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

Chapter 357: I’m the Villain? Kekekeke!

Elsewhere, while Qi Yuan was communicating with Shenlei Grand Sovereign, a guest arrived outside the graveyard.

This guest was dressed in white, with a jade belt around his waist. He stood tall with an elegant and refined air, undeniably a strikingly handsome man.

However, compared to Qi Yuan, he was just a toad.

“Master Kongming, Qi Yuan refuses to leave. Should we... kill him?” Wang Nanny gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing with killing intent.

For the sake of the world, she was willing to betray her conscience and kill innocent people. To her, as long as she could save the world, any sacrifice was acceptable.

Tu Kongming’s expression remained refined, but a hint of sorrow passed through his eyes. “That’s not something a gentleman would do. I won’t stoop to it!”

“Master Kongming, for the sake of all lives in the world, sacrificing a bit of personal virtue is no big deal!” Wang Nanny urged.

Tu Kongming shook his head, his expression resolute. “In the past life, I managed to win Yuanyu’s heart, and I believe I can do it again this time!”

“There’s less than two months left, there’s no time,” Wang Nanny said anxiously. Then, an idea struck her, and she added, “Should I drug Miss Yuanyu? Make sure the deed is done?”

As long as they forced the relationship, things would return to the proper course.

Their mission for the Bu Tian Pavilion would be complete.

Bu Tian Pavilion was an organization under the Eastern Alliance, operating across the various Mountain River Scrolls, completing missions. From birth, its members were raised with the understanding that their duty was to save all lives.

“We can’t do that to Yuanyu. We must respect her feelings!” Tu Kongming quickly refused, his stance firm.

“If we don’t... the world will be destroyed!” Wang Nanny’s voice grew heavy.

However, upon hearing this, Tu Kongming’s expression turned indifferent. “So what if the world is destroyed? To me, Yuanyu is more important than the entire world.”

Wang Nanny fell silent.

Tu Kongming was not just deeply affectionate, but excessively noble.

Of course, what used to be called deep affection was now known on Blue Star as being a “simp” or “beta.”

“Alas.” Seeing that she couldn’t convince Tu Kongming, Wang Nanny slowly left without saying anything more.

Tu Kongming watched her retreating figure, his expression melancholy. “It’s not that I don’t want Yuanyu or to claim her as mine, but true love isn’t like that...”

Not far away, Wang Yuanyu, who had been hiding and listening, remained expressionless. She furrowed her brow, deep in thought.

...

“Damn it, why are there so many variables in this mission? Tu Kongming is too stubborn, too rigid!” A man in a black robe gritted his teeth, his face twisted with rage.

“There isn’t much time left. It seems... we can’t be gentle any longer,” Wang Nanny muttered, her eyes filled with murderous intent.

“You’re right. They may hesitate, but compared to the lives of the masses, their reluctance doesn’t matter. I have some Hehuan Powder here. You’ll use it on both Tu Kongming and Wang Yuanyu. As for that bloodline holder, since he won’t leave, I’ll personally see him off.” The black-robed man’s face showed not only killing intent but also fanaticism. “All for the sake of the world.”

Wang Nanny’s eyes also turned fanatical. “All for the sake of the world!”

Even if they were misunderstood by the people, even if they bore the weight of being cursed, they would press forward. For the sake of saving the world, Wang Nanny thought, her shadow under the sun growing taller.

However, at that moment, a calm voice echoed.

“By the way, I forgot to tell you, my name is Qi Yuan, but my nickname is ‘The World.’ So, could you kill yourselves... for my sake?”

As the voice fell, a figure suddenly appeared not far from the black-robed man.

Dressed in a blue robe, with a lazy expression, Qi Yuan stood there, sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting shadows on his body, creating a striking scene.

Seeing Qi Yuan, both the black-robed man and Wang Nanny were startled.

“How are you here?”

They had been conspiring outside the graveyard. How could Qi Yuan have known? More importantly, he had appeared without making a sound, something even a peak Martial King would struggle to do.

“You were scheming behind my back, and I accidentally overheard, so I came over,” Qi Yuan replied casually.

With the awakening of the Nascent Souls within him, Qi Yuan’s Immortal Dao cultivation had skyrocketed. He had already reached the Yin God realm.

While a Yin God couldn’t oversee the heavens like a Yang God, it could still listen to the world. If someone nearby spoke ill of him, he could sense it.

If anyone talked bad about his loved ones, like Xiaojia, Canary, or Jinli, he could hear it too.

The black-robed man’s initial shock faded, replaced by calm composure. “Since you’re here, I don’t have to make a special trip. For the sake of the world, sir, please die.”

The black-robed man’s face turned solemn and righteous.

He took out a blood-stained stone.

This stone was marked with the blood of a Martial Lord.

Martial Lords were immensely powerful, capable of destroying entire nations with a single punch. Even a single drop of dried blood could easily obliterate a peak Martial King.

A Martial King and a Martial Lord were on entirely different levels.

Holding the Martial Lord’s blood, the black-robed man was brimming with confidence. Even though Qi Yuan had appeared unexpectedly and was undoubtedly strong, it didn’t matter.

Without reaching the Martial Lord level, everyone else was an ant.

“After you die, I’ll remember you and erect a monument in your honor. You’ll have contributed to saving the world, and future generations will speak of you with reverence!” The black-robed man’s stone began to grow larger.

A powerful, murderous aura spread out. The black-robed man felt himself growing stronger, like a god who could control the life and death of all.

“You’re such a kind person. It’s too bad I’m petty. After you die, I won’t give you a tombstone, and no one will remember your name. See, I don’t even know your name now,” Qi Yuan said calmly.

He had seen many kinds of people in the worlds he had traveled through.

And he had encountered people like the black-robed man before—“devoted” ones.

For example, in the Canglan World, there was the Mountain of Destiny.

Because Qi Yuan had wanted to resist a great calamity, that faction feared he would anger the calamity, which would then take revenge on Canglan World. So they cursed Qi Yuan to die, something Qi Yuan found laughable.

When the butcher’s knife was raised over your head, instead of resisting, you worried about angering the butcher into chopping harder. That was ridiculous.

In Qi Yuan’s eyes, the Bu Tian Pavilion was much like the Mountain of Destiny.

“I see. You must be the master of the Demon Suppression Court, right? No wonder you’re so confident. But this is the Mountain River Scroll. Bu Tian Pavilion rules here!”

At that moment, the Martial Lord’s blood began to glow.

Across all Mountain River Scrolls, no power could resist the strength of a Martial Lord.

“The world will remember your sacrifice!” The black-robed man shouted, his expression solemn and righteous.

Qi Yuan stretched lazily. “I came here to play a game, not to listen to your preaching. Man, the game designers here are boring.”

Yes, Qi Yuan had that exact feeling.

Every mission in this game had a little story. The stories were always full of regret, helplessness, and pain.

It seemed like the game designers wanted to leave a lasting impression on the players, trying to influence them.

From Qi Yuan’s perspective, the designers were just being pretentious, trying to be deep.

“Does anyone have the designer’s phone number? I need to call them and remind them I’m here to play the game, not listen to stories. I just want to kill, kill, kill!”

“Oh, it’s a free game? And I’m a freeloader? Fine, whatever the designers want to do, I’ll just keep killing.”

As Qi Yuan said this, he turned his gaze to the black-robed man.

“Kill!”

He unleashed his Blazing Bird Punch. Qi Yuan’s powerful punch seemed capable of destroying the world.

Boom!

The stone stained with the Martial Lord’s blood shattered instantly.

The expression on the black-robed man’s face froze. “Mar... Martial Lord.”

The strike Qi Yuan had just delivered was undoubtedly at the Martial Lord level.

This overwhelming, unmatched power could only belong to a Martial Lord.

Disbelief flickered in the black-robed man’s eyes before his body disintegrated into fragments.

Even though he was a peak Martial King, even with the Martial Lord’s blood, he was still too weak in front of Qi Yuan.

This was the difference between a god and a man.

“Nothing left but dust. Guess there’s no need for a tombstone.” Qi Yuan casually commented after killing the black-robed man.

Wang Nanny trembled beside him, her face filled with shock and disbelief.

“How could there be a Martial Lord in the Mountain River Scroll? Impossible! Impossible! How could there be a Martial Lord here?”

Without the ancestral blood, how could a peak Martial King break through to the Martial Lord level?

The Martial Lords of the Origin Land couldn't even leave that place—doing so would mean certain death.

That was why the Bu Tian Pavilion, with its Martial Kings, roamed the Mountain River Scrolls, correcting the worldlines, replaying the events to save the world before the Dawn Call.

“There’s no such thing as impossible,” Qi Yuan replied calmly, glancing at Wang Nanny. “Interested in becoming Han Xianyun’s corpse bride?”

Wang Nanny, still panicked and unable to comprehend what had just happened, tried to calm herself.

“Qi Yuan, please stop this,” she pleaded, her tone now softened. “I don’t know how you broke through to Martial Lord, perhaps you have some heavenly fortune or extraordinary destiny, but you must know that in the grand scheme of things, even a Martial Lord is insignificant. The Dawn Call is less than 4,000 years away. We at the Bu Tian Pavilion must correct the worldlines, ensuring that the world restarts without errors.”

“I’m not interested in any of that. Speak plainly,” Qi Yuan’s tone was flat, clearly uninterested.

He had already heard much of this kind of talk from Shenlei Grand Sovereign. But what did a game reboot have to do with him? Besides, who could be sure what was real or false?

Even if Wang Nanny was sincere, Qi Yuan wasn't about to be swayed. Experience had taught him that history, often written by the victors, could be misleading at best.

“I ask that you take the larger picture into consideration and help bring Wang Yuanyu and Tu Kongming together, allowing them to walk the worldline as it was meant to be. I... I beg this of you!” Wang Nanny said earnestly, bowing her head in respect.

After she finished speaking, Wang Nanny decisively placed her palm against her own head, shattering her skull instantly. Blood gushed out, and she collapsed, lifeless.

It was clear she hoped that by sacrificing herself, she could move Qi Yuan to change his mind.

Of course, if Qi Yuan hadn’t been as powerful, she would have killed him without hesitation.

Qi Yuan watched her coldly, showing no reaction or sympathy.

“What a waste... Han Xianyun lost such an amazing wife,” he muttered, shaking his head.

“Does this make me the villain now, for forcing such a noble person to their death?”

“Should I... kekekeke!”

Qi Yuan let out a typical villainous laugh.

...

Three months passed quickly.

During that time, many things happened.

Several Bu Tian Pavilion members attempted to assassinate Qi Yuan, only to be easily defeated and killed by him.

Tu Kongming, however, still did not win Wang Yuanyu’s heart, continuing to be like a hopeless, lovesick fool.

Wang Yuanyu did not fall in love with Tu Kongming, and as for Qi Yuan, she only saw him as a friend.

The two main characters did not follow the original script.

Meanwhile, the “villain,” Ma Longhun, was quite diligent, fully focused on his mission. He acted according to the “original timeline,” launching an attack on Wang Yuanyu.

This time, Tu Kongming again stepped forward to block Ma Longhun’s strike, ultimately dying, remaining as devoted as ever, much like his “puppy love” self.

However, unlike what Wang Nanny had predicted, Wang Yuanyu did not follow Tu Kongming in death.

Qi Yuan eventually met Ma Longhun and casually killed him.

Why didn’t Qi Yuan save Tu Kongming, you ask?

Well, first, they weren’t close.

Second, Qi Yuan didn’t want to.

Third, the mission didn’t require him to protect Tu Kongming.

“Mission complete, looks like it’s time for me to leave. I’ve stayed here longer than usual. I’ve missed out on a few martial arts tournaments... That’s a loss,” Qi Yuan said with a bit of regret, shaking his head.

To become a true Human Dao Martial Lord, he needed to win a hundred consecutive martial arts tournaments.

Whenever he entered the Mountain River Scrolls, he couldn’t participate in the martial arts tournaments, which might disrupt his winning streak.

So in these instances, his companion Canary would halt the tournament events on his behalf.

Indeed, the martial arts tournament was essentially tailor-made for Qi Yuan.

Wang Yuanyu looked at Qi Yuan and then at Tu Kongming’s lifeless body. She seemed somewhat melancholic. “Just as Wang Nanny said, he gave his life to save me. But... I feel no sadness or gratitude. Am I... heartless?”

“I could tell,” Qi Yuan responded with a chuckle. “Even after spending all this time with me, a normal guy, you didn’t fall for me. It seems you really are a bit cold-hearted.”

“Is that... a bad thing?” Wang Yuanyu asked, hesitantly.

“What’s good? What’s bad?” Qi Yuan’s figure seemed to blur. “In this world, sometimes it's better to be selfish. Of course, if you cross me, no matter how good you are, that would still be bad.”

Wang Yuanyu smiled lightly at his words. “Are you leaving?”

“Yeah, I’m going back. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my wives. I miss them.”

“I hope we can meet again,” Wang Yuanyu said sincerely.

In this vast, ethereal world, meeting someone you could talk to was a rare blessing.

“As long as you live long enough, there’s always a chance,” Qi Yuan replied. Then, as if a thought had struck him, he added, “You know, watching dramas is fine, even feeling like you’re part of them. But don’t take them too seriously. It’s like scrolling through social media trends—you’re only seeing what others want you to see.”

Wang Yuanyu tilted her head, nodding slightly. “For some reason, that sounds wise. You sound like an intellectual.”

The two of them exchanged compliments.

“You’re not bad yourself,” Qi Yuan said, smirking as he glanced at the black sack over her head. “Perfect for playing a kidnapper.”

“Next time we meet, I’ll give you a pair of stockings,” Qi Yuan added. “You can wear them for me!”

Wang Yuanyu chuckled. “Alright. By the way, what’s a TV drama?”

It was obvious that when she had called Qi Yuan an intellectual earlier, she had just been flattering him.

She hadn’t understood anything he’d said.

“Hmm, you’re living in a drama. I’m just the audience.”

With that, Qi Yuan’s figure disappeared.

In the vast world, only Wang Yuanyu was left standing alone.