Chapter 22 The Key to Breaking the Situation

　　Suren had read some legends in ancient books before, saying that the Land of Yomi was the final destination for the dead.

　　Therefore, ghosts and monsters here usually don't "die." Even if they are killed, they only lose some cultivation, and then they will re-condense their bodies and resurrect under some special rules.

　　However, Suren also felt that was the general situation.

　　His abilities perfectly countered various undead species that were good at resurrection.

　　With the soul fragments stripped away, the probability of resurrection was greatly reduced.

　　Suren skillfully stripped away the soul mist of this Shuten-dōji.

　　[You have stripped the soul of Shuten-dōji, the Oni King of the Hundred Demons]

　　[You have comprehended a special Ba Gangqi body protection secret skill, the Imperial Flow: Overlord Body...]

　　[You have obtained a piece of information: 'Yomi no Kuni's master, Izanami-sama, is the supreme existence...']

　　[You know this: 'Some history of Yomi no Kuni'...]

　　[Mental power +...]

　　[...]

　　Because alchemists and yokai were not the same system, he didn't choose to strip away some cultivation insights, but wanted to use this channel to understand Yomi no Kuni and find a way out.

　　The information he obtained was indeed a lot.

　　Keywords: Yomi no Kuni master, Izanami?

　　Suren vaguely felt that he seemed to know the key to breaking the situation.

　　This cursed space materialized many "gods" of Yamagakure, but in the heart of a great yokai of Shuten-dōji's level, the only supreme existence was this Izanami.

　　Suren didn't know if it was the legendary one.

　　After all, that was an even more ancient "mother goddess" than Amaterasu.

　　A true god, without a doubt.

　　No mortal could describe a god, so they were called "indescribable."

　　Therefore, Suren also felt that she shouldn't appear in the cursed space.

　　Stripping away memories would disintegrate a small part of the soul. Suren was curious as to why the Black Scythe didn't smoothly cut the target for the first time, so he conveniently stripped away another Vajra secret method from the Oni Child, the Imperial Flow: Overlord Body.

　　Only then did he realize that the reason for this yokai's indestructible body, apart from the strength of the body itself, was most importantly a high-level skill of using "Qi" to protect the body.

　　Stripping it away was still a pleasant surprise.

　　This was a very advanced comprehension skill, still in Suren's blind spot of knowledge.

　　Under normal circumstances, this should be the field of a sixth-tier professional.

　　Suren couldn't use it.

　　Because his "Qi" had not reached the level to use this secret method.

　　The condensed but not dispersed demonic aura ≈ a type of Gangqi ≈ Haki?

　　Because Mr. Jing had always said that "Qi" was the key to the advancement of high-level professionals, Suren could also vaguely understand some of it.

　　Although the carriers were different, the essence seemed to be the same.

　　But now his "Qi" was like a faint mist, which would dissipate with a single rush.

　　And in that secret method, "Qi" was required to be as hard as steel, condensed and not dispersed. It was like being able to completely and skillfully control the solid, liquid, and gaseous states of metal.

　　Very difficult.

　　When he mastered "Haki" in the future, he seemed to be able to use this secret method himself.

　　At that time, it would be the [Rune Vajra Overlord Body], which seemed to have pretty good life-saving abilities?

　　Thoughts flashed through Suren's mind in an instant, and he didn't think too much.

　　Because at this time, an even more bizarre scene occurred before his eyes.

　　The corpse of that Shuten-dōji actually turned into wisps of black energy and was absorbed by his body!

　　No,

　　To be precise,

　　It was absorbed by the Reaper phantom behind Suren!

　　.......

　　Chihiro, who was on the side, also saw this strange phenomenon. Before she had time to take care of her tumbling blood, she shouted sharply, "Suren, are you alright?"

　　Suren knew she cared about him, but shook his head.

　　Because he also clearly felt that the Reaper phantom was absorbing a source of energy that made him feel very, very pleasant.

　　The Eye of Omniscience identified it, and the black energy transformed from the corpse showed [Demonic Aura Mixed with the Power of Faith].

　　"This black energy can actually make the Reaper phantom solidify?"

　　Suren was surprised and delighted.

　　He had previously guessed that the Yamagakure yokai were a collection of faith, and now it seemed that was indeed the case.

　　But what he didn't expect was that faith demonic aura and the Reaper phantom were actually the same kind of thing.

　　In the instant of their conversation, they watched as the severed head of Shuten-dōji was completely absorbed and disappeared before their eyes.

　　In this short period of time, Suren also clearly noticed a huge change.

　　The Reaper phantom had solidified visibly to the naked eye!

　　The face under the Reaper's cloak had previously been a mass of mist, but now the outline of the face was faintly visible. Upon closer inspection, although he couldn't see the facial features clearly, the outline vaguely resembled Suren's appearance.

　　Moreover, the change in appearance was secondary.

　　Suren clearly felt that his understanding of the Law of Death and some indescribable abilities had increased dramatically!

　　He estimated that if he relied on his own normal understanding of the Law of Death, he might not be able to reach this level even in five or ten years.

　　"So strong!"

　　A gleam flashed across Suren's eyes, and he couldn't hide his shock: "This kind of faith yokai... can actually directly increase the Reaper phantom's level of comprehension!"

　　The talent ability originally could only be enhanced by self-comprehension, but he had discovered a shortcut because he was sucked into this cursed space.

　　The S-class talent was already rare to awaken, and it was difficult to advance. The ability development didn't improve at all, which not only required time, but also a great opportunity. Just like Suren's previous personal death, he awakened the second stage of talent. Now the growth of ability development was like a snail, with increments like 0.001%, 0.002%, 0.003%...

　　But now it had directly jumped and increased by 1%!

　　This allowed Suren to see a window being opened, and before his eyes was a new world.

　　If it continued to grow like this, after the second stage of talent was awakened, would there be a third stage?

　　However, Suren also clearly felt that the absorbed demonic aura was not pure, and there was a negative energy inside.

　　That was demonic power.

　　The negative impact brought about was not on the body, nor on the mental power, but on the temperament of his entire person, with a slightly strange feeling.

　　But compared to the harvest, this negative cost was negligible.

　　.......

　　By killing Shuten-dōji, Suren discovered the great opportunity hidden in this desperate situation, which could be considered a blessing in disguise.

　　However, now was not the time to ponder those gains.

　　Because their crisis had not been resolved, and the situation was becoming more and more dangerous.

　　The surrounding evil spirits watched Shuten-dōji being killed, and all the ghosts were stunned. Especially when they saw the Reaper phantom behind Suren, it was as if time had stopped. The ghosts looked at each other. But immediately, ear-piercing screams of ghosts and wolves erupted in the nearby blocks.

　　Without the deterrence of the Oni King, the little ghosts went crazy and swarmed in.

　　"Let's go!"

　　Chihiro shouted sharply and rushed to the front with her sword drawn.

　　"Okay!"

　　Suren didn't dare to delay and turned around to slip away.

　　But as soon as he moved, his muscles felt a burning pain, and he staggered and almost fell.

　　He immediately understood something.

　　Activating the fourth stage of hormone runaway just now had caused great damage to the body fighting in an overloaded state.

　　Muscles ruptured, bones cracked, and although he didn't die on the spot, he needed time to recover.

　　However, these ghosts and monsters wouldn't give him time to recover.

　　"The body has reached its limit..."

　　Suren's face was unsightly.

　　This was also the first time he had faced an unknown enemy of this level. Even if he was careful enough, it was impossible to completely calculate the other party's damage.

　　Being able to kill him was due to the two of them gambling with luck.

　　Especially the knife-hand strike to the abdomen, although he tried to avoid the vital points as much as possible, the surge of crimson lotus demonic aura made his whole body's blood run wild.

　　Suren was well aware that his current body was on the verge of collapse and could no longer support strenuous combat.

　　He couldn't escape.

　　Quickly analyzing the pros and cons, Suren was also a decisive person.

　　Seeing the various ghosts and monsters swarming around, his eyes turned cold, and he took out the scroll sealing the Mechanical Alchemist armor and prepared to tear it open, "Hoo... the last gamble."

　　The Mechanical Alchemist had strong defense, and controlling the battle didn't depend much on the state of the body, so it could probably last for a while.

　　But Suren also knew that once he entered the mech, he would have almost no chance to escape.

　　The mech didn't have spatial displacement ability, and its speed was also slightly clumsy. It was impossible to escape the city surrounded by hundreds of thousands of ghosts.

　　He took it out just thinking that in a desperate battle, he might be able to restrain some monsters for Chihiro and give her a better chance of survival.

　　But as soon as this scroll was taken out.

　　Chihiro's afterglow saw him, and she seemed to immediately guess what he wanted to do, so she unhesitatingly turned back and killed her way back.

　　The speed of a swordsman was even faster than Suren tearing the scroll. With a flash of her figure, she picked up Suren and rushed out.

　　Even being carried, Suren spat out a mouthful of old blood. He endured the stabbing pain all over his body and said seriously, "Chihiro-nee, I can't go anymore. You go first!"

　　"..."

　　Chihiro looked at his state and narrowed her eyes, not understanding what Suren wanted to express.

　　She herself was at the end of her rope, and carrying one more person would almost certainly result in both of them dying.

　　So the most rational decision was to let one go if possible.

　　But she didn't even think about it and shouted sharply, "Hmph! Nonsense!"

　　Suren sighed slightly in his heart.

　　The two of them were already familiar enough to have a tacit understanding of each other's thoughts. He knew very well that this gambling addict was always a sentimental person and would never run away alone, even if it meant death.

　　Just like he had stayed behind just now.

　　Suren didn't say much and could only silently lie on her shoulder, occasionally throwing out a few bombs to relieve the pressure.

　　"Boom", "Boom", "Boom"...

　　The fireworks of the bombs exploded in the city with dazzling light.

　　Suren even took out the high-explosive bombs at the bottom of the box.

　　It was a pity that the power was great, but many ghosts didn't take damage from firearms at all.

　　Chihiro panted heavily, and her sword-swinging movements became more and more sluggish, and her sword aura became weaker and weaker...

　　The situation of the two of them became more and more dangerous.

　　.......

　　In fact, they had been in a desperate situation since they were discovered by Shuten-dōji.

　　Regardless of whether they won or not, the time was consumed, and the surrounding ghosts had already blocked all routes, and the possibility of escaping had dropped off a cliff.

　　Rushing out in full strength relied on luck, and now that both of them were injured, wanting to rush out was even more of a fantasy.

　　Chihiro swung her long sword, cutting with blood everywhere.

　　Suren was on her shoulder, controlling the only fingers that could move, using a few strange puppets to create a little chaos.

　　Neither of them could maintain the second-stage talent state anymore.

　　Finally, Suren and the others encountered another troublesome Yokai King-level monster.

　　It was a Great Tengu with fifth-tier peak combat power.

　　The red-faced monster with wings on its back and a hulking figure like a Minotaur was also a very powerful swordsman, equipped with a large sword and famous armor.

　　Even in full strength, Chihiro might not be able to gain an advantage. In this encounter, she barely held on for a few rounds before being slashed down and sent flying dozens of meters, falling into a pile of ruins. If it weren't for the Sengoku period's famous armor, Iron Red Scale Lacquered Five-Piece Cuirass, she and Suren would have been cut in two by this slash.

　　.......

　　In the ruins, Chihiro's helmet was knocked off by the sword just now, her blue hair was scattered, and blood flowed from her brow, making her look ferocious and embarrassed.

　　She rested her sword on the ground, kneeling on one knee, and barely didn't fall down.

　　Suren was equally embarrassed. All the way through the battle, the ghosts had left various wounds on his body. If it weren't for the runes drawn on his bones and skin before, which had greatly enhanced his body strength, he would have been strangled into minced meat long ago.

　　It was hopeless to leave the city from the south gate.

　　At this moment, everything in sight was ghosts and monsters, and the black monstrous ghostly aura rushed straight into the sky, surrounding them like a tsunami. If it crashed over, they would be crushed to pieces immediately.

　　Chihiro struggled for a moment, wanting to rush up and fight again, but spat out a mouthful of blood.

　　Suren turned his head and glanced at her, exhaled a long breath, and the tightly frowned brow also loosened.

　　He had just felt that there was still a chance to fight, and his spirit was highly tense.

　　Now that all the means had been exhausted and there was no chance, he seemed to be open-minded again.

　　Chihiro also felt that gaze.

　　The two looked at each other, and there was no despair or sadness in their eyes, but they smiled.

　　"Chihiro-nee, I still have a little chance to kill that Great Tengu."

　　"Oh, then try."

　　"Okay."

　　After a simple conversation, the two slumped down where they were.

　　Chihiro's profile was very beautiful, although it was a little sharp, it was still hard to find flaws.

　　She sighed and asked, "Suren, you clearly had a little chance to leave before. Why did you stay?"

　　In fact, Suren's best chance to survive was when Chihiro blocked Shuten-dōji.

　　Escaping at that time would probably have a one or two percent chance.

　　But he didn't choose that way.

　　Suren gasped for breath and replied seriously, "Chihiro-nee, actually, I've always wanted to say that being able to fight alongside you is something I've been looking forward to."

　　For the first time, he felt that death didn't seem so... unacceptable.

　　Hearing this, Chihiro raised her eyebrows, "Oh..."

　　It seemed that many thoughts had become clear.

　　The lights in the city were like the afterglow of the setting sun, illuminating their faces red. A very beautiful smile appeared on her face as well.

　　Unfortunately, the end of their lives didn't leave them much time.

　　The Great Tengu sensed the danger and didn't rush up immediately, but approached slowly.

　　Suren was brewing a desperate blow, but was dragged down by this caution, and couldn't help but cough up another mouthful of blood.

　　He wiped the overflowing blood from the corner of his mouth, and a bitter smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

　　It could only go to this extent.

　　So be it.

　　He suddenly thought of something and turned his head, "Chihiro-nee, can I ask you a question?"

　　"What?"

　　Chihiro replied instinctively.

　　But then she looked at the expression in Suren's eyes and suddenly realized something, and a strange color flashed across her eyes.

　　She guessed what Suren wanted to ask, and an unnatural look actually flashed across her heroic face for the first time.

　　Suren's eyes were full of teasing, and he asked directly, "Chihiro-nee, are you really a virgin?"

　　At the end of life, you always have to find something to make yourself happy.

　　In his opinion, there was no question that made him happier.

　　"..."

　　As expected, Chihiro rolled her eyes at him and didn't respond.

　　"Hahaha..."

　　Seeing her like this, Suren laughed out loud.

　　Although Shuten-dōji was a legendary yokai, his nose was still very sharp.

　　Suren thought....

　　So it really was!

　　Listening to the annoying laughter, Chihiro finally couldn't hold it in anymore, and glared at him faintly, complaining, "Hey, hey, hey... You're so annoying. Is it that strange?"

　　"Ahahaha..."

　　Suren laughed so hard that the blood in his mouth was also gushing out.

　　Chihiro glanced at it, her eyes twinkling, and finally let him go.

　　Just then, the Great Tengu's majestic pressure came down, and its five-meter-high body stood in front of the two.

　　Swinging the knife, he slashed forward.

　　......

　　The sword energy attacked, sending sand and stones flying all the way.

　　Chihiro frowned and glared, slowly drawing out her demon sword. She was going to prepare to unleash her last sword as a swordsman.

　　Suren's current body recovery level was far from being able to dodge violently. He felt that he was dead for sure with this slash.

　　But suddenly, a thought popped into his head: "That Mang Hou's prediction..."

　　The scene that the blind girl saw was Chihiro smiling in the burning flames...

　　This ending wasn't right.

　　Moreover, the herald bird on his shoulder hadn't cried out.

　　Could there be a turning point?

　　Although Suren hoped that there would be a turning point, no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't think of any means that could turn the situation around.

　　Although the various seal items and cursed items on his body were extraordinary, they couldn't save his life except to delay the time of death.

　　Could it be external force?

　　For example, Miko descending from the sky?

　　Suren thought of all the possibilities.

　　He looked at the sky, and as expected, at this time, an unusual situation suddenly occurred.

　　However, Suren didn't see a Miko in divine clothes descending from the sky, but a broken porcelain bowl suddenly appeared there.

　　"???"

　　Suren looked at this broken bowl and felt a little familiar.

　　Before he could think about it, this porcelain bowl blocked the sword energy.

　　"Clang", "Clang", "Clang"... A series of sparks sounded.

　　Looking at what was clearly a beggar's bowl that would break with a single fall, it had stubbornly blocked the sword energy.

　　Seeing this scene, Suren and Chihiro were stunned at the same time.

　　Although this Yomi no Kuni was full of yokai, there weren't many who could block the Great Tengu's slash.

　　Could it be that another great yokai had come to snatch food?

　　Suren's first reaction was this possibility.

　　Before they could think too much, a strong wind suddenly blew around them, and dilapidated buildings formed a huge vortex around them. For a time, the wind howled and the sand and stones stung their eyes. The whirlwind isolated all the surrounding monsters.

　　Then, two mud balls suddenly fell from the sky and landed in front of Suren and Chihiro.

　　[Mud Ball of the Beggar God]

　　Detailed explanation: An elixir containing the aura of Yomi, very rare; after taking it, the medicinal properties can continue to cover up the Yang energy on a living person's body, so that you will not attract the attention of ghosts like a bright light in the night, but it will not allow you to be assimilated by the aura of Yomi. The effect lasts for 30 days.

　　Suren felt a little inexplicable, but when he identified the efficacy of this mud ball, his eyes lit up immediately.

　　He finally remembered why the broken bowl with the blue and white pattern was so familiar.

　　Wasn't this the bowl of the two little beggars he met on the street when he first came to Yamagakure?

　　At that time, he remembered that he had thrown a few copper coins into it.

　　What was originally an unintentional act seemed to have been rewarded?

　　Suren had a feeling of disbelief.

　　In an instant, he finally understood the inexplicable words that the "yojin" Abe no Yasuna had said to him: "In our Yamagakure, there is an ancient saying that good thoughts may not be rewarded immediately, but they will be watched by the gods."

　　.......

　　Just as the mud balls landed, a voice suddenly came from the whirlwind: "I can't hold on for long... You leave quickly."

　　The light and shadow formed the image of a ragged beggar.

　　"Thank you for your help, Beggar God!"

　　Suren cupped his hands towards the phantom and gave a Yamagakure salute. He didn't stand on ceremony, and quickly picked up the mud balls on the ground and said to Chihiro, "Eat it quickly!"

　　The Beggar God was one of the many gods in Yamagakure, but calling him a god was probably just a slightly more powerful yokai. Now that he had taken action to save them from ten thousand ghosts, he might not be able to hold on for long.

　　Chihiro was also vague, and looked at the dirty mud ball that Suren handed over and swallowed it in one gulp.

　　It was like swallowing a mouthful of mud. The pill scraped against the throat wall and fell down. Although it was a little difficult to swallow, after the medicinal power dissolved, a cool air like floral fragrance and mint swept through her lungs and blended into her limbs.

　　Suren felt that his body hadn't changed much, but he instantly lost the feeling of being repelled by the surrounding cold environment.

　　At this moment, he finally saw the hope of breaking the situation.

　　The biggest reason they had been chased by ghosts all along was the "Yang energy" on their bodies. There was no way to hide it at all. No matter where they escaped, they were like two light bulbs that could be spotted at a glance.

　　But now this pill had solved the fundamental problem!

　　Chihiro also felt the changes in her body, but she didn't understand what had happened at all.

　　Why would a yokai help them?

　　After looking at Suren, she guessed that it should have been brought by Suren.

　　When life reached a dead end, both of them showed a gleam of light.

　　At this moment, Suren had recovered a little mobility. He pinched the Shushi seal with both hands, and a purple-black hexagram mark appeared under his feet, and a space crack appeared in front of him.

　　"Go!"

　　He took Chihiro's hand and stepped over.

　　........

　　Suren was seriously injured now, and the two didn't teleport very far.

　　However, it was enough.

　　When they stepped out of the space crack, they appeared in an empty room.

　　Because he could sense the fire of the soul, Suren perfectly avoided all the ghosts.

　　However, he could also clearly sense that there were dozens of ghosts just outside the door.

　　Just as they appeared, some ghosts seemed to have noticed something, but without sensing the "Yang energy", no ghost came in to investigate.

　　They had really concealed it!

　　Suren and the others looked at each other: They were saved!

　　Before long, the storm outside subsided.

　　The yokai couldn't find their target and cursed.

　　"Damn it! God of Poverty, where did you take those two humans!"

　　"That damn beggar, don't even think about swallowing it alone..."

　　"Run, run, jie jie jie... No living person can walk out of Yomi no Kuni. See how long you can hide..."

　　"..."

　　The atmosphere outside was gloomy, and ghosts and monsters passed through the walls from time to time, glancing at the two in the room and leaving through the wall.

　　Fortunately, Gluttonous General Peon seemed to be very strong, and the battle at Ghost Lantern Night Market in the west hadn't ended yet, and the melon-eating ghosts also flocked over.

　　Suren and Chihiro hid in the room, listening to the yokai getting further and further away, and then they dared to take a deep breath.

　　Since the ghosts couldn't find them, they didn't have to escape the city urgently.

　　Chihiro asked, "Where are we going now?"

　　Suren thought for a while and said, "Let's recover and go to Senso-ji Temple to see the situation."

　　He had stripped away some souls of ghosts and monsters, and now he also had a goal.

　　If nothing unexpected happened, the master of Yomi no Kuni, Izanami, was most likely the key to escaping the cursed space.

　　But the current situation was that Suren and Chihiro almost died fighting a Shuten-dōji. Wanting to find that "master" would most likely be a one-way trip.

　　They had to find some other opportunities.

　　Suren had also stripped away some information before, and evil ghosts were unwilling to approach the suburban Senso-ji Temple, because there was the power of gods and Buddhas there, which would be safer.

　　And intuition told him that Senso-ji Temple would be a very crucial point.

　　After all, the great writer Fujiwara Hayato had finally completed this Death Novel at Senso-ji Temple!