“The blood star is gone!”

“It disappeared!”

In the southern lands of the Mortal Heart World, ancient gods and ordinary mortals alike gazed up at the torn sky. Where a massive blood-red star had hung for ages, there was now nothing. Commonfolk did not understand what that meant, but the ancient gods did.

An elderly man with beard and hair white as frost burst into tears. “The evil gods are gone!” 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

For hundreds of thousands of years, their world had been at the mercy of the evil gods and the Yang Spirits. Now, they were all gone.

He recalled how the skies had been ripped open not long ago. The Yang Spirit roared from beyond the heavens. Then, from the northern lands, Qiyuann Sovereign rose into the sky. Five thousand gods had followed him, vowing to slay the evil gods.

However, from the moment they glimpsed that abyssal eye through the crack in the sky, they had understood. The battle could not be won. Their opponent was even bigger than the world they were trying to protect. All the resources they had accumulated over countless years could not scratch that existence. They truly had no chance of winning.

Yet the Mortal Heart World had won. Qiyuann Sovereign had won, but at what cost?

“Great Venerable Lishan is dead.”

“Venerable Baixi is gone.”

The old man hurried into his cave, where thirty life lanterns hung from the beams. Before heading north, each ancient god had left behind a wisp of aura within. If the flame was extinguished, it meant death. Every single lantern had gone out.

Grief tore at his chest. He raised his head, staring at the sky, hoping to see the fallen gods streak back like meteors. Yet there was none.

***

In Feihuang City, Huang Mengling stood in silence. She thought back to her meeting with Qi Yuan. Knowing how dangerous his backwater village was, she invited him to leave and even recommended he join the Ancient God Alliance. The bizarre and eccentric man had refused. Now, he had accomplished this. Those memories now felt like fragments of a dream.

The voice of Yuan, an ancient god who had long slumbered, resounded weakly in her ear. “My injuries have recovered thirty percent. Has the Feiling Prefecture sent more evil gods?”

Yuan had briefly awakened during Feihuang City’s crisis, only to fall back into slumber. Even while recuperating, she had been worried. Since Qi Yuan had slain a descending evil god, surely there would be retaliation?

Huang Mengling froze. She did not know how to answer. After a moment, she said quietly, “The evil gods are gone.”

Yuan’s voice was filled with confusion. “Gone?”

She looked up at the sky. Her expression went from shock to horror.

Huang Mengling’s voice grew bleak. “Yesterday, Qiyuann Sovereign led several ancient gods and struck upward against the Yang Spirit. They left the heavens and have not returned.”

***

Night cloaked the Ancestral Land. Since it was not the appointed time for its opening, the sacred land stood empty and silent.

A streak of crimson light flashed. Qi Yuan appeared within, showing neither joy nor sorrow as he looked around. “As expected of the Ancestral Land. Even now, I feel threatened here.”

Countless puppet gods lay dormant around him.

Qi Yuan was a Yang Spirit, and yet not entirely. His battle with Blood Sun Great Sage and Blood God Great Sage had involved a measure of wit.

Having coveted the Mortal Heart World for ages, those two had been tainted by too much Primordial Qi. That was why his “All Beings Are Me” could momentarily immobilize and assimilate them. Nevertheless, that stillness was never permanent. Turning them into true puppets had never been possible.

Thunder, Zhu Zhuangshi, and the others had willingly used the evil gods' art to assimilate with him. That was a genuine “self.” The Primordial World represented infinite possibility. In another world, even if ordinary Yin Spirits worshiped him and used assimilation, they could not truly become his “self.”

All Beings Are Me was, in truth, a law that was limited to the Mortal Heart World. If it applied across all worlds and countless universes, then it would be something far beyond a mere law.

Qi Yuan’s gaze swept across the sacred land, deep and unreadable. He stepped toward an empty stretch of land. Once, a towering pagoda had stood here.

“The aura here feels familiar,” he murmured softly. “The visualization art?”

With his current understanding, he realized something: energy conservation still held true. Those visualization arts hadn’t “manifested from nothing.” Instead, they had consumed something from those vanished pagodas.

“The civilization that built the Ancestral Land is strong. I wonder if they are from this universe?”

He lingered for a moment, then vanished, wondering to himself, Why hasn’t my quest to protect Clearwater Village been marked complete yet?

***

Night deepened. Clearwater Village lay silent and ordinary. Outside it, however, many ancient gods had gathered. They gazed reverently upon the village, akin to pilgrims before a holy land.

“It’s just one village, yet it has produced multiple Great Venerables. Clearwater Village should be the sacred ground of the Mortal Heart World.”

“Too bad, they’ll never return.”

Some sighed in sorrow.

Yet among them, two sharp-faced ancient gods transmitted secretly.

“Qiyuann Sovereign was that powerful. Clearwater Village must be hiding some secrets!” His eyes gleamed. “Wang Can, your Divine Domain excels in stealth. While there are so many ancient gods here, activate it. We sneak in together. Fifty-fifty split.”

Wang Can hesitated. “Qiyuann Sovereign just saved the world. Doing this feels improper...”

“Gratitude is gratitude. Profit is profit. The opportunities in Clearwater Village shouldn’t go to waste," the man said greedily.

“If we’re discovered, we’ll have no foothold left in this world.”

“We’re speaking via transmission. Who would know? Even if we’re discovered, who’s to say we can’t become the next Qiyuann Sovereign?"

If not for Wang Can's special Divine Domain, the man would just sneak in himself.

Wang Can’s eyes flickered with greed. “Fine.”

Just as they were about to proceed with their plan, they realized something. Not far from Wang Can stood a slender woman holding a fox.

Wang Can’s expression shifted dramatically. He secretly unfurled his Divine Domain, staring at the fox all the while. It was his Heart Fox, capable of hearing spiritual transmissions between cultivators.

Wang Can said coldly, killing intent flickered in his eyes, “Zhao Qingyu, What did you hear?”

Zhao Qingyu trembled, clutching the fox tightly to her chest. “Senior, I didn’t hear anything.”

She was shaking not just from fear, but from anger. All she wanted now was to escape with her life.

“Is that so?” Wang Can grinned pleasantly. “Then it must be a misunderstanding.”

Yet his Divine Domain remained. Clearly, he had decided to silence her for good.

Just then, Qi Yuan’s calm voice rang out. “No wonder my quest hasn’t been marked complete. So there are still people coveting my village."

Clad in blood-red robes, his long hair flowed around his impossibly handsome face, reminiscent of a demon god that had descended into the mortal world.

Wang Can and the other ancient gods froze. Their faces went pale. “Qiyuann Sovereign?"

He is alive?!

Zhao Qingyu trembled all over, yet her eyes gleamed fiercely. As much as she wanted to expose their ploy, Wang Can’s Divine Domain rendered her helpless.

A streak of crimson light flashed.

Qi Yuan said lazily, “Did you really think I wouldn’t hear you whispering behind my back?”

Wang Can and his companion’s eyes widened in horror. Crimson energy surged straight into their Divine Domains. The domains they were so proud of tore apart like paper left in the rain. Terror flooded their minds as death descended.

How did Qiyuann Sovereign find out? We’ve used secret transmission! Even Zhao Qingyu has been restrained?

They plummeted from the air, lifeless before they even hit the ground. Even in death, they could not understand how their scheme had been exposed.

With Wang Can’s fall, the pressure binding Zhao Qingyu vanished instantly.

She bowed deeply toward Qi Yuan. “Thank you, Heavenly Sovereign, for saving my life!”

Streaks of light shot through the sky as nearby ancient gods sensed the disturbance and rushed over. When they saw Qi Yuan, shock rippled across their faces, followed by unbridled excitement. Qiyuann Sovereign is alive!

“Greetings, Qiyuann Sovereign!"

“Greetings, Heavenly Sovereign!”

More than a dozen ancient gods gathered near Clearwater Village, standing respectfully before him.

Qi Yuan swept a calm glance over them.

An elderly god stepped forward, stooped with age. “May we ask, Heavenly Sovereign, what became of the evil gods?”

The disappearance of the blood star suggested that the Yang Spirit had fallen. Still, without seeing it with their own eyes, they could not fully rest.

“Dead,” Qi Yuan replied flatly.

Relief washed over the gathered gods. The weight in their hearts finally lifted.

Then, Qi Yuan added, “Clearwater Village is my territory. Unrelated persons are forbidden from entering.”

The quest to protect Clearwater Village was still ongoing, after all.

Still immersed in the aftershock, the other ancient gods did not object.

After a pause, Qi Yuan added as if remembering something, “I once promised to host banquets in several cities. I never returned to fulfill that promise. If possible, I’ll trouble you all with it.”

At this, quite a few of the ancient gods brightened.

Zhao Qingyu stepped forward immediately. “To serve you is my honor!"

It was perfectly clear who held supremacy in this world.

“Thank you.” Qi Yuan waved his hand lightly. “You may all return.”

He vanished, stepping back into Clearwater Village, where it all began.

Under the quiet night sky, the village appeared utterly ordinary. Crops grew thick and lush in the fields.

“If I must guard Clearwater Village, then I’ll simply take it with me. I am Clearwater Village. Clearwater Village is me.”

As his voice faded into the air, the village began to change. Stone, brick, packed earth walls, soil, trees, spirit rice in the fields—everything grew translucent, before being pulled into his Divine Domain.

For a brief moment, his face turned pale. At that very instant, the game notification sounded.