Chapter 67 (1/2): Turning the Tide Against the Wind, Returning Every Favor

The three set off without hesitation, and Pi Chu Xi immediately opened a teleportation portal.

A silver-blue light flared up. 

Just as they were about to step inside, Su Fu suddenly halted.

“Wait.” 

She tilted her head slightly, a flicker of strangeness flashing in her eyes.

“Huh? Their speed is pretty fast—they already have a Divine Pantheon here at Qingqiu.”

Through Mountain Sparrow’s transmitted images, a ten-person squad had already crossed into the Qingqiu map boundary.

“This is… the Amaterasu Pantheon?” Pi Chu Xi narrowed his eyes as he observed their attire, which perfectly matched the Amaterasu style. 

Most importantly, he spotted an old acquaintance—Asuka Amakawa.

“Something’s off,” Fang Bo Han muttered in puzzlement.

“Could it be that they still haven’t received the news that their home was sneak-attacked by the South Polar Star?”

“Their own territory is about to be raided, yet they’re preparing to besiege Qingqiu?”

Pi Chu Xi pondered for a moment and said, “Probably a time lag—they’re operating separately, so they haven’t had a chance to coordinate.”

He glanced at Su Fu and made a throat-slitting gesture.

“Boss, should we take them out now?”

“No need.” Su Fu shook her head and looked at the endless peach blossom forest with a smile. 

“They’re nothing to fear. Let them play on their own.”

“If it were other Divine Pantheons, I might be cautious. But Amaterasu…?”

“You must understand, many of Amaterasu’s gods originally come from Chinese Civilization. Even their prized deity, Yamata-no-Mae, traces back to the Nine-tailed Fox lineage.”

In other words, Chinese gods are their ancestors. 

Now, their descendants come to the Nine-tailed Fox’s territory and dare to rebel against the Heavenly Ladle? 

It’s pure fantasy.

***

At Qingqiu’s edge, the elite squad of the Amaterasu Pantheon paused among the peach blossoms.

Their leading High Priest frowned deeply.

“This is strange,” he murmured as he looked around.

“According to the coordinates, we’ve entered Qingqiu’s core region.”

“But where’s the anomaly?” another priest plucked a peach blossom petal, puzzled.

“There’s nothing here but these flowers.”

Petals drifted in the wind, and rolling mountains stretched in the distance.

Beneath their feet lay a soft carpet of blossoms.

Beautiful, certainly, and it lifted their spirits somewhat.

But what good is the scenery?

They were here to eliminate anomalies and score points—not for a spring outing.

“Damn it,” another priest snapped irritably, waving his hand.

“This Chinese map is too weird. Just a sea of flowers, no anomalies in sight—how are we supposed to complete our mission?”

It was absurd.

Other pantheon maps showed anomalies as soon as they entered, with battles that never ended.

But the Chinese Civilization’s map?

Just trees everywhere.

Were they supposed to fight trees?

“Could these peach blossoms be the problem?” someone suggested, running out of alternatives.

The High Priest raised his hand, gathering solar divine power.

A scorching golden flame erupted, instantly setting a peach tree ablaze.

The fire soared skyward, and the tree was quickly reduced to ashes.

Yet, Shen Yan AI gave no kill confirmation.

“No,” the High Priest’s expression darkened.

“The peach trees are fine.”

The scenery remained unchanged, but no one dared admire it anymore.

This was far too eerie.

“This is seriously haunted…”

The images relayed through Mountain Sparrow’s perspective reached the three’s watching.

Pi Chu Xi nearly laughed himself dizzy.

“Boss, you were right—they can’t tell it’s an illusion. With this level, how do they expect to penetrate Qingqiu?”

Pure wishful thinking—they can’t even find the place.

Fang Bo Han sighed, “If it weren’t for not wanting to ruin the plan, I’d want to open a Killing Formation right here and teach this bunch some manners.”

At that moment, the High Priest on screen suddenly stopped.

His communicator lit up.

Upon seeing the message, he was stunned and shouted incredulously, “How is this possible?!”

“Our map… was sneak-attacked by South Polar Star?!”

The other priests turned toward him, shocked.

What?

Their own home was being raided?

Once they grasped the situation, fury exploded among them.

“Bastards! They took advantage of us while we were here to besiege Qingqiu and launched a sneak attack?!”

“Wasn’t it agreed the Seven Pantheons would act together? They proposed the alliance, yet they’re breaking it themselves?”

“Disgraceful! Those South Polar Star scoundrels!”

“What now?” another priest anxiously asked, glancing at the High Priest.

“Sir…”

With their own territory under threat, why bother with Qingqiu?

Especially when Qingqiu had nothing abnormal anyway.

The High Priest didn’t answer immediately.

He thought for a moment, then turned his gaze to the white figure among them—the shrine maiden, Asuka Amakawa.

She stood amidst the swirling peach petals, calm and seemingly unsurprised.

“Asuka,” the High Priest asked solemnly, “What’s your opinion? Do we stay here or retreat?”

Asuka’s tone was steady, “I’ve said before, we shouldn’t have attacked Qingqiu. Protecting our own map is the real priority.”

“My stance remains the same.”

“Qingqiu belongs to the Chinese Pantheon, backed by Su Fu—that super powerhouse. Anyone trying to attack Qingqiu? They’re crazy.”

“As for the rumors that Su Fu is dead? Laughable. I don’t believe it—not even if she was killed in battle. That powerhouse wouldn’t just disappear without a trace. Su Fu must be scheming something.”

Even though she expressed her suspicions, the proud High Priests wouldn’t believe her.

All her words boiled down to one sentence, delivered seriously: “There’s still a chance to turn back.”

Hearing this, the High Priest’s face darkened further.

He looked up at the seemingly peaceful peach blossom forest and swiftly made a decision.

“Retreat!” he ordered.

“Immediately return to defend our map. We cannot let South Polar Star’s sneak attack succeed.”

“As for Qingqiu…”

He sneered, “Qingqiu? From what I see, there aren’t many anomalies here. It’s just a map of Chinese test-takers—how difficult could it be? I think we’ve all been played by South Polar Star. They clearly want to use this chance to attack us.”

“So, fall back quickly!”

***

They had come in grand force but left hastily.

Watching the Amaterasu Pantheon’s figures disappear into the peach blossoms, Pi Chu Xi and Fang Bo Han both exhaled in relief.

“Judging by the last message the High Priest received, our plan is working.”

“Heh heh, plan success.”

Luring the tiger away from the mountain, diverting the disaster eastward, using others’ blades to kill—the plan succeeded perfectly.

What they found most amusing was that the Amaterasu Pantheon had toured Qingqiu and still hadn’t discovered what true Qingqiu was.

They were complete clowns.

“Boss was right—they really aren’t a threat.”

Pi Chu Xi chuckled, “The whole Amaterasu Pantheon must be going crazy, thinking the South Polar Star’s giant beast is targeting them. They were so arrogant before, now they’re running back scared out of their wits. Hilarious.”

One had to admit, Qingqiu’s Illusion Array was incredibly impressive.

Without the boss telling them, they wouldn’t realize it was an illusion.

Every petal, every breeze, every mountain looked too real.

Who would have guessed it was all fake?

From the moment they stepped into the map, they had entered a vast illusion.

Reality and illusion perfectly blended.

This was Qingqiu—and not Qingqiu.

Pi Chu Xi and Fang Bo Han agreed it was probably the safest map in the entire field since the enemies couldn’t even find the entrance.

They suddenly thought of the Ninth District’s Land of Eternal Night.

‘That place was pure terror—pitch-black darkness stretching endlessly, suffocating and despairing from the first step. But Qingqiu was different. It hid all dangers beneath this seemingly real, illusory beauty. How to describe it? It was a bit like… the Chinese Pantheon itself.’

‘On the surface, the weakest pantheon, but in truth, profoundly strong. Just look at the boss—who dares say the Chinese Pantheon is weak? They’re ridiculously strong.’

***

As Su Fu expected, she withdrew the shared screen and turned.

“Let’s go. It’s time to depart. The best defense against others’ attacks isn’t to guard or endure, but to strike back. They want to eat Qingqiu? Fine, then they should prepare for their own territory to be eaten. They gave us a perfect opportunity. They dare to split their forces? Then we’ll just raid their home.”

“If this move succeeds… It’ll be a huge feast and a takeoff!”

***

With the Amaterasu Pantheon’s withdrawal from the Seven Pantheons alliance, a notification soon spread through the alliance chat:

[Amaterasu Pantheon High Priest: “Received latest order to immediately return to our map. We cannot participate in Qingqiu. The matter is yours; no thanks necessary.”]

This stunned the others.

[“What? The Amaterasu Pantheon just quit? Their alliance had just formed and they hadn’t even reached Qingqiu—already down a member?”]

A rough start.

[“What’s going on with Amaterasu?”]

The first to speak was Anil, representative of the Indian Pantheon: [“Oh dear, what’s up with our Amaterasu friends?”]

[“Could it be their map still isn’t secure? Need us to help?”]

The High Priest almost fainted reading this message, dripping sarcasm.

It was as if Anil was mocking them right to their faces: Look at Amaterasu.

Help?

More like trying to profit off the fire.

His face darkened.

He sneered, [“Heh, then I wish you success. South Polar Star even sneak-attacked the strong Amaterasu Pantheon; none of you will escape.”]

He wouldn’t warn the others.

Why should he be the only unlucky one?

Everyone must share the misfortune.

With that, he cut off communication, no further replies.

Anil taunted a bit more but, seeing no response from Amaterasu, he began to suspect something.

“Amaterasu’s High Priests always love to take advantage; now they’re just giving up?”

“That’s suspicious. Could be something wrong with their own territory.”

Thinking it over, Anil pretended to be casual in his reply:

[“What’s to celebrate? We, the Indian Pantheon, as the third largest, are strong and will definitely score well in this test.”]

[“We’ve long secured our own maps, unlike you, who have to run back and fix your mess halfway.”]

[“As for Qingqiu, honestly, we don’t care. The Chinese Pantheon’s map—what’s so good about it? Just came here to make noise.”]

Once he said this, not only did Amaterasu remain silent, but the other pantheons all went quiet too.

They all involuntarily rolled their eyes.

The Indian Pantheon’s arrogance was astounding.

Such a large map resource in front of them, and they say they don’t care?

What a joke.

Since Lord Anil was so confident, the Norse Pantheon’s representative spoke up:

[“So, this time you’ll be leading the charge?”]

[Anil: “Ahem… well… we still have to discuss it.”]

***

Lin Mingxi had a good relationship with the Maya Pantheon’s leader and forwarded all these messages verbatim.

Meanwhile, the Mayan Pantheon’s leader simply closed her eyes and pretended not to see.

Originally, Su Fu was headed to the Egyptian Pantheon’s map, but seeing Indian Pantheon’s arrogant tone, she smiled.

“Very arrogant, claiming to be the third largest pantheon and already securing their map?”

“The key is they look down on my Qingqiu?”

Pi Chu Xi couldn’t hold back and said, “Boss, that’s way too cocky. Should we teach him a lesson?”

Fang Bo Han quietly reported the Indian Pantheon’s coordinates.

“Right in the Third District, Lingjiu Mountain, the neighbor’s neighbor. Not far.”

“Then fine,” Su Fu smiled.

“If they’re so confident, let’s pay them a visit.”

“Next map, Lingjiu Mountain.”

Let her see just how tough this third-largest pantheon really is.

Lingjiu Mountain lay amid rolling peaks, with a towering main peak crowned by a giant rock shaped like a vulture’s head—that’s how it got its name.

In Chinese mythology, Lingjiu Mountain also has a deep connection.

In “Investiture of the Gods”, it’s the cultivation site of Randeng Daoren.

Randeng Daoren was an important figure in the Chan Sect, wielding profound magic and many powerful treasures.

Later, there was a legend that Jiutian Shengmu renamed Lingjiu Mountain to Lingshan—but that’s purely Chinese mythology.

In the Indian Pantheon, it’s a sacred place for spreading Buddhist teachings.

Su Fu stood halfway up Lingjiu Mountain, gazing toward the peak.

“That should be the Indian Pantheon’s core area. Needless to say, defenses there are tight. We can’t go now, and if they have a God Skill that counters instant teleportation, we will be trapped once surrounded.”

“So, let’s pick an easier target.”

Her gaze followed a soaring vulture flying between the mountains and finally settled on a moderately tall peak to the east.

From the images the vulture relayed, a large number of anomalies gathered there.

There were giant soaring vultures and wandering demons, quite a few of them.

Pi Chu Xi activated his Crow’s Eye Divine Skill, scanning the terrain and analyzing: “Looks like the Indian Pantheon plans to form a siege circle here. So many demons—it’s clear they’ve been driven here, and the next step in the siege is a killing blow…”

“Heh heh, Boss, if we can intercept and capture it, those points will shoot up.”

Su Fu chuckled softly and said, “Not bad, not bad. Indian Pantheon is considerate.”

They don’t even need to search for anomalies themselves; they’ve herded them all in one spot.

“If we don’t charge in now, it’d be a waste of their goodwill.”

“Let’s go!”

The three instantly teleported to the eastern peak.

Su Fu even Illusion Transformed their appearances beforehand.

As for the template…

Ahem, it was none other than the familiar Kevin trio.

The Nine-tailed Fox’s Illusion Technique was executed to the extreme, perfectly mimicking even their auras.

Fang Bo Han looked at Pi Chu Xi in amazement—the “Xue Li” lookalike was too convincing.

Pi Chu Xi felt completely at ease and even tossed him a flirtatious wink.

Fang Bo Han: “Blinded!”

“Boss is thorough, huh?”

Pi Chu Xi grinned, “Bad guys are always bad guys. No wonder Boss wanted to keep these three around.”

Turns out it was all for today.

Su Fu—or rather, “Kevin”—flexed her fingers.

This was her real purpose.

What good is having Kevin just follow her around?

The key is to have him take all the blame.

“Now, it’s harvest time.”

Why impersonate Kevin?

Because…

“Divine Skill: Thunderclap!”

“Explode!”

In an instant, thunder roared across the sky.

“Boom!”

Deafening thunder echoed as black clouds rapidly gathered, visible to the naked eye.

Within moments, the entire sky was shrouded in pitch-black storm clouds.

Electric arcs flashed wildly, as if ready to tear everything apart.

Then thick, bucket-sized purple lightning bolts crashed down, striking the mountain peak dead center!

The heavens trembled, and massive lightning swallowed the entire mountain.

But this was just a simulation of Kevin’s Thunder God power.

What Su Fu truly wanted to unleash was—

[“Mountain Collapse!”]

“Water God Gonggong, assist me!”

“Boom!!!”

The conceptual Divine Skill activated, cracks rapidly appearing in the mountain.

In the next moment, rocks rained down as the mountain shattered.

Countless anomalies couldn’t even scream before being obliterated, turning into dust.

【Anomaly killed, +1000 points】

【Anomaly killed, +2000 points】

【Anomaly killed, +3000 points】

Pleasant Shen Yan AI sounds chimed repeatedly.

Su Fu watched the rapidly rising score numbers with satisfaction.

No wonder it’s called Thunderclap Divine Skill—this was an overwhelming display.

Even more impressive was Gonggong’s Mountain Collapse skill, which took down an entire peak.