Chapter 329

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Chapter 329: At This Moment, the Feast Begins

Hokusinn Kichyō gracefully wielded her sword, while the Nine-Syllable Blade shimmered with a touch of divine aura.

Unlike Kuya, she, as a half-human deity, possessed divine energy that originated from the mountain gods.

Half of Kamitsumiwoikirihime’s divine essence had already peeled away during the transference of souls, returning to Hokusinn Kichyō, while the other half remained in this place.

The mountain god and the water god, two living deities, seemed destined to have some kind of preordained fate.

Hokusinn Kichyō gently touched the blade, "Is there anything you wish to explain?"

Kuya shook her head, "There’s nothing for me to say to you. Even if I ask you to step aside, you won’t agree."

Hokusinn Kichyō said, "Actually, I don’t dislike you."

Kuya replied, "Then please don’t stop me."

"I can’t allow that," Hokusinn Kichyō said. "Kamitsumiwoikirihime cannot die."

"There is no one who cannot die," Kuya’s expression under the mask seemed mocking. "Including you and me."

"Yes, indeed. Everyone can die, so now I have to protect myself."

Hokusinn Kichyō’s sword blade trembled lightly and she said, "Hokusinn Itto-ryu, a style passed down through generations… Hokusinn Kichyō, ready!"

Kuya coldly looked at Hokusinn Kichyō and said, "I don’t have any fancy titles to announce to you!"

She swung her sword, unleashing a vivid blue sword aura. In a flash, the entire shrine was filled with dazzling and mesmerizing currents.

Two swords, one white and one blue, clashed and collided within the shrine, resembling a sacred dance.

…

Kokonohana Nori found herself in the realm of the underworld. She spent the entire day familiarizing herself with her surroundings, but to her surprise, her physical condition remained unaffected.

In the nights of the past, on the evening of December 15th, she would be tormented by pain, unable to sleep throughout the night. The witch’s lullaby echoed in her ears constantly.

Just like walking on a tightrope, if she wasn’t careful even for a moment, she would lose her balance and fall into a deep abyss. Today, her situation hasn’t actually changed at all, but the tightrope beneath her feet has transformed into a wide open road, a smooth highway, with the addition of a protective railing for her peace of mind.

She gently touched her forehead, and could feel golden particles of light radiating from the spot her fingertips brushed against. With just a simple blessing, the influence of the red moon was kept at bay. It was only at this moment that Kokonohana Nori truly understood the sense of security in which the protected witches lived.

She composed herself, no longer dwelling on it. There were more important matters at hand. The passage to the underworld had already opened. This place was a massive maze, but tonight, certain dead ends and dead-ends had been connected, leading to a naturally-formed space in between.

She had been avoiding the Hundred Demons Party and a group of curious monsters along the way, bending down and sneaking around. Afterwards, she found the traces left behind by the sword witch here.

Afterwards, she followed the traces and continued forward, eventually discovering a…

"Dungeon?"

Kokonohana Nori was feeling uneasy. She hid in the bushes, waiting for the monster to pass by. Swiftly, she moved behind it, twisting its neck and crushing its soul.

She swiftly dealt with the patrolling guards, making use of the sinister blood of the monsters to disguise herself. With the disguise of a food delivery person, she entered the depths of the dungeon.

As she ventured deeper into the dungeon, there were only a few guards around. This was because tonight, a large number of monsters had gone out hunting.

Kokonohana Nori looked into the dungeon and indeed, there were a considerable number of people imprisoned inside. Some were tourists, while others were residents of the village.

"That will do, please deliver it here."

The monster guarding them was a stitched-up creature. It motioned for her not to come any closer and shook the fat on its belly. Grumbling, it said, "They all went to join the Ghost Feast, leaving me here to watch, and not even allowing me to taste human flesh…"

"So, you haven’t eaten yet?" the funeral attendant asked.

"I didn’t eat, but in a little while, when the handover comes, I will also go and take a bite of Qianshi’s wedding wine."

"Is that so? You haven’t eaten? Well…" Kokonohana Nori said, "Please open your mouth, I have something delicious for you."

"Oh? What is this good thing? Did you bring me something kind-hearted?" the caretaker exclaimed with surprise, just as he opened his mouth.

A sharp sword stabbed into its mouth, piercing through the mouth and the back of its head. With a lift upward, and a press downward.

"If you haven’t eaten, then have a taste of my sword," she retracted her weapon.

With the death of the demonly caretaker, the people trapped within the surrounding cages began to stir.

"Please calm down," Kokonohana Nori said in a deep voice. "Everyone, if you wish to leave safely, please follow my instructions. If there’s too much noise and commotion, none of us will be able to escape!"

She removed her disguise, revealing her true appearance, and instantly she was recognized.

"Funeral attendant?"

"Mizuko?"

Kokonohana Nori hurriedly walked up to a cage, swung her sword and shattered the iron lock. Inside the cage, she found her unharmed.

Lying next to them was Saki Jingūji.

"Thank goodness, all of you are safe," the funeral attendant breathed a sigh of relief and gave a comforting hug to the bewildered Mizuko with a confused expression on her face. "So, what exactly happened?"

"It was actually …"

Kiriko Mizuko began telling the story of what happened after the sword witches split up to investigate.

After Saki Jingūji and Kiriko Mizuko, both sword witches, entered the Netherworld, they too became lost here.

Jingūji relied on her rudimentary understanding of the Heroic Spirit Principle to barely withstand the poisonous mist of the Netherworld. However, Mizuko couldn’t manage the same. She nearly succumbed to the poison after just a day.

In order to rescue her comrades, Saki Jingūji selflessly sacrificed her own spiritual power and absorbed the poison from the Netherworld into her own body. She attempted to forcefully digest it with the Heroic Spirit Principle, but the result was a damaged soul, causing her to fall into a state of unconsciousness.

Kiriko Mizuko was running around like a headless fly in the Underworld labyrinth, but luckily, she stumbled upon a spatial interstice.

Fortunately, if her luck had been slightly worse, she would have remained trapped in the Underworld, completely without any fighting ability, waiting to be discovered by demons and devoured alive.

Even though they managed to temporarily evade the poisonous miasma of the Underworld, the traces they left along the way were erased, forcing them to stay here.

Here, there were a lot of demons, and it was only a matter of time before they were discovered. What’s even more important is that they were running out of water and food.

Kiriko Mizuko had no choice but to pretend to be an ordinary person. She willingly allowed herself to be captured by the demons and disguised herself as a captive to obtain food and water.

Although imprisoned in a dungeon, she was a sword witch. Such facilities may confine ordinary people, but they couldn’t hold her. She had received specialized training in overcoming such obstacles.

Kiriko Mizuko’s plan was to wait for Jingūji to awaken and recover, hoping for their comrades to arrive and join forces before making their escape together.

This was the correct judgment, for outside, two more experienced sword witches, Igarashi Shimizu and Yoshine Ise, were present.

In her view, only two or three days had passed, and she could still wait for at least another week.

However, she made a mistake in her judgment. Firstly, she didn’t realize that the place she was in was not a normal timeline, but a rift in time and space. Secondly, she didn’t anticipate how rapidly things were changing outside, with even the funeral attendants rushing to catch up.

After Kokonohana Nori spoke briefly, Kiriko Mizuko’s face instantly turned pale. She was almost trapped here forever.

"How did you manage to navigate through the Underworld labyrinth?" Kiriko Mizuko asked.

"This…," Kokonohana Nori paused for a moment, "I guess it was the protection of the deities."

Nori found it very difficult just to understand how it worked, let alone analyze and unravel its secrets. Nori could only attribute this to the great power of the deities.

Upon careful reflection, the Underworld labyrinth had claimed the lives of many who dared to venture inside.

Kamitsumiwoikirihime was trapped and met her demise here, Bai Wei and Hokusinn Kichyō narrowly escaped being trapped here, and several sword witches came close to being entrapped here.

And the one who unraveled the mysteries of the Underworld labyrinth was not some mystical figure, but rather a father who, through twenty years of hard work, slowly discovered the answers.

If it weren’t for Rokuro Shimura, the Underworld labyrinth would not have been conquered; Bai Wei would have been powerless, and the sword witches would have most likely been trapped here forever.

If Bai Wei were here, he would surely solemnly correct her mistake. It was not the shelter of the gods, but rather the perseverance and profound love of mortal wisdom.

"Funeral attendant, what should we do next?"

"Wait," said Kokonohana Nori. She spoke a single word and waited for the signal before taking action to vanquish the demon spirits. Acting too soon would risk alerting them.

Just like conducting a night raid on a military camp and setting fire from within, it is important to coordinate the timing properly.

She glanced at the still-sleeping Saki Jingūji and felt a sense of worry about how to report this to Bai Wei when they returned. With a sigh, she withdrew her gaze.

Then, a golden light shimmered at her forehead and an electric current ran down her spine.

She said, "The time has come."

The traces left behind by the demon she had just slain had been discovered by patrolling guards. Upon hearing footsteps, she waved her sleeve and a red crystal shot through the air, piercing straight through the demon that had just entered the dungeon. In an instant, it erupted, engulfing the demon like a high-explosive grenade. The aftermath rippled out, causing her sleeves to flutter and the surroundings to echo with the sound of cracking.

She gently patted the forehead of Kiriko Mizuko, who was still nibbling on a hard steamed bun.

"Do you want to go to the town and eat noodles after winning, or do you want to keep nibbling on this stale and sour steamed bun?"

Kiriko Mizuko thought for a moment and then slapped the steamed bun onto the ground. She drew out her sword and Saki Jingūji’s sword.

"For a good meal! I competed with them!"

…

Sengoku Shrine.

The awaited wedding procession, which Black Snake Sengoku fervently anticipated, had arrived. Of course, love was not what it desired. For in this moment, it felt like a noble king seated upon a throne, awaiting the presentation of its once-held authority and crown by its loyal subjects.

As the wedding procession carried on with raised sedan chairs, the figure of the White Snake dissipated like a bubble as it approached the final ten meters.

In place of the White Snake stood a young man. He sat with his left leg crossed over, his right leg upright, and his right hand resting on his knee. He kept his head slightly lowered, and nobody could make out his expression.

After Black Snake recognized the newcomer, its body immediately stiffened. In the next moment, a sharp pain shot through its forehead, and blood spattered.

The young man leaped down from a high place, his face bathed in the glow of the crimson full moon.

"The stage is set, the lights are ready, and the guests have arrived."

"All the demons, demons, and spirits, feast! It has begun…!"