Chapter 353: Divine Art Sealing Technique Combination; Miroku: My Future Is Connected to You [HN]

Deep within the secluded valley behind the capital of the Land of Demons.

The atmosphere here was even more oppressive than outside, and the air was filled with the complex aura of ancient seals intertwined with endless resentment.

At the end of the valley stood an ancient shrine built against the mountain, its simple stone structure covered with the marks of time and profound runes.

This was the true location where the soul core of the demon Mōryō had been sealed for generations.

Chiya and Miroku appeared at the entrance of the shrine.

Miroku’s face was still somewhat pale, but her eyes were unusually determined. In her hands, she held a jewel emitting a gentle white light.

This was a sacred artifact passed down through generations of shrine maidens, used to strengthen the seal and purify evil.

“Mōryō’s soul core is sealed in the deepest part of the shrine.”

Miroku’s voice carried a faint tremble. It was not fear, but the heavy sense of responsibility and instinctive rejection of this dark power that came from deep within her bloodline.

“Although it is sealed, it has become even more violent and is trying to find a new vessel…”

“Don’t worry.”

Chiya spoke calmly and stepped into the shrine first.

The interior was dimly lit, with only a few glowing minerals embedded in the walls providing faint illumination.

The deeper they went, the stronger the cold, deathly pressure filled with endless resentment became, as if it wanted to freeze their souls and drag them into an endless abyss.

At the end of the passage was a huge circular cavern.

At the center of the cavern stood an enormous altar. Above it floated a sphere of light wrapped in countless golden chains, with runes constantly circulating across its surface.

Inside the sphere, a dense mass of dark energy that seemed impossible to disperse was constantly twisting and surging, releasing a silent shriek.

It was Mōryō’s soul core!

At this moment, sensing the approach of Chiya and Miroku, especially the pure shrine maiden power within Miroku, the dark energy inside the sphere instantly began to boil.

“Miroku!!! And that damned insect who destroyed my physical vessel!!!”

A violent mental shock swept through the entire cavern like a tsunami, filled with hatred and greed.

“You came at the perfect time! Since I have lost my physical body, I can use the pure soul and power of the current shrine maiden as the perfect vessel for my return to this world! As long as I merge with your power, I can surpass my former self and become the true ruler!”

“Hum!”

The sealing sphere shook violently.

The golden chains on its surface released an overwhelmed hum, while the runes flickered unstably.

A condensed mass of black energy suddenly pierced through the weak point of the seal like a poisonous snake and shot toward Miroku’s forehead at lightning speed.

This attack contained the resentment Mōryō had accumulated for thousands of years and its overwhelming desire for the shrine maiden’s power.

Its speed was extreme, its angle was vicious, and it was determined to invade Miroku’s mental world in one strike and seize her body.

Miroku’s pupils contracted sharply.

The purification power within her body surged instinctively, forming a thin barrier of light before her.

But she had already exhausted too much of her strength, and the hastily formed barrier looked extremely fragile against Mōryō’s long prepared full powered attack.

Just as the black energy was about to penetrate the barrier and touch her soul, Chiya moved.

His movement did not appear fast.

He simply turned sideways and took one step, placing himself directly in front of Miroku.

The black energy, powerful enough to erode the soul of even a Kage level expert, suddenly stopped three feet away from Chiya as if it had struck an invisible absolute barrier.

Chiya’s Rinnegan was already open, its purple ripples slowly turning with a cold and indifferent light.

“How dare you act recklessly in front of me?”

He did not even assume a defensive stance.

Simply standing there, the immense power of his Rinnegan, vast as a sea of stars, had already formed an insurmountable barrier that Mōryō could not cross.

“What?!”

Mōryō’s mental fluctuations were filled with shock.

“Your power… how can it possibly be this strong?!”

Miroku stared blankly at the broad back standing in front of her.

At that instant, she had truly felt the threat of death and the terrifying sensation of having her soul torn away.

Yet at the moment when she had been most desperate, this man had stood before her like the strongest fortress and blocked everything for her.

An indescribable sense of security and stirring emotion surged through her body like a warm current, bringing some warmth back to her cold hands and feet.

She looked at Chiya’s back with complicated emotions.

Gratitude, dependence, and something deeper were quietly taking root and rapidly growing within her heart.

“Your tricks end here.”

He raised his hand and aimed his palm at the violently struggling mass of dark energy above the altar.

“Rinnegan, Soul Absorption Seal!”

Hum!

A powerful force aimed directly at the soul core erupted from Chiya’s palm.

This was not a physical attraction. It directly acted upon the soul itself, forcibly separating and sealing it.

“No!!! What is this power?! Let me go!!”

Mōryō released an extremely shrill mental scream.

It could feel its core being forcibly pulled out of the sealing sphere, and the level of this power completely surpassed every sealing technique it understood.

It struggled frantically, mobilizing all the resentment and negative energy it had accumulated over thousands of years in an attempt to resist.

The entire cavern filled with black energy and ghostly wails, as though it had become a hell on earth.

Countless distorted images of vengeful spirits rushed toward Chiya, but the moment they approached a certain distance around him, they melted away like snow beneath the sun.

Chiya slightly furrowed his brows.

Mōryō’s tenacity had exceeded his expectations somewhat.

This collective mass of negative emotions accumulated over an unknown number of years truly possessed an extraordinarily resilient soul essence. Even if a conventional sealing technique could seal it, completely eliminating the possibility of regeneration would still be difficult.

“Stubborn.”

Chiya’s eyes turned cold as he reached out and grabbed the air.

A black rod appeared in his hand.

He raised his hand and threw it, directly pinning down the wildly moving Mōryō.

Of course, Chiya did not intend to completely destroy Mōryō.

He still needed it as a specimen for studying different energy systems.

He raised his other hand, his fingers radiating a special light.

“Divine Art, Sealing Technique!”

A sealing technique formed through divine art.

It directly struck Mōryō’s core.

“No!!!”

Amid Mōryō’s despairing wail, the divine art runes and black rod were driven into the depths of its soul like burning brands.

In an instant, all of its violent struggles and surging resentment were as if doused with ice water, instantly freezing and calming.

Its consciousness was forcibly suppressed and sank into the deepest sleep, leaving behind only its purest massive source of negative energy, stripped of its active will.

Chiya had already prepared a specially made scroll in his other hand, covered with a compound sealing formula combining the sealing techniques of the Uzumaki Clan and Uchiha Clan.

He changed his hand seal.

“Seal!”

The suppressed and sleeping soul core of Mōryō transformed into a stream of light and was completely absorbed into the scroll.

The scroll automatically closed.

The runes on its surface flickered with a faint glow before completely disappearing, leaving the scroll looking completely ordinary.

Inside the cavern, the suffocating spiritual pressure and endless resentment receded like a tide and disappeared completely.

The sealing sphere on the altar had also lost its target. Its light gradually dimmed before finally transforming into countless points of starlight and disappearing.

Sunlight entered through a crack in the ceiling of the cavern, driving away the last trace of darkness and filling the place with warmth and peace.

The disaster that had lasted for thousands of years, and the heavy fate carried by the Land of Demons for generations, had been completely removed by Chiya with overwhelming power in less than the time it took to burn a single stick of incense.

Miroku stood where she was, as if trapped inside an unbelievable dream.

She looked at the seemingly ordinary scroll in Chiya’s hand, then at the peaceful cavern that seemed to have regained a trace of life after Mōryō’s disappearance.

The immense shock left her temporarily speechless.

The demon that had troubled the shrine maiden lineage for countless generations, exhausted her mentally and physically, and even caused her to foresee her own tragic fate…

Had actually been resolved?

So completely.

So decisively.

She slowly raised her head and looked at Chiya.

He was still standing there with the scroll in his hand, his posture straight, as if what he had just done were nothing more than an insignificant task.

The sunlight outlined his perfect profile, and that calm yet powerful figure was deeply engraved into Miroku’s heart.

She recalled the way he had stepped in front of her without hesitation.

She recalled his peerless bearing as he annihilated the ghost army and suppressed the demon’s soul with ease.

She recalled the hopeful vision of an alliance and future that he had presented to her.

All this time, she had carried the responsibility of protecting the world as a shrine maiden.

Yet she had always walked alone, with no one who could truly understand her and no one who could share this burden.

Until this man appeared before her.

He was powerful, confident, decisive, and possessed strength beyond anything she could imagine, yet he was not arrogant or distant.

Instead, he was willing to extend a helping hand and open an entirely new path for her and the Land of Demons.

Gratitude, admiration, dependence, and affection…

These emotions surged like a flood breaking through a dam, instantly overwhelming every trace of restraint and defense within Miroku’s heart.

She moved gracefully toward Chiya.

Her purple eyes were filled with tears as she stared at him.

Chiya put away the scroll and looked at Miroku, just about to say something.

But Miroku suddenly made a move that even he found somewhat unexpected.

She extended both arms and gently yet firmly wrapped them around Chiya’s waist, pressing her cheek against his solid and warm chest.

“Thank you… Lord Chiya…”

Her voice carried a slight sob, but more than anything, it contained the relief of finally being free from her burden and a tenderness that was difficult to describe.

“Thank you for saving me… Thank you for saving the Land of Demons… Thank you… for giving me a new future…”

Feeling the slight trembling of the delicate body in his arms and the complete trust and dependence she placed in him, Chiya was slightly stunned before understanding.

At this moment, a beautiful woman had fallen for the hero who had saved her.

The story was certainly an old one, but it was also one of the most effective ways to stir the heart.

He raised his hand and gently touched Miroku’s smooth, light purple hair, his movements carrying a rare gentleness.

“It was nothing. The future of the Land of Demons needs you to shape it yourself. And Konoha will be your strongest support.”

Miroku gently shook her head in his arms.

She raised her tearful face and looked at him with a gaze that was both dreamy and determined.

“No… From the moment you took that attack for me, and from the moment I personally witnessed your godlike power and sense of responsibility… I only want my future to be connected to you.”

She rose onto her toes and closed her eyes.

With a trace of shyness and absolute determination, she pressed her soft, fragrant lips against Chiya’s.

The sunlight in the cavern was warm and bright, as gentle as spring.

The ancient shrine had witnessed the end of an age old enemy and the beginning of a new relationship.

Chiya felt the warmth of her lips and the affection of the woman in his arms.

His Rinnegan quietly faded away.

The shrine maiden of the Land of Demons, this unique gift and source of power…

He accepted it.