My Core is the Boss-Chapter 92: North South Pact

Lord Withered Tree asked, “How is it? Is he worth nurturing?"

Elder Xuanchong’s eyes showed a trace of complexity. “I cannot see through him.”

Lord Withered Tree was visibly moved by that statement. Since Elder Xuanchong joined the Divine Radiance Sect, there had only ever been one person he couldn’t see through, Ruan Yixi.

“So, the one who killed Po Lang was likely Qi Yuan?” Lord Withered Tree stroked his beard. “It seems his talent has already brushed against the threshold of the supreme prodigies. He’s qualified. Definitely worthy of our focused nurturing."

Elder Xuanchong chuckled. “And what if he’s not interested in being nurtured by you?”

Lord Withered Tree was momentarily speechless. After a pause, he said, “I’ll provide him with whatever cultivation resources he needs to help him reach the Nascent Soul realm smoothly.”

The elder smiled thinly. “That brat keeps claiming he’s Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment. What if he aims to form an Immortal Core? Can you still afford to supply him?”

Lord Withered Tree was rendered speechless.

“To win him over,” Elder Xuanchong continued, “you need to offer him what he actually needs. For example, he seems intent on strengthening his divine soul. You’ve got a few things in your collection that could help with that. Don’t hoard them. You and I both know that you’ll never step into the Violet Palace realm in this lifetime. Better to invest those treasures in him. Tell him the truth, and everyone wins.”

Lord Withered Tree fell into a long silence. Those few things were his very foundation. Once gone, his chances of ever reaching the Violet Palace realm would drop to nearly zero.

He pondered, hesitating.

***

“Dear husband, could it be that you’re afraid of me now? Too scared to meet your little wife?”

After finishing the Soul-Split Pill Elder Xuanchong had given him, Qi Yuan soon heard that familiar voice within the game again. It was clearer than ever, as if she were whispering right beside his ear.

Hearing Ning Tao’s voice instantly made his temper flare. It was like two people flaming each other online.

“Just you wait! When I find you, I’ll hang you up and beat you!”

Ning Tao had been adorable at first, soft-spoken and gentle. But lately, she’d gotten way too arrogant, constantly provoking him.

***

Flowing Wind World.

Ning Tao reclined on a silken couch, her snowy features hidden behind a black veil. Her black gown faintly revealed the flawless white skin beneath.

Hearing Qi Yuan’s outburst, she smiled with dangerous allure. “Husband, your wife awaits your arrival.”

She waited for a reply, but none came. With a soft sigh, she rose, draping a cloak over her shoulders and stepping out of the palace.

A group of women in uniform robes approached respectfully. Two of them exuded Supreme aura.

They stepped forward. “Palace Master, we have finally retrieved the Soul-Locking Jade after a hundred years of effort.”

They presented the jade with both hands.

Ning Tao received it, her smile deepening. “Husband... let’s see where you’ll run off this time.”

The Soul-Locking Jade was one of Flowing Wind World’s Supreme treasures. Its sole purpose was to trace a powerful being’s remnants and forcibly anchor their soul.

For centuries, Ning Tao had been searching for the owner of that mysterious voice. Over the millennia, her feelings toward him had shifted from fear and gratitude to reliance, then to something far more complicated.

In her eyes, the voice’s owner was surely a Supreme. And she herself, even among Supremes, was peerless. She feared no one.

“Husband, this time, I’ll trap you inside the Demonic Egg. I’ll seal your memories. When the shell breaks, I’ll appear before you and tell you I’m your mother.”

That voice, to the young Ning Tao, had always felt like a fatherly presence. Now, she would reverse that bond. She wanted to imprison him by her side, to make him hear her voice every day.

After all, hadn’t he always disappeared right after speaking to her? 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

With the Soul-Locking Jade in hand, Ning Tao began her preparations. To lock a Supreme’s soul was no easy feat.

No one knew how much time passed before darkness blanketed Flowing Wind World once more. Jagged black mountains pierced the heavens like blades. Palaces and towers stood upon them, and shadows moved among the spires.

Then, within the darkness, two orbs of light appeared.

They were eyes. Massive, lantern-like eyes that hung in the sky.

Through them, one could faintly discern the monstrous visage of the creature that owned them.

A vast, echoing voice shook the world. “Where is the Palace Master of Skyheart Palace?”

In the air above, Ning Tao appeared. “Greetings, Demon Crocodile.”

“The North South Pact has been officially signed. Leave your name.”

A flicker of emotion crossed Ning Tao’s gaze.

So, it had finally begun. She had heard whispers of the North South Pact since birth and now, at last, it was being enacted.

This was the world’s ultimate contest. The winner becomes its ruler, while the loser would be utterly annihilated.

She stretched out a slender hand and wrote her name upon the decree.

The Demon Crocodile’s lantern-eyes slowly closed, and the world once again fell into darkness.

Floating in the void, Ning Tao whispered to herself, “Husband... which side are you on?”

In Flowing Wind World, there were two great factions. The Demon Tamers, also known as Demonfolk; and the Demon Slayers, also known as Exorcists.

The two sides were utterly irreconcilable. Whenever they met, one side would perish.

“The North South Pact... one hundred and eight thousand cities. I wonder how long they’ll last.”

Ning Tao herself hailed from the northern Demonfolk lands.

“Husband, if you’re one of the Exorcists, I’ll just have to tie you up. If you try to slay demons and hurt me, what would I do then?”

However, the tides of the world favored the Demonfolk. The Exorcists would soon vanish from history. The world would belong to demons and their kind. Such a mad world it was.

***

Seven days later...

Qi Yuan lay in the courtyard with Little Bride, basking in the sun. Because Little Bride preferred lying on flat boards, he had kindly modified his chair into one.

The two of them lay side by side, warm and content.

Little Bride was exactly as she’d been in the game. Silly and clumsy, she often bumped into things when she walked. After all the years apart, being together again felt perfectly natural.

Outside the wooden hut, Jiang Lingsu looked utterly confused.

Yesterday, she had seen the strange creature Qi Yuan brought home awaken. It was clearly an other-race being.

The Canglan World had many such races, so that wasn’t shocking. What was shocking was how close she was to Qi Yuan. She was following him everywhere like a little wife.

Jiang Lingsu finally asked, “Senior brother, tell me... how did you trick Little Bride into following you?”

Qi Yuan replied, “Maybe I'm just that handsome?”

He had, of course, conquered Little Bride with his looks.

Jiang Lingsu rolled her eyes. Handsome, yes. But insufferable once you open your mouth.

“And what’s her origin?” she pressed.

Her Kunqian Mirror couldn’t read Little Bride’s cultivation, which was bizarre.

“She’s my wife. I married her, there was an entire wedding procession.”

Jiang Lingsu huffed, glaring before retreating to her hut. “Fine, don’t tell me.”

Just then, a white crane descended from the sky and landed before Qi Yuan’s cabin.

Little Bride perked up, curious.

“Elder Xuanchong is very efficient. The Soul-Split Pills are done already.”

Qi Yuan retrieved the gourd from the crane. Inside were one hundred Soul-Split Pills, far superior in quality to the ones before.

He mused, “With this many, I can probably raise my divine soul’s strength to mid-stage Foundation Establishment.”

Of course, 'mid-stage' referred to his own standard, not the average cultivator’s.

The fragrance of the pills filled the air. Little Bride took a deep sniff.

Qi Yuan grinned, offering her the pills. “Want some candy?"

She turned her head away, refusing.

“Oh right,” Qi Yuan said sheepishly, “you don’t have a mouth. Can’t eat.”

Then, with a shrug, he poured the pills into his own mouth.

***

“Qi Yuan...”

Somewhere in the Divine Radiance Sect, a cold-faced, middle-aged man quietly sipped his tea. His eyes were full of scheming thoughts.

His name was Luo Jing, a Core Formation cultivator from the Bright Palace.

He and Po Lang had come to Great Shang to lay plans for their sect. In the beginning, everything was glorious. Even the beautiful consort of the Eighteenth Prince had become his plaything.

Now, with Po Lang missing, likely dead in the Celestial Dragon Realm, Luo Jing did not dare to return to Bright Palace nor flee. If he ran, the spiritual imprint Po Lang’s master had placed on him would make his life worse than death.

“This time, Qi Yuan was the weakest among those who entered the Celestial Dragon Realm. I’ll capture him and find out what happened inside. Otherwise, I’ll never be able to explain myself.”

He had waited in the Divine Radiance Sect’s marketplace for days, biding his time.

And now, at last, Qi Yuan appeared.

A murderous glint flashed in Luo Jing’s eyes. “Blame yourself for being the weakest one.”

If it were Kang Fulu, he’d need to plan carefully, but Qi Yuan? He was the perfect target.