The mist around them gradually thinned, and Rovi sent the primordial wind through it, dispersing the mystery that had swept in with the air. Within it, the enormous shadow of the Fusang Tree was revealed.
Before this, although Xu Fu had never been able to enter, she had seen the giant projection of the Fusang Tree cast by sunlight over the boundless sea many times. Countless times, she had gazed at it with longing, yearning to draw closer.
Now that she had finally succeeded, the excitement in her heart was naturally hard to suppress. But under Yu Mei-ren's seemingly "stern" gaze, the square-hatted girl could not help shrinking back again, clutching the top of her hat with both hands. "I-I'm sorry..."
"Did I accidentally make your maid unhappy?"
Yu Mei-ren looked like she wanted to kill someone.
"..."
This girl really knew how to talk.
Rovi could not say how Yu Mei-ren had felt before, but he was fairly sure she was unhappy now.
After all, as a "planetary Elemental," she was the immortal Xu Fu had spoken of. In the lands of the Divine Land, an existence that could directly establish a connection with the planet was equivalent to an immortal, and a born planetary Elemental was a born immortal. As for the name "Yu," there was no doubt it referred to her.
Yet now, she had been looked down on.
Elementals born from the planet itself were always proud. They disdained humans, even held some dislike toward this race that brought strife to the land.
That was why being slighted was the one thing Yu Mei-ren found unbearable.
But this was not really Xu Fu's fault. Leaving aside the difference in temperament between Rovi and Yu Mei-ren, Rovi, manifested at "primordial scale," looked to Xu Fu like a vast vortex of mystery as grand as the stars themselves. By comparison, although the mystery coiling around Yu Mei-ren was likewise dense, the gap between them was simply too enormous.
That, however, did nothing to stop her anger. "I'm going to kill—"
"Your name is Xu Fu, right?" Rovi cut Yu Mei-ren off. "My name is Rovi. I'm not the 'Yu' you're talking about."
Yu Mei-ren's momentum suddenly stalled—not only because of Rovi's words, but even more because he had interrupted her.
You may not kill people at random in front of me.
That warning seemed lodged in her throat... making her pause. Not out of fear, only because it was not worth it.
Even though Yu Mei-ren had never intended to kill anyone in the first place, only to scare her away.
"Eh? You're not!?" Xu Fu's eyes widened slightly. But the girl in oversized robes looked at Yu Mei-ren, who was sulking by herself over there, then looked at Rovi, and came to a sudden realization. "I see. The unfathomable immortal Yu is only your maid? Then you must be an even higher-ranking immortal?"
"An Immortal Lord!? Or the Heavenly Emperor!?"
Xu Fu grew even more excited. She seemed to have already decided that Rovi was an "immortal." With such a density of gathered mystery, and appearing above Fusang of all places, there was simply no other possibility.
Rovi forcefully resisted the urge to put a hand to his forehead and glanced at Yu Mei-ren beside him.
Her face was expressionless, but it seemed to say... You little brat. Just don't let me catch you slipping.
A blush appeared on Xu Fu's face. The square hat on her head shook nonstop, and her legs, wrapped in black silk, rubbed together. On the half of her face not hidden by her hair, there was nothing but excitement. "I never thought I would actually find an existence like you. Could you be the immortal body, the solar yang-spirit manifestation of the great goddess Xihe? No, wait. They say the great goddess Xihe manifests in a woman's form—but I'm sure you must be an Emperor-Lord of the immortal path!"
In a certain sense, she was not actually wrong.
If one spoke in terms of "immortals," then with the ancient mystery Rovi possessed, calling him "Emperor-Lord" would not be excessive at all. An Emperor-Lord was the ruler of the immortals within a given pantheon, and though Rovi was no immortal, he was a composite of human, Machine God, and planetary god. Immortals like Yu Mei-ren, who could resonate with the planet itself, were already quite similar to planetary gods.
So regarding Xu Fu's misunderstanding... Rovi could not have asked for better.
Having just set foot in the Divine Land, he needed both to seek danger and to leave his name behind. Rovi had no intention of waiting until the moment he needed that reputation to start building it.
A so-called "name" had to be accumulated step by step.
There was no better place to start than here.
Rovi flicked the long robe he was wearing. Should I change outfits...?
"Um, my companions..." Xu Fu carefully raised a hand and pointed toward the sea. "Can they come over too?"
After the mist scattered, the drifting sailboats amid the churning sea once again appeared in sight.
The people on those ships had not panicked, because they had received word that Xu Fu was safe.
They were only trying to draw closer from where they were, yet the wind and waves kept tossing them around. They rose and dipped, helpless to move.
"No!" Before Rovi could answer, Yu Mei-ren spoke first. "If they come, I'll kill all of you~"
Yu Mei-ren's face was full of impatience.
One was bad enough. If any more came, she really would lose control!
Rovi also said, "Those companions of yours have no immortal affinity."
He had to take the opinion of the original resident here into consideration, more or less.
"But..." Xu Fu's eyes widened. She still wanted to say something. Since they had come together in search of immortal affinity, what did it mean if she alone was the only one who got to meet an immortal?
"Immortal affinity... If I give up mine, can they have it?"
"Are you stupid?" Yu Mei-ren was stunned despite herself.
"Uu..." Xu Fu clutched her head again, but the look in her eyes was serious. "It can't be... only me who gains something."
"But how can immortal affinity be given away?" Rovi laughed too. "Xu Fu, do you know what an immortal is?"
He faced the sea head-on, his robes snapping, black hair lifting in the wind. His pupils, where gold and red intertwined, shone with a brilliant faint light.
Xu Fu made a small sound, then came back to herself after a moment. "An immortal is free and transcendent, sharing the lifespan of heaven and earth, shining together with the sun and moon, following the same principles as yin and yang, cycling without end."
That was the description from the Daoist arts texts she had studied.
Rovi nodded.
He had yet to truly set foot upon the lands of the Divine Land, and had only lingered for a short while atop the Fusang Tree in the East Sea. Even so, a certain understanding of the immortals of the Divine Land had already formed in his mind.
The immortals of the Divine Land were nominally ranked beneath gods, but they walked an entirely different path from deities. The essence of a deity's power came from nature, whether they were born gods or reincarnated gods transformed after a person's death.
Immortals, however, transformed the human body over and over again, transforming the mortal body, refining the false into the true, allowing the body to carry mystery of great density. Then, through that great density of mystery, they built a connection with the planet itself.
Just like Yu Mei-ren beside him.
Only, Yu Mei-ren was a born planetary Elemental. She was born an "immortal," skipping the cultivation process entirely.
An ordinary planetary Elemental or true immortal was weaker in combat power than a deity who governed a manifestation of nature, lacking that grandeur of directly manifesting nature's mighty force. But they were free, and their immortality, anchored to the planet itself, was extremely powerful.
That was why they had so many similarities with the "planetary gods" Rovi had created. Or rather, the so-called planetary gods, if placed in the lands of the Divine Land, were also a kind of immortal.
They belonged to the category of "divine immortals": existences that both held divine offices and had a direct connection with the stars themselves.
Most of the powerful beings in the Divine Land belonged to the divine immortal category.
And if they were pure planetary Elementals like Yu Mei-ren, they were "celestial immortals."
Xu Fu knew this was perhaps a test from the "Emperor-Lord" before her. Many texts left behind by her predecessors recorded such things.
Seeking immortal affinity meant undergoing trial after trial.
So she still wanted to say something...
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
WHOOOOOOOOSH!
A wild gale abruptly struck from outside, accompanied by flashes of thunder.
The sea churned, wind and waves surging. The already unsteady ships began rocking even more violently, and everyone aboard was thrown into chaos at once. Even the most skilled sailors could no longer control the swaying hulls.
"Damn it..."
"What's going on!?"
"The ship—keep it steady, steady! We can't capsize! We have to hold on until Lord Xu Fu returns with immortal affinity!"
Seeing the thunder flashing, Yu Mei-ren's expression shifted. "Trouble's come knocking!"
"That damned flood-dragon..." The girl let out a long breath and slowly stretched her body where she stood.
The feathers of her fur capelet fluttered, her slender, beautiful body swaying faintly.
The immortal "Yu" spread her hands, and her expression suddenly turned solemn and cold. "Trying to seize the Fusang Tree while you have the chance? I'm not the same as I was before!"
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
The thunder spread even more violently. Seawater surged and roared, bringing with it billowing vapor.
"What is... that? Will everyone be okay?" Xu Fu was worried, but when she tried to step forward, she was blocked by the power contained within the dense water vapor sweeping toward them.
If not for the two "immortals" beside her, the small girl would probably have been unable to move long ago.
She looked toward Rovi, her eyes filled with worry. "Lord Rovi..."
"An evil flood-dragon of the East Sea. It clearly could have transformed into a dragon, yet in order to avoid leaving together with the gods, it deliberately chose to survive in the form of a flood-dragon." Yu Mei-ren glanced at Xu Fu, her face full of disdain, then looked toward Rovi. "All these years, it has coveted the Fusang Tree, wanting to devour it to strengthen itself. But it was blocked by layer upon layer of mist and never had the chance!"
As one of the three great pillars supporting the Age of Gods, it was only natural that the divine tree Fusang, now without its original master's protection after most of the immortals and gods had departed, would draw covetous eyes.
"So you're saying this is my fault?" Rovi raised an eyebrow.
"What do you think!?" Yu Mei-ren bared her teeth. "But I'll handle it!"
I don't want to be looked down on by mere humans.
Those were the words she did not say aloud.
Rovi turned his head and looked over. Before this, he had encountered dragons more than once. The evil dragon Fafnir and the black dragon Nidhogg of the Norse lands were the most typical examples of Dragonkind.
But dragons in this eastern land of the Divine Land were different from dragons in the west.
Western dragons were the opposite of gods, symbols of "evil," while eastern dragons were a kind of "god."
They were formed from wind and rain, born of weather, deities manifested from many concepts such as "clouds," "rain," and "thunder."
Of course, dragons and flood-dragons were also different. A flood-dragon was an impure Dragonkind, an incomplete "god." If one had to compare them, it was the difference between a god and a demigod.
That was precisely the figure appearing now over the boundless sea, bringing thunder, wind, and rain.
Its long body coiled within the mist. Its shining scales glimmered amid the ceaseless rumbling thunder: camel head, deer antlers, fish whiskers, rabbit eyes, ox ears, snake neck, mirage belly, carp scales, eagle talons, tiger paws... Though it was an incomplete Dragonkind, the being that had come already clearly possessed the bearing of a true dragon.
Ancient mystery rushed toward them, stirring layer upon layer of surging waves across the sea.
It was an existence comparable to a top-class Divine Spirit, not far from a chief god.
Yu Mei-ren was just about to make her move, but suddenly stopped, looking at the figure standing in front of her.
"I'll do it," he said. "I'm the one who brought it here, after all."
"Mm!?" Yu Mei-ren tilted her head, her vermilion eyes narrowing slightly. "At least you know what's good for you..."
Rovi turned around and snapped off a newly sprouted twig from the Fusang Tree.
He shaved it flat into the shape of a sword.
The wind roared around him, rolling wildly.
"You know how to use a sword?" Yu Mei-ren asked, somewhat curious.
"A little." Rovi smiled.
Xu Fu clenched both hands before her chest, nervously watching the sailboats of the seekers of immortality she had brought.
Rovi threw out the "branch" in his hand.
"Is this... sword-commanding arts?" Yu Mei-ren was a little curious. He was clearly someone from a foreign land, yet he seemed to know quite a lot...
BOOOOOOM!
The instant Rovi threw the "branch," a crimson storm surged in his palm, directly propelling it forward.
She took back what she had said. This was not sword-commanding arts, famous for their lightness and grace, at all.
Yu Mei-ren's face went expressionless.
The branch shot forward, spinning ceaselessly within the storm.
Light and shadow intertwined, brilliance manifesting.
As though it had been tempered and polished, a shining edge was revealed.
The branch had truly become the shadow of a "sword."
"ROARRR!"
The dragon's roar echoed.
Human voices cried out in panic.
Dark clouds layered over the sky. As the flood-dragon lowered its body bit by bit, they gradually pressed down toward the sea, as though the heavens and the earth were about to bite together.
It was in that instant that a sword flashed through.
A crimson stream of light like fire.
That was...
What was that!?
The flood-dragon's heart chilled with terror, and it wanted to retreat. But what came toward it seemed not to be a sword, not a sword that had just been shaved from a tree branch.
It was a blazing sun.
Vast and majestic, shining over endless worlds!
'IT IS SAID THAT THERE IS A FLOOD-DRAGON IN THE EAST SEA, ONE THAT BECAME A FLOOD DRAGON BUT FAILED TO BECOME A TRUE DRAGON, KNOWN AS THE DRAGON LORD, RULING OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND AQUATIC TRIBES AS A LORD UNTO HIMSELF.'
'ARE YOU HE?'
The ethereal voice entered the flood-dragon's ears, echoing with layered resonance.
The flood-dragon opened its mouth and spoke.
"Yes."
It could only answer so. It only dared answer so.
'SINCE YOU ARE, THEN WITH YOUR DRAGON'S HEAD...'
'LET ME ASCEND TO THIS HIGH SEAT!'
"ROAR!!!"
The dragon roared, struggled, raged.
Yet the sword fell like heavenly fire.
Beneath the Fusang Tree, Rovi flicked his long robe as though casting out the sleeves of ancient dress, recalling the elegance he had once admired long, long ago.
Some movements, some memories, were impossible to forget, even after many years in foreign lands.
His heart moved with his will.
"ROAAAAAAR!"
The flood-dragon struggled, but the sword-light crushed down like the sun. With a single strike, its head was severed.
Seawater mixed with dragon blood fell from the sky, yet it was only like a torrential rain, pouring down in countless streams before being evaporated. Rising vapor spread over the sea, as if mist had arisen once more. The crowd lifted their heads in confusion...
And saw the giant tree swaying above.
Saw sunlight manifesting overhead.
Rovi raised his hand, and the "sword" reflecting brilliant red light fell into his palm.
He seemed to hold the blazing sun in his hand.
Even the enormous Fusang had become a backdrop behind him.
Immortal?
God!?
At this moment, when the rising sun was born in the east, when eastern dawn broke, one could see the purple qi and solar radiance...
"Dong...hua. Donghua..."
"God of the Sunrise... master of the Fusang Tree..."
As though blessed by sudden inspiration, the people who had come here looked up at the immortal god high in the sky and murmured softly.
That was the revelation of an "immortal god."
It was also Rovi's goal.
To have the people of the Divine Land build a connection for him. Through their thoughts and beliefs, he would once again usurp a god and leave behind a name.
A god's persona was born from faith to begin with.
In this regard, even the lands of the Divine Land were no exception.
Using faith as a connection, Rovi could also allow himself to replace the position of some personified god that had yet to appear...
That was the real reason he had acted. It was why he had used a branch of the Fusang Tree as a sword, why he had turned the concept of the sun contained within it into the edge of that sword. It was also, aside from wanting to meet Xu Fu, another reason he had not immediately repaired Fusang's door.
To slay a dragon with one strike and manifest divine might before mortals.
To leave behind a name and title.
To use that as the lead, transforming it into divine rank.
"Leaving behind the name of the master of Fusang." The sword-light shone like the sun, and Fusang submitted. Yu Mei-ren stared blankly at Rovi beside her, watching the place where she lived become someone else's property... Have I been tricked again!?
Yu Mei-ren had completely failed to realize that she was actually the one who had occupied the nest first, while Rovi in fact intended to legitimize it for her—by becoming the master of this place, then truly lending it to her.
For Yu Mei-ren, this was actually a "trade" with pure profit and no cost. Unfortunately, she did not seem to realize that.
Over on the other side, Xu Fu was likewise full of excitement, her face flushed and her exhilaration almost impossible to suppress.
She had seen it...
She had seen an immortal god ascend to his seat!
The wind and waves stilled. The sun rose in the sky.
Across the lands of the Divine Land, countless capable people and extraordinary practitioners lifted their eyes at the same time. Countless thaumaturges opened their Mystic Eyes, which gazed upon mystery, and looked toward the divine radiance that had suddenly appeared in the sky.
"The Age of Gods has passed... Why would a god return to his place?"
"Donghua... A name I have never heard."
"Never heard it before, but I suspect we'll hear it often from now on—"
"First, Great Qin marches east, and now immortals and gods reappear. Is this some omen? I can't calculate it. Even with this old man's Guigu calculations, I can't calculate it..."
CRACK, CRACK, CRACK..!
"Ara-ara~~~ Donghua? Who is that... to dare get ahead of me and steal the Authority of the sun!?"
Within a magnificent palace tower, nine tails swept as though brushing away dust. A graceful figure sat within, her expression relaxed.
But the armrest beneath her palm had already been crushed to pieces in an instant.
---
T/N: TAMAMOOOOOOOOOOO?????????????? TAMTAM?
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