Golden Core is a Star, and You Call This Cultivation?
Chapter 184: Visitors from the Jiang Kingdom

The rain poured incessantly.

On the wide streets of Feihuang City, Wang Wenqi, wearing a raincoat, turned sharply and entered a narrow alley.

Her speed suddenly increased, causing water to splash everywhere.

Behind her, a man in a black robe appeared, a mocking smile in his eyes. "Survivor of the Jiang Kingdom, where do you think you’re going?"

The man in the black robe lunged forward, attempting to capture Wang Wenqi.

At that moment, an elderly man dressed in scholar’s robes intervened.

A bright light burst forth in the alley, halting the attack of the man in the black robe.

The black-robed man stopped, his eyes filled with surprise. "Are you from the Wushi Sect?"

The elderly man in the scholar’s robe looked at the black-robed man with a sorrowful expression. "You’re a member of the Lin Kingdom's royal family. Why are you serving the evil gods?"

"A wise bird chooses the best tree to nest in. I merely made a better choice." The black-robed man didn’t attack again, his voice deep.

"Collaborating with evil gods is akin to courting disaster. The evil gods will gradually synchronize with you, turning you into their true puppets!" The elderly man in scholar’s robes spoke sternly.

In the northern lands, many nations had been under the control of evil gods for a long time.

In such nations, most of the citizens were no longer truly human, having become the evil gods' puppets.

The Wushi Sect’s followers had ventured into those cities and witnessed horrifying scenes.

The citizens appeared normal, working during the day and resting at night.

But every person had the same expression, the same routine, and never spoke voluntarily.

Children never cried, and dogs never barked, making the atmosphere eerie.

The reason the elderly man and many others resisted the new gods so fiercely was largely because of this.

As for the monthly offering of children, to some influential people, it wasn’t even considered a problem.

The black-robed man remained indifferent. "The Lord God has already promised that those of us who first pledged allegiance to him will have control over our own minds. If you’re strong enough… why don’t you join us? The Lord God will accept you."

"You…" The elderly man in scholar’s robes was furious. "You can control your mind, but you don’t care about others?"

"Others lack the strength; they don’t even qualify to serve the Lord God. Their inability to control their minds is entirely due to their weakness." The black-robed man forced a smile onto his expressionless face.

"That’s no excuse for aiding and abetting the wicked!" The elderly man in scholar’s robes attacked furiously.

The black-robed man sensed something and his gaze hardened. "You have reinforcements? I’ll spare you for now."

With that, the black-robed man vanished.

A few moments later, six or seven people arrived in the area.

At the forefront were Huang Mengying and Nangong Wuji.

Wang Wenqi, who had been wearing the raincoat, looked at Huang Mengying and the others with gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you, Sister Mengying, for saving me."

Huang Mengying looked at Wang Wenqi, her gaze complicated. "You shouldn’t go out anymore for the time being."

Wang Wenqi lowered her head, gritting her teeth. "I didn’t expect the evil god’s minions to replace me here!"

As she said this, everyone present tensed up.

Just moments ago, the elderly man in scholar’s robes had sent a message that the attacker was a member of the Lin Kingdom's royal family.

"The defeat of the Jiang Kingdom, the capital reduced to ruins, has terrified many people." Huang Mengying's voice was filled with helplessness.

An evil god, who had completed the three steps to ascend to heaven, descended upon the capital of the Jiang Kingdom.

The ancient god who guarded the Jiang Kingdom resisted the evil god to the death.

It’s said that this enraged the evil god.

After killing the ancient god of the Jiang Kingdom, the evil god leveled the capital.

All six million people in the Jiang Kingdom’s capital perished.

This terrified many.

The upper echelons of the Lin Kingdom were trembling in fear.

Hearing this, tears welled up in Wang Wenqi’s eyes, on the verge of falling.

Seeing this, Huang Mengying quickly apologized. "I’m sorry, Sister Wenqi, for bringing up something that hurts you."

Wang Wenqi was from the Jiang Kingdom. Huang Mengying knew that her parents and relatives lived in the capital of the Jiang Kingdom and were killed by that evil god.

Wang Wenqi had come to Feihuang City for other reasons, which saved her life.

Wang Wenqi hid her face in her sleeve, then asked, with a trace of resentment in her voice, "Did the Origin Heavenly God really side with the new gods?"

Huang Mengying, hearing this, couldn’t help but recall the young man she had seen at the feast.

That ancient god had a handsome, carefree appearance and seemed to disregard the evil gods entirely.

A few days ago, he suddenly struck, killing all the gods in Gale Town, which had shocked them.

After all, the evil gods of the six towns were beyond even Nangong Wuji’s ability to handle.

And when Nangong Wuji intervened, he witnessed the power of the half-god She Wolf.

Yet, the Origin Heavenly God still managed to kill him. How could they not be stunned?

But what happened next was even more shocking.

The Origin Heavenly God actually intended to cooperate with the new gods to summon a true god.

They couldn’t understand it.

"I’m not entirely sure about this," Huang Mengying replied. "Yesterday, we sent someone to Qingshui Village. The Origin Heavenly God said… he is indeed working with the new gods. He plans to summon a true god to Qingshui Village."

Hearing this, Wang Wenqi's eyes turned red with anger. "And to think my great-grandfather trusted him so much!"

Wang Wenqi was actually a descendant of Tianbao Venerable.

Ten days ago, she had been entrusted by her great-grandfather to come to Feihuang City in the Lin Kingdom to replace someone called the Origin Heavenly God and deliver some items to him.

Those items were precious treasures that could help a divine being at the peak of the Purple Mansion stage break through to the level of a true god.

Her great-grandfather held the Origin Heavenly God in such high regard that he sent her all the way to deliver the treasures.

But then her great-grandfather was killed by an evil god, and that person… had sided with the evil gods!

How could Wang Wenqi not be furious?

Nangong Wuji could only sigh. "You can never truly know a person. We don’t know what his intentions are. But if he intends to summon a true god, it must be true. We need to awaken the Ancient God Circle quickly, or… if the true god descends, we won’t stand a chance."

Elsewhere, the black-robed man who had been chasing Wang Wenqi entered a dilapidated courtyard, his face concealed by his robe.

Before him stood a man with an ugly face.

"Sir." The ugly man resembled a rat from the sewers, having just returned from a brothel, with the scent of cheap perfume clinging to him.

The black-robed man wrinkled his nose. "What’s the situation with the new gods in Feihuang City?"

The black-robed man had been ordered to capture Wang Wenqi but had encountered members of the Wushi Sect.

Unable to win, he sought help.

The ugly man’s expression grew complicated. "I’ve heard that the nearby new gods have all been killed."

"Oh? Who killed them?" The black-robed man tensed. Could it have been the Wushi Sect?

"There are many rumors. Some say it was the Five Great Families, others say it was the Ancient God Circle, and some say it was the Origin Heavenly God." The ugly man repeated what he had heard in the brothels.

The black-robed man raised an eyebrow, displeased. "Who is this Origin Heavenly God?"

"I heard he’s an ancient god… no, a new god." The ugly man replied.

"Speak clearly." The black-robed man suppressed his anger.

"I remember now; he’s an ancient god who defected to the new gods. Apparently, he’s the one responsible for summoning the Great Plague Venerable."

"Are you sure?" The black-robed man pressed.

"Positive!" The ugly man said excitedly. "He has indeed defected to the new gods!"

"Hmph." The black-robed man snorted and struck, shattering the ugly man’s skull. "Useless fool!"

After killing the ugly man, the black-robed man’s expression became playful.

"So, this Origin Heavenly God is one of us."

The black-robed man had also defected to the new gods, so he understood the mindset of ancient gods who did the same.

Such people had no morals and would do anything to climb higher.

He had pledged allegiance to a new god who had completed the first step of ascending to heaven.

This god was far more powerful than the Great Plague Venerable.

The black-robed man realized he could use this connection to enlist the help of the Origin Celestial Venerable in capturing Wang Wenqi.

If he failed to capture Wang Wenqi and someone else succeeded, it would be a great humiliation.

He wouldn’t be able to hold his head up in front of the true gods and would be overshadowed by others.

…

Gale Town.

Qi Yuan was enjoying the feast, completely at ease.

"Godfather… are you sure you can handle the Great Plague Venerable?" Qi Qi asked cautiously.

She was deeply worried about the Great Plague Venerable, who was, after all, a true god.

"How’s the Yinsheng Stone?" Qi Yuan asked.

Qi Qi beamed, her delicate hand producing a pale stone. "I just finished it."

Qi Yuan took the Yinsheng Stone and examined it.

[Yinsheng Stone, of mysterious origin, can help living beings ascend to the level of a true god.]

"Such a precious treasure, and you’re willing to give it to me?" Qi Yuan smiled.

"As long as godfather can ascend to the level of a true god, why wouldn’t I give it to you?" Qi Qi said, unconcerned.

The satisfaction of helping her godfather succeed was beyond compare.

"Godfather, are you planning to use the Yinsheng Stone to become a true god and then confront the Great Plague Venerable? I’ve heard that the Great Plague Venerable has three divine apertures, so you should be careful." Qi Qi added.

In her mind, her godfather must be planning to slay the god by summoning the Great Plague Venerable.

Her godfather would use the Yinsheng Stone to break through to the level of a true god.

Then he would battle the Great Plague Venerable.

Even though her godfather had just broken through to the level of a true god with only one divine aperture, she was certain that in his past life, he must have been extremely powerful, at least at the level of completing the three steps to ascend to heaven.

Such a being could certainly fight beyond his level, taking on opponents with one or two more divine apertures.

Qi Yuan shook his head. "I’m only at the mid-Purple Mansion stage, not even close to perfection. Even with the Yinsheng Stone, I can’t break through to the level of a true god."

The Yinsheng Stone was indeed a precious treasure, but there were still limitations.

"What?" Qi Qi was shocked. "Godfather, you’re not at the peak of the Purple Mansion stage?"

She couldn’t understand how her godfather had managed to kill She Wolf if he wasn’t at the peak of the Purple Mansion stage.

Without reaching the peak, even with the Yinsheng Stone, her godfather wouldn’t be able to ascend to the level of a true god.

Wei Ting was powerful, being in the late Purple Mansion stage, but it would still take him half a month to reach perfection.

What was her godfather thinking?

"Of course I’m not, I still have a long way to go. But if I kill a god venerable, I might reach the peak of the Purple Mansion stage." Qi Yuan said casually, eating a piece of pig head.

Otherwise, why would he choose to cooperate with the new gods to summon the Great Plague Venerable?

The Great Plague Venerable perfectly fit his ideal image as White Moonlight.

First, he was old, definitely an elderly figure.

Second, he was full of treasures. Killing him would not only grant Qi Yuan a massive amount of experience but also provide him with the evil divine power.

A true god’s evil divine power would be far more valuable than the scraps from the current Purple Mansion stage evil gods.

Qi Yuan could then imagine even more powerful deities.

If he could summon the likes of the Three Pure Ones, he would gladly lie down and do nothing.

Of course, thinking about the Great Plague Venerable as a perfect match for his ideals was unrealistic; he certainly couldn’t summon the Three Pure Ones.

This made Qi Yuan think the Great Plague Venerable was rather useless.

"Once the feast is over, I’ll head back." Qi Yuan decided to return to Qingshui Village after the feast and head to the Mountain of Contemplation.

At that moment, a voice called out, "Lord God, a guest has come to see you."

"Oh? What kind of guest?" Qi Yuan was surprised.

He looked over and saw a man in a black robe approaching, led by Wei Ting.

The black-robed man glanced at Qi Yuan, his demeanor arrogant. "So you’re the god of Feihuang City?"

When dealing with those who had defected to the new gods, one had to be arrogant and domineering.

Those spineless cowards feared nothing more than someone like him.

The black-robed man spoke with utter disregard and sat down directly in the empty seat next to Qi Yuan, looking entirely confident.

Qi Yuan stared in surprise. "I don’t recall inviting you to sit next to me."

The black-robed man seemed not to hear Qi Yuan’s words and instead pointed at Qi Qi. "This woman is beautiful. Is she your plaything? Lend her to me."

Qi Yuan’s face darkened with anger. He struck without warning, punching the black-robed man in the stomach. "You’ve got some nerve! You don’t even have a ghost fire, not even dyed yellow hair, yet you dare to covet my daughter!"

The punch was so powerful, infused with Qi Yuan’s divine power, that it knocked the black-robed man to the ground.

Qi Yuan was both speechless and furious.

It seemed that having a beautiful daughter wasn’t always a good thing. Now even this ghost-fire man—no, a man without even ghost-fire—was eyeing his daughter.

The black-robed man was shocked; he hadn’t expected Qi Yuan to strike so suddenly.

Typically, those who defected to the new gods were extremely cautious.

Why had he attacked right away?

"Origin Heavenly God, I am a member of the Lin Kingdom’s royal guard, a follower of the True God Suihan!" The black-robed man quickly revealed his identity, hoping it would save him.

Qi Yuan only became more annoyed. "A mere royal guard? Do you have health insurance and a pension? Do you have a house and a car? How dare you covet my daughter?

And who is this Suihan True God? Is he retired? How much is his pension?"

The black-robed man was stunned, suddenly feeling unprepared for this encounter.

This Origin Celestial Venerable was unlike the usual cowards; he seemed a bit unhinged.

He quickly said, "It’s a misunderstanding, just a joke."

At this point, he was lying on the ground, completely restrained, unable to move.

"A reckless joker." Qi Yuan looked down at the black-robed man, scolding him. "Didn’t your father ever teach you that a joke is only funny if the other person can appreciate it?"

Next to him, Qi Qi was bewildered; everything had happened so suddenly that she hadn’t even had time to react.