Boom!
A massive stone mountain crashed down, lightning scattering in all directions, raising a huge cloud of dust. The surroundings were left in utter chaos, as if a small earthquake had just occurred.
Previously, Ryusei Juukenrou had been crushed beneath the mountain, his katana shattered, his flesh reduced to pulp!
Even if one’s human strength is boundless, how can it possibly rival the immense power of heaven and earth, of the universe itself?
The might of a single strike had reached such a terrifying level!
At this moment, in the hearts of the watching subordinate ninja, Wu Ming had become akin to a god!
At the foot of the small mountain, divine light flickered, revealing the figures of Shen Jiuye and Ye Bai, both looking utterly exhausted.
“I understand now…”
Yet Ye Bai seemed to have realized something and shouted, “Lord Shenjiuye! Flee quickly! Oniichi Hougan has become the national priest of Izumo! Within Izumo, every move he makes is enhanced by the land’s dragon-vein fortune—he is practically a half-immortal here!”
“Flee? It’s too late now!”
Wu Ming soared to the peak of the Stone Thunder Mountain, “None of you will escape today! Five Elements Divine Thunder, transform wood into a cage!”
Bang! Bang!
The earth and rocks erupted violently around them, as towering ancient trees shot up toward the heavens, unleashing azure-blue Divine Thunder of the Wood Element, forming an inescapable cage that trapped the two figures within.
“This national priest’s might is indeed formidable, but it also consumes tremendous energy!”
Though seemingly triumphant, Wu Ming carefully pondered, “Just these two strikes have consumed nearly half of the golden-red energy I had stored externally. Although as Chuyun’s national priest, I continuously receive minor replenishments, the rate is still too slow!”
“If I wish to unleash immortal-level techniques next, I must either draw upon Kichiji Minamoto’s dragon-vein energy or tap into my own internal reserves, which would harm my foundation…”
Of course, this was because Izumo was a small country with limited resources.
Otherwise, apart from being bestowed by Dazhou, even uniting the entire Fusang world would have provided enough wealth for Wu Ming to indulge like this over a hundred times!
Without such might, how could the title of national priest entice so many true immortals, being said to rival even a half-immortal?
But now, the wooden thunder cage kept contracting, sufficient to eliminate these two mighty beings!
“…Life spans fifty years, looking across the world, past events seem like dreams. Once born, can anything be ever-lasting?”
Suddenly, a light, ethereal song emerged from within the cage, filled with the profound Buddhist meaning of life as illusion and the impermanence of birth and death.
“Looking up at the vastness of the cosmos, contemplating the countless phenomena below… Tell me, under heaven, is there anything that never perishes?… Wonderful! Wonderful! Wonderful! This song carries profound Buddhist wisdom, along with the power of night and the underworld… Divine Kuyahime, do you serve under Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto?”
Tsukuyomi was the Japanese god of night, rumored to have authority over the underworld—in Japan’s external manifestation, Yomi itself.
The deity Shen Jiuye within the thunder prison did not respond, continuing his ethereal song and dance, akin to an ancient shamanic ritual. Amidst the thunder, strands of underworld aura emerged, even causing the surrounding ground to emit wisps of lingering souls that assailed the formation.
Gurgle! Gurgle!
A layer of corpse-yellow spring water surged from the earth, accompanied by wandering spirits, carrying the stench of death. It formed an overwhelming force that violently collided with the Wooden Cage of Yi.
Hiss!
The yellow corpse water and the black vengeful spirits continuously annihilated each other, while the thunder formation was also shattered, revealing the figures of Shen Jiuye and Ye Bai standing side by side.
“The Song of Pacifying and Summoning Souls? This song carries defiance and rebellion against fate, as well as the longing for immortality amidst life’s brevity… quite impressive…”
The Stone Thunder Mountain beneath Wu Ming’s feet unleashed thunderbolts, dispersing and vaporizing the spreading corpse water from the Yellow Springs.
“Pity… Even with such Yomi abilities, how many times can you use them? After all, you are not truly Tsukuyomi, lacking the authority over Yomi! Even if Tsukuyomi himself came, what could he do to me?”
Wu Ming sighed.
The Eastern Peak Emperor wielded authority over the Yellow Springs, subtly overlapping with Tsukuyomi’s domain. Precisely because of this, among the three great deities of Fusang, Wu Ming feared this one the least.
Witnessing the countless wronged souls forming infantry ranks, led by warriors charging forward, he gently shook his head and softly recited a divine mantra, “The Supreme Deity is compassionate, sending down sweet rain to alleviate your suffering—hasten to rebirth!”
With a wave of his hand, a gentle rain of nectar fell like countless radiant specks, sprinkling onto the foreheads of the wronged souls.
Upon receiving this nectar, the vengeful spirits of the Yellow Springs regained clarity in their eyes, their grievous wounds vanishing completely. They bowed to Wu Ming before ascending in radiant beams of light, returning to the cycle of reincarnation.
Of course, in the terms of this Fusang world, this meant “attaining Buddhahood.”
In ancient times, as the Eastern Peak Emperor, Wu Ming had risen to prominence with his redemptive light, liberating millions of wandering souls with a mere wave of his hand. Compared to that, the display before him, while enough to terrify other yin-yang masters to death, was truly insignificant to him.
If the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak were here in person, even if Tsukuyomi opened the gates of the Yellow Springs, it would be futile.
“Ahh!”
A scream echoed from the Underworld, filled with terror.
A rain of white salvific light descended, forcing the figure of Shen Jiuye Zun to emerge. Her robes were tattered, the sacred nectar searing her divine form like molten lava, setting her kimono ablaze.
“Run!”
Shen Jiuye roared, summoning the waters of the Underworld to carry Ye Bai away.
At the same time, a long-forgotten sense of danger violently surged in the heart of this fourth-rank Shinto deity—a servant of Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto, who should have enjoyed eternal life and glory.
“Want to run? Today, none of you shall escape!”
Roaring, Wu Ming’s robes billowed, and behind him, the faint silhouette of a massive blue-purple serpent with eight heads and eight tails emerged!
“Heavenly Thunder, strike from above! Dragon energy, seal and suppress! Stay here!”
As Wu Ming clenched his right fist, five bolts of lightning flashed, and the illusion of the dark purple giant serpent surged forward. Its eight heads blotted out the sky, unleashing an invisible gravitational force that struck down the divine radiance.
“This is… dragon energy? How can you…”
Shen Jiuye was shocked, but soon her entire divine form was devoured by the eight-headed serpent.
“Submit… to purification!”
The azure lightning flames, like heavenly thunder igniting subterranean fire, violently surged within the eight-headed serpent, engulfing a golden radiance at its core.
Wu Ming had become utterly ruthless, willing to expend Gui Yi Yijing’s dragon energy to annihilate this deity once and for all, refining her to ashes with divine flames!
“How ruthless! How utterly ruthless! This divine Shen Jiuye is a true deity ordained by the golden decree! How dare they attempt to refine her alive!”
Ye Bai had initially intended to assist the deity and divert Wu Ming’s attention slightly. However, upon witnessing this scene, his entire body trembled, and he immediately turned to flee. “Shen Jiuye is Tsukuyomi’s favorite! You dared to attack her—you’re finished! No one in heaven or on earth can save you now!”
“You won’t escape this place alive today!”
With his primary mission target in sight, Wu Ming naturally wouldn’t let her go.
Lightning flashed as he merged his body with thunder, instantly expanding dozens of feet to intercept Ye Bai. “Last time, you survived by sheer luck—what artifact or technique did you use?”
“Hehe… This is my ultimate trump card. Even if you kill me here, I will keep resurrecting…”
Ye Bai lowered his eyelids, suddenly flashing a destructive golden pill in his hand.
Boom!
A golden glow emerged, transforming into a radiant blade—equivalent to a fourth-tier expert’s ultimate strike!
Bang!
Wu Ming calmly extended his right hand. His slender fingers, resembling jade shoots, radiated healthy luster, like a rock absorbing raging waves, easily extinguishing the golden blade’s energy.
“Don’t run! Let me see!”
After shattering the golden core, Wu Ming struck with his palm, sending Ye Bai flying backward as he vomited blood, scattering a trail of azure scales. With a wave of his hand, he then seized Ye Bai into his grasp.
Crackling lightning seeped in, carrying soul-binding magic, pressing onto Ye Bai’s crown.
“Hmm? This isn’t your real body! Possession? No! It’s a soul projection technique!”
Wu Ming’s eyes sparkled with insight into Ye Bai’s true essence, “What are you practicing?… The ‘Brahmin Three-Life Dharma Body’? The ‘Ghost Immortal Possession Art’? The ‘Three Pure Ones’ Celestial Light Body’? No… with your merits, you likely can’t afford those top-tier techniques from the Celestial Art List. Perhaps the ‘Corpse Hosting Technique,’ or the ‘Three Corpses and Seven Killings Soul Projection Technique’?”
Previously, whenever he had free time, Wu Ming liked perusing the Main Temple’s exchange list, aided by his True Vision ability, allowing him to glimpse deeper truths.
After thorough research, his conjectures now hit the nail on the head, causing Ye Bai’s expression to drastically change—clearly a direct hit!
“Hehe… Not the avatar technique of the Three Pure Ones. Other methods inevitably have flaws and are also limited in their application!”
Wu Ming’s smile seemed devilish to Ye Bai. “I’ll destroy this soul projection first, then take my time hunting down the others! There’s no escape for you!”
Puff!
Lightning flashed, and despair crossed Ye Bai’s face as his entire body turned to ashes beneath the thunderfire.
“It’s definitely a soul projection!”
At this sight, Wu Ming’s expression froze in shock. “The Main Temple didn’t alert me, which means Ye Bai is still alive—truly a cockroach with nine lives! But with this projection destroyed, he must be bleeding, his true body affected… Moreover, this heretical technique requires an odd number of projections, with nine being the maximum—impossible! Seven would be the peak, but still unlikely. At most, he has only three lives left! Just one more chance!”
“Let me go!”
At this moment, Wu Ming furrowed his brows as the eight-headed serpent illusion behind him trembled, revealing the trapped figure of Shen Jiuye within.
“Still daring to act like this when death approaches?”
Wu Ming lowered his gaze, and the thunderfire within the Eight-Headed Serpent suddenly multiplied, engulfing the last glimmer of golden light.
“I’ll remember this… Lord Tsukuyomi… won’t let you go…”
A faint voice drifted, then vanished into silence.
“Hisss…”
The dragon energy-formed eight-headed serpent grew increasingly ethereal, slowly dissipating into nothingness. An object dropped into Wu Ming’s hand—a doll, resembling a child’s toy from Fusang.
“So this was Shen Jiuye’s true form!”
Wu Ming smiled, conjuring true fire to reduce the doll to ashes.
Simultaneously, across the land of Aki, shrines dedicated to the deity Kamikuyasama descended into chaos. Priests and shrine maidens stared in horror at their cracking sacred statues.
“Hmm… With Shén Jiǔyè destroyed, Ān Yì’s fortune has greatly diminished. This is the perfect opportunity for conquest!”
Facing south, Wu Ming observed the fortune flow, silently musing.
Behind him, Mochizuki Kotaro and the other ninjas watched Wu Ming’s overwhelming dominance, effortlessly defeating enemies like chickens and dogs, their eyes blazing with fanatical worship, as if beholding their own god.
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