The Demon King, reborn in Japan as a monk

"Therefore, we will inevitably face some dangers next, and I hope Brother Shi will make some preparations in advance."

"Don't worry, you've seen my cultivation level. I'm a Thunder Tribulation Ghost Immortal. In today's society, I wouldn't say I'm invincible, but I can easily handle three or five ordinary soul experts. On the contrary, I'm afraid that Hong Kang won't remember your brotherhood and will secretly try to harm you," Shi Yuanzhang said worriedly.

“Brother Shi, you can rest assured about that. Although Hong Kang is eager to get rid of me because of Madam Zhao, my current status is different. I am a registered reserve official of the court and have already assumed my duties. Therefore, as long as Hong Kang doesn’t want to be caught red-handed, he won’t do anything to me in his residence. On the contrary, after I leave, I’m afraid I will be intercepted by other pursuers,” Hong Yi explained.

"If that's the case, then it's not a big deal. After all, Mengyao and I are not pushovers either, and with Zhao Feirong, whom I've already thoroughly subdued, if there are any pursuers blocking our way, I'll make sure Hong Kang and the Da Luo Sect understand what it means to try to steal a chicken but lose the rice instead," Shi Yuanzhang sneered.

……

After a short while, the group arrived at Hong Kang's residence.

"Hong Yi, you've really made something of yourself since we last met. Not only did you excel in the imperial examinations, becoming the top scholar, but you even managed to get in touch with Prince Yu and be recommended for an official position. It seems that my elder brother, mother, and I all underestimated you." As soon as Hong Yi arrived at the mansion, a loud voice rang out from within, its tone ambiguous, whether friendly or sarcastic, directed at Hong Yi who had just dismounted.

"Hong Yi greets Second Brother." Hong Yi's expression remained unchanged as he bowed and greeted Hong Kang with the utmost courtesy.

The others followed suit and bowed to Hong Kang.

After all, Hong Kang was the governor of Shuiyang City, and in terms of official rank, he was a third-grade official. Without making a public conflict, he was indeed entitled to have everyone bow to him.

"Alright, there's no need for such formalities between us brothers." Hong Kang stepped forward and grabbed Hong Yi's arm, saying, "Guards, take my third brother's men to rest."

"Yes," the burly men on either side replied.

Then, the burly men stepped forward and surrounded Ishihara Zhang, Qin Mengyao, Xiao Mu, Shen Tianyang and his son, along with the few personal guards, and led them to the back where the servants were staying. Clearly, they wanted to separate them from Hong Yi.

Of course, this was also to facilitate contact between the people of the Da Luo faction and Zhao Feirong.

Sure enough, after being taken to the backyard, the men and women were separated again based on their gender. The men were taken to a room where food and drinks were served, while the women were settled in another room.

Chapter 463 Each with their own thoughts

After some arrangements were made, Zhao Feirong was able to leave the room alone.

"Senior Sister." The woman who had previously reported the situation to Hong Kang appeared near Zhao Feirong and said.

"Feiyan, what are you doing here?" Zhao Feirong asked, looking at the woman with some surprise.

The woman's name reveals that although she and Zhao Feirong are not biological sisters, they are related by blood, and may even be cousins ​​from the same paternal line. Otherwise, their names would not be so similar.

"I was ordered to stay with Young Master Kang to assist him," the woman named Fei Yan replied.

Of course, the so-called assistance was to facilitate Hong Kang's communication and arrangements when he needed to use the power of the Da Luo Sect.

To put it bluntly, he's just a middleman, a double agent.

"On the contrary, why did you suddenly join Hong Yi's team and act with him? Could it be that you have forgotten the mission assigned by the sect leader?" Fei Yan continued to ask Zhao Fei Rong without pausing.

"I haven't forgotten," Zhao Feirong denied.

Fei Yan remained silent, waiting for Zhao Fei Rong to continue.

"I failed; I was captured by the experts following Hong Yi," Zhao Feirong said frankly.

"Hong Yi does indeed have a master by his side. Who is it?" Fei Yan's expression changed upon hearing this, and she quickly asked.

“It’s that man named Shi Yi. He has a very high level of cultivation in the realm of the divine soul. He has already passed the tribulation of lightning and is a tribulation-level ghost immortal. I was caught off guard because I didn’t expect that there would be a tribulation-level ghost immortal by Hong Yi’s side. I was captured by Shi Yi,” Zhao Feirong sighed.

"He's actually a Tribulation-level Ghost Immortal! Does the Supreme Dao think so highly of Hong Yi?" Fei Yan asked in surprise.

Thunder Tribulation Ghost Immortals, while not exactly rare to the point of being impossible to find, are certainly few and far between based on current knowledge. Almost every Thunder Tribulation Ghost Immortal is either a pillar of a major sect or a powerful family, a pillar of strength, or a top-tier figure at the sect leader level. No one would have imagined that Hong Yi would have such a person by his side.

This is like using a cannon to kill a mosquito; it's absolutely unfair.

“Shi Yi isn’t a very sensible person,” Zhao Feirong said, shaking her head.

"Not a very shrewd person? That's strange. Why would a being at the level of a Thunder Tribulation Ghost Immortal suddenly appear out of nowhere, and value Hong Yi so much that he's willing to condescend to be his bodyguard?" Fei Yan asked, increasingly puzzled.

“Then I don’t know,” Zhao Feirong said, shaking her head as well.

"By the way, Senior Sister, judging from your appearance, that person shouldn't have restricted your cultivation. Why didn't you escape?" Fei Yan hesitated for a moment, then asked again with a puzzled look.

"Do you think I never thought about escaping? It's just that I can't escape." Zhao Feirong rolled her eyes at Fei Yan without any curiosity and said, "There is that guy's mental imprint in my soul. It's fine if I don't escape, but if I do, he can completely erase my mind and will with a single thought, making me lose everything."

"Hiss... What should we do then?" Fei Yan asked worriedly.

"How did you arrange this?" Zhao Feirong asked in return.

"The elders have been notified; they are on their way and should arrive in a day at most. At that time..."

"It's useless." Before Fei Yan could finish speaking, Zhao Feirong retorted, "As I just said, that person is a Thunder Tribulation Ghost Immortal. As a cultivator specializing in the divine soul, you should know how vast the difference is between a Ghost Immortal and a Thunder Tribulation Ghost Immortal. So even if the elders can arrive, they still won't be able to do anything to that guy. Not to mention, I still have that person's mental imprint within my divine soul. If some unexpected situation arises, he can completely force me to assist. At that point, will the elders fight me or avoid me?"

"So we're just going to let it go like this?" Fei Yan said unwillingly.

"First, report my situation back to the sect. Then, have my mother send over the God-Splitting Puppet and the Yin-Yang Secret Manual of the Peach God Path. I'll see if I can use the techniques on the God-Splitting Puppet and the Yin-Yang Secret Manual to remove the imprint of thoughts in my soul. If that doesn't work... then we'll turn the tables and take the initiative. Just consider me someone who has voluntarily infiltrated Hong Yi's side. I'll then report Hong Yi's every move back to make it easier for my mother and father to deal with Hong Yi's affairs." After thinking for a while, Zhao Feirong made the decisive arrangements.

"What about the elders?" Fei Yan continued to ask.

"Let them go back," Zhao Feirong sighed.

After all, the gap in strength is there. Rather than having the elders come and offer themselves up, thus weakening the power and foundation of the Great Luo Sect, it's better to abandon this doomed rescue and make their undercover plan more successful.

"OK then."

……

Afterwards, the woman named Fei Yan disappeared from Hong Kang's residence. Zhao Fei Rong also returned to the room where the women were as if nothing had happened, continuing to eat, rest, and wait for further arrangements.

"Someone was looking for you just now, wasn't they?" That evening, in Ishihara Akira's bedroom, Ishihara Akira looked at Zhao Feirong in front of him and said calmly.

“You left a trace in my soul. You can see for yourself what I’ve been through,” Zhao Feirong replied calmly, her expression unchanged.

“I want to hear it from you yourself,” Ishihara Sho said indifferently.

"That's right, someone did come looking for me just now." Knowing she couldn't hide it anymore, Zhao Feirong didn't waste any time and answered very straightforwardly.

"What do you want?" Ishihara Sho asked.

"They asked about my situation and then told me about their plan to save me, but I declined," Zhao Feirong said frankly.

"Oh?" Ishihara Akira looked at her with interest.

“You are a Tribulation-level Ghost Immortal. Although it’s unclear which level of Tribulation you are, you are not someone that my Great Luo Sect’s ordinary Ghost Immortals who haven’t yet undergone Tribulation-level transformations can defeat. Therefore, to prevent them from making unnecessary sacrifices and depleting the Great Luo Sect’s strength and resources, I stopped their plan to rescue me,” Zhao Feirong replied.

However, some crucial details were still not revealed.

For example, the God of Rift.

For example, the Yin-Yang Secret Manual.

It's clear that they're betting that the original camphor tree won't read her memories or spy on her.

"What are your plans for Hong Yi?" Ishihara Akira asked noncommittally, then inquired again.

"Keep raising the bounty to incite the bandits to attack." Zhao Feirong knew she had made the right bet, and with a surge of confidence, she replied.

"Why not just take action inside the manor?" Ishihara Akira continued to ask.

“Hong Kang is an official appointed by the imperial court, and Hong Yi is also a well-known reserve official in the Ministry of Personnel. In addition, they are on their way to take up their posts. Even if Hong Kang has great power, it is not easy to explain the death of an official in his residence. It would be easy for others to use it against him. Hong Kang felt that it was not worth getting himself into trouble for the sake of Hong Yi,” Zhao Feirong explained.

"Alright, come up and serve me." Ishihara Akira nodded and ordered Zhao Feirong.

Zhao Feirong gritted her teeth, but did not refuse. She got up, walked to Ishihara Akira's bedside, and sat down...

Chapter 464 Hong Yi Becomes an Official

However, thanks to Zhao Feirong's intervention in preventing the Da Luo Sect from sending people to rescue them, Hong Yi and his party successfully left Shuiyang Prefecture the next day and embarked on their journey to the Jinghai Army camp once again.

This time, however, things were much calmer.

Although the Da Luo Sect did increase the bounty, this place was too close to the Jinghai Army, and with Zhao Feirong's presence, few bandits dared to provoke the Da Qian Dynasty's authority in such a place and ambush officials on the way. Therefore, the group arrived smoothly at the town closest to the Jinghai Army and stopped.

"Brother Shi, I'd appreciate it if you could stay here for a few days. I'll come back to join you after I've completed the registration and assumed my duties," Hong Yi said to Shi Yuanzhang and the others.

The goal is to conceal one's true strength and maintain a certain level of realism.

After all, who knows what the situation is like in the Jinghai Army? It's better to keep some trump cards up your sleeve.

“No problem, Brother Hong, just go about your business. We’ll stay here and wait for your news,” Ishihara Akira said with a smile.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Shi."

Hong Yi didn't stay in the town for long afterward. He quickly left the town with the few personal guards that Prince Yu had given him and headed towards the Jinghai Army camp along the official road.

……

However, Shi Yuanzhang was not idle either. After settling Qin Mengyao, Zhao Feirong, Xiao Mu and others, he also left the town in a flash and flew towards the Jinghai Army's camp.

Moreover, their purpose was very clear: they were heading directly to the main camp of the Jinghai Army, not to cause trouble for Yan Zhen, the general in charge of the Jinghai Army, but to the so-called strategist of the Jinghai Army, Yan Zhen's friend, the sect leader of the Qihun Sect, Mr. Duan!

The Profound Yin Ghost-Slaying and Soul-Seizing Technique and its highest level, the Soul Vortex, that he possessed would greatly help Ishihara Akane quickly accumulate spiritual energy and overcome the Ninefold Tribulation. It was necessary to obtain them as soon as possible to avoid missing out on this opportunity.

In this way, Ishihara Akira successfully found the location of the main camp of the Jinghai Army—all he needed to do was find the place with the strongest qi and blood.

After all, the original work mentioned that Yan Zhen, the commander of the Jinghai Army, was a master whose martial arts level was close to that of a martial saint. He possessed a powerful aura that far surpassed that of the other soldiers in the army. As long as Ishihara Akira's eyesight was good, he would naturally be able to find his location immediately.

However, his arrival seemed to be at an inopportune time. Yan Zhen was holding a meeting with many military generals. Although he still couldn't affect Ishihara Akira, who had already passed the fourth level of tribulation and whose actual level of yang transformation was comparable to the sixth level of tribulation, and who could even withstand the impact of the blood and qi of a human immortal-level expert, it was still inconvenient for him to interrogate Duan Da Xiansheng about his whereabouts. Therefore, he could only turn around and use his Heavenly Demon ability to enter the minds of the soldiers guarding outside the tent, browsing through their memories while waiting for the right opportunity.

Unexpectedly, they were greeted by Hong Yi.

The process was uneventful; it was just a simple conversation to introduce him to the generals in the battalion and let them know he existed. Hong Yi was then taken to the military academy—the place in the military camp used to teach soldiers martial arts techniques—for a aptitude assessment...

The situation has become slightly worse.

After all, the current Hong Yi is different from the original work. Although he has the Bull Demon Mighty Fist and the Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique, he missed out on many things because of Ishihara Akira's repeated attempts to seize opportunities. In particular, the pills from Baiyun Manor prevented him from reaching the level of a Skin-Refining Martial Master as in the original work, and he remained at the Tendon-Refining stage.

Naturally, it couldn't be as amazing as in the original work, but it still reached a passing grade. In addition, due to the relationship with Prince Yu, Yan Zhen, just like in the original work, handed over the Green Standard Army under the First Army to Hong Yi for command and control.

……

Hong Yi went to the camp to receive the soldiers and understand the situation, while Shi Yuanzhang continued to huddle inside the soldiers outside the tent, waiting for the meeting to end.

Fortunately, it didn't take too long, only about half an hour. The other generals in the tent left one after another, returning to their own territories and camps to do their own things, leaving Yan Zhen alone in the tent, deep in thought.

Seeing that the opportunity was rare, Ishihara Akira didn't waste any words. He immediately controlled the soldier to make eye contact with another soldier guarding the side, sealed their thoughts, and created a false illusion that they would continue to faithfully perform their duties. He then transformed into a black shadow and disappeared into the tent.

"Who goes there!" Yan Zhen shouted.

Without further ado, he unleashed his full power, unleashing a tiger claw attack towards Ishihara Sho, who had already charged towards him.

As for Ishihara Akira? He coiled around Yan Zhen's arm like a snake, then appeared directly in front of him, unleashing a mental shockwave into Yan Zhen's mind, making him dizzy. He immediately suppressed Yan Zhen's consciousness and took over his body...