My Golden Core is a Star, do you call this cultivating?

Chapter 365: You Have a Backer, I Have Myself!

"Husband... is this the Black Sea?" Canary's petite figure appeared, her eyes filled with curiosity.

Back when Qi Yuan’s power first entered the Yang God realm, he had already been able to bring Canary into the Realm of Deathly Energy. Now, summoning her over was an easy task.

However, Qi Yuan usually didn’t bring Canary along when he went on missions. After all, someone had to stay home, right?

“How do you like this place? Does it suit you?” Qi Yuan pointed toward the Black Sea.

“Infinite power of time, both real and illusory... Whoever created this Black Sea must be immensely powerful!” Canary’s face showed a hint of apprehension.

“According to the Wise True Lord, it’s probably beyond the Heavenly Position realm,” Qi Yuan mused.

The father-daughter pair of Yang Gods he had encountered in the Mortal Heart World were only in the minor Heavenly Position realm. But the boss of this game, who could reset world lines, create the Mountain and Sea Scrolls, and forge the Black Sea that connects the past and present—these abilities were far beyond the capability of an ordinary Yang God.

Above the Heavenly Position realm lay the Supreme Law realm. And beyond that, there were higher levels yet.

Qi Yuan wasn’t sure if this power displayed belonged to the Supreme Law realm or something even beyond that.

“Husband... you need to be careful!” Canary said.

Now, she could call Qi Yuan “husband” without a hint of shyness.

“Mm.” Qi Yuan nodded, pinching her small face. “Don’t worry. I’m just a player. Besides, as a weak and powerless Nascent Soul, how would such powerful beings even notice me?”

Canary chuckled, “Should I head back and summon the other Golden Cores too?”

Over the years, Qi Yuan had cultivated nine Stellar Golden Cores. The people of the Canglan Realm were blessed, having ten suns shining overhead.

Qi Yuan planned that once he returned to the Canglan Realm, his first task would be to search the entire realm for any cultivators or warriors named “Yi” who wielded a bow. Such people needed to be closely monitored. After all, if Hou Yi shot down one of his suns, he’d be finished.

“No need. Nine Golden Cores are still too few. It’s hard to win by quantity alone. Wait until I have 9,999 Golden Cores, then we’ll talk,” Qi Yuan said.

Nine Stellar Golden Cores felt too meager, and their quality wasn’t great. He would rather swallow something bigger and experiment with turning it into a black hole.

“The Black Sea is rich with the power of time. Even the blood beasts' bodies are filled with it. This will be very beneficial for you. You should stay here,” Qi Yuan said.

Canary looked at Qi Yuan, her gaze shifting. “This time, I’m determined to break into the Yang God realm!”

Hearing this, Qi Yuan felt complicated. “For you guys, entering the Yang God realm is so easy!”

Nearly every Nascent Soul that entered the Origin Land would become a Yang God.

In this Black Sea, if Canary could fully absorb the time energy, she’d qualify to step into the Yang God realm. Meanwhile, Qi Yuan had been working diligently day and night, always focused on training, even when playing the game.

And yet, after all this effort, he was still just a Nascent Soul.

Even though his game character had the power of a Yang God, that was just in the game. In real life, he remained a Nascent Soul.

“When I become a Yang God, I’ll protect you,” Canary giggled, her small body moving closer, her soft lips pressing against Qi Yuan’s.

“When that time comes, both my past self and present self will be by your side.”

As she finished speaking, Canary vanished, entering the Black Sea.

When a mythical being enters the Yang God realm, they manifest both a past self and a present self. The past self’s power rivals that of a great mythical figure, while the present self is their true form. Typically, the past self handles affairs, while the present self remains in seclusion, cultivating.

Of course, for a strong Yang God, the past self could also have the power of a Yang God.

Qi Yuan, however, was different. Even if he reached the Yang God realm in the game, he had no clones. He was just himself.

As he watched Canary disappear, Qi Yuan’s eyes reflected deep thought.

...

The black mist dissipated.

Excitement filled the eyes of everyone on the ship. They raised their heads, looking toward the distance, their faces lighting up with joy.

“The Origin Land is here!”

“We’ve finally reached... the beginning of everything!”

The peak Martial Kings were visibly excited, their joy difficult to contain. All of them were unwilling to stagnate and wanted to advance further. In the Mountain and Sea Scrolls and at the strongholds, their paths had long been blocked.

Only the Origin Land held the possibility of breaking through to the Martial Lord realm.

“Everyone, the Origin Land is near. Farewell.”

At that moment, a peak Martial King left the ship, leaping into the Black Sea.

“Farewell.”

Soon, more peak Martial Kings followed suit, one after another.

These departing Martial Kings didn’t bear the Martial Lord imprint. They were used to their freedom and didn’t want to follow the Martial Kings who bore the imprint, but they still sought their own path.

Leaving before reaching the shore was the best choice for them, as they didn’t trust the Martial Lords waiting onshore.

Qi Yuan finally stood up, his eyes filled with anticipation. “Going back to the starting point is quite interesting.”

He looked at Mu Yan and said softly, “Brother Mu, I have some friends waiting for me, so we’ll part ways here. Perhaps we’ll meet again.”

With that, Qi Yuan’s figure vanished into the Black Sea like the other peak Martial Kings.

Watching this, Mu Yan felt a sense of regret. “Brother Qi still refuses to stay and help me. What a pity.”

The monkey-faced woman beside him couldn’t help but sneer, “That guy is quite something, huh? Scared of being targeted by a Martial Lord, he left early and made up an excuse about having friends. What friends could he possibly have here? Hmph, Brother Mu, you’re too kind and gentle. If I were you, I wouldn’t let him leave so easily. He wouldn’t make it ashore.”

Mu Yan frowned, feeling displeased.

Suddenly, a voice rang out. “I was leaving, but I heard someone talking bad about me, so I came back.”

Qi Yuan’s figure reappeared on the ship, his eyes calm and smiling.

Seeing this, the monkey-faced woman’s face flushed with embarrassment, but she quickly hardened her expression. “I wasn’t bad-mouthing you, just stating the facts. You’re a mere peak Martial King. At the stronghold, you might be a big deal, but here in the Origin Land, what are you?”

Thinking of her Martial Lord imprint and the Martial Lord supporting her, the monkey-faced woman grew bolder.

People are often like this. When they’re weak, they’re cautious and afraid of provoking dangerous enemies. But as they gain strength, they grow arrogant and reckless. The monkey-faced woman was no different, starting to believe herself superior to others.

Mu Yan’s expression darkened. “You were in the wrong and overheard. It’s only right to apologize.”

The monkey-faced woman felt wronged. She didn’t want to apologize, but she still needed Mu Yan’s help for the upcoming battle for ancestral blood.

She shot Qi Yuan a vicious look, her expression conflicted.

At that moment, Qi Yuan raised his hand. “No need to apologize.”

The monkey-faced woman thought she had intimidated him. Her disdain for Qi Yuan deepened.

But Qi Yuan spoke again. “If she apologizes, I’ll feel bad for not rejecting her. And if I don’t reject her, I’ll feel guilty when I kill her later!”

The monkey-faced woman’s face turned pale, and she immediately grew alert. “You wouldn’t dare kill me! Do you know who’s backing me?”

“A common man’s anger can spill blood in five steps. Why wouldn’t I dare to kill you? Just because I don’t have a Martial Lord ancestor, does that mean I deserve to be bullied by you? This world is too unfair to people like me, with no backing.”

Suddenly, Qi Yuan remembered that he did have a Martial Lord “grandson.” Did that count as having a “frontman”? No backing, but a frontman?

Qi Yuan’s thoughts started to get tangled, so he stopped thinking about it, or else he might strain his brain.

“Kill!”

He struck without hesitation.

Mu Yan, seeing this, grew tense and quickly shouted, “Spare her!”

After all, the monkey-faced woman was a descendant of a Martial Lord. If Qi Yuan killed her, the Martial Lord would target him, making survival in the Origin Land difficult.

In Mu Yan’s eyes, Qi Yuan’s strength was among the top peak Martial Kings, and the monkey-faced woman was no match for him. That’s why he had been trying to recruit him.

“Ah, you shouted too slowly. Well, her head is still here. That should count as sparing her, right?” Qi Yuan said, casually tossing a head toward Mu Yan.

The monkey-faced woman’s body and head had been obliterated, leaving only a human face for Mu Yan to hold.

Mu Yan’s heart sank. She was truly dead.

“Brother Qi, you’ve caused big trouble!” Mu Yan said regretfully, holding the severed face. “She had a Martial Lord imprint, and a Martial Lord was watching over her. Now that you’ve killed her, the Martial Lord will come after you.”

The other Martial Kings on the ship looked at Qi Yuan with a mix of fear and sympathy, though none dared show hostility. After all, Qi Yuan had just killed a peak Martial King with ease, suggesting he was only a step away from becoming a Martial Lord himself.

“She had backing, and I have a frontman. Why should I be afraid?” Qi Yuan dismissed their concerns.

The peak Martial Kings were confused. Frontman? What does he mean?

A cashier?

What nonsense was this?

“I’m the Slayer of Old Masters! I’d be thrilled if her backer came. Hopefully, they’ll take a bath before arriving. I wouldn’t want my white moonlight to smell like an old man.”

With that, Qi Yuan vanished once more.

The others understood. He killed someone, said some tough words, and ran away—naturally, to avoid being caught by the Martial Lord.

Of course, these were thoughts they only dared to keep to themselves. None of them would dare say it aloud, fearing that Qi Yuan might return and kill them too.

...

“Old man Shenlei, Goddaughter, Village Chief, Zhu Zhuangshi... It’s been a long time. You’re all Yang Gods now. Not bad, not bad. If you returned to the Mortal Heart World now and encountered those two... great enemies, heh, they wouldn’t even be worthy to tie your shoes.”

In the Origin Land, Qi Yuan looked down at the thousand people below, faces familiar from battles in the Mortal Heart World.

“Lord God!” Zhu Zhuangshi rushed over. The burly man’s eyes were filled with tears, as if he were about to cry. “I never thought I’d live to see you again!”

Back in the Mortal Heart World, the great enemies had loomed over them like nightmares. The enemies had been two Yang Gods, and even their God Lord couldn’t defeat them alone.

From the beginning, Zhu Zhuangshi, along with the Village Chief Yuli and the priest Shen Tu, had devised a plan to sacrifice themselves, using a technique that would empower their God Lord by consuming their lives to enhance his strength to battle the two powerful Yang Gods.

They had been fully prepared to die when facing those enemies.

But to their surprise, after their supposed death, they had been resurrected and had become Yang Gods themselves.

“Stop crying. It’s not moving at all,” Qi Yuan said bluntly.

Zhu Zhuangshi, looking aggrieved, muttered, “Does Lord God only like women full of charm? I should’ve known. I should’ve cultivated my past self as a female body, so I could have stayed by your side day and night.”

In the Yang God realm, past selves could be male, female, or even genderless. Yang Gods’ past selves came in all forms. In fact, an entire world could even be the past self of a Yang God.

“Stop disgusting me,” Qi Yuan said with distaste.

He thought back to something that made him even more unhappy. In the Mortal Heart World, he had come to understand that everything was a part of him. The Thunder Lord was him, Qi Qi was him, and Zhu Zhuangshi was also him. So, if Zhu Zhuangshi disgusted him, wasn’t he just disgusting himself?

“Dad, look what I’ve found!”

At that moment, Qi Qi, his precious little daughter, came forward, and with a wave of her hand, a pile of rich purple energy appeared before Qi Yuan.

Seeing this, Qi Yuan’s face lit up with excitement.

“Purple Qi!”

【Purple Qi, the first energy of the Immortal Dao, the origin energy of the world, symbolizing infinite vitality.】

“Once we knew you needed Purple Qi, we scoured the entire Origin Land and gathered every bit of it we could find,” Qi Qi said joyfully, puffing out her chest like a proud student seeking praise.

Holding the Purple Qi, Qi Yuan’s mood lifted. “Well done, my good daughter.”

His gaze lingered on the Purple Qi, full of admiration.

“As expected of the first energy of the Immortal Dao. For anyone below the Yang God realm, no matter how severe the injury, as long as they’re still breathing, a trace of Purple Qi could bring them back to life.”

Qi Yuan was indeed pleased.

Purple Mansion, Purple Mansion. Now that he had the Purple Qi, all he needed was the underworld.

Storing the Purple Qi, Qi Yuan looked at Qi Qi and the servant girl beside her. “Have you found any trace of the big boss of this place?”

The path to becoming a Spiritual Martial Lord remained unclear. Perhaps the Eastern Lord knew something.

The Eastern Lord was currently the biggest known boss in this world.

Qi Qi shook her head. “We’ve searched the entire Origin Land, even the Eastern Alliance’s forbidden zones and treasure vaults, but found nothing.”

“Oh, so if the mural is real, he might be in some unknown place, fighting off a great enemy?” Qi Yuan recalled the mural he had seen in the ruins.

In the mural, the woman had encountered a powerful enemy and ultimately perished.

If the Eastern Lord was the mural’s male lead, he might still be fighting that great enemy even now.