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

Chapter 211: A New Battle Plan

The world trembled as the Great Venerable’s full-force attack was reduced to nothing.

Zhu Zhuangshi patted his wide sleeves, a look of smug satisfaction in his eyes. "Now, Old Zhu should be able to easily beat that big black dog!"

Recently, he had been terribly bullied by that big black dog. Now, he could finally hold his head high.

The other three remained solemn, the divine aura gradually fading from their eyes.

The ancient gods present were still in shock, unable to recover from the awe-inspiring scene they had just witnessed.

ShenleiThat was a Great Venerable! A full-force attack from a Great Venerable had been effortlessly neutralized.

Everyone present was silent and astonished. Was this the power of a god?

It was clear that it wasn’t!

Although they had never seen myth-level divine techniques before, they knew they couldn't be this exaggerated.

That was a true full-force strike from a Great Venerable. Even if these four were only at the first or second step of godhood and had awakened the seeds of divine domains, they shouldn’t have been able to withstand it.

The scene before them defied their understanding.

No wonder the Origin Heavenly Venerable dared to come to Cai Country; he must have already had a plan and was confident in his victory.

In their hearts, the image of the Origin Heavenly Venerable became even more majestic.

At that moment, a voice echoed, reaching the ears of all the ancient gods present.

"A qualified NPC can’t just be shocked all the time; that’s how you get left behind by the times. It’s important to have a skill. Otherwise, you’ll be out of a job before you’re thirty-five. Chef? Musician? Mourner? Which one do you want to learn? I can teach you! These three are especially easy to find jobs in, so you won’t have to worry about being left behind by the times."

The ancient gods were stunned, and the shock in their hearts vanished instantly.

The elder twin sister looked at Qi Yuan, a face full of helplessness. "My lord, we should hurry and escape. If that Great Venerable catches up, it will be a deadly battle!"

The other ancient gods quickly nodded in agreement.

The full-force strike of the Great Venerable had been blocked, but if the Great Venerable chased them with hundreds of evil gods, they would still be in a dire situation.

"We can leave, but what about Thunderbolt Great Venerable?" Qi Yuan thought for a moment, then decided there was no need to worry about Thunderbolt Great Venerable. As long as the old man wasn't too out of his mind, he would likely return after discovering what had happened in the capital of Cai Country.

"Let’s go."

The group transformed into a stream of light, heading back to Qing Shui Village.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, an old man wearing a golden mask with strange patterns etched on it stood. Through the mask, his cold eyes were visible.

"My strike... was blocked?" He was somewhat surprised, perhaps even shocked.

The opponents were merely Venerables, yet the four of them had joined forces and blocked his attack. How could he not be surprised?

"Shall we pursue them?" asked a new god at the third step to heaven, his eyes anxious. After all, they couldn’t just watch as those ancient gods escaped.

Although they didn’t understand how those ancient gods had managed to block a strike from the Great Venerable, their camp had plenty of true gods. Under the command of the camp leader, they could easily annihilate those ancient gods.

"No," the camp leader replied, his voice firm.

Something was strange about this situation.

Each of those true gods had divine domain seeds, which was simply too unbelievable.

True gods of that caliber would be nurtured carefully, so why would they suddenly appear in the fallen zone as assassins?

There was something fishy going on; it might even be a trap aimed at him.

His lieutenant was disappointed, feeling that he had missed out on a sure victory. If the Great Venerable had made a move, he was confident he could have captured those twenty ancient gods.

The camp leader looked at his lieutenant and narrowed his eyes. "You take a few true gods and capture them."

"Huh?" The lieutenant was stunned.

Was he serious?

Was he really sending him?

…

On the wide road, divine beings occasionally flew by.

At a roadside tavern, a sign was posted today.

"Buy three drinks, get three free."

A burly figure stopped in front of the tavern, sniffing the air deeply.

A rich, fragrant aroma filled his nose.

"A grand drink is in order before doing great deeds!" the burly figure thought. "Innkeeper, bring me three jars of your best wine!"

"Coming right up!"

The burly figure sat down, his eyes flashing with hints of purple lightning. "It seems fate is on my side. If I hadn’t gotten lost, I might have run into that Great Venerable."

This burly figure was none other than Shenlei Great Venerable.

Since leaving Qing Shui Village, he had been careful and discreet, hiding his identity while making his way to Cai Country to catch Zhang Feng off guard.

On his way, he encountered an ancient god from the Ancient Gods Alliance and stopped to gather information.

However, that ancient god had misled him, sending him down the wrong path and wasting his time.

But this detour allowed him to avoid the battle between the Great Venerables.

Not long ago, as he was making his way to Cai Country, he had seen the Great Venerables clashing in the sky from afar.

In the past, he wouldn’t have cared about such things. But now, heavily injured and needing to conceal his identity, he couldn’t risk being detected by the Great Venerables.

Fortunately, getting lost had delayed him just enough to miss the battle, which made him feel that fate was on his side.

"I wonder which two Great Venerables were fighting," Thunderbolt Great Venerable pondered.

But he quickly dismissed the thought. As long as it didn’t interfere with his mission, it didn’t matter.

The wine was brought to his table, and Thunderbolt Great Venerable poured himself a full bowl.

As he drank, a sense of ease washed over him.

But as the wine flowed, his thoughts grew more troubled. "By now, that kid should have just left the Ancestor Land. I hope that old fox Li Shan managed to hold him back."

Shenlei Great Venerable sighed, his mind wandering.

On this mission to assassinate Zhang Feng, he had left all his belongings with Xiao Xue and was penniless. He had even discarded his communication jade slip, fearing that his old friends would persuade him to turn back.

Now, as he drank the last of his three jars of wine, he called out, "Innkeeper, didn’t you say buy three, get three free?"

"Coming right up!" The innkeeper quickly brought three more jars, a broad smile on his elderly face, as if something good had just happened.

"Something good happening, innkeeper?" Shenlei Great Venerable asked, curious.

Shenlei Great Venerable was tempted to say that once he had assassinated Zhang Feng, it would indeed be a double celebration.

Most of the people in Fanxin Realm detested the evil gods, and traitors like Zhang Feng were despised even more.

"A great thing indeed," the innkeeper said, glancing at Shenlei Great Venerable. "You don’t worship the new gods, do you?"

"Not at all. How could this old man ever worship those bastards?" Shenlei Great Venerable replied heartily.

The innkeeper visibly relaxed. Anyone who would call the new gods bastards was clearly not on their side.

"The heavens in Cai Country... have changed."

"What?" Shenlei Great Venerable paused, the bowl of wine hovering in the air.

"Zhang Feng is dead."

"What?" Thunderbolt Great Venerable was stunned.

He had come to assassinate Zhang Feng, and now he was being told Zhang Feng was dead?

Seeing the shock on Shenlei Great Venerable’s face, the innkeeper explained, "Just recently, a voice echoed in the sky, declaring that Zhang Feng would be executed and that those who stood in the way would die. A group of ancient gods stormed Cai Country and killed Zhang Feng. Afterward, they fled. The camp leader from the evil god’s army struck back with full force, but those ancient gods blocked the attack. Now, those ancient gods have fled northward."

The innkeeper pointed in a direction. "Those ancient gods came from that way and headed back that way after the kill."

Shenlei Great Venerable was completely stunned.

Who had stolen his kill?

Was there really someone so bold in the fallen zone?

"Such a righteous god... this old man is impressed." Shenlei Great Venerable was dazed.

The target he had come to kill had already been killed by someone else, leaving him feeling lost.

Should he... maybe attack the evil god’s camp instead?

Shenlei Great Venerable couldn’t help but admire the ancient god who had killed Zhang Feng, even though he had no sense of honor!

It was supposed to be his kill.

"That righteous god is a true hero! Traveling a thousand miles to kill one god and then disappearing without a trace, treating life and death as nothing!" the innkeeper praised, clearly moved.

Shenlei Great Venerable’s expression turned blank.

These words of praise should have been for him.

But now, even the traitor had been stolen from him!

Shenlei Great Venerable felt a deep regret, suddenly aimless.

Should he maybe... confront the evil god’s camp?

 Great Venerable was conflicted, feeling that the ancient god who killed Zhang Feng had acted dishonorably!

It was his kill to make.

"That righteous god is also quite the character. After killing Zhang Feng, he shouted to the city’s people that next time, he’d treat them to a feast. Haha... I wonder if this old man will ever get to eat at Zhang Feng’s feast," the innkeeper said with a broad smile.

Beside him, Thunderbolt Great Venerable was completely frozen. "What? A feast!"

The words “feast” were from a distant memory, something he had barely heard of in his entire life.

Since arriving in Qing Shui Village, the word “feast” had been the most frequent word he heard.

Now, hearing it again, he was shocked.

Could it be... that the one who killed Zhang Feng was Qi Yuan?

How could that be!

Wasn’t that kid only at the Purple Mansion stage? Hadn’t he just entered the Ancestor Land?

Even if he had broken through to become a true god, he couldn’t have killed Zhang Feng so brazenly and blocked a strike from a Great Venerable.

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

But the way he acted... really did sound like that kid.

Suddenly, Shenlei Great Venerable remembered something. The direction the innkeeper had pointed... wasn’t that the direction of Lin Country?

Thinking this, he felt a surge of panic.

Could it really have been that kid?

His thoughts were a jumbled mess, and he wanted to take out his communication jade slip to confirm.

But then he remembered he didn’t have anything on him.

So, he quickly entered his meditation space and asked in the group chat.

"Li Shan Great Venerable, are you there? I have a question!"

"Oh? Shenlei Great Venerable, you’re back!"

"Shenlei Great Venerable, was that ancient god who visualized the eight myths your disciple?"

"Shenlei Great Venerable, where are you now? I’ve found the Thunderwood you needed."

Shenlei Great Venerable was dumbfounded by the sudden barrage of greetings.

What did they mean by eight myths?
Who had visualized eight myths?

His disciple?
He was utterly confused.

Could it be...

A terrifying thought crept into his mind.

At that moment, Li Shan Great Venerable finally replied, "Shenlei Great Venerable, you’re still alive? That’s great! You... should return quickly."

In the group chat, Li Shan Great Venerable didn’t elaborate.

He still needed to keep Shenlei Great Venerable and Qing Shui Village’s situation hidden from the evil gods.

After all, those eight mythical gods had not yet fully grown.

If exposed, the evil god’s army might try to crush them in their infancy.

Hearing Li Shan Great Venerable’s words, Shenlei Great Venerable was filled with a thousand questions.

He wanted to ask more, but realizing there were other ancient gods in the chat, he held back his curiosity.

Exiting the chat group Shenlei Great Venerable furrowed his brow, still deep in thought. "Eight myths... could it really be him?"

If it was... that would be incredibly shocking.

"Could that kid really be a genius?"

If it was him, it would make sense.

Qi Yuan didn’t want to see him die, so he had come and killed Zhang Feng himself.

"How is he bolder than I am!" Shenlei Great Venerable slapped his thigh. "This is too reckless!"

He was extremely worried.

Qi Yuan was far too reckless. He had just visualized eight myths and was already launching a full-scale attack?

This must have caught the attention of the evil gods.

This was bad news.

…

In Feiwu City, several figures landed.

Qi Yuan looked at the city’s inhabitants still feasting and turned to the ancient gods around him.

"After working so hard, you must be tired. Go enjoy the feast and replenish your energy."

The ancient gods exchanged glances.

"My lord, shouldn’t we discuss how to deal with the evil gods?" the younger twin sister blurted out, speaking her mind.

Now, after a long march and the assassination of Zhang Feng, they were certainly impressive, but they must have caught the attention of the evil god’s camp.

The evil god’s camp would surely begin increasing its forces to surround and kill them.

After all, even without considering the mythical gods, the mere fact that there were over twenty gods with divine domain seeds was enough to make the evil gods take them seriously.

"You’re right!" Qi Yuan nodded earnestly.

This made the ancient gods breathe a sigh of relief. Qi Yuan wasn’t entirely unreliable.

"Now that Qing Shui Village’s strength has increased by at least tenfold, we can’t just sit back and wait. We should take the initiative and fight to grow stronger!" Qi Yuan said, his mind spinning with ideas. "It seems it’s time to put my brilliant mind to work and come up with a brand new battle plan!"

Qi Yuan’s words left the ancient gods bewildered again.

Shouldn’t they be thinking about how to respond to the evil god’s attack? Should they flee, hide, or engage in guerrilla warfare?

How... how had they ended up talking about taking the initiative to attack?
Wasn’t this just asking for trouble!

"My lord... isn’t this a bit hasty?" the elder twin sister couldn’t help but ask.

The elder twin sister’s thoughts were shared by the other ancient gods. Now was the time to avoid battle if possible.

The gains they had made in the Ancestor Land were already substantial.

They needed to quickly use those resources to enhance their power.

Especially the eight true gods who had obtained the myth-level visualization techniques; they needed to be quickly pushed to the Great Venerable level.

Only then would Qing Shui Village’s strength be truly formidable.

"Not hasty at all." Qi Yuan shook his head. "I’ve had many enemies who dragged things out, taking decades to deal with a simple matter. In the end, I wiped them all out!"

Take the Black Mountain Sect, for instance. Qi Yuan had suspected they wanted to invade Earth and dig up his ancestors' graves.

But the Black Mountain Sect had taken their time, never making a move, which had kept Qi Yuan up at night, leading him to come up with a plan to destroy them overnight by flying his spirit boat into their base.

The same went for the Bright Palace.

They had constantly targeted Qi Yuan, demanding that the Shang Dynasty hand him over along with Kang Fuluo.

What fools! If Qi Yuan had been in the Bright Palace’s position, he wouldn’t have set any deadlines—he would have destroyed Qi Yuan immediately.

That way, he wouldn’t have given Qi Yuan time to grow stronger.

In Earth’s history, if Qi Yuan had been a general of the Yuan Dynasty, he would have taken his ten thousand soldiers and smashed the begging bowl of Zhu Yuanzhang.

"The longer we wait, the more variables will arise. So... we must act with lightning speed to eliminate the surrounding evil gods!" Qi Yuan spoke with conviction, his logic sound.

The ancient gods around him were dumbfounded.

"I have a new plan, and it’s called... ‘Three Days... to Slay a Hundred Gods!’"

Seeing that the others seemed moved by his words, Qi Yuan quickly seized the opportunity to strike while the iron was hot.