Female Swordsman Training Dojo

Harunobu's disdain infuriated Izanagi: "What are you saying! This was clearly all thanks to me! Orochi was just..."

Izanagi was too concerned about saving face; he couldn't even finish his argument. If Izanami were here, she'd argue even if she was wrong. Orochi? He was just a laborer; the design was hers, the "equipment" was hers, so of course this innovation was hers.

Harunobu pinched the petite Izanami who was playfully punching his face in dissatisfaction, and was about to ask more questions when Izanagi suddenly came to his senses and urged Harunobu, "Alright! Stop wasting time here! Judging from the state of the ritual, Orochi is about to complete his plan! We have to hurry and stop him!"

"You haven't even said anything about Japan being your divine land yet," Harunobu said calmly, releasing Izanagi. "Besides, how do I know if you're telling the truth?"

Izanagi unconsciously pursed his lips again, gritting his teeth as he said, "My ritual has three objectives: first, to re-integrate with Izanami and return to my complete form; second, to assimilate you, using your soul to transcend this world and break free from its constraints; and third, after completing the first two steps, to use the ritual and the various hidden schemes I've laid over the past millennium to harmonize with Japan, transforming it into the true Ashihara no Naka de, which I will use as my base to linger and interfere in this world!"

Harunobu stroked his chin and concluded, "So, if Orochi drains or drains Japan dry, your plan will also be scrapped?"

Izanagi gritted his teeth in resentment: "Yes! And if you keep dawdling, something terrible is going to happen to Japan! You don't want your dojo to sink into the sea, do you?"

“Fine, I’ll take your word for it.” Harunobu patted the water stains on his chest. “They’re on Mount Fuji, right? I’m going to go and kill them all.”

Izanagi, watching Harunobu turn to leave, gritted his teeth and shouted, "You also need to stop their energy-extraction ritual! I can..."

Qingxin waved his hand with his back to her: "Why don't you rest here for a while, darling? I already have a magic array master."

The rift to the mortal world opened, and Yakumo Kurenai waved with a smile from the other end, while the pink-haired fox Hoshino and the twins walked in. The two of them were responsible for "guarding" Izanagi, and since the twins had already accepted the Womb Realm Mandala, they could also act as liaisons.

"Then, I'll be right back."

After saying his final words, Harunobu stepped out of the gap. In the last second before the eerie gap closed, Izanagi only saw Harunobu pick up Yakumo Kurenai and kiss her several times with a grin.

She sat down sullenly, tapping the corridor a few times with her fair little hand. It looked ordinary, but in reality... the pink-haired fox began to worry about her suicide note.

At this moment, Izanagi still hadn't realized his problem.

The author says:

Author's note: Update progress 7/30.

The website's review process has become stricter recently, so you know... But it's okay, it was going to be over anyway anyway (￣︶￣*)).

Finally, please vote!

Chapter 602: Everything is going according to plan

Deep in the mountains and forests, the Yamata no Orochi suddenly raised its four heads, and then the rightmost one spoke: "Taihara Harunobu's trail has been detected, and he is rapidly approaching Mount Fuji."

"So he's here after all..." another head sighed and said, "I thought he would win, but I didn't expect that Izanagi would lose in just one week."

Another head joined the conversation: "At least she's not dead yet, otherwise the ritual would have collapsed long ago. Hurry up and take advantage of Izanagi's momentary lapse in consciousness to absorb as much ley line energy as possible."

"Don't worry, given Taira no Harunobu's personality, even if he doesn't kill Izanagi, he'll at least severely injure him. We have plenty of time." The head on the far right lazily turned back, drooping to the ground. From his way of addressing Izanagi, it was clear that he didn't know Izanagi's true nature.

They were able to contact the old man in the cave and Izanagi thanks to the gifts left behind by Izanagi himself and Izanami. When they formed an alliance with Izanami, she provided them with a portion of corrupted power and the method to manipulate it, in order to show her sincerity and increase the fighting strength of the Tongxin Society.

After all, the Tongxin Society wasn't like Qingxin; they hadn't established a connection with the Underworld, and their relationship with Izanami wasn't good enough for Izanami to personally help control the corrupted power every time. But precisely because of this, when Yamata no Orochi accidentally discovered in an experiment that the secret method provided by Izanami could not only control the corrupted power but also the jade pendant bestowed by the "Old Man of the Cave," his eight clever heads began to work.

In all of Japan, the only special power comparable to Izanami's corrupting power is Izanagi's creative power. This is something any knowledgeable yokai knows. Although the possibility that the old man in the cave is a reclusive super-powerful being cannot be ruled out, as a researcher and scientist, Yamata no Orochi is pragmatic.

Chapter 654

So he conducted several more experiments and finally confirmed that the old man in the cave was Izanagi, and that the jade pendant was essentially Izanagi's creative power. What excited him even more was that the creative power suited his needs better than the corrupting power, and could better help him establish a "harmonious world where humans and demons coexist!"

That happened after Taira no Harunobu defeated Tamamo-no-Mae. After that, the Doshinkai actually went into complete hiding; apart from necessary harvesting and superficial pretense, they did not get involved in any troublesome matters at all, in order to advance the Doshinkai's final plan!

He was "helping" the demon kings build teleportation arrays and demon realms everywhere for this reason; he served as cannon fodder for Izanagi for this reason as well; and as expected, the heavens will favor those who are determined. He not only gathered enough materials, but also obtained a large amount of creative power, and successfully deceived everyone, even Taira no Seishin!

Now, his plan is finally about to move to its final stage!

The only obstacle was Taira no Harunobu, but thankfully, he was indeed lured towards Mount Fuji. Izanagi had originally intended to choose that location as the final site for his plan, as there was no better place, but out of fear of Taira no Harunobu, he ultimately chose to carry it out at his stronghold.

This might affect the final success of the plan, but it's better than the plan failing. And once he succeeds, nothing can stop him! He will become the savior of humans and yokai! The creator god of a world where humans and yokai coexist!

Until then, please let Taira no Harunobu waste his energy.

The eight-headed serpent's heads all drooped to the ground, each head covering an area of ​​dozens of square meters, and its entire body was even larger than the mountain range where they were hiding. Beneath it, an intricate and magnificent magic circle was radiating light, continuously pouring power into the eight-headed serpent's body.

On the body of Yamata no Orochi, members of the Tongxin Society were diligently inscribing the final part of the magic circle, like a group of hardworking tattoo artists. However, their tattoos were not for frightening or looking good, but had a practical purpose. And when they finished Yamata no Orochi's "cool tattoo," what emerged would not be a spirited young man, but a madman serpent.

By then, they will have achieved their wish and become the elders and progenitors of a world where humans and demons coexist! There will even be a chance to…

A sudden, deafening tremor interrupted the tattoo artists' reverie, and several unlucky individuals even fell to the ground. Fortunately, each of them was at least an elite-level demon, so they didn't die from the fall. Even so, they looked at the Yamata no Orochi in astonishment.

The tremor just now was caused by the sudden movement of the Yamata no Orochi, and many magic arrays even deviated as a result! They need to be redrawn!

But when they looked at it, a look of terror appeared on the massive face of the Yamata no Orochi. Even though they couldn't see the Yamata no Orochi's face at a glance, they could tell from the angle and frequency of its scales opening and closing that their leader's emotions were very strange.

Countless terrifying speculations circulated among the members of the Tongxin Society. The pressure of being Yu Pingqingxin's enemy wouldn't disappear just because they kept quiet. Countless times, countless members of the Tongxin Society had seen that monster, that demon-slaying maniac, that perverted samurai, coming with a sword to take their heads in the dead of night.

The only reason they didn't run away was that they knew they couldn't escape, just as the reason they didn't surrender was that surrendering wouldn't be accepted.

Finally, in the dead silence, one of the officers couldn't help but break it and asked Orochi, "Chairman! What happened! Did that man attack?"

Startled by the sound, Yamata no Orochi sensed something was amiss and lowered its head again, speaking in a calm and composed tone: "No, it's just that I saw Taira no Harunobu was injured! And he was hit head-on by the Musou Orochi!"

The crowd fell silent for a moment, then erupted in wild cheers.

So even Taira no Harunobu can get hurt; so even he can fail!

That alone was enough to make the members of the Unity Society overjoyed and extremely excited. Seeing this, Orochi felt extremely bitter and didn't want to say anything more.

Yes, the Great Serpent of Nobi did strike Taira no Harunobu head-on, but it was cleaved into pieces by him in the next second. After all, it wasn't its theoretically complete form, nor had it been fully charged—but it was still hard to accept that Taira no Harunobu dealt with it so easily.

Not to mention that their meticulously designed traps, magic arrays, and defensive measures were completely useless. They were either directly destroyed by the corrupting power or dismantled and destroyed like scrap metal by Yakumo Hong.

Even the Heavenly Eye, used for relaying messages, only lasted until it saw Taira no Harunobu shatter the Silent Serpent with his final sword strike before being caught and destroyed by Yakumo Kurenai. Now, he has completely lost control over the situation at Mount Fuji.

Now that things have come to this, the only option is to expedite the implementation of the plan.

The Yamata no Orochi closed its eyes again, urging its subordinates to get back to work.

It's okay, everything is going according to plan!

Chapter 603: Tracing the Footprints

On Mount Fuji, Harunobu, carrying Yakumo Kurenai, slowly descended into the crater, which was churning with scorching heat. Many huge pieces of machinery were scattered along his path, some of which were still churning in the lava, some of them reddish but showing no signs of melting.

The source of these mechanical fragments is, of course, the so-called Unborn Serpent. It is a gigantic serpentine robot whose size is almost comparable to Mount Fuji. It is not only incredibly strong but also extremely agile, and its power is bound to the entire Mount Fuji, so it can also be said to be inexhaustible.

Moreover, as a soulless robot, it is naturally immune to illusions, mental attacks, and other forms of magic. Its enormous size also allows it to transform, separate, and merge multiple times, making it extremely targeted, all to stop Seishin. Unfortunately, it still couldn't defeat Enma.

When Qingxin unleashed his full power in a dimensional slash, it exploded on the spot, without even having a chance to demonstrate its transformation or fusion capabilities.

"Ask Izanagi if what we just encountered was a fake."

Harunobu connected with the twins through their minds and stopped his descent. The scorching lava lay beneath his feet, the intense steam reaching even his shoes, and he saw no yokai, let alone the Yamata no Orochi.

Yakumo Kurenai took out her magical artifact and used her large red tail instead of her hands to wrap around Harunobu to stabilize his body—although she knew how to fly, she liked doing it this way—and began to cast a spell.

“Brother Qingxin, Izanagi said that was the Unborn Serpent, but it shouldn’t be in its theoretical full strength, because it didn’t self-destruct after the failure; and the energy extracted by the ritual is not enough to provide it with the power it needs in its full strength, so she thinks it’s a trap.”

With the twins' sweet retelling, Yakumo Kurenai finished casting the spell, and a dark red magic circle appeared on the scorching magma, covering the entire inner wall of the volcano.

“Absorb energy, shield aura…” Yakumo Kurenai pointed to each core part of the magic circle and reported its specific effects. Then she smiled and said, “Hmph, they’re still using the template I left behind. They only changed the encryption method and materials. What a bunch of idiots.”

Harunobu pressed the reply button for the twins and brought up Yakumo Kurenai: "So, what did you discover?"

“There should be a base of the Tongxin Society down here, or maybe it’s a factory used to assemble and hide that snake.” Yakumo Hong took out a reddish bead from her pocket, rubbed it a couple of times, and whispered, “Array.”

The red bead emitted a black light, and then Yakumo Kurenai threw it into the lava.

She explained, "This is a magical artifact I made myself, specifically designed to deal with barriers and magic arrays. The principle is somewhat similar to how the power of corruption erodes magic, but I've added some disguise..."

The dark red magic circle suddenly turned fiery red, the same color as Yakumo Kurenai's hair. Yakumo Kurenai stopped talking and patted Harunobu: "Go down!"

Qingxin continued to descend, passing through the greening magic circle, and entered...

Chapter 655

He entered the lava. It wasn't as scorching as he'd imagined; it was just like passing through an ordinary stream. After descending about twenty meters, the lava disappeared.

Instead, a huge void appeared before them. The machines they had seen in the underwater factory before had resurfaced, now on a larger scale and looking more sophisticated. There were also many machines and magic arrays that Qingxin had never seen before; in short, it was a massive industrial area.

In some places, there were even parts that looked remarkably similar to the body of the Great Serpent, though it was unclear whether they were parts that hadn't been assembled yet or simply spare parts. Harunobu scanned the surroundings, his keen eyesight allowing him to pinpoint several particularly noteworthy locations. Yakumo Kurenai patted his arm directly: "Harunobu, go there! That's the core of the barrier!"

Harunobu spread his fiery wings and rode the wind at breakneck speed, arriving in the location indicated by Yakumo Kurenai in an instant—a huge factory.

Qingxin hovered close to it, like a mosquito facing a bird's nest.

Yakumo Kurenai looked up at the enormous building, somewhat puzzled. She felt like she had seen this factory somewhere before... no, not seen it, but heard about it!

This is that giant monster, the old man Taiyi!

Legend has it that this giant yokai, as tall as Mount Fuji and capable of moving mountains and filling seas, was once considered a legendary yokai, on par with Amaterasu and Izanami. But now it has become a corpse, and even its body has been excavated and turned into a factory.

This also explains why we haven't heard anything about this legendary yokai, and why the Tongxin Society was able to quietly build such a large factory inside Mount Fuji. Using the essence of such a yokai as a protective barrier would easily withstand uncontrolled lava.

Such a large-scale factory and barrier must have an important purpose!

Harunobu and Yakumo Kurenai exchanged a glance, then flew down together to the top of the factory. Yakumo Kurenai jumped down from Harunobu's arms, skillfully pulled out a large pile of magical artifacts, and began to break the barrier. Harunobu, who had nothing to do, looked around, mainly wary of the giant youkai beneath him suddenly coming to life.

Isn't this the usual formula? A giant, seemingly dead creature suddenly awakens at a crucial moment, destroying vital clues and cornering the investigators. Ultimately, it's determined whether the investigators or the giant creature die, depending on whether they are the protagonist.

"All right!"

Before Harunobu's outburst could even finish, Yakumo Kurenai jumped up triumphantly, her tail swaying back and forth nimbly, making no attempt to hide her thoughts: "How about that! I'm pretty amazing, aren't I!"

"Yes, yes, yes." Qingxin patted the little fox's head and ruffled its tail a couple of times: "So, what did you discover?"

Getting down to business, Yakumo Kurenai became serious: "First of all, this is not the headquarters of the Tongxin Society, because the earth vein energy sent here has not even reached half of what it was extracted. It is obvious that this is just a decoy. Secondly, the structure of this magic circle is still similar to the magic circle template I left behind in the Tongxin Society before. Obviously, they have not made any progress in this area, or they are deliberately showing this."

"Finally, Harunobu, your prediction was correct!"

Yakumo Kurenai and Harunobu exchanged a glance, and Yakumo Kurenai gave Harunobu a sly smile, which earned her a playful rub from Harunobu.

After a while, Harunobu stopped, released Yakumo Kurenai's round and bouncy little face, and said seriously, "Alright, let's see if there are any other clues."

Yakumo Akane gave Harunobu a charming sidelong glance, then jumped back into his arms and began working.

Meanwhile, in a secluded spot, Artoria, who hadn't appeared for a long time, curled the corners of her lips and stepped into the holy light.

The author says:

Author's note: Update progress 8/30.

Based on the current progress, it seems that it will be completed by the end of this month. I have already started thinking about new books. I have an idea for both Xianxia and Western fantasy. Right now, I feel that Xianxia is better. I may release the beginnings of both later, depending on the situation.

Finally, I still need your vote!

Chapter 604: Origin

After a relatively short inspection, Harunobu and his group quickly figured out the volcano factory. It must be said that the magic technology of the Tongxin Society is indeed excellent; they not only utilize magic but also take advantage of the characteristics of the volcano itself, which gave Yakumo Kurenai a lot of inspiration.

However, these are just minor details. What's truly important are the pieces of information that Yakumo Kurenai obtained from the core of the barrier at the very beginning. Judging from the connection, constraints, and total amount of ley line energy absorbed by this barrier core in relation to other magic arrays, as well as its own location and effects, the credibility of this information is at least 80% or 90%, if not 100%.

Moreover, Qingxin had already made arrangements. When he discovered that the Tongxin Society's magic array had a huge hidden danger, and that it was hidden like a nested doll, he made corresponding arrangements—after all, he had plenty of manpower now.

"Alright, let's go back!" Yakumo Kurenai jumped onto Harunobu's back, her fiery red tail dangling playfully over Harunobu's rump.

Harunobu, who shared a deep understanding with Yakumo Kurenai, also smiled, because Yakumo Kurenai was now confident that she could find the headquarters of the Tongxin Society. Although Harunobu didn't understand the underlying principles, according to others, the feasibility was at least 80% or 90%.

It's eighty or ninety again.

Harunobu stepped into the misty passage to the underworld and returned to the Blue Sky Pavilion in the blink of an eye, entering Gensokyo once again. Izanagi, who had already learned about the volcano factory from the twins, suddenly stood up and walked towards Harunobu, but was stopped by the pink-haired fox.

With his boss and his man behind him, Hoshino felt incredibly powerful!

Then Haruno pulled her aside to sit at the same table as the twins.

Unburdened, Izanagi rushed to Harunobu, grabbed his shoulder, and said urgently, "Harunobu, the Tongxin Society is definitely plotting a bigger conspiracy. We must stop them immediately!"

Harunobu pressed her down with his hand and sat down with her: "I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush, because there's no use in rushing. We still don't know where those guys are hiding. We can't just tear Japan apart, can we?"

"Furthermore," Yakumo Kurenai added, "we still don't know what the Tongxin Society is up to. What if they just want to lure Hiraharu to another place?"

After all, everyone knows that the best way to harm Taira no Harunobu is not to attack him, but to attack those around him, especially his women. Although most people are afraid of retaliation and dare not do this, the Tongxin Society and Taira no Harunobu are mortal enemies, so naturally they will use whatever method works.

Izanagi pursed her lips, her expression wavering. She didn't even notice Harunobu and Yakumo Kurenai exchanging glances in front of her, completely absorbed in her own thoughts.

Although she didn't know what the Tongxin Society was planning, she was certain it wasn't anything good, and she absolutely didn't want anything to happen to Japan, because that would mean her plan to ascend to godhood was completely ruined. Even though she was currently captured by Taira no Harunobu, as long as she wasn't dead and Japan was safe, she still had a chance!

For some reason, Izanagi had this confidence.

Conversely, if Japan were destroyed and this sole anchor point were lost, even if she successfully completed the first two steps, she would still be expelled from this world!

After careful consideration, she raised her head and looked at Harunobu with determination: "Harunobu, as long as we can find the stronghold of the Tongxin Society and find the Yamata no Orochi, that's enough, right?"

Harunobu mentally high-fived Yakumo Kurenai, celebrating that Izanagi had fallen a little further into the pit, but outwardly remained calm as he spoke: "It depends on the situation. Like Kurenai said, it depends on what Yamata no Orochi is doing; but do you have a way to find Yamata no Orochi?"