Chapter 800: A Chance Encounter

Inside the Bamboo House, Eirin gazed at the book in her hands, her eyes filled with gravity.

"What is it, Eirin? Is there something wrong with this book?" Kaguya asked.

Eirin closed the book, a trace of shock in her eyes: "If this book is truly as he claims, written by him, then this person's strength is likely even more terrifying than we imagined."

"In other words, the content in this book is real?" Kaguya looked at the book in front of her with some pleasant surprise.

"That's right. If one cultivates according to the content recorded in this book, it can indeed strengthen one's Soul Power, which could also be considered as strengthening the survival capabilities of a Hourai Person," Eirin said with a sigh.

"Wait, if that's really the case, doesn't that mean your strength, Eirin, hasn't improved for quite a long time either?" Kaguya looked toward Eirin.

"It doesn't matter. In fact, after the Twilight of the Gods, my strength had already fallen into a bottleneck; taking the Hourai Elixir was not a loss for me," Eirin shook her head and said. "Besides, isn't there a way to make up for it now?"

"By the way, Eirin, I discovered something earlier that left me a bit puzzled," Kaguya suddenly said to Eirin in a mysterious tone.

"What is it?" Eirin asked.

"I don't know if it's my imagination, but the first time I saw Lingyun, I felt a very special sensation about him. It seemed as if there was some kind of connection between him and me in the dark, making me want to get close to him," Kaguya said mysteriously to Lingyun.

"This..." Eirin's eyes narrowed slightly, and she couldn't help but think of the first time she met Lingyun.

At that time, the two of them were on the verge of a battle breaking out, but she had chosen peace at that moment. Wasn't it precisely because she felt a special aura about Lingyun that made her feel she could not move against him?

"Could it be that you have this feeling too, Eirin?" The change in Eirin's expression was very subtle, but their long time spent together still allowed Kaguya to discover a hint of something amiss.

"That's right. The first time I saw him, because I was worried he had designs on you, Princess, I almost took action. It was at that very moment that I felt, in the dark, that if I were to fight him, it would be a very wrong thing to do." Since she had been discovered by her own Princess, Eirin spoke openly.

"Oh, that really is an interesting matter," a flicker of unclear light flashed in Kaguya's eyes. "Eirin, I remember that we should have never encountered Lingyun before, right?"

"No. After I met him for the first time, I conducted an investigation in secret, but I never discovered any intersection between Lingyun and us. Even this person appearing in the eyes of others is something that happened not long ago," Eirin said.

"Then that is interesting. To be able to make both of us feel a sense of closeness, yet never having met us before—I always feel that there are many things hidden within this that we do not know," Kaguya said somewhat lazily. "Then let me look forward a little to what kind of changes this person can bring to our lives!"

Just as Houraisan Kaguya and Eirin were discussing matters related to Lingyun, Lingyun had already arrived in front of a city.

"Is this place the city where the Saigyouji Clan resides?" Lingyun looked at the somewhat gray and gloomy sky, his brows arching involuntarily.

"To think that the sky above this city is actually permeated with wisps of Death Qi." Lingyun turned his hand, and wisps of Death Qi appeared in his palm.

Looking at the Death Qi in his hand, Lingyun frowned slightly. If this Death Qi, which shrouded almost the entire city, was all released by the Saigyou Ayakashi, then the strength of the Saigyou Ayakashi far exceeded his estimates. However, there was something wrong with this; after the Twilight of the Gods, such a powerful Youkai should not be able to exist in this world. However, in legends, the roots of the Saigyou Ayakashi pierced through the rift between the two worlds and infiltrated the Underworld. If the Saigyou Ayakashi could truly borrow the power of the Underworld, then it would not be impossible for it to possess such power.

"Hmm, no, the time this Death Qi appeared in this place does not seem very long; it should have erupted during some incident," Lingyun observed the Death Qi in his hand. "I estimate that someone must have triggered the Saigyou Ayakashi, forcing its instincts to counterattack. And in this battle, the Saigyou Ayakashi likely did not gain the upper hand, and in the end, it had to borrow the power of the Underworld, which is why there is the aura of the Underworld within this Death Qi. As for the final result of the battle, the Saigyou Ayakashi should have won, but it must have paid a not-insignificant price, and even parts of its instincts were wounded, which is what caused this Death Qi to be unconsciously emitted."

Dispersing the Death Qi in his hand, Lingyun looked into the distance; that place was where the Death Qi was most concentrated, which meant that place was where the main body of the Saigyou Ayakashi was located.

"However, who on earth could force the Saigyou Ayakashi into a battle of this degree? Judging from the aura leaking out, the power of the Saigyou Ayakashi should have already reached the peak of what this world calls a Great Youkai, and with the support of the Underworld, the strength of someone who could force it into a bitter battle is likely not inferior to a true god!" Lingyun muttered, a trace of curiosity in his eyes.

"Sir, sir." Just at this moment, a voice sounded beside Lingyun.

Lingyun turned his head to look, and to his surprise, a monk had appeared beside him without him noticing. From that monk, Lingyun sensed powerful strength.

"This humble monk, Myouren, greets you, sir." Sensing the wisps of aura that leaked out when Lingyun looked toward him, the monk bowed to Lingyun. "Just now, you were staring blankly at the city, and I thought you were confused by the Death Qi within this city; now it seems it was this humble monk who was presumptuous."

"It's nothing. I am just traveling here, and having heard that there is an extremely powerful Saigyou Ayakashi here, I came to take a look," Lingyun looked at the monk before him, always feeling that his name sounded somewhat familiar.

"Sir, you must not underestimate that Saigyou Ayakashi; it is an existence that even a Great Onmyouji cannot do anything about. However, this humble monk heard before that that Saigyou Ayakashi has gained a guardian; I do not know if it is true," Myouren said with his hands pressed together.

"A guardian? That is truly interesting," Lingyun's brows arched. "It just so happens that I intend to pay a visit to the Saigyouji Clan; I wonder if the Dharma Master would be willing to accompany me?"

"This... this humble monk has other urgent matters to attend to, so I am afraid I cannot accompany you," a look of difficulty appeared on Myouren's face.

Hearing that Myouren had other urgent matters, Lingyun did not say anything more, bid him farewell, and walked toward the Saigyouji Clan.