Chapter 188: Separation of Heaven and Earth, No Interference Between Mortals and Gods (In Honor of Patron 'Youyu Feiyu'!)

Xiangliu?! The ancient monstrous beast Xiangliu from Chinese mythology?!

At this moment.

"The Yamata no Orochi really is Xiangliu!!" Professor Beishan's aged face twisted in utter shock, his heart and liver trembling, his whole body shaking—as if his lifespan might be shaken away in this instant of exhilaration, nearly dying of excitement on the spot.

Not just him—people everywhere across every nation and region of the world were screaming in excitement.

Only a demonic deity from Japanese mythology—the Yamata no Orochi, a legendary monster capable of bringing calamity and destruction—could be called "Yamata" by Lord Cimu.

Online in Japan.

Like a magnitude-10 earthquake erupting, like a typhoon and torrential rain, shaking the internet.

Countless netizens were stunned.

"Oh my god, the Yamata no Orochi really is Xiangliu?!"

Similar messages spread everywhere across Japanese networks, laden with a strong sense of "Of course!" and "I knew it all along."

Ever since the first supernatural event—the Huangchuan Yunhu incident—Japanese netizens had debated their own yokai; after the Master Konghai affair, public focus expanded from yokai to the supernatural, even leading to discussions about Huaguo's supernatural, during which some netizens had mentioned the guess.

A netizen named "Strict-Lipped Red Dog" had once speculated that Yamata no Orochi was Xiangliu.

That guess had gone viral online, blazing hot for a time—but later, that netizen vanished, apparently silenced, and no one dared mention it again.

"Guessing right about Yuzaoqian and now Yamata no Orochi—of course they'd silence you for that kind of spoiler," a netizen remarked, fingers trembling as they typed in excitement.

The internet is powerful; information travels in the blink of an eye. Soon, everyone in the world—whether they'd known before or not—now clearly understood Yamata no Orochi's identity and the story of Xiangliu.

Also spreading were netizens' speculations about the immense power of Chinese mythology.

Shock.

Horror.

The entire world erupted.

Chinese mythology is this powerful?!

And Yamata no Orochi actually originated from China—its true identity is Xiangliu, the monstrous deity of Chinese myth!

Xiangliu, also called Xiangyao, is a monstrous deity from ancient Chinese mythology, a minister of Gonggong, described in the "Classic of Mountains and Seas: Outer North Classic"—a serpent with nine heads, devouring countless humans, leaving only marshlands wherever it went.

This is a legendary monstrous deity!

"The Feathered Serpent is Yamata no Orochi's brother? Holy shit."

Yamata no Orochi and the Feathered Serpent are both serpentine demons—of course they'd get along; it's perfectly natural.

For a moment, the world was stunned.

Stunned by Yamata no Orochi's true identity, stunned by Yamata no Orochi's close bond with the Feathered Serpent…

Even more stunned by the message Yamata no Orochi had delivered through Lord Cimu.

No one in the world doubted it—they all believed utterly. That phrase, "If anyone dares harm his brother, the Feathered Serpent, he shall return to the name of Xiangliu," must carry some terrifying implication, enough to intimidate all gods and make them fearful.

And the facts proved everyone's thoughts correct.

Lord Cimu's words spread—not loud, yet echoing across this starry sky; all the gods froze, their divine eyes widening, some even pausing the glow emanating from their bodies.

It seemed that Yamata no Orochi returning to the name of Xiangliu carried immense significance—something terrifying.

"Xiangliu, the monstrous deity of Chinese mythology, one of the ancient beasts—legend says that when Xiangliu appears, all becomes marshland, an absolute calamity that even gods and demons fear. If Yamata no Orochi says he will return to the name of Xiangliu, does that mean he will retaliate against all gods who harmed the Feathered Serpent—just as he did in ancient Chinese myth, becoming a calamity, a monstrous deity feared even by gods and demons?"

Someone made this speculation.

Many agreed—this possibility was very likely.

Though Xiangliu wasn't the strongest of the ancient beasts, his reputation for calamity and ferocity was legendary.

His power, needless to say, was immense—he once caused chaos in the ancient era, with few able to oppose him, not even gods or demons; only Dayu finally intervened, severing one of Xiangliu's heads to quell the disaster.

Even so, Xiangliu was merely banished, not killed—clearly demonstrating how formidable he was.

Xiangliu's monstrous terror was plain to see.

Now, Yamata no Orochi has declared: for his brother, the Feathered Serpent, he will once again become the monstrous Xiangliu—issuing a warning and threat to all gods through the terror of Xiangliu's name.

"I don't think that statement was meant as a warning to the gods using Xiangliu's terror."

Not everyone agreed with that netizen's view—some held different opinions.

"If I didn't know about the Original Battlefield, I'd think this possibility likely—but now I know how terrifying the Original Battlefield is, and all the gods here have fought in it. Not even God, that old coward, but Thor, Anubis—they must have fought on the front lines of the Original Battlefield; they wouldn't be easily intimidated by threats."

"The words Yamata no Orochi delivered through Lord Cimu must carry another meaning—something even more terrifying!"

This viewpoint sparked immediate curiosity and uproar.

Yes—the gods had fought in the Original Battlefield, each bearing unbreakable battle wills; how could they yield to threats?

Clearly, that statement held something that made the gods fearful.

This was evident from the gods' reactions—and from their brief silence after Lord Cimu spoke—they were afraid of something.

As for what exactly made the gods fear, everyone subtly guessed it was the final phrase: "he shall return to the name of Xiangliu."

"Wait! Xiangliu was Gonggong's minister—could this mean Yamata no Orochi will return to the name of Xiangliu, meaning he will return to China? As Gonggong's minister, he might be summoning Gonggong himself!"

A netizen exclaimed in surprise, adding Gonggong's information as well.

Gonggong, a clan name, also called Gonggong Clan, is the water deity of ancient Chinese mythology.

Legend says Gonggong was a descendant of Yan Di, and the Gonggong Clan succeeded the Shennong Clan.

The text "Liezi: Tang Wen" records: "Gonggong Clan contended with Zhuanxu for the throne; enraged, he smashed into Mount Buzhou, snapping the pillar of heaven and severing the earth's cords; heaven tilted northwest, so the sun, moon, and stars shifted; earth sank southeast, so all rivers and floods flowed there."

The meaning: Gonggong contended with Zhuanxu for the throne, and in fury, smashed into Mount Buzhou, causing catastrophic changes in heaven and earth.

Zhuanxu, one of the Five Emperors of ancient Chinese mythology.

As an emperor, Gonggong could challenge Zhuanxu for the throne—clearly demonstrating his immense power.

If that still wasn't enough proof, then Gonggong toppling Mount Buzhou was undeniable evidence of his strength.

Mount Buzhou, legend says, was the only path in the ancient world connecting the mortal realm to the heavenly realm—the pillar supporting heaven and earth, perpetually cold, perpetually snowing, inaccessible to ordinary mortals, even gods held it in awe.

Yet this eternal, heaven-and-earth-supporting Mount Buzhou was toppled by Gonggong Clan, severing the connection between mortal and heavenly realms, causing heaven and humanity to be forever divided—hence, later generations called it: Gonggong's destruction of Mount Buzhou caused the "Separation of Heaven and Earth, No Interference Between Mortals and Gods."

To achieve the Severing of Heaven and Earth, how could such a Gonggong clan not be powerful?

The answer is obvious.

Powerful!

Extremely powerful—so powerful that they shook the ancient era and roused the wariness of the gods.

……