I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

A night breeze rustled through the trees, and the ever-changing mist cast shadows of varying depths.

The surroundings were shrouded in twilight, utterly dark.

The pitch-black forest, the low bushes, the owl perched on a branch, the familiar hot spring... Qingdeng sped past without a second glance.

Before long, a dilapidated thatched hut, on the verge of collapse, came into his view.

He dismounted, casually tied the reins to a large tree, and walked proudly toward the thatched hut.

Along the way, he casually picked up a fairly sturdy, thick, long branch from the ground.

squeak...

The rotten wooden door was pushed open inch by inch... Dust filled the air as far as the eye could see.

(Takayuki Tachibana... buried a large wooden box in the southeast corner of the thatched hut...)

Following Onodera's instructions, Aoto found the southeast corner of the house.

Click, click, click, click...

Qingdeng stuck the tree branch he had just picked up into the soil and used it as a shovel to pry and remove the soil bit by bit.

The originally smooth ground gradually developed into a deep pit that extended into the ground.

As handfuls of soil were thrown up, the air was filled with a pungent smell.

About five minutes later, the branch probing down into the pit suddenly struck something very hard that didn't feel like stone.

Qingdeng paused for a moment, then quickly threw away the branch in his hand, bent down, and reached out to brush away the dust from the pit.

In the large pit, beneath the dust, lay a square, unidentified object.

Although the object's exterior was stained a dark, earthy yellow by rocks and soil, Qingdeng could still clearly see that it was a huge wooden box.

"found it……"

Qingdeng picked up the tree branch he had just thrown away and painstakingly shoveled away the soil around the edge of the pit to widen it.

Finally, after working for another ten minutes or so, he managed to widen the pit to a size large enough to move the wooden crate out.

With the help of his talents such as "Nine Oxen and Two Tigers", Qingdeng was able to lift the wooden box out of the pit without much difficulty.

"Is this it...?"

Qingdeng gently brushed away the dust from the box with a slow, deliberate motion.

The dust particles shimmered and danced in the moonlight.

Qingdeng involuntarily let out a long breath, and warm gas rose out, only to disappear instantly.

Click—he slowly opened the box lid.

This wooden box, hidden deep in the ground like a great treasure, did not contain immeasurable wealth or any extraordinary martial arts manuals or divine weapons.

Inside the huge box, only nine katana lay quietly.

Judging from their simple black fittings, these knives are ordinary swords that can be found anywhere on the market, and there is nothing special about them.

Qing Deng casually picked up one of the knives and pulled it out with a "whoosh".

Moonlight pierced through the dilapidated ceiling, sprinkling like light dust onto the unsheathed sword.

In an instant, a dazzling, cold light filled Qing Deng's field of vision.

Swords are delicate weapons that will rust if they are not regularly maintained.

These knives had been buried deep in the ground for nearly two years, and no one had paid them any attention for almost two years... It's easy to imagine that their condition wasn't very good.

The once brilliantly shiny blade was now covered with numerous brown rust spots.

This is definitely a "tetanus blade"... Getting hit by a blade like this is no joke.

Even if they weren't killed on the spot, they would suffer greatly from tetanus infection afterward.

There was no effective treatment for tetanus in this era.

While a rusty knife can deliver a powerful "magical attack," the rust greatly reduces its toughness, making it more fragile and brittle, and causing it to lose its original strength and durability.

Fortunately, the blade is still sharp and can still easily slice through meat and break bones!

At the bottom of the blade, a string of simple yet powerful Chinese characters is engraved.

Qingdeng picked up and pulled out the other knives from the box one by one.

Without exception, all the knives had the same phrase engraved on the bottom of the blade: "Destroy the evil spirits!"

*******

*******

Today is another day that Leopard has updated 1 words! (Leopard post.jpg)

Leopard has updated 1 words for two consecutive days, and given the quality of today's chapter, it would be really unreasonable not to vote for it with a monthly ticket! (Crying leopard head.jpg)

If you don't vote for me, Leopard will be so devastated that he'll go back to being a loser!

Please vote for me! Please recommend me! (Like a leopard crying.jpg)

P.S.: Aoto and Sanako are embracing and kissing tightly—from the world-famous painting "Souji Sleeping in the Train Car."

Chapter 477

Qingdeng pulled out a sleeve tie from his bosom and tied all the knives in the box to his lower back.

Clang, clang, clang... The nine knives, held together by a single strap, swayed and collided with each other as Qingdeng stood up.

Just as Qingdeng turned to leave, with one foot already stepping out the doorway, he suddenly stopped as if he had remembered something, turned around, and stared at the thatched hut behind him.

There was no decent furniture, only grime and dust; cold winds seeped in through the cracks in the walls and ceiling; a deathly stillness, utterly isolated from the world…

Takayuki Tachibana and Onodera spent countless days and nights in this dilapidated house.

In the dim light, in the empty house, Aoto seemed to see Tachibana Takayuki and Onodera sitting face to face on the floor.

They share intelligence with each other here.

They are here discussing their next course of action.

They spent their days in solitude.

They occasionally showed signs of fear and weariness.

That's only natural... Qingdeng thought to himself.

Before accepting Kikuchi Chisui's request and before learning about the existence of the Phantom Lake, Takayuki Tachibana was just an ordinary magistrate in the town of Doshin.

Before Onodera met Takayuki Tachibana, he was a Yakuza who ran a casino and whose background was anything but clean.

With just two people and no background or outside support, they fought against the Shimizu clan, who dominated the Kanto region, and the Fazhu Party, which aspired to rule the world...

To outsiders, the so-called "ant trying to shake a tree" is nothing more than this.

They were like two reckless porcupines, stumbling and staggering along a dark road with no end in sight.

They don't know, and can't possibly know, whether they will reach the finish line.

Even whether this road has a so-called "end" is unknown.

As a key member of the Shimizu clan, Onodera could have enjoyed a life of luxury that most people could only dream of if he had simply stayed out of this mess... Will he regret it?

When feeling tired and lost, does Takayuki Tachibana draw out these custom-made swords and read the inscription "Demon Slayer" on the blade to motivate himself?

Unfortunately, Qing Deng will not have the opportunity to ask them.

However, there was one thing he was absolutely certain of.

Takayuki Tachibana, Onodera, and Nishino... they all stayed true to their principles.

"Now, it's my turn."

The man said softly.

……

……

A slight noise, like raindrops falling on the ground, broke the stillness of the night.

It was the sound of horses' hooves, coming from afar and approaching, traveling all the way from the outskirts to Dounan Town.

With its four legs tumbling and hooves whistling, the horse stomped fiercely on the hard ground.

The incessant sound of hooves echoed through the quiet, deep night of Edo, along the frosty, endless streets, like a surging wave or a fierce storm.

In the afterglow of the crescent moon, the shadows of the horse and rider stretched long across the yellow earth, like scattered silver rays of light.

Qingdeng looked straight ahead, head held high and chest out.

Although this wasn't exactly a reason... Qingdeng's intuition told him that if he didn't end all of this tonight, he would never have the chance to completely eradicate the illusionary attachment for the rest of his life, nor would he ever have the chance to kill the Rakshasa.

This was a battle he absolutely did not want to miss.

This was a battle he was willing to face, even if it meant making Sanako cry.

He gripped the reins tightly, no longer trying to escape!

At the end of the road, a straight black line leaps up across Qingdeng's field of vision, followed by a black dot that looks like a block of ink.

Those were long walls, those were towering water towers.

Exclamations and howls came from ahead.

What was that sound?

"what happened?"

"Someone is charging at us on horseback!"

Ignoring the scene before him and the sounds in his ears, Qing Deng spurred his horse on, pushing it to its absolute limit, cutting through the wind, and charging step by step toward the darkest part of Edo.

Strangely enough, he felt incredibly relaxed and happy right now!

This feeling was completely different from the ease I had felt when I was planning to escape!

I will shatter all darkness!