In the far off distant past, two gods formed a divine pair. Last descendants from a line deities stemming from primordial chaos, Izanagi no Mikoto and Izanami no Mikoto acted to create a habitable land from the world of endless oceans. Long have they dreamed of a world with numerous life, mortals, animals, and all kinds of spirits.

But the universe, the Chaos World which they inhabited refused to comply. It was the logic of the universe that stated how its natural form will always be the endless ocean. Unwilling to give up, the great divinities used their almighty jeweled spears and pulled up the land from the ocean instead.

No need for the materialization of matter, no need for a shift in the laws of the universe. Merely a slight altercation to geography. From there, they picked the loosest patch of earth they could.

That patch became the land of the rising sun, the only inhabitable landmass for mortal life. It was also a perfect place to build their kingdom.

However, what the two never realized was that there was a reason that patch of earth was the loosest of them all.

…

Spears became nails. The claw of the dragon enclosed upon the sole landmass of the Chaos World formed a lock. Gravity shifted, attempting to push the soulless monstrosity to the depths.

Gui Daiyu managed to safely retreat from the formation, though she was heavily injured. As the Yamata no Orochi grew in power, even her great cultivation could not resist it anymore. Not even the dragons who backed her could resist.

She didn't know if anyone had died in the serpent's grasp. She hadn't been given the chance to pay attention. But given the confusion of the apocalyptic battle, some maybe perished.

"No!" Amaterasu cried in grief. Her outstretched arm seemed delicate when it reached towards the landmass she oversaw. Not only was it being gripped to the point of imperceptible, the claw was also dragging it down.

She glared at the collective experts from the dragon race concentrating hard on the formation. A resentment arose from her. A duty entrusted to her by her father gone just like that.?

"Beloved," Tsukuyomi said after seeming her grieving expression. "We can still rebuild. Create like our father did."

"I would advise against that." The dragon god among the amatsukami, Ryujin said. "A landmass being dragged up was the catalyst. To be honest, this Chaos World should just be left as is. Too many living beings would also increase the chances of disturbing the ancient snake."

Amaterasu spared him a glance. Even if she understood the logic behind his words, her fury cannot be quelled. Those were her people who perished, her own children's land being destroyed. She'd be a truly heartless being if she didn't care.

In the midst of this, multiple dragons operating the formation coughed. Many of them began bleeding Dao essence from their orifices.

"Something's wrong."

Those still remaining, Kami, yokai, dragon, or whatnot all sensed the pressure from orochi growing. It had outpaced the dragon claw, affecting the endless ocean.

"I thought that array was meant to contain it!" Immediately, panic ensued.

Gui Daiyu wordlessly darted to the head of the formation and joined hands with her subjects. "Push it down. Don't give it an inch."

"Wait a second, the way it's hitting the barrier. Does it actually understand its foundation?"

A deep hissing sound transformed into a minty roar. Outside the claw, the endless ocean's tides became chaotic again. This time, water jumped up like lighting bolts, punching into unprepared dragons.

Torrents thrashed wildly, the sea level even began to rise. Such a scene made the amatsukami perceive the dragons' attempt as quite useless.

"Your majesty, I don't believe how quickly it's growing!"

Gui Daiyu almost snarled at the claim. Even with her addition, water jutted out of the claw. She could see many sets of eyes within the gap, each paired chilled her to her core.

Zulong's consort heard a rumbling sound from multiple cracks appearing. She gasped at a vague outline of a circular fruit momentarily faded in and out of reality.

Not just her, but all her dragons felt their minds wane. It became difficult for even Chaos Immortals to stay conscious. Less said about the weaker creatures the better.

The sky contorted, clouds formatting into scale like patterns. Wind blew with the sound of hissing snakes. The endless ocean segmented itself areas resembling veins and muscle. The seafloor took on a sheen of pale white bone.

The dragon claw exploded, flinging all its contents out in a mushroom cloud. Thirty dragons were pulverized on the spot, the rest felt their bodies break. For a third order celestial being, flesh, soul, and mind were one and the same. One could imagine how damaging it was.

Their nightmare was not over however. Gui Daiyu felt a level of power she had not seen since the Great War that changed her life nearly a billion years ago.

It shouldn't have been possible for a mindless being to reach the threshold of a Limitless Supreme Chaos Immortal.

"YA. AH. AH. AH. AH. AH!" The orochi made a low groaning sound. Its heads flailed with no grace nor elegance. No sign of the Dao fruit that somewhat appeared earlier

"AH AH AH AH AAAAHHHHH!"

…

"Hm."

The middle aged man in imperial regalia who sat upon the throne of heaven judged the oni standing before him. His fingers tapped his armrest as he contemplated what it meant for them to meet. Between the two of them, on he knew how to access this place.

The imperially dressed man, the great Jade Emperor as Shuten somehow knew to call him, stood up to walk down towards him.

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This man appeared like the centre of existence. To Shuten, he appeared larger then anyone he'd met before.

Not even the supreme sun goddess of his home, or the turtle woman could compare to this emperor. He moved with a level of control that dwarfed any of the Chaos Immortal dragons he'd just witnessed.

But when the Jade Emperor stood before him, he felt a close bond with him.

"Walk with us?" The Jade Emperor asked. He walked past, as if already assuming he'd follow.

There was a natural pride to him. Even Shuten, who didn't hesitate to fight his land's supreme deities felt compelled to follow. Feeling lost on the situations, he did so.

"Who are you?" He asked.

He followed the Jade Emperor out of Lingxiao palace to the imperial city sitting in the clouds. Pagodas, temples, statues of deities were everywhere. Though it was a beautiful scenary, it all felt samey to the oni.

"We speculated on something like this," the Jade Emperor muttered. "We never thought a fellow like you would come along.

"How interesting and tragic at the same time. I know Ao Guang's kin have had it hard. Alas, it is not the Three Realms. Thus not in our jurisdiction."

"We? Us?" The phrase from a confused Shuten caused the Jade Emperor to pause. He felt condescended to by him, which only served to fuel his dissatisfaction. The latter chuckled in good humour.

"Force of habit," he said. "I am curious though. What brought you to this place? Your side of the Dao doesn't exactly…hm, would ignorant be the right word."

"Did you just call me stupid?" Shuten grew irritated by the man. "I have no idea what's going on aside from a fucking apocalypse apparently."

"My house was destroyed, the people living around my house might all be dead for all I know. And a big ass snake ate me!"

The Jade Emperor raised an eyebrow in surprise. Shuten surmised that based on his attire, he was not used to his tone.

Yet he did not get angry. The Jade Emperor raised his hand in a swiping motion. What followed was a change of scenary.

The celestial city faded away like it never existed. Then a tranquil world appeared, devoid of clouds in an orange sky and an endless ocean beneath.

The Jade Emperor hummed while nodding, grasping more of what he was seeing. The two seemed to descend, though it was because the world was shifting itself up.

"This place hadn't contained anything for millions of years," Jade Emperor told him. He spread his arm wide, taking in golden radiance that materialized from thin air.

"He was annihilated on a fundamental level. For a Limitless Supreme Chaos Immortal, body, soul, mind, were all one and the same. A cultivator only existed in tandem with their Dao. Cultivator and cultivated, the latter would fizzle out without the former. They should've perished together.

"Because of that, a cop out remained. Distant Seas remained even if its cultivator perished because technically its owner was still around. And with a me intact, the fruit would not be exposed to wild elements leaving it safe for use.

"But ultimately, Dao is just a collection of ideas. It is not a living being, not a creature of thought or emotions. It is not even a golem with innate programming. Nor is it a source of matter for all things. Not yet at least. Da Hai could not regenerate out of it because what is there to regenerate from?

"Perhaps if Distant Seas progressed more along the path of wuji, it could beget such. But opportunities to comprehend more always elude cultivators of that scale. For me though, its just a power source. But for you?"

The Jade Emperor bent down to caress the calm ocean. It looked so much like the battlefield Shuten was just in, yet it was completely calm. The Jade Emperor looked back at the oni. "It's a mental state. In case you're wondering of course. Can you guess who?"

"No way a beast that destructive is this calm," Shuten sneered. From the conversation, he already understood this place was like a mental plane.

"Indeed, it is as mindless as it is pointless. Gui Daiyu's attempt to stay loyal to Zulong's wishes was only successful in forming flesh. But old deity is long gone. Which begs the question how you came to be," the Jade Emperor mused.

"I was born on the slopes of Mt Ibuki, just another random spiritual mountain of the land. From the clashing energy of heaven and earth, I emerged as a connate lifeform," Shuten told him directly. "You are a bunrei of that original cultivator, right? That's why you are connected to this Dao."

Upon hearing the term 'bunrei,' the Jade Emperor laughed. The term referred to a practice in the land of the rising sun where a Kami can duplicate themselves via intense worship. In essence, their method of creating an avatar.

"And you are not quite what you claim. You are also part of this space, meaning you are intrinsically connected to Da Hai," the Jade Emperor claimed. "But that doesn't explain that."

He pointed down at the object in Shuten's grip. The oni still held onto the broken sword, yet acted as if he didn't notice the weapon. The two were such a synced pair in the Jade Emperor's eyes, that they appeared to be one and the same.

"Turtle woman did call me sword spirit."

"You look nothing like the butterfly." The Jade Emperor pondered if Gui Daiyu had dulled over the years. He reached out faster then Shuten could react, and grabbed the arm with the broken sword.

Alarmed, Shuten attempted to break out of the grip, but found himself having lost all strength. From his perspective, it was as if all existence in this space told him that he had no authority to break out.

The Jade Emperor had not even exercised any powers. One thought was all he needed to overwrite Shuten. Even as the call endless ocean attempted to shift into a mountainous terrain, he held the scene in place.

The Jade Emperor smiled wryly. Shuten had tried to enter his end of the mental place. To him, it confirmed the oni to at the very least be a new clone.

"What are you doing," Shuten Doji growled. But his bravado hid his terror.

"I apologize for not keeping track of you. Granted, I was and still am extremely busy and you were in safe care," the Jade Emperor said to the sword. His examination complete, he released the two.

"Don't be afraid brother," he told the oni. "Who would've guessed a series of accidents ended up with you here. It is my assumption that Gui Daiyu attempted to grow Da Hai out of the Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword."

Once uttered, the name resonated with Shuten. He grasped his chest, but held onto the broken blade even tighter.

"I must sharpen my edge," he said gasping. "Sharpen my edge to recover my form."

"Instinct of a sword or a living being?" The Jade Emperor wondered aloud. He closed his eyes again, reading the information from Dao of Distant Seas again. Here, safely tucked into Da Hai's corner of their existence at the far end of the Chaos Sea, fully utilising the principle of visible but untraceable, he was beyond the Heavenly Dao's notice.

The cosmic butterfly has been dead longer than he imagined. Ever since cosmic debris coalesced around the planted broken sword, its treasure spirit had acted to save its owner.

It had lived a long life, from being Pangu's friend, to his weapon, to Da Hai's weapon, to fighting against impossible odds and being broken by an omnipotent being. To say it was satisfied was an understatement.

In its shattered state, and Da Hai's nonexistence, it preserved what little remained of the sea god's energy signature. Before it fully dissipated, it swapped places with it.

Eons ago, Gui Daiyu planted the sword in a corner of the Chaos Sea, hoping for its energy to nourish Da Hai into being. It would never worked as the intelligence behind it was all gone. The only thing that had grown, was the energy from Da Hai. It would only return to full strength because the Dao of Distant Seas still existed as well.

All these factors produced the Yamata no Orochi. A Limitless Supreme Chaos Immortal laying dormant in the form of a Chaos World. The foundation was the broken blade, IE its heart.

A destined failure of a resurrection that had no mind behind it. That existence had already been extinguished. Even his Dao only had memories, not a tangible source. It took a long time for enough energy to conglomerate. Even brain dead, the creature was still recovering energy. If activated, it'll just thrash around. But not if it's acting to become whole. The broken sword was the only thing that could guide it.

Unbeknownst to Shuten Doji, the Jade Emperor felt immensely torn. For as much of a headache managing the Three Realms was, this was a deeply personal matter.

"You are Haotian, the white jade of the Primitive World," Shuten Doji declared. His eyes noticeably had a soft blue glow. "Why have you done nothing for him."

'He's tapping into the Dao of Distant Seas.' Haotian sighed in pity. Shuten Doji was an anomaly. A pure accident born when the uprooted hilt portion of the Heavenly Cloud Gathering Sword came into contact with the mortal world. The summation of bunrei was far more accurate for Shuten if he were a bundle of Da Hai's qi that was worshipped into form by the locals.

But he could make use of this, Jade Emperor Haotian pondered. Another card to add to his deck. He had not done anything for or against Da Hai until now because he felt nothing for him.

"What could I have done from so far away?" the Jade Emperor chuckled as he paced. "Understand this brother, the true body of Da Hai is the Chaos World you reside in. As we are, it is beyond any of our control. The true self of Da Hai is just information. If we want to bring him back, we'd need that true self to assimilate into the body."

"Regenerating from memory would be akin to a replication."

"Complete regeneration was impossible in the first place," Haotian denied. "We simply need to recreate his mind. Release it from the Dao that's already within all of us. A recreation of a significant moment that defined him should kickstart a chain reaction."

From Haotian's perspective, if the sword was the foundation of Da Hai's body, then it stands to reason its instinct would be to restore itself. Shuten Doji was the blade that wanted to sharpen its edge. While the orochi was the rest, the treasure that wanted to be whole. Which was to say the oni was far more loyal than he ever was.

"I have an idea. Yes, I will bring back my original self," Shuten Doji smiled. "And you? Once our true body returns, he can bring judgment onto you." In his eyes, Haotian had completely turned away from Da Hai. Haotian kept his side of their mind far away, but he'd still seen flashes of what he'd been up.

"Go, if you don't give the serpent rationality, there's going to be a lot more deaths." The Jade Emperor stood still, calmly seeing Shuten Doji off. There was a remorse within him as he watched, but his decision was already made.

…

In a tranquil garden filled with peach trees, Haotian finally raised his head from the cooling cup of tea in front of him. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary, but some time had passed.

"Finally rejoined us?" a friendly voice belonging to his friend snapped him out of his daze. He was a man with curly hair like snails. He appeared completely at peace, undisturbed with from all things. "You don't typically space out like that. Was it something you don't want old heavens to know?"

Sitting opposed from the Jade Emperor, dressed as his title indicated, his opposition was comparatively poorer. He wore a simple orange kasaya which exposed a portion of his muscular chest. Unlike the Jade Emperor who wore boots made of the finest of celestial leather, he was barefooted.

"My apologies for ruining the mood old friend," Haotian said. "I had some emergency matters to attend to. However, I do have a favour to ask of you."

"It's not a problem benefactor. Ask away."

"I've discovered a location in the Chaos Sea thats undergoing some difficulties. Some very powerful people, and some very talented people reside there. I'd appreciate it if you could dispatch some to recover them," Haotian explained. "You would of course be compensated for this karma."

"Hm, another Chaos World you wish to absorb into the Three Realms?" his friend mused. "It's no trouble, I'll ask someone."

"Appreciate it, the ministers at court are a bit preoccupied at the moment," Haotian said. "Thank you, Shakyamuni."

"Don't mention it your majesty," the Tathagata Buddha, Shakyamuni replied.

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