My Core is the Boss

Holding Little Bride in his arms, Qi Yuan fed her quite a few snacks. Though her form became increasingly tangible, her aura did not change in the slightest.

A multitude of complicated emotions flashed through his mind. Little Bride was a member of the Wedding Garment Imperial Clan. Qi Yuan had encountered many other such clan members before. They could speak and even transform into human form. Little Bride, however, seemed to possess only the form of a wedding garment.

He now possessed combat power comparable to a Yang Spirit. Although he could not truly awaken intelligence in a stone, doing so for an insect or a fish was effortless. Yet, he still could not transform Little Bride.

Qi Yuan affectionately watched her eat. "The upper world is full of extraordinary talents. Perhaps someone there can make you speak."

After all, Major Principle Yang Spirits resided in the upper world. Perhaps they could understand what was wrong with her. About half an hour later, Little Bride stopped digesting the Blood Crystal Essences, clearly having eaten her fill.

"Come on, let's go take a look at that strange land. It's also time to prepare for going to the upper world."

After the Great Calamity fell, its fragments transformed into a strange land within the Underworld. Qi Yuan had been quite curious about that place. However, ever since waking up, he had been busy swallowing the three thousand worlds.

A few moments later, he appeared within the strange land, with Little Bride in his arms.

Qi Qi was already there, her face somewhat pale. Clearly, her injuries had not yet healed. She reported her findings, "The Great Calamities’ fragments have transformed into this strange land. After investigating it, I've found that it is somewhat similar to Chaos itself. They're a kind of energy. This energy could probably sustain the operation of the Underworld."

She had spent all this time researching the strange land. After all, the Underworld had been entrusted to her by her godfather, so she had to thoroughly investigate any unknown region that appeared.

Qi Yuan asked calmly, "Really?"

Qi Qi nodded vigorously, joy flashing in her eyes. "Yes. When you restored the shattered mountains and rivers of the Canglan World, as well as the dead living beings, they weren't resurrected out of thin air. It consumed a tremendous amount of the Underworld's energy.

"Most of that energy came from the Brush of Mountains and Rivers, the City of No Return, and Nine Plate Mountain that had been moved here. Some of it came from you, Godfather. But the strange land is actually an extremely precious source of energy, capable of restoring far more."

She grabbed a handful of the special energy from the strange land. "Three hundred and twenty-seven of your Nascent Souls fell in the great battle. If they remained in the Underworld and healed naturally, it would likely take ten thousand years. Besides, the Underworld wouldn't even have enough energy to restore all of them.

"But with this energy, things are different. Using only one-third of the energy here, your shattered Nascent Souls could walk out of the Underworld once more, and it would take only a year. In fact, if we consumed even more energy, they could awaken almost instantly!"

Qi Qi's face was filled with excitement. She understood exactly what this represented. If such an Underworld had existed in the Mortal Heart World, ancient gods wouldn't even have to fear dying when facing new gods. They could be used to sustain war, growing stronger the more they fought. This was practically the ultimate logistical base.

Qi Yuan finally used his brain for once. "So, if three Great Calamities are enough to revive one of my Nascent Souls[1], that’s roughly a three-to-one ratio?"

Qi Qi nodded. "That's right."

His eyes lit up, then immediately filled with pain. "Ah, I was far too extravagant and wasteful in the past. My White Moonlights all died for nothing. Haa... If they had died in my Underworld and turned into energy, they could still be contributing after death. That's what it truly means for some people to die yet live forever!"

He was full of regret. There had been so many White Moonlights back then. Why had he simply killed them and left their bodies behind? He should have taken their corpses as well! After all, if they had been his White Moonlights in life, they should remain so even in death. Otherwise, wouldn't that betray his reputation for deep affection?

Qi Qi almost laughed, but as a professional she managed to hold it in. "Godfather, you make a good point. The corpses of slain enemies are indeed very useful. However, your Nascent Souls are special. Ordinary Yang Spirits would likely require much more energy."

He said excitedly, "Every bit counts! How could I be so heartless as to let any White Moonlight go to waste? It seems that besides the music troupe, the mourning troupe, and the funeral banquet, I also need a body recovery team. Haa, I was so foolish before. Why did I let those gentle, lovely White Moonlights who were just a bit old and didn't like bathing lie exposed in the wilderness?

"Their bodies were eaten by wild dogs and pecked by eagles. How painful, and what a waste! This time, when I go to the upper world, I must carry forward the traditional virtue of thrift and diligence, making sure every White Moonlight continues to contribute after death!"

No one understood her godfather's personality better than Qi Qi did. Back in the Mortal Heart World, which ancient god had ever thought of attending the funeral banquet of a new god? Her godfather not only thought of it, he actually did it.

After accompanying Little Bride on a tour through the Underworld, Qi Yuan arrived before the Underworld Gate. Swirling with Violet Qi, it soon transformed into the Myriad Principle Gate, a treasure that would drive any Yang Spirit mad with desire. If opened, it could lure a Yang Spirit into the Underworld, where they could then be surrounded and attacked. Even if they died within the Underworld, their deaths would not go to waste.

Yet he hesitated. "But what if I lure in a Major Principle Yang Spirit?"

He still had no clear understanding of just how powerful such a cultivator was. To put it in perspective, although he dared to fight a single Principle True Buddha, he’d probably be finished if several came at him at once. Major Principle Yang Spirits were likely even more terrifying.

Qi Yuan fell into thought, uncharacteristically using his brain. "So this trap needs optimization. The Myriad Phenomena Gate can’t simply lead into the Underworld, or it would destroy my Underworld."

Qi Qi suggested at just the right moment, "Godfather, could you make the gate lead into a void rift? That way, if you encounter an enemy you can’t defeat, you could banish them to the void instead."

His eyes lit up. "As expected of my goddaughter, you inherited my excellent genes! Your talent is almost on par with Lord Great Wisdom's. You've reminded me of something important!"

Qi Qi's words gave him a flood of inspiration. If he could use the Myriad Phenomena Key to open a gate leading to a dead universe, couldn’t he also use it to return to the universe containing his Star Golden Cores?

A frenzied light gleamed in his eyes. If he made the gate lead directly to a black hole, could a Major Principle Yang Spirit escape after entering? And if that wasn't enough, he could simply bombard them with thousands or even tens of thousands of Star Golden Cores the moment they entered. And since they were real stars, they would likely be far more powerful than the star projections that illuminated the heavens.

He felt like a genius. "If they still prove too strong, I can exile them to the far end of the universe. Even if Yang Spirits are incredibly fast, it’ll probably still take them a very long time to cross an entire universe."

Whenever he encountered an unbeatable enemy, he could simply retreat through the gate and close it behind him. How would they chase him? Of course, this would probably only work against ordinary enemies. Against truly terrifying opponents, he would probably die before he even had the chance to enter the gate.

His eyes flickered as he took out the Myriad Phenomena Key. "Myriad Phenomena Gate, you know what I want. Take me where I want to go."

1. He’s not referring to actual Nascent Soul cultivators. Keep in mind that each of his Nascent Souls possesses Yang Spirit-level combat power. ☜