I Am a Heroic Spirit

Generally speaking, these mourning gods are not considered evil gods. Only when abandoned by their masters or their original bodies are maliciously destroyed will they degenerate into demons and seek revenge on their masters. However, among the countless mourning gods, swords and valuables are the least likely to degenerate into evil. Valuable items are self-evident. In ancient times, the value of swords and other valuables was not much less than that of valuables. Good swords were enough to be passed down from generation to generation. How could they be maliciously destroyed or abandoned?

"It's really strange to say that there are so many sword-type Tsukumogami that have fallen into evil demons. I don't know what their masters have done." Zhang Luo said in confusion.

"Who knows about this kind of thing?" Ashiya Doman said with a smile on his face. "Speaking of which, among those Tsukumogami's auras, there are a few very familiar auras. I feel like I've seen them somewhere before, but when I think about it carefully, I don't know where I've seen them before."

"Is this sword from someone's family?" Zhang Luo asked. The only sword that would feel familiar to Ashiya Doman was the precious sword from the nobles' families. However, how could the Tsukumogami of such a precious sword degenerate into an evil demon?

"Ah, the evil energy is too strong to distinguish," said Ashiya Doman.

Ashiya Doman didn't seem to care much about the matter of the Tsukumogami. It was not known whether he really didn't care or just didn't show it. After chatting casually for a few words, Ashiya Doman proposed to exchange some ideas on magic and knowledge. Zhang Luo gladly accepted Ashiya Doman's proposal.

It has to be said that Ashiya Doman's attainments in Yin-Yang magic are simply unfathomable and cannot be compared with Zhang Luo at all. Even the current Abe Kiyomizu and Kamo Tadayuki may not be his opponents. Even Abe Haruaki in his prime would not be much better than him. If it was the Nue a thousand years later, although he could defeat Ashiya Doman, it was only in terms of strength. In terms of Yin-Yang magic, he would not be much stronger than Ashiya Doman.

The two men conversed from morning until noon, when the sun was high in the sky. Both benefited greatly. Ashiya Doman's Yin-Yang arts greatly improved Zhang Luo's attainments in Yin-Yang arts. For at least a thousand years, he would be the strongest, save for those boss-like figures. Meanwhile, Ashiya Doman absorbed the essence of Zhang Luo's Western magic, alchemy, runes, ghost arts, and sorcery, strengthening himself.

In the weed-covered yard, Zhang Luo and Ashiya Michiman sat down in a clean place. Between them was a relatively clean table, the kind used in ancient Japan. On it were two sets of chopsticks and plates, wine glasses, a pot of fragrant wine, and some dishes. Three young and beautiful women stood beside the table, two of them pouring wine for them, and one was grilling fish.

Whether it was the dishes, the grilled fish, or the woman, they did not exist a few seconds ago, but suddenly appeared when Ashiya Doman invited Zhang Luo to stay for lunch. Needless to say, this was caused by Ashiya Doman's Shikigami and magic.

"It's been a long time since I met a young man as knowledgeable as you. I have benefited a lot today." Ashiya Doman took a bite of fish and said while chewing.

"You're too kind. I am the one. I have benefited a lot from your Yin-Yang magic." Zhang Luo said respectfully. It is estimated that at this time, Master Ashiya Doman is the strongest Yin-Yang master in this island country.

"You've learned so many different types of magic. You must have traveled a lot."

"No, it's just that I have a lot of teachers. In fact, I have only been to my motherland and Japan across the sea. Although I know a little about other places, I haven't been there yet."

"Your teachers are all very impressive people, right?"

"Indeed, they are all well-known figures in their own countries, and some are even sons of gods."

"I'm so lucky to have so many great teachers teaching me."

……

The two of them drank wine, ate grilled fish and other dishes, and chatted about unimportant things.

After finishing the meal, Ashiya Doman tapped the table with his fingers, and the dishes on the table disappeared. Even with Zhang Luo's eyesight, he couldn't tell whether it was an illusion, a space-shifting technique, or a creation out of thin air.

The three women next to him also disappeared. Zhang Luo tilted his body and saw three leaves fallen on the ground. He knew in his heart that the three women were transformed from these three leaves.

Ashiya Michiman took out two things that looked like melon seeds from the bag on his clothes. They were probably melon seeds, but they were a little dirty. Then he bent down and poked a small hole in the ground with his hand.

"What are you going to do?" Zhang Luo asked.

"In such hot weather, it's natural to treat guests with delicious watermelon after dinner. This month is the perfect time to enjoy watermelon."

As Ashiya Doman said this, he threw the melon seed into the small hole he had dug, and then covered it with the loose soil he had just dug, burying the hole.

After taking a quick look at the ground, Ashiya Doman pulled out a green leaf from the weeds, which still had a few drops of water on it. Ashiya Doman pointed the leaf at the place where the melon seeds were buried and shook it. One drop, two drops, three drops, and more than ten drops of water fell on the ground.

Zhang Luo's attention was attracted by Ashiya Doman's actions. He stared at the old man's hands, with some guesses in his mind.

"Now..." Ashiya Doman closed his eyes, smiled, and muttered something. After reciting a spell, he opened his eyes again, pulled out a tattered fan from his belt, and began to fan the soil where the melon seeds were buried.

"If there is life, let it grow; if there is a wish, let it come true..." he recited.

Zhang Luo noticed that as Ashiya Doman chanted his spell, the surface of the soil seemed to move slightly.

"It's coming out!" Ashiya Doman said, and sure enough, the tender green melon seedlings broke through the soil.

"Grow taller, grow taller..." Ashiya Doman kept muttering as if urging the plant to grow. The tender shoots grew rapidly, the stems were close to the ground, and the leaves grew big and numerous.

"Okay, keep growing, keep growing. It's starting to bear fruit." I watched as small fruits grew on the stem and it grew bigger.

"Hey, grow a little bigger and be sweeter..." The melon grew round, ripened, and began to emit the fragrance of ripe melon.

"It's the best time to eat it." Ashiya Doman plucked a melon with his hands, broke it open with his bare hands, handed half to Zhang Luo, and took the other half in his hand and started to eat it happily.

"This must be the technique of growing melons." Zhang Luo saw through Ashiya Doman's magic and asked.

"That's right. Taoist priests in the Tang Dynasty often use such magic to tease ignorant people and to quench their thirst and fill their stomachs." Ashiya Doman said with a smile.

"Yes, I've heard of similar spells before," Zhang Luo replied. Of course, it was just a rumor; this kind of spell was useless, and not even recorded in Zhang Luo's magic book.

"There's a similar story circulating widely in my hometown, but it's not about growing melons, but pears. It tells the story of a villager selling pears at the market, while a Taoist priest begs for his services in vain. A fellow, unable to bear the sight, buys one and gives it to the Taoist priest. Unexpectedly, the Taoist priest eats the seed and plants it in the ground. It sprouts, grows, blossoms, and bears fruit, which the Taoist priest then distributes to onlookers. After the Taoist priest leaves, the villager discovers his cartload of pears has vanished, and suddenly, he realizes something."

After saying that, Zhang Luo paused, with a puzzled look on his face. Although it seemed that the methods of growing pears by Taoist Master and Doman Ashiya were similar, it seemed that Doman Ashiya didn't have any watermelon fields, nor did he see any watermelons here. Could it be that he could grow watermelons without having any?

Chapter 160 The Attack of the God of Death

"That's about right. Although this spell is called the melon-growing technique, it can also be used to grow other things. And there are two ways to use it. One is the labor-inducing technique used just now, and the other is the grafting technique you mentioned." Ashiya Doman explained the doubts in Zhang Luo's mind while chewing a watermelon.

"Is there any difference in quality?" Zhang Luo asked. Zhang Luo had no idea about this spell which had no offensive, defensive or auxiliary capabilities.

"It's both true and false," Ashiya Doman said casually, wiping his mouth hastily. "But the difference isn't that big. The technique of accelerating childbirth uses mana to activate the forces of nature, allowing seeds to grow rapidly. Generally speaking, everyone uses it that way. The technique of transplanting flowers and trees is an illusion technique involving space, usually used to tease ordinary people."

Zhang Luo thought about it, picked up a watermelon seed from the fallen ground, and buried it in the soil, imitating Ashiya Doman's previous actions. Then he used magic power to draw the power of nature and infuse it into it. After a few minutes, the watermelon grew.

"It seems that it is not that difficult." Zhang Luo threw away the melon peel in his hand, picked up the watermelon, and broke it open, feeling a little proud.

"It's not a difficult spell to use. As long as you have the right level of power, know how to use it, and learn a little Onmyoji, you'll be fine." Ashiya Doman said casually, but a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. Although he said it was simple, in reality, this move was not that simple. At least, if the average Onmyoji had no previous experience, it would take at least two or three days to master it.

For two consecutive days, Zhang Luo did not leave Himeji Castle, but came to Ashiya Doman's residence every day to exchange his experience in magic. His attainments in Yin-Yang magic also gradually improved. Although the magic that Zhang Luo was good at was not Yin-Yang magic, it also allowed Ashiya Doman to learn by analogy and make some progress.

The next day, at the devil's hour, the dim light of the setting sun slanted across the road, casting long, hideous and twisted shadows; looking up, the burning clouds reflected a blood-red sky, which made people feel depressed and gave people a sense of foreboding.

In the yard where weeds grew randomly, Zhang Luo and Ashiya Doman sat opposite each other, exchanging their experiences in magic.

"...!"

Suddenly, Ashiya Doman closed his mouth, as if startled by something, and looked outside.

"What happened, Lord Doman?" Zhang Luo also looked outside following Ashiya Doman's gaze, but he could not see anything with his naked eyes. He needed special methods to see things because the external techniques could not see through it at all.

"Hey, it seems like a guest has arrived." Ashiya Doman picked up the wine glass beside him and drank the wine in it, but he did not drink it. Instead, he held it in his mouth.

At this moment, what Ashiya Doman had noticed before finally appeared.

Ghostly sharp horns, eye sockets flashing with scarlet light, bone armor, white bone chains, and a knife flashing with cold light, these twisted and deformed monsters look mechanical and crazy, they are exactly the Tsukumogami that Ashiya Doman and Zhang Luo talked about two days ago.

There were about a thousand of them, rushing from the path in front of the main entrance. The ferocious monsters completely ignored the illusion that Ashiya Doman used to block outsiders. They killed gods and Buddhas. No matter what appeared in front of them, they just chopped it down with a knife. This was the simplest way to break the illusion.

At this time, a group of demonized Tsukumogami had arrived at the gate of the small courtyard and were about to attack. Seeing that Ashiya Doman did not move, Zhang Luo was about to stand up and take action.

"puff!"

However, before Zhang Luo could stand up, Ashiya Doman spat out the wine in his mouth with a "puff".

Before the wine even touched the ground, it swelled wildly. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a surging wave that rushed out of the courtyard, forming a series of violent waves that overlapped and surged towards the tsukumogami. The surging and roaring waves were higher and higher, and hundreds of tsukumogami were crushed into bone powder without even the strength to resist.

Could this be the legendary ninjutsu, Sake Release - Great Waterfall Technique?

Looking at the familiar scene in front of him, Zhang Luo complained silently in his heart, but his face was serious. He didn't draw talismans or chant spells. He just took a sip of wine and spit it out, and it turned into the sea. It seems that he still underestimated Ashiya Doman.

"Oh, the number seems a bit too much." Ashiya Doman put down his wine glass. Instead of feeling proud of his own achievements, he frowned.

"Weren't they all killed?" Zhang Luo asked doubtfully. Things like Fusangshen are not Digimon and are huge in size. The waterfall technique just now should have been able to wash them all away.

"There are a few powerful guys." As Ashiya Doman was speaking, ten unique Tsukumogami appeared. The sharp sword energy split the impact of the waves, walked openly from the middle of the waves, and entered Ashiya Doman's yard.

The first Tsukumogami to enter the courtyard was the most powerful of all the Tsukumogami. Judging from his aura, he was no weaker than the three great monsters. The others who came in afterwards also had the aura of ordinary great monsters, which was completely inconsistent with the character of the Tsukumogami! He was obviously just a Tsukumogami, so why was he so powerful?

However, a little explanation is needed here regarding the gap between great monsters. Monsters like the Nine-Tailed Fox, the Golden Crow, the Nine Phoenixes, and the Ghost Rider cannot be compared with ordinary wolf monsters, tree monsters, and the like. After all, monsters with noble bloodlines are superior to ordinary monsters. This can also be applied to the island nation. Great monsters like Tamamonomae, Daitengu, Shuten-doji, and Ara are related to gods, or even simply gods who have fallen. Naturally, they are more powerful than great monsters like Aoandon, Yamakaze, Kodama-san, and Youtouhime, who have no background and no connection to gods...

So, whether it is modern times or ancient times, the human world or the monster world, success mainly depends on one's father.

"Hello, my name is Kokarasuma. Although it has the character xiao in it, it's meant to be humble. In ancient times, people would deliberately add xiao before or after words that meant "superior" or "greater." My Kokarasuma is somewhere between a straight sword and a Japanese sword, like the father of the Japanese sword."

After the leading Tsukumogami came in, he did not launch an attack directly, but instead gave his name.

"Well?"

Zhang Luo and Ashiya Doman both made sounds of surprise at the same time, but their surprise was expressed in different directions.

What surprised Zhang Luo was the word "Japan" spoken by the Tsukumogami in front of him. This word should appear a thousand years later. The current Japan is still Dongying. However, this also made Zhang Luo realize that these Tsukumogami in front of him came from the future.

Ashiya Michiman was surprised by the identity of the Tsukumogami in front of him. He did not suspect that the Tsukumogami in front of him was lying, because he had seen the true form of Kokarasumaru in the Taira family.

For a moment they were both stunned.

While Ashiya Doman and Zhang Luo were surprised, the little Karasuma on the opposite side was also looking at Ashiya Doman and Zhang Luo, and his heart sank.

Ashiya Michiman is indeed one of the strongest Yin-Yang 5.0 masters in Japan in thousands of years. Once the war breaks out, with his own strength, he can only hold him back but cannot defeat him.

Hopefully there won't be a war.

Xiao Wuwan thought to himself that as for Zhang Luo, his strength was still insufficient. He could fight a few moves with ordinary big monsters with the help of the magic costume, but without the costume, he would not be in Xiao Wuwan's eyes at all.

"The Heike clan's heir? So it's you, Lord Karasuma. I haven't seen you for many years. I didn't expect you to have become a Tsukumogami."

Ashiya Michi was beaming, seemingly unfazed by the evil aura of Kokarasumaru and his previous aggressive attack. He knew at a glance that he was one of Kokarasumaru's tsukumogami. But a heavy heart settled within him. This was utterly unnatural. Not only was Kokarasumaru not yet old enough to become a tsukumogami, but his power was simply too incredible. Such strength couldn't have been achieved without millennia of accumulation. Even if there was a saying that a thousand years of cultivation was inferior to a single moment of demonic mastery, it couldn't be that exaggerated.

Chapter 161

Kokarasuma is a precious sword bestowed by Emperor Suzaku to Taira no Masadamori who went to pursue Taira no Masakado. It is a treasure passed down from generation to generation in the clan.

Legend has it that while Emperor Kanmu was in the palace, a black bird carrying a tachi flew over and knelt before the emperor. It announced itself as a messenger from Ise Jingu before flying away, leaving the tachi behind. Legend has it that this bird was no ordinary bird, but rather the Yasakura, a powerful figure in Japanese mythology. This is how the tachi Kokarasuma (Kōkarasuma) got its name.

This is really a big trouble.

Zhang Luo quickly found out the identity of Kogumaru from his head according to the information revealed by Ashiya Doman, and his face suddenly became even heavier.

There is a saying that practicing Taoism for a thousand years is not as good as becoming a demon in one day. What's more, Xiao Wuhuan has practiced Taoism for a thousand years from a hundred years ago to the present day. Once he becomes a demon, his strength will be even greater. Although no one knows how he brought a group of Tsukumogami back to this era, even immortals may not be able to travel through time. In other words, there is a high possibility that there is a mastermind behind them.

"I came here this time to ask for something."

Xiao Wuhuan took two steps forward, knelt on the ground, and said politely. Judging from his appearance, it was impossible to tell that he was here to cause trouble.

"Please speak." Kokarasuma did not get angry, and Ashiya Doman naturally would not take the initiative to start a fight.

"It's not a big deal, I just hope you don't leave here during this period of time." Xiao Wuhuan made his request.

"Well, that's not a problem. After all, I'm an old man and don't like running around like young people." A gleam of light flashed in Ashiya Michiman's eyes, but he smiled and looked very relaxed as he spoke.

"I think you may have misunderstood what I meant," Kokarasuma said, not being fooled by Ashiya Doman's expression. He raised his voice and said seriously, "Please swear that you will not leave this place and go to the outside world within a year."

Ashiya Doman remained silent, with no emotion visible in his eyes. He just placed his hands on the table, tapping them rhythmically with his fingers.

Zhang Luo did not speak either. For a moment, the place became extremely quiet. Everyone was waiting for Ashiya Doman's reply.

Finally, Ashiya Doman spoke.

"How could Lord Karasuma, a sword favored by Amaterasu, become an evil demon?"

Ashiya Doman did not respond to Kokarasuma's previous request, but asked the doubts in his heart. Even if the Heike clan was stupid and ignorant, with the blessing of Amaterasu, Kokarasuma would not fall into the devil.

Kogumaru also fell silent, and the face of Tsukumogami behind him also became extremely gloomy, but no one spoke.

After a long moment, Xiao Wuhuan said, "You can probably tell that we don't exist in this era."

Ashiya Michiman nodded. He didn't feel strange. He had known about the chaos of time and space a month ago.

"In the year 2205 AD, a thousand years later, a group of historical revisionists who attempted to change history launched an attack on the past. In addition to ordinary humans and Onmyoji, their members also included an army called the Time Travel Army. This army was composed entirely of armed Tsukumogami. Most of these Tsukumogami were nameless. Not only did they not have their names passed down, no one even knew whether they existed. They were the complete opposite of us, so that the unwilling Tsukumogami were bewitched by humans and eventually became monsters that only obeyed names and killed." Kogumaru said with his eyes closed, a sad tone in his voice. After all, even if they did not leave behind their names, those Tsukumogami were still his children.

"That sounds terrible." Ashiya Doman's fingers stopped moving.

Kokarasuma continued, "In order to stop them, the government at the time formed a spiritual government called the Time Government and recruited humans with spiritual talents, as well as Onmyoji, Miko, and mediums, to become Shinsengumi."

"The Shinsengumi you are talking about is probably different from what I understand." Ashiya Doman interrupted Kokarasuma. He never knew that such a dangerous job as the Shinsengumi could be done by anyone.

A sneer appeared on Xiao Karasuma's face. "Indeed, although they are called Shinsengumi, apart from their spiritual power, they have no similarities at all."

"After the Shinsengumi were assembled, the next step was to find weapons capable of combating the Time Travelers. At that time, the Time Government approached us, fellow Tsukumogami, hoping to sign a contract with them to partner with the Shinsengumi and fight against the Time Travelers."

"Originally, human affairs had nothing to do with us. However, the human side only requested our spirit fragments. They would specially create imitation swords, and we would invest a bit of our spirit fragments into them. The Shinsengumi would then use their spiritual power to summon our spirit fragments to fight. We wouldn't need to be present in person, and no matter what happened to the spirit fragments, it wouldn't affect our original bodies. Furthermore, the Shinsengumi's spiritual power could also strengthen the spirit fragments. When the time comes, taking back the spirit fragments will make us even more powerful. With nothing but benefits, we naturally agreed to this offer."

"You guys don't look like you're not affected." Zhang Luo looked at the ominous aura from Xiao Wuwan and his group, and listened to what Xiao Wuwan said, feeling a sense of familiarity for a moment.

A bitter smile appeared on Xiao Wuhuan's face. "The death or destruction of the soul cannot affect our original body, but emotions can."

"Emotions are poisonous." Ashiya Doman sighed. For a cultivator, letting emotions shake oneself means that the inner demon has arrived.

"A saint forgets about emotions, the lowest among them are not as emotional as us. The people we are most emotional about are us." Zhang Luo said calmly. For practitioners, no matter what they practice, the highest state is to forget about emotions.

"What Mr. Liu Yiqing said in Shishuo Xinyu is very true." Ashiya Michimitsu said with deep agreement.

"The lowest and most unfeeling, haha, we are exactly that kind."

Hearing Zhang Luo's derogatory words, Xiao Wuhuan was not angry, but said it with self-mockery. At the same time, he finally took Zhang Luo, who was considered an upper-middle level a thousand years later but could only be considered a weakling at this time, seriously.

Liu Yiqing, courtesy name Jibo, was a native of Pengcheng and a writer during the Southern Song Dynasty. He wrote the strange and mysterious novel Records of the Underworld and presided over the compilation of A New Account of Tales of the World.

Putting aside the strange story novel "Records of the Underworld", "A New Account of Tales of the World" contains the thoughts of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, not to mention that it came from the Tang Dynasty. Naturally, it is very popular in Japan, a place with ardent admirers of the Tang Dynasty. Ashiya Doman and Kogumaru were both of high status, so they naturally would have studied it in depth.

"After the split souls were shattered, they would return to their original bodies with their powers and memories, including emotions. Initially, we didn't care. After all, they were just some emotions and didn't affect us much. However, as more souls were split and the swords were shattered, more and more memories returned. Joy, anger, sorrow, love, friendship, family, and more and more emotions also invaded our original bodies. We, the Fusangjin, are not true gods to begin with, and we are not able to achieve the level of saints who forget about emotions. We are even more extreme in our emotions, which led to our eventual degeneration into demons."

Xiao Wuhuan continued, and Zhang Luo realized why he felt familiar. Isn't this setting very similar to that of the Heroic Spirit? However, compared to the Heroic Spirit, these Fusangshen are too weak. Whether it is their character, strength, status, or other aspects, they are too weak, which leads to their degeneration into demons.