Chapter 179.1: Forcing Growth? Wrong, Even the Earth God Is Powerful!

Qi Qi was utterly baffled. Anyone with even a shred of common sense knew that Great Venerable Youlong presided over agriculture. Just where did Earth God come from?!

Qi Yuan simply smiled faintly. "That just means you haven't seen enough of the world."

The Earth God had enjoyed an astonishing amount of incense and worship back on Blue Planet.

Qi Qi still couldn't wrap her head around it. Gods with divine positions were extraordinarily rare and immensely valuable. She couldn’t even count how many followers were visualizing Great Venerable Youlong. All she knew was that number had to be enormous.

When she had been fussing over the crop yields of her godfather’s territory, she had considered visualizing Great Venerable Youlung as well. Qi Qi ultimately had to abandon the idea. The effect would be negligible because too many people were visualizing him.

"You take Little Xue and try it out in the fields," Qi Yuan said casually, without bothering to explain further.

He was busy compiling his own Qi Yuan Scripture and pondering which village feast he should attend tonight.

As Qi Qi led Little Xue away, she inadvertently recalled how Big Black Dog pinned his former master to the ground.

Qi Qi suddenly asked, "Little Xue, now that you've reached the Violet Palace realm, you won't bully me, will you?"

Little Xue flailed her hands anxiously. "Miss, of course not!"

Only then did Qi Qi smile. "How do you feel?"

Her confusion still hadn’t faded. Only one explanation made sense: True God had to be extremely powerful, and held certain agricultural authority. Otherwise, the Epic One-Star was just inconceivable.

Soon, the two arrived at the ridges between the fields. Now that the village had access to water, many crops had been planted. There was wheat, rice, sweet potatoes, and more. They resembled crops from Blue Planet, but not entirely. Spiritual energy flowed faintly through the plants. Since it was a cultivation world, it didn't have four seasons.

Yulei hurried over, his expression full of respect. "Miss!"

The god's adopted daughter was Clearwater Village's greatest treasure.

Qi Qi glanced at a man in coarse linen standing beside him. "And he is?"

"Miss, you have been occupied with farm work lately," Yulei explained. "So I invited Mister Xu Youping from Sandstone Town. Among the seven towns nearby, he's the most skilled in agriculture. He once profoundly visualized Great Venerable Youlong."

Sandstone Town was the only one of the seven towns in Feihuang City that still worshipped ancient gods. Xu Youping, who oversaw the agricultural affairs, held a highly respected position. Despite countless cultivators visualizing the same god, a few prodigies always rose above the rest, and Xu Youping was one of them.

Surveying the fields, Xu Youping sighed. "The land is far too barren. Even if I give it everything I have, I might only increase yields by half a percent."

"That's already very good," Yulei replied calmly.

Qi Qi, standing to the side, suddenly turned to Little Xue. "Didn't Lord God say your Origin Divine Technique is related to agriculture? Why don't you try?"

Only then did Yulei look at Little Xue, his eyes filling with disbelief. Weren't they just eating at the same banquet yesterday? How did she advance from Core Formation to Violet Palace realm overnight?!

God Visualization Art!

Yulei's heart jolted violently.

Xu Youping glanced at Little Xue and offered a respectful salute. "I never expected to meet a fellow cultivator of the path."

Sandstone Town had no shortage of Violet Palace cultivators, hence Xu Youping remained neither servile nor arrogant. He assumed Little Xue, like him, visualized Great Venerable Youlong and had some agricultural abilities.

Xu Youping sighed. "It is a pity too many people visualize Great Venerable Youlong. Even those who eventually ascend to True God realm can only boost yields by sixty or seventy percent."

Little Xue, however, appeared eager. "Let me try!"

Xu Youping watched closely as she prepared to activate her Origin Divine Technique.

Suddenly, Little Xue's face fell. "Miss, part of my ability requires your cooperation."

Yulei froze. Xu Youping froze as well. An Origin Divine Technique that required someone else to cooperate? They had never heard of such a thing!

"How should I help?" Qi Qi asked curiously.

"You just need to pray to me, pray for a good harvest," Little Xue replied.

Qi Qi was puzzled, but followed her instructions anyway. "May all the crops in my godfather's lands grow strong and healthy. May the five grains flourish and may the harvest be abundant!"

Little Xue closed her eyes, emanating a strange aura. Her divine technique was extraordinarily special. One of its aspects was the ability to transmit the prayers of the people directly to the heavens. Little Xue herself felt uncertain.

"Well?" Qi Qi asked anxiously.

Xu Youping muttered strangely, "This is the first time I've ever seen something like—"

In the next moment, Little Xue shrank, becoming as small and delicate as a porcelain doll. A wisp of peculiar energy formed in her palm. When she opened her eyes, they radiated authority yet also warmth.

"By the command of heaven, this land shall know favorable winds and timely rain. The five grains shall flourish!" she declared.

The energy drifted down and seeped into the fields, spreading to other villages as well.

Xu Youping stared at the scene, utterly lost. "What?"

This wasn't how agriculture was supposed to work. Where was the rain? The fertilizer? The tilling, weeding, pest control? What was this little thing even doing?

Suddenly, his eyes went wide. The moment the energy touched the soil, an astonishing transformation began. Crops that had only been tender sprouts began growing at a visible speed. Stalks thickened. Branches burst outward. Fields that had once seemed desolate were blanketed in green. The seedlings seemed to race through time itself.

"Forcing growth?" Xu Youping gasped. "Is this a spell? But that only makes crops look mature, they never bear fruit!"

That was the only explanation he could think of. Qi Qi's heart clenched as well. Could this really be some crooked, heretical agricultural authority? Agriculture in name, but evil in truth?

Yet what happened next erased all doubt. The crops that were “forced to look mature” bore fruits. In just a dozen breaths, wheat and rice filled the fields, making it a sea of golden. Heavy ears bent the stalks low. The yield surpassed normal harvests by an unimaginable margin.

"This isn't forced growth at all! What is happening?!" Xu Youping grabbed a handful of rice, examining it closely, his voice shaking. "What kind of divine technique is this?! Which god did you visualise?"

Not only had the seedlings matured in the blink of an eye, the yield had also doubled. Either one of those facts alone would shock the world. Together? It was absurd beyond belief.

"It’s called

Linking Heaven and Earth," Little Xue explained quickly. "The god I visualize is known as the Earth God."

"The Earth God?" Xu Youping repeated blankly. "How could such a True God exist? Why have I never heard of him?"

Among those overseeing agricultural affairs in Sandstone Town, Xu Youping ranked third. He knew every agricultural god inside and out. Moreover, an obscure god typically possessed only minor achievements, yet this so-called Earth God seemed to rival Great Venerable Youlong himself.

Xu Youping pondered for a long while before asking, "Is this Origin Divine Technique one-time use only?"

That would at least make sense. He stared at Little Xue, who appeared somewhat drained.

"

Mm...

The consumption is huge," Little Xue admitted. "I need to eat a whole pig to recover before I can use it again."

Xu Youping and Qi Qi went speechless.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

***

Inside the divine temple, Qi Yuan's eyes gleamed with interest. He studied the God Visualization Art in his hands, golden light still shimmering across its surface.

"This God Visualization Art seems usable by others as well," he murmured. "It just won't be as effective as it is for Little Xue."

Then again, that would still be more than enough.

Qi Yuan felt the time had come. Every village should have its own Earth God. After all, the Earth God didn't just govern agriculture, but also safeguarded peace across the land. Any disturbance, no matter how small, never escaped his sharp ears. In Journey to the West, whenever Sun Wukong needed information, he always turned to the Earth God.