“Hmm?”
Wu Ming, who was admiring the sight of Yoshida Gakusan Castle and the burning downfall of the Mouri family, suddenly felt a surge of fortune envelop him. Outside, crimson and golden hues gathered, even transforming into wisps of green, lush and vibrant. Not only were the previous battle’s tolls completely replenished, but there was even an excess. Wu Ming couldn’t help but smile.
Knowing that after the Mouri family’s downfall, Aki Province would no longer be able to resist and would inevitably fall entirely to the Oni family.
With control over two provinces totaling nearly 700,000 koku, Oni Yoshiie had seized the momentum, forcing surrounding daimyos to submit one after another. In this region, Izumo and Aki were the dominant powers! Once unified, the remaining forces would no longer be able to resist.
This meant the birth of a daimyo with a million koku! In this chaotic era, it was a force sufficient to sway the heavens, especially before other daimyos had a chance to rise!
Therefore, receiving such fortune was only natural!
“I wonder how the standoff between the three deities is going?”
Feeling the faint image of the Main Temple within his consciousness and the omnipresent transcendental light spanning countless worlds, Wu Ming felt a slight sense of regret.
“What a pity… Right now, I still cannot actively traverse countless worlds, nor can I extensively utilize the Main Temple’s power. Otherwise, I would truly be invincible.”
Of course, even now, he possessed a kind of “invincibility”!
No matter where or when he was, with a mere thought, his physical body could immediately enter the Main Temple Space, gaining protection without any time limit!
With this premise, even in the struggle between the three deities, Wu Ming dared to intervene to some extent.
Acting upon this perception, he now arrived at another battlefield.
Ding!
A dazzling sword beam cut through the darkness—it was the sword saint, Ueda Sounagon!
With just one sword and one man, regardless of the ninja techniques used by the ninja master, Hyakuri Sandayu, a single sword beam pierced through them all, exuding a sense of “one sword to break all techniques.”
When Sandayu saw Wu Ming approaching, he trembled, then chanted a mantra: “Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Zai, Qian!”
These nine sacred characters, combined with his hand seals, immediately unleashed a massive force, forming a barrier that surged forward.
However, this formation was not used for victory at this moment, but for escape!
“Nine Sacred Characters? Bagua techniques?”
Wu Ming smiled slightly: “Although clever… it lacks the true transmission of the Six Jia Secrets! It’s laughable.”
With a wave of his sleeve, fortune surged, revealing supernatural power. In the air, nine golden characters appeared, also the Nine Sacred Characters, but displaying another kind of divine mystery.
“Lin, Bing, Dou, Zhe, Jie, Zhen, Lie, Qian, Xing!”
Wu Ming’s voice thundered like spring thunderclaps. Each word he uttered caused a giant golden character to descend, crashing into the ninja formation. Instantly, a corner was shattered.
When the Nine Sacred Characters were fully recited, the formation was completely broken, revealing Hyakuri Sandayu’s terrified figure.
Xiu!
A sword beam flew over—it was Ueda Sounagon throwing his katana, beheading his enemy from a hundred paces away!
Peng!
Although Sandayu was a renowned ninja master, his Nine Sacred Characters were broken, his spirit shaken, his vitality greatly diminished. Caught off guard by the sword saint’s attack, his head rolled off, spurting a spray of blood.
“Master Ueda, do you still have the strength to rejoin the battle?”
Wu Ming asked calmly.
“I’ve already been struck by Sandayu’s sealing and poison techniques. I’m afraid I can no longer fight…”
Ueda’s chest was torn, and he slowly shook his head.
Inside, he was very shocked because he realized what this Oni Hōgan intended to do.
“If so, Master Ueda, you may go on your own. However, just now there was also a Yin-Yang Grand Master hiding nearby. Although I scared him off with the Nine Sacred Characters seal, you still need to be careful!”
Wu Ming said slowly.
“A Yin-Yang Grand Master? That must be Lord Seimei. I didn’t expect Amaterasu Omikami to also be paying attention here!”
Ueda solemnly bowed: “Lord Oni! Everything is in your hands!”
The sword saint’s mind and sword had merged as one, his perception sharp. He realized that Wu Ming had undergone earth-shattering changes and could now even slightly intervene in conflicts between fifth-tier beings.
If previously they were on the same level, now Wu Ming had left him far behind.
“Of course… After all, Yoshie is still my godson, right? Haha…”
Wu Ming thoughtfully glanced toward a nearby area, his eyes flashing a hint of purplish-blue light.
Weng!
A shikigami resembling a white, one-horned serpent seemed to be startled, suddenly emerging from the bushes, only to explode instantly.
In the distance, a strikingly handsome Yin-Yang master with eyes that held unfathomable depths and the weariness of worldly vicissitudes suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood: “To recognize my shikigami at first glance…”
“With the Nine Sacred Mantra secret technique… plus such power! Unless the Three Noble Deities appear, there is no one in the mortal world who can rival Oni Hagane no Me!”
The yin-yang master sighed and suddenly stood up.
He walked barefoot through the mud, yet not a speck of dirt touched him, exuding a pure and untainted aura.
“Lord Seimei! You are the supreme yin-yang master appointed by our Minamoto and Taira clans. Will you really just watch as the Oni clan rises? That Yoshie… he is actually a descendant of the old Susano family!”
A shrine maiden nearby exclaimed in alarm.
By now, Oni Yoshie’s identity could no longer be concealed.
“The Susano family has the blessings of the male deity of storms, Susano, and their bloodline will certainly not be extinguished. What use is there for mortals to meddle in the struggles between gods?”
The yin-yang master sighed.
Powerful individuals possess independent wills!
Even second or third-tier martial artists can challenge minor deities, let alone someone of the fourth-tier like himself. Even if he dies now, his spirit will remain, rivaling a fourth-tier deity in the divine path!
Such a master is treated with respect, even by the bloodline families of the Three Noble Deities, who can only seek alliances through diplomacy rather than force.
The shrine maiden’s words immediately triggered a taboo.
“Shikigami – Kuken!”
A puff of black mist suddenly emerged from the shrine maiden’s shadow, transforming into a black dog demon that bit down, instantly devouring her upper body.
Crunch! Crunch!
After devouring the shrine maiden, the Kuken shikigami approached the yin-yang master, showing great respect and affection.
Among the shikigami of the yin-yang master, Kuken and Inugami possess the most formidable spiritual power. Not only is the process of obtaining them exceptionally arduous and brutal, but even if one barely manages to forge a contract with them, backlash is highly likely. In extreme cases, the yin-yang master themselves may even fall under their control!
(Note: “Kuken” and “Inugami” are transliterated names; if they have established English equivalents in context, those should be used instead.)
In fact, this Kuken was already no different from a powerful deity of Japan!
Yet, it was still controlled by this person as effortlessly as moving his own limbs, showing his exceptional mastery of onmyōdō!
“I serve the Minamoto and Taira clans and have now reached the pinnacle of onmyōdō. I originally thought there was no further path ahead for me except to seek deification, but I never expected…”
Seimei stomped his right foot, and instantly a skeletal horse’s head emerged, continuously neighing, with two balls of ghostly fire emerging from its skull.
“I never expected… to see the path beyond onmyōdō in Lord Oni Hagane no Me’s presence…”
He mounted the horse. The skeletal horse with a flaming skull neighed fiercely, its hooves producing black clouds as it galloped like the wind. The Kuken rode alongside, commanding the gales.
“Oni clan! Oni Hagane no Me! This matter is significant; I must return and contemplate it carefully…”
Compared to the divine commandments, Seimei now naturally cared more about his own transcendence.
And a yin-yang master like him, with such a will, even Amaterasu Omikami couldn’t directly control him. He was free to act as he pleased.
…
“What a clever man!”
Moments later, Wu Ming arrived and softly praised, then sighed again: “Pity… he’s on the wrong path. Still thinking about breaking through to the fifth level?”
However, since the other party had chosen to retreat, he was no longer an enemy, or rather, not even worthy of being his enemy. In the future, there would be time for Yoshie and others to deal with him.
After a moment of contemplation, Wu Ming arrived at a green stone and casually drew several talismans, spreading them around. Then he projected his Yuan Shen.
The cultivation of a true Yuan Shen was not like the previous Yin Shen, which had many restrictions.
Suddenly, a dragon’s roar echoed. A Daoist emerged from above, his face like jade, wearing a starry crown, with a purple-green giant serpent roaring and slithering on his Taoist robe, surrounded by five-colored thunder. This was Wu Ming’s Yuan Shen!
At this point, the Yuan Shen could ascend to the nine heavens to pluck the moon or descend to the underworld to explore, with keen insight and free from the pollution that plagued the Yin Shen. In fact, it had even more supernatural abilities than the physical body.
“The three noble deities are locked in a standoff. Naturally, it won’t be on Earth, but in the netherworld… Or rather, in the Japanese so-called divine realm—Takamagahara?”
Takamagahara was reputed to be the divine realm of Japan. In Wu Ming’s view, however, it was merely a special spiritual land, even more akin to the netherworld.
Otherwise, how could a lowly spirit like a Tsukumogami enter Takamagahara?
But if they could go, his Yuan Shen could go as well. After a moment of thought, he found the path. Wu Ming’s Yuan Shen waved his hand and instantly opened a passage, entering a vast spiritual land.
This spiritual land was quite mysterious, a massive island floating among the clouds, covered with lush grass and bathed in a radiant glow.
Wu Ming’s Yuan Shen casually grabbed a few rays of light into his hand and smiled: “Though it resembles sunlight, it still carries a yin nature. Amaterasu Omikami claims to be the sun deity but hasn’t fully attained her position… Still, she can protect Takamagahara and benefit Yin Shen.”
Of course, the Takamagahara was now shaking with earth-shaking tremors and raging storms, like the end of the world.
At the center, three enormous green light orbs faced each other in a standoff—one radiating light, one emitting the aura of the underworld, and the other brimming with destructive power. These were naturally Amaterasu Omikami, Tsukuyomi no Mikoto, and Susano-o no Mikoto.
Suddenly, a terrifying roar was heard, and Susano-o no Mikoto revealed his true form—a towering black-armored warrior, wearing a straw cloak, with two enormous wings behind him, resembling the progenitor of tengu.
“Susanoo no Mikoto…”
Tsukuyomi no Mikoto’s side was filled with the surging aura of the underworld, but his power was clearly weaker, indicating he had suffered significant losses.
Amaterasu Omikami, representing the sun, remained silent and motionless. Suddenly, she pointed in Wu Ming’s direction. A divine beam of light from Takamagahara came roaring toward him.
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