Don't force me to use my right fist.

Sōyū keenly noticed that what Yōki said was different from the plot he knew.

I originally thought that the pink-haired glutton wanted to see this thing bloom, so it stole the spring from this world. But it seems that it had nothing to do with it. The only thing is that it was destroyed by the young lady herself.

The old man was clearly quite surprised that Sawa knew even that he had a young lady in his family. However, recalling the strange expression Sawa had shown when he heard his name earlier, the old man seemed to have figured something out.

"Could it be that you are a descendant of the Saigyouji family? Are you here to handle matters here?"

Seeing the old man's rather excited appearance, Sōyu felt a little embarrassed.

He's definitely not a descendant of that pink-haired guy, and he doesn't even have the slightest connection to the so-called Saigyouji family. But you can't say that you know him because you saw his background information on the forum, right? wh You'd have to explain to him what a forum is and Touhou Project are first.

So, not wanting to delve deeper into the issue, Saya shook his head and casually made up an excuse to brush it off.

"Just think of me as an Onmyoji who has done some research on the Saigyouji family. But you guessed one thing right: I'm here to deal with that thing inside."

To be fair, whether it's for the sake of getting equipment from monsters or for the safety of innocent civilians in the surrounding area, this cherry blossom tree spirit must be dealt with.

Moreover, if it is the necessary cause of the significant reduction in food production across Japan, then Sasaki Yu is even more determined to deal with it.

It indirectly blocked Tamamo-no-Mae's path to godhood, and if it is not eliminated, it will definitely pose an absolute threat to Tamamo-no-Mae's ability to gain faith in the future.

Sōyu now even suspects that if he were to explain the situation to Tamamo-no-Mae, that fox might just grab her sword and rush up to chop down the tree herself. Since it concerns her becoming a god, Sōyu feels she would definitely be the most anxious and excited person.

However, Sōyū had no intention of bringing her over. He had finally found a monster worth fighting, and it was clearly an elite mini-boss level monster. Why would he need to bring someone else along to create unnecessary trouble when he could enjoy the experience and loot all by himself?

Whether it was his fight with Yuugi last time or his sword clash with Yoki this time, Saya felt like he had strength but couldn't use it. So, he definitely couldn't let go of this sandbag that was suddenly delivered to his door.

It's not so much that he felt resentful, but if I had to say something, it would be that Saya wanted to kill someone. Not this kind of friendly sparring, but a life-or-death struggle.

This may be one of the lingering effects left over from the world of Minecraft. The reason why Zuoyou does not want to start killing is also to curb this impulse.

Slaying monsters is fine, but when it comes to killing people, one might get itchy hands and start attacking innocent civilians.

Of course, there is another way to suppress this feeling to a large extent: give Saya a large enough farmland that he can't keep up with, and he will be satisfied just the same.

"Regarding dealing with the monster inside, I must warn you first: this monster is far more powerful and unreasonable than I am, not to mention that it's even more dangerous now that it has absorbed enough energy." whl

Soul Demon Chronicle looked at Sōyū with a somewhat worried expression. Just as he had said before, he was really reluctant to see such a promising swordsman fail in such a place.

Even though Sawa had just barely managed to defeat him using some special technique, the demon inside was not only stronger than him, but also possessed a treacherous and cunning nature.

Moreover, they lack martial ethics.

If Saya went in looking so careless, it's impossible for him not to worry.

"Relax, relax, that's the method."

Zuo You waved his hand. He still had quite a few trump cards up his sleeve. The reason he felt slightly at a disadvantage in his battle with Yao Ji was mainly because he wanted to fight him fair and square.

Otherwise, if Sawa were truly shameless, he could have easily declared victory by simply using time stop. He wouldn't even know what he had gone through until he pried the Shikon Jewel out of the old man's corpse.

"Well, if you really insist on this, then I naturally won't stop you. However, there's one thing I feel I need to remind you: if you really have no chance of defeating that monster, running away isn't a shameful act."

Seeing that Saya wasn't joking, the old man could only shake his head and step aside again, indicating that Saya could go in.

"Since you, Senior Yaoji, also dislike that monster, why don't you join me in attacking?"

Seeing that the old man clearly didn't want to go in with him, Sawa thought to himself, "Shouldn't we go together so we can look out for each other?"

"I don't know why, but whenever I go deep into the house, I feel a strange sensation emanating from my body, as if something wants to break free and return to its original place."

The old man clutched his chest.

"My swordsman's intuition tells me that if I let that thing fly out, I will definitely not be able to maintain my current state. I will never die before I have cleaned up the young lady's courtyard."

Sawa had already grasped the gist of it just by watching his movements; the thing Yoki mentioned about to break free of his body was definitely a fragment of the Shikon Jewel.

However, since the opponent can now actively attract the Shikon Jewel shards, there's only one possibility.

The number of Shikon Jewel fragments on its body is definitely much greater than that on Yoki's body.

This also means that the dangers they face will be even greater.

Chapter 417 Testing

"So I'm sorry, but if you want to deal with it, I can't help you. All I can do is try my best to prevent others from entering this house and providing it with unnecessary nutrients."

A hint of helplessness flickered in the white-haired old man's eyes. If he truly possessed the power to challenge that monster, he wouldn't have had to do something like obstructing others.

"No, I think you've done very well, senior. At least as a swordsman, I can't reach your level."

Saya smiled at the old man and then brushed past him.

"Adventures are best left to the younger generation. What the elders should do is pass on the skills they still possess, right? I would like to ask you for some swordsmanship advice when I have time."

Sōyū wasn't just making a show of force; he had long harbored the idea of ​​learning a sword technique, but he had never encountered a master swordsman. Now that he had finally met a master of the two-sword style, it would be impossible for him not to learn from him.

We can't just start using swords like ordinary fire pokers; that would be a waste of their precious resources.

However, now was clearly not the time to discuss this, so Sōyū only mentioned it briefly in front of the old man before turning around and walking into the house behind him without hesitation.

"Then I can only wish you great success in your martial arts endeavors, young friend!"

As Yoki, who had changed his address from "young man" to "little friend" to Saya, watched Saya walk into the house without the slightest hesitation, his gaze becoming increasingly satisfied.

What a righteous child! Wielding his sword to slay demons and monsters, and speaking with such politeness. If I had a granddaughter, I would definitely introduce him to him. But since Sōyū has expressed interest in his swordsmanship, it's not like he can't reluctantly accept him as a disciple. In any case, he has long wanted to pass on his swordsmanship.

But Soul Demon Chronicle had a premonition that if it were Zuo You, he might actually be able to do it.

Sawa had no idea that someone was setting a flag for him after he left. From the moment he stepped into the house, he had a feeling that he was being watched by some lurking beast.

The buildings in the house still retain their original appearance, except that they are covered with a layer of black, unidentified substance, which adds a touch of eeriness to the things inside.

Sawa reached out and touched the black substance. A slippery and disgusting sensation washed over him, and at the same time, he felt as if his life was being drained by the contact with this thing.

"Is it the root of this thing?"

Looking up at the withered branches of the cherry tree that covered the entire house like a dark cloud, Saya remembered that this thing was called Saigyou Ayakashi.

As for how it attacked and what its prototype was, Zuoyou wasn't very clear. After all, in that timeline, the incident was stopped by someone, and the tree didn't bloom.

All Saya could remember was that this thing seemed to have the ability to lure others to commit suicide here, but judging from the current situation, either it didn't activate this skill, or Saya, the optimistic older brother, was completely unaffected by this thing.

In short, Saya easily reached the trunk of the towering tree, raised his head, and looked at the desolate cherry blossom tree. Should he burn it, or chop it down with an axe? As Saya pondered how to deal with this thing, the eerie black substance beneath his feet began to surround him, and the surrounding environment grew increasingly dark. The torch that Saya should have used as a light source was, for some reason, its reach was constantly shrinking.

"Ah, so you finally couldn't resist making a move against me?"

As if finally snapping out of his daze, Sawa raised his head. The surrounding darkness had seeped into the soles of his feet, and the light from the torches was compressed to the point where it could only illuminate his body.

However, Sōyū seemed completely unafraid, silently extending his hand and a bright yellow magic circle flashed across it.

A massive magic circle unfolded beneath the tree canopy, from which countless strange, glowing stones extended, hanging in the sky like lanterns, making this dark area even brighter than daytime.

The strange roots on the ground, which had been lurking and writhing towards Sawa like giant, living snakes, became clearly visible under the light.

"As expected, monsters all like to ambush, but the way you exude an aura of death is really quite unsightly."

Sōyū looked down at the black roots that, instead of disappearing after being exposed, seemed to be enraged and rapidly extending towards him. Too lazy to even pull out his weapon, he merely made a grasping motion towards the ground.

Tiny yet sharp fragments of obsidian material materialized out of thin air around Sōyū, as if controlled by something, instantly slicing the black roots extending towards him into pieces. He could change the appearance of these summoned obsidian stones at will.

As he became more and more proficient at handling this thing, he became even more certain of its practicality.

If one has enough imagination and mental strength, it is not entirely impossible for Zuo You to conjure up an obsidian castle out of thin air.

As for the roots of this monster that can't even be considered sparse hairs, there's no need to mention them. The only troublesome thing is its ability to absorb life force, but the obsidian block doesn't have anything for it to absorb.

"Speaking of which, if you keep hiding and testing me with these things, don't blame me for taking action against your true form."

He pulled out a diamond axe with an efficiency of 5, and while humming a tune from the Axe Gang, he looked at the cherry blossom tree in front of him and muttered to himself.

Chapter 418 He imitated it quite well.

The other party still didn't react, but Sawa didn't want to wait any longer.

Since it's not moving, then don't blame it for taking the initiative first.

"Let's start by cutting down the roots."

Zuoyou swung the axe in his hand. If only this were the lumberjack axe from the Tinkers' Conquest mod, one swing and no matter how big the tree was, it would obediently turn into a wooden block and fall down.

However, a regular diamond axe obviously cannot do this, but it is enough for Sōyū to chop down trees more efficiently.

Raising an eyebrow, Sōyū didn't hesitate and immediately swung the axe towards the roots of the cherry blossom tree.

Clearly, no matter how Buddhist this monster is, it could not tolerate Saku doing something that directly harmed its true form.

A barrier emitting a pale purple light unfolded at the base of the tree, blocking Sōyū's attack while also pushing him outwards.

Sōyū didn't expect to succeed in one strike. The opponent's resistance was certain, and the only thing that might change was the way it retaliated.

As the barrier rose, a pink-haired girl in a blue kimono descended from the treetop, blocking Saya from the cherry blossom tree.

"Hmm, the cosplay is pretty good, but remember to buy colored contact lenses next time, those eyes are too distracting."

When Sawa first saw the girl, he was quite surprised, almost mistaking her for some pink-haired glutton. However, he quickly noticed a difference between her and the ghostly young lady from his memory: their headscarves were exactly the same.

The problem is that this woman who fell from the cherry blossom tree didn't have those naturally innocent and adorable red eyes; instead, she had eerie black eyes where even the whites of her eyes had completely disappeared. However, this, in itself, fits her identity as a vengeful spirit.

"Humans, leave this place."

A hoarse and awkward voice came from the pink-haired girl, completely lacking the delicate charm that a young girl should have.

The intense life force emanating from Sōyu was exactly what this undead spirit craved most, but at the same time, the magic Sōyu had just seemingly casually unleashed...

It also made her realize that he was by no means an easy person to deal with.

A corrupted Shikon Jewel will increase the user's greed, but it will never force her to her death. There's no need to take risks for the sake of temporary power.

Saku looked at the yokai who was simply making a clumsy imitation of the pink-haired girl's appearance, pinched his chin with his fingers, and said in a sarcastic tone.

"Final warning, humans, leave this place, or die!"

His black pupils suddenly contracted, and an immense aura and pressure pressed down from the direction of the woman in front of Sōyū, blowing Sōyū's hair backward.

"Yes, yes, that's the attitude I should have. You can't back down just because I'm a pushover, can you? If you knew I had this thing in my hand, would you still be able to stay calm?"

Seeing her lash out at him only made Saku more arrogant. He tossed a corrupted Shikon Jewel shard into the air, his eyes full of provocation.

Saga might tolerate other things, but he didn't believe it could let him go, especially not this one.