Manifestation

Underneath Nightless Island, within the Main Sacrificial Altar.

Seimei and his two companions had been forcefully charmed by the ghost spirit songstress summoned by Sanmen-oni, but fortunately, Ao Andon, who had been strategically placed by Miketsu, arrived just in time to rescue them. After Ao Andon saved the three, they split up: Ao Andon confronted the ghost spirit songstress, while Seimei and his companions went to stop Shiranui's ritual kagura.

No sooner had the three parted ways with Ao Andon than they arrived at the edge of the altar, which was surrounded by stone pillars. Upon the altar, numerous glowing tentacles had already extended upwards, coiling around the Black Tortoise demonic power and the four unconscious Yokai Lords suspended in mid-air. As Shiranui danced, these tentacles seemed to multiply.

"The broken blade in her chest is controlling Shiranui right now. If we can find a way to pull it out, Shiranui should regain consciousness!" Slippery Nura said with a grave expression, looking at the broken blade in Shiranui's chest. He had experienced the power of that blade thirteen years ago, so he knew some ways to deal with it.

Hearing Slippery Nura's words, Seimei and Kamo Yoshin, both Onmyoji, nodded in unison. The three then simultaneously rushed towards the center of the altar. At that moment, Shiranui's two large fans emitted a crimson glow.

Flames, countless flames, ignited out of thin air. They stretched, forming fiery serpents that coiled and slithered around Shiranui, striking directly at Seimei and the others. Shiranui was not merely performing ritual kagura; even in this process, she could still command flames to attack!

Seeing the incoming fire serpents, Seimei first formed the hand seals for the Fire-Repelling Incantation, intending to withstand the flames directly. However, when the fire serpents struck him, he felt an unbearable heat. The spiritual power maintaining his Fire-Repelling Incantation rapidly depleted. Seeing this, Seimei couldn't help but retreat, moving out of the fire serpents' scorching range. Fortunately, he wasn't truly burned.

"Don't try to withstand Ali's flames directly; they are not ordinary demonic fire!" Kamo Yoshin immediately warned Seimei. He then threw two talismans emitting a green light. The fire serpents attacking Kamo Yoshin seemed attracted by the talismans, veering off their original trajectory to engulf them.

"Wood generates fire; Wood Spirit Talismans can attract flames to a certain extent."

"Thank you for the guidance, Senior..." Seimei replied to Kamo Yoshin. He then swiftly made two gestures in the air with his hand, conjuring several semi-illusory talismans glowing with a faint green light. He threw them all, attracting and disrupting the fire serpents in front, diverting their paths. Seeing this, Kamo Yoshin couldn't help but be slightly stunned.

"Drawing talismans in the air with spiritual power, and so many at once... this boy is a genius..."

The fire serpents encircling Shiranui were disturbed and scattered by Seimei's talismans. Seizing this opportunity, Slippery Nura concealed his form and charged forward, relying on his agile movements to weave through the temporarily disrupted fire serpents, heading straight for Shiranui at the center of the altar. Just then, a dazzling burst of spiritual power struck from diagonally above him.

Slippery Nura, sensing the danger, evaded just in time. After dodging the brilliant light that gouged cracks in the ground, he looked up. Before him, floating above the altar, was the undead monk, Master Enmi, currently meditating with his hands clasped in mid-air.

"Tch... You again..."

"This Yokai benefactor, surely you haven't forgotten the existence of this humble monk? Your illusionary tricks cannot deceive me..." Master Enmi said, extending his palm forward and unleashing a series of spiritual strikes at Slippery Nura. Slippery Nura dodged twice with his agile footwork before leaping up and slashing his blade towards Master Enmi. However, Master Enmi seized the chance, striking Slippery Nura directly in the abdomen with a spiritual attack.

"Ugh... Damn it..."

Unable to brace himself in mid-air, Slippery Nura couldn't dodge the blow. He flew backward, his face contorted in pain, crashing violently against the rock wall at the edge of the Main Sacrificial Altar, enveloped by the dust raised from the shattered rock.

"That monk's soul... If we don't deal with him, we can't get close to Ali..." Seeing this, Kamo Yoshin frowned. He exchanged a glance with Seimei, and together they hurled several talismans at Master Enmi. However, all the talismans were incinerated by the rising fire serpents.

"Hehe... I apologize, two benefactors, but this humble monk is a Divine Messenger of the Lord Deity. Shiranui, controlled by the Lord Deity's power, will also protect this humble monk." Master Enmi said with a faint smile, looking at Seimei and Kamo Yoshin.

"How tragic... Master Enmi, you were once a hero of humanity, yet now you willingly become a lackey of an evil god." Seimei said with a tone of regret, looking at the floating Master Enmi.

"What hero? Just a discarded pawn, used and then thrown away. I, this humble monk, for Heian-kyo, willingly destroyed my cultivation to open the Black Tortoise Altar. But when I was captured by the Nine-Tailed Great Yokai and suffered greatly, not a single person tried to save me. Only my Lord Deity, who reached me through the Black Tortoise Seal, offered me a way out of my pain. Even with this remnant soul body, I will follow my Lord Deity..." Master Enmi said, his expression tinged with agitated hatred. The purplish-red glow in his eyes intensified at this moment; he was too thoroughly corrupted by the Great Snake to be saved.

"So, for my Lord Deity, you will all die here... Ugh..." Just as Master Enmi was about to gather spiritual power to attack Seimei and the others, his body stiffened. His eyes looked down in disbelief, for at the center of his spiritual chest, a sharp blade wreathed in demonic power had manifested out of thin air. In Master Enmi's eyes, this blade, piercing his chest from behind, was incredibly familiar.

"This, Slippery Nura!? How is that possible..."

With an expression of disbelief, Master Enmi slowly turned his head. He then saw Slippery Nura, dusty and bleeding from his forehead, panting heavily amidst a pile of rubble beneath the rock wall at the edge of the Main Sacrificial Altar. His right hand was extended, maintaining a throwing posture. Seeing Master Enmi's astonished expression, Slippery Nura's face broke into a slight smile.

"You bald monk can sense soul fluctuations, but you can't perceive inanimate objects without souls, can you? How about that, I threw it quite accurately, didn't I?"

"How is that possible... Slippery Nura's ability can actually adhere to inanimate objects independently... and it doesn't dissipate after leaving his hand..."

"Hmph, why not? I'm no ordinary Slippery Nura. I am the Owl General's number one subordinate, destined to become a Lord of the Hundred Demons, just like him someday!" Slippery Nura declared with a laugh, watching Master Enmi's soul gradually dissipate in his state of shock. Without a physical body, Master Enmi could not accept the Great Snake's power for regeneration.

"The monk is gone, hurry and save Ali!" Kamo Yoshin quickly urged upon seeing Master Enmi vanish. But just as he took his first step, the situation on site abruptly changed.

The ground, the very ground of the altar, suddenly began to violently shake. Deep cracks abruptly appeared across it, and the entire ground, including the stone pillars, directly collapsed, quickly forming a massive pit.

Below this chasm seemed to be an even larger underground space. Looking down from the edge of the pit, one could see a colossal object standing in the center of that underground space.

It was a rough-surfaced, enormous sphere. Most of the sphere was still buried underground, but even the small portion exposed above ground was nearly ten meters tall. The faintly glowing tentacles, entwined with Black Tortoise demonic power and the four Yokai Lords, were growing from its top.

"Thump... thump... thump..."

From within this giant sphere, rhythmic vibrations emanated, like a heartbeat, as if something was gestating inside.

Such a sphere caused all who witnessed it to have the same thought... it was an egg... an egg on the verge of hatching...