Kikyo spoke with a solemn expression, a hint of confusion in her voice: "That City Lord is very strange. I can't feel any life force from him at all, as if his entire body below the neck is dead."
Saying this, she stopped and turned to look at the castle, which had become blurred in the twilight, a cold glint flashing in her eyes: "Furthermore, the entire castle is shrouded in a dense evil energy."
Retsu smiled and said, "That's normal. That fellow is the Naraku you're looking for."
"Naraku!" Kikyo looked startled and suddenly looked up at him. "That City Lord is Naraku?"
"Yes, it's him. That mottled demonic aura formed from the fusion of various demons—it couldn't be anyone else." Retsu nodded and spoke with a certain tone.
Kikyo quickly recovered from her shock, caught up with his pace, and analyzed calmly, "Naraku doesn't look like he's in good shape; he must have been seriously injured."
"It's definitely because of Kagome, Inuyasha, and the others," Retsu said. "However, given Naraku's strength, Inuyasha shouldn't be able to wound him to this extent. It was likely Kagome's Demon-Slaying Arrow that dealt him a heavy blow with pure Spiritual Power."
He knew the plot and was aware that Naraku had ended up like this because his body was struck by Kagome's Demon-Slaying Arrow.
"That girl, Kagome?" Kikyo nodded thoughtfully upon hearing his words. If the damage was caused by Spiritual Power, it was indeed possible.
"By the way, your soul has completely recovered, hasn't it?" Retsu suddenly changed the subject.
Kikyo was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "It has completely recovered."
As she spoke, she frowned slightly, a hint of doubt in her voice: "In Naraku's current state, he probably can't be used for resurrection anymore, right?"
"No, quite the opposite." Retsu shook his head with a smile and said, "Kikyo, we should be able to shed these bodies soon. Given Naraku's personality, he will definitely not endure this weakened state for long."
"You mean... he will find a way to heal his injuries." Kikyo's heart stirred, and she instantly connected this to the rumors the Ashigaru mentioned earlier about the 'land being polluted by evil energy,' a flash of realization appearing in her eyes.
Right then, the surrounding evil energy began to converge in the distance.
At that moment, the evil energy permeating the area suddenly became restless, as if drawn by an invisible force, rapidly gathering toward a distant direction.
Kikyo was startled and suddenly looked up. The destination where the evil energy was converging was a towering mountain peak not far away, which looked like a long-dormant volcano.
"It seems Naraku has already begun his move." Retsu looked at the mountain peak, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "He is starting to restore his body."
"Using evil energy... to heal injuries?" Kikyo murmured softly as she watched the mountain peak being gradually enveloped by the evil energy.
"Let's go. If we're late, we'll have to wait a while longer to get rid of these bodies," Retsu reminded Kikyo, seeing her lost in thought.
"Alright!" Kikyo snapped back to her senses and followed behind Retsu, walking toward the mountain peak where the evil energy was converging.
As they drew closer to the convergence point of the evil energy, the surrounding scenery became increasingly desolate.
The trees on both sides of the road had long since withered, leaving only dry branches pointing straight at the sky. Not a single blade of grass grew on the ground, and occasionally, the skeletons of unknown animals could be seen, emitting a scent of decay, without a trace of any living thing.
The two found a winding path at the foot of the mountain and climbed toward the summit.
They could clearly sense that the evil energy was inside the mountain's belly. As they approached, the evil energy became denser.
A faint layer of shimmering white light gradually appeared around Kikyo, as she was clearly using Spiritual Power to dispel the surrounding evil energy.
Although this evil energy could not harm Kikyo's current clay body, her soul was inside this body, and being tainted by evil energy was uncomfortable after all.
Furthermore, Retsu had just replenished her Chakra, so her Spiritual Power was now abundant, and she didn't need to worry about consumption.
That shimmering white Spiritual Power acted like a gentle barrier, slowly spreading outward and enveloping Retsu beside her as well.
Even though Retsu's Edo Tensei body would not be harmed by the evil energy, being wrapped in this layer of Spiritual Power spared him the discomfort of the evil energy's intrusion.
It was like stepping out of heavily polluted smog; even breathing became smoother.
Retsu quite appreciated this. He glanced sideways at Kikyo, said nothing, and simply quickened his pace.
"Inuyasha and the others are just ahead," Retsu suddenly spoke. "And that girl named Kagome is there too."
"...Yes." Kikyo was slightly stunned by his words, then nodded and said, "Let's head over. If this thing was set up by Naraku, he couldn't have left it unguarded."
At this time, just ahead of them, a dense evil energy was emanating from a cave, clearly indicating that the source of the evil energy was inside.
In front of the cave, Sango was clutching her chest, her face pale and her forehead covered in cold sweat.
Her injuries from being wounded by Naraku earlier had not yet healed. Now, constantly eroded by the evil energy, her body was already overburdened and she could not enter the cave. Kagome and Shippō stayed by her side.
Inuyasha and Miroku were not outside, having clearly entered the cave to investigate the situation.
"Sango, are you alright?" Kagome said worriedly, looking at the pained Sango. "The evil energy seems to be getting stronger."
"Ugh..." Sango let out a pained groan and looked up at Kagome, saying in surprise, "Kagome, you're actually perfectly fine!"
"I find it strange too," Kagome shook her head, her voice carrying a hint of confusion. "But I really don't feel any discomfort."
Just then, the two demons, Shippō and Kirara, suddenly walked two steps toward the cave ahead unconsciously.
Shippō, having realized what happened, looked at the pitch-black cave in front of him with shock. While trying his best to resist that inexplicable attraction, he said, "What's going on... it's like something is trying to suck me in! What's happening in this cave?"
"Ying ying!" Kirara also nodded her small head, indicating she felt the same way.
"Inuyasha and Monk Miroku... they'll be okay, right?" Hearing Shippō's cry, Kagome looked toward the cave with concern.
Since the two entered, there had been no sound. Aside from their own breathing, only a suffocating silence remained.
Kagome and Sango suppressed the unease in their hearts and waited at the cave entrance for a while longer, but there was still no sound from within, and their anxiety grew stronger.
"Why haven't they come out after so long?" The two looked at the silent cave, their hearts full of worry.
"We should go in and check..." Sango gritted her teeth, endured her physical discomfort, and stood up with difficulty, about to head toward the cave.
Seeing Sango's staggering body, Kagome quickly stopped her. "No, Sango, you can't go in."
Shippō also hurriedly advised, "Sango, if you go in like this, you'll collapse immediately!"
Kirara also blocked the way in front of Sango.
"Sango, let's leave this place first. Staying here is very bad for your body," Kagome said, looking at Sango's pale face.
Just then, a clear sound of footsteps came from behind. Kagome was startled and instinctively turned to look, only to suddenly discover that the surrounding evil energy was rapidly dissipating at a visible rate.
"The evil energy... seems to be thinning..." Kagome said in surprise.
Sango also noticed the movement behind them and forced herself to turn and look.
As the footsteps drew closer, a shimmering white light slowly approached. As the light neared, the surrounding evil energy retreated rapidly as if encountering its bane.
Through the thinning evil energy, two figures could be seen walking side by side within that shimmering white light.
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