Guanyin Bodhisattva remained silent.
Fahai could guess what that meant.
As expected, the Bodhisattva spoke softly, "Fahai, you've not been cursed or tampered with. Your Purple Mansion is pure and untainted, and your spiritual platform is bright and clear."
"…What?" Fahai blinked.
"There's no mistake," Guanyin continued. "Upon my inspection, I found nothing wrong with you."
Fahai glanced at the worried expressions of those nearby, likely caused by his earlier outburst, and sighed inwardly.
As expected… even the Bodhisattva was helpless.
Guanyin's eyes flickered with thought, but she said gently, "Tell me more about this so-called evil god. After this Dharma assembly, I'll return to Mount Lingshan to consult the Buddha."
"This is what happened…"
As Fahai recounted his experiences, Guanyin finally began to grasp the situation.
But a god in the sky? An eternal god?
She had never heard of such a deity.
If it truly exists… why has its name never been known among the heavens?
Could it be… some remnant of an ancient era? A monster from before time?
A chill ran through Guanyin's heart.
After a few vague words of reassurance to Fahai, she left quietly, riding a drifting cloud.
If such a being exists… then a great catastrophe may be approaching—a calamity beyond imagination…
Wanjie Chat Group
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "@UniversalSalvation Come out, bald monk! Auntie's in a bad mood today and needs to vent..."
Second Li: "@UniversalSalvation You sneaky monk, come out and play! I promise I won't flip you off—"
Since teaming up with Chu Dashan, Li had picked up a new signature move.
Every time Fahai showed up, he'd kindly raise his middle finger…
A sincere expression of "respect."
Verbal abuse was forbidden in the group—after all, sometimes the gods lurked and watched.
But gestures? Those didn't count.
Tanjiro: "o(^▽^)o You guys are terrible. I love it!"
Ninja Scientist: "Brother Tanjiro, how's progress now that there are no more demons in your world?"
Tanjiro: "Pretty fast! We've already built over a thousand temples."
Young Master Murong: "...You're online every day, yet somehow you've got energy to grow your faith too?"
For Peace: "Probably because the local officials helped promote it once the monsters were gone. Otherwise, no way it'd grow so fast."
Tanjiro: "⊙▽⊙ Hehe, Brother Long is right. I've been teaching others in the temples how to cultivate, while the master handles the overall expansion.
With the railroad system and growing number of believers, even the breathing techniques have spread.
Conservative estimates say we now have over 8,000 temples!"
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "..."
Second Li: "..."
Chu Dashan: "..."
Chu Dashan: "I thought opening 600 temples was impressive… and now Tanjiro's blown past me."
Tanjiro: "Hehe~ Our world's combat power is low, and transportation is super convenient, so development went smoothly!
By the way, Sister Solanum, are you in Southern Xinjiang now?
I love seeing the scenery of your world!"
Tanjiro's hobbies outside of teaching disciples were simple:
He loved admiring the landscapes of other worlds.
Everyone liked him—he was hardworking, sweet, and polite.
So whenever group members visited beautiful places, they'd send him pictures.
It didn't take up much bandwidth, and it always made his day.
Just today, Solanum had uploaded a video—an image of a floating island in the sky.
Sea of clouds.
Houses built on clouds.
A magnificent sight.
A true Sky Island.
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "Yeah, I just arrived in Southern Xinjiang. I'm handling something now—talk later!"
Tanjiro: "Okay~ take care!"
In the World of Solanum
Solanum (Nightshade) rushed forward, finally arriving in Southern Xinjiang.
The local customs were very different from the Central Plains, but the people were warm and welcoming.
Ordinarily, she'd have found this charming.
But now… there was only one thing on her mind:
Turn this place into my base of operations.
There were rumors—Fuxi and Nuwa were siblings. Ancient gods. They could not die, only slumber.
If that was true, then her plan was simple:
Capture Nuwa's descendants… and then seize Nuwa herself.
A cold gleam passed through Solanum's eyes.
Once she located the Nuwa Temple, she transformed into a streak of brilliant blue sword light and sped off in that direction.
"Why have I been feeling uneasy lately? Is something bad coming?"
The Saintess sat quietly outside the Nuwa Temple, gazing at the clear sky.
Then—her expression changed.
Terror filled her eyes.
A tremendous sword aura was descending from the heavens—coming straight for her.
An enemy attack!
Reacting quickly, the Saintess cast a spell, activating the temple's defensive array.
In the next instant, the magic sword struck.
The pink protective barrier resisted fiercely, but a sliver of pure sword energy broke through and streaked inward.
Psshht!
The sword qi pierced her shoulder.
A finger-sized wound immediately stained her white robes with crimson.
"You… you demon! Why are you attacking me?!"
"Demon?" Solanum sneered. "Because the Nuwa descendants inside will be offered to my god."
Her eyes were ice cold.
Her hands crackled with divine sword energy as she continued her assault on the temple's shield.
The pressure grew unbearable.
Suddenly—CRACK!
The shield shattered.
The Long Kwai Sword soared forward, aiming directly at the wounded Saintess.
"STOP!!!"
Suddenly, a crimson whip shot down from the sky, knocking the Dragon Kwai Sword slightly off course—just enough to let the Saintess narrowly escape death.
"Zixuan, you finally decided to return?"
The Saintess's expression was grim. There wasn't a trace of gratitude on her face.
Zixuan nodded slowly, her gaze filled with hatred as it locked onto Solanum.
"It was you… You destroyed Shu Mountain and killed Xu Changqing, didn't you?"
"So what if I did?" Solanum sneered. "That place had long fallen into corruption. Shu Mountain deserved to be cleansed by my god."
The Saintess next to them was shaken to her core.
Zixuan… she had truly gone mad for love.
Just to see her beloved again, she had even frozen her daughter in order to delay the transfer of Nuwa's divine power.
Now, hearing that Xu Changqing had died, she had completely snapped.
Sure enough, at the mention of Xu Changqing's death, hatred flashed in Zixuan's eyes. With a flick of her wrist, her mana surged into the form of a whip, striking at Solanum.
But she had forgotten one thing—
The terror that Solanum had become.
Even though she was no longer linked to the Red Sunflower as a divine envoy, Solanum's strength had still grown immensely due to her connection with it. Though they had separated, they remained one soul.
Facing Zixuan now was nothing more than an annoyance.
In terms of swordsmanship, Solanum had become a merciless witch—every move was deadly and precise.
Within moments, Zixuan was overwhelmed. She was eventually struck down and pinned to the ground by the magical blade.
She looked up at Solanum, full of despair.
But there was nothing she could do—she couldn't move at all. Her blood continued to spill.
Dragon Kwai looked down at the fallen Nuwa descendant with complete indifference.
"Don't worry—I won't kill you. I still need you for a sacrifice.
According to Red Kwai's calculations, you have an heir.
Offering both mother and daughter in a dual-sacrifice… now that's divine poetry."
Zixuan's face went pale.
Hearing that the demon intended to take her daughter, she erupted in fury.
"Qing'er is only a few years old! How can you even think of harming her?
You've lost all humanity—you're a demon! You have no conscience left!"
"Conscience? Demon?" Solanum burst into bitter laughter.
Then she slammed her foot onto Zixuan's arm, grinding it down with force.
"When my brother was killed, did anyone say he was innocent?
Did anyone claim we were in the wrong?
You, a descendant of Nuwa, chose to chase after a man for hundreds of years while your people were left to suffer.
And now you dare to lecture me?
Humans called me a monster. You believed it—and now look at you.
You pathetic woman… If you weren't useful, I'd have ended your life long ago!"
The wounded Saintess nearby heard Solanum's words and, though injured, couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Someone should have said these things to Zixuan a long time ago.
But no one had ever dared.
And now… this was the result.
Dragon Kwai sealed both women in place using sword qi, pinning them side by side at the entrance of the temple.
Then, without another word, Solanum turned and left—off to find Qing'er.
Watching her depart, the Saintess sighed, glancing toward Zixuan.
"I warned you not to go to Xu Changqing.
Shu Mountain had clearly planned to use your love to help him ascend.
The gods above are heartless, and the price for immortality is steep…"
Zixuan wept silently, tears streaming down her face.
"But all I wanted… was to be with him. Was that so wrong…?"
Her voice trembled, filled with pain.
Looking back, her love was filled with nothing but sorrow.
Soon after, a loud roar echoed from the distance. The sound of a baby crying followed.
Zixuan's eyes widened as she felt the power of Nuwa inside her begin to drain.
Such was the fate of the Nuwa clan.
When the next generation was born, their divine power would naturally transfer.
Moments later, Solanum returned—Qing'er in her arms.
She sneered with contempt, and Zixuan couldn't even bring herself to meet her eyes.
"You call me a demon. But what about you?
A poor child—sealed in ice by her own mother for hundreds of years.
What a wonderful mother you are."
Solanum shook her head mockingly, her tone laced with scorn.
"And don't worry—I heard everything you said earlier.
Zha zha zha… those idiotic tactics of Shu Mountain and the so-called Heavenly Emperor.
No wonder Nuwa hasn't awakened. Surrounded by pigs like you, she probably fainted in anger the moment she opened her eyes."
"Who are you calling stupid?"
"Oh, not you? You sure? Then listen closely:
The Heavenly Emperor never intended for mortals to become immortals.
He simply dangled hope before them—offering a spot in the immortal ranks at an impossible cost.
The whole 'stay together forever' promise? That was just bait.
And you fell for it like a fool.
Your Nuwa clan… every time you bear a child, your divine power transfers to the next generation.
So rather than reincarnate, you froze your own daughter to keep your strength longer.
And when they told you that pouring your Nuwa power into Xu Changqing could help him ascend, what did you choose?"
The Saintess turned to Zixuan.
She already knew the answer.
Zixuan, who had been consumed by love, had chosen to give it all away.
The end was predictable:
Zixuan died.
Xu Changqing became an immortal.
Qing'er was left alone in the world.
Solanum's lips curled into a cunning smile.
"But hey… staying together forever isn't impossible.
All you need to do is offer your daughter as a sacrifice.
In return, I'll grant you a divine technique.
And with it, you can summon the gods to bring Xu Changqing back to life."
Zixuan froze.
"I can really… be with him again? Forever?"
She dared not look at her crying child.
But her gaze slowly lifted to meet Solanum's.
Solanum's smile twisted into something dark.
Perfect.
Stupid and easy to manipulate.
"Of course," she said sweetly.
"Have I ever lied to you~?"