Chapter 193

Amidst the deafening roar, the small wooden fish that had fallen to the ground finally shattered completely in Uesugi Toru's eyes as he rapidly retreated!

Replacing it were ancient trees, black rocks, and bright flames that suddenly swelled in the gentle breeze, slowly surging forth from the darkness within the wooden fish.

Uesugi Toru stared fixedly at that Damo's Teacher, unknown yokai, which in the span of a breath had swollen from fist-size to the size of a single person and was still continuing to swell, no longer sparing a glance at Damo to the side.

Because the Mirror of the Mind in his heart had begun to tremble wildly the very first moment this wooden fish appeared, bringing an indescribable sense of crisis!

Uesugi Toru also did not not want to seize this "transformation time" before his eyes and slash out with all his might in one strike.

But his intuition told him not to do so.

If he wanted to seize this so-called opening to attack, his end would probably be very miserable.

Then let us wait.

Uesugi Toru tightly gripped Kaga Kiyomitsu, who was still exceptionally excited without any awareness, and withdrew both his Gang Qi circulation and lightning radiance back to his body surface, ready at any moment to respond to this unknown Great Demon's first strike.

Just under his silent gaze, a towering yokai stood upon the earth, far taller and more robust than the Mountain Whale King, nearly comparable to that Kisaragi Station which finally moved.

The left half of this mountain-like colossal yokai consisted of intertwined thick ancient trees of emerald green.

Faintly, exposed gray rock strata could still be seen at the joints' connections, and thick, damp green moss spread among them like some mysterious ancient symbols.

The right half revealed volcanic rock shaped like toned muscles.

Thick muscle-like textures cracked, and scattered crimson-gold glow bloomed between the dark red stone patterns; with its every minute movement, fine rock dust fell to the ground, turning to powder.

"Inhale— Exhale—!"

It straightened its spine, revealing brow bones and a crown of ancient trees atop its head wrapped in silver-white lichen, then opened its giant mouth composed of trees and stones, emitting a breathing sound like mountain wind.

Those pupils composed of obsidian gazed down at Uesugi Toru from on high, and in the depths of the pupils was precisely that swaying bright flame, tiny yet dazzling beyond compare.

A huge crimson prompt like blood spanned across the azure sky.

——【Dai Ta Hoshi (Three-Star Half)】!

Uesugi Toru roughly sized up the Dai Ta Hoshi, at least twenty meters tall, then lowered his head to look at Kaga Kiyomitsu in his hand, only sixty or seventy centimeters long.

This, how to fight?

This time is different from the Kisaragi Station incident——Kisaragi Station's entire body materials were merely ordinary building materials, cement and timber, at most mixed with a few steel bars in between.

But the Dai Ta Hoshi before his eyes?

Thousand-year ancient trees, ten-thousand-year giant rocks……

The very first moment he saw this crimson prompt, Uesugi Toru completely perceived the difference between the Dai Ta Hoshi and the previous Kaifangzhu, and even the Mountain Whale King.

Even though all three were 【Three-Star Half】, the gap in strength among them could not be calculated by reason at all.

Between Three-Star Halves, there are also gaps!

And this gap is too large!

Uesugi Toru's intuition told him that even if Kaifangzhu and the Mountain Whale King attacked together, they would probably be easily crushed by this Dai Ta Hoshi who had not spoken a word since revealing its true body.

He took a deep breath, trying to make Kaga Kiyomitsu expand the Separation Sorrow Domain further, so as to reduce the Dai Ta Hoshi's movement speed.

The Dai Ta Hoshi likewise did not move, merely letting its imposing aura spread; its purpose in manifesting was only to buy time for Damo to leave.

Fighting to the death upon meeting, that sort of thing, this old man is no longer good at.

The Heaven and Earth Revival bitterly awaited for two hundred years is just around the corner, so how could it throw away its life on an opponent with no life-and-death enmity at this time?

Even if this opponent does not look like he could threaten it much.

Uesugi Toru narrowed his eyes: "This Dai Ta Hoshi, I'm afraid is on the same level as the White Bone Wax Figure encountered in Edo Castle, perhaps even higher……"

The waters of Three-Star Half run too deep.

Kaifangzhu is Three-Star Half, Dai Ta Hoshi is Three-Star Half, and even Huijue who could treat these few like children and beat them violently is also Three-Star Half.

Further up, Aibetsuri and Minami Rituna during the Red Tide arrival were even Three-Star Half.

Judging from the Spirit Power fluctuations at the time, if not for Minami Rituna deliberately finding an open battlefield, her and Aibetsuri moving and fighting could easily have destroyed most of, or even the entire Arakawa Ward.

Three-Star Half, as the final stage before breaking through to Ghost God.

Its unknown degree is like a dark, deep ocean trench; at every deeper layer there are more powerful predators, and one never knows when the bottom will be reached.

The gap between the strong and weak among them is probably even larger than between One-Star and Three-Star Half!

Uesugi Toru carefully sensed the omnipresent murderous intent emanating from the Dai Ta Hoshi.

He could feel that if he moved even slightly, he would suffer an onslaught from the Dai Ta Hoshi's four directions eight sides, like terrifying waves.

"Young Onmyoji…… no, now I should call you young Prajna…… forget it, titles don't matter anyway."

The Dai Ta Hoshi opened its mouth after seeing Damo silently bow and depart, emitting a voice carrying a strong sulfur smell,

"Kid, I have no intention of engaging in any slaughter with you——as long as you let Damo go."

Uesugi Toru glanced at that monk who was leaving somewhat unwillingly.

He recalled the words spoken when the wooden fish appeared earlier, and calmly asked: "Dai Ta Hoshi, judging from your words just now, are you and that Damo both members of the Yokai Guide Association?"

The Dai Ta Hoshi, addressed by name by a stranger at their first meeting, let out a surprised "Huh?".

It then said: "Correct, Damo is a genius rarely seen in a hundred years in our Yokai Guide Association, so if you want to kill Damo, you are opposing me, and the entire Yokai Guide Association."

Hearing these words, Uesugi Toru, who had originally also wanted to settle things peacefully and first resolve the Yoshida Castle and Sickness and Suffering problems, raised his blade again.

A genius of the Yokai Guide Association five hundred years ago…… placed into the Genjitsu five hundred years later, what would he grow into?

Ghost God?

Or even higher than Ghost God, at the same level as that Factory Master Z who could instant-kill oneself with a single glance?

Uesugi Toru's pupils were coldly indifferent.

And there was the Dai Ta Hoshi before him giving him heavy pressure.

Even if the Dai Ta Hoshi's aptitude was mediocre from now on, as a mountain spirit type yokai with almost no lifespan limit, no matter how it spent five hundred years it should have broken through to Ghost God.

That is to say, right now is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity to eliminate two future existences above Ghost God from the Yokai Guide Association!

The Dai Ta Hoshi keenly detected that wisp of murderous intent welling up anew on Uesugi Toru.

Why is this?

Clearly just now it felt Uesugi Toru had dispelled his hostility.

Great Master Damo rumbled: "Kid, if Damo has offended you somewhere, tell me."

"Actually, no."

Uesugi Toru shook his head, using the blade tip of Kaga Kiyomitsu to measure against Great Master Damo's mountain-like body several times, and within a short half-breath had already squeezed his physical potential to the limit.

—Though the Great Master Damo before him exerted pressure that made one somewhat breathless, his own current state was likewise at its peak.

Who is stronger or weaker can only be confirmed after exchanging blows.

The Fifth Form of Corona Breathing Technique was activated silently.

He sighed softly: "It's just that if you don't die, my heart cannot be at ease."

Wrapped in the circulation of Gang Qi, not a single wisp of Corona Qi or lightning leaked through his body, Uesugi Toru like a ghost silently arrived behind Great Master Damo.

And just as he was about to swing Kaga Kiyomitsu, Great Master Damo, as if prescient, swung his right arm made of volcanic rock thunderously at where he was.

Boom boom boom!

The air was squeezed by the high-temperature rock arm, emitting a dull roar.

That which blocked out all sunlight, like a falling giant arm, in an instant reached before Uesugi Toru, carrying temperatures of several hundred to over a thousand degrees.

Crashed down thunderously!

A pale ring-shaped blade light simultaneously bloomed in midair, deeply biting into that right arm.

Crack crack.

Uesugi Toru, whose body surface was only slightly scorched from clinging closely, after one strike retreated far away, watching Gang Qi and thunder explode within that wound tens of centimeters deep.

Then silently disappeared.

Compared to Great Master Damo's body of several meters at every turn, one strike only able to cut tens of centimeters of Kaga Kiyomitsu was indeed somewhat powerless.

Let alone...

Uesugi Toru felt his arm numbed from that strike just now, the corner of his mouth twitching.

He moved his wrist slightly, then heard Great Master Damo's hearty laughter press down like mountain cries and sea roars,

"Since you chose to fight, then come on, you kid with hopes of Ghost Gods!"

Great Master Damo's body like black clouds pressing down: "Being able to kill a genius like you, I also feel very honored."

Ancient trees extended, rock arms waved, countless spores and mist spread out.

Dust and smoke tens of meters high shot into the sky.

Then, was split open from the center by flashing thunder!

Revealing Uesugi Toru's body, ruined to pits and hollows, yet not a drop of blood spilled.

Triggering Berserk, Prajna tasted the familiar pain, revealing a hideous smile: "Saying such words before even half the match, isn't that too arrogant?"

"—Who dies, not necessarily."

West of Yoshida Castle, near the edge of the woods.

Imagawa Yoshimoto riding atop Mountain Whale King's head saw Great Master Damo's head, and that dust and dirt spraying up tens of meters high time and again, deeply frowning and asking,

"Lord Whale Three, can you sense what is happening outside Yoshida Castle?"

"Yokai."

Mountain Whale King's whole body tensed, staring fixedly at that direction in a deep voice: "A yokai far stronger than me."

Imagawa Yoshimoto gripped the sword hilt for an instant, then relaxed it again.

She lowered her slightly worried eyes,

"At that critical moment, we must also prepare for the worst."

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

"What's wrong, kid! Weren't you just so arrogant! Why aren't you counterattacking at all now?!"

Great Master Damo, forced to choose to meet the enemy, laughed wildly, the long-absent dullness and gloom quickly disappearing with his constantly falling double fists.

Its pair of obsidian pupils tightly locked onto Uesugi Toru constantly flashing in the dust and smoke, and the following fists would fall.

Fast.

Great Master Damo's movements were too fast.

Clearly a huge body tens of meters tall, yet when moving it was more agile than anyone.

This completely violated the common sense that the larger the body, the clumsier!

Every time Uesugi Toru needed to dodge three or five punches before finding a chance to draw his blade.

But a single slash on Great Master Damo's body was completely ineffective, and even while fighting it could recover.

—The activated Kisaragi Station before this Great Master Damo would probably be smashed to pieces in three punches.

"This health bar is too thick."

And it even healed while fighting, with the effects of Separation Sorrow Domain and Thunder Technique both being offset and eroded by the moss on Great Master Damo's body.

His body surface almost torn to not a single piece of good flesh, Uesugi Toru who had pushed Berserk to nearly its maximum squinted his eyes.

Then in the instant that giant hand swung over, he sprang from the ground, drilling into that palm wrapped in high temperature.

Slice!

A snow-bright blade light emerged from within Great Master Damo's right hand, severing that index finger, whose circumference required several people to embrace, root and all.

Since the war began, Uesugi Toru's greatest victory had not yet touched the ground before he blasted it to pieces with lightning, preventing the Great Taoist Master from directly reattaching it.

"Oh?"

The Great Taoist Master's movement paused, then he laughed to the sky: "This feeling of pain, truly something not experienced in a hundred years!"

"Hah……"

Uesugi Toru sensed that the Gang Qi within his body had been consumed by more than half and his Spirit Power was bottoming out, and helplessly exhaled a breath.

After the Berserk Amplification greatly enhanced his physique, the Great Taoist Master's speed indeed became inferior to his.

But no matter how he slashed with Kaga Kiyomitsu, Uesugi Toru found it difficult to inflict a fatal wound on him.

Such a large body indeed allows one to do as one pleases.

If only he could shrink this Great Taoist Master by three or four times, he would have already slain the other party.

Continuing like this, he might be suddenly slain by the Great Taoist Master's hidden trump card at the moment his resources were exhausted.

Although dying in the Sengoku Period still allowed resurrection……but Uesugi Toru felt now was not the time to expose this method.

"No choice."

Uesugi Toru suddenly stood not far from the Great Taoist Master, drawing its curious gaze.

The Great Taoist Master shouted loudly: "Kid, use whatever other methods you have……don't say after going underground that this old man bullied a young person."

"Originally, I didn't want to use it here."

Uesugi Toru reached out and removed the Prajna Mask from his face.

His faint Ghost God aura instantly dissipated completely, causing the bright fire in the Great Taoist Master's pupils to leap twice.

Strange.

This kid, clearly should be a Yokai with Ghost God potential……how could just removing a mask cause the Yokai aura on his body to vanish completely?

The Great Taoist Master withdrew his previous decision.

It now decided that if this kid moved even slightly, it would seize the opportunity at the fastest speed and crush the other party to bits.

Right under the Great Taoist Master's eyelids, Uesugi Toru silently transformed into a Four-Tailed Fox, then gently clicked "Anger" with his mind.

【Anger: During Skill Duration, All Attributes Double, All Skill Cooldown Half, lasting One Hour. After Skill Ends, within 48 hours, All Attributes Fixed at 5.】

That is to say, Uesugi Toru's current Attribute Panel became as follows——

【Uesugi Toru (Yokai Avatar · Four-Tailed Fox)】

【Physique: 71→142】

【Will: 37→74】

【Charm: 21→42】

【Spirit Arts: 89→178】

Silence.

It seemed time passed no differently than the previous second.

But the Great Taoist Master inexplicably felt instinctively that it should not have waited just now.

As if that brief moment just now was the only chance to slay this kid.

It narrowed its eyes, yet detected no change in the aura of that kid not far away.

Why did I think that?

But the next moment, the Great Taoist Master saw Uesugi Toru suddenly raise his head and smile at it,

"Oh, am I still maintaining the Thousand Faces effect?"

"Sorry, forgot to dispel it……"

Accompanied by a dreamlike sound like a bubble bursting, the Great Taoist Master's eyes no longer held the ordinary human who had removed the mask.

But rather, a Four-Tailed Fox with four blood-colored fox tails swaying behind it, smiling happily at him……

Four-Tailed Fox!

The air seemed to solidify under the effect of that deep, sea-like demonic aura.

The Great Taoist Master's stiffened aura wrapped around it bit by bit, causing it to feel as if falling into the Abyss.

How……how is this possible!?

How is this possible!!!

It roared in its heart, bellowed, but its mountain-like body could not move an inch.

Move, and die!

——Just now it was merely a Prajna kid with some scattered Ghost God aura and Ghost God potential, how could he transform into such a terrifying Four-Tailed Fox!

Such an aura was simply similar to those few great Sovereigns!

Ghost God.

Two vivid words appeared in the Great Taoist Master's heart.

Only Ghost Gods deserve to possess such a despair-inducing aura.

But if this Four-Tailed Fox is a Ghost God, then why did it fight with it for so long before?

Playing around!?

No……this Four-Tailed Fox had not even attacked the relatively weak self until now.

The Great Taoist Master thought with difficulty in his heart: "If this scene is a fox borrowing a tiger's might, disguising its aura, it is not impossible."

No matter what, I cannot sit here waiting for death, giving the other party more preparation time.

Just as the Great Taoist Master raised his right foot, wanting to activate Earthquake, he saw the blood-furred Four-Tailed Fox take out a Folding Fan and gently unfold it.

It heard him softly say,

"Lightning, come."

Above the clear sky, a deep-purple lightning dragon let out a long cry and plunged down furiously!

Great Master Dada felt that both his own awareness and his precise control over his flesh were paralyzed, melting… beneath this sudden lightning.

Looking at Great Master Dada, who was still being pierced through by one lightning dragon after another, Uesugi Toru lowered his head, stroking the folding fan in his hand that had sprouted specks of charring,

"So this is the limit of the Blessed Folding Fan……"

After his Spirit Technique Attribute leapt from forty-something points in its original Prajna Incarnation form to 178 points, Uesugi Toru found the spirit power he had previously consumed hardly worth mentioning.

And the lightning dragons that kept descending from the Sky above, forcibly controlling Great Master Dada before his eyes, were formed from him infusing roughly one-tenth of his spirit power.

The upper limit of this folding fan that had accompanied him for a long time had finally appeared.

Because after using "Anger," the label above Great Master Dada's head had changed from blood-red to harmless colorless, so Uesugi Toru was not too eager to finish him off.

Instead, he used the range of influence of these lightning dragons to estimate the gap between himself and Rituna Minami in the Red Tide.

As a result,

the gap was still too great.

Not to mention Rituna Minami, he now probably couldn't even compare to the Demon Chariot that Ai had incarnated as back then.

Dispelling the thought of comparison in his heart, Uesugi Toru raised his head,

"Speaking of which, it really is spectacular."

Gazing at those lifelike, gorgeous lightning dragons falling, Uesugi Toru held Kaga Kiyomitsu, which hummed faintly in his heartstrings, as if sighing at his power.

Then he slowly approached Great Master Dada.

Uesugi Toru asked casually: "Xiao Jia, do you want to eat it?"

The eating here naturally meant turning Great Master Dada into Kaga Kiyomitsu's Soul Spirit Points—after all, the previous three-head, three-star-or-higher Sickness Retainers had all become Soul Ash.

Hum.

Kaga Kiyomitsu expressed the emotion of "not needed" in the heartstrings.

And through Uesugi Toru's rough translation of the "Jia language," Kaga Kiyomitsu seemed to be saying,

"As long as the Owner slays yokai while holding me, that's enough; no need to consume more of the Owner's resources."

Xiao Jia, unexpectedly a bit sensible.

Rumble…

As the last lightning dragon was infused into Great Master Dada's body, Uesugi Toru clicked his tongue: "Took so much lightning life force and hasn't even dropped half…

This health bar is absurdly thick."

Uesugi Toru stood before this mountain-like Great Master Dada, slowly raising the uchigatana in his hand,

"Xiao Jia, let's go."

Hum!

A rich pale-white color gathered on Kaga Kiyomitsu's blade; it was fully prepared.

—Because he would need to use the Five Thunder Technique to clean up the omnipresent Sickness Retainers upon entering the city later, Uesugi Toru didn't want to expend too much more spirit power here.

Therefore, he would simply use his Gang Qi, swordsmanship, and Kaga Kiyomitsu to deal with Great Master Dada before him.

"Corona Breathing Method·Form Five."

Uesugi Toru murmured softly, and the Gang Qi circulating on his body surface turned pure white in an instant.

If he released his Gang Qi circulation, the Gang Qi erupting from within him would surely shoot straight to the clouds, forming clouds with an azure background.

Then, Uesugi Toru assumed the unadorned Three-Stage Thrust stance.

He stepped forward.

At this moment, Great Master Dada also gradually regained control of his body from the paralysis of the thunder,

it said hoarsely, the silver-white at its brow beginning to spread at a visible speed,

"Don't think only you have…"

Crack.

Before the silver-white could continue spreading, the bright fire in Great Master Dada's long-absent fierce pupils froze along with his words.

A crisp shattering sound rang out.

Crack.

Crack.

One after another.

Tiny cracks began to spread across Great Master Dada's sturdy body made of ancient wood and giant rock, growing larger with the passage of time.

Until a huge crack split the fire in his pupils in two.

Rumble.

The majestic body that had once borne the great demon's centuries of insight, ambition, and vast life force like the sea shattered silently, piece by piece falling onto the earth equally covered in cracks.

Uesugi Toru, walking beneath Great Master Dada, lowered his head and rubbed his fingertip.

The Gang Qi within him, which had expanded by who knows how many times, had already been completely exhausted in that earlier unremarkable Three-Stage Thrust.

Only thus could he thoroughly, without leaving a trace, from core to body surface, slaughter this Great Master Dada with unbelievable life force into nothing.

Feeling fatigue constantly coming from all parts of his body, Uesugi Toru sighed: "As expected, every great demon above three stars has something extraordinary."

He raised his head and let the half-dead birds that saw him instantly kill Great Master Dada fly away.

Uesugi Toru felt that even he now could not possibly kill every single Sickness Retainer in Yoshida Castle.

Since that was the case, he might as well let some go, so they could tell Sickness that this opponent was not to be trifled with.

If he could make Sickness retreat due to knowing the difficulty, that would be best.

After all, his current task was to assist Imagawa Yoshimoto in suppressing Mikawa, and then become the Lord of Tokaido, without clearly stating that he must exorcise Sickness.

Even with "Anger" and the Special Affairs Division's data as hidden trump cards, Uesugi Toru truly felt that an opponent like Sickness was not easy to deal with, and he had absolutely no certainty of victory.

At least, not with his current strength.

"Never mind, let's take it one step at a time."

Uesugi Toru looked around, and upon discovering no trace of Damo, could only lightly step forward, heading toward Imagawa Yoshimoto's position outside Yoshida Castle.

……

West Mikawa, inside the Pure Land True Sect.

The Sickness and Suffering, who was happily eating his vegetarian meal, paused slightly, his expression turning subtle.

—The Karma Sick Old Man, Suffering Binding, and Scabby Monk sent to Yoshida Castle actually all died together in a short span of time?

You must know, he had specifically had many retainers block Imagawa Yoshimoto's army, so their three deaths were definitely unrelated to that massive army.

Moreover, Damo still had that old demon from the Demon Guidance Association lying in wait on him; it was considerably more powerful than even this avatar of his.

And yet, they still died?

The situation is wrong.

Was it done by that Great Onmyoji who's been famous lately, or did that old Sword Saint happen to pass by and cut them down?

The Sickness and Suffering said not a word, merely rolling his eyeballs around.

These past days, what he wanted was actually more or less gathered; a little short was a little short, and after Heaven and Earth Revival he could just spend more time grinding.

If this avatar were to be lost in the Present World, it would be too great a loss — everything from this trip to the Present World couldn't make up for such a huge hole.

As for the remaining retainers, and this Pure Land True Sect?

He was returning to the Constant World anyway, what did any of this have to do with him anymore……

Thinking to this point, the Sickness and Suffering hurriedly finished the vegetarian meal in his bowl, then silently rose, wanting to leave this damn Buddhist place.

"Benefactor Sickness and Suffering, please wait."

A burly figure suddenly appeared, blocking the Sickness and Suffering's path.

Renko smiled: "Benefactor Sickness and Suffering, your steps are so hurried, where are you headed?"

The Sickness and Suffering replied without changing expression: "Going into the city to check on the seeds' growth."

"Quite a coincidence, this poor monk has nothing to do today."

Renko pressed his palms together in prayer, gripping the thick Buddha beads blooming with Buddha light: "How about walking together with this benefactor?"

The side hall instantly fell into a viscous, dead silence.

The Sickness and Suffering silently stared at Renko, stared at the Pure Land True Sect Patriarch behind him who had already begun blooming a Vow Power Light Wheel.

He said coldly: "Patriarch, rashly connecting such vast vow power to your consciousness, be careful you truly transform into a Buddha who saves from suffering."

Renko grinned: "What this poor monk does now, how does it differ from saving from suffering?"

"Patriarch, we've cooperated until now, no need to speak to the final step, right?"

The face of the little novice monk the Sickness and Suffering had transformed into went stiff, speaking mechanically.

Renko continued gently: "Wonder what the benefactor thinks — at the time of Heaven and Earth Revival, how about obtaining half the vow power within Nishio Castle?"

—No matter what, Renko absolutely could not let the Sickness and Suffering leave the Pure Land True Sect at this time point.

Because if the Sickness and Suffering left, those retainers would leave or lose control……

In that case, I fear before the time of Heaven and Earth Revival even arrives, the Imagawa Clan's army will have razed all his Pure Land True Sect temples to the ground.

From Renko's understanding of that woman, she would absolutely do such a thing, and absolutely had the capability to complete it.

If it truly came to that, the Buddha statues storing vow power would be toppled, and everything would truly be empty.

Renko could not endure such a thing.

Hearing Renko's words, a trace of vivid expression surfaced again on the Sickness and Suffering's stiff face.

Half the vow power……

"In that case, it can be discussed."

……

"Lord Imagawa, the great demons outside the city have all been slain."

Uesugi Toru, who had once again used Thousand Faces·Modified to conceal his aura, spoke to the Mountain Whale King who looked stunned and vigilant, and Imagawa Yoshimoto who visibly relaxed,

"We can enter the city now."

Seeing the Mountain Whale King's expression churning, looking like he wanted to ask but didn't dare, Uesugi Toru knew it had likewise sensed that four-tailed fox's aura at that time.

So Uesugi Toru looked at it calmly: "That great demon is likewise my shikigami, but the backlash from summoning it is large, so unless it's a desperate situation I absolutely won't use it."

The Mountain Whale King, having its doubt answered, revealed a look of sudden realization.

But immediately after, it stared tightly at Uesugi Toru again.

—Even such a powerful great demon can be subdued, just how strong is this kid's true strength!?

—No wonder, he's a friend of the great Tenko Adult.

Thinking of this, the Mountain Whale King suddenly felt relieved.

Because an existence able to become friends with the great Tenko Adult is naturally something it can't even remotely reach.

Imagawa Yoshimoto, however, jumped down from atop the Mountain Whale King's head, came close to examine Uesugi Toru: "Tetsu-kun, any injuries?"

Uesugi Toru slightly cupped his hands: "Replying to Lord Imagawa, injuries have all healed, now only a bit of fatigue."

"Then let's go." Imagawa Yoshimoto's lip corners curved for an instant, squeezing out two fleeting dimples, "Enter the city by the method Tetsu-kun you mentioned before."

Uesugi Toru acknowledged, walked toward the two horses that had been scared stiff-legged by the previous great demon's aura, soothed them with scattered gang qi for a good while before they returned to normal,

"These two horses are really scared witless."

Having Imagawa Yoshimoto mount, then calling the Mountain Whale King to shrink again, Uesugi Toru's group hurried back toward Yoshida Castle.

Without the previous retainer army and great demons blocking the way, this stretch of road seemed very short.

In just a few minutes, Uesugi Toru was riding a horse following behind Imagawa Yoshimoto, truly stepping within Yoshida Castle's bounds.

Within his perception field, which was incomparably vast and covered nearly half of Yoshida Castle, although many of the half-dead birds had flown away, most of the other retainers still remained foolishly in place.

Still diligently carrying out the tasks that Sickness and Suffering had assigned to them.

He could use the Five Thunder Technique to exterminate eighty or ninety percent of them, but then Kaga Kiyomitsu would not be able to harvest any Soul Spirit Points.

So Uesugi Toru thought for a moment, then patted his waist.

"Xiao Jia, go hunt on your own."

Hum—

Kaga Kiyomitsu slid out of its sheath with a flash, startling the residents who were peering at them through the cracks in the houses.

Uesugi Toru raised his gaze once more, letting countless precisely powered bolts of thunder fall within his perception field, exterminating the corresponding Sickness Retainers one by one.

Countless streaks of lightning illuminated those hesitant, fear-filled pupils.

During the time the lightning fell, Uesugi Toru stood on horseback at the gateway of Yoshida Castle together with Imagawa Yoshimoto.

Rustling sounds of conversation came from the houses in the streets and alleys.

"The sword, the sword flew away!?"

"Someone pinch me, is this some kind of legend?"

"Lightning! It's lightning! He is the Great Onmyoji Toru!"

"What about those terrifying man-eating yokai?"

"Nonsense, of course they were all killed by the Great Onmyoji Adult! Didn't you hear the earth-shaking commotion outside the city a while ago?"

Uesugi Toru listened and discovered something was off.

How come they're all praising me?

Although this is only natural, it's not the result Uesugi Toru wanted.

Enough people in the Tokaido region already know his title of Great Onmyoji; even if he made all the residents of Yoshida Castle remember it firmly, it wouldn't add more than a few points of Reputation.

Later he'd have to say a few more words to make the commoners' impression of Imagawa Yoshimoto surpass his own.

Uesugi Toru, expressionless, waited boredly for the news of his and Imagawa Yoshimoto's arrival to ferment and spread.

Hmm... let's check the harvest from killing so many yokai first.

【You killed Daidahoshi (Three-Star Half), gained 1008 Soul Ash!】

【You killed Sickness Retainer: Kufu (Three-Star), gained 552 Soul Ash!】

【You killed Sickness Retainer: Kaibozu (Three-Star Half), gained 711 Soul Ash!】

【You used Kaga Kiyomitsu: Blade of Parting to kill Daidahoshi, Kaga Kiyomitsu's quality Medium Increase!】

【Your Skill, Five Thunder Method: Kiai Proficiency +141!】

【Your Skill, Tennen Rishin-ryu Proficiency +88!】

Soul Ash and Proficiency are just fixed income, nothing to be surprised about.

Uesugi Toru exhaled, lowering his gaze.

What comes next is the main event.

Who knows what kind of harvest that Daidahoshi, which burst out a full thousand points of Soul Ash, will bring him!

(End of Chapter)