Chapter 74: The Onmyoji, Part 4

At this moment, Ampei Seizuka’s gaze toward Xiao Yu seethed with intense murderous intent. Xiao Yu understood all too well why Ampei Seizuka harbored such hatred; after all, they both shared the same thought at this very instant.

Suddenly, Ampei Seizuka’s figure flickered in midair, appearing above Xiao Yu. The serpentine sword in his hand gathered a tremendous power, exuding a suffocating, dark aura. In the blink of an eye, this sinister force slashed downward, aiming to cleave Xiao Yu’s head.

Sensing this overwhelming force, Xiao Yu finally grew serious. His body trembled, and his obsidian eyes turned blood-red. An almost tangible killing intent erupted from him, rushing forth to meet Ampei Seizuka’s sword energy. The dense aura of slaughter collided, dispersing the dark sword energy in midair.

As their powers canceled each other out, Ampei Seizuka once again flickered, deploying illusion arts of the perfected realm. Four figures, each wielding a serpentine sword, descended around Xiao Yu, encircling him on all sides.

Trapped in the center, Xiao Yu’s long black hair whipped wildly in the raging wind. A bloodthirsty smile curled his lips, and with his crimson eyes, he appeared eerily uncanny.

The four shadowy figures surrounding Xiao Yu raised their swords and launched an attack. Xiao Yu, however, ignored these illusions. With a swift movement, he shot upward.

Ampei Seizuka, standing above, let out a deranged laugh as Xiao Yu approached, then vanished into thin air, instantly merging with one of the shadows below.

Ampei Seizuka’s movements did not escape Xiao Yu’s notice. Just as Ampei Seizuka fused with the shadow, Xiao Yu halted his ascent, spun around, and thrust his sword.

His speed was astonishing—within less than a minute, he had stabbed over a hundred times. Faced with Xiao Yu’s relentless assault, Ampei Seizuka had no choice but to fuse and move continuously among the four shadows.

In the end, even Xiao Yu could no longer discern which shadow was the true Ampei Seizuka.

From a distance, the Ninja Emperor watched the battle dumbfounded. Only now did he realize that Xiao Yu had held back when fighting him. If Xiao Yu had unleashed such power from the start, the Ninja Emperor would have been shredded by sword energy long ago.

Nearby, Yoshiko Yamamoto stared at Xiao Yu in terror. She had not expected that the so-called Flame Summer War King was indeed as Watanabe had described—someone not to be provoked. Despite all warnings, she had captured Ye Xuemei to force Xiao Yu to appear.

If not for Ampei Seizuka’s arrival as an Onmyoji, she, the Princess of Sakura Country, would have met her ancestors already.

In midair, Ampei Seizuka darted about, finally finding an opening to glide aside and meet Xiao Yu’s gaze. Anger simmered within him; this was the first time in his career someone had driven him to such a point.

Xiao Yu stared intently at Ampei Seizuka. Though he held the advantage just moments ago, he did not relax. An Onmyoji could not possibly possess only this level of power. Moreover, Ampei Seizuka was a rare genius, able to match titans like Dizang and Feng Qingge. If this were all he had, it would be laughable.

Yet, as Xiao Yu recognized Ampei Seizuka’s formidable strength, he found himself deeply intrigued by the illusion arts of the Onmyoji.

“You are a worthy opponent, deserving of my full strength. Next, I will show you the true power of Onmyoji illusions!”

As Xiao Yu’s thoughts raced, Ampei Seizuka’s voice, brimming with fighting spirit, echoed from all directions. Even Xiao Yu could not pin down Ampei Seizuka’s exact location.

Xiao Yu frowned deeply, his long-dormant battle spirit surging forth. His scarlet gaze swept slowly across the four illusory figures of Ampei Seizuka, and he said coldly, “Illusions are too ornate—unworthy of the martial path I pursue. For me, true martial arts are summed up in one word: kill! Kill gods if they block me! Kill Buddhas if they stand in my way!”

As his words fell, Xiao Yu’s figure vanished from midair. This disappearance caused Ampei Seizuka to glance over, though he remained calm. Whether he was the original or an illusion, he stood quietly, observing everything around him.

Time passed, but Xiao Yu did not reappear as Ampei Seizuka had expected. Ampei Seizuka grew curious—could Xiao Yu have fled?

Minutes ticked by, and Ampei Seizuka still saw no sign of Xiao Yu. The situation had become unpredictable. Seeing Xiao Yu’s continued absence, the shadow that had surrounded him waved its hand—the true Ampei Seizuka.

With that gesture, the other three illusions dissipated, leaving only Ampei Seizuka himself standing silently in midair.

At that moment, as Ampei Seizuka scanned the surroundings for Xiao Yu, a surge of sword energy erupted from the void. Xiao Yu’s vanished figure slowly materialized above the spot where he once stood.

Startled, Ampei Seizuka instantly flickered away, and the powerful sword energy missed its mark. Turning around, Ampei Seizuka saw Xiao Yu step forward, appearing right before him.

“Shrinking the earth to an inch!”

Witnessing Xiao Yu’s supreme movement technique, Ampei Seizuka was astonished. This art had vanished for centuries, yet Xiao Yu had just performed it.

Seeing Xiao Yu so close, Ampei Seizuka retreated, but Xiao Yu seemed to anticipate his every move, following seamlessly. No matter how Ampei Seizuka tried to evade, Xiao Yu’s form shadowed his every step.

Realizing his technique had been deciphered, Ampei Seizuka abandoned dodging and struck out with his palm. A formidable force swept toward Xiao Yu like a tidal wave.

Xiao Yu did not shrink back; he struck with his own palm. As his right hand moved, a giant golden palm formed from radiant light appeared before him, and from the void came the solemn chanting of Buddhist scripture.

“A supreme Buddhist art! Bodhi Vajra Palm!”