Chapter 97

There was no need for further words; the white and red shrine maiden attire was already fluttering in the hot wind.

Her eyes narrowed, and raging flames surged from her back, unfurling six crimson wings of fire!

Boom!!

Almost simultaneously, Qi Xing took a deep breath, and thunder roared explosively from his dantian!

In an instant, he transformed into an arrow of azure lightning, diving down from high altitude.

The naked eye could not track his trajectory; one could only hear the thunderous roars of air being torn asunder rolling through the clouds!

Fire and thunder, light and heat.

Jingo Rin's six wings sliced through the mountain wind, carrying raging divine fire to form a descending red-gold meteor; meanwhile, Qi Xing was like a heavenly thunderbolt striking from the nine heavens, plummeting straight into the earth with unstoppable momentum!

No need to hide.

Disdain for hiding!

"True Buddhism, your grandfather, Master Leipu, has arrived!"

No sooner said than done, the mist-shrouded mountain col of Mount Hakkoda finally reacted the moment the two of them dove down!

The already thick fog began to boil, condense, and churn, twisting into layers of whirlpools to block their path!

This was, of course, no ordinary fog, but a [Will] mixed with a vast amount of ley line spiritual energy and filthy desires. It was not an attack in itself, but it was a [Gate]. Those without a key could not pass.

However, neither Qi Xing nor Jingo Rin were the type to obediently use a key to open a door!

"If you won't let me in, then I'll smash my way through!"

Qi Xing let out a loud laugh, transforming into a bolt of lightning, and slammed fiercely into the fog!

Boom!!

The sea of fog violently shook as arcs of electricity exploded, like the wrath of a thunder god cleaving a mountain with ten thousand tons of force!

The next second, Jingo Rin followed closely behind, her six wings spread wide as she descended. The scorching waves of fire, like divine flames incinerating the world, forcibly burned a path through the mist!

The fog dissipated violently amidst the high heat and thunder. The seemingly indestructible barrier of the [Inner Realm] was fiercely breached by two forces capable of splitting the sky and severing mountains, shattering it to pieces!

The entire mountain shook! Birds and beasts fled, trees swayed, and wind poured into the breach from all directions!

The next moment, the two of them flew into the world within the mist, almost side-by-side, and landed on the ground.

The moment their feet touched the ground, the temperature plummeted, the lightning extinguished, and the fire wings retracted. Looking around, the scenery that met their eyes was indistinguishable from an ancient village in a TV show or manga.

Beneath their feet was a dilapidated stone path.

On the land surrounded by mountains, old wooden houses were scattered sporadically. They had low eaves and sloped, tiled roofs. Some doors were half-closed, while others were wide open, pitch-black as if they were gaping mouths.

By the roadside, one could occasionally see rusted old water pumps, a toppled mailbox, and crooked utility poles with long-severed cables, their thin, broken wires hanging down like threads, swaying in the air.

On the exterior walls of some houses, faded notices were still posted, bearing slogans like [Beware of Epidemic].

They had finally entered the legendary [Sugisawa Village]—and it seemed that long before the village was wiped out in the 1930s, it had actually interacted quite a lot with the outside world. There were even electrical appliances, proving that the village had once been connected to external power and was not some unknown, hidden settlement.

The surroundings were dead silent; naturally, no other figures could be seen. Qi Xing peered through the shattered windows into several houses; the interiors were empty, save for a few pieces of furniture. It was as if people had once lived here with great intensity, only to be uprooted and vanish completely.

To a mortal, at first glance, this was just a desolate village.

However, as superhumans, both Qi Xing and Jingo Rin could feel it—the thick fog shrouding the mountains outside the village had not truly been pierced, nor had it truly dissipated.

It still lingered in the air, water, and soil, merely having changed form, becoming invisible and intangible, yet permeating every inch of space.

There was no wind here. Not a breath of wind.

The fog felt as though it were coiled beneath their skin; each breath felt like inhaling threads soaked in putrid water. Walking through this village felt like swimming in viscous liquid. It felt as if they were being wrapped in warm, wet mud, which was nauseating.

That was why Jingo Rin still had not extinguished her flames, instead continuing to purify the surrounding air. If not for this, the fog would likely flow into their lungs with every breath.

Was the fog in this village repelling and blocking outsiders? Perhaps it was the exact opposite.

Jingo Rin looked back and indeed discovered that the thick fog they had just blasted through—the massive hole they had made when breaking through—had already been filled by the surging mist. The fog was even denser than before, as if it had instinctively tightened its pocket after detecting intruders.

This was not mere concealment.

This was a desolate village long uninhabited, the hollow shell of an abandoned settlement, the remains attempting to trap the outsiders it had lured in.

"Easy to enter, hard to leave."

Qi Xing shook his head,

"Miss Jingo, I told you that you shouldn't have come with me."

"Quite the opposite."

Jingo Rin countered calmly, her tone as composed as ever,

"If you had been lured here by the enemy alone and fallen into a trap, you would have truly been without support."

Qi Xing was momentarily rendered speechless.

A trap, was it?

Trap or ghost village, they had already walked in, so let's see who is more terrifying.

If this were a horror movie or game, the evil spirits or monsters inhabiting the abandoned village should be jumping out to attack them by now. Qi Xing and Jingo Rin certainly hoped for enemies to appear as soon as possible. Because if the opponent did nothing, they wouldn't be able to see what [True Buddhism]'s true objective was.

Maintaining their vigilance, Qi Xing and Jingo Rin walked side-by-side deeper into the village, passing through a faded wooden archway and stepping onto the damp, cold stone path. The entire village was like an emptied shell, so quiet that even their breathing echoed. Until—

"The guest said he wants to do it by the well behind the house tonight."

Until a sudden female voice drifted lazily through the mist.

"No way? Outside again? In the middle of winter? Is something wrong with his brain?"

Another, clearly younger girl, replied with a reluctant complaint.

"You child, how can you speak of our honored guest like that? Thanks to them, we have food to eat. Remember to apply plenty of ointment tonight; it's very cold, and it won't be easy to stay moist."

The two voices drifted by their ears like mist, making it impossible to determine which direction they were coming from.

But Qi Xing and Jingo Rin could not help but look at each other… That sounded like the conversation from [Sugisawa Village] before it became what it is now, from the past.

This was an echo, likely the lingering reverberations of [Sugisawa Village] itself—the lives that once existed, the nights, breathing, and lewd customs that once occurred here, all trapped within the mist along with this land.

The air suddenly became heavier.

"I'm going to school!"

"Let's play together after school!"

Two shadows, looking like sisters, suddenly ran past Qi Xing and Jingo Rin. The scene was so abrupt that it even surprised Qi Xing, who followed the shadows with his gaze.

But the sister-like shadows that had just run past him had already vanished.

The air of the village changed quietly.

The cracks on the ground quickly faded away, and the dilapidated stone path became clean and new. The previously broken wooden houses also restored themselves to their complete state in the blink of an eye; paper windows were patched, roof tiles were rearranged, and wind chimes were even hung under the eaves.

"There are lights."

Jingo Rin said in a low voice.

She looked up and saw that behind the windows of several houses, dim yellow lights were actually glowing.

That wasn't all. Smoke rose between the houses, and the shadows of flames on stove tops flickered. It seemed miso soup was being cooked in pots, and the steaming, fragrant aroma seeped out from the brokenness and desolation, creating a dreamlike, heartwarming scene.

Then, the villagers appeared as well.

There were young and old, but all were women, carrying baskets, bearing firewood, or leading children, walking through the village paths while chatting. Some greeted each other, some bent down to feed cats at their doors, and a young girl even whistled as she leaped over a ditch, brushing past Qi Xing in the blink of an eye.

"Look, look, this is a dance I recently learned! I wonder what kind of person this honored guest is; I hope they're a good person."

"Another honored guest has arrived? At my age, I probably won't have a chance, but I'm still happy for you."

"This year's income is also quite good; it's all thanks to Lady [Amaterasu]."

Not a single person actually [noticed] Qi Xing and the others. Those figures and voices were merely reflections of the past, residual images sealed deep within time by the fog.

Intense resentment would cause the [Inner Realm] to appear twisted and distorted.

But this superficial layer of the [Inner Realm] clearly and faithfully reproduced the scene of the surface world.

Behind this chilling madness, one could feel a clear sense of self and rationality.

In other words… how should one put it… the [thing] that gave birth to this [Inner Realm] fell into madness while maintaining its rationality.

This might sound contradictory, but the deeper Qi Xing investigated, the more he realized that this [Amaterasu] truly had some capability.

(People once lived such lives here.)

He couldn't help but think.

The ages of the pedestrians and the eras they came from were actually quite different.

There were women wearing kimonos, schoolgirls in early Showa-era uniforms, and occasionally, one could even see figures resembling shrine maidens and pregnant women.

Without exception, they were all women. Some were beaming with smiles, some were throwing tantrums, and others were weeping, covering their faces.

But Qi Xing could feel the love each of them had for this village; they had lived here in great harmony.

Many memories remained in this village, and many treated it as their hometown.

Born here, forever sleeping here. From mother to daughter… the torch was passed on endlessly in this village, in an endless cycle.

For them, this place had indeed once been a home where they lived and worked in peace. Even living in a place like this, most people were smiling; they considered themselves happy.

Of course, people's desires were also clearly recorded within it; the fragments were by no means only filled with beautiful things…

"This isn't an illusion, is it?"

Jingo Rin murmured.

"It isn't."

The one who answered Jingo Rin was not Qi Xing.

Deep in the village, on the roof of a three-story building that should have been the village office, she stood there.

Her luxurious red and white kimono was completely out of place with the surrounding ruins. Silver-white hair fell to her waist, and golden eyes looked down quietly. She clutched that ancient bronze mirror to her chest, like a statue of a deity abandoned in the ruins—cold, detached, and transcendent.

The rubble beneath her feet made no sound, as if this roof had been a throne prepared for her from the beginning.

A samurai girl clad in great armor with a thunder-blade at her waist stood silently, hand on the hilt of her sword, guarding her side like a bodyguard.

"Well come, Master Leipu, Shrine Maiden of the Black God."

[Amaterasu]'s lips curled into a smile, her attitude composed, as her voice drifted down from above: "Welcome to my hometown."

How on earth had she survived Qi Xing's last punch? This time, it definitely wasn't an illusion, because Qi Xing had the distinct sensation of having killed her; and it certainly wasn't a regenerative ability, because Qi Xing had completely destroyed her corpse at the time.

It was likely an immortal body with a completely different principle.

[Amaterasu] clearly wanted to continue saying something, but…

"That sword-wielder is yours."

Qi Xing had already turned to say to Jingo Rin,

"[Amaterasu] is mine."

Jingo Rin immediately frowned: "I want to deal with [Amaterasu] too."

"No. You aren't good at killing." Qi Xing shook his head.

This conversation made [Amaterasu] sneer slightly, a hint of mockery flashing in her golden eyes. She seemed to want to speak slowly and deliberately, evaluating the arrogance of the two assigning enemies right in front of her: "How rude, to treat me like prey to be distributed right in front of me—"

But she was only halfway through her sentence.

The next second, thunder exploded, and the world turned white.

Qi Xing's figure had already vanished.

Boom!

Electric light pierced through the sky above the square. In an instant, he had torn through the sky like lightning and killed his way to the roof of the three-story village office; the air didn't even have time to vibrate with the echo! The thunder-blade samurai girl acting as a guard didn't even have a chance to react!

Crack!

His hands shot out violently, and Qi Xing grabbed the white-haired shrine maiden's head like a steel clamp, his elbows tensed, his movements as violent as thunder!

"Shut up."

Before his voice had even faded, Qi Xing dropped his knee and slammed it fiercely into her face!

Boom!

A powerful blow like heavenly thunder striking a divine statue! The white-haired shrine maiden's skull was crushed by the knee strike; the sound of bones cracking mixed with the explosion of thunder. White hair scattered, and blood and brains exploded into a mist of red in the air!

[Amaterasu] was sent flying by the knee strike, smashing through the roof tiles and wooden beams, plummeting straight into the ruined building like a kite with a broken string!