Chapter 236: Four-tailed Fox Two-and-a-half Star! Thousand Faces Thousand Faces Myriad Forms, Bewitching The Ghost God! Jade Bone Thunder Bone!
Chisa kept her head down, hugging her phone encased in a white teddy bear soft case that was obviously two sizes too big for quite a while.
After a long time, she took a deep breath forcefully and finally mustered the small bit of courage to voice what was in her heart.
But when she looked up again, Shangshan Che, who had been squatting in front of her, had already vanished.
Clear footsteps came from the other side of the aisle, gradually fading away, along with the palm waving toward her from behind.
Chisa opened her mouth, wanting to chase after him and say something.
But in the end, she didn’t do it.
The girl licked her dry lips with the tip of her tongue, lowered her head again, and saw the Line ID that Shangshan Che had pushed to her.
—【Onmyo Major Official·Nanjo Emi】.
She had heard the big brothers and big sisters in the building talking about this position; it seemed very high-ranking.
It was the legendary “Big Shot”.
To avoid overthinking and losing the nerve to add this big shot as a friend later, Chisa closed her eyes directly, gritted her heart, and tapped “Add Friend” on the screen.
No verification, and no extra mental preparation for Chisa.
The friend request went through directly.
【You have added “Onmyo Major Official·Nanjo Emi” as a friend.】
The next moment, the lit profile picture frame popped up a message.
【Nanjo Emi: Who are you?】
……
Since the elevator went straight to the top floor of the Special Affairs Office, Shangshan Che could only walk up the fire escape to the rooftop in the end.
No need for the rooftop key, nor the crowbar already given to someone else to smash the lock on the rooftop iron gate.
As soon as Shangshan Che entered the fire escape, the Tengu immediately understood his intention.
The heavy locked rooftop iron gate opened silently.
On the rooftop, it was calm and peaceful.
Because of the gale winds, torrential rain, thunder, and dark clouds, all variables were blocked outside by the multiple barriers of the Shizuoka City Special Affairs Office Headquarters.
Shangshan Che looked up.
He saw the skinny trees on the streets snapped in half at the waist, raindrops like bullets pouring down from the pitch-black sky, pale white lightning shuttling through the cold rain, making deafening rumbles echo endlessly in the steel jungle.
“Your Excellency Tengu.” He closed his eyes and asked softly amid the stagnant spiritual energy around him, “Could you lower the barrier below the rooftop?”
No one answered, only the barrier overhead disappeared.
Bitter wind and rain came head-on.
But what followed was a sudden change in the spiritual energy flow within hundreds of meters!
All the chaotic, disorderly spiritual energy that followed the rain and tides across the entire heaven and earth seemed to instantly find a pillar, a central point.
Thus, it surged in.
In just a few seconds, a massive spiritual energy funnel appeared above the Special Affairs Office Headquarters, and it continued to expand with the passage of time.
On the top floor of the Special Affairs Office, the bright red alarm lights were blinding.
The clerk staring at a series of blood-colored data in front of him felt his heart twitch violently.
He shouted, “Your Excellency! The spiritual energy concentration within a hundred meters has risen by three hundred percent in ten seconds! Is this a Ghost God level demon…”
The Tengu calmly raised his eyes and interrupted him: “Who made this large model? It can’t even distinguish between human and demon?”
“It’s a Special Affairs Office agent cultivating on the rooftop,” the Tengu said calmly. “Don’t make a fuss; turn off the alarm.”
This bizarre answer made the clerk’s eyes widen. He glanced at the data lighting up his entire face red on the screen, and in disbelief, cleared the alarm.
“Borrowing the tide for deep cultivation, and I’ve become a security guard?”
As the Tengu spoke, he suddenly lifted his head with interest.
—Because the thunder that had been rampant across the entire sky of Shizuoka City now had nearly half drawn by some force toward the Special Affairs Office Building.
Amid countless bright red alarms, the Tengu pressed down his palm: “Everything normal.”
【Due to the tide’s arrival, heaven and earth spiritual energy is active, greatly increasing the proficiency gain speed of your skill, Spirit Control Technique!】
【Due to you drawing lightning for body tempering, the proficiency gain speed of your skill, Five Thunder Technique·Qi Union, greatly increases!】
Hoo hoo hoo—!
Endless, vast as the sea spiritual power gathered in the sky above the Special Affairs Office Building, manipulated like by an invisible giant hand, constantly purifying.
Finally turning into extremely pure liquid form, it fell into the man sitting cross-legged at the center of the rooftop, pushing the proficiency progress of Spirit Control Technique forward another small segment.
And the man seemed entirely dissatisfied with this nearly level fourteen spiritual energy hurricane’s harsh environment.
He took out a bead flickering with electric arcs, dispersing all the gathered spiritual power in his body, making the lightning within visible range gradually approach him.
First came static electricity.
Crackling tiny electric arcs surged around him, then were fully controlled, absorbed, turning into a faint white glow at his fingertip.
Next, thumb-thick lightning bolts charged straight at him, but in a flash, they merged with the surging spiritual energy into the vortex, flowing into the crystal-clear Five Thunder Pearl.
Feeling the faint tingling on his skin, Shangshan Che, with the Hannya Mask and Four-Tailed Fox Jade Token at his waist, suddenly opened his eyes and murmured softly,
“Lightning, come.”
Thus, lightning fell.
Boom!
A water-bucket-thick thunderbolt tore through the black clouds thicker than city walls in an instant, enveloping Shangshan Che entirely in cold white.
Scorching heat, pain, numbness, suffocation…
All kinds of lightning strike aftereffects immediately manifested on Shangshan Che’s body, but were healed and soothed by the “Pale Frenzy” talent in a brief breath.
Having already taken Soul Incense Ash and opened the Eye of Interpretation, Shangshan Che grinned and laughed loudly,
“Not enough, again—!”
Witnessing all this, the Tengu smiled and clapped lightly, redirecting the sixteen lightning bolts generated within five thousand meters in that instant.
Toward Shangshan Che, all striking down!
Rumble rumble rumble!
For a moment, Shangshan Che felt he had lost control of his body, his entire soul about to drift to the high heavens along with these thunderbolts.
But in his sea of qi, the Four-Tailed Fox and Hannya cards bloomed with light together, producing in half a breath enough vitality to revive Shangshan Che’s consciousness and restore him to peak condition!
Metal and water generate each other!
But the thunder continued.
One bolt, five bolts, ten bolts…
Dense lightning lights kept emerging from the hundreds-of-meters-thick cloud layer, all precisely guided to strike Shangshan Che’s head without exception.
Shangshan Che knew the range his Five Thunder Technique could influence; even if it could attract real thunder, it shouldn’t make him this disheveled.
It was as if the words he shouted had offended the heavens, angering the sky god to strike him dead with lightning today!
Shangshan Che, clearly sensing inside and outside his body, breathed heavily with difficulty, realizing that if this continued, he’d have to retreat into the building soon.
He would…
Shangshan Che lowered his gaze and saw in the turbid puddle before his knees a majestic, furious Lightning Dragon.
—Waste such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
“Inhale—exhale—”
The breathing sound like some massive demon grew louder and louder, every word and sentence of the Corona Breathing Technique’s bone forging stage flowing through Shangshan Che’s heart.
Bone forging! Bone forging!
Using this heaven and earth natural thunder power to forge all 206 iron bones in his body into complete jade bones in one go!
【Due to you drawing lightning for body tempering, your skill, Corona Breathing Technique·Jade Bone stage, is undergoing special change…】
Now, Shangshan Che had no time to care about the prompt appearing before him; he could only operate Spirit Control Technique, Five Thunder Technique, and Corona Breathing Technique at full force simultaneously.
Spirit Control Technique provided pure spiritual energy, Five Thunder Technique guided the thunder with it, Corona Breathing Technique absorbed the thunder to temper bones and body.
The stronger body made Spirit Control Technique operate even faster.
The three formed an almost perfect cycle by chance.
In the prolonged tormenting pain, all of Shangshan Che’s efforts with his knowledge so far gathered bit by bit into rapid proficiency growth on the panel.
The Tengu, wielding sword light atop the sky, looked down with slight surprise and a pleased smile: “Turning heavy pressure into motivation, this child is truly malleable talent…”
And in this long arduous journey, a crisp prompt sound of something finally filling up rang beside Shangshan Che’s ear.
His Four-Tailed Fox Jade Token at his waist vanished in a flash.
The next instant, Shangshan Che felt his already maxed-out spiritual power sea expand vastly, freeing up unknown amounts.
The strained-to-limit Spirit Control Technique “supply chain” ran wildly at double speed, like oiled with engine oil and WD40!
【”Four-Tailed Fox（Adult Body）” upgrading: 100%!】
【Your Demon Incarnation·Four-Tailed Fox（Adult Body） has finished upgrading!】
【You obtained, Demon Incarnation·Four-Tailed Fox（Complete Body）!】
【Due to the tide’s arrival, your Demon Incarnation·Four-Tailed Fox senses heaven and earth spiritual energy, your Spiritual Arts +2!】
With a chance to breathe, Shangshan Che opened his eyes and saw the new panel he anticipated.
【Demon Incarnation·Four-Tailed Fox（Complete Body）】
【Quality: Epic】
【Rank: Two-and-a-Half Star】
【Rank Cap: Three-and-a-Half Star】
【Talent: Thousand Faces Myriad Forms, Spirit Roaming, Soul Seal, Anger, Mirage】
“Speaking of… automating the Four-Tailed Fox incarnation here, won’t the Tengu notice?”
As soon as Shangshan Che’s puzzled thought arose, a new talent updated after the Four-Tailed Fox’s promotion to Two-and-a-Half Star popped up before his eyes—
【Thousand Faces Myriad Forms: Consume spiritual power to shape appearance and height into any form. This talent greatly conceals one’s own aura and spiritual power fluctuations. Cannot be seen through by Four-Star and below existences.】
Quickly scanning the full talent description, Shangshan Che fixed his burning gaze on the last sentence.
—Cannot be seen through by Four-Star and below existences!
Meaning even a Ghost God couldn’t see that he, Shangshan Che, had actually incarnated as a Four-Tailed Fox!
This upgrade was a qualitative change!
A simple sentence massively boosted Shangshan Che’s combat power in the Mortal Realm.
Even if only this one talent changed with the Four-Tailed Fox’s star increase, the resulting power boost far surpassed adding three or two useless talents.
Though regrettable the incarnation’s quality didn’t rise like in the First Wave, the extra two points in Spiritual Arts attribute was very good.
After all, quality upgrades were rare and not guaranteed.
Bathed in lightning but with some leeway, Shangshan Che looked at the follow-up prompts.
【Attention! Due to your Demon Incarnation·Four-Tailed Fox reaching Two-and-a-Half Star, your special item·Four-Tailed Fox Jade Token has changed!】
【Four-Tailed Fox Jade Token】
【Quality: Epic】
【Effect One: Moderately increases the wearer’s spiritual power affinity.】
【Effect Two: Increases the wearer’s Spiritual Arts attribute by 40% of “Demon Incarnation·Four-Tailed Fox”.】
【Effect Three: Increases the power of thunder-type Onmyōdō cast by the wearer.】
【—A warm jade token engraved with a lifelike Four-Tailed Fox; holding it feels cool. Now seemingly specially tempered, its surface occasionally flickers with electric arcs.】
Besides the enhanced effects one and two, the Four-Tailed Fox Jade Token added a new effect three.
Shangshan Che remarked, “Related to me getting struck by lightning?”
“So getting struck by lightning has so many benefits…”
Thousand Faces Myriad Forms activated, Shangshan Che cloaking his body in absolutely lightning-proof clothes.
He stood enduring the thunder, stretched lazily, and the majestic Hannya Mask at his waist glowed brighter.
Due to the massive pure stat increase, the thunder that had nearly exhausted him to barely withstand was no longer heavy pressure.
Pressure still existed, of course.
But that was it.
Glancing at his current attribute panel, Shangshan Che laughed pleasantly.
【Shangshan Che（Four-Tailed Fox Incarnation）】
【Physique: 63→96】
【Willpower: 54→66】
【Charm: 13→28】
【Spiritual Arts: 51→111】
Using Rin Character Technique, physique could also break 100.
“Just the charm attribute is a bit too high.”
With a thought, Thousand Faces Myriad Forms lowered charm back to 12 points, barely within normal human range.
“Also, Your Excellency Tengu, that’s enough.”
Shangshan Che looked up somewhat speechlessly at the thunder still striking despite not operating Five Thunder Technique,
“No matter how much you strike me, you won’t strike out a hidden variant…”
As his words fell, the lightning bolts still coming at him halted abruptly, dissipating entirely mid-air.
Now, battered head-on by the downpour, Shangshan Che finally had a chance to look at the several massive proficiency prompts.
—Though interrupted in flow state by the completed Four-Tailed Fox promotion, the Soul Incense Ash effect was fully consumed.
Originally, Shangshan Che’s spirit was nearing depletion.
Overall, no big deal.
【Your skill, Corona Breathing Technique proficiency +380!】
【Your skill, Spirit Control Technique·Qi proficiency +500!】
【Your skill, Five Thunder Technique·Qi Union proficiency +500!】
“Hm?”
Shangshan Che remembered his pre-Jade Bone stage proficiency was nearly 200.
Now adding 380 from one session, shouldn’t it directly reach Muscle Refining stage?
Shangshan Che wouldn’t err on such simple hundreds arithmetic.
He checked the prompts again, realizing.
【Due to you drawing lightning for body tempering, your skill, Corona Breathing Technique·Jade Bone stage underwent special change!】
【Corona Breathing Technique·Jade Bone stage→Corona Breathing Technique·Thunder Bone stage!】
【Proficiency required for completing Thunder Bone stage increased! Completing Thunder Bone stage will grant new traits!】
【Corona Breathing Technique（Thunder Bone 551/600）】
【—Bones of thunder, body into lightning.】
Unexpectedly, a whim cultivation yielded such a delightful surprise.
And now only under 50 proficiency short of completing Thunder Bone stage, at most three or four days.
“This makes me want to draw a couple cards to test my luck…”
Shangshan Che muttered inwardly; anyway, now needing Soul Incense Ash for Four-Tailed Fox promotion, drawing an extra hand in the Demon King pool for reward wasn’t much…
His thoughts interrupted by a vortex suddenly appearing mid-air.
Sensing the thick aura from the other side, Shangshan Che narrowed his eyes eagerly, thinking his soul ash reward was here.
He quickly spoke to prevent the demon from emerging only to get decapitated by black sword light,
“Your Excellency Tengu, please stay your hand.”
Shangshan Che specially took out Kaga Kiyomitsu and wore it at his waist, but didn’t draw it,
“Let me handle it, stretch my muscles a bit.”
One hand pressing the excitedly humming Kaga Kiyomitsu in the rain, Shangshan Che stared expressionlessly at the black vortex.
In the night, a tall silver-white mech full of mechanical and streamlined beauty slowly emerged from the vortex.
A faint red tag popped up above its head.
—【Combat Sequence Vanguard Scout·A921（Three-and-a-Half Star）】.
Unlike prototypes, the “Vanguard Scout” mech had no flesh exposed on its surface.
A subtle sense of crisis rose in Shangshan Che’s heart, surprising him.
This Combat Sequence actually had a chance to kill him in this state?
Even if minuscule.
Shangshan Che felt his current strength very close to his self on the 41st Floor of the Projection Secret Realm.
And opposite was just a mass-produced mech from the Factory Owners.
“Hm…”
After a moment’s contemplation, Shangshan Che rolled his sore shoulders, giving the Vanguard Scout no chance.
He flicked his finger.
Thus, the thumb-sized lightning ball accumulated at his fingertip from hours of cultivation start, compressed to the extreme, flew out silently.
The Vanguard Scout about to emerge from the vortex whipped its head around, eyes suddenly filled with scarlet blood light!
It struggled more violently, wanting to quickly escape this Mortal Realm vortex.
But it was too late.
The moment the lightning ball touched its surface, the compression limits of Spirit Control Technique and Five Thunder Technique released abruptly.
Pure white blazing light bloomed quietly, and the Vanguard Scout with the vortex vanished into the rain curtain.
【You killed Combat Sequence Vanguard Scout·A921（Three-and-a-Half Star）, obtained 411 Soul Ash!】
Seeing this stingy kill prompt, Shangshan Che couldn’t help but show disdain.
These Factory Owner-produced robots were stingy to the extreme; not only did they drop far less Soul Ash than same-rank, same-power Supernatural Phenomena demons, they didn’t even drop equipment or items.
Sigh, capital.
Who knew how many Eternal World workers the Eternal World Factory Owners exploited senselessly to produce this one Vanguard Scout.
In the Special Affairs Office Building, Yagyu Oshi silently watched Shangshan Che flick away the mech that had posed a serious life threat to him so easily.
“A few days ago when we first met, Shangshan Jun wasn’t that strong yet…”
Hearing Tamamo beside him keep cheering “Yay,” Yagyu Oshi felt massive frustration.
In just days, Shangshan Che had grown so obviously stronger.
And him?
Yagyu Oshi reflected honestly that he too had turned most Secret Realm gains into his own.
But the difference was so subtle even those familiar with him might not notice.
“True genius… huh.”
Yagyu Oshi silently clenched his fist, unaware his fingernails had dug into his palm.
……
A few hours later, the tide’s aftermath peak passed.
Shizuoka City, under the Tengu’s barrier coordination protection, was unscathed; economic losses aside, casualties didn’t exceed two digits.
Most were Special Affairs Office agents injured inadvertently while handling demons, sent to the hospital.
“Elder Brother Shangshan, did you get the reward?”
“Used it up already.” Shangshan Che glanced extra at Yagyu Oshi, who hadn’t spoken since meeting, “If nothing else, head back to the dojo first.”
—Not only to continue learning Eightfold Fence from the Apprentice Master, but also ask for more details on the gambling fight.
After all, the appointed day was near.
Just three or four days left.
Having handled several major events and preparing half a year vacation, Tamamo spread her hands,
“No objections here!”
“Um…”
A slightly weak voice slipped through the conversation gap.
Chisa, somehow in a small Special Affairs Office uniform, passed surprised Yagyu Oshi and giggling Tamamo, looking up at Shangshan Che again,
“Brother Shangshan, can I go with you all?”
Called out, Shangshan Che paused his plans contemplation; seeing Chisa staring at him, he roughly guessed what the girl was thinking.
But now wasn’t suitable; Chisa couldn’t follow him to the Eternal World facing the Hojo Clan.
And the Apprentice Master… didn’t seem suited to bring an eleven- or twelve-year-old girl, probably.
So he smiled: “Chisa-chan, want to go straight to Arakawa Ward Special Affairs Office? I’ll go back there later too.”
Chisa fell silent.
But seconds later, she hummed, nodding slightly reluctantly: “Okay, Brother Shangshan.”
Tamamo beside said nothing, inwardly delighted.
After all, Arakawa Ward’s overseer was that one… With Nanjō Great Officer there, Chisa’s safety was no worry!
And she’d heard Nanjō Great Officer was a rare powerhouse strict at work and disciplined in life.
If Chisa followed her, she’d surely learn a lot!
“Then it’s decided.” Shangshan Che nodded, “Split into two groups… Of course, find a reliable bodyguard for Chisa-chan.”
“Need you to say that, Brother?”
Tamamo hummed familiarly: “Leave it to me!”
Hearing their fluent exchange, Chisa beside unconsciously gripped her phone tighter, pursing her lips.
But thinking Shangshan Che promised to return to Arakawa Ward Special Affairs Office too, Chisa couldn’t help anticipating that day.
……
In the Special Affairs Office shuttle car temporarily reinforced with layers of barriers, Shangshan Che checked the Soul Incense Ash amount, still insufficient for Four-Tailed Fox promotion.
Then he glanced at the three lit gacha pools in the list, and his over 5,600 Soul Ash reserves.
No hesitation.
Time to gacha pull.
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