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

"..."

Shimizu Asahi did not reply. He knew that Ōtakemaru would not participate in the discussion about traitors.

Therefore, he has to figure it out himself.

Besides, if there were no traitors, how could the Yamata no Orochi have extended its reach three hundred years ago... wait, three hundred years ago?

While deep in thought, Shimizu Asahi suddenly noticed an extremely important point in time: three hundred years ago!

That's right, how come I didn't think of that three hundred years ago? Three hundred years ago, Suzuka Mountain had not yet been moved by Suzuka Gozen with extraordinary power. Therefore, at that time, it was still in the waters of Heian-kyo. At such a close distance, Orochi might not have needed a traitor!

After deducing the time, Shimizu Asahi subconsciously believed that the Yamata no Orochi needed a traitor to lead it to Suzuka Mountain. This fixed idea imprisoned his mind. If he hadn't suddenly noticed this time three hundred years ago, he might never have thought of it!

"How could I have made such a serious mistake! I shouldn't have done that!"

After muttering to himself, Shimizu Asahi calmed down. If there were no traitors on Suzuka Mountain, then Orochi must have secretly left his power on Suzuka Mountain.

But why did the Yamata no Orochi begin preparations three hundred years ago, and only start acting a few decades ago?

If He had acted a hundred years earlier, even if Suzuka Mountain were still alive, it would be on its last legs, easily defeated, and would not have been able to withstand His arrival.

"Is there some other conspiracy or plan?"

His mind raced, and Shimizu Asahi's intuition told him that the truth was right before his eyes. If he could solve the reason why the Yamata no Orochi had remained indifferent for the past three hundred years, he could uncover the truth about Mount Suzuka.

Ootakemaru, sitting in the main seat, watched him pondering so diligently and remained silent, giving him ample space to think.

In the absolute silence of the room, Shimizu Asahi pondered the various possibilities intently, and suddenly, a thought quietly surfaced...

Could the reason that Mount Suzuka remained unmoved was because... Orochi didn't possess that power back then? (Chapter 254, The End of the Incident)

"..."

The moment this thought crossed his mind, the black-haired boy's eyes widened.

That's right. The reason why Orochi didn't make a move 300 years ago was because it didn't have the strength to attack Suzuka Mountain at that time!

Although he wasn't entirely clear on the story of Yamata no Orochi, he knew that Yamata no Orochi had its head severed by Susanoo-no-Mikoto, greatly diminishing its power and remaining dormant for a true ten thousand years. His several battles with Yamata no Orochi... whether it was against the Asura Demon King or against Minamoto no Saneyoshi who was expelled from the Minamoto clan, were all preparations He had made over these decades.

In other words, the Yamata no Orochi only reappeared decades ago, and the strange events at Mount Suzuka also occurred decades ago...

It matches up! Everything matches up!

This is the reason and the truth behind why the Yamata no Orochi did not attack the Genji three hundred years ago!

A deep joy flashed in Qing Shui Chaoyang's eyes, and he clenched his fist tightly to express his happiness.

Then, he raised his head and looked at Ōtakemaru with a happy expression.

"Lord Ōtakemaru, I think I've found the real reason for the Suzuka Mountain incident!"

Before Ōtakemaru could reply, Ōmizu Asahi excitedly shared all her guesses.

Everything about Suzuka Mountain, everything from three hundred years ago, is now connected.

Listening to Shimizu Asahi's lighthearted narration, Ōtakemaru's eyes gradually brightened. Without any thought, he simply followed the black-haired boy's train of thought and arrived at the same conclusion as the boy.

That's right, this is the truth, the truth that has been sealed here for three hundred years!

"Shimizu, as expected of you, you figured out the truth so quickly!"

Ōtakemaru smiled with delight, realizing that deciding to cooperate with him was indeed the right thing to do.

Not only are their names and appearances similar, but their ways of thinking are also quite alike.

It's a great blessing that Suzuka Mountain was able to wait for him!

This revelation of the truth made Ōtakemaru's opinion of Shimizu Asahi improve. Even knowing that Shimizu Asahi was not "him", he still saw "him" in him.

However, after the initial excitement, Ōtakemaru couldn't help but show a hint of helplessness.

If 'he' and Suzuka Gozen were still on Mount Suzuka, then no matter what tricks Orochi used, he could not possibly harm Mount Suzuka in the slightest.

After a sigh, he suppressed his longing for 'Shimizu Asahi' and his sister, and then smiled again, "It seems that the last threat to Suzuka Mountain is the spirit array that you suppressed. As long as the demonic power of the Yamata no Orochi in the spirit array is removed, the spiritual power that Suzuka Mountain has lost will return, and the Sea Kingdom will be able to return to peace."

"If my guess is correct, this is the last threat left in Suzuka Mountain."

Shimizu Asahi relaxed her body slightly and asked with some concern, "When does Lord Ōtakemaru plan to remove the demonic power?"

"These things are always better done as soon as possible!"

"Let's go now!"

Having learned the truth and being just one step away from resolving the Suzuka Mountain incident, Ōtakemaru was naturally unwilling to wait any longer, as he was well aware that delay could lead to unforeseen complications.

Therefore, he made a decisive decision to resolve the Suzuka Mountain anomaly today.

Asahi Shimizu did not object to his decision, since it was still early today and there was no need to wait until tomorrow.

And so, with Ōtakemaru carrying him, he arrived at the spirit array again in just a few minutes.

"Young Master, Mr. Shimizu, what's going on here...?" Hai Ming, who was still pondering where to get clues, looked at the two who had suddenly arrived, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Hai Ming, we'll discuss the details later. In short, first, clear all the demonic energy from the spirit array. Can you do that?"

Ōtakemaru shook his head slightly and went straight to the point.

Although he didn't know why Ōtakemaru suddenly asked him to clear the demonic power from the spirit array, he would never disobey his young master's orders. Therefore, a huge amount of demonic power surged out!

The power of Yamata no Orochi has permeated the entire spirit array. To remove this power, a stronger force is needed to cleanse it. However, due to Yamata no Orochi's alteration, the spirit array is no longer the same as before. If one is not familiar with this array, even with the power of Ōtakemaru, it will be difficult to remove the demonic power.

Fortunately, since Haiming was able to set up this formation, he must also understand it. Therefore, Haiming was able to complete the final step.

A powerful force surged through the formation, causing the once deep and calm purple demonic energy to begin to waver. As if sensing a threat, this wavering demonic energy began to surge, and in the blink of an eye, eight enormous venomous snakes emerged from the formation.

They opened their enormous, blood-red mouths and charged at Haiming without hesitation. But suddenly, eight golden bolts of lightning descended from the sky, striking the venomous snakes with perfect precision. In an instant, all the snakes vanished.

After the venomous snakes dispersed, a rumbling thunderclap echoed in the sky...

"..."

Seeing this scene, Shimizu Asahi couldn't help but rub his nose. Although these eight venomous snakes were not as terrifying as the previous one, they were still peak-level great demons. Yet, they were easily defeated by a single lightning bolt from Ōtakemaru... As expected of the lord of Suzuka Mountain!

Although Ōtakemaru cannot participate in the elimination of demonic power, he can still deal with these venomous snakes.

Under his protection, Haiming focused on eliminating the demonic power from the array. Before long, the purple light at the edge of the array was replaced by blue light.

The evil god's demonic power had begun to recede, and despite its unwilling attempts to stop it, it could not break the alliance between Ōtakemaru and Uminari.

So, an hour later, the formation was completely restored to its original state.

"Phew... Young Master, the spirit array has been completely restored." Hai Ming wiped the sweat from his forehead. Fighting against the Yamata no Orochi's demonic power had cost him a lot of his demonic power, and he was now exhausted, both physically and mentally.

However, he was still somewhat puzzled.

"Young Master, why do you want me to remove my demonic power? Although restoring the spirit array can temporarily alleviate the crisis at Suzuka Mountain, there's a good chance there are still clues within it that could be helpful to us..."

“These clues are no longer needed, Haiming.” Ōtakemaru put away the Yasakani no Magatama and said happily, “We already know the truth about Suzuka Mountain, so we no longer need them.”

"Let's go, Haiming, we'll talk as we walk."

Under Hai Ming's still somewhat puzzled gaze, the three left the mountain peak.

Unbeknownst to them, after they removed all the demonic power from the spirit array, the evil god watching this scene smiled wickedly... Chapter 255, Part 252: If you've got the guts, try it!

"So that's how it is... I never imagined the source of the anomaly was that evil god."

"If it weren't for Mr. Shimizu, I might never have guessed the truth behind it in my entire life."

After removing the demonic power from the spirit array, Shimizu Asahi and the others returned to the village. Ootakemaru then gradually revealed the truth to Kaiming, who was surprised upon learning the truth.

The fact that Mount Suzuka, isolated from the world for three hundred years, would be targeted by an evil god... While it's not impossible, it still seems unbelievable no matter how you look at it. Even after learning the truth, Haiming still finds it somewhat surreal.

It was...quite sudden.

"Lord Haiming, you flatter me. I was just lucky. If I hadn't had a conflict with Orochi, I wouldn't have been able to find the real reason."

The black-haired boy smiled modestly.

“Mr. Shimizu, there’s no need to be modest. You saved Suzuka Mountain, that’s an indisputable fact, so it’s okay to be a little proud.”

"Actually, I should apologize to Lord Haiming. I was suspecting you of being a traitor... I'm so sorry."

Shimizu Asahi apologized somewhat embarrassedly.

"It's alright, it's alright. Mr. Shimizu is only thinking of Suzuka Mountain. If I can find the reason after a few doubts, then I hope you can doubt it a few more times."

Perhaps because Shimizu Asahi uncovered the truth behind the anomaly and saved the demons of Suzuka Mountain, this demon king, who had previously treated him with the utmost courtesy, like a host entertaining a stranger, became warm and friendly.

That happy expression seemed to say, 'You'll always be my best friend in Suzukayama.'

"Hehe, alright, Haiming, Shimizu, don't stand on ceremony."

Looking at the polite exchanges between Haiming and Shimizu Asahi, Ōtakemaru couldn't help but chuckle. He pressed his palms down slightly and said, "It's good that the incident has been resolved, but now is not the time for us to relax."

"The spiritual energy that Suzuka Mountain has lost over the past few decades needs to be replenished as soon as possible. Moreover, the grain in the granary is not enough, so we must start planting immediately."

"You've been in charge of all of this, Haiming. I'll have to keep working hard for you from now on."

"Young Master, rest assured, I will do my utmost." Hai Ming made his promise without hesitation. Restoring Suzuka Mountain to its original state was something he had been longing for for decades. Now that he finally had the opportunity, he naturally couldn't let it slip by.

Even if Ōtakemaru didn't remind him, he would take on this responsibility on his own initiative.

"Hmm..." Looking at Haiming who made the promise, Ōtakemaru nodded in satisfaction, and then looked at Shimizu Asahi.

"So, Shimizu, when are you planning to leave?"

"Hmm... two days later, I'm worried that Orochi will attack Heian-kyo before then."

Orochi attacked Suzuka Mountain to obtain the Yasakani no Magatama, and his purpose in obtaining the Yasakani no Magatama was to enhance his own power and weaken Heian-kyo. However, now that his plan to weaken Heian-kyo by preventing Orochi from obtaining the artifact has been thwarted, he is worried that Orochi will take advantage of the time before he returns to Heian-kyo to attack Heian-kyo.

"Two days... Okay, then let's set off in two days. Perfect timing, I'll use these two days to make some arrangements on the island."

Ōtakemaru thought about it for a moment and felt there was no problem, so he nodded in agreement.

In addition, Ōtakemaru has decided to hold a banquet tonight.

The strange phenomenon that had plagued Suzuka Mountain for decades has been completely resolved today, so how could he not hold a banquet to celebrate?

Even though a banquet was held last night, there's no such thing as a banquet being held today if there was one yesterday.

At least on Mount Ooe, every day is a feast, as long as the demon kings are willing.

Therefore, under Ōtakemaru's will, the yokai once again began to hold a banquet.