In Kyoto, Xu Fu, holding the Eight Mirrors, saw only a gray haze. Upon entering Honno-ji Temple, he had already shattered two Niō Treasure Mirrors, preventing Xu Fu from seeing any activity there through the mirrors. "Guarding against the last divine artifact from the start? He seems to know something about our divine artifacts, deliberately destroying the mirrors... No, perhaps it wasn't deliberate. For him, what on this land is there that cannot be destroyed?" "Perhaps the Niō Treasure Mirrors reflected his vile image, enraging him!"
Xu Fu put down the Eight Mirrors. Toyotomi Hideyoshi looked at him. Xu Fu said, "The woman from the Tachibana family is likely in grave danger. I can't sense her aura, but the young boy Miyamoto's aura still exists."
"Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki and Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi were taken, just like the Spear of Heaven. There's no way to retrieve them. I don't know what method he used to erase the connection between the divine artifacts and the Divine Realm. I thought last time was just a coincidence, but now it seems he truly mastered this sinister sorcery." Xu Fu's brow furrowed slightly, but there was no hint of panic. On the contrary, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the highest visible authority, looked as if facing a formidable enemy, as if the demon would attack the core of Kyoto at any moment, reaching the Emperor's residence. "What shall we do? The two divine swords are lost just like that!"
"We still have gods, we still have other great gods?"
"The shrines in various regions, yes, mobilize the shrines and imperial shrines in all regions. Any divine artifacts, earthquake suppressors, or spiritual artifacts, the better! Even precious artifacts and magical artifacts, bring them all!"
"With the help of the various chief priests and sorcerers, we will surely be able to defend Kyoto!"
Toyotomi Hideyoshi was extremely flustered, and the sense of fear surged within him, uncontrollable!
The battle between the demon and Xu Fu was still vivid in his memory. If this celestial demon were to recover his strength in a short period, Kyoto would suffer the same fate as...
"Don't panic, he won't come."
Xu Fu spoke, "Don't cause chaos yourselves."
"It takes seven days for me to fully recover even with the power of a nation supporting me alone. The celestial demon merely consumed some incense, and defeated two or three Pure Yang realm experts. This is not a major event."
"His methods are potent. If he recovers to near the Pseudo-Immortal level, killing Pure Yang realm experts will be a simple matter, requiring only a little effort. What I didn't anticipate was that the swordsmen wielding two of the three divine swords of this land could be subdued by him in such a short time." Xu Fu rubbed his temples. "However, in his current state, he cannot directly attack Kyoto. Fierce beasts test each other before engaging in combat, let alone when both sides are heavily wounded. And in Japan, his power is always in a state of decline!"
This is the power of a Pseudo-Immortal. The name "Defense Tower" was not given in vain. The demon's magic power has recovered somewhat, but if he continues to stay in Japan, his subsequent recovery will become more difficult. For this, he needs to constantly engage in battles to plunder incense. However, even if he recovers to full strength, he will be unable to support another battle at the Immortal level. Here, he is being "suppressed"!
The Divine Realm does not welcome outsiders!
Toyotomi Hideyoshi finally regained some composure and realized, "Then, will he leave?"
Xu Fu nodded. "Naturally. As I said, although he has another option, which is to continue killing those shrines and imperial shrines to plunder incense for rapid recovery, the longer he stays in Japan, the greater his consumption will be... it will only grow larger."
"He will soon feel it and fall into a crisis. At this point, even if I haven't fully recovered, if I can heavily injure him, he will never be able to leave. Therefore, his best option now is to leave this land. This place does not welcome him. It's a pity I wanted to capture and kill him, but it seems impossible now. Things from the heavens and things cultivated from the earth are ultimately not on the same level." As Xu Fu said this, resentment appeared in his eyes, but it was not directed at anyone. Coupled with his tone, it seemed more like resentment towards himself. Toyotomi Hideyoshi understood, "Are you regretting that you were not born a god?"
Xu Fu admitted, "Ah... that's right. Of course. It's like people who are born into the Immortal Dao realm versus those who cultivate from ordinary people to reach the Immortal Dao realm. Who has a higher starting point, who has better destiny, it's self-evident, isn't it?"
"For mortals to defy fate and change their destiny, it is impossible with inferior roots. Therefore, they must consume heavenly treasures to change their own aptitudes."
"But some people are born at the finish line." Xu Fu said, even feeling a sense of emotion, lamenting that heaven and earth are not absolutely just, but only relatively just, and that he was not the one favored. Toyotomi Hideyoshi asked again, "Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki and Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi have both been taken. Those are the foundations accumulated over our country's two thousand years. Now that so much has been taken, how can we let this go?"
"The time is not yet right."
Xu Fu interrupted Toyotomi Hideyoshi, "There are still twenty years. After twenty years, these divine artifacts will all return. Twenty years later, the world will descend, and by then, these divine artifacts will be useless."
"Otherwise, what do you want to do?"
Xu Fu's rhetorical question made Toyotomi Hideyoshi fall silent for a long time, and he could only sigh in hateful anger. "The old goes, the new comes. Let him go."
Xu Fu's gaze was devoid of joy or sorrow. What was lost could not be regained. And once the demon left Japan, he would likely never see him again for a long time. Therefore, reclaiming those divine artifacts was impossible. "Too many Pseudo-Immortals have been sacrificed, so there are no strong generals available at the moment."
The Pure Yang realm is currently the strongest they can field. Moreover, not every shrine has the cultivation level of someone like the purple-robed woman from Heian Shrine. Japan has suffered heavy losses in this battle. Continuing to fight would only further deplete their strength. They can only look on the bright side. At least there are twenty years of development time, enough to make a comeback, aren't there!
Outside the ruined Honno-ji Temple, the old abbot, having fled, returned here. Seeing that his temple's gate had become a pile of rubble, he stood there, not knowing whether to advance or retreat. When he left, the outside was fine, but upon returning, even the facade had collapsed?
He then saw a young monk sitting by the ruined original entrance, his spirit... although he felt this young man should be a samurai, he did not see his sword. "Are you the abbot of Honno-ji?"
The old abbot was very vigilant. He felt that the young man before him might be very strong, though he didn't know why he had this feeling. "Even a fierce tiger, when dead, its skeleton still stands. Young man, who are you, and why are you at my temple?"
"This place is not safe to linger."
Did the gate becoming rubble happen because Lord Nobunaga's corpse resurrected as a demon god?
Earlier, he saw demonic energy soaring from the direction of Honno-ji Temple from afar, and the celestial demon from the Ming Dynasty disappeared in a golden light. He was worried about what to do. "Although you are the abbot of Honno-ji, you cannot enter."
Miyamoto Musashi did not answer the old abbot's question, or rather, he never intended to let the old abbot answer. He simply asked as a matter of course. Then, he pointed his finger not far from the gate. The old abbot looked back, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his entire body stiffened. Beside a broken main beam lay more than a dozen corpses. Judging from the residual magical power, these people were all formidable great cultivators in life, at least at the Innate realm or above. Kyoto was the residence of the Emperor, and many cultivators also lived here, even spreading their teachings. Among the deceased were several people the old abbot knew, whose cultivation was much higher than his own. They usually appeared arrogant when they met, but now they had become corpses, their limbs dismembered, some even cut in half. Their physical bodies were so destroyed, and they had not yet reached the Pure Yang realm, so these bodies naturally could not be used. "These are the great cultivators of Kyoto. They must have seen the demonic energy soaring from Honno-ji Temple and came, but they didn't expect to leave their bodies here." The old abbot sighed. Unexpectedly, Miyamoto Musashi interjected, "Not bodies, but their corpses."
"Do you think their primordial spirits could have escaped?"
The old abbot turned back. Upon hearing this, he took a moment to digest the meaning of Musashi's words, and his expression became startled. "You mean you killed them all completely?"
"Their primordial spirits were all destroyed?!"
Miyamoto Musashi's spirits were low, and he replied listlessly, "Of course, they were killed. Could I let them go and have them bring more people to cause trouble?"
"The Lord is at a critical moment of breakthrough. To kill these intruders, all subsequent troubles must be eliminated. They are the root of trouble, so they cannot be allowed to return. Dying here is their only outcome. 'If they must blame someone, it is only themselves for overestimating their strength.'"
As Musashi said this, the color on his face deepened. Those who overestimate their strength are as numerous as the grains of sand in a river, and he himself is just one of them. The Pure Yang aura emanating from Musashi made the old abbot's hair stand on end, and a chill ran down his spine. He was terrified, "Pseudo-Immortal!"
"What Pseudo-Immortal? Pure Yang is Pure Yang. The mortal world is the mortal world. If you don't step into the Immortal Dao realm, how dare you call yourself an Immortal?" Hearing the honored title of Pseudo-Immortal, a hint of indignation even appeared in Musashi's expression at this moment. After being flattered too much, he began to feel that he truly possessed supreme power. When he was cast down from the clouds by another force, he realized he had nowhere to retreat. The higher he was praised, the harder he fell. To survive, he defected to the celestial demon, willingly entered the demonic path, and could no longer turn back. The title of Pseudo-Immortal, how ironic! How foolish!
The old abbot dared not speak for a moment. His cultivation was too far from the Pure Yang realm. At this moment, deep within Honno-ji Temple, demonic energy surged and began to contract in the next moment!
The wind and clouds of heaven and earth suddenly changed color!
Thunder roared, the sky darkened, and the dust on the ground spontaneously rolled, flowing towards the depths of Honno-ji Temple like a stream. Deep within Honno-ji Temple, the demon had completely absorbed all the demonic energy from the Conqueror Demon King, completing the final refinement step. The chaotic energy, the primordial dust, the earthly demonic energy, and the heavenly demonic energy mixed together, causing the primordial spirit to change. A wisp of smoke rushed out from between the demon's eyebrows. The incense body manifested in the form of a primordial spirit, and it was discovered that the entire body was emitting a blue light. As his thoughts turned, the blue light also surged with his thoughts, astonishing the demon. His blood had not yet turned into blue energy, but a blue light had already appeared on his body. The changes in the Immortal Dao realm were beyond the demon's comprehension. The wars of the Yuan Dynasty caused many inheritances to disappear, so what sign the blue light on his body indicated, the demon did not understand, but it should be a good thing because the pain of refining the sun had completely disappeared. The demon felt no physical pain. After a moment, the smoke returned, and the primordial spirit returned to the physical body and merged again. The blue light flashed and disappeared on the physical body. Chapter of Annihilation (Second Layer): You have refined all the demonic energy from the Conqueror Demon King. Not only were you not corrupted by it, but you instead corrupted him, and you have carried out the true demonic path!
Chapter of Annihilation (Second Layer): Subtle Manifestation. You can reveal subtle matters or principles truthfully. You can eliminate any source of corruption and poison from its root, and find the true name of the target. Names contain the power of heaven and earth. After entering the Immortal level, one cannot easily call out the true name of the other party, otherwise, the Immortal will sense it at will and manifest. The effect of your annihilation of corruption and poison can be applied to targets up to the Heavenly Heart realm! Below Heavenly Heart, it is ineffective against Great Luo Scattered Numbers, and Great Luo Scattered Numbers also cannot cause any form of corruption and poison to you. Chapter of Annihilation (Second Layer): Reverse Jade Pure Celestial Demon. You will have a premonition of an impending event. If this event can be sensed, then the outcome of this matter can be interfered with and reversed. If an event is about to happen but cannot be sensed, then this matter cannot be reversed by human intervention. Rashly interfering will be punished by heavenly tribulation. Jade Pure Celestial Demon is a divine king who tests the Dao and cannot defy heaven's will!
Chapter of Annihilation (Second Layer): Ancient Celestial Demonic Energy. You have absorbed the chaotic energy and primordial dust, and the celestial demonic energy has transformed into ancient celestial demonic energy.