Chapter 801: The Saigyou Ayakashi and Saigyouji Yuyuko

The sun gradually slanted to the west, and Lingyun's figure appeared before a Japanese-style building.

"Hmm, there is a trace of lingering Youkai Qi in the air. In other words, was the one who fought the Saigyou Ayakashi earlier a Youkai?" Lingyun reached out and grabbed; a wisp of Youkai Qi appeared in his hand, then dissipated.

"A Youkai capable of making the Saigyou Ayakashi suffer must be at the peak level among Great Youkai. I just don't know if this Great Youkai ultimately survived. Moreover, according to the information I gathered, that young girl named Saigyouji Yuyuko has been stationed in this courtyard for a very long time now. If we include Saigyouji Yuyuko herself, if she isn't the one who fought the Saigyou Ayakashi, then it must be the Sage of Youkai, Yakumo Yukari, right? In that case, she should still be alive." Lingyun thought with a touch of dark humor.

Lingyun stood outside the gate, looking toward the center of the courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard stood a massive cherry blossom tree that appeared withered. Although the cherry tree looked dried up, Lingyun still sensed a majestic aura emanating from it.

Lingyun had also heard of the legend of the Saigyou Ayakashi. It is said that a long time ago, there was a highly respected saint of song. When this saint of song grew old and felt that his time was running out, he found a cherry blossom tree and entered eternal sleep beneath it. This ordinary cherry tree seemed to have absorbed some kind of power from the saint of song, causing its blossoms to bloom ever more luxuriantly and beautifully, attracting more and more people.

It seems that because the saint of song chose to sleep eternally under this tree, many people whose lifespans were nearing their end believed this cherry tree possessed something extraordinary, so they also chose to sleep eternally beneath it. Under these circumstances, the cherry tree's blossoms grew even more lush, and more and more people came to sleep eternally beneath it.

Later on, it is unknown what mutation occurred in this cherry tree; it actually became capable of absorbing the Death Qi produced by the deceased, while simultaneously turning the dead into its own nourishment, gradually growing into a demonic tree capable of leading people toward death.

However, this was only the beginning. As it absorbed more and more Death Qi, the cherry tree underwent yet another mutation. Its original ability to guide creatures nearing death to come here for eternal sleep mutated into an evil Youkai that induced all living things to come here and die. Not only humans, but even some Youkai who came here could not resist sleeping eternally in this place. And the Youkai Qi of these Youkai further accelerated the growth of this cherry tree.

As the situation continued to ferment, more and more people slept eternally under this cherry tree, and the power of the cherry tree grew increasingly vast. People finally discovered the abnormal nature of this cherry tree. In the end, human Onmyoji, Demon Exorcists, and Ascetic Monks, in alliance with the then-extremely powerful Saigyouji Clan, sacrificed countless lives to finally establish a Seal Barrier that sealed this cherry tree away.

From then on, this cherry tree had a name: Saigyou Ayakashi. To prevent the Saigyou Ayakashi from causing chaos again, the Saigyouji Clan also sent people to be stationed within this barrier. However, even though the Saigyou Ayakashi was sealed, it still possessed powerful abilities, constantly inducing the Saigyouji Clan members stationed here to walk toward death. Therefore, those who guarded this place were often the strongest individuals within the Saigyouji Clan. But even they found it difficult to resist the Saigyou Ayakashi's power for long, so the guardians here had to be replaced every so often.

However, all of this changed completely after the appearance of a young girl named Yuyuko. From the moment of her birth, Saigyouji Yuyuko possessed the ability to control spirits. After discussions within the family, they unanimously agreed that Yuyuko was the best candidate heaven had bestowed to seal the Saigyou Ayakashi.

It was precisely for this reason that Yuyuko was sent to this courtyard when she was very young. The purpose was to allow Yuyuko to establish an intangible connection with the Saigyou Ayakashi, preparing for the future sealing of the Saigyou Ayakashi. And because of her own connection to the Saigyou Ayakashi, the young girl would inevitably die after sealing it.

Regarding this predetermined fate, the kind-hearted Yuyuko did not feel sorrow. Perhaps she was surprised, but in the end, she chose to agree. This was the mission for which she was born, and furthermore, she believed it was a worthy thing to trade her own life to save the lives of many others. And in the end of the story, Saigyouji Yuyuko did indeed use herself as a sacrifice to completely seal the Saigyou Ayakashi.

"A predetermined fate? That really is a frustrating thing!" Lingyun stood outside the courtyard, clenching his fists.

He did not enter the courtyard directly, but instead waited for the sunset to sink bit by bit below the horizon.

Because this place sealed a demonic tree, no one dared to come here under normal circumstances, so no one noticed that an extra person had appeared here at some unknown time.

As time passed, the night grew deep. Lingyun could feel that the Death Qi, which had previously been mere wisps, began to grow strong. Lingyun could even hear a faint voice appearing in his ear, inducing him to walk toward death.

In Lingyun's perception, this cherry tree had been radiating an aura that induced people toward death from the very beginning; it was just that during the day, under the suppression of the sun, this power was not obvious. But at night, having lost the suppression of the sun's power, this force began to radiate unscrupulously. If not for the Seal Barrier in this courtyard, if this aura had spread out, the city Lingyun had arrived at earlier would have long since become a dead city.

"No wonder no one dares to come to this place; it has completely transformed into the Domain of the Saigyou Ayakashi. Judging by the current situation, the seal on the Saigyou Ayakashi shouldn't last much longer." Lingyun easily dispelled the voice in his mind. "I've been in this world for quite some time now; finally, I can properly stretch my limbs. Let me witness the strength of a top-tier Great Youkai in this world!"

The current time period was exactly when the Saigyou Ayakashi was at its strongest. The reason he waited outside until now was precisely to witness, in its strongest state, whether the Saigyou Ayakashi was stronger or weaker compared to him. After all, the aura radiated at night by this cherry tree, supported by the power of the Netherworld, was not inferior to the Yagokoro Eirin he had encountered earlier. He found it difficult to make a move against Yagokoro Eirin, but he truly felt no pressure at all in dealing with a Saigyou Ayakashi that induced people toward death at every turn.

Lingyun exhaled a breath, his power rising to the extreme in an instant, and he stepped into the courtyard.