"God?"
The elders who had come out wore complicated expressions.
They wanted to ask whether Xun'er had been deceived.
But now Xun'er's strength had already soared far beyond their reach.
To be frank, standing here speaking to this "junior" who had suddenly surpassed them all… they each had to measure their words very carefully.
Was what they were about to say appropriate?
"Come inside and talk. It's windy out here…"
Xun'er's father said this at once.
Although this entire city-state was the Xiao family's domain, there were inevitably spies lurking.
To avoid any leak of information, it was best to choose a safe place.
His daughter had advanced to Dou Emperor—an earth-shaking event!
It had to be handled properly.
And he was very interested in this God his daughter had mentioned.
They filed into the inner rooms.
Guards and watchers had already been arranged without; those allowed to remain within were all Xiao family scions.
The secret must never be revealed.
"All right," Xun'er's father said once everyone was seated. "Tell us—what exactly is this about a God?"
The girl sat in the main seat. Her gaze swept lightly across each familiar face, and then she spoke, gentle but steady: "By chance, I was chosen by God. To be specific—God existed before all things, but after the world's creation, He was weary and fell into a deep sleep. Now He has awakened, and, seeing that the myriad heavens and worlds lacked faith truly their own…"
"Wait," an elder cut in, eyes round. "You're saying that in half a month, you went from having no notable cultivation to the strength of a Dou Emperor?"
"Yes, Elder."
The room went deathly quiet.
Too many emotions flashed in every eye—excitement, awe, a touch of madness.
The power of God.
"Hahahaha… Our clan is truly favored! After so many years of silence, we've finally found a path forward…"
"Yes. I never imagined God would really exist."
A mere divine method—and a "little girl" had stepped into the realm of Dou Emperor.
If so, then a Dou Venerate or Dou Saint who cultivated the Divine Method—could they break through the barrier of Dou Emperor?
Seeing the feverish light rise in their faces, Xun'er couldn't help but cool the room with a splash of cold water.
"Don't say I didn't warn you: though God is great, holy, and merciful, you must not imagine that with God's power you can do whatever you please."
"What do you mean?"
"The greatness of God is beyond what we mortals can conceive. Whatever we do, God knows. If someone betrays the Faith, the Eternal Executors harvest them…"
Under Xun'er's calm explanation, everyone began to understand the rules of the Faith.
As God's messenger, one obtains great power, but one is also constrained.
Reckless behavior meets punishment.
And one may not slaughter innocents at whim.
Even so, the glow of joy did not leave them—because they had been the first to take refuge in God. They were God's family now.
Their status was set apart from others.
"Then may we ask," an elder pressed, "beyond faithfulness and sincerity to God, is there anything else we must keep in mind?"
"Of course," Xun'er said. "We must offer the most precious things in this world to God."
"Daughter, you mean the Heavenly Flames?"
"Yes."
Xun'er smiled. "Our world is too barren—there are no 'great personages' here. It's only a small world, but our Heavenly Flames are not bad."
Hearing their world described as a small one made several elders' mouths twitch.
How splendid, then, must a truly great world be?
Ten times the size of their own, at least.
If they knew how vast the world was in the Saints' Cemetery, they might have been frightened senseless on the spot.
"Very well," her father said at last. "If God requires Heavenly Flames, then we will collect them. And as for faith—let us begin with our family."
"Mm."
Xun'er's smile was soft.
The first step had succeeded.
Persuade the family, then expand outward from the family base—thus the Faith in God would continue to grow.
Inuyasha's World
Ever since Kikyō went to God's Domain, Xiao Feng's daily work had been to slay demons, gather faith, and bring people peace.
Maple Village became Maple City.
When the God descended to the world, this became a pilgrimage site.
Not only humans—yōkai came to pay homage as well.
Little by little, villages became towns, towns became cities, and the cities flourished.
There was no war, no hunger, no nobility lording over the weak.
Humans and yōkai lived in harmony.
Moon Huaxia.
Xiao Feng stood atop the Star-Watching Tower, gazing at the beautiful night sky.
Peace reigned within.
At this moment there were four Maple-City-like places in this world.
One at Dragon Canyon.
One here.
The other two were cities led by yōkai.
Demon Spirit City had been established with the Great Sage of Demon Spirits at its head; and there was Water Spirit City, founded by the Water God.
The former needed no explanation: a kind-hearted yōkai, unfathomably deep, older even than the Great Dog Demon of legend.
The latter was the last divine-natured spirit after the Goddess's death. To continue his priesthood, he sought out the Eternal God Cult and established Water Spirit City.
It was worth noting that after the Eternal God repaired the Underworld, the world's spirit began to recover. The number of yōkai fell sharply, but their average strength grew. Though killings still occurred, now when they encountered the Eternal Faith, they were either captured or slain.
Gradually, even the wild learned to withdraw.
But the Demon Master of Dragon Canyon would not allow roving yōkai to run rampant. Powerful monsters causing chaos everywhere must be restrained!
"Order must be hammered out of chaos," Xiao Feng murmured. "A true order takes time to form. It's been a while since Sesshomaru left. I wonder how the Western Lands fare?"
"Master Priest, I believe he can handle it."
A woman with a swaying tail—Mica—padded up beside Xiao Feng.
She had once been Cuizi's pet. After Cuizi's death she had remained at the Demon Village, and now, enlightened by the Faith, she had become a formidable yōkai, wielding arts of wind and fire—a terrifying force in her own right.
Xiao Feng smiled over his shoulder. "You… haven't fallen for that big, patterned dog form of his, have you?"
"Hardly…"
Mica rolled her eyes. She looked down on that great white dog.
Even if his bloodline was admirable.
The Western Lands
Sesshomaru traveled the long road, cutting down many yōkai along the way, and this night at last he came home.
Or not home—rather, to the lands of his father's power.
He alighted lightly, and his aura spoke for him.
Sesshomaru's Mother (the lady of the West) couldn't help her surprise. "Oh… since when did my son become this strong? You've surpassed your father. What did you come back for? To question me about the whereabouts of Bakusaiga, or to discuss mother and son matters with me?"
Facing others, Sesshomaru's Mother was a cold-blooded empress—killing without blinking, blood without a frown, aloof and untouchable.
But with her frigid son, she always teased, needled, and mocked…
So it was no wonder Sesshomaru rarely came home.
Just the thought of his mother was enough to keep him away.
The handsome, cold young lord said nothing at first, watching her little performance in silence.
Only after a long moment did he speak.
"The times have changed. You know this, don't you?"
"You mean that God from the other day?"
Her expression turned serious.
So, he had come for this.
"Yes. I have joined the Faith and gained power that surpasses Father's. I came to persuade you—there's no need to strain yourself maintaining a 'kingdom' every day."
"You make it sound so easy. This is your father's legacy!"
Anger kindled in her eyes.
Put it down and walk away, just like that?
Was she, Sesshomaru's Mother, to be muddle-headed and incompetent—joining some "god" as if it were surrender to a foreign power?
Sesshomaru regarded her calmly. "At the beginning, you used secret arts to give birth to me, didn't you? You can't hide the scent of your maidenhood from me."
"You little—! My affairs are none of your concern! Remember, you are my son. My bloodline runs with the spirit of the beast."
She had been exposed in public, and her face flushed with fury.
But before she could move, a majestic aura burst from Sesshomaru—rage, dominion, and killing intent layered into a single pressure.
"This is the power God granted me. If you think you can defeat me, then consider I never returned today."
Sesshomaru lifted the sword forged from Dragon Bone Essence, turned, and slashed toward the mountain at their flank.
It was a range nearly ten thousand meters high.
In an instant, it split cleanly in two.
The mountain itself remained—but a wound thousands of li long gaped through the middle.
Across the Western Lands, yōkai saw the stroke and dropped to their knees in shock.
Since when was Lord Sesshomaru so terrible?
This power surpassed even Inu no Taishō (Tōga)!
"By the way," Sesshomaru added coolly, "I'm still not as strong as the Priest. If she acts, the Western Lands would vanish in an instant."
He said only that—and walked away.
Riding the clouds and stepping on the moon, he vanished without a trace of nostalgia.
He had only one purpose now: to complete God's commission, then go to God's Domain and face other masters 1.4 days earlier.
This mundane world held no opponents worthy of his blade.
"Milady, the Lord…?" the maid began.
"Forget it. Leave him be. Send someone to bring the envoy of the Eternal Faith. The Western Lands are willing to submit!"
"Yes, milady…"
The maid nodded, mounted a demon-bird, and flew through the night to the envoy's residence.
Sesshomaru's Mother looked at the bisected mountain range and let out a crooked smile. "Truly not giving me any face… but I'll take it as your filial thought."
Did she have feelings for the Great Dog Demon?
The answer was no.
Perhaps at the beginning. But he had despised her, hated her pride, even hated her as a yōkai.
They were the last two pure-bloods of the White Cloud Heaven Valley line. To continue their race, they used a secret method to beget an heir—Sesshomaru.
This, too, was how he learned the truth.
He had no affection for his mother—at least not the tender kind.
But today, when he appeared, she had clearly felt relief.
"Where would you have me go then?" she whispered to the shattered horizon. "So lonely… the youngest, after all…"
Her fair face, so often frosted, showed only loneliness now.