The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

Their luck was undoubtedly good. Although the roars of various ferocious beasts came from the vicinity of the tent all night, surprisingly, not a single beast wandered to the vicinity of the tent. This made Ibaraki Kasen, who was ready for battle at any time, somewhat surprised.

"That's why I said we don't need anyone to keep watch... Don't you understand that the lucky one is fearless?"

Shi Bai yawned, stood up inside the tent, and took the opportunity to put away the street lamp flower that was placed in the center.

"Alright, let's tidy up a bit, and today we're heading towards..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a strange noise suddenly came from outside the tent. Accompanied by a mournful cry, a heavy object fell with a thud at the tent entrance.

"This voice..."

Her expression changed slightly, and Ibaraki Kasen quickly pulled back the curtain and went outside the tent. When she saw the creature lying in front of the tent, her face immediately turned rather ugly.

Jingfeng, the mount of Heng'e yesterday, which was jokingly called the White Dragon Horse by someone, lay in front of the tent covered in blood. Compared with its heroic appearance yesterday, Jingfeng's current situation was undoubtedly quite miserable.

His body was covered in blood and gore, as if sharp steel bars had been scraping over it. His right hind leg looked as if it had been ripped off, with the white bone faintly visible underneath.

Ibaraki Kasen found it hard to imagine how the other party could have managed to run all the way to their side despite such serious injuries.

Ibaraki Kasen is confident enough in combat, but she is completely clueless when it comes to healing and treating injuries.

After a moment of panic, Ibaraki Kasen quickly turned her gaze to Shi Bai, who was following closely behind her.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not a veterinarian."

With a slight smirk, Shi Bai casually tossed a magic bean over.

"Use it sparingly, I don't have much of this left."

It has to be said that the healing effect of the Senzu Bean is absolutely powerful. In a short while, all of Jingfeng's injuries were completely healed. Even Jingfeng himself seemed a little confused about his condition.

However, it quickly came to its senses and anxiously barked at Ibaraki Kasen and the others.

"That's why they would immediately think of coming to us for help when faced with something like this..."

Speechless, Shi Bai looked up at the gloomy sky and couldn't help but roll his eyes inwardly.

"Let's go."

Some things are actually quite simple, or you can make a rough judgment just by looking at the condition of the white dragon horse.

Yesterday, when Heng'e was returning home alone, she encountered an accident, or rather, an attack by a ferocious beast, or some kind of problem. Then, the loyal Jingfeng risked his life to escape from that place and, with his last bit of strength, ran to them for help.

Although there were some discrepancies in the process, the general situation should be about 80-90% accurate.

If it weren't for the existence of the Senzu Bean, given the severity of the injury, the other person would probably have died long ago. How could they have had the strength to lead Shi Bai and the others to the rescue?

"are you OK?"

Turning to look at the pale-faced man sitting behind her, Ibaraki Kasen's words carried a hint of helplessness.

Perhaps because it was eager to save its master, after picking up the reinforcements it had risked its life to find, Jingfeng sped off towards that direction without stopping. It was originally a ferocious beast, and its speed was astonishing when it unleashed its full power.

Ibaraki Kasen didn't seem to notice anything amiss, but then, this shameful, teleportation-sick slacker discovered he was also prone to motion sickness...

"No... no problem..."

The whistling wind echoed in his ears, and everything around him seemed to have become a phantom like a slideshow. Under these circumstances, Shi Bai weakly extended a thumbs up to Ibaraki Kasen in front of him.

"I... I finally understand why it's called Jingfeng (惊风, meaning 'Startling Wind'). But I still suggest renaming it Bai (白, meaning 'White Dragon Horse')..."

"...If you're really feeling unwell, then just hold me and lean against my back to rest for a while."

After a slight hesitation, Ibaraki Kasen began to speak.

"There might be a fierce battle later, and then...!?"

Before Ibaraki Kasen could finish speaking, the White Dragon Horse instantly transformed from extreme motion to extreme stillness.

Completely unprepared for this, and given that Ibaraki Kasen was turning to the side, the two were caught off guard by the momentum and their faces were instantly pressed together.

Feeling the warm touch from her lips, Ibaraki Kasen involuntarily opened her eyes wide, completely unprepared for what was happening, and stood there stunned.

Shi Bai: "..."

After a moment of silence, Shi Bai quickly dismounted and coughed a few times, making a fist and putting it to his mouth.

"Ahem... The weather's nice today, I'll handle things here. I suddenly remembered that run in the sunset that day, that was my lost youth..."

P.S.: Good morning, everyone!

Chapter Five: Chaos reigns!

Life is always full of unknowns, leaving us with no way to guess what will happen.

Even after clearing away the thick fog, you still don't know what awaits you ahead...

To be honest, Shi Bai felt an indescribable sense of awkwardness permeating the air.

Although the two had traveled together for nearly a few months, their relationship was more like that of drinking buddies who didn't get along very well.

After all, one is like a lazy bum who has no ambition, while the other is a ghost king who doesn't even want to waste the night and plans to go out to cultivate. If their personalities match, then they are truly ghosts.

Shi Bai hadn't forgotten that the main reason Ibaraki Kasen initially clung to him was because she craved his sake...

But the oni... they probably won't care too much about what happened just now, right? After all, Hoshiguma Yuugi acted so boldly, and besides, that was his first kiss. All things considered, he actually lost out...

Wait a minute, if I've managed to keep my first kiss until now, does that mean I'm living a pretty unsuccessful life?

Suddenly realizing this, Shi Bai couldn't help but shudder.

"This is the lair of a ferocious beast. According to Jingfeng, Heng'e should be trapped in the very center over there."

As if what had just happened was a trivial matter, Ibaraki Kasen dismounted and spoke calmly to the person in front of her who had suddenly become depressed for some reason.

"Delay could lead to complications, let's hurry over there."

"Ah... I understand..."

After glancing at Ibaraki Kasen, whose expression remained unchanged from before, Shi Bai sighed deeply and took the lead in walking forward, convinced that he was the one who had suffered a loss.

"........."

So what exactly did you mean by sighing?! You're the one who's getting the better deal, aren't you?!

Touching his ears, which still felt a little hot, Ibaraki Kasenten suddenly felt an urge to deliver a level 8 blast to the person in front of him who looked like he had suffered a great loss.

The cultivation of a certain steamed bun fairy regarding the fluctuations of killing intent is still in full swing today.

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

It must be said that the speed of the "White Dragon Horse" Jingfeng can definitely be called "Surprising". In just over ten minutes, under its guidance, Shi Bai and Ibaraki Kasen arrived at the foot of a hill.

This is a black hill shrouded in low, dark clouds. The hill is filled with all sorts of caves of various sizes that have been dug out by humans. Judging from the various tools scattered around the caves, it can be vaguely determined that this seems to be a mine.

Even though it was already dawn, the dark clouds were still rolling overhead, as if they were about to press down at any moment.

Just looking at this hill from a distance can involuntarily evoke a strange sense of oppression.

"So why did your master inexplicably come to this godforsaken place? This is no good place at all."

Looking at the hills shrouded in thick clouds, Shi Bai couldn't help but sigh again. Then, he turned his head and spoke to Jing Feng, who was already on guard beside him, with a hint of resentment.

"I'll let it go this time, but remember to pay me next time you need my help!!"

“A place like this…”

Clearly sensing the ominous atmosphere in the air, and looking at the scenery vaguely appearing at the largest cave ahead, Ibaraki Kasen couldn't help but frown.

In her field of vision, sharp eight-legged tentacles could be vaguely seen in the dark cave, and accompanied by a hoarse and unpleasant rubbing sound, a black spider that was more than three meters tall emerged from it.

This is just the beginning.

As if receiving some signal, the hoarse and unpleasant friction sound became more and more intense, and one after another, huge black spiders emerged from the various caves. In less than two or three minutes, they were surrounded by more than a thousand black spiders.

Faintly, a soft sound came from the brown soil beneath their feet, like popping popcorn. A large clump of black soil exploded beneath their feet, and countless spiders, none even a millimeter in size, fiercely pounced on them.

"Boom."

Just as Ibaraki Kasen was about to make a move, someone casually stomped their foot on the ground.

"I hate spiders."

As Shi Bai's words fell, a faint wail echoed from the depths of the earth, and the countless tiny spiders beneath their feet instantly turned to dust.

(This level of subtle control over power... is clearly a step above mine...)

Looking at the scene before her up close, Ibaraki Kasen suddenly felt a sense of dejection for some reason.

If she were to take action, although she could do that much, she definitely couldn't do it as effectively as the other party had shown... Being silently crushed in her most prized ability was undoubtedly a blow to her.

...So that's why someone with such great strength is such a complete slacker!?

"Alright, leave things here to me."

He pulled out a stick from somewhere, circled it around Ibaraki Kasen and Jingfeng, hoisted the stick onto his shoulder, and began to give instructions to Ibaraki Kasen in a serious tone.

"Remember not to leave this circle. I'm going to buy some oranges. You all stay here and don't move."

"...Buy oranges?"

After a slight pause, Ibaraki Kasen's gaze swept over the stick the other was carrying on his shoulder.

"There are roughly over a thousand ferocious beasts here, we really don't need me...!!!"

Before Ibaraki Kasen could finish her sentence, she froze in place.

With a very faint sound in the air, as if it had been rehearsed beforehand, the thousands of huge black spiders surrounding them all collapsed in an instant.

(This is... because of that kick just now...?)

"I already said, I hate spiders."

With a slightly puzzled look at Ibaraki Kasen, who was standing there dumbfounded, Shi Bai turned around and walked into the cave, carrying the stick.

"That's why I told you, it's very expensive for me to help. If I were to help, you wouldn't even get a single experience point. Do you think you'd have a chance to level up? Sigh, these days, nobody believes the truth..."

Ibaraki Kasen: "..."

Strange, although what the other party said makes sense... why do I feel the killing intent in my heart getting stronger and stronger?

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

Meanwhile, on a mountain path not far from here, a large group of people were rushing toward the mine, and at the forefront was a handsome young man with bright eyes and a longbow.

As the leader of the Youqiong clan and a master archer, Hou Yi was extremely busy during this period.

As an absolutely rational being, he can definitely be called an extremely qualified leader among the Youqiong clan. Recently, due to the rampant ferocious beasts around, he even put aside his own marriage and led his subordinates to put out fires everywhere.

Although his subordinates were advising him to go back and focus on preparing for the wedding during this time, he shut them down with a single sentence.

—Sacrificing one's own family for the greater good, all for the sake of all living beings.

The battles between the various clans and the ferocious beasts have continued for countless years, but no matter the outcome, the ferocious beasts have never been completely eradicated.

Almost every hundred years, a great wave of ferocious beasts would erupt; every thousand years, a catastrophe would sweep across the world; and every ten thousand years, a calamity that could only be survived by all the clans in the world uniting together would occur.

In the process of fighting against the ferocious beasts, many heroes emerged from various clans. Powerful clans rose and weak clans disappeared, and history and the general trend of the world were constantly changing.

Just as no one can count how many stars there are in the sky, no one can count how many kinds of ferocious beasts have emerged on this land.

However, despite the harsh environment, the various clans not only built their own towns on the land, but also tamed a group of relatively docile ferocious beasts as their helpers, and have continued to develop and prosper to this day.

If things continue like this, after the scourge of the ferocious beasts is completely eradicated, a brilliant civilization will be created on this land.

However, with the successive opening of the Underworld and the Heavenly Realm, filth began to spread across the land. Although the last great calamity of ten thousand years had not been long ago, the number of ferocious beasts suddenly began to surge, and even some of the ferocious beasts that had become legends showed signs of awakening.

Once the four most ferocious ancient beasts return to the human world, the entire world will become a living hell.

Faced with this impending catastrophe that would sweep across the entire world, no one could remain indifferent. Each clan began to adopt its own methods to resist, confront, or flee.

Some clans set off for the celestial realm, where ancient races were said to exist; some clans went to sea to find the legendary overseas immortal mountains; and some clans, such as the Meng Po clan, accepted the invitation to go to the underworld to serve as underworld deities... and so on.

However, many other clans decided to unite to deal with this unprecedented catastrophe and try to save all living beings.

The marriage alliance between the Youqiong clan and the Tushan clan was a product of this broader context.

However, Hou Yi was in no mood to meticulously prepare etiquette to welcome his soon-to-be fiancée. Instead, he was leading his subordinates to resolve one outbreak after another of ferocious beast uprisings within the jurisdiction of the Youqiong clan.

Weaker clans depend on stronger clans for survival, and the stronger clans naturally have the obligation to protect the safety of the weaker clans.

Sacrificing one's own family for the greater good, for the sake of all living beings—this was the philosophy upheld by Hou Yi, the leader of the Youqiong clan.

These are not just empty words. To date, he has not rested for more than a month. Even some of his subordinates have collapsed from exhaustion, but he himself still appears to be full of energy.