"Damn it!"
The stray dog actually emitted an old human's voice, its expression sinister.
"If I hadn't been cautious enough to have a backup plan, I would have truly died in Great Xia this time."
"What's the deal with that kid and those two women anyway."
The stray dog was none other than Abe no Seimei, who had concealed a part of his soul in a Divided Soul Fan before infiltrating the Celestial Mansion. If his real body perished, the fan would automatically split open, search for a nearby creature, and possess it to preserve the True Spirit.
Remembering those two terrifying women, the stray dog shuddered.
He couldn't understand; he had infiltrated perfectly, and his target was clear, selecting a talented student from Martial University as the breakthrough in searching for the Saint Heir of Great Xia. But who could have anticipated that his twelve Shikigami would be destroyed by a seemingly ordinary Martial University freshman.
The most outrageous part was that his true body was reduced to ashes by two frail women.
"Ah!!!"
Abe no Seimei gritted his teeth, making a cracking sound.
"Being a wolf in sheep's clothing is one thing, but this is just ridiculous; People of Great Xia are indeed sly."
"Curse it."
"I can't swallow this grievance. I must have my revenge; just you wait."
After calming his rage, Abe no Seimei pondered carefully and came up with a clue.
"It is said that the Da Xia Godson is nothing but a smokescreen created by Luo Tiance, that old fox, and the heads of the Eight Great Families."
"Seems like it's true."
"The so-called God's Child might be terrifying, but he's no match for the young man I encountered today."
"I see now," Abe no Seimei murmured, an epiphany dawning on him: "That Godson must be a decoy, a cover for this true monster. If not, why would such a youth have two horrifying women protecting him so closely?"
"Oh well, People of Great Xia sure are crafty, but unfortunately, I've discovered this secret."
Abe no Seimei's gaze grew more sinister: "This boy must not be spared; otherwise, he'll become a major thorn in the side of the Island Country's Takamanopara one day."
"I must bring this information back."
"Roar—"
At that moment, a roar came from afar, and only then did Abe no Seimei have the chance to assess his situation.
He looked down at the body he had newly acquired.
Dirty brown fur, the stench of blood, it was enough to make Abe no Seimei nauseous, unbearable.
"Damn it, I really did end up in a beast's body."
Abe no Seimei had anticipated this; after all, he had placed the Divided Soul Fan among a dense population of ferocious beasts.
Firstly, it was an area where human powerhouses would not easily tread.
Secondly, it's not easy to take possession of a human, a being of high intellect, whereas it's much simpler with ferocious beasts that lack awareness.
Once back in Takamanopara, it wouldn't be difficult to request a new body from Amaterasu.
Abe no Seimei looked up at the red blood moon, then at the other stars, corrected his direction, and with hooves pounding, he started running towards the Island Country.
While running, he felt an intense sense of humiliation.
An Onmyoji of such esteemed status, now forced to possess the body of a beast and run through wild, desolate land.
A deep hatred grew inside him; he hated Luo Yu to the bone, memorizing his average face, never to forget even in death.
"Ah!!"
Abe no Seimei gave a roar, but it turned into a bark in his throat.
"Woof!"
"Xia Luo, I swear, you will pay for this with blood."
Luo Yu couldn't care less; even if he had heard it, he wouldn't be flustered. After all, what they wanted was Xia Luo, who had destroyed them, not Luo Yu.
"Tap tap tap—"
As Abe no Seimei, the Great Onmyoji, was joyously sprinting across the plains toward the land of cherry blossoms, a pack of ferocious beast stray dogs suddenly began to gather around him.
They looked to be of the same kind as the body he had possessed.
"What's this about?"
Anpei Qingming was puzzled but dared not act rashly because the only thing he could rely on now was this stray dog body—if he perished in the wilderness, that would be the true death.
"Awooo."
"Awooo."
The surrounding stray dogs howled, and Abe no Seimei grew even more puzzled. This didn't look like they were about to attack him. He tried to respond, attempting to blend into the pack of stray dogs; that would make it easier to find a chance to break away.
After he made a noise, the other stray dogs' eyes visibly brightened, seeming excited and eager.
"What do these damned dogs want, could it be the one I've possessed is their king?" Abe no Seimei was annoyed but had no choice but to endure.
The stray dogs circled Abe no Seimei, their green pupils shining with excitement.
It wasn't until one of the stray dogs rushed forward and pinned Abe no Seimei down that the Great Onmyoji realized what they wanted to do.
It turned out he had possessed the body of a female ferocious beast.
"Get off me!"
"How dare you."
"You bastard beasts, get away from me."
"Awooo!!"
The pack of ferocious stray dogs became frenzied and charged at him.
"What are you barking at!!"
Abe no Seimei desperately resisted; he was terrified, even more so than when facing those two horrifying women.
His struggles in the body of the stray dog were, to the other ferocious beasts, akin to flirtatious provocations.
Far from being enraged, they grew even more excited.
"Roar!"
"Don't."
"Don't come any closer."
Abe no Seimei bared his fangs, awkwardly waving his dog legs, trying to intimidate the other ferocious stray dogs with his paws.
But they seemed only to take it as additional excitement.
Just then, a tremendous roar sounded, and all the frantically moving stray dogs suddenly let out piteous cries, one of the larger dogs reluctantly atop Abe no Seimei.