---
The realm was silent.
Only the soft hum of divine wind echoed across the barren plain that Tian Yuan had begun to reshape with his will. The golden light of dawn poured through the air like liquid metal, reflecting off unfinished marble foundations and the roots of divine trees sprouting from the soil.
Every breath he drew was heavy with responsibility—this realm, this seed of creation, was his to nurture. Yet, behind the quiet, he could feel it: a tremor, subtle and distant, as if the universe itself had taken note of what had happened here.
He stood before the manor the system had given him—an ethereal palace of jade and divine wood that shimmered faintly with divine runes. Its gates bore engravings of balance: a plow and a sword crossed beneath the rising sun.
Behind him, the five divine beasts rested—
The Golden Dragon coiled above the gate, vigilant and proud.
The Azure Vermilion Bird perched on a half-built tower, wings folded in meditation.
The White Tiger slept near the orchards, breathing out small bursts of light that made the fruits ripen faster.
The Black Tortoise guarded the subterranean spring, ensuring balance in the flow of qi.
And lastly—the fifth, a newly born creature, the Ethereal Stag, whose antlers emitted faint bells of light, wandered gracefully across the purified fields, seeding spiritual flora with every step.
It was quiet—until the system spoke again.
> [Realm Purity at 62%. Progress: Steady. Boss, we're officially cleaner than Heaven's bathwater.]
Tian Yuan sighed. "And twice as empty."
> [Not for long! I've got ten new side missions unlocked.]
"Side missions?"
> [Yep! Mini farmer-god objectives! We're talking: Purge the left field of corrupted soil, plant Heavenly Ginseng, build a barn for low-tier spirit beasts, craft formation markers, and my favorite—decorate the manor with aesthetic intent.]
He rubbed his temples. "You've truly gone insane."
> [Correction: I've upgraded. You gave me freedom, and I gave myself personality. That's balance, boss.]
Before Tian Yuan could reply, a pulse of energy rippled behind him.
The intruder—the man who had stumbled into his realm marked by the Black Seed—was awakening.
The man's body convulsed, qi surging erratically. His eyes snapped open—first pale blue, then black, then both at once. His veins glowed faintly as if something inside him was fighting to regain control.
The system reacted instantly.
> [Warning: Fragment of the Black Seed reactivating! Containment breach in progress!]
"Not in my realm," Tian Yuan said coldly.
He flicked his wrist. The air shimmered. Runes of suppression ignited beneath the intruder, forming a circle of light that pinned him down. The ground trembled under the pressure of divine will.
But then—
A voice spoke.
Not from the man's mouth, but from within the echo of his corrupted soul.
> "You broke what was mine."
It was a whisper of rot and ruin. Each syllable dripped with an ancient, distorted echo—like an abyss speaking through broken glass. The temperature dropped, the air thickened, and every divine beast stirred.
The Golden Dragon uncoiled with a furious roar, shaking the sky.
> "Show yourself, defiler!"
The voice chuckled softly.
> "Not yet. You are… new. Young. But your seed—ah, it sings of creation. I wonder, will it rot the same as all the others?"
Tian Yuan's eyes darkened. He raised his hand again, and a beam of pure light shot from his palm, piercing the intruder's chest. The voice shrieked—but not in pain. In amusement.
> "You cannot cleanse what was never dirty. You only delay the harvest."
Then the voice faded. The black mist that had begun to rise from the man's body dissipated like smoke.
The man collapsed again, breathing weakly. His pulse stabilized.
> [Seed fragment neutralized, but not destroyed, boss.] the system warned.
[It retreated into subspace—like something ancient trying to hide behind reality.]
"Keep tracking it," Tian Yuan said. "It won't stay hidden forever."
He turned to the unconscious man and placed two fingers against his forehead. "Rest. When you wake, you'll remember your name."
For a long moment, Tian Yuan remained there, silent. His gaze wandered upward—to the realm's empty sky.
He could still feel the ripple left behind by that voice. It wasn't a god. It wasn't even an ancient spirit. It was something older. Something that fed on divinity itself.
> [Hey boss, real talk?] the system's tone softened.
[That thing… it recognized you. It didn't attack. It studied you.]
"I know."
> [So what now?]
He looked toward the fields, where the Purging Trees grew thicker by the day. "We prepare. If they come, they won't find a god to consume—they'll find a farmer with a plow that splits heavens."
> [Heh. You're scary when you're humble.]
He smiled faintly. "And you talk too much."
> [Balance, boss. Balance.]
---
Hours passed.
By the time night fell—though night in his realm was a sky of golden twilight—the realm had shifted again.
The divine soil glowed with faint patterns of formation lines.
The manor had expanded—seven new halls had formed around it, shaped by his subconscious will and the system's designs.
Each hall resonated with a unique elemental signature—Fire, Water, Wood, Earth, Metal, Light, and Void. The seven halls were the heart of his new domain—the Seven Seeds Palace.
> [Construction complete!] the system chirped.
[Welcome home, Lord Farmer. Estimated realm population: 123 living beings, 47 spirit flora, 32 beast cubs, 1 god-tier dragon with anger issues.]
The Golden Dragon growled from above.
> "I heard that."
> [You were meant to.]
Tian Yuan chuckled quietly. But before he could speak, his senses sharpened—something was shifting near the southern border of the realm.
He moved instantly.
A flash of light, and he stood at the edge of the world.
There—beyond the protective barrier—hung a faint distortion. A tear in the void, invisible to most eyes but pulsing with that same familiar corruption.
The system gasped.
> [Boss… it's a remnant beacon from that thing. It's watching.]
Tian Yuan reached out, and the ground beneath him responded. Divine formations expanded outward like blooming flowers, circling the entire rift. The light hardened, forming a crystalline barrier that shimmered with golden veins.
> "Let it watch," Tian Yuan said. "It will see the birth of something it cannot devour."
He pressed his hand to the ground, channeling divine qi. From the soil, a sprout of pure gold rose—glowing softly, releasing pulses of pure godly energy.
> [Whoa, new plant detected!] the system shouted.
[Analyzing… Holy sprouts of regeneration, capable of cleansing corruption across dimensional rifts. Boss, you're literally farming divinity.]
"That's the plan."
The dragon landed beside him. "You are building a world."
"Not a world," Tian Yuan said quietly. "A sanctuary."
The dragon bowed its head. "Then we will protect it."
For the first time since his ascension, Tian Yuan felt something close to peace. Not victory, not dominance—peace. The kind that only comes from purpose fulfilled through patience.
Yet even as calm settled, his instincts whispered of a greater storm coming. That shadow… that Black Seed… it wouldn't rest forever.
He looked back toward the manor, where the intruder now slept beneath protective seals.
"When he wakes," Tian Yuan murmured, "the truth will follow. And I need to know how deep those roots go."
> [Boss, what if this Seed isn't alone?]
"Then," he said softly, turning toward the stars, "I'll harvest every last one of them."
---
Later that night—if such a thing could exist in divine lands—the system spoke again.
> [You know, boss… when I first woke up, I thought I was just a tool. A helper. But now?]
"Now?"
> [Now I think we're writing our own creation myth. One furrow, one seed, one world at a time.]
Tian Yuan smiled faintly. "You talk like an oracle."
> [Or a comedian, depending on mood.]
He looked up at the shimmering expanse above—an empty sky slowly painting itself with stars of his making.
Every light was a soul, every seed a promise.
And though the heavens beyond stirred with watching eyes, none could breach his world—not yet.
For the Farmer of Divinity, the God who chose creation over conquest, had begun his greatest work:
To turn barren nothingness into the cradle of existence itself.
And somewhere far beyond, in the black hollows between realms, the unseen voice whispered again.
> "Let him grow his little garden.
Every garden ends in harvest."
The stars dimmed for a moment—then shone brighter than ever.
(End of Chapter 65 – The Awakening of the Black Seed).