Even now, Orochimaru still couldn't completely calm down.
This was only a basic, first-level divine art—
And yet, it had vaporized an entire mountain.
If he unleashed a Fireball spell against Konoha… it wouldn't just destroy the village.
It would erase it—vaporize it into nothingness.
Destruction and evaporation were entirely different realms of power.
With his own strength, Orochimaru could smash a mountain to rubble.
But to reduce it into mist and gas, with such little effort?
Impossible—without divine magic.
And what shocked him even more was the efficiency.
The divine spell consumed almost no chakra—or, rather, divine power at all.
Nearby, Sasuke had gone silent, his face stiff with suppressed emotions.
After a long pause, he asked carefully:
"Master...
Are there really spells in the divine arts that can resurrect the dead?"
Orochimaru turned to him and smiled faintly.
"Yes.
There are resurrection spells among the Nine-Star Divine Arts. Confirmed personally by our Eternal God.
Come, I'll forward you the list."
He raised a hand slightly, transmitting the catalog of divine spells directly to Sasuke's spirit.
For a long moment, Sasuke stood frozen, scanning the information.
Then, slowly, silently—
a tear slipped from the corner of his eye.
He was still so young.
And yet he had already tasted unbearable loss.
When he was just a small child, he had witnessed the death of his parents with his own eyes.
That trauma… that emptiness…
How could he be expected to endure it forever?
Now, for the first time in years, he saw a flicker of true hope.
"Thank you...
Thank you...
I finally see a way forward...!"
Sasuke's voice trembled, thick with tears.
He wasn't guessing anymore.
The chance to resurrect his parents—it was real.
Orochimaru chuckled softly.
"Then be diligent in spreading the faith.
Resurrection spells aren't cheap.
You'll need to earn Contribution Points to unlock them.
But if you work hard...
When the time comes, you'll bring them back with your own hands."
In this new divine world, believers from the same realm would naturally look out for one another.
One day, when they ascended to the God Realm, they wouldn't have to fear being bullied by those from stronger worlds.
But to Orochimaru's surprise, Sasuke shook his head firmly.
"Thank you, Master.
But I will rely on my own efforts.
I'll become a Nine-Star Believer with my own hands!"
The young boy's stubborn gaze burned with determination.
Orochimaru looked at him for a long moment.
In the end, he said nothing.
He simply smiled faintly—and turned away.
———
Meanwhile, in the world of Datang Shuanglong Legend...
When Li Shimin learned that he could now practice Royal Swordsmanship, he was ecstatic.
Although he already possessed a Golden Core cultivation base and could fly through internal energy manipulation, flying with a sword had always been a dream.
What native cultivator wouldn't want to fly freely across the heavens, sword beneath their feet?
Without hesitation, he selected Royal Swordsmanship from the Divine Arts list and began practicing immediately.
The technique emphasized refining divine runes directly into the blade, allowing the sword to shrink or grow, soar through the air at incredible speeds, and be controlled with pure thought.
"With this divine method," Li Shimin muttered, excitement surging through him,
"there's no need to send messengers to Cihang Jingzhai anymore.
I'll deliver the warning myself!"
Without wasting a moment, he strode out of his study and retrieved an ancient sword from his personal collection.
Holding the blade steady, he began engraving the divine rune pattern into its surface.
Golden lines emerged across the sword like celestial rivers, flowing perfectly into shape.
Then, an invisible flame materialized—sacrificing and refining the sword under divine power.
Li Shimin had expected the refinement process to take years—after all, in the immortal legends he'd read, weapon refining often took decades.
Instead, before even a stick of incense could burn out, the refinement completed.
An invisible bond formed between him and the sword.
"That's it?!"
So fast!
He tested the connection—guiding the sword with a thought.
Instantly, the blade zipped forward, cutting through the marble floor like butter.
It responded to his will as if it were part of his own body.
"The speed… it's incredible!
I must try it outside!"
He rushed into the courtyard, his ancient sword floating obediently behind him.
The guards stationed outside, Fei Xiong Jun among them, knelt quickly in salute.
But then they looked up—
—and watched in wide-eyed horror as their master lightly jumped onto the hovering sword and soared into the sky.
Their pupils contracted sharply.
Flying sword!
The God of Eternity has made him even more powerful!
Up above, Li Shimin glided through the clouds, the wind rushing past his ears, exhilaration bursting from his chest.
This… This is true happiness!
He remembered his mission.
"Cihang Jingzhai's temple is on Emperor Step Peak, isn't it?
Good.
Time to crush their so-called 'holy land' and declare the glory of my God!"
With a flash of cold light in his eyes, he accelerated—riding his sword like a meteor streaking across the sky.
———
Meanwhile, atop Emperor Step Peak...
Fan Qinghui sat upon a carved mahogany chair, her brow furrowed in worry.
The strange phenomena over the past few days had unsettled her deeply.
Despite her profound cultivation and mastery of heavenly laws, she had failed to divine the cause of the upheaval.
"Even we, who cultivate the path of the heavens, are still human," she murmured bitterly.
"Perhaps this is divine punishment… for Emperor Yang's cruelty and tyranny."
She sighed, gazing up at the vast sky above.
Then—
A flash of silver light streaked across the horizon.
Faster than a blink.
Fan Qinghui bolted upright, her heart pounding.
What is that?
The silver light hurtled closer, transforming into a figure—riding a flying sword!
Her face paled instantly.
A flying sword cultivator—so young, so fast!
Was a hidden master from the Taoist sects coming to challenge them?
In a panic, she shouted toward her disciples:
"Quick! Summon the elders! A master swordsman from the Taoists is attacking—!"
But before anyone could move, a calm, commanding voice descended from the sky.
Li Shimin stood above them, sword in hand, his gaze like steel.
"Taoist sect?
No.
I am Li Shimin—chief envoy under the Eternal God.
I am here today to deliver one truth to you:
From this day forth, there is only one true God in this world.
The Eternal God.
All false gods are blasphemies.
Those who worship falsehood…
shall be purged without mercy."
Without waiting for a reply, Li Shimin raised his sword.
A faint, almost casual slash.
From that simple movement, a crescent-shaped sword light exploded from the blade.
It sliced down toward Emperor Step Peak like a divine guillotine.
Boom—!
The sacred mountain, revered for centuries, trembled.
The ground split open.
The towering peak shattered.
In a single strike, the holy land of Cihang Jingzhai was split clean in half.