Chapter 155: The Eight-Branched Serpent, At Your Service

"How much further...?"
"A few hundred meters, I suppose."
"Can't you make it faster?"
"The mechanisms and lethal complexity here are far beyond anything on the outside. Even my shikigami are struggling to hold the line."
"..."
Beneath the moonlight, the voices of Kaima Yoshito and Abe no Island Kashi drifted slowly across the clearing.

Though they were drawing close to the Tang Tomb, and the outline of that core sanctuary was already within arm's reach, the progress of this trio had slowed down considerably compared to before. Earlier, when Abe no Island Kashi summoned a wave of shikigami to clear the path, they could easily cover nearly a hundred meters in one go. Now, however, a single wave of shikigami would be riddled with traps and shredded into pieces after advancing barely a few dozen meters.

This placed an even heavier burden on Abe no Island Kashi, consuming vastly more spiritual energy than before.

Just as they were speaking, a dark shadow suddenly materialized from behind them under the cover of night. The figure moved with blinding speed—before Abe no Island Kashi and the others could even react, it had already bypassed the neatly lined-up row of shikigami and stepped out into the moonlight right before them.

"Everyone, don't you think this behavior is a bit improper?"

Though they could not clearly make out the newcomer's face, the mere sound of that voice was enough to make the hair on the backs of Abe no Island Kashi and his companions stand on end, their eyes flashing with intense vigilance.

The newcomer was none other than Ye Yan.

"You're fast."

Looking at Ye Yan's back, Kaima Yoshito's expression grew increasingly grave. Although he had anticipated Ye Yan's arrival, the speed at which the man had caught up far exceeded his calculations.

"If you turn back now, I can pretend none of this ever happened. But if you refuse to retreat, don't blame me for being discourteous."

Ye Yan slowly turned around, his cold gaze sweeping across Kaima Yoshito and the others as he delivered his warning...

Ever since the Hyakki Yagyo and the incident involving Tang Qingshui, the conflict between the two sides had steadily escalated. These bastards from Fusang had repeatedly tested the bottom line of the Dragon Kingdom, and Ye Yan had been suppressing his anger all along. If Zhao Fangxu hadn't laid down the strict bottom line that these Fusang emissaries must under no circumstances die on the soil of the Dragon Kingdom, Ye Yan would have already used these arrogant fools as sacrifices to flutter his battle flags.

And yet, now... without permission, these fellows had broken into the Tang Tomb and injured the higher-ups of the Tang Sect. Ye Yan could no longer stand by and ignore it.

There had to be an accounting for this.

"Your Excellency, does your appearance today mean you are determined to stop us?"

Kaima Yoshito's gaze locked onto Ye Yan from a distance, his expression tinged with a complex mix of emotions. If he had a choice, he truly did not wish to cross swords with a Sovereign... but matters had progressed to this point, and some things were no longer his to decide.

"Why waste breath talking to him? So what if he's a Sovereign? I am definitely entering this Tang Tomb today, and I refuse to believe he'd actually dare to—"

Compared to Kaima Yoshito's conflicted emotions, Miyamoto Isshin's expression was marked largely by utter defiance. He couldn't even be bothered to exchange pleasantries; chanting a low incantation, bathed in a crimson radiance, he directly summoned his family's ancestral "Niten Dojo," clearly intending to strike immediately.

Beside him, although Abe no Island Kashi said nothing, the "Avici Ghost Domain" behind him expanded far beyond its previous size. Violent, chilling gales surged outward from within, rendering the nocturnal forest all the more eerie and ominous...

"Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers..."

Miyamoto Isshin and Abe no Island Kashi's eager-to-fight postures left Kaima Yoshito caught between a rock and a hard place. How could these two young men possibly comprehend the terrifying might of a Sovereign-tier powerhouse...?

Yet there was no other way. Events had already far outstripped his expectations, so he could only press forward with the mistake. In any case, their official status on this trip was that of an embassy delegation. With that layer of protection, even if they committed some egregious transgression, the worst that could happen would be for their government to step in and offer diplomatic apologies on a national level... their lives were not in mortal danger.

With these thoughts racing through his mind, Kaima Yoshito slowly drew his long blade, his gaze gradually hardening with resolve.

"Interesting..."

Ye Yan did not understand the Fusang language and had no idea what they were communicating about. But he was not blind; he could clearly see their battle-ready stances. Evidently, today's affair would not end peacefully without a fight.

"Then I'll play along with you."

Since a sparring partner had delivered themselves to his doorstep, how could he possibly refuse? And since he couldn't kill them outright, he would just beat them to within an inch of their lives... leaving them with just a single breath of life remaining would suffice.

Ye Yan rolled his neck, his bones popping in sharp succession. He unzipped his jacket, tied the two sleeves in a knot around his waist, and limbered up his body...

"Let's begin."

His opponent was a Sovereign. Facing someone with such formidable strength, Kaima Yoshito dared not be careless. Lowering his center of gravity with a solemn expression, he adopted a traditional quick-draw stance. A flash of piercing blade-light swallowed the field of vision, slashing instantly toward Ye Yan.

Facing the incoming blade-light, Ye Yan neither dodged nor evaded. With a flick of his wrist, the spirit banner fluttered behind him, and a deep green radiance bloomed...

The Spirit Banner Vanguard and the Funeral Heavenly Corps transformed into streams of green light, positioning themselves on either side of Ye Yan.

Standing at the front and consistently serving in the role of the vanguard, Lu Dashan relied entirely on his own sturdy physique to take the full force of Kaima Yoshito's slashing blade-light head-on.

Seeing Ye Yan release his banner demons, Abe no Island Kashi across the field did not dare to hesitate in the slightest. He hastily unleashed the twelve master shikigami under his command—including the Azure Dragon and White Tiger—along with the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.

The "Avici Ghost Domain" flew wide open, and the released hundred ghosts and black mists surged forward in a parasitic tide. Amidst the forest, deep green radiance and black fog stood in stark confrontation.

"Overtime again? Beat the crap out of them!"

Old enemies meeting on a narrow road... Before Abe no Island Kashi could even issue orders to his horde of shikigami, the banner demons led by Old Five Ma could no longer sit still. Their expressions filled with indignation, rolling up their sleeves and grabbing their weapons, they lunged straight at the night-wandering demons.

The banner demons and the shikigami plunged into a chaotic melee. Amidst the cries of battle, the conflict erupted instantly.

In the distance, Miyamoto Isshin—who had already invited his ancestor's soul to possess his body—along with Kaima Yoshito, skirted around the banner demons on the flank and charged straight toward Ye Yan, bent on capturing the ringleader first.

Faced with their simultaneous charge, Ye Yan showed no sign of panic. With a single lift of his hand, he executed "General Dispatch," absorbing Jin Erpeng, who had been hovering beside him, directly into his body.

Blessed by Jin Erpeng's augmentation, Ye Yan's speed increased by a full thirty percent. With a few ordinary evasive steps, he effortlessly sidestepped their combined flanking and slashing maneuvers.

"Five Directions Trembling Shock"

His body suspended mid-air, the moment he descended from the heights, Ye Yan violently unleashed his technique.

With a single heavy stomp of his foot, the earth shuddered.

Caught off guard, the two adversaries found their footing destabilized by the shockwave, forcing them to retreat step by step to steady their minds.

Even so, the ability Ye Yan relied upon did not inflict devastating damage on the pair. Especially Miyamoto Isshin, who was bolstered by the "Niten Dojo"—he launched a counterattack even before the effects of the "Five Directions Trembling Shock" had entirely faded. Kaima Yoshito was slightly slower, but only by a fraction.

"As expected, they aren't easy to deal with."

Ye Yan murmured inwardly.

The measure of true strength was revealed in the minutest details; the things that could be manifested in the subtleties of combat were always the truest reflection of ability. Whether it was this ancestor of the Miyamoto family or Kaima Yoshito, both of their skills could be considered remarkably formidable. The "Niten Ichi-ryu" certainly lived up to its legendary reputation.

While the two of them combined were somewhat troublesome, to Ye Yan, they were nothing out of the ordinary. After all, being difficult to handle didn't mean they couldn't be handled. The moment Ye Yan activated his Sovereign state, the matter would be resolved in mere minutes.

However, under the constraint of not taking their lives, immediately triggering his Sovereign state was not a wise choice. In his subsequent state of physical exhaustion, Ye Yan would not be able to calmly respond to any unforeseen situations that might arise.

"In that case, I'll use you two to test out my newly acquired toy..."

With that thought, Ye Yan reached up and removed the toad-shaped sunglasses hanging from his collar, slipping them over his eyes.

As the dark lenses covered his face, the world before Ye Yan plunged into pitch-black darkness.

The next second, absolute darkness radiated outward from Ye Yan as the epicenter, erecting his Sovereign Domain around him and enveloping the surrounding hundreds of meters of land within a realm of ultimate shadow.

"Damn it, why did it suddenly turn dark?"
"What just happened?"
"..."

As the ultimate darkness Sovereign Domain locked down the area, panicked voices rang out around Ye Yan—the sources of those cries being Kaima Yoshito and Miyamoto Isshin. Both of them were trapped within the domain's radius, instantly losing their target, their panic a purely reflexive response.

The Sovereign Domain Ye Yan was currently employing was not the one naturally formed by entering his full Sovereign state. Instead, it was a "Pseudo-Sovereign Domain" generated by using the sunglasses sent by Ma Xianhong to plunge himself into absolute darkness. Aside from having a vastly smaller coverage area than a true Sovereign Domain, its other functions were largely identical...

Within this small domain covered by absolute darkness, Ye Yan could manifest himself at any corner swallowed by the shadows.

"Don't panic! Fall back and cover each other!"

The panic lasted only a fleeting moment before the Miyamoto family ancestor—an old monster with a wealth of experience and expertise—quickly recovered his composure. He pressed his back against Kaima Yoshito's to guard against a sudden strike from Ye Yan.

"A decent thought, but unfortunately... completely useless."

Sensing their strategy, Ye Yan let out a light chuckle. If they thought they could counter his Sovereign Domain with such a rudimentary tactic that anyone could imagine, they were being entirely too wishful...

With the Soul-Shaking Hammer in hand, Ye Yan's figure materialized instantly beside Miyamoto Isshin.

With a flick of his wrist, the black-light-swirling Soul-Shaking Hammer was hurled toward his target like a spinning top.

Feeling the rush of air flying toward his face, Miyamoto Isshin instinctively raised his blade to parry.

The instant the blade edge collided with the Soul-Shaking Hammer, Miyamoto Isshin felt an incomparable, monstrous wave of force crash against him, sending him tumbling head over heels backward.

"Not good..."

The moment his body was sent flying backward, Miyamoto Isshin felt his entire arm go numb, his whole body tingling as if struck by lightning. The Miyamoto ancestor possessing Miyamoto Isshin possessed vast combat experience, but alas, Miyamoto Isshin's mortal flesh was far too frail, allowing him to barely harness a fraction of the Niten Dojo's true might.

This was precisely why Miyamoto Isshin had appeared so fragile and vulnerable during their initial clashes.

"Senior, are you alright?"

Seeing Miyamoto Isshin instantly knocked down, Kaima Yoshito anxiously called out to him.

Before his voice could even fade, Ye Yan's figure quietly materialized right beside him. "You'd better worry about yourself first..."

Bang—

Following a heavy, muffled thud, just like Miyamoto Isshin, Kaima Yoshito's body was sent flying backward, rolling twice upon hitting the ground.

Trapped within the Sovereign Domain, the two of them appeared utterly helpless and vulnerable before Ye Yan.

Confined within the darkness, Abe no Island Kashi had not been attacked directly, but the words exchanged by Kaima Yoshito and Miyamoto Isshin had not escaped his ears. His nerves taut to the breaking point, his brain operated at a frantic speed.

"What should I do?"

Ye Yan's formidable strength far exceeded his expectations—and surpassed everyone's expectations.

In the pitch-black darkness, though he could see nothing with his eyes, he could clearly sense that the numbers of his shikigami and hundred ghosts were plummeting at a sheer, cliff-like rate. If this continued, it would not be long before all his shikigami and ghosts were completely wiped out.

Furthermore, trapped within the darkness, Miyamoto Isshin and Kaima Yoshito were clearly being suppressed by Ye Yan; their situation looked grim.

"Could it be that I have to resort to that thing?"

Abe no Island Kashi felt the current situation had grown far too perilous. If he didn't do something drastic, the three of them would truly be defeated by Ye Yan.

Thinking of the promises made by the Hachiboshu and the expectant gazes of his family members as he departed on this journey, Abe no Island Kashi's gaze gradually hardened with resolve.

No matter what, since they had already reached this point, there was no turning back.

He bit his finger, turned around, and pressed his blood-smeared palm against the vertical pupil carved upon the doors. Channeling his spiritual energy mixed with fresh blood directly into the portals of the "Avici Ghost Domain," the doors—which had previously only been cracked open by a sliver—began to widen steadily under the influx of spiritual power. Thick, choking black mist billowed forth, accompanied by heart-rending wails.

Facing the wails and the rolling black fog, Abe no Island Kashi chanted an incantation while standing atop a glowing hexagram formation.

"By the power of the living."
"By the blood of the living."
"Pour into the eternal, undying nether realm."
"My physical body serves as the conduit."
"My fresh blood constructs the bridge."
"O slumbering eight-headed demon..."
"In the name of the son of Abe..."
"Awaken from your sunken slumber!"
"..."

As the lengthy incantation was chanted syllable by syllable, his voice grew increasingly hoarse and low.

Enveloped within the roiling black fog, Abe no Island Kashi's eyes burned with a dense crimson glow.

That red light shimmered, as thick and striking as fresh blood, so intense that even the ultimate darkness of the Sovereign Domain could not obscure it. Enshrouded in the red glow, Abe no Island Kashi currently resembled an unextinguished guiding beacon, or the morning star pointing the way home across the night sky... instantly drawing the gaze of everyone present.

Even Ye Yan was briefly startled.

Because this was the first time anyone had ever managed to manifest a source of light within his Sovereign Domain.

"Roar—!"

As the final, drawn-out syllable of the incantation fell, a deafening roar echoed from within the depths of the ghost domain.

The roar traveled from afar, echoing endlessly like an ancient, slumbering beast crossing the boundless ages to arrive. Just hearing it was enough to make one's hair stand on end.

As the sound faded, a massive serpent's head squeezed its way out of the narrow doorway, followed by a second, a third, a fourth... all the way until the eighth head emerged. Standing amidst the desolate mountain forest was a monstrous, eight-headed serpent.

Its eight massive heads varied in color, but its serpentine body—stretching nearly thirty meters in length—was covered in crimson stripes and dense, fine scales.

Looking up at the towering serpent that had manifested before him, a faint smile appeared on Abe no Island Kashi's pale, exhausted face.

Yamata no Orochi,

Reporting for duty!!!