The Great Master of Gensokyo

On the carriage, Saigyouji Hanyu looked at his status bar with satisfaction.

"The improvement of the 'Spell of Annihilation' is the fastest. The basic spell has reached Lv2, and the other main skills have also been mastered."

Mastering the main skills meant he had the ability to protect himself as an Onmyoji, and he had made rapid progress in the past few days.

The old Onmyoji was also surprised. Saigyouji Yuusuke's learning ability was too fast. He could even seal spiritual power in talismans.

The function of the talisman is merely to serve as a medium, allowing the Onmyoji to more effectively activate Onmyo magic.

This originates from the ancient Chinese Taoist practice, and borrows the talismanic framework of Taoist practices.

"Perhaps there really are geniuses in this world." Kamo no Tadayuki felt that he should give this disciple a higher evaluation; he was the second best after Seimei.

After spending these days together, Kamo no Tadashi had this feeling.

"Master, how much longer until we reach Heian-kyo?" Saigyouji Yuusuke, who had been immersed in the system, quickly returned to reality.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. Heian-kyo was the largest capital city in Japan, and its architectural style, learned from the Tang Dynasty, meant that this ancient capital retained much of the Tang Dynasty's influence.

"Once we cross two mountains, it will be soon."

The journey was relatively peaceful, and we didn't encounter any monsters.

This is also why they set off during the day, as they rarely encounter monsters during the day.

"But things will get a bit more complicated once night falls." Kamo no Tadashi drove the carriage, while the evening glow outside was clearly visible.

"Nightfall?" Saigyouji Hanyu, puzzled, looked at Kamo Tadayasu.

"A hundred demons parade at night," Kamo no Tadayuki replied.

The legendary Night Parade of One Hundred Demons occurs at night. Nighttime is the time when yokai are most active, and dusk marks the beginning of the Twilight Hour.

"A yokai? Are we about to truly see the existence of a yokai?" Saigyouji Hanyu's face showed a rather expectant look.

“I’ve never truly seen a yokai before, Master Kamo,” Saigyouji Habu said, looking eager to try. “If there’s a battle, may I participate?”

"Don't act recklessly. You can't just deal with monsters like that. Even though you've mastered the basics of Yin-Yang magic, you might not be able to harm a monster."

Kamo no Tadayuki frowned slightly, reminding Saigyouji Habu. His disciple was incredibly talented, but lacked any reverence for demons and monsters.

“Nighttime is when yokai are at their strongest, and there’s more than one yokai that appears.” Kamo Tadayuki chuckled and glanced at Saigyouji Habu inside the car. “Your abilities are not strong enough yet; you must have reverence for the unknown.”

"The monsters in this world are classified into weak monsters based on their strength. They may have a physical body or be intangible, but they can affect the material world."

"A mid-level yokai is a being that has cultivated a physical body. Its strength is much greater than that of a weak yokai. It would take multiple Onmyoji working together to deal with it."

"High-level demons are true leaders of demons in a region, capable of ruling over an area, but I am capable of dealing with these kinds of demons."

"The most powerful of these great demons possess the power to move mountains and fill seas, while the weakest can still flatten mountains and cause earthquakes."

Kamo no Tadayuki's words greatly surprised Saigyouji Habu: "In that case, wouldn't a great yokai be a god? They could completely control the human world, right?"

"This power is enough to rule the human world," Saigyouji Hanyu voiced his question.

"It's different. Monsters live off the fear of humans. No matter how powerful they are, they can't rule over humans because there needs to be a distance between monsters and humans."

"Otherwise, their existence would no longer be feared by humans. Coupled with the limitations of heaven and earth, no monster could possibly control the human race."

Kamo no Tadayuki was somewhat surprised that Saigyouji Hanyu had thought of this.

"Do you know why the gods of ancient times disappeared? It's because humans no longer have reverence for the ancient gods. The ancient gods relied on human faith, and because of the limitations imposed by human faith, they no longer exist."

For Saigyouji Hanyu, the history of gods and monsters, which he had never heard of before, was presented through the mouth of Kamo no Tadayuki.

"Just as humans created gods of land, wind, rain, and thunder to pray for favorable weather, humans were born out of ignorance, but civilization and enlightenment have made it unnecessary for them to have gods..."

Humans are the true masters of the planet, but they are simply unaware of it.

Just as monsters exist because humanity's current knowledge and understanding cannot comprehend why these things exist.

One side of the world was truly presented to Saigyouji Hanyu.

"It is the unknown that is frightening. It is the unknown that gives rise to fantastical things."

"To become an Onmyoji, the first thing you need to do is overcome your fear of the unknown."

As dusk fell, strange things gradually appeared in the dense forest.

"Be careful, and remember not to get out of the car," He Maozhong reminded him, his gaze gradually turning cold.

Author's message:

P.S.: w(?Д?)w Chapter 5 suddenly disappeared, so I deleted and reposted it. Sorry.

Chapter Eight: Jorogumo

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

The faint sound of a woman weeping could be heard as Kamo no Tadayuki looked around and stepped down from the carriage.

"Barrier".

The talisman burst into flames as it left his hand, and a pale blue barrier, surprising Saigyouji Hanyu, gradually surrounded the carriage.

"Remember, no matter what happens, don't come out," Kamo no Tadashi told his disciple, reminding him.

Saigyouji Hanyu nodded, and he too felt the chill around him.

"The temperature is dropping too fast." Saigyouji Hanyu frowned, sensing a great danger that seemed to be about to strike.

Under the moonlight, a red moon appeared.

"Giggle."

A woman's laughter echoed through the dense forest, and beneath her white hair, a stunningly beautiful face came into view.

"Jorogumo?" Kamo no Tadayuki's expression seemed to change, and he took a breath.

"Master..."

Scary.

In this atmosphere, Saigyouji Hanyu understood for the first time why it was said to overcome the fear of the unknown.

Because the existence of monsters is something that transcends human common sense.

"A good body, a great body, could make a wonderful puppet."

"That's really great, that's awesome!"

A brown spider flashed by in the moonlight, its strangeness going unnoticed by anyone, as it approached Saigyouji Hanyu and Kamo Tadashi.

Danger is imminent.

"Kundali Myo-o Mantra—" Kamo no Tadayuki clasped his hands together, and the spiritual power within his body seemed to ignite at that moment.

The image of the enlightened king is revealed at this moment.

The complex incantation was recited as Kamo no Tadayuki clasped his hands together, while Saigyouji Habu watched the scene unfold before him.

This is a battle belonging to the Onmyoji.

"boom."

Behind Kamo no Tadayuki, the phantom of Kundali Myōō appeared, and with a gentle clap of his hand, the image of Kundali Myōō behind him seemed to come to life.

The spider died the moment it got close.

The spider's power was utterly insignificant. The yokai known as Jorogumo let out a sinister laugh.

"Disappeared?"

Saigyouji Hanyu stared wide-eyed, while Kamo Tadayuki, seemingly oblivious, closed his eyes.

"What interesting humans. They're actually two Onmyoji? If I devour them, I'll be able to obtain even better spiritual power."

Jorogumo laughed, her voice echoing around them.

"Witness, humankind, what fear truly is."

The next moment, just as Jorogumo finished speaking, a huge net enveloped her.

"You can't escape."

Jorogumo seemed certain that Kamo no Tadashi's party would fail.

flame!

At that moment, flames ignited from Kamo no Tadayuki's body, and his incantation changed.

"This is... the Fudo Myo-o Minor Mantra?" Saigyouji Yuzuru recognized the technique used by Kamo no Tadayuki, as it originated from one of the Fudo Myo-o Fire Realm Mantras.

The spider silk of the Jorogumo is so tough that even the hardest steel knife cannot cut through it, but the huge web directly burst into flames when it met Kamo no Tadayuki's Fire Boundary Curse.

Boom!

A white figure quickly emerged from the dense forest.

"Hmph." Kamo no Tadayuki snorted coldly and raised his hand, "Immortal Path: Hitting an Ox Through a Mountain".

Punch!

The vast spiritual energy exploded rapidly in the air, and the white figure turned to ashes in a short time.

However, even more monsters emerged from the dense forest at this moment.

"If one can't take you down, then a dozen or twenty are nothing more than a mere Onmyoji."

"Your disciple tastes even better than you, you old codger! I really want to eat him, hahaha."

As Jorogumo's voice rang out, Kamo no Tadayuki frowned, and Saigyouji Hanyuu, feeling his hair stand on end, felt a chill run down his spine at being targeted.

"Am I considered Tang Monk's flesh?" Saigyouji Yuusuke, both amused and exasperated, did not get off the carriage.

He believed that his master was fully capable of solving the problem, because his master was a true master of Yin and Yang.

"How many people did you kill? Did you turn them all into your puppets?"

Kamo no Tadashi was taken aback when about twenty human figures appeared in his field of vision.

They are already dead, having become Jorogumo's puppets. And these humans can also be considered Jorogumo's bodies.

“It’s not easy to keep a good body. How many humans are there? How can you even count them all?” Jorogumo smiled and replied to Kamo Tadashi, “I don’t like you, you old man.”

"Although eating you would probably be hard to swallow, the nourishing taste of your spiritual energy would make up for a lot of my energy expenditure."

"As for your apprentice, the little kid you're protecting, I'll take good care of him after you die."

Words spoken calmly sounded especially terrifying on this night.

Kamo no Tadayuki's expression seemed to grow increasingly somber as he gazed at the people around him, a sense of sorrow washing over him.

"Hanyu, you've seen it for yourself, haven't you? This is the cruelty of yokai." Kamo Tadashi said loudly to Saigyouji Hanyu, the cruelty of the yokai world being shown to Saigyouji Hanyu for the first time.

"These guys are ruthless monsters, anomalies that cannot coexist with humans. So when we encounter these monsters, it is our duty as Onmyoji to exterminate them all."

Why do monsters eat people?

Because of fear, humans are made to dread monsters. And the more powerful this fear becomes, the stronger the monsters themselves will grow.

Moreover, human flesh and blood are the best food.

The evolution of demons relies on human flesh and blood to rapidly increase their demonic power. For some high-ranking demons who yearn to become stronger and even become great demons, it is inevitable that they will stray onto this evil path.

Such evolution is unstable, but it is also the fastest to show results.

"Yes, Master." Saigyouji Yuusuke nodded, clenching his fist.

This physical aversion made Saigyouji Hanyu look in the direction of Kamo no Tadayuki, and the next moment, the many white-haired figures swarmed towards Kamo no Tadayuki.

Aside from the human bodies used as puppets, there are numerous brown spiders, which is a true case of trypophobia.

The scene before my eyes sent chills down my spine.

"Out of control."

The incantation was changed again; this time it was no longer the Acala Minor Mantra, but the true Acala Fire Realm Mantra.

As night fell, flames ignited.

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