Ling Feng vanished in a flash of white light, and when he opened his eyes again, a thousand years had passed.
Ling Feng glanced at his room. It was clean and tidy, clearly well-maintained. It wasn't hard to guess who it was, most likely Makoto.
"I wonder what the situation in Inazuma is like now?"
Sayu: "Have we arrived?"
"Yes, Sayu, don't reveal yourself yet. Next, it's time for battle."
Sayu: "Understood."
Ling Feng stepped out of his residence and immediately saw the sky outside was dark and oppressive, as if the end of the world had arrived.
Ling Feng scanned the entire Inazuma City with his divine sense, his brows furrowed.
The majority of the Shogunate soldiers had been dispatched, leaving only a few hundred behind.
Even Makoto was not in Tenshukaku.
What had happened during this time of calamity?
Ling Feng immediately transformed into a rainbow and shot into the sky. His gaze sharpened, and he released his divine sense, peering into the distance.
In Kannazuka, cannons roared and smoke billowed. Shogunate soldiers, Tengu, and warriors from other races were engaged in a fierce battle against creatures shrouded in black mist.
These creatures were diverse, some tiger-shaped, others humanoid, and some wolf-shaped. Their common characteristics were the black mist enveloping them, their crimson eyes, and their oppressive, savage aura.
They even possessed the ability to traverse space!
Ling Feng personally witnessed a Shogunate soldier being torn apart by a wolf-like monster that suddenly appeared behind him.
Ling Feng looked at the army of demonic beasts shrouded in black mist, darkening the sky, his expression solemn.
"What kind of monsters are these?"
The commander at the front lines, directing the battle, was someone he knew well—Sasa Yuri.
But where were Ei and the others?
Suddenly, two powerful and familiar energy signatures erupted from Yashiori Island.
"Ei, Chiyo!"
Ling Feng stopped observing and, amidst a series of explosions, transformed into a rainbow and sped towards Yashiori Island.
Kannazuka, Tatarasuna.
Sasa Yuri's disciple, Konbumaru, was covered in wounds, wielding the Mistsplitter, his breathing ragged as he scanned his surroundings.
A large number of Abyss Hounds stared at him with bloodlust, closing in.
The Mistsplitter, bestowed by the General, was showing signs of imminent breakage.
He, as a vassal, stood in the General's ranks against the encroaching darkness.
If he hadn't left his beloved bow as collateral by her side, perhaps the situation would be different.
But a true gambler never regrets, never dwells on "what ifs," and never laments "if onlys."
The enemies surged like mist. The exquisite sword that could cleave through even the strongest gale and night mist was all that mattered.
If the speed of his strikes was sufficient, he might be able to part the deep, dark mist and glimpse the light.
"Asase, our promise… no, this grand gamble that will end all gambles, I absolutely will not lose."
"I will definitely return. And then, along with the bow that served as my stake, I will claim the future I have won!"
Konbumaru's gaze was resolute, showing no fear despite being surrounded by so many enemies.
Konbumaru's body crackled with lightning, and the Mistsplitter also glowed with a dazzling purple light, resonating with the lightning he unleashed.
"Bring it on! I will not be defeated by you!"
A continuous barrage of lightning, he and the Mistsplitter together slew countless Abyss Hounds.
But the Abyss Hounds were endless, impossible to finish off.
Although a swordsman’s will is strong, the blade in his hand eventually grew weary, unlike him.
"Konbumaru!"
Sasa Yuri cried out, her hands never ceasing as she continuously conjured lightning arrows to slay Abyss Hounds, flying towards Konbumaru.
But the distance between them was vast, and with the Abyss Hounds blocking their path, the dark, dense mist slowly obscured Konbumaru's figure.
Just as the mist was about to completely engulf Konbumaru, several dazzling sword lights descended from the sky.
The sword intent was surging, and flames roared.
Beneath the sword light, the Abyss Hounds turned to ash.
Konbumaru looked up, and high in the sky, a man in blue robes and silver armor, wielding a blue and white longsword, hovered in the air.
"This aura, it's Ling!"
Sasa Yuri looked up at the sky with surprise, sensing the familiar aura.
Ling Feng nodded at Sasa Yuri and transmitted his voice.
"Dog, you continue to lead the army and hold these guys off. If you can't, fight and retreat. I'm going to help Ei save Chiyo and will be back soon."
"Understood."
Sasa Yuri landed beside Konbumaru, carried him on her back, and then nodded.
Ling Feng refocused, turned into a rainbow, and departed, unleashing dozens of sword strikes midway to reduce the pressure on Sasa Yuri and the others.
"Abyss Hounds, monsters from the Abyss, created by 'Gold' using Abyss power. Is the quantity a bit excessive?"
"And these pure Abyss monsters, why do they seem to be endless, impossible to kill?"
Thinking thus, Ling Feng had already arrived above a mountain forest on Yashiori Island, where the clash of weapons and muffled thunder continued below.
In the forest, Ei was locked in combat with Chiyo, whose eyes were blood red and whose body was shrouded in black mist.
Lightning and thunder!
"Chiyo, wake up! Don't let those damned things corrupt your mind!"
Chiyo fought like a madwoman, while Ei held back, constantly calling out to Chiyo.
But her response was Chiyo's beast-like roars and a continuous barrage of frenzied attacks.
"Chiyo!"
*Clang—*
Ei blocked Chiyo's tachi with her Electro-infused blade.
*Clink!*
Suddenly, a sword qi shot towards Chiyo.
Chiyo immediately twisted her body and raised a beam of lightning to intercept the sword qi.
"Good opportunity!"
Ei seized the chance to knock Chiyo unconscious, but Chiyo reacted swiftly, flying into the sky to evade Ei's grab.
"Ei."
"Ling? You're back!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Ei turned and saw Ling Feng approaching with his sword, her face lighting up with surprise.
"Roar!"
Chiyo glared at the two of them, not daring to attack rashly.
She even knew to avoid immediate danger.
"Ei, what's wrong with Chiyo?"
Ling Feng stood shoulder to shoulder with Ei. Although he knew Chiyo was fighting Ei, he was unclear about the specifics of what had happened.
"Chiyo was swallowed by a tiger-like, snake-tailed monster. When she came out, she became like this and attacked me."
"If I'm not mistaken, she's been corrupted by the power of that black mist."
"I've tried to wake her, but it was useless."
"Not only that, she can't be knocked out, and her strength has greatly increased."
Ling Feng looked at Chiyo, recalling the Divine Soul Stone he had obtained before. Perhaps…
"Ei, I have a method that might succeed. Let's capture her together!"
"Alright."
Chiyo seemed to sense danger and immediately tried to escape, transforming into a bolt of lightning and fleeing into the distance.
"Earth Formation!"
Ling Feng gave a soft shout, and the Heaven and Earth Three Talents Formation instantly unfolded, forming a barrier that enveloped them.
Chiyo's escape route was also blocked by the barrier. Several powerful lightning-infused slashes from her couldn't break through it.
"Roar!!!"
Seeing this, Chiyo let out an enraged roar and lunged at the two of them.
"Sayu!"
As Ling Feng's voice fell, a dense fog rose, trapping the lunging Chiyo in a small world.
Instantly, countless wind blades descended upon Chiyo.
"Roar!"
Chiyo continuously let out beastly roars, her lightning power surging, shattering the rain-like wind blades.
Chiyo gathered a large amount of power into her tachi, charging up for a single strike to break through the spatial barrier of this small world.
Ei suddenly appeared and launched a barrage of attacks at Chiyo, throwing her into disarray.
At the same time, the dense wind blades continuously struck Chiyo, leaving her in a pitiful state, with blackish-red blood flowing from her wounds.
*Swish!*
The surrounding fog condensed into substance, and a giant fog hand reached out to grab Chiyo.
Chiyo let out a low growl, her power erupting, and lightning crackled, directly dissipating the fog hand.
Seeing this, Ei attacked again, pressing her advantage and continuing to strike Chiyo.
Chiyo was truly difficult to capture.
"Now's the time."
Ling Feng, seeing Chiyo's attention focused on resisting Ei's fierce assault, flashed behind her, holding a radiant golden stone crystal.
Ling Feng slapped the Divine Soul Stone onto Chiyo's back. Instantly, Chiyo let out a piercing, ear-splitting scream.
The black mist on Chiyo's body, illuminated by the light of the Divine Soul Stone, seemed to have met its natural predator and began to dissipate.
It was clear that the Divine Soul Stone was working.
Ling Feng immediately used his body to restrain Chiyo's limbs, pressing the Divine Soul Stone against her wrist.
Chiyo screamed miserably, and the weapon in her hand clattered to the ground.
"Ah!!!"
A large amount of lightning erupted from Chiyo's body, surging wildly like a spider web, spreading its power for ten miles around.
Ling Feng had long since cultivated the Body of Thunder, so the damage lightning could inflict on him was greatly reduced.
Moreover, he was a Nascent Soul cultivator; Chiyo's current level of lightning was not a significant threat.
"Roar."
Seeing that the rampant lightning couldn't force Ling Feng away, Chiyo bared her sharp fangs and lunged to bite Ling Feng's hand.
"Ei!"
Ling Feng felt danger from Chiyo's teeth. His sixth sense told him that this bite would cripple his arm!
"Stop!"
Ei transformed into lightning and instantly appeared in front of Chiyo, thrusting out her Electro-infused blade.
*Crack!*
The high-spec, five-star Electro-infused blade was actually bitten and shattered! (PS: Electro-infused blade is Ei's innate weapon and grows with her.)
This demonstrated the sharpness of Chiyo's teeth at this moment, capable of biting through even a divine weapon!
Ling Feng's heart pounded with lingering fear. To think that a five-star divine weapon, the kind that even nuclear bombs couldn't shatter, had its blade bitten off by Chiyo!
"What is that! Get out of Chiyo's body!"
Ling Feng injected his true essence into the Divine Soul Stone, attempting to imbue the stone's power into his true essence and infuse it into Chiyo to drive out the Abyss power.
"Wait! This feeling is… True Qi?!"
Ling Feng's face changed drastically!
"No, 'True Qi' is not quite right. Although its origin is almost the same, it's more violent and difficult to control. It should be called Demonic Qi."
"No wonder she could fight Ei for so long. It turns out this Demonic Qi has elevated Chiyo's strength to the level of a cultivator!"
"But since they share the same origin, perhaps I can convert it into True Qi."
Without hesitation, Ling Feng began to attempt the conversion of Demonic Qi into True Qi. With the help of the Divine Soul Stone, the conversion process, though lengthy, was smooth.
"Ugh!"
After a full ten minutes, the Abyss power within Chiyo was completely converted into True Qi by Ling Feng, slowly condensing into an inner core.
Sensing that Chiyo had stopped struggling and seemed to have fainted, Ling Feng first used his Appraisal Eye to scan her, confirming there were no issues before releasing her.
Ling Feng also understood one thing.
Elemental Power < Immortal Power = Demonic Power, etc. < God-like Power = True Qi = Demonic Qi (Abyss Power)
"Ling, how is Chiyo?"
Ei, holding her repaired Electro-infused blade, asked with concern.
"She's fine. That power had corrupted her significantly, making it a bit troublesome to resolve, but it's a blessing in disguise. That power has stabilized and is now under her control."
Ling Feng smiled faintly, putting away the Divine Soul Stone.
"However, even though she's recovered, Chiyo will need time to wake up, and her body needs to adapt to this new power."
"Let's go to Kannazuka first. Sasa Yuri's situation isn't good."
Ling Feng supported Chiyo, his expression solemn.
"Mhm."
Ei nodded. The two of them transformed into streams of light, taking Chiyo back to the Kujou Encampment.
By this time, the army had retreated to the beach west of the Kujou Encampment.
"Ei, Ling, what happened to Chiyo?"
Sasa Yuri rushed over anxiously, with Konbumaru beside her, and asked with worry.
"Dog, take Chiyo back to Grand Narukami Shrine to rest. From now on, leave this place to us. Oh, and remember to organize the evacuation of the civilians from Inazuma City and lead them to Mt. Yougou."
Ling Feng's expression was grave. He couldn't guarantee that this place could be defended, especially since these Abyss monsters were endless and their origin was unknown.
As for why Mt. Yougou, a thousand years ago, he had set up the Heaven and Earth Three Talents Formation there.
Simultaneously, thirty-six Heaven and Earth Spirit Flags were deployed around Mt. Yougou to absorb energy, creating a grand protective formation.
This was a contingency for when a crisis arose.
"Understood. Konbumaru, this is Ling. You will obey his commands from now on."
"Yes, Master!"
Sasa Yuri nodded, took Chiyo from Ling Feng, and returned to Grand Narukami Shrine before proceeding to organize the civilian evacuation.
Ling Feng took advantage of the lull before the Abyss monsters attacked to quickly ask Ei what had happened.
From Ei's account, he learned that the dark, dense mist had erupted suddenly, starting from Yashiori Island!
After the Abyss monsters appeared, they began to furiously attack living beings, both human and animal.
Upon receiving the news, they quickly organized their forces to attack, but the monsters kept multiplying, impossible to defeat.
She had tried to dispel the mist with her Electro power, but it was ineffective.
Chiyo had also had her accident at that time.
As for Watatsumi Island, Seirai Island, and Tsurumi Island, their situations were currently unknown.
"Where did these guys come from?"
Ling Feng used his Appraisal Eye, only to see a dense cluster of health bars and various descriptive names within the mist.
These unkillable things were troublesome, akin to some sort of natural disaster.
"Right, where is Makoto?"
Ling Feng inquired.
He could sense the auras of Yae Miko, Chiyo, and Sasa Yuri with his divine sense, but Makoto was nowhere to be found.
"I don't know. Makoto somehow severed our twin connection in a short period."
"Within Narukami Island, Yae, Sasa Yuri, and Yae Miko have all searched for her but couldn't find her."
Upon hearing this, Ling Feng's expression changed. He quickly grabbed Ei, his voice filled with anxiety.
"Could it be! Ei, hurry to Khaenri'ah! Makoto is likely there! The Seven Archons, under the Heavenly Principles' command, went to annihilate Khaenri'ah together."
"These monsters are a result of their research into Abyss power. Khaenri'ah likely has enemies at the level of a Fallen God. Makoto has no combat ability, so she might be in danger!"