Swallow Return

It was obvious that it was a demonic aura; it must be a monster, not a human.

However, as a monster, it showed no intention of attacking strangers when they entered.

Seeing this, Liu Yun didn't rush to make a move, but instead tried to greet the monster warrior: "How should I address you?"

But the other party did not react at all.

Liu Yun changed his greeting a few more times.

Still no reply.

This dull-witted yokai warrior seems impossible to communicate with.

So Liu Yun turned to his teammate and asked, "Do you have any clues?"

Saito Asanobu pondered for a moment, then said in a somewhat uncertain tone, "This, it seems to be called... cough cough... it's called 'Faceless Samurai'. Legend has it that because he failed to fulfill his duties in his previous life, which led to serious consequences, he cut off... cough cough... cut off his own face out of shame, and that's how he became a yokai."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun frowned and said, "According to you, this 'Faceless Warrior's' 'attachment' lies in the unfinished duties he performed in his previous life. That's all in the past, and we have no way to make his obsession disappear, right?"

Saito Asanobu shook his head and said, "That's not necessarily true. As far as I know, when it comes to the obsessions of yokai... cough cough... yokai, it's not necessarily necessary to solve them at their root. It's enough to use a stronger will to make the yokai believe that the matter has been resolved, and that can... cough cough... achieve a similar effect."

Liu Yun said, "You mean you have a solution?"

Saito Asanobu pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "All we need to know is... cough cough... the details of the Faceless Samurai's obsession."

Liu Yun frowned and said, "That's difficult! This guy doesn't say a word."

Saito Asanobu looked around and said, "Based on the principles of illusion, we should be able to learn more information from the surrounding area. Because an illusion without flaws is not allowed to exist."

That's what they say, but finding clues in an empty room is really troublesome.

Perhaps historians can glean clues from certain details, or perhaps a great detective can observe some inconsistencies.

But Liu Yun is neither of those two types of people.

He looked around for a moment, then decided to give up and turned to ask, "Isn't there any other way?"

Saito Asanobu tentatively said, "Perhaps... defeating this monster head-on could break the illusion? However, I've heard that faceless samurai are usually brave and skilled in battle, unlike... cough cough... unlike that ox-demon you dealt with before..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Yun interrupted impatiently, "You should have said so earlier! This is something I'm better at."

Saito Asanobu tried to stop him, but it was too late.

Liu Yun reached for the hilt of his sword, preparing to attack, when—

The faceless warrior, who had been standing motionless on the ground, suddenly roared, "Who dares to draw their sword before His Highness!"

Then, with lightning speed and thunderous movement, he swung his sword and slashed fiercely at Liu Yun.

Before the words were even finished, the blade arrived first.

It was so close that it almost left a disfigured face; the air currents from the blade were enough to make one's face sting.

Liu Yun's eyes widened in surprise.

That speed and that power are truly impressive!

Liu Yun subconsciously shifted to the side and back, while simultaneously drawing his sword with his right hand and unleashing a reverse slash from the lower left to the upper right.

This move looks somewhat comical and awkward; it's definitely not found in any martial arts manual.

So after Liu Yun unleashed his slash, he stumbled and staggered back several steps, nearly falling to the ground.

However, he narrowly avoided the faceless warrior's slash and then struck the warrior's chest at the perfect distance.

Although it was a slightly unbalanced strike, and he couldn't use his full strength, Liuyun's blade sliced ​​through the monster's old-fashioned black armor as easily as cutting tofu, creating a wound at least a foot long and an inch deep, using only the power of his right arm.

Instantly, dark red blood spurted out and splattered all over the ground. The faceless warrior let out a huge wail and continued to attack despite the pain.

However, due to the injury, the monster's movements were noticeably slower than before.

Liu Yun easily dodged, retreating first and then advancing, using a Kasaya Slash from the upper left to the lower right to add another glorious wound to his opponent.

The faceless warrior had a huge "X" slashed across his chest, blood gushing out like slurry, his skin torn and flesh ripped open, and he finally collapsed and died.

He left behind a poignant last message, the reason for which remains unknown: "Your Highness, I'm sorry, I did my best."

……

Saito Asanobu stared in disbelief for a long time before shaking his head and saying, "In our sect... cough cough... in our sect's tradition, it is said that when you encounter a Faceless Samurai, you must find a way to shake his obsession. You must never fight him head-on unless you are with... cough cough... unless you are with a Sword Saint."

"Really? A monster that requires a second strike to kill is indeed extraordinary. Hmm... I must seek guidance from the Sword Saint of this era someday to see how much I'm capable of." Liu Yun casually boasted, then asked doubtfully, "Was this thing just created by illusion? I don't think so. Can illusion create such a powerful monster? How strong must the caster be?"

Saito Asanobu frowned and speculated, "It must be a clever technique that is half real and half illusory. The environment is fake, while the yokai are real. The real yokai are used as... cough cough... as the core of the array to create a false environment."

As they were talking, the corpse of the "Faceless Warrior" monster gradually turned into black pus and blood, which flowed all over the ground.

Then, the entire small palace gradually became blurry, translucent, and then completely disappeared.

Immediately afterwards, the inexplicable stones and sand piles that had been on the ground outside also disappeared.

Now, this "poison island" in the swamp has been transformed from flat land into lush grassland.

Moreover, a small temple appeared on both the north and south sides.

Liu Yun discovered that the feeling of being both real and illusory had not disappeared, and it seemed that he was still in an illusion, which made him frown greatly.

Saito Asanobu coughed as he took out his large collection of magical artifacts, frantically manipulating them for a while before finally concluding, "We've only broken the first layer of illusion. Now we're facing... cough cough... now we're facing the second layer."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun thought to himself, "Isn't this obvious? Based on my experience reading online novels in my previous life, I can make the same judgment as you."

But these potentially offensive words weren't said directly.

Liu Yun simply smiled and said, "Inside the palace, there seems to be a warrior monster protecting some 'Your Highness.' Then the one inside the temple must be a monk monster."

Saito Asanobu didn't respond to the joke; instead, he glanced at him sideways. His expression was very serious, as if he couldn't understand why Ryuun was so relaxed.

Chapter 83 The Second Layer of Illusion, The Flower-Carrying Monk and the White Monk (Part 1)

As mentioned earlier, the illusion on the second layer of "Poison Island" consists of two small temples on a lush meadow.

Saito Asanobu remained solemn and extremely vigilant, but he couldn't immediately offer any safe and reliable way to break the illusion.

So, following Liu Yun's style, we should just kick the door open and go in to chat with the monster inside.

The first place we entered was the small temple on the left.

Pushing open the door, I saw that, just like the palace in the first layer of illusion, it was completely empty, with only the floor, walls, and roof.

There wasn't even a Buddha statue or an incense burner.

If it weren't for the religious terms like "impermanence of all things" and "Nirvana" written on the gate and walls, a layperson might not even realize that this is a Buddhist building.

Inside the empty little temple stood a handsome young monk, who by human standards appeared to be no more than fourteen years old. He wore a dark blue robe that looked quite expensive and held a delicate lotus flower in his hands.

Ryuun and Saito Asanobu entered the room.

The young monk seemed oblivious, his gaze fixed intently on the lotus flower he held in his hands, his eyes glazed over, a blissful smile playing on his lips.

The scene was clearly very strange.

Lotus flowers bloom in summer, but it's already winter. Even with special methods to preserve flowers for two seasons, they couldn't possibly stay this fresh and delicate.

The young monk naturally possessed demonic energy, but it was very weak and did not appear strong.

Liu Yun turned around and asked his teammate, "Do you know what kind of monster this is?"

Saito Asanobu smiled wryly, "There are at least several hundred kinds of yokai that are transformed from monks, or yokai that are related to temples, throughout history. I need... cough cough... I need to think about it carefully."

Liu Yun asked in confusion, "Isn't Buddhism the best at dealing with demons? How come so many monks have defected to the enemy?"

Saito Asanobu, however, thought it was only natural: "It is precisely in order to find a way to delay the monsters that we need to come into contact with the demonic energy frequently, so once... cough cough... once we have an overly persistent desire in our hearts, we will inevitably be corrupted by the demonic energy."

Liu Yun nodded and stopped dwelling on the issue.

Then Saito Asanobu fell into deep thought, seemingly searching his mind for knowledge about yokai.

Seeing this situation, Liu Yun felt that he couldn't just stand there and wait; he had to do something.

So he greeted the young monk, "Young Zen Master, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?"

When he spoke, he didn't have any expectations and didn't expect the monster to answer his questions properly.

After all, according to Saito Asanobu, the "resentment" in a yokai's heart is its greatest weakness, so how could it possibly reveal it itself?

Unexpectedly, upon being asked this, the young monk slowly raised his head, maintaining a smiling expression, and replied in a gentle voice, "This humble monk has no other worries. The only thing I'm concerned about is that I haven't seen the flower-selling lady in a long time. I wonder how she is doing now? This humble monk was sent to the temple when I was young, and I am accompanied by the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp. I rarely see my parents and family. My fellow disciples and elders all have stern faces all day long. Only this flower seller nearby makes this humble monk feel that there is still a trace of warmth in the world."

After hearing this, Liu Yun seemed to be deep in thought, and then asked the little monk his Dharma name, the name of the temple he lived in, and which sect he belonged to, etc.

But the little monk refused to answer any of them.

Only when asked about words like "wishes," "desires," or "things that have never happened before" will the young monk repeat what he just said.

It felt like those crudely made chatbots I'd seen in a past life, the kind commonly known as "artificial idiots."

Through these inquiries, Liu Yun figured out the pattern.

At the same time, Saito Asanobu also snapped out of his reverie and asserted, "I remember now, this should be the 'Little Monk Who Carries Flowers,' an incarnation of a little monk from ancient times who had worldly desires but was restrained by the precepts... cough cough... unable to express himself due to the precepts."

On the surface, Liu Yun praised, "Lord Saito is indeed knowledgeable and has a remarkable memory."

But in my heart I felt that this guy's reaction was too slow. I had already asked almost all the questions, what's the use of him coming to a similar conclusion?

Of course, there's no need to say such things that could undermine unity for the time being.

Well, for now...

So we basically understand the situation of the small temple on the left, but we still don't know how to solve it.

Ryuun and Saito Asanobu went out again, walked a few dozen steps, and came to another small temple on the other side of "Poison Island". They pushed open the door and went in.

It was still empty, with only the floor, walls, and roof. Some Buddhist terms were written on the door and walls.

If you look closely, it seems to be exactly the same as the small temple we just saw.

The difference is that it is no longer a young monk in gorgeous clothes, but a strong and powerful old warrior monk in a white robe, carrying a naginata.

He seemed even less distinctive than the little monk who had been holding flowers earlier.

They remained indifferent to uninvited guests.

This elderly monk exuded a very strong demonic aura, giving the impression that he was slightly stronger than the faceless warrior from the previous layer of illusion.

However, Saito Asanobu recognized it at a glance: "This is Hakubozu, a warrior monk who is obsessed with upholding the precepts and continuing the temple's reputation... cough cough... a monster transformed from a warrior monk."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yun immediately felt that he had found a clue.

So he asked, "Zen Master, is there any unfulfilled wish of yours?"