Demon Slayer: The Second God Who Walks the Earth

"I think you should be more realistic about going on missions with Tanjiro," Chiba Yo said to Zenitsu, interrupting his daydream.

Upon hearing Chiba Yo's words, Zenitsu stopped daydreaming and said with some regret, "I also wish I could carry Nezuko on my back and happily carry out missions like Tanjiro, instead of following someone as strict as you."

As he spoke, Zenitsu glanced at Chiba Yo, still somewhat bothered by his previous rigorous training and behavior.

Chapter 70 The Abandoned Temple

When we emerged from the cave, it was already dusk.

"Let's go, it's time to go to the next destination." Chiba Yang said, glancing at the sky. He thought he could arrive just before sunset and kill the demons who were out hunting for food.

“Okay,” Zenitsu replied, offering no objection.

Then, guided by Chiba Yang's crow, the two headed towards the location of the next demon.

The two places were not far apart, and just as Chiba Yo had predicted, the two arrived at the temple that the crow had mentioned just as the sun was about to set.

The temple was located on a mountain. When Chiba and his group came up, they saw a small grove of wisteria flowers on the mountain. The temple was made of wood, with two incense burners in front of it. It did not look dilapidated, but the surrounding area was overgrown with weeds, indicating that no one had lived there for many years.

"The building is still intact, but it's been abandoned. It must be because of evil spirits..."

Zenitsu swallowed hard, still feeling somewhat afraid as he looked at the temple before him, though much better than before.

"Maybe."

Chiba Yo answered, placing his right hand on the hilt of his sword, intending to enter the temple to search for the demon's whereabouts. Just then, a voice called out to them.

"Are you two out of your minds? How dare you go to that temple at this time!"

An old man in a hurry rushed out of the nearby forest, grabbed one of Chiba Yo's and Zenitsu's hands, and pulled them down the mountain.

Chiba Yo and Zenitsu both felt a little confused.

As the old man pulled them down the mountain, he said to them, "Evil spirits roam here at night. If you stay here, you'll definitely be eaten!"

"that……"

Chiba Yang opened his mouth, wanting to say that they had come to slay the evil spirits.

He was somewhat surprised that the old man knew about the existence of evil spirits.

"Don't speak! There's a wisteria grove in this mountain. Evil spirits hate the smell of wisteria. If you hide there, you can safely spend the night."

The old man interrupted Chiba Yang and continued pulling them down the mountain.

The wisteria grove wasn't far from here, and the old man led the two of them into the wisteria grove.

Looking at the wisteria trees around him, the old man breathed a sigh of relief, put his luggage down next to a wisteria tree, and then sat down to rest.

He then looked at Chiba Yo and Zenitsu and asked, "You two are from out of town, aren't you?"

Chiba Yo and Zenitsu were still a little dazed, having been dragged here by this old man without their knowledge, and the reason given was to escape evil spirits.

"Uh...yes." Chiba Yo nodded upon hearing this.

After hearing his words, the old man showed an expression of "I knew it," and continued to say to them, "I knew it. Most of the locals know about the evil spirits, and almost no one would rush to this mountain at this time. If I didn't have something to do and had to pass through here, I definitely wouldn't have come any closer."

Chiba Yang became interested in what the old man said, so he asked him, "Is the evil spirit you mentioned hiding in that temple we just saw?"

"Yes, it's very likely. After all, many children died in that temple before, and it has a lot of yin energy. Ghosts would definitely like to stay there. In addition, many people who entered this mountain recently have mysteriously disappeared without leaving any bodies. It's almost certain that there are evil spirits here."

As he spoke, the old man pulled a pipe from his luggage behind him, poured in tobacco, lit it, and started smoking.

Chiba Yo noticed that there was also a sachet with wisteria flower patterns in his luggage.

Could it be that this old man was saved by the Demon Slayer Corps before?

Chiba Yo had this thought in his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. If he had actually encountered a Demon Slayer Corps swordsman, he would easily recognize them as members of the Demon Slayer Corps, since such attire was not common in this era.

"Die...quite a few children have died?"

Zenitsu was shocked and frightened when he heard the old man say those words.

"Was this also done by an evil spirit?" Chiba Yo was furious upon hearing this.

However, after hearing Chiba Yang's words, the old man shook his head, took a puff of his pipe, and said to him, "I heard it was done by monks in this temple, and it happened about nine years ago."

The old man's answer surprised Chiba Yo, and at the same time, he felt that the story was somewhat familiar.

"I heard it from someone else. It's said that a blind monk in that temple suddenly went mad at night and killed almost all the children he had adopted in the temple, leaving only a four-year-old girl. The blind monk was then thrown into prison, but then he suddenly disappeared for some reason." Seeing that Chiba Yang seemed quite interested, the old man told him what he had heard.

“I used to be a monk in a temple, and I took in many homeless children…”

Chiba Yo now understood why the story felt familiar: it was similar to the experiences Gyomei had told him before. The blind monk the old man mentioned was very likely Gyomei.

The old man didn't stop; he continued talking.

"To be honest, I think what they're saying is complete nonsense."

I had heard of that blind monk before. Although he was blind and his life was poor and difficult, he always took in homeless children and took good care of them. As far as I know, there has never been any news of him treating these children badly.

I remember passing by that temple once ten years ago. I saw that the blind monk himself was so thin and emaciated that he was like a stick, while the children in his temple were well-fed and chubby.

"A monk with such a compassionate heart would suddenly go mad and kill his adopted child with his own hands? I don't believe it at all; it's utter nonsense."

At this point, the old man seemed quite indignant.

"If you ask me, this was probably done by an evil spirit. I heard that the dead children had claw marks and bite marks all over their bodies. How could that be caused by a human? I don't know what those guys who sentenced that monk were thinking."

Even though most people here know the legend of evil spirits claiming lives, not a single person has considered this possibility.

Upon hearing this, Chiba Yang was certain that the blind monk the old man was referring to was Gyomei, meaning that the temple he had just seen was the one where Gyomei had once stayed.

The old man didn't stop there. He sighed and continued, "Alas, it's really hard to believe. Not to mention the people who made the judgment back then didn't believe it, I doubt you two kids would believe it now if I told you this."

"It's alright, just pretend I'm talking nonsense. But whatever you do tonight, don't leave this wisteria grove, or you'll definitely be eaten by the evil spirits here."

Chapter 71 Strange Ghosts

We believe what you say.

Chiba Yo looked at the old man and spoke.

The old man was slightly taken aback when he heard Chiba Yo's words. He had been mistaken for being senile when he told others these things before.

"If you're willing to believe, that's good. Just stay here until dawn. These ghosts hate the smell of wisteria and are afraid of the sun," the old man said.

He thought that since the two children were willing to trust him, they would definitely not go out. However, what Chiba Yo did next completely surprised him.

"Zenitsu, you stay here and protect this old man. I'll go and deal with the demon in the temple first."

Chiba Yo spoke to Zenitsu.

"Are you even listening to me?!"

Just as Zenitsu was about to nod in agreement, the old man leaning against the wisteria tree couldn't sit still after hearing Chiba Yang's words. He stood up abruptly and shouted at Chiba Yang, completely puzzled.

"That's a demon! It has sharp teeth and incredible strength. How could a little kid like you possibly handle it? You'd better listen to me and stay here until dawn, or it will definitely eat you up."

Zenitsu, who was standing nearby, almost laughed when he heard the old man's words. He felt that if it were Chiba Yo, it should be the ghosts who ran away.

"Thank you for your concern, but slaying evil spirits is our job, our responsibility, and something we have to do. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I hope you can tell me in detail what you just said when I get back." Chiba Yang turned and smiled at the old man before running towards the temple on the mountain.

Night had fallen, and the old man, seeing Chiba Yangqi had already run out of the wisteria grove, stamped his feet in exasperation and called out to his retreating figure:

"Once you go out, you won't be coming back! Don't blame me for not warning you!"

However, Chiba Yo's figure disappeared in front of him the next moment, and the old man sat down again in a huff.

He has already done more than enough to help a complete stranger he has just met; there is no need for him to put himself in danger.

"You little brat, don't you know how to advise him? He's your companion, isn't he? Aren't you worried that he'll be eaten by evil spirits when he goes out?" The old man took a deep drag on his pipe to calm himself down, then looked at Zenitsu and asked.

blond brat...

Zenitsu felt offended by the old man's words, but remembering that the old man had taken them with him when he fled and had tried to persuade them earnestly, Zenitsu held back.

"I think the one who should be worried is that evil spirit," Zenitsu replied truthfully.

While Chiba Yo was training them, he was also training himself. Zenitsu only watched him train once and realized that he was incredibly strong. Chiba Yo could do ten or even dozens of times more of the training they did, and he completed it much faster than them. He even did different training sessions one after another without giving himself any time to rest.

Therefore, no matter what training Chiba Yang arranged for them, they couldn't refute it with a simple "If you can do it, then you do it," because he really could, and he could complete the training far exceeding theirs.

After hearing Zenitsu's words, the old man glanced at him and said, "Are all kids these days as arrogant as you?"

The old man felt that Zenitsu's words were...

Zenitsu felt as if a knife had been plunged into his body, but he was helpless against the old man, so he simply turned his head away to avoid seeing or worrying about him.

Meanwhile, Chiba Yo had returned to the temple.

The temple was still the same as when he first arrived, and the temple gates were not open.

It seems that ghost hasn't gone out to hunt for food yet...

Chiba Yo gazed at the scene before him, lost in thought.

"Woooooooo..."

Just then, a crying sound came from inside the temple; the voice belonged to a child.

Hearing the child's cries, Chiba Yo was speechless. Where did this child come from in such a desolate place? Besides, it hadn't been long since he arrived here.

It's almost certain that this is a demon in disguise. Chiba Yo felt that this demon might have a low IQ.

Thinking this, Chiba Yang stepped forward, pushed open the temple door, and went inside. Moonlight shone into the temple, and the scene before him was a child hanging from a beam inside the temple, crying.

However, Chiba Yo didn't sense any creature in front of him at all; the child seemed to be nonexistent. Instead, it was to his right...

"Big brother, come save me! I've been kidnapped here by a monster, and it says it's going to eat me as dessert!"

The child who was being hung up spoke, but Chiba Yang ignored him and instead looked to his right.

The place, which was originally empty, now revealed the figure of a demon with two horns on its head under the transparent world. Its body was transparent in Chiba Yang's eyes, and the voice just now came from its side.

To Chiba Yo's surprise, this evil spirit had two brains, with the other one located below its lungs.

Thinking back to Muzan, who had five brains, whom he had encountered before, Chiba Yo realized that having more brains did not necessarily mean having a higher IQ.

The ghost, which was hiding in the corner and invisible, was somewhat shocked when it noticed that Chiba Yang's gaze had fallen on it.

I'm clearly invisible, so why does this guy seem to be able to see me? Is it a coincidence? Looks like I need to show him something more shocking to grab his attention.

Blood Demon Art: Dream!

The ghost waved its hand slightly forward, and the scenery around Chiba Yang changed. The child disappeared, and in its place, a beautiful young woman walked gracefully towards Chiba Yang.

"Little brother..."

A gentle, tingling voice rang out, but in Chiba Yang's eyes, the voice still came from the ghost hiding in the corner, and Chiba Yang immediately felt a chill.

"You're disgusting."

Looking at the ghost, Chiba Yo said something and placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword.

The ghost hiding in the corner suddenly had a misconception that it was about to die. Unlike other ghosts, it had a strong sense of perception, but even so, it still couldn't sense Chiba Yang's strength before he made a move.

"Sun Breathing O Waltz"

"Blood Demon Technique: Reversal!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously, and Chiba Yang's sword technique and Oni's Blood Demon Art were activated at the same time.

The ghost suddenly disappeared before Chiba Yang's eyes, but Chiba Yang also sensed its location in an instant. He quickly turned around in mid-air and found that the ghost was in the same spot where he had just been, while he was now in the corner where the ghost had just been hiding.

What's going on? Two blood demon spells that have absolutely no connection.

Chiba Yo frowned, a few doubts arising in his mind. However, he didn't think the demon in front of him was particularly strong. After adjusting his stance, he drew his sword again.

"The Breath of the Sun, the Three Heavens".

Three arc-shaped slashes wreathed in flames were unleashed instantly, heading straight for the neck and two heads of the demon in front.

"Damn it! How could I have encountered a monster like you? Blood Demon Art: Black Blood Thorns!"

The ghost let out a loud cry, and then the veins on its body thickened and bulged. Four long whips with sharp spikes emerged from its back, intertwined together, and blocked its path.

Chapter 72 The Unlucky Mirage

This is the third type of Blood Demon Art...

Looking at the thorns surging from behind the ghost in front of him, Chiba Yo silently counted them, but he felt that the ghost in front of him should not be able to withstand this move.