In myth and legend, Hou Yi slew the Bashe at Dongting, piling up its bones into a mound, hence the name Baling.
Whether that tale—hinting at tribal conflicts in the ancient era—is true or false remains unknown for now.
But the Bashe Mountain Range that Tian’el has forged stands solid and real in the northern reaches of the Kingdom of Rakia, winding and stretching all the way to the end of the wasteland.
Sanjouno Haruhime stepped onto the ridge formed from the serpent’s raised spine.
Before her, crimson mountain walls loomed like solidified magma.
Spiritual mist flowed through jagged ravines, transforming into tangible waterfalls that plunged into spiritual springs at the valley floor.
In a daze, it felt as though with the faintest breath, boundless primordial energy would surge back into one’s body.
If an ordinary person could survive within this mountain range for three to five years, even doing nothing at all, their physical constitution would likely rise to rival that of a high-ranking adventurer.
Of course, such a thing was utterly unrealistic—though the Bashe was dead, vast remnants of ancient, savage pressure still lingered within the range.
Let alone ordinary people who had never received divine blessing, even a Level 1 adventurer who barged in recklessly would be effortlessly crushed to death by the residual might of the beast.
After all, adventurers below Level 9 were still mortal.
They could only handle low-tier ferocious beasts.
Above that lay elite ranks, then lower-tier monsters, and only after crossing those tiers would one reach the mid-tier monster sequence to which the Bashe had belonged.
Spanning three major strata—even if every adventurer in Orario joined forces, they would not withstand a single breath from the Bashe, whether in life or in death.
In truth, this was already the result of the Celestial Emperor’s intervention.
He had dissolved the malevolent aura released upon the beast’s fall and sealed all refined essence and vitality within the mountain range itself.
Otherwise, had the Bashe’s dying malice spread unchecked with its internal energy to every corner of heaven and earth, then aside from the gods, every living being on the continent would likely have been corroded—either dying on the spot or undergoing grotesque mutations and degenerating into monsters.
This was, after all, a primordial colossal beast capable of tearing open the earth with its flesh alone.
Even if, unlike the gods of this world, it would not be ceremonially returned to its origin upon death, it could still leave an indelible mark upon all living beings of the continent.
Of course, no matter how dominant a being was in life, its might would not linger forever after death.
In its place would come endless opportunities for those who followed—the essence of a colossal beast that once ravaged the surface had been forcibly condensed into a single mountain range.
No one could imagine what astonishing creation might be nurtured within.
Following the instructions transmitted by Lord Tian’el into her mind, Sanjouno Haruhime dug several jet-black crystals from a fissure in the valley and examined them carefully before her eyes.
“This should be the refined essence of the Bashe’s scales.
Ordinary blacksmiths can’t use it.
Only a forging god who fully unleashes divine power could blend this into a divine weapon to enhance its quality.” Borrowing Haruhime’s body, Tian’el flicked his sleeve lightly.
Starlight scattered, precisely gathering various god-tier materials from cracks throughout the rock.
There was a spring core formed from coagulated serpent blood, crimson like a blood diamond.
There was forest dew nourished by the serpent’s tongue, crystal clear and translucent.
There was also the essence of colossal trees spawned from serpent flesh, radiating dense vitality.
Beyond these supreme treasures that would draw even the gaze of gods, the strange stones, timber, vines, and mountain springs found everywhere within the range were likewise precious materials coveted by mortal adventurers.
“Haruhime,” Tian’el’s voice sounded again, carrying a trace of gentle approachability, “is there anything you desire?
I intend to attempt artifact forging.
If you have a request, speak now.
Once the time passes, the opportunity will be gone.” “Eh~ Lord Tian’el means…?” “I will craft a gift tailored for you.” Tian’el’s tone allowed no refusal.
Haruhime froze slightly.
As a shrine maiden, she had already received countless blessings from her god.
She ought not to harbor further desires.
But as she looked at the focused profile of the man deep within her consciousness, and imagined her future serving her god and performing kagura dances, she hesitated for a moment before gathering her courage and softly saying, “Then…
Lord Tian’el, please forge a kagura bell for me.” May I, in this life, become the bell at your fingertips, chiming with your every step.
If you march to war, let the bell become a blade.
If you rest, let it become a song.
As Lord Tian’el’s exclusive shrine maiden, she was still not mature enough.
She had to continue striving toward that goal…
“Whoa—so this is the monster that made Ares flee with his head in his hands?
It looks suuuuper cool!” “Make way, I found something interesting!
This big tree seems alive—whoa!
Its leaves actually bite!” Just as the little fox was silently encouraging herself, a sudden clatter of footsteps and excited chatter drifted up from the foot of the mountain, breaking the tranquility of the place.
Tian’el cast a sidelong glance.
His gaze pierced through the mist toward the edge of the mountain range.
In the distance, more than a dozen figures were climbing along the serpentine mountain path with laughter and banter, their carefree posture resembling a group of old children touring an amusement park.
Only this crowd of gods could ignore the residual might left behind by the Bashe’s death and rush over at the first opportunity to join the spectacle.
“It seems Ares is rather capable after all.” Calmly observing the figures of the subordinate gods, Tian’el expressed satisfaction with his subordinate’s efficiency—a mere Rakia had managed to retain nearly twenty gods.
That result was already quite commendable.
Then again, the entire Kingdom of Rakia possessed one hundred thousand combat personnel who had received divine blessing.
To grant divine blood to so many and update their statuses from time to time—if the number of subordinate gods were too small, even if Ares had three heads and six arms, he would work himself to exhaustion.
In the original storyline, after failing in his sixth assault on Orario, Ares was punished by the gods and required to relinquish the ability values of approximately ten thousand captured soldiers, transferring them to the gods of Orario.
Under the threat of being sent back to Heaven, the defeated war god could only weep tears of blood as he personally performed the conversion for roughly ten thousand people over the following days without rest.
By the time it was all over, Ares himself was already half-dead from exhaustion.
From this alone, it was clear that relying solely on the efforts of a single god—let alone raising an army of one hundred thousand adventurers—even managing ten thousand familia members would cost one’s very life.
Now, with the blessings of one hundred thousand soldiers distributed among nearly twenty subordinate gods, each one was responsible on average for the daily management and status updates of five thousand people.
Though still difficult to operate, it was at least barely sustainable.
“Come, Haruhime.
Let us meet these freeloading gods of this world.” As the words of the Celestial Emperor fell, Sanjouno Haruhime understood at once and skillfully transferred control of her body.
Though she, who believed only in her own Lord Tian’el, did not think the other gods particularly remarkable—after all, she had previously knocked out the renowned war god Ares together with Tian’el—her own experience and standing were insufficient.
In such an important occasion, it was better not to participate and risk interfering with her lord’s affairs.
Thus Tian’el lifted his foot and leapt lightly from the ridge, descending like a feather to the edge of the mountain range.
Facing the subordinate gods who were surveying their surroundings with curiosity and scrutiny, he smiled faintly.
“Greetings, everyone.
Are you satisfied with the amusement park I’ve newly created?”