The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

Putting down the phone he was holding, Shi Bai spoke to the white-haired, beast-eared girl in front of him with some dissatisfaction.

"Even though this phone has a built-in beauty filter for snapshots, your expression still looks like you're crying no matter how much the filter is applied!!"

"I...I...I'm ...

With one hand on its chest, a white wolf tengu sitting on the ground wore a smile that was more like a grimace than a cry.

"...I recognized it."

Speechless, Shi Bai slapped his forehead and rolled his eyes at the girl in front of him who was so nervous she was almost fainting.

"It's just a simple photo, there's no need to be so nervous, is there?"

"...I, I did my best."

Taking a deep breath, the white wolf tengu nodded very seriously, his face still bearing that twisted smile...

Shi Bai: "..."

After much effort, Shi Bai finally managed to take a few photos that he was satisfied with, but compared to the photos he had taken before, these were simply the best of a bad bunch.

"Alright, you have some serious problems with your mindset. I hope you can grow up a bit in the future."

After glancing at the photos on his phone, Shi Bai sighed helplessly and put his phone away again.

"You get this nervous just from having your picture taken? How did you have the courage to say those things just now?"

"I don't know, I just blurted it out in a moment of impulse..."

With its head drooping and even its ears drooping, the white wolf tengu's words carried a sense of dejection.

"That's why you need to grow and mature. You can't keep going like this. I have absolutely no idea what you were so nervous about just now..."

Shi Bai pursed his lips, his face full of speechlessness.

"...No, it's nothing."

Stealing a glance at Shi Bai in front of him, the white wolf tengu blushed and hurriedly lowered his head after their eyes met.

Shi Bai: "???"

Of the eight talents he has unlocked so far, aside from talents like [Return to the Past], [God of Food], and [Qing Nang], the talent he used most often in the past was the [Enhancement] talent.

As the name suggests, enhancement is adding extra attributes to an item... which can also be understood as enchanting.

He used this talent ability when he enchanted the succubus's staff, which was always being damaged by the goddess.

Similar to the talent ability [Retrospection], the talent ability [Enhancement] can only be used on inanimate objects. However, the scope of the [Enhancement] talent ability is even more restrictive than that of the [Retrospection] talent ability.

The talent ability 【Retrospection】 can be applied to plants, meaning it can identify plants in a defined scene as inanimate objects.

Because of the system's consistently brief introduction, Bai had previously conducted some research on this talent ability and determined that the scope of the [Retrospection] talent ability was probably limited to so-called intelligent beings or beings with agency.

For example, if there's a flower that has developed sentience within the defined area of ​​the [Retrospection] talent ability, then [Retrospection] will have no effect on that flower. Similarly, if there's an inanimate ant within that area, then it will have no effect on that ant.

Hmm... the former corresponds to intelligent beings, and the latter to active beings.

The [Enhancement] talent ability is strictly limited to inanimate objects; living plants cannot be affected, but broken branches can.

This is probably the difference in the scope of the [Enhancement] and [Retrospection] talents.

Theoretically speaking, an item can be upgraded indefinitely, as evidenced by his phone that he upgraded to "+10086" out of boredom.

However, once an item is enhanced to "+10" or higher, there is a risk of it breaking if you continue to enhance it. The probability of an item breaking is directly proportional to the enhancement level.

But the luckiest people can ignore everything!!!

For Shi Bai, who possesses the top-tier talent of [True Luck], as long as the success rate of enhancing an item is not 0%, then it will absolutely be 100%!!!

If it weren't for the fact that the time required for each upgrade increased significantly with each subsequent upgrade level, someone who was really bored would definitely have upgraded that phone to "+10 million" or more.

As for why he didn't continue to upgrade it... it would take a hundred years for his "+10086" phone to be upgraded to "+10087".

After all, the further you go in strengthening something, the time required for strengthening increases exponentially...

Furthermore, the mechanism for refreshing items when he revives after death is now quite complicated, and to be honest, even Shi Bai himself hasn't figured it out yet.

However, based on what he understands so far, it seems that the items he comes into contact with will be refreshed upon his death and resurrection, with harmful items being removed and beneficial items being retained... that's about it.

"Alright, we've wasted so much time, it's time to..."

Standing up from the ground, Shi Bai stretched slightly, but before he could finish his sentence, he paused for a moment, then turned to look at the white wolf-like tengu on the ground.

"...By the way, what were we supposed to be doing just now?"

P.S.: Tickets

Chapter Eighty-Eight: The Grand Feast Begins

As night fell silently, the silhouette of a city projected onto the Monster Mountain gradually became clear under the illumination of countless magical rainbow lights.

This is a magnificent city nestled in the mountains.

This is a civilization unique to yokai, a city that has stood in this mountain of yokai for thousands of years or even longer.

A city that has thrived for a thousand years, a city that never sleeps.

Regardless of the undercurrents that may have been brewing, as night quietly fell, the grand banquet and revelry hosted by the demon race officially began.

Although the Oni race, which was originally the most powerful race among the monsters, is currently at its lowest point, and even though the monster groups built around the Oni race are on the verge of disintegration with the end of the old era of gods and monsters fighting, at least for now, the Oni race's strength should not be underestimated.

Even with the Heavenly Demon's arrangement, the rebel group led by the Tengu clan among the monster races of Monster Mountain intercepted and captured some monsters who came from other places to Monster Mountain to participate in this feast. However, even excluding those, the entire city was still extremely lively when the banquet arrived.

Far removed from the anxieties of that seemingly endless war, the monsters who had gathered in the city began their own revelry. Although the number of monsters was less than half that of those grand feasts in history, the atmosphere at this once-in-a-millennium banquet, now free from the threat of war, was undoubtedly the most exhilarating yet.

But in the end, only they are left who can relax and embrace the coming new era with a completely new mindset, because not all monsters can calmly accept this peace.

Perhaps before the war ended, all they thought about was how to survive it. But after the war, some of the monsters began to regret... regret that they hadn't died in the war.

—All of these monsters chose to go to hell.

Just as the monsters who chose to settle in Hell find it hard to understand why they could so calmly participate in such a banquet, the monsters participating in this banquet also find it hard to understand why the other party wanted to go to Hell.

A new era is dawning, and the gods have fled the earth in panic. Without the gods, this new era should rightfully belong to the monsters.

As for filth... can't you just learn to adapt to it?

Frankly speaking, there are quite a few monsters who harbor these thoughts. However, those who hold such thoughts are destined to be unable to access higher-level secrets.

Why are the gods so eager to escape from the earth? Why is the Demon King among the demons willing to suppress hell for eternity? Perhaps the filth that is about to spread across the entire earth is one of the reasons for all this, but what about the others?

The tide of the times is absolutely unstoppable; this is the consensus reached by Tsukiyo and Kinkara, who have some knowledge of the truth of that lost ancient mythological era.

When the balance of the world was disrupted, in order to destroy those powerful immortal beings who hindered the progress of the era, a cataclysmic disaster that destroyed the entire world came, turning them into legends.

If, when it's your turn, you foolishly try to stop the tide of the times... what unpredictable disasters will befall this world?

It was precisely because of this indifferent attitude that the monsters held such thoughts that their absolutely tragic end was destined for them.

The arrival of a catastrophic disaster is always so unexpected and...unexpected.

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

"Still haven't found her? It seems she's made up her mind not to attend this banquet..."

Listening to the report from the Great Tengu of the Tengu clan, Hoshiguma Yuugi frowned slightly and sighed with a hint of helplessness as he looked at the bustling city before him.

Logically speaking, the inauguration of a new Ghost King should be a major event for the entire Ghost Clan and even the entire monster community. She can still remember the scene when she took over the power from the previous Ghost King when she was the Ghost King of Power.

Compared to back then, the current situation is significantly less lively. Although she had released the news a long time ago, the number of monsters choosing to participate in this grand event is far less than she had imagined.

...Perhaps this era that belongs to us is truly coming to an end?

Occasionally, a strange thought would flash through Hoshiguma Yuugi's mind.

Looking back at the long history of the Ghost Clan, it can be said that no Ghost King's succession ceremony has ever been as shabby as this one.

Originally, the demon kings of the demon clan, who were supposed to be present regardless of the reason, were all present. The demon king of gods, Jin Jieluo, volunteered to be permanently imprisoned in hell, and the demon king of chaos, Ibaraki Kasen, made it clear through his actions that he refused to participate... In the end, he was the one in charge of everything.

Although she had long known that among the four Demon Kings of the Demon Clan, the Demon King of Chaos and the Demon King of Strangeness were the closest to each other, she never imagined that the death of the previous Demon King of Strangeness would have such a profound impact on Ibaraki Kasen, even inspiring her to want to die in the war...

If it weren't for her desperate rescue, Ibaraki Kasen would have died long ago in that extremely brutal war.

Even though she became a little more normal after returning from hell, she seemed to be completely detached from the demon race, and she completely ignored the things that usually required her attention.

Leaving aside the fact that he's always appearing and disappearing mysteriously, his absence from such an extremely important occasion is...

Thinking of this, Hoshiguma Yuugi couldn't help but let out another heavy sigh.

To be honest, the person who was most affected in this situation was not her, but the one who should have succeeded as the King of Monsters hundreds of years ago, but was delayed until now due to various factors.

In her opinion, the "protagonist" who appears tonight definitely has the strength and qualifications to take over the authority left by the former Demon King.

It's just a pity that on what could be considered the most important day for the other party, almost all of their most important audience members were nowhere to be found...

"Lord Yuugi, may we begin?"

Behind Hoshiguma Yuugi, the Ōtengu, the de facto leader of the Tengu clan, respectfully inquired of her.

The highest-ranking leader of the Tengu clan, Great Tengu, has long, silver-white hair like Inuzoki Kaba. The magnificent robe she wears perfectly outlines her figure, and she wears a hexagonal red hat, a common decoration of the Tengu clan. In her left hand, she holds a black fan.

However, compared to his usual calm and capable demeanor, at this moment, the Great Tengu's face clearly showed anxiety and confusion.

She already knew about what had happened at the Nine Heavens Waterfall and the Monster Tree Sea, but knowing this only made her more uneasy.

Not only were all the great demons that Lord Tianmo had placed there defeated, but they were also all covered with sacks, their powers sealed, and tied to trees.

Regardless of just how powerful the person capable of such a feat is, the most important thing is... neither we nor Lord Tianmo can understand what they're trying to do!

If the mission was to rescue the imprisoned great demons, then the places where they were imprisoned are still intact. If it was purely for revenge, then so many defeated great demons were not killed, but merely sacked, their powers sealed, and tied to trees... It seems the latter is more serious for those great demons?

The appearance of a third party outside the plan is not something that he and Lord Tianmo want to see. After all, what if that party jumps out and disrupts their plans at a crucial moment...?

...So where did that guy named Sun Xingzhe, who calls himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, come from?!

"let's start."

Hoshiguma Yuugi coughed lightly a few times, then spoke calmly.

The rumors about her being seriously injured and not yet recovered are not unfounded.

After all, to rescue someone who is determined to die and wants to fight to the death multiple times on a brutal battlefield that is like a meat grinder, and to do so unscathed is practically a pipe dream.

Even though she was still seriously injured, the Great Tengu still showed enough respect to the person opposite her.

"understood."

After nodding with unusual respect, the Great Tengu turned and left the room.

With Hoshiguma Yuugi's order swiftly issued, the final feast of the Oni clan, destined to be recorded in history, reached its climax as the night sky suddenly lit up.

Tens of thousands of magical fireworks, crafted by the Kappa clan using magical materials, shot into the sky with bright trails of various colors, bursting open at their highest point and converging above the city to form a giant curtain of light.

The dazzling colors of fireworks in the night sky were reflected in the darkness and blended into the brilliance of the various magic crystals that lit up in succession throughout the city. The colorful lights of the magic crystals shooting into the sky and the fireworks and stars in the night sky complemented each other, creating a breathtaking scene that was almost mesmerizing.

Once you've witnessed a scene like this, you're destined to never forget it...

The grand feast begins!

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

"Hey, can't you walk a little faster?"

Looking up at the dazzling scene on the mountain, Shi Bai turned around and spoke with some dissatisfaction to the white wolf tengu behind him, who looked exhausted.

"If we keep dawdling like this, when will we ever get there?"

Do you think everyone is a monster like you?

Leaning almost entirely against the tree trunk, the white wolf tengu's words were filled with obvious resentment.

"We've been running around in the Monster Mountain all day, with almost no rest time, and we haven't eaten or drunk anything all day, so our strength is almost completely exhausted... You can go up by yourself first."

"Without you leading the way, do you think I could find my way up smoothly?"

Pointing to a patch of darkness ahead, the man looked on with an encouraging expression.

"Keep going, believe in yourself. Sometimes the spirit can transcend the body. Just think about how we can eat and drink to our hearts' content once we get there. Doesn't that make you feel your energy surge back up?"

"I, I'll just try it out a little..."

Meeting someone's encouraging gaze, after hesitating for a moment, the white wolf tengu resumed its steps.

—Then, after walking less than three steps, I swayed and almost fell.