Chapter 176.1: Envy, Jealousy, Hatred, I Can Be A Dog Too!

In the group chat, Dong Jianghe replied with arrogance and domineering confidence.

Dong Jianghe: I can't compete with you old fellows, but dealing with a newcomer is easy. This newbie will surely suffer for refusing to heed my advice! I've just searched through ancient books and records on incense worship, and found no trace of a true Divine Dog God. Even if that newcomer can visualize one, with his meager incense offerings in the past, at best it’d be a most ordinary level.

Dong Jianghe held court in the chat, akin to a general commanding his troops. He had once visualized a Rare Three-Star God Visualization Art, earning endless flattery from the guardian gods in the group. Emboldened by this, he mocked several others, including Venerable Shengmiao and Venerable Heilong.

Originally, those two ancient gods had only visualized an inferior Rare One-Star. Dong Jianghe had mocked them but after that, he could only visualizeRare One-Star God Visualization Arts. From then on, they seized every chance to settle scores with Dong Jianghe in the group chat. A visualization art of that calibre could give birth to fearsome True God Citizens.

Venerable Heilong: I think that newcomer is quite promising.

When Heilong first joined the group, Dong Jianghe had asked his age. The answer made him exclaim in shock and call Heilong an “old man.” Since then, Heilong, nicknamed "Old Deng," had harboured a deep grudge against him.

Just then, Dong Jianghe noticed Qiyuann Sovereign’s status displayed Online.=

Dong Jianghe: Newbie, you’re out already? Did you succeed in your visualization?

To help ancient gods comprehend the God Visualization Art, anyone entering the Visualization Mountain would be randomly assigned to a specific chat group. Upon exiting, their consciousness would pass through it again, and they could freely enter the group thereafter. Everyone else grew curious.

Qiyuann Sovereign: I barely succeeded.

Qi Yuan felt a mixture of joy and unease.

Venerable Shengmiao: See? Anyone who gets insulted by Dong Jianghe is guaranteed to succeed!

The group instantly buzzed with excitement.

Qiyuann Sovereign: This humble newbie has a question for the seniors. If I were to fabricate a god out of thin air and then visualize a God Visualization Art from it, would it still work for my followers’ cultivation?

Dong Jianghe: Stop dreaming. A fabricated god can’t be visualized. They'd be stopped at Visualization Mountain and fail the Heart-Questioning Trials. Moreover, fabricated gods have never received worship, so even if they passed, they wouldn’t be able to condense a visualization art. Once an art is formed, however, its cultivation is always stable.

As the group owner, Dong Jianghe was particularly active.

Dong Jianghe: Come on, tell us, what rank is your God Visualization Art? Don't worry if it’s low. We’re all friendly here. Nobody will mock you.

While saying this, he was already preparing a long lecture in his mind, eager to belittle the newcomer and prove Shengmiao and Heilong wrong. The other ancient gods followed the conversation closely and were equally curious.

Qiyuann Sovereign: It’s really low, barely average. Nothing compared to you seniors.

Qi Yuan was dissatisfied, but when he thought of the many higher level divine gods on Blue Planet, his confidence returned.

Done Jianghe: Average? Ordinary One Star?

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

His excitement was barely concealed.

Qiyuann Sovereign: Rare Two-Star, well, I'm barely average.

Silence descended upon the chat.

Venerable Shengmiao: Senior, that's incredible! Is there really a Divine Dog God? How have I never heard of it?

└Rare Two-Star? Aside from Venerable Bai Xi, that's the highest rank! Indeed, anyone insulted by Dong Jianghe is bound to yield a treasure!

└So envious! Two Star means that with enough resources, one of your followers is guaranteed to become a divine god!

This meant that, barring major upheavals in the world, Qi Yuan had the potential to become a Great Venerable. For an ancient god to reach that level, at least one of his followers had to become a Venerable.

At that moment, Bai Xi appeared in the group chat.

Venerable Bai Xi: Not bad, Newbie. You have potential.

Seeing Bai Xi, group members—including Shengmiao and Heilong—exploded into praise.

└When will Venerable Bai Xi become a Great Venerable?

└Venerable Bai Xi once visualized three Rares and one Epic, he's truly a big shot!

└It won't be long before Venerable Bai Xi ascends to a Great Venerable!

Those who had just praised Qi Yuan instantly switched targets.

Qiyuann Sovereign: You are only one step from Great Venerable. You are very impressive!

Venerable Bai Xi: Newbie, which region are you from?

Qiyuann Sovereign: Lin Empire.

Feihuang City belonged to Lin Empire, after all. Seeing that, Venerable Bai Xi proposed an alliance.

Venerable Bai Xi: Lin Empire is a fallen zone in the northern lands. Newbie, why not come to my Hu Kingdom? We could make a fortune together.

└Big Shot, I want to come to Hu Kingdom too!

└Big Shot, please take me in, I’ve no shoes and my clothes are torn!

└Careful there, Newbie! A fallen zone is dangerous!

Looking at the responses, Qi Yuan felt warmth in his heart. True feelings did exist in this world.

Qiyuann Sovereign: Many thanks, Big Shot! But as an ancient god, I must defend my territory to the death. It's better to die than retreat!

After all, his game mission was to protect Clearwater Village.

Venerable Shengmiao: A god with backbone!

Venerable Tianbao: If only there were more ancient gods like you... I once had a friend who defected to a new god.

...

Hearing this, the mood turned heavy.

Venerable Tianbao: Newbie, I’m also in the northern region. If you have time, visit me in Jiang Kingdom, which is rather close to yours. But beware of Lu Kingdom, the friend whom I just mentioned earlier is there.

Qiyuann Sovereign: Understood.

Qi Yuan’s eyes brimmed with anticipation as he left the chatroom. With a wave of his hand, Qi Yuan imprinted a God Visualization Art onto a piece of cloth. The god depicted was none other than a howling celestial dog.

"As expected, the stronger the god, the more divine power it requires to visualise."

While visualizing, he could sense that his evil spiritual energy was just enough for manifesting the howling celestial dog. Thus, to visualize even stronger gods, he would need to hunt more and stronger evil gods.

***

Inside a mud-brick house, a fat man teased his black dog by tossing down a pile of bones scavenged from the banquet. "Good thing I brought you these. Otherwise, you’d have starved to death."

Watching his skinny black dog gnaw and bark joyfully, the fat man grinned. "Even without the ancient god’s descent, I probably wouldn’t have starved to death. But you, you little beast, won’t be so lucky!"

He kicked the dog aside in disdain. It whimpered, but dared not resist.

Just then, Qi Yuan appeared, clad in green robes. "

Oi

, Zhu Zhuangshi, abusing animals now?"

Zhu Zhuangshi jumped, wondering why Qi Yuan was here. "Lord God, I was just playing with it!"

Qi Yuan glanced at the dog and asked, "Is this the only black dog in the village?"

Zhu Zhuangshi tensed. "Yes, Lord God, it's old and skinny, its meat doesn't taste good!"

The dog was gnawing at the bone, its tail tucked between its legs.

Qi Yuan said calmly, "Alright, I’ll borrow it."

He waved his hands lightly and the black dog followed him against his will.

Only after Qi Yuan vanished did Zhu Zhuangshi wail, "My dog! My dog!"

Meanwhile, Qi Yuan returned to the temple with the dog.