The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

"I understand. The gods of the West, the deities of your side, and the immortals of the East—the so-called Age of Gods is probably composed of these, right?"

Snapping his fingers, Shi Bai smiled and began to speak.

"In the era before even the emergence of humankind, there were only territories divided by natural barriers. There were no distinctions between nations or mythologies. In fact, everyone was not much different from one another, but there were still slight differences."

"These should all be common sense... Is there some special significance to them?"

Ibaraki Kasen was completely bewildered.

"Of course there is. The arrival of a new era inevitably means the passing of the old era. So what are the main reasons for the decline of the divine era?"

Shi Bai glanced at Ibaraki Kasen.

"The West is experiencing Ragnarok, the East is facing a cataclysmic event... So what about your region? And how exactly does the cataclysm manifest in each region?"

P.S.: Tickets

Chapter Ninety-Nine: Carefree Youth (End of Volume)

The sun was shining and the sky was clear.

Across a vast, boundless plain, wisps of smoke drifted in the wind.

"...That's basically the situation. Of course, those are just my personal speculations, and they shouldn't be taken seriously until the actual situation comes to light."

Shi Bai casually picked up a leaf that had fallen from a tree and added it to the fire, then smiled and began to speak.

"However, it is true that the filth will gradually spread across the land, and the new races that are born in the world after that will have an incredibly short lifespan."

"Lifespan is incredibly low... does that mean the average lifespan of this race is less than 10,000 years?"

After thinking for a moment, Ibaraki Kasen looked thoughtful.

"But those who can adapt to that filthy existence will also become the true masters of this world, right? The sole protagonist of the new era or something..."

"...No, the average lifespan of their race is less than 100 years."

Shi Bai reached up and pressed his forehead, feeling a slight headache coming on, having heard this statement for what felt like the umpteenth time.

"However, you are right about the last sentence: they will become the true masters of this world."

"...less than a hundred years?"

After a moment of astonishment, Ibaraki Kasen shook her head slightly.

"Impossible. In a hundred years, a race wouldn't even have the chance to reproduce... Or perhaps they are a powerful race envied by heaven and earth, incredibly powerful from birth? Is that why their average lifespan is so low..."

"A powerful race envied by heaven and earth? You're dreaming."

Speechless, Shi Bai waved his hand and interrupted the other person, somewhat amused and exasperated.

"To put it another way, they can be said to be the weakest race in the world, unprecedented in history. How weak? Not only do they lack the innate abilities of you monsters or gods, but their physical strength is also pitifully weak. Even a single 'hu' could easily kill them, and they need to learn and strive through hard work to even acquire a little self-defense ability... Do you think this is a powerful race that is envied by heaven and earth?"

The "犾" he mentioned is an animal unique to this era, similar to the "咕" in that it is a wild boar. However, unlike the "咕," which is not listed in the culinary repertoire, the "犾" can be considered a rather delicious ingredient.

"But if that's the case... wouldn't such a race be unable to survive in this world?"

After thinking about it for a moment, Ibaraki Kasen couldn't help but shake her head again.

"Such a weak race, I really can't find any reason why this race could survive in this world."

"A reason? Only one reason is enough."

Shi Bai snapped his fingers, and a gentle breeze swept across the field, ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead.

"That's because this race can create endless possibilities. Although they are not born with great power, it is precisely because they understand the insignificance and preciousness of life better than any other being that they can create endless possibilities on the original basis... How about we make a bet?"

"What are you gambling?"

Looking at the spirited man in front of her, Ibaraki Kasen couldn't help but feel quite curious.

"Hmm... let's bet on whether this race can impress and awe you in the future. If I win, how about you do me a favor for free?"

Holding up a finger, Shi Bai began to speak in a serious tone.

"Of course, if I lose, you can also ask me to do something for you unconditionally. The decision of winning or losing is in your hands, so this should be a very generous offer."

"A race that I admire and am awestruck has never appeared before, let alone the weakest race in history that you claim to be. Are you that confident?"

Shaking his head, Ibaraki Hanahan laughed at himself first.

"Alright, let's make a bet. If you win, I'll do anything for you. But if I win, you can't refuse any of my requests."

"Don't worry, I've never broken a promise."

After making this sure-win bet, Shi Bai waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the lucky star pendant worn on the other person's chest, and casually sprinkled some cumin on the pigeons on the grill.

"...By the way, is the effect of this pendant alright?"

"this one?"

Reaching out to grasp the lucky star pendant on her chest, Ibaraki Kasen nodded.

"It helped me suppress the accumulated violent emotions in my heart, and it helped me a lot... This kind of thing must be very precious, right?"

"Hmm... to be honest, I don't really know if it's valuable or not, because I summoned it using the equivalent of a bottle of cola..."

When the topic turned to the lucky star pendant, Shi Bai's words seemed to carry a hint of inner turmoil.

Speaking of its preciousness, this lucky star pendant once helped him a lot; it is indeed a top-notch treasure.

However, in terms of the principle of equivalent exchange in the system summoning interface, this thing was summoned with a bottle of cola...

In other words, the actual value of this pendant is roughly equivalent to a bottle of Coke... These two are clearly not equal in value!

Back then, he thought there was something wrong with his system's summoning interface... although he still doesn't understand why.

"Let's not talk about those things... Anyway, since you were suppressed, you should have let go of the past by now, so those inner demons shouldn't be a problem for you anymore, right?"

Putting aside the matter that ranked third among Shi Bai's unsolved mysteries, Shi Bai asked Ibaraki Kasen in front of him.

However, to his surprise, after a brief silence, Ibaraki Kasen shook her head.

"It's just being suppressed; it will take a considerable amount of time to completely purify those evil thoughts."

Seeing that Shi Bai looked a little confused, Ibaraki Kasen stopped roasting the pigeon and began to explain.

"I've forgotten how many years have passed since I became the Ghost King, but the inner demon that has been troubling me since then has already appeared... This is precisely why I'm so determined to leave the Ghost Clan."

"I understand. So, the identity of the Ghost King is actually your inner demon? It has bound you to that position for countless years..."

Shi Bai shook his head slightly.

"No wonder you want to abandon your identity as the Ghost King, and even your identity as a member of the Ghost Clan."

“That’s right. After I completely let go, those accumulated inner demons turned into the purest evil thoughts, piling up in my heart and making me unbearable. If it weren’t for this pendant, I probably would have been corrupted and gone berserk by those evil thoughts long ago.”

Holding up the lucky star pendant on her chest, Ibaraki Kasen nodded. She was always quite frank about such matters concerning herself.

“Originally, I planned to use a more extreme method to completely eliminate the influence of those evil thoughts on me, but this pendant gave me another possibility. Ceasing evil and cultivating goodness is something I must do on this journey.”

(An even more extreme method... does it mean cutting off one's hand?)

As this thought crossed his mind, Shi Bai casually picked up the pigeon that was already half-roasted from the other party, and while brushing sauce on it vigorously, he replied casually.

"I understand, then let's work together..."

"That's the pigeon I roasted."

Reaching out to grab someone's hand that was vigorously smearing sauce, Ibaraki Kasen's tone was unusually firm.

"If you want some, I can bake some for you, but this is just mine."

"........."

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

Shi Bai was actually quite welcoming of Ibaraki Kasen's request to travel together.

After all, while it's not impossible for him to travel alone, having another companion is always a welcome addition.

Hmm... although the main reason the other party made this request was because they were craving their own wine...

This lunch in the fields ended with the tragic deaths of more than a dozen pigeons who were originally enjoying their lazy and peaceful old age.

After quickly sorting out and packing up the trash, Shi Bai first went back to the bamboo forest with Ibaraki Kasen.

After being teleported for half a day, lying on the ground in the strange, eerie sunlight of Ibaraki Kasen, Shi Bai staggered into his room, clutching his head.

Although he had been gone for several months, nothing in the bamboo forest had changed. However, without anyone visiting or cleaning for several months, the furniture and tabletops were covered with a thick layer of dust.

It was around two or three in the afternoon, and the lazy afternoon sunlight slanted through the window and lazily shone on the table. In this extremely quiet environment, even the dust particles floating in the air became clearly visible in the sunlight.

"I don't know when Shenqi and the others will be back, but after they gave me my name, they shouldn't have any difficulties in the Heavenly Realm... Besides, I even had Tan Nu give them a 'poisonous jinx,' so there shouldn't be any problems, right?"

Leaning against the door, looking at the furnishings inside the house that had remained untouched since he and Youxiang left in early spring a few months ago, Shi Bai couldn't help but look thoughtful.

Although it is a simple matter of sending a message to the heavens, it is not an easy task to accomplish. The time required is not measured in months, but in years.

So even though it had been about three or four months since Shenqi and the others left, Shi Bai wasn't in a hurry. After all, he had waited for so long before, so he wasn't in a rush.

He had only spent a short time in the underworld, and more than three months had passed in the mortal world. Now that Shenqi and the others have gone, it might be several years before they return.

"I wonder how Xiaoye and Xiaoxi are doing now. Although I left a letter when I had no choice but to leave the Heavenly Realm, I'm really worried about those two if they're not taken care of by me..."

Shi Bai tapped his head with his finger and walked to his desk.

This journey is unlike any before. According to his calculations, even if he were to return, it would probably be several years from now.

Just like the goal he set for himself before going to the Monster Mountain, he also set several goals for collecting monster illustrations for this trip.

The first person we need to find, needless to say, is the one and only little loli, the fairy Zi Ma, in the world. After all, this is an extremely rare and precious photo that is absolutely impossible to collect in the future.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!! If you miss it, you'll never get another chance!! How could he possibly give it up!!!

The second item to collect in the encyclopedia is Pure Fox. As a deity of the same caliber as Heca and born in China, Shi Bai has long yearned for it.

He's already collected all of Hecate's Pokédex entries, how could he possibly not collect Pure Fox's?! (Sound)

As for the third one, he wanted to see if he could find Hong Meiling in China at the same time.

As for the fourth one...

Shi Bai gently tapped the dusty table in front of him with his fingers, and after a moment of contemplation, he took a small stone sculpture, made of some unknown material, from his storage ring and placed it on the table.

After doing all this, he turned and walked outside.

The sunlight streaming through the window slanted across the stone sculpture, but left no shadow on the table whatsoever…

"Okay, let's go."

Stepping outside, Shi Bai tossed a gourd of wine to Ibaraki Kasen, who was waiting outside and curiously observing the layout of the bamboo forest, and began to speak to her.

"Hmm? Have you finished all the preparations for your departure?"

Subconsciously taking the gourd, Ibaraki Kasen turned to look at the man standing in the sunlight, a strange light flickering in her eyes.

"Also, this thing is..."

"Hmm... just a simple, ordinary wine gourd."

Turning around, Shi Bai walked towards the path leading out of the bamboo forest, his tone elusive.

"I just suddenly felt that instead of chugging from a bottle, it would be more poetic to pour wine from a gourd into my mouth..."

"Uh……"

Looking down at the gourd of sake in her hand, then looking up at the person who had already walked quite a distance ahead, Ibaraki Kasen quickly followed behind.

Many years later, when Ibaraki Kasen sits under the eaves of her dojo in the afternoon, leaning against a pillar and gazing at the scenery in front of her, smelling the aroma of fine wine wafting from her side, she will surely remember that afternoon many years ago when she set off with that man.

At that moment, she looked at the man walking far ahead of her and stomped her foot in dissatisfaction. A bamboo leaf was blown by the wind and brushed past her hair, drifting away to who knows where.

Pure Fox.jpg

P.S.: Um, the next chapter is a bonus chapter.

Dream Pavilion? Fragrance? Place of Rest

If I had never seen the light, I could have endured the darkness.