My Golden Core is a Star, do you call this cultivating?

Ten stellar golden cores wandered through the starry realm.

They passed by the star that belonged to Moon Maiden Jin Li, lingered briefly before the clear moon, and then moved on without staying long.

It was as if the ten Great Sun golden cores were signaling to the one in Taihuang Palace, saying, "Look, I’ve allied with Moon God Palace."

The Yang God Heavenly Sovereigns of Moon God Palace were quite puzzled.

They had no knowledge of such an alliance.

With Moon God Ancestor in seclusion, they had no way to confirm this.

However, regardless of the truth, this was certainly a good thing for Moon God Ancestor.

In the Canglan Realm, Qi Yuan's expression was calm. "Illuminate the heavens, search for the Flowing Wind Realm."

He needed to find the Flowing Wind Realm quickly.

Otherwise, if his house was always open, what if thieves broke in?

"Got it." Golden Canary chirped excitedly.

In the stellar projection, Ning Tao’s beautiful eyes sparkled with a hint of anticipation.

Although "home is where the heart is," the Flowing Wind Realm held many memories unique to her and Qi Yuan.

Only in the Flowing Wind Realm did he truly belong to her.

...

In the Upper Realm, in the Second Heaven.

In a certain sacred land.

A flash of light streaked by, and a somewhat dazed-looking woman stopped in front of a cave.

"Junior sister, it’s my turn to stand guard..."

"Huh?" A rushed voice came from within the cave. "What? So soon? My plan isn’t fully in place yet, how is it time to switch already?"

A woman dressed in emerald green robes appeared, a look of urgency in her eyes.

The dazed woman showed a surprised expression. "Junior sister, aren’t you usually uninterested in these matters? You’ve always pushed me to relieve you of guard duty early."

In the Upper Realm, the domineering Taihuang Palace had countless enemies.

When the one from Taihuang Palace attained the Great Principle realm, he was overbearing beyond compare.

With just a word, he made 3,000 worlds fall!

He sent these 3,000 worlds crashing down to the lower realms, turning them into his personal farms.

These 3,000 worlds were not part of Taihuang Palace’s domain.

Rather, they belonged to the lower realms of the Three Heavens, independent of any holy land.

Although not under the control of any holy land, many of these worlds had ties to powerful figures.

This act of Taihuang Palace offended numerous Yang Gods.

These Yang God Heavenly Sovereigns dared not challenge Taihuang Palace in the Sixth Heaven, but they secretly sabotaged Taihuang Palace’s "farms."

The Jade Maiden was one of the agents assigned to these sabotage missions.

She was a mythical powerhouse, tasked for years with disrupting the Canglan Realm.

Perhaps, because the Canglan Realm had fallen from the Upper Realm and shared its origins with it, The Qi Yuan Scripture required both Canglan Realm cultivation methods and the techniques brought from the Upper Realm by Shen Wu Shen. It might be connected to this.

The Jade Maiden looked up, blinking at her senior sister. "Senior sister, why don’t I stay on guard?"

The dazed woman was confused by the sudden change in the Jade Maiden’s attitude.

"If you insist, go ahead and take over.

"Sigh, be cautious. Now that the Ten Sun Heavenly Sovereign has appeared out of nowhere, the cultivators of Taihuang Palace are on edge, biting like rabid dogs. If they catch wind of our activities, I fear..."

The dazed woman’s eyes were filled with concern.

"Who knows where this Ten Sun Heavenly Sovereign hails from, or which realm he sits in?"

This was a question plaguing many cultivators in the Upper Realm.

The Sixth Heaven was vast, and there were many Yang God powerhouses.

Even for the Great Sun of Taihuang Palace, finding the Ten Sun Heavenly Sovereign wouldn’t be easy.

Many Yang God Heavenly Sovereigns and mythical figures were curious about the origins of this Ten Sun Heavenly Sovereign.

"I don’t know either," the Jade Maiden quickly replied, though a glint of excitement flickered in her eyes.

"Sigh, such troubled times," the dazed woman sighed.

"Oh, why? What major events have happened recently?" the Jade Maiden asked curiously.

A complex expression crossed the dazed woman’s face.

Ever since the Great Sun Bright Buddha’s passing, there had been constant turmoil in the holy lands of the Fifth Heaven’s Buddhist Kingdom.

Several holy lands all claimed to be the true successors of the Buddhist Kingdom.

"Rumor has it that after the passing of the Great Sun Bright Buddha, a relic was left behind, and the entire Buddhist Kingdom is in an uproar," the dazed woman replied.

"A relic left by the Great Sun Bright Buddha?" The Jade Maiden recognized the significance of this.

Whoever obtained that relic would be recognized as the true successor, unifying the Buddhist Kingdom.

"What a pity..." The Jade Maiden glanced toward the clouds above the holy land, her eyes filled with complicated emotions.

She remembered someone brilliant and unparalleled.

That person had once been the top prodigy of the Second Heaven, who traveled to the Fifth Heaven to visit the Buddhist Kingdom and even debated the Great Bright Buddha.

The Great Bright Buddha was so impressed that he wanted to take him as a disciple, but the man politely refused.

This prodigy had said he still longed for the mortal world and had a Dao companion, unwilling to join the Buddhist Kingdom.

He was hailed as the top prodigy of the Second Heaven, destined to ascend the divine throne and become a Yang God.

Even back then, the current Lord of the Holy Land, the Heavenly Sovereign the Jade Maiden now followed, had been impressed by him when she was still in the mythical realm, willing to follow him.

But then, when the 3,000 worlds fell, that prodigy’s Dao companion was in the Canglan Realm and was dragged into the lower realms.

That prodigy gave up everything, willingly descending to the lower realms to find his Dao companion in the mortal world.

Suddenly, a terrifying thought flashed through the Jade Maiden’s mind.

Could it be... that the Ten Sun Heavenly Sovereign is that prodigy?

If so, everything would make sense!

"If it wasn’t him, who else would dare seize the Great Sun throne!"

...

In the Canglan Realm.

Great Wisdom True Monarch licked the bird bone hanging around his neck, his gaze occasionally drifting toward the depths of the palace.

After a few dozen breaths, Qi Yuan appeared in his blood-red robe, and the Golden Canary, chirping like a little bird, clung to his arm, looking especially cheerful.

"Brother Qi, I... have something I may need your help with," Great Wisdom True Monarch began, his expression somewhat awkward.

"Oh, what is it? We’re brothers, no need to be so formal!" Qi Yuan responded warmly.

Great Wisdom True Monarch was like a beacon, helping Qi Yuan in many ways.

"You’re building the Underworld, right? I was thinking... once it’s completed, could I store my golden core in your Underworld?" Great Wisdom True Monarch asked hesitantly.

"Your... Dao companion..." Qi Yuan’s gaze softened as he looked at Great Wisdom True Monarch.

Great Wisdom True Monarch practiced the dual-core method.

His Dao companion had gone mad and died, her body turned to ashes.

So, he had refined her body into an internal core and her hair into an external core.

Now, the external core had shattered and formed a nascent soul, but the internal core still remained in his body.

That internal core was formed from his Dao companion’s body, and naturally, he didn’t want it to break.

"Heh, I’ll use my golden core to test whether your Underworld is the real deal!" Great Wisdom True Monarch said.

"I didn’t expect you to trust me this much!" Qi Yuan was even more convinced that Great Wisdom True Monarch was a genius.

He was building the Underworld, with the odd painter as the lead architect, the Mountain and River Pen, and a detailed plan with accompanying presentations.

But the odd painter had never believed that such an Underworld could truly construct reincarnation or bring the dead back to life.

At best, it would create some illusions.

Yet Great Wisdom True Monarch was ready to entrust Qi Yuan with resurrecting his wife.

What trust!

He was even putting his wife’s remains on the line!

Qi Yuan was deeply moved.

"Don’t worry. Even if I can’t resurrect your Dao companion, I’ll make sure she remains safe!" Qi Yuan promised.

"Good brother, if you bring my Dao companion back to life, and I find another Dao companion, I’ll return the favor! If I have a daughter, I’ll make sure she marries you!" Great Wisdom True Monarch said seriously.

"Stop trying to take advantage of me!" Qi Yuan immediately refused.

Otherwise, Great Wisdom True Monarch would end up being his father-in-law!

The Golden Canary also glared fiercely at Great Wisdom True Monarch. "He doesn’t look like a good person!"

She hadn’t wanted to say this, but Ning Tao had urged her to.

...

In a secret realm, powerful figures gathered.

"Old Man Jiu is dead. This Blood-Clad Sword God... he’s quite troublesome!" A burly man spoke, his eyes filled with killing intent.

He had joined the hidden organization thanks to Old Man Jiu’s recommendation.

Within the organization, he was part of Old Man Jiu’s faction.

"Hmph, the Blood-Clad Sword God is overestimating himself, thinking he can challenge the Calamity!

"Does he not realize that even the Heavenly Dao of this world is merely a plaything in the hands of the Calamity?

"The Calamity doesn’t even need to intervene directly. Just signaling the Heavenly Dao is enough to make the Canglan Realm uninhabitable for him. Everyone will turn against him!"

To those at the level of Grand Sovereigns, the Heavenly Dao wasn’t something to be greatly feared.

After all, in some small worlds, a Grand Sovereign could even capture the Heavenly Dao.

But in the Canglan Realm, if the Heavenly Dao issued an order, all cultivators would have to comply.

In other words, when the Blood-Clad Sword God defied the Calamity, he was also opposing the entire Canglan Realm.

How could he win?

"You all are going too far... Regardless, the Blood-Clad Sword God has a fearless heart in defying the Calamity.

"Knowing that it’s impossible, yet still striving for it—that kind of courage should not be slandered!" An elder spoke, his voice tinged with melancholy.

Many in the hidden organization fell silent, clearly agreeing with the elder.

After all, when they were younger, didn’t they also once possess the same youthful ambition as the Blood-Clad Sword God, believing they were destined to oppose the Calamity?

But later, after realizing the true strength of the Calamity, they grew disillusioned and retreated into the hidden organization to avoid becoming fuel for the Calamity.

Avoiding the Calamity and not fighting back was their way of escaping becoming its sustenance.

"Heh, you may have a point, but killing Old Man Jiu was wrong!

"If we let him get away with killing a vice leader, how can our organization hold its head up?"

"Exactly!"

"We must take revenge."

Seven or eight members quickly chimed in.

Having been in the hidden organization for so long, their mindset had already changed.

"Lady Jade Maiden will descend soon. With her here, no matter how powerful the Blood-Clad Sword God is, he’s as good as dead!"

"Indeed, if we kill him, we’ll be preventing him from stepping into the mythical realm and becoming fuel for the Calamity!

"This, in its own way, is also a form of resistance against the Calamity!"

The seven members, clearly from Old Man Jiu’s faction, reached a consensus.

Just then, a ripple of mystical energy emanated from the statue they worshipped.

All the members of the hidden organization displayed expressions of deep respect.

"Greetings, Jade Maiden!"

They all bowed reverently.

The Jade Maiden was the true master of the hidden organization.

Without her, they would never have become alternative mythics, nor avoided becoming part of the Mythic Tablet as sustenance for the Calamity.

"Rise," the Jade Maiden spoke, her gaze lifting to the sky, where ten suns hung, her eyes filled with anticipation.

The members of the hidden organization stood, but upon seeing the Jade Maiden, their expressions changed.

Because, unlike before, when they’d only seen a projection of her, this time... she appeared in the flesh.

The burly man who had suggested killing the Blood-Clad Sword God was overjoyed. He quickly said, "Lady Jade Maiden, is this your true body descending?

"Excellent! Recently, a powerful figure called the Blood-Clad Sword God has been acting with utter disregard, killing Old Man Jiu and showing no respect for you, Lady Jade Maiden!

"Please, Lady Jade Maiden, take action and kill this fiend!"

"Please, Lady Jade Maiden, kill him!" The members from Old Man Jiu’s faction echoed, their voices filled with excitement.

The Jade Maiden paused, then asked, "The Blood-Clad Sword God—is he not the most powerful in this world, the one who claims he will defy the Calamity?"

The burly man quickly replied, "Yes, but his defiance of the Calamity is nothing but a joke. Only by joining us can he avoid becoming fuel!

"Please, Lady Jade Maiden, strike him down!"

A mocking look appeared in the Jade Maiden’s eyes. "You want me to kill him?"

That was the Ten Sun Heavenly Sovereign! How could she dare!