My Core is the Boss

Taking a deep breath, Qi Yuan inserted the key into the gate once more. With a click, the gate opened, releasing an ancient, profound, and desolate aura.

Holding Little Bride, he stepped through without hesitation. "So it really is..."

For the first time in a long while, his eyes lost their calm. Before him stretched an endless river of stars, vast beyond sight, making the Star World of the Ninth Heaven seem dull in comparison. Stars burned, while suns exploded.

His eyes widened. In the distant reaches of the universe, Ning Tao stood as though her words carried the authority of heaven itself. Stars drifted around the hem of her skirt like ornaments. A tremendous surge of divine power erupted as she attempted to seize an enormous star. Her face was pale, beads of sweat rolling down her jade-like cheeks as she gritted her teeth and pulled with all her might.

The blazing star burned fiercely, reducing her sleeves to ashes, only for them to reform instantly. She gripped the star tightly, trying to refine it into a Golden Core. It was so unimaginably huge that she appeared tiny beside it.

Qi Yuan felt a sharp pain in his heart. If he did it himself, the process was far too slow. With Ning Tao's help, the speed increased dramatically.

His Dharma form erupted forth, and a gigantic blood-red figure appeared. "Ning Tao, let me help you."

Ning Tao looked over, unable to suppress the joy in her eyes. "Husband!"

Far away, Canary, who had been fanning herself endlessly, also smiled in delight. "Qi Yuan!"

Qi Yuan appeared beside Ning Tao. The massive star burned wildly, its immense mass alone creating overwhelming resistance. It was even larger than a Yang Spirit’s Dharma form. If such a star struck a Minor Heavenly Position’s Dharma form, it would probably shatter on impact.

The Star Golden Core chapter of the Qi Yuan Scripture began operating at full force. Under the combined control of Qi Yuan and Ning Tao, the gigantic star spun, compressed, and transformed until it finally condensed into a Golden Core.

Their Dharma forms dissipated. The next instant, Canary and Ning Tao threw themselves into Qi Yuan's arms, their tender lips greedily seeking his. Flames burned around them, but the desires within their hearts burned even hotter. Though their clothes were reduced to ashes, they made no attempt to recreate them.

Before this, Ning Tao and Canary had mostly met Qi Yuan through projections and avatars. Only now were they truly meeting him in their true bodies.

Yet just as passion began to rise in Ning Tao's beautiful eyes, she gently pushed Qi Yuan away. "Husband, you must leave quickly!"

Canary looked at him with deep reluctance.

Ning Tao said seriously, "You’re the anchor point for this universe’s space-time. In the timeline where you reside, one day on the ground equals a hundred years in heaven. But now that you’re here, the flow of time has probably adjusted to that of Canglan. Every extra moment you linger means wasting a great deal of time, which means fewer Golden Cores and having less advantage against the Taihuang Palace."

Perhaps because of the intense heat, her snow-white skin had become faintly flushed. Qi Yuan understood what she meant. She wanted to condense as many Star Golden Cores as possible before he confronted the Taihuang Palace.

Ning Tao smiled with endless charm. "What I control is time itself. The thing I lack least is time to be with you. Why put on such a face?"

Canary nodded vigorously, smiling brightly. "Hehe, if I miss you, I can come down and visit you anytime."

Ning Tao leaned forward and lightly kissed his forehead. "We're legally married. No matter what danger or difficulty we face, we should face it together. Back in the Flowing Wind World, you’ve helped me. Now it's my turn to help you. Your enemies are my enemies.

"How can I let you face a great enemy alone while I enjoy myself in peace? If I'm hurt, you would grieve. If you are hurt, wouldn't I do the same? I am not only the most beautiful girl in the world, but also your wife. Family members support and rely on one another."

Then, she drew him into a tight embrace.

He nodded firmly, his voice thick with emotion. "Mhm. I am seriously too lucky."

"Meeting each other means both of us are lucky."

***

After leaving that universe, Qi Yuan pushed all those emotions aside. "That damned Taihuang Palace has gone too far!"

Looking up at the ten suns in the sky, he knew that Ning Tao had obtained the Land of Buddha's Divine Methods and was working tirelessly to create Star Golden Cores. One or two Divine Methods were already enough to produce a single Star Golden Core.

When he had first visited her, she had already amassed a large number of them, though she had not projected them into this world or used them to illuminate the heavens. After all, attracting the Taihuang Palace's attention too early would be troublesome. Ten suns were just perfect.

Many thoughts flashed through Qi Yuan's mind. "It's time to go to the upper world."

There were several paths he could take to reach the upper world. The first was through the void rifts, which led to a random location in the upper world. The Nine Heavens were simply too vast, and even a Yang Spirit could spend an entire lifetime wandering without seeing it all. That route was unsuitable.

The second path was through the teleportation array in the Canglan World. Although there was a teleportation array in the Great Calamity's lair, it connected directly to the Taihuang Palace, making it far too dangerous. As a weak Violet Palace cultivator, he was probably not yet a match for the one in the Taihuang Palace.

The third path was through the teleportation array on Moonwatch Continent, which led to the Divine Moon Palace. However, Qi Jianjun had returned from fishing and told him that it had been closed for unknown reasons. Unbeknownst to Qi Yuan, it was closely related to the Lord Moon God’s recent injuries.

The fourth path was to travel through the Land of Buddha. But the fifth path was the one he truly preferred: using Moonwatch Continent to reach the lower world connected to the Black Demon Abyss, and then ascend into the Fifth Heaven, where the Moluo Clan resided.

The Moluo Clan had two backings: the Black Demon Abyss and the Taihuang Palace. Located in the Sixth Heaven, the Black Demon Abyss was a special power no weaker than the Taihuang Palace. However, it had an extremely complicated internal structure. Part of it was even in conflict with the Divine Moon Palace.

Moreover, it was extremely arrogant and placed great importance on bloodlines. Hence, although the Moluo Clan constantly tried to curry favor with it and shared a similar bloodline, the Black Demon Abyss largely ignored them. As a result, the Moluo Clan had gradually moved closer to the Taihuang Palace and found itself a new patron.

"I'll take a trip to the Moluo Clan first. Some of the enemies in the demon abyss where Jin Li resides happen to be from there."