Chapter 176

In the sky above Kyoto, nine powerful yōkai exuding the aura of gods rushed toward the six gods who appeared outside Kyoto.

Their eyes were devoid of pupils, resembling those of the dead. If not for their monstrous features, they would have been almost indistinguishable from the rotting corpses of the underworld.

These yōkai were: the ghost-faced earth spider, formed from the "fear" of the "Hundred Demons Night Parade"; the evil demon Kairota, born beneath Rashomon; the Great Tengu, who had been subdued as a shikigami by Abe no Seimei a thousand years ago; the fox demon Hakuzō Lord, who had been liberated and conquered by Hagoromo Gitsune after being sealed for thousands of years on Mount Kurama; the twenty-seven-faced, thousand-armed, hundred-legged demon transformed from the Senbon Torii built by the shrine's craftsmen thousands of years ago; the demon Ibaraki Doji, marked by his father's tombstone on half of his face; Kidomaru, an evil spirit that had formed after the death of an unknown swordsman during the Heian period; thousands of mole crickets turned spirits that had been subdued by Hagoromo Gitsune; and finally, the 'Desolate Skeleton,' comparable to a colossal mountain-like yōkai skeleton.

These nine great yōkai had been completely eroded by the "power of the underworld," leaving behind only the yōkai's fighting instincts.

"Hoo...ho ho ho ho..."

They roared and rushed toward the six gods, arriving almost instantaneously.

The thirty-meter tall earth spider charged toward Gechenlang City Divine Lord, and its massive fist was upon the divine lord in the blink of an eye.

Boom—

The force of the punch expelled all the air in front of it, creating a vortex where the power of the underworld and demonic energy mixed.

A god-level punch imbued with the "power of the underworld" could easily collapse half of Mount Fuji.

The 'Chenge Pot' that appeared in the hands of the God Lord of Gechenlang City was the embodiment of her authority.

"Hu Tian."

The God Lord of Gechenlang City gently touched the 'Chenge Pot,' and the surrounding space instantly twisted to form a vortex. The Earth Spider's fist twisted like a noodle, then spun and was sucked into the 'Chenge Pot,' as though flushed down a drain.

"It only carries the 'power of the underworld'..."

Her authority, "Hu Tian," allowed her to create a cave space out of thin air to fight enemies. She could also create a "fairy cave," a vast pocket dimension like a small world.

Liuyun Borrowing Wind True Lord snorted coldly. "Hmph, it's just a puppet with the power of the underworld. Without authority and a divine throne, it's simply no match."

After speaking, the 'Final Strike Machine' appeared in her hands, and her divine power quickly took shape.

In the blink of an eye, a row of ten terminal machines appeared in the space behind her.

During the Demon God War, she had relied on the "Final Strike Machine" to fight against demon gods and their followers. Though it hadn't inflicted fatal damage upon demon gods, it had managed to repel them.

But these opponents were mere yōkai. These puppets, albeit powerful, were no demon gods. They could be torn apart in minutes.

"Final Strike Machine, fire!"

The Immortal Formation materialized at the front of the 'Final Strike Machine,' composed of divine power.

An attack that once required three immortals to perform now came easily to her as a god, with divine power and authority to control ten terminal machines simultaneously.

Buzz, buzz...

The golden light at the front of the Final Strike Machine shimmered as divine power gathered.

The sound of the air tearing apart echoed as ten fifty-meter golden light pillars shot toward the five-hundred-meter-tall 'Desolate Skeleton.'

Rumble, rumble...

The dazzling light illuminated everything in its path, with the desolate skeleton at the origin of the light.

The sound of explosions, burning, and the tearing of earth filled the air.

As the light slowly dissipated, the place where the Desolate Skeleton had stood had become a massive crater, thousands of meters long and hundreds of meters deep. Red magma filled the pit, emitting a blazing light.

If these yōkai had still been conscious, they would have fled in terror at the sight of the gods' power. But they were merely puppets delaying Abe no Seimei's emergence.

They roared and charged straight ahead.

A small spear appeared in Xiao's palm—the embodiment of his 'authority.' In an instant, it enlarged, becoming a weapon.

"Rakkasha Yaksha Dance!"

"Supernatural Power: Freedom in the Air!"

With his divine power surging, Xiao's figure instantly appeared in front of the 'Great Tengu.' Without any fancy techniques, he shattered the 'Great Tengu' with ten strikes.

The next moment, he appeared behind 'Hakuzō Lord' and sliced his opponent in half with a single strike. Several subsequent strikes left the fragments of the yōkai's body in pieces, until they turned into pure 'underworld aura' and 'demonic energy.'

'Killing,' 'Conquering Demons,' 'Protector of Dharma.'

These were his three authorities. As the Yaksha, he was revered for subduing demons, his bravery in battle, and his protection of Liyue's people.

These were authorities born for combat.

Compared to the other five gods, Xiao was the best at fighting—he was almost a god of war.

Just as Xiao was defeating his third yōkai, several icy blue lights flashed behind him.

The lights froze Ibaraki Doji the moment they struck him.

Ganyu still held her bow in firing position.

Her authority, "Ice Control," was a lower-level rule under the ice element's dominion.

Even with the 'power of the underworld,' these yōkai were no match for the gods without authority or the mastery of 'rules.'

Xiao casually flicked the tip of his spear, shattering the frozen 'Ibaraki Doji' like glass.

The nine yōkai, each at a god-level of power, were vanquished within ten rounds of battling the Six Gods.

The Moon-Cutting Yang-Building Divine Lord said disdainfully, "Even the supreme 'power of the underworld' is too thin among them—utterly vulnerable."

Lord Lishui Dieshan turned toward the colossal 'egg' forming above Kyoto.

"That monster is the true manifestation of the 'Power of the Underworld.' Although we possess authority, we have only been gods for a few days, and we haven't yet fully grasped our authority, divine power, and divine bodies.

"It will be difficult for us to face the supreme power of the 'Power of the Underworld,' even if the usurper lacks a throne or authority."

Liuyun Borrowing Wind True Lord snorted coldly. "You're underestimating yourselves even before the fight begins. Let's see if my 'Final Strike Machine' can't blast it to dust."

At that moment, Hagoromo Gitsune had finished giving birth and lay on the giant egg, looking ecstatic.

"Ah... my child, I've finally given birth to you."

"I can feel your heartbeat already."

Thump, thump...

The giant egg began to beat like a heart, its pulsations enveloping all of Kyoto.