Chapter 169

Temple of the Rock King Emperor

A tea table was located in the middle of the palace. The six new gods were sitting around the tea table. Princess Ryotsuki stood beside them like a maid.

She could not take her eyes away from witnessing this tea party of the gods, something that could only appear in myths and legends.

True Lord Cutting the Moon and Building the Sun, now simply Cutting the Moon, respectfully poured tea for Zhongli.

Although he was no longer a dependent of Rex Lapis, the three thousand years of friendship could not be changed. For him, Zhongli was his 'father,' 'eldest brother,' and 'master.'

The other gods also poured themselves a cup of tea, holding it in both hands as they looked at Zhongli. Their eyes were filled with reluctance as the old 'contract' was about to end, but also with anticipation of signing a new 'contract' and becoming 'friends.'

Zhongli slowly picked up the teacup and said in a calm voice, "Today, I congratulate you on becoming gods with this cup of tea. I am very happy and hope that we can all work together in the future."

The six new gods said in unison, "Yes, Emperor."

Zhongli nodded. "My mortal name is Zhongli. If you want to honor me, just call me Mr. Zhongli."

Although their relationship was no longer one of subordination, the friendship they had in the past was so strong that they did not dare to address Zhongli without the honor due to a god.

Liuyun Borrowing Wind spoke quickly. "The emperor's mortal name is Zhongli, so I will also choose a mortal name for myself—Xianyun. From now on, Mr. Zhongli can call me Xianyun."

Cutting the Moon understood instantly and said, "My mortal name is 'Cutting the Moon,' taking the first two characters of my title."

Lord Lishui Dieshan said, "Then I will be called Lishui."

The Divine Lord of Gechenlang City laughed. "I have transformed into a mortal long ago. I called myself Grandma Ping. Although I haven't officially taken a name, I might as well just use Ping and be called A Ping."

Xiao looked at Zhongli respectfully. "I already have a name, Emperor... I mean, Mr. Zhongli can just call me by my name."

Ganyu stood nervously behind her master, Takumi, the Wind God. Although she had become a god somewhat absentmindedly, she was still her master's apprentice.

She said softly, "I am the same, Emperor. You can just call me Ganyu."

Zhongli smiled and raised his glass. "Then let's drink this cup together."

The gods drank it all in one gulp.

Just after they finished drinking tea, a familiar laughter appeared in the temple, accompanied by the sound of footsteps.

"Zhongli, you did a good job. You are already drinking tea with the gods. This time, there are some new gods in the pantheon, and I'm here to take a look. I won't disturb your peace."

Zhongli nearly dropped the teacup when he heard the voice, and quickly looked over.

A familiar figure had already entered the temple, accompanied by the 'Supreme God' Time Ruler.

The newly promoted Six Gods also quickly looked over. This voice was very familiar to them. Wasn't it the God of Sky Island who oversaw the 'Annexation Plan,' Lord Takumi?

Only after entering the 'Blueprint of the Gods' did they know the rank of gods in the Teyvat pantheon.

The seven archons and other demon gods in the world were only at the 'main god level,' while above them was the 'supreme god.'

Although they previously knew there were high-ranking gods above the seven archons, they didn't know what level they were.

Now that they had become divine, they could clearly feel the gap between themselves and Zhongli.

The emperor would only need two or three moves to deal with them.

Comparing this gap to that between the 'Supreme God' and the 'Main God,' it must be similar.

Originally, they thought Lord Takumi was the 'Supreme God,' but the feeling conveyed by the 'Core of Faith' was indeed of someone supreme.

This realization startled the new gods.

If they were travelers from Earth, they would definitely be exclaiming something like, 'Oh crap! It's Lord Tianli!'

The newly ascended Six Gods looked in shock at the young man who walked into the temple, seemingly radiating an aura that made even the three-thousand-year-old immortal feel restless.

Before joining the 'Group of Gods,' they were just immortals. Although they had experienced the war between demons and gods, they had never interacted with higher beings.

Even if the Six Gods were overwhelmed, Princess Ryotsuki was even more frightened and stunned.

As soon as the 'Lord God of the Heaven's Majesty' showed signs of his presence, he descended to earth in the form of a mortal.

This was too much for her—a young yōkai who had recently become an immortal—to bear. Her heart could hardly stand it.

Was this an existence she, a mere yōkai who had been an immortal for just a few days, could meet?

Zhongli quickly stood up. He had already shared tea and meals with Lord Tianli, so although he remained somewhat reserved, he was not nervous.

"Lord Tianli, I didn't expect you to take interest in this world. Please forgive me for not welcoming you immediately."

Seeing this, Istaru quickly put her hands on her hips and raised her head high.

Zhongli continued, "Also, I greet the Ruler of Time, the Supreme God Istaru."

Istaru raised the index finger of her small hand and said, "You may relax."

Takumi waved his hand. "Don't be nervous, Zhongli. You can continue with your mission. I'm just here for a bit of fun."

Of course, it wasn't merely for fun; it was also to collect various powers scattered throughout the world.

For example, after the death of 'Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto,' the power of time shattered, and two major fragments fell into the 'Era Tree' and the 'Bone-eating Well,' allowing Kagome to travel between the two eras.

If the 'Tree of Time' was nourished by that power, a new God of Time could be born. He wasn't about to let that power slip away.

There was also a small portion of 'time authority' obtained by the goddess named 'Kami Kaguya,' who was then devoured by a monster. The monster gained the goddess's authority, name, and appearance.

The goddess had not yet been devoured and was still admiring herself in the lake shrine at the foot of Mount Fuji. She was also the protagonist of the 'Tale of the Bamboo Cutter,' Princess Kaguya.

There were still some powers to reclaim in the underworld.

These powers rested with the 'Death Ghost,' 'Tentenya,' and 'Underworld Stone.'

He would then complete the two supreme divine positions of 'Lord of High Heaven' and 'Lord of the Underworld,' as well as the three main divine positions of 'Sanguizi.'

Naturally, candidates for these positions had to be chosen carefully, and he had to ensure they were worthy.

Zhongli respectfully poured a cup of fairy tea for Takumi, who took it with ease.

"Besides, let me take a look at the new gods of our Teyvat pantheon. After all, six gods at once have indeed brought fresh energy to our pantheon."

Having said this, Takumi turned to them.

The Divine Lord of Gechenlang City, who should now be called the Divine Lord, no longer looked like Grandma Ping. She had returned to her peerless, youthful appearance.

Those who cut the moon and build the sun, and those who managed water and stacked mountains, appeared as gentle scholars.

Liuyun Borrowing Wind wasn't much different from before, except now she looked 'divine' rather than 'immortal.'

Ganyu still looked like a 'coconut sheep,' quiet and gentle.

Ganyu quickly came back to her senses after being looked at by Lord Tianli, feeling extremely nervous.

The gods also recovered from their shock and hurriedly saluted. They were so nervous that their voices even broke slightly.

"Greetings to Lord Tianli!"