Chapter 317: Three Shangshan Ches Cultivating Together, Heavenly Phenomena Already In The Palm! White Bone Wax Figure, Long Time No See
The power of the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core is exceptionally strong.
Not to mention a second heart… it’s practically equivalent to twenty hearts combined.
This is something Shangshan Che could sense without even testing.
So before that, he still needed to explore every nook and cranny of the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core.
After all, everyone else refines the “Myriad Spirit Cauldron,” but he’s the only one with the super evolved version “Myriad Spirit Furnace Core.” There’s no clear mention in the inheritance of how exactly to use it or with what intensity.
Everything had to be figured out by him personally.
“Sister Nanjo, you’re really something…”
Shangshan Che looked up after murmuring in admiration, only to realize he was no longer in Nanjo Emi’s home.
The walls and furnishings in his line of sight were exceptionally familiar.
This was the Special Affairs Office’s standard room?
Nishaku, connected to his heartstrings, sensed the stray thoughts leaking out and replied,
“Your Excellency Nanjo personally brought you here, Che Adult, and called us over to say you’d be sleeping for a while, then she left.”
Shangshan Che nodded and tapped the hollow iron bedrail, asking, “If Sister Nanjo left, then who’s the Onmyo Major Official in Arakawa Ward now?”
Two-Foot Adult smiled as if she had anticipated it, hands on hips as she answered,
“—Kujo Tsubaki! Your Excellency Nanjo personally designated her… now it’s Great Officer Kujo!”
Kujo Tsubaki?
It’s her?
An image surfaced in Shangshan Che’s mind: the blind girl with a cane and black cloth over her eyes.
From his impression, Kujo Tsubaki was extremely low-key. Ever since the Onmyo-ryo sent her over during the First Wave, she hadn’t made any noise or achievements, nor appeared in major events.
The last time he saw her was probably when he came to the Special Affairs Office to select a shikigami?
The memory was a bit fuzzy…
It seemed this “Great Officer Kujo” indeed had many extraordinary qualities, just kept low-key without showing them.
Wait.
Shangshan Che puzzledly looked at Two-Foot Adult, who was still hands on hips but had unconsciously leaned her head under his hand,
“Isn’t Kujo Tsubaki an Operations Specialist from the Onmyo-ryo? How did she come to the Special Affairs Office as Onmyo Major Official?”
“Po… I’m not too sure about that.”
Two-Foot Adult scratched her cheek, a bit embarrassed.
Whatever.
If Sister Nanjo let Kujo Tsubaki take the Onmyo Major Official position, she must have already thought it through.
No need to question it further.
Shangshan Che gathered his thoughts, meeting Nishaku’s sparkling eyes, and couldn’t help smiling as he ruffled her little head: “You’ve worked hard, Nishaku.”
“Not hard at all… hehe, taking care of Che Adult is Nishaku’s honor.”
The girl, whose head had just peeked over the bed edge, smiled contentedly.
Now she had figured out the height thing—during daily interactions with Che Adult, use the two-foot, three-foot, or four-foot state; small size is convenient for movement and lets Che Adult pat her head encouragingly.
As for eight-foot height, it was basically only usable in combat states or opportunities within combat.
“And Little Jia, thanks for protecting me without leaving my side.”
Shangshan Che didn’t blame Kaga Kiyomitsu for running off on his own, choosing encouragement instead.
“As long as Master is safe, Little Jia is happy…”
Kaga Kiyomitsu’s voice was still soft and glutinous, making a glint flash in Two-Foot Adult’s eyes.
“Right, how long has it been since Sister Nanjo brought me here?”
Nishaku, who had been scrolling on her mobile phone ten minutes ago, immediately replied: “About sixteen hours.”
That’s not too long.
Shangshan Che stretched his body, instantly changing his cheap clothes to everyday attire, picked up Little Jia, and asked Two-Foot Adult,
“Did Manatsu and Akatsuki Ran go to Hokkaido with Sister Nanjo?”
“Manatsu-chan said they’d go a step later, wait for things to be cleared up there; Hokkaido isn’t very safe right now.”
Two-Foot Adult, who had already become close with Shizuma Manatsu, replied.
Even the Special Affairs Office outpost couldn’t guarantee absolute safety, so Hokkaido’s environment truly wasn’t great.
Sensing the familiar Sword Domain fluctuations, Shangshan Che asked: “Then Lili Zi must be with Manatsu and Student Kitano, right?”
“Yeah.” Two-Foot Adult nodded, “The three of them are probably playing games together.”
Lili Zi playing games?
That’s pretty rare…
Just as Shangshan Che was about to open the door and take a stroll, he saw the progress prompt that likely appeared after his deep sleep.
【Current Trial Progress: 0.13%】
It jumped 0.13% all at once; it must be related to Sister Nanjo.
Behind him, Two-Foot Adult pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from the skirt pocket with usable pockets and said,
“Also, Che Adult, Your Excellency Nanjo said you need to go to the Minamoto Family to get Spider Cutter in the next couple days; this can’t be delayed too long.
Next is… five days from now, go to Kyoto to meet the Sword Saint.”
Hearing this, Shangshan Che pulled his hand back from the door handle.
“Got it.”
He sat back on the bed, pressing down the restless Little Jia.
The former was approximate timing, not too important; but the latter absolutely had to be on time.
Missing this time probably meant no chance to see that legendary Sword Saint anytime soon.
These couple days were also about when the Four-Tailed Fox Incarnation would reach three-star.
Promoting it to three-and-a-half star would require a small amount of Soul Ash.
That was simple; he’d withdraw some cash from the Edo Castle bank later.
As for the new Demon Incarnation gacha pool, it probably wouldn’t appear until he promoted to Ghost God.
With that thought, Shangshan Che set aside the idea of strolling and settled down to sense the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core’s presence.
Inside the body… of course not.
Shangshan Che proficiently used internal vision on his right chest area, and amid a blur in his “sight,” he saw that priceless Myriad Spirit Furnace Core.
The furnace core and Sea of Qi weren’t in the same space, but it was still intricately linked to Shangshan Che’s body and even the Sea of Qi.
In the colorless darkness, a delicate sphere emitting dim purplish-red light was slowly rotating and pulsing; it was impossible to tell how much energy it could unleash.
The surface of the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core was covered in a thin black-red membrane that undulated and throbbed like a living thing.
Shangshan Che recognized it: that was Heavenly Cycle Flame Armor.
At the same time, he could clearly sense the current progress of Heavenly Cycle Flame Armor thanks to it.
—The transition from Flame Armor to Heavenly Cycle Flame Armor was fully complete, and the ninth Circulatory Flame Seed had been condensed.
This efficiency was remarkably high.
Even if Shangshan Che did it himself, it would take about that much time, and he’d need Soul Incense Ash assistance.
Otherwise, it would probably be slower than the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core’s idle gains.
“Tsk tsk tsk, the super evolved version of the Myriad Spirit Cauldron is indeed exaggerated in effect.”
Shangshan Che couldn’t help marveling, as there was still an idle slot in the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core waiting for Onmyōdō to be placed.
Even if the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core had no other functions, it was equivalent to having two focused, tireless versions of himself cultivating Onmyōdō non-stop in a dark room.
As long as no spiritual power was injected into the furnace core, the automatic idle mode wouldn’t stop no matter what happened outside.
Just this alone nearly tripled Shangshan Che’s cultivation progress.
Next up was deciding which Onmyōdō to put in.
Shangshan Che scanned the Onmyōdō category in his skill list—
Basic Five Elements Onmyōdō, Spirit Control Technique, Five Thunder Technique.
Yeah, that’s it.
Pathetically few.
Five Elements Onmyōdō was ruled out first; Shangshan Che never expected these everyday tricks to provide much help.
His gaze lingered between Spirit Control Technique and Five Thunder Technique for a moment before he decided.
Put Five Thunder Technique in.
Because Spirit Control Technique was something he cultivated constantly; he’d shoulder that burden himself.
But just as Shangshan Che was about to place Five Thunder Technique into the “empty slot,” a chill ran down his spine.
—If he tossed Five Thunder Technique in directly now, not only would he explode on the spot, but Arakawa Ward and even surrounding wards might not exist anymore.
Dangerous, dangerous.
Only after Shangshan Che dismissed the idea did the stabbing death premonition gradually fade.
Also, the furnace core’s 【fusion】 effect had a very simple description—just inject spiritual power.
As soon as the thought arose, Shangshan Che felt the cold death premonition seep into his bones again.
Forget it, better not blow up the Special Affairs Office headquarters in Arakawa Ward…
Looks like he’d need to learn more about the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core in the Eternal World later.
Without the stability from Heavenly Cycle Flame Armor, this thing could set off a spectacular fireworks show for him anytime, anywhere.
No wonder, as a Great Onmyōdō, it was relegated to the redeemable “cold palace.”
Finally.
【—Walker, the Demon King is with you.】
Shangshan Che’s gaze fell on this line of description.
The “Walker” in the words undoubtedly referred to himself.
But who was the “Demon King”?
He recalled the Demon King gacha pool, Demon King bento, and Demon King’s conscientious contract—was that “Demon King” connected to this one?
Too little information; Shangshan Che didn’t even have a direction to guess.
Better go poke around in the Eternal World…
“Nishaku, let’s go.”
“Yay!”
After crossing the Sea of Depth even more smoothly, Shangshan Che opened his eyes on the wasteland of Kisaragi Station.
This place had no Demons and Monsters, just wasteland and bare hills—perfect as an testing ground.
After instructing Nishaku and Little Jia to play by themselves nearby, Shangshan Che sat cross-legged by the shrine and began probing the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core, matching every detail of the now-complete product with his memories of each step.
Several hours later, Shangshan Che had scanned every inch inside and out of the furnace core hundreds of times with his gaze.
He had fully transformed the forging process experiences into practical knowledge.
Now, when Shangshan Che thought of injecting spiritual power into it, the death premonition vanished, at most leaving a subtle sense of danger.
“Let’s try it.”
Shangshan Che transformed into Four-Tailed Fox Incarnation, equipped with Red Hannya Mask at his waist, and layered on Hundred-Eyed Demon Incarnation, directly boosting the number of Hundred-Eyed Demon’s Eyes to 90, all activating All-Seeing Eye.
Fully prepared.
Facing the first injection of spiritual power into the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core, Shangshan Che showed full respect.
“Nishaku, Little Jia, come back.” Shangshan Che glanced at the two digging soil a hundred meters away, “It’s not safe nearby.”
In mere seconds, they burrowed back to safety, sensing via heartstrings what Shangshan Che was about to do.
Shangshan Che didn’t hold back, channeling all his senses into the heartstrings.
Then, a drop of pure liquid spiritual power passed through the Heavenly Cycle Flame Armor membrane and fell into the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core.
Plop.
A non-existent sound rang out.
Thus, fusion occurred.
A silent roar comparable to a nuclear bomb detonation exploded in Shangshan Che’s cranial cavity, filling all his sensory means.
Five senses lost, only the Hundred-Eyed Demon’s Eyes dutifully watched on.
Rumble!
The ground shook, and the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was directly churned into chaos, disordered to the point ordinary onmyoji and demons couldn’t absorb it.
Azure blue light points lit up at Shangshan Che’s right fingertip, then expanded, expanded, and expanded again before he could control it.
Before his cracking fingertip, the azure glow surged toward the continuous mountains ahead.
Vanished in an instant.
In the Hundred-Eyed Demon’s Eye’s view, the center of a mountain dozens of meters tall now had a massive empty cavity with perfectly smooth edges!
Head splitting with pain and body spurting blood, Shangshan Che looked up and directly saw the moon rising on the horizon through the hole.
One finger’s power, piercing through the entire hundreds-of-meters mountain!
In the heartstrings, the two little ones’ screams and exclamations rose and fell.
In that instant, Shangshan Che felt his headache gone, body painless, mind clear and eyes sharp, exceptionally relaxed!
Just injecting this tiny bit of spiritual power into it yielded such an effect…
Shangshan Che internally viewed the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core again and found no change; even injecting the same amount again would yield the same result.
The key was whether he could stabilize it each time the furnace core activated, and whether his body could withstand the conduction of the terrifying power.
“Good, very good.”
Shangshan Che said no more, continuing to inject varying amounts of spiritual power into the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core over and over.
Bold and casual.
As always—Shangshan in the Eternal World feared no death!
Several more hours later.
Having turned into charcoal once, Shangshan Che stared at the tiny electric arcs flickering in the furnace core’s center and let out a heavy breath.
【You have placed Onmyōdō·Five Thunder Technique into the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core!】
【Current Engraving Slots: 0/2（Heavenly Cycle Flame Armor·Beginner, Five Thunder Technique·Expert）】
Ten full hours plus one life, and he finally got Five Thunder Technique in.
Even after grasping the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core’s daily operation at the cost of surrounding mountains vanishing, engraving Five Thunder Technique was still perilous.
Without the furnace core’s stability boosted by Heavenly Cycle Flame Armor, plus dual support from Hundred-Eyed Demon’s Eye and Spirit Control Technique, he’d probably have been electrocuted to charcoal.
“But now…”
In the darkness of internal vision, the purplish-black furnace core quietly operated.
Shangshan Che contentedly left Kisaragi Station, opening his eyes in the damp thatched cottage of Edo Castle.
“Mm, this familiar smell… haven’t smelled it in a while…”
Shangshan Che took a deep breath, listening to the continuous rain sounds between heaven and earth.
He smiled.
Hands in pockets, he kicked the old creaky wooden door—reinstalled by who knows who—into splinters with one foot and stepped into the rain curtain.
Shangshan Che looked up, the castle-thick heavy black clouds reflected in the Flame Seed.
“This rain just won’t end.”
As the displeased words fell, a crimson spiritual power beam carrying some Flame Armor power shot straight into the clouds.
Then, amid earth-shaking thunder, it exploded.
In an instant, the black clouds over all of Edo Castle, along with raindrops still suspended mid-air, were swept clean and turned to nothingness.
Strands of light emerged, finally falling on Edo Castle’s muddy roads after so long.
“That’s more like it.”
Shangshan Che nodded in satisfaction, enduring the tearing pain throughout his body, and looked toward the two vicious burly men at the road’s end, who were arm-in-arm and dumbly looking up.
Two acquaintances he had sensed but who didn’t know he was there.
White Bone and Wax Figure.
“Long time no see, you two.”
Two beams of wary gazes shot over; Shangshan Che gave a friendly smile.
“Have you… forgotten me?”
