This was Qingzhou.
For twelve days, slaughter had raged here.
Only during the first three days did resistance feel balanced. Since then, as the enemy pressed forward with relentless offensives, the only ones left behind were the abandoned, the forsaken remnants.
Yet even from that despair came advantage.
They had gained many underlings—runaways, disciples of rival sects, castoffs desperate for survival.
These outcasts were taught the doctrines of Eternal Meditation. They erected massive altars. They sacrificed. They begged for divine grace.
Now, filled with fanatical zeal, these once-abandoned wretches shrieked in frenzy and rushed to slaughter even their own sects and families.
Murong Fu studied the map, calculations flickering in his mind.
They now had four priests.
Why not begin a large-scale sacrifice?
Raising his head, Murong Fu declared, "Our priority, aside from gathering more followers, must be to collect rare treasures—items worthy of offering to the gods."
"But what can be sacrificed here?" someone asked.
Li Shimin's voice was swift and sharp. "The blood of those false gods—and the blood of these godless wretches. I would drench this altar with their lives."
Tanjiro Kamado's heart clenched. He could hardly bear it. Yet he also knew—these battles left them no choice. Only the weak surrendered. The mighty never bent the knee.
Chu Xuanfeng placed a hand on Tanjiro's shoulder, his tone almost fatherly. "If it's too heavy for you, you can step back. The three of us can manage. Orochimaru will arrive soon."
Tanjiro shook his head. "No… since they are enemies of the Master, kindness must still serve our people." He smiled faintly as he said it.
His compassion wrestled with his fury. For though killing pained him, those who denied God's grace angered him far more.
The Eternal God had given all things—yet these "godless" spat upon such mercy.
He and his companions came to spread the faith, and instead were attacked.
Blasphemers deserved death.
"By the way," Li Shimin added, glancing at Chu Xuanfeng, "don't forget to open the portal. Bring the forces from the Little Underworld through."
After all, countless believers waited there too.
And the practice of divine power was not something the Little Underworld could endure forever.
"Don't worry," Chu Xuanfeng said confidently. "This time, we'll shake the heavens themselves."
The portal was long since prepared. He had been waiting for these assaults.
The so-called Wu Lunatic could preach forbidden teachings all he liked. Let immortals rage. Chu Xuanfeng would soon sweep them all aside.
The Realm of Reincarnation
In the depths of the underworld, ancient eyes opened. They gazed upward, filled with doubt and incomprehension.
This era was supposed to be one of gray obscurity. A time when their power faded.
Why had the tides changed?
What had gone wrong?
Qingzhou was cut off, sealed beyond reach. None could see what transpired inside. Only fragments emerged: outsiders, wielding supposed "grace," striking down all in their path.
They had become enemies of the entire world.
Even more arrogant than the ancient ones themselves.
And still—no one could halt them.
Ordinary god-generals fell like grass.
Even the God Kings and Tianzun had moved with hesitation. Not because they lacked strength, but because they feared provoking the gods backing these invaders. They reined themselves in, suppressing their true force.
"It truly is an eventful autumn," one muttered. "The ancient underworld unsettled, and now this…"
Far away, Taiwu Tianzun gave orders.
"Continue the investigation. I will act when the time is right."
"But, Master," his disciple asked, "won't this anger the extraterritorial evil gods?"
Taiwu Tianzun chuckled. "They have not shown themselves in countless years. They are surely bound by restrictions. Fear not. Let the King of the Gods act in my stead."
"Yes."
So it went across the world.
Countless gods and mighty beings stirred, watching.
Tanjiro Kamado and his companions were formidable, yes, but still only at the pinnacle of godhood. None had yet crossed into the realm of God King.
And for that reason, danger loomed over them.
The Five Goddesses
The altar was completed. The rites succeeded.
And then she appeared.
Yao Yao.
This time she came in her true body. After endless cultivation, her strength had reached the Eight-Star level—the equivalent of a great cosmic sector in this world.
The four priests knelt. "We greet the Goddess!"
Yao Yao smiled. "Rise. God foresaw danger for you, so He sent me—and the other goddesses."
Tanjiro's eyes widened. "Other goddesses?"
"Of course," a gentle voice chimed.
A figure stepped through the gate of light. It was Shinobu Kocho, butterfly wings fluttering faintly at her back.
Behind her came Baguio, then Rin Tohsaka.
Last of all emerged a woman in a flowing white dress.
The instant she arrived, the world itself shifted. Power converged upon her as if all creation bowed.
"Forgive me," she said softly, struggling to restrain her aura. "My Candle Dragon power is still imperfect."
This was Bai Suzhen.
Five goddesses had descended.
Li Shimin and the others beamed with joy.
But Chu Xuanfeng frowned. Something was wrong.
In a war between worlds, one goddess should have sufficed. Why send five?
What enemy required such strength?
His unease deepened.
The Challenge
An arrogant voice rang from the heavens.
"I am under Taiwu Tianzun, King of the Gods! Who among you dares face me?"
On the altar, the demon's gaze pierced thousands of miles. He saw the proud fool floating in the air.
He clapped his hands once.
Crack.
The sky split like shattered glass.
Space collapsed into a countercurrent, a ten-thousand-mile vacuum torn open before all eyes.
Tanjiro's throat tightened. How many lives had been erased with that single strike?
Were the dark gods truly so ruthless?
"No one insults our God," Yao Yao said coldly. "Least of all a mere dog beneath Tianzun. He dares bark? Then let him be ready for death."
Her eyes flashed. A single drop of blood appeared before her.
She traced it back to its source.
Across billions of miles, Taiwu Tianzun shivered. A chill ran down his spine.
"Why am I cold?" he muttered, frowning.
He never noticed the warped space forming around him.
And then—
Blood blossomed like a flower. His soul perished. His body collapsed into petals.
Dead. Instantly.
The spies who watched in secret trembled in terror.
A single woman had slain a Tianzun casually.
The power of the so-called "extraterritorial evil gods" had grown stronger still.
The world itself would change.
Chu Xuanfeng scrambled to Yao Yao's side, his voice dripping with obsequiousness. "Goddess, what shall we do next?"
She shot him a withering glare.
This man had once been vicious enough to sacrifice both Dragon and Tiger Mountain. He deserved every bit of scorn.
"What next? Naturally, we kill. Only through slaughter will the natives learn fear."
Baguio approached, smiling at Chu Xuanfeng. "Don't overthink. Killing works. Once they're afraid, they'll surrender soon enough."
Bai Suzhen's eyes narrowed. "Killing the innocent without reason—won't that draw God's displeasure?"
"No," Baguio retorted. "On a plane this vast, bloodshed is necessary. These so-called high gods spit upon Eternal Faith. They dare call us extraterritorial evil gods!"
In scarcely five minutes, Yao Yao heard countless voices whispering.
They called the Eternal God a Cthulhu.
Her heart burned with fury.
Her God was holy, merciful.
And yet these arrogant ants dared utter blasphemy.
Without blood, they would never learn fear.
The others felt the same.
No one could tolerate such blasphemy.
Bai Suzhen's robes fluttered as she lifted into the air. "I will take the North."
Baguio summoned her azure sword and smirked. "Then I'll claim the East."
Rin Tohsaka nodded. "South is mine."
Shinobu Kocho smiled. "Then I shall go West."
Yao Yao chuckled softly. "Very well. You four handle it. I'll rest."
Four halos rose from the altar, streaking in four directions.
The watchers who monitored from afar panicked.
"They're moving!"
"Defend! Defend quickly!"
"Summon reinforcements!"
But it was too late. Barriers shattered. Armies scrambled in disarray.
North — The Candle Dragon
A roar split the heavens.
A colossal black dragon, stretching a thousand miles, coiled into the skies.
Her eyes opened, swallowing light itself.
The word seared into every mind: Candle Dragon.
Bai Suzhen gazed at the golden-armored legions awaiting her and sneered.
"You dare call my God an evil deity? Filthy ants—receive the wrath of the Candle Dragon!"
Her claw descended.
Countless powers answered with dazzling light, desperate to resist.
But when their brilliance faded, darkness devoured all.
Vitality drained. Energy collapsed.
They realized too late: they had been marked from the beginning. Their fates already sealed.
All but one—an existence at the cosmic level—were reduced to ash.
One strike.
Proof enough that the Candle Dragon had surpassed even cosmic limits.
West — The Butterfly
Shinobu Kocho danced among drifting butterflies and blossoms.
A single sword swept across a hundred thousand miles.
Everything she touched withered. Life itself withered.
Even the goddess of healing now wielded destruction equal to the highest tier.
And divine power stood above all other energies.
Without a cosmic-level defender, her sword was death absolute.
South — The Stars
Rin Tohsaka hovered high above the chaos.
Her voice rang out:
"Those who kneel shall be spared.
Those who blaspheme the Eternal God—die without mercy!
Our faith preaches kindness and holiness.
We care for all life.
But you have disappointed our God too greatly.
So… perish!"
The stars themselves answered her. Phantom constellations spun around her hands, gathering into a shining railgun.
Boom.
Hundreds of millions of starbursts rained down.
Those who refused to kneel, who dared speak the blasphemy of "evil god," were annihilated.
Purified into nothing but motes of starlight.