Qi Yuan was slightly surprised, but his gaze soon cleared.
"Is that so?"
Having weathered the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations, he was nearly omniscient and omnipotent.
With just a slight sweep of his perception, he understood the full cause and effect of the matter.
Naturally, this ability was limited to ordinary domains within the universe.
In domains overtaken by Returning to Nothingness, such as the Abandoned Land, this perception suffered severe constraints.
Thus, finding Wu Shi after entering the Abandoned Land would still pose some difficulty for Qi Yuan.
*Looks like this game quest really is somewhat tricky,* Qi Yuan mused inwardly.
The quest's objective was simple: protect the Abandoned Land and keep it from being swallowed by Returning to Nothingness.
Even Sansheng at his peak could scarcely accomplish such a feat.
For the current Qi Yuan, it was indeed rather difficult.
Even so, compared to Sansheng, he held a bachelor's degree, possessed a brilliant mind, and excelled at devising plans.
Advantage was on his side.
Completing the game would not be impossible.
At that moment, Qi Yuan turned to Feng Ye and said casually, "I plan to host a banquet for a brief get-together. Go invite God Lord Heitian."
Qi Yuan was a man who observed propriety.
Moreover, he was sharp and resourceful, and he never slaughtered the innocent without cause.
Inviting God Lord Heitian was therefore essential.
***
On the other side of the mountain.
When Feng Ye arrived at God Lord Heitian's domain and explained his purpose, astonishment surfaced in the god lord's eyes.
"What? Brother Qi Yuan is inviting me to meet?"
For so many years, he had never managed to see Qi Yuan.
His close friend God Lord Tunxing had repeatedly whispered in his ear that Qi Yuan might have caught wind of the danger and dared not meet with him.
Heitian naturally trusted his own judgment of character, yet God Lord Tunxing's constant nagging had worn on him.
Furthermore, Qi Yuan had remained in seclusion the entire time.
A seed of doubt had indeed taken root in his heart.
Yet none of that mattered anymore; he had already severed ties with Qi Yuan so as not to implicate him.
Now, emerging from seclusion, Qi Yuan had reached out to invite him.
A prick of shame welled up inside Heitian.
He probably should never have harbored such doubts.
"I..." God Lord Heitian hesitated.
He did not want to drag Qi Yuan down with him.
"His Highness specifically emphasized that you must come to this gathering!" Feng Ye stressed.
After a brief pause, God Lord Heitian shook his head. "I'll go."
With a heart full of apprehension, God Lord Heitian arrived at Qi Yuan's cave abode.
He felt deeply melancholy, but also somewhat grateful.
Still, he understood that once this banquet ended, he would have to make the stakes clear and completely sever his ties with Qi Yuan.
Otherwise, even if Qi Yuan was a descendant of Pillar Tiankai, offending that person would make it nearly impossible to survive.
After all, Pillar Tiankai had countless offspring.
He would hardly hold any single descendant in special regard.
"Brother Heitian, long time no see! Have you eaten yet?"
Just then, Qi Yuan walked out, clad in a robe embroidered with characters, exuding an air of supreme noble dignity.
Yet his very first words were asking whether he had eaten.
God Lord Heitian stood rooted to the spot.
*You invited me over for a gathering, and the first thing you ask is whether I've eaten?*
*If I say I have, are you going to send me packing?*
"Not yet," God Lord Heitian forced out a smile.
Ever since God Lord Tunxing departed to seek an opportunity for breakthrough, his residence had been utterly desolate, visited by virtually no one.
The True Gods he had once befriended and helped now avoided him like a plague.
"Splendid! I told the kitchen to whip up plenty of dishes. You're guaranteed to feast your heart out and leave satisfied," Qi Yuan remarked breezily.
God Lord Heitian managed a polite smile, though it was noticeably strained.
Ever perceptive, Qi Yuan caught the hesitation and hastily added, "Don't worry, my spread is lavish—no premade cafeteria junk, and definitely no secretly ordered budget takeout. You helped me a lot back then. If I'm hosting you, it has to be top-tier comfort fare like braised chicken or pig's trotter rice to show proper respect!"
Though God Lord Heitian understood almost none of the terms, he broke into a hearty laugh. "Three thousand years apart, and Brother Qi Yuan's elegance remains undiminished."
He felt transported back to how things used to be.
On Myriad Gods Mountain today, Qi Yuan was probably the only one left who would treat him like this—aside from God Lord Tunxing, who was still away.
Qi Yuan nodded, cutting straight to the chase. "In ancient times, people often hosted banquets to act as peacemakers. I invited you here today for the exact same reason: to step in as a peacemaker, resolve your trouble, and repay the favor I owe you."
That was his true purpose.
Upon hearing this, God Lord Heitian was taken aback. "A peacemaker?"
He understood Qi Yuan's sentiment.
Yet... serving as a peacemaker in this matter was not something just anyone could do.
After all, he was intended as the primer for that person to weather the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations.
Obstructing that was tantamount to obstructing someone's path to enlightenment—an unforgivable feud.
Even Pillar Tiankai could not mediate such a matter.
Across all of Myriad Gods Mountain, perhaps only the Emperor God himself possessed the standing to act as a peacemaker.
"Brother Qi Yuan, that person... has an extraordinary background. You must not offend him!" God Lord Heitian urged hurriedly.
He feared Qi Yuan did not grasp the terrifying strength and origin of the other party.
That figure hailed from the Yang Realm.
"How could I? If others don't cross me, I won't cross them. I'm a lawful good person who never offends anyone without cause. Right, Charcoal?"
Qi Yuan called out toward the folding screen behind him.
God Lord Heitian froze as a Dao God clad in black robes slowly walked out from behind the screen.
The Dao God's eyes still held a lingering look of sheer panic, revealing the absolute terror churned inside him.
The moment he saw the man, God Lord Heitian's mind went blank.
*Isn't this that very Dao God?!*
*How is he here?!*
*And why is he acting so submissive?!*
*Furthermore... what did Qi Yuan just call him?!*
*Charcoal?!*
Heitian's heart pounded wildly, completely baffled by what was unfolding.
At that point, Qi Yuan said, "Charcoal, you should recognize this man. He's God Lord Heitian, the one you intended to use to weather the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations."
Hearing that, God Lord Heitian's suspicion was confirmed: it really was him!
Meanwhile, the Dao God dubbed "Charcoal" nodded vigorously. "Yes, Senior, of course!"
Only heaven knew what had happened. He had been secluded in cultivation, preparing to face the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations.
Then, out of nowhere, an overwhelmingly boundless force had snatched him away.
As a Dao God, he had been powerless to resist in the slightest.
At first, he thought the Emperor God had intervened.
Only later did he realize how absurdly wrong he was.
This mysterious powerhouse was far more terrifying than even the Emperor God who had crossed the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations.
To abduct him from Myriad Gods Mountain—right inside the Emperor God's territory—without alerting the Emperor God at all...
This had to be an expert of the same tier.
Perhaps even stronger than the Emperor God.
And such a terrifying existence had made a move against him.
His life and death were entirely in Qi Yuan's hands.
"You both understand why I organized this dinner today, don't you?" Qi Yuan's gaze swept over the two, his tone remarkably calm.
God Lord Heitian and the Dao God Charcoal both shivered, though their inner turmoil stemmed from completely different reasons.
"Sigh, the Yin Realm, the Yang Realm, and the Rebirth Realm... you two can be considered counterpart-selves. Stretched a bit, you're practically brothers.
"I, for one, can't stand seeing brethren turn on each other.
"Charcoal, how about this? If I compose a poem within seven steps that moves you to tears, you drop your designs on God Lord Heitian. What do you say?" Qi Yuan looked at the Dao God, his voice placid.
He was preparing to plagiarize once again.
Upon hearing this, what could the Dao God Charcoal do besides nod?
If he refused, he would probably be the one used to help God Lord Heitian weather the tribulation instead.
Now, whatever Qi Yuan said, he had to obey and play along.
Beside them, God Lord Heitian's expression remained frozen in shock.
He even began to wonder if he was approaching death, losing his mind, and hallucinating.
Yet as a God Lord, how could he possibly hallucinate?
"Alright, I'm taking my steps now."
"Step one!"
Qi Yuan began to walk, reciting the borrowed verse with rich, melodramatic emotion.
He deliberately adopted a formal broadcast cadence, peppered with a bit of vocal fry and electronic resonance.
"*They boil the beans to make a soup, they strain the pulse...*
*...*
*Born from the very same root, why fry each other with such haste?*"
With the completion of his steps, the poem concluded.
Qi Yuan was about to speak and check Charcoal's reaction, but when he looked up, he realized his seven steps had carried him straight into the Abandoned Land.
He hurried back.
"Oops, didn't expect my stride to be that big. But the poem... you heard it, right?" Qi Yuan returned to the banquet, sighing in relief inwardly.
Thank goodness he was an immortal cultivator. Otherwise, taking such a massive stride would have pulled a groin muscle, and tearing his trousers would have been utterly humiliating.
"I heard it," the Dao God Charcoal replied, feeling completely bewildered as if ten thousand wild beasts were trampling through his brain.
He could not comprehend Qi Yuan's antics in the slightest.
"How was it? Were you moved to tears?" Qi Yuan asked.
It was a brilliant poem.
Delivered with his passionate recitation, it would have easily placed in the top three at an elementary school speech contest.
Moving Charcoal to tears should have been a breeze.
"I'm... deeply moved," Charcoal dared not move an inch.
Faced with a choice between a breakthrough and outright death, he opted for complete cowardice.
"I'm sorry," he apologized directly to Qi Yuan, deliberately squeezing out "tears of emotion" from his eyes.
If not for God Lord Heitian being present, he would have gladly dropped to his knees and kowtowed.
As for the dignity and pride of a Dao God...
What was that worth?
He had never been an ascetic cultivator anyway.
Endowed with a unique physique and extraordinary lineage, he had ascended to Dao God almost effortlessly using divine treasures with barely any arduous cultivation.
"Don't! I hate people apologizing to me the most!"
Qi Yuan instantly shivered with revulsion.
Having total creeps apologize to him was enough to make anyone shudder in disgust.
Chapter 624