418: Chapter 412: Dog Cave 418: Chapter 412: Dog Cave Great Snow Mountain, the vast snowy region, within the Four-direction Pavilion.
“Sect Master…”
Yukizo Hayato had just returned from outside and appeared in the hall of this pavilion.
Clad in gray robes, Murakami Taro, who was sitting on a cushion muttering words, had already come to meet him the moment he arrived.
In Japan, etiquette is highly valued.
At this moment, after Murakami Taro walked a few steps toward Yukizo Hayato, he immediately knelt down with his forehead touching the ground, performing a deep bow.
“Taro, can you still not let go?” Looking at the disciple he once valued the most, the expression on Yukizo Hayato’s face was complex as he let out a long sigh.
“Without Senior Sister Ono, I would have already died back then!”
“Half a foot had already stepped into Hell, it was she who strived with all her might and dragged me back.”
“Her death in Yanhuang Country was also due to my invitation and caused by my involvement.
How can I let go of her death?”
“Please, Sect Master, allow me to enter the Dog Cave, to serve the Dog God with my body.
Whether I succeed or fail, I will have no regrets.”
Murakami Taro bowed deeply again, respectfully kowtowing several times as he made his request to Yukizo Hayato.
After returning from Yanhuang Country, he hadn’t gone anywhere else but directly came to Great Snow Mountain.
After all, he was all alone, with no relatives above, no children below, and hardly a few who could be called friends.
Only his birthplace, the Snow Mountain Sect, truly held some emotional significance for him.
Coming back here, apart from informing Yukizo Hayato, the Sect Master, that Ono Sari had died in Yanhuang Country, he also hoped to try and persuade Yukizo Hayato to leave seclusion and seek revenge for Ono Sari.
The true Onmyojis of the Snow Mountain Sect were only a few.
Because human hearts were complex and no longer as simple as decades ago, finding a new Onmyoji successor had become extremely difficult, with the chances of success alarmingly low.
For Yukizo Hayato, the Sect Master of the Snow Mountain Sect, the loss of any Onmyoji deeply pained his heart.
In Murakami Taro’s eyes, after hearing the news of Ono Sari’s death, it seemed certainly possible that Yukizo Hayato would rage and possibly even head straight to Yanhuang Country for retribution.
Unfortunately, this was merely his wishful thinking.
In the face of Ono Sari’s death, Yukizo Hayato had been extremely calm, unwilling even to leave Great Snow Mountain, let alone go to Yanhuang Country to avenge her.
Though Murakami Taro was disappointed with this outcome, there was nothing he could do.
Since the Sect Master Yukizo Hayato was unwilling to take action, he could only settle for the next best thing.
Entering the Dog Cave to please the Dog God, as long as he could obtain power, revenge might still be possible.
“Taro, you may have left our sect for many years, but you were once our sect’s disciple.”
“You should know the sacrifices required to enter the Dog Cave.”
“Given your age, plus your determination, do you think you can come out alive?”
With an expressionless face, Yukizo Hayato’s eyes sparkled with a mysterious brilliance.
It seemed he had seen through all the thoughts in Murakami Taro’s heart, and stared directly at him as he spoke in a deep voice.
“The death of Senior Sister Ono is something I cannot shirk responsibility for.
If I cannot avenge her, what joy is there in living?
What fear in dying?”
“Entering the Dog Cave, even if it means nine deaths out of ten, just having that slight chance of survival is enough for me!”
“I no longer fear life or death, please, Sect Master…”
Bowingly respectfully again to Yukizo Hayato, Murakami Taro made his plea.
Yukizo Hayato stared at Murakami Taro in front of him, remaining silent for a long time.
Murakami Taro had already stayed on Great Snow Mountain for several months.
Every time he saw him, he would respectfully kneel and bow three times, always bringing up the matter of going to the Dog Cave.
How many times Yukizo Hayato himself had rejected his request, he could not even clearly remember.
In Japan, many people inherently have a bit of obsession and madness.
Murakami Taro was a clear example of this; his demeanor was utterly relentless.
Despite having advised him so many times and having rejected him so many times…
To say he was moved by his sincerity was simply ludicrous; Yukizo Hayato was merely a bit tired of it all at this moment.
“Since Murakami Taro is really tired of living and wants to seek death by entering the Dog Cave, why not just let him?”
This thought had unintentionally appeared many times in Yukizo Hayato’s mind.
The reason he had always been unable to make a decision was mainly because, as the Sect Master, he knew better than anyone about the Dog Cave.
From the secret manuals that only the Sect Master had the right to view, he knew that the Dog Cave was one of the few secret places closest to Takamagahara.
Originally, their Snow Mountain Sect had set up their residence here precisely to guard this secret place.
In earlier years, communicating with the spirits in the Dog Cave, compared to other places, had a much higher rate of success.
But later, for some unknown reason, the Dog Cave had completely changed…
Everyone who entered it began to fight each other, turning completely mad.
On one occasion, the disciples of the Snow Mountain Sect sent twenty or thirty youths into the Dog Cave.
After a brutal slaughter and mutual devouring, they finally birthed a terrifying being who called itself Inuyasha.
That guy was utterly insane, bloodthirsty by nature, killing anyone he saw.
After killing, he wouldn’t even spare the corpses, devouring them entirely, skin and bones.
The night Inuyasha was born, the entire Snow Mountain Sect was bathed in blood.
Although the collective force of the sect eventually managed to subdue Inuyasha, after that battle, only a handful of survivors remained in the Snow Mountain Sect.
The Snow Mountain Sect, once considered among the top forces of the Yin-Yang Master lineage, fell into complete decline because of that incident.
The Dog Cave, designated as forbidden territory by the Snow Mountain Sect, had been completely sealed off for two to three hundred years, with no one entering it since.
To acquire power, Murakami Taro actually thought of entering the Dog Cave?
Yukizo Hayato, the Sect Master of the Snow Mountain, although deeply annoyed, hesitated when it really came to making the decision to send Murakami Taro into the Dog Cave.
“Sect Master, I know what you’re hesitating about!”
“Entering the Dog Cave, the only outcomes awaiting me are either ultimate failure and death therein,”
“or acquiring immense power and completely succumbing to madness.”
“Whichever the result, I think you need not worry about it!”
“Our Snow Mountain Sect has already fallen this far; nothing could be worse than our current state.”
“Even if I fall into madness and indiscriminately kill everyone I see, as long as those who die by my hand are not our own people from the Snow Mountain Sect, that will suffice!”
“The greater the turmoil I cause, the deeper the impact, isn’t it exactly what is needed to restore the once great reputation of our Snow Mountain Sect?”
…
Seeing Yukizo Hayato’s continued indecisiveness, Murakami Taro quickly spoke up to reassure him.
His words seemed to make some sense and he spoke at length.
Finally, Yukizo Hayato seemed somewhat persuaded.
“Alright, Taro, since you are indifferent to life and death, intent on entering the Dog Cave, I will let you do so.”
“The true location of the forbidden area is known only to me.
Follow me, I’ll take you there now!”
With gritted teeth, Yukizo Hayato finally nodded.
He waved at Murakami Taro, beckoning him.
The two of them left the Four-direction Pavilion, quickly making their way towards the direction of the mountain peak.
…
At the foot of the mountain, Chen Hai, clad in a leather jacket, trudged through the snow, sinking deeply with each step.
Arriving here, he finally stopped.
He picked up a few Copper Coins meant for divination and performed a quick divination.
“According to the Gua, that guy Murakami Taro is atop this mountain.”
“It looks like, despite my average sense of direction, I haven’t chosen the wrong place!”
After obtaining the result from the divination, Chen Hai stored the coins and muttered to himself.
Then, with a slight flick of his hand, a bottle of Peach Blossom Immortal Brew, kept in his Storage Pouch, appeared in his hand.
“Good liquor…” Opening the cap, he took a few hearty swigs from the bottle.
Although he could control fire and was not afraid of the cold, his body was still merely a physical one.
In such extremely cold weather, a few swigs of liquor warmed him up considerably, making him feel much more comfortable.
It’s a pity that his Storage Pouch had such limited space.
It was feasible to store a few bottles of liquor, but impractical to carry more on him.
He had already performed divination back in Capital City in Hokkaido, Japan.
Knowing the severely cold and harsh weather of this place, he had specifically prepared a few bottles of Peach Blossom Immortal Brew before coming here.
Alone in the vast snowy wilderness, he had been traveling for a day or two.
Normally not a drinker, the bottle of Peach Blossom Immortal Brew he now held was his last remaining stock.
After drinking and feeling much warmer, he capped the bottle and stored it again!
“There seems to be quite a few buildings halfway up the mountain.”
“Murakami Taro is hiding here; it seems this mountain peak is not so simple!”
“Could this be the base of the Yin-Yang Master Sect where Ono Sari was born?”
Looking up towards the mountain peak, Chen Hai mused to himself.
Everywhere was blanketed in white; in such an environment, one’s vision could be greatly impaired.
He could only vaguely make out a few of the buildings on the mountainside.
Stepping forward, he continued his upward trek.
“Important Place of Snow Mountain, trespassers will die!” He had only walked a few steps when a large stone stele appeared in front of Chen Hai.