Chapter 207.1: No-Food Goddess

When Qi Yuan opened his eyes, he could see and hear nothing. He felt as if his thoughts had frozen.

Back in the Flowing Wind World, when he returned to the past and met Canary, it had all happened in the blink of an eye. However, when he used the Lost Glow Stick, the passage of time felt unbearably long. Perhaps it had something to do with his mind being stalled.

After what felt like an eternity, a single thread of light finally broke into his sight. Qi Yuan abruptly raised his head and looked toward the heavens. Blood-colored stars hung eerily across the sky. He swept his gaze around, yet his Star Golden Core was nowhere to be seen.

Qi Yuan murmured in surprise, "Did I return to the past?"

Meanwhile, the people around him wore strange expressions. The villagers gradually woke up, looking at their surroundings in astonishment.

"Where is this place?"

"It feels... weird."

"These trees are pretty dense."

"Don't worry about where this is," Qi Yuan ordered. "Hurry up, visualize and then... break through!"

Hearing this, the villagers quickly immersed themselves again, preparing to cultivate the God Visualization Arts.

Excitement flashed in Zhu Zhuangshi's eyes. "I'm finally turning my life around!"

On the other hand, The Subduing Dragon Arhat and Tiger Taming Arhat wore expressions of shock. They could sense that this place’s aura was sufficient to support their breakthrough.

Countless thoughts crossed their minds. Their guardian god had always been incomprehensibly powerful, even able to visualize Mythic-tier cultivation methods. With that in mind, Qi Yuan bringing them here so effortlessly no longer seemed strange.

As the villagers entered cultivation, they slowly levitated into the air.

Just then, deep within the forest, a black-and-crimson butterfly fluttered past. Qi Yuan raised his palm to block its path, but it passed through his hand.

Curiosity flickered in his eyes as he pondered. “If this world and I can’t affect each other, how am I supposed to break through?”

After a moment, he shrugged it off. Perhaps the principles behind the Lost Glow Stick were simply beyond his comprehension. It was like forcing an obscure immortal scripture on a mortal. While he could recognize every word, the true meaning would remain incomprehensible.

Qi Yuan said softly, "Breakthrough."

The wind roared. White Deer Lake shimmered as a deer drank at its shore.

Amid utter silence, Qi Yuan broke through—quietly, unnoticed.

In that instant, he went from Divine Creature, Level 90 to True God, Level 1. Vast amounts of EXP surged as one divine aperture after another condensed.

One, two, three... At last, when the thirteenth divine aperture formed, no more followed.

Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes. "True God... Level 13?"

In one go, he had broken through to True God Level 13.

Yet his heart remained calm, without much excitement. "So this is a Yin Spirit? It feels... just so-so. I guess I've gone from a fertilized egg to underdeveloped."

Qi Yuan's mentality was excellent. Following that, he looked at the others behind him. The Subduing Dragon Arhat and Taming Tiger Arhat had already stepped into the True God realm. Powerful auras were radiating from them. Despite having just a single divine aperture each, Qi Yuan calculated that any one of them could contend with a Yin Spirit bearing five. That was terrifying.

At this moment, both Arhats still had their eyes closed. They were stabilizing their realms, attempting to condense another divine aperture.

Suddenly, Qi Yuan felt the heavens and earth tremble violently.

The ground split apart. Lakes overflowed, their waters spilling out like overturned basins. White deer leaped in panic, drenched from head to toe. The blood-red stars in the sky seemed on the verge of crashing down to earth. Qi Yuan even had the strange feeling that if he climbed the mountain ahead and reached out, he could touch those horrifying crimson stars.

Meanwhile, the villagers kept cultivating, not affected by the scene in the slightest.

Narrowing his eyes, Qi Yuan gazed toward the distant southwest. "Is this the Hongtang War?"

The tremor seemed to have come from the Heavenly Pillar. That colossal pillar stood between heaven and earth, much like the legendary Mount Buzhou [1]

In the next moment, the Heavenly Pillar shook violently, as if it would snap at any time.

Qi Yuan's heart tightened. "Don't let it break just yet. If it collapses before they all reach True God, that'd be ridiculous."

He estimated the eight villagers would require roughly another six hours. Judging by the situation, the Heavenly Pillar wouldn't collapse for another day or two. His worry was unfounded.

"You all cultivate here properly. I'll take a casual stroll," he ordered.

Right after, Qi Yuan transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the Heavenly Pillar. He wanted to witness the ancient Hongtang War for himself—not that the strong ones here could harm him anyway. He'd just treat it as if he was watching a movie.

***

Mountains sank. Within vast, ruined craters, molten lava flowed like rivers. A massive snow-white hand fell from the ancient battlefield, plunging into the lava. Magma exploded outward like a volcanic eruption. The land was utterly devastated.

Several terrifying figures stood on the highest peak of the Heavenly Pillar. Each of them was a Seventh Step Mythic being. Among them stood a woman in red robes, slender as a young bamboo shoot. Her brows were like emerald feathers, and her skin was white as jade. At her willow-slim waist hung a golden pendant, broken in half. The fragile-looking woman, who seemed as though a gust of wind could knock her over, was the strongest being in the Mortal Heart World. She was No-Food Goddess.

"The evil gods' attacks are growing more frequent." Cang Xuan gazed up at the blood sun with worry. "Today alone, three hundred and twenty-seven True Gods have fallen."

Another Great Venerable said gravely, "Their goal is the Heavenly Pillar. They want to sever the roots of our world!"

The seven were the last remaining Mythics. The rest had perished in the Hongtang War. They had gathered here solely to prevent the Heavenly Pillar from collapsing. If they fought to the bitter end, there could still be hope. Without the pillar, the world would be no different from duckweed without roots.

Still, they all knew that if the evil gods truly wished to destroy the Heavenly Pillar, they could not stop them.

An old man said hoarsely, "In two days, a being above True God will make a move. What do you all think?"

Silence fell.

Above True God...

Even the seven of them combined were no match for it.

No-Food Goddess declared coldly, "I will stop him."

The others turned to look at her. Their gazes held admiration, sorrow, and helplessness.

Cang Xuan asked, "How long can you hold him back? After the Heavenly Pillar breaks, we’ll need at least twenty seconds to send out the seed."

Within the Heavenly Pillar resided the Heavenly Dao, which in turn housed the World Seed.

Under normal circumstances, the Mythics couldn't touch the World Seed. Only when the pillar was destroyed would they have a chance to send it away.

As long as the seed escaped, even if that being devoured the Heavenly Dao afterward, it would be incomplete. The Mortal Heart World would still have a faint, fragile chance at survival.

With a bleak gaze, No-Food Goddess said calmly, "Twenty seconds."

The others nodded. "Good."

As the strongest among them, she was best suited for the task.

Following that, No-Food Goddess glanced at the blood-red stars overhead. She faded, vanishing without a trace.

The remaining six Mythic beings murmured softly among themselves.

"At the very least, we can leave a strand of hope for the future generations."

"May they be able to grasp it."

Even if they put their lives on the line, they could not stop the evil gods. Hence, this was the only thing left for them to do. Whether future generations could seize it, that was no longer their concern.

Their voices dissolved into the air.

1. Mount Buzhou (不周山, Bùzhōu Shān) is a legendary mountain in ancient Chinese mythology. It is said to be located northwest of the Kunlun Mountains (associated with the modern Pamir Mountains), it is famously known as the pillar supporting the heavens, which was broken by the water god Gonggong, causing the sky to tilt. ☜