Chapter 207.2: No-Food Goddess

At the foot of the Heavenly Pillar, Qi Yuan stopped before a lake.

A lush, verdant bamboo cottage stood in the distance. Within its courtyard, a red-robed woman gently plucked the strings of a jade zither. Her hair was unadorned, while her face bare, yet her unique aura could not be concealed.

The gentle music flowed like water, without any discernible rhythm.

"So that's No-Food Goddess? And here I thought she'd be underdeveloped because she eats nothing. After the Heavenly Pillar collapses, she dies holding off the being above True God. All her remaining divine power turns into countless treasures, giving the world a chance to ascend to the True God realm. Is it as selfless as it sounds, or is it some grand conspiracy?” Qi Yuan murmured to himself as he watched her.

Twang.

A string on the zither snapped. A trace of complex emotion appeared within her calm eyes, which resembled a well.

"Since you're here," she said softly, her voice akin to jade splashed by spring water. "Why not come in and sit for a while?"

Qi Yuan froze. There was nothing strange about hearing her voice. His ears could pick up even the slightest sound nearby. However, she could also hear him?

Qi Yuan inadvertently asked, "Are you talking to me? How can you hear me? Did your ears mutate too?"

He was genuinely curious.

No-Food Goddess murmured something, "

Mhm

..."

Her voice came through in fragments and he only caught a faint mumbling sound.

"...

Mhm

... my talent is special. I can sense some...

Mm

... some things outside the world."

He stared curiously at her "Are you a broken recorder?"

She seemed to be thoughtfully repeating herself so he could hear clearly. At the same time, his curiosity deepened.

No-Food Goddess' talent was truly peculiar. After all, he shouldn’t have been able to affect this world at all, nor should anyone here have been able to see or touch him. She was an anomaly.

No-Food Goddess murmured, gazing at the empty space where Qi Yuan stood. "In two days, the Heavenly Pillar will break. I can only hold on until then."

Qi Yuan's attention snapped back instantly. He looked at the towering, endless Heavenly Pillar. "In two days...?"

There was enough time, then. Within two days, all the villagers would certainly reach True God.

Qi Yuan said, "

Haa..

. Looks like my timing's pretty good. Before the Heavenly Pillar breaks, my goal will be complete."

He was, in truth, quite curious about this legendary figure from ancient times.

At that moment, a gentle smile bloomed on No-Food Goddess's peach-petal face, as if a heavy burden had finally lifted.

"After I die, will the treasures born of my divine power help everyone break through?" she asked.

She had heard everything Qi Yuan had said earlier.

"Yeah. You actually helped me quite a bit," he said.

The day the Heavenly Pillar broke was the day No-Food Goddess fell. Although she vanished, her divine power brought upon endless treasures, allowing countless peak Violet Palace cultivators to ascend. The rise of Clearwater Village had much to do with those treasures.

Her gaze deepened. "Since I helped you, can you help me with something?"

Qi Yuan was taken aback. "

Oh

?"

This No-Food Goddess seemed... a bit strange. Like something was off in her head. From her perspective, he was the strange one. How would he be able to help her?

Looking toward where he stood, she said, "No one in this world has ever been able to help me."

Desperate times, desperate measures?

That was the only conclusion he could reach.

Indeed, if he were in such dire straits and encountered an unknown being, he would grasp at that chance too. Unknown beings often meant they were powerful.

Qi Yuan asked, "How should I help?"

"In two days, a being above True God will attack and destroy the pillar. After it breaks, I must hold him back for twenty seconds. The other Mythics will seize that moment to enter the Heavenly Pillar and send the World Seed away. If we fail, this world will be doomed."

Above True God? Devouring the Heavenly Dao? World Seed?

Qi Yuan immediately understood their plan. That being above True God sought something immense. Most importantly, if it devoured this world's Heavenly Dao entirely, wouldn't his mission to protect Clearwater Village just end? Would he even still have a game to play?

This was completely different from the Moonwatch Continent, whose Heavenly Dao had shattered. There, Qi Yuan merely became an extra controller. Here, the Mortal Heart World would be forcibly devoured, and its people exterminated. And worse, that would mean

game over

for him.

"Absolutely not. I'll definitely help you," Qi Yuan said immediately. "I also want to see what a being above True God really looks like. But let me be clear, I’m afraid there isn’t much I can do."

His arrival from the future proved that No-Food Goddess had endured those full twenty seconds. Whether he was there or not probably made no difference. He only wanted to see for himself the legendary being said to stand above True God—the so-called Yang Spirit.

After all, if this game had a final boss, it was probably that Yang Spirit. Scouting the boss's strength in advance sounded necessary. He was also curious whether he could kill the boss by smashing it with his Star Golden Core.

Qi Yuan said, "Too bad we can only hear each other and not interact. Otherwise I'd ask you for an autograph to take back."

When he tried to pluck at the strings of the zither, his fingers passed straight through.

No-Food Goddess turned to the lake outside the cottage. "Stay here for the next two days."

"Sure," Qi Yuan replied. "If that being above True God shows up early and I'm not here, missing it would be such a waste."

His gaze landed on a lounge chair in the courtyard. In the next instant, he lay down on it. Though he couldn’t truly lie down, pretending to do so still counted.

Qi Yuan asked casually, "You have two lounge chairs here. Do you often have guests?"

No-Food Goddess froze. After a long while, she said, "Not often."

Qi Yuan didn't pursue the matter. "I'll sleep for a bit. Wake me when it's time."

Sleeping was just for show. He continued editing the Qi Yuan Scripture out of boredom.

Even though he was already Level 13 True God in the game, his scripture had barely reached mid-stage Core Formation. He had to hurry. If he cleared the game while the chapter was still stuck at Core Formation, how would he break through to Nascent Soul?

After several seconds, No-Food Goddess looked toward the lounge chair and asked softly, "Are you lying on the chair?"

There was no response.

She kept staring, lost in thought. "Such a pity... Only two days remain."

Lifting her head, she gazed at the blood-red stars. Time was running out for both her and the Mortal Heart World. Moments like these were precious and few remained.

The evening breeze stirred, bringing a slight chill to the foot of Heavenly Pillar Mountain.

Compared to the ravaged lands beyond, this place felt like a paradise, as if cut off from the world. In truth, this was where the fiercest and cruelest battles were fought. Every single Mythic would die in the Hongtang War.

Suddenly, a rustling sound woke Qi Yuan. He opened his eyes and saw a steaming pot of fish soup in the courtyard.

Qi Yuan stared in surprise. "Aren't you No-Food Goddess? Why are you cooking fish?"

No-Food Goddess had many followers in Feihuang City, including Nangong Wujin. Once, when Qi Yuan hosted a feast and invited Nangong Wujin, he had declined, claiming that No-Food Sect did not eat grains.

No-Food Goddess herself was said to believe that all things were poisonous, and eating was harmful. Only self-realization was the true Dao.

"You're awake?" she glanced at the lounge chair with a nostalgic look. "I like eating fish."

Qi Yuan said, "Looks like the records can't be trusted."

She asked calmly, "Would you like a taste? I made it myself."

This was the last time she would ever cook fish.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you? I can't eat the fish from your world."

Forget eating, he couldn't even smell the soup.

"That's a shame," she said softly. "Such a delicacy, and I can't share it with you."

Qi Yuan didn't respond.

With only two days left to live, it was normal for her to feel down.

After a moment of silence, Qi Yuan said, "Since there's nothing else to do, I'll just watch you eat. The dead deserve respect."

He decided to keep her company so she wouldn't be alone.

The silver spoon in her hand paused. Her face, framed by jeweled hairpins, bore light makeup. When she smiled, she seemed so alluring, her eyes rippling like autumn water. She ate slowly, savoring each bite, fully present in the moment.

After finishing the meal, No-Food Goddess asked casually, "What realm are you in?"

"I have two realms. In reality, I am at the mid-stage Core Formation realm. In the game, I've opened thirteen divine apertures."

"Thirteen... Would you like me to show you around the Mortal Heart World? It might help your cultivation."

Qi Yuan hesitated. "You mean take a stroll?"

Usually, his strength only increased through killing enemies. How would taking a stroll help him break through? Then it occurred to him that it was the request of someone about to die. Besides, wandering the Mortal Heart World could probably help temper his state of mind.

After a moment of thinking, he agreed. "Alright."