<h4>Volume 8 - Higanbana: Chapter 21 – Path To Yomi</h4>


    Lily spiritually scanned that whining armor.


    “It’s that armor!”


    She obtained this armor by chance when she invaded Odawara and entered Lord Hojo’s secret room, when she first became a samuraist year. This was Shizuka Gozen’s armor.


    It was Shizuka Gozen who guided her onto the path of Yomi. And at this moment, her armor seemed to be calling out to her. Lily remembered having tried it on back then. As a result, its horrifying aura that came from the depths of Yomi was too much for her to bear.


    Back then, she was only on the Awakened Realm. But now, she was a Throned Saint! Nobody under the Big Dipper Stage could best her anymore. She should be able to withstand this stress easily now, right?


    Two powerful demons were searching for her not far away. Lily had no time to hesitate and held Shizuka Gozen’s armor.


    “Ngh…” Even now, she still felt an extraordinary aura from it.


    With unprecedented speed, Lily put on the armor. Although the armor wasplicated in design, Lily was very agile. Also, she had some experience since she tried it on before. She did it within a breath!


    “However… This armor is really revealing…”


    The armor was mostly red and had elegant decorations. The upper torso consisted of a breastte as small as a bra, revealing her tender waist and belly button. There might be a fancy belt connecting the armored skirt on both sides, but there was only a small piece of triangr armor covering her crotch in front. Meanwhile, her rear was only covered by a thin strap and an even smaller triangr cloth.


    There were even a pair of long ck stockings covering her thighs. They were made with unknown precious materials since they could withstand extreme heat. However, the ck stockings still failed to offer protection, and only made her seem more mature, elegant, and alluring.


    But no matter how sexy and revolting she was, it was still practical. A female’s samurai armor! Lily wasn’t afraid of wearing revealing attire. As long as there was a reason behind it!


    “Let’s check behind this big boulder.” A low voice was heard beside her, along with an ancient and intense body odor that she never smelled before.


    Lily frowned.


    That rhino demon sauntered to the back of the boulder and looked.


    In a sh of scarlet light, a girl with long hair and revealing red armor emerged! The rocky terrain on the path of Yomi was incredibly sturdy, and even Lily’s full-force attack couldn’t cause a tremor. Nevertheless, she moved swiftly, using intense force.


    Rhino Demon instinctively blocked Lily’s strike with its axe but was too slow. Lily angled her de downwards, evading the axe, and plunged it into the demon’s stomach.


    Holding the sword with both hands, she fully split her legs open. One foot on the boulder, the other on the mountain walls, she only indecently exposed herself for a slight moment before stomping hard with her beautiful and strong thighs.


    <i>Splurt!</i> The de’s edge traveled up the Rhino Demon’s stomach and scarlet light energy exploded, which instantly sliced his heart open and destroyed his Throne Pce.


    All of this happened within a split second.


    The Rhino Demon let out a low growl and had a slight seizure.


    <i>Schwing!</i> Lily pulled out her de, leaving a trail of blood behind it. The Rhino Demon’s heavy body knelt down and died. His heavy axe also dropped onto the ground and could only create a small crater on the rocky ground.


    The mountain rocks in this area were probably at least a hundred times stronger than the ones in the mortal world!


    Seeing that the Rhino Demon had dropped just like that, that Goat Demon was also frightened. “Who’s there?”


    He shed towards the boulder with his long sword at full force. A powerful dark red sword energy shed and it actually sliced this solid boulder from Yomi into half as they fell in one direction.


    Meanwhile, Lily did a somersault and appeared from the other direction.


    “A woman?” The Goat Demon was shocked.


    Lily’s Yasutsuna dripped blood while glowing with ominous runes. Staring at the runes on the de, the Goat Demon’s eyes suddenly be bloodshot. “de Maiden! You are a de Maiden!”


    The Goat Demon suddenly went berserk. His thick hooves stomped on the ground as he sprinted over, shing the long sword in his hands towards Lily!


    It carried dark energy with murderous intent! Yet, like a phantom, Lily performed a sword dance like a Celestial Maiden and dodged that dark energy. She appeared beside the demon and swung her de into his ck and furry neck.


    <i>ck!</i> Unexpectedly, the Goat Demon lowered his head and blocked her sword using his horns, which was very tough. Lily was also shocked. She didn’t use full force since she thought she had already won, hence being hindered by the horn.


    “Damned de Maiden! Die!” The Goat Demon leapt up and tossed her into the sky. He then grabbed a piece of bone on his body and unleashed a spell!


    A grimacing purple phantom instantly flew towards Lily and radiated horrifying power. Lily gathered spiritual energy and shed in mid-air!


    <i>Swish—!</i> A deathly beautiful scarlet sword energy cleaved the phantom in half and struck the Goat Demon’s robust chest. Blood sputtered like a fountain, showing the lethality of that strike.


    “Cough cough… de Maiden…” The Goat Demon seemed to be incredibly resentful towards de Maidens. His legs trembled before kneeling down.


    Lily’s de had already sliced his chest open, and damaged the Spirit Sea in his heart. As spiritual energy faded quickly, the Goat Demon couldn’t help buty on the ground. Lilynded and stepped on his head, cing the de against his neck.


    “Why? Why do you hate de Maidens so much?”


    “Hate? Hehehe, de Maiden, you’re full of yourself. You de Maidens are simply a n that the Yomi wishes to purge…”


    <i>Swish!</i> Lily swung her de down and ended the Goat Demon’s life


    ¹.


    Aside from a select few unique demons and divine beings, most living beings who had their head chopped off before reaching the Big Dipper Stage would die.


    However, existences like Shuten Doji who had abination of Big Dipper Stage and Demon God Physique were strong enough to remain alive after being decapitated. Moreover, his head was capable of speaking and releasing powerful attacks.


    Lily didn’t care why these Yomi demons resented the de Maidens so much. She still absorbed their Anima. After all, these were Anima fromte Throned Monarch Archdemons!


    Enemies on the Throned Monarch Stage and above were exceedingly rare to find in the outside world. However, she instantly met two of them the moment she entered the path to Yomi.


    This indicated that the path to Yomi was incredibly dangerous! However, this meant hunting high level Anima was much easier for her. But still, the risk also became much greater.


    In the outside world, any Throned Monarch enemies she encountered would be leading tens of thousands of soldiers. It was no ordinary feat for her to kill any of them while dealing with an entire army at the same time.


    But here, demons on the Throned Monarch Stage were just patrol guards. Then, how strong would a powerhouse in the depths of Yomi be? Perhaps they could kill Lily with a single nce alone.


    Lily was now deeply in awe towards the path to Yomi.


    ‘These guards are weaker than me, so I killed them. But what if I meet demons that are stronger than me on the path to Yomi? What will I do then?’


    ‘The path to Yomi is definitely very dangerous. I can’t rx just because I won the first fight. I must be very very cautious!’


    “I wonder if Sakura Parasol would be useful here. While being cautious, I must find a chance to try. I can’t just assume that it will be useful…”


    Lily wouldn’t use her spiritual detection and Domain recklessly. If she was discovered by incredibly strong demons, she would be dead. She suppressed her aura and carefully traveled down the slope and walked towards the depths of the path.


    She had no idea how long the path was, or how much time it would take to walk out.


    And where would Yomi Hirazaka, the region between Yomi and Ashihara, be?


    Along the way, Lily assimted those two Throned Monarch Anima into her Spirit Sea. There were now two more tiny stars floating in the sea. However, she still had a long way to go before she could refine her entire Spirit Sea to the purest form imaginable. It almost seemed like an impossible task.


    “Huh?” Lily noticed a fork in the road far ahead, which was slightly illuminated. She heard footsteps from there, and moans from a female.


    Lily opened Sakura Parasol and hid behind another boulder to scout.


    After some time, two powerful demon ghosts walked out. They each had two short golden horns on their foreheads and messy gray hair. Both were around four meters tall with a strong and slender physique.


    They unabashedly released their dominant Eldritch Energy. They were actually pinnacle Throned Monarchs! Demon ghosts on the pinnacle Throned Monarch Stage! They were stronger than those patrol guards before…


    They held steel tridents in their hands, and one of them held a chain. On the other end of the chain was a young woman with white tattered clothing. Her hands were also bound by a heavy wooden cuff with talismans pasted on it.


    “I’ve never seen a demon ghost looking like them in the outside world. However, I’ve seen them in books. They’re Yakshas


    ², some kind of malevolent spirit.” Lily thought, “Strange, why isn’t that girl’s clothespletely burnt up?”


    “Huh?” Looking closely, she realized that the girl had no shadow and her body was slightly translucent.


    “Is this a spiritual being?”


    Anyone on the Spirit Jade Stage and above had different souls whenpared to mortals, they were now much higher existences who could materialize their souls. Like Vengeful Spirits, they could manifest their spiritual bodies using intense Resentment Energy and could even reconstitute the flesh. Like Sugawara no Michizane, despite being a Vengeful Spirit, it still had a physical body. Of course, it was done using his own corpse after his death.


    “Resentment Energy! Such a strong and familiar, sorrowful Resentment Energy.”


    This girl manifested her spiritual body using Resentment Energy. Yet, she didn’t seem like a Vengeful Spirit. Technically, she had only died recently. Naturally, she wouldn’t need to conceal her aura as she was escorted into Yomi. Based on her aura, she used to be on thete Permanence Stage.


    Also, Lily was very familiar with this aura, Resentment Energy, and spiritual pulse.


    “It’s a de Maiden!”


    This recently deceased girl who was being escorted was once a de Maiden. However, she had already died. Her being a de Maiden or not had nothing to do with Lily. Despite that, as a fellow de Maiden, Lily still felt the urge to help the girl.


    “Two pinnacle Throned Monarchs are no match to me! Let’s try out Sakura Parasol.”


    Hence, Lily opened Sakura Parasol and approached nonchntly.


    “Huh?” One of the Yakshas looked up and stared with its glowing eyes, instantly discovering Lily. <h4>References</h4>


    Robinxen: MR TUMNUS NOOOO!


    Robinxen: Genshin?!