Chapter 339: Why Doesn

"What? Say that again?!"

Below Mount Yunyun, the allied cultivators were being crushed by Dailisi alone on horseback, when a piece of devastating news struck like a bolt from the blue, deepening their despair.

In Nihon, to become a cultivator—whether an onmyoji, shrine maiden, priest, chief priest, or even a shikoku-san, ichiko, oni-onna, or yamabushi—none would rise from poverty, for without substantial wealth, one could never afford to abandon labor for cultivation, let alone the expensive materials required to raise shikigami or perform rituals.

Upon hearing of the Uota clan's devastation, morale immediately plummeted.

Though most cultivator families were not originally from Uota, they all understood the principle that when the lips are gone, the teeth grow cold; they knew well the fragile state of Nihon's lower strata—no one believed that even a few thousand peasants could slaughter an Uota clan, let alone a single noble house, without first breaching the guard samurai.

And if one considers the possibility of an outside enemy's conspiracy, then if they could strike Uota once, they might strike again.

Remember, Uota, as the imperial residence of Tenno, housed nearly all the noble houses clustered together—not only protected by guard samurai, but also by military forces. If such security could be slaughtered, what hope did isolated families like theirs have?

More importantly, Tenno holds unique significance for Nihon's entire Shinto system; its very existence represents the convergence of divine power. If Tenno suffers any harm during this upheaval, the entire Nihon Shinto system will face annihilation!

"Damn the Sand Bear! They've allied with the Central Plains! That madwoman was nothing but bait—luring away our finest forces, while the real strike targeted our very homeland!"

Tsuchimikado Taisi slammed his fist on the table; unlike his second brother, who had joined Jiujuyi Sect and was now sending messages to Tenno beside him, Taisi was the most outstanding onmyoji of his generation in the Tsuchimikado clan—and precisely because of that, he understood better than anyone that Tenno must not fall.

"What's the current situation?"

At his question, the other end of the communication spell immediately replied:

"The commoners still fear the authority of Tenno's Black Card and dare not advance; many noble families who saw the danger have already fled into the Imperial Palace. But given Uota's current state, how long this aura of authority can last is uncertain. Whether the commoners break first or the mastermind gives the order, Tenno Palace's current defenses cannot withstand these commoners who possess samurai-level strength."

"Huh…" Tsuchimikado Taisi drew a deep breath, turned his head to glance at the rainbow bridge spanning the peak of Mount Yunyun like a sky-spanning arch, and gritted his teeth:

"Tenno's Black Card cannot fall—retreat and reinforce Uota!"

"Yes!"

Compared to Tsuchimikado Taisi's frustration, the cultivators below breathed easier; that woman on the mountain was simply too strong. After realizing they couldn't defeat her head-on, they'd resorted to a war of attrition—but after so many days, she still maintained her fierce combat power without food, drink, or sleep. Facing such an invincible foe, they'd long wanted to retreat.

They hadn't retreated because no one wanted to be the first to flee and take the blame, and also because some family or sect members had gone to the Central Plains—retreating now would mean betraying them.

But now, with Tenno as an excuse, everyone was eager to withdraw. Within mere minutes, even the ninja on the front lines executing the attrition tactic had pulled back.

……

"That's it?" Dailisi, who had already erected the Rainbow Bridge atop the mountain, sneered twice as the ninja retreated. With this unmistakable act of surrender, the right of duel activated: the Jorogumo's鎮木 cracked like a spiderweb, its once-solid faith shattered instantly, dissolving into scattered, drifting fragments of diffuse belief that floated into the sky.

After days of fighting, she hadn't just enjoyed herself—she'd also advanced her Valkyrie role-play progress to an absurd level. If things continued smoothly, even if the Heavenly Realm had no vacancy, she could forge her own new Valkyrie divine seat.

"It's just that these spirits are a bit weak."

Holding the ninja souls she'd intercepted with the Rainbow Bridge, Dailisi shook her head slightly. Their fearlessness was admirable, but their soul strength was too low. After a moment's thought, she recalled a case from her textbook, immediately mashed together the ninja souls she'd crushed over these days, added a touch of the Hunted Element, stamped them with her Semi-Finished Product Valkyrie divine seat, and forcibly fused dozens of souls into one.

"This is barely enough. Basing it on occupation, fusing an entire group into a single spirit—barely meets the requisition standard. What's this occupation called again? Whatever. After being washed by the Hunted Element, they're all Vengeful Souls anyway—call them 'Hunters.'"

Dailisi retracted the Rainbow Bridge and tucked the spirit-body into the temporary Spirit Hall that had formed with her divine seat's consolidation. Legend said the first Valkyrie used this to carry fallen warriors' spirits to the true Spirit Hall.

But with technological advancement, they now use automated spirit-retrieval tech modeled after the Heavenly Court's system—official Valkyries merely need to deploy a Rainbow Bridge to filter qualified souls.

Dailisi, of course, couldn't access that system now, so she simply kept it tucked in her pocket.

"By the way, after fighting so long, Yamata no Orochi's faith is basically shattered—shouldn't reform for decades. That demon god should…" "What the hell?! What's going on?!"

Dailisi nearly bulged her beautiful eyes out of their sockets, her brain buzzing—before her, the readings had turned completely blood-red, the massive number making her too terrified to count the zeros.

"Good, it's just a warning reading—the precise reading hasn't turned red yet… good… good for 【BEEP—】!"

Dailisi cursed in her native tongue, her wildly fluctuating divine power shaking the entire mountain.

The fleeing Nihon cultivators sensed that terrifying aura and sped up their retreat even further.

"That doesn't make sense! Yamata no Orochi's faith was shattered by my duel right—even if it hadn't vanished, it shouldn't be responsive at all for a long time! Why is the reading still spiking?!"

Dailisi was completely unaware of her own problem. She stared, her slowed-down brain straining to its limit, finally locking onto the retreating cultivators below—

"Ah! Why are they retreating? If they'd kept fighting, I wouldn't have shattered Yamata no Orochi's faith so quickly! Are they doing this on purpose? Or did they come here just to buy time?"

Dailisi had a sudden insight and activated her Hunted Power again. This time, she felt that bone-deep connection once more, crystal clear.

"So you've come back silently, have you? Now that faith is shattered, I want to see what tricks you still have!"

Dailisi clenched her silver teeth, flicked the reins, and the radiant steed, having tasted victory in battle, obediently spread its wings. A luminous path stretched from the mountain peak to the clouds; with a shrill "Neigh!", Dailisi spurred her horse skyward, racing toward the city of Uota…

(End of Chapter)