Chapter 163

The great monster Muyu Bodhidharma of the Nura group looked at Nurarihyon, who was pacing, and said, "General, please stop pacing and say something."

The great monster Crow Tengu also bowed his head. "Yes, Commander-in-Chief, you are the leader of our 'Hyakki Yagyō'. We all gather around you, and your thoughts are our thoughts."

The great monster Niu Gui nodded. "We understand the current situation. The gods want to restore order, and neither humans nor monsters can prevent it.

"Whether you want to lead us to surrender or resist, we, who have shared a glass of wine with you, will follow without question."

The great monster with a single eye in the center of his forehead laughed. "Haha, it might be presumptuous, but I doubt the commander-in-chief can defy the will of the gods. Disobedience leads to death.

"However, like Niu Gui said, I've already boarded your boat, and I will never regret it."

Nurarihyon stopped pacing, took a puff from his smoking pipe, slowly exhaled white smoke, and said after a moment, "I truly live in a difficult era.

"I am a yōkai who wishes to become the ruler of all demons and monsters."

Feeling deeply frustrated, he reminisced about how he started as a high-level yōkai and gradually used his charm and strength to convince the unruly great monsters to form the "Nura Clan" and eventually became the overlord of the eastern region.

As long as he could gather enough power, he planned to lead the "Hyakki Yagyō" to Kyoto to challenge the Kyoto yōkai, defeat the "Hagoromo Gitsune," kill the ruler of all demons, "Nue," and become the new ruler.

Unexpectedly, the 'Gaotian Zhengshen,' who hadn't descended to earth in a thousand years, had appeared.

It wasn't enough that they had returned—the 'Gaotian Zhengshen' had come to re-establish order in the world.

He wasn't an ordinary yōkai. He only knew that gods were incredibly powerful. He was a noble yōkai, a guest of the gods, with the "bloodline of the Nurarihyon" from the Age of the Gods.

'Gaotian Zhengshen' was the incarnation of 'all things' in the world and governed the 'rules'.

Except for beings of equal power to the 'Gaotian Zhengshen', no number of yōkai, no matter how strong, could warrant the personal intervention of 'Gaotian Zhengshen'.

Just granting blessings to 'miko', 'onmyoji', and 'subordinates' was enough to suppress all the great monsters in the world.

As soon as Nurarihyon spoke, the atmosphere fell silent.

Niu Gui raised his head, his eyes resolute. "Since the commander-in-chief wants to become the ruler of all demons, I will follow, regardless of what other yōkai may choose."

Crow Tengu sighed and looked downcast. "Me too."

Ichimoku groaned. "Tch, same here. After all, I've already had a drink with you."

The other great monsters remained silent for a while before also expressing their loyalty.

Nurarihyon laughed heartily at this. "Hahaha, you all... really shocked me, but I won't cry like a human.

After saying that, his smile faded, and his expression grew serious.

"Since everyone loves me and follows me to fulfill my ambitions, how can I joke with your lives? If I die, I truly die.

"I won't let you follow me on an easy path."

"So I..."

At that moment, a monster broke into the tent.

"Commander! There's trouble in the scouting division! King Douya is almost at Mount Naya, and there are several other great monsters with him!"

As soon as the words were spoken, all the leaders' expressions changed drastically, but Nurarihyon burst into laughter.

"He's almost here? How fast. I've been waiting here for the great general of the Western Kingdom, the famous King Douya."

---

Meanwhile, in Kyoto.

This was once the largest human city, and merchants from all over gathered here. The flow of information had long made the people of Kyoto aware that in the Western Kingdom, the 'Gaotian Zhengshen' had descended and established a kingdom like paradise.

People who were able to travel wished to go to 'Liyue', a divine land where humans and yōkai coexisted peacefully without worries about food or shelter.

In the Kyoto Shogun's Mansion, Castle Tower.

The spacious room had been rendered ominously dark purple by evil spirits, with colorful malevolent energy hovering above.

The oppressive aura caused dark clouds to gather in the sky above the castle tower.

The Hagoromo Gitsune, who occupied Lady Yodo's body, caressed her swollen belly and looked at the great monsters on either side of her, who were followers of 'Nue', with a low voice.

"I am well aware that the gods wish to unify the world and establish an order where yōkai and humans coexist peacefully."

The Daitengu sneered. "Yōkai and humans coexist peacefully? Ridiculous. Humans can only be food for us yōkai."

Kidōmāru spoke in a gloomy voice. "According to the yōkai who managed to escape from Liyue to Kyoto, only yōkai who haven't fed on humans or harmed them are allowed to exist under the rule of Gaotian Zhengshen.

"We are not like that. God's new order won't allow yōkai like us from Kyoto to survive."

"Exactly. If the gods reach out, none of us will escape."

"Ah! What are we supposed to do? Wait to die?"

"Hehehe, the worst that can happen is death. Kill, kill, kill! We are yōkai who follow Nue, the master of all demons, and Nue resides in the underworld."

"That's right. You can't go to the underworld if you die."

"Hehehehe..."

"Before we die, we should at least eat a god or two, maybe a miko or something."

"Miko! Especially those with spiritual power. They're so delicious. I haven't tasted one in decades."

These yōkai, who followed 'Nue', radiated a malevolent aura so thick it almost materialized.

For thousands of years, they had collected the hearts and livers of noblewomen to feed the Hagoromo Gitsune, accumulating enough demonic energy for 'Nue' to return to the world from the underworld.

The Hagoromo Gitsune looked at the noisy, crazed yōkai and spoke. "Silence!"

"He is just a 'Gaotian Zhengshen,' but my child, 'Nue,' is about to become the ruler of the 'Netherworld'."

"Even though he hasn't yet been born, he, from the 'Netherworld', can bring the power of the underworld to this world and grant it to you."

"It's just a god of the heavens. My child will be newly born into the underworld when he returns.

[Yes... my followers... next... I will give you power...]

[Make sure to... slow down the gods'... pace in establishing order...]

[Hasten the search for your hearts... Hasten my... birth... Just this time... I will return...]

The voice from the underworld echoed intermittently in the room.

The next moment, power from the underworld instantly enveloped all the great monsters.

However, as soon as the power of the underworld appeared in the world, Takumi, who had just arrived on earth, immediately sensed it.

Takumi looked in the direction of Kyoto with half-squinted eyes.