Tokyo: The Player Behind the Scenes

She took Huiming's hand and wiped away the frozen bloodstains on his face.

Huiming's expression was somewhat numb and blank, as if he didn't know how to face this mother who had come back from the dead and seemed like a stranger.

"What did you learn from everything that happened yesterday?" she asked.

Huiming remained silent, head bowed.

"Human life is like firewood; it's gone as soon as it's burned." Seeing that Hikari remained silent, Nobi had no choice but to offer his understanding as an instruction.

The level of skepticism didn't rise, which suggests that his opinion is extremely similar to Huiming's.

"In this world, you either become the woodcutter or you become the firewood to be burned. So, Huiming, which do you want to be?" She looked like an ordinary village woman, not old in appearance, but her body seemed to exude a heavy sense of twilight.

Huiming looked up, not answering directly: "Mother, are you a human? Or a monster?"

She shook her head: "None of that is accurate. I should be the deity responsible for maintaining forest order, adjusting the woodcutters and trees so that there are not too many woodcutters and trees do not become excessive."

Nobita frowned, a strong smell of lies emanating from him.

The woman's words sounded like she was coaxing a child, and although Huiming was indeed her child, it wasn't wrong to say that.

“Gods,” Huiming murmured, still not quite understanding the weight of the word.

"Two hundred years ago, there was a brilliant and self-taught Yin-Yang sorcerer named Ashiya Dōman." Her gaze was deep and her tone was slightly melancholic.

"And you are the descendant chosen by him."

Chapter 212: Heaven and earth live together

As the "mother" narrates her story, the world tears open a side called "truth" from Huiming's perspective.

Even for Nobita, this content is extremely informative.

In short, during the late Heian period, around 1000 AD, a dramatic and unseen change was quietly taking place in the world.

The spiritual energy, which had remained stable for a long time, suddenly began to fluctuate in an unpredictable manner.

At the same time, incidents of demons harming people have increased significantly across the country, and the rituals for the deceased have become exceptionally difficult and obscure, as if the channels of the underworld have been blocked.

However, this life-or-death change did not truly attract the attention of those long-established cultivation clans.

They attributed it to the decline of morality and the rise of evil, while at that time all their energy was focused on power struggles and the fight for family status.

Only Ashiya Dōman, a self-taught but exceptionally talented individual, keenly sensed the impending doom behind this anomaly.

In light of this, he deliberately allowed his nemesis Abe no Seimei to detect and thwart his curse against Fujiwara no Michinaga.

In doing so, he successfully portrayed himself as a loser, exiled by the court back to his hometown of Harima, completely escaping the center of the power vortex and devoting himself to studying the truth behind the changes in the world.

After that, he completely disappeared from the world's sight with a cleverly faked death, and began a secret journey to travel all over the country to find the truth.

After decades of research, the elderly Ashiya Dōman finally arrived at a terrifying conclusion that could upend the world:

Amaterasu no longer exists, the Pure Land is dead, and the Yellow Springs have collapsed.

The balance of good and evil that sustains the world has been disrupted, and the cycle of reincarnation has collapsed. This is the true root cause of the rampant demons and the unrest of the deceased.

“He later found a great demon he had encountered during his travels in his youth,” his mother’s voice remained calm, as if recounting a distant legend. “It was a great serpent that had managed to escape from the crumbling other side of the Yellow Springs.”

“The ancestor received much help from the great serpent.” She paused, “and gradually, a crazy idea took shape and took root in his mind.”

"The Underworld controls reincarnation and is the last line of defense maintaining the balance of good and evil in the human world. He wondered, why doesn't he try to rebuild the Underworld?"

"If the Yellow Springs can be rebuilt, the unbalanced order may be recalibrated, and the human world will no longer have to suffer endless pain. Everything will eventually return to balance."

Rebuild the Underworld!

These four words exploded in Nobita's mind.

Those seemingly scattered and unrelated clues in past games—the curse of the Great Serpent, the appearance of the demon sword, and the centuries-long schemes of the Onmyoji family.

Everything was instantly connected by this main thread, forming a chilling jigsaw puzzle.

So that's it. This is the core principle that runs through everything.

Nobita suddenly understood; this explanation made the appearance of the demon sword more plausible.

I wonder what role it played in such an unimaginable plan as rebuilding the Yellow Springs?

Moreover, the words of this "mother" were clearly embellished, and she made no mention of the crucial five-hundred-year agreement between Ashiya Dōman and the Great Serpent.

"But he ultimately didn't live to see the day he would achieve it himself." His mother's tone carried an indescribable complexity. "So, in the final moments before his life was about to burn out, he exhausted all his magical power and cast a spell deep within the bloodline of one of his descendants. This spell will guide an exceptionally talented descendant to inherit the name and mission of Daoman at the most opportune time."

"For the sake of humanity, carry out the plan to rebuild the underworld."

Her gaze fell on Huiming, carrying a heavy, fateful weight:

"That person is you, Daoman Huiming."

These words were incredibly informative and had a far greater impact on a teenager from a poor background.

Nobi even doubted whether Hikimi could understand even one-tenth of the key points.

The concepts of rebuilding the Yellow Springs, the Dao Man family, and the five-hundred-year mission seem too distant and grand.

“Don’t rush, take your time,” his mother seemed to see through his confusion, her voice still calm but carrying a palpable weight. “We still have about five hundred years. This is not just your mission, but the mission of the entire Daoman family. The specific direction has already been laid out by our ancestors. What we need to do is follow this predetermined path, step by step.”

She took Huiming's cold hand and looked into the depths of the forest where the wind and snow were beginning to rise.

"If the plan succeeds, our Daoman family will be able to reunite in the newly reborn Yellow Springs, live forever, and live as long as heaven and earth."

[Heaven and Earth, living as long as each other?]

Huiming nodded, not understanding, and squeezed his mother's hand tightly.

The rising wind and snow gradually swallowed their figures.

Assuming that most of what she said is true, this premise lingered in Nobita's mind.

So how did this seemingly original goal of rebuilding the underworld for the sake of human balance gradually become distorted and out of control over hundreds of years, eventually evolving into a disaster that swept across the world?

First of all, the Demon Blade is undoubtedly a crucial part of the plan.

However, according to the family records of Muramasa Takii and the clues in "The Heart of Shinobi", after the Meireki fire, the demon sword was sealed in the Muramasa family and never returned to the hands of Doman's descendants, as if no one cared.

"So, the plan ultimately failed, and we modern people are simply paying the price for this failed plan?"

Nobita tends to believe this, and the existence of Zhu Hai is the strongest evidence. It was precisely because it was left unsupervised and allowed to grow to such a terrifying extent that it was able to eventually break into the human world.

The rest of the game felt more like a sped-up cutscene.

Under his mother's guidance, Huiming spent ten years in a thatched hut amidst wind and snow, and in secluded valleys in the deep mountains.

He mastered obscure Yin-Yang techniques, unpredictable spells, and formidable combat skills.

His footsteps traversed the entire country, subduing all sorts of monsters. He also used the demon sword, which had been transformed from a wakizashi, to take the lives of numerous bandits and villains.

Over the past decade, my mother has aged at an alarming rate.

She used to look like an ordinary village woman, but now her hair is completely white, her wrinkles are deep, and her body is hunched over, looking like she is about to die.

Ultimately, the mother and son settled in Nara and purchased a residence as the foundation for the Doman family's legacy.

The oil lamp flickered dimly, illuminating her mother's withered face. She placed it solemnly before the dim light, her voice hoarse yet clear:

"The Holy Blade needs at least 200,000 more lives to meet the minimum number of Yin spirits required to establish the foundation for the Underworld."

"But this sword is infused with the Killing Stone. The more killings there are, the stronger the malevolence and resentment within the sword become, making it increasingly difficult for the wielder to control. Although the hilt uses fragments of a magical artifact left behind by Master Jianzhen, it is not enough. We still need the soul of a high monk who is willing to enter the sword and mobilize the power of the artifact to suppress the evil nature of the Killing Stone and the countless vengeful spirits."

Her thin, bony hand gripped Huiming's arm tightly, her cloudy eyes fixed on him:

"This person can only be found by you. Remember, child, everything we do is for the sake of all living beings. When a new Yellow Spring is born, cause and effect will be rewarded, and this is a great merit enough to become a god or a Buddha."

Her words carried a martyr-like fervor:

“Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is no longer in his position. Perhaps this high monk who voluntarily underwent surgery can become the new Ksitigarbha by rebuilding the Yellow Springs. I think no monk could resist this temptation.”

Upon hearing the beginning, Nobita immediately understood.

So this is the reason why Master Nichiren appeared in the Demon Blade.

His last words were that he called himself a sinner, a sinner who presumptuously tried to become the new Jizo, a sinner who overestimated his abilities.

"Our bloodlines are all marked with our final destination. When the time comes, you will naturally know where that destination is."

After leaving behind these words and many belongings, the mother quietly disappeared into the vast night.

Only now did the long-lost command input box reappear.

"I should carefully organize all the things my mother left behind," Nobita immediately ordered.

The doubt level progress bar has increased slightly.

Huiming stood there for a few seconds, looking in the direction where his mother had disappeared with a complicated expression, before finally turning around and returning to the empty and quiet mansion.

The process of organizing the items also involved gaining an understanding of all the treasures belonging to the Daoman family.

Huiming's fingers traced the cold, incomplete blade of the demon sword, feeling its restless trembling.

The more people I kill with it, the more I feel the restlessness and yearning emanating from the depths of the blade—like a living creature whispering. Until I find the high monk willing to wield this blade, I must be cautious and never overuse it.

He paused, stopping outside the wall of a secret room. The powerful aura of the barrier could only be sensed using special methods.

The Egg of the Other Shore in the secret chamber is the key to connecting the new Underworld to the human world. Mother repeatedly warned that it must not be disturbed or touched until the appointed time has elapsed.

Strolling to the artificial hill by the pond in the yard, an inconspicuous black toad quietly basked in the moonlight.

[Chasing Shadow, a shikigami left behind by my mother, silent and loyal. It is currently the only being I can completely entrust with my trust.]

He picked up a seemingly ordinary gray cloth bag hanging from his waist.

[My mother left behind quite a few demon-slaying bags. But strangely, it seems she took all the demons we've subdued over the years with her?]

He also wore a snake bone amulet close to his heart.

[The serpent's bone can protect against most curses in the world. Is this a gift from that great serpent?]

Besides that, there were some ordinary miscellaneous items and books.

At this point, the nature of the game completely changed.

It suddenly transforms from a personal journey of revenge and growth into a grand scheme spanning hundreds of years of family business and secret inheritance.

Huiming must conceal his true family name, Daoman, and can only operate under the pre-arranged name of the Urabe family.

Time seemed to be fast-forwarded, with decisions being made in quarters.

Nobi needs to keep a close eye on external information, search for the whereabouts of high-ranking monks who meet the criteria, find out the trends in the court and the public, and avoid the attention of officials or practitioners.

Within the family, select descendants with suitable talents and temperaments to pass on the mission and secrets of rebuilding the underworld in the safest way.

Any mistake that leads to the exposure of one's identity, the training or selection of a successor, or the accidental death of a character outside the game will immediately end the game.

Based on my current experience, the game isn't particularly difficult to play; the challenge lies in information gathering and psychological analysis.

Players need to be fully immersed in the character's mindset and situation in order to minimize suspicion.

Now that the origin and mission of the Doman family are clear, and all the key items left by their mother have been mastered, Reno and Da, who have staked all their playtime on Nobi after two days of stagnation, can begin exploring their respective timelines of 1500 and 1602.

In the current team rankings, Team Nobi has temporarily taken the top spot thanks to their aggressive strategy of concentrating resources in the early stages.

Of course, this advantage is extremely slight.

The other two teams were just a step slower in their reaction. After realizing the importance of the 1220 Origin Line, they quickly adjusted their subsequent strategies and shifted their focus of exploration.

Other players might find the game somewhat shocking, but for Oshima Umeta, it was absolutely terrifying.

That snake bone was clearly the same one his mother was wearing.

Although he had already confirmed that he was a descendant of the mysterious Onmyoji in the game, he was stunned for a long time when it was not only confirmed that the mysterious Onmyoji was the legendary Ashiya Doman.

"You seem to have something to say?"

On the triangular table in team mode, Iwasaki and Yui looked at Oshima, whose expression was starting to crack.

"No, no, now that we know the origin of everything, how about we...?" Oshima suggested weakly, "resum the exploration of the other two timelines?"

Iwasaki nodded: "You can speak your suggestions directly. No one can hurt you in the player lobby."

Oshima lowered his head in shame.

After spending three days together, he still harbored an instinctive fear of Iwasaki.

In reality, he can now strike hard against those bad people he once dared not even look at, giving them a sleep like a baby.

But Iwasaki's oppressive aura was completely different from those people's.