I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 210 The "Sage Arts" of the Shrine Maiden Lineage

The moment the shadow clone appeared alongside Esdeath, Moryo's fate was already sealed.

Both Miroku and Kikyo possess the power to seal it, but they cannot defeat it by force alone.

Esdeath, on the other hand, was able to completely suppress it in terms of strength, but lacked special means such as sealing techniques, so she could not seal or kill it.

and so……

The two sides joining forces will be the final blow to the demon.

It only took a few minutes in total.

Uchiha Hikaru stood aside and watched as Esdeath and the two priestesses joined forces to pin the demon to the ground and beat it mercilessly. They then used a temporary sealing technique to bind its body layer by layer, and finally used a massive amount of ice to freeze it into a giant ice sculpture tens of meters high, thus ending the battle.

Until a few seconds before being frozen.

The demon, its bloodshot eyes fixed on Uchiha Hikaru and the others, uttered its final, menacing words: "Hmph, I miscalculated this time... I didn't expect Miroku to bring in such a group of helpers. But even so, you can't kill me; that's something no priestess has ever been able to do! When I reappear, it will be the death of all of you!"

"Oh, okay, I understand."

"You talk too much."

Uchiha Hikaru yawned and waved his hand.

In theory, it is indeed possible that the demon could break free from its seal again after several years.

But by then, she, Esdeath, Kikyo, and the others might no longer be in this world. There's no need to worry about descendants who are countless generations removed.

On the other hand...

"My lady, are you really unable to kill this thing?"

"……No."

Faced with Uchiha Hikaru's question, Miroku remained silent for a moment, then gave a bitter smile: "I'm sorry, this matter is indeed beyond my ability... because the power of 'Mouryou' is of the same origin as mine, and far stronger than mine, so I have no other way but to seal it."

"Same origin?"

Uchiha Hikaru had already heard this term once before.

But this time, she frowned slightly, vaguely sensing something: "Could you elaborate?"

"that is……"

Miroku sighed: "Actually, you can roughly consider it as an incarnation of the first priestess of the Land of Demons."

"?"

"...This matter is the greatest secret of the Land of Demons, known only to the priestesses of each generation. You and your companions assisted me in sealing the demon, making you benefactors of the Land of Demons, and I dare not conceal anything from you. However, the reason for this is a long story, so please send the demon to Mount Fengmo to complete the final seal first, and then I will tell you everything."

Maitreya said this.

"Alright."

Uchiha Hikaru nodded.

present.

After tidying up on the spot, the group set off again. It took them half a day to deliver the ice sculpture containing the demon to Fengmo Mountain. Maitreya then activated the sealing formation within the mountain, causing the ice sculpture to sink deep into the mountain.

During this process, Uchiha Hikaru and Kikyo followed Miroku into the interior of the mountain to observe the sealing techniques of the priestess lineage.

"Kikyo, what do you think?"

Uchiha Hikaru asked a question.

"...It's not quite the same as the sealing techniques I've learned, but I can roughly discern some patterns."

Kikyo pondered for a moment before speaking.

The sealing techniques in the Naruto world are naturally different from those in the Inuyasha world.

However, the difference between the two is somewhat similar to the difference between different languages. Although the writing system, pronunciation, and grammar are different, a true master of linguistics can quickly understand and master them by observing their underlying logic.

Kikyo is one of those "masters".

Minato Namikaze is another one.

[Anonymous: [Sealing Technique Diagram.jpg] ×20]

[Anonymous@EternalGirl: These are all the techniques that Kikyo and I could see. What do you think, Minato-san?]

[Yongdai-mei: ...I've long heard of the exquisite and unique sealing techniques of the shrine maiden lineage, and seeing it today, I can confirm it. Although I've learned the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki clan from my wife, I can't fully understand these techniques in a short time; it may take some time to study them carefully.]

[Anonymous: No problem, I think Miss Kikyo would be happy to discuss this with you.]

Compared to Minato Namikaze, who preferred to study "techniques".

Bulma and the others were more interested in the demon, Wraith.

[Bulma: Hikari, what exactly does that "monster" you and Erii were talking about look like? Is it powerful? Why don't you do a live stream so we can see it!]

Anonymous: Uh... I forgot.

[Anonymous: The thing looks... how should I put it, kind of ugly-handsome...]

To satisfy Bulma's curiosity, Uchiha Hikaru verbally described the previous battle.

Finally, I also inquired about the latter's situation.

[Bulma: Well, I'm back in the Dragon Ball world. Najenda gave me a lot of Orichalcos, and I plan to study its composition with my dad to see if we can use technology to replicate and mass-produce it. Yamato is with me too.]

[Ghost Princess: Mmm, Uncle Brief and Aunt Brigitte are so kind! They didn't mind my arrival at all! They even made me so much delicious food, much better than what I ate on Ghost Island!]

【nameless:……】

It's normal for the Briefs to accept Yamato. After all, they are probably the most thick-skinned couple in the Dragon Ball world. Let alone Yamato who is 2.6 meters tall, even if Kaido who is 7.1 meters tall came over, they would probably be used to it and even care about whether it is easy for Kaido, who is so big, to buy clothes.

but……

Judging from Yamato's attitude, it seems he plans to have enough fun outside before returning to Onigashima.

Hmm... this is a bit like a child running away from home. Since they'll get a beating from their parents anyway, they might as well have fun.

At this time.

The chat group was flooded with pictures again—

[Oni-hime: Huh, so the button to send photos is here? How amazing.]

[Ghost Princess: [Almond Pudding.jpg], [Black Forest Cake.jpg], [Fresh Fruit Ice Cream.jpg]...These are all things I've eaten these past few days!]

[Yotsuya Miko: It looks delicious.]

[Tiger of the West: Indeed, it would be great if I could eat a little bit.]

[Ghost Princess: That's easy. I'll ask Aunt Brigitte for you. If she's willing, I'll put the pastries I've made in the group shop so you can buy them and eat them.]

[Tiger of the West: Okay, I want to try the Black Forest cake!]

[Yotsuya Miko: I'll have almond pudding then, thank you Yamato-neechan!]

"Slurp..."

A series of images of pastries flashed through his mind, making Uchiha Hikaru feel a little hungry.

She had originally wanted to ask Yuujin Itadori how far the Jujutsu Kaisen world was going and whether he needed help dealing with the cursed spirits, but seeing that he was enthusiastically discussing food with Yamato and Miko, she guessed that nothing major had happened recently, so she temporarily stopped the topic and prepared to ask again next time.

—While I said I was helping out, my main purpose was to see those top-tier cursed spirits from the world of cursed arts.

For example, Mo Xu Luo.

There are also real people involved.

The abilities of these two cursed spirits were very attractive to Uchiha Hikaru. The former's super adaptability could theoretically overcome Esdeath's time stop; while the latter's methods of manipulating souls might be used to repair Kikyo's damaged soul, or at least provide some inspiration for developing Yin-Yang Release.

of course……

Su Nuo is also one.

However, this thing is not a separate entity, but a spirit residing within Yujin Itadori's body, which might be a little troublesome to deal with, especially if it doesn't harm Yujin Itadori, his "jinchūriki".

Furthermore, we must consider that Sukuna is not yet in his complete form, but only has a few of his twenty fingers. Killing him so early would be somewhat of a waste...

We need to spend more time and plan carefully.

……

After completing the sealing ceremony of the demon.

Uchiha Hikaru and his group followed the priestess Miroku back to the capital of the Land of Demons.

With this, the crisis in the Land of Demons has come to an end, but there are still some remaining soldiers and mercenaries that need to be dealt with.

This part of the commission is calculated separately, and basically only the cleanup work remains. Without the blessing of the demon, the soldier's recovery ability is greatly reduced, and it will become irreparable after being broken a few times.

Kakashi's team from Konoha accepted the commission.

After receiving the reward for the mission of "escorting the priestess to seal the demon," the two Yugitos immediately took their leave, it is unknown whether they were going back to Kumogakure or to track down Hiruko's whereabouts.

Esdeath felt a little sorry about this.

"That blonde woman seems pretty strong; I was actually thinking of challenging her to a fight."

"Well, there will be a chance. Next time I have time, I'll take you to her village. There are two really good guys there; they should catch your eye."

—That's right, I'm talking about the Fourth Raikage and Killer Bee.

Both of them are skilled in physical combat, and one of them is a perfect Jinchūriki. If they join forces, they could probably fight Esdeath for quite a while.

But now...

Hikaru Uchiha was busy listening to the priestess Miroku explain the origin of the demons.

As mentioned before...

The spirit is actually an "incarnation" derived from the body of the first priestess of the land of demons. The reason why the former created this clone is related to the erosion of natural energy.

"Natural energy erosion?"

"That's right."

Miroku nodded: "The origins of the priestess lineage can be traced back a thousand years, before the Ninja Sect appeared. At that time, there was no concept of chakra or ninjutsu in the world, only the omnipresent energy in nature. Some exceptionally gifted humans discovered this energy and tried to absorb and utilize it, thus forming the profession of 'priestess'."

Long ago, there were many lineages of "shrine maidens," but as time passed, most of them perished and were lost. Today, only the lineage of the Land of Demons continues.

"I see."

Uchiha Hikaru stroked his chin: "So, the 'magic' of the priestess lineage and the 'sage techniques' of the three holy lands are essentially the same thing?"

"You could say that."

Miroku nodded again: "The so-called 'spiritual power' of the priestess lineage is essentially the sage chakra extracted from the energy contained in nature by absorbing and refining it within the body."

However, not everyone can do this kind of refinement. I can do it mainly because I have the blood of a priestess flowing in my veins, so I have the innate potential to do it.

Furthermore, compared to humans, some birds and beasts have been developing and utilizing 'natural energy' for a longer time and are more skilled at it. Among them, the most outstanding cultivators have even transformed into demonic beasts and gathered together to form forces such as the Three Holy Lands.

On the contrary, due to their physical constitution, humans have a much lower capacity to absorb natural energy than those great demonic beasts. Even the most gifted geniuses could perish or be corrupted by natural energy during their cultivation, becoming evil beings controlled by it.

In fact...

Maitreya's statement is still a bit conservative.

Because it's not just humans.

Even the immortal techniques from the three holy lands have a high failure rate when learning them.

—The large group of toad statues on Mount Myōboku are byproducts left behind by contractors who failed to cultivate "Sage Mode" in previous generations.

The frog-like features that Jiraiya exhibited when using Sage Mode, and the inhuman appearance that Kabuto Yakushi had later in the story, were all side effects of the Sage Techniques from Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave.

As for the areas outside the Three Holy Lands...

There is also a clear example—

Libra Shigego.

Jugo is a born immortal being, capable of unconsciously absorbing the natural energy around him.

Once these energies accumulate to an excessive degree, they will erode Jugo's will, causing him to undergo a drastic change in temperament and commit acts of violence that he would never do in a peaceful state.

I am afraid……

The first priestess of the Land of Demons possessed a constitution similar to Jugo's. After discovering that she had absorbed an excessive amount of natural energy and was unable to control it at will, the first priestess chose to separate this natural energy and seal it away. Unexpectedly, this gave birth to a demon called "Mouryou," which nearly brought a great disaster to the world.

"Understood."

Uchiha Hikaru finally understood the meaning of Miroku's words "from the same root and origin".

So the relationship between the priestess and the demon is like that between a god and Piccolo...

"Well then, I have a new question..."

Uchiha Hikaru took a slight breath and looked up at the shrine maiden before him: "Could you teach others the shrine maiden's method of refining natural energy?"

"..."

Maitreya was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I...I'm not quite sure."

"As I just said, my ability to refine spiritual power is largely due to my bloodline originating from the first priestess. However, you are not a descendant of the priestess lineage, so even if I teach you the method, you may not be able to use it properly."

of course……

If you wish to learn, I will do my best. If I can decipher the principles behind this refining method and make some adjustments based on individual constitutions, I might even be able to develop my own unique 'spiritual power' system.

(End of this chapter)