Inuyasha: My job stats have no limits.

"It's almost here, but it doesn't seem to be the Sound Prison Ghost or the Woman Without a Woman. I haven't sensed a trace of demonic power."

Feeling the warm breath and the light fragrance of gardenias lingering around her nose, Bai Lan steadily supported her buttocks with both hands. The feel was wonderful, and even through the fabric, she could feel the perfect elasticity.

“…”

Before Kikyo could feel shy, her clear eyes, filled with a hint of seriousness, quickly scanned the surrounding dense forest.

Although there is no demonic aura, there's no guarantee that the other party doesn't have any other tricks up their sleeve.

"boom!"

As if a heavy object had fallen, the trees to the left and in front of it tilted to the sides, and as broken wood and dirt flew everywhere, a giant centipede burst out of the ground.

It was entirely black, with a metallic sheen on its carapace. Its numerous legs moved crisscrossingly across the ground, plowing and cracking the earth wherever they went.

In addition, there were several large, muscular, red-eyed, blue demons wielding spiked clubs.

"Baizushangami, Qinggui?"

Bai Lan was extremely familiar with these monsters.

When he was still weak, he was chased by these monsters countless times, who treated him like a loaf of bread.

"Miko!"

"understood!"

Immediately after the crisp words fell, a soft twang of a bowstring rang out.

The arrow of purifying light pierced through the centipede and the blue demon. The bodies of these monsters suddenly froze, and then turned into a cloud of gray-white dust that scattered in all directions.

Bai Lan didn't stop because of these monsters at all.

The centipede's ashes were still scattering in the air when he leaped off the tree branch, carrying the bellflower on his back.

The view ahead suddenly opened up.

Not far from the forest was a cave, and the scent that Bai Lan smelled was coming from there.

"arrive?"

"Yes, the smell is coming from inside the cave. There's no blood smell in the air, so the children are probably alright."

Kikyo dismounted from Bai Lan's back, took the wooden bow, and walked into the cave with Bai Lan.

The interior of the cave seemed to have been deliberately renovated, with several shallow niches carved into the stone walls, each containing a burning white candle.

At the far end of the cave, where the candlelight was brightest, stood an old woman dressed in a black robe.

Her body was hunched over, her withered hands gently cradling a sleeping child, humming a tuneless lullaby.

"My dear children, my dear children... you are all lovely children, each of you is the most precious and outstanding material in the world."

"As long as you dedicate yourself to the gods, you will grow white wings on your back and become a noble white bird, bringing us blessings."

The old woman hummed a little tune, slowly raising her cloudy eyes to look at Bai Lan and Jie Geng at the cave entrance.

"So, hand your children over to me too!"

"Raising children must be hard work, but I will raise him to be a great bird, just like these children!"

She turned slightly to the side, revealing a row of children neatly arranged on the stone platform behind her. They lay quietly in the shadows, without making a sound.

"Old woman, excuse me for interrupting you."

Bai Lan leisurely drew her Heavenly Feather Blade and pointed it at the witch: "First of all, Miss Witch and I don't have any children, at least not yet."

Kikyo, standing beside him, paused slightly.

"Secondly, even if I did have one, I wouldn't give it to you! Because it would be a gift for the shrine maiden!"

"..."

Kikyo glanced at him, then silently took an arrow from her quiver, nocked it, and drew the string in one fluid motion.

—The Arrow of Exorcism!

The arrow, carrying a purifying white light, shot through the air, but only halfway there when the air in front of the witch suddenly distorted, and a pitch-black crack appeared out of thin air.

The white light of the Demon-Slaying Arrow disappeared into the crack without even a ripple.

"The aura of the underworld?"

Kikyo's gaze sharpened: "You've abandoned the dignity of a priestess and made a pact with a monster from the underworld?"

"Hee hee hee."

She slowly raised her head, her cloudy eyes reflecting the flickering candlelight, her tone carrying an almost pity-filled fervor.

"What's so good about being human? Lifespan has its limits, abilities have their limits, we get tired, we get exhausted, we grow old, and we die. Life is so short, and we're bound by so many rules and regulations."

She glanced down at the sleeping baby in her arms and smiled coldly.

"What's wrong with monsters?"

"Immortal and unrestrained, they can eat and kill as they please. The humans that you priestesses have worked so hard to protect are nothing more than a meal in the belly of a monster in the end."

"So, isn't it an act of compassion to offer the child to the gods of the underworld, so that he may become a white bird and escape this short-lived cycle of reincarnation?"

"Therefore, I will also receive the mercy of Lord Death and regain the youth I lost in protecting humanity!"

The witch dropped the baby, then picked up a tin staff and swung it sharply, a dark crescent moon shooting out from the tip of the staff.

"This is?"

Upon seeing this, Kikyo's beautiful eyes flashed with surprise, and she was about to speak.

Bai Lan had already grabbed her slender waist and pulled her sharply to the side, the two of them almost brushing past the edge of the black light.

The black light crashed into the stone wall behind them, like an invisible, terrifying maw that swallowed the stone wall whole, leaving a smooth, mirror-like arc-shaped indentation.

"What the hell is this thing?!"

Bai Lan cursed under her breath.

No way, I just climbed out of Iron rank and you're already setting me up with Master-level opponents?

Is it a person?

"That's a rift in the underworld. If you get hit or swallowed by the rift, even a monster will die inside."

Kikyo said urgently, "White birds symbolize elegance and purity, and are regarded as messengers of the gods and vessels of souls... In addition to this rift in the underworld, this woman has probably made a pact with the great demon of the underworld, the 'Death God'."

"This is terrible, this deal was a huge loss!"

Bai Lan snorted first, then muttered to herself.

Death ghost?

Could the [Demon Power] that is so scarce for the [Ghost Swordsman] be obtained from here?

With that thought, he flicked his wrist holding the sword and charged toward the witch.

The witch seemed surprised by his decisive action. After a slight pause, she swung her staff again, and another black crescent moon came crashing down on her.

Bai Lan neither dodged nor evaded, but instead unleashed a horizontal slash with her Heavenly Feather Slash.

—Soul-Scattering Draw Sword Slash!

The blade's light, like a white rainbow piercing the sun, collided head-on with the black light.

However, just like the Demon-Slaying Arrow that had just devoured Kikyo, the crescent moon opened a crack and swallowed the Soul-Scattering Draw Sword whole, leaving not even the slightest ripple.

Chapter 51 The Power of the Underworld, Plundering Death and Ghosts

The previously invincible Soul-Scattering Sword Slash failed to even cause a ripple when faced with the witch's attack, and was swallowed into the underworld.

However, Bai Lan was not surprised by this result.

Bai Lan only needed to buy herself some time to get closer to the old woman in front of her.

This 'underworld rift' is a power that the witch in front of her cannot control. Even if she wanted to use it, she would inevitably have to pay some price that she does not know!

However, Bai Lan didn't have time to think about that. She wanted to finish the battle quickly to prevent the opponent from having any trump cards left.

Taking advantage of the moment the sword light was swallowed up, Bai Lan took several steps forward again, getting within a zhang of the witch.

As the witch saw him approaching, she screamed, her face turning pale, and raised her staff once more.

Bai Lan completely ignored the rift in the underworld and went straight ahead.

A pure white arrow grazed past Bai Lan's shoulder and struck the dark crescent moon precisely, the two completely different forces colliding in mid-air.

The light of purification intertwined with the cracks in the underworld, and finally exploded with a deafening roar!

A violent shockwave carried debris outwards, causing it to fall from the cave ceiling and filling the entire space with dust.

"So-called combat experience is nothing but the experience of suppressing, humiliating, and killing the weak!"

A figure burst out from the dust, the dark golden Tenyu Habakiri gleaming with a gilded light.

The witch hastily raised her tin staff to block Bai Lan's attack, but the next second, Bai Lan's sword turned, and the tin staff in the witch's hand flew out, twirling several times in the air before diagonally embedding itself in the ground.

"You possess the power of the underworld, yet you don't know how to use it. In my eyes, you are nothing but a complete weakling!"

He kicked out with the momentum, hitting the witch squarely in the chest.

The short, hunched figure was sent flying backward, rolling several times on the ground before finally coming to a stop by crashing into the edge of the stone platform.

Take advantage of your weakness to kill you!

Bai Lan naturally wouldn't give the witch a chance to catch her breath, and immediately gave chase after her after landing.

However, just as she rushed in front of him, the witch suddenly raised her head, her withered face completely distorted, and she opened her mouth to let out an extremely sharp howl.

Suddenly, clusters of pitch-black energy exploded, transforming into countless demons and monsters, baring their sharp teeth as they lunged forward.

"Flesh and blood...fresh flesh and blood!"

"I'm so hungry, I really want to eat this half-demon..."

"Give up resistance and become one with us. We can help you overcome your half-demon shortcomings and become a true pure-blooded demon!"

Bai Lan merely scoffed at this.

"Nonsense!"