I transformed into a demonic spider lily.

"That is true. Until he completed the hundredth tale and transformed himself into the body of the Demon King, Nura Koihan killed him. And because of that karma, the Lord of the Hundred Tales went to hell."

Nurarihyon revealed what he knew, but he was also curious as to why Higanbana cared about the Hyakumonogatari group, so he asked, "What did they do to offend you?"

"I just really hate Hyakumonogatari, and they're the ones who caused all the recent trouble, so stop messing around like headless flies."

The other shore flower says.

"So that's how it is."

Nurarihyon nodded slightly.

She stood up and took her leave. Pushing open the door, she saw Xue Lu, Xue Li, and Bing Li sitting side by side on the corridor.

Xuelu used needle and thread to sew up Bingli's scarf, which was torn during the battle, displaying the demeanor of a proper housewife.

"Is that Shirley's child?"

Kikyo observed from afar. Ever since she learned that she also had a daughter, her entire demeanor had become more maternal, and she was also very interested in other children.

"Let's go first, so that Shirley and Xuelu can have some time alone with the child."

Higanbana pulled Kikyo away from the Nura Clan's main residence.

Back in the forest, they met the current young master of the Underworld Flower Realm. The Spider Lily carefully observed Natsume Takashi up close and asked, "Are you Reiko's grandson?"

"Yes, yes, my name is Natsume Takashi."

Takashi Natsume is not good at communicating with those who exude an air of superiority, and he appears psychologically weak.

“It’s different, really different. I haven’t seen any of your grandmother’s bad habits in you.”

Higanbana couldn't understand why, given Natsume Reiko's nonsensical personality, her descendant was so quiet and well-behaved. Could it be that the bloodline inherited from the yokai Hō neutralized this trait?

Indeed, Yokai C is a rather quiet Yokai.

“This thing was passed down to me by my grandmother, but Teacher Cat said it should have belonged to you.”

Natsume Takashi handed the Book of Friends to Higanbana, which allowed him to escape the responsibilities of being the young master.

"No, I don't need it, you keep it."

Higanbana had long since given up on being the boss, so she simply relinquished power. Natsume Takashi was capable and had the temperament to be the lord of the demons.

"Eh? But I..."

Takashi Natsume had absolutely no idea what to do.

"Judging from your appearance, you've only been holding the Book of Friends for a few days, right? You'll get used to it, and you'll understand after holding it for more than ten years."

The spider lily was a woman of her word; she gave Natsume Takashi no chance to refuse and turned to leave the scene.

"The child seemed conflicted."

The bellflower spoke to the red spider lily.

"It's alright. With Ibuki helping to look after things, nothing serious will happen, not to mention that Satoru is also by our side."

The red spider lily waved its hand and suddenly stood in a clearing in the forest, gazing at the bright moon in the sky.

"...What's wrong with the spider lily? Are you still concerned about the Hyakumonogatari? Maybe it's just a coincidence, after all, the term Hyakumonogatari has a long history."

The bellflower can sense the thoughts of the spider lily.

"I cannot rest easy until I get the results myself, no matter what."

The Spider Lily was extremely cautious about this matter, seeing every shadow of a snake. Back then, because she hadn't seen Naraku's body with her own eyes, she mistakenly thought he was dead, which resulted in a great disaster.

“But Nurarihyon says that the Lord of a Hundred Tales is dead and has gone to hell.”

I don't know how to make the Lycoris radiata.

"It's just hell; at most, it's just troublesome to find."

As the goddess of the underworld, she can't even control hell, so the other shore flower thinks she might as well go and crash into Mount Buzhou.

"If you insist on doing this..."

Even the bellflower couldn't refute the spider lily's persistence.

"...Tomorrow, we'll go to Kyoto to find the coordinates."

The red spider lily acted decisively.

"Whose coordinates?"

"Of course, it is the Lord of a Hundred Tales."

"I see."

It wasn't "understanding" but "knowing" that Kikyo firmly followed the ideas of the Lycoris radiata.

"However, before resolving that matter, there's another trivial matter that needs to be settled tonight..."

……

Ota Ward, Tokyo.

Yu Zhang collapsed to the ground, at a loss for what to do.

"……Gone."

Gone, gone, all gone. The huge group of seven was completely wiped out, leaving Yu Zhang utterly confused.

A gust of wind opened behind him, and a demonic figure dressed in a black kimono stood before Yu Zhang.

"You, you are..."

Yu Zhang took several steps back, but was still swallowed by the darkness.

"...Ahhh!"

Only a scream remained at the scene.

……

The next day, at dawn.

Higanbana and Kikyo depart on the Shinkansen, and Shirley accompanies Yukiji to see them off.

"Big sister, why do you ride human vehicles? They're so slow and crowded!"

Shirley raised this question.

"Hmph, you just don't understand..."

Yukiji explained, "While speed is good, you can enjoy the scenery along the way when you ride the Shinkansen."

"Yes."

Kikyo chuckled softly.

Having lived for eighteen years, the furthest she had ever traveled was to Echigo Province. Even Japan was a vast place for her. Now that she had come to the modern world and knew how big it was, Kikyo naturally wanted to have a good time with the Lycoris radiata.

The red spider lily isn't in a hurry; its "coordinates" won't run away anyway.

"Goodbye~"

Snow Road waved goodbye to the spider lilies and bellflowers.

I'll be going back in a few days.

Higanbana sat in her seat on the Shinkansen, gazing at the scenery outside the window. The view was beautiful, but it would be even better with Kikyo beside her.

The bellflower held the other shore flower's hand tightly, its index finger swirling in the other's palm.

Around noon, the two got off the Shinkansen and instead of going directly to Kyoto, they went to nearby Osaka and played until late at night.

"Hua, look! It seems like there are quite a few people inside this little tin box."

Kikyo kept watching the TV.

"Yes, I've heard that its manufacturing process involves imprisoning the soul inside."

The red spider lily nodded deeply.

"How could something so vicious?!"

Kikyo was startled and almost took out the Heavenly Maga Bow to shoot the evil thing to pieces. Fortunately, Higanbana reinterpreted the situation, thus preventing a disaster.

"Hua, don't always make little jokes, even though I still trust you so much."

Kikyo said, blushing.

"Hehehe~"

The other shore flower grinned, then glanced at the time before standing up and saying, "We should get going."

"Of all times, at night? Come to think of it, I have no idea what your action plan is about."

Kikyo then asked.

"Release a monster that has been sealed for hundreds of years, and she will give birth to a child of darkness. The Lord of a Hundred Tales is right beside the child of darkness, and it will surely return with the child of darkness."

The red spider lily said, "This is the 'coordinate'."

"That sounds complicated."

"There are eight barriers sealing that monster. Although these eight barriers can only be broken in order, there is no need to go to such lengths."

The Red Spider Lily's recent fifth seal operation, under the influence of transcendent power, rendered the seal itself almost ineffective.

Each seal is guarded by at least one guardian, an Onmyoji from the Kagein clan.

"Who goes there...?"

Just as the Onmyoji of the Hanakain clan was about to ask a question, he was knocked unconscious by a magic bullet fired by Higanbana.

The seal has been broken!

Next are the seventh and third, the spiral seal layout, which is a circular arrangement surrounding the entire territory of Kyoto. To break the seal, one must circle the city several times.

Higanbana knew the locations of the eight seals: Nijo Castle, Shokoku-ji Temple, Rokuon-ji Temple, Nishi Hongan-ji Temple, Kiyomizu-dera Temple, Ryoan-ji Temple, Katsura Imperial Villa, and finally Fushimi Inari Shrine. Higanbana pushed through the first seven seals in just half an hour, and it wasn't until the last place that the Onmyoji of the Keikain clan finished their deployment.

The surprise attack was so swift that it was only when the three seals lost their magical transmission that we were able to sense it.

"Why would a priestess help a yokai?!"

The Onmyoji of the Hanakain clan questioned Kikyo.