I transformed into a demonic spider lily.

Therefore, Kikyo believed that Tsubaki should not be here, but should instead work with the Lycoris radiata to defeat the monster.

"I thought you left with that monster."

The ordinary shrine maiden's attire consisted of a dark purple top paired with light purple trousers, a string of emerald beads hanging around her neck, and a dark red rope tied in front of her chest.

In stark contrast to the pure white shrine maiden, Tsubaki is the black shrine maiden. However, being a black shrine maiden is just a profession, without any distinction between good and evil, right and wrong. It's just that compared to the white shrine maiden's expertise in purification and blessing, she is more skilled at cursing.

And, soul-binding!

"Why did you do this? You clearly know they are harmless and should not be exterminated by us, yet you cast the most insidious curse upon them!" Unable to understand the other party's actions, Kikyo couldn't help but question him.

"Since it's a monster, then it doesn't matter."

This was Tsubaki's answer. Then, she suddenly looked up at the sky and said somberly, "Hmm, Kikyo, do you know? Master is dead..."

"...I'm sorry, I was unaware of this."

Kikyo didn't expect the topic of Tsubaki to shift so drastically, and she almost didn't react for a moment.

"Of course, my master did not pass away for some special reason. It was just that his time had come. He had traveled to many countries for thirty years during his life and only wanted peace after death. Therefore, he specifically instructed me not to publicize this."

When she said the above, the expression of the black witch Chun was obviously nostalgic, but the next moment it turned into fear. She continued, "But when I was alone and watched my master return to dust, I was afraid. I was afraid that I would also fall into the abyss like my master. I did not have my master's courage to face it, so I chose another path."

"Power, longevity, immortality! I may not be able to achieve that with my own abilities, but if we take my master's legacy into account..."

After saying that, Chun took out a magical artifact from her bosom. It was a vajra, a special Buddhist weapon, which had the power to subdue demons. Even a shrine maiden could use her spiritual power to deliver sentient beings. But what she was going to do was not deliver them, but to capture their souls. She would collect the souls of many demons into the artifact and then integrate them all into herself, thus completing the process of transforming from a human into a demon.

Even a half-demon would be fine.

As long as it can keep her away from death.

It doesn't matter what form it takes.

"You've gone mad! Do you think I'd let you do whatever you want?!" Kikyo didn't know how to curse him, so she could only shout angrily.

"You want to stop me? But what can you use to stop me? Just the bow in your hand, without even an arrow. Kikyo, so you can be foolish after all—"

Looking behind Kikyo, there was no quiver. Tsubaki had broken the arrow that the other party had used to kill her shikigami, and even the arrowhead was a little rusty.

Kikyo arrived in a hurry and forgot to bring her quiver, but on the way, she picked up an arrow that she had left in the forest when she used it to shoot the spider lilies.

Now, all she has left is a bow, but Kikyo's expression is not flustered at all. Instead, she is annoyed, simply because the other party still has not repented.

"I'd like to see what you'll use to stop me!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the black witch Tsubaki raised the vajra in her hand and struck Kikyo without mercy. High-intensity spiritual power was injected into the magical artifact, transforming into even stronger magical power.

—Exorcise the demon!

This was a streak of light flashing by.

—Spiritual energy bursts forth!

Even with only a longbow in her hand, Kikyo was still a priestess standing at the pinnacle of this era. The "demon-slaying" light was deflected as soon as it touched her bowstring, turning the tables on her.

From the launch of the attack to its being turned back.

The entire process took less than half a second.

Tsubaki never expected that Kikyo's spiritual power had surpassed that of her master, so when faced with the returning "demon slayers," there was no possibility of even hiding.

One-hit kill!

Chapter 45 The Curse That Humans and Demons Will Inevitably Go Astray

From the beginning to the end of the battle, there were no phenomena such as changes in the heavens and earth or howling winds. When the black witch Chun endured the power of "exorcising demons", she only felt a surge of energy in her body. Finally, she could not bear it and clutched her chest, vomiting blood with a "whoosh".

Her figure swayed precariously before finally collapsing to the ground. She felt as if her entire body and internal organs were being burned, and even breathing was painful. Chun pressed her hands to the ground, trying to get up, but the intense pain penetrated to her very soul, leaving her only able to grip the dust tightly.

"Why……"

Why did I lose to you?

Why is your spiritual power so strong?

Chun gritted her teeth, perhaps to endure the pain, but more likely because of her inner resentment. She felt that the heavens had never been fair from the beginning, and that she had never won against Kikyo in her entire life.

"...I refuse to accept this! Why? You started learning later than me, yet you graduated earlier and were entrusted by our master with the important task of protecting the Shikon Jewel. I worked harder than you, and I'm more suitable than you! Even now, after beating me so many times, you still want to stop me. Why?!" The pressure had built up until now, and Tsubaki couldn't accept it any longer and roared.

"I can apologize for what happened in the past, if you are willing to accept it. But you are wrong about what happened today. It has nothing to do with winning or losing, it's just a matter of right and wrong. Master has never taught us to kill innocent people indiscriminately, no matter who the other party is, even if they are monsters."

Having said that, Kikyo gripped her longbow tightly and slowly headed towards Tsubaki's location.

"So, you chose to kill me for the sake of a monster?"

Tsubaki found this incident particularly ridiculous. One priestess was killed by another priestess, and the reason was that it was because of a monster. Could there be anything more absurd than this?

However, Tsubaki, who clearly feared death and felt her life slipping away, suddenly lost her fear, perhaps because she was overwhelmed by another emotion.

"My master once instructed me that fellow disciples should not fight each other, but today..."

Kikyo didn't answer Tsubaki's question, but her heart was in turmoil. Finally, she took off the "coral bead" from her waist and whispered, "I'm sorry."

—The Sealing Arrow!

In an instant, the crimson bead shattered into dust.

Kneeling down, Kikyo pinched Tsubaki's chin and poured the powder into her mouth, saying in a suppressed voice, "This is the only way I can think of. If it were her, you would never have survived. So please forgive me, I have no choice but to do this."

"You, cough cough..."

The crimson powder entered her body, and Chun first felt a sore and itchy throat. Then she was horrified to find that her spiritual power was being suppressed.

"These powders will flow through your body along your bloodstream. They contain the spiritual power I used to seal you. They will suppress your power, and until I die, your power will never be able to break through the seal."

Even after Kikyo had done this, she could still feel her hands trembling as she crippled a cultivator's cultivation in the gentlest way.

Taking a deep breath to suppress the trembling, Kikyo continued, "Go back to the temple. Your master's tomb needs you to guard it. Don't come out again. You've done such a cruel thing that even I can't save you. The reason you lured me away from her was not only because you were afraid I would find out, but also because you were wary of her dominance in the forest. I will bear all the consequences for you, and..."

"……this."

Picking up the Vajra that had fallen to the ground, Kikyo remembered the master who had taught her how to use spiritual power. He always placed this sacred object in front of the Buddha. This object, which should have been pure, was now corrupted by many impurities. She could only use her demon-dispelling spiritual power to break it in two with one hand.

"Roar--!"

As the vajra shattered, numerous souls trapped within it surged forth. Having drifted for so long, these souls had long since become unconscious beings, yet they still remembered one thing: to take revenge on the humans who killed them.

That is, the Chinese toon tree.

This is what is known as backlash.

However, Tsubaki possesses Kikyo's spiritual power, which not only serves as a seal but also carries a protective meaning, preventing the opponent from being disturbed by low-level demons.

The vengeful spirits, unable to find a way to seek revenge, lingered around, unable to disperse for a long time. Their hatred continued to accumulate, growing stronger and stronger. If it could not be eliminated, they could not enter the cycle of reincarnation.

"You may vent your grievances on me."

Kikyo dispelled the protective spiritual energy around her and spoke these words to the vengeful spirits.

"Cough, cough, hehehehe, you think I'll thank you for this? You're sorely mistaken! Kikyo, when you coexisted with a demon, your fate was sealed. The separation of humans and demons is never just empty talk; it's destiny. Tragedy can only be delayed, not changed. Kikyo, just you wait and see, you'll die because of that demon sooner or later!"

With her spiritual power already suppressed by ninety percent, Tsubaki, filled with resentment and jealousy, used her last bit of spiritual power to cast a curse, but the curse failed due to insufficient power.

Even though Kikyo had already suppressed her spiritual power, the vengeful spirits hovering around her still dared not approach her. However, this failed curse became their weapon.

The insufficient power was replenished by them, allowing the curse that should have failed to be successfully cast on Kikyo. The many vengeful spirits dissipated one by one, while the black witch Tsubaki laughed maniacally, mocking the other party's mercy that had brought trouble upon herself.

Kikyo remained expressionless in the face of the curse, her only thought being "it should be this way." She had to bear the corresponding price for stopping the vengeful spirits from seeking revenge.

However, after the rest of the vengeful spirits returned to the underworld, Kikyo noticed that one vengeful spirit was still standing in front of her. The shape of the spirit had long been covered by dark resentment, and it was impossible to see what it looked like in life. It was a feline spirit, like a cat demon or a tiger, and it had obviously died recently, so it still had some memories of its previous life...

"……roar!"

The spirit of that monster was still watching Tsubaki, clearly knowing who its true enemy was. Then it looked at Kikyo, whose figure was clearly chaotic, yet possessed a pure and innocent charm.

Kikyo had a feeling that the other person knew her, but she couldn't recognize them. Under her gaze, the other person's soul naturally headed towards the underworld.

The resentment in my heart vanished along with it.

The other party did not direct their hatred towards Kikyo.

"..."

Watching the other person leave, Kikyo opened her mouth but couldn't say anything. She could only lower her head slightly, expressing both respect and gratitude.

……

Not far away, a wolf girl hid behind a tree, watching the whole incident unfold. Finally, she twitched her ears, and when Kikyo dragged Tsubaki out of the forest by the back of her collar, she quickly crouched down and hid.

-

Chapter Forty-Six: The Spirit Umbrella

Meanwhile, on the other side...

The Higanbana, who was "on a business trip," was very distressed because the paper doll shikigami that was guiding her had stopped in some unknown place, and the person she was supposed to meet was nowhere to be found. Then, the paper doll inexplicably spontaneously combusted.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly and killed the paper figure first to prevent the letter from being burned.

Generally speaking, under such circumstances, the spider lily should have gone straight home, but it returned without accomplishing anything, which is quite a sign of incompetence.

Forget it, I'll just wait a bit.

Perhaps the person she was supposed to meet is temporarily unable to come. If the other party still hasn't arrived by tonight, then Bi'anhua will have something to report back. She's been quite busy lately and hasn't had time to take stock of her gains from the previous period.

So, I opened the panel.

Gold Coins: 67031

【Magnatama：14】

[Items: Broken Talisman*4, Mysterious Talisman*1]

...Huh?

Suddenly, the red spider lily paused, because she saw something that shouldn't have been there at all.

[Mysterious Talisman: Can summon rare shikigami, high probability of R-rank, low probability of SR, extremely low probability of SSR, and very low probability of SP]

Why would she have this? This is a blue ticket in the game, worth 100 jade, and even when it's on sale, it costs at least 50 jade. Higanbana has no idea when she got it.

So, Higanbana opened the battle replay. In the battle against Granny Fire, she killed a total of four SR-level monsters, and was then assisted by Kikyo in teaming up to kill one more.

In theory, you should get five gray tickets.