilling to come?"
Tan Ying wore a fiery-red robe, and the surrounding temperature climbed noticeably the moment he drew near.
He looked at Qi Yuan ahead of him, smiling, but harboring blades behind that smile.
"Are you blind? Didn't I already tell you I have social anxiety?" Qi Yuan didn't show the slightest courtesy.
This Tan Ying's tone had been downright malicious.
Since the other fellow was concealing daggers behind a smile, Qi Yuan simply took inspiration from the time-honored tradition of greeting mothers and started cursing right back.
Tan Ying froze for a second, not expecting Qi Yuan to be so abrasive.
Wasn't he supposed to be socially anxious?
How could someone speak so bluntly and rudely?
"Among the godchildren of this batch, I was the first to break through to True God.
"In a certain sense, I am your elder brother.
"What is more, I am also the first to break through to the Divine Oracle realm.
"Qi Yuan, showing disrespect to your elder brother... today, I shall teach you a lesson." Tan Ying felt it was high time to display his methods, establish his authority, and suppress a few thorns.
"Tch." Qi Yuan scoffed with utter disdain. "You're older than me, but you're just born of a concubine, whereas I'm an only child—obviously of legitimate descent.
"When a concubine-born sees a legitimate heir, you ought to drop to your knees before me!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Tan Ying was somewhat bewildered, unable to make heads or tails of Qi Yuan's words.
"I'm saying the concubine-born are inferior to the legitimate. A concubine-born emperor must kneel to a legitimately-born general.
"And a concubine-born like you must kneel before me!"
The moment the words fell, the furious glare on Tan Ying's face melted into dazed confusion.
*My mother wasn't Pillar Tiankai's lawfully wedded primary wife.*
*So I am born of a concubine?*
*And Qi Yuan is of legitimate descent?*
*He is an only child, so he is legitimate?*
*When the concubine-born sees the legitimate, he must kneel.*
*Kneel.*
His mind became utter mush, and his body instinctively dropped with a thud onto both knees.
"Concubine-born Tan Ying greets legitimate Qi Yuan."
Seeing this, a smile rose in Qi Yuan's eyes.
This plane spirit's divine oracle wasn't entirely feudal dregs after all.
Wasn't it quite handy?
"Roll on back."
Qi Yuan waved his hand.
Without the slightest hesitation, Tan Ying actually dropped to the floor and rolled away.
After about a dozen breaths, Tan Ying's eyes suddenly cleared, his face alternating between livid green and embarrassed red.
"Damn it! Qi Yuan actually humiliated me like this!"
He realized in an instant that he had fallen into Qi Yuan's trap and knelt before him.
They were all offspring of Pillar Tiankai! How on earth was Qi Yuan an only child? That was pure gibberish!
"I..."
He was burning with rage, wishing he could turn back and incinerate Qi Yuan's dwelling to ashes.
Yet the memory of how easily Qi Yuan had snared him gave him pause.
Going back now would only invite further humiliation.
"To think he hid his depth so well! No, if I don't kill him, this burning hatred will never subside!" Tan Ying roared inwardly, feeling that he had lost all face today. If the other godchildren saw this, they would mock him endlessly.
Indeed, just as Tan Ying feared, his errand to invite Qi Yuan had been closely watched by quite a few godchildren and goddesses.
"This Qi Yuan is rather interesting. I thought Tan Ying was the only one in this batch with any decent talent, yet to think Qi Yuan has also grasped a divine oracle," Seventeenth Godchild Ha Jin remarked casually.
Goddess Xi Shui looked solemn. "The divine oracle he commands is exceedingly strange. Something about legitimate and concubine-born actually forced Tan Ying to his knees. It's truly impossible to guard against.
"Still, such an oracle is far too unorthodox and bizarre. It is not the Great Dao."
Goddess Xi Shui gave a light giggle as she offered her evaluation.
The five elements, space, slaughter, strength, light, and the like—those were the Great Dao.
Ha Jin rolled his eyes at his sister. "Stop deceiving yourself. What Great Dao is there in this world? Whoever's divine oracle is stronger, that is the Great Dao.
"How about you go test yourself against Qi Yuan?"
Recalling the image of Tan Ying on his knees before Qi Yuan, Xi Shui hastily shook her head in refusal.
"No!" Xi Shui was not giggling anymore.
She had no desire to humiliate herself.
Qi Yuan's divine oracle was far too bizarre; lacking any way to counter it, she could easily fall victim to it as well.
...
Meanwhile, Feng Ye wore a look of melancholy.
"Your Highness, you have offended Godchild Tan Ying to the point of no return today. You must be cautious," Feng Ye cautioned.
"Rest assured. In offending me, he has no way left to live," Qi Yuan said placidly.
Though he was Lawful Good, he would never spare an enemy who harbored murderous intent toward him.
While using the legitimate-and-concubine oracle, Qi Yuan had quietly implanted another divine oracle into Tan Ying's mind.
This one was called Dying for Love.
In the Great Ruins State, even cold-blooded political creatures like emperors could become utterly lovesick fools and commit suicide for 'love.'
Given Tan Ying's temperament, he would certainly never genuinely fall in love with any person or object.
Yet... the love enforced by this divine oracle was no ordinary love.
He would simply wait for Tan Ying to kill himself for love.
Perhaps one day Tan Ying would take a fancy to a mouse, accidentally love the creature to death, and then end his own life in grief.
*These divine oracles born of feudal dregs can be potent weapons when used properly,*
Qi Yuan mused to himself.
Beside him, Feng Ye let out a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He had worried that the lord he served might be overly merciful.
Now, seeing that this prince's talent far exceeded his imagination and that he was ruthless when necessary, Feng Ye knew he was a master truly worthy of loyalty.
"Your Highness, since you have stepped into the Divine Oracle realm, you must make plans for the Spirit God realm," Feng Ye said seriously. "At present, divine treasures are scarce. God Lords can no longer skip the Spirit God realm to reach the Dao God realm; one must step into the Spirit God realm through one's own efforts.
"Yet the Spirit God realm entails the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations, which are tremendously difficult to survive.
"Pillar Tiankai had seven offspring who attempted to force their way into the Spirit God realm, but not a single one survived the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations; all perished."
A heavy expression settled on Feng Ye's face.
"The Spirit God realm sounds a bit tough," Qi Yuan remarked.
The cultivation system of this world bore similarities to other universes, yet differed slightly.
Here, one could also bypass the fourth tier and directly reach the fifth tier, the Dao God realm.
However, doing so required divine treasures.
Such treasures seemed to have been born of the innate cosmos and were nearly extinct from constant use.
The alternative route was to endure the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations, break through to the Spirit God realm, and then advance to the Dao God realm.
Qi Yuan was quite curious about this path.
In previous universes, the fourth tier of the Yang God realm had been an absolute dead end.
Here it was also a deadly trial, yet surviving the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations still allowed one to become a Spirit God.
"Opinions vary regarding the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations. The trials manifest differently for every True God, but... they are undeniably fatal," Feng Ye explained. "In the past, a supremely talented Dao God saw no path left forward and chose to enter the Spirit God realm. Yet... even with his Dao God physique, immortal and indestructible, he still died amidst the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations."
"Even a Dao God died?" Qi Yuan was somewhat surprised.
After all, a Dao God was roughly equivalent to a weak Dao Lord.
If even a Dao Lord could not survive the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations, how were God Lords—beings at the third tier of the Yang God realm—supposed to pass them?
"Therefore, Your Highness, while in the Divine Oracle realm, you should strive to master as many powerful divine oracles as possible to build your foundation. Otherwise... the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations will be nigh impossible to pass," Feng Ye said earnestly.
Just then, a thought struck Qi Yuan, and curiosity showed on his face. "There must be quite a few Dao Gods who pursued the Spirit God realm like that one, right?"
Feng Ye nodded. "Indeed. The path of a Dao God offers virtually no room for further advancement, so many Dao Gods chose to face the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations. Pillar Tiankai... survived two calamities and two tribulations. Rumor has it... the Emperor God fully survived all three calamities and three tribulations."
Reverence filled Feng Ye's face at the mention of the Emperor God.
Qi Yuan grew thoughtful.
*Could it be that entering Yang tier four after stepping into Yang tier five is the true path to breaking beyond Yang tier five?*
*Still, what exactly are these Three Calamities and Three Tribulations?*
Qi Yuan was intrigued.
However, weak as he currently was, there was no need to dwell on the matter just yet.
At the very least, he needed to reach the God Lord realm first.
*I need to work harder and stop slacking off.*
With that thought, Qi Yuan directed his consciousness into the All-Heavens Divine Mirror.
The chat group was quite lively at the moment.
"Wen Zhuyun, you aren't lying to us, are you?"
"I think you guys are setting up a trap."
"Are all of you just alternate accounts of Origin Celestial Venerable?"
Not long ago, Qi Yuan had acted as matchmaker for Wen Zhuyun and casually captured the plane spirit along the way.
The Great Ruins State had immediately undergone massive upheaval.
First, countless divine statues had soared into the sky. Then, because the ruler of the Great Ruins State was tyrannical and devoid of virtue, the long-oppressed populace—who previously never resisted due to the plane spirit's influence—rose up like sparks turning into a prairie fire once the shackle was removed.
In the dead of night, while the ruler of the Great Ruins State slept, several palace maids strangled him to death.
Crown Prince Qi ascended the throne.
The realm descended into turmoil.
Yet it was at this moment that the divine statues appeared.
Wen Zhuyun and Yan Yuqing became the two most powerful figures within the divine sect.
Countless commoners came to place their faith in the divine sect.
The fires of war gradually subsided as well.
Back then, Yan Yuqing had invoked the divine decree, declaring that the current emperor, Qi, was lacking in virtue, and deposed him from the throne.
Thus, the most powerful force in the Great Ruins State today was the divine sect, capable of dethroning an emperor with a single word.
When Qi Yuan had first learned of this, he had felt a faint resistance.
After all, religion was what it was—those who understood, understood.
Later, however, he realized that this was his own religion, operating under his will.
He had quickly made peace with it.
He was Lawful Good; how could he possibly mistreat the common folk without cause?
As for the transformations in the Great Ruins State, most members in the group remained skeptical.
"Origin Celestial Venerable is a True God," Wu Santong spoke up on Qi Yuan's behalf at this moment.
After all, he had already chosen to place his faith in Qi Yuan, finding a way out for the Kongshan Sect.
Moreover, hearing about the changes surrounding Wen Zhuyun had stirred a fiery ambition within Wu Santong.
If he clung tightly to Origin Celestial Venerable's thigh, the Kongshan Sect might not only avoid destruction, but he might also fulfill his youthful dream of becoming the alliance master of the martial world.
The martial alliance master! What a glorious standing that would be!
"If what Wen Zhuyun says is true, then Origin Celestial Venerable does seem to possess genuine capability," someone in the group remarked, secretly evaluating Qi Yuan's strength.
"Origin Celestial Venerable, could you also come to my world and help me out?" spoke up Heavenly Dragon Great Emperor, who had been lurking silently of late.
When this Heavenly Dragon Great Emperor had first joined the chat group, he had been exceptionally active, bragging about how grand and mighty he was.
Then he had gone quiet for a while, disappearing without a sound.
Now, he had suddenly become active once more.
Qi Yuan looked at Heavenly Dragon Great Emperor's message with a calm gaze.
His nose was growing longer.
Which meant Heavenly Dragon Great Emperor was lying to him.
Could he be... fishing for him?
"Sure. Send me your coordinates in a private message. When I have some free time, I'll drop by to help you."
"I've always been someone who loves helping others, and I value sentiment deeply."
"Back when my white moonlight died, I let bygones be bygones and took care of their descendants."
By 'descendants,' he naturally meant their inheritance.
Upon hearing this, the others in the chat thought Qi Yuan was a truly wonderful person.
Yet a few wore peculiar expressions.
*Their?*
*He had more than one white moonlight?*
Chapter 597