Liu Che had been bathing and hadn't expected a new member to appear in the group.
But the backgrounds of the two newcomers were anything but small.
If the fallen white-robed wizard's guess wasn't wrong, then he was Saruman the White from The Lord of the Rings.
The "god of justice" was Yang Jian—the Erlang God.
One thing Liu Che couldn't figure out, though:
Was this Yang Jian from Journey to the West, or from Lotus Lantern?
Whichever it was, countless immortals would inevitably be involved.
"Two plane-worlds at once? Interesting. Are these large-scale worlds showing up more and more?"
First had come the Tomb of the Saints plane, then the Moon World plane.
Now there were two more.
It looked like he would have to develop a great many believers.
Accelerating the worlds of Gao Yao and Jack had been the right call; he needed more wage earners.
As for the Tomb of the Saints—
It seemed time to throw fuel on that fire.
Liu Che turned his head toward Lin Qing'er beside him and said, "Three days from now, you and Kaguya go to the Tomb of the Saints world and give those gods a good scare. Another plane just opened."
She nodded obediently.
Then drifted into a deep sleep.
This was his private bath, paved with rich star-sand.
It was even more costly than the materials he'd used before.
Kaguya-hime, seated nearby and combing her hair, asked, "How far do you want it taken?"
"Don't provoke a backlash from the world's will."
Kaguya nodded.
So—she could kill as she pleased, as long as she didn't touch the world-will. Evidently those so-called gods had truly offended the deity.
If that was the case, they couldn't blame her for being ruthless.
Even gods have moments when their eyes blaze with anger.
…
In the Ten Thousand Realms chat group—
Ever since Longkui had entered the Moon World, the reception duty had fallen to Tushan Yaya.
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "Welcome to our two newcomers! No matter which '967' you're from, joining the Ten Thousand Realms Chat Group is your great fortune.
Because this group serves the Supreme God!"
Judicial Deity: "Heh. What kind of evil spirit are you? Or an extraterritorial demon bold enough to invade the sea of consciousness of the Erlang God? You truly don't know life from death."
The Fallen White-Robed Wizard: "A god? Humph… I've already betrayed the gods. Now I am ally to the Demon-God Sauron! Laughable that a fox tribe creature would call itself divine!"
Hearing the two newcomers belittle the Eternal God, the group erupted instantly.
Li Lao Er: "You two new idiots think you've got some skill? Let me introduce myself first—I'm Li Shimin, current Emperor of the Immortal World, one-star level!"
Tanjiro: "Fools rush in… I'll give you a chance to apologize. I'm Tanjiro, master of the Shenwu World. Those who don't respect the Divine should watch their step!"
Chu Dashan: "Huh… the newcomer's Erlang God Yang Jian, @Fahai… As I recall, weren't all the deities in your world crushed beneath our God?"
Delivering All Beings: "The glory of my God is unquestionable… Not just the Erlang God—even the Jade Emperor was crushed to pieces. @Judicial Deity, this poor monk is Fahai… I stand in the Buddha's stead.
Right now, the Tathagata in my world has been hunted by me to the point of fleeing for his life; even Guanyin is dead.
What exactly do you think you are?
Seeing as you're new—kneel now and confess your sins, and we can intercede with God for you!"
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "Just killed our Heavenly Emperor. Disrespecting the Divine means death!"
Tosaka University: "Excuse me—what is a 'Judicial Deity'? Who is the 'Erlang God'?"
Uncle Nine, Swordsman and Demon: "You wouldn't know. This concerns the Chinese pantheon. Erlang is rumored to be the Jade Emperor's nephew…"
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "That all? The Jade Emperor's been crushed a few times over—that makes me laugh. Is the Red-Star Demon Lord so mighty? He still turned to ash beneath a single finger of God."
…
Journey to the West—in that world.
Guanjiangkou.
Inside the Erlang Temple.
A man with sword-shaped brows sat at home, watching the lines of text that surfaced in his mind.
Killing intent bled into his eyes.
What he hated most was anyone tying him to the Jade Emperor—
Especially the word nephew.
That was his taboo.
But… what followed truly made his blood run cold.
Who was this Fahai?
He didn't know the name, yet the other side said Guanyin had been killed, and the Jade Emperor had died as well?
What was going on?
Could it be that the people in this group truly came from different worlds?
He frowned.
Reading on, he fell into thought.
To be honest, Yang Jian felt nothing but indifference toward the so-called emperors of the martial world, or the immortal emperors. Anyone could brag.
Anyone could claim to be number one beneath heaven.
It wasn't as though there was any proof.
Proof?
They said one could read the group files.
"Hmph… then I'll see what's inside."
He opened the list.
Two files caught the eye:
[Eternal Meditation Method]
[Eternal Sacrifice]
He downloaded them, skimmed, and sneered.
A crooked path.
This kind of meditation might fool mortals.
But to trick him into practicing it? Absurd.
If something like this could truly increase one's strength—
Then why cultivate the Ninth-Rank Profound Art? Why not just shut one's eyes and meditate?
As for the Eternal Sacrifice technique, it was even more ridiculous.
This was clearly the incense-sacrifice of his own world.
At a glance, it was the household worship of rural shrine-spirits.
The Western teachers did it better than this.
But what were these videos below?
And the introductions to the group members?
At the top was the Eternal God—a true deity of unknown strength, possessing an Eternal God-Realm.
"—An entire world! And a great world at that. Is this a being on the level of Heaven itself?"
Yang Jian drew a sharp breath.
And sobered.
If there truly were so many worlds—
Then this so-called Eternal God was an existence more terrifying than Heaven.
Because this being could bypass the Heavenly Way and contact him in secret.
Next was the Tang Dynasty of Li Shimin. Under divine guidance, he had unified the world, destroyed Goryeo and the Eastern Islands, and dried the steppe.
In the end he'd been promoted to the divine and become Immortal Emperor.
At present, everyone there could cultivate.
"What nonsense is this? If spiritual energy is opened to all, won't everything descend into chaos? If everyone can cultivate, yet their aptitudes differ…"
The more he read, the more absurd it seemed.
Below was Tanjiro Kamado.
Then Chu Xuanfeng.
World after world unfolded before his eyes.
Outside, the sun rose and set.
Yang Jian paid it little heed; his mind had sunk into those videos.
"Delivering All Beings" was Fahai.
Why did that monk look down on him?
Yang Jian finally understood.
Because the Eternal God had appeared—and Heaven had been obliterated.
Even Lingshan had been razed.
Those attacks on the level of Heavenly Dao truly struck fear into his heart.
But that was only the beginning.
The worlds that followed left him even more stunned.
Especially the place called the "Tomb of the Saints," whose resplendence was no less than his own world's.
Ages flowed by.
Law-attacks.
Mystical methods beyond counting—Yang Jian nearly lost himself in the onslaught of what he saw.
By the end—
He had to admit that this Eternal God transcended all his understanding.
Was the other side ruthless?
Ruthless.
Any existence that did not believe in the Eternal God was annihilated.
Was the other side kind?
No one could be described as kind for His believers.
It was closer to a father's love for his child.
No wonder the group members flew into a rage at the insults.
Their families had been resurrected because of the Eternal God.
Without Him—
Their fates would have been tragic.
At the very least, they would not be so happy now.
So, was he himself also some "protagonist of heaven and earth"?
Yang Jian tried to smile, but it died on his lips.
To make his mother's life better, he had been forced to go along with the murderer.
"Don't listen to the proclamations."
A nice way of putting it.
In truth, it had been his own compromise, in different words.
The Jade Emperor—so determined to preserve his rules—would kill even his brother-in-law and suppress his sister.
How pitiable.
How iron-hearted.
Such a being could sit upon the dragon throne and rule the Three Realms—in this era.
"With power, you can do whatever you wish."
"If I had power, the Jade Emperor wouldn't have dared lay hands on my father, nor would he have dared suppress my mother."
"Nor would he have forced me into the post of 'God of Justice.'"
…
Countless years flashed through Yang Jian's mind.
His resentment.
His hatred.
Once pressed down at the bottom of his heart—now suddenly magnified.
"Second Brother… Second Brother…"
"What's wrong, Brother…"
The soft voices at his ear dragged Yang Jian back from his demons.
Cold sweat sprang out all over him.
"I'm fine. Just… a little tired lately."
Yang Jian forced a smile.
Seeing the worry in his sister Yang Chan's eyes, a thought rose up inside him.
Even if he had lost his mother, his father, and his elder brother—
He still had his younger sister Yang Chan.
Whatever happened—
He had to protect her.
Yang Chan took in her brother's cold sweat, the empty wine bottles scattered at his feet, and the reek of alcohol about him. She sighed inwardly.
He could not untie that knot.
But their enemy was the Lord of the Three Realms.
Even after cultivating for countless years—even after battering at the Nantian Gate—
When he faced the Li people, he had chosen in the end to let it go.
Everyone said Yang Jian was inferior to the Jade Emperor.
But no one knew the Li clan's misfortune back during the Heavenly-Cleansing War.
At Guanjiangkou, that year—
More than thirty thousand had died.
That was why Erlang God Yang Jian had chosen this place as his dojo: to repay the debt for his past mistake.
Yang Chan looked at her second brother, watching him force a laugh.
Her eyes filled with tears. "Brother, let it go. Our father is dead, yes—but he lives well in the underworld. He can reunite with Mother every year. None of this is our fault…
The fault is that this world forbids love between immortal and mortal.
They laugh at you, without knowing your kindness!"
"Little Sister…"
Yang Jian's gaze softened. Hundreds of years at Guanjiangkou surfaced in his mind.
Bitterness creased his face.
He was a man of integrity—else how would he have become the God of Justice?
But his ability was limited; he could only protect the lands within a thousand li of Guanjiangkou.
He had done all he could.
…
Back in the chat group, the debate still raged.
Judicial Deity: "These boasts—destroying the Jade Emperor, killing Guanyin—are nothing but wild talk!"
Delivering All Beings: "Still mouthing off? Then listen well. In my world, the Eternal God descended, and Heaven shattered. Lingshan collapsed. The Buddhas fled in terror. The Jade Emperor was ground to dust beneath His hand. We stand as proof."
Li Lao Er: "I fought under the God's light, flattened the four seas, broke Goryeo, crushed the Eastern Islands, dried the steppe, united my realm—and ascended to immortality. You dare doubt?"
The Fox Who Only Loves Money: "What 'Heaven'—how many times has it been crushed? Think of the Red-Star Demon Lord—wasn't he turned to ash beneath God's fingertip?"
Spirit of the Demon Sword: "Disrespect dies."
Uncle Nine, Swordsman and Demon: "Yang Jian—legend calls you Heaven's executioner. But understand this: Gods have fallen across worlds. Don't mistake your own sky for the universe."
Tosaka University: "If there's a Supreme God above all, then even the Root stands aside."
Yang Jian read it all in silence.
The Eternal Meditation Method. The Eternal Sacrifice.
He scorned them in his heart.
But the videos—those he could not dismiss.
In world after world, the Eternal God intervened, and the sky itself changed color.
He thought of his mother, suffocating beneath Mount Tao.
Of his father—beheaded.
Of his elder brother—gone.
Of his sister—still here.
He thought of his own compromise.
Power ruled all. Without power, all justice was only a word.
If such a God truly existed—if that path could grant strength that could topple Heaven—
Would he follow it?
He closed his eyes.
The bath of star-sand, the rising steam, the far-off murmur of mortals in prayer—everything receded.
In the darkness, a single image glowed:
Yang Chan's face, streaked with tears.
"…To protect her," he whispered, "I will do anything."
The moment the thought formed, something in the group stirred—an invisible gaze turned toward him.
Not hostile.
Impossibly vast.
A breath he could neither name nor resist poured into the temple like a tide, as gentle as moonlight.
His heart trembled.
He had confronted demons and gods, battled beasts and immortals, stood against legions of heavenly soldiers. He had never feared.
But now—
The arrogant Yang Jian was finally afraid.
Not of death.
Of what it meant to choose.
If he embraced the Eternal—
There would be no turning back.
If he refused—
His mother would remain suppressed, his father's head cold in Yama's halls, his sister forever beneath another's sky.
At last, Yang Jian opened his eyes.
He looked at his sister and smiled, the expression steady, almost serene.
"Little Sister," he said softly, "boil some tea."
Yang Chan blinked at him through the tears. "Brother?"
"Just now, I thought of a way."
He didn't elaborate.
He turned back to the invisible group-window only he could see.
And for the first time since the Temple of Erlang had been raised at Guanjiangkou—
He bowed his head.
Not in worship.
But in admission.
He typed, each stroke like a pledge:
Judicial Deity: "If the Eternal God protects the innocent and punishes the wicked… then I, Yang Jian, will witness this with my own eyes."
Silence fell in the group.
Then, like a bell tolling across worlds, a single line of text appeared:
Eternal God: "Then watch."
The temple doors swung open.
Wind rushed in from the river.
Beyond the threshold, the world trembled—just slightly, as though a giant had shifted in its sleep.
Yang Jian straightened, took a breath, and stepped forward.
Whatever came next—
He would face it, spear in hand, sister at his back.
And if Heaven stood in the way—
He would cleave Heaven.