Seeing their team regrouping, Mikamitsu Shirabe exchanged glances with Oda Jushiu, then waited quietly.
Not long after, two more teams arrived from the east and west. After their leaders called their teams to a halt, they silently joined Mikamitsu Shirabe's group on a high slope.
The four leaders held out their palms and summoned orbs of energy—red, yellow, blue, and black. As soon as the orbs appeared, they rose silently into the sky.
A thunderous explosion split the sky! A streak of white light pierced through the thick clouds, shining down. Soon, the entire illuminated area seemed to be affected by a levitation spell, slowly rising upward!
"What's happening!" Ye Liang exclaimed in shock. He looked around; everyone else was utterly panicked.
Clearly, this was their first time experiencing something like this.
Seeing that the ritual had succeeded, each leader returned to their respective teams.
Mikamitsu Shirabe swept her gaze across the anxious crowd.
"This is the method to pay homage to the Yomi deity. As long as everyone has sincere faith, you'll see the goddess shortly."
After saying this, the crowd quieted significantly.
Ye Liang blankly glanced down at the ground. In just a short while, the scenery below had become as small as ants. He clearly saw many Fallen watching from afar.
These Fallen must have been targeting their four teams—ripe for the taking. They were practically drooling over them!
Mikamitsu Shirabe noticed too, but she didn't care. After sweeping her gaze across the Fallen, she casually performed a sleight-of-hand fire trick, roasting all the Fallen below.
"Don't stare. Conserve your energy. There won't be time to rest once we reach the Yomi Celestial Palace."
Ye Liang gulped and gave a nod of agreement.
This display by Mikamitsu Shirabe was meant to intimidate the villagers. She feared that some ignorant fools might cause trouble at the palace, so it was good to send a warning beforehand.
Everyone gulped.
No matter how they looked at it, Mikamitsu Shirabe was terrifying, astonishing, and buxom!
They licked their lips.
Ye Liang closed his eyes.
The wind around him was completely still, silent as if there was no breeze at all. After calming his mind slightly, they reached the peak of the clouds.
"The Yomi Celestial Palace is ahead. Follow your team leaders, don't fall behind," Mikamitsu Shirabe instructed, walking forward first.
Team leaders?
Where did this sudden tour guide vibe come from?
Ye Liang said nothing, following the crowd forward.
The Yomi Celestial Palace actually stood atop the clouds. Now stepping on white clouds, Ye Liang wondered about their composition. The sensation underfoot was soft and squishy.
Just like [pillow-soft clouds].
Continuing onward.
"When we meet the gate guards later, don't panic. They've been subdued and won't harm us. But if you recklessly move around and provoke them, you'll be on your own if something happens," Mikamitsu Shirabe warned.
Subdued guards?
Ye Liang thought her words sounded ambiguous.
Goodness! Could it be that the Yomi deity had a habit of keeping male concubines?!
When they reached a red gate, Ye Liang understood what Mikamitsu Shirabe meant.
At the neatly arranged entrance of the Yomi Celestial Palace, standing on both sides were thirty-meter-tall Yomi Leaders wearing armor!
This majestic structure matched exactly what he had seen in his dream.
Not everyone possessed Ye Liang's caliber.
The person behind immediately became terrified.
"Y-Y-Your Ladyship! These monsters really won't harm us, right?"
"As long as you pass through quietly, there won't be any problem."
Right after she spoke, a quiet member from the neighboring group was instantly grabbed and decapitated by the Yomi Leader.
...
"H-He...he doesn't seem to be moving at all..."
"Don't panic everyone! This person apparently is about to become a Lost Fallen, which is why he got eaten," explained the nearby leader hastily. However, after witnessing this scene, everyone panicked, and several villagers were so frightened they literally peed themselves.
There was no hiding it—without hesitation, their necks got bitten too.
"The weak and fearful naturally cannot escape punishment from the Yomi Leader," Mikamitsu Shirabe declared.
Ye Liang felt no fear at all.
Obviously! Even if he really had to fight the Yomi Leader directly, so what? Ye Liang had now integrated three different Physical Forging Methods—he was confident he could go head-to-head against someone like Mikamitsu Shirabe!
"You aren't scared at all?" Mikamitsu Shirabe briefly showed a trace of surprise.
Ye Liang was a newcomer, and a newcomer should naturally be frightened.
"If you're not afraid, why should I be?"
His direct response was terrifyingly calm.
After quite some time, all the weak ones on the scene had been devoured. What remained were only the real elites within each team. Ye Liang glanced at the remaining teams—except for two or three whose abilities he couldn't quite discern, the rest were trash, some not even worth bothering to step on.
As they entered the gate, Mikamitsu Shirabe approached him.
"At least over ten people among them failed the previous test! Some veterans among them have even reached the third stage of the Physical Forging Layer! If you encounter them, don't force yourself, don't resist—just surrender!"
"Surrender? My dictionary doesn't contain that word."
Ye Liang shook his head.
But rather than directly refuting, he simply gave a vague "Hmm" in response, though nobody could tell how sincere that sound actually was.
Seeing his attitude, Mikamitsu Shirabe ultimately decided to stop pushing.
Soon enough, the four groups entered the gates of the Yomi Celestial Palace. The structure here resembled the mythological heavenly palace—yet inside the grand entrance wasn't actually a palace at all, but an endless sea of clouds, with the temple visible somewhere deep within.
After entering the main gate, the group first arrived at what looked like a resting area.
A row of side chambers—infinitely smaller than the great hall.
Ye Liang scanned his surroundings. It looked like it hadn't been used in ages, yet oddly spotless—no dust anywhere.
"Maybe someone comes here to clean."
...
At dusk, unable to sleep, Ye Liang rose from bed.
Quietly, in one corner of the room, he lit a candle. Its flame transformed into a human face shape.
Izanagi no Mikoto!
This was a secret technique from the Yomi World—one Ye Liang had acquired from the White Bone General—it allowed direct communication with anyone or anything he had previously encountered!
Across from him, Ye Liang appeared to be caught in a very compromising position.
Sensing Ye Liang's stare, Izanagi no Mikoto hurriedly composed himself and dismissed the servant girls around him.
"Who's that?! How dare you spy on me with that kind of Secret Technique!"
When he realized it was Ye Liang, his expression shifted to one of surprise.
"How did you learn this Secret Technique? This jutsu was supposed to have been lost long ago!"
Ye Liang shook his head.
But none of that mattered right now!
"Look where I'm standing right now!" He gestured at the wall behind him and carried the candle over to the window.
Izanagi no Mikoto's expression turned serious.
"You're already at the Celestial Palace! Just as I suspected—my instincts were spot on. You're the one I've been looking for!"
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