The afterlife blew up Gensokyo

Of course, putting that aside, the cooking skills are still pretty good. After all, he did inherit his true skills... Recalling the various kinds of culinary disasters that the other party used to make him eat, which seemed to be produced like an assembly line, Shi Bai couldn't help but shudder.

Why do you think he was able to withstand the onslaught of Shiki's hellish cuisine? It's entirely because he was rigorously trained in the past...

"Look at you, you're sweating from exhaustion."

Thinking of his own life, someone who had already eaten hundreds of buns and didn't want to die from overeating took out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the sweat from the other person's forehead.

"You must be very tired, right? Why don't you sit down and rest for a bit?"

"No, sometimes just hearing Bai say that makes me feel less tired!!"

She blinked, then clenched her fist, her face filled with righteous indignation.

"Shi Bai, wait for me, I'll go make you something else to eat!!"

Shi Bai: "..."

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

After a month, the ruins of those dilapidated buildings had been mostly cleared away. However, destruction is often easier than creation, and a month is not enough to restore the buildings to their previous state.

However, while everyone else was busy with large-scale civil engineering projects and construction, this person was leisurely sitting under a tree in front of his house drinking tea, which attracted a lot of hateful glances.

Secretly, many people had planned to put a guy in a sack, drag him out, and beat him up. However, due to his weakened strength and the fact that he "accidentally" destroyed a street with one punch, the plan was temporarily shelved.

In short, the reconstruction plan for the Celestial Realm was proceeding vigorously under such a strange atmosphere.

Although Shenqi and the succubus are outsiders, they are very popular in the Celestial Realm. Some people even dare to confess their love to the succubus... However, their fates the day after their confessions are all tragic. They are either found in a trash can or hung from a tree, while the real culprit behind the scenes, Shenqi, remains at large.

Don't forget that the Celestial Realm originally existed as a refuge. Those who were able to enter the Celestial Realm at that final time were all the new generation. If we don't count the period when time in the Celestial Realm was frozen... strictly speaking, all the people in the Celestial Realm were minors.

So now you understand why someone was so eager to get revenge after being beaten up in the past, right? It's like a high school student getting beaten up by a group of elementary school kids, but then wanting the elementary school kids to back you up...

Therefore, managing a group of minors is really tough. Someone has to do everything personally, and young people are hot-blooded and prone to conflicts, making it an extremely difficult task.

But that was in the past. Now, Shi Bai feels he truly has the authority of a parent... It's definitely not about settling personal scores.

The old system was overthrown and new regulations were established. The day the Dragon God was truly born marked the beginning of the Celestial Era, and a brand new era was ushered in in the Celestial Realm.

One year in the Celestial Calendar.

The initial construction of the Heavenly Palace has been completed. As a pre-planned residence for immortals or celestial beings who may arrive in the future, the Heavenly Palace adopts the construction suggestions put forward by someone in its architecture, and its appearance can be described as extremely luxurious.

The building extensively uses precious metals such as lapis lazuli, diamonds, and agate, achieving a luxurious yet elegant style and an artistic aesthetic, making it another pinnacle of the architect's career.

Of course, the construction of the Heavenly Realm is only in its initial stages. Subsequent renovations and other additional functions will take a considerable amount of time to complete. However, his time in the Heavenly Realm is limited, and that is a matter for others to take care of.

The second year of the Celestial Calendar.

Shinki has finally made new progress and come up with new ideas about how to create her own world.

After the New Year, Shenqi bid farewell to the people of the Heavenly Realm and began preparations for creating her own world.

—The succubus left the celestial realm with her.

The third year of the Celestial Calendar.

The Scarlet Sword has been officially completed, and someone's final time in the Celestial Realm is about to come.

"What rules did you set for that sword? Why can't we draw it, including me?"

Sitting atop a mountain, swinging her legs, Xiaoye asked the person next to her with great curiosity.

"Hmm? The Scarlet Sword?"

After thinking for a moment, Shi Bai held up one finger and began to speak in a serious tone.

“I actually only set one very simple rule, but even with just this one rule, you absolutely cannot achieve it.”

"Only one? Wait... you didn't set it so that only people with a specific name could draw that sword, did you?"

Xiaoye instantly guessed the wicked rule that someone had set, and her expression became quite strange.

"Uh... it's not funny if I say it out loud."

Seemingly not expecting the other party to guess the rules he had set so quickly, Shi Bai was slightly taken aback.

"But don't you think it's fun to have those celestial beings and immortals rushing to pull out the sword, only to find that they can't pull it out no matter what they do?"

"Only you would find this fun, right?"

Hearing what the person next to her said, Xiaoye couldn't help but roll her eyes. But recalling how they had drawn their swords and were red in the face earlier, she couldn't help but laugh.

"If this news gets out, you'll definitely get beaten up."

"Death is like the wind, always by my side... Anyway, they can't beat me now."

Shi Bai stretched slightly and looked up at the sky.

Blue sky and white clouds drift by leisurely.

"...By the way, is Xiaoxi still the same?"

"She's the one who least wants you to leave, and she's probably hiding in her room crying under her pillow right now."

Turning to look at Shi Bai, Xiao Ye had a serious expression on her face.

So, come back soon.

"Don't worry, when have I ever let you down?"

With a soft laugh, Shi Bai stood up.

"Okay, I'll..."

"Wait a moment."

Biting her lip, Xiaoye suddenly interrupted him.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Turning to look at the girl, Shi Bai asked her a question with some curiosity.

"If anything..."

Before he could finish speaking, the girl in front of him suddenly grabbed his collar and pulled him down. Before he could react, he felt a warm and soft touch on his lips.

"Uh……"

"Don't think I didn't see it at that time."

With a soft hum, Xiaoye turned her head away, her face slightly flushed.

"Remember to take good care of yourself... you silly brother."

P.S.: To be honest, this volume is indeed a bit short, but the mythology about China is just too complex. If I were to write it all, it would take millions of words. I originally had an outline of tens of thousands of words for this volume, but I deleted it all later. After all, I'm writing a Touhou Project fanfic, and using too much ink to describe other things would be putting the cart before the horse. So let's end this volume like this.

Actually, when I was writing this volume, I had a premonition that it wouldn't do well, but these things had to be written.

After all, the world of Touhou Project isn't limited to Gensokyo; this also explains the other aspects →＿→

Extras: Singing Fairy

From the very beginning, I have been an outlier.

The Oni race reveres strength. The amount of power you possess determines your status within the Oni race. In terms of pure strength, I may not be as strong as Yuugi, but in terms of the subtle control of power, I am the strongest among the Oni race.

However, even though I possess top-tier power, I am constantly planning to leave the Oni clan... Doesn't that sound ridiculous?

But I hate being tied down.

To me, the myriad aspects of life are but fleeting clouds. Whether there is war or not, it is merely like a shooting star in the sky. Even death cannot move me in the slightest.

Dust to dust, ashes to ashes; death is merely a necessary step in the process of life.

I don't know when that idea started in my mind, but I wanted to travel the whole world.

However, at that time, the war between the gods and the demons was already raging. Even though the demon race was the most powerful race among the demons, the war over the years had caused them heavy losses.

At the most critical moment, three of the four Ghost Kings died in battle, and the only one left was also seriously injured and on the verge of death.

Just as the Heavenly Demon is an important figure who leads the Tengu clan forward, the Ghost King holds a similar position for the Ghost clan.

It was as if it were destiny, or as if fate was playing a joke on me... I was listed as one of the candidates for the Ghost King.

To be honest, this is something that I find extremely annoying, because becoming the Demon King means that I must take on corresponding responsibilities... I will be born carrying the hopes of the Demon Clan.

That kind of life is not what I want.

That night, I sat alone on the top of the mountain of the monsters, staring blankly at the night sky, as if trying to find an answer from the countless stars. But after looking for a long time, I became more and more confused.

...At that time, I met her.

Perhaps this is the tribulation I was destined to face. As a candidate for the Demon King, she is a pure demon, and I am almost an incompatible being compared to her.

Unlike the enigmatic Jin Jie Luo, whom I could never quite understand, she was far too clear-sighted, her whole being as pure as a hot-blooded fool.

To be honest, we're not the same kind of people, but strangely enough, I was drawn to her.

When I stood on the arena with the three of them, covered in blood, receiving the admiration and cheers of the monsters, my heart felt more silent than ever before.

I hate being restricted, but I have no choice but to be restricted.

The demons never lie or deceive, but I think I started deceiving myself from that moment on.

Then time flew by, and before I knew it, countless years had passed. The long years and the long wars and killings made me forget a lot.

I forgot my initial thoughts, I forgot my original wishes, I forgot the reason why I initially became the Ghost King...

(Actually, this kind of life isn't bad... as long as everyone is together...)

When I raise a glass with them, a strange thought sometimes flashes through my mind.

...I became a qualified Ghost King.

And then until that time came.

I remember that day the sky was terribly gloomy, with dark clouds that looked like a downpour was about to break out at any moment, but she was still like a fool, laughing and inviting me to her house for drinks.

Even after all these years as the Ghost Queen, she doesn't seem to have changed much... To be honest, I'm a little envious of her.

Just as I was standing in the wine vat, pondering what kind of wine to bring, the gods suddenly launched a large-scale surprise attack on the Monster Mountain, and an exceptionally fierce war broke out immediately.

...This was the first time I truly understood what death was.

As I watched her close her eyes with a smile in front of me, my heart felt colder than ever before.

What is death? Death is when she ceases to exist, when the only evidence of her existence disappears, and from then on, there is nothing about her in the world anymore.

...I began to vehemently resist the selection of a new Demon King.

In my heart, she is irreplaceable; no one can replace her as the new Demon King.

Because of this, I went crazy and got into a fight with Yong-gi.

Jin Jieluo remained the same as always, only sitting silently to the side drinking wine while Yongyi and I were fighting, without saying a word.

As if he had seen through something, Yongyi finally gave in.

From that moment on, I could clearly feel that I had changed. It was as if a roaring demon lived in my heart, constantly struggling to break free of my body.

—I began my second attempt at deceiving myself.

I can sense the changes within myself, but I can never truly see myself clearly, nor do I understand why I have become this way.

It wasn't until Kshatriya chose to be imprisoned in Hell and calmly uttered those words to me in that boundless darkness that I understood where my problem lay.

The war between gods and monsters has lasted for so many years, but in the end it was all just a joke. But when I think back on my past, wasn't it also a joke?

I hate being bound, but I am bound by it nonetheless. After her death, I bound myself for hundreds of years.

Perhaps, I shouldn't have been born into the demon race in the first place.

I wanted to leave the demon clan; that was my initial thought.

Then... I met a very strange guy.

I don't know his identity, but his strength is unexpectedly powerful. The first time we met, he was being forcibly dragged here by the goddess of the underworld, looking unwilling.

He claims to be an immortal being, but... does such a being really exist in the world?

That's where my initial curiosity stemmed from.

To be honest, I don't know what words to use to describe the other person. To be specific... my impression of them is probably that they are mysterious.