Chapter 601: The Conflicted Qi Yuan |
Perhaps fearing that he might arouse Qi Yuan's suspicion, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor did not speak again.
He was fishing in the group chat, naturally targeting Qi Yuan.
But he was also afraid of going too far and arousing Qi Yuan's suspicion, so he stopped after a brief attempt.
At this moment, in a certain world, a man calling himself the Heavenly Dragon Emperor had a deep, blood-red glint in his eyes.
He was originally a wandering knight who liked to brag about his exploits.
After joining the group chat, he naturally continued to boast.
But one day, someone in the group privately messaged him, and disaster struck.
Now, he was like a walking corpse, a puppet.
"Heavenly Dragon, what do you think of that Origin Heavenly God?"
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor immediately fell silent, not daring to look at the owner of the voice.
In his eyes, this person was a devil.
The world he was in had been taken over by this person, with blood and light stretching for thousands of miles.
"Your humble servant is ignorant and cannot say," the Heavenly Dragon Emperor replied truthfully.
He answered truthfully.
Although he was a superhuman with the strength of ten dragons and ten elephants, capable of moving mountains and dominating the world, he was still far from being a true god.
"He must be a True God, but I'm not sure how strong he is," the seductive woman murmured. "Perfect... he can be a dessert after the main course."
The seductive woman belonged to a terrifying force called the Nine Kill Palace.
This was a formidable force, though significantly weaker than the Ten Thousand Gods Mountain.
The Nine Kill Palace also possessed fragments of the Myriad Heavens Mirror, which they used to fish for targets.
If the Ten Thousand Gods Mountain's cultivation was based on faith, then the Nine Kill Palace's cultivation was based on slaughter.
Thus, they descended upon one world after another, unleashing carnage.
Because of this, the Ten Thousand Gods Mountain and the Nine Kill Palace were often enemies.
The seductive woman was a powerhouse at the peak of the Divine Decree stage, just one step away from the Divine Lord stage.
Thus, to her, Qi Yuan was a dessert after the main course.
And a bold one at that.
Because many people in the Myriad Heavens Mirror could be like her, fishing for targets.
Generally, if not fully prepared, people like her would not rashly descend into a world.
The Heavenly Dragon Emperor was someone she had observed for a long time, and after confirming there was no danger, she had descended into his world.
But that Origin Heavenly God had just arrived in the Myriad Heavens Mirror, boldly descended into a world once, and was now preparing to do so again. She found it quite amusing.
This reckless True God couldn't die in someone else's hands. She had her eyes on this juicy target.
...
In the group chat, everyone had their own thoughts.
Wu Santong was filled with anticipation.
If the Origin Heavenly God helped him deal with the Severing Heaven Society, could he... unify the martial world and become its leader?
Thinking of this, his heart raced.
Becoming the martial world leader would mean he had truly revived the Empty Mountain Sect, living up to his master's expectations.
"San Tong, You Mountain City... seems to be in turmoil recently. Why are we... bringing the entire sect here?" Liu Xian'er asked with a hint of hesitation.
Some time ago, Wu Santong had ordered all 237 disciples of the sect to head to You Mountain City.
Fortunately, Wu Santong's prestige was high, and none of the disciples objected.
But now that they were nearing You Mountain City, the scenes they witnessed were alarming, and Liu Xian'er couldn't suppress her doubts any longer.
"For survival," Wu Santong replied, not mentioning the Origin Heavenly God.
After all, who would believe in gods?
Just then, a loud voice rang out. Ten riders approached, led by a man with a thick beard and a robust aura: "Are you Wu Santong of the Empty Mountain Sect? Have you come to join the You Mountain King?"
Wu Santong had a good memory and recognized the bearded man after a moment's thought.
Some time ago, when the sect was short on funds, he and Liu Xian'er had worked as bounty hunters, helping the imperial court track down fugitives for rewards.
Once, they had captured a notorious rapist in Shu and handed him over to the authorities. The official who had dealt with them was this bearded man.
This bearded man, Cui Huai, was a well-known martial artist in Shu who had joined the imperial court as a minor official. At the time, Wu Santong had been puzzled by this.
"Master Cui Huai, it's been a long time. You look as spirited as ever," Wu Santong said, cupping his hands in greeting.
Cui Huai looked up, a smile on his face: "Now, I humbly serve as a captain under the You Mountain King. Sect Leader Wu, with your formidable martial skills, have you brought your disciples to join the You Mountain King?"
Cui Huai spoke with a hint of pride.
Now that the You Mountain King had risen in rebellion, Cui Huai had joined early. Moreover, unlike other martial artists, he had studied military strategy while honing his martial skills.
His martial skills were mediocre compared to Wu Santong's, but now he was a captain in the army, commanding three thousand soldiers, which was more prestigious than being the leader of the Empty Mountain Sect.
"Now that Sect Leader Wu has joined, though a bit late, with my recommendation, becoming a guest advisor should be easy," Cui Huai said generously.
In the martial world, in terms of martial skill, status, and reputation, he was far inferior to Wu Santong.
But the martial world...
In Cui Huai's eyes, it was somewhat contemptible.
The so-called Severing Heaven Society, if he led his three thousand troops, could be crushed in an instant.
"No," Wu Santong shook his head.
He was not here to join the You Mountain King.
Cui Huai's expression changed: "Have you joined the imperial court? Are you here to assassinate the You Mountain King?"
Now that the You Mountain King had risen in rebellion, the imperial court had sent an army of two hundred thousand to suppress the rebellion, stationed at Matang Pass.
Some martial artists had also tried to assassinate the You Mountain King to end the conflict.
But these attempts had all failed, with the assassins being captured and killed before they could even enter the city.
Cui Huai had thought Wu Santong was here to join, given that he had brought his disciples, and didn't seem like an assassin.
"No," Wu Santong shook his head again, then said, "The Severing Heaven Society's ambition to swallow the martial world is clear. Some time ago, I dreamed of a god, who told me to come to Youzhou, where there might be a chance of survival."
"Hmph," Cui Huai sneered, clearly finding the idea of gods absurd. "Now that military affairs are pressing, you... should not wander around outside."
Clearly, he intended to detain Wu Santong.
After all, with two armies facing off, spies had to be careful.
Whether Wu Santong was willing or not, in the end, the Empty Mountain Sect was placed under house arrest.
The disciples of the Empty Mountain Sect were anxious, feeling like they had just escaped the wolf's den only to fall into the tiger's mouth.
...
"After practicing martial arts all my life... I realize how narrow-minded I've been. How can individual martial skill compare to an army of ten thousand?"
Wu Santong's eldest disciple was filled with shock.
In the past few days, he had seen small-scale military skirmishes, and his emotions were mixed.
His martial skills were good, and he had some reputation in the martial world.
But if he encountered these armored soldiers, even ten of them could kill him.
His former pride was shattered in the face of the army.
"The so-called martial world is nothing more than a small pond in the eyes of the imperial court."
The other disciples felt the same.
They felt that all their years of martial training were useless.
Power and influence were what truly mattered.
Many of the disciples began to think of persuading Wu Santong to join the You Mountain King, to gain merit and avoid being prisoners who might die at any moment.
Hearing these words from his disciples, Wu Santong said sternly, "Do not belittle yourselves. When our martial arts reach a profound level, we can face a thousand enemies alone."
Wu Santong had once communicated with Zuo Jingyun.
Zuo Jingyun had hinted that he had once single-handedly slaughtered three thousand bandits.
Though it might be an exaggeration, it could be true.
This kind of power was what Wu Santong yearned for. If he could obtain it from the Origin Heavenly God, perhaps... he really could become the martial world leader.
"Master, to face a thousand enemies alone, one would need to accumulate ten thousand years of internal energy. How can we possibly gather that much?"
The disciples secretly complained, their thoughts varied.
Just then, a voice suddenly echoed in Wu Santong's mind.
"Alright, I'm ready to fulfill your wish. Remember... to believe in me."
Hearing this strange voice, Wu Santong was first puzzled, then overjoyed.
Had the Origin Heavenly God finally come to help him?
"Your humble servant obeys!" Wu Santong's spirits lifted. He wanted to see how the Origin Heavenly God would resolve the Empty Mountain Sect's crisis and make him the martial world leader.
His thoughts were in chaos.
At that moment, the overlapping dark clouds in the sky suddenly parted.
It was as if a giant hand had reached out from the clouds, covering the sky and radiating golden light.
The two armies facing each other, hundreds of thousands of soldiers, looked up at the terrifying giant hand in the sky, their faces filled with shock. The horses reared and neighed in fear.
"What is this?"
"A heavenly omen!"
"This is an auspicious sign! The You Mountain King will surely succeed!"
"This is an ill omen! It means the You Mountain King will be defeated!"
Different people had different interpretations of the scene.
But the next moment, they realized their interpretations were meaningless.
"I am the Origin Heavenly God."
"My believer, Wu Santong, shall be emperor and the martial world leader!"
The voice boomed from the heavens.
All the soldiers, generals, and officials who heard it were stunned.
Many ran around, asking, "Who is this Wu Santong?"
Some generals sneered, looking at the sky: "Who is pretending to be a god?"
Cui Huai's heart trembled. He thought of Wu Santong, whom he had detained.
"It seems I'll have to show off a bit in front of these mortals," Qi Yuan murmured in the sky.
If it were another True God descending into this world, showing off might mean unleashing a sword strike that would annihilate an army of a hundred thousand.
But Qi Yuan was lawful good.
So he also unleashed a sword strike.
But he did not annihilate an army of a hundred thousand.
Instead...
"I shall take half of your hair."
As Qi Yuan's voice fell, a golden light flashed.
The earth shook.
A chasm dozens of miles long and bottomless appeared on the plains outside You Mountain City.
Such power, such a sight, was like a myth to these soldiers and martial artists.
Moreover...
"My hair..."
"Ah, my hair!"
The soldiers were shocked.
As the golden light flashed, half of their hair was gone.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers clutched their heads, their faces filled with terror.
This was beyond description; it could only be seen as a divine miracle.
After all, if a single sword strike could cut their hair, couldn't it also cut their heads?
The owner of the voice in the sky, if not a True God, then who was?
At this moment, Qi Yuan looked at the pile of hair in front of him, a thoughtful expression on his face.
"When I was a child, I heard that hair could be used to make soy sauce. Turns out... it's true."
Of course... it was true.
After all, Qi Yuan had cultivated immortality and become a god. Turning hair into soy sauce was simple.
Even turning water into gasoline or stones into gold was easy for him.
Of course, even if he turned hair into soy sauce, Qi Yuan wouldn't use it for cooking. It was too disgusting.
If he wanted to eat, he'd go for national brands or group buys. He'd heard they were quite energizing.
"Another world conquered, simple as that."
"But this world... hasn't formed a World Spirit yet?
Or has the World Spirit already disappeared?"
As Qi Yuan took action and displayed his divine miracle, the world underwent a tremendous change.
Wu Santong naturally became the god's spokesperson and, in fact, the first emperor and martial world leader of this world.
Wu Santong was overjoyed.
Because initially, his wish had only been to become the martial world leader.
But the Origin Heavenly God had made him an emperor.
When he saw the armies clashing, he realized how insignificant the martial world was. Being the martial world leader was nothing.
But now, with a single word from the Origin Heavenly God, he was an emperor. How could he not be shocked?
Although he had become an emperor, Wu Santong did not let it go to his head. He knew his reliance was the Origin Heavenly God. His future... how could it be limited to being a mere emperor?
...
"I've already helped Wu Santong fulfill his wish. Who's next?" Qi Yuan said in the group.
He never pretended.
"So fast? You've already made Wu Santong the martial world leader?" Zuo Jingyun asked, somewhat surprised.
He had always known that Wu Santong had ambitions, not just to revive the Empty Mountain Sect but also to become the martial world leader.
Other lurkers in the group also appeared, seemingly surprised or flattering Qi Yuan.
"No one?"
Qi Yuan asked in the group.
Unfortunately, the Heavenly Dragon Emperor did not respond directly. He was still fishing, afraid of arousing Qi Yuan's suspicion.
"Sigh, how boring. Where is the sincerity between people?"
Qi Yuan exited the Myriad Heavens Mirror and returned to the Ten Thousand Gods Mountain.
"Progressing like this is too slow."
Qi Yuan sighed.
Generally, god-children like Qi Yuan, who obtained the Myriad Heavens Mirror, found it difficult to quickly conquer all the worlds.
First, people were naturally cautious.
Second, those worlds also had dangers, and with the god-children's strength, they might not be able to conquer them.
Some worlds, though small, had many powerful figures. Even Divine Lords who entered might become prey, so many True Gods entered cautiously.
Someone like Qi Yuan, who progressed so quickly, was quite rare.
"So, how to speed things up?"
Qi Yuan pondered.
Suddenly, he thought of something.
"It's just that there aren't enough people."
"If there were more, expanding the base, fools... no, my believers would also increase."
Qi Yuan thought of scams.
Why did such obviously flawed scams still manage to deceive so many people?
Clearly, it was because of the wide net cast.
As long as there were enough people, there would always be fools.
"Unfortunately, there are too few people in my Myriad Heavens Mirror group chat."
His group had only a few people.
Even if all of them believed in him, it would only be a few worlds.
"Maybe... I should go back and inherit my universe, have those people believe in me?"
Qi Yuan pondered.
If he returned to his Stellar Golden Core universe, the Immortal Realm, and the universes created by the Nanke Dao Lord, and had all those people believe in him, his power would likely explode to a terrifying level.
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