Chapter 75, Qishan Family 2
Before Ranlu could respond, she sensed that Qishan Yue was about to break free of the golden thread's restraints, so she quickly retreated with Aiqi Guojun.
"Aishi, you're not allowed to rush in alone next time." Akashi Kuniyuki walked up to the red-haired short sword, his forehead covered in cold sweat from the fright he had just been in.
Hotarumaru walked silently to Aishi Kunitoshi's side and reached out to grab the hem of his clothes.
Almost... If Lady Ranluo hadn't successfully controlled the head of the Qishan family, Aiqi would have shattered.
Thankfully... thankfully Aiqi is alright.
These were the whispers in the hearts of Hotarumaru and Akashi Kuniyuki, coinciding at this moment.
Qi Shanyue's expression was no longer as calm as before; a sinister look appeared on her face. "I really... underestimated you."
"Equivalent exchange is an immutable law. Are you really not afraid of the backlash?" Ranluo looked coldly at Qishan Yue, who was altering the rules with the help of the evil god.
"Heh," Qi Shan Yue sneered, not taking Ran Luo's words to heart. Her heart was filled with discontent and resentment, and a dark mist, even thicker than before, surged around her. "I will not suffer any backlash."
Ranluo naturally wouldn't try to persuade Qishan Yue to surrender with her "talking skills." Her formation had already been silently deployed using spatial folding.
You're using this method to evade my senses, so let's give you a taste of your own medicine.
When the golden array appeared without warning beneath Qi Shanyue's feet, she screamed in disbelief, "How is this possible?!"
Heavy silk threads bound her firmly in place. Ranlu immediately shouted to Mikazuki, "Mikazuki, slash at her right rear!"
Mikazuki followed Ranluo's instructions without hesitation and swung his sword. Even though there seemed to be nothing there, the dull thud of flesh being sliced by a blade echoed. Qishan Yue staggered; instead of blood gushing from the wound, wisps of black smoke rose from it.
Qi Shan Yue's face gradually contorted, and the black aura around her surged: "Don't be too smug, half-demon. This is... Qi Shan family territory!!!"
The moment she finished speaking, the entire mansion began to shake violently. The walls of the corridors began to writhe as if alive, and several dark arms emerged from cracks in the ground. Even more troublesome was that the rules had been altered once again.
"Damn it!" Ranlu cursed as she realized she couldn't stop it. "Everyone, be careful!"
Several short swords floated in the air due to the sudden weightlessness, while some swords endured the pressure of super gravity as they struggled to adjust their postures. However, under such chaotic rules, even maintaining a standing position was extremely difficult.
Amidst the chaos of battle, Qi Shanyue seized the opportunity and vanished from Ran Luo's sight once more. This time, however, her presence was even more concealed, making her difficult to detect.
Calm down... calm down, there must be another way.
Every spatial array that Han Zhou had taught her flashed through Ranluo's mind.
Since the rules have been distorted, I'll set things right!
"Hold on, everyone, give me some time!" Ranluo took a deep breath, and a magnificent and complex array totem unfolded beneath her feet. She poured her spiritual power into the spatial structure, like a weaver repairing torn fabric, slowly mending the distorted spatial rules.
The realm of "rules" is tantamount to the realm of gods, and for Ranluo, a half-demon who has just mastered her own original power, attempting to repair the rules is already like rowing against the current, making it doubly difficult.
Soon, her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat. Qi Shanyue, who was concealed, noticed this and, with a grim expression, was about to interrupt.
"Clang—!"
Claws clashed with swords, sparks flying.
With a smile on his face, Mikazuki Munechika blocked Kiyama Yue from getting close to Ranluo. "Hahaha, I won't let you get close so easily."
Seeing this group of sword spirits repeatedly blocking his way, Qi Shan Yue's patience ran out. His face darkened completely, and his eyes flashed with an unusual red light. "You... have angered me!"
A dark arm emerged from the crack in the ground and attacked Ranluo with a clear objective. Qi Shanyue's figure was like a ghost, and every time she appeared, a sword or blade was kicked away by her.
Hearing the suppressed groans coming from beside her, Ranluo nervously flicked her fox tail.
So close, so very close!
The instant the spatial rules were repaired, a powerful shockwave emanated from Ranluo and spread outwards! It forced all the swords and blades to retreat, and all the dark arms vanished.
A playful smile played on Ranluo's lips as she opened her clenched hand, revealing a black bead in her palm. The aura emanating from this bead was identical to that emanating from Qi Shanyue.
"As expected, you hid the core that controls the clones."
"How dare you?!" Qi Shan Yue leaped forward, trying to stop her.
Ranlu immediately crushed the bead in her hand. Before Qishan Yue could even recover from her unwilling expression, it vanished from the spot like a gloom blown away by the wind.
"Hmph! I'm still a cut above the rest!"
The swords, seeing Ranlu's smug expression, chuckled in unison. Mikazuki Munechika spoke up, reminding them, "Hahaha, next we need to find out where the evil god statue is hidden."
"Hehe, I found this just now when I was fixing the rules!" Ranluo's tone was filled with undisguised joy. She was about to take a step to lead the swords, but her legs suddenly gave way.
Fortunately, Akashi Kuniyuki pulled her up, preventing Ranlu from landing face-first on the ground in an embarrassing situation.
Ranlu scratched her head a little embarrassedly. "Um, haha. It was a bit too much."
Repairing the rules consumed a lot of Ranluo's spiritual power and mental energy. The fact that she can still stand here steadily is already quite remarkable.
To accommodate Ranluo's current condition, they proceeded slowly until they reached a secret chamber deep within the mansion, where they found the last statue of the evil god.
The dark purple material shimmered with an eerie luster.
Mikazuki Munechika stepped forward and drew his true form. A flash of cold light followed, accompanied by a crisp "crack," and the evil god statue shattered instantly. Seeing the statue crumble, Ranluo's heart, which had been pounding in her chest, finally settled, and she let out a breath.
After relaxing, she suddenly realized the fine pain coming from her temple.
"Oh dear, if the lord saw you like this, you'd get scolded, wouldn't you?" Akashi Kuniyuki helped her up, his dialect accent making everyone want to laugh.
"We'll have to wait for her to come back!" Ranluo replied with a strong voice (probably), and waved her hand, "Let's go, let's go back!"
A gentle, non-glaring golden light flashed by, and Ranluo and the swordsmen vanished from their spots. Meanwhile, a wisp of black mist silently emerged from the fragments of the evil god statue that Mikazuki Munechika had shattered.
Finally, it flew off to an unknown destination.
Hanshu's Honmaru
Yu Yuwu and Qingye were waiting for the last little girl among them to return, thinking it would be a while. Unexpectedly, a dozen minutes later, they saw the golden light of teleportation in the courtyard.
As soon as Ranluo landed, she felt two familiar gazes. She spoke instinctively, a hint of pride in her voice: "Hehe, I told you I didn't ask..."
Ranluo's proud expression froze instantly, her orange fox eyes staring intently at Yuyuwu's half-head of striking white hair. Her outstretched hand froze in mid-air, her fingertips trembling slightly.
The word "question" that was not yet uttered got stuck in his throat, turning into a rapid gasp.
"...Your hair," Ranluo's voice was dry and almost inaudible. She suddenly broke free from Akashi Kuniyuki's support, staggered forward a few steps, but then froze in place as if in disbelief.
The courtyard fell silent for a moment, with only cherry blossoms quietly falling.
Yu Yuwu looked at her, her face still somewhat pale. She forced a tired smile, her eyes filled with relief, and patted Ranluo's shoulder. "I knew you could do it."
Her voice was as gentle as ever, but with a hint of unmistakable hoarseness.
Ranlu wanted to ask why, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. She knew that Yuyuwu wouldn't make such a decision without a reason; they both had their own beliefs. And they wouldn't regret their choices, but...
But... there's a slight sense of resentment? Or...?
Qingye sighed helplessly, then spoke to ease the tense atmosphere, "Now, all three evil god statues have been cleared. Lord Hanzhou should be able to break the seal soon."
Mentioning this, Ranluo didn't immediately respond. Although she was also happy that Hanzhou would be back soon, she felt inexplicably uneasy. She looked up and asked...
"Did you encounter any avatars of the clan leaders when you were destroying the statues?"
Upon hearing this, Qingye raised an eyebrow. "I've encountered it."
"I encountered the real person."
"I... I feel like something's not quite right." Ranluo scratched her head, and after realizing what was happening, her initial joy vanished completely. She turned her gaze to Hanzhou's swords.
"Are you able to sense Lord Hanzhou's current situation through the contract?"
As expected, the swords shook their heads in unison.
At this moment, the sealed land of Han Zhou
This was an absolute void and deathly silence, where the concepts of space and time became blurred. The enormous white nine-tailed fox, bound by chains, lay quietly in the black water, completely ignoring the vengeful spirits buzzing around its ears.
Upon closer inspection, one can see a faint, shimmering white light emanating from around the nine-tailed fox, as Han Zhou tries to prevent these chains from absorbing his divine power.
Sudden--!
Three distinct yet shared dark forces, like sharks that have caught the scent of blood, broke through the void and suddenly appeared in this sealed land!
A surge of resentment and soul-devouring greed (from Gu Yu's family)
A whisper interwoven with dreams and spirit (from the Morikawa family)
A law carrying distortion and confinement (from the Qishan family)
These three energies did not attack Han Zhou; instead, like cunning venomous snakes, they began to coil and merge, eventually transforming into a constantly spinning black vortex. At the center of this vortex, an even more ancient and evil will was awakening!
Sensing this aura, Han Zhou suddenly looked up.
The snow-white nine-tailed fox, radiating a shimmering white light, stood in stark contrast to the dark and oppressive environment around her, as if she were the only light in this world.
The moment Han Zhou sensed the seal loosening, his calm, golden eyes suddenly contracted, and his vertical pupils gleamed faintly in the darkness.
"Waaaaah—!"
A long and majestic fox cry rolled out from her throat, initially low and deep, then suddenly erupting like a volcano that had been building up its strength for thousands of years!
The entire void trembled, and the chains binding her body tightened with a piercing sound, countless twisted runes appearing on them, attempting to drain the divine power from her.
"Ha, I've only been quiet for a moment, and you demons and monsters think you can really lay a finger on the gods?" The cold female voice, carrying an ancient majesty, resounded throughout this desolate place.
Her enormous body suddenly stood up, and her nine bushy fox tails, like nine rivers of bright light piercing through the eternal night, unfurled with a roar.
The light surrounding Han Zhou was no longer gentle; it transformed into something more intense and sharp, like billions of swords radiating outwards from her center! Wherever the light passed, the black energy that clung to her burned like scorched oil.
It emitted a hissing, mournful sound.
The vengeful spirits that had been persistently clinging to her fox ear became blurred and unable to advance any further in the face of the immense and pure divine power.
The chains binding Han Zhou's body began to crack, initially fine, but now spreading rapidly. As Han Zhou unleashed her divine power, the golden light nearly melted her massive body into a golden sun.
She took a step forward, and the dark water beneath her feet was instantly purified, shimmering with a holy light. The chains binding her limbs and body snapped inch by inch, turning into black specks of light that vanished in the blazing golden light.
As Han Zhou broke free of the chains, several more chains, thicker and barbed than before, shot out from the black vortex!
Han Zhou's golden eyes coldly glanced at the black vortex that was trying to devour him, a hint of disgust flashing in them.
"You think you're worthy?"
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