The air was different tonight.
Even the stars seemed uneasy, dimming one by one as though afraid of what had taken root in the unseen folds between realms.
In the farthest stretch of the void where even divine light dared not wander something pulsed.
A seed.
Black as ink, breathing like a living heart.
The Shadow Lord stood before it, arms crossed, his expression a twisted serenity.
> "You took the soil from me, Farmer. You fed it with life," he whispered. "Now… I shall feed it my death."
He pressed his clawed hand against the seed.
At once, the void rippled.
Cracks spread like lightning, and through those fractures, darkness poured forth a tidal wave of anti-life essence that twisted and churned until it formed a grotesque shape.
Roots.
Black, writhing, endless roots forming a gigantic lotus that grew downward instead of up.
Each petal dripped corruption, and every drop that fell devoured fragments of distant realms.
> "Rise, my creation," the Shadow Lord said, his voice echoing with a dreadful calm.
"Bloom, my beautiful despair the Void Bloom."
The black lotus opened its thousand petals and from within, countless lesser thorns shot outward, slithering through dimensions, hungry for divine qi.
And they had found their direction.
Toward Tian Yuan's realm.
---
The Farmer's Instinct
Tian Yuan's eyes opened before the tremor reached his soil.
He had been meditating beside the Celestial Vine, a divine plant that connected the core of his realm to its skies. But now, the vine's leaves turned black at the tips.
He frowned. "So soon."
The system appeared beside him, eyes wide in alarm. "Uh, boss… we've got a huge problem. Like, bigger-than-when-you-fought-the-Realm-Eater kind of problem!"
"What is it this time?" he asked calmly, brushing the dark leaf with two fingers. It disintegrated into ash.
> "A Void Bloom, boss," the system said, its voice trembling. "A living curse seed made by the Shadow Lord. It doesn't just destroy—it inverts. It turns life essence into death essence. Your crops, your herbs, your divine trees… they're all targets."
The Seven Star Generals materialized immediately, each one radiating killing intent.
The Golden Dragon roared, its sound rippling through mountains and skies alike. "Let the enemy come. I shall burn the heavens before they touch our soil!"
Tian Yuan stood, his robe catching the glow of the divine sun. "No… this isn't a battle we fight with strength."
He pressed his palm to the ground again and beneath his hand, the soil spoke. The spirit of his world whispered back, faint but loyal.
> "Then how, boss?" the system asked. "You gonna farm it to death?"
Tian Yuan smiled faintly. "Something like that."
---
Mission: Purge the Void Bloom
The system blinked, then projected a golden screen before him.
> [Realm Quest: Purge the Void Bloom]
Objective: Protect the realm's balance by cleansing the infected soil.
Method: Plant "Sunburst Grains" — divine seeds capable of purifying death qi.
Time Limit: 7 celestial days.
Reward: Realm Expansion + Divine Formation Blueprint (Heaven's Root Array).
The system coughed. "Uh, boss, one problem—these seeds are extremely rare. Even the old gods barely managed to grow one in their lifetimes."
Tian Yuan only chuckled. "Then it's a good thing I'm not an old god."
He raised his right hand, and instantly, the Divine Tree beside him shimmered, shedding thousands of glowing petals that transformed into seed-like sparks.
Each seed landed upon the earth, and the soil beneath them brightened, humming in rhythm with Tian Yuan's heartbeat.
"Grow," he whispered.
---
Meanwhile — The Mortal Realm
Far below, under the golden skies of the mortal plane, a storm gathered above Tian Yuan's old village.
Lightning split the clouds, yet no rain fell — only streaks of shimmering white light that fell like tears.
Elder Xun and the other disciples ran into the open fields.
Their crops — infused with faint divine qi over generations — glowed with the same light.
And then, suddenly, they heard a voice.
Soft. Calm. Familiar.
> "Children of soil… your roots call to mine. Will you answer?"
The disciples froze.
It was Master's voice — echoing from the heavens.
Without hesitation, they knelt, pressing their palms to the earth.
> "We will, Master!" they cried. "We shall tend your fields — as you tended our hearts!"
At that instant, light poured from their hands, traveling through the earth like golden veins — connecting the mortal farmlands to the upper realm's soil.
The disciples didn't realize it, but they had become extensions of Tian Yuan's divine system. Their mortal cultivation now directly fueled the realm above.
---
Back to the Upper Realm — The Void Corruption Spreads
The edges of Tian Yuan's divine domain darkened as the Void Bloom took hold.
Black vines crept across the border like starving serpents, gnawing on light itself. The divine animals — his evolved creatures — hissed and howled, sensing the corruption.
The system flashed in panic.
> "Boss, 13% of outer soil compromised! We're losing purity levels fast!"
The Golden Dragon roared, sending waves of divine flame across the black vines. But wherever the fire burned, the darkness regenerated, laughing soundlessly.
Tian Yuan clenched his fist. "They feed on divinity itself… then let's give them something they can't consume."
He thrust his hand skyward.
> "Bloom Protocol: Phase Two — Sunburst Activation!"
The divine seeds in the soil ignited — not with fire, but with light.
Golden waves rippled through the fields, each pulse releasing heat that was not destruction, but restoration.
The black vines writhed.
The Void Bloom screamed through countless worlds — its cry shattering stars in far realms.
But Tian Yuan's voice cut through it all, calm as always.
> "You cannot feed on what was born from my will. My soil listens only to me."
The system blinked in awe. "Boss, you're… rewriting realm law again!"
"Just tilling," Tian Yuan said with a half-smile. "Old habits die hard."
---
The Shadow Lord's Response
In the void, the Shadow Lord felt the pain of his creation through their shared link.
He slammed his hand into the air, cracking the dimension before him.
> "You dare cleanse my roots, Farmer?"
"Then I shall send more than seeds."
He reached into his chest and pulled out a dark crystal pulsating with the screams of fallen gods. He crushed it, releasing ten shadowed figures, each wearing crowns of broken halos.
> "Go," he commanded. "Find the realm that breathes, and choke it."
The ten shades vanished instantly darting across dimensions like hungry arrows.
But unknown to them, Tian Yuan's realm was sealed. No one could enter without his will.
And yet… something stirred inside.
---
Inside the Realm A Strange Light
As Tian Yuan surveyed his purified fields, a small glimmer caught his eye.
Beneath the largest divine fruit tree, a childlike figure of pure light crouched touching the grass with curiosity.
"System," Tian Yuan said slowly, "what is that?"
The system blinked. "Huh. Weird. That's not mine."
The figure looked up and smiled. It was not malevolent. Not divine. Not demonic.
Just new.
"Father," it said softly, its voice echoing like a melody of creation.
"I was born from your soil."
Tian Yuan's eyes widened. "A realm spirit?"
"Yes," it said, bowing. "And I bring a message. From your crops, your creatures, and your disciples below."
It pointed upward toward the divine sky now glowing with golden veins that pulsed in rhythm with countless hearts.
"They are all connected to you now, Tian Yuan. You no longer stand alone."
For the first time since ascending, Tian Yuan's composure softened.
He looked up and smiled.
"Then," he said, "let us make this garden worthy of them."
End of Chapter 79
Next Chapter (80):
> The ten Void Shades, unable to penetrate Tian Yuan's borders, attempt to manipulate the mortal realm instead — spreading false dreams and chaos among the disciples. Meanwhile, the newly born Realm Spirit begins learning emotions… and may accidentally create life forms of its own.