Tu Shanhonghong caught the change in God's tone.
Even so, she still wanted to check on the Giant Tree of Misery's current state. She had sacrificed it back then; it was only right to go and see it from time to time.
After learning where it was,
they each went their separate ways.
Although Cui Yuling and Dongfang Qinlan hadn't received any rewards,
simply coming to the God Realm was already a tremendous gift.
Naturally, they didn't dare ask for more.
And now that they had entered the Shrine, their identities as goddesses were settled.
All that remained was to cultivate step by step.
"Your name is Cui Yuling, isn't it?"
The little girl looked up; Cui Yuling nodded quickly.
The other nodded in turn and said, "Come with me. You're assigned to the Life Department—lots of goddesses work in that domain."
In the Life Department,
the leader was Lin Qing'er,
followed by Yu Xiaoxue,
then Tsunade, Bai Xing, Shang Xiuxuan…
Under Chu Yi's lead, Cui Yuling reached the palace on the northwest side of the divine complex.
The moment they stepped through the main hall's doors,
a rich medicinal scent washed over them.
Heady, but not cloying—
instead, it carried a crisp, bracing freshness.
Just a few breaths
and Cui Yuling felt drowsiness creep in.
Fortunately, the little attendant at her side reminded her, rousing her from the haze.
"Careful. The goddesses here research divine medicine pills; some of the properties volatilize into the air. If you don't shield yourself with divine power, you'll end up drunk on the vapors."
"Yes. Thank you for the warning."
Cui Yuling's cheeks were flushed; she forced herself to hold steady.
When she erected a shield,
she shed the medicinal power layer by layer, and the drunken weight drifted away.
It was less a hall,
and more a blessed grotto.
After Cui Yuling walked a short corridor, her vision opened—countless chambers floated in midair,
soft sunlight spilled through them—
within a single room,
the sun rose,
and the moon as well.
The sight was terrible and wonderful.
Cui Yuling's eyes widened.
"Sis, do you refine Bi Luo Dan like this?"
"Mhm. This Yellow Springs pill needs Nether Qi," came a calm reply, "but… you have to neutralize the destructive force within it, then amplify the power of reincarnation."
The voices drifted from overhead.
Cui Yuling looked up.
Two women sat upon an isle of rock, floating slowly in the air.
"Goddess Tsunade, there's a newcomer…"
"All right, I know."
In a blink, a woman with an extremely… exaggerated figure descended from the isle.
Cui Yuling stared at the towering plumpness—
the corner of her eye twitched.
Good grief—did you grow up eating nothing but papaya?
"In future, you'll study under me. Since you're assigned here, you must have some foundation in medicine, right?"
"Yes, Sister Tsunade. I'm a monster—my medical arts have been accumulating for nearly a century…"
A century?
Not bad at all.
Teaching her would be easy.
Tsunade nodded, took Cui Yuling's hand, and led her to the Life Department's library. Pointing to the stacks, she smiled. "Start with the fundamentals—understand the difference between god-level creatures and holy-level creatures. After that, the rest comes easy."
Ten thousand volumes filled that library.
With a solid base,
the rest would indeed be simple.
These were all compilations Tsunade had put together herself—meticulous, painstaking work.
…
Elsewhere, Dongfang Huaizhu brought her younger sister to Shi Feixuan, patroness of the Floating Immortal Cultivators.
No fighting, no fuss.
The adorable little girl drew every eye at once.
Xueqi, in particular, took to Dongfang Qinlan in an instant—
they made sisters of each other on the spot.
Seeing her sister so beloved,
Dongfang Huaizhu felt relieved.
This fulfilled the girl's wish.
Next came diligent cultivation.
People had to work hard to live.
Goddesses were no exception.
She had no desire to be a mere vase.
…
"Everyone who's come to listen—today's tale is a fantasy, both beautiful and very sad…"
On the Plant God Star of the God Realm,
the Giant Tree of Misery spun a moving yarn like some miracle-monger.
Ao Qian was a regular there. Whenever he had a spare moment, he manifested himself to attend the lectures.
Otherwise, would he have gone into heat with the Destiny True Dragon that day?
Far away in the clouds,
Tu Shanhonghong listened to love triangles and court intrigue, and slipped away, rubbing her temples.
Good grief.
No wonder the God had worn such a strange look.
A tree with no gender,
piping up day after day,
pushing along the God Realm's development—and the books it wrote were wildly popular besides.
What a peculiar thing.
"I came to check on it, and now I'm going to be in a foul mood…"
For Honghong, who had guarded her body like jade—this body already pledged to the God—
listening to such tales felt sordid.
The beautiful divine fox turned into a stream of light, slipped through a portal,
a faint scowl lingering across her face.
It had not been a pleasant errand.
…
In the Journey to the West world,
Li Xiuning and Altria moved less swiftly than Dongfang Huaizhu.
The former headed straight for the Tang court,
while the latter coordinated with Yang Jian to plan how best to expand belief in God to its widest reach.
Li Tang, at that moment, still prospered.
Li Shimin stood in his prime; the nations came to pay tribute.
Add to that the Bodhisattva's appearance—and the emperor's own brother reborn as a devout monk—and one could imagine just how radiant Li Shimin looked in those days.
When Li Xiuning reached the imperial city,
she felt a gaze lock onto her.
It was the Tang dynasty's imperial fortune—
also the earth-vein's qi.
Even the Tathagata would not lightly slay an emperor, for fear of being bitten by that luck.
"Heh… Even if I'm not the Eldest Princess of this era, I'm still a dragon."
Li Xiuning cloaked her presence
and flew inward.
Roar.
Dragon-qi surged out and crashed toward her.
She did not dodge.
She let the strike fall.
And then something strange happened—
the dragon-qi passed through her without effect.
"Who goes there!!!"
A roar split the air from the Heavenly Master's Residence.
Yuan Tiangang led his disciple aloft.
At sight of Li Xiuning, his expression grew complicated.
She clearly wasn't the Eldest Princess—
yet her aura felt uncannily similar.
What in the world was this?
The Heavenly Master was dumbfounded—and his disciple, Li Chunfeng, no less so.
"My name is Li Xiuning. I come from the Eternal God Realm. I'm here to meet a Li Shimin of another world. Will you step aside?"
The Eternal God Realm!!
Yuan Tiangang's pupils contracted sharply. She was a messenger of that Great God.
But why did she, too, bear the name Li Xiuning?
If one looked closer…
it wasn't hard to discover that master and disciple could not perceive the other's presence at all.
"I don't suppose you could say what you want with the Tang Emperor?"
Li Chunfeng forced himself to ask.
They were Daoist insiders,
and Heaven stood behind them—
but against the Eternal God Realm, the disparity was too great.
Li Xiuning's gaze sharpened; a moment later, Li Chunfeng spat blood and tumbled back. Dragon-qi still pooled about him, but it could not shield him in the least.
"My business isn't yours to question. Move, or die."
The chill in her voice made Yuan Tiangang's scalp prickle.
"Please, then—but don't harm the Tang Emperor, if you can help it?"
Yuan Tiangang's tone bordered on pleading.
At that, the woman called Li Xiuning smiled. "In another world, I also have a brother named Li Shimin. Don't worry…"
Then she vanished.
The dragon-qi also subsided.
"Ahem… Master, that woman is terrifying. She nearly killed me!"
Li Chunfeng clutched his chest, coughing dryly.
This was too frightening.
Not even the same dimension.
By rights, so long as dragon-qi protected him, even gods could not harm him.
Unless the dynasty itself collapsed.
Yuan Tiangang snorted. "And who told you to chatter? Mind yourself, or you won't know how you died."
Li Chunfeng curled his lip and did not take it to heart.
Instead, he wondered—what did Li Xiuning intend?
She came to the imperial city,
seeking the Tang Emperor. Was it orthodoxy she sought?
He recalled the rumors in the cultivation world: the gods did not like Buddhism!!
Perhaps the world was about to change.
If he could seize this chance, maybe he wouldn't have to remain a mere gatekeeper—maybe he could rise to the heights.
…
In the rear garden,
Li Shimin enjoyed a warm moment with his empress.
"Your Majesty Li is truly at leisure—while beyond your walls, chaos brews…"
The sudden voice
startled them all.
They turned toward the sound.
A woman in battle dress stood there, smiling at their emperor.
"Bold! Where did this maid come from, to spout such wild words!!! 1.4"
"Maid? I'm no maid."
"Then who are you? And why claim my world is about to fall into chaos?"
Li Shimin narrowed his eyes without anger.
Majesty flowed from the emperor toward the intruder.
But she remained unmoved, and smiled. "I am a goddess of the Eternal God Realm. Seeing your country enshrine the Buddha and keep tens of thousands of monks in state care—I feel a little sad."
Eternal God Realm?
Li Shimin murmured, his face changing greatly.
At last he remembered the terrifying celestial phenomena of the past days.
"It seems you understand who I am. But don't be afraid. I won't kill you, and I won't force your hand. Only—are these monks, who produce nothing and live on others' rations, truly of use to you?"
One sentence,
and Li Shimin's innermost thoughts stirred.
He waved aside those around him. The attendants withdrew from the imperial garden one by one.
Though the empress tried to remain,
Li Shimin said, "This goddess will not harm me. I don't know why—but I have that instinct."
"Then Your Majesty must be careful."
…
Li Xiuning drew a wine-flask from her sleeve, poured for them both, and said softly:
"Curious about my name? I'm called Li Xiuning. In another world, I have a second brother named Li Shimin…"