The battle, like the shattering of heavens and earth, had concluded. The might of immortals had struck fear into the hearts of mortals and the spirits of the mountains and wilds. Even though the fighting had ceased, some yokai remained huddled in caves, their hearts still pounding with terror. Even with the spiritual energy in the area depleted and the dire prospect of their cultivation regressing if they didn't leave, these yokai dared not move an inch.
It was all due to fear.
If they ventured out and those two individuals resumed their fight, they would truly perish.
By staying put, at least they wouldn't die now.
Yet, as much as they wished to remain, they would have to leave eventually. The battle between immortals had erased the spiritual energy of an entire land. This level of power was something mortals and yokai had never witnessed, nor dared to even imagine.
Of course, compared to the terrified yokai who were either hiding in the wilds or planning their escape routes, the mortals near Osaka Castle who had miraculously survived the immortals' clash, after a brief moment of sorrow for their destroyed homes, began to cheer.
It was as if a century-old dark cloud hanging over them had finally dispersed, allowing them to lift their heads with pride. Despite being covered in dirt and grime, their disheveled appearances, they let out joyous roars!
"It's a merchant from the Konishi family."
Konishi Yukinaga, a renowned double-high-level agent of the Great Ming and Japan, who was often compared to Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong in the sixteenth century, had a father, Konishi Ryusho, who was a wealthy merchant serving Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Most of Hideyoshi's war funds were sourced from Konishi Ryusho, and Konishi Yukinaga himself was a warrior who hailed from a merchant family.
As a true Osaka native, Konishi Yukinaga, like countless other Osaka residents, embodied the Kansai spirit of "war is business" and "a lord's command means I can slack off." During the invasion of Joseon, he even secretly traded weapons with the Joseon army and leaked intelligence to them to prevent his business from being disrupted.
He was, in the truest sense, a man who "was not an inside traitor, but acted as one."
Konishi Yukinaga had also taken in many orphans in Osaka, teaching them the ways of commerce. This practice had begun during the time of his father, Konishi Ryusho. After all, to expand one's trade, orphans were the most loyal subordinates. The Sengoku period had just ended, and there were people displaced everywhere; orphans were not difficult to find.
Therefore, in Osaka, the Konishi family was renowned for its business acumen.
The surviving mortals asked this person what he was so happy about. They had lost everything; what else was there to be happy about besides their lives?
"Immortals of unknown origin fought against Emperor Jinmu. This land has become a place devoid of magic. For those yokai and cultivators, it is a catastrophe, but for us, it is a tremendous blessing!"
"This will become a paradise for mortals. Even the light of the divine realm will not shine upon this land. We will not be oppressed by lords, because no lords will come here anymore! We have lost everything, but soon, we will possess this land and everything in the world!"
The mortals suddenly realized.
Yes, Osaka Castle and the towns outside it were mostly reduced to ruins, but they, the mortals, were still alive. They had seen the white jade hand that appeared from the Heavenly Gate, a divine palm capable of shattering mountains and seas, yet it had not killed them. This was undoubtedly the "mercy" of the opposing immortal.
Here, they had nothing, but there were still one hundred thousand people.
From this day forward, no lord would come to this ruined Osaka. No yokai would approach this land of magic suppression. Even Emperor Jinmu, after the fall of Osaka Castle, might choose a new place to reside.
The environment of this land had been permanently altered, making it unsuitable for cultivators to survive, but not necessarily for mortals, as mortals did not require spiritual energy.
Now that magic was suppressed here, they no longer had to worry about cultivators acting with impunity!
The heavens and earth were dim. Near Kyoto, many rotten flesh monsters had been slain by cultivators. With Emperor Jinmu's presence within Kyoto, the city's aura grew increasingly grand. Its energy, like raging flames, rose into the high heavens beneath the night sky, spreading to all corners of this world.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi publicly claimed that these rotten flesh monsters were an anomaly caused by the Great Ming's Heavenly Demons. This also aligned with most people's understanding of "demons," as various strange and evil occurrences were attributed to demonic arts. No one suspected Emperor Jinmu.
All cultivators heard that Emperor Jinmu had fought with the Great Ming's Heavenly Demon, and the Heavenly Demon had fled. However, during the battle, the magical arts had affected Kyoto, killing the current Emperor with a great and terrible curse.
As for Emperor Jinmu, he was injured and recuperating, expected to recover soon.
Concurrently, an order was issued by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, requiring cultivators throughout the land, especially those near Osaka and Kyoto, to focus on finding the whereabouts of this Heavenly Demon, lest it cause further trouble. In fact, this point did not even need to be emphasized by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. These frightened ordinary cultivators had already formed groups and were spontaneously searching for Ji Xiang's whereabouts.
Even if not for Emperor Jinmu, they were doing it for their own safety. They absolutely dared not allow Ji Xiang to exist.
Like a swarm of locusts, cultivators departed from Kyoto. Most were from Shinto and Buddhist sects, with few Onmyoji. This was because Toyotomi Hideyoshi disliked the Way of Onmyo, dispatching a large number of Onmyoji to the Korean battlefield to die. The Way of Onmyo also wished to gain Toyotomi Hideyoshi's favor through military achievements. Throughout the country, except for a few Grand Onmyoji from the Tsuchimikado family, all others had gone to the Korean battlefield.
Meanwhile, within Kyoto, an army clad in red armor appeared. These were the Red Armies of Takeda Shingen during the Sengoku period, the elite of the elite. However, they now resembled a group of wandering spirits guarding the city.
"The army used to guard that useless Emperor has unexpectedly become the last remaining force. As long as your Red Armies are here, any enemy below the immortal level is not a concern."
Toyotomi Hideyoshi looked with satisfaction at the wandering red-armored cavalry. Beside him, a thin and short red-armored warrior responded to Hideyoshi's sentiment:
"If I had been stationed in Osaka at the time, I would have fought to the last moment, unable to serve you as I do now."
"Sanada... if you were in Osaka... forget fighting, that would be impossible. You would have suddenly died, without understanding why."
Toyotomi Hideyoshi turned to look at this red-armored warrior, praising his loyalty. This person was named Sanada Nobushige, and he had even been granted the surname Toyotomi by Hideyoshi.
"It is truly fortunate that you did not die. As long as you are here, the world will remain firmly in my grasp, and no daimyo will wage foolish wars to try and usurp my position."
"After I ascend to immortality, you will be next. You will be wielded as the sharpest sword in my hand... Before you defeat that Heavenly Demon, you must take good care of your life."
"Those cultivators are all going to search for a Heavenly Demon from the Great Ming who came here. If I kill him, will I immediately become famous throughout the world?"
"Naturally. At that time, you will not only be famous but also awe the four seas. Emperor Jinmu himself might even take you into his service as a divine kingdom's great attendant?"
"If that's the case, then I shall seek out this Heavenly Demon and kill him."
A fourteen-year-old young warrior said eagerly, looking at the terrified expressions of the cultivators when they heard the words "Great Ming Heavenly Demon," so different from their usual reserved arrogance. This stirred his desire to challenge. He thought that if he killed this Great Ming Heavenly Demon, he would immediately reach the pinnacle of his life. However, the young monk he was speaking to shook his head and told him:
"No matter whose disciple you are, this Heavenly Demon is not someone one person can defeat. Emperor Jinmu himself was injured because of him and needs to recuperate. It is said that he is an immortal-level being. If you find him, do not provoke him; you must report it to Kyoto immediately."
The young warrior chuckled: "Then you just said that if I kill the Heavenly Demon, I will awe the four seas?"
The young monk became annoyed: "That depends on whether you can kill him! If you go and throw your life away for nothing, who will you blame? Just don't blame me! Amitabha!"
The monk left with other Buddhist followers, continuing their search for the Heavenly Demon's trace. The young warrior, however, turned and looked at a tall woman behind him:
"Sister Tachibana, is this Great Ming Heavenly Demon your enemy? He seems to be a very powerful being."
"Shall we have a contest? Let's see who can kill that Heavenly Demon first."
The woman was clad in samurai armor, her face obscured, but her eyes seemed to flicker with lightning. She looked in a certain direction, ignoring the young warrior's suggestion, and murmured to herself, the lightning in her eyes flickering more intensely:
"No mistake, it's over there."
"It's 'Raikiri' calling me!"
After sensing this, she finally turned to the young warrior and coldly refused, "I don't have time to play with you. There are many ways to become a renowned swordsman. Challenging me is the most foolish path."
"We shouldn't have met here. As for your surname, Miyamoto, I have never heard of it. I do not spar with nameless individuals like you. I have important matters to attend to now. If you dare to obstruct me, your life will end here!"
The young warrior, however, smiled and continued speaking to himself, "If I win, can I have that sword of yours?"
He pointed to the long sword at the woman's waist, and the latter, enraged, drew her sword in an instant.
The mere act of drawing the sword caused wind and thunder to surge!
This divine sword's strike was unexpectedly blocked by a long saber in the opponent's hand!
Clouds and mist rose, firelight splashed, the divine sword and divine saber trembled and clashed!
The woman's eyes widened in shock upon seeing the long saber, while the young warrior became excited as he looked at the drawn divine sword. They each called out the names of the divine artifacts in each other's hands:
"Ama-no-Habakiri!"
"Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi!"
The two divine statues within the temple gate were both in the form of Kongorikishi, with flowing sashes, typical of Nio statues, but both held treasure mirrors in their hands.
Holding the Nio's treasure mirrors, the sun and moon regain their radiance; driving back the Brahma Emperor's golden wheel, the thunder stills the ominous signs.
Buddhist disciples practiced here, but due to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's order to search for the Heavenly Demon, many virtuous high monks had gone out. Besides the abbot presiding, there was no one else in the temple.
Golden light flashed, and a black-robed Taoist appeared in this sparsely incense-burning temple.
Ji Xiang glanced, then waved his hand, and the two treasure mirrors were immediately shattered.
The treasure mirrors turned to dust. In front of the temple stood a stone tablet. Ji Xiang looked up, saw the terrified abbot within the temple, and then looked at the temple's plaque.
"Honnō-ji."