Zi Yuan easily defeated Shinsyu, which led to an impulsive shout from Tachibana Wakako.
Zi Yuan looked at Tachibana Wakako in surprise and asked, “You want to challenge me? On what basis?”
Tachibana Wakako angrily said, “Shinsyu is our Mountain Protecting God of Rigoino. You beat him like this, he won’t be able to recover his strength in the future! This is a provocation and invasion of our Rigoino!”
Although Tachibana Wakako was rather tall, she was only 13 or 14 years old. Her thoughts and actions were still simple. Her words immediately caused cultivators from various sects to say in loud, mocking voices, “If you beat our people, it’ll be in vain. If we beat your people, then you won’t be happy. Do you think there’s such thieving logic in the world?”
“That’s right, little sister. Bring this useless guy back quickly!”
“Get lost! Don’t make a fool of yourself!”
Being scolded by the crowd, Tachibana Wakako’s face turned red. Shinsyu, who was seriously injured, struggled and whispered to her in Japanese, “Tachibana Wakako, forget it. These Chinese cultivators are playing shameless tricks. You are the witch of our Rigoino, and also the person who is most likely to be the successor of the Goddess in the future. Don’t make any mistakes here like me.”
Hearing this, Tachibana Wakako didn’t give up. Instead, she became even angrier. Suddenly, she took out a golden-silver folding fan from her wide kimono. The fan’s bones were dark, and it was carved with exquisite patterns. Tachibana Wakako took out this fan and opened it with a snap. It was painted with images of countless ghosts and gods.
Then, she took out a one-foot-long white flag from her sleeve. There were dense white talismans hanging on it, each of which was painted with strange patterns and runes.
After these two things were taken out, Tachibana Wakako’s figure changed. She seemed to have turned from an innocent girl into a holy, elegant young woman. She chanted an incantation, with one hand moving the fan and the other twirling a streamer. At this time, a bracelet with a silver bell slipped from her wrist, making a crisp sound along with her dance.
Everyone could see Tachibana Wakako humming and dancing. The ghosts and gods in the gold and silver fan in her hand seemed to come alive, and they turned into shadows one after another and sneaked into the white flag in her other hand.
The spirit energy in the flag accumulated, gradually turning black from top to bottom. The runes on each piece of talisman were emitting a strange red light.
After dancing for a while, Tachibana Wakako suddenly waved the white flag at Shinsyu. The red runes on it suddenly gave off a dazzling light and gathered the black mist. In the blink of an eye, it was absorbed into Shinsyu’s body.
He roared, and his body shook violently. After a while, he turned over and got up on his own. However, because of his serious injuries from before, he staggered a little when he got up.
Shinsyu glared at Zi Yuan with hatred in his eyes. He retreated to Cinian’s side and whispered in Japanese, “Master Cinian, let’s go. Zi Yuan’s powerful magical weapon is very strange. We can’t let Tachibana Wakako get hurt. She will only listen to you.”
Cinian glanced at him and said with a smile, “Shinsyu, there’s no need for you to belittle yourself. Zi Yuan’s powerful magical weapon can just restrain you. It’s called one thing subduing the other. However, no matter how powerful she is, she’s still no match for Tachibana Wakako. There’s no need for you to worry about her!”
Shinsyu frowned and said, “But…”
Cinian glanced at Shinsyu unhappily and said, “Why, are you questioning me?”
Shinsyu’s body trembled, and he lowered his head. “Yes! I understand!” After that, he stood behind Cinian, his figure returning to its original appearance.
After watching Tachibana Wakako dance, Shinsyu miraculously stood up again. All were amazed. Someone whispered, “What kind of magic is this? It’s so strange. This Japanese dog is seriously injured. How can he still stand?”
A cultivator who understood the situation whispered, “This is the divine music dance of Japanese witchcraft. This little girl must be a witch.”
Zi Yuan looked at Tachibana Wakako seriously and suddenly asked, “What’s your name?”
Ever since Tachibana Wakako had started the divine music dance, she had become like a witch. Her bearing had suddenly grown by ten years of age. She said with a cold expression, “I’m Tachibana Wakako, a witch from Rigoino!”
Zi Yuan was slightly taken aback. “You’re the witch of the Tachibana branch?”
Tachibana Wakako looked at Zi Yuan in surprise. “You actually know of our branch?”
Zi Yuan frowned slightly, her eyes full of wariness, as if there was a formidable enemy standing in front of her. “What is a witch of the Tachibana branch doing here?”
Hearing this, Zhou Qin couldn’t help saying to Li Yundong, “Master, does this Tachibana Wakako have a good background?”
Li Yundong nodded and said with a serious face, “Japan is a very special country. The level of this country is very strict, and its family name is very large. There are four great noble families in Japan, namely the Minamoto Clan, the Tachibana Clan, the Taira Clan, and the Fujiwara Clan! The four great noble clans represent the four great families. The Fujiwara Clan is the Gongsun family of Japan, and it is the most traditional noble family. The Minamoto Clan and the Tachibana Clan respectively represent the two most powerful families in Japan. The founder of Minamoto Clan is Yuanlai Chao, who was the first shogunate general in Japan. And the founder of the Tachibana Clan is Pingqing Sheng, who founded the era when warriors ruled Japan.”
“In the late period of Japan’s Warring States, almost all the big shots in Japan belonged to the Minamoto Clan and the Tachibana Clan. For example, Oda Nobunaga belonged to the Tachibana Clan, while Tokugawa Ieyasu belonged to the Minamoto Clan. The whole history of Japan’s Warring States was almost about the contending histories of the Minamoto Clan and the Tachibana Clan. As for the Taira Clan, it represented the spirits and the witches of the Japanese religion. Since the rise of the witches, no matter whether it was the Minamoto Clan or the Tachibana Clan in power, the Taira Clan has gone through the history of Japan from beginning to end. Among them, Taira Yuan from the Taira Clan is the famous witch of Gods’ soul, and this Tachibana Wakako should be the direct descendant of the Taira Clan. Such a person is born with spiritual power and can summon Gods’ soul to possess them.”
“But isn’t there an ordinary person surnamed the Taira who came to be a witch?” Zhou Qinqi asked.
Li Yundong shook his head and said, “No! There are rules to make names in Japan, especially for the Japanese nobles. It’s definitely not random to name them. In the past, there was an unwritten rule in Japan that only people from Tachibana Clan and Minamoto Clan could become generals. The other surnames definitely can’t. That’s why Toyotomi Hideki, who unified Japan and ended the war country, couldn’t get the title of general even at the cost of his life. It’s just ”Kanpaku!”
Su Chan, who was listening from the side, couldn’t help but ask, “What is Kanpaku?”
Li Yundong touched her hair with a smile and said, “Kanpaku is equivalent to the Prime Minister of China. Toyotomi Hideki defeated all the famous feudal princes at that time and unified Japan. In fact, he was equivalent to the emperor at that time. But a person like him can’t be a general. You can imagine how strict the noble family naming system in Japan is!”
Only then did Zhou Qin come to a realization. She looked at Zi Yuan with some concern. “This Tachibana Wakako has such a strong background. Will Zi Yuan be in danger?”
Li Yundong looked serious and said, “I don’t know, but even if Zi Yuan is no match for her, she must have a way to protect herself.”
Zhou Qin knew that Li Yundong had been cultivating for a long time, and his character had become more and more steady. Even he was not optimistic about Zi Yuan’s chances. He was afraid that this battle would be dangerous.
In the field, Tachibana Wakako stood like peony and walked like a herbaceous flower. She looked at Zi Yuan and said in a loud voice, “Do you dare to duel with me?”
Zi Yuan knew that she wouldn’t lose the array even if she lost. She smiled faintly and said, “Since you’re the descendant of the witch of the Taira Clan, as well as the descendant of Mount Kōya, I’ll naturally play along. Let’s see if your Rigoino is stronger, or if our Linggong Sect is stronger!”
Tachibana Wakako snorted coldly. “It’s Rigoino, not Mount Kōya!”
Her words confused many people. Zhou Qin whispered to Li Yundong, “Master, is there any difference between Rigoino and Mount Kōya?”
Li Yundong nodded. “Yes, there are two religious mountains in Japan, one is Mount Hiei, the other is Mount Kōya. In terms of religious power, Mount Hiei is the largest and strongest. Almost all famous monks in Japan come from Mount Hiei. However, in terms of fighting power, Mount Kōya is the strongest. Although all Japanese monks come from Mount Hiei, all of them are buried in Mount Kōya in the end, and all of them are buried in the Ao Academy in the innermost part of Mount Kōya.
“Rigoino is full of towering trees. Even though it’s daytime, there’s not a single ray of light that gets in. It’s dark all day, and it’s always gloomy. In this hundred-year-old ancient forest, tombstones are everywhere. Every ancient tower grave represents almost all the most famous people in Japan, such as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideki, Yoshihima morisugi, Takeda Shingen, Mitsuhide Akechi, and almost all the eminent monks in Japan!”
Zhou Qin was stunned. “That means…”
“It means that people who can enter the Rigoino of Mount Kōya,” Li Yundong said, “are the best masters in the Japanese cultivation world. Therefore, all the cultivators in Mount Kōya in Japan feel honored to be able to enter the Ao Academy of Rigoino.”
Su Chan, who was standing to one side, exclaimed, “They wouldn’t mean that this Tachibana Wakako is also very powerful?”
Li Yundong nodded and said, “Of course! The magic of the witch from the Taira Clan comes from Gods’ soul and vengeful spirits’ souls. Rigoino’s Yin Qi has been gathering for thousands of years, and there are divine monks’ sacrificial tablets and generals’ graves everywhere. The murderous aura and Lingqi inside must be extremely terrible!”
Zhou Qin saw Li Yundong speaking with confidence and composure, and as for knowing the history of the Japanese cultivation world well, she couldn’t help sighing. “Master, how do you know so much?”
Li Yundong chuckled and said, “If you were imprisoned in a Spirit Space for more than ten thousand years, I’m afraid you would know a lot too!”
As they were talking, they saw Tachibana Wakako chanting spells. She gently shook the flag, and the silver bell on her wrist rang. Soon, the runes on the flag began to shine again, and a thick black air swirled from it, gradually forming a human image in front of Tachibana Wakako.
The crowd saw that this man seemed to be wearing a Japanese warrior’s armor. This armor was completely red, as if there was a thick layer of blood on it. There were various strange talismans hanging in the blood, and there was a strong smell of death wafting over from a distance.
This man seemed to be holding a warrior saber in his hand. His face was hidden in the armor, which revealed only a pair of bloody red, ferocious eyes. His eyes were as cold and horrible as those of the devil in hell, making people tremble with fear at first sight!
Zhou Qin was shocked when she saw this. She cried out involuntarily, “What kind of monster is this?”
Li Yundong took a closer look and saw that the various talismans hanging on the warrior’s body were actually the demon-subduing seal talismans of Buddhism. He was suddenly moved and said, “This man has such a heavy smell of blood and so many Buddhist talismans on him. Is it possible that he was once the demon king of the sixth sky, Oda Nobunaga, who once washed Mount Hiei with blood?”
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Tachibana Wakako coldly say to Zi Yuan, “Zhenren Zi Yuan, please!” After that, she waved the flag in her hand.
The horrible, ferocious demon king roared toward Zi Yuan!
