Chapter 196: Acting on Impulse, Reckless Qi Yuan

With a trace of melancholy, Madam Wang glanced at the scenery outside the carriage window. "Such a thriving little town... What a pity."

Lush green fields stretched endlessly. Crops stood tall and vigorous, heavy with ripe harvests. Yet no matter how breathtaking the land or how promising its future, everything would be crushed beneath the feet of the evil gods.

Madam Wang no longer dwelled on it. "Let's go."

Most of the northern lands stood on the brink of ruin. Only by fleeing farther south was there even a sliver of hope of surviving the flames of war. At the very least, most of the southern territories were still held by the ancient gods.

***

As the dawn broke, Qi Qi sucked in a sharp breath outside the temple. "

Gosh!

Godfather, you nearly scared me to death!"

Anyone would’ve reacted the same upon seeing two people hanging from a tree first thing in the morning. She stared at Qi Yuan and the red wedding garment, terror still lingering in her eyes.

"The dignified adopted daughter of Qiyuann Sovereign, afraid of this?" Qi Yuan jumped down while holding Little Bride. He pointed at her. "This is Little Bride. My... wife."

It seemed Little Bride understood his words. A small wooden plaque with a happy expression fell out of her sleeve.

Qi Qi was momentarily stunned. "

Huh

?"

When she had first arrived in Clearwater Village, she had vaguely seen that red wedding robe, thinking it was some sort of treasure. She never imagined it was her godfather's wife.

"Why are you looking for me?" Qi Yuan sensed others outside the temple. "Did something happen?"

Qi Qi summarized the news she had received overnight. "Godfather, something huge happened in the Lin Empire. The emperor has passed away, and the prefect of Feiling Prefecture has been transferred."

At present, all logistics and administrative matters in Clearwater Village were handled by Qi Qi. Qi Yuan was only here to play a game. Asking him to manage a village, let alone a city, was out of the question. He was good at fighting and killing, but governance was another matter entirely. Fortunately, Qi Qi was a competent "steward," keeping everything in perfect order.

"When will the evil gods strike?" he asked.

Qi Qi frowned, full of concern. "In Feiling Prefecture, four of the seven cities already belong to the evil gods. If a new god descends, they’ll likely march on Feihuang City after about two years of consolidation.”

Time was running out for Clearwater Village.

Hearing that, Qi Yuan’s brow twitched. "They're moving far too slowly. This won't do. Looks like I'll have to make a detailed plan."

His enthusiasm was peaking. Despite his average cultivation talent, he was top-tier when it came to planning. Every plan he carefully devised was seamless and unstoppable once set in motion. As proof, all his plans up to this point had been executed flawlessly.

Thunder stepped forward. "What plan?"

Qi Yuan said casually, "Unify Feiling Prefecture, of course."

Thunder explained gravely, "There may be a Second Step god descending in Feiling Prefecture. Without my help, it’ll be difficult for you to win."

His concern was not unfounded. Although Qi Yuan’s entire entourage possessed astonishing talent and boundless potential, they were still only at First Step, with a single divine aperture. Defeating enemies with three or four divine apertures was already pushing it, let alone a Second Step, who had at least twelve divine apertures. A miracle like Subduing Dragon Arhat defeating someone far stronger would not happen twice.

Yet Qi Yuan said dismissively, "Second Step may be strong, but my plan is airtight."

Thunder burst into laughter. "Just don't come begging for help later. Even if I step in, all I can do is take you and flee the northern lands."

By confronting a Second Step opponent, he was bound to alarm even stronger evil gods in the north. Even he wouldn’t be able to protect himself at that point, making escape the only option.

Qi Yuan glanced at him. "Well, this plan does have a flaw. Great Venerable Thunder, have you heard of the Ancient Clan?"

He recalled Qionghua’s words about seeking the Ancient Clan’s help to reach the True God realm.

"You want to follow the path of Great Venerable Aoshi?" Thunder immediately understood his intention. He frowned, openly expressing his disapproval. "You aren’t even a True God yet. Charging into the Ancestral Land would be suicide. That place is swarming with fallen heroic spirits of the Hongtang War and evil gods. Even if you enter, there's no guarantee you can succeed. Most of the Ancestral Land is now controlled by Great Venerable Aoshi, yet even he cannot repeat his past success."

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Qi Yuan replied calmly, "It's fine. You have to try everything at least once. All I need is a way into the Ancestral Land. I believe that as long as I work hard, any quest can be completed!"

Games were made to be played. How could there be an impossible quest? If there was one, it only meant he lacked strength. Besides, he could perceive hidden information and hear thoughts. He was confident he could recreate Aoshi's breakthrough.

Just then, Yulei shouted, "Lord God! Our village has a way into the Ancestral Land!"

Qi Yuan's eyes lit up. "Oh?"

Yulei was anxious and hurriedly said, "Clearwater Village is actually a surviving branch of the Ancient Clan. We have the qualifications to recommend you to enter the Ancestral Land!"

Way before the Hundred Flowers Gathering, he had already planned to tell Qi Yuan as a sign of loyalty.

Hearing this, Qi Yuan's smile widened. "See? The quest hint just popped up. When can I go to the Ancestral Land?"

"Roughly half a month from now," Yulei replied, explaining more details.

The Ancestral Land’s entrance was in the Clearwater Village all along. However, without reaching the True God realm, entering it meant almost certain death. Activating the entrance also required half a month of preparation.

Qi Yuan frowned. "Half a month? That long? How long did Great Venerable Aoshi stay in the Ancestral Land before breaking through?"

Thunder answered, "About one day."

"Got it. I know how to finalize the plan," Qi Yuan said rapidly, his words flowing without pause. "Days one to three, march on Feiwu City and seize it. Day four to ten, seize two more cities. Days eleven to seventeen, break through to the True God Realm and summon a big shot. Days twenty to thirty, conquer Feiling Prefecture!"

In mere moments, the entire plan had taken shape. He had clear priorities, tight logic, and a strong cause and effect. Once implemented, Qi Yuan was convinced it would be an unstoppable advance.

Thunder froze, giving him a weird look. "I won't help you this time."

He couldn't.

Qi Yuan said indifferently, "You can just stay here and guard our base."

Thunder couldn't help asking, "You're actually serious?"

And here he thought he was reckless. Even his close friends constantly told him to be more cautious. Yet compared to Qi Yuan, he felt positively conservative.

Qi Yuan declared, "Of course I am! Momentum is everything in war, I'll catch them completely off guard!"

He had no intention of waiting for the enemy to slowly advance and then defend cities one by one. Attacking first was much better.

Thunder sternly said, emphasizing the seriousness of this matter, "Once you wage war on those cities, the Second Step evil god of Feiling Prefecture will accelerate his descent. He could arrive in as little as half a year!"

"Half a year? No wonder they haven't taken the Mortal Heart World all these years. They are so slow and indecisive." Qi Yuan waved his hand grandly. "Fine. When I return from the Ancestral Land, I'll immediately capture Feiling Prefecture and help that Second Step evil god speed things up."

Following that, he turned to Qi Qi. "Quick! Call the chef squad, the music troupe, and the mourning team. We're heading to Feiwu City right now!"

Even Qi Qi was dumbfounded, asking blankly, "Right now?"

Not only did the plan feel impulsive, but why bring those people at all?

Qi Yuan said flatly, "I never repeat myself."

Qi Qi's expression hardened. "Understood!"

She obeyed her godfather's words without question.

Thunder looked at Qi Yuan with a strange expression. "You brat... You remind me of myself when I was young."

"Don't flatter yourself."

Thunder couldn't help saying, "Your way of waging war is a bit childish,"

Qi Yuan shrugged. "It's just a game. Isn't being childish normal?"

Thunder paused, then laughed. "Treating life like a game... How interesting. I’ve been overthinking,it seems."

Qi Yuan said breezily, "Well, it

is

a game. Why make it so complicated?"

A quarter of an hour later, the requested teams had assembled outside the Clearwater Village temple. There were nearly a hundred people gathered together, creating a lively scene.

The crowd was noisy and chaotic, utterly lacking any military discipline.

"Hey! I was halfway through washing my clothes, I haven't even hung them up yet!"

"What's going on? Did some evil god die? Why do we need a mourning team?"

"Where are we feasting?"

However, the moment Qi Yuan appeared, the commotion vanished.

He looked at the people below, declaring loudly, "Today, we have only one objective. Point our swords at Feiwu City! And in Feiwu City, we feast!"

Thunder watched with an indescribable expression. Meanwhile, the members of the music troupe, the mourning team, and the chef team were filled with excitement.

"Feast!"

"Feast!"

This was familiar territory for them. Not only were they used to it, they also trusted Qi Yuan completely. After all, when it came to fighting, they never had to rush to the front lines.