Chapter 163: New Game Icon, Meeting the Grand Priest

Chapter 163: New Game Icon, Meeting the High Priestess

A strange glint flickered in Demon Convergence Venerable's eyes as well.

"Such an amusing little insect—this is the first time I've seen one like this."

"Just who... gave you the courage?"

As Demon Convergence Venerable spoke, the aura of a Yin God began to spread.

The greatest difference between a Yin God and a Purple Mansion cultivator lies in divine spiritual power!

A Yin God has already transformed the spiritual power within their body into divine spiritual power.

That is something far more advanced than innate divine abilities.

With a single strand of divine spiritual power, one can casually create a death zone.

Not far away, the Divine Envoy, witnessing this scene, found their body unable to move.

At that moment, Qi Yuan shouted to the heavens: "Ning Tao, save me!"

Indeed, Qi Yuan was using the Great Summoning Technique!

Now, he chose to rely on a woman's strength!

The spiritual energy within his body was insufficient to summon the projection of a star.

But summoning Ning Tao's projection was within his reach.

This was his first time relying on a woman, and Qi Yuan was both excited and expectant.

A cheerful suona melody played, its tune light and carefree.

The sun in the sky seemed to flash with brilliance.

Space appeared frozen, time seemed to stand still.

Under everyone's gaze, a woman in a black dress materialized out of thin air.

She possessed a face that could enchant all beings, skin as white as snow, so fair it seemed unreal—like the finest porcelain in the world.

Her figure was delicate and petite, her hair cascading like a waterfall of night. Her left eye was pure as a gentle rain, like a lively maiden of spring; her right eye was deep and seductive, like a sickly-sweet goddess of the dark night.

A profound, powerful aura emanated from her, as if she were a deity.

So this was the Blood-Robed Sword God's backing?

Jiang Ya suddenly understood: the Blood-Robed Sword God must have a close relationship with that Yin God woman—perhaps even being her most cherished descendant.

"Two steps of heaven-treading!" Demon Convergence Venerable's pupils contracted; he sensed a threat.

He himself had only taken one step of heaven-treading, with three divine apertures.

But his opponent was a terrifying existence at two steps of heaven-treading.

Her strength was at least ten times his own.

Low-level cultivators might still be able to fight across realms.

But those who had cultivated to the Yin God realm—were they not all true prodigies?

Having one fewer divine aperture than an opponent made it extremely difficult to compensate through other means.

This gap of an entire minor realm made cross-tier combat impossible.

Even the Young Venerables had no record of such feats.

He wanted to flee.

Just then, Qi Yuan's voice rang out: "Ning Tao, quickly help me kill him!"

"My husband, please wait a moment!" Ning Tao spoke, waving her hand.

Demon Convergence Venerable, who had been about to escape, was instantly frozen in midair.

Seeing this, Jiang Ya was utterly stunned.

This goddess... what did she call the Blood-Robed Sword God?

Husband???

Wasn't she supposed to be the Blood-Robed Sword God's ancestor?

How had they become Dao companions?

A Purple Mansion cultivator like the Blood-Robed Sword God had actually seduced a Yin God at two steps of heaven-treading into being his wife?

This was too...

Her mind in disarray, she watched the battle ahead.

"No!" At that moment, Demon Convergence Venerable roared, desperately channeling the divine spiritual power from his three divine apertures to break free from the restraint.

But his divine spiritual power, compared to Ning Tao's projection, was more than ten times weaker.

The gap between them was even greater than that between a late-stage Divine Infant and an early-stage Golden Core.

A difference of an entire major realm.

His divine spiritual power was as feeble as a mountain spring before Ning Tao's.

With just a single finger, Ning Tao had him locked down.

"You cannot kill me—my elder brother is also at two steps of heaven-treading!" Seeing no escape, Demon Convergence Venerable quickly calmed down.

Ning Tao said nothing but looked at Qi Yuan, leaning into his arms like a delicate bird: "Husband... how should we deal with him?"

Not far away, Jiang Ya watched this scene, her eyes filled with disbelief.

A lofty Yin God, acting like a maiden in love.

Qi Yuan helplessly toyed with Ning Tao's hair.

Last time she appeared, when no one was around, she called him a blood bead.

Now, with many people present, she called him husband.

How could he not understand a maiden's thoughts?

He gazed at Ning Tao's stunningly beautiful face and muttered: "So this is what it feels like to rely on a woman... it's really... satisfying."

After muttering, he looked at Demon Convergence Venerable and said arrogantly: "Your elder brother is a Yin God? My... wife is also a Yin God!"

Perhaps out of a desire to one-up him, he called Ning Tao "wife" for the first time.

Ning Tao's left eye was tender as water, carrying a maiden's shyness; her right eye was alluring and seductive, a blush coloring her cheeks.

Demon Convergence Venerable was left speechless by Qi Yuan's words.

"Our Rakshasa clan has sent five Yin Gods this time..."

"My wife is a Yin God!"

"Two at two steps of heaven-treading, three..."

"My wife is a Yin God!" Qi Yuan declared proudly.

No matter what Demon Convergence Venerable said, he countered with that same phrase, looking utterly smug.

"Your Excellency is not from the Wangyue Continent, so why wage war against my Mara clan for its sake?

The three venerables of your Canglan Realm have already reached an agreement with us to divide the Wangyue Continent equally.

If you spare me, the Mara clan will cede one-third of the Wangyue Continent to you!" The Mara Venerable continued his efforts.

Qi Yuan's expression turned cold: "How absurd—the Wangyue Continent was always mine; what right have you to cede it to me!"

Seeing that Qi Yuan could not be swayed, the Mara Venerable turned to Ning Tao: "The conflict between the Mara clan and the Wangyue Continent involves... two Yang Gods.

Senior, having cultivated to the second step of treading the heavens, it is no small feat.

One day, you will become a Great Venerable and ascend to the upper realm.

Why offend our Mara clan and the Yang God behind us over such trivial matters?"

At this moment, the Mara Venerable played his trump card.

The strife between the Mara clan and the Wangyue Continent was but an extension of the struggle between two Yang Gods.

Of course, the Mara clan had no real connection to that Yang God—they were not even direct subordinates—but he used it to intimidate Ning Tao.

Ning Tao did not even glance at the Mara Venerable; her eyes were fixed on Qi Yuan.

Her projection had limited time, and every second was precious.

"Threatening me with a Yang God? If he has the guts, let him descend and strike me down!" Qi Yuan would not be Qi Yuan if such a threat scared him.

Besides, it was no easy matter for a Yang God to descend to the mortal realm.

"Kill him!" Qi Yuan said softly, holding Ning Tao.

Ning Tao waved her hand.

The already restrained Mara Venerable underwent a terrifying transformation.

His bloated flesh withered, and the scales all over his body dried up and cracked.

His face aged instantly from youth to old age.

A look of disbelief flickered in his murky eyes: "Divine Domain Seed..."

At that moment, his breath ceased entirely.

A mere Yin God, one capable of shattering an entire continent, had thus... fallen.

He died simply and cleanly.

It was as if not a god had perished, but a mortal.

Awe filled the hearts of all present.

It was their first time witnessing a battle between Yin Gods.

They had imagined it would darken the sun and moon, shatter mountains and rivers—yet it was too simple.

The previous Divine Envoy also stared wide-eyed.

What had happened today exceeded his expectations.

At this moment, Ning Tao's figure grew even more ethereal.

"Husband... next time you face a strong enemy, call for me!" Her eyes were full of longing. As she spoke, her projection completely dissipated, and she returned to the stellar golden core.

She came like wind and rain, left like dust.

A faint emptiness settled in Qi Yuan's heart.

Silence reigned around them; even the suona had stopped playing, all stunned by the battle.

After a long while, the Great Wisdom True Lord could not help but say: "Senior is truly a man of great talent, to have a goddess as a wife."

If his own Dao companion had not passed away early, he might have begged the Blood-Robed Sword God for advice on finding a goddess wife.

Jiang Ya remained silent, then said worriedly: "Senior must be cautious. The Mara clan has more than one Yin God, and two of them have reached the second step of treading the heavens."

Her concern was not unfounded.

The Blood-Robed Sword God's Dao companion was merely one Yin God.

As the saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands. With one Yin God dead, the Mara clan still had four, formidable in strength.

"I have a plan to relieve Senior's predicament," the Great Wisdom True Lord said earnestly. "If Senior finds a few more divine Dao companions, and when facing enemies, summons them all, what are the Mara clan to fear?"

Qi Yuan found this reasoning quite sound.

"It's nothing."

Though he was living off his wife's power now, it did not mean he would do so forever.

Before long, he would fully take over the Wangyue Continent.

Then, he would be the true master of that land.

"Rest for half an hour; we continue to slay the Mara!" Qi Yuan looked at the Mara Venerable's corpse, then swept his gaze over the five Purple Mansions, already shattered into fragments by the shockwave.

A strange glint flashed in his eyes.

Just now, when Ning Tao killed the Mara Venerable, he sensed a slight change in his game jade slip.

While the others cleaned the battlefield, Qi Yuan went alone to a secluded spot.

His consciousness sank into the game jade slip. "A new game icon has appeared!"

He was somewhat excited.

But soon, his excitement waned.

"Only less than a quarter downloaded?"

Good news: the game icon had appeared. Bad news: it was less than a quarter downloaded.

Qi Yuan pondered, using his sharp mind: "Could it be that I... or Ning Tao need to slaughter Yin Gods to help this game download?"

He stared blankly at the game icon.

Just then, several male voices reached his ears.

"Oh gods, it's not that we refuse to offer you tribute, but our Qingshui Village is utterly destitute!"

"Yesterday, Village Chief Yulei led us to fight for water with the neighboring village, and the village chief's divine infant was bitten by their chief. Alas, when will such days end?"

"What era is this? Still worshipping ancient gods—worship the new gods!"

"Damn new gods—they are man-eating gods!"

"Gods may eat people, but at least they protect the land. But the ones you worship... the ancient gods... have long declined. You kowtow devoutly every day—do they respond?"

"Wah, it must be because we have no offerings that the god starved to death."

"Shen Tu, Shen Tu, listen to your brother's advice—switch to a new god like our village!"

Qi Yuan listened to these baffling conversations.

"So, this is the new game's background?"

Ancient gods and man-eating new gods.

But... what did that 'divine infant village chief' mean?

The divine infant cultivator has an official post—can he become the village chief?

But why must the village chief fight for water?

Qi Yuan was utterly perplexed.

Listening to the conversation, he suddenly said, "I am the Origin Heavenly Venerable; believe in me and gain eternal life!"

In a remote world, in a secluded village.

The sleeping Shentu widened his eyes, staring at the dilapidated divine statue in the temple, a look of suspicion in his gaze.

"Isn't it the Dog's Tail Grass God? How did it become the Origin Heavenly Venerable?" he wondered in confusion.

Had the deity starved its mind?

……

Snowflakes fell, blanketing the capital of the Moon Dynasty in silver.

The branches and trunks of the ancient Qichun tree were piled with snow.

A young girl, six or seven years old, clad in a goose-white fox-fur coat, sat on a bluestone, eyes closed in repose.

At that moment, a woman in white appeared silently.

The girl opened her eyes: "How goes it?"

"High Priestess, behind that Blood-Robed Sword God stands a Yin God at the Second Step of Heaven-Treading. Not long ago, that Yin God struck and slew the Demon Convergence Venerable." The woman in white was herself a Yin God, who had once met Qi Yuan.

Though a Yin God, her attitude toward the girl before her was exceedingly reverent.

The High Priestess gazed at the July Lake ahead, her eyes clear.

The woman in white then spoke earnestly: "High Priestess, even with one more ally at the Second Step of Heaven-Treading, the outcome cannot change.

The Wangyue Continent... can no longer be defended; we must leave."

The High Priestess's face was youthful, her gaze resolute: "I cannot leave now. I must wait for someone."

The woman in white was silent for a long while before saying, "The one the High Priestess awaits—should it be that Faceless Sword God?"

The High Priestess did not answer, but that itself was the reply.

"Over ten thousand years, if the Faceless Sword God had not fallen, he would have arrived long ago."

"I have sat here for five thousand years; a few more years matter not.

I have never seen him. I wish to know if he is as the legends say..." The girl's eyes brimmed with boundless longing.

Then, as if struck by a thought, she asked, "Which do you think is stronger—the Blood-Robed Sword God or the Faceless Sword God?"

Hearing this, the woman in white felt helpless toward her young mistress and could only smile wryly: "Whomever the High Priestess deems stronger, that is who is stronger."

"The Blood-Robed Sword God's wife is merely at the Second Step of Heaven-Treading—in this, he cannot compare to the Faceless Sword God.

The Blood-Robed Sword God's appearance surely cannot match the Faceless Sword God's either."

As the High Priestess spoke, she gazed at her own reflection in the water.

Of the latter point, she was especially certain.

"Thus, the Faceless Sword God wins completely," the High Priestess declared proudly.

The woman in white said nothing, the clouds of worry in her eyes undispersed.

Then the High Priestess spoke softly: "I know your concerns. When the time comes... if things prove impossible, I will activate the teleportation array and take... the Moon Dynasty away."

But then... if the Faceless Sword God awakens, will he be able to find July Lake?

And yet, the Wangyue Continent would likely become a true hell.

How could she bear to see the place he once guarded with his life reduced to ruin?

Hearing this, the woman in white breathed a sigh of relief.

She had feared the High Priestess would stubbornly remain.

Just then, a hurried voice came: "High Priestess!"

A messenger of the Faceless God Cult, clad in black embroidered robes, appeared, a strange expression on his face.

The High Priestess's delicate face showed curiosity: "I already know the Blood-Robed Sword God's wife is at the Second Step of Heaven-Treading. Is there something else?"

"High Priestess, I find this Blood-Robed Sword God... somewhat odd," the messenger stammered.

"What is odd about him?" the High Priestess asked calmly.

She had seen many strange things in the world.

"The moment I saw him, I felt an inexplicable closeness.

Moreover, I have found that I am not alone—everyone from the Wangyue Continent who sees him feels immensely close and trusts him especially," the messenger said.

The matter before them was indeed bizarre.

The woman in white glanced at the messenger, her eyes deep: "There is no trace of divine magic."

The High Priestess looked thoughtful: "Anything else?"

"One more thing—the sword technique he wields... bears traces of your own, High Priestess."

"What..." The High Priestess's starry eyes quivered, reflecting a winter's snow.

……

Gazing at the ancient Qichun tree in the sky, Qi Yuan raised his arm.

The mark of the crescent moon never appeared.

"Not the Moon Maiden?" Qi Yuan felt a pang of disappointment.

If the High Priestess were the Moon Maiden, then logically, the crescent mark on his hand would have surfaced.

And the Moon Maiden... would likely have sensed him and come to meet him.

Thus, that High Priestess was probably just a coincidence.

"Really, why does it have to snow?"

He stood in the vast snowy plain, letting the snow pile upon his shoulders.

As he drew closer to the Moon Dynasty, Qi Yuan stayed in an inn, growing bored, and stepped out alone.

His state of mind was vastly different from before.

Perhaps ten thousand years had already passed; everything had vanished into the river of time.

Even the Nangan Kingdom was no more.

The Tianyun Sect was a sect from nearly ten thousand years ago.

All things had faded into the dust of history.

Suddenly, snow kept slipping from the trees, falling onto Qi Yuan's shoulders and head.

He was about to look up when he saw, not far away, a woman in the bloom of her youth approaching gracefully.

She wore a fox-fur coat, her demeanor serene, her hood pushed back to reveal a face like a new moon's clear light, a tree of blossoms heaped with snow.

Her lips were thin, her eyes clear and deep, elegant and graceful.

She approached Qi Yuan, parting her vermilion lips slightly: "Is she... beautiful?"

She extended her jade-like finger, pointing at her own face.

Qi Yuan was momentarily stunned.

[This is a somewhat mysterious girl, with a deep bond to you.]

"Beautiful, very beautiful." Qi Yuan looked at this face, not knowing what he was thinking.

He wanted to find out her identity.

"Hehe, if she heard that, she would be very happy."

"She... who is she?" Qi Yuan looked at this face, many thoughts arising in his heart, along with a bold guess.

"She said, remember her face, so that in the future... when you meet her, you won't fail to recognize her."

"Is she Jinli?" Qi Yuan stared at this face, dazed.

He had waited long under the ancient Qichun tree, but never saw Jinli.

"She is also the Moon Maiden," the girl said softly.

Time and space froze once more at this moment.

Qi Yuan recalled the July Lake of the past, that stubborn girl.

The promise that had crossed time and space—the two were at opposite ends of time, originally impossible to meet, yet... through the arrangement of fate, they met in another form.

He did not know she was Jinli.

Nor did she know that he was the Qi Yuan she would come to know in the future.

In truth, it was not that they never met, nor that it was like seeing you, but that they had always been there.

"You... who are you?"

The girl before him changed her form, turning into a child of seven or eight.

Seeing the girl before him, Qi Yuan inexplicably thought of the Moon Maiden from back then.

He saw traces of the Moon Maiden in her.

"I am Mother's daughter, Father's daughter!" the girl looked at Qi Yuan, her face full of smiles, "I am also the most precious gift Father gave to Mother."

Back then, Jinli had taken her out from the statue of the Faceless Sword God.

All the memories surged into her heart.

She had truly seen him.

(End of chapter)