My Core is the Boss

The next day, Qi Yuan opened his eyes in frustration and bewilderment, sighing. "This isn’t working. Building an underworld palace is harder than advanced calculus."

Listening to Dong Jun’s backstory made Qi Yuan wonder whether he could borrow that approach to construct his underworld palace. But no matter how he ran the calculations, the result was always a failure. All he managed to create were two flowers that looked alike but could never truly be the same.

Qi Yuan felt a little downcast and dejected. I'm still too weak, it seems. How does one turn falsehood into reality? Meanwhile, I can’t even achieve a genuine resurrection. Does that mean I can only build a cheap underworld palace?

If a True Lord ended up settling with a bootleg underworld palace, how embarrassing would that be? Jiang Lingsu would lose all respect for him!

"Looks like I need to start squeezing this game of its resources."

In the Flowing Wind World and the Mortal Heart World, Qi Yuan had frequently insulted the Heavenly Dao and profited quite handsomely from it.

He tilted his head back to look at the sky, his expression growing dejected. "Right, no Heavenly Dao in this world. How worthless."

No Heavenly Dao meant no one to extort. As for taking its place himself? Forget it. He had no interest in that sort of thing.

He thought idly, Still, if I have time, I should discuss this with my goddaughter. As someone who visualized Empress Earth, she ought to know quite a bit about the Underworld.

Just then, the massive, headless Lingzhong materialized beside Qi Yuan. "Lord God!"

Though Lingzhong was doing his utmost to suppress himself, Qi Yuan could still feel a surging battle intent. If it were left unchecked and allowed to spread freely, every living being in Origin Land would likely rupture and die on the spot.

"Great Venerable Lingzhong, you're here. How did your discussions go?"

The headless man in question had lived for an extraordinarily long time. Not only did he fight alongside the No-Food Goddess in the Hongtang War, but he also passed down her memento, allowing Qi Yuan to obtain the Devouring Origin Physique. As a side note, Qi Yuan bestowed upon him the War God Xingtian, whose battle intent was boundless and whose will was indomitable.

As for the reason behind Lingzhong’s visit, Qi Yuan had wanted a way to return to the Land of Death whenever he wished, even while he was in the Origin Land. He then entrusted this task to the lot to research.

Lingzhong reported, "Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu claimed they could use their physical bodies as a bridge across the Black Sea, linking the past with the future. They are ready to carry you at any time."

Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu were also powerful ancient gods Qi Yuan had visualized. Having existed since before Pangu separated heaven and earth, they were the Sovereigns of the South Sea and the North Sea.

In Qi Yuan's memory, Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu had been close friends of Chaos. Chaos was formless, complete, and undivided. In their fondness for Chaos, both emperors decided to bore seven openings into it. They carved one per day, and on the seventh day, Chaos died.

Commanding power related to time and space, the emperors could connect past and future by transforming themselves into a bridge. It was especially effective due to the peculiar game’s setting. After all, Origin Land and the Land of Death shared a profound and unbreakable connection.

Of course, if Emperor Shu and Emperor Hu were to reach the level of cultivation Qi Yuan envisioned, their powers would extend beyond this world alone.

Qi Yuan was visibly excited. "Excellent. Blue Planet really does produce remarkable talent! When I have a need for them, I'll seek them out myself. Good, you're dismissed. Tell the others to cultivate diligently and strengthen themselves. There may be a tough battle coming."

Lingzhong bowed. "Understood."

Then he vanished, leaving Qi Yuan behind in the hall. About an hour passed before a voice rang out, filling the entire hall.

"Brother Qi Yuan, the Ancestral Blood Battle is about to begin. Please make your way over."

Qi Yuan flickered. "Alright."

When he appeared again, he stood atop a great tower. The tower rose thirty thousand zhang high. At its peak sat a circular platform that was roughly the size of a city block. Beneath the tower sprawled the trial grounds where the Ancestral Blood Battle would take place.

On the platform, thirty-six thrones had materialized, made of some unknown material. What appeared to be long-dried bloodstains marked their surfaces. Over thirty Martial Lords took their seats, each veiled in a mysterious mist that obscured their features entirely. Three of the thrones were higher and larger than the rest, reaching into the clouds.

Black Deer sat at the center, with Qi Yuan on his left and a female Martial Lord on his right. The mysterious haze also shrouded them, hiding their faces.

Black Deer smiled warmly. "Now that all Martial Lords have assembled, let us be seated and observe this Ancestral Blood Battle. Let's see whether any promising talent emerges that is worth cultivating. If anyone catches your eye, taking them on as a disciple is certainly an option!"

However, an elderly Martial Lord appeared deeply unimpressed. "I glanced over at them already. There aren't any promising candidates to speak of. Without proper grooming, none of them could reach the Great Martial Lord realm. The younger generation these days just keeps getting weaker."

Another Martial Lord sighed. "It can’t be helped. The Great Catastrophe caused a generational break in the bloodlines. With bloodlines as thin as theirs, the Martial Spirit realm was their limit without the Mountain-Sea Scroll."

"Indeed. It's not their fault."

"If the world doesn’t restart, even we will eventually fade into nothing. Expecting worthy heirs is a luxury."

"We must fulfill the task Dong Jun entrusted to us. Otherwise, we won't have another chance."

"Right. Dong Jun is our only hope."

The Martial Lords grew resolute. It was as though Dong Jun were their one true god.

Qi Yuan calmly glanced toward Black Deer. "You all hold Dong Jun in quite remarkable trust and admiration."

The old man’s eyes gleamed with reverence. "Once you've seen Dong Jun, you'll feel exactly the same as us. He's the only man I've ever met worthy of my trust—the last remaining hope of this world. If not for him, the Origin Land would have ceased to exist long ago. The Mountain-Sea Scroll, the Land of Death—all of it would have been nothing but a dream.

"We would long since have been bones in a tomb. Worse, there likely wouldn't have been anything left. That is why every one of us—young and old alike, every living being still drawing breath in this world—owes Dong Jun a debt that can never be repaid."

Qi Yuan smiled faintly. "Must be some immeasurable debt."

Black Deer turned serious. "Qi Yuan, one does not make light of Dong Jun. When the Wall of Dong Jun opens and you hear his voice, you will understand what he truly is. To be honest, I also didn't believe it at first. How could such a person exist in this world? Yet the moment I stood before him, I felt ashamed of myself. How wrong I was! I felt guilty for the smallness of my own thinking!"

A thread of genuine curiosity stirred in Qi Yuan's heart. "Very interesting. I can’t wait to see him and find out exactly what his character is made of."

He could clearly see that these people’s minds had not been tampered with. The fervent devotion toward Dong Jun was entirely their own.