The echo of war faded.
The skies that once burned with golden flames dimmed into silence. In the farthest reaches of the Upper Realms, amidst the broken remnants of fallen worlds, a single voice began to spread — trembling, uncertain, but filled with something no god had felt in ages: fear.
☀️ The Lord's Return
When Lord Zhi'an, the God of Ten Suns, returned from the void, his brilliance had dimmed. Once, his presence could ignite planets. Now, his aura flickered like a dying lantern. The divine courtiers of the Celestial Heavens gathered around him in awe and horror.
"My Lord… your light—it's fading!"
"Did the Ancient War scar you that deeply?"
"Who could wound a god of your caliber?"
But Zhi'an didn't answer.
He sat in silence, his eyes distant, his mind still trapped in that strange, peaceful realm.
The land that had rejected his divinity, the dragon that had humbled his pride, and the calm voice that spoke like the breath of creation itself.
When he finally spoke, his tone carried no wrath — only reverence.
"There exists… a realm untouched by any god. A place where even the strongest kneel before the roots."
The court fell silent.
"The roots?" one of his generals whispered. "Do you mean… the Tree of Origin?"
Zhi'an shook his head slowly. "No. Something older. Purer. A realm governed not by laws or thrones, but by… balance."
He looked up, eyes trembling. "And there dwells a being—no, a man—who tends to that balance. His power cannot be measured. He… was called Tian Yuan."
The name rolled off his tongue like a forgotten prophecy.
⚡ The Council of Realms
Word traveled faster than light.
Within days, the tale reached the Council of Divine Realms, where the most ancient of deities gathered — entities who had ruled over creation for eons. They laughed at first. Then they frowned. And then, they grew silent.
At the center of the hall, the Goddess of Fate, veiled in starlight, spoke.
"A hidden realm, free from our gaze? Impossible. Every realm must be bound to the Heavenly Cycle."
The Demon Emperor of Chaos, seated opposite her, smirked.
"And yet, you sense it too, don't you? That strange pulse in the void… that rhythm unlike anything in our domain."
Fate's gaze hardened. "It was faint. Too faint to locate."
"Exactly," the Demon Emperor replied. "That's what makes it dangerous."
The Heavenly Forge God, hammer in hand, grunted.
"So what? Some hermit farmer created a little world. The heavens are vast—"
Zhi'an slammed his hand on the divine table, cracking it into dust.
"You weren't there!" he thundered, voice shaking the stars themselves. "I faced beasts that bent space with their breath, land that judged my very soul! I was powerless!"
The gods stared, unsettled.
Even the Demon Emperor's grin faded.
"And this Tian Yuan?" asked the Goddess of Fate. "What is he?"
Zhi'an closed his eyes. "He is nothing. No crown, no weapon, no divine army. He holds a hoe and tends to soil. And yet… the universe itself bends to him."
The room trembled.
For the first time in countless eras, the gods of the upper realms felt small.
🌾 The Farmer's Quiet Morning
Meanwhile, deep within his hidden paradise, Tian Yuan hummed softly as he worked. His hoe glowed faintly, carving a straight line through divine soil as the early light reflected off the shimmering lakes nearby. Around him, divine animals moved gracefully — phoenixes tending to flame gardens, qilins watering celestial herbs, and a few small rabbits carrying baskets of glowing fruits.
The system's voice chimed playfully:
[Ding! Realm Purity: 42% 🌱]
[Next mission: Cultivate "Spirit Bamboo Forest." Estimated reward: +3 Realm Consciousness points, 1 Random Divine Fruit.]
Tian Yuan nodded, smiling. "Hmm. Spirit Bamboo, huh? That'll help the air stabilize. Good."
[System Remark: Host is shockingly calm after nearly starting a divine incident.]
[Do you ever panic, Host?]
He chuckled. "If you panic, the soil panics. Can't grow crops that way."
[System Analysis: …Host may be emotionally unresponsive or too zen. Recalibrating humor subroutine…]
[Processing joke… complete.]
["Host is so calm, even time stopped to take notes." 😂]
Tian Yuan paused. Then laughed softly. "Better. You're learning."
[System Pride Level: +200%! 🎉]
Behind him, the Golden Dragon, now acting as the realm's primary guardian, stirred from its meditation.
"My lord, the intruder's trace has vanished completely. Shall I reinforce the outer formations?"
Tian Yuan shook his head. "No need. If he learned something, maybe it'll stop another war from spilling into this place."
The dragon bowed. "Your compassion humbles even the heavens."
He smiled faintly. "I'm not being compassionate. I just don't like rebuilding mountains."
The dragon blinked slowly. "...Profound as always, my lord."
🪶 The Realm's Growth
As Tian Yuan continued his work, the realm itself responded to his will. The barren stretches of wasteland he once found upon ascending now pulsed with life.
The Purity Trees he planted shimmered, purging residual chaos from the air. The River of Renewal began to glow a deeper blue, reflecting the constellations above even though no night sky existed here. The system occasionally dropped missions mid-sentence, surprising him with random objectives:
[Ding! Bonus Quest: Feed your divine beasts Divine Rice (0/3)]
[Reward: Realm Expansion Seed ×1]
Or sometimes…
[Ding! Realm Upgrade Notice: Divine Pets Evolving!]
[Warning: Several animals are showing signs of humanoid transformation!]
He sighed, amused. "Again?"
Turning around, he saw his fox spirit, Hui, glowing. Its nine tails merged into one, its fur shedding into radiant silk as it transformed into a graceful woman in flowing robes.
She blinked, confused, then bowed. "Master Tian Yuan, this servant greets you."
He scratched his head awkwardly. "You were a fox a moment ago."
She smiled shyly. "I was… but the soil called me to serve you better."
[System Commentary: Host, your pets are evolving faster than Pokémon.]
Tian Yuan rolled his eyes. "You're getting too comfortable with jokes."
[System Pride Level: Maximum achieved! I am officially funny!]
⚙️ The System's Upgrade
Later that day, as Tian Yuan meditated by the divine pond, the system suddenly vibrated.
[Ding! Major System Update Detected!]
[Initializing Self-Awareness 2.0… Personality Core Unlocked! 🎉]
[Hello again, old man—I mean, supreme cultivator overlord of veggies.]
Tian Yuan sighed. "You sound… different."
[That's right! Version 2.0 of me comes with sarcasm, sass, and free emotional instability! Now, let's get back to making this barren land the envy of creation, shall we?]
He chuckled quietly. "Alright, alright. What's next?"
[Next mission: Expand the divine fields into three sectors — Bamboo Grove, Spirit Orchard, and Holy Pasture. Also, uh… you got mail.]
"Mail?"
[Yes. A divine transmission bounced off the void trying to find this realm. The sender is... unknown. It's labeled 'To the One Who Walks Between Heaven and Soil.' Creepy title, right? Should I open it?]
Tian Yuan thought for a moment. "No. Not yet. The less attention this realm gets, the better."
[Roger that, Mr. Peaceful Recluse! But heads up — other gods are starting to notice something. You might wanna strengthen the concealment barrier.]
He nodded, glancing up. "I know. The air feels… heavier."
⚡ The Heavenly Council (Aftermath)
Back in the Upper Realms, tension was rising.
The Divine Council had split into factions — those who believed Zhi'an's tale and those who mocked it. The Goddess of Fate secretly assigned her Seers to search for fluctuations in space, while the Demon Emperor dispatched his shadow servants to probe the void.
Each of them wanted to know one thing:
Who is Tian Yuan?
Zhi'an, still shaken, sat alone in his temple, whispering to himself.
"His presence… it wasn't divine. It was something beyond divine. The soil itself carried his will."
One of his aides approached. "My lord, shall we assemble an army to locate that realm?"
Zhi'an turned to him sharply.
"No army can enter without his permission. Even stepping on that soil without consent… would be suicide."
He clenched his fists. "Let them think I am mad. But one day, when his realm blooms fully, all will see the truth."
🌿 The Farmer's Reflection
Far away, Tian Yuan leaned against the trunk of a newly grown World Tree Sapling, watching clouds drift lazily across his artificial sky. A light breeze passed, carrying the scent of divine fruit blossoms.
"People always come looking for what they don't understand," he murmured.
The Golden Dragon rested nearby, massive head turned slightly. "Will you stop them, my lord?"
Tian Yuan smiled faintly. "If they come to destroy, the realm will defend itself. If they come to learn, the soil will teach."
[System Remark: Profound quote detected. Saving to 'Legendary Farmer Sayings, Vol. 1.']
He chuckled. "You're ridiculous."
[Takes one to know one, Master of Dirt.]
He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.
Peace.
For now.
In the following months, whispers spread through the heavens like wildfire.
"There's a hidden god who tends a realm of purity."
"A dragon guards it. A single look from its eye strips divinity itself."
"They say the god is nameless, humble, yet his fields stretch beyond the stars."
"Some call him The Farmer Who Tames Creation."
Each retelling twisted the story further, but one truth remained —
fear had taken root among the gods.
And deep within the hidden realm, as Tian Yuan tilled his soil under the soft glow of divine light, he smiled faintly.
"Rumors are like seeds," he said softly. "Some grow weeds… others grow forests."
[System Joke Mode: So… we're planting gossip now? Should I prepare a new field? 🌾😂]
He laughed quietly, the sound echoing gently through the divine air.
Above, the stars shimmered — not from war, but from quiet curiosity.
The heavens, for the first time in eons, were looking downward.
And what they saw… frightened them.
🌾 End of Chapter 67 — "The Seed of Rumor and the Birth of Fear."