Dongfang Huaizhu nodded thoughtfully, a sense of enlightenment blooming in her heart.
She seemed to grasp the truth of what the goddess had said:
In the end, light and darkness are two sides of the same coin. Good and evil are not determined by power, but by the heart of the one who wields it. Even those with the most radiant abilities may do evil if their mind is twisted.
Wanjie Chat Group
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "Ahem… I officially announce that our group has gained another two-star divine envoy! Show yourselves and pay your respects…"
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "Eat dirt, you little fox. What's so great about being a two-star envoy? You dare to brag in front of us?"
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "⊙▽⊙… Hehe, Sister Solanum, you're so scary."
Pursuing Sentient Beings: "So, little fox, did the sacrifice succeed? Upload the video—we all want to witness the majesty of the gods."
Chu Dashan: "I second that!"
Tanjiro: "+1"
For Peace: "I'd like to see it too."
Demon Hunter: "Kneeling for the video."
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "Ahem… You can watch, but this time the content is a bit different. Some of you—don't cry too much, okay?"
Young Master Murong: "???"
Demon Hunter: "What are you talking about? I don't get it."
Chu Dashan: "Wait, could it be… did the Lord of Eternity descend in person?"
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "Surprised… This fox really is lucky."
Without another word, the fox who only loves money uploaded the video.
In seconds, every group member had downloaded it, the speed almost frightening.
Within minutes, Demon Hunter and Chu Dashan were openly weeping, snot and tears running down their faces.
Why?
Demon Hunter: "This isn't fair… I never win the luck lottery. If only I could meet God in person just once…"
Chu Dashan: "@Ninja Scientist, looks like I've also been tossed into the cold palace… Oh, oh, oh…"
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "You two are acting like kids riding a toy train and crying about it!"
Pursuing Sentient Beings: "Wasn't it you, great and good-hearted Chu, who was comforting Orochimaru last time? Hahahaha…"
Ninja Scientist: "I actually feel better seeing you like this. Hehe…"
Young Master Murong: "From now on, let's call Brother Snake the Master of Yin and Yang."
Li Er: "You know who's really suffering? Me! God's power has gotten stronger again, and my Immortal World has been flung who-knows-where…"
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "Wait… are you saying our Lord God has grown even stronger?"
If that was the case, everything that had happened before—the appearance of gods, the manifestation of divine envoys—made sense. It was all God regaining His original strength.
Li Er: "It's more than just stronger. Remember the sun in the divine realm, that massive, blazing thing?"
Chu Dashan: "Of course I remember. How could anyone forget something that terrifying?"
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "What about it?"
Li Er: "It's become a little chick…"
A photo popped up, uploaded by Li Lao Er.
Taken from the top of the Immortal Peak, you could see the sun overhead. Before, it was enormous and awe-inspiring—now it had shrunk to a tiny orb, inside which a golden crow curled up and occasionally fluttered, looking almost cute.
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "Hahahaha… You just made my day. As far as 'banishment to the cold palace' goes, Li really drew the short straw—banished to the cosmic corner in a flash!"
Tanjiro: "I laughed so hard I spat out my rice. Let me just live my quiet life, please!"
Pursuing Sentient Beings: "According to old Buddhist texts, that's not a chicken, it's a Golden Crow. They say the true sun of the world is a Golden Crow hatched from its shell."
Chu Dashan: "Makes sense. The divine realm's power has grown so much, your Immortal Realm just can't withstand it and was forced to the margins."
Young Master Murong: "Looks like you can't slack off in the God Realm. If your world's strength falls behind, you'll end up at the bottom of the rankings, right?"
A collective gloom settled over the group.
No one wanted to be at the bottom. Even entering the God Realm, if you always ranked last, you'd never have a voice in the group.
Uncle Jiu Demon Slayer: "I don't worry about that stuff. As long as I bring people happiness, that's enough. Rankings don't matter—what's important is returning the world to God's embrace."
Tanjiro: "I feel the same. As long as I can reach the God Realm, that's enough."
For Peace: "Me too. I have no desire for domination—just peace."
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "You're all so noble—just like my sister."
Pursuing Sentient Beings: "It's not really nobility. We've seen too much life and death. If God doesn't come, there's no true freedom in our worlds."
How peaceful the world was now.
No Buddhism, no Daoism.
No Heavenly Court, no Lingshan.
Even the Great Sun Tathagata had vanished to some unknown place.
But none of this affected people's happiness.
With technology and the Eternal Cult's meditation, people were wealthy and content.
Humans and monsters lived side by side.
Intermarriage was even common.
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "I'm not that idealistic. After being attacked, I realized I only have two real goals: protect my family, and grow my believers."
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "Makes sense why you've changed. Kindness can't save the world—sometimes, you need a bit of fierceness to protect yourself."
Pursuing Sentient Beings: "If I'd been there back then, I'd have smashed those bullies who hurt you, little fox. Disgraceful!"
Chu Dashan: "Hmph! If it were me, I'd wipe out their entire family line!"
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "Rolls eyes.jpg. You're just stirring up trouble! If my sister hears, she'll fight you herself."
Demon Hunter: "Woooo…"
Sadly Reminds Lao Gao: "Can I get a patch? Just patch me up. All because I didn't see God, I got trampled by someone else!!!"
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "Ahem… Be careful, there are kids in the group—don't get too wild!"
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "I'm not a kid! I'm bigger than your sister, anyway."
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "Rebel…rebel!!! The car is out of control!"
Heavenly Dragon Eight Worlds
At this time, Murong Fu had arrived at Liao Kingdom.
With Li Er's ascension, he had become one of the most prominent figures in the group—even if he couldn't leave his world, he had to keep up the pace.
So, Murong Fu gathered believers and began hosting martial arts tournaments and public ceremonies in various regions.
Within just a few months, the Central Plains were fully pacified. Only Liao Kingdom remained, while Xixia had already become part of the Central Plains' domain ten days earlier.
Tubo had fallen next, soon after the Song Dynasty.
The chief priest himself had taken the field.
It was a decision Murong Fu had been forced to make—after all, he'd received a Tao fruit and could now fly at will.
Liao's territory was vast, sprawling across the north.
If I can conquer Liao Kingdom, then the world will be unified—and my world will finally be ready to ascend. Who could have predicted this?
With a flash of sword light like a falling star, he arrived in Liao's capital.
Facing the stunned crowd below, he declared,
"I am the priest of the Eternal God—Murong Fu. From today, Liao Kingdom will be my mission ground. Anyone who dares defy me—will be shown no mercy!"
Thousands of arrows darkened the sky in response.
Murong Fu sneered, "Stubborn to the end. Behold—the Sword of Heaven and Earth, the Sword of Fire!"
As flaming sword energy rained from above, the people below howled in terror.
"No—don't kill us!"
With a deafening boom, a single sword stroke obliterated half the capital.
The ground was scorched black, heat waves rolling like magma.
Seeing this, the Yelu royal family immediately fell to their knees in worship.
Confronted with divine power, they dared not resist. Even those who wished to could not act against their fate.
"Hmph. Let your crimes be repaid. From now on, the Liao people are of lower rank—atonement is required for your past sins. In three days, a divine envoy will arrive to preach. Do not neglect this chance."
"Yes, Lord Priest!"
The citizens trembled, bowing so low their foreheads bled.
No one dared rise until he had vanished.
If you sent an army to attack, it would take at least half a month to conquer a single city.
But Murong Fu settled the entire Liao Kingdom in just eighteen days.
One sword, one city—no wasted effort.
Tanjiro's World
In Tanjiro's world, technology advanced rapidly—driven by widespread adoption of Eternal Meditation.
Many countries now served as bases for the Eternal Cult.
With Eternal Meditation, people's strength and stamina far surpassed ordinary mortals.
One adept could do the work of four men, while normal people would be exhausted by just a single task.
The gap was obvious.
Within a few months, nearly every nation turned to Yoriichi Tsugikuni (Yoya Shiki) for instruction in the Eternal Meditation.
Believers spread worldwide.
Yoriichi gathered Tanjiro and the others.
"The world is nearly ready. Only a few remote countries remain outside the faith. It's time to prepare for ascension. This will be our greatest glory!"
"Yes, Master," Tanjiro replied. "We've been waiting for this day. Thankfully, we have Chu Xuanfeng's blueprints—without his modern technology, we could never have built better planes and ships so quickly."
Chu Xuanfeng's technological advancements were among the most downloaded texts in the group, used not only by Tanjiro's world, but by many others as well.
He had also shared his pharmaceutical research, along with new breathing techniques and other methods—benefiting everyone.
The era of ascension is at hand…