Crossover Anime: I Became Invincible Starting as an Ajin

Chapter 90 Artistic Conception (2)

Something's not right, something's not right, something's not right!

Both his physical instincts and the deep-seated vigilance of his soul warned Wang Bai.

Wang Bai instinctively took a step back, dodging the incoming spear tip.

Looking up again, I saw that Hozoin Inei seemed to have two overlapping faces.

A hideous demon, yet containing an expression of compassion.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that a compassionate facade concealed a murderous heart.

The layers upon layers of phases constantly intertwine.

It makes it hard to distinguish between one's true nature and one's outward appearance.

Until he was nearly delirious and his spirit was sinking, in a daze, Wang Bai grasped a sliver of truth among the overlapping images.

So that's how it is. Compassion is the cause of killing, and the result of killing is the cause of compassion.

The two are complementary, so the intent to kill is not outwardly revealed, because it is not about killing, but about compassion.

How strange!

"It seems that Mr. Wang Bai has also understood my artistic conception."

Hozoin Inei sighed, feeling the same excitement as Yagyu Muneyoshi.

Unexpectedly, the other party immediately grasped their artistic conception.

But for some reason, neither of them saw the other's state of mind, and after comprehending it, they discarded it.

This act, which might seem like a waste to ordinary people, pleased the two masters even more.

The artistic conception of others can only be used as a reference. If you try to copy it into your own artistic conception after you have understood it, you will never be able to improve it in the rest of your life.

Only the artistic conception that one comprehends and summarizes oneself is more suitable for oneself and can lead to greater achievements in martial arts.

"Simply listening without doing anything will never truly create something of your own."

"After understanding, we put it into practice. Each of us goes through this process and eventually forms our own principles and artistic conception."

"What you need to do now is to build the foundation for your own artistic conception."

Wang Bai inquired, "Bricks and stones? You mean I should constantly accumulate various different artistic conceptions?"

Yagyu Muneyoshi nodded and then shook his head: "Not only that, you also need to observe more, listen more, and think more, so that you can form a concept."

"This concept can be about how to fight, what to fight for, or even why not to fight —"

After a night of discussion with the master, Wang Bai seemed to have grasped something.

But the concept of artistic conception is ethereal and fleeting, like a lingering dream before waking up.

The all-night discussion with the two masters, Yagyu Muneyoshi and Hozoin Inei, planted a seed in Wang Bai's heart.

The discussions about "ideas," "artistic conception," and "bricks" are no longer vague concepts, but have been transformed into a path that urgently needs to be verified.

He clearly sensed that although his own power was strong, he lacked a "core," a unifying force that could integrate all his strengths.

The sublimated "soul".

And the answer seems to lie in the artistic conception.

However, working in isolation is ultimately superficial. The refinement of artistic conception requires experiencing and verifying it amidst life-or-death struggles, in extreme confrontations and clashes.

"Kyoto."

Wang Bai looked into the distance, where Muzan Kibutsuji's core was located, and also where demons were most rampant.

Perhaps the true meaning can be found on the path of vanquishing evil spirits.

Amidst reluctant glances from the gathering point in Pingdingshan, Wang Bai set off to leave.

To Wang Bai's surprise, Shinmen Musashi was following him.

"I've finally gotten back to someone I know, why do you still want to follow me?"

Logically speaking, Shinmen Musashi was the last person who had any reason to follow him.

Shinmen Musashi clutched the blade in his hand and said directly, "I am, after all, a man who strives to be unparalleled in the world, and naturally I would never do something ungrateful."

"If you go to defeat the Demon King, you will definitely encounter many evil spirits on the way. The more people you have, the better your chances of winning."

"I don't want to see my benefactor die in front of me."

Shinmen Musashi looked at the mysterious man before him. The man had the ability to travel back in time, but he seemed to still be unable to resist the power of intent.

If Wang Bai fails to kill the evil spirit first and instead falls into its state of mind, then the opponent will be in danger.

Wang Bai already had a good impression of the man in front of him, thinking that he was a straightforward guy.

Hearing these words from the other person now fills me with even more emotion.

The other party was unaware that he was immortal, even though this world has a great deal of resistance against immortality.

But ultimately, it's still impossible to easily kill a demi-human.

Are you worried about my safety?

Wang Bai reminded the other party, "I am a demi-human. You should have spent some time in my world, so you should know about demi-humans, these undead creatures, right?"

Shinmen Musashi frowned and replied seriously, "No, I know you are very likely a demi-human, but that's precisely why I'm worried about you—"

"Demi-humans are not absolutely immortal!"

"When I was still a demon in your world, I killed a demi-human."

This was the first time Wang Bai had heard of this matter.

After inquiring in detail about Shinmen Musashi's general background, Wang Bai understood.

Unexpectedly, demi-humans have no defense against this kind of mental attack. It seems we need to be careful about this.

In that case, it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep Shinmen Musashi by his side.

In Wang Bai's view, these evil spirits were just a matter of a bit of effort, but having Shinmen Musashi nearby as insurance was a good idea.

Japan is a small place, and even as an alternate world setting, it's not that big.

Furthermore, with Wang Bai and Shinmen Musashi's leg strength, their speed felt about the same as that of a car.

The next destination, a city, came into view.

Wang Bai wasn't quite sure where this place was, and Shinmen Musashi didn't recognize it at all either.

The entire city was in ruins, with only the remains of a place burned by fire.

Even before you get close, the strong smell of blood and decay is already blowing against the wind.

As he approached this spot, Shinmen Musashi instinctively gripped the hilt of his sword.

Shinmen Musashi's long-standing combat instincts told him that something seemed off about this place.

"Mr. Wang Bai, be careful, this place seems too quiet!"

Wang Bai remained indifferent; his senses were sharper. The air was filled not only with a physical stench, but also with a lingering, viscous malice that was both unsettling and mentally unsettling.

Upon entering the city, one could see dark red marks left on the streets, walls, and even doors and windows, even after the fire had burned them.

There were no living people in the entire city, nor were there any dead.

Occasionally, you can still see remnants of clothing on the ground, as well as dark brown, dried bloodstains on the clothes.

It was as if all living things inside had vanished.

"What exactly happened here?"

Shinmen Musashi couldn't help but wonder. He could understand if it were a field littered with corpses, since he had seen such horrific scenes many times before.

But things are clearly different here now.

It's so clean!

How could a fire that burned the entire city to the ground leave no trace of human life?

But it seems that everyone here had disappeared before the fire.

"No need to look anymore, I think we'll find the answer if we go into that place."

Wang Bai patted Shinmen Musashi and pointed to the tall tower located in the middle of the castle.

Of all the remaining buildings in the entire city, only the tall tower remained relatively intact.

The tower's material seems unusual, possessing an unusual, unsettling oily sheen under the light.

The tower, seemingly stained by countless filth, stands out starkly against the surrounding charred ruins.

The closer you get, the stronger the stench of blood and decay in the air becomes.

It almost solidifies and adheres to the skin in a viscous consistency.

Every breath makes me feel uncomfortable in my mouth and nose.

Shinmen Musashi gripped the blade even tighter, his martial instincts screaming warnings, as if the tower itself were a living, malevolent lair.

All signs indicate that the city's anomalies may very well lie within this tower.

"It seems we need to go inside."

Wang Bai's calm voice calmed Shinmen Musashi down considerably.

The two stepped into the tower. The interior was extremely dimly lit, with only scattered spots of light filtering through holes in the walls, illuminating the dust in the air, but this only made the dark corners seem even more profound.

The tower was surprisingly clean, with no furniture or clutter, only a thick layer of soft, ash-like dust.

The wall was covered with scratches of varying depths, as if it had been repeatedly scraped by countless tiny, sharp objects.

The only sound that could be heard on the entire tower was the soft rustling of their footsteps on the dust.

Suddenly a rustling, squeaking sound—

Other voices joined in.

At first, the sound was faint, as if it came from the depths of the tower, but soon it became dense and loud, surging in from all directions!

The sounds were like countless tiny claws frantically scratching at the stones and planks.

Shinmen Musashi stopped in his tracks, and his katana was instantly drawn.

Wang Bai drew runes on his body, which emitted a faint light.

The dust underfoot began to stir.

One after another, fist-sized, blood-red, sticky black rats kept crawling out from below!

One, ten, hundred, thousand —

Looking around, the area within sight was almost entirely a sea of ​​rats.

These rats were far more unusual than usual; their split mouths revealed sharp, yellowed teeth, and they dripped thick blood, yearning for food.

But at the same time, it seemed to be holding something back, and instead of rushing towards Wang Bai and the other two, it kept screaming anxiously.

"Hehehe, I never expected this, I never expected this," a voice came from the darkness, "The person the Ghost King was looking for has actually delivered himself to our doorstep!"

His voice was filled with an indescribable joy.

His body was hunched and thin, his skin a sickly, bloodless grayish-white, loosely covering his bones, covered with dark spots and constantly wriggling, lice-like tiny bumps, and his hair drooped over his forehead, obscuring part of his face.

The number "五" can be seen in the exposed eyes.

"Demon Five - Shameful Chewing?"

Shinmen Musashi immediately tensed up, never expecting to encounter such a powerful demon here.

"It is said that this guy was originally a corpse collector who made a living by scavenging items from corpses. He was the first person to encounter the Demon King Muzan Kibutsuji, and was thus transformed into a demon, but it is said that he was not liked."

"But without a doubt, the other party is an extremely powerful evil spirit."

Yes, if it weren't for these terrifying evil spirits, how could the entire city be completely deserted?

"Musashi!"

Wang Bai approached Shinmen Musashi, channeled magic into his sword, and inscribed runes representing flames.

Shinmen Musashi is no longer a demon, and his body cannot use Blood Demon Art. If he relies solely on his swordsmanship, he will not be able to contend with such a large swarm of rats.

Moreover, judging from the state of these rats, many people have probably already been eaten by them, which is why they are not afraid of people at all and are extremely bloodthirsty.

"This rune can only last for ten minutes."

Without needing to say more, Shinmen Musashi understood what Wang Bai meant.

End this battle within ten minutes!

Being recognized did not make Hui Nianjiao panic; on the contrary, he was even happier.

"I was originally worried about how to make up for the loss of so much flesh and blood caused by the fire, but now, thanks to you all, I might even be rewarded and see Lord Demon King again!"

"Children, go forth and gnaw off their hands and feet!"

Upon receiving the command to chew and cut, the swarm of rats surged toward Wang Bai and Shinmen Musashi like a tidal wave.

Shinmen Musashi took a deep breath. Facing the surging horde of rats, he did not panic. Instead, he took a step forward and swung his blade fiercely.

As if in response to Shinmen Musashi, the runes on the blade lit up and instantly became entwined with red flames.

The flames spread out in a fan shape forward from the blade.

The rat that charged at the front was instantly burned to a crisp in the flames!

A temporary vacuum zone was cleared.

However, the rat population was far too large!

The rats behind were fearless and immediately surged forward, stepping over the corpses of their own kind.

Wang Bai's body was enhanced by magic, and these seemingly ferocious rats could not break through his defenses at all. However, they were so disgusting that Wang Bai had to release a large amount of magic power to cover his body with a membrane to isolate the rats.

"This is never going to end!"

With such a massive number, it's impossible to eliminate them all bit by bit.

To solve this problem, we must address the root cause.

The speed brought by the enhanced body allowed it to carve a path through the swarm of rats, heading straight for where Gray Chews ...

Hui Nian was startled; he had always been proud of his rat horde.

Rats are not affected by mood, and it is impossible for a human to kill such a large number of rats.

Even a master-level figure would perish if confronted with this swarm of rats.

However, neither of the two people in front of them was affected by the rat swarm. In particular, the human who was ordered by the Ghost King to be captured alive showed physical strength that was even stronger than that of the evil ghosts.

How could such a monster be born into the world!

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