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The God of the Moss-Covered Stone, Aokoke Iwagami, let out a smug chuckle, “Heh, heh, heh… a staircase? My dear girl, you really are naive. When a god descends to the mortal realm, he has his own methods. Why would he need something as crude as stairs?”

Lily felt a surge of irritation. This old fool is still playing coy!’

So she softened her voice and asked sweetly, “My lord, it is not that I doubt you. It’s just that in the Heian-kyo, I often heard elders speak of such matters, and I’ve discussed them with my close friends and sisters. Yet for thousands of years, there has never been any mention of gods descending to the mortal world. You say it is a destined opportunity, but I am merely a weak woman… I cannot help but feel uneasy.”

Aokoke sighed and stepped forward, his large hand patting Lily’s shoulder. “Ah, girl, though your words are tactful, I understand your meaning. Not only in your mortal world, but even in Takamagahara and Yomi-no-kuni, corruption runs rampant. Which powerful being does not seize women for themselves? You must have faced many dangers on your way here, and to have preserved your purity is no easy feat. However, I am not that kind of man.”

Seeing that Lily still looked troubled, fear lingering in her eyes, Aokoke shook his head helplessly and continued, “Very well. I had no need to tell you these things so soon, but I speak to you sincerely and have no intention of deceiving you.”

“For thousands of years, gods could not descend because the path was blocked. But now… that path has been opened! Not just me, in the future, many, many gods will descend one after another!”

“What?” Lily’s body trembled, a sharp chill flashing through her gaze.

Realizing he had let something slip, Aokoke hurried to add, “But let me warn you, girl, there are not many gods as kind as I am. Most are extremely lustful. Not to mention the powerful demons rising from Yomi-no-kuni… if they saw a peerless beauty like you, they would seize you by force without hesitation! They would claim you as their own, perhaps even treat you as nothing more than a tool for their desires. The world to come will be perilous. A beauty like you… without protection, you will suffer endless humiliation!”

His eyes gleamed as he spoke, his tone stern as he warned her. Though he had ulterior motives, he was not lying. Lily understood that even more clearly than he did.

This Aokoke Iwagami truly was an oddity.

“What? My lord, are you saying that even demons from the lower realms can ascend as well?”

“Indeed. This is no exaggeration. The mortal world will soon fall into calamity. Without my protection, girl, your fate will be miserable!”

“Then… my lord, do you know where that path is?” Lily lowered her head as she asked.

“What path?”

“The path from Takamagahara down to the mortal realm.”

“Hm?” Hearing this, Aokoke frowned, his expression turning wary. Something about Lily’s reaction and her questions felt off, beyond what he had expected.

“Girl, there are many things that you are not yet ready to know. In time, I will explain them to you slowly. But as for the coming chaos, the world will be extremely dangerous. Now then, what do you think of my proposal?”

“My lord, I am truly curious about this path. Does such a miraculous route truly exist? Since you claim to be a god, why not take us sisters to see it? If I witness gods or demons descending from it with my own eyes, then I will believe you.”

“What?” Aokoke was startled. “That is impossible! That place is far too dangerous. With your current strength, how could you go there?”

“My lord does not even have this much sincerity? And yet you speak of granting me a great opportunity? Even if it is dangerous, did you not just say you would protect us?”

“That may be so, but that place… who knows what terrifying beings might emerge from it? If we were to encounter one at the wrong time…” As he spoke, his expression grew increasingly grim. He stared at Lily, a growing unease creeping into his heart, her questions becoming more and more suspicious.

“Wait… who exactly are you?” A powerful aura of intimidation erupted from him.

“Who am I? I am merely a wandering woman from the Heian Dynasty. As you said, this world is dangerous, so I only wish for you to prove that what you say is true. Let me see that path, and I will believe you.” Lily was not particularly skilled at playing the role of a coy, clingy woman, and her tone carried a faint trace of stiffness.

“Something’s wrong!” Aokoke’s face twisted with shock as he glared at her. “Under my divine might, you remain unaffected?”

“Huh?” Lily was startled.

“Just now, I used my divine might to directly oppress your soul. Even a Big Dipper expert would feel discomfort. Anyone below the Throne Stage would be unable to resist and would be forced to kneel under my pressure! And yet… why are you not kneeling? No… it seems you are completely unaffected. Even a Big Dipper expert must release spirit power to resist, yet you… who are you?”

Lily’s heart sank. ‘Oh no… I was careless.’

Her soul defense was simply too strong. When Aokoke used his so-called divine might to suppress her, she had not felt a thing!

“Hmph… so you finally noticed.” In an instant, Lily’s figure blurred into a phantom. She relied purely on physical strength, but that was the body of a peak Supreme God!

The lesser deity could not even see her movements, nor was he prepared. In the blink of an eye, before he could react, Lily had already appeared behind him. A short blade materialized in her hand, its cold edge pressed directly against the center of his back. Though he was fat, her strike was precise, aimed perfectly at the location of his Spirit Sea’s Blood Spirit Crystal.

At the same time, her other hand locked around his throat.

The movement was swift beyond belief, and Aokoke felt a deadly killing intent surge from her blade straight into his Spirit Sea.

“I’m going to die!” In that instant, despite his long lifespan and vast experience, Aokoke felt true fear for his life. Cold sweat poured down his body.

Though he was not a battle-hardened god of Takamagahara, his insight was extraordinary. He had not sensed even the slightest fluctuation of divine power from this woman, yet she had subdued him instantly, and with a single move, she could end his life.

This woman’s strength far exceeded his imagination! Who exactly was she? Could she also be a powerful deity who had descended through the Celestial Demon Path? But she clearly knew nothing about it…

With death pressing against his back, he no longer dared to speculate. Survival came first. Her strength was far beyond his own!

Trembling, Aokoke pleaded, “G-Goddess, spare me! Please don’t strike, don’t strike! I am but a kind and insignificant god! I did not recognize your status and acted rudely, I was wrong, I was wrong! Please spare my life! Release me, and I will kowtow in apology!”

“Hmph… do you still dare to take me as your adopted daughter?” Lily remained fixated on this point, not because she felt personally insulted, but because she was teaching him a lesson on behalf of her mother.

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare! Though I do not know which divine realm Your Ladyship hails from, your strength surpasses mine a hundredfold. I was blind and mistaken, how could I dare act presumptuously again? Please, Goddess, release me. With your noble status, even touching an old wretch like me is beneath you. If I were to be accidentally slain by Your Ladyship, my death would be nothing, but I would only fear soiling your garments!”

“……”

By the time he finished speaking, whatever dignity he had as a god had completely vanished. Compared to his earlier demeanor, he seemed like an entirely different person.

Lily gave him a light shove and pushed him away. “Enough. If you hadn’t refrained from any improper conduct toward me from beginning to end, do you think I would have spared you so easily?”

Aokoke immediately dropped to his knees, kowtowing repeatedly at Lily’s feet. “Thank you, Goddess, thank you!”

“Sister, come in.”

Ayaka pushed the door open and entered.

Since this terrifyingly powerful Goddess addressed her as “sister,” Aokoke did not hesitate in the slightest and immediately kowtowed toward Ayaka as well.

“That’s enough. Now speak. By what means did you descend, from where did you come, and how did you seize this city?” Lily looked down at him and demanded.

Aokoke’s bloated body trembled incessantly as he hurriedly answered everything in full detail, no longer daring to conceal anything. “At Your Ladyship’s level, you must already be aware of the Celestial Demon Path, correct?”

“Mm, of course I know,” Lily replied. “A thousand years ago, Tsukuyomi no Mikoto sealed the Three Realms with a single strike of the blade. How could I not know?”

“Your Ladyship is wise. However… recently, the world has begun to change. Though such profound matters are beyond the understanding of a minor god like me, not long ago, an unbelievable piece of news spread. The blade mark that had existed for a thousand years at the end of the Celestial Demon Path… along with the sword aura that could slay even gods… has disappeared!”

“What?” Lily and Ayaka were both shaken to the core.

The blade mark that sealed the Three Realms… had vanished!? Even Lily could not stop her body from trembling. She understood all too well the vastness and terror of Yomi-no-kuni and Takamagahara. She knew clearly that if what this god said was true, then the implications were beyond comprehension.

The mortal world might soon face an unprecedented catastrophe… a calamity capable of annihilation! Compared to that, the previous darkness of the Heavenly Path and the world’s distortions were nothing more than trivial threats.

“This lowly god resided within a divine stone that happened to be very close to the entrance of the Celestial Demon Path in Takamagahara, so I received this information at the earliest moment. I then gathered some nearby members of the Kegaretsu Clan and descended to the mortal world through the Celestial Demon Path.”

“As for seizing this city, I was not among the first to arrive. Before me, other gods had already descended and taken control of various territories. By the time I arrived, most of the deeper regions of Tsukushi Island had already been occupied by those earlier gods, as well as even earlier arrivals—powerful demons of the Infernal Stage from Yomi-no-kuni. So I led my subordinates outward and eventually found this city suitable, and thus took it by force. As for the process… the strongest here was merely a wandering Big Dipper warrior, and the city lord along with his men were even weaker. Naturally, they were no match for us.”

Aokoke spoke while trembling.

“How many members of the Fujiwara Clan did you kill?” Ayaka asked coldly.

“N-No, not many!”

“Not many?” Though the Fujiwara Clan had betrayed Ayaka, that had only been the schemes of a few at the top. The majority of its members were innocent.

“Well… in battle, there were inevitably some casualties. But anyone who surrendered, I spared their lives. Nearly all the Fujiwara Clan members in this city chose to surrender. To be honest, those Fujiwara… they really are spineless.” The old deity said with a bitter laugh.

Ayaka frowned upon hearing this, but said nothing. After all, she could no longer be considered part of the Fujiwara Clan… no, in truth, she never had been.