Does Liu Che lack the power of his origin?
Naturally, he does not.
Every sacrifice brings in an immense surge of faith—nothing like ordinary daily devotion. The stockpiled power of the origin alone could wipe out ten ordinary Main Gods without a word.
After Liu Che's tests and tinkering, he confirmed this Divine Dao Sword was wonderfully practical—an ideal life-saving edge to place in a priest's hands. Especially in a world like Chu Xuanfeng's: with this thing, slaying a god would be no problem at all. It would also prove useful in future high-end worlds and in wars across other planes.
Once he finished evaluating this harvest of weaponry, Liu Che set the Miracle Medicine Star beneath the Eternal Divine Palace, where it could soak in the radiance of divine power. It would also make it far more convenient for his goddesses to cultivate herbs.
Goddesses under the Life domain—like Tsunade—could raise medicinal plants here and brew an abundance of elixirs.
…
Outside the temple, four newly promoted goddesses arrived at the Ziwei Palace to receive admonitions from Hina and the others.
"The Eternal Shrine has three major rules and twelve minor ones. The rest you'll have to figure out for yourselves.
"First—take this to heart: being summoned to share God's bed is your glory. Without God's summons, you are not to act cute or willful and invite yourselves.
"Second—you're free to join whichever faction you prefer, but you may not fight inside the Eternal Shrine. God dislikes quarrels, and so do His goddesses.
"Third—don't imagine that becoming a goddess gives you license to look down on all living things. Keep a devout heart at all times…"
The four nodded in unison. They were all newcomers, unfamiliar with the lay of the land. Paying their respects at the mountain gate came first.
At present, the Eternal Shrine had many factions—Darkness, Life, and several others…
Yue'er chose the Life element, while Yu'er chose Mystery.
Dugu Ningke joined the faction headed by Yaoyao; since darkness was what she knew, she might as well follow that path to the end.
As for the white-haired girl Yu Xiaoxue, she hesitated, unable to decide which faction she should enter. She was gentle by nature and never fought with anyone.
"All right, come with me," someone said. "As a goddess of the Nüwa line, you'll naturally be under Lin Qinger's care."
At the moment there was only one member of the Nüwa line in the Shrine: Lin Qinger.
Now there was a second—Yu Xiaoxue.
"Understood. Thank you."
Xiaoxue curtsied obediently, tail swaying as she followed into the temple.
Her strength was not yet sufficient—she hadn't reached true goddesshood—but she was only a step away.
As she entered Ziwei Palace, she was instantly drawn by a familiar scent: the breath of nature, resonant with her origin—one and the same.
"Come to me," a voice called. "I didn't expect a second of the Nüwa line to appear so soon…"
The God Himself was not in residence at the moment. Only a few goddesses remained here.
"Greetings, My Lady God…"
Yu Xiaoxue bowed with lovely decorum, timid gaze making her all the more endearing.
Tiamat spoke in surprise. "I thought 'Nüwa' was a person's name—so it's a lineage?"
"Not exactly," Lin Qinger explained with a smile. "In my world, the power of Nüwa rests in a single person, but God has opened many worlds. So naturally, there are more of the Nüwa line…"
"In that case, will there be an entire clan of Nüwa in the future?" Kikyo asked, smiling.
When the Eternal God wasn't present, they enjoyed idle chatter; it eased the spirit.
"There should be," Kinger said. "It's just a pity the Ōtsutsuki clan has fallen so far… not even a single decent girl among them!"
Kaguya-hime couldn't help sighing.
The Nüwa stock was all scarlet root and tender shoot; as long as the blood remained pure, they could rise.
Lin Qinger shot her a look and laughed. "Sister, you're really teasing. Who would dare provoke His Majesty? Among the sisters, you serve God the most."
At that, Kaguya's cheeks flushed red; she dared not speak.
Kikyo covered her mouth and giggled. Though Goddess Kaguya was formidable, she was also easily embarrassed. Most outrageous of all—she'd fainted in bed before. Every time, halfway through, she needed to call for help.
For example, Kikyo herself—one of the support troops~
…
Xuanyuan Sword World.
With the blood of the divine dragon flowing in his veins, Yuwen Tuo had essentially cemented his status. Even if he ascended the throne to be emperor, no one would object.
But he did not. He remained as chief priest, continuing to manage all things.
Even his mother Shan Yuwu had asked why he wouldn't become emperor.
"Mother," Yuwen Tuo said, "what benefit is there to being emperor? As the Master's servant, I am lord of this world. My station is above an emperor's."
"I see…"
She felt a bit abashed. She had only wanted her son to become sovereign, to change the dynasty name back to that of her own homeland. It was a personal wish. But she had forgotten who her son was now.
Her words did prompt Yuwen Tuo to issue an order the very same day:
The state system would remain unchanged, but the status of the Eternal Faith stood above the state. From this day forth, Da Sui would be simply a place name.
On this, no one could quibble.
…
Multiverse Chat Group.
Ninja Scientist: "Bro, the egg hatches tomorrow. I'm off to the Cemetery of Saints to work—but someone's world just got promoted to a God Star. Who did it?"
Tosaka University: "A hero from my world did, via the timeline. Ugh… don't get me started—I feel wronged just thinking about it."
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "What's wrong? With a second goddess already born, why the long face?"
Tosaka University: "Two goddesses are using my body! There goes my one advantage… only the hair and eye color differ; the rest is exactly the same!"
Worse yet—one stayed around longer than she did, and the other was calmer than she was when serious.
Detestable.
Now she felt less cute than the one, and less serious than the other.
It was almost unbearable.
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "Isn't that triple the happiness? Love it… That's an advantage too. When you go to bed someday—just send the three of you together!"
Vampire Queen: "…You move fast."
Pursuing Sentient Beings: "This monk feels his body grows inferior every day!"
Li Er: "Don't start, Baldie—you didn't tell anyone you adopted three more foxes! Don't get cocky…"
Tanjirou: "Brother… I'm not even married. I don't even have a wife!"
General Yuwen: "Hahaha, greetings everyone… Should I upload a video of the sacrificial rite?"
Ninth Uncle, Slayer of Demons: "Of course! Did you offer the sacrifice?"
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "He must have. He collected the offerings, and building the altar isn't easy. Boy, how many stars did you get?"
General Yuwen: "Not much—humble Three-Star Envoy, a draught of dragon's blood, and ten thousand years of cultivation."
Chu of the Great Mountain: "I spit blood. You fiend. How much did you gather? Besides the five great artifacts, there must be more."
General Yuwen: "Also four goddesses—one is the demon's daughter, another is the sole descendant of Nüwa."
Junior Brother Dazhufeng: "You're really something. Apart from Sister Longkui, you're the fiercest of the lot."
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "How about Nüwa in that world? And the Demon Lord?"
General Yuwen: "Words won't do—just watch the God's might."
Ding… Group member General Yuwen uploaded a video.
Within a second, everyone had downloaded it.
And the chat exploded.
Viewed from the lands of China, Chiguang Star didn't appear that big—like the moon. But in truth, Chiguang Star's area was three times the moon's.
A planet that had spied upon China for countless years—
and it couldn't withstand even a single finger of God.
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "Watching the fireworks. Dazzling."
Pursuing Sentient Beings: "I want to smash a planet too, but I'm not strong enough yet."
Chu of the Great Mountain: "I could also destroy one in theory, but did you notice? The power scale of each world differs. A planet in a little Netherworld isn't the same as a planet under the sun."
Tanjirou: "Well, obviously. Can a planet in the Eternal God Realm be compared with one from my original world? Only a fool would."
Demon Hunter: "From the Devil Realm I felt a force more terrifying than Satan. Those demons must be shaking. Sorry.jpg"
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "Seems Yuwen Tuo's world is quite strong—stronger than mine."
General Yuwen: "It's middle-tier. When I had the Xuanyuan Sword earlier, I could take out twenty thousand men in a breath."
Junior Brother Dazhufeng: "What a wicked lad!"
Vampire Queen: "I really like a little brother who stirs up trouble."
Pursuing Sentient Beings: "You know nothing. Yuwen Tuo was threatened. He didn't want to kill, but they threatened his mother."
For Peace: "So he's a man of feeling and honor. When we reach the God Realm someday—let's share a drink!"
General Yuwen: "Exactly! By the way, how's our bearded friend from before? @Great-Strength Swordsman… brother, how are things?"
Bearded Swordsman: "Don't mention it. I thought my world was mere wuxia—now it's skin-walkers and fox spirits all along the road… I'm sick to my stomach!"
What should have been a half-month journey had stretched to nearly a month, and he still hadn't reached the capital.
The good news: he had subdued many monsters and settled two county towns. He had gathered two thousand believers in all—decent progress for the faith.
The bad news: the monsters in the capital were arresting monks to refine some kind of golden core. He didn't care for monks, but in the end, lives were lives—and there were many of them.
"My lord, would you ride my back to the capital?" asked a wounded beast-spirit softly.
Yan Chixia sighed. "No. The world is in chaos now. Let's make haste slowly—on foot we can save more of the common folk."
He gazed toward the road to the capital, and for the first time felt it with clarity:
there were ninety-nine and eighty-one trials waiting for him ahead.
And he would walk through every one.