Chapter 319: Even Fang Xiang Shi Ghost Gods Can Bleed! 17,000 Soul Ash, Katsumi Appears Voluntarily!
Shangshan Che stopped in his tracks, and the 50 Hundred-Eyed Demon’s Eyes that were normally patrolling the surroundings all turned toward Fang Xiang Shi, who was leaning against the thatched cottage, sipping the liquid from the gourd.
Fang Xiang Shi, did he come over on his own to kill me?
Just like last time with the Nameless Swordsman?
No.
It’s different.
Because Shangshan Che, who had opened 90 Hundred-Eyed Demon’s Eyes, did not detect even a hint of killing intent from Fang Xiang Shi.
One must know that under the gaze of a full 90 Hundred-Eyed Demon’s Eyes with the All-Seeing Eye activated, except for freaks like Lili Zi whose Sword Heart has reached the Other Shore, even Ghost Gods cannot lie!
If Fang Xiang Shi had any intentions, he would definitely be discovered.
But there were none.
So, Fang Xiang Shi had simply been standing here before, and was coincidentally spotted by Shangshan Che after he finished a major cleanup of the street.
He avoided the “All-Seeing Domain” opened by the 50 Hundred-Eyed Demon’s Eyes without doing anything.
As expected of an outstanding one among the Ghost Gods.
Shangshan Che expressionlessly glanced at the prompts that had popped up together.
—Just now, he had kindly done a major cleanup for this muddy street and received 620 points of Soul Ash gifted by the enthusiastic masses, along with some useless fashionable junk.
Patter patter.
Fine rain threads fell, and damp air spread to every corner of Edo Castle.
In just one or two hours, the sky over Edo Castle, which had been clear, was once again piled with layers of leaden black clouds.
Edo Castle is like this.
No sunlight, rain falls into mud.
Amid Shangshan Che’s solemnity and Fang Xiang Shi’s indifference, the originally empty arc-shaped road had already accumulated quite a bit of water, and the gradually enlarging raindrops hit it making crackling sounds.
Shangshan Che also chose not to fire another shot into the sky to disperse the clouds.
Fang Xiang Shi probably wouldn’t fall for that.
Moreover, after blasting all the way here for so long, he had consumed about half of his spiritual power.
As for why “cleaning” twenty-one streets and countless alleys only used this much spiritual power, first, Shangshan Che had Spirit Control Technique, with a very fast recovery speed.
Second, it was the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core.
Inject a bit of spiritual power into it, and the furnace core returns a hundredfold power, and it’s exactly as much spiritual power injected erupts as much power, with no upper limit.
One can only say that what controls the output limit of the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core is truly Magatsu’s Blood, terrifying as this.
He stood in place for a while longer, waiting until most of his internal spiritual power had recovered, before Shangshan Che prepared to greet Fang Xiang Shi.
He moved the hand that had been resting on the hilt, pointing at Fang Xiang Shi.
“—Opening!”
A hoarse, viscous, and furious voice suddenly exploded from the nearby thatched cottage that had not yet collapsed, shattering a large swath of the rain curtain,
“Little ones, follow me, slaughter this source of pollution!”
Amid a massive vibration and many small ones, hoarse, mad, hatred-filled roars suddenly rose one after another.
What the hell?
Shangshan Che puzzledly turned his head and saw a long label spanning in midair.
—【Polluted Restless Ones Leader（Three-Star）】.
Behind this label, more than a dozen similar ones densely emerged, roughly all around Two-Star Restless Ones.
Why didn’t the Hundred-Eyed Demon’s All-Seeing Domain find this group of hidden guys before?
But the next moment, when Shangshan Che truly shifted his gaze to them, he understood.
Because these Restless Ones charging at him with broken swords and clubs were almost entirely covered in cold mud…
No, perhaps it should be said that they had already turned into mud, becoming part of the countless mud in Edo Castle.
No wonder they weren’t discovered before; they were swept past along with the mud.
“Ridiculous.”
Facing these Restless Ones who probably couldn’t even speak clearly, Shangshan Che had no extra patience.
He raised his hand, and under the impetus of the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core, a thumb-thick purplish-black Lightning burst from his fingertip. The Lightning then transformed in midair under the guidance of Spirit Control Technique into eighteen straight beams of light, piercing through each Restless One’s forehead in an instant.
Pop pop pop pop pop…
Those Restless Ones who had charged with sky-high hatred and fury instantly fell from midair into the puddles like they had crashed.
Dead.
Then fine electric arcs lit up on the seemingly still wriggling mud, turning them into piles of dead soil.
Seeing the kill prompts rise without missing any, Shangshan Che looked back at Fang Xiang Shi.
At this time, the man with a red-stained face finally put away his wine pot and looked over with some interest.
The hoarse voice pierced through the rain curtain, clearly falling beside Shangshan Che’s ear,
“The wax figure and White Bone, you killed them, right.”
Clearly a question, but stated as a fact.
“So what if I did?”
Shangshan Che raised an eyebrow, all his techniques already primed and ready.
Who would have thought Fang Xiang Shi would nod and extend an invitation: “You’re not bad, want to come be my subordinate?”
Ha?
Even Shangshan Che was stunned for a moment upon hearing this.
He narrowed his eyes coldly.
This Fang Xiang Shi guy… could he have forgotten the throat-slitting gesture he once made toward him?
Was he still too weak back then?
That’s normal.
Even for the current him, the Shangshan Che who had just learned the Darkness Sword Mysterious Profound Meaning was not worth mentioning.
Fine… this time, let’s make Fang Xiang Shi never forget.
Thinking of this, Shangshan Che raised a finger,
“Within one year.”
He said: “Within one year, either you kneel and choose to submit to me, or I sever your head.”
“No third choice.”
In the rain curtain, Fang Xiang Shi chuckled lightly: “Interesting, quite interesting.”
“Then what if I kill you right now?”
“You can try.”
Shangshan Che sneered coldly; even if killed, his first death had been from Fang Xiang Shi’s beheading, still vividly remembered.
As he spoke, the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core in the darkness had already been soaked in spiritual power.
The fully completed Heavenly Cycle Flame Armor of nine interconnected Flame Seeds shot out, constructing a translucent black-red track in front of Shangshan Che.
Accompanied by a deafening roar as if to shatter heaven and earth, all available spiritual power had been converted by the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core into surging yet serene Lightning.
In Shangshan Che’s hand placed before the Heavenly Cycle Flame Armor track.
Snap.
He lightly snapped his fingers.
Thus, blindingly white Lightning without a trace of impurities violently surged into the track, then compressed and fixed into arm-thick pure Lightning.
The pure white beam illuminated heaven and earth.
If this move were used in the Seed Battle, Shangshan Che was certain no one except Minamoto Shizuka who could teleport could block it.
And under Shangshan Che’s dead stare, this beam of Lightning that would cause the Myriad Spirit Furnace Core in his body to self-destruct in a few minutes inexplicably split into two.
Piercing straight toward the sides of Fang Xiang Shi, even refreshing several kill prompts right before Shangshan Che’s eyes.
How was this done?
Under the gaze of the All-Seeing Eye, Fang Xiang Shi didn’t even move, yet split the Lightning that could annihilate almost anything below Ghost God level in two.
Different from ordinary Ghost Gods, huh…
In silence, Shangshan Che’s 90 Hundred-Eyed Demon’s Eyes all wailed, scarlet blood tears gushing out.
Thus, he captured Fang Xiang Shi’s approaching trajectory!
Fast! Incredibly fast!
If Shangshan Che was 100 meters in an instant, Fang Xiang Shi didn’t even need a fraction of an instant!
The domain and edge Lightning of Sorrow of Parting spread by Kaga Kiyomitsu were shattered together, and the Heavenly Cycle Flame Armor with inner and outer Qi Circulation interplay was neatly sliced open like an eggshell.
Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound roared deeply in Shangshan Che’s flesh and bones; the 90 Hundred-Eyed Demon’s Eyes turned into Telekinetic Eyes pressed massive Telekinetic Force onto Fang Xiang Shi, and the vast Four-Colored Qi Sea boiled completely without regard for cost at this moment.
The Red Hannya mask stripped of disguise shifted onto Shangshan Che’s face, and the Natural Reason School Secret Technique bloomed and contracted in an instant!
Evil Spirit silent, majesty self-evident!
Three-stage Thrust, converging to a point!
Fang Xiang Shi’s step paused slightly, drawing his sword to casually deflect the blade far faster than Lightning, placing his gaze on Kaga Kiyomitsu, and lightly commenting,
“Good sword.”
The next instant, all defenses and techniques were bisected by Fang Xiang Shi’s single slash, along with Shangshan Che’s neck.
Crack.
The unremarkable Tachi sheathed, the already boiling scarlet blood blooming like a flower in the night.
The Evil Spirit’s head was severed by the Samurai, yet the pitch-black pupils held no unwillingness, hatred, or fury.
Instead, full of pleasantness.
In the final moments, Shangshan Che stared at the small but strikingly visible red slash from the Darkness Sword on Fang Xiang Shi’s shoulder.
That red vanished in an instant, even healing upon touch of rain threads, yet it was deeply etched in Shangshan Che’s memory,
“So… you can bleed too.”
Everything fell into darkness.
……
On the bed in Arakawa Ward Special Affairs Office, Shangshan Che who had just opened his eyes couldn’t help but grin.
His face showed uncontainable joy.
That Fang Xiang Shi, just like him, could bleed.
As long as it bleeds, it can be slain.
“Hee hee, hee hee hee…”
“Uh, Little Jia, tell me what’s wrong with Che Adult…”
Two-Foot Adult, who had been pulled back mid-battle from the other side of Edo Castle, was covered in rain and sweat. She was panting heavily, asking Kaga Kiyomitsu beside Shangshan Che.
Who would have thought Kaga Kiyomitsu also let out a creepy laugh,
“Hee hee hee hee hee… Ghost Gods are just like that, still wounded by us hee hee hee…”
What, what’s going on!
This inexplicable creepy laughter scared Two-Foot Adult badly; she didn’t even have time to evaporate the water on her body and shook this one, shook that one.
But the final answer she got was “I’m fine.”
Both said so.
Shangshan Che had collected his mood and was preparing to rub his hands and tally this bountiful harvest; Kaga Kiyomitsu was pondering Fang Xiang Shi’s two moves, thinking if she could do better.
Two-Foot Adult nearly ran out to find the Great Onmyoji for healing, but was believed only after being pulled into Shangshan Che’s embrace.
Yes, believed, absolutely not to take advantage.
【Due to your fierce battle with the Ghost God “Fang Xiang Shi”, your skill Natural Reason School proficiency +210!】
【Due to your fierce battle with the Ghost God “Fang Xiang Shi”, your mastery level of Great Onmyōdō·Myriad Spirit Furnace Core has improved!】
After these two big prompts, the proficiency increases for Spirit Control Technique and Five Thunder Technique were negligible, just a few dozen points.
A mere few seconds of fierce battle brought Shangshan Che the Natural Reason School proficiency that would normally take a week or more of hard training.
This shows that to quickly raise sword technique level, the best way is still to fight for your life against different powerhouses.
It’s just that others don’t have that many lives…
After this, the biggest gain from this Edo Castle trip—
【Due to you and Shikigami·Hachishaku Bodhisattva killing large numbers of demons and monsters, you have obtained a total of 14166 Soul Spirit Points!!!】
Two hours or so of sweeping brought a full fourteen thousand Soul Spirit Points!
Plus the three thousand from White Bone and wax figure…
Shangshan Che’s current Soul Ash reserves had broken through the seventeen thousand mark!
【Soul Ash: 17208】
This huge sum, even without discounts in the new gacha pool, could nearly do twenty multis.
Hundred-Eyed Demon promotion only needs thirty-nine materials, and the gacha pool has a Guaranteed Mechanism.
If luck is normal, about forty or fifty multis should get all the materials!
【Soul Spirit Points: 1022】
Kaga Kiyomitsu’s Soul Spirit Points had barely reached a thousand.
At first Shangshan Che wanted to use Kaga Kiyomitsu to kill a few more, but later found most in Edo Castle were still One or Two-Star lesser demons, numerous but scattered.
Still faster to use Five Thunder Technique for one-key clear.
This single life netted a beautiful 17000 Soul Ash, huge gains—after strength improves, Soul Ash will come naturally.
But there probably won’t be this much next time, as he had swept many areas this time; next time demon distribution will be even more scattered.
One life, probably just a few thousand Soul Ash.
Besides, the over a hundred demons naturally dropped lots of equipment items, but most were unusable.
Could only sell to Katsumi later for some Soul Ash—should be a few thousand.
After some selection, Shangshan Che fished out a few somewhat useful little things from the sea of items.
Though at most blue-green quality, not very useful for him, but more than enough for Chisa who was about to become his disciple.
He glanced at the bottles and jars in his hand—
【Purifying Salt】
【Quality: Normal】
【Effect: Used to disperse evil spirits, better with Cinnabar.】
【—A common Onmyōdō consumable with minor exorcism effects.】
【Blessing Cinnabar】
【Quality: Good】
【Effect: Used to disperse evil spirits, better with Purifying Salt.】
【—A rarer Onmyōdō consumable with minor exorcism effects.】
【Red Bean Rice】
【Quality: Excellent】
【Effect: After consumption, lesser demons cannot approach for a period.】
【—…】
These things were most suitable for Chisa who had no Onmyōdō talent.
“Two-Foot, these for you.” After placing a bunch of exorcism and spirit-dispelling items in Two-Foot Adult’s hands, Shangshan Che instructed, “Find a gift box to pack them later.”
With words to this point, Two-Foot immediately understood Shangshan Che was preparing a gift.
“Mission guaranteed!”
—As long as casually finding a clerical worker in Special Affairs Office, this was easy.
Smart Two-Foot thought so.
Shangshan Che nodded, just about to stand, when his peripheral vision caught a familiar Straw Figure suddenly on the windowsill.
He blinked, then showed slight delight.
Speak of the devil.
As if responding to Shangshan Che’s thought, the long-unheard cadence with drawn-out tone came from the Straw Figure wearing a golden God of Wealth Hat and holding a Ukiyo-e Folding Fan.
“Eyoh—”
The Straw Figure stood up, shook its little straw folding fan, and bowed respectfully to him,
“Long time no see, Walker Adult favored by the Deity~”
