Chapter 179

Liu Suifeng and Feihuang were waiting outside.

After Tang Xuanzang entered the house, the lit lights suddenly went out.

"There's movement," Feihuang said softly.

Then, after about ten minutes, the house remained completely still, the door did not open, and the lights did not come back on.

"Let's go in and check!"

Liu Suifeng and Feihuang made a quick decision and entered the house.

Inside this ordinary house, besides a pool of blood in the kitchen, there was nothing else unusual.

"Did you find anything?" The two slightly separated to search, then regrouped at the doorway.

"Nothing. Could it be that they both perished together?" Feihuang wondered, unable to figure it out.

"Never mind, let's head up the mountain first," Liu Suifeng said, somewhat displeased.

I thought I'd found an ally, but in less than half an hour, Nima disappeared? This is too much of a pitfall!

The two did not notice that after the lights went out, the back door of the house opened, someone walked out, and casually closed the door.

Time rewinds to when Tang Luo entered the house.

The sound of casually closing the door startled the "person" inside the house—a kind-eyed, benevolent old woman walked out from the kitchen and stared at Tang Luo in surprise.

Then she revealed a kind smile: "Are you lost?"

"Yes," Tang Luo nodded and said, "Where is this place, and how can I get out?"

"I don't know," the old woman said, "This old lady has lived here for a long time and never thought of leaving. Are you hungry? I'll cook for you."

Good thing it's not downstairs—Tang Luo nodded and agreed.

"Come, come to the kitchen," the old woman said, waving at Tang Luo before retreating into the kitchen.

Tang Luo followed her in, and as soon as he stepped inside, he felt a wave of heat rising from beneath his feet.

Looking down, he saw blood welling up from nowhere covering the tops of his feet, quickly rising to knee height.

A strong fragrance emanated from it.

The surrounding scene—what kitchen? This is basically just a pot!

The blood kept boiling and churning, red "steam" spreading before his eyes, and he could see many corpses sinking and floating in the blood.

Just like a pot of soup.

"This soup, young man, do you like it?"

Layer upon layer of voices echoed around, the old woman's massive head slowly rising from outside the pot, her formerly kind face turning incredibly ferocious, like a demon.

"All this flashy nonsense," Tang Luo said, raising his right hand and striking out with an empty palm.

Feeling the increase in merit power, Tang Luo "returned" to the kitchen.

A pool of blood on the ground was the old woman's "remains."

"She died rather cleanly," this old woman died so cleanly, which was somewhat unexpected to Tang Luo.

Afterwards, Tang Luo exited through the back door of the house, intending to tour the entire city.

Earlier, when coming down the mountain, something had been blocking him, proving what? Proving that there is something in this dark city.

Most likely some kind of ghost; finding and converting it would yield merit power—how wonderful would that be?

Feihuang and Liu Suifeng were staring at the house's front gate, never imagining that Tang Luo had already exited through the back door and even climbed over the courtyard wall.

Mainly because the disturbance was too minor—just a light being turned off, which bore no resemblance to their idea of a "great battle."

They could only temporarily assume that the violent arhat and the "dangerous thing" inside the house had perished together.

The two left the house and walked toward the city's edge.

Tang Luo headed toward the city center, and they just happened to miss each other in passing.

Walking down the silent street, Feihuang and Liu Suifeng's steps stopped simultaneously; ahead on the road, a figure appeared very naturally and yet abruptly.

Saying it's natural, because that figure seemed to have always been standing there.

Saying it's abrupt, because the two could be certain that just a second ago, absolutely no one had been in that spot.

"Who?" Feihuang shouted sternly.

Was it one of the other two who came in together, or… the ghost that should have been in this sealed place but had never been encountered?

The figure seemed to hear Feihuang's words, slowly approached, allowing Feihuang and Liu Suifeng to clearly see his appearance.

It was a young man wearing a black tall hat; in the darkness, his face could barely be made out but was very handsome, dressed in a white hunting robe adorned with various miscellaneous talismans.

It easily evoked the image of an onmyoji, that special group.

"Ancestor of the Tsuchimikado clan?" Feihuang thought to himself, the original owner's family being the Tsuchimikado.

To appear here in such attire undoubtedly meant he was that Tsuchimikado ancestor.

"Why have you two come here? This is no place for ordinary people to enter," the Tsuchimikado ancestor said.

"We came here, of course, to subdue demons and exorcise evil. And you are?" Liu Suifeng said.

Is he the ancestor of the Tsuchimikado family, and yet still not dead?

"I am Abe no Seimei," this person said in a gentle voice.

"What Seimei?" Feihuang couldn't help but ask; he didn't know about the Tsuchimikado stuff, but he had heard the name Abe no Seimei before.

One could say he is a representative of onmyoji, and as a historical figure has many adapted images.

"Wasn't it the Tsuchimikado family who sealed the demons and evil spirits back then?" Liu Suifeng asked; he vaguely recalled that the Tsuchimikado seemed to have some connection with Abe.

"Oh, did you change your name?" Abe no Seimei said, "It seems the passage of time in the human world has made us forget how long ago that was."

Feihuang said nothing; according to his knowledge, the sealing event was no more than a hundred years ago at most.

He had also never heard that the Tsuchimikado ancestor was called Abe no Seimei.

"We came to exorcise demons; Abe, do you know where the sealed demon is located?" Liu Suifeng said, his right hand fingers flicking once, producing a crisp sound.

"Demons are in the heart." Abe no Seimei smiled slightly, and his words suddenly became mystical and obscure.

"In the heart?" Liú Suífēng asked doubtfully, "Master Abe, could you explain more clearly? The seal has already leaked, affecting the outside world. We were entrusted by the Tsuchimikado clan to come and exterminate demons."

"Demons cannot be completely eradicated." Abe no Seimei raised his head, wearing an expression of sorrow for heaven and pity for humanity.

Fēihuáng took two steps forward, impatiently saying: "What nonsense are you spouting here? Tell me clearly—where exactly is the demon we're supposed to find?"

"I've already said that—" Abe no Seimei's words were cut off abruptly.

Because Fēihuáng's body suddenly crouched low, "lying" on the ground, using a football sliding tackle posture, he instantly crossed several meters and kicked Abe no Seimei's shin hard.

A crisp sound of bones breaking.

Abe no Seimei's right leg bent directly to ninety degrees, bones exposed, showing how vicious this kick was.

Moreover, this was only the beginning.

Just as he lost balance from Fēihuáng's "sliding tackle skill," Liú Suífēng raised his right hand.

In the darkness, a flash of cold light passed by.

A barely audible sound—almost inaudible—Abe no Seimei's head jerked violently to the left and slammed heavily onto the ground.

On his temple, a black nail pierced through, leaving a thumb-sized black hole.

However, neither the break in his right foot nor the wound on his temple bled.

Abe no Seimei pushed himself up with both hands and stood instantly, as if completely uninjured.

"I said, demons are in the heart." Abe no Seimei still wore a smile.

As his words faded, Fēihuáng headbutted forward, slamming his red safety helmet hard onto Abe no Seimei's face.

Abe no Seimei tilted his head back, fell to the ground, his skull caved in halfway, losing all normal human appearance.

Yet even so, he lightly floated back to his feet.

Fēihuáng stepped back two paces, not attacking again—the earlier headbutt was an innate skill of his gear, powerful, but……

The Abe no Seimei before him seemed utterly unkillable.

"Hah——" a soft laugh came from Abe no Seimei's inhuman face.

Fēihuáng's eyes widened suddenly, and before him appeared the distorted face from his headbutt; pain surged from his chest.

Another crisp sound of bones breaking.

The force rebounding from Abe no Seimei's left hand pressed on Fēihuáng's chest directly crushed his palm, and not only that—his entire left arm was twisted and wrenched.

Fēihuáng spat a mouthful of blood, spraying it on Abe no Seimei's face, sneering: "Not a pleasant taste, huh?"

Speaking, he retreated several steps—partly to shake off the residual force, partly because Abe no Seimei's palm had broken several of his ribs and left him dazed, nearly unconscious.

After regaining his stance, Fēihuáng vigorously shook his head to clear his mind.

Abe no Seimei stared at his own left hand—if his eyes still had the function to see.

"Kill him!" Liú Suífēng shouted sharply; in the darkness, several piercing sounds rang out from all directions, making it impossible to tell where the hidden weapons would strike from.

Or perhaps they would come from every inconspicuous, hard-to-defend corner.

Fēihuáng twisted his neck, then charged at Abe no Seimei; mid-rush, his body crouched and vanished from sight.

Was it another sliding tackle?

Ten minutes later.

"Hah——hah——" Fēihuáng panted heavily, pulling off the half-remaining helmet from his head and tossing it to the ground; not far ahead, the ground bore a shattered corpse no longer recognizable as human.

Liú Suífēng's face was deathly pale, blood still at the corner of his mouth; his originally neat hair was now messy like a madman's.

He leaned one hand against the nearby wall to keep from collapsing.

A breeze blew by, and Abe no Seimei's shattered corpse turned into a pile of dust.

"What exactly is this thing?" Fēihuáng turned to Liú Suífēng and asked.

This Abe no Seimei is undoubtedly a very strong and terrifying opponent; the two of us can say we've piled on our techniques, even saying that only under the threat of death, giving nothing back, did we succeed in killing him.

"Two possibilities. Either it's the lingering resentment of the Tsuchimikado clan's ancestors, or a sealed demon that has taken over." Liú Suífēng said haltingly, "Which one it is depends on what fate fragments you've obtained."

Fēihuáng turned his head and saw only a white hunting robe left on the ground, plus a glowing orb floating above it.

"Is this the fate fragment?" Fēihuáng froze, then exclaimed in delight.

Seeking wealth through danger—isn't that what we're after?

"Yes." Liú Suífēng nodded, "I'll take the robe, you take the fate fragment."

Fēihuáng walked heavily to the orb: "How do I do this?"

"Just hold it—it will naturally merge." Liú Suífēng said.

Fēihuáng did as told; the orb vanished into his hand.

Moments later, Fēihuáng laughed: "Indeed Abe no Seimei—looks like I'm becoming an Onmyōji."

Speaking, he hooked his foot to lift the hunting robe from the ground and threw it to Liú Suífēng: "This is yours."

Liú Suífēng took the hunting robe; his pale face instantly flushed slightly—this robe didn't disappoint him, truly a piece of equipment!

Though I won't say the gains were abundant, at least the goal has been achieved.