Chapter 1 Suren and the Others Circle Outside the City

Suren and the other two were circling outside the city.

After many attempts, they had discovered that the aura on Miko's divine robes was impossible to conceal.

A living person's yang energy was rejected by the entire Yellow Springs world, like light in an extremely dark world. No matter how they tried to cover it up, even a trace of leakage would immediately attract monsters from afar.

So even if they went to Asakusa Temple, the monsters would still chase after them endlessly.

Suren's [Shroud of the Ice Man of Oz] could completely conceal her aura, but the curse of this forbidden item consumed lifespan, making it almost useless.

They probably wouldn't get another chance to meet the [God Beggar] and get a mud pill.

Therefore, if they didn't separate from Miko, or stayed in one place for too long, they would be chased by monsters at any time.

Moreover, the erosion of Yellow Springs energy was even more troublesome.

Suren and Chitiao absorbed dark spiritual power, and they both had [Limbs of the Fallen Angel], which provided a constant supply of spiritual power, so they didn't have to worry about the erosion of Yellow Springs energy.

But Miko couldn't.

If she wanted to avoid being eroded by Yellow Springs energy, she could only close off her spiritual power intake and avoid combat and spellcasting as much as possible.

Which meant she was now just an ordinary person.

However, Suren and Chitiao didn't care at all and still wandered around with Miko, the "burden."

After all, this was outside the city, and large-scale ghosts and monsters couldn't stop them.

Besides, Miko was also a "treasure" in the eyes of these monsters.

The [Lord of a Hundred Treasures] was most likely attracted by her aura, which was how he casually stole Chitiao's sword.

Moreover, after Suren discovered that the great demons and ghost kings were particularly interested in Miko, an idea came to his mind.

That was to use Miko as bait to lure, ambush, and defeat the great demons that came to their door one by one.

Suren and Chitiao's auras wouldn't be detected by the ghosts and monsters, and the two of them working together could fight a ghost king head-on, which was their greatest advantage.

The demonic energy of those monsters could amplify the Reaper's phantom, and there was no better opportunity elsewhere.

Even if they got a little stronger, they would have a better chance of winning when they met Izanami in the future.

But right now, they had to get Chitiao's "Ghost King Hundred-Eyed Muramasa" back first.

........

Before long, the three of them found an inconspicuous cave to rest.

Suren made a simple outdoor hot pot and cooked a pot of vegetable stew with meat.

Soon, the cave was filled with a fragrant aroma.

Chitiao, who had lost her sword, had been feeling down.

Her face was even darker than when she had lost her entire fortune in a gambling den.

She, who usually loved eating meat, now looked listless, poking at the meat in the pot with a fork, eating as if she were chewing wax.

Suren, on the other hand, was in a good mood.

At this moment, he was radiating the luster of special treasures, with a scythe on his left hand, a black umbrella on his right, a chessboard hanging from his waist, and a gold pocket watch hanging on his chest...

Well... not bad.

However, if someone could capture the fluctuation of power, they would immediately discover that invisible threads were connected to all the treasures.

Miko's mood wasn't too good either. She was still worried about the battle situation outside.

This time, with the "Black Sun Ritual," even she, the Saiō, had been thrown in here. The situation of the divine-robed Fujiwara clan could be imagined. Naturally, she wanted to get out as soon as possible.

Suren exchanged some known information with her and then got a glimmer of new hope.

Miko continued, "If the master of this 'Land of Yellow Springs' is also Lady Izanami, then as a shrine maiden serving Shinto, I would like to request an audience. That lady should see me."

Suren also nodded and said, "Now we must prepare for both possibilities. It would be best if we can negotiate, but if we can't, we must consider the worst-case scenario. And now the fact proves that the timeline outside is different from here, so there's no need to rush. We'd better make adequate preparations..."

He wasn't too optimistic about the negotiation.

After all, this was a cursed space controlled by the enemy. Since they had thrown Miko in here, how could they let her get out by this clever method?

Suren's plan was to wait at least until the effects of the [God Beggar's Mud Pill] had passed, then go when they couldn't hide it any longer.

Miko naturally understood and nodded, "Yes."

As a princess, she rarely spoke while eating, and she ate slowly and gracefully, looking very refined.

Most of the time, Suren was the one talking.

After finishing her meal, Miko put down her chopsticks and politely praised, "Thank you for the delicious treat. Mr. Suren's cooking is really great."

Suren smiled and shook his head, "Miss Miko, you're mistaken. This is a fool-proof instant product. The seasonings are all pre-mixed, you just need to heat it up."

"Ah?"

Miko didn't seem to have seen Marfa's military rations, and besides, she didn't know how to cook herself, so she realized she had made a mistake.

But because they were already familiar with each other, it wasn't awkward. She instead laughed and said, "Oh, Mr. Suren is still amazing. He always gives people unexpected surprises."

As she said that, she helped clean up the stove, her movements slightly clumsy, as if she had never done such work before.

The two chatted casually.

"By the way, Miss Miko, do you know where there are energy gems?"

"I used to carry some with me, but for the Black Sun Ritual, I didn't bring any external objects with me after the abstinence."

"I have some light-type energy stones here. If you really want to take action, try to absorb the energy in the gems as much as possible. This way, you can avoid being contaminated by Yellow Springs energy."

"Yes, thank you. I'll have to trouble Mr. Suren these days..."

"..."

The [Lord of a Hundred Treasures] was very cunning, so after the few of them decided on this fishing plan, they never talked about serious matters again, only about trivial things.

Chitiao looked at the two of them. Before, she might have teased them a few times, but now, her face was almost written with the words "life is meaningless."

Suren and Miko chatted for a few words, and then there was nothing more to say.

With their stomachs full, it was usually when people's vigilance was at its lowest.

The three of them meditated and rested.

About half an hour later, Suren suddenly sensed something and abruptly opened his eyes, "It's coming!"

He himself knew something about the laws of space, so he was much more sensitive to spatial fluctuations than Chitiao!

Moreover, he also discovered that the threads hanging on that jar of [Sand of Time] were fluctuating, like a fish biting a hook. At that moment, that mysterious force silently enveloped the jar of sand without causing any energy fluctuations!

But the threads were actually a combination of physical and mental power.

Because they were wrapped in mental power, he could immediately sense even if they were cut off.

"As expected of the 'Number One Thief in the World'!"

Suren sighed at the brilliance of this method.

Even he only felt the spatial fluctuation as if the wind were blowing on his hair, and it disappeared in an instant. Just from this point, that guy's spatial ability was much better than his!

The coordinates of the location where the "signal" was cut off the moment the thing disappeared were a hundred meters away!

And even with the black umbrella amplifying the range, there was no soul fluctuation in that area in his perception. That monster had hidden itself in the "space crack"!

Suren was also extremely decisive. He raised his left hand, which was wearing the [Chronos Spatial Glove], and grabbed at the void in the distance, which had no target at all.

With a "crack" sound of a gem breaking, one of the cursed source crystals on the glove shattered.

But at the same time, the space in that area was instantly reinforced, restricting all spatial displacement.

It was like swimming in water, when suddenly the smooth liquid turned into quicksilver, not only could you not swim, but you would float up...

A disheveled figure was squeezed out.

It was carrying a blue and white checkered cloth bag like a bed sheet on its back, and had a hand towel wrapped around its nose, looking very comical.

As expected, the [Lord of a Hundred Treasures] was a monster with a human body and a weasel head!

.......

From the moment Suren discovered the thief to the moment he took action, it was only a few tenths of a second.

But Chitiao's reaction was also extremely fast. The moment she sensed him taking action, she opened her eyes as if she had been injected with chicken blood. Then, her leg muscles suddenly exerted force to step on the ground, and with a "snap" sound, she shot out like an arrow.

The [Lord of a Hundred Treasures] appeared in a mess. Before it could figure out what was happening, it saw a fist as big as a casserole, hitting it in the eye.

With a "bang," this punch carried a bit of personal grudge.

Then there was a scream of "Ouch!"

Chitiao held it down and punched it heavily a few more times.

However, to everyone's surprise, the next few punches felt like hitting a deflated sandbag, unable to exert any force!

Suren, who was not far away, narrowed his eyes slightly when he saw this, "Still want to escape? Truly cunning!"

Fortunately, he had seen it in Hayato Fujiwara's novel. The [Lord of a Hundred Treasures] also had a life-saving escape skill that could almost 100% get rid of any imprisonment.

Otherwise, it would really have escaped with this trick!

The original text in the book described it as: "Like a lizard cutting off its tail, this ability can only be used once in a short period of time!"

Although he didn't know what kind of magic it was, Suren was waiting for it to use this method.

Now that the monster couldn't escape into the void, although it was "invisible," the soul fire that was quietly slipping away was extremely clear in his soul perception.

Suren made a grasping motion in the void with both hands, pulled the threads that had been prepared long ago, and that figure was once again bound there!

At this time, Miko, seeing this, drew her bow and shot an arrow.

With a "swoosh" sound, an arrow with a [Demonic Energy Sealing Talisman] accurately hit the struggling monster.

Almost at the same time, Chitiao, who had realized the problem, had rushed over again, firmly pressing the [Lord of a Hundred Treasures] to the ground.

Suren also rushed over, and countless threads wrapped the guy into a cocoon.

Miko also approached and pasted dozens of talismans in a row, sealing off all the monster's possible abilities.

The three of them cooperated tacitly and subdued this most famous "monster thief" in Yamagakure in one fell swoop!

.......

The [Lord of a Hundred Treasures] watched itself being subdued twice.

Chitiao's fists were as dense as raindrops, and the sound of hitting a sandbag with a "thump," "thump," "thump" was very pleasant to hear.

The monster cried out in pain, "Ouch, stop hitting me, stop hitting me!"

Chitiao didn't stop.

Suren didn't stop her either.

Because he knew that the book said that this monster bullied the weak and feared the strong. The harder you beat it, the more "ransom" you would get.

While beating it, Chitiao shouted fiercely, "Damn thief, I told you to steal my sword, I told you to steal my sword! I'll beat you to death!"

Catching this sword thief seemed to release the pent-up anger in her chest.

Miko, on the other hand, waited on the side with wide eyes, watching curiously. It was the first time she had seen this kind of monster. Except in stories, she had never heard of anyone actually catching this kind of monster. Even the royal family was helpless against this monster. They could only offer it good food and drink and incense, begging it not to frequent the treasure pavilion.

As expected, this beating was still useful. The weasel monster repeatedly begged for mercy, "I'll return your sword! I'll return your sword!"

Hearing this, Chitiao turned a deaf ear and punched it a few more times before saying, "Where's the sword?"

The weasel monster: "It's in my pocket. Let me go, and I'll take it out for you."

Hearing its words, Suren's lips curled into an arc, and he said, "We can let you go. But first, spit out your demon core."

Now that they had caught it, there was no way they would let it go so easily.

How could he not know that this guy not only had top-notch escape abilities, but also had all kinds of strange treasures in its treasure bag.

Gu Ke This time, they had taken advantage of the sneak attack and calculation to catch it. If they really let it escape, where would they have another chance to catch it?

Hearing Suren's words, the weasel monster's cunning flashed in its eyes, "What demon core?"

Suren didn't waste any time with it and said again, "Sister Chitiao, this guy isn't honest, hit him again!"

Chitiao was not polite and punched it heavily again.

If Suren hadn't said that the monster couldn't be killed, she would have killed it and searched the body long ago.

"Thump," "thump," "thump"...

Another beating.

No matter what tempting conditions the weasel said, what "I'll exchange immortal arts for my life," "I have the Three Divine Artifacts," "I have a way to return to the human world"... Da Feng Novel Network

Suren maintained an uncompromising attitude.

Finally, the monster, seeing that it was about to be beaten to death, spit out a gray demon core.

It looked demonic and its aura was the same.

With this thing, the monster couldn't run away.

However, Suren's instinctive caution made him take a look at it with the All-Knowing Eyes. It said [Demon Core of the Kamaitachi], not its [Demon Core of the Lord of a Hundred Treasures].

This guy was cheating again.

Suren looked at Chitiao's expectant gaze and said expressionlessly, "This guy isn't honest, keep hitting him!"

Hearing this, Chitiao rolled up her sleeves and punched it again.

This time, the weasel seemed to have seen something and said, "Ouch, stop hitting me. I was blind and didn't recognize the [All-Knowing Eyes]."

It was the first time someone had seen through his talent, and Suren was also interested.

Legend had it that this monster had the ability to identify treasures in the world. It seemed that it really had some skills. Da Feng Novel

This time, the weasel didn't take any chances. "You adults, if I spit out my demon core, you have to promise not to harm me, not to enslave me. Otherwise, I would rather die than obey."

Suren said very simply, "Okay! As long as you take out a satisfactory ransom according to the rules, we will definitely not harm you again."

The weasel finally breathed a sigh of relief. It knew that it had met a ruthless character and didn't dare to dawdle. Finally, it spit out another demon core.

This time it was real.

Suren held the demon core in his hand and released the layers of threads.

.......

The weasel was finally free, but it was also drooping its head.

Being caught as a thief, it naturally didn't have much confidence.

Chitiao urged, "Hey, hey, hey... where's my sword?"

The weasel felt like a piece of meat had been cut off from its body and reluctantly took down the checkered cloth bag behind it. Then, without opening it, it reached into the opening. It seemed to have a lot of things inside, and after searching for a while, it took out the white-sheathed demon sword.

Chitiao grabbed it back. She pulled out the long sword, as if stroking her dwarf, and the gloom that had been hanging on her face for most of the day disappeared, and she smiled happily.

The demon sword was found, and the initial goal had been achieved.

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief.

But in the face of this scene, although Suren's expression was very calm, a certain idea in his heart was about to be uncontrollable.

He knew that this "treasure bag" was a spatial treasure, and the value of the treasures hidden inside was immeasurable.

But whether in Fujiwara Hayato's novel or in the legends of Yamagakure, this monster was powerful, but it couldn't be killed.

This monster had the meaning of "auspiciousness."

After all, only prosperous places had treasures.

That was why it would appear.

It was said that if you really became greedy and killed it, not only would all the treasures disappear, but you would also suffer unbearable misfortune.

Although Suren was an atheist, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. If you could avoid touching this taboo, then don't touch it.

Just from the abilities that this monster had shown, its attainment in the laws was not low.

The weasel was a little hairy from Suren's gaze and weakly begged, "This adult, I have already exchanged things with you."

After a pause, it looked at Suren with a sly glance and tentatively said, "I can exchange my freedom for gold equal to my weight."

Suren didn't have time to bargain with it. After all, this world was full of ghosts and monsters, and who knew what would happen if they dragged it out any longer. He directly said, "You stole this lady's sword. According to the rules, you should compensate with something of higher value."

He had thought before that there didn't seem to be anything more suitable for Chitiao than a sword. "No need for anything else, just compensate with another sword."

Hearing this "rule," the weasel knew that the other party knew everything.

Since it had said these words, it had to follow them.

"Oh... it's hard to find a good sword like this in the whole world. You're making things difficult for me."

The weasel said with a bitter face. It reached into the treasure bag again, blindly groping, as if it was difficult to find a suitable thing. Then it suggested, "I see that this lady cultivates the sword intent of the Hell Dao, and probably needs some opportunities to advance. I happen to have one here..."

As it said that, it didn't forget to add, "If you agree, according to the agreement, I will give you the thing, and you should let me go."

Suren was also looking forward to what kind of treasure the monster could take out that was not lower in value than the demon sword. His face was very indifferent, and he said, "You know that I also know how to appraise treasures. If it's something of too low a value, I won't recognize this 'transaction'."

Hearing this, the weasel's face became even more ugly. It took out a wooden lump that looked like a jujube pit.

When Suren saw it, his pupils contracted slightly.

[Holy Bodhi Seed]

Detailed explanation: A sacred object of the Buddhists, this item is extremely rare in the lower planes; It is rumored to be the fruit of the Bodhi tree where Yama, the master of hell, attained enlightenment; Contains the power of high-level laws, and the divinity of high-level deities; Buddhahood can suppress the evil karma of the hell path, and prevent one from falling into demonic obstacles; By cultivating one's original intention, one can gain a probabilistic enlightenment.

This thing didn't seem to have any practical effect. It wasn't a weapon, and it couldn't kill enemies.

But just from these simple descriptions, Suren immediately saw its value.

He had heard Akutagawa Ryuichi say before that sword masters who cultivated the Hell Dao but didn't cultivate the Buddha heart had a greater possibility of falling into demonic possession the higher their realm was. This sword saint had suppressed it by cultivating the Buddha heart for decades.

Suren was worried that this hidden danger would be unavoidable after Chitiao advanced, but this [Bodhi Seed] immediately solved this hidden danger with just one sentence, "prevents one from falling into demonic obstacles"!

Moreover, there was also something about "containing high-level laws" and "divinity"...

This thing was really amazing!

Although Chitiao didn't see what use the action and thing had, she inexplicably felt at ease when she took it out, and even the demon sword in her hand calmed down.

She directly said, "This thing is very useful to me."

There was nothing wrong with saying these words.

After all, both parties knew about treasures, and it was impossible to pick up a bargain and lower the price or anything like that.

"Yes."

Suren nodded, acknowledging it.

But in his heart, he was agitated again.

Damn it, what kind of good treasures did this [Lord of a Hundred Treasures] have in his treasure bag? He actually took out something that was no less valuable than the demon sword?

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

After all, this was a cursed space.

Perhaps it wasn't its treasure, but something that Fujiwara Hayato had collected?

That person was not only a great writer, but also a great alchemist!

.......

The weasel watched Chitiao take the thing. Although it felt a pang of pain, it also breathed a sigh of relief. The "rules" were considered complete.

It glanced at Suren and the other two and humbly reminded, "You adults, can you let me go now?"

Chitiao had the demon sword in her hand, and a playful expression on her face.

Miko didn't say anything and looked at Suren beside her.

A smile appeared on the corner of Suren's mouth, and he said faintly, "The matter of you stealing that lady's sword has been settled. But..."

He paused and suddenly changed the topic, "What about the matter of you stealing my things?"

Hearing this, the weasel immediately panicked, "But, I didn't..."

I haven't succeeded yet...

Suren directly revealed its last bit of luck, "My [Sand of the World] is still in your bag. You should return it to me, right?"

[Sand of Time] This was a law material and was priceless.

If this guy hadn't stolen it, he wouldn't have known that among his things, this pile of sand was the most valuable?

Or perhaps, this thing was most useful to it?

Hearing these words, the weasel reluctantly took out the jar of sand.

Suren took it over without ceremony and asked, "What do you want to use to redeem your theft this time?"

The weasel couldn't cry anymore and could only say truthfully, "I'm sorry, it's really hard to find a more precious treasure than this in this world. Because time is priceless."

Taking the most precious treasure, it was a big problem to be caught now.

Suren didn't care about those things. He had already restrained himself from not taking everything in one pot. He was already strong enough, "You can do what you want. Anyway, you set the 'rules'. If you don't follow them, then no one will follow them."

The theft was already a fact, and being caught was also a fact.

The "rules" had already been set, and it had to take out something to redeem its life.

Suren felt that he could restrain himself from the idea of taking everything several times, and he was already strong enough.

The weasel hesitated for a long time before saying, "Why don't I... why don't I give you my pocket?"

Hearing this, Suren couldn't help but have a black line on his face: Are you kidding me?

Do you think I'm short of a space storage equipment?

After the [Treasure Bag] was identified, it was [Old Checked Cotton Cloth Printed Bed Sheet]. You're using this thing to exchange?

However, after this guy rummaged around for a while, it pulled out a pocket that looked like a "black hole" from under the package.

The moment this thing came out, all the light around it seemed to be sucked in.

Suren's gaze was also sucked over.

After identifying it again, the words "Holy crap" came out of his mouth.

This was actually an organ of a mythical creature!

[Endless Stomach Pouch of the Void Whale]

Quality: Legendary

Description: The stomach pouch of the young ancient divine beast 'Void Whale'. It contains a top-level spatial material with high-level laws.

Characteristics: This is a spatial container. It has been removed from the uncontrollable curse characteristics when it was removed. This is a natural alchemy implantation. By comprehending the primary spatial laws, it can be directly fused. After fusion, you will obtain a 'small void world'; Obtain the 'Void Whale Devour' ability, which can absorb target objects within range; The initial space is small, the release speed of the implanted Whale Devour ability is relatively slow, and the consumption is huge. Related characteristics are affected by the proficiency of the law;

Detailed explanation: This alchemy implantation has growth potential, but the growth has extremely high requirements for laws and external objects; Because of the passage of endless years, its spatial characteristics have been lost, so it has been demoted to Legendary, but it has the growth potential of a Mythical grade. Theoretically speaking, if the fusioner's void law is high enough and there are enough materials, it is enough to grow into a plane.

"A Legendary-quality alchemy implantation!"

Looking at this introduction, Suren immediately thought, "It smells so good."

This was actually a growth-type alchemy implantation, and it was only Legendary because it had been downgraded?

"Mythical-grade" growth potential...

It could grow into a plane?