Chapter 234: A Spiritual Spring Capable Of Promoting Incarnation Quality! The Secret Realm From A Thousand Years Ago, The Great Onmyoji Of The Heian Period
The trance of crossing the vast tides and the Sea of Depth gradually faded.
Shangshan Che’s gaze gradually condensed, clearly seeing everything before him.
The originally shattered pillars reaching to the heavens became whole again, the steps covered in dust and bloodstains renewed, bright and clean enough to reflect Shangshan Che’s face.
He instinctively looked up and saw the surging Sea of Depth above through the translucent circular dome.
Splash! Splash! Splash—
The surging tides made Shangshan Che’s blood and thoughts pulse along with them. He stared blankly at this vast, boundless sea, feeling as if his whole body was about to float up.
Then, Shangshan Che’s gaze was forcibly pressed down by a pale little hand.
“I almost forgot that you, Shangshan Walker, haven’t become a Ghost God yet, so your resistance to these great things is relatively low… I should apologize.”
Someone waved their hand, and the entire translucent dome was sealed again with bronze.
The sound of the tides receded once more.
The subtle sense of disorientation was cast out of Shangshan Che’s mind.
He took two deep breaths and looked up again.
Before him, the white-haired girl in a snow-white hooded robe was gazing at him, showing a slight trace of apology.
The blood-colored incantations on her snow-white skin had also faded considerably, and the terrifying, suffocating might he had felt last time had all been withdrawn into her body.
Purely from her appearance, Magatsu-kami was almost no different from an ordinary little girl.
It seemed that the slumber on the altar last time had been very effective.
After taking a few seconds to regain his composure, Shangshan Che nodded to her and saw the three identical question marks above her head.
“Long time no see, Your Excellency Magatsu-kami.”
“Shangshan Walker, you’ve grown a lot.” Magatsu-kami spoke, her clear eyes openly revealing a hint of joy. “In every aspect.”
Shangshan Che shook his head slightly: “Time moves on, and people should too… I’ve just managed to swim a bit faster along with the tide of the era than others.”
Magatsu-kami’s lips curved up slightly in a smile.
“Do you know how much time has passed in the Mortal Realm since your last visit to the Walking Assembly?”
Shangshan Che replied: “About twenty days or so.”
“Then please don’t belittle yourself.”
Magatsu-kami reached out her finger and took the jade-white Proof of Walking from Shangshan Che’s hand: “Even though I’ve seen thousands of Walkers, you are among the fastest to grow stronger.”
She rubbed the Proof of Walking for a moment and murmured again: “I didn’t expect you, Shangshan Walker, to have obtained this Proof of Walking.”
“This one?” Shangshan Che showed appropriate confusion.
Magatsu-kami thought for a moment, then stepped down the stairs while beckoning to Shangshan Che.
She explained as she walked.
“The Proof of Walking is【the wealth left by predecessors for their successors】.”
“Typically, the Proof of Walking is divided into three types—the gifts left by previous Walkers for their successors; the gifts from the great Lord of the Eternal World; and secret realms that were useless at the time but would be useful in the distant future.”
Magatsu-kami carefully opened the Proof of Walking, glanced inside, and confirmed.
“And this Proof of Walking was left by a powerful Walker from a thousand years ago, containing a very nice gift.”
She lowered her eyes, her tone nostalgic.
“My impression of him is still quite deep.”
—Magatsu-kami’s “very nice gift”?
Shangshan Che’s eyes lit up involuntarily as he walked beside her.
How powerful must that be?
“But in contrast.” Magatsu-kami led him to the center of the assembly hall, released her hand, and let the Proof of Walking float in midair on its own.
The faint light originally enveloping the Proof of Walking suddenly burst into brilliant radiance!
“You need to undergo a difficult trial and gain his recognition to claim this generous gift.”
Magatsu-kami naturally noticed Shangshan Che’s eager gaze, so she sighed softly.
“At least Ghost God level strength is barely enough to qualify.”
Barely enough to qualify? Ghost God?
Shangshan Che found it hard to imagine these two phrases being used together.
A Ghost God can move mountains and fill seas.
And in an environment with high Spiritual Energy Concentration, the destructive power might be even greater.
So how strong was a Walker from a thousand years ago in the Heian Period… Is the world’s setting that the older, the stronger?
For a moment, the assembly hall fell into a subtle silence.
Magatsu-kami fiddled with the Proof of Walking with her fingertip and suddenly exclaimed in surprise: “There’s a second gift?”
She read the text as if reciting from a script: “In addition, there is a secret realm from a thousand years ago that you can enter… This secret realm was considered safe at the time.
And since it has been sealed until now, it should generally be safe.”
Seeing Shangshan Che’s interested gaze again, Magatsu-kami reminded him.
“But after a thousand years, even I cannot know what it has become inside.”
With that, she glanced at Shangshan Che a couple more times and breathed a sigh of relief.
“But you, Shangshan Walker, have a Life-Replacing Doll on you, plus the protection of the assembly, so you shouldn’t have to worry about dying in the secret realm.”
Listening to this series of words, Shangshan Che fell into brief contemplation.
Magatsu-kami had made it very clear: there was a secret realm left by a Walker from a thousand years ago waiting for him to enter.
After the long millennium, there might be unknown great dangers and horrors inside…
No, why was he thinking about these things?
Shangshan Che shook his head with a smile in his heart.
The Walking Assembly was also part of the Eternal World; even if he was hacked to death in the secret realm, so what?
It would just be opening his eyes and starting over.
Moreover, in a few days, the agreed bet with the Hojo Clan would begin.
Even though his two teammates were decently strong, Shangshan Che didn’t consider them true “powerhouses” when it came down to it.
Since he had accepted the Apprentice Master’s reward in advance, he naturally had to win the bet completely for the Yagyu Dojo.
The opponents were from the Sengoku Hojo Clan hundreds of years ago, and now no information had been revealed… He couldn’t prepare too much.
With a chance to improve himself right now, why not go in and take a look.
“Your Excellency Magatsu-kami, could you trouble yourself to open the secret realm entrance?” Shangshan Che said seriously. “I want to go in and see.”
Without admonition or warning, Magatsu-kami clapped her hands, making a pale white vortex appear behind the Proof of Walking.
“Go in and take a look; you might have great gains.”
She spoke softly, then had Shangshan Che take out the Walker Token and hang it in the most conspicuous place on his waist.
The latter was a bit puzzled but did so directly without asking much.
“Rest assured, I will guard the exit for you here.”
These words from Magatsu-kami gave Shangshan Che a great sense of security.
“Thank you for your trouble.”
He exhaled, and before stepping into the vortex, he heard an ancient, long farewell voice from behind.
“May you maintain a clear-headed self while walking through the river of history and time…”
…
No prolonged darkness.
A brief faint light flashed through Shangshan Che’s vision.
When he blinked again, Shangshan Che found himself no longer in the Walking Assembly.
What entered his eyes was a dense, lush forest and a winding, flowing stream.
Through the trees and tall shrubs, Shangshan Che could vaguely see a small path for passage beyond.
He looked ahead as usual but found nothing.
“No prompt popped up…”
Isn’t this a secret realm?
There was clearly a prompt last time he entered a Projection Secret Realm.
But looking around, Shangshan Che heard no tide sounds at all, confirming this was definitely not Reality or the Eternal World in the broad sense.
But at least the Spiritual Energy was abundant, even richer than in the Mortal Realm.
Whatever, better to leave the forest first and circle around to check the surroundings.
Shangshan Che didn’t waste time overthinking.
But before he had walked a few steps, he surprisingly saw a unfamiliar… yokai? while parting the shrubs.
A brand new, shiny, strikingly vermilion oiled paper umbrella suddenly poked out from the green foliage, followed by a large, puzzled single eye and a mud-stained earthy yellow raincoat.
—【Karakasa-kozō（One-Star）】.
It was startled by Shangshan Che who appeared a few meters away and involuntarily jumped back two steps.
Karakasa-kozō stammered, but Shangshan Che could surprisingly understand most of what it said.
“Out… outsider?”
Local yokai?
Shangshan Che also sized it up—Karakasa-kozō was a relatively rare yokai, generally benevolent toward people.
In that case, chatting with it wasn’t a bad idea.
“Hello, could you tell me…”
Before Shangshan Che could finish, he saw the single eye on Karakasa-kozō’s pale, White Paper-like face suddenly contract, then it hurriedly knelt to the ground.
Karakasa-kozō pressed its umbrella handle and face deeply into the mud, trembling as it said.
“Wa-Walker… Walker Adult! Hello!”
Shangshan Che: ?
He blinked several times before realizing that Karakasa-kozō was most likely kneeling because of the Walker Token at his waist.
So this was why Magatsu-kami had him hang the Walker Token…
Shangshan Che thought for a moment, squatted down, and helped Karakasa-kozō up with both hands, smiling at it: “If possible, could you show me around the area?”
Karakasa-kozō stood up flattered, bowing deeply to him: “Adult, please follow me.”
Since the other had said so, Shangshan Che had no reason to refuse.
“Then lead the way.”
Karakasa-kozō respectfully agreed and hopped unsteadily toward the edge of the forest on one foot.
Shangshan Che followed behind, plucking samples of unseen plants and putting them into his Storage Bag.
Soon, the yokai and the man left the not-too-large forest and arrived before a small village full of low gassho-zukuri houses.
Shangshan Che walked along the slightly muddy dirt road, casually glancing at the thatched cottages, finding their style even more ancient than those in Edo Castle.
He murmured: “It really is a secret realm from the Heian Period.”
Probably due to the long-term peace around, the village doorway had no basic guards, not even many fences or barriers.
Enter if you want, no obstacles.
The village wasn’t large, so Shangshan Che didn’t see many people or yokai on the streets.
At most, just a little girl kicking a grass ball in the middle of the road.
Karakasa-kozō hopped over first, bowing, and the girl grinned and greeted it cheerfully.
Seeming to notice footsteps behind Karakasa-kozō, the girl curiously peeked out amid the clinking of bells, then got startled.
“Whoa, Brother Miaofeng, who’s this!”
She immediately hid behind Karakasa-kozō.
Karakasa-kozō’s expression turned serious at once: “This is Walker Adult; you must not speak such irreverent words!”
Only then did Shangshan Che clearly see the girl’s appearance and attire.
Pouting, the girl wore a large, conspicuous red kimono, with two small golden ball bells tied at the ends of her hair, her round little face very cute.
Clearly, a Zashiki Warashi!
—【Zashiki Warashi（One-Star）】.
Hmm?
Kaga Kiyomitsu, who had been silent since entering the Walking Assembly, shook in confusion, not understanding why an “old acquaintance” suddenly appeared here.
“This is a normal Zashiki…”
Shangshan Che eyed the adorable girl, recalling the black-skinned girl with knotted muscles who stood confidently by the anvil.
Completely unrecognizable as the same species.
After standing in the middle of the road for a bit, Shangshan Che soon felt gazes emerging one after another from the gassho-zukuri houses, falling on him.
Some bold and direct, some covert and uneasy.
But without the slightest hostility.
He swept his gaze around and saw tags popping up everywhere.
A yokai village, huh.
“Alright, Zashiki, go play aside for now.”
Karakasa-kozō comforted the girl for a while, then turned to Shangshan Che: “Walker Adult, as you see, everyone hasn’t seen an outsider in a very, very long time, so they’re curious about your arrival.”
“I understand.”
Shangshan Che replied, noticing a few tag prompts that interested him.
A grandma proficient in Divination, and a great warrior from the Heian Period…
“Actually, I wanted to take you to see the Village Chief, because long ago the Village Chief said that if we encountered a【Walker】, we must bring the Walker to see him.”
After greeting the Heian Period warrior with the great spear and fiery eyes on his shoulder, Shangshan Che immediately agreed.
“Of course.”
From Karakasa-kozō’s words, this “Village Chief” likely knew that Walkers would come here in the future.
So meeting the Village Chief should resolve many questions about this secret realm.
—This place was indeed a secluded good spot for cultivation, with many yokai friends skilled in strange abilities.
But for it to be stored in this Proof of Walking praised by Magatsu-kami, the secret realm’s utility should be more than that.
That was Shangshan Che’s thought.
At his signal, Karakasa-kozō hopped straight toward the Village Chief’s home in the village center.
After walking a short while, Shangshan Che oddly noticed that the sun’s position in the sky hadn’t changed.
But he didn’t have much time to ponder this trivial matter.
Because they had arrived.
Before an ancient, unremarkable gassho-zukuri, Shangshan Che saw Karakasa-kozō nervously rub its hands before knocking on the wooden door emanating a decaying aura.
Knock knock knock.
After a dozen seconds, no one opened the door.
Karakasa-kozō hopped to Shangshan Che’s side and explained softly.
“The Village Chief is a knowledgeable Onmyoji who is always doing research, so please wait a moment, Walker Adult.”
Oh?
In a yokai village, the Village Chief was actually an Onmyoji fond of researching Onmyōdō.
Shangshan Che thought curiously.
After a full ten-plus minutes, the wooden door slowly opened inward, emitting a creaky, dry sound.
A pale-faced youth in plain cloth robes stood at the doorway, spotting Karakasa-kozō first.
Shangshan Che saw no tag pop up above the youth’s head.
The youth thought for a moment before asking.
“Miaofu?”
“This monk’s dharma name is Miaofeng; that was my late Ancestor Master… Village Chief.”
Karakasa-kozō’s tone was a bit awkward.
The plain-robed youth showed a trace of confusion but quickly looked at Shangshan Che and raised an eyebrow.
“And this is?”
Karakasa-kozō immediately stepped aside: “Let me introduce, Village Chief—this is Walker Adult!”
The plain-robed youth was stunned.
He stared blankly for a while before shifting his gaze to Shangshan Che’s waist, seeing the silver Walker Token.
“Walker of the Eternal World.” He uttered the four words.
Then he showed a wistful expression: “That’s a really distant term now.”
With that, the plain-robed youth straightened his slightly hunched back, his Spirit, Energy, and Vitality renewed, becoming sharply unparalleled.
He gave Shangshan Che a hearty smile and patted his chest.
“Let me introduce myself—
I’m an unnamed nobody from the same era as those two monsters, Abe no Seimei and Ashiya Doman.
Since I didn’t want to be overshadowed by them forever, I asked an acquaintance Walker of the Eternal World to send me into this secret realm to slow my lifespan consumption, preparing for the future battle.”
After the simple introduction, the youth curiously asked Shangshan Che.
“So, how are those two now? Who won? Has the Eternal World been sealed by them?”
Hearing this string of outrageous questions, Shangshan Che felt ten thousand question marks pop up on his forehead.
Good grief, he had dug up a thousand-year-old antique from this thatched cottage?
Abe no Seimei?
Ashiya Doman?
Shangshan Che’s only knowledge of them was from Wikipedia and “founder of XX Onmyōdō.”
As for more details…
Not to mention him—even the Special Affairs Office might not have documents from a thousand years ago.
So he shook his head: “I don’t know, because a thousand years have passed since the Heian Period.”
Shangshan Che said uncertainly: “Maybe they’re still alive.”
“A thousand years!?”
The youth’s mouth gaped in shock too: “My subjective time has only been a few decades…”
He instinctively sighed in admiration.
“This secret realm is truly miraculous.”
But immediately, the youth showed regret.
He sighed: “A thousand years…”
After a brief silence, the youth looked at Shangshan Che expectantly: “What about the Eternal World? Has it been permanently sealed?
How has the world become? Do people all have enough to eat now, without fear, because demons can no longer appear in the streets?”
Suddenly, Shangshan Che didn’t know how to answer.
“—The Eternal World is rising again, about to connect with the Mortal Realm. The current situation is manageable; everyone has started cultivation, but it’s not particularly optimistic.”
He finally told the truth.
The youth’s expectant expression froze.
For a moment, a heavy, wordless silence fell before the gassho-zukuri.
After a long time, the youth sighed.
“A thousand years… is really too long.”
“If I leave the secret realm now, I’d probably age and die inevitably in a few years.” The youth smiled helplessly. “Without becoming a True God, lifespan doesn’t reach five hundred.”
After another moment, the plain-robed youth shook his head: “Forget it, no more on that.”
“I can sense you have considerable Spiritual Power; you’re a promising young Onmyoji. What about your shikigami? Can you summon them for me to see?”
The youth grinned: “My hands are itching; let me give you some pointers.”
“That might disappoint you…”
As an Onmyoji who currently had only one contracted shikigami—and it was in slumber—Shangshan Che coughed and explained the general situation to the youth.
“Dual Cultivation of Spirit and Martial Arts?”
The youth’s eyes showed interest.
He opened his hand: “Then show me the Ksitigarbha Statue and the crystals; I might see something.”
Shangshan Che realized it made sense; an old-timer like this might solve his tricky problem in one go.
He took out the Ksitigarbha Statue and two crystals from his Storage Bag.
Of course, he held the Ksitigarbha Statue in his hand, not letting the youth touch it.
“Ho… Wish Power erosion; that’s a novel situation I’ve never seen. It’ll take time to find a solution.”
This was normal, as Buddhism hadn’t spread widely in Japan during the Heian Period, making large-scale Wish Power accumulation rare.
“But these two materials, I can study them.”
With that, the youth clapped his left and right hands together.
Amid fine Spiritual Power Fluctuations in his hands, he opened them again and placed a pure white, translucent crystal in Shangshan Che’s hand.
A new panel popped up—
【Wish Crystal（Special Item）】
【Quality: None】
【Effect: Has all the beneficial effects of “Malice Crystal” and “Wish Power Crystal”, doubled for shikigami.】
【—Merged from malice and Wish Power by a Great Onmyoji.】
This clap had increased the crystal’s value by more than one-and-a-half stars.
Shangshan Che’s gaze lingered on “Great Onmyoji”, chewing it over for a while.
Because so far, he hadn’t sensed even a hint of Ghost God level pressure from the youth.
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
After thanking him, Shangshan Che asked: “I’m Shangshan Che; may I know your name?”
“A country bumpkin, not worth mentioning.”
The youth chuckled indifferently.
He stepped out of the shadow of the gassho-zukuri, looked up at the mild sun: “Before entering, that guy told me that if I saw the next Walker, I had to take him to a place.”
“Looks like it’s you, Shangshan Jun.”
The youth stretched lazily and swaggered toward the back of the house in an eight-character gait.
“Come on, Miao… Feng, you too.”
Karakasa-kozō was stunned: “Me, me?”
Shangshan Che’s gaze sharpened.
If meeting this Great Onmyoji from the Heian Period was pure lucky surprise, then what followed was the main event.
…
After walking a full half hour, Shangshan Che pulled the nearly lagging Karakasa-kozō through milky white mist and stood behind the youth, glimpsing the destination.
Amid steep cliffs, a pool of milky white clear spring was contained within, emanating a refreshing scent that cleared Shangshan Che’s mind.
Before he could ask the youth what the spring was for, several lines of golden prompts popped up in his vision.
【You have discovered the Spirit Spring!】
【After entering, please select the Demon Incarnation you wish to promote in “Quality”!】
【White Hannya/Four-tailed Fox】
