Chapter 378.1: Group Photo: The Martial God of Ten Thousand Paths

The atmosphere in the hall was heavy. It was so silent that a pin drop would have echoed.

Qi Yuan laughed awkwardly, feeling just as baffled. "Hehehe... My apologies. No, wait, let me try that again... Ahem."

He wanted to pry open Thunder's skull and see what was rattling around inside. How could Thunder even compare him to a god? Qi Yuan was nothing more than a puny Nascent Soul cultivator!

"Everyone, this is a misunderstanding. Old Thunder is my closest, dearest companion. I saved his life once, so it is only natural that he trusts me so much."

The assembled Martial Lords stared at Qi Yuan in disbelief.

Black Deer's gaze had gone cold. "I'd say you’re the one who did the brainwashing, Heavenly Sovereign. If even an omniscient and omnipotent god couldn't accomplish what you're claiming, how could you possibly do it?"

Other Martial Lords came forward in agreement.

"Just because you saved his life doesn't mean you can ignore the facts!"

Qi Yuan felt something snap inside him. "Hey, wait. Aren’t you being a bit hypocritical here? Why is Dong Jun allowed to do godly things, but I'm not?"

When did he ever say he was an almighty god? Besides, from what he could tell, Dong Jun wasn't all that much of a god either. So why did the comparison always favor Dong Jun?

The Martial Lords were momentarily stumped by his question.

A moment later, a female Titled Martial Lord stepped forward. "Heavenly Sovereign, your strength is undeniable, but Dong Jun is special. We must follow his guidance if we are to save this world."

The others echoed her sentiment at once.

"Heavenly Sovereign, even if you force us to bow before you, you cannot change our beliefs!"

His words were wasted on these people. They would stand behind Dong Jun no matter what. Anyone else would’ve lost patience by now, but not Qi Yuan.

He watched them curiously. "What if I told you that what Dong Jun is doing has nothing to do with saving the world?"

He thought back to the principles that Lord Great Wisdom had once shared with him. Wasn't Dong Jun's linguistic charisma itself a kind of principle?

"Impossible!"

"Dong Jun never lies. Even if he did, it would be for the sake of saving the world."

The Martial Lords spoke over each other, getting quite agitated. Even Black Deer, who had once been so respectful and mild-mannered toward Qi Yuan, seemed like an entirely different person. These people were more extreme than the most devoted fanatics in any cult. There was no reasoning with them.

Qi Yuan shrugged. "I don’t care about whatever Dong Jun has to say. But before I reach the Martial God of Ten Thousand Paths, I won't allow the worlds to merge. I am protecting this world for now."

The game quest mattered way more than the man he’d never even met. Besides, anyone who could lie so convincingly clearly was not a good person. Luckily, his nose could grow when necessary. At the same time, Qi Yuan didn't care about whatever Dong Jun was scheming unless it got in the way of his game quest. In that case, he would have to make a move. He was ready to solo the boss.

He declared, "If Dong Jun has a problem with that, he can come find me himself!"

With a flick of his sleeve, he vanished and returned to the Land of Death.

The tens of thousands of Martial Lords stared blankly at one another.

"The Heavenly Sovereign has lost his way."

"Or perhaps he is himself a piece of the Great Catasthrope."

"We've followed Dong Jun through so many resets. How could we possibly be wrong?"

"Why would we believe some newcomer over Dong Jun?"

These Martial Lords had nothing but grievances toward Qi Yuan. If he weren't so strong, they would've already imprisoned him to prevent him from interfering further.

"We must report this to Dong Jun at once!"

"Yes! Only Dong Jun can resolve this!"

They discussed and discussed, placing all their hope in Dong Jun's hands.

In the corner of the hall, Mu Yan listened to all of it, experiencing all manners of emotions. He looked at the other newly ascended Martial Lords who had come with him. They stared back at him. In the depths of their eyes lay the same dread and shock that he felt.

The Bloodline Ancestor who had brought Mu Yan here said gently, "I know you're close to the Heavenly Sovereign, so of course you'll side with him. But Dong Jun has never been wrong. Once you meet him, you'll understand why we trust him so much."

He held fondness towards the younger generation.

Mu Yan hesitated. "I..."

The ancestor added, "You don't have to outright oppose the Heavenly Sovereign. Once he meets Dong Jun, he'll come to believe in Dong Jun just as we do."

Mu Yan felt even more hesitant.

The ancestor smiled gently. "Sometimes, choosing to believe is better than despair. Nearly nine out of ten Martial Lords in this hall made the active choice to believe in Dong Jun."

Mu Yan was shaken. Active choice? What did that mean?

He forced the words out with difficulty. "But what if Dong Jun is wrong?"

The ancestor’s gaze burned fervently. "What everyone considers the truth cannot be mistaken. Faced with that choice, it is far better to believe of your own free will and offer your loyalty than to believe under compulsion."

Mu Yan wavered. "B-but... What if Dong Jun really isn't trying to save the world?"

The ancestor's expression remained gentle as ever. "First, Dong Jun does not make mistakes. He is saving the world. Second, everyone who has ever laid eyes on Dong Jun becomes his follower. With countless followers, Dong Jun cannot be mistaken. No one can resist him."

A tide of murderous intent surged in the ancestor's eyes as he glowered. "As for those who dared resist Dong Jun? Their bones now litter the Black Sea! We are the inner circle, those who followed him from the very beginning!"

His warm, grandfatherly face twisted into something vicious.

Mu Yan was frightened now. "I..."

The ancestor he had once known felt entirely like a stranger.

"Are you afraid? Become one of us, and you will never fear again. You have played a part in saving this world. Dong Jun will remember your contribution."

***

Night fell.

Qi Yuan lay sprawled in the grass, absentmindedly gazing at the sky. At this rate, am I ever going to comprehend the myriad dao?

This was why he preferred games about killing monsters. It was straight-forward and he could just bulldoze his way through. Not only did perception-based progression take far too long, but it was also so dull. As a young man at heart, Qi Yuan was impatient.

Just then, Zero-One appeared. "Master, I've brought the two blank marriage certificates. "

She handed the certificates to Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan took them, smiled in delight. "Not bad! I couldn't exactly move the Civil Affairs Bureau, but bringing some marriage certificates back is perfectly reasonable, isn't it? Even if they get destroyed, I can always make a copy."

This would be very useful. When I eventually meet Jin Li and my gorgeous master, I would just hand over the certificate. Perfect.

Qi Yuan pocketed the certificates when a flash of red at the side caught his eye. "Why do you have one as well? Don't tell me you're getting married?"

With a wave of her hand, a row of marriage certificates appeared. Each had Qi Yuan's photograph pasted inside.

Zero-One said with utmost consideration, "Master might want to get married again someday, so I had the Civil Affairs Bureau prepare a few extras. Whenever Master needs one, it'll be convenient."

Qi Yuan gave an approving nod. "You're very thorough. As expected of the AI I raised myself. You are far better than those so-called artificial idiots."

Machines really did think of everything. He was rather charming, after all.

Just then, something occurred to him. "Zero-One, you absolutely cannot let anyone smuggle these certificates. I am, after all, the champion of the Martial Arts Tournament. I have a lot of fans. There are definitely some obsessive types among them. Some who would be very enthusiastic about my marriage certificate. If they got their hands on these, I'd be in serious trouble."

Zero-One clutched the certificates tightly. "Where the certificates live, I live. Where the certificates perish, I perish."

Qi Yuan shook his head. "Don't say things like that, it's a bad omen. I suppose when you get older, you do get a little superstitious."

"Mrow. Mrow. Mrow."

Xie Xinsu let out a series of pointed meows from nearby. You literally ate a star, and you're going to talk about superstition?! Really?!