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

Chapter 200: The Fortune Teller

While waiting to enter the ancestral land, Qi Yuan resided in the temple, seldom going out. To his surprise, many people volunteered to accompany him on the journey, despite the high likelihood of death. Over fifty people signed up, far more than he expected.

In the end, eight individuals were chosen to join him: Village Chief Yu Lei, the priest Shen Tu, Shi Chongshan from Shi Family Village, Chen Xifan from Chenxi Village, and Zhu Zhuangshi, among others. These were prominent figures in Qi Yuan's territory.

"Are none of you afraid of death?" Qi Yuan asked casually one day while standing before the temple and looking at the eight chosen individuals.

Zhu Zhuangshi shrugged. "I'm more afraid of being overshadowed by a big black dog for the rest of my life than I am of dying!"

As part of the Gu Clan, Zhu Zhuangshi knew well the dangers of entering the ancestral land. The death rate for True Gods was over fifty percent, and even Great Venerables had been known to perish there. But without risking death, how could he hope for the deity to grant them divine cultivation methods?

"Zhu Zhuangshi, don't insult my sworn brother!" Shi Chongshan retorted, defending the black dog.

Zhu Zhuangshi looked at Shi Chongshan with disdain. "If I manage to obtain a divine cultivation method, you'll be nothing more than a pig or a dog!"

The group laughed, the fear of the ancestral land momentarily dissipating.

"Alright, since the entrance to the ancestral land is open, let's not waste time. We'll go in and out quickly!" Qi Yuan, always a man of action, was eager to carry out his plan.

"Understood!"

Village Chief Yu Lei took a deep drag from his pipe before setting it down in the corner of the temple wall. The other villagers were equally determined.

Qi Yuan then looked at the Thunder God Venerable. "I might be back in a day or two, or maybe four or five. Please take care of Qing Shui Village while I'm gone, Thunder Old Man."

"Is 'Old Man' really a term of respect?" the Thunder God Venerable asked skeptically.

"Of course! Cultivators don't lie to other cultivators."

Qi Yuan nodded seriously, his sincerity apparent. "When you kill someone, you should shout, 'The Old Man is here!' It would be so stylish."

"I'll take your word for it," the Thunder God Venerable said, patting his clothes and looking at Qi Yuan, a sense of melancholy washing over him.

"I wish you brilliance like the stars, shining bright in the heavens," the Thunder God Venerable said, his tone poetic.

"Why are you suddenly getting all artsy? Were you a literary type in your youth?" Qi Yuan asked, suspicious. Then he added, "I don't know any poetry, so I'll just wish you boundless wealth and eternal life."

"Who are you cursing? Wealth in the tens of thousands?" The Thunder God Venerable looked at Qi Yuan with disdain.

"You're too greedy," Qi Yuan said nonchalantly.

After bidding farewell to the Thunder God Venerable and the others, Qi Yuan followed Village Chief Yu Lei and Priest Shen Tu to an ancient well north of the village.

The well, seemingly bottomless, emitted a ghostly glow around its edge, making it look particularly eerie at night.

Shen Tu, dressed in a green robe, stepped forward and dropped a single drop of blood into the well. The glow intensified, and Qi Yuan felt a strong spatial fluctuation.

"A teleportation array?" Qi Yuan asked, intrigued.

In the Cang Lan Realm, he had encountered many formations, but never a teleportation array. The phenomenon before him felt similar to what he remembered of teleportation arrays.

Village Chief Yu Lei, his beard white with age, nodded. "This is a teleportation array from ancient times. It leads directly to the ancestral land."

Qi Yuan's curiosity deepened. "How does a teleportation array work? Is it based on space laws?"

Shen Tu responded, "A teleportation array has nothing to do with space laws."

"What? Isn't mastering space laws supposed to allow you to tear through space and escape?" Qi Yuan asked, confused.

"Tearing through space leads to the Void. Entering the Void with a physical body will cause it to disintegrate. True Gods can project their souls to enter the Void, but it's not a method for travel. In the Void, ten years of travel might not cover the distance of a single day in the real world. The teleportation array enters a place called the Dark Void, which is the opposite of the Void. The coordinates in the Dark Void correspond directly to the real world, but the distances are much shorter," Shen Tu explained.

Qi Yuan began to understand. The Dark Void seemed to function like a wormhole, folding space to bring two points closer together.

"How does a mere Nascent Soul cultivator know so much? Are you an NPC meant to provide explanations?" Qi Yuan joked.

"As a priest, this knowledge is part of my inherited memories," Shen Tu clarified.

"I see. It's your preset. Everyone has a preset role. It's the same in games and in reality," Qi Yuan mused. "Alright, let's see how this teleportation array works."

Soon, everyone stepped into the array. Qi Yuan felt as though a transparent membrane enveloped them, and beyond it, everything was pitch black.

"This is the Dark Void. There's no light, no sound," Shen Tu remarked, awe in his voice. It was his first time experiencing a teleportation array as well.

Cultivators could usually see in the dark, but not in the Dark Void. Even with spiritual sight, there was nothing to see or hear, only the voices of those within the array.

Qi Yuan looked around, seeing nothing but darkness.

【Teleportation Array, special construct, capable of traversing the Dark Void.】

His eyes could only perceive the array itself. Beyond it, the Dark Void held no secrets for him.

He closed his eyes, listening intently.

If sight was blocked, what about sound? In the Cang Lan Realm, he could hear Ning Tao in the Flow Wind Realm.

Time passed slowly.

Suddenly, several urgent voices reached Qi Yuan's ears.

"The Tamar people will never be slaves!"

"Hurry, we found a world ahead! Let's conquer it and sell it off. With my savings over the millennia, it should be enough to pay for Xiao Ning's tuition!"

"Too bad it's not a primordial world. A primordial world could be carried within the body."

"As expected, real men can't compare to creations refined over countless generations!"

The voices came and went in a flash.

Qi Yuan opened his eyes, a curious expression on his face.

"It seems there are quite a few people in the Dark Void," he remarked, looking around, though there was nothing to see.

The villagers exchanged puzzled glances. "Lord, where do you see anyone?"

"In the Dark Void," Qi Yuan replied. The voices he had heard were from within the Dark Void, and they had been quite interesting.

As he spoke, the glow intensified, signaling the end of their journey through the Dark Void. They were about to emerge into the ancestral land.

"Is everyone here?"

A burly man with a fierce expression spoke, his tone gruff. Nearby, twin sisters, both goddesses, stood at a distance. The elder sister gazed at the misty ancestral land. "We're still missing one."

Around thirteen ancient gods had gathered, all either protectors of the Gu Clan or unknown gods who had gained access to the ancestral land through the Gu Clan. They stood in small groups, not appearing to be familiar with each other.

The younger sister's gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on a man in a white robe. "It seems that Yanxi Ancient God has advanced in his cultivation. He's brought three followers this time."

Most of the ancient gods present had not brought followers. The ancestral land was dangerous enough for the gods themselves, and bringing followers would only lead them to their deaths. The ancestral land was highly unpredictable, and followers weren't useful for scouting.

Yanxi Ancient God glanced at the younger sister, his gaze inscrutable. "I was fortunate to break through to the Second Step, but even in the ancestral land, survival is the only goal."

Upon hearing that Yanxi had reached the Second Step, the other gods in the group took note. A Second Step god was among the most powerful present.

The elder sister frowned briefly, then relaxed. "It seems Yanxi Ancient God is confident this time."

The gods exchanged pleasantries before falling silent once more.

The elder sister then transmitted her thoughts to her younger sibling. "Yanxi is in a precarious situation."

The younger sister glanced at Yanxi's three followers, her tone sharp. "Those three must be lackeys of the Proud World Great Venerable!"

The Proud World Great Venerable was once an ancient god but later became a new god. The Gu Clan's ancestral land had four entrances, three of which were controlled by the Proud World Great Venerable. Only one entrance remained under the control of the Gu Clan.

Rumor had it that the Proud World Great Venerable was close to unlocking the secrets of the ancestral land and was planning to seize control of the final entrance.

"Unfortunately, we can't leave right now, and there's no way to get word out," the elder sister lamented. "We're barely able to protect ourselves, and who knows how many of these gods have already defected to the Proud World Great Venerable? Once we enter the ancestral land, stay away from Yanxi."

The Gu Clan's ancestral land was located near the central region of the Southern Region. Here, the power of the evil gods slightly overshadowed that of the ancient gods.

At that moment, a flash of light signaled the arrival of a group of people.

The gods were momentarily taken aback.

"Why... so many mortals?"

"What's going on?"

They quickly noticed that the new arrivals were mostly mortals, with only two possessing divine energy.

Of course, the group was led by Qi Yuan. He looked around at the gathered gods and remarked, "Am I the last to arrive?"

The younger sister, known for her straightforward nature, couldn't help but ask, "Why did you bring so many people?"

The others were equally curious. If he had brought powerful individuals, that would be understandable, but most of the group consisted of mere Nascent Soul and Divine Infant cultivators.

"In numbers, there is strength," Qi Yuan replied casually.

The burly man bared his teeth in a grin. "You've brought way too many. Didn't you do your homework before coming here? The ancestral land is incredibly dangerous. Are you planning to use your followers as cannon fodder to scout the way?"

The burly man seemed annoyed, as if scolding Qi Yuan for being careless.

"Is it really that dangerous?" Qi Yuan asked, glancing at the misty ancestral land.

The burly man replied sternly, "Very dangerous. Even True Gods have a high chance of perishing here. The ancestral land is ever-changing. Using people as scouts is pointless. Bringing these followers with you will only send them to their deaths. Why don't you give me three of them? I'll trade you for a Yin God artifact."

The burly man figured he could protect at most three mortals, so he felt pity for them. He held little respect for gods like Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan shook his head. "It's more dangerous with you."

He looked at the ancestral land, and his left eyebrow twitched violently. "As they say, 'left eyebrow means wealth, right eyebrow means disaster.' This time, I'm going to strike it rich."

Qi Yuan smiled with excitement. It seemed this venture would be fruitful.

The burly man scoffed. "Your eyebrow can predict fortunes? Come, give me a reading."

Naturally, he thought Qi Yuan was making things up.

Qi Yuan didn't look at the burly man but instead surveyed the other gods. A smirk formed on his lips.

"Meeting like this must be fate. I'll do a fortune reading for free."

In his previous life, Qi Yuan had seen many TV dramas where fortune tellers became famous by reading fortunes for the main character. But reading for mortals was boring—reading for gods was more fun.

Once, he had read Chu Tianxiong's fortune in the Black Mountain Sect and predicted bloodshed. That very night, Chu Tianxiong was killed by the Faceless Man, proving Qi Yuan's skill.

Now, with his new eyebrow-twitching ability, his fortune-telling would be even more accurate.

He glanced at the burly man, and his eyebrow twitched. "You'll have some bad luck in the ancestral land, but afterward, good fortune will come your way."

The burly man kept his expression neutral. "I'll take your word for it."

Qi Yuan then turned to the other gods, scanning each of them.

His eyebrow twitched again, and he continued with his predictions.

"You... will be fine."

"You... have a chance of perishing." Qi Yuan pointed to an old man in a green robe.

The old man, with a kind face, showed a hint of disdain. "Perhaps your fortune is reversed."

The younger sister laughed. "Old Snake is at the late stage of the Second Step. He's the strongest among us and the least likely to die."

The others looked at Qi Yuan, amused. They all knew Old Snake and were aware of his formidable strength.

Qi Yuan just smiled. "Not only did my eyebrow predict his disaster, but my eyes also tell me he's likely to fall." Qi Yuan spoke lazily. "Sigh, you're doomed."

He almost felt like giving the old man a "Peach's Three Words" speech.

"Next!" Qi Yuan said enthusiastically.

His eyes had already detected something unusual about these gods. Now, he was having a bit of fun before they entered the ancestral land.

"You... will be fine."

"You... will be fine."

"You... are in trouble," Qi Yuan said, pointing at a short man.

The short man's expression changed, and he glanced at Old Snake before snorting.

"You have good luck and will find great fortune," Qi Yuan said, looking at Yanxi Ancient God. "But your three followers... they're doomed."

Yanxi's three followers visibly tensed, their expressions shifting.

But Qi Yuan ignored them, moving on to the next person.

In total, Qi Yuan pointed out four gods and three followers who were likely to face danger.

After completing his fortune readings, Qi Yuan glanced at the group. "This was only my second attempt at fortune-telling, so it might not be accurate. Don't take it too seriously."

The gods' reactions were mixed. Some treated it as a joke, while others frowned, deep in thought.

Those who had been singled out for danger kept their expressions neutral, but internally, they were on high alert.

The younger sister, ever playful, teased, "If I give you a treasure, can you change the results for Old Snake?"

Qi Yuan responded cryptically, "Some people are dead, but they don't know it. Others are alive, but they might as well be dead."

The burly man cursed under his breath. "Enough with the mumbo jumbo. Let's get moving. Kid, if you can't protect your followers, hand them over to me."

Qi Yuan shrugged. "I don't want my people to suffer under your care."

"Let's go. Into the ancestral land."

"Agreed!"

The other gods voiced their agreement, preparing to enter the ancestral land.

Meanwhile, Old Snake, the short god, and the others singled out by Qi Yuan began communicating via divine transmission.

"What's with that kid? He pointed us all out, except for Yanxi, who was coerced. Could it be... he knows something?"

"This situation is strange. We've defected to the New Gods. There's no way anyone knows. Has the Proud World Great Venerable abandoned us?"

"That kid is suspicious. There might be a powerful god hidden among his followers, targeting us."

"If he's targeting us, why point us out? To warn the others to attack us in the ancestral land?"

"Right. It's not safe to fight at the entrance. He's signaling the others to strike once we're inside!"

"I suggest we just run once we get inside."

These gods were deeply uneasy.

Qi Yuan's followers seemed like mere mortals, but who knew if one of them was a powerful True God hiding their aura? Even Old Snake couldn't see through them, which meant they were likely at least a Third Step True God.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Plan? Run!"