How did I, an Onmyoji, become the Lord of Yokai?

With extreme anxiety, Ōtakemaru covered thousands of meters in an instant. He stirred up waves and created strong winds, and in a few breaths, he passed through the third checkpoint and arrived at the edge of the second checkpoint.

Because the Scorpion Woman did not conceal her demonic aura, he was able to follow it and move forward. Before long, he passed through the second level and arrived at the edge of the first level.

After arriving here, he did not go any further.

Because the demonic aura belonging to the Scorpion Woman was concealed.

"It stopped here... Was the ship destroyed...?" Ōtakemaru stood amidst the boundless storm, his pale yellow eyes filled with a hint of solemnity.

If the Scorpion Woman had fallen in the second trial, he could have found her by following the location where her demonic power disappeared. But in the first trial, not only were there giant waves that swallowed her figure, but the demonic power of the intruders also concealed her aura, leaving him with no way to get to her!

"...We have no choice but to search! Hopefully, Haiming will stop the formation as soon as possible!"

Without much thought, Ōtakemaru plunged directly into the sea.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the boats sailing towards the rising sun were calmly passing through the whirlpool... Chapter 227, Section 230, is full of tricks.

On the vast ocean, the enormous ship was moving steadily forward. Although there were terrifying whirlpools beneath the ship that could crush countless people into dust, these whirlpools did not shake the ship in the slightest. This ordinary ship overcame these natural disasters with unimaginable ease.

"Is this the power of the Demon King? It's amazing..."

Looking at the charming girl who had also taken away her mission, Ali's pretty face was filled with deep surprise.

Although Shiranui had told her that the Demon King was a calamity that would destroy the world, she remained skeptical of such an assessment because she had never witnessed the Demon King's power firsthand. Therefore, when Ibuki stepped in to relieve her pressure, she was worried that the Demon King might exhaust his demonic power. But now it seems that she has nothing to worry about at all.

Even when bearing all the pressure alone, Ibuki can still lean against the rising sun and drink a little wine as if nothing happened, looking every bit like a winner in life.

"...Ah Li, come and rest for a bit too."

Qing Nufang glanced at the Ghost King, who immediately ran over to lean against Qing Shui Chaoyang as soon as he fell asleep, and felt a little jealous. Then she waved to Ali.

The girl nodded slightly, then sat down next to Qingnufang.

Her persistence had left her feeling a little tired.

Of course, it's not just about the body, but also the mind.

Although she had completely merged with Shiranui, this was the first time she had borrowed Shiranui's power in this way. Therefore, compared to the consumption of physical strength, the consumption of mental strength was the most severe.

"Why don't you all take a nap like the master? With me watching over you, you can rest assured."

Seeing the weariness in their eyes, Ibuki asked them a question with a hint of concern.

"I'll just take a short nap." Qing Nufang shook her head. After all, a demon's body is much stronger than a human's. Although this high-intensity exertion made her tired, it wasn't enough to make her fall asleep so easily.

“Me too, I just need to rest for a bit…” Ali said to Qing Nufang, but after a slight pause, she added apologetically, “I’m sorry, Ibuki, we agreed to do this together, but you ended up doing it all by yourself…”

"Hehehe... Don't worry about it, it was just something I did on the spur of the moment."

Ibuki sipped her sake with a smile, then, as if remembering something, handed over the sake bottle, saying, "Speaking of which, you haven't tried the sake from Mount Oe yet. Want to try some? It's really good."

"Wine from Dajiangshan?"

Ali and Qingnufang exchanged a glance, their black pupils and pale yellow eyes both carrying a hint of doubt.

The sake on this ship is all sourced from the Heian-kyo and Arakawa regions. Where would you find sake from Mount Oe?

"Hehehe... My wine gourd can do anything."

During the conversation, as if by magic, Ibuki produced a dark blue wine gourd that was half a meter tall. She shook the gourd in her hand, then opened the lid and poured the fine wine from the gourd into the wine cup in her hand.

"As long as the wine is poured in, the wine pot will automatically brew the wine that satisfies me. Without this gourd, I really wouldn't have been able to stay this long."

As the Demon King of Mount Ooe, she has tasted countless fine wines. Ordinary wines simply cannot satisfy her palate. Although the crew members always buy the best when purchasing wine, the best human wines mean nothing to the Demon King.

Hearing this explanation, Ali and Qingnu unconsciously looked at the wine cups handed to them. Although the wine from Mount Ooe was very tempting, after thinking about it carefully, they still shook their heads and refused.

There are two main reasons why I don't drink alcohol now. Firstly, the alcohol at Mount Ooe is very strong, and even great demons sometimes find it difficult to get used to. Secondly, now is not the time to drink.

Even with Ibuki watching over them, they dared not drink alcohol casually. If they got drunk, they would truly be leaving everything to Ibuki.

"Is that so...that's a real shame."

Seeing that the two refused, Ibuki regretfully put away her sake cup, saying, "I rarely share my sake with others."

"Let's have a drink together again next time, Ibuki." Ali clasped her hands together in apology. "I feel a little bad about leaving the work to you alone."

"Mm." Qingnufang nodded gently from the side.

"Hehehe... I don't dislike this about you. Speaking of which, Qingnufang, when I first met you, I never imagined that I would one day share my wine with you."

Perhaps out of boredom, or perhaps because the atmosphere was just right, Ibuki suddenly started talking about the scene of her first meeting with Aonobo.

At that time, she regarded Qingnvfang as an enemy who had stolen her things, and subconsciously wanted to kill her. If it weren't for Shimizu Asahi being there, Qingnvfang might already be dead.

However, even though Ibuki didn't take action, she didn't have a good opinion of Aonobo, and even used her as a tool to relieve stress and promote her relationship with Shimizu Asahi. But unexpectedly, she actually developed a friendship-like bond with Aonobo.

"Although it wasn't the first time we'd met..."

Recalling their encounter a few months ago, Qingnvfang also felt a little emotional.

She used to have an unimaginable fear of Ibuki, and would tremble involuntarily just seeing her. But now, she can communicate with her on such an equal footing. One can't help but sigh at the unpredictability of life.

"I never expected that something like this would happen between Ibuki and Aonobo. It was quite an unexpected turn of events."

When Ali heard about this for the first time, she opened her eyes wide in surprise. No wonder Aonobo was unwelcoming when Ibuki came to the Shimizu family. It turned out that they had been at odds for a long time.

"Hehe... There's nothing surprising about that, after all, they're all monsters."

"By the way, speaking of monsters, the little guy from Suzuka Mountain that Master just rescued is still watching down there. Would you like to go and say hello?"

As they were talking, Ibuki suddenly brought up the Scorpion Woman who was still resting in the cabin.

Upon hearing the words "Suzuka Mountain," Ali and Qing Nufang's eyes widened in astonishment as they stared at her, asking, "That monster just now came from Suzuka Mountain?"

"I'm not sure, but that's what she said," the Ghost King replied, as if to say, "That's what I heard too."

Upon hearing this, the two girls remained silent for a moment before making a decision, saying, "Since it's a yokai from Suzuka Mountain, we'll naturally go and see it. We'll leave things here in your care for now, Ibuki."

"Leave it to me with peace of mind."

The two women nodded slightly after receiving the assurance, and then quickly went down to the deck.

Watching them leave, Ibuki's relaxed and casual demeanor instantly changed, and a fox-like cunning flashed in her amethyst eyes.

"Hehehe...Master, you belong to me alone now..." Chapter 231, Part 228: Ibuki is getting carried away.

On the enormous ship, the petite Ghost King leaned gently against the clear water and the rising sun. She drank and laughed, her eyes sparkling with undisguised joy.

"It's been so long since I've had such a quiet drink... It's definitely most reassuring to be by the master's side."

Although demons love banquets, and Ibuki-dōji, as the Demon King, often held parties when he was at Mount Ōe, this does not mean that Ibuki dislikes quiet.

Sometimes, Ibuki would drink alone under the moon out of boredom. She had no worries; she simply enjoyed the soothing atmosphere.

However, whether it was a shrine or a city, in the thousand years she spent there, only the presence of Shimizu Asahita brought her the most comfort.

As long as she was by his side, her anxiety and temper would be soothed, and even her casual and unrestrained attitude would be greatly restrained.

She was very fond of that feeling of emptying her mind and enjoying everything.

So, when she went out to sea, she always looked forward to spending time alone with Shimizu Asahi, enjoying the breeze and chatting.

Ideally, he would accompany her from departure to return... That was her biggest goal for this voyage.

However, while the wish is beautiful, reality is also cruel.

After setting sail, Shimizu Asahi was busy with the affairs of the Sea Kingdom and rarely had time to spend alone with her. Even when he did manage to squeeze out some time, it was only a little bit and not nearly enough.

Although Ibuki was obedient and sensible and didn't make a fuss about wanting him to stay with her, she still harbored some resentment in her heart.

Therefore, she was always looking for opportunities, and as soon as there was a chance to be alone with him, she would immediately seize it.

For example, she seized this opportunity very well.

Well, even though the other party is asleep, what does it matter? As long as he's there, that's enough.

Of course, while enjoying the clear water and the morning sun on his body, the ghost king also felt a little smug.

'Neither Ali nor Qingnufang are a match for me, hehe. Without Mio, I feel no pressure at all... If I put in a little more effort on the return journey, then Master will be mine.'

With this thought in mind, Ibuki couldn't help but look at Shimizu Asahi again.

'Hehe...you can only be my person, sir....'

Perhaps because his attention was focused on the black-haired boy, Ibuki-dōji did not notice that a siren was flying swiftly overhead.

However, this is not an important matter, and even if Ibuki notices it, she probably won't care.

Is it that the wine in my hand has lost its flavor, or that the master beside me is no longer handsome? Why bother with a monster, is that it?

The charming girl smiled and took another sip of wine...

The cozy time passed quietly, and the whirlpool beneath the ship stopped at some point. Ibuki, still completely absorbed in the sunrise, didn't notice any of this. In any case, unless Shimizu Asahi woke up or a siren appeared, she didn't intend to care about anything.

However, her indifference did not mean that others were indifferent. The crew members who were still working cautiously on the deck were constantly paying attention to their surroundings.

Actually, after the whirlpool stopped, the crew members planned to wake Shimizu Asahi and ask him for the next instructions, but Kamo no Ito, who had been watching the area, was quick-witted and stopped them before they could wake Shimizu Asahi.

Fortunately, Kamo was able to read the atmosphere; otherwise, who knows what might have happened to the crew members who were preparing to wake up Shimizu Asahi.

In this way, with some deliberate effort, the ship traveled a relatively smooth and easy distance, and the crew members took the opportunity to replenish their physical strength and energy.

However, Kamo no Ito, who was standing at the bow of the ship and temporarily in command of it, felt something was strange. Why had they passed the second stage for so long and still hadn't encountered the third stage?

"Based on the situation in the first two stages, this should be the sea area of ​​the third stage. Why haven't the sea monsters appeared yet? Could it be that they haven't found us?"

"...No, that's unlikely."

The sea is boundless, and even the ruler of the sea cannot guarantee a clear understanding of every corner of it. It is not surprising that the sea monsters could not find them immediately. However, no matter how far away they were, given the speed of those sea monsters, they should have found them within half an hour.

Why is that?

The excellent crew member of the Kamo family frowned somewhat unsightly.

The third challenge is the real test they will face. In this challenge, even Shimizu Asahi cannot guarantee the survival of every crew member. Therefore, she will not have a moment's peace until the siren appears.

She didn't know where the siren was hiding, or when it would attack them. This constant pressure to be on guard against her surroundings made her feel uneasy.

Just as she was worrying about where the siren would appear, a joyful voice suddenly came from above.

"Lord Kamo! We've arrived! We've finally arrived!"

"Huh? What's up?"