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

Chapter 180: The Fall of a True God, A Sword Slays the Wicked

Heavy rain poured continuously for several days. The Wolf God stepped out of the temple, his expression cold and indifferent.

"My lord!" The leader of the temple guards approached, showing great respect.

"How are the villages below?" the Wolf God asked.

These past days, he had been preoccupied with matters concerning the plague.

The temple guard leader looked serious, "The villages… have all fallen into the hands of Qingshui Village as of today."

Hearing this, the Wolf God was a bit surprised, "This Origin Heaven Sovereign is quite bold."

Although the Wolf God had intentionally allowed Origin Heaven Sovereign to conquer these villages, no other ancient god would dare act so boldly. For instance, the ancient god Ruoyu of Shisha Town had always kept a low profile, never provoking the new gods, much like a quail.

"My lord, should I take some guards and capture him?" the temple guard leader suggested.

In Gale Wind Town, there were over thirty temple guards at the Purple Mansion stage. The temple guard leader did not consider Origin Heaven Sovereign a threat. With their numbers, Qingshui Village would surely be destroyed.

The Wolf God’s eyes narrowed as he recalled the terrifying aura he had sensed earlier.

"For now, avoid confronting Qingshui Village!"

He had a feeling that a true god might be lurking nearby. It was better to stay low for now. Once the new god arrived, the new god could deal with that ancient true god!

The temple guard leader nodded, "Recently, the people of Jinshi Town have been acting up. It seems that because you haven’t taken action against Qingshui Village, many in Jinshi Town are considering defecting to Qingshui Village."

A while back, Nangong Wuji had attacked the god of Jinshi Town, killing him. Now, Jinshi Town was in chaos, with several village-level new gods vying for power. Many villagers wanted to flee to Qingshui Village, where the Origin Heaven Sovereign was gaining momentum.

"Foolish commoners with limited vision," the Wolf God sneered. To him, these ordinary people were like frogs in a well, only able to see the small patch of sky above them. How could any new god, or even an ancient god, see the Origin Heaven Sovereign as anything other than a dead man walking?

"Very well, since they want to go to Qingshui Village," the Wolf God’s eyes gleamed, "spread the contents of this bottle among those heading to Qingshui Village."

The temple guard leader accepted the bottle, his eyes gleaming with amusement, "As you command!"

The bottle contained the source of a plague. Recently, the five great families had visited the new gods of various towns to obtain it.

"Let them live for a little while longer, but don’t let them live too comfortably," the Wolf God said cruelly.

With that, he returned to the temple.

The temple guard leader left the temple and headed for Jinshi Town.

The rain continued to pour heavily. It eased a bit at noon, only to start pouring again by evening.

For Qi Yuan and the others, the feast continued as usual, with the same enthusiasm as always. But for the people of Jinshi Town, the rain only deepened their gloom.

The townspeople were divided on what to do about Jinshi Town. Some chose to flee Feihuang City, others decided to stay, and many planned to seek refuge in Qingshui Village.

The next day, the blood-red light once again illuminated the land.

Wei Ting, carrying his younger sister, returned from the physician’s clinic. He was tall, nearly two meters in height, and usually quiet and reserved. Orphaned at a young age, he and his sister had always relied on each other.

Back at their home, Wei Ting looked at his sleeping sister without saying a word. He gently lifted her shirt, revealing her back.

There, he saw a mass of black spots, each surrounded by pus-filled blisters. The sight was horrifying.

At that moment, the frail girl awoke, her voice weak, "Brother, am I going to die?"

"No," Wei Ting’s voice was far from gentle, almost stiff. He quickly pulled down his sleeve to hide the black spots on his own arm.

"Brother, don’t lie to me. The physician said I have the plague and that there’s no cure," the girl forced a smile.

Wei Ting had noticed something wrong with his sister’s body the previous night. Initially, he had only given her some herbal medicine, but by midnight, he realized something was eating away at her spiritual energy. Her body became covered in black spots, and her aura weakened. He quickly took her to the town’s clinic, only to witness a grim scene. Outside the clinic, many others had the same symptoms as his sister, and there were even several corpses. Among them was the body of their neighbor, who had chosen not to go to Qingshui Village but had given Wei Ting some spiritual materials for cultivation. Yet, now he saw that neighbor’s corpse at the clinic.

The physician had told him that his sister had contracted the plague and was beyond saving. He advised Wei Ting to take her home and find a place to bury her, using magic to isolate the body before burial.

"It’s nothing serious, just a minor illness—it’ll get better," Wei Ting said. He wasn’t good with words and struggled to express his feelings. Even when their parents died, he had remained silent, burying them without shedding a single tear.

"Brother, let’s go to Qingshui Village. I don’t want to die in this place ruled by evil gods," the girl said, gripping his hand.

She had used a spell on her hand to prevent the plague from spreading to Wei Ting.

"Okay," Wei Ting agreed, pulling his sister’s clothes back down and carrying Wei He in his arms as he headed toward Qingshui Village through the rain.

The path from Jinshi Town to Qingshui Village was treacherous, passing through several villages controlled by evil gods. Wei Ting moved cautiously, not daring to fly openly.

In the rain, he saw many other townspeople from Jinshi Town sneaking toward Qingshui Village, many of them weakened, showing signs of the plague.

Suddenly, Wei Ting felt a numbness in his leg and a buzzing in his head as if his spine had exploded.

"Brother, what’s wrong?" Wei He asked, sensing her brother’s distress.

"Nothing," Wei Ting replied, struggling as his spiritual energy became increasingly difficult to control and his consciousness grew fuzzy. But he gritted his teeth and quickened his pace toward Qingshui Village.

Perhaps due to the heavy rain, his vision became increasingly blurred. With his broad chest, he shielded Wei He from the rain as they pushed onward.

It was unclear how much time had passed, but Wei Ting finally saw a group of people ahead, and his heart relaxed. With that release of tension, his body suddenly went limp, and he collapsed into the mud, unconscious. In his final moments of awareness, he saw people rushing toward him.

Wei Ting slowly regained consciousness, hearing gentle voices around him.

"How are they?"

"Godfather, all these people from Jinshi Town have the plague. Their condition is critical."

"Lord God, this plague is terrifying. It corrodes spiritual energy. Shouldn’t we… drive them out?"

Hearing this, Wei Ting’s heart tightened. He wanted to open his eyes but was too weak even to lift his eyelids.

"They’ve come to Qingshui Village, so they are now my people. If they’re sick, we’ll treat them," the man speaking was none other than Qi Yuan.

To Qi Yuan, more people meant more labor. There were many talented individuals in Jinshi Town. In the future, he would need to visualize many celestial beings, and the population of Qingshui Village alone wouldn’t be enough.

"Lord God, their plague is severe… and incurable," the physician from Shijia Village said, frowning. Physicians from the surrounding villages had gathered to treat the plague but were at a loss.

Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow, "Call Xiaoxue and the others—the Earth Gods."

For those villagers who had visualized the Earth God, Qi Yuan had granted them the title of Earth God.

Qi Qi was curious why her godfather was calling Xiaoxue, but she quickly went to fetch her.

Meanwhile, Qi Yuan looked at Wei Ting with interest, "Sturdy fellow, a big guy."

When Wei Ting had arrived, he had been clutching his sister. Despite others’ efforts to pry his hands open, they couldn’t loosen his grip.

Soon, Xiaoxue and several Earth Gods arrived.

"Lord God, you called for me?" Xiaoxue asked curiously.

"Yes, use your primordial divine power to see if you can dispel the plague from these people," Qi Yuan instructed.

As an Earth God, one of their many powers included dispelling plagues.

"Ah?" Xiaoxue was taken aback.

She rarely used her primordial divine power and had only used it twice, both times for agricultural purposes.

"Give it a try," Qi Yuan encouraged.

Qi Qi’s eyes widened in surprise, "Godfather, can the Earth God also heal illnesses?"

She was increasingly baffled by the Earth God. If it was only for agriculture, it seemed even stronger than Venerable Youlong, which was already astonishing. Now, the Earth God could even heal the sick, which was simply beyond belief.

"Of course," Qi Yuan replied. He was beginning to appreciate how useful the gods from Blue Star were.

Xiaoxue immediately followed Qi Yuan’s instructions and began to use her primordial divine power.

Qi Qi then said, "I pray that the heavens will dispel the plague and protect the people of my godfather’s land!"

Xiaoxue closed her eyes, and the other Earth Gods followed suit.

After a brief moment, Xiaoxue opened her eyes.

In her hand was a drop of water, clear and pure, seemingly capable of curing all ailments.

With a flick of her hand, the drop shattered into countless tiny particles, dispersing into the bodies of everyone present.

Qi Yuan’s eyes focused on Wei Ting, while the other physicians observed the plague-stricken people from Jinshi Town.

"The black spots… they’re disappearing!"

"Their bodies are recovering!"

"Their spiritual energy seems to be restored!"

The physicians were astonished, exchanging excited remarks.

Qi Yuan, however, sighed, "Since they’re not specialized in plague, the healing effect is somewhat limited. They’ll need another round of treatment to be fully cured."

The physicians were speechless.

Qi Qi was also at a loss for words. This is what you call a 'limited effect'! She thought her godfather’s words would make countless physicians feel ashamed.

But then, an idea struck her, and she suddenly brightened, "Godfather, I’ve noticed that Xiaoxue’s divine power always involves praying to the heavens. Does that mean… I can pray to the heavens and become a great deity?"

Qi Yuan was exasperated, "Are you trying to exploit a loophole?"

The Earth God’s divine power connects heaven and earth, but it’s not a wish-granting machine!

At that moment, Wei Ting regained some of his strength and opened his eyes to see his sister, her face now healthy and rosy.

He then turned to Qi Yuan, stood up, and clasped his fists in thanks, "Thank you, Origin Heaven Sovereign, for saving my life. From now on, Wei Ting’s life belongs to you!"

For someone as reserved as Wei Ting, speaking so many words at once was rare.

"It’s nothing," Qi Yuan waved it off casually.

The other villagers from Jinshi Town also began to wake up, expressing their gratitude to Qi Yuan.

"Oh, how did you contract this plague?" Qi Yuan asked, curious about how such a severe plague could have spread in a world of cultivators.

"We don’t know."

"It rained heavily last night, and when we woke up in the morning, we suddenly had black spots on our hands."

"Overnight, many people in the town fell ill, and many died. We have no idea why!"

The villagers from Jinshi Town looked puzzled, some of them deeply saddened by the loss of loved ones.

"You don’t know?" Qi Yuan muttered.

Beside him, Wei Ting clenched his fists, remembering the neighbor’s body. He didn’t know how they had contracted the plague, but it had nearly killed his sister. He couldn’t forgive this. If he ever found out who was responsible, he would never let them go.

"For now, let’s focus on treating the patients. We can deal with the rest later."

For several days, Jinshi Town turned into a living hell. Every day, more bodies were found in hidden corners. Sometimes, you could see a small girl carrying her brother’s body, her eyes vacant as she headed home.

Meanwhile, the news that Qingshui Village could treat the plague spread quickly, drawing more and more people from Jinshi Town to Qingshui Village.

At this time, two Purple Mansion cultivators from a distant place also arrived in Qingshui Village.

These two were members of the Ancient God Alliance.

The leader was an old man with white hair and beard, accompanied by a shorter man. They looked ordinary, blending in easily with a crowd.

"Sigh, it seems Feihuang City is doomed," the old man said, his tone filled with helplessness.

"It won’t last three years," the short man predicted, "It’s a pity that the ancient god Yuan hasn’t awakened. Otherwise, joining our Ancient God Alliance might have given them a fighting chance."

"The Huang family mentioned that a certain ancient god here has great potential. Since we’re passing through, why not invite him to join our Ancient God Alliance?"

As they conversed, they made their way to Qingshui Village.

Before coming, they had investigated the background of the Origin Heaven Sovereign. Upon learning that he possessed two high-level divine techniques, both men considered him a worthy candidate.

"Who are you?" At that moment, the ground before them shifted, and a petite woman emerged, eyeing them warily.

The old man smiled kindly, "We’ve come from afar to visit the Origin Heaven Sovereign. We mean no harm."

"Is that so? I’ll go inform him," the woman, who was Xiaoxue, quickly disappeared.

About a hundred breaths later, inside the temple.

Qi Yuan looked at the two envoys from the Ancient God Alliance and said slowly, "I appreciate your offer, but… I won’t leave Qingshui Village."

Qi Yuan’s firm stance surprised the two envoys.

The old man tried once more, "Are you sure you won’t reconsider?"

"No need."

The short man’s eyes flickered, "I’ve heard that you’ve visualized two high-level divine techniques. Would you be willing to sell them to our Ancient God Alliance?"

"I won’t sell them. I’m keeping them for myself," Qi Yuan replied without hesitation.

Hearing this, the short man’s expression turned pitiful, "Feihuang City is doomed. These divine techniques… will likely be lost to the world. Please, for the sake of all people, make a copy of the divine techniques for us to preserve."

The short man’s thinking was simple. If this god of Qingshui Village was so stubborn as to refuse to leave, the two high-level divine techniques would be lost. It would be a waste. Better to take them and claim credit.

Qi Yuan’s expression darkened, "You’re being very disrespectful."

The old man quickly grabbed the short man, trying to say something.

But the short man, seemingly oblivious to Qi Yuan’s displeasure, continued loudly, "Our Ancient God Alliance—"

However, his words were cut short as he suddenly turned around, looking up at the northern sky.

Qi Yuan also looked in that direction.

In the distant north, a dazzling beam of light suddenly shot down from the sky.

The light was at least thousands of miles away from Qingshui Village, but it was incredibly bright.

A domineering, destructive, and terrifying aura swept across, as if intent on erasing everything.

The old man’s face turned grave, "A battle between true gods!"

It was a clash between an ancient god and a new god!

A beam of light also shot up from the ground, full of unstoppable momentum. But compared to the beam from the sky, it was clearly weaker. Yet it still charged forward to resist.

Qi Yuan squinted as he watched the two beams collide.

Boom!

The moment the beams made contact, Qi Yuan felt the earth tremble.

The beam from the sky was clearly stronger and directly obliterated the one from the ground, crashing into the earth.

Qi Yuan couldn’t see what happened next, but he could guess that the city below was likely gone.

This world had a high level of power, and the heavens were much "stronger" than in the Canglan Realm. But the strike of a true god could still wipe out an entire city.

"An ancient god has fallen," the old man sighed, his eyes filled with sorrow.

The beams of light had signaled a battle between a true god and an ancient god. The ancient god had fallen, and the city he protected had been reduced to ashes.

At that moment, the short man looked at Qi Yuan, his eyes crazed, "Did you see that? This is what happens if you stay in a fallen zone! You’ll die at any moment! Your only chance is to leave with us and join the Ancient God Alliance! If you give me those two divine techniques, I’ll recommend you to join!"

The short man seemed deranged, or perhaps he was trying to exploit the situation.

Seeing this, the old man’s face changed drastically as he tried to stop his companion.

But Qi Yuan’s expression had already turned cold, and a blood-red sword appeared in his hand.

"No one has ever dared to threaten me… and lived!"

With a swift slash, the short man fell, following the ancient god and the city into oblivion.