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

"This is... the last one."

He slowly lowered the golden longsword, crimson blood dripping slowly down the blade, and exhaled.

Apart from the elders of the Minamoto clan and Minamoto no Tsunemoto no Mitsunaka, he also killed all the other Minamoto clan members who should atone for their sins. Hundreds of them... Hundreds of Minamoto clan members were all defeated by him.

In addition, the Minamoto clan members who were still fighting outside were also defeated by him.

This war has now come to a complete end.

"Next, we just have to wait for my sister to come back... The evil god didn't come along; he must have gone to find Susanoo-no-Mikoto... He should be back soon."

"Go back to the altar and wait."

Silently, Shimizu Asahi turned and left. Little did he know that as he departed, a gaze was fixed intently on him...

......

Returning to the underground altar, a somewhat weary Shimizu Asahi softly called out, "I'm back, Ibuki."

“Welcome back, sir.”

"Everything is fine here, nothing has happened... Ah, well, not that nothing has happened, two people have come over, people that the master really wants to see."

"You really want to see me?"

Slightly startled, the boy perked up and looked intently ahead, where two figures instantly came into view.

At that moment, his expression froze.

"T-T-Teacher!?!"

His pupils widened involuntarily, and what appeared before him were Kamo no Tadayuki and Abe no Masataka!

His teacher... the strongest Onmyoji in Heian-kyo, is still alive!

Joy welled up from within, and the fatigue from just moments before vanished in an instant.

Great! Great! The teacher isn't dead! He's still alive!

Unconsciously, Shao Lian's eyes welled up with tears, her once clear vision became blurry, and silently, a drop of water slid down from the corner of her eye.

"..."

"..."

In the silence, Shimizu Asahi arrived in front of Kamo Tadashi. Looking at the real figure before him, the young man revealed a gentle smile.

"Welcome back, teacher."

"Yes, you've grown, Chaoyang. Well done."

With a simple, soft call, a warmth that only the master and apprentice understood filled the air between them.

But perhaps because of physical fatigue, or perhaps because of the excessive stimulation he had experienced that day, Shimizu Asahi quickly recovered from his excitement and asked in confusion, "By the way, teacher, why did you leave such a sentence in the talisman?"

"When I heard that, I really thought you were dead."

"This matter... it was just a precaution."

Kamo no Tadashi sat down quietly and casually, and explained in a low voice why he did so.

"This is a war with an extremely low chance of winning. Apart from the battlefield where the Sea Kingdom and the Kamo family are evenly matched with the enemy, the gap between us, you, and the others on these three battlefields is enormous, and the chance of survival is extremely slim."

"Just as we were warned from the beginning, we came prepared to die."

"So I pretended that I died in this war and left this sentence on the talisman."

"Although I didn't want you to hear this, it seems that the words I left behind have helped you."

At this point, Kamo no Tadayuki revealed a faint smile, though it was only a slight one, it was indeed a smile.

More genuine than ever before, more direct than ever before, the most reassuring smile I've ever seen...

"Yes, thanks to the teacher, I was able to fight to the end."

"Thank you so much, teacher... this time."

"You're welcome. This is all thanks to your own efforts."

Patting the student on the shoulder, Tadashi Kamo pondered for a moment and said softly, "Now that your business is finished, it's time to go back and rest."

"Leave this to us. I will safely send the fallen monsters and Onmyoji back."

"Hmm... I've already helped the disciples outside resolve the conflict. They'll come over as soon as they've cleaned up the battlefield."

"As for going back to rest, my sister hasn't..."

The boy wanted to stay here and wait for his sister's return, but before he could finish speaking, Shimizu Mio's voice came down from the sky.

"Chaoyang!" Chapter 498, Section 495: Your life is like a candle flickering in the wind.

The voice came from the sky, and the clear shout made Shimizu Asahi subconsciously look up. He only saw a black shadow flash by, and then the black-haired girl landed in front of him.

"Sister? You're back?"

After a moment of stunned silence, joy welled up inside him. He instinctively grabbed his sister's arm and asked worriedly, "Are you alright, sister?"

"No, how could my sister be injured? But you, are you alright?"

Shimizu Mio gently shook her head to indicate that she was fine, but after saying that, she looked at Shimizu Asahi again, as if she was worried that he had been injured.

When she came down, Susanoo told her that Shimizu Asahi was alright, but even if she was alright, it only meant that her life was not in danger. Given Orochi's personality, he would definitely inflict great torment on Asahi.

Thinking about this made her a little worried.

And that seems to be the case.

Qing Shui Chaoyang's robes were not only tattered but also covered in blood. Although most of the blood had dried, the strong smell of blood could still be smelled.

Damn it, I shouldn't have let Orochi go so easily!

"Ah, don't worry, sister. This is all someone else's blood."

The boy was taken aback by his sister's worried expression, and then he chuckled.

"I'm not hurt, don't worry, sister."

"You protected me very well."

"..."

"Chaoyang?"

A gentle, warm voice, filled with deep concern and care, reached the girl's ears. Just moments ago, the powerful and intimidating Lord of Takamagahara, who had made even evil gods and martial lords hesitant to act, instantly transformed into an ordinary girl.

She hugged the boy in front of her, her face filled with deep relief.

That's why she was willing to give her heart to Chaoyang. He was a boy who cared about her no matter what. What reason did she have not to protect him?

"Um... Sister? I'm too dirty. How about I go back and wash up before you hug me?"

The boy, who had never been hugged like this by his older sister since he grew up, was a little embarrassed and at a loss. He could only helplessly raise his hands and call out softly.

However, Shimizu Mio refused quite directly.

"No! My sunrise is always pure, no matter when!"

"...this..."

With a helpless yet indulgent chuckle, she thought, "Fine, since my sister likes it, let her hold her."

However, after her sister returned, her last worries slowly subsided, and Shimizu Asahi looked at Kamo no Tadayuki and Abe no Masataka standing to the side.

"Teacher, Mr. Abe, my sister and I will head back now."

"Okay, you guys go back and rest first, we can take care of things here."

Kamo no Tadashi and Abe no Masatsugu nodded with smiles.

After bidding farewell to the two, Shimizu Asahi left with Shimizu Mio and Ibuki.

Of course, there's also Ali and Qingnvfang.

However, both of them suffered extremely serious injuries in the battle against the evil god... A-Li is alright, and Shiranui's vitality is still very strong, but Qing Nufang... will hardly recover completely within a month or two.

Back in the house, Shimizu Asahi carefully laid the two bodies down, then looked at Ibuki and her sister beside her.

Perhaps thinking of something, Shimizu Mio, who was originally very happy, suddenly became somewhat at a loss, and even the way she looked at Shimizu Asahi carried a hint of worry.

It wasn't a concern for his safety, but a concern for something else.

Shimizu Asahi was very clever; he could almost guess what his sister was worried about after a moment's thought. So, after organizing his thoughts, he took the initiative to speak.

"Sister, where is my brother? He should have come back with you, right? Or did he leave with the evil god?"

A soft voice broke the girl's worries. She was stunned for a moment, and her previously bewildered face broke into a happy smile.

Well, just thinking of Shimizu Asahi calling her "elder brother" made her smile completely disappear.

"Him? Hmph, he probably went to the Inari Shrine."

"I knew it. Why didn't Yu'er come out in this war that affects the whole world? I guess he had already notified Yu'er not to come out."

"Inari Shrine... Come to think of it, the Inari deity is like my older brother..."

The black-haired boy blinked, nodded knowingly, and then smiled, saying, "Brother, you're not coming over now, so you're probably letting us have some rest."

"Although it's not long until dawn, it's still night. We've been working hard all night, so let's get some rest."

"We can talk about it tomorrow."

"Ah."

Ibuki and Shimizu Mio exchanged a glance and both nodded slightly.

The most exhausted person tonight is undoubtedly Shimizu Asahi. From the beginning to the end of the war, he fought almost non-stop. If it weren't for his strong will, he might have collapsed halfway through, and he wouldn't be sitting here like this now.

Even so, he was nearing his limit, and it was already remarkable that he managed to come back. Therefore, they should let him rest now.

However, while Qingshui Chaoyang was going back to his room to sleep, something rather unusual happened at the underground altar.

After Shimizu Asahi left, Abe Masatsugu looked at Kamo Tadayuki, sat down beside him, and said softly, "Tadayuki, you should go back and rest too. I can take care of things here."

"The rest are all minor matters. I can handle the situation perfectly well. You don't need to force yourself to stay."

"...I have no choice but to force myself to persevere."