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

...No, now is not the time to worry about so much. Should we retreat?

Shimizu Asahi clenched his fists. At this moment, two paths lay before him.

One option is to listen to Minamoto no Tsunemoto's advice, obediently show yourself, and then reveal your identity; the other is to retreat, even if it arouses the vigilance of the Minamoto clan, but you must not reveal your identity.

Minamoto no Tsunemoto was unaware of his own identity. Therefore, as long as he maintained his identity, the Minamoto clan would not discover that Kamo no Tadayuki was targeting them, nor would they react much.

Over the past century, the Genji clan has offended countless enemies. Although infiltrating the Genji clan is extremely rare, it is not impossible. He had every opportunity to clear himself of suspicion.

"..."

Thoughts raced through his mind, and Qing Shui Chao Yang made a decision in the blink of an eye.

withdraw!

This is the best option, and the top priority in the current situation.

Without hesitation, a surge of demonic power erupted from Shimizu Asahi's body, and the biting ice almost instantly transformed into an ice shield, blocking Shimizu Asahi's path. In the blink of an eye, he himself transformed into lightning and flew away!

Although he is no match for figures like Genji, Tadashi Kamo, and Masataka Abe, as long as they don't prepare in advance, they can't stop him from retreating if he wants to!

But at that moment, a sharp blade of light suddenly flashed in the darkness!

—The crescent-shaped blade easily pierced through the impenetrable ice shield and struck him like lightning!

Danger!

A terrifying danger was creeping in, and his almost supernatural instincts told him that he couldn't be hit, no matter what, he absolutely couldn't be hit!!

Before Shimizu Asahi could react to this indescribable danger, his body reacted—he timely dodged the attack by sidestepping!

Then, in the next moment, he saw the sky torn apart in the darkness!

"......!!"

Is this... Genkyō's power?

A single strike can tear the sky apart!

Genji is indeed a monster.

A wave of fear washed over him, but even so, he didn't stop. His body, turned to the side, didn't turn back, and a powerful surge of demonic energy erupted...!!

Why did his body suddenly stop moving?!

It's like being targeted by a venomous snake; the slightest movement means certain death!

The instinct for survival is resisting action!

"This feeling... could it be!?"

The already solemn gaze turned to indescribable disbelief. Shimizu Asahi quickly turned around, and his dark pupils once again reflected Genji's face.

He's changed, completely different now. The once righteous and imposing Yuan Jingji has become someone else entirely. Purple snake-shaped markings have somehow crept onto his face, and his dark, murky eyes have transformed into vertical snake pupils. At this moment, Yuan Jingji is more like a snake than a human!

"The power of an evil god...!!!"

Looking at Minamoto no Kyouki like this, Shimizu Asahi couldn't help but think of another person, Minamoto no Saneyoshi.

This was the same Genji clansman who had once competed with him in Kyohara and displayed the same aura in order to stop him from rescuing Rijinkaku.

The only difference is that Minamoto no Satoshi merely gained power, without undergoing any changes like Minamoto no Kyouji.

Without a doubt, Gen Kyōki obtained the power of the evil god, far surpassing Gen Saneyoshi.

The strongest samurai in Heian-kyo once obtained the power of an evil god—what does this mean? Shimizu Asahi couldn't even imagine...

But he realized one thing... he couldn't escape.

If Genji hadn't obtained the power of the evil god, Shimizu Asahi would have been ninety percent certain to escape this place, but the power of the evil god erased all his confidence...

He should have realized this sooner. If Minamoto no Saneyoshi could obtain the power of the evil god, how could Minamoto no Tsunekichi, the patriarch of the Minamoto clan, not obtain the power of the evil god?

"Damn it, this was a miscalculation..."

A sense of helplessness and frustration rose within the black-haired boy...

"Little guy, you won't run away now, will you? Hehe... Come in and have a cup of tea."

The aged yet powerful voice rang out again. Yuan Jingji withdrew the power of the evil god and gently waved his hand.

Although Shimizu Asahi was extremely unwilling, he had no way out now that things had come to this point, so he could only temporarily obey Yuan Jingji's words and go to the ancestral hall to have tea with him.

He took a deep breath and calmed his emotions before landing in the front courtyard of the ancestral hall.

Yuan Jingji, standing at the door, smiled casually, said "Come in, little guy," and then turned and walked into the shrine.

Shimizu Asahi followed him into the Genji Ancestral Hall.

No different from ordinary ancestral halls, the Genji ancestral hall only has a large shrine and many shrine tablets. Although Minamoto no Tsunemoto was the first head of the Seiwa Genji clan, he was still a member of the imperial family. Therefore, the shrine at the top of the Genji ancestral hall is the shrine of the goddess Amaterasu Omikami.

Below Amaterasu Ōmikami are the famous emperors and their clansmen from past imperial dynasties, and below that are the members of the Minamoto clan.

It's ironic that the lord of Takamagahara is enshrined at the very top of the ancestral hall, yet the greatest enemy of Takamagahara, the evil god Yamata no Orochi, is enshrined below the ancestral hall. It's truly ironic.

"Alright, sit down, little one."

An aged voice interrupted Shimizu Asahi's gaze. Yuan Jingji had already sat down below the shrine, took out a tea set, and began to brew tea methodically.

As he soaked the water, he said, "There's no need to carry that thing around here anymore. Take it off, little one."

“I know your identity perfectly well.”

Despite saying that, Shimizu Asahi, who was sitting down, never took off his mask.

He did not come here voluntarily, nor did he genuinely want to have tea with Genji... In the end, he was unwilling and dared not drink the tea of ​​the Genji clan.

Therefore, he has no intention of taking off his mask.

"Not going to pick it? What a wary little fellow... But never mind, I won't force you."

Tea that is forced upon people to drink has no taste at all.

"However, whether you drink or not is up to you, and whether you soak in the water is up to me. The Minamoto clan understands hospitality better than any other clan." (Chapter 443, The Reunion of Son-in-Law and Father-in-Law)

The teacup was placed in front of the clear water and the rising sun, the tea, which was seven-tenths full, was emitting a faint steam.

Yuan Jingji smiled casually, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and a hint of self-satisfaction appeared on his face.

"Indeed, my skills are getting better and better."

"These years of self-cultivation have indeed been the right choice."

"Little guy, it would be a real shame if you didn't try it."

The old man with long, pale hair said this seductively, but Shimizu Asahi remained silent, merely staring at Gen Kyōki, wondering what he was up to.

"...Little guy, it's so boring to keep making that face."

"I really want to have a good talk with you."

Yuan Jingji felt somewhat helpless at the boring face. He put down his teacup, wanting to help Shimizu Asahi relax a little, but those dark eyes told him that no matter what he said, Shimizu Asahi would not give an answer.

With a sigh, the head of the Minamoto clan finally gave up on the idea of ​​talking to Shimizu Asahi.

"Since you don't want to talk to me any longer, then I won't say anything more and will get straight to the point."

"You guessed right. I did keep you here for other reasons. I want to use you to threaten Kamo no Tadayuki or Tamamo-no-Mae outside the castle... Although you are not very strong, little guy, your identity is very special. As long as I capture you, my plan will be more than half successful."

"But unfortunately, I cannot make a move against you."

"That sir said he wanted to talk to you, so he told me not to hurt you."

'...That sir?'

His brow furrowed slightly, and a hint of doubt appeared in his dark eyes, but Shimizu Asahi quickly realized what was going on.

In the Minamoto clan, the only one whom Minamoto no Tsunemoto could address as "Lord" was the evil god enshrined on the altar!

'Did the evil god sense my presence and thus send out Yuan Jingji?'

'...The evil god discovered him before he even set foot on the altar...'

'That guy has indeed almost fully recovered!'

The doubts he had just had were resolved. Shimizu Asahi cursed inwardly. No wonder he was discovered by Genji for no reason. No wonder Genji, who was clearly in the ancestral hall, suddenly appeared. No wonder Genji said he already knew his identity.

It turns out, it was all orchestrated by an evil god!

"It seems you've already guessed who it is. Alright, I won't say any more."

Genji stood up with a smile. He went to the shrine of Amaterasu Omikami, casually moved some of the things on it, and then the shrine began to tremble.

The enormous shrine began to shift its position, and the passage hidden beneath it soon came into view of Shimizu Asahi.

This was a small passage, barely large enough for one person to pass through at most, but it was filled with darkness, without a single ray of light. Even the brightest lights could not illuminate the darkness at the entrance.

The moment he saw the passage, Shimizu Asahi immediately understood.

This is the passage leading to the altar, where the legendary altar of the evil god is hidden!

The purpose of his trip was revealed to him just like that!

"Go in, little one, the evil god is waiting for you down there."

Yuan Jingji stood in front of the passage and said this with a smile.

He didn't seem to have any intention of going in.

The black-haired boy gave Yuan Jingji a deep look, and then stepped inside without hesitation!

Although Yuan Jingji might have set some kind of trap, since the evil god wanted to see him, Yuan Jingji would never dare to harm him. Besides... the entrance was right here, so how could he back down?

We must go down and find out no matter what!

"..."

"..."

"Hehe, I hope you have a pleasant chat with the Evil God, little guy."

As the figure of Shimizu Asahi was completely swallowed by darkness, the head of the Minamoto clan revealed a somber smile, and then slowly closed the entrance...

The passageway was completely silent, except for the sound of Qing Shui Chaoyang's footsteps on the floor.

Neither Qing Shui Chao Yang nor Qing Nu Fang intended to speak again at this moment.