I loaded the geek game

“I was born in the Central Plains during the Qin Dynasty. I was just a Taoist priest seeking immortality. Although I spent half my life seeking immortality and even glimpsed some secrets of the Central Plains, the ‘Red Land of Divine Land,’ I ultimately found it all like looking at flowers through fog, unable to find any trace of immortals.”

"Later, I was ordered by the First Emperor to lead three thousand boys across the sea to the east. That magnificent fleet..." Xu Fu began to recount, the deep darkness dancing in his turbid eyes, "carrying the emperor's obsession with immortality, and also carrying my lifelong obsession."

"When the coastline of the Japanese islands finally emerged on the horizon, I discovered that the land of Japan was still in an era where humans and spirits coexisted. The Saha world here, 'Izumo,' was formed much later than the Saha world of the Central Plains, 'Chixian Shenzhou.' As a result, it seemed easier to search for traces of immortals here than in our homeland of the Central Plains."

"I have lingered here for over ten years, slaying demons and monsters, collecting rare treasures, and my cultivation has gradually improved. But I have been unable to find the true traces of immortals and the secrets of immortality, until one day, I encountered the ghostly calamity of Aokigahara..."

"Aokigahara?" Kamiya couldn't help but repeat.

Yes, this is the place.

This was the place where he first discovered Xu Fu's traces in the mortal world—

One of the Eight Thunder Gods of the Underworld once wreaked havoc in Aokigahara, corrupting the divine status of Mount Fuji and causing the goddess Konohanasakuya to perish.

Xu Fu was involved in this incident, and he killed the evil god Lei Gong who was causing trouble.

Afterwards, the remnants of the fallen Yin Lei Shen and Konohanasakuya-hime, over the years, transformed into the Aragami Yamaba and Aragami Inosasa-oh that Kamiya-gawa later encountered.

"Yes, Aokigahara. It was said to be a ghostly calamity, but it was actually the work of the Yin spirits of the Underworld. I led the boys in a bloody battle..." Xu Fu's voice began to tremble, "In that battle, the forest was stained with blood, more than half of the three thousand boys were lost, and we finally managed to win by sheer luck."

"After slaying the Yin God, I met the goddess Konohana Sakuya-hime of Aokigahara. The goddess was corrupted by the power of the Underworld and did not have much time left. Because I helped her defeat the enemy, the goddess gave me the secret techniques of Izumo before she died, and also used the legacy of the Yin God to help me ascend to the position of the Ara-god."

“After the goddess died, I buried her remains in Aokigahara in accordance with her last instructions.”

The details in Xu Fu's story match up with Kamiyagawa's later experiences.

Including the remains of the goddess Konohanasakuya, Kamiya did indeed find them in Tokoyo Aoki.

Therefore, Xu Fu's account is not untrue.

"I have obtained the secret teachings of Izumo and attained the rank of the Desolate God of the East. Although I am not yet immortal, I have gained a long lifespan. However, I did not bring this method back to the Central Plains because I had received news that the First Emperor had passed away, the Central Plains were in turmoil, and the replacement of divine artifacts was inevitable."

"For the next four years, I traveled all over the Japanese archipelago, continuing to pursue that elusive and ethereal destiny. Until one spring day, when I returned to Aokigahara to mourn Princess Konohana Sakuya, I finally met the Izumo deity Amatsu Mara."

Maruo, Tianjin.

Another "old acquaintance" from Kamiya River.

Previously, he was probably the god of Kunitsu, and a follower of the ancestral god of craftsmen, Kinzan Hiko.

Later, whether due to the corruption of the Yellow Springs' power or some other reason, the ancient god of Jinshan and his servant Tianjin Mara fell into madness and were trapped underground for a long time.

When they were reborn, they were both sent by Kamiyagawa to meet Izanagi.

Kamiyagawa:……

Isn't this ridiculous? How come all the gods that Xu Fu once saw ended up being collected as skeletons by me...?

Xu Fu continued, "Metenmari was ordered by Izanagi, the god-king of Takamagahara, to search for gods everywhere. This time, he came to Aokigahara to find Konohana Sakuya-hime, but he only found her tomb. Later, considering my merit in killing the Yin Lei Shen and my past relationship with Konohana Sakuya-hime, Metenmari introduced me to Takamagahara."

Hearing this, Kamiya finally understood how Xu Fu had connected with Takamagahara.

However, when Xu Fu met Tianjin Mara, he was merely a mortal who had become an Ara-god. The fact that he was directly introduced to Takamagahara seemed a bit too grand.

Putting aside his doubts for the moment, Kamiya continued to listen to Xu Fu's story.

"In the shrine of the highest heaven, I saw Izanagi, the former lord of Izumo. Izanagi sat high on his divine throne, but he gave off a deathly aura, even a terrifying one. He didn't seem like a god-king at all... According to Izanagi, this was because he had gone deep into the underworld in his early years. Although he escaped and sealed off the expansion of the Ruins, he himself was deeply corrupted by the corrupting energy of the underworld."

"At the same time, I learned that Takamagahara had been fighting against the rebellious gods who had surrendered to Yomi for many years, leaving the gods depleted. By the time I arrived at Takamagahara, there were hardly any gods left in the shrine."

That certainly sounds like it.

According to Xu Fu's description, even the craftsman god Amatsu Mara, who was born from Kunitsu, was appointed by Izanagi as a "divine messenger" to search for the gods who survived the war of gods.

Takamagahara must have reached a critical juncture, a point of no return, and there was no god left to rely on.

“Izanagi showed unusual interest in me, a mere mortal who ascended to the status of an Aragami…” Xu Fu’s voice suddenly became even hoarser, like the rustling of withered leaves.

The wailing of illusory gods echoed from the darkness, and those enormous white silhouettes wandered uneasily all around.

"He offered a deal that was... hard to refuse." Xu Fu's withered fingers clenched his robes tightly. "Help me become a true god—immortal and eternal, living as long as heaven and earth."

As he finished speaking, his voice trembled again, a longing that had not faded even after a thousand years.

The true god, if we disregard the possibility of being killed by other gods, is the immortality that Xu Fu pursued throughout his life.

"So, what's the price?"

"Becoming a god... is the first price to pay." Xu Fu let out a sigh that sounded like a cry mixed with laughter. "Before this, no mortal has ever become a god. The path that has never been trodden before is destined to be full of thorns. Izanagi wants to use me as a test... If he succeeds, perhaps he can use the power of mortals to reverse the decline of Takamagahara in one fell swoop."

"You promised."

“Yes, I agreed. Although Izanagi gave me time to consider…” His words were suddenly interrupted by a shrill roar from the darkness, but only briefly, his eyes still burning with the same fervor as before, “But do you know how much the ambitions of mortals will swell when godhood is within reach? I agreed, I want to become a god so badly.”

Without a doubt, with Izanagi's assistance, Xu Fu's experiment to become a god was absolutely successful.

Therefore, Xu Fu was the first person in Izumo to become a god.

Because of his personal example, he pointed the way for those who followed, including Kamiyagawa.

"But you said Izanagi lied to you."

The surrounding air stagnated, and the endless darkness writhed even more violently, as if trying to break through the aura surrounding Kamiya.

"Perhaps it can't be called deception... His second demand was that if I successfully ascended to godhood, I must spare no effort to assist Takamagahara in its fight against Yomi. This sounds perfectly reasonable. Since Izanagi has been kind to me, I should naturally do my utmost to help Takamagahara. However..."

"only?"

“Izanagi had reservations about what I said; his concept of ‘fighting against the underworld’ is not what I understand.” At this point, Xu Fu abruptly changed the subject for some reason, “Do you know Tsukuyomi? Do you know how that great god, one of the Three Noble Ones, fell?”

"...sacrificed to solidify the seal on the lunar surface of the Ruins."

Kamiya knows Tsukuyomi's situation all too well.

Like the other gods Xu Fu encountered, Tsukuyomi's divine remains are now being used by Kamiya, and even Tsukuyomi's old forces on the Night Eater Plain have now been incorporated into Kamiya's forces.

"Yes, Tsukuyomi was the first god to die for sealing the Ruins. After his death, the chaos in the underworld stopped for a long time."

"So, there's a second one?"

Kamiya's pupils contracted slightly.

He noticed that Xu Fu's withered figure, illuminated by the aura emanating from himself, swayed and cast a strangely distorted shadow on the towering stone seat behind him.

Xu Fu's lips curled into a strange smile: "Not only that, Tsukuyomi was the first, Amaterasu was the second... Izanagi was the third. When I first met Izanagi, nearly a thousand years had passed since Amaterasu's death. The Rebellion of the Underworld broke out again, and what I saw was merely the last gasp of Takamagahara. Knowing that all was lost, Izanagi was already prepared to die, and before his death, he transformed most of his divine essence into laws, imprinting them on the throne of Takamagahara, and on the divine body I had just built... just to ensure that a thousand years later, there would be a fourth god to be sacrificed!"

"The...fourth?"

"Yes, there couldn't possibly be a fourth one. To solidify such a powerful seal, the sacrificed deity must have been of extremely high rank. After Izanagi's death, a fourth one couldn't be found. So..."

As Xu Fu spoke, the shadow cast behind him grew larger, but his cloudy eyes remained fixed on Shen Gu.

At that moment, the surrounding white shadows simultaneously emitted piercing shrieks, and the halo around Kamiya River, like a candle flame flickering in the wind, collided violently with the darkness, creating countless distorted images on the black rock wall of the stone seat.

"You mean... the ruler of all gods and spirits?" (End of Chapter)