From Earthbound Spirit to Tokyo Evil

Two or three hours after Natsukawa introduced her to the girls, she had completely integrated into their group and even quickly became the glue that made Moriyama Chiyu, who originally had some barriers and was unable to integrate into the group, become much more natural.

"You didn't use magic on them, did you?" Xia Chuan couldn't help but find an opportunity to ask.

"Who are you looking down on?" the fox said angrily. "Do I need to use illusion in this situation?"

If you don't know her real identity, her every smile and frown is indeed very adorable, making people want to pull her over and hug her in their arms to ravage and love her. But when you think of her real age and see her acting coquettishly as a little girl, Xia Chuan can't help but feel a chill in his heart.

However, the addition of the fox demon did help him a lot.

Even without considering the powerful spells she told Xia Chuan and the secret about the Yinmora clan that had not yet been verified, her joining immediately greatly strengthened the power of the Skeleton Society.

The fox demon gave himself the code name "Mirage".

She quickly began to set up magic arrays in the new base of Xiachuan Society. After Xiachuan injected spiritual power into these magic arrays, they could hide important rooms such as the rooms between the shrines very well, so that people without permission could only see a wall. If they tried to break in with others, the magic array could even trap them in an illusion for a short time and sound an alarm, letting the people in charge of the base know and rush over to deal with it.

Even more useful is the illusion created and controlled by her, which almost perfectly solves the problem of the current lack of actual combat opportunities for the apprentice priestesses and members of the God's Chosen Group.

She set up a magic circle called "Between Trials" at the new headquarters of the Xiachuan Society. After Xiachuan injected spiritual power into it, the apprentice priestesses and the chosen warriors would enter wearing specific amulets. They would then enter pre-set illusions such as woods, abandoned factories, shopping malls, office buildings, residential buildings, etc., and fight against evil spirits, monsters, ghosts, and even fully armed soldiers.

The ratio of the flow of time in the illusion to that in the real world is ten to one. That is to say, if a trial-taker fights for one hour in the illusion, it is only six minutes in reality.

As controllers of the magic circle, Natsukawa and Erika can adjust the scenes in the illusion at will, as well as the number and strength of the enemies. All they have to pay is a negligible amount of spiritual power for Natsukawa.

Because of the effect of the amulet, getting injured or dying in the illusion will not really harm the trial-taker, but it will still cause a certain impact on their spirit, and they need to rest for a period of time to recover. Of course, entering the illusion trial can only hone the trial-taker's fighting will and skills. In addition to strengthening their spirit to a certain extent, it cannot give them any substantial improvement. However, for the apprentice witches and the chosen warriors, what they need most urgently at the moment is actually the opportunity to fight.

Yui Aoki, Chiyu Moriyama and Rena Kawaguchi were the first challengers to try the trial, and the result was not surprising. Rena Kawaguchi was the first to be eliminated, and only five minutes had passed in reality. Yui Aoki was finally "killed" after struggling for more than two hours in the illusion, while Chiyu Moriyama lasted for five hours and even successfully killed the werewolf Natasha and several copies of the Styx members, but finally "died" under the sword of Huang, which was reproduced according to Natsukawa's memory.

"Erika, what will happen if we enter the trial room without wearing the amulet?" While waiting at the exit of the trial room, Kawaguchi Rena asked with boredom and curiosity because she could not see what was happening in the illusion and could only see a cloud of fog.

"If it's an ordinary person without fighting ability, they will be knocked unconscious as soon as they enter and will be out of the trial." The fox demon grabbed the amulet on her chest and looked at her eyes teasingly. "But if it's someone who can defeat the guards...then they will have to face the tests between the trials. Without the protection of the amulet, all the damage they suffer in the trial will be reflected in their real bodies, but according to the difference in their abilities, the degree of reflection will be different for each of them."

"What if they die in the trial?"

"If that happens, they might really die." The fox demon suddenly took off her amulet, which scared her.

"This too..." Kawaguchi Reina muttered as she snatched the amulet back.

"You should be thankful that this isn't a real battle." Looking at Chiyu Moriyama who had just emerged from the mist with a look of enlightenment, Xia Chuan patted her head hard. "Next time you get eliminated so easily, I'll take off your amulet and send you back in!"

"I was just careless for a moment!"

"Can you say the same thing when you really meet an enemy?" Yui has already gone forward, helping Moriyama Chiyu escape from the impact of "death" just like the fox helped her before. Natsukawa nodded at her, gave her an encouraging look, and then said to Kawaguchi Reina. "Don't treat this as a game! Sometime in the future, you may really need to fight to the death. The experience gained in the trial may save your life!"

Kawaguchi Reina secretly stuck out her tongue, but she also knew that Natsukawa was not just scare her for no reason.

"I know~"

The apprentice priestesses and chosen warriors were soon brought here in batches for trials, and the result was naturally heavy casualties.

The God-chosen warriors are fine. After all, they are all adults and have undergone sufficient tests during the selection process. Whether it is faith, belief, will or courage, they have basic guarantees. The treatment as God-chosen warriors is also enough to support them to fight.

The apprentice shrine maidens were not originally selected for the purpose of fighting. Although they had undergone a long period of training and had the assistance of Shikigami, their performance when facing the evil spirits and demons set up by Xiachuan in the illusion could only be described as horrible.

"Everyone will take a trial every day!" Xia Chuan had no choice but to make such a rule.

If their mental strength was not insufficient to support more frequent trials, he would have made higher demands.

They must acquire the most basic combat capability as soon as possible!

Chapter 251 Hundred Ghosts Night Parade

Xia Chuan has always been very wary of the Watchers' revenge, but unexpectedly, after he reached an agreement with important agent A, the expected revenge never came.

The US aircraft carrier battle group retreated to the Hawaii line, leaving only some older models of ships in Japan's military ports, and the number of fighter jets was reduced to half of the previous number. A large number of US military bases were left with only the most basic troops and equipment, and the remaining US troops stationed in Japan were obviously subject to more restrictions.

Although the American soldiers still cannot control their lower bodies and always can't help causing trouble, the persons in charge of various bases of the Nemi Army have obviously strengthened crisis management and public relations efforts. Once an incident occurs, it will be dealt with and apologized quickly. They are far from being as arrogant and wanton as in the past.

Such behavior seemed increasingly abnormal to Xia Chuan, but neither the fox demon nor Kuroda Koji could offer any instructive advice. Their mindsets determined that they could not figure out the key to the situation, so Xia Chuan could only seek help from Long Qingting, who was thousands of kilometers away.

"Of course this is not normal." Long Qingting's voice sounded very relaxed. "With the style of the Watchers, it is impossible to swallow such a result so easily. I also think they are planning a revenge action, and the longer the preparation time, the stronger the revenge action will be. However, they have dragged it out for so long, I don't think it's a bad thing for you."

"What do you mean?" Xia Chuan asked immediately.

"In fact, there are many discussions and opinions about you within the Special Case Management Bureau." Long Qingting said. "The exact opinions of the top management have not been circulated, but the middle and lower levels of the Special Case Management Bureau, especially those who are fighting against the Watchers on the front line, have a very good impression of the Skeleton Society. Many people initially thought that you would not last long and would soon be eliminated by the Watchers with lightning speed. But you have actually existed for such a long time, which has made those who were pessimistic and skeptical about you at the beginning look at you with new eyes."

"But the Tefu Office has not contacted us so far," Xia Chuan said.

"That's because of your previous cooperation with the Cheka." Long Qingting said. "It is said that you instigated their psychic to rebel and killed their people?"

"Where did this news come from?" Xia Chuan was a little helpless. Although there was nothing wrong with the result, when it came to rebellion... it was clearly Miss Werewolf who took the initiative to propose the request.

"There are many different theories, but after so long, the Cheka's attitude speaks volumes. If it was the Watchers who did it, there is no reason for them not to continue cooperating with you."

"Things are a little complicated..." Xia Chuan said.

"This is actually not a bad thing either." Long Qingting said. "The Cheka itself is not an easy character to get along with. If this incident hadn't happened, they might have begun to expand their power in the name of cooperation, and the Watchers would have been forced to take measures to prevent this from happening. It is precisely because you are at odds with both the Watchers and the Cheka at the same time, and they are in a relationship that cannot be reconciled until one side dies, and both sides are worried about being framed, that Tokyo has this strange peace now, right?"

"This kind of peace is very fragile..." Xia Chuan sighed. "What should we do? Do you have any suggestions?"

"First of all, don't tie yourself to the safety of Tokyo," Long Qingting said. "Let Tokyo continue to be a hostage in your hands, not a bottle or jar that you must protect, and don't let it become a yoke on your head. The more eager the watchers are to throw away their responsibilities, the more you can't take them over. Of course, it is more important to strengthen and demonstrate your power, especially to demonstrate your ability to retaliate in kind. When you were unknown before, you were right to develop in a low-key manner, but now that you have come to the forefront, you must let people know that you are not easy to mess with. Even if you are just a caterpillar, you must use your bright colors and bristles to warn the whole world and let all hunters know that the price of eating you will be high."

Of course this was true, but the Styx had been beaten into hiding, and the Watchers and Cheka had both hidden in the dark and watched. For a moment, Xia Chuan really didn't know what method he should use or what opponent he should find to show his strength.

The way a country demonstrates its strength is through military parades, military exercises, missile test launches, and nuclear bomb tests, but as an extraordinary person, how should he demonstrate his strength?

"It's a pity that we can't organize the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons." The fox said after hearing his troubles.

"Hundred Ghosts Night Parade?"

"Don't you know?" the fox said in surprise. "In the past, when a new god was born, he would always bring his followers to Kyoto or Edo to hold a Hundred Demons Night Parade to show his power. And those old gods, in order to deter those guys hiding in the dark and ready to make trouble, often held a Hundred Demons Night Parade ceremony in their own territory."

"Is there such a thing?"

"Of course! But I have never seen the real Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. When I was born, the war between gods and demons had already caused the extinction of many ghosts and monsters. By the end of the shogunate, even the shogunate could only use ordinary monsters to make up the numbers."

"Is that so?" Xia Chuan said.

This can only serve as an interesting anecdote, but it is of no help to what they are doing now.

The best way to demonstrate his ability to retaliate would probably be to engage in a high-intensity battle far away from Tokyo, but he had already made peace with the Watchers and had no reason to provoke the Cheka and the Special Management Bureau. It was impossible for him to go to a certain country and kill the local indigenous gods for no reason just to demonstrate his strength, right?

Although it was a bit strange, at this moment, Xia Chuan suddenly missed Anroses.

If that guy appears in Tokyo again, I should be able to easily deal with him with the power of word spirits, and at the same time show my power to the world, right?

While thinking about these things, Xiachuan temporarily handed over the affairs of Tokyo to the fox demon and went to Kyoto to find out the secret she mentioned about the Yinmura clan who once held the highest power in Neon.

According to the fox, before the establishment of the Toshogu pantheon, they were ghosts and gods throughout the central region of Japan, and they also took over the bodies of many nobles and daimyo, using their identities to control the Japanese emperor and generals. However, in the battle with Oda Nobunaga, known as the sixth demon king, they were killed one by one and eventually exterminated.

It was by coincidence that she heard about their secret, but before she could verify it, she was ambushed, lost her body, and was sealed away.

"I can't guarantee that it's still there after all this time, and I can't guarantee that the rumors I heard at the time are necessarily true."

The result of the psychic's prediction was not bad, so Xia Chuan still embarked on the treasure hunt.

Chapter 252: Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (2)

Xia Chuan had been to Kyoto once before, but that time he was more looking for the opportunity of psychic predictions in the mountains on the west bank of Lake Biwa, and he almost never entered Kyoto, and of course he didn't have extra time to visit the many ancient sites. But this time, because the address given by the demon fox was quite detailed, he had plenty of time to observe this city that left many legends in the history of Japan and was once known as the demon city.

The places with abundant spiritual energy in Kyoto are indeed much more densely populated than those in Tokyo, and almost without exception, these places have all been built into shrines or temples. If nothing unexpected happens, these places should be cleaned by EMP generators at regular intervals, just like the temples and shrines under the management of the Tokyo Zonglian, to prevent alien creatures from being naturally generated in these places.

However, Xiachuan still discovered traces of several monsters mixed in the crowd.

They don't look like the remnants of the Styx Society. Instead, they look more like leisurely monsters born and bred in Kyoto. They are guarding an old shop with a plaque marked as intangible cultural heritage, and they look contented.

Before setting off, Xia Chuan went to Kuroda Koji to confirm that the Kono Agency that manages the Keihan area has a staffing configuration that is no less than that of the Akasaka Agency, because this area has always been a hotbed for the birth of Japanese aliens, and their historical heritage and experience in dealing with aliens are even more than Akasaka. However, due to the importance of Tokyo, the absolute advantages in population and economy, Akasaka is much better than Kono in terms of equipment, and the support provided by the Japanese-American military to Akasaka is much greater than that to other agencies, so in these places, the pressure on aliens to survive is indeed much less than in Tokyo.

The idea of ​​using them as a tool to show off one's strength flashed through Xia Chuan's mind only briefly.

No one would show off his strength by beating up a kindergarten kid. At his current stage, unless the opponent is of Anloses' level, the opponent would be kneeling before he even has a chance to fully attack, and he would not be able to fully demonstrate his strength.

Moreover, the way these monsters survive does not violate his philosophy. In a sense, they should be natural supporters of the Skeleton Society.

With this in mind, Xia Chuan did not scare them first, but after visiting several ancient sites, he went directly to the place the fox told him.

The result was somewhat disappointing to him.

That place was supposed to be a small hill with temples and tombs built on it, and the secret of the Yinmora clan was hidden in one of the tombs.

But hundreds of years later, this place has been razed to the ground and developed into a residential area. A small shrine was built in the place with the most spiritual energy, which was deliberately made to look antique, but Xia Chuan could conclude that its history would never be more than fifty years old.

Based on previous experience, Xia Chuan did not waste his time on the White Dragon Fish Service and went directly to the person in charge of the Gaoye Agency.

"Please give us some time." Takano's general manager was a man in his sixties. After confirming Xiachuan's identity, he immediately made arrangements.

But they also did not find anything worth pursuing ten years ago. Some areas had even been rebuilt more than twice, and the original information could no longer be verified due to the long time. The only thing that could be confirmed was that nothing worthy of Gaoye's attention happened during the development process, so no relevant records were left in Gaoye.

"Can we find out who is the main body of the development?" Xia Chuan asked casually.

This question kept the people of Takano busy all night, and finally they found the name of the construction company in a pile of documents that had not been opened for many years. But not surprisingly, the company had been deregistered more than 30 years ago, and most of the people in the relevant records had passed away.

"Thank you for your hard work." This was probably the result that could be obtained from Takano and official information. Natsukawa then said goodbye and left. Takano was not very familiar with him, so naturally he did not make any more attempts to keep him, let alone ask him if he needed someone to accompany him.

Xiachuan went straight to the monster shop closest to that area.

If there really was something unusual in that place that was not officially recorded, then they, as outliers, should be more aware of it.

It was a small but distinctive izakaya. When he entered the door, Natsukawa couldn't help but think of Tsuruso and Matsushige Goro. He then smiled at himself, opened the wooden door and walked in.

"Welcome..." Business was not very good, the owner and chef, the monster, said lazily behind the counter. The next moment, his voice was suddenly stuck in the middle of his throat, as if it was pinched by someone's hand, and stopped at the high-pitched part.

Several guests looked at him in surprise. Xia Chuan nodded and walked to an empty seat at the bar, then sat down and asked, "Do you have any recommended dishes?"

The boss' body seemed to be trembling slightly, and he looked like he wanted to escape but didn't dare to. However, the waitress, who was a mortal, did not realize this. She quickly came over to pour water for Xia Chuan and recommended to him several dishes that were said to be the specialties of the restaurant.

"Then bring them all." Xia Chuan smiled at the boss at the counter. "I hope it tastes as good as you said!"

"Sir..." After a while, the boss finally mustered up the courage to speak.

"you know me?"

"I...I've heard of it."

"Really?" Xia Chuan used the appearance of Shiro Luo, which he rarely used in the past. However, he had used this identity in the last battle with the Styx Society. It seems that these monsters in Kyoto are not as closed as their counterparts in Tokyo. They must have better sources of information. "Then you should know our principles of action? By the way, you are not a member of the Styx Society, right?"

"No, no!" the boss said hurriedly.

"That's all right. Don't be nervous, I'm just asking a few questions."

While the boss was timidly preparing the dishes he ordered, he quietly asked the waitress to hang up a sign at the door saying the restaurant was temporarily closed. He then carefully apologized, gave refunds, and asked all existing customers to leave. In the end, the waitress also left work early and left with some confusion.

"Your craftsmanship is good, and the wine is good too. It's worthy of being a century-old shop." Since everyone had left, Xia Chuan said directly.

"You're too kind!" the boss said hurriedly, and at the same time trotted out with the last dish and respectfully placed it in front of him.

"My name is Hai Luo." Xia Chuan said directly while drinking and eating. "Don't think too much. The Skeleton Society has no intention of entering the Keihan area for the time being. I came here just out of personal interest to investigate a rumor."

"Yes! Yes!" the boss nodded and said. "Please tell me what I know, I will tell you everything and I will never hide anything!"

"Okay then." Xia Chuan nodded. "Do you know Kofukuji?"

"Kofuku-ji?" The boss thought hard and finally asked carefully. "Are you talking about the ancestral temple of the Miyoshi family that has been demolished for more than 70 years?"

"Do you know this place?" Xia Chuan was excited. "Tell me in detail!"

Chapter 253: Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (3)

More than seventy years can be considered the lifetime of most humans, but for the vast majority of monsters, as long as they don’t cause trouble or get exposed, it is just a tiny part of their long life.

However, for the aliens in the country of Neon, it is not easy to achieve the conditions of not causing trouble and not being exposed, especially in the historical event more than 70 years ago, when most of the aliens participated in the war and ultimately suffered a complete defeat, and many monsters and ghosts were exterminated.

The izakaya owner was able to know about the temple thanks to the big incident that happened there, which became a legendary story among the weird people in Kyoto.

"It is said that at that time, the instruments and inheritance secretly buried by the Miyoshi clan before the extermination of the clan were dug out from Kofuku-ji Temple. They were prepared for the revival of the clan. Many people died and were injured in order to break the curse and bloodline restrictions left on those items."

"and then?"

"Those things should have been used in the war, right? No one knows the details. After all, those who were qualified to know these things were either killed in the war or were liquidated after the war. We who have escaped the net can only hear some scraps of information."

"Have you lived here for a long time?" Xia Chuan couldn't tell what his true form was, but he should be a so-called Tsukumogami, an object that had been left in a spiritual place for a long time and left unattended, turning into a monster.

"Yes, yes!" the boss nodded repeatedly.

"Then you should know a lot of monsters living in Kyoto?" Xia Chuan said. "It's a rare opportunity, let's gather them together for a meeting!"

The boss looked a little embarrassed, but under Xia Chuan's gaze, he nodded hurriedly, and then followed Xia Chuan's instructions and obediently told him all the places where he knew the monsters usually hid.