Chapter 53 - 50: Mortals Cannot Cultivate

Chapter 53: Chapter 50: Mortals Cannot Cultivate

South Sea, Antique Shop Zero.

Yamada Yu, who was lying on the floor, slowly regained consciousness.

His vision was somewhat blurry.

Slowly, things came into focus.

This looked like an antique shop, and the man sitting behind the counter seemed to be the owner.

’How did I end up here?’

Yamada Yu suddenly remembered he had been attacked by a Crow Shikigami.

’So, this young man must be the Yin Yang Master from the Xia Kingdom!’

Yamada Yu scrambled up from the floor and demanded sharply:

"How dare you kidnap me! Do you have any idea who I am?!"

Jiang Chaosheng continued to read his book, as if he hadn’t heard Yamada Yu’s words. He even turned a page.

Yamada Yu felt he was being disrespected.

He roared:

"I am a personal disciple of Lord Seimei! Do you really want to make an enemy of the Seimei Family?"

The Evil Crow flew onto the table and looked mockingly at Yamada Yu.

"Seimei? And what’s that supposed to be?"

Yamada Yu froze.

’He doesn’t know Lord Seimei?’

’How could he not know of a man who can command the wind and rain, a figure like a deity?’

Yamada Yu slammed his palm on the ground and let out a deep, frustrated sigh.

"Hah! It’s always you ignorant fools who don’t know what you’re getting into.

I could tell you the name of a True God, and you still wouldn’t understand who you’ve provoked.

Just my luck to run into a bunch of clueless fools like you!"

Yamada Yu assumed these morons were simply too low-level, their station too humble, to have ever heard of Seimei.

He felt like a crown prince being cornered by street thugs.

The crown prince could announce his father’s illustrious name, but the thugs would have no idea who he was talking about.

The thugs only know who runs their street; they have no clue that the prince’s father controls the entire city.

And of course, Yamada Yu saw himself as that crown prince.

Because he knew some of the secrets of the Yin Yang Masters.

For instance, after a Yin Yang Master of one generation dies, their knowledge and insights into Yin Yang Art are passed on to the next.

In other words, the current Yin Yang Master, Lord Seimei Misawa, had the equivalent of a thousand years of Cultivation!

’A thousand years! How many dynasties have come and gone in that time!’

’A figure like that must be just one step away from being called a deity, right?’

The Evil Crow said with a grin:

"Well, do you know who I am?"

Yamada Yu sneered:

"Crow, your master is a worthless nobody. What does that make a puny little Shikigami like you?"

The Evil Crow’s beak twisted into a disturbingly human-like smile.

A black light began to emanate from its eyes.

The black light grew richer and richer, finally transforming into a tangible darkness that flowed from its eyes.

Then, a terrifying demonic aura suddenly descended!

Yamada Yu’s eyes widened in horror, looking at the Evil Crow in disbelief.

’I’ve never felt such a terrifying pressure, not even from Lord Seimei!’

’How could a mere Shikigami be this powerful!’

"Heheheh..."

Its voice was no longer the cracking squawk of a boy going through puberty.

It was sinister and deep.

It sounded as if tens of millions of Fierce Ghosts were speaking at once.

The Evil Crow’s two eyes, glowing with black light like a pair of black suns, seemed to be looking back into the distant past.

"A True God? You think Seimei qualifies as a True God?

"I was born on Luoyang Slope. King Yama himself bestowed upon me the name: Evil.

In ages past, I drank with the Seventy-Two Yin Gods in the Yin Hall, and at King Yama’s behest, I berated legions of Fierce Ghosts!

Heh heh heh... even the beautiful Meng Po addressed me as..."

The Evil Crow’s aura suddenly exploded outward as it uttered two words in a low voice:

"Evil Ancestor!"

As Yamada Yu listened to the Evil Crow’s story, his eyes widened in terror, and his mouth hung agape.

The Evil Crow had spoken in a classical, literary style.

This was how it had spoken many years ago.

Over time, it had gradually grown accustomed to the modern vernacular.

But when introducing itself, it still preferred the more imposing, classical style.

Yamada Yu understood this classical style.

The language and history of the Xia Kingdom were required studies for everyone in the Seimei Family.

To the Seimei Family, the Xia Kingdom was a treasure trove, a land that frequently produced Taboo Items.

Every Yin Yang Master dreamed of carving out their own territory within the Xia Kingdom.

Mastering the Xia Kingdom’s language and culture was like being handed the key to the country itself.

At the very least, it allowed them to know their enemy and know themselves, and thus never be imperiled.

Yamada Yu pieced together a great deal of information from the Evil Crow’s words.

’It had drunk with deities from the Underworld, helped the King of Hell command legions of Fierce Ghosts, and even Meng Po addressed it respectfully as the Evil Ancestor!’

Yamada Yu didn’t think it was lying.

This terrifying pressure made his very soul tremble!

’This Crow... it’s a genuine, bona fide deity!’

Yamada Yu swallowed hard, his gaze shifting in utter disbelief to Jiang Chaosheng.

’A deity serving as a Shikigami?’

’Then what kind of terrifying, divine being are you?!’

The Evil Crow leaned close to Yamada Yu’s face, its gaze savage, and said menacingly:

"The Master and that Little Succubus can call me ’Crow,’ and I don’t make a fuss.

But a mortal like you sees me and doesn’t kowtow three times and call me ’Ancestor’? Heheheh...

Would you like to experience what it feels like to have your soul utterly obliterated?"

Yamada Yu collapsed onto the floor, gasping for air. He was so terrified by the Evil Crow that he couldn’t even speak.

"That’s enough."

Jiang Chaosheng closed his book and spoke calmly.

The Evil Crow gave a wicked cackle, flew over to Jiang Chaosheng, and perched on his shoulder. It said in a sinister tone:

"From now on, whatever my master asks you, you will answer. Understand?"

The East Sakura People, for the most part, worship strength.

They believe that the strong deserve respect.

Due to his upbringing, Yamada Yu’s tendency to fawn on the powerful was even more pronounced.

Why else did he worship Seimei, if not for his strength?

Now, facing a deity and terrified of having his soul obliterated, he was utterly humbled and said again and again:

"Yes, I understand! I understand!"

Jiang Chaosheng was silent for a moment, then asked:

"Your Illusion Art... how does it work?"

The Evil Crow stared blankly at Jiang Chaosheng.

’You can’t be serious?’

’I went to all the trouble of putting the fear of god into him for you...’

’...and all you want to ask is how he performs his Illusion Art?’

’Besides, his Illusion Art is complete trash. What’s there to learn from it?’

’Oh, my ever-studious Master, just how desperate are you to learn Magic?!’

Yamada Yu was also taken aback by the question, but he didn’t dwell on it and explained:

"You just focus your Spiritual Power at the center of your forehead, then silently recite a Spell, coordinating Hand Seals with the words..."

When the Evil Crow heard the words "Spiritual Power," its eyes abruptly narrowed.

Jiang Chaosheng cut Yamada Yu off.

"Spiritual Power?"

Yamada Yu had a flash of insight.

’The one before me is a deity!’

’It’s only natural he wouldn’t know about the Spiritual Power of mortals!’

’A god would use Divine Power!’

Yamada Yu explained:

"You can try to sense Spiritual Power. It’s very simple.

It’s like finding a switch inside your head."

Yamada Yu then went on to describe the method for locating one’s Spiritual Power.

Jiang Chaosheng fell silent, carefully searching for the ’switch in his head’ according to Yamada Yu’s method.

After a long moment, there was nothing.

Jiang Chaosheng gave up.

He looked at Yamada Yu.

"When is Seimei arriving in the South Sea, and where will he be?"

Yamada Yu asked cautiously,

"May I ask why you are looking for him?"

Jiang Chaosheng said casually,

"Abe no Seimei took something from me. Now it’s in Seimei Misawa’s possession, and I want it back."

Yamada Yu froze.

’Abe no Seimei?’

’Isn’t that the very first Yin Yang Master?’

’Could the secret of the Seimei Family’s Yin Yang Masters have something to do with this man?’

Yamada Yu clamped his mouth shut.

’I’ve been with Lord Seimei for so many years. I know what he’s capable of.’

’I can’t betray him.’

"Heheheh..."

The Evil Crow let out a chilling laugh.

"Then you can have your soul obliterated. Trust me, it’s far more terrifying than your body simply dying."

Yamada Yu shuddered.

"Tomorrow night. At the Golden Splendor KTV."

Jiang Chaosheng nodded.

"Keep a close watch for me."

He glanced at the Crow.

"Report anything you see to it.

It will be following you for the time being."

Yamada Yu shot a fearful glance at the Crow and nodded cautiously.

"Yes, I understand."

Jiang Chaosheng waved his hand dismissively. As if granted a pardon, Yamada Yu scrambled out of Antique Shop Zero.

Jiang Chaosheng glanced at the Crow.

"Once Seimei Misawa shows up, you can kill that kid in the yellow clothes."

The Evil Crow said:

"No problem. But there’s something I should warn you about."

Jiang Chaosheng said:

"What is it?"

The Evil Crow’s tone turned serious.

"Using Illusion Art requires Spiritual Power. The boy from East Sakura wasn’t lying about that.

What I didn’t expect was that the East Sakura boy cultivated his Spiritual Power himself.

I’d assumed his Spiritual Power was channeled into him by Seimei, like charging a battery.

Because it should be impossible for a mortal to cultivate Spiritual Power!"

Jiang Chaosheng raised an eyebrow:

"What do you mean?"

The Evil Crow said grimly,

"I suspect the Nine-tailed Fox has already awakened.

Because throughout all of history, only the Nine-tailed Fox can help mortals with Opening the Spiritual Aperture!

She is the undisputed master of that kind of direct impartation of power.

Seimei Misawa has either been enslaved by the Nine-tailed Fox or is in the process of being assimilated by her."

Jiang Chaosheng’s hand, which had been about to turn a page, froze stiff.

’If I trace back the timeline...’

’Yamada Yu started his Cultivation of Spiritual Power when he was a child.’

’That means the Nine-tailed Fox might have been awake for more than thirty years!’

’So tomorrow night, he would be facing the legendary Daji herself!’

The Evil Crow said gravely,

"Tomorrow night is going to be a tough fight. If things go badly, the entire South Sea could be wiped off the map."