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

Chapter 370: The Sudden Appearance of Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu, Their Bodies Form a Bridge, Passing Through, Even Reaching the Future

Master Black Deer stood to the side, his expression somewhat complicated.

“What a pity. Human hearts are far too complex. If that mysterious force could align with us, the task assigned by the Eastern Lord wouldn’t be so difficult to complete.

It’s unfortunate that they’re too mysterious, impossible to communicate with. Otherwise... if they could meet the Eastern Lord, listen to his words, they’d surely be convinced and work together for the betterment of this world.”

Qi Yuan glanced at Master Black Deer. “Is the Eastern Lord really that persuasive? I’m getting more and more curious to meet him.”

The level of devotion these people had for the Eastern Lord was terrifying.

Qi Yuan found it quite curious.

Could it be that the Eastern Lord, like himself, had such personal charm?

But then, Qi Yuan thought that he might be a little inferior to the Eastern Lord.

After all, his subjects were all his Nascent Souls, all part of him.

Believing in himself was perfectly natural.

Suddenly, Qi Yuan thought of the corpse inside the coffin in the ruins. “Have you ever seen the Eastern Lord’s partner, the Lord of the Ancestral Demons?”

Master Black Deer shook his head. “Never. None of us have ever seen the true body of the Eastern Lord. What we’ve seen is merely a projection.”

“Oh.” Qi Yuan didn’t dwell on it further.

Master Black Deer’s gaze shifted to the lower levels of the tower, a smile appearing in his eyes. “Mr. Qi, you truly have keen judgment and sharp eyes.

That boy named Mu Yan has already reached the fifteenth level, placing him in the top group.

As for that black-robed boy... hehe, he’s genuinely afraid of heights. He’s stuck on the sixth floor, too terrified to move.

The sixth floor is managed by Master Ji Qi, and with just a slight change to the challenge, that black-robed boy is completely stuck.”

Master Black Deer was very tactful, subtly mentioning how Master Ji Qi had shown goodwill toward Qi Yuan.

This also earned a favor for Master Ji Qi.

Although, as a titled Martial Master, he didn’t particularly care for the goodwill of an ordinary Martial Master, doing it casually was no harm.

“Not bad, not bad,” Qi Yuan commented nonchalantly.

He casually glanced at the battle within the tower.

The fights between those Martial Kings, giving their all, seemed to him no more thrilling than a battle between paramecia and yeast — completely dull.

These people weren’t even as interesting as the keyboard warriors on Gongxing.

At least the keyboard warriors knew how to stir things up, and when arguments got heated, it was especially entertaining.

His consciousness once again wandered into the forum post he had made earlier.

Seeing his post, Qi Yuan was somewhat puzzled.

“So many days have passed, and still no new replies?

Have I been shadow-banned?”

He suspected foul play.

According to the principle of inequality, if I have no views, that must mean I’m being targeted maliciously.

“This is despicable.”

Qi Yuan muttered and tagged the genius who had previously advised him to buy land, asking:

“Genius, any more insights? After buying land, what should I do?”

Before long, the genius replied.

“Sigh, brother, Canxing is about to invade. I don’t have time for idle chat.”

“Oh, Canxing is invading. I see.

But this isn’t just idle chat — we’re discussing something that could change the fate of the entire cultivation world,” Qi Yuan replied seriously.

Creating an underworld, such a major undertaking, how could that be considered idle chatter?

If the world had an underworld, wouldn’t that mean achieving a perfect utopia, realizing true socialism?

The elderly would be cared for, the strong put to use, the young educated, and the dead would have a place to go.

Yes, perfect.

If the dead felt bored, they could even work for free in Qi Yuan’s underworld. How great would that be? A job without having to pay any money.

“Forget the big picture for now; let’s focus on ourselves,” the genius said.

“I’m doing just fine,” Qi Yuan replied.

“This affects everyone. How can you say you’re fine? When war breaks out, many will die. Prices will skyrocket, order will collapse.

If Gongxing loses, we might end up as slaves.

Our parents, wives, and children could be humiliated at will, and our own fate would be completely in the hands of the enemy,” the genius’s tone was full of sorrow and helplessness.

Clearly, he didn’t have much hope for Qin Yuan’s ability to resist Canxing.

After all, Qin Yuan’s strongest Sky Eyes had all fallen.

Qin Yuan now seemed like a handsome man stripped of all his clothes, left with nothing but his underpants, vulnerable to anyone’s whims.

“You make a good point,” Qi Yuan fell silent as something occurred to him. “If Canxing really invades, will the Martial Arts Tournament still be held?”

“Martial Arts Tournament? What’s that?”

“I’m the champion of the Martial Arts Tournament, Qi Yuan, and I’ve won it for dozens of years in a row. If the tournament gets canceled, I won’t be able to defend my title.”

“I just looked it up — I can’t believe such an ancient relic as the Martial Arts Tournament still exists.

Forget the Martial Arts Tournament; even the Cultivation Tournament might be canceled.”

“How infuriating!” Qi Yuan from the Origin Land was furious. “Why, why? I just want to play my games in peace and watch some matches. Why are these NPCs so thoughtless, canceling the Martial Arts Tournament?

I can’t stand it! I won’t stand it!”

Qi Yuan abruptly stood up and sent a message to the genius.

“Wait for me. I’m going home right now. I’ll show those Canxing bastards the worth of a Martial Arts Champion!”

Master Black Deer, standing nearby, looked bewildered at Qi Yuan’s sudden movement. “Mr. Qi, what’s wrong?”

“Hmph!” Qi Yuan snorted coldly. “There are villains among the NPCs. Someone dares to attack my homeland while I’m not around.

I need to go back and teach them a lesson!”

“Huh?” Master Black Deer was both alarmed and concerned. “Is the enemy strong? Should we, the Eastern Alliance, step in and help?”

“No need, just some petty clowns. I could blow them away with a breath!” Qi Yuan waved dismissively. “I’ll leave this exam for now.

I’ll be back soon. Oh, and remember to delay the opening of the Eastern Lord’s Wall. I need to be there.”

“No problem.” Master Black Deer nodded quickly.

Such matters were trivial, nothing worth mentioning.

“However, Mr. Qi, according to the rules, when you leave, you need to wear a recording stone.

What you do must be displayed publicly here.

Although, if it's secret, we could—”

“It’s fine. There’s nothing secretive about it. I act openly and honorably. Give me the recording stone; I’ll record it myself,” Qi Yuan said generously.

“Alright.” Master Black Deer handed the recording stone to Qi Yuan.

The recording stone in this realm was quite similar to those in the Canglan realm, except it was powered by the energy of blood martial arts.

“I’ve already activated it.” Qi Yuan activated the recording stone.

Immediately, Qi Yuan’s figure appeared in front of the tower.

At that moment, Qi Yuan didn’t leave right away but instead shouted toward the sky.

“Emperor Shu, Emperor Hu, come quickly!”

His voice was loud, seeming to echo throughout the entire Origin Land.

Master Black Deer froze for a moment, and the other martial masters looked thoughtful.

The sound lasted for less than three breaths of time.

Suddenly, atop the tower, two men appeared.

They arrived so swiftly, without a single sound.

None of the martial masters present noticed their arrival.

It wasn’t until the two men spoke that the martial masters realized their presence.

“Emperor Shu of the Southern Sea, paying respects to the Lord God!”

“Emperor Hu of the Northern Sea, paying respects to the Lord God!”

The two stood before Qi Yuan, heads bowed, their auras mysterious yet ordinary, as if they were mere mortals.

Master Black Deer and the other martial masters couldn’t help but focus their gaze on Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu, their pupils contracting sharply, filled with endless wariness.

How had these two appeared? Master Black Deer was, after all, a titled Martial Master.

For someone to avoid his detection and suddenly appear less than a hundred meters away — did that mean that, should they wish, they could stab him in the chest without him having time to react?

Could it be...

Master Black Deer had a terrifying suspicion in his heart.

“The mysterious force!”

Yes, only that mysterious force, which had risen in the Origin Land over the past millennium, could do something like this.

Qi Yuan was actually connected to that mysterious force.

“I wish to return to Gongxing. You two, build a bridge over the Black Sea for me.

Hurry up, I’m in a rush,” Qi Yuan urged.

Master Black Deer and the other martial masters, hearing this, were all somewhat puzzled, not understanding Qi Yuan’s intention.

The Black Sea was mysterious, and those peak Martial Kings had long since died, their souls fused into the Mountain Sea Scroll, allowing them to reverse the flow of the Black Sea easily.

But going downstream? No one had ever accomplished that.

“We obey the Lord’s command.”

Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu bowed their heads and then raised them again.

As they looked toward the direction of the Black Sea, their forms seemed to stretch in an instant.

A strange chant echoed at this moment.

“Chaos, chaos, before the heavens and earth split!”

“The Black Sea has no bridge, the other shore is unreachable!”

“I, Emperor Shu of the Southern Sea, shall transform into a bridge, passing through, reaching the future!”

“I, Emperor Hu of the Northern Sea, shall become a beam, stepping on the Black Sea, holding up the sky!”

This chant truly echoed throughout the Origin Land.

All of the Eastern Alliance’s martial masters, at that moment, instinctively raised their heads toward the sky.

The Martial Kings inside the tower also showed expressions of shock.

As for Master Black Deer, his eyes widened, his body trembling uncontrollably.

“Chaos... the source of all primordial energy, the beginning of the world!”

At that moment, he felt an infinite, boundless primordial aura.

This was something completely incomprehensible to a martial master, something they had only heard rumors about.

As Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu chanted, the entire Origin Land suddenly became dark.

All the martial masters became terrified at that moment.

“What’s happening?”

“Is the Morning Star Chime happening early?”

“Who exactly are Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu?”

“Are they Martial Gods?”

Everyone looked up at the sky.

They saw that, at some unknown point, the sky had been obscured, and the world was shrouded in darkness, devoid of light.

“The sky... is blocked!”

“That... that looks like a hand?”

All the martial masters were trembling with fear, their souls shrinking, terror reaching its peak.

They looked up at the sky and saw nothing but darkness, but they knew that it was merely the tip of a massive, incomprehensible entity.

They were lost, confused, and scared, completely unaware of what was happening.

Only the martial masters inside the tower, like Master Black Deer, gritted their teeth, their faces filled with terror.

“Is this... a Martial God?”

Just the mere leakage of a thread of energy had made him tremble uncontrollably, unable to resist.

“I shall become a bridge, linking the past and the future!”

“I shall be a beam, connecting heaven and earth!”

“The vastness of the cosmos and the endless river of time, I shall carve out a bridge to cross.”

Suddenly, a bridge appeared in the Origin Land.

No one knew how wide or how tall it was. The tip of the iceberg alone dwarfed the entire Origin Land.

Mysterious and unfathomable, spanning the river of time.

Chaos flowed above it, and the temporal energy of the Black Sea swirled around it.

A solid bridge had been formed, spanning the river of history.

“Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu, in honor of our Lord!”

The sound was vast, spreading across the entire Origin Land.

Qi Yuan remained calm. With a wave of his sleeve, he stood on the bridge.

In the Origin Land, all the martial masters saw that terrifying bridge, larger than the land itself, and a blood-red figure appeared.

The transmission speed of light or visual perception didn’t matter — as soon as he appeared, everyone saw that figure.

“Who is that?” Mu Yan inside the tower also saw the figure’s back. For some reason, it seemed vaguely familiar to him.

The other martial masters, including the titled masters, all stared intently at the red-robed man.

At the top of the tower, the recording stone showed Qi Yuan’s image.

They watched as he stepped onto the bridge and took a single step forward.

In that instant, he traversed endless years.

Though he took one step, it was like moving up a staircase, but in reality, it was a leap of thousands, tens of thousands of years.

“This is...” Master Black Deer’s expression shifted, filled with shock. “This can’t be just a titled Martial Master!”

He thought of something and grew excited.

Could it be... Qi Yuan was a high-ranking member of the mysterious force?

His strength was clearly far beyond that of a titled Martial Master.

If he served the Eastern Lord, wouldn’t that mean their chances of surviving the Morning Star Chime would increase?

Elsewhere, Martial Master Fat Egg also looked up at the sky and rubbed his eyes. “This... looks kind of like my ancestor?”

...

At that moment, on Gongxing, in Qin Yuan Country.

On the second floor of a villa, a young man looked at the comment sent by his counterpart and was speechless. “Bro, it doesn’t matter if you’re the Martial Arts Tournament champion. Even if you were the Cultivation Tournament champion, it wouldn’t make a difference! Don’t be so ridiculous.”

“Hey, don’t underestimate the Martial Arts Tournament champion. I’m on the bridge right now, rushing back home. Soon, you’ll understand the weight of the title!” Qi Yuan replied while crossing the bridge.

“Heh, I just looked it up. All the runners-up of the Martial Arts Tournament over the past few decades have been the same old man.

Winning by beating up an old man? Really?” the young man said.

That old man looked like a regular elderly man.

For decades, Qi Yuan had kept beating that old guy. What a joke.

He couldn’t even let the old man win once.

“Whatever, I’m done talking nonsense with you. Just remember to think of ideas on how to build the underworld. I’m almost home.”

“Forget it, no point arguing with you. Even though you’re a bit of a braggart and unreliable, you’re still better than those beauty bloggers.

Yesterday, our Qin Yuan Country caught a spy from Canxing, and some beauty blogger had the nerve to sympathize with the spy. Absolutely ridiculous!”

The young man spoke, glancing up at the sky with a hint of worry in his eyes.

“Looks like I should stock up on supplies and stay in the basement. Hopefully, I can survive this disaster.”

The young man said this while getting ready to head out again, to see if he could buy more groceries or food at the supermarket.

He was a reflection of most people in Qin Yuan Country at the time.

Caught in the tide of history, under the looming shadow of war, every individual seemed insignificant, struggling just to protect themselves.