Chapter 709: Battle Royale Mode

【Contestants, please proceed to the next era via the Preliminary Mode.】

【Preliminary passed. Combining the products of this era, the resurrection conditions are hereby issued.】

【All undead will be forcibly entered into the "Danmaku Rules." Spell card damage will be converted into "Existence Value" depletion. When Existence Value reaches 0, you will return to a state of death.】

【When undead travel to the next era, they will randomly revive a fragment of some time-space. At the same time, they will be exposed to the Dragon God's field of vision after the countdown ends. Those who fail to leave in time will be destroyed.】

【The slaughter returns to the current era. The contestants who survive will be resurrected.】

Roar—!

Waves surged up, a powerful breath of nothingness, like a sea tide that seemed to sweep across heaven and earth. The phantom of a colossal dragon flickered in and out of view, and every time it appeared, it would utterly reduce all of time-space and the material realm to nothingness.

The bamboo grove that had been prepared for pre-match preparations had already been destroyed as if by an overwhelming force.

Where the hell did this poison circle come from?!

So the resurrection match is a poison run?!

"This is already ten years' worth of exercise for me!" Kaguya swung her arms, broke into a run, and wailed:

"Why do we still have to do outdoor exercise even after we're dead ahhhhhhh—!"

"A man's lips, a lying ghost! Didn't we agree to go die together!?"

"Shut up and run!!!" Su Lin stared at the sky with bloodshot eyes.

The All-Heavens Golden List was still doing its tally. The thing was like a super-large screen embedded in everyone's eyes, having just finished playing the epic life of love and hate of some Tianmingzhu Sect bishop.

Have to say, this thing really knows how to edit — it even used the Spring-and-Autumn brush technique!

The rest would be fine, those lines and words really were something they came up with, but what the hell is "sharing a bed"? There was clearly a small world inside the blanket — why would there be a scene of three people sleeping together?!

Cooking up history, right?

"I won't rest in peace until I take that thing and the Head Four down together!"

Su Lin ran swiftly through the small woods with Kaguya when a blade-light suddenly descended from beyond the sky: "Scram!"

He didn't know if it was a transmigrator, an ancient warrior, or some kind of obstacle mechanism. In any case, with a casual wave of his Sky-Green Jade Void Sword, the sword Qi directly carved out a spatial rift of tens of millions of miles, clearing out everything on the right side.

In an instant, the area near the Netherworld Gate that had emerged not far away was free of obstacles.

Su Lin grabbed Hourai Mountain Kaguya by the collar and leaped straight in.

【The last contestant of the Blue Nation, Blade Saint, has died. National Fortune revival failed. Remaining contestants, please win the National Fortune Resurrection Match.】

"What kind of Gensokyo is this?!" a youth dressed as an onmyoji said in a daze:

"Golden List, National Fortune battlefield, resurrection match?! With this level of competition, I still have to take part in the National Fortune resurrection match?!"

【Ding!】

【National Fortune Auxiliary System activated】

【Recruitment function released】

The young onmyoji's eyes gradually brightened, as if hope had returned. But the next second, a beautiful and lovely red-and-white shrine maiden stood before him.

Hakurei Reimu?

"Gensokyo does not use spell cards. You violated the rules!"

"?"

Before the young onmyoji could speak, he suddenly felt the world spin, and darkness descended.

The shrine maiden retracted her Needle of Sealing. The onmyoji, who had just been pierced through, dissolved into a number of laws and corrosive crystals, which were now eroding the trees, the grass, and the earth itself, converting them into data.

She turned to glance at the dragon that was producing nothingness, then turned and walked toward that Netherworld Gate.

【Dou Qi, Third Stage】

"I am a good person."

【Soul Clan, enter my cauldron!】

"You should know from the movies. We filmed a movie — it was all acting. Of course the Soul Clan are my enemies; they persecute ordinary people in secret."

【All living beings of the myriad worlds, enter my cauldron!】

"."

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan silently rose from his cushion. Under the reverent and wary gazes of the Heroic Spirits, Immortals, and onlooking youkai standing by, he raised a ball of Strange Fire, merging it with the power of the Endless Fire Domain of the illusory multiverse.

"Off you go!"

The dragon of Strange Fire swallowed heaven and earth, yet it could not deal with the Golden List's image in the sky, because its true body was not here — it was merely a projection.

It was currently narrating Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan's growth history.

The summary was: after a single letter of divorce, in order to fulfill the three-year agreement with the Yunlan Sect, under the guidance of Medicine Elder within the ring, he embarked on a path of refining heaven, earth, and man alike.

For thirty years on the east bank of the river, for thirty years on the west bank — never look down on a poor youth.

Year one: took Medicine Elder as his master, cultivated the Burning Art, and set foot on the path of gathering Strange Fire and recasting Dou Qi.

Year two: trained in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, obtained the Green Lotus Core Flame, mastered the basics of alchemy, and entered the Jianan Academy.

Year three: established the Endless Fire Domain, styled himself the Flame Emperor. The Soul Clan's myriad people, the living beings of all realms, Immortals, youkai, humans, and gods — all were refined into great medicines within his cauldrons.

A gorgeous lotus of Strange Fire slowly bloomed, spreading out from the void of space. A resplendent ancient ruler of flame tore through space, carrying endless terrifying power. Countless stars were born within the flames and extinguished within the flames.

【I shall use your blood to refine a pill, Desolate Heavenly Emperor!】 The Flame Emperor pointed at a handsome divine being standing amidst the starry Lei Chi.

"That's me?" Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan looked at the others.

"You were drunk that time."

Under Shi Hao's half-smiling gaze, Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan looked as if he had eaten a bitter gourd. Covering his face, he returned to the shrine and slammed the door shut with a bang.

From outside, someone's cackling laughter still drifted in from time to time.

Enough, I really don't want to watch anymore. Although laughing like that during a fight does feel pretty awesome and really oppressive.

"Actually, you should be used to it by now." Miss Kelaien held a white porcelain pour-over cup and said:

"The annual poll on the Myriad Worlds Common Knowledge Forum shows that you should be the worst and most cold-blooded character among the Myriad Worlds Devourers after the reversed position."

Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan rubbed his temples, planning to find an empty spot to stay for a while, but when he saw Meng Qi holding back laughter, he asked:

"Mr. Yuan Shi Tian Mo, you don't think you can escape, do you?"

The lingering smile on Meng Qi's face froze.

Fine, there were already too many people socially dead right now. To preserve the reputation and honor of the group friends, the only option was to follow the internet cable and take out that whatever-the-hell All Heavens Gold List.

"." Teacher Yan Sen frowned slightly and shook his head at everyone.

Meng Qi, the author who had once serialized "The Supreme of One Trial" on Bai Yu Jing Terminal Chinese Web, opened his mouth: "This Lu-system golden finger has such a huge background?"

"Just now we could still detect traces, but now they've vanished without a trace. Not only that, the means this thing uses to probe cause and effect have completely changed, improved by more than one tier." Teacher Yan Sen said.

Oh no.

This thought rang through the minds of several group friends at the same time.

Taking another careful look, at the spot where Han Li and Li Changshou were—oh, the paper figure was still there, so everything was fine.

"It seems you've already found some forgotten clues?"

In the end it was Zhongli who spoke up, steering things back on track: "Just don't know if it's useful for the current situation?"

"." Yakumo Yukari sighed, not bothering to dig into Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan's matter:

"As everyone knows, a thousand years ago at the very beginning, I and the first 'Hakurei' held a ceremony, spoke with the Dragon God, and established a sanctuary where outsiders—yokai and gods—could survive long-term."

"Rather than a sanctuary, it's more a place of mutual benefit. The Dragon God needed to push forward the world's turnover, and incidentally reclaim the authority scattered among yokai and gods."

"Yokai and gods who had been granted lifespan under the influence of impurity needed a paradise free of impurity."

"Because it accelerated the decline of the outside world's mystery, the existence of Gensokyo was permitted."

"But it was not permitted to exist forever." Eirin Yagokoro said.

"Of course, so we could only make some small adjustments on top of the Great Barrier." Yakumo Yukari opened her folding fan and laughed self-deprecatingly:

"Better than letting yokai stay in the outside world. Living beings condensing impurity jade is also part of the world's will. Methods like faith, fear, bloodlust—these are ultimately just treating the symptoms, not the root."

"But you Penglai people are an exception."

"The Dragon God was schemed against by you and the first shrine maiden." Eirin Yagokoro's eye twitched, as if realizing the yokai sage before her

had even more nerve than she had thought.

The Dragon God was not only the creator god and destroyer of Gensokyo, but also the concrete embodiment of the entire world's will.

If that were really the case, the entire world would long ago have been dragged into Gensokyo's existence.

"Calling it a scheme is a stretch, and it has nothing to do with the first. I just later, within reasonable bounds, slightly adjusted the agreed-upon timing." Yakumo Yukari said softly:

"For existences in the outside world that defy common sense, as long as they can be called an incident, according to the agreement with the Dragon God, they will ultimately end up in Gensokyo."

"Dealing with incidents is very labor-intensive. Whoever it is wouldn't want their hard work destroyed just like that."

"Handling incidents is done by the shrine maiden, right?!" Reimu protested.

People from outside the world count too. Anyway, Gensokyo can accommodate anything—as long as it's treated as an 'incident,' it'll be dumped into Gensokyo.

Yakumo Yukari showed a troubled expression:

"So sometimes sending people back or neutralizing them harmlessly is something I do. You shrine maiden, besides sleeping every day, just wait for work to come to you, right?"

"Speaking of which—"

Yakumo Yukari suddenly narrowed her eyes and glanced at Lu Mingfei over there.

"I did throw you out of Gensokyo once before."

Lu Mingfei's eyes went wide as he pointed at himself.

"It was too long ago, no real impression. Just a record—stayed half an hour, then showed a tendency to harass the shrine maiden, so sent back to the outside world." Yakumo Yukari said.

"The multiverse's number one exchange student, truly deserving of the title," Miss Kelaien quipped.

Lu Mingfei's face cycled between green and red. He took a deep breath and slammed his forehead onto the coffee table: "Red bean paste, I'm so sorry!"

"So what's the deal with those shrine maidens in the gaps?" Hakurei Reimu asked.

"Those are memories. Probably."

Yakumo Yukari said with an uncertain tone, laughing sheepishly:

"The shrine maiden has a special connection with the Dragon God. When the Great Barrier triggers a restart, there's no way to bring the shrine maiden back to her previous state—something has to be left behind. Didn't someone come looking for sealing crystals before?"

The sealing crystals sealed in the gaps by successive Hakurei shrine maidens—these are the byproducts of these 'Hakurei Reimu's' thoughts and the Dragon God's power.

"But speaking of which, it's not like there's no way. The Dragon God's ten cornerstones built the order of all things. If these cornerstones appear in Gensokyo and take effect, the Great Barrier can at least gain quite a bit more durability, and maybe even modify some things."

Seeing the timing was about right, Yakumo Yukari took the opportunity to spill out her original purpose.

"Cornerstones mean laws?" Meng Qi pondered slightly: "According to the unified theory of divine origin, that means Su Lin and I together roughly equal the Dragon God?"

"There's a difference,

but it's not far off."

Yakumo Yukari gave a wry smile: "Never expected the Princess of the Moon to play things this big. That one is also a person of strong feelings."

Nothing to be done about it, things had already happened.

Some things were clarified, and what came next was much easier. Now they just had to wait for those two to win their resurrection matches.

Gently sliding open the shrine door, gazing at the faintly visible Dragon God phantom annihilating spacetime after spacetime—even though he had absolute faith in Su Lin, given those two's incomplete state, this scene was a bit too over-spec.

Moreover, now there was also a Gold List whose background even Teacher Yan Sen couldn't figure out.

Speaking of that thing, the Fallen Flame Emperor's rundown was already over, and the content had changed—now it was the final showdown between the Burning-Eyed Shana Hui Liyi and the Creator God Lu Mingfei.

Much better than those two guys before, at least no social death.

Wait, no—Especially Especially Especially Xiao Yan's reputation was already ruined, it's just Su Lin and the others—

"He loves her, she loves her, she loves him—fresh today's headline, divine realm secrets you didn't know!"

Hope whoever's behind that Gold List runs fast. These paparazzi and reporters have no regard for their lives anyway.

And the current Gensokyo Top Ten Incidents have nothing to do with Gensokyo at all. Wonder who the next unlucky one will be.

"Those spacetime were all past Gensokyo?" Miss Kelaien asked.

"You can also think of them as Parallel Worlds. Even past spacetime can derive planes with different possibilities."

Entering this world from outside the universe will randomly drop you into Gensokyo of different spacetime, but there is only one Gensokyo that is in the "present."

No wonder that bigshot organizer of the resurrection tournament Su Lin somehow shook out of nowhere wanted to curse up a storm.

Because of this, cross-boundary talismans couldn't be used either, exactly the same as back in Belobog. The only difference was the chat group could be used normally.

Song Shuhang sighed: "So we can only watch like this?"

"Gensokyo is currently in some turmoil." Yakumo Yukari chimed in:

"It's not really any big trouble. It's just that Gensokyo's current location has been exposed, and some troublesome invaders have revived. If any of you have the time and are willing to lend a hand, naturally I'd be extremely grateful."

"Naturally, I won't let everyone make a wasted trip either."

Before she could finish speaking, a group of cultivator-dressed people and Heroic Spirits rushed up, like cats that had caught the scent of fish.

"Longevity-level cultivation, three simulated universe records, destroyed nine worlds, verifiable combat record!"

"Don't believe him! The worlds he destroyed were all by external force!"

"Chaldea takes all! On our side we have the Goddess of Creation, and all the Heroic Spirits of the Pale Galaxy!"

"So what if you're Heroic Spirits?! Millions of gods and demons, billions of living beings — we all have experience slaying Heavenly Dao!"

"—"

Yakumo Yukari tugged at the corner of her mouth. She hadn't even said what the reward would be yet — why were these people so eager?