People in Xumi: I am really not the Dragon King

Chapter 495 Flower Scattering: Aying's final enemy should be her own shadow...

"Om-"

As the elements resonated, under the twilight, the fox-like Divine Cherry gradually lit up, with purple light emerging from its patterns.

Yae Goddess: ???
With the power of the grass element and complete control over the earth's veins, he easily established communication with Shenying's still vaguely nascent consciousness.
Facing the bewildered gaze of a certain pink-furred fox, Lin Feng ignored its inner turmoil and began to gather and concentrate the filth within the earth's veins.

The essence of the so-called resurrection ritual is actually to imprint one's own power into the ley lines, enhance the ability to attract souls, so that the soul is collected the moment it leaves, and then the grass elemental power maintains its original state, causing it to fall into a period of dormancy.

After that, because the complexity of the human body is far less than that of a demon god, and because the soul that recorded the body's information was perfectly preserved,
With the half of the power of water obtained from Navelette and his own power over the grass element, the combined effect of "life" and "evolution" allows him to reshape his body and restore it precisely to its pre-life state.

Unlike Liyue's traditional practice of rescuing people from the brink of death,
If the soul is pulled away just before the body dies completely, and the soul is sealed quickly enough, it will have the ability to be put back into the body and start functioning again, which is close to a "soul separation" state. This saves a lot of effort compared to a true "resurrection".

The biggest problem with the resurrection of the deceased is now almost negligible.

And if something unexpected really does happen, based on past experience, it's highly unlikely that the unfortunate working class on the side of justice will come knocking on their door to investigate any "transgression of the law of life and death."

She might actually take advantage of this rare, legitimate opportunity to slack off and join her slacking-off colleagues at a table.
"Wow--"

With the help of the grass element, the filth that Lin Feng had previously absorbed was temporarily isolated. The Divine Cherry, which was full of pink flowers, stretched out its branches and leaves, grew taller, and even its trunk became much thicker.

"."

Shenying's changes are quite obvious, and the results of this "borrowing" are self-evident.

Although he perfectly used his power to disguise everything before him, so much so that the worshippers below were completely unaware.

But for the pink-haired fox who witnessed the whole thing, the blow was far more than just a little.

—It can be clearly sensed that the condition of the Divine Cherry is rapidly improving, and even the root system beneath the ground is expanding at an astounding pace, vaguely showing a tendency to break through the previous limitations of being linked by the Thunder Cherry and directly spread its main body beyond Narukami Island.
The achievements of hundreds of years have not been as great as those in this short period of time.
Yae no Miko stood aside, feeling a subtle sense of defeat.

Meanwhile, the shadows point towards the south side of Shandong, to the forest that guards it.

As dusk fell, lush forests covered vast stretches of sparsely populated wasteland. The already quiet and secluded atmosphere was further enhanced by the faint mist and specks of blue light, adding to the air of mystery.

As the area with the most strange rumors surrounding Inazuma, the Forest of Guardians always seems to be shrouded in darkness, no matter when you visit.

Although the actual situation differs slightly from the folk legend that it "seales many demons and monsters," the red wooden torii gates at the forest entrance, which have begun to fade, undoubtedly indicate that this is not a realm belonging to mortals.

Beside the cliff, in the center of a hidden cave.

Three tanuki, Inazuma-like yokai with distinctive stripes on their bodies, huddled together cautiously.

Extremely unusual, these three tanuki, who were originally the most fond of playing pranks on people, were not as lively and mischievous as rumored. On the contrary, they seemed to be the ones being pranked by the unknown entity.

"."

Three raccoon dogs, each with a leaf on its head and a different colored bundle on its back, cautiously peeked out and looked around carefully.

Even though their hiding place was extremely safe, the three little ones were still trembling in fear in this cave filled with large, scattered rocks.

"Ugh, a white fox! How terrifying! My magic is completely useless!"

"Golden Pavilion, Silver Pavilion, if I get captured, don't come to rescue me. You must hide well!"

The tanuki, a dark gray creature carrying a red package, huddled in a ball, clearly on the verge of collapse.

"—Abandoning your comrades is against the way of the tanuki!"

"—Tetsunosuke, hang in there! As long as we combine all our strength, we will surely be able to display our might like we did five hundred years ago and successfully deceive the enemy!"

The golden raccoon, who was all gold and seemed to be in a leadership position, was also trembling, but forced himself to cheer up and comfort his companion.

"Ugh, why isn't the demonic power on the 'horn' working? It could even fool that human named Harunosuke Yuugami from five hundred years ago!"

The silver-gray fox opened the blue cloth bag behind it and took out a crimson horn that looked like it had been cut off by something.

Seeing that the power within it had not only not weakened over the past five hundred years, but had even inexplicably increased significantly,
Yin Ge also didn't understand why the "treasure" that had helped them hide for five hundred years couldn't fight against that white fox monster.

"—Don't give up, Ginkaku, Tetsunosuke, even that masked fox demon just now became an accomplice of humans."
But we are the last remaining tanuki spirits! For the sake of our tanuki way, we absolutely cannot be captured by humans to work!

The golden raccoon mustered its courage, even though it had felt the white fox from before was quite frightening.
But remembering the legends of those who were captured by humans to be used as substitutes and who couldn't even sleep at night, she decided to struggle with all her might.

"."

"."

"Hey? Ginkaku, Tetsunosuke, why aren't you saying anything?"

"Golden Pavilion, behind you."

"Oh, the white fox."

I vaguely heard two incomplete sentences, which then disappeared.
The next moment, the white fox tail flashed past the edge of his vision, and everything went black before Jin Ge's eyes, and he completely lost consciousness.

"...Is this the demon horn that holds a part of my lingering resentment?"

"Phew, tanuki are really hard to catch. If it weren't for these 'tree roots' to guide us, it would probably take a long time to find them."

Beside the cave, a clear stream cascades over the rocks, bringing a moist touch to the tranquil forest.

Amidst the soft sound of flowing water, the faint blue fluorescence emitted by the ground plants pierced through the mist, illuminating the delicate face of the newcomer.

"."

A white-haired, fox-eared figure stood in the forest, with three unconscious raccoon dogs floating around him.

He paused briefly, then, following the familiar scent, retrieved the severed demon horn from the baggage on their backs.

Hana Sanri, who came to look for clues, thought about the effort he had put in before and finally understood why these little guys were able to hide for a full five hundred years.

"However, since the roots of the Divine Cherry Blossom are helping me, it seems that the shrine's operation has probably succeeded."

At first, I was just searching randomly according to the general direction, but later I suddenly sensed that the roots of the surrounding divine cherry trees had come alive, providing me with blessings and guiding my way.

I am not surprised by the current result. After all, I think that person's ability is almost omnipotent, and controlling the Divine Sakura should be very easy for him.

After much effort, and seeing that they had finally found the lingering resentment originating from Chiyo herself, the most fundamental step of the resurrection plan had been completed.
Hana Sanri breathed a sigh of relief. After channeling the corrupted demonic energy from the three tanuki into the roots of the Divine Cherry Blossom, she turned around, put on her mask, and prepared to leave.

"Huh? What's this smell?"

"Fresh ramen and fried tofu smell like foxes?!"

"—You stinky fox, is that you back?"

"If you were still alive, you should have come and said hello to us sooner!"

"—Also, our battle of magic isn't over yet! That human brat... he's driving me crazy! Come and remove the spell from Lord Ichizoku!"

"It's not that we can't break the seal ourselves, it's just that you, you stinking fox, still owe us several favors."

"."

As if finally spotting a long-lost figure, the stone statue of a demon fox atop the highest point of the Guardian Forest became more excited than ever before.

Although his body was petrified and he was completely unable to move, the fox demon who called himself "Wu Baizang" was almost unable to control his complaints through the transmission of his demonic magic.

"You stinky fox."

"Phew, Ichizou, you haven't changed at all."

"But... she survived after all. It seems that her competition has come to a conclusion."

Not surprised to hear such a string of complaints, and very clear that the one bombarding him with complaints was the great yokai "Ichizoku" known as the "Hidden God of Life and Death".

Although it enjoys playing pranks, the tanuki's nature isn't inherently bad. Sometimes, it displays a loyalty and courage rarely seen in other yokai, even standing up against seemingly insurmountable enemies for certain reasons, only to die in vain.
"—You stinky fox, come here right now!"

"The game of hide-and-seek is over. No matter what kind of dark monster it is or what kind of stinky hunting dog it is, none of your tricks have lured us out!"

"—After hiding for five hundred years, this time we have achieved a great victory!"

"."

Completely unaware of the dark calamity that occurred five hundred years ago, they only believed it was a spell the stinky fox had mentioned before the game of hide-and-seek was to lure them out.

Although it is currently sealed, it was a rare victory in a competition against the Fox Palace.
Finally, having met the person she could boast about, Hana Sanri heard Goyakuzo's clamoring words non-stop.

"."

Originally, I wanted to leave, but in the end, I reluctantly arrived in front of the huge stone statue.

Before the incredibly excited Ichizo could say anything more after seeing this appearance, Hana-sanri shook her head and interrupted him with her demonic magic:
"It won't be so easy for Five Hundred Treasures to convince me. After all this time, do you still remember what I said five hundred years ago?"

"Hmph, that was an important competition, of course we remember it!"

"No matter what happens, it's all a spell I cast to lure you in. Don't be fooled, don't reveal yourself!"

"We have kept those words firmly in mind!"

Having been completely disconnected from the world for five hundred years, the "dark calamity," the "Inazuma Suffering," and even the current "seclusion policy" and "Eye-hunting Edict" have never happened to it.

I thought it was because my friend had been away for a while and was having so much fun that he forgot about me. I mostly felt like complaining.

"Okay, let's play hide-and-seek again, with the same rules as last time, but this time we'll make it a little more difficult."

"I will break your seal. After that, whatever strange things you see, they are just tricks I use to lure you out with my magic. Once you and the other demon foxes appear, you will lose to me."

"The great demon's recognition isn't so easy to obtain. If you can avoid being found by me within three months, then 'I' will wholeheartedly admit that you've won the game of hide-and-seek."

He stopped explaining and placed the three unconscious fox demons on the stone platform around the Five Hundred Treasures.
The second "Abyss Invasion" still does not intend to involve Goyazo.

Hana Sanri fell silent for a moment, then decided to continue the bet between Kosai-gumi and the other party.

"Kinkaku, Ginkaku, Tetsunosuke? How did they become like this?"

!!!

"—You stinky, stinky fox! Have they already lost to you in the hide-and-seek game?!"

Instantly guessing the specifics, Goro realized that his old rival had likely become much stronger.
But the allure of being "completely convinced" was simply too great. Even with a slight lack of confidence, it still stubbornly insisted, looking at the "Fox Palace" in front of it who was inexplicably wearing a mask:

"Three months? That easy? Even with these little raccoons, we'll still win!"

"And another thing, it's a deal, you can't forget us this time!"

"—If you don't come to see me for three months, then I'll have the little raccoons spread the word everywhere that Lord Ichizou defeated that stinky fox!"

"Ah, then it's a deal."

The name she heard immediately made her sound like a stinky fox, and Hana Sanri almost flew into a rage.
Forcibly suppressing her urge to teach the giant raccoon a lesson, she ultimately just silently adjusted the time for lifting the seal to half a month later.

"Then I'm leaving, Gobaikō. Don't forget our promise."

"Hmph, we will definitely win this time!"

"."

"—By the way, you stinky fox, why do you always wear a mask? Could it be that you lost last time and are too embarrassed to come see me?"

After chatting for so long, and once the excitement subsided, Gosho realized that the "Fox Temple" in front of him had been wearing a mask the whole time.

Although it's not surprising that a fox would do anything, she would never have done this when she saw me before.
"nothing."

"Let's just say it's not my turn to meet you yet. After all, if it were a true 'reunion,' it should be something more meaningful."

"Oh? So you're happy to see me too, you stinking fox. I'll forgive you a little."

"."

The sounds behind them faded into the distance, and the delayed seal-breaking incantation was completed.

I'm so glad the tanuki can continue to be carefree like this. But thinking about the "strategy meeting" I'll be participating in next, Hana Sanri's feelings are still a bit complicated:

—The filth within the roots of the Divine Cherry Tree was not purified, but rather became more solidified and powerful through continuous absorption and isolation.

If her deduction is correct, these filths, which embody the fears of the Inatsume people, may ultimately become the enemy that Ayane will have to confront.
That is, the "shadow" that she most needs to overcome, which carries all her past fears.

(End of this chapter)