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Kujaku Myōō possessed heaven-shaking power. He had been on the verge of making a move, but after a moment’s thought, he suppressed his fighting spirit and merely dispatched scouts to investigate first.

This was because Kujaku sensed two other powerful Oborozuki soul signatures lurking behind him, both restless and poised to act.

Over the following days, the major factions continued recruiting or plundering lone wanderers and smaller groups. Many organizations offered attractive terms to those carrying Oborozuki souls: anyone who joined while bringing Oborozuki souls with them could personally keep sixty percent of the souls they contributed, while the remainder would count toward future rewards and merit-based compensation. As a result, many independent adepts and minor factions chose sides and joined one of the larger powers.

This made it increasingly difficult for Lily to seize Oborozuki souls. As for the Oborozuki souls scattered throughout the wilderness, with the major factions now capable of scanning hundreds of thousands of kilometers around them, virtually none remained undiscovered.

Although Lily still managed to obtain some through relentless battles and desperate struggles, the rate at which she acquired them had slowed noticeably. Opportunities for her to act became fewer and fewer.

After some more time passed, looking across the entire Celestial Demon Path, only seven major factions still possessed significant numbers of Oborozuki souls.¹

At last, the situation had reached the point where the seven great factions would inevitably have to wage war against one another before ownership of the Oborozuki souls could truly be decided.

However, while all seven factions could sense each other’s locations, they maintained vigilance and kept a measured distance apart. At the same time, they cautiously edged closer, each seeking a more advantageous position. No faction was willing to strike first.

This was, after all, a chaotic struggle involving seven powers. Alliances and loyalties remained unclear. If two factions recklessly engaged in a bloody battle, they might simply create opportunities for the others to exploit. In such a massive conflict, no one wished to be the first to become trapped in a costly fight.

As a result, an uneasy stalemate emerged. No side could do anything to the others.

For Lily, this stalemate was the worst possible outcome.

Among the six other factions, friend and foe were not clearly defined, but nearly all of them regarded Lily as an enemy. The only exception was the Sanzu Demon Queen’s faction, which conducted business with her. Everyone else not only coveted the treasures in Lily’s possession but also coveted Lily herself. Since she traveled alone, she naturally attracted envy and appeared easier to target than a large organization, forcing her to act with extreme caution.

Over the past several days, it had become impossible to obtain any scattered Oborozuki souls. Since some time ago, Lily had shifted her focus entirely toward gathering Solar Corona force alongside Nanako. Several factions had attempted to tail her or send agents to investigate, but none discovered anything.

After all, they knew nothing about Solar Crown force. Lily herself remained highly vigilant and never allowed spies to approach the places where she and Nanako gathered it.

While the influx of Oborozuki souls for Lily and Nanako had slowed drastically, they had already collected eleven strands of Solar Crown force. Only one final strand remained unfound.

***

Among the seven major factions, the movements of Kiyoshi’s army remained the most difficult to predict.

At this moment, they were encamped in the middle region of the Celestial Demon Path. Their vast military camp stretched endlessly through the darkness, radiating an unsettling aura that sent chills down one’s spine.

Several thousand human samurai were still present within the camp. Anyone who had survived this far was a genuine iron-willed warrior. Every one of them possessed extraordinary talent, and with Takamagahara’s support, their strength had increased dramatically. The price, however, was that their souls no longer belonged to themselves.

Yet the primary strength of Kiyoshi’s forces now consisted of the Takamagahara Tengu troops led by Amanozako, as well as several contingents of Kunitsukami forces assigned to him by Tennin-Mikoto.

Tennin-Mikoto herself had already returned to Takamagahara.

Near the entrance connecting to Takamagahara, a gigantic palanquin flew through the air under the escort of a squad of Celestial Maidens clad in dark-purple feathered robes.

“His Highness suddenly summoned me back. I’m afraid that matter hasn’t been progressing smoothly.” Seated within the palanquin, Tennin-Mikoto wore an unusually grim expression, completely different from her usual demeanor.

“Your Grace, I have a question.”

“Oh? Even Yuko, who usually sees everything so clearly, has something she can’t understand?”

“My Lady, if His Highness values the Oborozuki souls so highly, and Kagami Lily has been acting so boldly, then why not deal with her personally? She moves swiftly on her own. If she can win, she fights. If she can’t, she runs. The major factions can hardly do anything about her. With His Highness’ abilities, wouldn’t capturing Kagami Lily be as easy as reaching out and taking something into his hand?”

Tennin-Mikoto’s expression darkened instantly. “Impudent! How dare a mere Celestial Maid speculate about His Highness’ affairs? Guards! Drag this self-important woman out and administer two hundred strokes under Celestial Maiden military law!”

“What? Your Grace? My Lady? No! Please spare me, My Lady!” Yuko was utterly stunned.

She had always been intelligent and perceptive, often able to anticipate Tennin-Mikoto’s thoughts. It was precisely because her insight surpassed that of ordinary people that she found the current situation impossible to understand.

Had the Oborozuki souls been something insignificant, it would have been one thing. But if Takamagahara was mobilizing such enormous resources to obtain them, and the Celestial Demon Path was now fully accessible, why wouldn’t one of Takamagahara’s true supreme figures simply act personally and seize Lily?

In the past, Yuko would never have dared ask such a question. But recently she had accumulated numerous achievements and contributions. She had begun to believe she was qualified to cautiously probe the secrets hidden at this level.

She never expected such severe punishment in return.

The paddles used under Celestial Maiden military law would not kill her, but they were specifically designed for punishing Celestial Maidens. Two hundred strokes were enough to make life worse than death.

The pain itself was secondary. The true purpose of such punishment was humiliation.

Especially for Yuko. She was currently one of the most favored figures among the Celestial Maidens. To think that a single misplaced sentence would result in her being publicly exposed before so many of her peers and subjected to such a brutal punishment…

The shame alone made her wish she could die.

Outside the palanquin, loud cracking sounds echoed continuously. Along with them came Yuko’s agonized screams reverberating throughout the Celestial Demon Path. Tennin-Mikoto, however, remained completely unmoved.

“I had intended to personally capture Kagami Lily within the Celestial Demon Path and thoroughly torment and humiliate her. Ashikaga Kiyoshi, I hope you do not disappoint me.”

Lily’s own condition was not particularly good either. The effects of the first forty forms of Nanako’s secret technique had become increasingly weak. They could no longer effectively alleviate the influence of resentment accumulating within Lily’s body.

“Sister, should we use the final twenty-one forms?” Nanako asked worriedly.

“No… no, let’s not.” Blushing deeply, Lily turned her head away as she answered.

The final twenty-one forms were the ultimate method for resolving the accumulated condition within her body. They were not to be used unless absolutely necessary. Once they were used, their effectiveness would gradually diminish over time as well. If that happened, what would she do afterward?

Besides, the first forty forms had already pushed Lily to the limits of what she could accept. As for even more intense techniques, she simply could not bring herself to endure them.

“I’ll just bear with it for now,” Lily told herself.

At that moment, something highly unusual occurred. Tens of thousands of kilometers away, a large Oborozuki soul signature suddenly split off six extremely small signatures simultaneously, each heading in a different direction.

Judging from the strength of those signals, each group appeared to be carrying a single Oborozuki soul.

Why?

One of them was even heading directly toward Lily. Even if the entire faction came at her, Lily would not have feared them, let alone a mere detachment carrying a single Oborozuki soul. Rather than act rashly, she decided to observe the situation first and see what happened.²

Thus, Lily did not evade or hide. Instead, she remained where she was, waiting patiently while taking the opportunity to continue training in the Charm Heavenly Path and adjusting the condition of her body.

A little over a day later, a female tengu wearing a blood-red mask and dressed in outrageously revealing attire appeared. This female tengu was at the Celestial Stage. The tengu stopped roughly a thousand meters away from Lily and called out toward the mountains.

“Is Miss Kagami Lily ahead? My lord, Ashikaga Kiyoshi, has sent a letter for you.”

“Ashikaga Kiyoshi?” Lily was surprised. So the massive Oborozuki soul signature belonged to Kiyoshi after all. Judging by the intensity of his Oborozuki soul presence, he possessed slightly more than Lily did, second only to Kujaku Myōō, whose reaction was the strongest of all.

After all, they had been competing for Oborozuki souls with hundreds or even thousands of experts under their command. During the early stages, when scattered Oborozuki souls were still plentiful, they held enormous advantages over Lily.

Later on, many weaker individuals carrying Oborozuki souls had joined the major factions for protection. As for Lily, she had obtained every one of hers through her own efforts and battles. In terms of total Oborozuki souls, she was probably ranked third, even after receiving more than a hundred from the Sanzu Demon Queen’s side.

Lily flew out and stood in the air. The female tengu was somewhat wary of her as well. Carefully approaching, she respectfully presented the letter with both hands.

Lily accepted it. Naturally, she had no intention of seizing the Oborozuki soul carried by this female tengu. The soul had been entrusted to her for the purpose of serving as a messenger.

Lily unfolded Kiyoshi’s letter. Judging from the aura contained within the ink strokes, it was indeed written personally by him.

“Miss Lily,

“I, Ashikaga Kiyoshi, shall be hosting a Celestial Demon Assembly ten days from now at a location in the middle region of the Celestial Demon Path, far from both Yomi and Takamagahara. I sincerely invite heroes and experts from all sides to attend and discuss the matter of ownership of the Oborozuki souls.

“I hope Miss Lily will honor us with her presence.”

“A Celestial Demon Assembly?” A ripple stirred within Lily’s heart.

At that moment, the female tengu messenger presented a small blade fragment with an Oborozuki soul attached to it.

“Lord Kiyoshi said that this Oborozuki soul should be regarded as a token of sincerity. His purpose in holding the Celestial Demon Assembly is to genuinely resolve the conflicts between the major factions. He hopes you will not harbor doubts, Miss.”

Lily gazed at the blade fragment and considered it briefly before waving her hand and collecting it. The meaning of her action was self-evident.

“As expected of the legendary goddess renowned throughout the Three Realms. Miss Lily, your magnanimity commands my admiration.” The female tengu bowed and withdrew. Although they were enemies, she genuinely respected Lily’s courage.

Holding the blade fragment in her hand, Lily fell into thought.

At that moment, Nanako flew over beneath her parasol. “Sister, what’s this Celestial Demon Assembly?”

Lily handed the letter to Nanako. After reading it, Nanako’s expression filled with concern. “Sister… you’re really going?”

“Yes.” Lily nodded. “To be honest, I’ve been worried about one thing all this time. If the major factions join forces again or reach some kind of agreement, it would be extremely difficult for me to deal with all of them simultaneously.

“What I fear most isn’t fighting them. What I fear is the possibility that each faction withdraws to the edge regions near the entrances of Yomi and Takamagahara and fortifies their positions there. If that happens, the situation will become a deadlock that nobody can break.

“Especially the entrance to Takamagahara. There are super-powerful figures there like Ame-no-Tajikarao, opponents I simply cannot defeat. And there are likely many other great powers in Takamagahara as well.

“Although they haven’t directly participated in gathering Oborozuki souls, if a real battle breaks out, they will certainly come to provide support. If that happens, they may not necessarily be able to capture me, but I would have no choice except to flee.”

“And if things drag on for too long…” Lily lowered her gaze slightly. “The influence of the resentment within the Celestial Demon Path will only continue growing stronger. The longer this goes on, the worse my condition will become. That’s a very troublesome situation.”