Hogwarts Summoning Guide

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Although Yanyanluo felt a pang of pity seeing Ashiya Dōman still bound by the large black net, she dared not lay a hand on Hakurin. She could only pray that the two sides could turn hostility into friendship.

Ashiya Daoman took a few breaths, uttered a Buddhist chant, and then said, "In recent months, His Majesty has been staying in the deep palace and has not attended court. The harem and the imperial guards have been effectively controlled by the empress's relatives. Lord Xianguang is walking on thin ice, which is why I brought this humble monk to see the Daoist Master..."

Fujiwara Akimitsu replied, "That was half a month ago. Although my cousin and I disagree on politics, we are still of the Fujiwara clan. Even if we have grudges, we will never fight to the death, which would only make the Minamoto clan laugh at us..." He glanced at Minamoto no Hiromasa, looking as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Ashiya Dōman continued, "This humble monk noticed that the Daoist Master's expression was strange, as if he were possessed by a ghost..."

"Shut up! Nonsense!" Seimei suddenly shouted, "Just half a month ago, the Daoist priest was in high spirits; he must have made great progress in his alchemy. How could he be possessed by any ghosts!"

Ashiya Dōman sighed and said, "There is no magic pill to restore youth. It's just a fox demon's trick. It's just that you, Lord Akihime, are too blinded by your own involvement..." The implication was that Seimei was only half a fox demon, which was why he couldn't see through it.

Seimei was somewhat embarrassed and angry, but Bai Lin quickly restrained him and let Ashiya Dōman continue.

Ashiya Dōman said, "Lord Kenkō was worried about Lord Dōjō's safety, so he asked me to perform a divination. Who knew that halfway through the ritual, Lord Uesugi barged in with his troops and started fighting without asking any questions. It is truly a sin, a sin..."

Before Qingming could rebuke him further, Bai Lin asked him, "Did you receive a message from the inner palace that day before leading your troops there?"

Upon hearing this, Seimei felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his forehead. His face turned pale, and he became unsteady on his feet. Minamoto no Hiromasa quickly steadied him, which showed how deeply he was moved.

Bai Lin didn't press him further. With a wave of his hand, he dispelled the large net formed by the shadow chains, then released Song Quan from his ice seal, and asked, "Let me ask you, did the Demon Slayer Corps secretly receive support from the harem? Whether it was funding or intelligence? Did it include the true identity of Seimei?"

Song Quan had indeed been completely "calmed" by the icy rays, his face turning ashen, but he gritted his teeth and admitted it. He wasn't stupid; after thinking about it carefully, he knew that the harem had no good intentions.

Bai Lin shrugged and said, "Fujiwara no Takeko, or rather Tamamo-no-Mae, wants to incite your various factions to fight each other in order to achieve her ultimate goal!"

Subsequently, Bai Lin and Minamoto no Hiromasa revealed the entire conspiracy surrounding Tamamo-no-Mae in turn. Seimei, Ashiya Dōman, and the others looked at each other in dismay, but in the end, they accepted the reality.

Bai Lin continued, "Given the current situation, why don't you all temporarily set aside past grievances and resolve the crisis in Kyoto first?" He didn't have much affection for Japan either, and he couldn't bring himself to say anything about protecting the Emperor or other acts of loyalty. However, he had already made his point clear, and even if Seimei was hostile to Fujiwara no Akimitsu's faction, he had to admit that dealing with Tamamo-no-Mae was more important at the moment.

As everyone discussed their strategy, Yanyanluo stepped forward. Her voice was calm yet magnetic, quite pleasant to listen to. She said, "My lords, I originally didn't want to interrupt... but I'm afraid if you delay any longer, the Yaksha will reach the Mingzun's seal!"

Bai Lin didn't seem to care much about the words "Mingzun's Seal," but both Seimei and Ashiya Dōman were shocked. Seimei exclaimed in surprise, "The Yaksha has also arrived at Karesan?"

Bai Lin said, "That's right, he was just trying to take Fujiwara no Naka de' Medici's life. By the way, he has the Ame-no-Murakumo sword!"

"What?!" Seimei and Ashiya Dōman were shocked, followed by Minamoto no Hiromasa exclaiming, "Oh no! He's going to undo the Orochi's Fall!"

Amidst this explosive news, several groups of people, much faster than Bai Lin had anticipated, put aside their past grievances, joined forces, and headed deep into the Dry Mountain. Along the way, Minamoto no Hiromasa explained to Bai Lin the secrets of the Three Sacred Treasures and the fall of Orochi.

As is widely known, the Three Sacred Treasures are divine objects bestowed upon the T-Emperor clan by the gods, representing imperial and divine authority. The Yasakani no Magatama is the personal treasure of Amaterasu, the Yata no Kagami is the magical artifact of Tsukuyomi, and the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was a gift from Susanoo. However, the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi differs from the other two. It is not Susanoo's personal sword, but rather a remnant of the spine he extracted from the tail of Yamata no Orochi during his battle with the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi. Strictly speaking, it is not a divine weapon, but a demonic sword.

The head of the Yamata no Orochi is a manifestation of its Dharma form, so a head can be cut off and immediately grow back. However, it only has one tail, which is where its inner core is located. Without the tail, the eight heads cannot regenerate. It was sealed by Susanoo deep in the dry mountain, which is the site of the Orochi's demise. Susanoo set up layers of restrictions there. Not to mention mortals and beasts, even demigods with high magical power cannot break through the seal even a little bit, unless a divine artifact opens the way.

After obtaining the Kusanagi Sword, Yasha also considered using the divine sword to create unparalleled achievements. If he had killed Minamoto no Yorimitsu in the Battle of Mount Ōe, Yasha's fame would have soared, and all the demons in Japan would have flocked to join his ranks. At that time, with a strong army, Yasha could have marched directly to Kyoto and even become the emperor himself.

Unfortunately, Bai Lin's plans were ruined by an unexpected turn of events. First, he injured Yasha's left-hand demon, Momiji, then defeated his right-hand demon, Takiya (who was unaware that Takiya had been turned and controlled by Tamamo-no-Mae). He then rescued Minamoto no Yorimitsu and the others from the Kusanagi Sword, causing Yasha to fail at the last moment and become a stray dog. The hatred in Yasha's heart was as endless as the Yangtze River.

In the end, Yasha naturally made a decision: to release the seal on Orochi and let Orochi destroy all his enemies.

Bai Lin shook his head. Although Yaksha had ambitions to rule the world, he was really simple-minded, like a chuunibyou boy. He had no adult shrewdness or wisdom. He was used as a pawn by Tamamo-no-Mae without realizing it. He didn't even think about why Tamamo-no-Mae sent someone to give him the divine sword. Was it because she saw that he had extraordinary bones and the appearance of an emperor?

The primeval forest of Kusan seemed to stretch endlessly. The deeper they went, the more the fog and miasma that the forest itself contained became, even without the smoke of Yanyanluo. The sky was filled with dark clouds, making it impossible to see the sun. The group could no longer distinguish east from west.

"In that direction!" Yanyanluo, who had kept her distance from the others but had been following the main group, shouted to Bailin in the air.

This matter should have had nothing to do with her, but she seemed to have some unspeakable reason, and inexplicably joined their camp with the Hair-Eating Demon. However, there were some benefits, at least Song Quan no longer had the mind to continue chasing them.

Bai Lin nodded. Following Yan Yanluo's finger, he could see a deep canyon in the jungle, as if a bolt of lightning had split the earth open, steep and profound.