Golden Core is a Star, and You Call This Cultivation?

"After Tian Kai went to the front lines, the attempts to recruit me have increased."

Qi Yuan glanced at the messages. Many god-children had sent him invitations to collaborate.

After all, Pillar Tian Kai was now at the front lines, and it was possible that they, the god-children, would soon be summoned to join the battle.

The mortality rate at the front lines was extremely high.

Even god-children had a high chance of dying in battle.

So, at this moment, many god-children set aside their past grievances and banded together, cooperating to improve their strength.

However, Qi Yuan paid little attention to these matters.

For him, the game was the most important thing.

As for war... what was that?

...

Sky Federation.

Professor Liu's face was filled with worry as he stared at the data on his computer screen. The overwhelming amount of information made him dizzy and unsure of what to do.

"The public restrooms have indeed helped reduce the number of deaths caused by Wraiths, but during this period... the number of Wraiths has skyrocketed, and various disasters and accidents have become more frequent... the number of daily deaths is still increasing," Professor Liu said gravely.

Everyone in the room looked grim.

Originally, they had thought that with the help of the Vampire Emperor, they could reduce the number of deaths caused by Wraiths.

And indeed, the number had decreased significantly, but the Wraiths were now targeting even more people.

Coupled with other disasters and accidents, the number of daily deaths... was still rising.

"Could it be that even a god who can command the laws of nature with his words cannot save us?" one expert said, his voice breaking.

In the past, he had been the most staunch atheist.

When he learned of the existence of the Vampire Emperor, he had fervently hoped that the god was real.

A god could save the world.

The public restrooms appeared, and the Wraiths stopped killing.

He had been overjoyed.

But now, the number of deaths was still increasing.

"Could it be... that even a god cannot save us?"

The experts in the room fell silent.

They were experts in various fields, outstanding talents.

But they were also human, weak and ordinary.

Without supernatural powers, they were just like everyone else.

"Humans have built strong fortresses and weapons with a range of thousands of miles, yet they cannot protect themselves or determine their own fate. How tragic is that?"

Someone lamented.

In the Sky Federation, ordinary people were still immersed in joy.

Because the public restrooms had truly helped them avoid the persecution of Wraiths.

They felt that there was hope for life, hope for the future.

But they didn't have access to information channels, nor could they see the data. Moreover, the government was deliberately or unintentionally covering up the news.

They didn't know that the sky was now like a barrel of oil, with explosions happening everywhere and a large number of people dying every day.

"I want... to meet the Vampire Emperor and see if He has a way... to save us."

"Perhaps, there's something wrong with this land. If we leave... would the problem go away?"

"During this period, a mysterious figure has appeared in various parts of the Federation, suspected to be the Vampire Emperor. Here is his information."

One expert spoke up and then projected the data onto the large screen.

There were no photos of Qi Yuan recorded here.

Modern technology, such as phones and cameras, couldn't capture his form.

The information about him was mostly based on descriptions from others.

The others felt uneasy.

Facing a god, they felt a mix of reverence and fear of the unknown.

"From the descriptions above, the Vampire Emperor... is handsome, kind-hearted, and hates evil. His actions are somewhat eccentric," Professor Liu said.

To be honest, the descriptions he read felt astonishing and absurd.

In his mind, if there were a god, the god should be lofty, mysterious, and unknowable, majestic and grand.

But the descriptions of Qi Yuan were a bit too down-to-earth.

Eating braised pork rice, eating pig trotter rice, and even paying for it.

"About gods, it's best not to speculate. What if this is just one side of him, playing around in the mortal world?"

"I really want to meet the god and ask him... what the solution is."

Many experts began to have other thoughts.

They wanted to meet Qi Yuan and ask about the Wraiths and the deaths.

But how could they get the chance to meet a god?

At that moment, a calm voice suddenly rang out in the hall.

"Oh, you're all here."

A man in a blood-red robe appeared, sitting lazily on a conference seat.

Everyone looked at him, their expressions tense, then filled with awe.

"Are you... the Vampire Emperor?" Professor Liu swallowed hard.

"You could say that," Qi Yuan smiled. "Let's cut to the chase. I'm here to save you."

Hearing this, the experts felt a mix of joy and wariness.

A god said he was here to save them?

What were the god's intentions?

Was this all an act, and now he was showing his true colors?

Was there a conspiracy?

Naturally, other thoughts arose in their minds.

"By the way, whether you believe I'm here to save you or not doesn't matter," Qi Yuan continued to smile.

He was playing a game, advancing the plotline.

Whether the NPCs trusted him or not wasn't important.

As long as they cooperated to progress the story.

The experts felt a chill, as if they had been seen through.

"All you need to do is cooperate with me."

"What I want is simple... you need to... believe in me"

"As for how I'll save you... I can't be bothered to explain."

"Oh, and I'm more terrifying than the Wraiths. If I wanted to, I could wipe out the Sky Federation with a single finger."

Qi Yuan's voice was calm, but it carried an undeniable authority.

Qi Yuan was lawful good, so he was willing to reason with the NPCs.

If he were more unscrupulous, he could have simply activated the *Great Forgetfulness Heart Sutra* and forced the world's inhabitants to believe in him without their consent.

"Alright," Professor Liu agreed solemnly.

He knew that facing a god, he had no say and no bargaining power.

After all, gods were unknown and terrifying to them.

"Alright, I'll be off now. I have important matters to attend to.

Oh, and the god you'll be believing in is called the Origin Heavenly God."

After saying this, Qi Yuan disappeared.

The reason he wanted the inhabitants of the Sky Federation to believe in him was twofold: to increase his faith and to use that faith to create a World Spirit.

The Sky Federation had no World Spirit.

Qi Yuan planned to use faith to create one, and then transfer the misfortunes and curses of damnation onto himself.

This was his method to protect the Abandoned Lands.

Of course, for Abandoned Lands that already had a World Spirit, it wouldn't be so complicated.

He could simply devour the World Spirit and transfer the misfortunes and curses onto himself.

After leaving the conference room, Qi Yuan appeared in many places.

Perhaps by a pond.

His voice carried a strange charm: "Grass carp, crucian carp, turtles, paramecium... you must believe in me."

Perhaps in front of a mountain.

"Tigers, sparrows, tung trees... you must believe in me."

Throughout the Sky Federation, Qi Yuan's figure appeared everywhere.

Wherever there were living beings, he harvested their faith.

"Stones, gold elements, protons, cations... do you believe in me?"

Finally, Qi Yuan tentatively asked.

But this time, he didn't get the answer he wanted.

"These... cannot believe in me."

...

"Detection... a True God-level powerhouse has appeared in the Shuxing Domain."

In a sealed palace, a voice rang out.

Inside the palace were many large cocoons of various colors.

As the voice spoke, three cocoons cracked open, and powerful auras filled the air.

Three True God-level powerhouses stepped out.

They all exuded the aura of Divine Decree realm.

"Got a job?" The leader, a man with red hair, spoke with a casual tone, wearing streamlined armor.

"Looks like we're about to make a small profit," a burly woman said, her eyes filled with greed.

The last one was cloaked in black, his entire body shrouded in darkness, and he didn't like to talk.

"Same rules as always. Whoever contributes the most gets the most resources," the red-haired man said, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"I hope... he's carrying a lot of resources," the burly woman licked her thick lips.

They were from the Heavenly King Mountain, part of a mysterious alliance.

Outside, they couldn't act as bandits, and their cultivation resources were tight.

But in the Abandoned Lands, they could receive missions to hunt and harvest True Gods who mistakenly entered this place.

After killing those True Gods, the spoils would belong to them.

Moreover, they would receive rewards from the mysterious organization.

This was even better than being bandits.

"I hope he's a wealthy god, preferably... with a deep background," the burly woman said casually.

That way, their harvest would be even greater.

"Aren't you afraid... that he might have powerful treasures that allow him to unleash strength beyond his realm?" the red-haired man said calmly.

"This is the Abandoned Lands... even if he's a Divine Lord, so what?" The burly woman patted her streamlined silver armor. "I have the Water-Fire Silver Armor to ward off calamities. What about him?

The longer he stays in the Abandoned Lands, the deeper the entanglement of karma, and the closer he is to death."

This special armor was created by the mysterious organization.

It only appeared on them when they were on missions.

Once the mission was over, it would be taken back.

This armor could effectively prevent them from becoming deeply entangled with the Abandoned Lands, isolating them from the curses and misfortunes.

"Unless absolutely necessary, we can't use this method. Otherwise, we won't receive the organization's rewards," the red-haired man said calmly.

This method was indeed omnipotent.

Using the misfortunes and curses of the Abandoned Lands against their enemies.

But if they did that, their mission wouldn't be considered complete.

Their goal was to harvest, to hunt down the True Gods who mistakenly entered this place... not to use the calamitous power of the Abandoned Lands to kill them.

After all, the latter would only allow them to obtain the spoils of the True God.

"Don't worry, with the three of us working together, how could we not be a match for him?" the burly woman said.

The red-haired man nodded. "We need to hurry. If someone else completes the mission, wouldn't we have worked for nothing?"

"Humph, last time I almost killed a pretty boy, but the Water Star Palace actually saved him. How infuriating," the burly woman said angrily when mentioning this.

The organization's missions weren't just taken by the three of them.

Moreover, different factions had different ways of completing missions.

The Heavenly King Mountain usually hunted down those who mistakenly entered, taking their spoils and the organization's rewards.

As for the Water Star Palace, they persuaded the intruders to leave.

Of course, "persuading to leave"... didn't mean that leaving the Abandoned Lands would solve everything.

"There are many worlds in the Shuxing Domain. Let's split up. If we encounter that True God, don't act rashly and alert him. Contact us, and we'll attack together," the red-haired man said.

The cloaked man nodded, his voice hoarse. "Alright."

...

Sky Federation.

Following the Federation's orders, all citizens began to believe in the Origin Heavenly God.

Everything was progressing step by step.

As for believing in the Origin Heavenly God, the people... were naturally resistant.

After all, who would want a god hanging over their heads?

However, when they learned that the Origin Heavenly God was the one who had issued the divine decree, creating the public restrooms to block the Wraiths, and that he could bring stability to the Sky Federation, more and more people chose to believe in him.

After all, if the god was useful, what harm was there in believing in him?

At this moment, in an underground conference room.

Professor Liu listened to the discussions of the others, frowning.

"This so-called god might just be putting on an act. Our weapons... are capable of leveling mountains. Could it be... that we can't kill him?" an old man said.

With today's advanced technology, no flesh-and-blood body could withstand humanity's advanced weapons.

Another person spoke up. "He possesses the ability to teleport, making it difficult to pinpoint his location. Moreover... he might have other abilities. The success rate of ambushing him is less than ten percent."

Clearly, they were discussing deicide!

After all, whether believing in the Origin Heavenly God was good or bad, they didn't know.

What if the Origin Heavenly God had ulterior motives?

"So, do you want to test the god's limits? Who will test him, how will you test him, and can we bear the consequences?" an irritable old man said.

Immediately, the others fell silent, not daring to speak further.

Indeed, there weren't many opportunities for trial and error in the world.

Who could bear the consequences of failure?

The ruling class?

That would be them.

Elsewhere, on a quiet street, a cold wind blew, carrying a plastic bag with it.

An old man in a Taoist robe looked lazy.

He looked at the young man ahead, his expression indifferent.

"Fellow Daoist, do you know that you are in great danger?"

As the old man looked at Qi Yuan, Qi Yuan also looked at him. "Oh? What do you mean?"

"You probably don't know that this is the Abandoned Lands," the old man said lightly, as if expecting to see shock, fear, and panic in Qi Yuan's eyes.

However, he saw none of that.

"Oh, I know," Qi Yuan shrugged. He thought it was something serious.

The old man was slightly stunned, then realized.

This True God before him was probably a rogue True God who didn't know the terror of the Abandoned Lands.

"The Abandoned Lands are a forbidden zone. Even the legendary Dao Gods, if they stay here too long, will be plagued by calamities and eventually meet a gruesome end.

Fellow Daoist, if you continue to stay here collecting faith, I'm afraid... your end will be tragic.

There's only one way to survive."

"Oh, how can I survive?" Qi Yuan asked curiously.

"Join our Water Star Palace," the old man said. "As long as you serve the Water Star Palace for a hundred million years, the calamities on you will be cleansed, and you will survive."

"Then forget it," Qi Yuan refused.

Hearing this answer, the old man wasn't surprised.

"Indeed, until calamities befall you, even a god won't feel pain or regret. But once calamities entangle you, even the Water Star Palace won't be able to save you.

You might think I'm exaggerating, but this is the truth."

The old man spoke, and a stream of information flowed out, which Qi Yuan received.

This information was vast, mostly detailing the tragic fates of many True Gods who had mistakenly entered this place.

"Now... do you believe me?"

"You're lucky to have met me. If you had encountered the cultivators from the Heavenly King Mountain... they probably wouldn't give you a chance to live. They would kill you on the spot. Only our Water Star Palace is kind enough to give every cultivator a chance."

The old man spoke indifferently, with a hint of arrogance.

Generally, when faced with the choice between death and serving for a hundred million years to survive, True Gods would choose the latter.

After all, life was the most precious and important thing.

A hundred million years was but a blink of an eye.