Swallow Return

It sounds like the nine-tailed fox might know the source of Nobunaga's power.

But Liu Yun lost interest in listening at this point.

Dao Yaoji, Longship, and Longlight have lost their fighting spirit, but Liuyun still has it.

Having communicated with different people in both the spiritual and material worlds for so long, and seeing his teammates looking pale and terrified, Liu Yun became rather curious.

Alright, alright, we know the other side is strong. But just how strong? We'll only know after a fight!

At this moment, Oda Nobunaga remained expressionless, a faint sneer playing on his lips. He didn't rush to attack, but instead suddenly spoke: "Sasaki Ryuun was indeed a talented man, but ultimately could not be used by me. Today I have no choice but to kill him. The enemy's death is gratifying; the hero's demise is regrettable; the impermanence of life is lamentable..."

Ryuun, who could never stand such pretentious and high-sounding words, frowned, found a relatively clean place to stand, carefully put down the limp Lady Guidie, and then said to Nobunaga, "I remember you weren't this long-winded before, sir. Why are you suddenly so talkative today? Let's settle the score first before we chat."

"what!"

Upon hearing this, Oda Nobunaga laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. He chuckled twice and said lazily, "You've come all this way to me, and you still don't understand the extent of my power? Is it because the Nine-Tailed Fox is too badly injured and her intelligence is impaired, or is it because you haven't truly controlled her?"

Liu Yun dismissed the suggestion, gripping the hilt of his sword and saying, "I'll deal with you first, then I can ask her about it."

Seeing this, Oda Nobunaga gradually revealed a look of disdain, shaking his head: "It seems I overestimated you. If someone is intelligent enough, they should understand from the Nine-Tailed Fox's memories that the truly powerful force in the world is not brute force. Very well—I'll let you die knowing why!"

After saying this, Nobunaga waved his sleeve.

Then a strange bluish-green light emanated from around him.

These lights appear harmless, yet they seem to contain a terrifying power.

At this moment, Nobunaga couldn't help but reveal a proud smile, and raised his head to say loudly: "The compass is used to make a perfect circle, and the square is used to make a perfect square. What you see now is the power that defines the rules for this world. In the past, Jianzhen was able to suppress Japan with this power, not because he was truly capable of fighting against a group of demons."

His tone was like a child showing off a unique, limited-edition toy.

Liu Yun was already quite impatient, but upon hearing these words, he couldn't help but feel curious and slowed down his actions.

Nobunaga, seeing this, was even more delighted. He stroked his beard and raised his voice, saying, "Jianzhen was able to use his words to regulate all things in Japan, so the bet he made could still restrain many demon kings for thousands of years after his death, preventing them from acting recklessly. However, he was either too soft-hearted or lacked sufficient cultivation, and ultimately only scratched the surface."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun felt that the other party was still rambling on a bit, but she could still listen for a while longer.

Nobunaga paused, deliberately slowing his tone, and then slowly spoke again: "To this day, I have gone a step further and have found a way to control the life and death of all things in Japan. Neither mortals like Kicho nor demons like the nine-tailed fox can escape it."

"So... if everyone thinks she's dead, then she really is dead... that kind of thing?" Liu Yun couldn't help but ask.

Upon hearing this, Oda Nobunaga shook his head, then nodded: "Although it's still far from perfect, from your perspective, this is probably the best you can understand. Alas... after all, it's a method that even great demons can't fully comprehend. How utterly alone I am!"

Liu Yun wasn't angry when he heard this, but felt there was no need to say anything more, so he prepared to draw his sword and attack.

At that moment, Oda Nobunaga also turned his attention to the scene intently.

Their eyes met.

Then Nobunaga suddenly became extremely serious, pointed his finger, and said sternly, "Sasaki Ryuun, you may die!"

then--

Nothing had changed in the surrounding area.

There was no strong wind, no thunder or lightning.

There wasn't even any special light or fog.

It doesn't even have five-cent special effects.

Liu Yun didn't sense anything unusual at all.

He knew that Nobunaga must have unleashed some powerful move.

As Lady Guichou screamed in agony on the ground, the demon sword princess Osafune Nagamitsu trembled with fear in her sheath, and the nine-tailed fox also rapidly weakened...

However, Liu Yun himself did not sense anything at all.

From the physical to the mental, there was absolutely no place where I felt the slightest discomfort.

So, did Nobunaga's ultimate attack miss or what?

Chapter 302 I'm Actually Not Sasaki Ryuun

In short, the boss raised his hand and threw a powerful but inexplicable attack, but it didn't seem to cause any damage.

While Oda Nobunaga, as the enemy, was full of confidence and determined to win, Lady Kicho, as an ally, was in a bad state—in game terms, it would be "dizziness," "weakness," and "confusion."

"Such intense death energy..."

"I wonder if Jianzhen truly reached such a level in the past..."

After leaving behind two incomplete sentences, Liu Yun sensed that the nine-tailed fox and the demon sword "Osafune Nagamitsu," with whom he had a spiritual link, also seemed to be suppressed in some way and disappeared.

It's unclear whether their physical bodies were attacked, or if their mental links were merely temporarily severed.

Only the drifting clouds showed no unusual signs.

He didn't withstand the attack because of his superhuman physique; rather, he was completely unaware that he was being attacked and was utterly bewildered.

Liu Yun even had all sorts of crazy ideas, recalling variety shows like "Human Observation" that she had watched in her previous life—in accordance with the customs of Japan, should she pretend to be knocked down now in order to be considered "able to read the air"?

Oda Nobunaga, seemingly oblivious to anything amiss, instead appeared to have become a smug, complacent villain, slowly and deliberately beginning his explanation with a boastful tone:

“Sasaki Ryuun is no ordinary person! He was born with an ‘invincible’ destiny. No matter how powerful the gods, Buddhas, or demons he faces, he will never be at a disadvantage. Even if the opponent is strong, he can always use strange and unpredictable methods to gain the final advantage... There is really no way to deal with an opponent like you.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun felt only half-believing and half-doubting, unable to think of anything to say, so he remained silent.

But he didn't rush to interrupt.

Because what the other party said seemed worth listening to, even if only for the time being.

Besides continuing to listen, Liu Yun also didn't know how to help Changchuan Changguang, Jiuweihu, and Guidie Furen escape their predicament.

Oda Nobunaga, usually a concise speaker, suddenly became enthusiastic. After a slight pause, he raised his head and laughed, "Xiang Yu, the 'Overlord of Western Chu' of Tang, and Kiso Sama-no-Toki, the 'General of the Rising Sun' of Japan, probably possessed similar power! Therefore, they could not be defeated until they had accumulated enough karma and exhausted their own fortune. But precisely because they thought themselves invincible, they acted recklessly and without restraint, eventually reaching an irreversible point... And Lord Sasaki Ryūun, you do not have such worldly desires."

No, no, worldly desires still exist.

—That's what Liu Yun was thinking.

To be fair, he knew he was a very vulgar person who had always longed for a decadent life of fine clothes, fine food, and debauchery.

How can one say they "have no worldly desires"?

But on second thought, perhaps for Oda Nobunaga, only worldly desires related to power that could lead to the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people were worth mentioning, while things like food, clothing, shelter, transportation, wine, women, wealth, and power were insignificant.

That's a way of admitting it frankly.

"Compared to Lord Nobunaga, I can indeed be considered a person without desires."

Liu Yun nodded and said that, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and added, "But you actually used your own wife as bait to try to deal with someone else... I can't accept that. I can only say that you are much more magnanimous."

Lady Guidie bowed.

Upon hearing this, Nobunaga's smile froze instantly, a fierce look of murderous intent flashing between his brows, seemingly quite annoyed. But he quickly let out a light snort, then put on an indifferent expression, returning to a state of calm and composure... or perhaps feigned calm and composure.

Nobunaga ignored this line, pretending not to hear it, and casually returned to his topic: "I have gone to great lengths to deal with Ryuun-dono. After reading through countless books throughout history, although I still haven't found a way to defeat you, I have discovered another way to solve this problem... After all, I just want the world to believe that I have defeated you. As long as Ryuun-dono is dead, this will no longer be a problem."

So, does that mean you can kill the enemy without defeating them?

Liu Yun vaguely understood, but still didn't know the details, so he decided to be a loyal listener and continue to receive information.

"This man, Ryuun, was born on the fifth day of the eighth month of the twenty-second year of the Tenbun era in Seta village, Inukami district, Omi province. He was the second son of the local Sasaki family... Until the age of four, he was sent to Kyoto to become a monk, and later, due to unforeseen circumstances, he went to Mutsu with his master..."

For some reason, Oda Nobunaga muttered a long string of words, which seemed to be about Ryuun's life.

To be precise, it was the life of the previous owner of this body before the transmigration.

After reading it aloud, Oda Nobunaga's face broke into a confident sneer. He said, "Killing someone means their name and deeds will still be remembered. Especially for powerful individuals who have achieved great things, their names may be passed down for thousands of years. But if I replicate the secret technique of Jianzhen from back then and enhance it, I can erase anyone's existence directly. Just like what I did to Ryuun-dono now... After today, all those involved will only remember that the Sasaki family of Seta-go in Inukami-gun, Omi Province, had only one son and no second son. The people in the temple will not remember that there was such a young monk... The person 'Sasaki Ryuun' will never exist."

"I see!"

Liu Yun finally understood—though she still didn't understand how the other party had done it.

But this is indeed an incredibly powerful ability. No wonder it required a huge investment, and even the sacrifice of tens of thousands of lives, to complete.

So, the Nine-Tailed Fox, Nagafune Nagamitsu, and Lady Kicho were not the targets of this spell; they were merely caught in the crossfire and were completely powerless to resist.

Thus, the flowing clouds became the target of the spell...

"Has Liuyun Palace not noticed that the surroundings are becoming blurred? The ground beneath your feet, the hilt of the sword in your hand, and the breeze blowing around you... all sensations will gradually weaken until you can no longer perceive anything in the world, and then you too will be forgotten by this world..."

Oda Nobunaga's tone remained polite and elegant, but his expression betrayed his unbridled elation. If you added a "hehehe" sound to it, he would look exactly like a standard villain in a third-rate script.

But the problem is...

"To be honest, I didn't feel it."

Liu Yun shrugged frankly.

The ground beneath his feet, the hilt of his sword, and the gentle breeze around him were all still clearly discernible; his five senses were functioning perfectly.

"Judging from Nobunaga's demeanor, it seems unlikely that you're bluffing... Hmm, it might be because your skill is bound to the soul rather than the body..." Ryuun thought for a while and came to a guess: "And I, from a soul perspective, am not actually the baby born more than twenty years ago in Segawa Village, Inugami District, Omi Province..."

"...Huh? What kind of nonsense is this? Ha..."

Oda Nobunaga finally showed a slight change in expression.

He probably realized that since the spell hadn't taken effect after so long, there must be something wrong.

Although her tone still seemed to be forcing herself to stay upright.

"To put it simply... that person is Sasaki Ryuun, and I am also Sasaki Ryuun, but he is not me, and I am not him. I am a sucker who takes over the job—ugh, that word is really unlucky... Sigh, it seems that I have not achieved the purpose of 'simply put it simply' at all. Forget it, I won't explain anymore, let's just cut it down."

Oda Nobunaga probably didn't understand.

But he probably wouldn't want to ask any more questions, nor would he have the chance to do so.

Liu Yun only spoke about a hundred words before giving up on verbal communication and preparing to draw his sword.

After all, this way of dealing with people has been more effective in recent years.

Chapter 303 The Power of Paranirmitavasavartin

Oda Nobunaga was not known for his martial prowess. Although he possessed unfathomable supernatural abilities and had the means to greatly enhance the combat power of his retainers, he would have absolutely no chance against Sasaki Ryuun in a one-on-one duel at such close range.

Therefore, without a doubt, the "Nagashima Nagamitsu" blade flashed like lightning and easily struck its target.

however--

After acquiring it, Liu Yun noticed some very strange details.

The reaction force from the blade was very weak, as if it had struck a clump of clothes hanging on a rack, rather than human flesh and bones.

But suddenly, a heavy mental pressure arose, and I began to inexplicably think about "where I came from and where I'm going," "what to eat for dinner," and so on.

With each inch the blade advanced, the unease and anxiety in my heart grew stronger.