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

Chapter 361: Alien Relic, the Explorer Ship, and the Ancient Clan’s Ancestral Home?

Qi Yuan’s conversation with the plump cultivator was just a minor episode, drawing some attention but not taken seriously by anyone.

Most people felt that the two were just spouting nonsense.

Wang Zhiqi, standing not far from Qi Yuan, looked curious and asked quietly, "Senior, what did you realize? What kind of Purple Mansion are you going to cultivate?"

"Secret," Qi Yuan replied. He didn’t plan to reveal what kind of Purple Mansion he was aiming for before it was fully formed.

Wang Zhiqi remained silent, but Xie Tang gave her a glance.

At this point, the gathering began to get more serious. The Nascent Soul cultivators started sharing their insights on the Purple Mansion.

With Qi Yuan no longer the focus, the discussion got back on track.

Seeing that things were getting dull, Qi Yuan took out his phone, preparing to post a question to ask how he should perfect his version of the underworld.

Crowdsourcing ideas was always better than thinking alone.

At that moment, the old man in the crimson mask looked at Qi Yuan and warned, "No photos or recordings allowed."

Qi Yuan smiled, "I understand. Play around, joke around, but no recording during discussions."

The old man in the crimson mask didn’t say anything more to Qi Yuan, and the Nascent Soul cultivators continued their discussion on the Purple Mansion.

Meanwhile, Qi Yuan posted his question:
"Seeking advice from all the 20 cm bros and the 36D gals—how should I build an underworld?"

After posting, Qi Yuan closed his eyes, resting while thinking about how to form his own Purple Mansion.

The combination of purple qi and the underworld… well, both were challenging.
Purple qi was rare, mostly seen at the beginning of the universe.
And the underworld? That was an even more elusive concept.

"Should I threaten the Heavenly Dao of this world? But... why is there no Heavenly Dao in this world?"

Upon reaching the Grand Sovereign realm, one could sense the presence of the Heavenly Dao.
In fact, some powerful Grand Sovereigns could even capture and devour the Heavenly Dao of small worlds.
Yet, in this world, Qi Yuan had not found the Heavenly Dao.
If the Heavenly Dao wasn’t home, who could he threaten?

As time passed, the Nascent Soul cultivators were filled with joy, clearly gaining a lot from the discussion.

Many Nascent Soul True Lords praised each other, and some even exchanged contact information.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this discussion has come to an end," the old man in the crimson mask announced, signaling the conclusion of the meeting.

The Nascent Soul cultivators were somewhat reluctant to end, eager to hear more from the powerful Purple Mansion cultivator.

At this moment, the crimson-masked old man changed the subject:
"Actually, the purpose of inviting you all here today was twofold. Discussing the Dao was one purpose, but the second is to invite you all to partake in something greater."

His gaze swept across the room, assessing everyone present.

Those who had been about to leave returned to their seats, curious about what this "second" matter could be.

"The second matter… well, I can’t say too much just yet. However, it’s similar to exploring a secret realm—filled with danger and the unknown, but the rewards are immense. If you are interested, please stay, and I will explain further. If not, feel free to leave immediately."

The Nascent Soul cultivators were taken aback by this revelation.

"A secret realm? This world doesn’t seem to have any."

"I just gained some insights from the discussion, so I’ll pass on this."

"I’m not going."

"Hehe, it’s been years since I’ve had any excitement. I’m interested."

The twenty or so Nascent Souls quickly voiced their decisions, and around five of them decided to leave.

After all, exploring with strangers was dangerous.

A few more Nascent Souls followed suit, leaving a total of twelve behind.

Ningtao leaned closer to Qi Yuan and whispered, "Husband, should we go?"

"Let me think." Qi Yuan focused.

At that moment, his left eyebrow twitched oddly.

His eyes lit up with excitement. "We’re going!"

Left eyebrow means fortune, right eyebrow means disaster.
This left eyebrow twitching a lot meant a significant fortune was coming.

Meanwhile, Xie Tang was hesitating.

To be honest, in her younger days, she would never have accepted such an uncertain and dangerous expedition. Many prodigies had lost their lives exploring secret realms.
But now, her senior sister, Xie Xinshu, had vanished, and the Xuantian Sect was in dire straits, with a shortage of resources.

So, she gritted her teeth and decided to take the risk and seek resources.

"I’ll go too!"

Wang Zhiqi, on the other hand, would naturally return to her sect.

The plump cultivator thought for a moment and then said, "I’ll go!"

The remaining Nascent Souls turned their attention to the Purple Mansion cultivator, awaiting his decision.

"I’m quite interested as well. I’ll go," the Purple Mansion cultivator declared.

Hearing this, some of the Nascent Souls were relieved, while others grew wary.

Those who felt relieved were glad to have a strong Purple Mansion cultivator along, believing it would make the expedition safer.
After all, during the Dao discussion, this powerful Purple Mansion cultivator had shown a gentle, even-tempered side.
But others were worried because you never truly knew someone’s intentions, and if this cultivator turned hostile, they might all be doomed.

Ultimately, those who stayed were the confident, skilled ones.

"Since everyone has decided, let those not involved leave," the crimson-masked old man said.

Wang Zhiqi and the other younger disciples and followers of the Nascent Soul cultivators all left.

The cruise ship became more empty, and the old man cleared his throat.
"The place we are going to explore is not a cultivation secret realm, but rather… an alien relic."

"What? An alien relic?"

Everyone was shocked.

Decades ago, the appearance of an alien relic had caused a major war on Gongxing.

Qinyuan and the Wu Gui Kingdom went to war, and the forces from Canxing intervened to support Wu Gui.

Three years later, the war ended with a narrow victory for Qinyuan, leading to a treaty between Qinyuan and Wu Gui to jointly explore the alien relic.

However, that exploration ended in failure.

The relic was completely empty, as if it had been looted.

This greatly disappointed both Qinyuan and Wu Gui.

Yet, experts from both nations concluded that the alien relic had likely been moved by someone else.
Some even speculated that the true alien relic was still hidden somewhere on Gongxing.

The supposed abandoned alien relic was still heavily guarded by various nations, and experts were constantly studying it, trying to determine where it had been moved.

Now, the crimson-masked man claimed to know the location of another alien relic—how could that not shock everyone?

After all, the Sky Eye, a weapon powerful enough to kill Purple Mansion cultivators, had been obtained from an alien relic.

If they could acquire another Sky Eye, it would mean their sects would gain the strength and resources of a Purple Mansion-level powerhouse.

The Nascent Soul cultivators were breathing heavily, eyes filled with excitement.

The old man in the crimson mask continued, "After discovering this relic by chance, I personally tried to explore it, hoping to claim it for myself.
But my strength was too weak, and I couldn’t even get through the door.
After guarding the relic for over ten years with no success, I decided to seek help from all of you."

The Nascent Soul cultivators felt this explanation made sense.

Such immense profits would naturally drive anyone to try and keep it for themselves.
Only when one couldn’t claim it would they invite others to join.

This kind of situation was nothing new in the world of cultivation.

"However, before we explore the relic, we must agree on three conditions.
First, no fighting within the relic.
Second, no killing each other inside.
Once we leave the relic, all bets are off and everyone is on their own.
How does that sound?" the old man in the crimson mask proposed.

"No problem," a burly man responded, his aura revealing the power of a late-stage Nascent Soul.

"Let’s all make an oath to the Heavenly Dao, swearing on our heart demons. How about that?" another Nascent Soul cultivator suggested.

"Fine by me."

No one had any objections. It was clear they had all been through this kind of exploration before.

Qi Yuan nodded as well. "Sure."

Swearing to the Heavenly Dao didn’t bind him in any way.

Back when the Heavenly Dao was still building its foundation, he might have feared the chubby Heavenly Dao of the Canglan world.

But now? He could easily crush it.

The twelve of them swore their oaths, but even with that, everyone remained cautious.

The plump cultivator approached Qi Yuan and whispered, "Daoist friend, we seem to be fated to meet. How about we watch each other’s backs inside the relic?"

"Sure," Qi Yuan agreed.

This plump cultivator was truly a hidden dragon from the mountains, with a sharp and agile mind.

Next to them, Xie Tang gritted her teeth and softly asked, "I wonder if I could join you three?"

In a relic exploration, going solo was not ideal.

She chose to trust Qi Yuan, even though he seemed somewhat eccentric.

"No problem!" Qi Yuan agreed, partly because of her father Yangshan’s past assistance.

…

Half an hour later.

The twelve cultivators descended into a deep mountain.

The forest was lush, with various insects flying about, and poisonous snakes occasionally slithering by. Other toxic creatures hid in the shadows.

For regular people, surviving in such a jungle would be impossible, but for Nascent Soul cultivators, it posed no threat.

"After discovering the relic’s entrance, I was afraid others might stumble upon it, so I set up a maze formation here. Now, I will dispel it," the old man in the crimson mask explained as he performed a technique, revealing the hidden formation.

As the formation dissipated, a deep pit came into view.

Tall bamboo lined the edges of the pit, and it was so deep that its bottom was shrouded in darkness. A faint breeze rose from the depths, indicating there was breathable air below.

Without hesitation, the Nascent Soul cultivators flew down into the pit.

At five hundred meters deep, it was just a breath’s journey for them.

Soon, they reached the bottom of the pit.

The old man in the crimson mask led the way, and they walked through the pit, discovering several cave entrances along the way.

The old man shrank down and entered a fist-sized hole, and the others followed suit, reducing their size and entering the cave.

Inside the cave, it was cold, the temperature below freezing. After about a quarter of an hour, the old man stopped.

The view ahead opened up.

"To find such a well-hidden place, Daoist friend, you must have remarkable luck," a Nascent Soul cultivator marveled.

"Lucky indeed," the old man replied. "This is the relic’s entrance. Unfortunately, I’ve never been able to get inside. It will take all of us working together to break through the door."

With a wave of his hand, the old man dispelled the formation concealing the door.

A peculiar, glass-like door came into view. It was pristine and transparent, with an otherworldly beauty, very much in a sci-fi style.

On the door were strange symbols that seemed to form some kind of writing.

[Explorer Ship Door, created by the Shenhan Clan. Special key required for entry.]

Qi Yuan saw this hidden message flash before his eyes.

He froze for a moment, as it reminded him of the architecture of the ancient clan’s ancestral home in the Mortal Heart Realm.

Could it be…?

Qi Yuan’s eyes gleamed with curiosity.

He had a feeling he was about to uncover the deepest secret of this game.

"Come, everyone, let’s combine our strength and open the door!" the old man in the crimson mask urged, smiling.

He hadn’t been able to open the door himself, proving his strength wasn’t enough.

With so many people here, there was a chance they could break through.

Without hesitation, the others joined forces, readying their powers to break open the door.

At that moment, Qi Yuan’s eyes glinted with a strange light. "If Nascent Soul power can’t open it, how about the power of a Yang God?"

In an instant, Yang God-level power surged into Qi Yuan’s hand.
But his control over his power was so fine that none of the others could detect it.

Boom!

In a flash, the supposedly impenetrable door shattered.

"The door is open! Excellent!" The plump cultivator cheered, overjoyed.

The old man in the crimson mask was dumbfounded.
The last time, even with twenty Nascent Soul cultivators attacking together, the door hadn’t so much as cracked.

Now… it had shattered?
Too fast.
Was the plan still necessary?
He hesitated, casting a cautious glance at the Purple Mansion cultivator.

Was this the power of a Purple Mansion cultivator?

"What should we do, Fifth Brother?"

"The door wasn’t supposed to open. Isn’t it supposed to be impossible?"

"It must have been that Purple Mansion cultivator."

"Abort the plan for now. This Purple Mansion is too strong. Send a covert message to our comrades, have them prepare an ambush at the relic’s exit," the old man decided quickly.

Everyone stood before the door, none willing to go in first.

"This door was really tough. I had to use thirty percent of my strength to open it. There must be something good inside," Qi Yuan said, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

The old man in the crimson mask was speechless, resisting the urge to argue, "Without the Purple Mansion cultivator, we wouldn’t have gotten in."

Twenty Nascent Souls couldn’t open the door, but this cultivator claimed to have only used thirty percent of his strength?

The other cultivators looked at Qi Yuan with the same skepticism.

But unlike the crimson-masked elder, they refrained from openly disputing Qi Yuan’s claim.

The Purple Mansion cultivator merely smiled and said, "Everyone contributed. The credit belongs to all of us, no need to argue."

At that moment, Ningtao snuggled up to Qi Yuan, whispering, "Husband, shall we kill them all?"

As a Grand Sovereign, she could easily sense the killing intent from the Nascent Soul cultivators around them.

"No need. Let’s wait until all their reinforcements are here, then deal with them," Qi Yuan responded.

He was at the Yang God level.

To him, these cultivators' attempts to communicate secretly were as loud as shouting.

Even though they were disguised, Qi Yuan could clearly see their real faces.

For example, one of the six cultivators holding a secret weapon was a female cultivator whose face was strikingly pale—paler than even Naizi’s.