My Core is the Boss-Chapter 199.2: Mythic Plan

Thunder sighed once again. "In any case, his talent is incredible, but he's extremely stubborn. I can't persuade him."

The white-haired old man snapped, hating that iron wouldn't become steel. "How useless! Just knock him out and bring him back!”

"I don't want to be the villain," Thunder said, then added, "his talent is too high. Even after relying on supreme treasures, he still can't become a True God. Hence, he plans to go to the Ancestral Land instead."

The old man fell silent for a long while. "So you're asking me to be the villain?"

The Ancestral Land lay in the southern lands.

Thunder explained slowly, "If he still fails even after stepping into the Ancestral Land, find a way to keep him in the south. Make up a method to reach the True God realm. If he does succeed, you must keep him in the south all the more. His future is no less than a Destiny Child.”

Then, he added earnestly, "This is the hope of our Mortal Heart World: when the great gate opens, let the seeds of hope leave the world."

After all, even at its peak, the Mortal Heart World had still been defeated by the evil gods. All the Mythics had perished in the Hongtang War.

Thus, the Mythic Plan was set into motion, mobilizing the strength of the entire realm to cultivate Destiny Children. Their purpose was to create Mythic powerhouses and seeds. In the end, the Mythic powerhouses would strike together, shatter the great gate, and escort the world's seeds out. This would also be their final hope.

Of course, under the blockade of the evil gods, likely only a few ancient gods could escape. Still, even if one escaped, that would be more than enough.

The old man looked at Thunder for a long time. "Even I do not know whether the Mythic Plan can truly be carried out successfully. If his talent is sufficient, I can give him one of the core slots."

Thunder said solemnly, "Thank you."

Old men like them, whose journey had already ended, had no core slots. They were reserved for the Mythic Seeds. Once everything was ready, all the ancient gods would split into two groups. One group would launch a sudden, massive assault on the evil gods, drawing their attention. The other group would sacrifice themselves to open the great gate, sending the Mythics and Mythic Seeds out.

"Oh, right," the old man added. "Chu Kexiu obtained a powerful evil artifact. He was sent to the Outer Heavens some time ago, and now that he's returned, his divine domain has advanced even further."

Chu Kexiu had once been Thunder's friend. However, he ultimately betrayed the ancient gods by defecting to the evil gods. The betrayal enraged Thunder so much that he recklessly charged out alone, fighting two Great Venerables at once. One of them was Chu Kexiu. If not for the old man's timely arrival, Thunder would have fallen in that battle.

Thunder cursed, falling into desolation, "That damned dog bastard! ...I am no longer his match, huh? It seems that I won't have a chance to fight that bastard again."

His words pierced the old man. He had deliberately mentioned Chu Kexiu to stir Thunder's desire for revenge, after all.

Thunder stared at him, a look of resignation in his eyes. "If I trick that kid into staying in the south, he'll definitely resent me. I won't be able to face him again. It'd be too awkward. So let this useless, broken body of mine do one last thing for him. Feiling Prefecture, Zhang Feng—I’ll clear all these enemies for him!"

He was already gravely injured. At most, he only had three hundred years left. In such a state, there was no way he stood a chance against any Great Venerable. Regardless, he was confident in his ability to kill a Second Step evil god of Feiling Prefecture, and Zhang Feng, who was at Third Step. After killing those two, however, he would likely be unable to escape from the fallen zone.

The old man sorrowfully looked at Thunder. "I will take good care of him."

"Mhm. Enough talk, the kid should be back soon."

His projection dissipated beside the old man.

In the barren land, blood-red liquid flowed. The white-haired old man rose and gazed at the sky, his expression bleak.

Just then, his jade slip flickered, and a figure shrouded entirely in black robes appeared.

The old man's face became steep. "Why are you here? Be careful!"

The figure said hoarsely, "I have discovered a new node. Its location is at the heavens—"

Hearing this, the old man's face lit up with joy. "Another node? That's good news."

The nodes were key to the Mythic Plan. Whether the great gate of the Mortal Heart World could be opened hung solely on them.

The black-robed figure did not move at all, showing no joy. After about a dozen breaths, his calm voice sounded again. "I killed Great Venerable Pear Blossom."

The old man fell silent, then said hoarsely, "This has nothing to do with you."

"Mhm," the black-robed figure replied flatly, then vanished from where he stood.

***

Clearwater Village.

Shi Chongshan went forward, smiling warmly at Big Black Dog. "Sworn Brother, you're back."

Big Black Dog nodded. It glanced at Zhu Zhuangshi nearby, and spat out a large bone.

Seeing this, Shi Chongshan said to Zhu Zhuangshi, "Why aren't you thanking Sworn Brother? Even at the banquet, he still thought of you and brought a bone back!"

Zhu Zhuangshi stared at the bone, wanting to cry but could not produce any tears. In the past, when he went home from a banquet, he'd brought a bone for the dog. How karma had come full circle. Since he didn't dare get angry at the dog, he glared at Shi Chongshan instead. Just wait until I grow stronger. I'll make you pay, you treacherous villain!

Of course he didn't eat the bone. Big Black Dog wasn't really trying to humiliate him either.

"Alright, why are you two babbling?" At that moment, Qi Yuan appeared. Then, he turned to Yulei, who was watching the show. "Select some people to go with me to the Ancestral Land."

Hearing this, Yulei's heart leaped into his throat. "Lord God, how many people do you want?"

Qi Yuan said casually, "Hmm... Seven or eight."

Subduing Dragon Arhat and Taming Tiger Arhat were definite picks along with Long-Browed Arhat and Laughing Arhat. Besides that, Qi Yuan also planned to bring seven or eight villagers along.

Yulei asked eagerly, "Lord God, may I go?"

Qi Yuan said calmly, "If you're not afraid of death, sure."

Entering the Ancestral Land was extremely dangerous for those below the True God realm. Even Great Venerables could fall there.

Qi Yuan instructed, "Let the villagers volunteer. Make the dangers clear to them. If no one volunteers, then just forget it. You shall decide if too many people volunteer. Pick eight capable ones."

This trip required some preparation. After all, according to Yulei and Shen Tu, the Ancestral Land had many perilous regions, but also many extremely safe ones. Qi Yuan's brow could predict fortune and disaster, making him well-suited to venture inside.

Afterward, Qi Yuan turned to Thunder. "Old Thunder, want to come with me to the Ancestral Land and be my bodyguard?"

Thunder shot him a sideways glance. "You wish."

Qi Yuan complained indignantly, "Haa... You eat and drink at Clearwater Village every day, but you're completely useless. When we went on campaign, I even asked you to join the band and play heavenly thunder as background music, and you refused. You stingy old man. You won't even drop a single gold coin. What, you think you're just a mascot?"

Thunder was enthusiastic at banquets but did nothing else.

In response, Thunder said leisurely, stroking his beard. "Don't worry. Now that you're back, I have a great gift for you!"

Qi Yuan glanced at him. "Just don't make it too abstract. My biggest expectation of you is still adding some background music."

Thunder glared. "I'm a dignified Great Venerable! You want me to throw thunder while you fight? What are you thinking?!"

He, a proud reckless warrior, reduced to a thunder-producing machine. Where was the dignity in that?

Qi Yuan sighed. "Throwing thunder is also a technical skill. Looks like I'll have to summon the Thunder Division."

The Thunder Division was one of the Eight Divisions of the Heavenly Court. In the mortal world, they governed clouds, rain, wind, and thunder. Furthermore, they presided over the Three Realms, passing judgment on good and evil. As such, the division was especially renowned within the Eight Divisions.

As for the one in charge of said division, it was the Heavenly Venerable of Thunder and Universal Transformation of the Nine Heavens. With such an extraordinary background, he was rumored to be an incarnation of the Longevity Emperor, one of the Four Sovereigns. If Qi Yuan could visualize that being, then every future campaign would be utterly imposing, thunder filling the skies.

Naturally, said Venerable's rank was extremely high. With his current spiritual energy, Qi Yuan probably couldn't visualize him. Then what about the Five Thunder Emperors or the Thirty-Six Thunder Generals? Those were worth trying. Once visualized, the special effects would be maxed out.

"Why is there another Thunder Division now?" Thunder laughed. "You people of the Huaxia Dragon Group really are overflowing with talent!"