Demon Sword Maiden

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A Sextuple or Septuple-soul Big Dipper Stage powerhouse who ventured into Yomi for decades might end up with nothing or, at best, a single blood spirit magatama’s worth of harvest.

For those seeking stability, working as a guard or servant of a god—like the guard at Grudgeless Bridge—could earn them a blood spirit magatama every hundred years.

But these methods weren’t the fastest way for Big Dipper Stage powerhouses to accumulate blood spirit magatama. The quickest way was to kill experts at the Empyrean Stage.

Even the weakest among the Empyrean Stage could yield nine large blood spirit magatama from their blood spirit crystals when killed, equivalent to ninety standard blood spirit magatama. These standard magatama were often reconstituted from larger ones for convenient trading, though they also appeared naturally in standard sizes.

Killing a single Empyrean Stage expert could yield nearly a hundred, or even several hundred, magatama! But how many Big Dipper Stage powerhouses in the world could earn their wealth by killing Empyrean Stage experts?

This was a fortune no Big Dipper Stage powerhouse could earn even after serving as a guard or servant for tens of thousands of years. The lifespan of a Big Dipper Stage adept varied from a few thousand years to tens of thousands, but almost none died of old age. Most perished in adventures, treasure hunts, battles, feuds, or after failing to pass through the heavenly gate, falling into perilous places.

Lily gathered the treasures and weapons from the two fallen Infernal Stage powerhouses. She then strode away without hesitation.

She didn’t bother to bury them. Although they were Yomi powerhouses, Lily might have buried them under different circumstances. But this was an ancient battlefield! Countless celestial maidens had perished here, yet none were buried. These two didn’t deserve any better1.

If Lily hadn’t broken through, she likely would have suffered far worse, enduring unimaginable humiliation!

“What’s going on?” Enki and another strange red demon at the Infernal Stage suddenly lost contact with Jamako and the female demon as they flew over.

“What happened? Could they have already captured that woman and are just toying with her?”

“That b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲ Jamako might pull something like that! But what about Hirana2?”

“Who knows? Anyway, let’s keep heading to the location they mentioned!”

The two powerful experts flew across the vast battlefield at extreme speed.

Jamako and the female demon had attempted to contact fifteen Infernal Stage powerhouses, but the Hell of Torment’s unique environment prevented some from receiving the message. Only eleven were successfully contacted; of those, nine chose to rush over, while two refused.

They entered the ancient battlefield from different locations, as it was a vast area with multiple entrances. Around the same time, Wakarai’s subordinate, Yaiba, also entered the ancient battlefield, hurrying in the same direction.

Flying alone and in a strange mood, he wondered, “Given their personalities, why didn’t they capture Kagami Lily themselves when they found her? Why ask us to come? Could it be a trap?”

With no other clues, Yaiba decided to investigate. He didn’t fully trust Lord Umashi’s men, but with his strength, he wasn’t too concerned, even if it were a trap.

After defeating the two major Infernal Stage powerhouses, Lily immediately remembered that Queen Kaguya and Chiya were still locked in a fierce battle. Despite her newfound strength, Lily didn’t grow overconfident. She knew she still wasn’t a match for Wakarai or Lord Umashi, but she was certain she could help them to some extent if she went now. She wouldn’t just take off and retreat alone.

Even without the help of the Queen and Chiya, Lily believed that if she faced Wakarai one-on-one, she had a fair chance of escaping with her life, even if she couldn’t claim victory.

However, Supreme Gods were eternal beings, having trained for tens of thousands of years, each mastering a heavenly principle. Lily had never truly faced a Supreme God in battle, so she couldn’t afford to be careless.

“Even so, since I can contribute now, I can’t just ignore the Queen and the others!” Lily resolved.

However, she had been running around for so long that she had lost all sense of direction in this place…

“Damn, where did I come from, and where should I go? I need to search!”

At this point, Lily didn’t fear any of the dozen or so Yomi powerhouses, as long as they weren’t all gathered together.

She activated her domain and used her spiritual energy to scan her surroundings, but she didn’t dare to overextend. If her range was too large, she risked being surrounded by multiple powerhouses, which would be disastrous.

She kept her sensing range within a hundred-meter diameter.

“I hope I won’t be unlucky enough to run into all of them at once.”

Although Lily could sense others, Empyrean Stage powerhouses could naturally sense her as well. But if Lily didn’t do this, how would she find her way out or locate the Queen and Commander Chiya?

Lily relied solely on intuition, roughly retracing her steps. Despite her newfound strength to defeat Empyrean Stage powerhouses, she was still at the Big Dipper Stage and couldn’t fly yet.

Currently, Lily could move as if walking on air, just as she had in the Heian Dynasty using spiritual energy fluctuations. However, this wasn’t particularly useful outside of battle.

She leaped and darted between boulders, moving at a fairly decent speed.

“The exit!”

Lily’s intuition proved accurate; she managed to find her way back.

“Huh?!”

As she found the exit, she also sensed a powerful aura tens of kilometers away. The other party noticed her as well.

This aura was similar to that of a Yomi powerhouse and felt vaguely familiar, but it was undoubtedly an enemy!

The other party immediately accelerated toward Lily upon sensing her, but instead of fleeing as expected, she moved to confront them.

“What’s going on?” muttered Yaiba, the tough Yomi vagrant samurai, his gray-white hair fluttering in the wind. “This aura… it should be that woman. But she seems stronger than before? She should know I’ve found her, so why isn’t she running? Instead, she’s coming toward me? Suspicious…”

Yaiba was a seasoned swordsman, having faced many battles, so he wouldn’t be intimidated by this. He simply approached Lily with more caution.

From Lily’s perspective, since the other party was alone, it was a good opportunity for her to confront him.

Yaiba increased his speed. Though wary, he felt no fear. Either the other party wasn’t Kagami Lily, or he was about to make a significant contribution to Wakarai. Still, since the other party dared to approach, perhaps it wasn’t Kagami Lily, but someone with a similar aura?

“I hope this isn’t just my imagination. A stroke of luck like this is rare for an old man like me.”

Yaiba accelerated, soaring through the air. From his high vantage point, he finally spotted a young woman leaping between the mountains and trees below.

“It really is Kagami Lily!” Yaiba’s heart rejoiced. He descended and perched atop a stone pillar, looking down at Lily from above.

Lily noticed him and halted. It was Yaiba, the one who had manhandled her when she first fell into Yomi, causing her much suffering. Today, they met again. What a small world.

“Kagami Lily? I didn’t expect you to be bold enough to openly reveal your aura. Though I won’t spare you, I’m curious—what’s going on in that mind of yours? Have you given up, thinking there’s no escape, and decided to surrender in shame?” Yaiba’s rough hand stroked his beard as he gazed down at Lily, his eyes sharp like a vulture’s.

“I wasn’t sure who it was, but it turns out to be you! If Wakarai himself were saying this to me, it might have been more convincing,” Lily replied coldly.

“Hehehe, quite an arrogant woman, aren’t you? Have you gone mad after facing the pressure and pursuit of so many powerhouses? Kagami Lily, listen, I’m not usually interested in women, but I have to admit, I had some thoughts about you. Now, though, I’m a little disappointed in what you’ve become. I’m afraid Lord Wakarai would be disappointed too! You probably don’t know what fate awaits women who annoy Lord Wakarai, do you?”

“You’re the one who disappoints me. I thought you were just following orders and had a shred of integrity. Turns out you’re just another old lecher!”

“Ridiculous! I may not treat women like other Yomi powerhouses do, but as a normal man, how could I not feel something when looking at you? And you’re scolding this old man for that? Aren’t you too ignorant? Women like you are nothing but trouble, destined to be enslaved by strong men! This situation isn’t Wakarai’s or Lord Umashi’s fault. Blame yourself for being too beautiful and sexy! Hehehehe!” Yaiba wore the expression of a self-righteous elder who believed he understood the world. Despite being the aggressor, he put all the blame on Lily.

“Shut up! I might feel sick if I speak another word to you! How did someone like you become a powerful swordmaster?” Lily tightened her grip on Oborozuki Muramasa, spiritual energy radiating from her body.

“How did I become one? You’ll find out soon enough!” Yaiba roared.

Yaiba’s strength erupted, but he didn’t bother burning his divine power to deal with Lily. He raised his still-scarred finger, “You little b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲, this time, I won’t be so polite as to hand you over to His Highness Wakarai immediately. When I catch you, I’ll strip you naked first and see how you seduced His Highness!”

Lily didn’t retort. Arguing with such a disrespectful elder would only lead to more humiliation. She suddenly burst forward, darting between the rocks as she rushed to attack Yaiba.

“What?!” Yaiba was shocked by Lily’s speed!

While he was still astonished, Lily had already closed the distance. Gripping Oborozuki Muramasa, she slashed at Yaiba with all her might, her heart burning with anger!

If being beautiful made one deserving of anger and conquest, then the heavenly law of this world was either upside down or utterly corrupt!

A violent metallic clang echoed as Lily’s sword clashed with Yaiba’s ancient, broken blade.

The force of the impact caused the stone pillar beneath Yaiba’s feet to collapse, cracking the surrounding ground and sending large chunks of earth flying.

“What immense power!” Yaiba exclaimed, feeling the raw strength reverberate through his large, aging hands, causing his knuckles to crack.

Lily was a force of nature, her strength boundless and overwhelming. She was no longer the fragile girl of the past. The sheer power of her blow nearly choked Yaiba with shock.

Yaiba, ever resolute, quickly ignited his divine power despite his surprise, resisting Lily’s blow in mid-air. Yet, the force of her strike still drove him downward. Veins bulged on Yaiba’s forehead as he thrust his arms forward, crashing down to the ground. He landed on one knee, his hand bracing him to keep from collapsing.

Meanwhile, Lily, propelled backward by the impact, remained unfazed. She stepped lightly on a wave of cherry blossoms, hovering in mid-air.