Chapter 285: Demon Incarnation Red Hannya! The Heavenly Path To Ghost God! Seed Battle Begins To The Crowd’s Attention!
【You have obtained, Demon Incarnation·Red Hannya!!!】
The moment the prompt popped up, Shangshan Che felt his muscle strength rapidly increase. His Thunder Bone, already far harder than steel, became even denser, and his neural reflexes also quickened considerably…
His body, therefore, became even stronger.
He looked at his personal panel and found that his Physique attribute had actually increased by five points!
Five points!
This was even a bonus effect from the Incarnation’s promotion!
Then the actual changes from the Incarnation must be…
Shangshan Che immediately used Internal Vision on his Sea of Qi and retrieved from the surging black-red Sea of Qi that card storing the White Han…
Oh no, it should be called the Red Hannya Incarnation Card now.
A weighty feeling transmitted from his fingertips. The card, originally wrapped in shining gold foil, had been replaced by black-red and deep dark gold.
Flipping his fingers, Shangshan Che looked at the front of the card—
At the center of the card with its unique texture, a demonic face, wrapped in blood-like crimson, was vividly displayed.
Its demon horns reared high, its fangs bared in wrath, its entire body crimson.
Those dark eyes and the ferocious face expressed unmasked cruelty, madness, and anger.
This was the legendary being that could stop children’s nightmares—the Red Hannya.
However, unlike ordinary Red Hannya, the demonic face in the center of the card subtly carried a hint of divine majesty.
Evil spirits, and divinity.
Two completely different things, yet they strangely merged on this black-red dark gold card, and were then displayed.
“Is it a Fragment of the Ten-Hand Sword…?”
Shangshan Che gazed at the Red Hannya within the card, and two words couldn’t help but surface in his mind.
—”Ghost God”.
Seeing Shangshan Che holding the high-quality card and remaining silent for a long time, Kaga Kiyomitsu, who had been standing nearby, curiously leaned over to look at the card.
Then, with a “Waaah,” he was startled by the terrifying Red Hannya and almost dropped his scabbard.
Shangshan Che ignored the lively fellow and, before checking the Incarnation, first opened the Red Hannya’s panel to examine it—
【Demon Incarnation·Red Hannya】
【Quality: Epic+】
【Rank: Three-Star】
【Rank Cap: Four-Star → Four-and-a-half Star】
The rank cap had increased.
This was probably due to the White Hannya transforming into the Red Hannya… a gain without any cost. It would be great if the rank cap could be raised this easily in the future.
【Talents: Ghost God, Greed, Anger, Ignorance, Pale Frenzy, Bloodthirsty Crimson, ….】
Next were the talents.
In the original “Ghost God,” the word “Weak” after “Power of Ghost God（Weak）” had also disappeared.
The Ghost God talent was now complete!
“No wonder the attribute increase was so drastic this time. It’s because of this.”
Of course, aside from the pure attribute increase, he instinctively felt that the importance of the Ghost God talent was far greater than this.
Shangshan Che looked at the black-gold words “Ghost God” for a moment, then his gaze fell on the new talent “Bloodthirsty Crimson.”
【Bloodthirsty Crimson: When you experience “Slaughter” or “High-Intensity Combat,” your attributes other than Charm will permanently increase slightly, and your Charm will permanently decrease slightly when incarnated. The more enemies you kill, and the stronger they are, the more your attributes will increase.】
It fit the legend of the Red Hannya well and was also a quite practical talent.
In legends, the Red Hannya was a vengeful spirit born from extreme resentment and anger, often killing and eating people at will without reason or rhyme, and with extremely cruel methods.
Having killed so many people, a decrease in Charm attribute was only natural.
Trading beauty for strength—Shangshan Che was familiar with this, and highly praised it!
【—Anger, madness, death… O detested ghost of the world, the Ghost God’s Heavenly Path has opened before you, awaiting another foolish challenge.】
The Red Hannya’s Incarnation panel ended here.
There was still one thing that bothered Shangshan Che—at the end of the talent list, there was a talent that was extremely blurry, as if it were pixelated, and not displayed.
Whether it was a bug or a “future areas to explore later,” this talent would likely only be revealed after the Red Hannya was upgraded again.
He exhaled slightly. Shangshan Che used Spirit Control Technique to sense that the Barrier covering the Villa was still functioning normally.
Thus, he decided to incarnate as the Red Hannya first to experience it.
After all, he had undergone such a major advancement in his Incarnation; just looking at it wouldn’t satisfy him.
Anyway, only Two-Foot Adult, Lili Zi, and Little Jia remained in the Villa, and none of them needed much explanation from him.
As for Tamamo and Yagyu Oshi, who had been staying at his home, they had arrived at Sky Castle two days ago. Yagyu Oshi said it was good to go up early to prepare.
With this thought, Shangshan Che no longer lingered or hesitated, letting the card in his hand transform into a stream of light.
Incarnate, Red Hannya!
At that moment, Lili Zi, who was lying in the Dojo on the first floor basking in the newly risen morning sun, suddenly widened her eyes.
Her eyes blazed like lightning, and her gaze instantly pierced through layers of concrete and buildings.
In one glance, she saw the rooftop.
Lili Zi then raised her eyebrows in confusion and let out a questioning “Huh? What Hannya cosplay is this at this time…
But, where did this Qi and Blood come from? Did it appear out of nowhere?”
Precisely.
The Qi and Blood, vastly more immense and surging than Shangshan Che’s human form, overflowed from the Red Hannya, who was looking slightly up at the sky from the rooftop.
Under the golden sunlight, the Red Hannya spread his arms towards the cloudless sky.
“This kind of power…”
Shangshan Che murmured in his heart and lightly, very carefully, clenched his five fingers covered in a faint black-red hue.
A short sonic boom erupted in his palm, and was then suppressed by his tightly clenched fingers.
With such terrifying power, even bare-handed, he could undoubtedly easily kill his pre-promotion self… only in a “Wrathful” state might he be able to win.
If not for the Barrier, his breathing, which could be heard clearly hundreds of meters away, was…
Shangshan Che could feel the Void Qi Sea within him rapidly stabilizing, expanding, and growing because of this.
—The black-red Sea of Qi immediately wanted to encroach on other territories, but he slapped it back with a palm.
At the same time, beyond this intoxicating power, Shangshan Che felt a long road slowly unfolding before his “eyes.”
This road, though extremely blurry, was arduous and grand.
What is this?
Shangshan Che’s thoughts raced like lightning, and in an instant, he grasped the key—
Was it what was mentioned in the final Incarnation introduction, the so-called “Heavenly Path”?
But what is the Heavenly Path?
Shangshan Che was completely baffled, yet inexplicably felt it was something extremely important.
Heavenly Path, Ghost God Heavenly Path.
Could it be the path to becoming a Ghost God?
Shangshan Che was puzzled again.
Because the Red Hannya had only just reached Three-Star, it should still be a very long way from the Four-Star Ghost God.
Shangshan Che couldn’t figure it out for now, but he finally stopped the long inhalation and exhaled the waste gas from his lungs all at once.
And this exhalation actually formed a spectacular scene resembling a reverse “dragon sucking water”!
Lili Zi, who had just pushed open the door and walked onto the rooftop, happened to see this scene. She thoughtfully pinched her high nose and frowned in thought.
“Hoo… thankfully I learned Spirit Condensing Technique and Jade Heart Incantation before.”
Shangshan Che stretched his muscles, emitting a thunderous roar: “Otherwise, the Barrier might not even be useful, and at least half of Arakawa Ward would notice this place.”
Because after incarnating as the Red Hannya, his Spirit, Energy, and Vitality had reached a new peak, a level that all powerful beings could not ignore!
Right, since the Red Hannya had reached Three-Star.
Then the Three-Star Gacha Pool must have opened…
Right?
Three perfectly clear prompts appeared in the air before Shangshan Che.
【Please note, Three-Star Limited Summoning is currently not open!】
【Please note, you must obtain two Three-Star Demon Incarnations to open Three-Star Limited Summoning!】
【Current number of Three-Star Demon Incarnations: One.】
The answer was that it had not opened.
It seemed that the opening of the Three-Star Gacha Pool would have to wait for the Four-tailed Fox’s promotion in a few days… it would definitely be after the Seed Battle.
Shangshan Che sighed in resignation.
Forget it, such trivial matters were harmless…
“Buzz buzz—”
Kaga Kiyomitsu’s violent tremor interrupted Shangshan Che’s thoughts, bringing him back to reality.
He turned his head and saw Kaga Kiyomitsu tremble violently again, taking an S-shaped path and moving further away.
Shangshan Che: ?
He then looked at Two-Foot Adult next to him and found that she was also stunned, looking uncharacteristically dazed.
Shangshan Che scanned the surroundings and found that only Lili Zi behind him was no different than usual, just staring at him speechlessly.
What happened?
As he was wondering, he saw the personal attribute panel floating beside him—
【Shangshan Che（Red Hannya Incarnation）】
【Physique: 81 → 171】
【Willpower: 57 → 97】
【Charm: 13 → -17】
【Spiritual Arts: 95】
The exaggerated physique of 171 and nearly 100 willpower, and…
Shangshan Che’s eyes froze when he saw the Charm column.
Charm, -17 points?
He blinked and, after confirming he wasn’t seeing things, was slightly stunned.
No wonder the description was “O detested ghost of the world”… it turned out the Incarnation directly deducted thirty points of Charm, making this column negative.
The drastic drop of thirty Charm points in an instant, coupled with this genuine Ghost God’s pressure, was no wonder Little Jia was so scared that he was buzzing around.
If ordinary unfamiliar demons were terrified and awed when they saw Shangshan Che before, now they would likely either be scared out of their wits or utterly disgusted.
After being stared at by Lili Zi for a while, Shangshan Che took off the Red Hannya Mask from his face and held it in his hand, seeing a prompt pop up on it.
【Due to your Demon Incarnation·White Hannya changing to Demon Incarnation·Red Hannya, the special equipment “Hannya Mask” has been changed to “Hannya Mask·Red”!】
【Hannya Mask·Red】
【Quality: Epic+】
【Effect: Greatly reduces Charm attribute. Stores two talents of “Demon Incarnation·Red Hannya,” retaining 70% of their effects. Does not consume an equipment slot when worn.】
【—Put it on, and become a ghost spurned by the world.】
Not only did it deduct thirty Charm points when incarnating as the Red Hannya, but wearing the mask also did.
Red Hannya is truly not very likable.
Shangshan Che sighed.
However, it wasn’t entirely without benefit. At least in the future, when incarnating as the Four-tailed Fox, he wouldn’t have to lower his Charm anymore, but could experience negative Charm values with one click.
With that thought, he waved the mask in his hand at Lili Zi and smiled, “After this thing changed, the negative effect is quite strong.”
To his surprise, Lili Zi yawned, walked over, and peered at the mask, retorting, “Isn’t that a good thing?”
“A good thing?”
Shangshan Che thought, *What kind of comfort is this? Hmph, they’re not even pretending anymore, just praising something dirty.*
“Because you want to,” Lili Zi grabbed the mask, covered her face with it, and said in a low voice, “The occasions where you need to wear this mask, you don’t need to be kind to anyone at all, right.”
After saying that, the girl tossed the Red Hannya Mask back to Shangshan Che.
Lili Zi’s peripheral vision swept over the increasingly real, exquisite, and ferocious mask—she remembered the first time she saw it when she got out of the car, it was still the ordinary Laughing Hannya Mask.
Now, it had become a “face” that could fool even a human into believing they were a Red Hannya.
Shangshan Jun was indeed getting stronger at an unimaginable speed in places I couldn’t see.
—It truly is!
Shangshan Che nodded and put on the ferocious Red Hannya Mask again.
Feeling the immense power like an abyss flowing through his body once more, Shangshan Che thought quietly, “In the future, when I wear this mask, it will either be to kill someone, or to be killed.”
“Right, Lili Zi.”
Shangshan Che asked, “Do you know what ‘Heavenly Path’ is?”
“Never heard of it,” Lili Zi shook her head.
At this time, Kaga Kiyomitsu had cautiously floated back, because seeing the Great Demon King’s reaction, it seemed their master hadn’t been possessed by the terrifying Red Hannya…
With maximum caution, it poked Shangshan Che twice with its hilt. Discovering that the latter was just taking out his mobile phone and didn’t react much, it breathed a sigh of relief.
What’s wrong, isn’t this still our master!
Too lazy to bother with the restless brat, Shangshan Che opened the Special Affairs Office APP and, without much hope, typed “Heavenly Path” into the search bar.
As a result, after a brief pause, the screen displayed 【Your Security Clearance is sufficient】, and dozens of search results were displayed in a rush.
Shangshan Che’s black-red eyes lit up.
It actually showed up in a search!
He clicked on the first result, 【Heavenly Path（Shikigami Area）】, and began to read.
【Heavenly Path—also known as the path for “Demons” to be promoted to “Ghost Gods.”
Since the majority of Shikigami contracted by Onmyōji are Demons, with Supernatural Phenomena being very rare, this explanation is placed in the Shikigami section. 】
The characters within the quotation marks are all blue, and as soon as Shangshan Che clicks on them, the small text annotations can be seen.
【 The Heavenly Path can be said to be a trial, and it can also be said to be an expedition.
Because it is often long and arduous, even Great Demons who have been famous for a long time find it difficult to conquer, and fewer than one in ten thousand who embark on this path succeed, hence it is called the “Heavenly Path.”
It means a path that is harder than ascending to heaven.
After the Demons reach the limit of Three-and-a-half Stars and touch the pinnacle of their own Life Essence.
Those Demons with the potential to change their Life Essence will, at a certain point in time, awaken to what kind of “Heavenly Path” they need to complete to change themselves.
Those with exceptionally high potential will have a premonition before this.
As for those who reach the Three-and-a-half Star limit of themselves but still cannot awaken, their potential is not high enough, and they require “other methods.”
Unlike the “Haunted House” of Supernatural Phenomena, when the Heavenly Path begins, it will change the “length of the Heavenly Path” based on the Demon’s “past experiences,” “current strength,” and “future potential.” 】
The length of the Heavenly Path here refers to the difficulty of completing the Heavenly Path.
Shangshan Che looked at the last two sentences.
【 The stronger one is, the harder the Heavenly Path, and the greater the achievement after crossing it.
The weaker one is relatively simpler, but the upper limit is thus locked. 】
This explanation actually explains the Heavenly Path very clearly—and what the Heavenly Path specifically is will naturally change depending on the Demon.
Shangshan Che closed his eyes and pondered the vague premonition of a path that still existed.
After reading the explanation just now, he could confirm that this premonition was the “Heavenly Path.”
However, he had not accumulated enough yet to truly open it and clearly see the Heavenly Path belonging to the Red Hannya.
If he were to force a glimpse, he would likely only get a brief Heavenly Path.
This did not align with Shangshan Che’s long-held thoughts.
Thinking of this, Shangshan Che let out a sound.
What about his own Two-Foot Adult?
Oh, no, Two-Foot is not a Demon… But having taken the God Bestowal Path and consumed so much Wish Power, can Two-Foot still be considered a Supernatural Phenomenon?
With a slight bit of confusion, Shangshan Che clicked on the link for “Haunted House.”
In any case, he would just take a look, since it was free.
【 Haunted House—this is the path for Supernatural Phenomena to Ascend to Ghost God.
This is the path that Three-and-a-half Star Supernatural Phenomena must take to ascend to Ghost God level.
It is also the first most obvious and easiest to discover marker.
Within the Haunted House, the Supernatural Phenomenon’s own abilities and related Supernatural Phenomenon rules will be greatly enhanced.
At the same time, some rules of the Mortal Realm will also undergo different degrees of alteration because of this.
Supernatural Phenomena must fully practice their own “Supernatural Phenomena” and “Rules” that deviate from common sense within the Haunted House.
To make it defy common sense, laws of physics, and natural laws, while completely isolating external influences and forming a small world, is considered completing the Haunted House.
Supernatural Phenomena that complete the Haunted House, complete their own world, and achieve promotion to Ghost God. 】
“This is the Haunted House that Sister Nanjo mentioned before… that is indeed a very obvious marker.”
Shangshan Che recalled the immense black barrier when facing the Black Phone Booth and turned to ask the Two-Foot Adult, who had been silent since just now,
“Two-Foot, are you still considered a Supernatural Phenomenon?”
The Two-Foot Adult was slightly startled, then saw Lili Zi’s expression, completely unaffected by the Red Hannya Mask.
She clenched her fists in her heart with indignation.
Humph, beaten by that woman again…
The Two-Foot Adult’s thoughts were rich, but she didn’t delay the main business. She shook her head, “Probably not, because I no longer have that kind of obsession.”
Shangshan Che nodded and fell into thought.
In that case, perhaps neither the regular Heavenly Path nor the Haunted House counts as her path to promotion.
Hmm, I’ll have to find more different Ghost God levels to learn from later.
Anyway, Two-Foot is only at Three-and-a-half Stars, and hasn’t even fully mastered her own power, so she’s not in a hurry to become a Ghost God.
After a brief period of thought, Shangshan Che continued to flip through the Special Affairs Office APP and found two paths to Ghost God promotion for humans within it.
This was only natural.
They were the Samurai—Sea of Tribulation 】 and the Onmyoji—Way of the Dao 】.
The term “Samurai” here is a general term, referring to all humans who have reached this point, excluding Onmyōji.
Shangshan Che didn’t overthink it and began to read seriously.
【 Samurai—Sea of Tribulation
Sea of Tribulation, meaning a sea of karma, a sea of hardship.
Past experiences, whether pure or complex, talent, whether high or low, experiences, whether many or few.
None of these matter.
Because those who wield “the blade” reaching this moment must have their support.
And all that supports a Samurai reaching this moment is “tribulation.”
Cross the sea of tribulations to reach the Other Shore. 】
Reading word by word, Shangshan Che: ?
No, I know every word, so why don’t I understand anything when they’re put together?
Why is it that when it comes to human cultivation, it becomes riddles and incomprehensible?
What tribulation and hardship, it’s utterly inexplicable.
Shangshan Che scratched his head and had no choice but to continue reading.
【 Onmyōji—Way of the Dao
Four Paths and Five Elements, Heretical Paths, Great Onmyōdō.
A thousand paths, ten thousand sorceries.
If it were just one person, in their entire lifetime, over a hundred years, they would not be able to learn them all.
Therefore, an Onmyōji must find their own “Way of Self.”
To achieve the self with the Dao, and let the self extend the path. 】
Shangshan Che: ???
What is this, an open-ended ending?
It feels very difficult.
Shangshan Che, who couldn’t understand, didn’t know what to say.
But if this thing is so cryptic, how did Sister Nanjo break through to Ghost God so quickly after the First Wave arrived?
Perhaps there’s a version that speaks human language but it just wasn’t released.
Hmm, I’ll ask her in person later…
Just as Shangshan Che made up his mind, he felt the Number Plate for the Seed Battle, which he had long placed on his waist and hung with the Four-tailed Fox Jade Pendant, tremble and emit a faint light.
As soon as he held the plate in his hand, he noticed that the Number Plate on Lili Zi’s waist also emitted light.
Not only that.
At this moment, as long as they were within the Mortal Realm, the Number Plates of all 128 competitors who had entered the Eastern Region Seed Battle Elimination Round lit up simultaneously, emitting a faint pulling force towards the Sky Castle floating above the center of Tokyo.
As long as energy was input into it, one could be directly teleported to the Sky Castle by the Astronomy Path Spell.
A countdown also appeared on the back of the Number Plate.
6:00:00
The Elimination Tournament will officially begin in six hours.
No latecomers.
“There are still six hours of leeway.” Shangshan Che played with the Number Plate and put away the Red Hannya Mask, “Lili Zi, are you ready?”
“Let’s go.”
So Shangshan Che beckoned to Two-Foot to follow, and then handed the boisterous Kaga Kiyomitsu to Lili Zi.
Lili Zi steadily caught Little Jia, who was trying to escape, and smiled at it, “Next, I’ll have to ask you to fight alongside me, Little Jia.”
“Y-yes, Great Demon… Ms. Lili Zi! I will certainly do my best!”
Kaga Kiyomitsu’s voice was soft and sweet, like a cool, smooth mochi.
…
The moment the Number Plates lit up, an awe-inspiring pressure spread from the Sky Castle suspended above the center of Tokyo, extending for thousands of miles.
Across the Mortal Realm, dazzling pillars of light lit up, drawing countless gazes towards Tokyo.
The great Dojo that accepted many disciples and spread throughout the world.
The Three Great Families, who had remained silent until now.
The ancient Onmyoji Families, stretching from the Heian Period for hundreds and thousands of years to this day.
And Demons who lurked in the Mortal Realm, incarnated as humans entering society; Supernatural Phenomena that hid in the darkness of the city, circulating through word of mouth; Ninja spies of the Eternal World Daimyos; the silent attention of Factory Owners; the gaze of pupils floating on book pages…
Finally, the highest and also the deepest part of the Kyoto Castle Keep.
Before a dark curtain, a burly man with a leopard head, round eyes, and a Tachi and Kodachi at his waist leaned against a pillar, tapping the wooden pillar with his thick knuckles.
“Hey, Sword Saint, they’re saying that the Seed Battle has started outside, and they’re asking if you want to watch.”
After a long silence, a hoarse voice came from behind the curtain.
“As I happen to have nothing to do… I shall take a look.”
The curtain, which concealed everything, was slowly pulled open, causing the young man’s eyes to shine as if he had seen a rare treasure, filled with uncontrollable desire.
“Feel free to cut me down while you watch, Miyamoto.”
“Alright.”
The burly man nodded with joy, revealing a smile of indescribable happiness.
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