The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

However, it is precisely because of their extremely long lifespan and the immense power they are born with that these immortal beings are destined to never develop from a race into a civilization.

After learning more about the lifestyle of these long-lived beings from Xiao Xi, Shi Bai finally understood why the foods that seemed ordinary to him were considered delicacies by them.

Don't underestimate a small packet of instant noodles. After all, even a packet of instant noodles has undergone multiple processing steps in modern times, and its technological content is quite high.

...Well, probably.

Because they are powerful enough, they will perish; because they are weak enough, they will prosper.

Although this may sound contradictory, it actually contains a certain deeper meaning.

These immortal beings are born with knowledge and possess immense power. They have no natural enemies and need not worry about the future... Perhaps this is why this prosperous and peaceful world will be destroyed?

Looking up at the gloomy sky, Shi Bai couldn't help but feel silent.

In the distant past, the Stone was uprooted to become the heavens, and all life on earth was wiped out... That was the destruction of the entire world, but a new world will be born on the ruins of the destroyed world.

In later generations, the so-called Celestial Realm was probably just a refuge where those powerful creatures of this world clung to life in their final days...

Although there was no real reason, based on some unseen intuition, Shi Bai clearly understood one thing in his heart.

The end of the world is fast approaching.

Chapter Fourteen Three Years

The talk of the end of the world is not unfounded worry or alarmist, but a fact that is destined to come true in the near future.

The many incredibly powerful and immortal species living in this world will face the most severe catastrophe in history. In the face of this global disaster, no one can escape.

Shi Bai himself was well aware that he had no way to stop this trend of conforming to the world.

Asking yourself to stop the world from being destroyed? Don't be ridiculous.

Although three years have indeed made him stronger than before, and he has accumulated some very useful items, his current strength is insignificant compared to the powerful strength possessed by those immortal beings.

Even those immortal beings couldn't stop it. In the end, they could only exploit the loopholes in the world and risk uprooting the Keystone to hide in the Heavenly Realm to eke out a living. How could a small, insignificant human like myself possibly stop it?

During his three years there, he thought of many ways to avoid the catastrophe that would destroy the world. Taking advantage of the much more convenient conditions than before, he also summoned many useful items.

Among the items he summoned, some were well-known, such as the Tessaiga and Tenseiga. Others had no descriptions whatsoever, and he couldn't recognize them, relying solely on his appraisal skills to identify them.

But it's clear that these things are of no use in dealing with something like the destruction of the world.

If he could summon something like the Jade Disc of Creation, the Exquisite Xuanhuang Pagoda of Heaven and Earth, or the Chaos Pearl, he might be able to come up with some solutions, but don't forget that this so-called summoning function follows the principle of equivalent exchange.

If he could actually summon such a thing, he would need to have an equivalent item to exchange for it. And clearly, he doesn't have that item.

So after rejecting N methods, Shi Bai realized that the only way left seemed to be to help Xiao Ye and the others obtain the "tickets" to enter the Heavenly Realm.

Even if the world is destroyed, he might be able to survive by relying on his immortality. However, the two little girls, Xiaoye and Xiaoxi, do not have his ability. Therefore, obtaining three "tickets" to enter the Heavenly Realm is a major problem.

Once the stone is uprooted and becomes the celestial realm, don't expect that celestial realm to be able to contain all the powerful immortal beings in this world. Only a very small number of beings will be able to enter it to escape disaster.

Perhaps he can still try his luck with random resurrection and be resurrected in the Heavenly Realm, but what about the other two beside him?

He couldn't possibly bring both of them in with him.

At the very beginning, he might have been able to abandon the two of them, but after living together for three years, he had long since come to regard the two little ones as family.

I'm not a cold-blooded animal, how could I possibly abandon them? Besides, I'm not going to die...

"...Perhaps we could try using obsidian to build a safe base?"

Looking at the workbench placed next to the large rock beside the hot spring, Shi Bai seemed lost in thought.

It has to be said that with the help of Xiaoye and Xiaoxi, collecting those valuable high-energy items has become much easier. At least he doesn't have to suffer like last time when he was swallowed by a Kun while mining.

Thanks to the bonus from his hidden talent [True Luck], he successfully summoned the [Workbench], an item he had always wanted.

With the help of the god-tier item [Workbench] and by fully utilizing the professional skills of a veteran Minecraft player, the entire valley renovation project only took one month.

Compared to the previous rugged and uneven terrain, the entire valley is now completely transformed.

—In Shi Bai's words, it's pleasing to the eye.

Unfortunately, most of the universal features in Minecraft are unusable in the real world. For example, he spent a lot of effort building a Nether portal, but it's clear that the portal he built is completely ineffective.

"No, obsidian is still too soft. We need to find a completely indestructible block to build a safe base..."

After briefly considering the idea in his mind, Shi Bai shook his head and rejected it.

Obsidian is considered an extremely hard block in Minecraft, but here, it's just a slightly harder stone for Xiaoye.

"If it's an indestructible block... is it also the bedrock that forms the core of a world?"

Soon, Shi Bai came up with another method.

If a safe base is built using bedrock, theoretically it should be able to survive the disaster, given that bedrock is indestructible.

But the problem is... he has no bedrock.

It must be said that this is an exceptionally sad fact.

"Hmm... I guess I still need to figure out how to get into the Celestial Realm."

With a headache, Shi Bai tapped his head, glanced at his watch, and then turned and walked towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the three of them.

His daily routine can be considered very regular. Although he has now become an immortal being, he has still retained the living habits he had during his human days... such as the most basic three meals a day.

Before he came here, the lifestyle of a certain phoenix that dominated the entire valley was terrifying to describe. Not only did it have no concept of eating, but it would also soak in the hot spring water and sleep soundly for ten days or half a month at a time.

"For breakfast, I'll make fried dough sticks. We should still have some of the gas we summoned a few days ago. Xiaoye and the others seem to like these kinds of puffed snacks..."

Putting aside his worries for the moment, Shi Bai walked into the kitchen. The most eye-catching things in the kitchen, besides the modern kitchen stove and utensils, were the boxes of all sizes piled up, covering more than half of the kitchen area.

Given the near impossibility of obtaining a continuous supply of electricity, preserving various foods is a major problem. Refrigerators, which require electricity, are out of the question, but chests from Minecraft are an excellent alternative.

The food you put in will look exactly the same as what you take out. Even if you put in leftover instant noodles a year ago, they will still be hot when you take them out a year later. It can be said to be a superior alternative to the refrigerator.

...Although the leftover instant noodles that were only discovered a year later were no longer edible.

Chapter Fifteen Phoenix Flame

Time continued to flow slowly but steadily forward, and life went on every day, but the ominous feeling that permeated the entire world grew heavier with each passing day.

"Is this the seventy-second animal to fall to rock bottom this month?"

Down in the valley, looking at the patch of mosaic on the smooth, flat ground in front of her, Xiaoxi couldn't help but frown.

"What exactly is driving these animals to go berserk?"

"The meat of this animal doesn't taste good."

After squatting down beside the animal carcass and poking it with a stick, the white-haired loli shook her head slightly in disgust, then turned and walked towards the center of the valley.

"This is troublesome, I'll leave it to you to handle."

"……Hello!!!"

Beside the hot spring in the center of Valley Town, Shi Bai sat in a chair, staring blankly at a pile of scattered materials in front of him.

Just as he had guessed, before the crisis of world destruction arrived, the whole world began to show signs of turning from peace to chaos.

Even animals with little intelligence sensed the unease, went mad, and embarked on massive migrations; how much more so the immortal species at the top of the food chain?

Shi Bai felt that he could no longer delay any longer.

"It's a pity. Due to the imbalance of power, we've had almost no contact with the outside world for so long... Hmm!?"

As if suddenly sensing something, Shi Bai abruptly raised his head to look at the sky above, and then froze in place.

—A phoenix, enormous yet excessively beautiful, appeared above the valley, casting a shadow over the entire valley floor.

...Xiaoxi's family?

The immortal beings in this world exist in groups. Since they are groups, excluding certain special individuals who represent an entire group, families naturally also exist.

In this world, the Phoenix Clan can be considered a superior race to some extent.

Before long, under Shi Bai's gaze, a dignified-looking middle-aged man dressed in a magnificent robe walked over from the other side of the valley with Xiao Xi.

Xiaoxi seemed to be quite afraid of the middle-aged man beside her, and she appeared very listless.

When the middle-aged man looked in his direction, Xiaoye quietly stepped in front of him.

"Hello, young man from the Eastern Divine Clan. I am Xi's father. You can call me Feng Yan. Thank you for taking care of her during this time."

A smile appeared on that dignified face as Feng Yan extended his hand towards him.

"Uh... hello, my name is Shi Bai."

Shi Bai patted Xiao Ye's head reassuringly and extended his hand. But the moment his hand grasped the middle-aged man's hand, an extremely intense burning sensation immediately came from Feng Yan's hand.

It was as if he were not grasping a hand, but a red-hot iron... no, lava. In that brief second of shaking hands, Shi Bai even had the strange illusion that he was about to be burned to ashes.

But soon, Feng Yan released his hand, a strange look flashing across his face. He turned his head and spoke to Xiao Xi beside him with a stern expression.

"Xi, go pack your things and come home with me later."

"No! I don't want to leave here!!"

She swiftly hid behind Shi Bai, gripping his clothes tightly with one hand, and peeked out from behind him, making a face at her father.

"It's so boring at home! There aren't many delicious foods or toys to play with. I don't want to go back!! I'm going to marry Shi Bai when I grow up!!!"

"Uh……"

Seeing the increasingly hostile look in Feng Yan's eyes, Shi Bai couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

"You're just the other woman, I'm the rightful wife."

Frowning, Xiao Ye glared at Xiao Xi and then, as if asserting her ownership, pulled his hand into her arms.

"You're still a young adult; if anyone's going to get married, it'll be me first."

Shi Bai: "..."

As the expression in Feng Yan's eyes gradually changed from unfriendly to looking at him like he was a pervert, Shi Bai began to deeply regret why he had lent his phone to these two little girls.

Although he had carefully locked all the inappropriate content on his phone with a password, those downloaded TV series, anime, and the like... children probably shouldn't be able to watch them either, right?

"Brother Shi Bai, let's come over and have a private talk."

With an unusually kind smile on his face, Feng Yan reached out and warmly put his arm around his shoulder.

"After all, matters concerning marriage within our Phoenix clan are extremely sacred. Also, since you've entered into a bloodline contract, have you spoken to the Dragon Clan about this?"

"Bloodline contract? What is that... uh..."

Feeling the burning sensation coming from his shoulder, Shi Bai suddenly felt like he was going to die today.

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

"A sofa? This is a nice one."

After fidgeting on the sofa for a while and finding the most comfortable sitting position, Feng Yan nodded with satisfaction.

"Hmm... if you want them, Uncle, I have a whole bunch of them, all kinds of styles."

Shi Bai placed a cup of tea on the coffee table in front of Feng Yan, and then sat down on the sofa.

"Hey! It's true that the Eastern God Clan is the most focused on enjoyment, and the various items they sell are extremely popular among all races..."

Feng Yan picked up the cup of tea on the table and took a sip. He leaned forward slightly, and an invisible pressure emanated from his body.

"But you're not a member of the Eastern God Clan, are you?"

"I don't think I ever said I was a member of the Eastern God Clan, did I? That's all just your wishful thinking..."

Completely unaffected by that invisible aura, Shi Bai pursed his lips and poured himself a glass of cola.

"If you don't believe me, go ask your daughter. I've never admitted to this directly."

"Hahaha, if you try to make any excuses, I'll just burn you right here."

Seemingly surprised by the answer, Feng Yan paused for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"But don't worry, although you are not a member of the Eastern God Clan, you have definitely been recognized by their lineage, so you are actually considered a member of the Eastern God Clan."

"...Inheritance?"

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai suddenly remembered the system that he had inexplicably activated.

"That Eastern God Clan..."