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

Perhaps knowing that they were about to part ways again, Jinli spoke more than usual.

“The identity of the Ten Suns Sovereign must never be revealed!”

“Mm,” Qi Yuan replied with a smile and nodded.

At present, when he dealt with Yang Gods, it was all through tricks, luring them into the underworld to kill them.

As such, no one would link him to the Ten Suns Sovereign.

As long as he didn’t expose that he hailed from Moonwatching Continent, and didn’t use the Stellar Golden Core in battle, no one would ever suspect that he was the Ten Suns Sovereign.

“I'll walk you out,” Jinli’s eyes were still filled with reluctance.

“Look at this. What do you think it is?” At that moment, a piece of jade appeared in Qi Yuan’s hand.

This piece of jade looked similar to the Linglong Jade Seal.

Qi Yuan had created it in the last few days, having his Nascent Soul craft it as a match to Jinli’s own Linglong Jade Seal.

Though ordinary communication jade slips would allow them to communicate, there was something special about the Linglong Jade Seal, which held immense significance for Jinli.

“How about we swap our Linglong Jade Seals?” Qi Yuan said as he held the jade up and waved it slightly.

This special Linglong Jade Seal also came with additional features that could protect Jinli's safety.

“Alright!” Jinli smiled brightly as she accepted Qi Yuan’s Linglong Jade Seal.

A while later, the two of them left the main hall.

Time spent together was always fleeting, and Jinli’s expression still held a trace of anxiety, as though everything felt like a dream.

She only felt reassured after pinching the palm of her hand and feeling the faint pain.

“Miss!”

Shortly after they left the main hall, a woman clad in armor, with the aura of blood on her, approached them.

Her face was cold, and there was a hint of urgency in her expression.

As soon as Jinli saw the woman, her demeanor shifted, becoming colder—completely different from the way she had been with Qi Yuan.

“What is it?” Jinli asked while snuggling up to Qi Yuan like a delicate flower leaning against him.

It seemed that she was making a point, signaling that this was her man.

The woman in armor was an Yin God with a unique status.

In the Moon God Palace, there existed certain families known as Moon Maiden Families.

This woman was from the same family as Jinli, who had become a Moon Maiden after her parents perished, with her family receiving high-status treatment ever since.

“Miss, I heard you are giving up your Moon Maiden title!” The woman in armor spoke with respectful tones, though she cast a hostile glance at Qi Yuan.

Her family had produced a Moon Maiden, which hadn’t come easy.

It was only because of Jinli’s existence that her family had prospered for over ten thousand years.

“Shouldn’t we reconsider this? The elders of the family... they might have some opinions,” the armored woman said through gritted teeth, though there was a hint of fear in her tone when addressing Jinli.

“If the elders have opinions, then they can step down and make room for someone else,” Jinli replied without any hesitation or softness in her voice.

The armored woman stiffened, not expecting Jinli to be so unyielding, leaving no room for negotiation.

She wanted to say more.

After all, if Jinli lost her Moon Maiden status, the family’s resources would decrease, and their privileges would diminish.

“Miss, if you lose your Moon Maiden status, it might be very difficult for you to ever reach the Yang God realm!” The armored woman clenched her teeth as she voiced her concern, glaring at Qi Yuan with hostility.

Beauty was a dangerous thing!

The young miss was falling for a handsome man instead of focusing on her future.

“Whether I am a Moon Maiden or not is my decision,” Jinli replied firmly.

The family had what it did today because of her.

Now, losing the privileges was inevitable.

It was only natural for them to harbor some grievances.

It was like when someone receives a daily gift of a hundred coins, but suddenly one day, the coins stop coming. That person might feel entitled and demand, “Where is my money?”

“He will be my Dao Companion,” Jinli announced as she hugged Qi Yuan, making it clear and official.

The armored woman felt a wave of dismay. “Miss, the interests of the family are small, but your… future…”

Before she could finish, Qi Yuan stepped forward.

“I have a good feeling about Jinli's future with me—my left eyelid is twitching, and that’s always a sign of good fortune,” Qi Yuan said with confidence.

Under the Moon God Palace’s nurturing, Jinli could certainly reach the Yang God realm.

But to enter the Great Supreme Truth realm?

That would only be a distant dream.

With his help, though? Placing her within the Supreme Truth’s Gate and letting her meditate for several million years—Jinli would become unmatched in the Sixth Heaven.

That was the power of the Supreme Truth Gate, the greatest treasure of the Sixth Heaven.

So, following him would lead to a future far better than anything the title of Moon Maiden could offer.

The armored woman was baffled, her face showing confusion.

She didn’t trust Qi Yuan’s words.

After all, very few forces in the Sixth Heaven were stronger than the Moon God Palace.

Even if Jinli went to other powerful factions, the benefits might not be as good as what she could get here.

She suspected that Qi Yuan had simply used sweet words to charm her.

But it was only suspicion, so she couldn’t voice it aloud.

“You are Jinli’s family, so you are my family as well,” Qi Yuan said with a kind expression. “Losing the Moon Maiden title might mean fewer privileges for you, but… I have a secret way to make you rich. You must not tell anyone about it.”

The armored woman was utterly confused and suspicious.

Make them rich?

Jinli then spoke, “His words carry the same weight as mine.”

She stood firmly by Qi Yuan’s side.

“Please… enlighten me, young master!” Though she didn’t understand, the armored woman maintained her respectful tone.

To be honest, she didn’t believe Qi Yuan’s “get rich” claim.

Qi Yuan transmitted his voice directly to her: “I have inside information. The Demon Abyss Clan is about to go down. You should take this chance to borrow immortal jade from them.

“When the Demon Abyss Clan falls, you won’t have to pay it back!”

The Demon Abyss Clan and the Moon God Palace were currently at war, but lower-level factions on both sides still had some trade dealings.

War was war, but trade was trade.

Worst case scenario, Jinli’s family could collaborate with other forces and borrow immortal jade from the Demon Abyss Clan under another name.

Upon hearing this, the armored woman was completely dumbfounded.

Qi Yuan’s words sounded absurd.

The Demon Abyss Clan was going to be wiped out?

Borrow immortal jade from them?

Neither of these ideas sounded remotely plausible.

The Demon Abyss Clan, though subservient to the Taihuang Palace and Black Demon Abyss, was a major power in the Fifth Heaven.

Their influence ranked among the top thirty in the Sixth Heaven.

Such a mighty force wasn’t going to collapse anytime soon.

Unless a holy land with a Great Supreme Truth cultivator decided to destroy them, who could manage it?

And besides, the Demon Abyss Clan had the Heavenly Treasure of Demon Abyss, the Demon Abyss Well. Even if they weren’t a match for a Great Supreme Truth cultivator, they could use the well to flee to the First Heaven and hide.

That meant no holy land would want to deal with the aftermath of such a conflict.

Most importantly, how did Qi Yuan know about this?

“Don’t worry, even if the Demon Abyss Clan isn’t wiped out, they’ll definitely be severely weakened. You won’t need to worry about repaying the jade,” Qi Yuan reassured her.

He had plenty of experience with these things.

Back in the day, he and the Ice Mountain Queen borrowed spirit stones from the Bright Palace.

Now, he was just changing the target to the Demon Abyss Clan.

The armored woman was torn. If Jinli weren’t standing right there, she would have asked, “Are you joking?”

After all, Qi Yuan’s plan sounded too fantastical to be taken seriously.

If the Moon God Ancestor truly intended to destroy the Demon Abyss Clan, she would surely have crafted a detailed plan, delivering a decisive blow to wipe them out.

There was no way such vital information would leak in advance, especially to someone looking to borrow immortal jade.

For a faction like the Moon God Palace, the amount of immortal jade involved was negligible in comparison to the value of such sensitive information.

What Qi Yuan suggested seemed reckless and ridiculous.

Seeing her hesitation, Jinli sternly ordered, “Don’t let this leak. Now go back and urge the family elders to borrow as much immortal jade from the Demon Abyss Clan as possible!”

Jinli was no longer the soft-hearted empress she once was. She had become decisive and resolute in her actions.

The armored woman, though filled with doubt, could only respond, “Yes, my lady.”

After returning from the lower world, her mistress had changed, becoming more assertive. When she gave an order, it was absolute.

“The more you borrow, the better,” Jinli added.

She wasn’t worried about any leaks.

After all, even if Qi Yuan were to tell the Demon Sovereign himself, the Demon Sovereign wouldn’t believe him.

After all, when had anyone ever borrowed immortal jade before a holy land was about to destroy another holy land?

Watching the armored woman depart, Qi Yuan chuckled. “Don’t worry, following me will ensure that you’ll live a good life. You’ll be well-fed, get meat with every meal, and even get an egg with your noodles!”

The armored woman remained speechless.

…

After leaving the Moon God Palace, Qi Yuan felt a wave of melancholy.

“Sigh, time to put on my acting hat again.”

“Whoa, I think I’ve discovered one of the world’s top ten mysteries!”

“So strange, who’s the director? Who’s the producer? Why don’t I get paid for this?”

“Who owes me money?”

Qi Yuan was speechless.

But now wasn’t the time to think about such things.

He had to focus on acting.

Within the Demon Abyss, a terrifying aura descended.

A massive eye shrunk back in fear and quickly fled into its lair.

Every Yin God stationed in the Demon Abyss sensed the terrifying pressure.

Their expressions changed, knowing something major was happening.

A vast voice echoed in the minds of all the Yin Gods.

“Activate the formations, defend with all your might!”

“This Yang God is in seclusion—do not disturb me!”

Upon hearing this powerful command, most of the Demon Abyss Clan’s Yin Gods turned pale, or at the very least, looked grave.

Whispers and communication through secret transmissions spread everywhere.

“What’s going on?”

“Sovereign Fengkui and the other lords have been missing for a few days…”

“Something big is definitely happening!”

Though the Demon Abyss Sovereign’s attack on the Moon God Palace had been carried out in secret, with no information leaked, the disappearance of several Mythical-level experts and Great Lords within the Demon Abyss hadn’t gone unnoticed.

Moreover, in recent days, they had sensed disturbances in the direction of the Moon God Palace, suggesting that Yang God-level combatants had appeared there.

Now, combined with the Demon Abyss Sovereign’s sudden seclusion and the activation of defensive formations, they began to piece together what might have happened.

Everyone was on edge, their faces filled with anxiety.

At that moment, within the Demon Abyss Sovereign’s lair, Qi Yuan lay in wait, his aura unstable, as though seriously injured.

“This giant eye… it’s really ugly.”

“Sigh, no wonder actors nowadays don’t like to put on ugly makeup or play villainous roles. If it weren’t for my plan, why would I lower myself to act like some pitiful, big-eyed creature?”

Qi Yuan had come up with a detailed plan.

The operation was codenamed “Bring the Well Home.”

It had three steps.

To ensure the success of this plan, he had even summoned Buddha Wutian, who carried the Buddhist Nation.

In terms of precision and meticulousness, this plan was among the top three of all plans Qi Yuan had ever devised.

Bringing Buddha Wutian with his Buddhist Nation was akin to Han Xin’s famous military strategy of secretly crossing through enemy lands while distracting them elsewhere.

Han Xin was known as a Divine Tactician, but Qi Yuan considered himself the Master of Schemes.

Step one: Use the Supreme Truth Gate to lure the Demon Abyss Sovereigns and their subordinates in and kill them.

Step two: While everyone was distracted, sneak into the Fifth Heaven, repeat the process, and kill more Demon Abyss Sovereigns.

Step three: Bring the well home.

His well had been wandering alone for far too long, suffering mistreatment. It was time for it to come back home and enjoy a life of luxury.

As Qi Yuan thought about this, he continued to refine the plan in his mind.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a vast aura spread through the Demon Abyss.

Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming serious as he spoke softly, “Demon Heng Sovereign, since you’re here, why don’t you come in?”

As his words echoed, a powerful presence surged within the lair of the Demon Abyss Sovereign.

The figure of Demon Heng Sovereign appeared, looking at Qi Yuan in surprise. “Demon Sovereign, what happened to you?”

Demon Heng Sovereign was one of the three Supreme Truth Yang Gods of the Demon Abyss Clan and had a close relationship with the Demon Abyss Sovereign.

“Sigh, I fell into that old hag Longyue’s trap!” Qi Yuan’s voice was hoarse, and his eyes filled with hatred. “She even sacrificed a Deputy Warden and destroyed a portion of the Yuhuang Crescent Moon Array’s authority to lure me into her scheme!”

As Qi Yuan spoke, he radiated fury.

Chains rattled within the lair, and the space itself seemed to tremble with instability.

Hearing this, Demon Heng Sovereign more or less understood what had happened. “Demon Sovereign, you acted rashly this time!”

It seemed that the Demon Abyss Sovereign had been caught in Longyue’s plan, leading to the loss of many subordinates.

“Are your injuries serious? Do you need reinforcements in the Demon Abyss?” Demon Heng Sovereign asked.

The Demon Abyss Sovereign’s pupils contracted suddenly, and his aura surged violently. “I’m not injured! The Demon Abyss doesn’t need any support!”

Seeing this, Demon Heng Sovereign’s expression remained unchanged.

The Demon Abyss Sovereign had always been arrogant and prideful, never willing to show weakness.

“Just don’t lose the Demon Abyss,” Demon Heng Sovereign said before his figure vanished.

Within the lair, Qi Yuan sat on the throne, squinting his eyes. “Did I act well enough?”

Meanwhile, outside the Demon Abyss, the spectral form of Demon Heng Sovereign lingered, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

“Something about Demon Abyss Sovereign… seems different.”

As a Supreme Truth Yang God, Demon Heng Sovereign was extraordinarily perceptive.

“Being so far from here, I can’t keep an eye on Demon Abyss Sovereign all the time. That could be a problem.”

Demon Heng Sovereign mulled it over.

He had a nagging suspicion that something was wrong with Demon Abyss Sovereign.

“Right, Demon Chi is nearby. I’ll find him and have him keep an eye on Demon Abyss Sovereign,” Demon Heng Sovereign thought as he headed toward the Broken Moon Abyss.