My Golden Core is a Star, do you call this cultivating?

Chapter 344: The Past of the Tong Family, the Transformation of Qin Yuan

Who in the heavens plays the flute, causing jade flowers to fall all over the world?

In the lands to the north and south, within the Ejiang River, snow drifted across ten thousand miles.

On the city walls, inside the tavern, and in small courtyards, everyone looked up at the sky, gazing at that terrifying figure.

"The Red Staff Demon Butcher… has exterminated the demons of Ejiang?"

"He actually wiped them out!"

Everyone knew that the Red Staff Demon Butcher would battle the demons of Ejiang. The battle was imminent, but no one expected it to begin so suddenly and end so quickly.

In just a few dozen breaths… it was over.

It was too hasty.

That was an army of twenty thousand demons, led by the Fish Woman of Ejiang! Yet, in the hands of the Red Staff Demon Butcher, they were more fragile than a nest of ants.

The once-mighty demon soldiers of Ejiang, like snowflakes, melted away under the scorching sun.

That blood-red, terrifying figure stood in the heavens like a deity.

Everyone looked at that figure, their expressions fervent, some in awe and some in reverence.

"If the Red Staff Demon Butcher wants this world, this empire, he could have it at his fingertips!"

"With such strength, even the Hundred Thousand Wei Long Guards couldn't stop him!"

"This is the true uncrowned king, the ruler of martial arts!"

Countless people exclaimed in shock.

All doubts vanished at that moment. Those who previously harbored thoughts of secretly undermining him found themselves coming forward with a clear conscience in the face of Qi Yuan's overwhelming power.

At that moment, the blood-red figure descended from the sky and landed on a hillside a thousand meters away.

The blood-red armor disappeared, and the blood-red figure standing in the snow was strikingly conspicuous.

"Mu Shi, let’s go. It’s time to leave."

In the vast snow, the blood-red figure didn’t glance at the people, leaving only a solitary silhouette behind.

In the tavern, Huo Mu Shi quickly grabbed the rope, pulling along two black sacks. The demons and humans inside the sacks hurriedly followed along as if jogging.

Seeing this, none of the people in the tavern dared to follow them.

Princess Lu Zhu hesitated for a moment, finally shouting, "Master, are you leaving?"

She had a feeling that if the Red Staff Demon Butcher left, she might never see him again.

Qi Yuan still did not turn around. At this moment, he was silently consuming the demon blood essence.

In this battle, after slaughtering twenty thousand demon soldiers, he had gained a massive amount of demon blood essence.

Such a large quantity of demon blood essence was of great help to him.

"Hmm, just now… how much did you learn?" Qi Yuan blurted out, momentarily stunned as he recalled the Moon Lady.

He wondered if he was getting old, constantly thinking of people from his past.

"I…" Princess Lu Zhu hesitated, "Nothing."

"In that case, we shall meet again if fate allows." Qi Yuan didn’t bother saying anything more.

To this world, he was merely a passerby, a game player.

After saying that, Qi Yuan’s gaze fell on the blood-red staff, his expression calm.

Suddenly, he raised his hand.

The blood-red staff was thrown into the Ejiang River.

Qi Yuan’s eyes revealed a bright smile, "If a monkey picks you up, that would be interesting."

Nearly all the demons in this world had been exterminated, and it was time for him to complete his mission and leave.

It could be said that in this world, he had profited immensely.

In less than a year, he had reached the Martial Spirit realm, equivalent to the Nascent Soul realm.

These "white moonlights" had really pampered him too much.

Throwing away the staff, Qi Yuan left alone, disappearing from sight.

---

Half a day later.

On a small boat.

Qi Yuan lay lazily on the boat, like a playboy out on a leisurely trip.

At the other end of the boat were two black bags.

The black bags were tightly sealed, looking like two people.

The world was full of speculation about what was in these black sacks. Some said it was a peerless beauty, hidden by the Red Staff Demon Butcher in the black sack. Others said they contained rare treasures, and that the Red Staff Demon Butcher’s formidable power came from obtaining these two treasures.

Now, the mystery of the black sacks was finally revealed, showing just the tip of the iceberg.

Qi Yuan had his back turned to Hua Yao (the Flower Demon) and the young Tong Youwei, not sparing them a glance.

Once arrogant, Hua Yao was now both pleased and shocked, but more than anything, she was quiet.

When she was first abducted, she thought she had fallen into the hands of an ignorant fool.

But after everything she had seen and heard along the way, her heart was numb and trembling.

"Master…"

She carefully chose her words, cautious not to offend this unparalleled martial artist.

She was also filled with confusion.

Why had this man captured her?

Qi Yuan shifted into a more relaxed position, still not looking at Hua Yao. His leisurely voice rang out, "Tell me the story of Tong Youwei and Hua Yao Manluo."

After hearing the last drama, it was time for him to leave this treasure land.

No, with the demon race now exterminated, this place could no longer be considered a treasure.

Hearing this, Hua Yao was puzzled. She didn’t know why this unrivaled strongman would ask this.

Nevertheless, she answered truthfully, though a trace of hatred flashed in her eyes.

"The story begins quite predictably. At Wangshan Temple, the wind howled, and rain poured down.

A young master of a noble family, who was staying overnight at the temple, saw a flower being battered by the wind and rain. He took it in and sheltered it under the eaves.

The flower in his arms remembered his scent.

Later, ten years passed. That flower cultivated into a human form and deliberately approached the young master. They met again at Wangshan Temple, and over time, fell in love. During a heavy rain, they secretly tasted the forbidden fruit…"

What followed was also quite melodramatic and full of twists.

That young master was the only son in seven generations of the Tong family, cherished dearly by his parents.

It could be said he had never suffered, growing up with a silver spoon in his mouth.

When the Tong family head learned his son was involved with a demon, he naturally opposed it and confined the young master.

After all, if the son married a demon, what would happen to the Tong family’s reputation? Moreover, even if a human and demon married, they could only bear a monster child.

Due to the family bloodline, the Tong family had only one descendant per generation.

If that demon bore a monster, wouldn't the Tong family line be severed? "Master Tong met with Hua Yao Manluo and said that the Tong family's bloodline could not end. After Tong Youwei got married and had children, only then could the two of them meet again.

But what he didn’t know was that Hua Yao Manluo was already pregnant.

To avoid giving birth to a monster, she went alone to the Wanzhang Thorn Mountains of Shu Demon Mountain, enduring injuries all over her body, just to pick a Yuan-Shedding Fruit.

The Yuan-Shedding Fruit could ensure the safe birth of her child, but… the cost was her own life.

Later, I was born, and Tong Youwei married a new wife."

Hua Yao's young face was filled with deep hatred.

"Haha, the funniest thing is, Tong Youwei’s wife couldn’t conceive.

He panicked, afraid that he was infertile and would be ridiculed.

Haha, so to have offspring, he took his wife to Wangshan Temple, where a monk… hahaha, eventually gave birth to Tong Tianyou.

However, afraid of scandal, as soon as Tong Tianyou was born, he harmed his own wife.

Fatherly kindness, filial piety, harmonious family life, their days were truly wonderful.

So, I poisoned Tong Tianyou, tricked Master Tong, telling him that to save Tong Tianyou, they needed the heart of Tong Youwei, his closest kin! They kept saying how much they loved their son, that they would pluck the stars for him.

But they thought that since Tong Youwei couldn’t have children, but Tong Tianyou could, they personally drugged Tong Youwei and delivered him to me to save their grandson.

At that time, when I removed his heart, he cried so pathetically, constantly repenting. The old lady of the Tong family cried her eyes out, hahaha, she was the one who tricked Tong Youwei into drinking the bewitched soup.

She turned white-haired overnight; the affection between close relatives was truly touching.

And in the end… all that love was just nonsense. They only loved themselves and the feeling of love itself!"

Hua Yao's voice was frenzied, hysterical.

She was filled with resentment toward the Tong family and Tong Youwei, seemingly wishing to eat his flesh and drink his blood.

Qi Yuan lay on his side, lazily yawning, "It’s quite a complicated tale. Fortunately, I didn’t use my brain back at Wangshan Temple. Otherwise… I wouldn’t have met so many of my dear 'white moonlights.'

Not bad, getting to watch a drama before leaving, not bad at all."

At this point, Hua Yao, standing on the small boat, had a sinister smile in her eyes: "When I was three, I dug out my own womb and crafted it into a magical tool. They… the Tong family is going to be extinct, hahaha…"

It seemed that for her, this was the most thorough and best form of revenge.

Hua Yao laughed maniacally, both sorrowful and pitiful.

Tong Tianyou stood nearby, looking at Hua Yao, his expression somewhat moved.

It seemed he was also affected by Hua Yao, his mood somewhat somber.

"The world is too chaotic. Why think too much? I have a sword to sever it all."

At this moment, a lazy voice came. The figure stood up.

Hearing Qi Yuan’s words, Tong Tianyou's expression changed slightly, and all the previous worries disappeared.

He looked at Qi Yuan, lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.

Beside him, Hua Yao stumbled and faltered, her emotions collapsing.

Qi Yuan viewed everything before him as if it were a drama, though he occasionally took part.

"Mu Shi, after I leave, you go back to Zhenyang and tell Master Tong that their family line has ended."

As his words fell, Qi Yuan's figure disappeared.

All the demons in this world had been slain. The few remaining stragglers were not worth his attention. It was time to leave.

"Master!" Huo Mu Shi looked at the empty space ahead, his expression filled with a fleeting sense of loss.

---

Qin Yuan Country, Tianyue City.

In a three-bedroom apartment, a woman in a thin silk nightgown lay with her eyes tightly shut, cold sweat on her forehead, her bangs in disarray.

Suddenly, she woke up with a start, gasping for breath.

"Another nightmare?"

Zhong Niao sat up, her face filled with deep fear.

Lately, she had been having nightmares every day.

She dreamed of a crack appearing in the sky, from which a woman identical to her emerged and stabbed her to death.

The cold expression of that woman was still vivid in her memory.

She had been having these dreams for three days in a row.

"Could I really be suffering from some deficiency, having these strange dreams?"

Zhong Niao looked anxious.

In her dreams, she saw cracks appearing in the sky, with numerous bizarre figures or demons emerging.

They seemed to come from other worlds, dressed in various ancient costumes, or riding in high-tech warships.

They were fighting each other!

She was also killed by an ancient version of herself.

"Generally speaking, dreams are projections of reality.

The reason I'm having these dreams is probably related to the arrival of the cultivators at Gonxing half a year ago."

Zhong Niao comforted herself this way.

Half a year ago, a rift in the world appeared on Gonxing.

Four great cultivation worlds connected with Gonxing, and numerous cultivators descended upon Gonxing.

This had a tremendous impact on Gonxing.

These cultivators could fly, move at lightning speed, their speed comparable to fighter jets, displaying powerful and bizarre abilities.

The appearance of these cultivators caused great upheaval in Gonxing society.

At that time, there was even a great demon, wielding a Soul Banner, shouting about slaughtering a city.

This great demon was an old ancestor of a demon sect, a giant in the demon path, a Nascent Soul Patriarch.

At that time, people were in a panic.

And the "Eye of Heaven" showed its immense power at that moment.

It directly pinpointed and annihilated that great demon.

At that time, Qin Yuan Country erupted in cheers.

The four great cultivation worlds were also shaken by this event.

They hadn’t expected that Gonxing would possess such a terrifying weapon of that level.

Later, the Seven Martial Stars and the four great cultivation worlds sat down for a month of negotiations, signing numerous agreements.

Some were related to trade, others to establishing dojos and cultivation schools.

Zhong Niao thought that these events left a deep impression on her, which is why… she dreamed that other worlds had also descended upon Gonxing, and a person identical to her appeared and killed her.

"Unfortunately, Qi Yuan has disappeared. Otherwise, I could have asked him to check if I'm possessed by a ghost.

He’s a cultivator and knows a lot."

Zhong Niao thought.

Over the past year, she had looked for Qi Yuan several times.

The news she received was that Qi Yuan was no longer around.

This disappointed her quite a bit.

Qi Yuan was a cultivator, and since she was familiar with him, perhaps he could investigate her recent nightmares.

She had helped Qi Yuan with his mental illness back then, so now… Qi Yuan helping her with her problem seemed reasonable, right?

---

Tianxuan Building, a place bustling with people from all walks of life.

"Hey everyone, this is Tianxuan Building." A female streamer, dressed in a revealing outfit, held her phone up, filming the building in front of her. "It’s said that this building was given to the mysterious cultivation sect, Xuantian Sect, by the Seven Martial Stars. This is also our province's… first prestigious cultivation sect."

When the four cultivation worlds connected with Gonxing, each major sect decided to establish a presence on Gonxing.

A sect like the Xuantian Sect, which had a Nascent Soul old monster in residence, was undoubtedly a major sect.

Such a sect was referred to as a top-grade immortal sect.

Placing its headquarters on Blue Star was akin to being part of the 985 elite.

As for the other small cultivation sects, well… they were much less.

"Damn it, why does our province, with so many people, have only one top-grade immortal sect?"

"Too bad they only recruit disciples based on talent!"

"Look at all those people kneeling outside Tianxuan Building, just for a chance at a single thread of immortal fate."

"I also want to join a top-grade immortal sect like Xuantian Sect!"

"A sixty-year-old widow from my neighborhood, who had always been single, finally joined a sect comparable to Xuantian Sect, and then was noticed by a marquis who directly married her!"

"Sister, check your inner wear and avoid stepping on any landmines."

In the live stream, people from all over the country watched Tianxuan Building with envy in their eyes.

Joining such a major sect was truly like a fish leaping over the dragon gate; it meant becoming a superior person for life.

At this moment, on the rooftop of Tianxuan Building, a tall woman with star-like eyes and sword-like brows looked quite haggard.

She looked down at the people kneeling below Tianxuan Building, a disappointed expression on her face: "All… trash spiritual roots!"