I simultaneously traverse countless worlds

That was the closest the Demon King, Kibushi Muzan, had come to death in a thousand years!

Originally, even though the Demon King Muzan, who became the progenitor of demons, formed the Demon Slayer Corps because of the original family that was mysteriously cursed, for the first few hundred years, the Demon King Muzan did not regard the Demon Slayer Corps as a threat to him at all. He simply regarded it as a toy that was delivered to his door for fun when he was bored.

At that time, the Demon King Kibushi Muzan's biggest goal in creating demons was to make them find the "Blue Spider Lily" as a medicinal ingredient. What did it matter if the demons were killed by the Demon Slayer Corps or if they ate people? To Kibushi Muzan, who already regarded himself as the true progenitor of demons, it was not a matter worth paying attention to at all. Even if he knew that his original family was cursed and that he had formed the Demon Slayer Corps to kill demons and prepare to kill him, he did not take it to heart.

Just kidding! At that time, the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji, aside from his innate cowardice and cold-hearted nature towards his subordinates, had already been running rampant in Japan for hundreds of years. He believed that no one could harm him, so naturally he would not regard the Demon Slayer Corps, which at most could only kill ordinary demons and had difficulty dealing with demons who knew Blood Demon Art, as any threat.

However, during Japan's Warring States period, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, a bug-level individual born with a demon mark, was born. He joined the Demon Slayer Corps and became a Demon Slayer swordsman, creating his own unique "Sun Breathing Technique." Furthermore, he unlocked techniques such as the demon mark, the Transparent World, and the Crimson Blade, directly giving the then-Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, a huge "surprise."

Since Muzan Kibutsuji became the progenitor of demons, the Demon Slayer Corps paid a heavy price in blood and tears for the first few hundred years, barely managing to deal with ordinary demons with just ordinary swordsmen and Nichirin Blades. It wasn't until Yoriichi Tsugikuni appeared and joined the Demon Slayer Corps that the original "Sun Breathing Technique" was established, and later, the five major breathing styles were created based on it.

Born with the [Mark] and having created his own exclusive [Sun Breathing Technique], Yoriichi Tsugikuni's fighting power in the Demon Slayer world is nothing short of insane. Even those demons who know Blood Demon Art can't withstand more than a few rounds. Ordinary demons are just a matter of swinging their swords at Yoriichi Tsugikuni. As for the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji, who believed that no one could kill him, if he hadn't been decisive enough and had an extremely strong will to survive, he probably would have been killed on the spot when he actually faced Yoriichi Tsugikuni.

Having narrowly escaped Yoriichi Tsugikuni's blade, the Demon King Muzan was so terrified that he lay low for over a hundred years, outliving the incredibly powerful Demon Slayer Corps swordsman Yoriichi Tsugikuni. It was only at this point that he established the Twelve Demon Moons and began to take the Demon Slayer Corps seriously. Fearing the emergence of a figure like Yoriichi Tsugikuni, he would occasionally create demons to wreak havoc and even attract the Demon Slayer Corps' encirclement and suppression.

The terrifying feeling of almost dying, as if walking back and forth on the Yomotsu Hirasaka, is still fresh in the memory of the Demon King Kibushi Muzan. He can't help but tremble whenever he thinks of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, which proves how deep his fear of Yoriichi Tsugikuni is, which is engraved in the depths of his soul!

"No! Right now, I need to find a place to hide for a few years and see if someone like Yoriichi Tsugikuni really has appeared!"

After rambling on for a while, Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji, limited by his own understanding and only able to look for reasons in Blood Demon Arts and the Demon Slayer Corps, finally made a very heartfelt decision. While pondering where to hide, this scoundrel decided that it might be due to a demon overthrowing his master: "And the Twelve Demon Moons, they need to be mobilized now. Investigate among those demons to see if there are any traitors who truly want my life..."

Well, the Demon King Kibushi Muzan was very obedient. Even just the possibility of a guy like Yoriichi Tsugikuni appearing made him immediately think about finding a place to hide for a few years, without considering finding and killing him at all.

The reason is very simple. If the Demon King Kibushi Muzan had this belief that he would dare to face any strong enemy head-on, he would probably have become a top-tier powerhouse over the course of a thousand years. Instead, when he encountered Yoriichi Tsugikuni, he was able to survive by relying on his self-developed survival ability. Now, if he were to face a terrifying existence like Yoriichi Tsugikuni again, the cowardly and despicable boss Kibushi Muzan would rather hide and outlive his opponent.

As for why the Demon King Kibushi Muzan ordered the Twelve Demon Moons to investigate those evil spirits, it was because he was unwilling to face any evil spirits that might kill him, even if he theoretically possessed the power to control all evil spirits through the [Progenitor Demon Blood]. However, there was already a case of someone breaking free from the [Progenitor Demon Blood]'s shady ways. As an exceptionally self-willed and despicable boss, Kibushi Muzan naturally found a place to hide by himself and arranged for his subordinates to prepare for the mine-clearing operation.

Soon, the Demon King, Muzan Kibutsuji, issued orders to his twelve demon moons in his own way. He then patiently waited until nightfall before running away. He randomly chose a direction and fled to a remote place he didn't even know he was in. He chose a desolate mountain forest where no one ever set foot, hid himself, and buried himself there, intending to sleep for a few years before waking up.

Compared to the Demon King Kibushi Muzan, who was too carefree and had found a place to hide, the Demon God Li Mo and his group were still unaware that the scumbag boss had already cowardly run away. Demon God Li Mo was preparing to leave Fujikasane Mountain, but before leaving, he was going to do one last thing...

Chapter 15 The Greatly Shocked Butterfly Kanae

While the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji was waiting for nightfall to decide to flee, the demon god Li Mo, far away on Mount Fujikasane, was already preparing to leave. He directly instructed the group in the camp to start packing their things and prepare to head to the nearest town.

Anyway, the ghost god Li Mo came to Tengxi Mountain not to find a suitable place to stay. Even if he did, this desolate place, which is almost deep in the mountains and forests, was not developed even in Japan at the end of the 21st century, let alone in Japan now, which has only been in existence for a few years after the end of World War I. This place is not only difficult to get to, but also has very few people living there.

—Don't be fooled by Japan's constant claims of having a large population and limited land, and that it has developed most of its domestic resources. The reality is that most habitable areas in Japan have been developed, while remote areas like deep mountains and forests have been left undeveloped. Even in many remote towns in 21st-century Japan, young people have flocked to big cities to make a living, and few are willing to stay in remote towns with little entertainment and poor infrastructure.

Similarly, the Demon Slayer Corps designated Fujikasane Mountain as their training ground, primarily because it was extremely remote. There were no human settlements like mountain dwellers or villages nearby, so no one would accidentally wander in and deliver food to the imprisoned demons. Furthermore, Japan wouldn't care about Fujikasane Mountain, which had no population or resources, and the fact that it hadn't caused any problems since the end of the Warring States period showed just how remote the place was.

Even for the group led by the ghost god Li Mo, without Li Mo's extraordinary power to widen the road, it would have taken a lot of effort for trucks and cars to reach the vicinity of Tengxi Mountain. This place was originally only passable by horse-drawn carriages and goods transported by animal power.

"Hey? Little sister, have you seen your older sister and Mo?"

When the bodyguards had finished dismantling the tents and loading the necessary items onto several trucks, Shinobu Kocho, who had just finished packing her personal belongings, came out and was surprised to find that she hadn't seen Kijin Li Mo and her sister Kanae Kocho. Looking at Kanae Tsuyukiro, who was waiting silently on the side of the camp, she couldn't help but ask her adopted sister.

To be fair, Shinobu Kocho was not surprised by the departure of the demon god Li Mo. However, the absence of her sister from the camp gave her some uneasy thoughts. Could it be that while she was packing her personal belongings, her two closest people had already left?

"Sister Ren, Mo and you went to Fujikashi Mountain together. You said you'll be back soon!"

Just as Shinobu Kocho was feeling somewhat worried, Kanao Tsuyuri turned to look at her second sister's unhappy expression, stretched out her slender hand and pointed to Fujikasane Mountain, which was still shrouded in gloom, and told her second sister directly what had just happened.

"Huh? Mo and my sister went to Fujikasayama?"

Hearing Kanae's words, Shinobu looked at Fujikasaneyama with some confusion, wondering why Fujikasaneyama, now free of demons, still attracted the attention of the demon god Li Mo and her sister. However, she was concerned that Li Mo and Kanae hadn't taken them along, and muttered unhappily, "They didn't take my sister and me with them, which is really annoying. I'll definitely protest when he gets back..."

Well, Shinobu Kocho and Kijin Rimo are now inseparable. Even if she feels that her lover and her sister went to Fujikasane Mountain, she will only be a little unhappy about why they didn't take her and Kanao Tsuyuri with them. All she wants to do is wait for the two of them to come back and then protest properly.

As for the previous conflicts with the demon god Li Mo, Shinobu Kocho, who had been thoroughly educated many times, had long forgotten them. At most, she would throw a little tantrum at Li Mo, but in reality, she was very affectionate with her lover. Besides, her older sister and adopted sister were together, so the three of them didn't need to kill evil spirits with hatred like they did when they were in the Demon Slayer Corps. With Li Mo, who didn't eat people at all and even had a powerful ability like a demon god, they naturally attached themselves to him.

After all, there are very few women in the 21st century, the era of feminism, who can live and struggle entirely on their own. In Japan, where feudal customs are still very strong, women like this are even rarer and more like an endangered species. Moreover, even Kanae Kocho herself hopes that her younger sister can get married and have children and live a normal life, which shows how much influence the ghost Li Mo has on them.

However, what Shinobu Kocho and Kanao Tsuyuri didn't know was that when the demon god Li Mo went back to Fujikasane Mountain, it was because he remembered that in the original anime and manga "Demon Slayer", there were still some Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen's souls that existed in Fujikasane Mountain!

……

At the same time, Fujikasayama seemed to be shrouded in dark clouds.

As the trial location chosen by the Demon Slayer Corps, Mount Fujikasaka is not only very remote, but its climate is also affected by the ocean monsoon and terrain, resulting in more rainy weather and mostly cloudy skies with little sunshine.

In particular, Fujikasayama was used as a training ground. The Demon Slayer Corps densely planted a large number of wisteria flowers around Fujikasayama and specially boiled a large amount of juice from the wisteria flowers every year to soak the ground. Even the wild animals in Fujikasayama were not left behind. Fujikasayama was completely arranged according to the standards of a large prison.

Otherwise, Fujikasane Mountain would have remained untouched for centuries. The demons imprisoned there had considered escaping this great prison, but they couldn't break free of Fujikasane Mountain's boundaries. This was because the Demon Slayer Corps' methods for containing demons were extremely thorough, even including measures to prevent them from digging tunnels underground to escape. Most of those demons were used as whetstones for prospective swordsmen during the annual Demon Slayer Corps trials.

Even though the Demon Slayer Corps suffers numerous casualties among its trainee swordsmen every year during this trial, these trainee swordsmen, having undergone the seven-day trial, gain experience in fighting demons. Coupled with their unwavering determination to join the fight against those demons, their sacrifices are significantly reduced compared to their predecessors who had never seen demons before and were prone to injury or death. In fact, experienced Demon Slayer Corps swordsmen are more likely to easily eliminate ordinary demons.

The problem is that, in the opinion of Li Mo, the Demon Slayer Corps, this approach is simply because they cannot ensure the stable emergence of Pillar-level powerhouses and can only do a good job of training elite swordsmen. No matter how many elite swordsmen the Demon Slayer Corps have, without Pillar-level powerhouses to support them, they can only at best besiege demons who know Blood Demon Art. Even if they encounter Lower Rank demons, they may be defeated because they do not know the situation.

Now, the demon god Li Mo stood at the highest peak of Fujikasa Mountain, with Kocho Kanae beside him. Then, as she watched her man's surroundings darken slightly, a feeling of gloom and darkness welled up in Kocho Kanae's heart. That was the power of the [Shadow Domain]!

"Mo, are there any evil spirits or other things on Fujii Mountain?"

Seeing that the demon god Li Mo slightly loosened the [Shadow Domain], knowing that this was a special power possessed by her man, Kocho Kanae first looked around warily. Finding nothing unusual, she then approached the demon god Li Mo and asked him a question.

Kanae Butterfly naturally knew the power of the [Shadow Domain]. She had just realized that her man didn't seem to be using it to attack, but the fact that he was using the power of the [Shadow Domain] was clearly not a joke. Knowing the way the ghost god Li Mo usually acted, Kanae Butterfly first ruled out whether there was any danger at Fujikasake Mountain. After looking around and finding nothing, she asked her man if he had discovered anything unusual, such as evil spirits or other things hidden at Fujikasake Mountain.

To be honest, Kanae Kocho has witnessed several different Blood Demon Arts of various demons, so she naturally knows that her younger sister Shinobu Kocho and Kanao Tsuyuri might not be able to discover the demons with hidden Blood Demon Arts abilities, or that something is on Fujikasane Mountain!

"Hmm, there are no evil spirits on Fujikasane Mountain, but there are other special beings there too!"

In response to Kanae's question, the demon god Li Mo glanced at the beauty beside him, chuckled, and gently patted her shoulder to reassure her. Then, looking at Fujikasakeyama, which was covered by his [Shadow Domain], he said with a somewhat subtle expression, "You might have known those special beings on Fujikasakeyama before, Kanae, perhaps you could even consider them acquaintances..."

The special existence that the demon Li Mo mentioned is naturally the soul of those who have died and left behind in the original Demon Slayer anime storyline. For example, when the protagonist Tanjiro Kamado came to Fujikasane Mountain, he encountered the soul of a disciple who had been taught by his master, and even helped him successfully master the Water Breathing Technique.

Those were the former Water Pillar, Sakonji Urokodaki, and the dozen or so disciples he trained, including Sabito and Makomo, whose talent and potential were no less than, and even surpassed, that of the current Water Pillar, Giyu Tomioka. These dozen or so disciples trained by Sakonji Urokodaki who participated in the trials over the years were all regarded as thorns in the side by that Hand Demon and were captured and eaten. The reason was that Sakonji Urokodaki, who served as the previous Water Pillar, captured the Hand Demon decades ago and imprisoned it on Mount Fujikasane.

As the Demon Slayer Corps' testing ground, Mount Fujikasane naturally didn't receive any good treatment from the Hand Demon and other demons. The Hand Demon, thrown into this cage, hated Urokodaki Sakonji with a vengeance. As a monstrous demon, it would not hesitate to kill and devour Urokodaki Sakonji's disciples whenever it smelled their masks or discovered them wearing them.

Giyu Tomioka, the current Water Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, was rescued by his fellow disciple Sabito during the Fujikasane Mountain Exam when Sabito fought against the Hand Demon. Even after becoming the Water Pillar, he believed that his fellow disciple Sabito's talent surpassed his own.

"Huh? This is?! A soul?!"

Hearing what the ghost god Li Mo said, Kocho Kanae was somewhat surprised, but she immediately looked up and saw that there were more than thirty phantoms. Her beautiful eyes widened and she quickly came to an unbelievable conclusion.

Those phantoms... or rather, those souls, were semi-illusory forms. You could see their faces and the clothes they wore. At first glance, they seemed not much different from ordinary people, but upon closer inspection, you could see that their images were actually somewhat illusory. Looking at them, you could tell that they didn't look like living people. Moreover, when Kocho Kanae looked at the attire of those souls, she immediately recalled that a few years ago, when she came to Fujikasake Mountain to participate in the final trial, she seemed to have seen a few of them.

In this situation, Kanae immediately thought of the dead. In a place like Japan, where superstition is so prevalent, it is not uncommon for people to have spirits or souls after they die. Naturally, she thought of this.

"Who are you?"

When Kanae Butterfly spoke, it seemed that someone recognized her identity but remained silent. One of the spirits, a boy wearing a fox mask, stepped forward, and his voice entered the hearts of the ghost god Li Mo and Kanae Butterfly.

"Hey, do you think I'm a god of death who's in charge of destroying those evil spirits? Do you want to come with me and, while you're at it, go see someone important to you?"

Upon seeing Sabito, who appeared to be the current "Water Pillar" Giyu Tomioka's fellow disciple, the demon god Li Mo unceremoniously unleashed the power of the "Shadow Domain," instantly transforming the entire Fujikasake Mountain from gloomy weather into a dark place. Then, under the horrified gazes of Sabito and the other souls, he slowly spoke to them.

"...Could you take us to see the master?"

As soon as the ghost god Li Mo spoke, it was clear that someone was moved. A girl's soul wearing a cute smiling fox mask, disregarding the fear that the surrounding [Dark Domain] instilled in her and other souls, asked the ghost god Li Mo with some anticipation.

Makomo! The ghost god Li Mo recognized the identity of this girl's soul at a glance, and naturally nodded in agreement, signaling Kocho Kanae to talk to her for a while. He quickly calmed down this girl who was also a disciple of Urokodaki Sakonji. Moreover, the souls of Urokodaki Sakonji's disciples, such as Fujikazeyama, accounted for nearly half of all the souls, which showed that this former [Water Pillar] was quite skilled at teaching his disciples.

According to the calculations of the demon god Li Mo, not all souls in the Demon Slayer world can remain in the human world. For example, in Fujisaki Mountain, the final trial ground of the Demon Slayer Corps, thousands of people must have died over the past few hundred years. However, only about thirty souls have survived and maintained their own will. Among them, almost half of them are disciples taught by Urokodaki Sakonji, the former Water Pillar. This may be because they died not long ago, but it may also be due to their personal will and last wishes before they died.

If Ghost God Li Mo remembered correctly, when he watched the original anime "Demon Slayer," the souls of Urokodaki Sakonji's disciples who died at Fujikaze Mountain all wished to return to their teacher Urokodaki Sakonji at Kageyama. However, they didn't seem to have reached that level in the original anime and were still lingering at Fujikaze Mountain. This benefited Ghost God Li Mo by directly taking dozens of souls into the [Shadow Domain].

Of course, the promises made by the ghost god Li Mo to them were true. In any case, once he tried to use the Yin-Yang Escape technique to create bodies that could accommodate souls, it would probably be enough to bring them back to the human world as loyal subordinates. The fact that the crickets went to visit their relatives would be nothing!

……

"Mo, they were former members of the Demon Slayer Corps, surely we wouldn't lie to them?"

Shortly after, Kanae Kocho watched as the demon god Li Mo absorbed the souls of Makomo, Sabito, and the others into the [Shadow Domain]. Having just chatted with the cute little girl Makomo, she was somewhat uneasy. Looking at her man, she made a rather earnest request. Clearly, she acknowledged her man's abilities, but she worried that the demon god Li Mo might be deceiving the souls of those former Demon Slayer Corps members, which was rather disappointing.

To put it simply, a person with absolutely no credibility is unlikely to attract many followers. Even if Kanae Butterfly's heart is set on the ghost god Li Mo, she would feel somewhat disappointed if he were to deceive her so easily!

"Don't worry, Kanae! I'm just giving them a more suitable way out!"

Faced with Kanae's soft request, the demon Li Mo appeared very honest. He truly had no intention of deceiving Makomo and the other souls. Instead, he casually pulled out something that looked like a compass and said to Kanae with great interest, "Besides, we'll be going to Tokyo to find those evil spirits later. This compass, which is specifically designed to sense the presence of evil spirits, is made with the blood of the progenitor demon. It can sense an evil spirit even if you're within ten kilometers of it!"

This time, Kanae Kocho was truly shocked. She could hardly believe her man's words, but after hearing that the special equipment was made with the blood of the progenitor demon Li Mo, and seeing the series of incredible performances he had shown, she had no choice but to accept this news that had greatly shocked her.

Looking at the world of Demon Slayer, the biggest problem the Demon Slayer Corps has faced in eliminating demons is their uncertainty about the demons' whereabouts and intelligence. The former relies on a large number of intelligence personnel to find out where there are any unusual messages, while the latter is a necessary action when a demon is discovered. Sometimes you don't know whether you are facing an ordinary demon or one of the Twelve Demon Moons, so you have to use human lives to test the demon's power. However, this [Demon Compass] has already solved a major problem.

For the ghost god Li Mo, the equipment he created using the [Primordial Ghost Blood], the [Evil Ghost Compass], was actually a carrier created with the power of [Yin Yang Escape]. He used the [Primordial Ghost Blood] as a sensor, sensing the surrounding evil ghosts in a simple way, like playing with a magnet. He could even judge the strength of the evil ghosts around him based on the brightness of the [Primordial Ghost Blood], which was solidified and resembled a black gemstone.

Seeing that Kanae Butterfly was interested in the [Demon Compass], the demon god Li Mo simply gave it to her. Anyway, he could make this kind of thing anytime. At most, he would need to find some demons as raw materials. It was not a precious thing at all!

End of Chapter 16 and its sequel

After collecting the souls of the remaining Demon Slayer Corps trainees on Fujikasake Mountain and handing over his newly invented [Demon Compass] to Kocho Kanae, the demon god Li Mo harvested some wisteria flowers and then withdrew from Fujikasake Mountain.

To the demon god Li Mo, Mount Fujikasaki held only a few valuable items. The most precious were the dozens of ordinary demons who had gathered there, all of whom had turned to ashes. They had contributed valuable demon research data and a small vial of [Progenitor Demon Blood]. The remaining items were the souls of the Demon Slayer Corps trainee swordsmen who were still lingering on Mount Fujikasaki. A significant amount of the wisteria flowers surrounding Mount Fujikasaki had been harvested. These were simply the last valuable items that the demon god Li Mo had plundered from Mount Fujikasaki in his final moments.

After all, if Mount Fujikasaku really had any good treasures, would the Demon Slayer Corps have kept it and used it as the final testing ground for joining the team?

Even for the ghost god Li Mo, unless his methods are special and his extraordinary ability is based on Yin-Yang Escape, the Vine Mountain attack is actually not very useful to him. Evil spirits and souls are not objects that ordinary people can use. For example, wisteria flowers that can drive away evil spirits are not actually rare things.

In the world of Demon Slayer, wisteria is a relatively common plant in Japan. This is because the Demon Slayer Corps has quietly promoted and used it as a raw material for various purposes to ward off evil spirits. For example, sandalwood, which is made primarily of wisteria, is grown in homes and important areas to prevent potential demonic attacks.

This is very common among the Demon Slayer Corps' partners and close associates. Wisteria flowers can make ordinary demons feel unbearable, just like ordinary people are wary of poisonous plants. Unless it is a powerful demon or a powerful demon with Blood Demon Art, ordinary wisteria flowers have little effect on them. However, such cases are relatively rare, and those who encounter them are just unlucky ones who have won the lottery.

Of course, the wisteria flowers that Guishen Li Mo harvested were just a bonus. At most, he was just testing which component of the wisteria flowers was effective against evil spirits. What he really wanted was the [Progenitor Demon Blood] inside the evil spirits. Through the [Progenitor Demon Blood], he tested Kibutsuji Muzan's strength and truly realized how weak this scumbag boss was. If it weren't for the super regenerative ability possessed by the progenitor of demons, he could probably have been sent away in an instant. It's clear how disappointing the scumbag boss's strength was.

In a sense, Ghost God Li Mo truly realized just how trashy Boss Xie's strength really was. No wonder he developed his survival ability so well; it was purely because his own combat power was indeed not good. Perhaps relying on it to bully weaker opponents was no problem, but even enemies whose combat power was slightly lower than his could beat this Primordial Ghost King so badly that they wouldn't recognize their own mothers. Using a weapon that countered him would make it even easier to kill him.

However, Li Mo, the demon god, had no intention of immediately causing trouble for the demon king Muzan Kibutsuji. He was planning to study the mysteries of demons more thoroughly and take his people directly from Fujikasayama. The convoy set off towards Tokyo, Japan!

………………

Mount Tengxi has returned to calm, even to the point of being eerily quiet. Apart from the occasional insect, the only other things on the small mountain range are the wisteria flowers and the occasional trees and bushes.

As for Mount Fujikasaka, the Demon Slayer Corps used it as a prison for some evil spirits and a training ground for their own people. Naturally, they wouldn't add anything unnecessary like planting or herding. In the past, the entire Mount Fujikasaka was left to grow its own vegetation, except for occasionally checking the situation of the evil spirits inside and paying attention to whether there were any gaps in the wisteria flowers covering the mountain.

The ordinary demons imprisoned on Fujikasane Mountain were captured with great difficulty by the Demon Slayer Corps. Regardless of the Demon Slayer Corps' reasons, they obviously did not want to release these ordinary demons to harm people. Before each trial, they would send people to check the situation of the demons on Fujikasane Mountain. Moreover, after the trial was completed, elite members of the Demon Slayer Corps would enter Fujikasane Mountain to collect the belongings of the dead and investigate the loss of demons, and to see if they needed to replenish the ordinary demons before the next trial.

However, the Demon Slayer Corps never considered that anyone else would be interested in Mount Fujikasake and the demons within it. Since the Warring States period, the Demon Slayer Corps changed the rules of its entry trials, choosing Mount Fujikasake as the trial location precisely because this place was so remote that no one ever came here before. The surrounding land was barren and could not support any villages or towns. Moreover, Mount Fujikasake was located deep within the mountains, and ordinary mountain dwellers would not come here to die for no reason. There were also strongholds set up by the forces under the Demon Slayer Corps in the surrounding area.

The problem is that the ghost god Li Mo obviously didn't care about this situation. He ignored the stronghold and deceived the other party. He used his extraordinary power to bring the caravan into the vicinity of Tengxi Mountain. After a few days, he left again, leaving Tengxi Mountain as a desolate place. Even the souls that lingered on Tengxi Mountain had been taken away, leaving only an empty Tengxi Mountain surrounded by a circle of wisteria flowers.

Currently, the Demon Slayer Corps is focusing most of its energy on searching for the "demon" that "killed" the Flower Pillar, Kanae Kocho. However, the trial site, which serves as a source of new blood for the Demon Slayer Corps every year, is actually a place where the Demon Slayer Corps has sent people to check the situation in accordance with procedure!

"Taro, is everything alright at Fujikasayama?"

A day later, several people dressed as samurai arrived at a small mountain village on the outermost edge of Fujikasa Mountain. The middle-aged samurai who was leading them and wearing a katana greeted the familiar faces who came out to greet them warmly. Then, he asked his old acquaintances a serious question. The samurai and villagers standing behind him, however, looked slightly relaxed and showed no signs of tension.

These samurai-dressed people are naturally members dispatched by the Demon Slayer Corps. They and the villagers of this small mountain village all belong to the Demon Slayer Corps's forces. This trip to Fujikasane Mountain is an annual tradition and a matter that has become customary.

"Nothing happened! Last month, I took two people to check on Fujikashi Mountain, and all those evil spirits were imprisoned and couldn't get out!"

Hearing the familiar question from an old acquaintance, the middle-aged man called Taro smiled. However, he was also tall, but his left arm was empty from the elbow down, clearly indicating that he was disabled. Yet, he served as the village chief of a small mountain village, which was obviously a deliberate act of care by the Demon Slayer Corps.