For the next month, Qin Zhou stayed in the Shanning Realm refining pills. He had never refined a Reshaping Pill before, so he needed some margin for error.

Since the revival of the villagers was at stake, there could be no room for error.

Lu San and Yan Qi seemed to have stayed in the blacksmith’s shop the entire time. Wen Jue and Shisi were often seen wandering around the two places.

Later, Shisi gradually stopped coming; it was said that the Lord of the Shanning Realm had asked him to help manage the sudden influx of spirit beasts in the realm. The existence of the World Tree could not be concealed.

Therefore, after deliberation throughout the Shanning Realm, a unanimous decision was made to reveal the secret of the World Tree.

A seventh-tier spirit artifact had appeared in Shanning Realm; its golden glow still shone on the blacksmith’s shop roof. When word spread, countless cultivators would surely come to investigate. Seizing the opportunity presented by the spirit artifact’s emergence, they would announce the existence of the World Tree to the world. From then on, decisions regarding its protection would be made collectively.

The Sect Master was keen to maintain good relations with Qin Zhou and the others, so he didn’t reveal a single word about the World Fruit. Seeing how cooperative he was, Shisi finally decided to lend a hand in managing the spirit beasts.

As for Wen Jue, he continued to wander between the two places every day, occasionally dropping by to see Zhanyu. After Qin Zhou obtained the Jingning Wood from the Sannin Realm’s Sect Master, he gave it to Zhanyu.

Using the broth simmered from the Jingning Wood as a catalyst, he took the Marrow Cleansing Pill. Perhaps Zhanyu would then be able to make a breakthrough in his cultivation talent. With the Jingning Wood as a supplement, the Marrow Cleansing Pill’s violent nature was greatly reduced. Zhanyu’s talent truly did improve significantly compared to before.

Zhanyu had endured great hardships, and now that he had cleared the hurdle of his innate talent, given time, he might well go further on the path of cultivation than many of the villagers.

Apart from visiting the alchemy chamber to bring Qin Zhou these updates, Wen Jue spent most of his remaining time weaving protective barriers.

Every time a weapon was forged in Lu San and Yan Qi’s blacksmith shop, a flash of light—signaling the birth of a seventh-tier spirit artifact—would erupt. To contain this phenomenon, Wen Jue had to completely envelop the blacksmith shop with his barrier to prevent any commotion.

This wasn’t the first time Qin Zhou had watched Wen Jue weave a barrier, but he was still astonished every single time. Spiritual energy condensed into tiny needles, which then gathered into long strands.

With just a flick of his fingers, Wen Jue caused those fine threads to weave themselves automatically, eventually forming a vast, intricate net at a speed visible to the naked eye.

He placed the net into the barrier stone.

A barrier large enough required multiple barrier stones for support.

In short, life went on peacefully. During this time, there were no abnormalities with the World Tree, and the risk of invasion by beings from other realms, as legend suggested, did not seem particularly high.

A month later, Qin Zhou’s Reshaping Pill was nearly complete.

Just as a dazzling golden-red light was about to pierce the clouds, Wen Jue swiftly tossed several barrier stones, completely enveloping the courtyard containing the alchemy chamber.

The light was blocked by the barrier and bounced back.

It bathed the entire courtyard in a golden-red glow.

Qin Zhou emerged from the alchemy chamber carrying his Reshaping Pill.

Wen Jue stood at the doorway, the red light enveloping both of them.

“Is it done?”

“It’s done.”

Upon receiving the affirmative reply, a hardened part of Wen Jue’s heart seemed to soften instantly. They could be saved; everyone could come back to life.

Resurrection doesn’t actually require any ceremony.

Qin Zhou simply placed the Reshaping Pill in his palm and pulled out the villagers’ registry. The souls hidden within the registry drifted out. A few specks of starlight floated in the air.

They all saw the Reshaping Pill in Qin Zhou’s hand, but none of them reached for it.

“Which one of you is going to be the village chief’s guinea pig? I’m not doing it!” Lao Si’s speck of light flickered. “I’m not going either!”

“I’m not going either, ha ha!”

Voices rang out one after another.

“Let Sixth Sister go.”

“Exactly, let Sixth Sister go.”

All the light dots urged Xiao Liu to go.

Xiao Liu didn’t budge. She knew that it wasn’t that they didn’t want to be the test subjects, nor that they didn’t trust the village chief. They were simply afraid there wouldn’t be many chances to be revived, so they were all deferring to one another.

“There’s plenty of elixir.” Qin Zhou said calmly. 

The crowd of light dots:!

“Then I’ll be the test subject for the village chief.” A cluster of light points volunteered.

“Fourth Brother, that’s not what you said just now!”

“Exactly!”

“Alright, one at a time. Line up,” Wen Jue said. With the eldest brother speaking, the light orbs fell silent.

Over thirty light orbs lined up in a single file. The Fourth Brother was still the first to step forward.

The soul speck plunged without hesitation directly into the black pill in Qin Zhou’s hand. Immediately, a strange phenomenon occurred.

The Reshaping Pill, no bigger than a thumb, rapidly transformed. With a few thuds, the small pill gradually grew limbs and a head.

But it was still only thumb-sized. Its limbs and head were completely hairless, let alone any facial features; it looked like a little figure molded from mud, a rather slapdash creation.

The pitch-black pill-figure sat in Qin Zhou’s palm, appearing dazed. After a long moment, it belatedly lifted its head to look at Qin Zhou. Qin Zhou took out a small wooden stick and poked a mouth and two eyes into the pill-figure.

Old Four’s loud, boisterous voice suddenly rang out: “Village Chief!!” 

“Hahaha, I’m alive! I can talk!”

The now fully-limbed little pill figure leaped up and jumped straight out of Qin Zhou’s palm. Wen Jue darted forward to catch it, immediately shouting, “Have you gone mad?!”

“Hey! Didn’t I just finally get a physical body?” The little pill figure rubbed his head and chuckled, “Don’t worry, boss. I can feel it—this body is pretty sturdy.”

“Don’t worry. The Reshaping Pill was forged from the World Fruit, so it’s tougher than an ordinary mortal’s body.” The World Fruit reshaped the body, while the Qilin Pearl preserved the soul’s memories.

It seems the Reshaping Pill worked as intended.

Hearing Qin Zhou say this, Wen Jue finally let out a sigh of relief and let the Fourth Brother jump out of his hands again.

Soon.

One after another, the pill-sized figures leapt out of Qin Zhou’s palm.

A group of little black figures stood on the ground, looking identical on the surface, yet their personalities and behaviors were vastly different.

“For the next few days, they’ll absorb spiritual energy and cultivate. Once their souls and bodies are fully fused, they’ll be able to reform into their original physical forms,” Qin Zhou said.

“We shape our own forms?”

“Our faces were all sculpted by the village chief.” 

“Can’t the village chief sculpt them for us anymore?”

“Exactly. I loved my old face the most.”

A group of little pill-shaped figures stood on the ground, chattering away, their heads tilted back in a pitiful manner. Qin Zhou looked at them and felt his heart soften.

Looking at them like this, they really did seem childlike, making one think of the past for no particular reason. When the villagers first arrived in the village, most of them were children too.

“Those who prefer the old look, come find me once your souls and bodies have fused properly.” With the villager registry still intact and everyone’s portraits preserved, recreating their original appearances wouldn’t be difficult.

“Okay!” They all chorused.

Seeing this, Wen Jue’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“Village Chief, what about our cultivation levels? We’re not going to have to start all over from the Qi Refining Stage, are we?” Lao Si couldn’t help but ask. As soon as the words left his mouth, everyone turned to look at him.

If they really had to start over, that would take quite a while.

“Lu Yi nurtured your souls within the barrier stones. Your souls’ strength has long surpassed the Transformation of the Spirit stage; at the very least, you’re now in the early stage of the Union of the Body. The World Fruit is a fruit of the Super-Seventh-Tier category. In theory, even a Tribulation-Crossing cultivator should be able to withstand it, though I can’t be entirely certain. We’ll assess the situation once your souls and bodies have fully integrated.”

“If the Village Chief says it’s fine, then it’s fine.”

“Anyway, once we’re fully integrated, we’ll be back to being Spirit Transformation or Union Realm powerhouses.”

“That’s a relief, that’s a relief.”

Qin Zhou sighed helplessly.

He had clearly said he wasn’t certain.

But he had to admit that saying it was uncertain was just a more cautious way of putting it. The World Fruit was, after all, the fruit of the World Tree. If even a mere Union Realm cultivator couldn’t handle it, it wouldn’t deserve to be called a super-seventh-tier material.

“I’ve had Lu San prepare weapons suitable for each of you. From now on, use your new weapons.”

The weapons everyone had been using were Qin Zhou’s early forgesmithing works. Times had changed, and it was high time to upgrade. Besides, after that life-or-death battle, many people’s weapons had either been damaged or lost.

“The Village Chief even got us new weapons!” Lao Si threw his arms around Qin Zhou’s legs. “Village Chief, how did you know my knife was down in that tunnel?”

“Your eldest brother told me,” Qin Zhou replied. “Also, your third brother prepared the new weapons. I only provided the materials—no need to thank me.”

This was Lao Si, the one with the War God’s talent. When he got excited, he was just as boisterous as Lao Shi. He was practically a child.

“We have to thank Third Brother, and we have to thank the Village Chief too,” Lao Si turned around, his gaze locking onto the silent Wen Jue. “…and we have to thank Big Brother as well.”

If it hadn’t been for the eldest brother leading them all out of the tunnel at the very end and sealing their souls within the barrier stone, they might never have had a chance to be reborn.

Shier and Shiba nodded as well. “We do owe thanks. Big Brother and all our fellow disciples have played an indispensable role in ensuring Zhanyu grew up safely to this age. We have no way to repay you…” 

Shi’er and Shi’ba exchanged a glance and smiled. “If Big Brother has children in the future, we’ll help raise them too.”

Wen Jue:?

“Hahaha, that’s thinking way too far ahead.”

“I don’t think it’ll be much longer,” Xiao Liu said with a wry smile.

With tears welling in his eyes, Wen Jue snapped, “You’re all just here to tease me. You lot really do need a good thrashing.”

Qin Zhou turned around and saw that Wen Jue’s eyes were red. “Shisi, Zhanyu, and Lu San are all here,” he said. “If anyone wants to go see them, feel free to go.”

His words seemed to imply he was shooing them away.

The little pills all froze for a moment.

Finally, Xiao Liu stepped forward and said softly, “Then we’ll go see them. The Village Chief has worked hard refining elixirs; let him get some rest.” 

“Right, let’s go check on Shisi and the others.”

“We’ll go see Zhanyu too,” added Shier and Shiba. No one objected.

A group of alchemy imps at the Spirit Transformation and Union Realm levels skipped and hopped out of the alchemy courtyard, but their chatter never stopped as they chattered away—

“Hurry up, hurry up! If we don’t go soon, the boss is going to cry.”

“Exactly! If the boss cries, I’ll want to cry too.” 

“Then shouldn’t we leave someone behind to wipe the boss’s tears?”

“The Village Chief is right here! What are you worrying about? Wiping the Big Boss’s tears? Watch out, you’ll get a beating!” 

“Come to think of it, the Big Boss and the Village Chief… hehehe!”

They’d all seen the Boss and the Village Chief together inside the Boundary Stone’s space…

Wen Jue: “……”

Wouldn’t it be great to round these kids up and give them a good thrashing right now?

After they left, the courtyard, bathed in golden-red light, returned to its former tranquility. Qin Zhou: “Are you about to cry?”

Wen Jue gazed up at the sky, his voice choked with emotion. “No. It just feels like a dream—the kind of beautiful dream you can’t believe even after waking up.” Qin Zhou said there were two things he wanted to do in his life: first, to establish a secure foothold in the world, and second, to grow old together with his partner.

He thought to himself that his own situation was much the same. His power was already formidable, yet for all these years, he’d had only two desires: to wait for Qin Zhou’s return, and to save the Zhutian Realm.

For his fellow disciples to be resurrected—that was something he hadn’t even dared to hope for. Qin Zhou had returned, and everyone had been saved.

Wen Jue suddenly felt a wave of relief wash over him.

“Qin Zhou, I want to go back to the village.”

Qin Zhou: “Let’s wait a few more days. Once their physical bodies and souls have fully integrated, we’ll set off for home.” Before Wen Jue could utter a single word of agreement, a barrier sensor was triggered.

He had cast countless barriers, but one this close, with such a strong reaction… Wen Jue’s gaze suddenly sharpened. The runes on Qin Zhou’s arm also grew intensely hot at that moment.

The God of Creation system responded instantly—

【 Intruder from another world detected. Please prepare for battle, God of Creation!】 Both of them looked up simultaneously.

Sure enough, in the direction of the Shanning Realm valley, a massive fissure was silently forming in the sky. This fissure could never be the World Tree’s gate again.

The nature of this portal was self-evident.

Qin Zhou’s gaze grew deep: “So they’ve come after all. The timing of this visit is rather convenient.”  

“Fourth Brother and the others haven’t fully adjusted to their new bodies yet. I’ll handle this.”

“We’ll go together.” Qin Zhou’s tone was calm and composed, and whenever he spoke like this, it always gave people a strong sense of reassurance.

If the strangers from another world had appeared in the Zhutian Realm, Qin Zhou would indeed have had to prepare extensively to deal with those of unknown power. But this was the Spirit Mountain Realm.

Here, he was not the “protagonist.” He was the God of Creation.