The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

"Over the years, you've been very tired, haven't you? After all, as the Dragon God, you have to guard against malice from outside the world, which is a tough job that you can't relax at any time. Because if you relax your mind even for a moment, beings from other worlds will appear in our world, such as transmigrators from outside, or senior beings from the main god space."

Interrupting the other person's words, Shi Bai looked up and glanced at them.

"Things are different now. Since the dragon veins I laid appeared, the progress and development of this world has been incredibly rapid. If all worlds in this era when the [Gate] was destroyed were just a small boat adrift in a boundless dark sea, then the fragrance emanating from our small boat from that time onwards will attract some unfathomable beings in the deep sea... You haven't had a real rest in a long time, have you?"

"As the Dragon God represents the will of all living beings in this world, it doesn't need to rest at all. If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight. This is something you told me a long time ago."

Shrinking her neck slightly, Xiaoye answered somewhat guiltily.

"As the Dragon God, these are just my duties..."

“You are the Dragon God, but you are not the Dragon God. Don’t deliberately confuse the two concepts. I never intended for you to become the Dragon God.”

Shi Bai interrupted the other person without even looking up.

"I'll take care of everything, so please rest assured. The deployment of the relevant equipment will take approximately one to two hundred years. During this period, I will be in charge of all matters related to world defense. You can take a good rest..."

"No, I won't hand that over to you."

Xiao Ye shook her head decisively, interrupting Shi Bai's words.

"That's my job as the Dragon God. If I handed everything over to you, wouldn't I become a useless person you'd keep? Don't even think about it. A long time ago, I was stronger than you!! I once sent you flying with a single punch!!"

"But now I'm stronger than you."

Looking up, the person had a dark expression on their face the whole time.

"Stop fooling around. Don't be willful about things like this. Wouldn't it be better to just listen to me? The world outside isn't as simple as you think. The truth behind the destruction of the [Gate] involves a terrifying conspiracy. When the [Gate] still existed, all worlds were peaceful and stable. Any being that didn't belong to that world couldn't stay there for long, and there were no inexplicable, mysterious beings in the void. So-called order existed widely in all worlds, and every world was safe, unlike now, where there's the constant danger of being destroyed by external malice and threats. But one day, everything changed."

As he spoke, Shi Bai reached out and picked out several golden lines in the air in front of him, then used these lines to outline a cuboid in the air, and then used lines to outline thousands of shapes behind the cuboid.

"I haven't told you about the concept of the 'Gate' before, have I? The so-called 'Gate' is just an ordinary bronze door. The 'Gate' itself isn't important; what's important is the world behind it. Legend has it that it's the central hub where countless parallel worlds converge. Anyone qualified to live behind the 'Gate' is invariably a unique being. According to legend, there are nine worlds behind the 'Gate,' and the 'Creator' resides in the final, ninth 'Gate.'"

"[The Creator]?"

Hearing this secret for the first time, Xiaoye's eyes widened in surprise.

What does the Creator look like?

"Uh... to be honest, I've never seen it either, since the [gate] was destroyed back then. But it should have been eight feet tall, with bright eyes, and its whole body was shiny and sparkling, right?"

Shi Bai reached out and touched his chin, looking thoughtful.

"It seems like this is what the creators in myths and legends all look like..."

"Hmm...it seems I can roughly form some impressions in my mind."

After thinking for a moment based on someone's description, Xiaoye nodded.

"But if the Creator resides behind the door, how could the door be destroyed?"

"Well, who knows? Maybe at that time, the Creators living in the Gate all went out for team building activities."

Shrugging, Shi Bai continued speaking.

"In short, due to an unexplained anomaly, the [Gate] was destroyed. Since then, various inexplicable and bizarre beings have begun to emerge in the void, such as the evil god race. But this is not the worst situation. The worst situation is that the apocalypse has appeared in our void, greedily devouring everything—life, matter, souls. If it weren't for the surviving [Wonder Objects] that have stopped the spread of the apocalypse, it would have already invaded every corner of this void. Affected by the apocalypse, the order between worlds has long since ceased, and countless bizarre beings are spying on those vibrant worlds..."

“I know all of this, because I was by your side and saw everything before your system was damaged after you recklessly entered the ‘door’.”

As if recalling some past events, Xiaoye's voice suddenly became low and deep.

"You always say I've kept too much from you, but haven't you also always carried everything on your own shoulders? I've witnessed every change and every step of your growth. Even though you've been through so much, in the end you're still the innocent boy I first met. The so-called peaceful life is just someone carrying a heavy burden in the darkness. I can't just enjoy all of this peacefully. I just want to go into the darkness with you and bear those burdens together."

As if she had made up her mind, Xiaoye mustered up her courage and looked directly into Shibai's eyes.

"From beginning to end, you haven't changed at all, yet you've subtly changed a lot. I don't know what you're hiding deep in your heart, but please believe me, and please believe in yourself. I will never let you face those things alone, because I absolutely believe in you, and you must believe in me too. No matter what happens in the future, I will have no regrets and will never back down. No matter what you face in the future, I hope to be by your side to offer you the greatest help, instead of having to rely on your protection like I do now. As time goes by, I've found myself liking you more and more. So..."

Xiaoye took a deep breath.

"No matter what happens in the future, please let me stay by your side!!"

"...Okay, I agree."

After a long silence, looking at the girl in front of him with a nervous and expectant expression, Shi Bai suddenly laughed.

"Don't worry, I am the strongest. I'm sorry that I didn't consider your feelings before and just arranged things for you. I will reflect on this later."

"Are you telling the truth?"

After anxiously waiting for half a day and receiving such an answer, Xiaoye's eyes immediately lit up.

"Of course, I always keep my word and a promise is a promise."

Shi Bai reached out and gently pressed on the surface of the instrument, and the instrument slowly disappeared into the void like flowing water.

"The construction of this is estimated to take about 150 years. During this period, let's share the responsibility for global defense. Perhaps in the past, I was indeed too domineering, arranging your lives and futures according to my own ideas. Thinking about it now, it really is... If you hadn't just reminded me, I might not have realized it at all..."

Leaning back slightly and looking up at the sky, Shi Bai rubbed his forehead, feeling a slight headache.

"From the very beginning with Little Four Seasons, and then to the recent Purple Mom... it seems like I've... tsk, what are you anyway?"

He pounded his head hard with his hand in frustration.

"Uh...what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just a little self-reflection."

Shi Bai glanced at Xiao Ye in front of him and sighed.

"I am not even a thing."

Xiaoye: "???"

P.S.: Ah, sorry for the lateness... I've had a headache all day, I'm going to the hospital tomorrow.

Chapter Eleven: The Emperor - The Unruly Celestial

skyline.

Unlike the underworld, where the sky above is an endless dark void, the celestial realm experiences the same daily changes of the four seasons as the mortal realm.

As dawn broke, a fiery red figure rose early in the morning light.

As the last phoenix in the world, Xiao Xi is undoubtedly in a good mood. Long ago, when she was the most beloved little princess in the phoenix clan, she met a human.

Initially, she was captivated by the other person's delicious food, but later, without realizing it, the image of that boy had been deeply imprinted in her heart.

At that time, she didn't understand what love was. She only knew that if she was by his side, she could have many novel things and delicious food. But after all her people were destroyed and her beloved father sacrificed himself to heaven and earth, the only place in the world where she could feel at peace was by his side.

When she was crying helplessly in his arms, he made a serious promise to her. He said he would try his best to become stronger, that he would prevent those tragedies from happening again, that she should stop crying and that she looked most beautiful when she smiled, and finally, that he would protect her.

White clouds and blue dogs, the world has changed.

The black-haired boy who held her hand and smiled as he made a promise before she fell into a deep sleep returned. He fulfilled his promise and became very, very powerful, but he could no longer stay by her side as before.

When the boy left, she collapsed onto the bed and cried for a long time.

In the next few meetings, everyone was in a hurry, moving forward, while she stubbornly stayed behind, waiting for the boy from back then.

In her self-centered little world, formed from the loss of all her loved ones and her subsequent solitary existence, there were only two other people besides herself; she refused to allow anyone else into her world.

The appearance of Kazama Yuuka didn't even stir the slightest ripple in her heart. She didn't care how many other people were around him, nor did she care whether he had changed for the better or worse than before. As long as he loved her and they could be together, that was enough.

This view on relationships was something Xiaoye could never understand. Unlike someone who was extremely oblivious to matters of the heart, she vaguely sensed some changes happening to Xiaoxi.

A morbid worldview and morbid thoughts lead to a morbid love, or to put it simply, a hidden, severe yandere. If Shi Bai were to stop loving her one day, it's hard to imagine what terrifying things might happen to Xiao Xi.

However, based on Xiaoye's understanding of Shibai, the possibility of this happening was practically zero, so she didn't take it too seriously. Although Xiaoxi still refused to let anyone other than her and Shibai into her world, she could slowly begin treatment once everything settled down.

—A certain dragon god successfully planted a flag on Shi Bai's body.

Having learned from Shi Bai that the other party would be staying here for the next one to two hundred years, Xiao Xi was undoubtedly quite excited, so much so that she got up early in the morning to prepare breakfast.

So when Bai finally emerged from his room, yawning, just before 10 a.m., he was dumbfounded to see a food tower nearly five meters high piled on the table in the courtyard…

Just as he was dumbfounded, Xiao Xi, wearing an apron and carrying a basket of steamed buns, came out of the kitchen and waved to him happily.

"You must be starving to get up so late! Come on over and have some breakfast. I made a lot so you wouldn't go hungry!"

Shi Bai: "..."

So, after all this time, when will you finally change your bad habit of comparing human appetites to those of a phoenix?

"Pfft cough cough cough... By the way, where are Saya and Yuuka?"

After struggling to stuff another basket of steamed buns into his stomach, Shi Bai, who was nearly choking, rolled his eyes and asked Xiao Xi, who was sitting at the table in front of him, propping her head up with her hands and staring at him without blinking.

"Xiaoye? She rushed out when I invited her to breakfast earlier."

Perhaps sensing the other's pain, Xiaoxi thoughtfully pushed a bowl of crystal-clear soup in front of Shi Bai, her face full of anticipation.

"I recently developed a clear broth soup, which I haven't even tasted myself yet. Would you like to try it?"

"Thanks then..."

With a look of satisfaction, Shi Bai accepted the bowl of clear soup. Just as he was about to drink it, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a semi-transparent segmented limb sticking out of the soup, making a few strokes in the air, and then reluctantly sinking back into the soup.

"...What ingredients did you use to make your soup?"

After a moment of silence, Shi Bai raised his head and looked at Xiao Xi in front of him.

"Phantom Spider, Amakusa Centipede, Void Scorpion, Wood Toad, Strange Serpent—it took me a long time just to capture these five materials!!"

With its head held high and chest puffed out, the phoenix exuded pride.

"...Xiao Xi, let's change the name of this soup."

"Huh? Should I change my name?"

"That's right, let's call it the Five Poisons Soup."

He tilted his head back and drank the bowl of crystal-clear soup in one gulp, his expression completely unchanged.

"Work hard, and maybe one day this soup can rival Meng Po's soup..."

Before he could finish speaking, with a "thud," he passed away face down, smiling as he died.

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

There is a sky, the dwelling place of the heavenly people.

Unlike the immortals in the Eastern Heavenly Court who value freedom and spontaneity, the celestial beings place more emphasis on their dignity and etiquette. The various vices commonly found in mortals are almost entirely absent in the celestial beings.

Of course, there are always exceptions. Not all the celestial beings living in the Heavenly Realm are perfect. There are always one or two special cases from time to time.

For example, in recent years, there has been a rather famous "daughter of the neither thought nor non-thought heaven" in the realm of the Hina people, the eldest daughter of the Hina people's family - the bad heaven person - Hina Nami Tenshi.

The foundation of the celestial realm is the cornerstone that once supported the entire world in the mythical era – the [Key Stone]. The [Key Stone] governs the earth, and the Mingju clan were originally priests responsible for guarding and suppressing the Key Stone, which was responsible for suppressing earthquakes.

The Minju clan, who served as priests during their lifetime, fulfilled their duties well and received rewards from the heavens. After their deaths, they were called Naju-no-kami (名居守) and were worshipped as gods in the shrine by the pond in the mountains.

Meanwhile, the Hina-no ...

However, unlike the common dwelling clan, the Bina Mingju clan has not accumulated enough cultivation and is merely a servant of the Mingju Guard. Therefore, they do not possess the qualities that a celestial being should have and are called bad celestial beings in the celestial realm.

Of course, the so-called "bad celestial beings" is just a joke. Celestial beings, who have no flaws like humans, don't care too much about these things because their virtues are perfect.

As long as the Bi Na Ju clan continues to cultivate in the Heavenly Realm, they will eventually acquire the qualities that a Celestial being should possess. At that time, the nickname of "bad Celestial" will naturally be removed from their heads.

The one who truly popularized the nickname "Bad Celestial" was none other than the eldest daughter of the Hinanaju clan—Hinanaju Chiko.

While the entire Hinanaju clan benefited from the protection of the Minju clan and were able to become celestial beings and reside eternally in the heavenly realm, Hinanaju Chiko was merely a child who became a celestial being by virtue of her parents being dispatched by the Naju-no-kami.

When Di Zi became a celestial being, he changed his name to Tian Zi (Son of Heaven).

Because she became a celestial being while she was still a child, her thoughts were quite unconventional compared to those of other celestial beings.

While it's true that some people are inherently good, sometimes the innocence of children can be more terrifying than the cunning of adults. They can crush dragonflies into powder in their hands without any guilt, or pour boiling water on ant nests and laugh while pointing at the ants struggling in the water.

In addition, Higane Ichiko came from a prestigious family and was pampered and protected from a young age, so she often acted quite willfully at times.

Especially after ascending to the Heavenly Realm and becoming a Celestial Being, she became even more rebellious due to the lack of harsh realities of society. In addition, she possessed the special talent of being able to manipulate the [Key Stone] at will, and after changing her name to something more like "Emperor of Heaven," she became even more uncontrollable.

The emperor does not possess the qualities commonly found in celestial beings. He has absolute confidence in his own abilities and looks down upon all beings except himself.

It is precisely because of this that she becomes quite agitated and angry whenever things don't go her way. She is very impatient and not likable.

Originally, the title "Bad Amanto" referred to the entire Hinanaju clan, but as the story of Hinanaju Tenshi gradually spread, the title "Bad Amanto" began to become the exclusive nickname of the Tenshi.

However, the emperor himself did not take this to heart.

Putting aside the discussion about the evil celestial beings, there has always been a legend circulating in the realm of the Supreme Being.

Whoever can pull the sword from the stone in that peach grove will become king!