Chapter 104 – Bai Suzhen’s Resolve, Ao Gan Defies Heaven, and the War Begins

A slender white hand suddenly clenched into a fist.

Bai Suzhen, who had always appeared gentle and composed, could no longer contain the fury building within her.

Grinding her teeth, she spat, "And these villains dare call themselves immortals?"

It wasn't even about her current incarnation in Yunying's body anymore.

They were plotting against her child.

They had been calculating her fate from the moment she was born—step by step.

Binding her to a relationship, locking her in karma, and guiding her to cultivate a human form.

For thousands of years, she had unknowingly lived under surveillance. That alone was infuriating enough.

But now, they even wanted to devour her child's soul?

How could such so-called "immortals" be worthy of their titles?

Fahai smiled wordlessly, raising the wine bottle to his lips. So, she had finally learned the truth?

Why had she ever trusted the illusion of destined love?

Wasn't it just a red thread pulled by Yue Lao?

After a long silence, Bai Suzhen raised her head and declared resolutely, "I've decided. I'm willing to serve the Eternal God. I refuse to endure this disgusting world any longer."

"I thought you might stay and help me wipe out these hypocrites... what a shame," Fahai said with a trace of wistfulness.

He put away the wine bottle and casually tossed the chicken leg out the window.

"Then please remain here for a few days. Once the old dragon king selects the dragon girl, we'll begin the sacrificial ceremony."

"Thank you. I'll rest in the back mountain. Let me know when I'm needed."

"Wait—please accept this, Lady Bai."

A sphere of glowing light—a meditation seal imbued with Eternal power—floated into Bai Suzhen's hand.

She frowned. "What is this?"

"A divine technique passed down by my god. You'll be able to ascend to heaven and enjoy its blessings. But what about your sister, Xiaoqing...?"

"Thank you for the gift. Bai Suzhen will remember your kindness."

With that, her silhouette blurred and vanished beyond the courtyard.

Fahai's face lit up with satisfaction.

Ha… Hadn't he just secured the favor of the Daughter of Destiny?

Not only that, he'd gained her loyalty and a favor in return.

Everything was going perfectly.

Meanwhile, the selection of the dragon girl continued outside.

Eventually, Ao Gan settled on his choice—a young dragon girl just two hundred years old. In her human form, she appeared to be a petite, innocent-looking girl.

But her bloodline was extremely pure.

She was a direct descendant of one of Ao Gan's grandsons.

"The rest of you are dismissed. I'm choosing Ao Li. When you return, remember what I told you. If I find out anyone's been tampered with... I'll personally hunt down those evil dragons and kill them."

The other dragon girls trembled, nodding frantically.

Each of them held an Eternal Meditation Seal.

It was a divine blessing and also the dragon clan's path to ascension.

What did they gain by surrendering to Heaven?

At most, they were left alone.

But if they served the Eternal God, they would be granted real power—and a true path to the heavens.

This was the result of a secret agreement between Ao Gan and the Four Sea Dragon Kings.

...

At that moment, in Heaven—

A guest arrived at the Celestial Court.

The Lord of West Lingshan: Great Sun Tathagata Buddha.

"Have you been watching Fahai's actions?" the Buddha asked solemnly. "Hangzhou has been completely overrun. Even the underworld's Yin soldiers can't enter to collect souls."

"What you say is true," the Jade Emperor replied. "But what should we do? Regular immortals can't defeat Fahai. We would need someone with tremendous power."

The Jade Emperor and Tathagata sat side by side, discussing how to eliminate the threat of the Eternal God.

Neither dared take action personally.

They were terrified the terrifying evil god would appear again to slaughter them.

Based on their speculation, that being could not leave Fahai's side.

Otherwise, the Buddha of Lingshan would've been long dead.

But they couldn't be sure whether Fahai still had a way to summon that malevolent entity.

Tathagata narrowed his eyes and smiled slightly.

"If we can't kill him... then what about suppressing him?"

"You mean... seal him?" the Jade Emperor asked, startled.

"Exactly. Since we can't destroy him outright, we lock him away."

The evil god only manifested when Fahai was on the brink of death.

But what if Fahai was never allowed to die?

What if he was sealed instead?

Meanwhile, the Four Seas Dragon Clan had outright ignored Heaven's draft orders—and in some regions, they had even killed Heavenly Soldiers and generals.

It had been causing the Jade Emperor sleepless nights.

And now, with Fahai being identified as a threat, the sooner he was taken care of, the better.

Master Guanyin had already been struck down, after all.

"Then it's settled," Tathagata said.

"Agreed," the Jade Emperor nodded.

He stood and began issuing orders to General Wang Ling outside the palace.

Soon, a massive army was mobilized.

One hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers, along with numerous divine warriors, were dispatched to Hangzhou to capture the monk Fahai.

At the same time, Lingshan deployed another one hundred thousand Buddhist Soldiers, accompanied by tens of thousands of monster cultivators.

Combined, nearly three hundred thousand troops marched under Heaven's banner.

But in the celestial realm, one day equaled a year on Earth.

No matter how fast they moved, they couldn't match Fahai's pace.

When Fahai and Ao Gan looked to the skies and saw the change, they knew—

Heaven and Lingshan had finally made their move.

"I'll lead the dragon clan to hold them back," Ao Gan said. "You must complete the ritual as quickly as possible!"

"Don't worry. I've been preparing for this."

Fahai's calm demeanor reassured Ao Gan.

Then—BOOM.

A massive blue dragon soared into the sky.

"ROOOOOOAAARRRR!!"

The thunderous roar of the ancient dragon shook the heavens.

All of Hangzhou was awakened.

Even people thousands of miles away heard the cry and felt its tremors.

It was an immense beast—its body stretched thousands of miles long.

Covered in old battle scars, its head pierced the clouds while its massive coils still stretched below them.

The sight was overwhelming.

"Is… is that a dragon?"

"An ancient Azure Dragon… is he about to challenge the heavens?"

"I don't know, but above the clouds—look! There are countless Heavenly Soldiers and generals gathering!"

For cultivators, traversing clouds was no obstacle.

What truly shocked them was the appearance of Ao Gan.

It had been ages since the world had seen such a powerful, pure-blooded dragon.

He was the last of the true dragons remaining under heaven.

Far away, on the Yellow River—

An old turtle raised its head slowly, eyes filled with confusion and concern.

"That old dragon has lost his mind…"

The moisture across all of China surged toward Ao Gan. The heavens and earth themselves began to shift.

300,000 divine troops?

To Ao Gan, they were like ants.

The only threats were the Celestial Officers—like Wang Lingguan—and the other immortal kings.

A booming voice echoed from the clouds.

"Ao Gan! You're old! Why are you still stirring up chaos? Have the wars of ancient times taught you nothing?!"

Wang Lingguan stood high in the heavens, shouting toward the old dragon.

But Ao Gan only smiled coldly.

He lifted one massive claw.

The skies darkened with swirling water vapor.

Before the Heavenly Soldiers could even react—

Tens of thousands of them vanished.

Bodies were instantly frozen by the thick, condensed water vapor—then shattered into minced flesh and exploded.

From the sea, Fahai stepped out of Jinshan Temple, his robes billowing with power as he declared the divine name:

"Since the Immortal Buddhas are no longer benevolent, I, Fahai, who have earned the trust of the Eternal God, will now establish a new order in this world. Today, I offer a sacrifice to the Divine."

He raised his arms toward the heavens.

"With mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas; with water veins as patterns and the earth as the altar—I now pray for the descent of the Eternal God!"

All across Hangzhou City, every resident dropped to their knees.

Even in the distant mountains, countless spirits and wandering ghosts who had received divine blessings also knelt in reverence.

They chanted the name of the Eternal God.

They meditated on the manifestation of His divine body.

As time passed...

The spilled blood of Immortal Buddhas gathered and transformed into a storm of divine retribution—raining crimson fury from the skies.

Ao Gan's power remained terrifying.

Whether through sheer physical might or the fearsome spells he wielded, the Heavenly Soldiers and Celestial Generals were no match for him.

At that moment, a massive hand reached down from the western skies and struck Ao Gan's body.

The old Dragon King's head was blasted clean off in an instant.

Countless divine weapons rained down like meteors immediately after.

Once, Ao Gan's body had been a near-impenetrable fortress. Now, it became a helpless target.

His flesh and scales were stripped away piece by piece.

Yet Ao Gan did not scream.

He stared up into the sky with mocking eyes, full of scorn and contempt.

Anyone watching could see it clearly—his disdain for Heaven itself.

When the Jade Emperor witnessed the scene through the Demon Mirror, his rage boiled over.

"Sifang Tiandi! Slay this defiant dragon!"

"At once!" came the unified cry.

From the four cardinal directions—East, West, South, and North—four heavenly emperors appeared clad in divine armor.

The Great Northern Emperor, Zhenwu, gazed down at the dying dragon and sighed.

The last true dragon in the world was about to perish by their hands.

It was... tragic.

Drawing the long sword from his waist, he and the other emperors moved in unison.

Blades of divine light fell like judgment.

And the dragon's head was severed.

Ao Gan, the last ancient real dragon, was slain.

"With that, we've reclaimed the water veins of the Yangtze River," the Queen Mother said gently beside the Jade Emperor. "Though we lost one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers, I wouldn't call it a total loss."

...

But the Jade Emperor responded coldly, "Don't celebrate yet. The demon monk remains below. The true threat still stands."

"My dearest friend, Ao Gan… you have seen the cruelty and absurdity of Heaven's so-called Immortal Buddhas," Fahai's voice thundered through the skies, cutting through clouds and silence alike.

"I offer my flesh as a sacrifice to the Eternal God!"

His voice echoed across all Three Realms.

"I, Fahai, high priest of the Eternal God, humbly beg the Great and Merciful One to descend into this world. This land is poisoned by corruption and hypocrisy."

"Though mortals worship the Immortal Buddhas, they've become nothing but toys in their hands..."

"Oh Great and Eternal God, please hear the cries of your believers. We plead for your descent!"

His words rang out again and again—across Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld.

Whether commoners or nobles, whether spirit or mortal—all heard the voice of Fahai.

This was the resonance of water veins across the land.

Using the Earth itself as an altar, and the network of water veins as sacred symbols, he summoned the Eternal God.

The sacrifice? Ao Gan's divine body—and over one hundred thousand slain Heavenly Soldiers and generals.

This sacrificial ground even dwarfed Zhang Fan's Mountain and River Altar in scope and power.

At the foot of Lingshan—

The Tathagata Buddha was deep in meditation when his eyes flew open in horror.

"No! We must kill this demon monk—now! He must not complete the sacrificial ritual!"

No one could have predicted that Fahai and Ao Gan would go to such extremes.

They had used the very water veins of the world and their own lives as sacrificial offerings.

Fahai had never left the Hangzhou region.

Instead, he had sent out countless dragon sons and daughters to do his bidding.

Now, nearly every waterway in the world was echoing the name of the Eternal God.

Only the Yellow River remained beyond his grasp.

The Four Heavenly Emperors received new orders. All of them turned their weapons toward Fahai.

They prepared to strike.

But just as they readied themselves...

A single blossom of shimmering, dreamlike glaze drifted through the sky.

Then a second.

Then a third...

The water veins began to glow.

Even dragon maidens who had studied the water's power for centuries were at a loss.

"What is this change…?" one muttered.

"Hurry!" the Jade Emperor roared when he saw the Four Emperors frozen in place. "What are you waiting for?! Strike!"

But the Great Emperor Zhenwu only sighed.

"Your Majesty… we want to attack, but our bodies… won't move."

Boom!

The entire Three Realms trembled.

A pair of incomprehensibly ancient and terrifying eyes opened from beyond time itself and fixed their gaze upon the world.

The Jade Emperor, who had been shouting only moments ago, fell completely silent.

Everyone knew what had come.

The Eternal God had arrived.