Staring at the green teleportation vortex formed by living tree roots, the four party members all marveled in amazement for a moment.
The Divine Tree's roots writhed slowly, emitting the dull "creak" that only occurs when an ancient wooden structure is compressed.
"Using the Divine Tree's root system, which spans the continent, as a teleportation network..."
Looking at this magnificent yet eerie scene, Su Wan's calm voice couldn't hide her astonishment.
"Such a feat could indeed only be accomplished by the God of Life and Creation."
Lin Xiyue, carrying her Blackstone Shield, moved closer to Lin Qingyue, her large eyes shining with excitement.
"Sis, where are we going?"
She naturally left the decision to her own sister.
Lin Qingyue's gaze swept over the map, and she thought for a moment.
The Azure Dragon of the East had already been dealt with.
The problem of the Vermilion Bird of the South had even been resolved by her "talk therapy" long ago.
What remained was the White Tiger of the West, who wielded slaughter, and the Black Tortoise of the North, who wielded protection.
"To the West."
Lin Qingyue quickly made her decision, her voice clear and decisive.
"Qingxuan."
She turned her head, looking at the socially anxious Celestial God, who was already busy plotting out storylines in her mind and whose gaze was drifting.
"Tell us about the White Tiger. What kind of god is He?"
Qingxuan, whose name had been called, was forcibly dragged out of her thoughts by various "satisfying plot points" like "how the protagonist could face-slap the jilted fiancée in fancy ways."
A flash of obvious displeasure for being interrupted crossed her face.
But thinking that these few were going to help her deal with the mess of the seal, she still suppressed the urge to immediately kick them out and start writing. She crossed her arms, tilted her chin up slightly, looking as if she were talking about some uncivilized savage tribe.
"White Tiger?"
Qingxuan's lips curled in disdain, her tone dripping with undisguised contempt.
"A complete and utter brute, a pure violence addict."
"Nothing else fits in His brain except muscles, fighting, and 'chopping everything to pieces'."
"Short-tempered and easily enraged, He's carved from the same mold as that red-feathered bird in the south. The only difference is, the Vermilion Bird likes to set fires, and He likes to chop people."
Qingxuan pointed at her own temple, making a "there's a problem here" gesture.
"Every time we hold a Council of Gods, He is always the most restless one. As long as we discuss for more than three sentences, He starts feeling uncomfortable all over, either starting to arm wrestle or using his gaze to provoke everyone one by one, trying to turn the round table meeting into a Colosseum. The rest of us are too lazy to even speak to Him."
"So, my suggestion is,"
Qingxuan's tone suddenly became exceptionally serious, as if she were imparting some kind of secret,
"After you meet Him, whatever you do, don't try to reason with Him. That would be like playing the zither to a cow."
"Just start fighting."
She gave her most effective solution.
"Beat Him into submission, beat Him to the ground, beat Him until He kneels on the floor and admits He is a fool who only knows how to use brute force. For that kind of muscle-brain, a fist is always a better communication tool than words."
After saying this, she waved her hand, indicating she had done all she could, and began to urge them.
"Alright, the intelligence is all given. Hurry up and leave, the inspiration for my new book is about to overflow!"
After hearing Qingxuan's "advice" full of prejudice, Lin Qingyue and the other three exchanged a knowing look.
Lin Xiyue, Su Wan, and Xia Lian almost simultaneously turned their gazes toward their own Captain.
There was no solemnity or worry in those gazes; instead, they were filled with a kind of expectant anticipation, as if they were watching a show and eager for more trouble.
If they had heard these words before entering the Azure Dragon Temple, they might have actually believed them and started formulating a combat-oriented strategy tailored for a violent maniac.
But now...
Having experienced one Azure Dragon Celestial God who was outwardly stiff and arrogant but actually a socially anxious shut-in addicted to cross-species fanfiction,
And one Vermilion Bird Sovereign who was outwardly manic and irritable but actually bore the weariness of eternal life and craved the liberation of nirvana,
They had developed an immunity to the personas these Celestial Gods projected during their "on the clock" public appearances.
"Muscle-brain? Violent maniac?"
Lin Xiyue was the first to lose her composure. She lowered her voice and nudged Su Wan with her elbow, whispering in mockery:
"How come I feel like this set of adjectives tastes just the same as the 'stiff and stubborn' Vermilion Bird once used to describe the Azure Dragon?"
"It's more than just the same taste."
Su Wan calmly adjusted her nonexistent glasses and analyzed:
"This is a highly consistent pattern of negative labeling. If the Vermilion Bird and the Azure Dragon's perceptions of each other as colleagues are distorted by such a massive margin, then the credibility of their evaluation of the White Tiger should probably be cut in half... no, directly set to zero."
Xia Lian hugged her shortbow, her face flushing slightly as she offered her opinion in a voice so low it was barely audible.
"Is it possible that... the White Tiger Celestial God is actually... a very gentle person in private?"
As soon as she voiced the guess, even she felt it was a bit absurd and lowered her head in embarrassment.
The White Tiger of the West, who controlled slaughter and the Power of Geng-Metal, could be a gentle person? The contrast was just too great.
"More than just gentle."
Lin Qingyue crossed her arms, her long pink hair fluttering without a breeze, the curve of her lips growing more pronounced as she already began to imagine the scene.
"Think about it, isn't the logic chain crystal clear?"
"The Vermilion Bird, God of Fire, is so mentally exhausted she's burned herself out."
"The Azure Dragon, God of Life, is so socially anxious she's shut herself in, wishing there were no living creatures around."
"Following this law of 'duties and hobbies being completely opposite,' could the White Tiger, who controls slaughter, be... an extreme pacifist?"
Once Lin Qingyue's imagination took off, there was no stopping it.
"His temple might not have any mountains of swords or seas of knives, nor torture implements scattered everywhere."
"Maybe it's filled with all kinds of colorful balls of yarn and cross-stitch patterns, and the banners hanging on the walls aren't weapons, but slogans like 'World Peace' and 'Harmony is to be Treasured.'"
"His daily routine isn't practicing combat techniques at all, but watering flowers in his own little garden, or sitting in a rocking chair, listening to soothing light music while knitting a sweater."
"His greatest frustration might not be failing to find an opponent who can spar with him, but that his newly knitted sweater has pilled again, or the color scheme doesn't look good."
"The so-called 'short-tempered' and 'violent maniac' are just a protective coloring he's forced to put on to fit the job requirements of the 'God of Slaughter of the West'!"
"The most painful thing for him every day is clocking in for work, putting on a fierce and menacing expression to intimidate those demons who don't know any better."
"After work, he immediately rushes home, hugs his favorite stuffed teddy bear, and sobs while sighing that he was forced to put on a show again today, how terrifying!"
This absurdly yet reasonably reasoned deduction left the three of them, including Lin Xiyue, completely dumbfounded.
But on second thought, considering the characters of the previous two Celestial Gods, this possibility... was actually fucking surprisingly high!
"A... violent maniac Celestial God... who likes knitting sweaters?"
Lin Xiyue imagined the scene: a peerless powerhouse, eight feet tall with bulging muscles, capable of shattering mountains with a single punch, yet holding two slender knitting needles with an elegant orchid finger pose, his face flushed with shyness as he knitted a pink heart-patterned scarf...
"Pfft—"
She couldn't hold it back anymore, her shoulders shaking violently with laughter as she nearly dropped her shield.
"If this is true, it'll be a riot. I can't wait."
"Alright, stop laughing."
Lin Qingyue clapped her hands, forcibly ending this brain-storming session that had wreaked havoc on the gods' reputations.
"We'll find out the specific situation when we get there."
She took the lead, walking toward the green vortex formed by tree roots, her long pink hair trailing behind her in a graceful arc.
"Target: White Tiger Temple of the West."
"Let's go."
The four figures entered the portal one by one, instantly engulfed by the emerald green light.
Once their figures had completely vanished, the azure jade floor slowly sealed shut, returning to its original state.
The Central Temple was once again left with only Qingxuan alone.
He let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if the entire world had become quiet and the air had turned incredibly sweet.
"Finally, they're all gone..."
This shut-in Celestial God stretched lazily, his bones cracking all over in a crisp series of pops—the symphony of freedom.
He strode quickly to the writing desk, looking at the parchment he had just started. His dim dragon pupils reignited with a scorching flame.
"Alright! Next up is my exclusive, sacred creation time!"
He picked up the pen, dipped it fully in ink, and a fanatical smile, as if he were about to slaughter gods to prove his Path, appeared on his face.
"Thirty years on the east bank of the river, thirty years on the west bank, do not bully the young for being poor!"
"System! Bind to me, damn it!"
Accompanied by his low growl bursting with Chuunibyou aura, his majestic Divine Power was once again poured into the pen's tip.
This time, the Temple did not shake.
Because all his power was controlled with absolute precision, condensing into the words on the parchment that pierced through the paper and sparkled with brilliant divine light.
An Ancient God addicted to web novels, whose brain had been completely modified by them, officially began his journey of grinding out updates.