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

"In that case, Dao God Hei Tan, will you still trouble the Hei Tian Divine Lord?"

Qi Yuan looked at Hei Tan and asked calmly.

His voice was steady, devoid of any emotional undertones, yet it made Hei Tan's heart skip a beat.

At their level of cultivation, the desire for survival and eternity was no less than the pursuit of the Dao.

"After hearing Senior's poem, I am deeply remorseful. I never imagined I would almost make such a grave mistake," Hei Tan replied, his expression as if he and Hei Tian were truly brothers.

Of course, in reality, he and Hei Tian had no blood or familial ties.

Their relationship was akin to that of an amoeba and a monkey.

"Good. If everyone in the Yang Realm were as sensible as you, the world would be a much better place," Qi Yuan said.

Not just the Yang Realm—if the beings of the Yin Realm and the Rebirth realm could also understand human speech and be moved by Qi Yuan's words, wouldn't the world be filled with love?

Since Hei Tan understood human speech, the banquet proceeded harmoniously, with no awkward incidents.

Hei Tan sat to the side and asked in a low voice, "May I ask, Senior... what is your name, and which lineage do you belong to?"

A powerhouse of Qi Yuan's level couldn't possibly be unknown. There must be traces of his existence in the world.

Hei Tan was deeply curious about Qi Yuan's identity and was trying to figure out who he was.

After asking, perhaps feeling his question was too abrupt, Hei Tan introduced himself.

"I am from the Tian Guang lineage. Our lineage master is Fu Guang, who once visited the Origin Mountain."

When mentioning the lineage master, Hei Tan's eyes were filled with reverence and pride.

The Tian Guang lineage master was even stronger than the Divine Emperor.

As Hei Tan spoke, he observed Qi Yuan's expression and reaction.

"Fu Guang?" Qi Yuan was momentarily stunned.

Memories from San Sheng's past surfaced.

Fu Guang—he had met him once.

When San Sheng went to the Origin Mountain, Fu Guang had once acted as a protector for other fifth-stage Yang God cultivators.

Later, when San Sheng pursued the path of the cycle, Fu Guang achieved the Dao Lord realm.

What happened after that, San Sheng did not know.

"Senior knows Lineage Master Fu Guang?" Hei Tan asked.

"One of my avatars met him at the Origin Mountain," Qi Yuan answered truthfully, without any concealment.

"An avatar? The Origin Mountain?" Hei Tan gasped in shock.

These two terms alone were enough to astonish him.

He grew even more curious about Qi Yuan's identity.

It seemed he was undoubtedly an ancient, eternal existence.

Of course, even if he weren't, the power Qi Yuan had displayed was enough to prove his strength without needing any titles.

A king only needs to sit on his throne, while the weak are the ones who need to prove their noble status.

...

"Life is rather dull."

After parting ways with Hei Tian, Qi Yuan wandered alone through the Rebirth realm.

The experience of walking through the world now was vastly different from when he had done so as San Sheng.

Back then, San Sheng's goal was to understand all the methods of the world, seek ways to break them, and then forge his own path of reincarnation.

San Sheng's obsession was reincarnation.

Everything he did was to pave the way for reincarnation.

Unfortunately, San Sheng had talent but lacked Qi Yuan's brilliant mind.

When Qi Yuan was on Gongxing, he had posted online, gathering the wisdom of many netizens to create an alternative Purple Mansion.

That is, the so-called Netherworld.

Without the Netherworld, how could there be reincarnation?

This was a truth every Blue Star native understood.

Sadly, San Sheng was not from Blue Star and did not grasp this concept.

Of course, the most important thing was that during San Sheng's Nascent Soul stage, he wasn't as bold as Qi Yuan, who directly created the Netherworld.

Thus, Qi Yuan was only one step away from the reincarnation San Sheng had sought.

"Once I complete this game mission and protect the Forbidden Land, then... I can step into the Yang God realm, or perhaps... master reincarnation?"

"But what is a Yang God?"

Qi Yuan fell into contemplation once more.

The path of reincarnation was clear to him.

It was the pursuit of great freedom and liberation.

Even if all things turned to "Return to Nothingness," even if all existence in the world became "Return to Nothingness," he could still grasp reincarnation within "Return to Nothingness" and find his true self.

"It's time to visit Duke Nall and see if this clever steward has any good ideas for me."

With a flash, Qi Yuan headed toward the Forbidden Land.

...

Meanwhile, in the Forbidden Land.

Zhao Jian's face was filled with worry.

"Our luck is terrible. The sweep by Heavenly King Mountain is about to reach here. Duke Nall, are you really not leaving?"

To search for the Three Pure Methods, Zhao Jian had hidden in this world.

But three thousand years ago, Qi Yuan had disappeared.

Now, mysterious forces like Heavenly King Mountain had begun sweeping through the Forbidden Land, with multiple Dao Gods taking action.

Even Dao Gods who had overcome one or two calamities were involved.

The notorious figures of the Forbidden Land were being hunted down, their wings clipped.

Naturally, a ruthless figure like Qi Yuan was also on their list.

Fortunately, there were too many dangerous individuals in the Forbidden Land, and Qi Yuan hadn't attracted too much attention from the Dao Gods.

The sweep hadn't yet reached Duke Nall's world.

But it was close.

"Why should I leave? This is my home. I am the Grand Steward, appointed by the Vampire Emperor himself," Duke Nall said matter-of-factly, tilting her head.

"But the Vampire Emperor hasn't been seen for a long time. Who knows if..." Zhao Jian wanted to say that even if the Vampire Emperor showed up, it wouldn't matter. Not even the Vampire Ancestor could help.

The sweep by Heavenly King Mountain and other mysterious forces was something even the Dao Lords of the Cosmic Alliance wouldn't dare interfere with lightly.

There seemed to be great karma involved, enough to make Dao Gods who had overcome the Three Calamities and Three Tribulations take it seriously. Perhaps even the legendary sixth-stage Yang God powerhouses were keeping an eye on it.

How could Qi Yuan, a mere Divine Lord, meddle in such terrifying affairs?

"I believe in the Emperor," Duke Nall said, patting her still youthful chest.

"Sigh, if we don't run now, it'll be too late," Zhao Jian said. "Actually... it might already be too late."

Zhao Jian had wanted to flee long ago.

But after some thought, he decided against it.

Dao Gods were too mysterious and powerful. Whether he ran or not, the probability of encountering one was the same.

Of course, another reason was that Qi Yuan had placed a restriction on him, preventing him from leaving.

"This is my territory. Why should I run?"

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out.

Zhao Jian turned to see the newcomer, his eyes flickering with complex emotions.

The reason he had stayed here for so long was ultimately for the so-called Three Pure Methods.

If Qi Yuan could truly produce the Three Pure Methods, even the Dao Lords of the Cosmic Alliance might attempt to breach the Forbidden Land and rescue Qi Yuan from the hands of the Dao Gods.

At this moment, Qi Yuan's face showed a hint of regret.

"Ah, I didn't expect long legs to have their own troubles. I walked too fast—it only took me half a second to cover the distance light takes a year to travel.

If light walked faster, could it cover a light-year in half a year?

I came too early. If I had arrived later, I might have seen the Dao Gods take action and suppress this world.

This world is on the brink of collapse. If I had descended as a savior at the last moment, it would have been the most thrilling. Life would have had a bit more excitement."

Qi Yuan spoke lazily.

Beside him, Duke Nall's eyes lit up.

The Vampire Emperor hadn't been seen for a long time, and his words were becoming increasingly profound.

As for Zhao Jian, he was utterly confused.

Originally, he had planned to persuade Qi Yuan to see if he could produce the Three Pure Methods, lift his restriction, and enlist the help of the Cosmic Alliance's Dao Lords.

Now, it seemed Qi Yuan was genuinely unwell, not just pretending.

He actually wanted to take on those Dao Gods!