Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

"Tanaka-san, someone is following us."

"Let's take care of him after we enter the Mysterious Realm."

......

Approaching the inverted tower, Yan Yu passed through the shimmering water membrane and steadily landed on the riverbed.

This division of the tower within the Mysterious Realm had carved out a separate little paradise, complete with breathable air and normal gravity.

Yan Yu looked forward again, but the two people had already disappeared without a trace.

His gaze swiftly scanned the surroundings. Just once, and a rough map of the Mysterious Realm was immediately etched into his mind.

The area around him was an under-river environment with few places to hide. Those two Onmyoji across from him must have sensed him following, so they entered the Mysterious Realm and rushed into the inverted tower before him.

A cold smile filled Yan Yu's mind as he activated the Shifting Technique.

Let's go!

A hundred meters seemed to flicker by in an instant, and he had already reached the base of the inverted tower.

The structure of the six-segment tower was top-heavy with its narrow end embedded in the soil, and the entrance was atop the broad tower cap.

Yan Yu used the Shifting Technique to reach the base of the tower, then quickly switched to the Cloud Ascension Technique. With a few steps in the air, he ascended as if defying gravity.

Soaring up into the emptiness, he climbed higher and higher!

At the edge of the tower's entrance, Oishi Mochio formed hand seals, his right eye now a bright red from the "Precognition Technique" of the Sakura Secrets, allowing him to see far as if it were near and to discern the finest details as if looking at fire. At that moment, he had Yan Yu firmly locked in his sights.

"It's Lu Country's Thousand-Mile Movement Technique and Wind-Riding Cloud-Ascending Technique," he shouted with a trembling voice, his words tinged with barely concealed agitation. "Tanaka-san! The person coming is an authentic cultivator! Probably ex-military from Lu Country!"

"Whether he's military or not," Tanaka Taichi pulled out talisman papers from his waist and shouted fiercely, "as long as he dies here at the bottom of the river, who cares about his background!"

"Go, Kamaitachi!"

The talisman paper in his hand ignited without any wind and quickly transformed into a small white mouse. Wrapped in cutting wind, it descended from above, its claws gleaming like knife blades, aiming to kill Yan Yu who was using the Cloud Ascension Technique.

Seeing the white mouse descending with killing intent, Yan Yu immediately understood.

Ah, it's a Pokémon player... no, an Onmyoji who summons shikigami.

After the resurgence of spiritual energy, the Onmyoji of Sakura had many schools, among which "Shikigami Style" was known for being easy in the early stages but having a low ceiling later on.

The reason was simple: once the shikigami being controlled died, the Onmyoji would lose a lot of their combat power.

Yan Yu landed under the inverted eaves at the edge of the tower and pushed off again, disengaging the Cloud Ascension Technique in mid-air and quickly forming hand seals.

"It's the Flame Curse! Be careful!" Oishi Mochio, reading Yan Yu's movements with the Precognition Technique, warned his companion loudly.

The flames that rose out of thin air were perfectly placed in the path of the Kamaitachi, causing the white mouse, which had the instinctive fear of high temperatures of a wild beast, to forcibly halt its high-speed movement.

Then, it suddenly exploded in the air, its blood and white fur showering down!

"Impact Curse!" Oishi Mochio cried out in horror. "He used the light from the Flame Curse to hide his hand seals, secretly transitioning to the Impact Curse!"

"Damn it!" Tanaka Taichi cursed angrily, "Can't you report faster?"

His Kamaitachi had been slain in a single encounter, which pained him deeply.

But Oishi Mochio didn't retort, his face pale and his heart already considering retreat.

Metal, Flame, Curved, Barrier, Impact—the Five Elemental True Character Curses were also recorded in his family's historical documents.

They were not difficult to use; the challenge was that the practitioner could only cast one spell at a time.

Therefore, the key to showing the practitioner's level of skill was how they combined these Five Spells into a coherent, effective combat strategy.

The opponent's combination attack began with the Fire Blazing Charm to deter the Kamaitachi.

The instant the shikigami ceased its attack, the opponent stopped fueling the Flame Curse. Taking advantage of the moment the flames were about to disperse, he switched the flow of Qi in his body to the Metal-Element Impact Curse.

The razor-sharp Metal Qi passed unseen through the fading flames. As the light from the fire died down, the Impact Curse shot through without colliding and negating the Flame Curse and struck the Kamaitachi before it had any chance to react, killing it outright!

Behind this rapid flow of actions was perfect timing in the linkage between the moves.

Not to mention, the enemy was still in a state of weightlessness, hovering in the air. How strong must one's eyesight and reaction speed be to precisely blind-fire an Impact Curse and hit a Shikigami through the flames obstructing their vision?

This person must certainly be a cultivator from the Lu Country military, and definitely one of the toughest elites around—maybe even a former air force pilot who had transferred to the military!

Neither he nor Tanaka Taichi had undergone formal military training; they were just civilian Onmyoji from the Land of Cherry Blossoms. How could they contend with someone from the military?

"Tanaka-san!" Seeing Tanaka Taichi still reaching for talisman paper, Oishi Mochio hurriedly spoke, "We should head down into the tower first, then ambush him!"

After pondering for a moment, Tanaka Taichi replied, "Okay!"

He didn't possess Oishi Mochio's "Precognition Technique" and hadn't detected the subtlety between the enemy's two consecutive moves. He just felt that since the enemy had been able to kill his Kamaitachi in a single encounter, the invader must be no ordinary foe. Naturally, it would be best to avoid a head-on confrontation.

Yan Yu used the Wind-Riding Cloud-Ascending Technique, scaling the inverted eaves to the top of the multi-layered tower in quick bounds. Although he knew the two international friends had hidden inside, his steps did not halt as he swiftly entered through the doorway.

His vision darkened momentarily as he suddenly moved from the outdoor brightness to the indoor gloom, not yet fully adjusted to the change when a low whooshing sound came from beside his ear.

Another of Tanaka Taichi's Shikigami, the fierce-faced, fanged "Yaksha Demon" wielding a sharp trident, was lying in wait in the shadows of the doorway. Seizing the moment Yan Yu stepped into the tower, it silently propelled itself from behind, aiming its trident viciously towards the back of his head.

There was a 'ding' as the trident abruptly halted inches from its target, no matter how the Yaksha Demon roared and snarled, it could not advance an inch further.

Yan Yu merely extended two fingers, effortlessly blocking the sharp point of the trident.

The surface of his fingers emitted a dull gray light, reminiscent of the rugged boulders deep within the mountains.

Barrier Charm, a spell that renders its caster impervious to blades and unaffected by fire and water.

Tanaka Taichi quickly drew three more talisman papers, pushing his True Yuan to its limit to activate them, ordering the Yaksha Demon to attack with all its might.

He was well aware that although the Earth-Element Sturdiness Curse was invincible, it also consumed a great amount of True Yuan, and the enemy could not maintain such an impervious state indefinitely.

Oishi Mochio drew his kunai and rapidly executed the Shadow Escape Technique, transforming into an inconspicuous shadow that vanished from Yan Yu's line of sight.

...The Shadow Escape Technique, this man is actually a ninja.

Unperturbed, Yan Yu's right hand suddenly turned into a claw, nimbly grasping the blunt side of the trident, while his left hand swiftly changed hand signs as quick as lightning.

Curved Curse, giving the caster immense strength, as a pine tree cracking through rock.

Under the immense power he had suddenly amplified, the Yaksha Demon stood no chance, and as Yan Yu pulled on the trident's shaft, he executed an "over-the-shoulder throw" that sent the Yaksha Demon crashing directly into Oishi Mochio, who had approached unseen ready to launch a surprise attack.

Tanaka Taichi, who was observing from a distance, was dumbstruck: Wasn't the Shadow Escape Technique supposed to render one visually invisible?

How could he detect Oishi Mochio's position!

The impact sent both the man and the Shikigami flying. Yan Yu's right hand then formed into sword fingers again, and he thrust forward!

A sharp Metal-Element force, like bullets, shot out, swiftly piercing through the bodies of the Yaksha Demon and Oishi Mochio.

The former exploded into pieces instantly, while the latter, blood spurting from his chest, staggered backwards, his body immediately engulfed by flames.

It was right after Yan Yu's execution of the Impact Curse that he seamlessly transitioned to casting a Flame Curse.

Fierce flames rose behind Oishi Mochio, and as the thrust from the Impact Curse threw him off balance, he retreated right into the range of the Flame Curse without any chance of evading.

Oishi Mochio became a man on fire, struggling frantically in agony, crying out miserably as he rolled on the ground.

Having lost two Shikigami in rapid succession, Tanaka Taichi finally realized the massive gap in strength between them and their opponent. Letting out a scream of utter terror, he abandoned his companion and ran desperately to the lower levels.

He couldn't stand a chance! How could he possibly stand a chance!

The Five Elemental True Character Curse cannot be simultaneously cast—this is an ironclad rule!

How could one possibly manage two different True Yuan pathways in one's body at the same time?

The seamless switch between "casting the Impact Curse," "interrupting the Impact Curse," and "casting the Flame Curse" proved to be like flowing clouds and water for Yan Yu.

Taking into account the distinctly different True Yuan pathways for both curses, only someone who had practised the Five Elemental True Character Curse until it became as thoughtless as breathing could accomplish such seamless transitions.

Against such an opponent, there was no chance at all!

Tanaka Taichi was petrified, scrambling down several levels in a panic, only to feel a sharp pain in his back as his body was penetrated by the Impact Curse.

Then his vision too was enveloped by rising flames.