The demise of the Eastern Wolf King, a secret unknown to the protagonists in history save for Yukari Yakumo and Yuka Kazami, was a truth accessible only to Lin Luo, who stood outside the established timeline.

However, the Wolf King’s death was not the truly astonishing event. At least, not in Lin Luo's eyes. What truly shocked him was the cataclysmic shift in the world’s structure following the Wolf King's fall.

With the Eastern Wolf King dead and the wolf clan losing its pillar, the Youkai who had long suffered under their oppression could no longer sit still and immediately began to revolt. What started as a war against the wolves quickly escalated. Even leaderless, the wolf clan was no pushover, and as the flames of conflict spread, nearly every Youkai in the world was dragged into the fray.

Only the mysterious Vampire clan and the discreet Ghost clan remained uninvolved, yet they could not stop the expansion of the war. In no time, the world was engulfed in raging conflict, and the wolf race began its slow march toward annihilation.

It was under these circumstances that humanity began to rise.

Observing events through the river of time was inherently fragmented and incomplete. Lin Luo could not discern the specifics, only that by the time the situation stabilized, several millennia had passed. The Youkai had retreated to the sidelines, and humanity had secured the world’s primary resources.

More disjointed fragments followed: the Vampires, too, declined in the wake of the wolves. Although their fate was far from the absolute extinction suffered by the wolves, they had lost the glory of being the supreme race. As for the Ghosts, though still formidable, they too were gradually fading into obscurity.

From this point forward, the prominence among Youkai shifted from race to individual might. Among these powerful individuals were Yukari Yakumo and Yuka Kazami.

Once humanity assumed dominance, internal strife continued among humans, but inter-species warfare ceased. The Youkai remained powerful enough to instill fear in humans, yet they could no longer reclaim the dominant position. The entire world… had found equilibrium.

“Equilibrium?”

As the word formed, Lin Luo murmured it to himself, contemplating deeply. He finally understood: everything Yukari Yakumo did, seemingly chaotic and reckless, served only one purpose—balance.

Her constant troublemaking was to engineer a balance among the Youkai, and her attack on the Wolf Clan was to achieve a balance for the entire world. Seemingly aimless, yet the trajectory of the entire world was being controlled by her hand!

A few simple maneuvers dictated the course of the world. Truly, this Sage was defying the heavens!

In the fragments of the time stream, Lin Luo could now see that Yukari Yakumo, hailed as the Sage, possessed the highest prestige among the Youkai. Originally, Yuka Kazami also possessed the credentials to become a Sage, but their relationship was far too strained, and Yuka, always the solitary, aloof sovereign, disdained the title of Sage.

Meanwhile, once global stability was achieved, Shikieiki finally utilized her power of creation to forge a world entirely her own—the Netherworld.

The Lord of the Netherworld was truly born at that very moment… //The fastest text update from Book Fan Tower As time wore on and the scenes shifted, another decisive moment arrived… The First Lunar War!

Though Yukari Yakumo steered the world toward balance, some things simply could not be accomplished by one person alone. When the majority of Youkai had retreated to this small eastern frontier, the hard-won balance began to erode. To maintain it, Yukari decided to attack the Moon.

This proposal received unanimous support from the Youkai. Thus, under Yukari’s leadership, countless Youkai launched a grand assault toward the Moon, with only one individual remaining aloof: Yuka Kazami.

Yukari initiated the Lunar War not with the intention of sending the Youkai to their deaths, but with the genuine goal of conquering the Moon. While unavoidable, it was the best course of action available. The balance with humanity could not be undone, or thousands of years of effort would be wasted. The only recourse was to carve out new territory, relying on her intellect to launch a surprise attack, subdue the Moon’s mysterious technology, and thus secure a new place of balance.

Yukari held immense confidence in her own abilities.

But!

As the saying goes, there is always someone better beyond your ken. Yukari was undoubtedly the most brilliant mind among the Youkai, yet on the Moon resided one who could suppress her: the Lunar Sage, Eirin Yagokoro!

Eirin Yagokoro, knowledgeable of the heavens above and the geography below, excelled in divination. As soon as Yukari resolved to attack the Moon, Eirin had already foreseen it and meticulously arrayed her forces, awaiting the Youkai arrival.

Although the Youkai reached the Moon through special means, they were still an expeditionary force. Facing the long-prepared Lunar troops, they were utterly incapable of resistance. From the very first clash, they were completely suppressed, suffering devastating casualties.

On another front, Yukari and Eirin Yagokoro finally met face-to-face.

This contest between two great Sages held no suspense. To Eirin, Yukari was far too green; a Youkai who had lived merely a few thousand years was but a child before Eirin.

No matter how wondrous the power of Boundaries, against Eirin’s genius and dominance, Yukari remained at an absolute disadvantage. The final result… Yukari was utterly defeated!

Throughout the entire battle, Yukari was toyed with like a child in the palm of Eirin's hand.

This was a crushing blow to the confident Yukari.

Knowing that turning the tide was impossible, Yukari ceased her futile struggle and chose to surrender.

Because the Lunarians held themselves in high regard and disdained the filth of the surface world, they maintained a principle of not executing prisoners. Yukari’s surrender saved her life, and furthermore, Eirin was not an aggressively overbearing person. After a period of negotiation, Eirin sent Yukari and the surviving Youkai back to the surface.

Upon returning, Yukari had no will left to lead the Youkai. The defeat had been too thorough, shattering her confidence and even causing her to doubt her own capabilities. She even considered whether the outcome might have differed if Yuka Kazami had been there to assist, but regretfully, Yuka, the aloof sovereign, could not be commanded.

For a long stretch, Yukari abandoned everything, even neglecting the “balance” she had so strived to capture, wandering aimlessly through the human world.

Yet, during this period of languor, Yukari encountered the second person to catalyze her transformation—Yuyuko Saigyouji!

Yuyuko possessed abilities bordering on control over death. Her immense power over humanity fascinated Yukari, who approached her with the intent to consume her and acquire her abilities.

However, through their interactions, Yukari gradually found herself captivated by Yuyuko’s charisma, ultimately abandoning the idea of consuming her and instead treating her sincerely as a friend.

To form a friendship with a human, especially for a great Youkai like Yukari, was unprecedented. This unprecedented bond began to subtly change Yukari without her realizing it… A Youkai possessing humanity—this was an alternative form of balance.

Following this, Yuyuko’s suicide dealt a severe shock to Yukari.

Lin Luo had previously only been able to speculate, but now, witnessing Yuyuko’s corpse fall beneath the Saigyou Ayakashi, seeing Yukari’s near-shattered expression as she arrived too late to save her, Lin Luo finally understood.

In that moment, Yukari grasped the true meaning of life and death. Having witnessed mortality firsthand, her power of Boundaries unconsciously ascended to a higher plane.

If Eirin Yagokoro had previously overpowered Yukari through sheer, domineering genius, then now, Yukari, having transcended the realm of life and death, definitively surpassed Eirin, who was still bound by the chaos of mortality.

Lin Luo could perceive this transformation, and Yukari herself certainly felt it. But now, she had no intention of attacking the Moon. She had decided to move forward, to reclaim the Gensokyo that belonged to her in that confined space!

Time flowed onward again. After an indeterminate period, Lin Luo saw it: the concept he had left behind, labeled ‘Equivalent Exchange,’ finally settled in that small eastern border, at the place called the Hakurei Shrine, establishing the foundation of Equivalent Exchange… and also the Dragon God!

Influenced by the concept of Equivalent Exchange, an infant girl abandoned at the Hakurei Shrine possessed the purest soul in the world, along with the power to rival the strongest Youkai.

A decade later, Yukari sought out this girl, now a young woman serving as the shrine’s Miko. In her, Yukari also saw the hope for Gensokyo.

After a fierce confrontation, the Youkai and the Miko fought to a draw.

Through their battles, they gradually came to know and understand one another. Yukari revealed her entire plan, and the Miko, despite being human, shared the very same ideal as Yukari… And so, one human and one Youkai began to strive for the construction of Gensokyo.

Finally, when all the theory could finally be put into practice, when their ideals could be realized, Yukari hesitated.

Because to build the ideal Gensokyo, a price had to be paid—the life of either herself or the Miko!

This was a price Yukari could not bear. After Yuyuko’s death, she refused to witness any more friends perish. But… it was too late.

The moment the Dragon God’s power descended, one of them was destined to vanish.

Ultimately, the one who chose the path of death was the Miko, for she had known the cost sooner than Yukari and had already prepared the prerequisites for her own demise.

From that moment, the Gensokyo, capable of ensuring the happiness of countless Youkai, was finally born, but the Miko with the purest soul in the world vanished forever.

The First Miko entrusted her dream to Yukari, to protect Gensokyo.

And Yukari?

She guarded Gensokyo, yet simultaneously perpetuated her sorrow, because every subsequent generation of Miko would embark upon the same journey as the first.

The Miko protected Gensokyo with their lives.

Though Yukari lived on, she would forever experience the grief of a friend’s passing.

This was the price!

PS: Three chapters delivered finally, rolling on the floor begging for monthly votes! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian () to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)