Curse Returns: Eight Extraordinary Skills? I lack nothing.

Countless viscous, grayish-black liquids, composed of pure negative emotions and curses, mixed with fragments of the broken basket, gushed out like sewage from a burst dam.

The air was instantly filled with an intense, suffocating stench of blood, rotting earth, and the overlapping screams of countless wailing souls.

The basket completely disintegrated, revealing a massive, pulsating core inside, formed from countless distorted human faces and crystallized resentment.

That is the source of the mountain hag's power, and the embodiment of its rules of judgment and purification.

"Ah ah ah ah ah!"

The mountain hag let out an unprecedented, ultimate wail that contained the pain of all those it had purified.

Its body was as if its spine had been removed, and its massive body convulsed and spasmed violently.

The crimson light in his eyes quickly dimmed, and they became cracked.

The resentment from the mountains and forests that it had absorbed as a source of power now lacked its core container and, like a venomous snake out of control, was frantically devouring its body.

The destruction of the basket not only destroyed its core of power, but also completely disrupted the balance of its rules of judgment and purification.

The power to wipe out countless evildoers is now backfiring on itself a hundredfold or a thousandfold.

"Kun character - quicksand, Li character - firefly light - condensation!" Youren didn't stop, and the array beneath his feet spun again.

The ground beneath Yamahaba's feet instantly transformed into a viscous quicksand swamp, dragging its massive body downwards.

At the same time, countless highly compressed, blazing white sparks exploded around it, scorching its out-of-control, dissipated resentment and preventing it from reforming.

The mountain hag struggled in the quicksand, its body visibly withering and decaying, its bluish-gray skin cracking inch by inch, revealing the decaying bones beneath.

Its murky eye stared intently at Yuuto, filled with endless resentment and bitterness, but the light was rapidly fading away.

"Your trial... is over." Yuuto's voice was icy, announcing the final outcome.

He slowly raised Kikuichimonji Norimune, the tip of his sword pointing at the dying Yamanbagama, whose core of power was destroyed and who was being devoured by its own rules. This time, there was no need for further probing, no need for further restraint.

Flowing Cloud Sword - Piercing the Sun!

The lightning and flowing sword energy on the blade were compressed to the extreme, transforming into an incomparably condensed blue-white beam of light that tore through the air and emitted a piercing shriek.

This strike abandoned all fancy moves, possessing only the purest speed and penetrating power, carrying the will to end everything, and aimed directly at the exposed, pulsating core of resentment in Yamaba's chest!

"laugh!"

The blue-white beam of light sliced ​​through the cracked core of the resentment crystal like a hot knife through butter.

The mountain hag's massive body suddenly stiffened, and all the struggles, all the wails, all the waves of resentment came to an abrupt end at that moment.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

The next moment, its hunched body, like a sand sculpture weathered for thousands of years, rapidly disintegrated and collapsed, starting from the core that had been pierced.

It transformed into countless gray-black dust particles, mixed with the lingering resentment mist, which permeated and rose in the dilapidated stone chamber before finally vanishing completely.

The thick, oppressive feeling of being watched and the heavy, bloody, and resentful atmosphere in the air dissipated quickly like the receding tide, leaving only the smell of gunpowder after the battle, the scent of rock dust, and a deathly silence.

The entire mountain nest fell into absolute silence. The only sounds were the occasional rustling of falling rocks and the suppressed, heavy breathing of the three auxiliary supervisors, who had survived the ordeal.

Yuuto slowly sheathed his sword, the shimmering white light of the Reverse Life Triple Circulation flowing across his body, calming his blood and qi after the fierce battle. The red light of the Double Perfection Hand flickered faintly in his palms, dispelling the last trace of the chilling curse that had invaded his body.

"It's over." Yuuto's voice was slightly hoarse from the battle, but unusually clear. "Can you still walk?"

The assistant supervisor, who had been most seriously injured, was now out of danger thanks to the double-handed treatment. Upon hearing this, he and the other two struggled to their feet, their faces a mixture of lingering fear and relief: "Th-it's okay! Thank you, Mr. Kasuga! If it weren't for you..."

Yu Ren waved his hand, interrupting him: "Mission accomplished, leave this place." He didn't say anything more and took the lead towards the passageway he had come from.

The three assistant supervisors quickly followed, their steps still a little unsteady, but their spirits were clearly relaxed.

Walking out along the passageway covered with murals depicting trials, moonlight streamed in from the entrance.

When they breathed in the crisp, cool air of the mountains again, everyone felt a sense of rebirth, as if they had been reborn.

The long-standing sense of oppression that had enveloped the mountains and forests had vanished without a trace.

In the direction of the temporary command post, Kobayashi and several observers at the windows were anxiously peering out. Seeing Yuuto lead the three out unharmed, Kobayashi immediately rushed forward, his voice trembling with excitement: "Mr. Kasuga, you're alright! That's wonderful! The commotion inside... we detected an extremely terrifying burst of magical power that vanished instantly..."

“The mountain hag has been exorcised.” Yuuto said succinctly, his voice regaining its usual composure. “Notify the cleanup team that we can enter the ruins for purification. Although the core has been destroyed, the remaining resentment needs to be completely eliminated.”

"Yes, yes, I'll arrange it right away!" Kobayashi nodded repeatedly, his eyes filled with awe as he looked at Yuuto.

Entering the suspected lair alone, he not only rescued his subordinates who had been teleported, but also successfully exorcised a top-tier cursed spirit that was difficult to track even through a window and possessed perfect concealment and spatial abilities. This strength and sense of responsibility are worthy of the title of the fourth seat of the Sword Academy and a top-tier cursed master.

Yuuto did not linger and declined Kobayashi's offer to arrange a vehicle.

He needed some time alone to analyze the gains and losses of this battle.

The mountain hag's spatial concealment and selective predation rules gave him a lot of inspiration.

Especially the strategies for dealing with rule-based cursed spirits. The sword qi shuttle, refined by divine craftsmanship, played a decisive role in the crucial strike, and the coordination between Feng Hou Qi Men, the spirit binding and commanding, and the Tong Tian Lu became increasingly proficient.

Yuuto descended the mountain alone under the moonlight. Halfway down, his phone vibrated. It was a communication channel directly under the Sword-Wielding Academy:

Director Kobayashi: Mr. Kasuga, the villagers of the old village of Kyoto have spontaneously gathered outside the cordon, hoping to thank you in person. Should we disperse them?

Yu Ren's steps did not stop, his fingertips swiping across the screen:

Yu Ren: No need. Tell them: The mountain god has returned to his place, the wicked have been punished, live well.

In the early morning, when Yuto left the Hida Mountains by car, the scenery along the way was completely different.

Outside the guard tent, dozens of survivors from the Old God Village gathered quietly.

They were mostly elderly, weak, women and children, dressed in faded kimonos or work clothes, holding simple offerings in their hands.

Back at the Gifu Prefecture Jujutsu Office, the atmosphere was completely different.

The director and all the staff lined up at the entrance to greet them. They stood straight, their eyes filled with awe and lingering fear.

The Yamanbagiri incident exposed the serious inadequacy of local "windows" and law enforcement agencies in dealing with high-risk, hidden cursed spirits.

The atmosphere inside the meeting room was heavy. Yuuto sat at the head of the table, a complete report on the Yamanbagiri incident and personnel files from the local office laid out before him. Kobayashi and several key executives stood at attention with their hands at their sides.

“Two things,” Yu Ren said, his voice not loud, but it made the air seem to freeze for a moment.

First, accountability was pursued. The window observer's attempt to capture and track the super-level curse energy fluctuations completely failed, the person in charge was demoted and transferred, and all members of the relevant technical team returned to the Tokyo headquarters for retraining.

Secondly, the organization will be restructured, and starting immediately, all staff members and local auxiliary supervisory personnel will undergo two weeks of special training.

"Give me the list tomorrow." Youren closed the folder, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "Remember, if another disappearance occurs without a trace, I won't hesitate to send someone from the Sword-Holding Academy to take over." The coldness in his words sent chills down everyone's spines. This was not a threat, but a statement of fact. The Fourth Seat of the Sword-Holding Academy had the authority to reorganize negligent local institutions.

The special training location was a cleared valley behind the old god village. F Yuuto stood with his hands behind his back, with Miwa Kasumi, who had been temporarily conscripted, standing beside him to take notes and assist.

"Lesson One: Perceiving 'Non-existence'." The Feng Hou Qi Men formation silently unfolded beneath Yu Ren's feet. "Spirit Binding and General Dispatch - Hundred Eyes - Modification!"

Dozens of carefully selected cursed spirits, equipped with the ability to conceal their aura and mimic their environment, were released and instantly blended into the mountains and forests. (Volume 1, Chapter 46, Section 7)

Assessment 1: Location. Participants must locate all hidden cursed spirits within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, relying solely on physical traces (and faint energy disturbances). Those who fail will have to run an additional 20 kilometers through mountainous terrain.

Assessment Two: Breaking Concealment. Facing a cursed spirit that simulates a "Yamaba-style" spatial jump, controlled by Yuuto, trainees must use a similar interference barrier to briefly break its concealment and create an attack window.

Assessment 3: Rule Utilization. When faced with a simulated cursed spirit that is set to "prioritize attacking those carrying 'malicious items'", trainees must utilize its behavioral patterns to set traps or create opportunities for their teammates to deliver a fatal blow.

The training was so rigorous it was almost brutal.

The cursed spirits' attacks were merciless, and the spatial interference was dizzying.

But no one complained.

Everyone has either experienced or heard of the terror of the mountain hag and understands what this training means.

Yuuto is like the most demanding craftsman, accurately pointing out everyone's mistakes, from the sluggish flow of incantation power to the hesitation in tactical choices.

Two weeks later, on the final day of training assessment, the last task was a simulated raid on a lair. Teams of two were tasked with pursuing and eliminating a near-Level 1 cursed spirit that had been imbued with the "Concealment" and "Filtering" properties by Yuuto in complex terrain.

The battle was intense yet efficient. The squad members cooperated seamlessly, utilizing the environment, rules, and precise spatial interference, ultimately leading to the captain's coordinated fire to secure the kill.

As the sun set, it bathed the training ground in gold. All the trainees lined up, clenched their right fists, and struck their left chests heavily. This was the silent salute of the Sword-wielding Academy members returning from dangerous missions.

There were no words, only the resounding crashes echoing through the valley, carrying a heavy promise.

Chapter 158 Flower Imperial

As Yuuto stepped out of the temporary command post in the Hida Mountains, his phone vibrated again. The screen displayed Gojo Satoru's signature concise message.

Satoru Gojo: Yuto, at the foot of Mount Hakkoda, Fujisaki-cho. The flowers are blooming, but something seems off. Shall we go admire them?

The message was followed by a coordinate and several shocking satellite photos.

In the lush forests of Aomori, an area several kilometers in diameter exhibits an eerie abundance that far exceeds the limits of the season.

The trees grew wildly, their branches twisting like demonic claws, their leaves a deep, almost blackish green, interspersed with vast swaths of eerie, gigantic flowers emitting a fluorescent blue glow. Vines...

The vines coiled around the houses like living creatures, even enveloping entire buildings. Even more eerie, there were almost no signs of human activity in the area.

“Hana-no-Mikoto…” Yuuto’s eyes narrowed slightly. He would never mistake this familiar, cursed power, which carried a deep vitality and a twisted, purifying will.

He put away his phone, and a faint light flashed at the "Xun" position of the Qimen Dunjia chart beneath his feet. His figure blended into the night wind, and he sped towards the nearest airport.

When the plane landed at Aomori Airport, the air was filled with an overwhelming, pungent smell of grass and wood, mixed with a cloyingly sweet floral fragrance.

The assistant supervisor who came to meet them was a young woman, pale-faced, with even more dark circles under her eyes than Kobayashi of Hida.

“Mr. Kasuga, this is Hayakawa. The situation… is terrible.” Her voice trembled as she handed over the tablet. “Fujisaki Town and the three surrounding villages have been completely swallowed up by plants.”

The observer at the window…none of them went in and came out. The last image transmitted back…was of those flowers.

A blurry video was playing on the tablet.

In the dense, sunless forest, enormous carnivorous plants, emitting a ghostly blue glow, opened their mouths filled with sharp teeth; tough vines, like giant pythons, tore apart cars.

The ground was arched and torn apart by thick tree roots.

The final shot freezes on a huge fluorescent blue flower that slowly turns toward the camera, and deep within the flower's stamen, countless tiny, malevolent eyes seem to flash by.

"Perfect Concealment has been upgraded?" Yuuto frowned.

Hana's ability to conceal itself is already extremely strong, allowing it to blend into its environment, but in the past, windows could still detect energy fluctuations. This time, even professional observers disappeared without a trace, indicating that its abilities have undergone a new change.

Are there any survivors?

Hayakawa shook his head: "The evacuation order was issued too late... By the time we reacted, the outer perimeter was already sealed off by vines, and inside... there was no news. The concentration of magical energy was frighteningly high, and ordinary communication was completely cut off. We tried to use drones, but they were either shot down by the vines or... eaten by the flowers when they flew in."

She pointed out the car window, "Look."

As the car approached the outskirts of Fujisaki Town, the sight before him caused Yuuto's pupils to shrink slightly.

A wall, tens of meters high, composed of countless wrist-thick, dark green vines interwoven with fluorescent blue patterns, sealed off the entire anomalous area like a living Great Wall.