Tokyo: Starting with the Shrine Maiden

Haruhiko sat at the table and glanced at Hoshino Hotaru, stopping her from making any overly intimate moves with his eyes.

"Ashiya Dōman's body was an empty shell."

"Tsuchimikado Mashiro said in a deep voice."

Haruhiko was slightly startled.

What does "empty shell" mean?

"Generally speaking, when a person has just died, some consciousness and memory will remain in their brain."

Tsuchimikado Mashiro, knowing his confusion, explained, "But Ashiya Michi's head is empty, there's nothing there, he's like a doll."

"In fact, he was a puppet; we destroyed his real body back then."

Marie Tsuchimikado frowned and said, "Logically speaking, his stand is no different from his real body, so this shouldn't be the case."

"Unless he is not dead."

Tsuchimikado Mashiro paused for a moment, then said, "Or perhaps it's in some kind of special state."

Haruhiko didn't know how to respond.

It would be far too strange to say with certainty that Ashiya Dōman is dead.

After all, he couldn't reveal his cheat.

"Now how to do?"

Haruhiko changed the subject.

In fact, there is no need to discuss whether Ashiya Dōman is dead or not; what is important now is that the clues have been forced to stop.

The Tsuchimikado clan has just agreed to cooperate with the Ōgosho, but things will come to a standstill.

Perhaps someone will seize the opportunity to make trouble and force them to hand over their spoils.

That would be very troublesome.

Since the other major powers did not benefit, they may unite.

At that time, even with the Tsuchimikado clan and the Izumo Shrine, it will be difficult for them to gain the upper hand.

And we also have to consider public opinion.

No matter how strong they are, they cannot ignore the opinions of so many people.

"The only option now is to search within the ruins of Takamagahara."

Tsuchimikado Mashiro said with a hint of helplessness.

The Yamata no Orochi is definitely in the ruins of Takamagahara.

However, the scope is too large and it will take time.

Moreover, the entrance to the ruins is often very well hidden, and it is very likely that it is in the place that was just searched.

"Perhaps we can let them know about the existence of the Underworld."

Suddenly, Haruhiko had a flash of inspiration and said...

"Yellow Spring?"

Tsuchimikado Mashiro raised an eyebrow.

She knew about the underworld, but didn't know where it was, nor did she know that Haruhiko's parents were in it.

In the records left by Abe no Seimei, it is mentioned that many of the demons who attacked the gods of Takamagahara were imprisoned in the underworld.

She immediately understood Haruhiko's thoughts.

The Yamata no Orochi was killed during that war.

Perhaps some otherworldly demon witnessed it firsthand and knows its approximate location.

In addition, there is another benefit: it can cleanse the evil spirits in the underworld.

Everyone present was extremely intelligent.

Open the Underworld to the Imperial Palace, organize a team, and hunt down the Otherworldly Demons.

At the same time, capture the fifth-tier demon alive if possible, in order to interrogate it and find out the location of the Yamata no Orochi.

"And we have an advantage."

Haruhiko looked at Hoshino Hotaru and asked, "Can you change our aura to that of a demon?"

Hotaru Hoshino nodded.

Chapter 300. The Capable Mina Utsunomiya

Tsuchimikado Mashiro subconsciously looked at Hoshino Hotaru.

She had been wondering about her relationship with the alien demon in the first forbidden zone.

Because that aura can be considered to be of the same origin.

I really don't know what kind of method allowed Hoshino Hotaru to completely inherit the strength of that fifth-tier demon.

But in any case, it seems to be a good thing now.

Without Hotaru Hoshino, it would have been difficult to discover May's whereabouts and to subdue that demon from the Second Forbidden Zone.

Now they have an even greater advantage.

Being able to fake the aura of the Otherworldly Demons means that they will not be attacked by the Otherworldly Demons when they enter the Underworld.

In that case, many things can proceed smoothly.

"It just so happens that the members of the Psionic Council are all in the Takamagahara Ruins. Let's tell them to hold the meeting again tomorrow."

Tsuchimikado Mashiro spoke up.

These words clearly indicate that she agreed with Haruhiko's suggestion.

That is to open the Underworld to the Great Palace and purge the demons inside.

Haruhiko felt a slight thrill.

Besides finding his original parents, he also has a large number of psionic points waiting to be acquired.

He didn't know how many demons were in the Yellow Springs, but they were certainly numerous.

Moreover, those demons who can live for so long are often high-level psionicists, at least at the third level.

Haruhiko had a premonition that if he were to kill all those otherworldly demons by himself, he might be able to advance to the fifth rank.

Unfortunately, this is very difficult to do.

However, their strength will definitely increase significantly.

If I visit a few more ruins or cultivate for a longer period of time, reaching the fifth level will be no problem.

"Everyone has worked hard today, so please get some rest."

Seeing that there was nothing to talk about, Tsuchimikado Mashiro stood up and said.

As the core of the Nine Palaces Yin-Yang Formation, she was the most exhausted.

Of course, the rest of the people won't have it easy either.

Excessive consumption of psionic energy will place a huge burden on the body.

Haruhiko is actually the most relaxed one here.

During the daytime battles, he remained a spectator except for the final sword strike.

There's nothing we can do; ultimately, we lack the necessary strength.

In a typical fifth-tier battle, he could put up a fight given his ability to learn fifth-tier spells beyond his tier.

However, it pales in comparison to the Nine Palaces Yin-Yang Formation and various divine artifacts.

Rushing into battle would only drag down Tsuchimikado Mashiro and the others.

Tsuchimikado Mashiro and Tsuchimikado Mari were the first to leave.

They still had something to do, which was to notify the members of the Psionic Council to hold a meeting.

"Haruhiko."

Hoshino Aoi suddenly called out to Haruhiko, saying, "After we leave, remember to come to Izumo Shrine."

"I will."

Haruhiko was slightly taken aback, then realized that she was referring to Akashi, one of the Nine Swords of Godslaying.

He and Yuki returned to their room.

Although Haruhiko has a single room, it's not impossible for two people to squeeze into one bed.

Besides, they're used to sleeping like conjoined twins, so there's nothing seriously wrong with them.

a new day.