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“Just twenty techniques in and it’s already like this… although the effects are remarkable, I have no idea what the remaining forty-one techniques will be like.” Lily felt a trace of unease, yet she quickly steadied herself. Maintaining her normal combat condition and seizing the Oborozuki Soul was what truly mattered. Everything else could wait.

“Nanako, let’s continue forward and scout ahead.”

“Mm!”

At the entrance to the Celestial Demon Path, the gateway from Yomi-no-kuni, countless evil spirits and demons had already poured in. News of the upheaval continued to spread deeper into the underworld.

In the distance, across the vast and desolate ancient battlefield, two large forces approached.

One group consisted entirely of tall, slender men clad in sharp, somber hunting robes. Their complexions were pale, their features sharp and aggressive, with a faintly wicked and domineering handsomeness. Some carried lanterns, others bore banners marked with a crest of a serpent coiling around a pair of feminine lips, radiating an eerie demonic aura.

Among them were eight especially imposing and striking men, dressed with refined elegance that would surely captivate any woman. Their strength was formidable as well, each having reached the Infernal Stage. Yet despite their power, these eight carried a massive palanquin.

The palanquin was entirely black, adorned with intricate and luxurious patterns.

“Halt.” A sultry woman’s voice rang out.

The group stopped as they leapt across the deep chasm left behind by Tsukuyomi no Mikoto.

At the same time, the opposing force halted as well.

That group was composed entirely of women dressed in ancient ceremonial attire. Among them were eight exceptionally beautiful women with alluring figures. Their upper bodies were clothed in white ritual garments, yet below they wore only loincloths, a sight both striking and difficult to behold.

These eight women carried a large, open-topped palanquin. Seated upon it was a grotesquely obese, blue-gray demon, none other than the Lord of Oblivion, Kawara no Hakushaku.

Lily had once purified Hakushaku in Hyakki Street. Though his appearance remained hideous, his expression now seemed unexpectedly gentle.

The corpulent Lord of Oblivion wobbled his thick, heavy belly as he straightened up and called out, “What a coincidence… Sanzu Demon Queen.”

Across from him, the curtain of the opposing palanquin lifted on its own. Inside sat a voluptuous, heavily made-up beauty with purple-red hair piled high, dressed in revealing black, red, and violet garments.

“Hehehe… Hakushaku, after the blood-soaked wedding in the abyss, I didn’t expect we’d meet again so soon.”

“I didn’t think the Sanzu Demon Queen would come to join in this commotion as well.” Hakushaku’s voice was slow and heavy, echoing like deep waters rolling in a cavern.

“Such words… A treasure of the Great Imperial God level is an unprecedented opportunity even for old relics like us of Yomi-no-kuni. Are we not allowed a little ambition? Besides, you came as well, didn’t you? The oldest Supreme God of Yomi-no-kuni.” Her voice was sharp and seductive, despite her immeasurable age.

“Sigh… I did come, but I hesitate. Though I have lived longer than most of Yomi’s strong, this storm of blood and slaughter will surely draw experts from all three realms. Facing those hot-blooded young powers… I fear I may no longer have the strength. Yet if I do not contend, I cannot accept letting such an opportunity slip away,” Hakushaku replied.

“Hehehe, that’s easily solved. Since fate has brought us together here, why not form an alliance? To be honest, with our strength alone, seizing all the Oborozuki Souls is unlikely. But if we join forces, others will find it difficult to trouble us. We take a portion of the souls and sell them to the true great powers later, splitting the gains evenly. What do you say?” the Sanzu Demon Queen proposed.

“Hahaha! An excellent plan! It seems we are indeed fated to meet! Then let us form this alliance and try our luck on the Celestial Demon Path!”

“Agreed!”

Thus, the two vastly different yet strangely similar forces advanced side by side toward the entrance of the Celestial Demon Path.

However, as they neared the entrance, they found a formation already in place. Thousands of highly disciplined female ninja radiating powerful eldritch energy stood in formation near the enormous cavern of the Scar of Heaven, arranged into four intricate battle formations, their presence overwhelmingly oppressive.

Both palanquins came to a halt.

“Are these not the Madam’s subordinates?” the Sanzu Demon Queen said as she lifted the curtain.

Hakushaku called out loudly, “You… are you the sisters Asura-Onna and Rakshasa-Onna? Why obstruct our way? Such a once-in-an-age event… does the Madam intend to deny this old one his chance?”

Moments later, two long-haired young women flew out from the ranks. One wore red and white, the other purple and white, both in flowing wide-sleeved robes. They were none other than Asura-Onna and Rakshasa-Onna.

Their expressions were proud and aloof.

“Hakushaku, you think too much. We are merely here to drill our formations. We have no intention of stopping anyone from entering. Inside is already a storm of blood and death. Whoever wishes to go in and die, we will not interfere,” Rakshasa-Onna said coldly. Though younger in seniority, she was a trusted confidant of the Madam and saw no reason to be polite even to other Supreme Gods.

“Such arrogance!” The Sanzu Demon Queen felt irritation rise within her. “Forget it. At our age, there’s no need to argue with children. Old Hakushaku, let’s go.”

“Let’s go.”

Thus, the two forces of Supreme Gods advanced in grand procession into the Celestial Demon Path.

“Sister, the formation drills are nearly complete,” Rakshasa-Onna said.

“Mm.” Asura-Onna turned to the assembled forces and declared, “By the Madam’s decree, we have come to the Scar of Heaven to guard the Celestial Demon Path. We are not here to seize treasures, but to block any Celestial gods who dare enter Yomi-no-kuni! As for the denizens of Yomi, whoever wishes to enter, and whoever survives and returns, we will not interfere.”

“Understood!”
“Take positions. Prepare for battle!”

Yomi-no-kuni had no intention of allowing Takamagahara to invade, and likewise, Takamagahara would never permit the demons of Yomi to climb upward.

At the massive Heavenly Gate vortex of Takamagahara, heavy forces had also been deployed. Any powerful experts of Takamagahara who wished to enter and seize treasures were allowed passage, but should any demon of Yomi attempt to ascend, they would be slain without exception.

***

Lily and Nanako had been exploring the Celestial Demon Path, searching for Oborozuki Souls, for an entire month. At this moment, the two of them were inside a mountain cave.

Over the course of this month, Lily had managed to seize a number of Oborozuki Souls.

After undergoing the first twenty of the Sixty-One Techniques of Maiden’s Command last time, Lily’s condition had remained stable for about two weeks. But now, she could feel it again, her body was once more beginning to suffer the intensifying backlash of the Charm Heavenly Path.

Noticing the change in Lily’s complexion and aura, Nanako asked, “Sister, how are you feeling?”
“I’m fine… still fine.”
“Do you want me to…”

“Not for now.” Lily felt somewhat embarrassed at the thought of being treated by her younger sister. If she could endure it, she would. Her willpower was exceptionally strong, and she had always been capable of enduring such strain. An ordinary Celestial Maiden would likely have already lost herself to confusion and delirium within a single day.

Over the past month, they had obtained more than a dozen additional Oborozuki Souls. Most of these came from defeating two powerful demons of Yomi, while only a few were found scattered and unclaimed.

In addition, Nanako had acquired a second surge of solar corona power.

Across this vast Celestial Demon Path, countless powerful beings were searching and fighting for these treasures. Lily understood that the further things progressed, the harder it would become to obtain unclaimed Oborozuki Souls. On the other hand, this solar corona seemed to go unnoticed by others. Even if discovered by chance, no one could absorb it, and it was merely dismissed as a natural phenomenon.

“Hm?” Lily suddenly sensed an extremely powerful fluctuation of an Oborozuki Soul. Almost at the same moment, the direction of that fluctuation shifted and began rapidly approaching her.

“That speed… it’s a Supreme God!” Lily was startled. “Nanako, stay inside the cave. I’ll go out and meet them,” Lily said coldly.

After more than a month together, Nanako and Lily had developed seamless coordination. In battle, Lily no longer needed Nanako’s assistance, but when it came to stabilizing her condition, Nanako was indispensable.

Lily flew out of the cave and stood before the towering cliffs of the Celestial Demon Path, waiting for the approaching presence.

“What? There are multiple auras… two at the Supreme God level. One is fairly ordinary, but the other… seems much stronger.”

Lily suddenly realized her earlier assumption had been flawed. A strong Oborozuki Soul fluctuation indicated that the possessor had gathered many such souls, but it did not necessarily mean that it was a single individual. It could very well be a group working together.

“Come, then.”

Before long, the group appeared within her line of sight, flying swiftly toward her. Seeing that Lily did not flee, they slowed their approach and stopped several thousand meters away. This group appeared to be from Takamagahara. Each of them had fair, well-built bodies.

At the front stood an especially grotesque figure; a massive, overweight boy nearly two meters tall, dressed in lavish garments so extravagant they felt excessive and unsettling. He looked no older than thirteen or fourteen.

The boy’s body was plump and pale, but his narrow eyes gleamed with vicious cruelty.

Behind him stood more than a dozen attendants, all powerful Celestial warriors. Among them was a Supreme God, yet this one was strikingly different. He was a dark-skinned, middle-aged foreigner dressed in exotic attire, resembling the Kunlun tribesmen from the Southern Outlands of the Heian Dynasty. Compared to the fair-skinned Seraphim around him, he stood out sharply.

When they saw Lily, they were visibly startled. Especially the fat boy at the front, his small eyes locked onto her without restraint, his breathing growing heavy as he openly indulged in his lustful thoughts.

“Damn! Who would’ve thought that in this dull, miserable place, I’d run into a woman this beautiful? Hey, woman, got guts, don’t you? You knew I was coming, and you didn’t even run?” The fat boy spoke with boundless arrogance, as if he had never once faced defeat or hardship in his life.

Lily sensed that this boy was the weaker of the two Supreme Gods. Yet for someone so young in appearance to have reached such a level, and to be accompanied by an even stronger foreign guardian, his status in Takamagahara must be extraordinary.

Of course, though he appeared to be only a teenager, he was in fact already several hundred years old. By the standards of the seraphim race, a few hundred years merely meant childhood.

Lily looked at the boy. His crude, invasive gaze fixed upon her body made her deeply uncomfortable. “Since you’ve come here, why would I run?” she replied calmly.

“Heh heh heh… looks like my luck’s pretty damn good. Not only are you carrying the aura of Oborozuki Souls, but your body smells incredible too. This time, I’ll be taking both the treasure and the woman!”