The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

"You mean to say that the gods and Buddhas are coming down?" Ishihara Akira asked warily.

"Not only gods and Buddhas, but also demons and monsters that disappeared or went into hiding due to environmental reasons have regained their space to live. I believe that it won't be long before things like urban legends resurface, making the world even more chaotic," Mara warned.

"Given the current environment, would gods or Buddhas descend?" Ishihara Akira questioned.

Although he was indeed surprised that the operation of the Nightmare Space could cause turmoil in the environment and rules, it seemed that even gods and Buddhas would not care about such a small change.

"The reason why the gods and Buddhas left back then wasn't entirely due to environmental limitations. After all, for beings who have cultivated to the level of gods and Buddhas, the world is nothing more than a pebble to them. If they really wanted to, they were fully capable of changing it. The key is whether it's worth it. So it's not that only worlds where all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has awakened are worthy of the attention of gods and Buddhas. If a desolate world has value, gods and Buddhas will pay attention to it as well." Mara looked at him meaningfully and said, "Especially now that this world has a 'parasite' like you inside, the main body may not be able to stop everyone."

Chapter 425 On Marriage

"So what do you mean?" Ishihara Akira asked, puzzled.

You can't just come out here to remind yourself that the world has changed, can you?

While it is indeed useful, it doesn't seem to have been used much so far.

"Continue to improve your strength and achieve Yang Shen as soon as possible. Although this may not guarantee a smooth passage through any potential troubles, it should be sufficient for self-preservation," Bo Xun said softly, turning to look at Ishihara Sho in front of him.

Although the realm of Yang Shen is not very high, it depends on the world and the people one is compared to.

In reality, according to the Taoist system, although the Yangshen realm has not yet reached the level of complete ascension, it still has the realm of immortals. If one is willing to serve in the Heavenly Court, it is not a problem to receive a third-rank immortal position. So even if one is not as good as a traditional immortal, one can still hold one's head high and stand firm in front of most immortals.

If this were the world of Yang Shen, then Yang Shen would be a top-tier being, an immortal being, only slightly inferior to the transcendent Great Luo Immortals of that world, and an unparalleled top-tier immortal.

Even if the Demon King Mara were to appear in person, Ishihara Sho wouldn't be without the ability to fight him head-on.

If it were any other weak world, the Yang God would be nothing special, probably not even at the Tribulation Transcending Realm, so how could he possibly be a match for an immortal?

However, realms are not viewed in that way. After all, Ishihara Akira is currently living in the real world, and although he follows the path of the Heavenly Demon, in terms of realms, he is progressing according to the orthodox Taoist cultivation system.

In other words, as long as he can become a Celestial Immortal, he can gain the ability to transcend the world. Although he is not as powerful as a Great Luo Immortal, he is about the same as a Great Luo Immortal. Even if he were to be converted into the Yangshen world, he would still be considered to have transcendent combat power.

However, until now, Ishihara Sho has not yet found his own path to immortality.

However, as the ruler of the world, the Six Desires Demon King, it wouldn't be much of a problem for him to directly achieve the status of a Celestial Immortal or even a low-level Great Luo Immortal through external forces.

He did not seek the mythical Great Luo Fruit position that was once proven and then permanently confirmed.

Not to mention the power he gained during this period, which is the real reason why Ishihara Sho was able to overcome so many tribulations and changes!

That's why Bo Xun urged him to become a Yang God as soon as possible. He wanted him to become stronger quickly, so that he would have enough confidence to deal with all kinds of changes that might happen in the future, protect himself, and allow him, as a sword spirit, to live on with his 'master'.

"Looks like there's no way I can rest again," Ishihara Sho sighed knowingly.

"..."

“Alright, then I’ll leave tomorrow,” Ishihara Akira said with a smile.

“Alright.” Bo Xun nodded, glanced at Ishihara Sho and Emiko kneeling in front of him, and then his figure flashed and disappeared into thin air just as abruptly as when she appeared.

……

"What are you thinking about?" After a long while, Yumiko stopped what she was doing and looked at Ishihara Akira in front of her with a puzzled expression.

"I miss your sister." Ishihara Akira snapped out of his reverie and replied with a smile.

谷溏

“No, if you really were thinking about Misako, it wouldn’t be like this,” Yumiko questioned.

As for Ishihara Sho's feelings for Misako, she knew it from the day she arranged for the two to meet, but she hadn't taken it too seriously until later when Ishihara Sho became stronger and stronger due to her training, which made her suddenly think of Misako again, and then she discovered that Ishihara Sho had somehow gotten involved with Misako.

Although Yumiko was indeed very angry when she first found out and wanted to ignore Ishihara Sho, after Ishihara Sho revived his husbandly authority, she had to admit that it was really nice to have someone to share the burden with her.

Especially since the other party is someone like Misako, whom he knows well, it's always better than those unfamiliar women who are unknown or have treacherous intentions.

“I’m not lying to you, I really am thinking about Misako.” Ishihara Akira insisted, “But I’m not thinking about that kind of thing. I’m thinking about whether I can get your sister to get a divorce and move in with us. Of course, if that’s possible, we’ll definitely have to change where we live. I’m wondering whether we should buy a luxury apartment or a detached house.”

"You want Misako to get a divorce?" Yumiko asked, frowning.

Yumiko was willing to have Misako come and help her, but if she were to persuade Misako to get a divorce and then move in with her, Yumiko would always have the illusion that Ishihara Akira would be taken away from her, and she would feel unhappy again.

“Yes, anyway, she’s not happy in her life right now, and that almost happened before.” Ishihara Akira pulled Yumiko up from the ground and made her face the balcony.

As for that kind of thing, it's naturally the story of the sisters Misako and Etsuko, and it's also the reason why Misako took the initiative to call him after joining the Illuminati—her fiancé's child was plotting against her!

Fortunately, she had already joined the Illuminati and become a full member, and had the spirit bestowed upon her by Ishihara Shou within her. This allowed her to discover the mastermind behind the incident—the harassing phone call—as soon as it started, and to contact Ishihara Shou immediately after identifying the culprit. Otherwise…

This is why Yumiko knew that Ishihara Yu and Misako were having an affair.

"So rather than letting her continue to endure the disgust of living in that awful family, it's better to just get a divorce. It's not like I can't support both of you," Ishihara Akira replied casually while exercising his abdominal muscles.

Yumiko remained silent. If you think about it from this perspective, it seems that you should indeed advise Misako to leave that family that has become so corrupt.

“I know you can support us, but… are you not planning to marry me?” Yuemiko asked, frowning.

"Aren't we living well now?" Ishihara Akira didn't answer directly, but instead asked the same question in return.

"Or is it that only having that marriage certificate can give you a sense of security?"

"As expected, you didn't intend to marry me," Yumiko replied somewhat unhappily.

Although Japanese women may have all sorts of questionable behaviors after marriage, and there are women who dislike becoming full-time housewives and even wish their husbands would die, overall, they still yearn for marriage.

After all, marriage is a kind of security for them, so even if they have to give up their jobs after marriage, many modern women are still willing to choose marriage rather than living a single life.

"I'm sorry, my heart has been too fickle." Ishihara Akira sincerely apologized, "But I can assure you that there is definitely a place for you in my heart, and as long as you don't choose to leave, I am willing to take care of you for the rest of my life."

"..." Yumiko remained silent for a long while before speaking again: "How many women have you said this to?"

"So far, I've only told you this."

Chapter 426 Yang Shen

In short, although he didn't get the answer he wanted from Yumiko in the end, Yumiko's tacit attitude told Ishihara Sho about her choice. Now all he could do was wait for time and take specific actions. Things should be able to move into the storyline he had set up, right?

Therefore, another batch of new people were recruited—one million from each country, totaling two hundred million people worldwide. After entering the Nightmare Space, Ishihara Akira returned to the temple, activated the anti-interference and defense barrier, and collapsed, entering the dream world. His thoughts constructed images, using these images to guide the causal threads in the darkness, and then activating the connection. The familiar spacetime energy gate reappeared before Ishihara Akira…

However, Ishihara Akira did not set off immediately. After thinking for a while, he brought Qin Mengyao, who had the best martial arts aptitude among the people he had brought back, including Jin Bingyun. After briefly explaining things to her, he carried her and entered the spacetime energy gate together. They crossed the boundless void and entered the Yangshen World, which could help him complete the Yangshen stage of cultivation in the shortest time and greatly enhance his strength.

The next moment, the weather changed, and Ishihara Akira and Qin Mengyao, dressed in a white outfit, appeared in a mountain range.

Before Ishihara Akira could even act or determine the direction and location, a strong sense of unease suddenly welled up from the depths of his heart—

The only feeling that Ishihara Sho had now was of his own power and the activity of his soul. It was just like when he first finished cultivating the Three Meridians and Seven Chakras Secret Technique and entered the realm of oneness with Brahman, and received some kind of power from the darkness. He felt that he was omnipotent, like a god or an immortal.

However, Ishihara Akira understood that these were all illusions, but he was even more certain that his primordial spirit body had great advantages here. He just didn't know how many layers of lightning tribulation he could pass if he went to undergo the tribulation.

Three floors, four floors, or five floors?

However, he also understood that although he was in a primordial spirit body and did not have a physical body to worry about when he underwent the tribulation, the weakness he would experience after the tribulation was unavoidable. Therefore, if he did not want to be devoured by other demons or monsters during his tribulation, he still needed a protector.

He couldn't trust the people in the Yangshen World, so he had no choice but to bring Qin Mengyao here, intending to train her to become a Human Immortal Martial Saint and have her protect him through the tribulation.

Next, Ishihara Sho opened the Qimen Dunjia divination method and tried his ability to calculate the inner vision. Sure enough, just like when he entered the world of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber and the world of Overturning Clouds and Rain, he could not connect to the inner vision of this world and could only use the I Ching to calculate the direction.

So soon, Shi Yuanzhang determined his direction and led Qin Mengyao toward the area that was likely the capital of the Great Qian Kingdom.

……

Of course, Ishihara Chang's walking was not ordinary walking, but superhuman speed, shrinking the distance to an inch. So, in just two steps, Ishihara Chang and Qin Mengyao appeared in front of the city gate of the capital of the Great Qian Kingdom as shown in his divination.

Then, a magnificent city, so grand and imposing that even the legendary ancient city of Chang'an paled in comparison, came into view of Ishihara Akira and Qin Mengyao.

This also allowed Qin Mengyao to witness for the first time how extraordinary this world was—

After all, in the world of the Great Qian Kingdom, where she came from, even the city walls of the capital city of Yingtian Prefecture at that time were not half as high as the city walls of the capital city of the Great Qian Kingdom before her.

"Is this really a city that humans could build?" Qin Mengyao murmured in awe.

“Of course, haven’t you already seen it?” Ishihara Akira laughed.

Without stopping, the two followed the flow of people entering and leaving the city. Using the Heavenly Demon Illusion Technique, they successfully entered the city and arrived at a more bustling and lively street.

谷詔

Shi Yuanzhang first asked Qin Mengyao to wait for him, then turned around and went to a nearby inconspicuous alley. He used his mental power to control a passerby, led him into the alley, and used his dual-wielding technique to read the memories in the other person's mind.

It mainly concerns the layout of the capital city and the location of the Hong family mansion.

Therefore, it wasn't long before Ishihara Akira successfully obtained everything he wanted and transformed from an outsider who knew nothing into a Kyoto expert.

Then, Ishihara Akira put down the tool he had used and returned to the street. Qin Mengyao, who was waiting for him, raised his hand and copied the memories in the tool's mind, transferring them into Qin Mengyao's mind.

After that, their actions became simple. First, they found a well-known inn in the capital city based on their memories. Then, using illusions and the trickery of the Heavenly Demon, they booked a top-tier room from the innkeeper and settled Qin Mengyao in temporarily. Only then did Ishihara Akira leave the inn again and head towards the residence of Grand Tutor Hong Xuanji of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Whether the story has already begun or not, you still have to make this trip.

If it starts, he can directly obtain the Amitabha Sutra, along with the Bull Demon Mighty Fist and Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist, from here and take them back for Qin Mengyao to cultivate. If it doesn't start, he can lie in wait for Hong Yi to travel, then follow him to West Mountain, find the fox den there, and retrieve the Taoist scripture containing the Amitabha Sutra from the fox clan's library.

While you're at it, make a copy of any martial arts books you might have there and bring them back to Qin Mengyao.

Then comes the specific steps of undergoing tribulation, seizing magical treasures, accumulating resources, and striving to achieve complete Yang God status in this world.

……

Not long after, Shi Yuanzhang arrived outside Hong Xuanji's mansion, circled around it, found the back gate of the mansion, and then leaped into the inner courtyard of the mansion. He found a servant in the mansion and, using the same method he had used on passersby, used his double-handed technique to extract the layout map of the mansion from the servant's mind. Only then did he disguise himself, hide his tracks, and walk towards the side courtyard where Hong Yi was.

It wasn't hard to find. After all, no matter how unpopular Hong Yi was, he was still a young master of the Hong family. His living quarters certainly couldn't be like those of a real servant, where any room would do. It was quite unique, so it didn't take long for Ishihara Akira to arrive outside Hong Yi's room. He opened his Heavenly Eye and looked inside—

Wow, that's impressive.

A massive pillar of light, like the Tower of Babel, enveloped Hong Yi's body and soared into the sky.

"Truly a chosen one of the world, a person destined to transcend fate," Ishihara Akira thought to himself.

However, Zhou Yi himself is quite ordinary. Although he is energetic and seems to have the presence of a Yin spirit, he is still an ordinary person in terms of body. His blood and qi are not vigorous at all, which is significantly different from that of a martial artist.

This shows that Hong Yi had not yet come into contact with the cultivation Hong Yi at this time. In other words, the plot had not yet begun, and Ishihara Akira still had plenty of time to maneuver.

Without any hesitation, he flashed into the ground using earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a technique for escaping/traveling), entered Hong Yi's house, and silently revealed half of his body. He flicked Hong Yi's nape, leaving a mark, and then left a spiritual thought in a corner of the room to monitor Hong Yi's movements. He then flashed away from the Hong residence again and returned to the inn where Qin Mengyao was staying.

"Now we just have to wait for the story to unfold." Ishihara Akira plopped down next to Qin Mengyao, put his arm around her waist, and thought to himself.

Chapter 427 Hong Xuejiao and the Fox King