Swallow Return

She believed she had some understanding of Liu Yun's strength and was very familiar with the "Hungry Ghost Skeleton" clan's ultimate moves.

That's why I'm worried.

but--

Lady Guidie's expression immediately turned to surprise.

Because the strong, dark wind, thick as black mist, split into two and dispersed vertically to the left and right under the light of the blade.

If she read more books written by the Southern Barbarians, she might recall the story of "Moses parting the Red Sea".

The invisible wind was severed by the visible blade!

Following this momentum, Liu Yun's blade continued forward without stopping.

The giant hungry ghost skeleton leader, with only a little over ten feet of body remaining, had already shrunk halfway into the ground.

Liu Yun's sword arrived at that moment.

A vertical slash from top to bottom, without any fancy tricks, yet unstoppable and impossible to avoid.

The remaining body of the hungry ghost skeleton leader was neatly divided in two.

A piercing, shrill scream lingered in mid-air.

Then, the remaining body, which was over ten feet tall, disintegrated and scattered into dozens of normal-sized skeletons, which fell to the ground and piled up in a mess.

Liu Yun carefully scanned the area and realized that the so-called "subject" could no longer be seen.

None of the individual skeletons appeared significantly larger than the others.

At the same time, a strange, eerie wind, or "deathly aura," quickly filled the surrounding air.

It was extremely unpleasant at first, but it quickly faded away with the breeze.

Liu Yun breathed a sigh of relief and calmly sheathed his sword.

Although the Hungry Ghost Skeleton Clan still has several hundred ordinary-sized members who have not yet been eliminated, such small fry are not worth wielding my sword for.

As Ryuun stroked the blade of "Nagafune Nagamitsu," he could sense that Iori's grandmother was expressing her joy.

"The new master satisfies me, whether in terms of strength, temperament, or the trust between us."

It seems that the other party is expressing this meaning.

Liu Yun, whose mind was in sync with his, also felt incredibly comfortable and filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Chapter 171 Traveling Under the Stars to Investigate the Military Camp

In the blink of an eye, the once arrogant and domineering leader of the hungry ghost skeletons was gone.

The enormous monster, which stood four or five zhang tall and resembled a small mountain, has now disintegrated into hundreds of normal-sized skeletons, which are now scattering and fleeing in all directions.

The monsters of the "Hungry Ghost Skeleton Clan" are born with the ability to control "death energy." Their only characteristic is that they devour each other, growing stronger like a snowball. Eventually, they gather the power of hundreds of individuals into one, naturally gaining immense strength.

That big guy must have spent a lot of effort absorbing so many of his own kind to become such a powerful leader.

The estimated timeframe for this process is measured in centuries.

Unfortunately, all of this came to naught in the face of the sharp blade of "Long Ship Long Light".

Hundreds of ordinary-sized skeletons, now back to their original state, were relentlessly attacked by the bathhouse monster. Some were instantly smashed into piles of broken bones, their souls annihilated. The rest scattered in panic, quickly disappearing into the night.

Presumably, this "Hungry Ghost Skeleton Clan" will need several hundred more years of open and covert struggles before it has a chance to give birth to the next giant leader!

……

Lady Kicho and the bathhouse spirits are finally safe.

After achieving his goal, Liu Yun sheathed his sword and stood still.

As the "Long Ship Long Light" was sheathed, a long, piercing sound suddenly rang out from the blade.

This is the sword demon princess—Iori's maternal grandmother—expressing her joy.

Liu Yun felt a connection with him and was inspired by him, also feeling a surge of pride and high spirits.

This was an experience I had rarely had before.

In recent years, Liu Yun has been in a state of lacking ambition, and is quite content with his modest wealth and just getting by.

After all, Sasaki Village was living a relatively peaceful life, without any deep-seated grudges. At the same time, he himself did not have much ambition for power; he was content as long as he had enough fine wine and food every day.

But at this moment, a desire suddenly arose in Liu Yun's heart to "hunt with heroes from all over the world in Fusang".

At this moment, Lady Guidie slowly walked forward, bowed and curtsied, then shook her head helplessly and smiled, "Just now on the way here, I was thinking that I might be able to repay Lord Sasaki Ryuun's kindness today. I didn't expect that I would unknowingly owe even more favors. This old woman... cough... I won't say any words of thanks. Perhaps it is predestined that I will receive your care many times in this life!"

After she finished speaking, she suddenly lowered her head and let out a very soft sigh, a hint of regret flashing across her face, though it was unclear what she was thinking.

Liu Yun didn't take Lady Gui Die's words to heart. He just smiled slightly and bowed politely, saying, "It was nothing, no need to worry about it."

Then, the leader of the bathhouse yokai, the one with thick hair all over his head and no facial features, stepped forward to express his gratitude, supported by the two yokai on either side: "Without Lord Sasaki's help, at least a dozen of our companions would not have been able to escape tonight. We are extremely grateful!"

Since it has no facial features, it certainly won't have any expressions.

But from this guy's tone, you could hear the heartfelt admiration and gratitude—speaking of which, where does a mouth come from? It sounds like somewhere on the chin or neck?

Liu Yun didn't dwell on these people's private matters and exchanged a few pleasantries with them.

Some bathhouse spirits in the back were muttering to themselves:

"Strange, why is it that this Lord Sasaki Ryūun is able to break the effect of the hungry ghost skeletons devouring each other?"

"And it seems that even the resurrection ability that was originally within the magic circle has been suppressed?"

"Hmm... I knew he was strong a couple of days ago, but I didn't expect him to be this strong! Even the old master might not have been this powerful."

"It's not just about strength, it's about the sword... Did you guys notice that sword?"

Whispering chatter drifted over.

The faceless being, whose head was covered in hair, turned and scolded, "Hey! How can you talk about your benefactor like that? It's extremely rude! Apologize immediately!"

The talkative monsters trembled at the shout and quickly stepped forward to kneel and apologize.

Liu Yun didn't seem to care much.

Although they were indeed discussing it, it was clear they had no ill intentions and were simply expressing respect.

"Alright, enough of this small talk." Lady Guidie nodded and sighed for a moment before raising her head, her smile fading, and she said solemnly, "Lord Sasaki! Actually, I am on my way to the military camp outside the city. There may be other obstacles along the way, so I beg you to help escort me!"

"A military camp outside the city?" Liu Yun frowned.

"Yes." Lady Guicho said succinctly, "Lord Nobunaga and his six senior retainers, with only a few hundred guards, are surrounded in the inner palace by more than two thousand yokai. The magistrate's forces are insufficient to provide assistance. The only option is to search for Lord Sakuma Nobumori's army in the southeastern suburbs. We have already sent messengers but have received no response. I have no choice but to go myself."

More than two thousand monsters!

Liu Yun couldn't help but click his tongue in astonishment. His first thought was, with such a major event happening, what was the Oda clan's intelligence agency doing?

But it wasn't his place to get involved, and the details were completely unclear, so he could only grumble to himself and let it go.

Indeed, with over two thousand monsters, the only option is to bring in an army. Although I now wield a famous sword and am brimming with heroic spirit, it's impossible for me to challenge them alone.

Surely Oda Nobunaga wouldn't die at this time?

The grand barbecue at Honnoji Temple hasn't even started yet!

However—in this world full of supernatural phenomena and time travelers, will the barbecue party still be held on time? It's not certain.

If Oda Nobunaga were to truly die, the world would surely descend into chaos, and the interests of Ryuun might not be guaranteed.

We should lend a helping hand, both for public and private reasons.

Suddenly, Ryuun remembered something and immediately asked, "Is Lord Hashiba Hideyoshi also besieged?"

“That’s right!” Lady Guidie gave an affirmative answer.

Liu Yun's expression immediately turned serious.

As for Oda Nobunaga, he was just a superior in my workplace, and I didn't have much of a personal relationship with him. Helping him was purely out of duty and rational consideration. But my brother Hideyoshi had always been very good to me, so I had to return the favor.

However, I still can't help but worry about the safety of Iori and the others.

Although it's known that the Kyoto yokai's main target is Oda Nobunaga, the "One-Eyed Lord" who has an old grudge against Iori's maternal grandmother is still on the run and hasn't been captured. What if he sneaks back to cause trouble again?

After a moment's hesitation, Liu Yun voiced her concerns, but Lady Guidie laughed and said, "Then bring everyone along! Just enter our bathhouse's 'Night Parade of One Hundred Demons,' and even ordinary people can keep up. You'll see—"

Liu Yun followed the other person's finger and saw Lady Ningning at the end of the monster's procession.

It's likely that Guidie was worried about her safety and deliberately kept her by her side. There were also several maids on either side.

Madam Ningning also saw Liuyun, but turned her head away without greeting him.

Perhaps because of what happened the night before, I felt increasingly embarrassed after I came to my senses.

Liu Yun then immediately summoned his female relatives, attendants, retainers, and soldiers to travel together.

A semi-transparent bathhouse spirit, seemingly dedicated to speed, enveloped everyone in a faint gust of wind, allowing the entire group to move at an incredible pace. Even injured members were helped along without slowing them down.

They quickly left the heart of Kyoto.

After walking for a while, they encountered several giant insect-shaped monsters blocking their way.

Liu Yun took the lead, and the rest fought bravely, finishing the job in an instant.

……

It was almost midnight.

The magic circle in the sky above Kyoto emitted a bright light, so the visibility in the city was not much different from that during the day.

After walking a while further away, the light of the magic circle became dimmer and dimmer, and after more than five kilometers, it was almost completely invisible.

The stench of blood and the sounds of battle couldn't travel that far.

Therefore, it is understandable that the troops stationed more than ten kilometers away did not discover the anomalies in Kyoto. As for why they were stationed so far away, it was because Oda Nobunaga was worried that the unruly soldiers would cause trouble under the emperor's nose and have a bad influence.

Perhaps that's why Sakuma Nobumori, who was in charge of the troops, was unable to provide timely support?

But according to Lady Guidie, an envoy has already been sent.

Could it be because the envoy's status was too low, and his words were not believed?

I can't guess.

There's no point in overthinking; the most important thing is to get reinforcements over here as soon as possible. We'll know what's wrong with Sakuma Nobumori the moment we see him.

Hundreds of guards were surrounded and attacked by thousands of monsters. It was unknown whether Oda Nobunaga and Hashiba Hideyoshi, who were trapped in the palace, could hold out, or how long they could hold out.