(TL/N: Chapters from here onwards will be a little longer, enjoy! đ)
With the efforts of the public officials, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons quickly obtained a place to rest on the outskirts of Inazuma City.
Many of these places were originally offices of the Kanjou Commission.
But now, for the sake of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, all of them were vacated.
Not only did they give up the locations, they even handed over the land deeds.
The public officials looked at the strange yokai with some fear and said, "Time was a bit tight, but this is already the best we could do."
"Yes, what you prepared is already very sufficient, thank you."
Takuno had no complaints at all.
This time, their parade had two purposes. Since both were being carried out smoothly, there was nothing more to say.
Seeing that there was nothing left for them to do, the public officials hurriedly left as if fleeing.
Hu Tao burst into laughter when she saw this.
"The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons is really fun. Those people were completely stunned, they didn't even realize I was a human in disguise."
"Hall Master, you can control spirits. In the eyes of humans, you are naturally also a great yokai. However, we yokai all have titles. For example, mine is called: Ame-no-Murakumo."
"Title?"
Hu Tao raised her eyebrows, feeling that she should indeed have a resounding title.
Otherwise, how could she be considered a great yokai?
She thought for a long time before finally coming up with a name.
"What do you think about the title 'Ghost Sovereign'?"
"Ghost Sovereign? Very resounding, very domineering."
Takuno's eyes lit up.
He genuinely thought it was a great name.
Commanding countless spirits naturally suited the position of a sovereign.
At this moment, Ioroi ran over and interrupted, "What about Lady Saiguu? Didn't we agree that as long as I completed the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, I would get to see her? I'm the winner of hide-and-seek!"
Five hundred years ago.
To protect this little fellow, Lady Saiguu used a game of hide-and-seek to make him hide in the forest and forbade him from leaving.
Later, Ioroi sensed that something was wrong, but ended up being sealed inside a stone.
And today, the condition for him to come out was that he must see Lady Saiguu.
Otherwise, the bake-danuki would get angry.
Seeing Ioroi's anxious appearance, Hu Tao immediately crouched down and gently stroked his head, saying, "Alright, don't worry. Just follow this Hall Master, I will definitely let you see Lady Saiguu."
"Really? You must not deceive me. I am the Hidden God of Life Preservation, the Fifth Ioroi. I have a title."
Even after five hundred years, the little fellow still had the mind of a child.
Hearing this, Hu Tao extended her little finger and said, "Then let's make a pinky promise. In Liyue, once you make a pinky promise, you can't go back on it."
"I've heard of it, I've heard of it. Hook fingers and hang, for one hundred years no change. This is Liyue's contract!"
Ioroi immediately jumped up happily.
As a "great yokai" of Inazuma, although his mind was childlike, he still knew quite a bit about the outside world.
The two hooked their fingers, making a promise that he would definitely see Lady Saiguu.
Hu Tao stood up and said to Takuno, "Then I'll take him to Mount Yougou?"
"Mm, have a safe journey."
Takuno waved his hand lightly, indicating there was nothing to worry about here.
With him in charge.
No one who came would pose a threat.
Thus, Hu Tao took Ioroi and set off toward Mount Yougou.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Arataki Itto was recruiting people. To avoid being discovered, everything was done in secret.
"Whether you've lost your Vision or forgotten something, if you want a new life, come with me!"
Everyone knew.
When humans lose their Vision, they become muddle-headed. In severe cases, they even lose their memories.
Therefore, Arataki Itto's call was quite effective.
In just a few hours, he recruited a group of experts who had lost their Visions.
In the wilderness.
People gathered together.
Some had vacant eyes, some were listless, and some were deeply depressed.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!"
Arataki Itto shouted.
The sudden voice startled them.
Everyone raised their heads to look at him.
"Yes, that's right. Lift your heads. I don't care who you are, or what you've lost, but if you keep going on like this, is that really okay?"
"Come on, train with me."
"As long as you train, you can become stronger and regain everything you once lost!"
Listening to Arataki Itto's speech.
A middle-aged swordsman asked, "Is that really true? Ever since I lost my Vision, I've forgotten so many things. Sometimes I can't even remember my own past."
His words resonated with everyone.
Countless people spoke up.
Some said they couldn't even remember their closest friends.
Some felt they had lost their vitality.
Facing everyone's negative emotions.
Arataki Itto activated his Haki and stomped on the stone beneath his feet. With a loud boom, a rock two meters tall was instantly shattered by the force of his foot.
Everyone fell silent, their eyes filled with shock.
"Did you see that? My strength came from just a few days of training!"
"I don't care what you've been through, but remember this. Training can help you find yourself again!"
"You may all have different problems, but there's one thing you share. You've all lost something!"
"And now, training can help you get it back. Are you willing to try?"
Reasoning was useless.
Because these people were not in a normal mental state.
Hearing Arataki Itto's words, everyone trembled.
That's right.
No matter what they lost, they had still lost something.
Didn't they want to get it back?
Didn't they want to remember again?
The swordsman looked at Arataki Itto's strength and asked, "Where do we train?"
"Araumi. Food and lodging included. Of course, there's no Mora, but I can guarantee you'll become as strong as me."
Those who possessed Visions were basically all skilled individuals.
Even if they didn't like fighting.
Their talent far surpassed that of ordinary people.
Now, facing Arataki Itto's invitation, they were naturally willing to go.
After two hours of travel.
They arrived at the training ground in Araumi.
Today, the place was incredibly lively.
Aside from the yokai undergoing training, there were also many human soldiers.
Arataki Itto said in surprise, "Why are there more people today?"
A member of the Arataki Gang resting nearby saw the boss return and quickly ran over.
After hearing his question, he immediately explained, "It's like this, boss. These are friends from the Yashiro Commission. I heard Miss Kamisato brought them. Look over there, even the head of the Kamisato Clan is here."
Following the direction he pointed.
Arataki Itto saw Kamisato Ayato in the distance, drenched in sweat at the training ground.
He had completely abandoned his usual elegance and was training like mad.
"Now that's exciting. It makes me want to train too. By the way, is Boss Su Han here?"
"Yes, sir is resting under the cherry blossom tree."
"Alright, I've brought the people. Xiao Ha, take care of them. I'll go report."
"Yes."
At this moment, Su Han was lying under a cherry blossom tree.
Two beautiful shrine maidens knelt beside him, one fanning him and the other feeding him fruit.
He looked extremely comfortable.
"Boss, I'm back. I brought a total of 126 people, all of them lost their Visions."
Su Han opened his eyes upon hearing this and immediately sat up.
He glanced at the crowd in the distance and laughed, "Well done, Itto."
Hearing the praise, Arataki Itto grinned proudly.
"It's nothing. It's all thanks to Shinobu and your guidance. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to calm them."
"Oh right, boss."
Remembering something important, Arataki Itto quickly asked, "I've brought the people. How should we train them? The same way I did?"
"Mm, similar, but a bit different. Gather them at the training ground first."
"No problem!"
Arataki Itto moved quickly.
Soon, everyone followed him to an open area with solid ground.
Just as everyone was still lost in confusion.
A figure appeared above them.
"You're confused, aren't you?"
"You can't feel the future either, right?"
"But now things are different. Calm down, and think carefully about what allowed you to obtain your Vision in the first place, and what kept you going."
Before anyone could react.
Purple light descended from the sky.
Terrifying gravity fell upon each person.
At that moment, they felt the threat of death.
"Didn't you say you would help us get things back? Why is this happening?"
"Liar, I want to leave. My body can't even move."
"Help, help."
Su Han looked at the various reactions below. With a wave of his hand, he drew in countless rocks from nearby and ground them into sharp spikes.
With a point of his finger.
A rock spear thirty centimeters thick fell into the crowd.
Boom.
The immense impact pierced through the stone ground.
People looked up at the dense cluster of rock spears above, their eyes filled with fear.
"No!"
They began to scatter and flee.
But unfortunately, the gravity pinned them down. Even standing up was extremely difficult.
The threat of death.
Greatly stimulated their desire to survive.
Never before had they craved power as much as they did now.
The rock spears fell at irregular intervals.
Explosions echoed constantly.
Someone began to struggle. It was the swordsman. He gritted his teeth and tried to straighten his back.
At that moment, a voice sounded beside him.
"What is a human?"
"To stand upright, grit your teeth, and endure, standing tall between heaven and earth."
"That is what a human should do."
The voice was gentle, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.
The swordsman's gaze became even more resolute.
Then the voice changed, beginning to recite the cultivation method of the Golden Light Incantation. Although this technique had a threshold, after many attempts, the answer had been found.
As long as one had obtained a Vision, they could cultivate the Golden Light Incantation.
Therefore, in theory, everyone present could practice it.
The swordsman had great comprehension. Under the intense pressure, he was the first to enter a state of cultivation.
His mind became calm.
His body suffered.
The greater the pressure, the calmer a person could become.
When even death was no longer feared, his spirit was finally elevated.
"So that's how it is?"
The swordsman looked at his hands and understood the intention of the person above.
He gritted his teeth, sat cross-legged on the ground.
Abandoning all thoughts.
He entered a state of cultivation.
Never before had he felt such peace.
In the unseen.
The swordsman recalled many past events, family, bonds, dreams.
After losing his Vision.
He had forgotten these things, even the sword techniques he once comprehended. But at this moment, much of it returned.
"Under great pressure comes stimulation. Congratulations, you've recovered part of your memory. Train well. When your spirit is tempered, everything will naturally return."
As the swordsman felt the changes within himself.
A voice entered his ears.
It was that lord in the sky.
The swordsman's eyes were filled with gratitude, but under the crushing gravity, he couldn't respond and could only express his thanks with his gaze.
Su Han smiled lightly and turned away.
After that, the swordsman reentered cultivation.
He circulated his energy through several cycles, then began drawing his weapon and practicing slashes.
Although it was difficult, his body was steadily becoming stronger.
This long-lost feeling brought him back to his youthful days.
"Even in middle age, I can still improve and grow stronger."
"I shouldn't regret, and I shouldn't forget."
"Come on, I can still become stronger. I will become stronger."
So what if he lost his Vision?
As long as he worked hard, he could still become stronger.
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