The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

"And it's really strange, how did they know I had the [Treasure Hammer]? It's obviously not right, I feel there must be something between us..."

"I thought you already knew, and deliberately took out the [Treasure Hammer] just to show off in front of me. After all, I am your prisoner, and all my power has been sealed by you. How could you presume to remind someone who is many times stronger than me of these things? What's the difference between this and an ant running in front of a lion and teaching it how to hunt?"

He turned his head away expressionlessly when they met under the moonlight.

"Have you counted how many walnuts you've cracked with the [Treasure Hammer] along the way? Don't forget you're a big celebrity now, and you haven't been deliberately hiding your whereabouts. Among the monsters and gods you've encountered along the way, there will eventually be people who can recognize the [Treasure Hammer]."

"Huh? That doesn't make sense. If that's the case, shouldn't you have been discovered by the people of Lunar Capital long ago? Why hasn't anyone from Lunar Capital come to rescue you all these years?"

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai looked surprised again.

"Even if the ordinary Lunarians are unfamiliar with you, the gods should be able to recognize you, right?"

"It's simple, they don't want me to go back."

Moonlight saw Leng Leng speak coldly.

"The struggle for power exists in many ways. Is that so hard to understand? Perhaps some of them would even be happy if I died here, or never went back."

"Hmm, so if that's the case, then the guy who sent the rats to steal the [Treasure Hammer] from us also recognized you? I was wondering why those rats wanted to attack you, since you're not exactly a valuable treasure... It seems they wanted to use you as leverage to make demands on those people in the Moon Capital?"

With his arms crossed, Shi Bai nodded in agreement.

"Great! It seems all those years of watching Conan weren't for nothing. Another mystery solved! I definitely have the potential to become a super detective!!"

"...I'm not some kind of treasure, and I've already let you down!!"

Taking a deep breath, Tsukiyo slowly loosened the fist that had been clenched behind her back.

Although so much time has passed, my patience seems to be getting worse and worse. This guy in front of me seems to be testing my limits every moment... My temper seems to be getting more and more irritable?

...If only I could find a chance to beat the other person up.

"Haha... Let's get down to business first. We don't need to worry about these minor matters and unresolved issues."

With a laugh, Shi Bai casually reached out and caught a leaf that had fallen from a tree.

"Since the other party's primary target is the [Treasure Hammer], and you are a secondary target, what do you think they would want to do with the [Treasure Hammer]?"

"What they do with the [Treasure Hammer] is actually irrelevant; what's important is the potentially serious consequences that might result from using it."

She glared at him, and Yueye took a moment to calm herself down. Otherwise, she wasn't sure if she would punch his face, which she found to be quite despicable.

"I just hope that whoever gets the [Treasure Hammer] isn't some ambitious person who wants to gain power and influence, otherwise we'll be facing a rather troublesome situation... You probably can't handle that kind of absolutely immortal being that can't be killed no matter what, right?"

"What do you mean... the great catastrophe that occurred in the previous era, caused by the [Treasure Hammer], that affected both races?"

Before the question could even be uttered, Shi Bai himself had already reacted.

"Wasn't that disaster resolved? If no one dies..."

"No, it was just sealed away because there was no way to resolve it. That was the first and only cooperation between the gods and the demons."

Yueye shook her head.

"Absolutely immortal, it cannot be killed by any attack, and it will continue to absorb and grow stronger, increasing its power without limit... Even such terrifying things can only be sealed away."

"So what is that thing?"

Shi Bai raised an eyebrow, clearly curious.

"I don't know, nobody knows. Some call it the 'Black Mist,' some call it the 'Dark Tide.' Its overall image is just an invisible mass of darkness that devours people, a terrifying, invisible entity that feeds on the darkness within each person's heart."

As if recalling some particularly unpleasant memories, Tsukiyo's expression was rather unpleasant at this moment.

"In the beginning, that darkness was very weak, but after devouring one god or monster after another, it began to grow stronger and stronger. No matter what, it cannot be killed, or rather, it is inherently immortal, and there is simply no way to stop it... If such a being were to reappear in this world, could you deal with it?"

Could you elaborate a little more?

Because of Tsukiyo's description, Shi Bai became slightly interested in it.

"It feeds on the darkness within people's hearts? Such a being shouldn't be too difficult to deal with, right? Even if it can't be killed, wouldn't sealing it away be easy?"

"Simple?"

Moonlit Night saw a silent, cold laugh.

"Everyone has their own secrets, desires, darkness, and light within them. These things are the nourishment for their growth. Unless one's soul is as pure as a blank sheet of paper, anyone else is inherently at a severe disadvantage when facing it. In this respect alone, it is already invincible."

"Then seal it away!!"

Shi Bai looked completely matter-of-fact.

"Later, based on our assessment, we determined that the prerequisite for sealing it was to kill the other party first."

Yueye saw a blank expression on her face.

"Then let's kill it first!!"

"As I said, it is immortal; the only option is to seal it away."

"Then let's seal it away first!!"

"The prerequisite for sealing it is to kill it first."

"Then let's kill it first!!"

"...It is immortal, it can only be sealed."

"Then let's seal it away first!!"

"........."

From a long time ago until now, Tsukiyomi has never had such a strong urge to punch someone as she does now.

P.S.: I had a headache all day, I'll update more tomorrow—

Chapter Twelve: The Great Compassionate Buddha of All Families

Distant mountains, long road.

Deep forest, empty valley.

Shi Bai has always been a man of action. Since he had already made up his mind, he naturally wouldn't delay any longer. After Tatara Kosan packed up the items, the three of them left the valley where they had lived for many years.

With a wave of his sleeve, he left behind not a single cloud, but only a radiant sea of ​​sunflowers.

According to Tsukiyo, if the stolen "Treasure Hammer" cannot be retrieved quickly, the demon that they had spent so much effort and energy to seal away might reappear in the world. That demon was born because of the power of the "Treasure Hammer" and absorbed the power of countless gods and monsters. If it reappears, it will be a super disaster no less than the ten suns that appeared in the sky.

Although most of the rats scattered and fled after leaving the valley, it was a simple matter for someone who had aspired to be a great detective since childhood to find the clues left behind along the way.

What Yueye didn't expect was that after traveling for several days, they ended up in human territory.

"...Are you sure you haven't led us the wrong way?"

Looking at the temple with its endless stream of worshippers, Tsukiyo, who had spent half a day climbing the mountain and was exhausted, turned her head with some suspicion to look at the person beside her.

"It's obvious that the one who stole the [Treasure Hammer] was a demon. There's no way a demon could be lurking in a place like a temple, right?"

"Well, who knows?"

Looking up at the grandson of the temple in front of him, Shi Bai shrugged indifferently.

The struggle between the indigenous religion and the foreign Buddhism lasted for nearly a few hundred years. They fought countless battles, both openly and secretly, for the sake of people's faith. It was only in recent years, with the surge of spiritual energy in the world and the sudden change in the situation after the entry of the Moon Capital, that the relationship between them began to ease.

The very purpose of religion is to better gather faith. Buddhism, which came from abroad, already had a foothold in this land and was difficult to drive out. Coupled with the surge in the power of demons and the attack from the Moon Capital, if the two sides continue to fight, it is very likely that the other side will benefit.

The birth of gods is not like that of monsters. The number of monsters can increase wildly, but it is difficult for gods to do so.

The departure of Amaterasu Omikami, who ruled over the entire Takamagahara, was already enough to cripple the local gods. Under these circumstances, they had to deal with powerful yokai whose strength was increasing every day to protect their believers, fight against foreign Buddhism, and guard against the Lunar Capital or Yakumo Yukari's forces that might attack them at any time... If things continued like this, they would collapse first.

In truth, the gods in Takamagahara had long been on the verge of collapse. After all, it was one thing for their superiors to leave home at the slightest disagreement and not return to this day, but the fatal flaw was that they had been arguing for so long without choosing a leader they agreed with, and instead had split into various factions.

If their Amaterasu Omikami were still in Takamagahara, how could things have turned out this way? How dare the Lunar Capital act so recklessly on their territory? How could foreign Buddhism have encroached upon their faith? And how could the youkai be so arrogant?

But unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in life.

In fact, if it weren't for the unexplained disappearance of Tsukiyomi, the highest leader of the Lunar Capital, the weakest gods of Takamagahara would have long been under the rule of the Lunar Capital, something that those gods found unacceptable.

As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The gods in Takamagahara did not want to be ruled by the Lunar Capital. Therefore, the integration of the native Shinto and the foreign Buddhism became inevitable, and they had to work together to resist the foreign enemy.

For example, Bishamonten, one of the Seven Lucky Gods enshrined in the Husunji Temple of the present dynasty, belongs to the indigenous Shinto system and can also be classified as Buddhism.

It was only through the fusion and convergence of native Shinto and foreign Buddhism that the precarious situation was barely maintained. Otherwise, if, as before, people from the Lunar Capital came to demand their submission, and the youkai sage Yakumo Yukari's faction swaggered in to seek cooperation... no one could bear such a thing, let alone the gods who accepted people's faith and stood high above them.

However, their fierce fighting had no impact on humanity, or rather, humanity was completely unaware that so much had happened.

Although human lifespan is short, the number of powerful individuals emerging from the human race is considerable, including some top-tier experts capable of contending with great demons. These elite humans, on their own battlefields, collectively protected the normal development of the human world.

In this temple on Mount Shigi, which enshrines Bishamonten, there lives a legendary monk.

This refers to the highly respected monk, Seong Myeong Lian, who is known as the reincarnation of Buddha and who protects the local people.

"I thought all monks were bald..."

Looking at the handsome young man in a black robe with a gentle expression in the distance, Shi Bai touched his chin and muttered something under his breath.

"You won't allow him to practice Buddhism with his hair still intact?"

She glared at the person beside her, then followed their gaze to the Holy Lotus. When she spoke again, her words carried a hint of surprise.

Although her strength was sealed at all levels, making her like an ordinary person, she still had sharp eyes.

"Blessed by Buddha's light and possessing innate wisdom, to be able to reach this level of strength at such a young age shows that the humans of this world are not entirely useless."

"So what gives you the right to look down on humans? Didn't you lose that war of invasion against humans from another world?"

Looking at Yueye Jian sitting on the steps, gesturing as if she were in charge of everything, Shi Bai rolled her eyes and pointed with a look of disdain at a six or seven-year-old child who had just run past with his parents. Shi Bai's words were full of disappointment and frustration.

"You're exhausted from climbing just one mountain? Look at other kids, are there any like you? Even Xiaosan is better than you, she was jumping and running off to play as soon as we reached the top. And look at you, sitting here like a toad after climbing such a high mountain, how old are you...?"

"........."

Suddenly, Tsukiyo felt an urge to grab a stone from the ground and throw it at the other person.

Just then, a young novice monk sweeping the floor came to them. He first bowed respectfully to them with one hand raised to his chest before speaking to them.

"Esteemed benefactors, Master Minglian invites you to the back room for a chat."

..................................................................

Chaohu Sunzi Temple is a well-known temple in this region, and Seimei Ren can be considered the representative figure of this temple.

There are many rumors about his deeds.

What people talk about most are his punishment of greedy rich people and his healing of the emperor in a dream from a thousand miles away.

Legend has it that Minglian cultivated himself on a mountain, receiving the blessing of Vaishravana. Every day, he begged for alms, and his alms bowl possessed divine power, able to command Minglian to fly to nearby villages and collect grain. A wealthy household, unable to withstand this power, refused to provide grain and locked the alms bowl inside his rice granary. The bowl miraculously moved the entire granary to Minglian's side. The wealthy household, terrified, chased after the flying granary, pleading with Minglian to return it. Minglian, in great compassion, commanded the granary to fly back to its original location.

Later, Emperor Daigo fell seriously ill, and all the doctors were helpless. Prayers and rites failed, so he sent an envoy to invite Meru Ren down from the mountain. Meru Ren performed a ritual in the mountains, and the emperor dreamed of a saint and recovered. He thanked Meru Ren profusely, but the monk declined the generous reward and continued to live in seclusion.

It is precisely because of the presence of the Sacred Lotus that this temple attracts so many worshippers. While the front courtyard is bustling with worshippers, the back courtyard is remarkably tranquil.

Under a Bodhi tree by the courtyard, beside a small pond, stands a stone table and several stone chairs. On the table are several cups of tea, and goldfish leap and play in the pond.

A scene of tranquility and peace.

"What are you going to do?"

Seeing the person in front of her enthusiastically taking out a fishing rod by the pond, Tsukiyo's lips twitched violently.

"Fishing, huh? Can't you see how excited these goldfish are, eager to be caught by me?"

While hanging celery leaves onto the fishing hook, Shi Bai answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I haven't gone fishing in a long time, so I'm itching to get back to it."

"...Using celery leaves as bait?"

"This is a temple, and the fish kept in temples are definitely vegetarian. So if you want to catch fish, you have to use vegetarian food. Is there a problem?"

"........."

“You are truly a remarkable person. This humble monk believes you possess supreme Buddha-nature.”

Just as the moonlit night was silent, a voice suddenly rang out in the courtyard, and along with the voice, Saint Lotus, dressed in black robes, walked in from outside the courtyard.

"You want to save me?"

Turning his head to look at the person who came, Shi Bai casually cast the fishing hook into the pond, raising an eyebrow with great interest.

"Monk, can you tell who I am?"

"Put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot. You are a person of great kindness."