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At the entrance where the Celestial Demon Path connected to the human world, Lily’s Oborozuki Muramasa gave no response. She had to choose her direction herself.

The Celestial Demon Path was not a straight road. It twisted through countless bends and forks, an immense, slanted route that coiled upward or downward relative to the human realm. Though its main artery stretched like a great spine, side paths branched off between its winding sections, and occasionally, sheer vertical abysses pierced through, linking different layers above and below. Even so, it remained a single road rather than a labyrinth.

It only felt complicated because of its sheer scale.

The main route extended for millions of kilometers. Even if a fork appeared only every five thousand kilometers, the network of hidden paths and branching routes that interconnected the whole expanse was still unimaginably vast.

This place truly deserved its reputation as a battlefield where the Three Realms had waged war and slaughter for countless ages.

Considering that Yomi was guarded by Izanami-no-Ōkami, Lily chose a direction that inclined upward, heading toward Takamagahara.

Along the Celestial Demon Path, it was not only fallen men and malevolent spirits that lingered, but also the resentment of countless female demons.

“Why is that woman so beautiful… so powerful!”
“Why does she get to possess a flawless, divine body, while we suffer this bone-piercing chill of Spirit Power, doomed to wander here forever without rebirth—ah, ahhh!”

The Celestial Demon Path belonged neither to the Three Realms nor to any world within them. Those who died here had almost no chance of salvation.

They could only wander eternally, burdened by resentment. Even if that resentment shattered, it would be absorbed by stronger hatred. After countless years, powerful resentments would descend into madness, destroy themselves, break apart, and disperse back into countless lesser grudges—repeating endlessly over millions of years, without end.

The hatred accumulated here was immeasurably deep.

The resentment directed at Lily by the female demons carried not only murderous intent, but also boundless jealousy. They longed to see her defeated, to suffer a fate even more tragic than their own.

“That wretch is destined to die here!”
“Death? That’s too merciful for her! I heard powerful beings from both sides have arrived! Find her quickly, strip away that false facade, expose her wretched body, let countless hands defile her, only then will we feel satisfaction!”
“Let our resentment infect her, drive her mad… no, better yet, make her lose herself, reveal the vile nature she hides!”

Nanako could not hear these voices, but Lily could feel them; curses far more vicious than those of male demons, festering across the vast Celestial Demon Path. In the darkness, they surged like violent waves, striking relentlessly at her body and soul.

Lily was too sensitive. This was originally her greatest talent for cultivating the Charm Heavenly Path, but here, it became a weakness. She could perceive even the faintest traces of resentment, jealousy, hatred, and twisted desire from thousands of kilometers away.

“Ah…” Lily trembled all over. In the scorching environment of the Celestial Demon Path, her entire body glistened with sweat, soaking through her clothes and skirt. Sweat slid down her smooth thighs, dripping onto the dry, barren ground below… and as it fell, it stirred even greater chaos across the path.

Madness, brutality, bloodlust, and depravity! Countless desires surged more violently, invading Lily’s mind and body.

“Sister… are you really alright? Y-you’re so hot, and completely drenched… I really am worried!”

“If I gave up here, there would never have been the person I am today. How many times have I faced situations even more dangerous, where giving up would have been easier? But for me, there has only ever been the path of turning the tide through perseverance. I have never retreated. Let’s go.”

Leaning on Nanako, the two of them pressed forward along the endless, desolate Celestial Demon Path.

‘It will get better. Once I adapt to these fluctuations, it will get better,’ Lily encouraged herself inwardly. ‘And besides, I still have Nanako.’

They advanced up the slope, across a dark wasteland littered with rubble and massive stones. After more than half a day of travel, Lily’s Oborozuki Muramasa suddenly trembled.

“Hm? This feeling… it’s an Oborozuki Soul!” She had once absorbed one before, so she was intimately familiar with its fluctuations. She sensed it, about five hundred kilometers to the northeast.

“Let’s go!” Lily unleashed her divine power and soared into the air. Nanako followed, holding her Sakura Parasol, somehow able to fly as well. “The Sakura Parasol… it can fly?”

“It seems this was always one of its abilities, but Lady Rinne said that only I could use it after reaching the Big Dipper Stage,” Nanako replied.

“So that’s how it is.”

With the Sakura Parasol, Nanako’s speed was not inferior to a Celestial Maiden. She could barely keep up with Lily’s casual flight. However, Lily’s entire body was burning, if she pushed herself to fly faster, her condition would only worsen.

A distance of five hundred kilometers was not far for someone at the Celestial Stage, but for Lily in her current state, continuously using divine power accelerated her metabolism, causing her to absorb even more of the endless resentment. Her condition grew increasingly unstable.

“I can’t think like this. I’ve only just entered, and I haven’t even collected a single one yet. If my body already gives out, then I’m truly useless. How could I ever compete with the strongest of the Three Realms for the Oborozuki Souls?”

‘Lily, you must stay strong! You must never become a woman whose will is defeated by her body!’ She steeled herself inwardly. “Up ahead!”

Within a vast field of shadowy, broken stone ruins lay a massive crater. Beside it drifted a solitary, pale moon-white soul. It wandered quietly, with a faint, melancholic beauty, as though it had forgotten all sorrow, retaining only a pure, innocent essence.

If this Oborozuki Soul were the spirit of a blade, one might say that this was its happiest state. But escape and forgetfulness were not true happiness. Only by bearing the weight of one’s past and choosing one’s future could one claim the dignity of true life.

Lily drew her Oborozuki Muramasa, the blade radiating a hazy moonlight.

“Oborozuki Soul… you still retain a faint awareness. If you are willing to fight alongside me, then come. If you would rather remain as you are now, forgetting all past suffering, I will not force you.”

Her voice was gentle, yet firm and compassionate. Her soul and body radiated a boundless feminine grace, embracing all things with overwhelming warmth.

The Oborozuki Soul halted, trembling as it was drawn toward her. It was a resonance between origins, a pull at the deepest level of existence. Without hesitation, without thought, beyond even instinct, it rushed toward Lily and merged into the blade.

“Looking god!” Nanako exclaimed in delight.

Lily could clearly feel that the power of the Oborozuki Muramasa had risen by another noticeable margin.

As two Oborozuki Souls merged into it, she also sensed that her ability to perceive other such souls had expanded. At the same time, the blade itself emitted a much stronger call.

“If this call is answered by another Oborozuki Soul, I’ll be able to locate it… but the downside is that it will also increase the distance at which others can detect me.”

Although Lily’s divine power could normally cover fifty thousand kilometers within the Heian Dynasty, it was impossible here. The surrounding resentment was far too intense, creating overwhelming interference. Even at full release, her perception could only extend to about five thousand kilometers. Yet even within that range, the space was saturated with countless chaotic soul fluctuations and endless resentment, severely disrupting her detection.

It was like standing alone in an open square, where one could easily spot someone from afar. But if a million people filled that same square, how could one possibly pick out a familiar face? It became extraordinarily difficult.

Under such overwhelming interference, even detecting the presence of other powerful beings could easily be distorted by the surging waves of resentment and killing intent. Worse still, if one continuously maintained perception amid this endless sea of resentment, even the strongest minds would eventually collapse. The influence of these grudges was simply too overwhelming.

Trying to locate an Oborozuki Soul thousands of kilometers away under such conditions was like searching for a single unique leaf within a forest blanketed in fallen leaves, nearly impossible.

Only the unique resonance between Oborozuki Souls could bypass this interference.

Enduring the ceaseless assault of resentment and jealousy, Lily forced down her body’s reactions and continued searching alongside Nanako for two more days. During that time, they discovered another Oborozuki Soul. Given the immense scale of the Celestial Demon Path, and the limited area Lily could search each day, finding two within three days was already an excellent result.

The third appeared on the fifth day, several thousand kilometers ahead of them.

“Hm? This Oborozuki Soul’s fluctuation… it’s moving rapidly? It’s speeding straight toward us!”

Lily was startled. Oborozuki Souls normally drifted aimlessly and slowly. For one to move with such clear intent toward her, there was only one explanation. This Oborozuki Soul was already in the possession of another powerful being.

Lily concealed her aura and flew forward to meet it.

On the fifth day of exploration along the Celestial Demon Path, she finally encountered her first rival. Both sensed each other’s intentions. Neither attempted to hide; instead, they continued closing the distance between them.

Soon, in the dim expanse ahead, a figure came into view, flying straight toward them. It was a man with fiery red hair, bare-chested, carrying a biwa on his back. He was barefoot, and his limbs were adorned with numerous golden rings. He descended and stopped in front of Lily.

After maintaining a certain distance, both halted. The man balanced on one leg atop a massive stone spire.

“Oh? It’s actually a girl?” The red-haired deity tilted his head, gold rings glinting from his ears and nose.

Lily stood atop a mushroom-shaped boulder on the opposite side, while Nanako held the Sakura Parasol farther back at a safer distance.

“Brother, we are all here seeking treasures. We bear no grudge against one another. Hand over the Oborozuki Soul, and I will spare your life.” Lily spoke as calmly and gently as she could, though her breathing was uneven and her cheeks flushed due to the strain on her body.

“What?” The red-haired deity stared at her in disbelief, a crude grin spreading across his face. “Where’d this little girl come from? You’re burning up like that… did it fry your brain? Why don’t you hand over the Oborozuki Soul to your big brother here, and I’ll help you ‘cool off’?”

Lily was already enduring immense torment within her body. At such a moment, her patience wore thin. A flicker of flame ignited in her gaze, though it was not born of desire.

“In that case, I’ll have no choice but to defeat you… and take the Oborozuki Soul myself.” As she spoke, Lily transformed into a streak of afterimage light and charged toward the red-haired deity. She did not unleash her divine power, relying solely on her physical strength, intending to test him first.

“What a big mouth for such a pretty little thing! I wonder if that lovely, shameless mouth of yours can handle something bigger than empty boasts! Heh… let your big brother test it for you!”

**Boom—** his divine power erupted. It had already reached the peak of the Celestial Stage, likely no weaker than Yanagihada.

Without sufficient strength, who would dare step onto the Celestial Demon Path to compete for treasures that even Great Imperial Gods coveted?