Chapter 817: Ibuki Suika

Stepping through the Gap, the scene that appeared before Lingyun was somewhat different from what he had imagined.

Before them was not a gloomy, eerie, Asura-like scene, but a small town that seemed rather ordinary. It was just that this town was somewhat different from an ordinary town; not only was its scale broader than that of a normal town, but it also possessed a rugged style. Most eye-catching of all was a massive plaza located in the center of the town. Perhaps because there was a banquet tonight, Lingyun could see dense crowds of figures in the middle of the plaza.

"Tsk, I seem to have forgotten that the Oni of this world are a bit different from the Oni of other worlds," Lingyun muttered to himself.

"This is our destination," Yakumo Yukari said. "The Oni settlement within Old Hell."

At this moment, Lingyun could not help but marvel at the wonder of Yakumo Yukari's Gap, being able to so easily connect two places separated by an unknown distance with a single Gap.

"Let's go; I wonder if Suika has been waiting impatiently," Yakumo Yukari said to Lingyun.

"Suika? Ibuki Suika?" Lingyun raised an eyebrow.

"That's right," Yakumo Yukari nodded.

Lingyun followed Yakumo Yukari as they flew toward the town, while also listening to Yakumo Yukari introduce information about the Oni. The Oni of this world were fond of wine, fond of battle, and could also be considered hospitable people. However, this hospitality had requirements; if one did not meet the qualifications in the eyes of the Oni, the straightforward Oni would have no interest in paying them any mind.

When the two arrived at the town gate, they were met by several sturdy Oni. Judging by the aura on their bodies, the strength of these individuals could be considered first-rate in this world.

Seeing Lingyun and the other appear, a trace of caution could not help but emerge on the faces of the Oni. One had to know that Yakumo Yukari was very famous among the many Youkai, so they naturally recognized her. But Lingyun, who was following beside Yakumo Yukari, was different; they had never seen such a person before, and coupled with the fact that the aura on Lingyun's body was restrained extremely subtly, he looked no different from an ordinary Human.

Most importantly, there was Lingyun's identity: a Human. In the eyes of the Oni, the vast majority of Humans were not good things; their bodies were fragile, their combat power was insufficient, and they liked to play all sorts of devious tricks. In front of Humans, the straightforward Oni had suffered no small amount of losses, so they looked down upon most Humans. However, this Human was able to follow beside Yakumo Yukari and was even brought here by her to attend the Oni's banquet, which meant that there must be an extraordinary relationship between him and Yakumo Yukari. This situation left the gate-guarding Oni scratching their heads for a moment, not knowing how to handle it.

"Yukari—"

Just as they were hesitating, a voice came from afar. Upon hearing this voice, the gate-guarding Oni collectively breathed a sigh of relief; as for this matter, it was better to leave it to the owner of the voice to resolve.

In Lingyun's line of sight, a figure was rapidly approaching this place, finally landing heavily on the ground, her feet stamping cracks into the ground like a spiderweb, as if the person's body were extremely heavy.

However, after the dust kicked up by the figure dissipated, what appeared before Lingyun and the other was a petite loli. The newcomer had long tea-colored hair and a pair of long horns on her head that looked extremely disproportionate to her body. She wore a white sleeveless top and a purple long skirt, with a large red ribbon bow tied on her head.

The image of the Oni had always been ferocious and terrifying, but this point was not reflected in her. Even though chains were bound around her hands and she was carrying a wine gourd in her right hand, it could not be denied that she looked like a cute loli.

The moment Lingyun saw this loli, he recognized her identity: one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Oni, the petite Night Parade of One Hundred Demons—Ibuki Suika.

"Yukari, you're here..." Ibuki Suika carried the wine gourd and walked toward Yakumo Yukari with a somewhat staggering gait, not forgetting to take a fierce gulp of wine into her mouth.

Seeing Ibuki Suika's appearance, the corner of Yakumo Yukari's mouth could not help but twitch; she was clearly somewhat helpless regarding this top-tier drunkard.

"Mm, I'm here," Yakumo Yukari nodded.

After receiving a response, Ibuki Suika turned her gaze to Lingyun. Then, she suddenly widened her eyes: "A Human?"

As one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Oni, Ibuki Suika was aware of Yakumo Yukari's plan, but now a Human had appeared beside Yakumo Yukari—was this not a joke? Especially since, in her eyes, this Human was still just an ordinary person.

"Don't underestimate him, Suika; haven't you discovered anything unusual?" Yakumo Yukari covered the lower half of her face with her fan and said with a slight smile. "Besides, he is an important part of my plan!"

"An important part of the plan? Anything unusual..." Although Ibuki Suika was naive, she was definitely not a stupid person to be able to become an Oni King.

One had to know that this place was Old Hell, not the World of the Living, and it was filled with powerful Yin Energy. Under these circumstances, if he were truly an ordinary Human, how could he be safe and sound? But since the aura she felt from him was clearly that of an ordinary person, that could only mean one thing: the other party's aura was hidden very well, so well that even she could not see through it, and anyone capable of doing this must be a powerhouse.

Thinking of this, Ibuki Suika suddenly became excited; the Oni were fond of battle, and this was even more so when facing a powerhouse. Immediately, Ibuki Suika suddenly took a step forward and threw a punch with her left hand toward Lingyun.

Seeing Ibuki Suika make a move, a trace of seriousness also appeared on the faces of the gate-guarding Oni; it was not an easy thing to see Ibuki Suika make a move. Watching the fist coming toward him, Lingyun did not dodge or evade, but reached out his hand to meet it directly. The Oni had always been famous for their great strength; the punch Ibuki Suika threw seemed to have no momentum, but Lingyun could feel the powerful force contained within this small fist, enough to shatter a giant boulder into dust.

Fist and palm collided without a sound; Ibuki Suika's figure did not move, and Lingyun's figure did not move either. Ibuki Suika only felt as if her fist had sunk into an incomparably tough net; no matter how powerful her force was, she could not penetrate it.

"Good, good, good, an interesting Human! I acknowledge your strength!" Ibuki Suika withdrew her fist and said with an eager expression.

Looking at Ibuki Suika like this, Lingyun knew that he had piqued her interest. For the naturally forthright Oni, the things they liked most were nothing more than wine and battle, followed by competing with Humans. And Lingyun had just run straight into two of her interests: battle and a Human.

The Oni present could not help but widen their eyes, and there was a bit more respect in the gazes they cast toward Lingyun. Although Ibuki Suika looked petite, her fist was truly not something an average person could take. Yet this thin and weak Human before them had taken it without suffering any damage and even made Ibuki Suika say words of acknowledgment. Clearly, such a person could not be weak. And the Oni liked to challenge powerhouses, while also respecting them.

"Suika, if you want to battle, there will be plenty of opportunities later; there are more important things to do now, right?" Yakumo Yukari said.

"Ah, right, let's go, let's go!" Ibuki Suika jumped up all of a sudden, grabbed Lingyun's hand, and ran toward the town.