It's a Deal-Double the Good Fortune!
Compared to the nomadic marquises, Luo Hao rarely went out and lived in seclusion in Mount Lu. In theory, anyone could see her if they wanted to, but in reality, neither outsiders nor her subordinates dared to approach her secluded place.
If you absolutely must see the other person, be prepared to die. You have no idea what might anger them; you might even have your eyes gouged out just for glancing at them...
Such a person naturally wouldn't have any relatives or friends, which perfectly fits the saying, "The strong are always lonely."
Generally speaking, unless she summons someone, no one dares to approach her secluded place of cultivation. Even if she needs her subordinates to do something, she will only have her disciples relay the message. In a sense, she is an ultimate homebody, just like the Qi Practitioner of ancient China who live in seclusion.
But today, this Wuxia King has been greeted by an uninvited guest—
In the misty morning rain, a small temple sits in a quiet Ikkaku of Mount Lu. Apart from the occasional light and melodious birdsong, there is no other noise here, just like Pure Land independent of the mortal world.
Through the bamboo curtain and the swaying gauze, one can vaguely see an elegant and slender figure. A young girl dressed in palace attire sits cross-legged on a futon in the elegant room used for meditation. It is clean and simple without any superfluous decorations, only a faint fragrance of flowers permeates the air.
This scene is like a landscape from a traditional Chinese ink painting brought to life, and it seems that it will remain frozen forever if no one disturbs it.
However, at a certain moment, just as ink from a brush tip dripped onto rice paper, a wondrous ripple inadvertently broke this beautiful tranquility.
With a slight twitch of her fingertips, the girl inside the nunnery slowly opened her eyes.
"I have not walked in the secular world for a long time. It seems that the world has forgotten my name, daring to sneak here in hiding."
His tone was bland and indifferent, yet his voice was extremely pleasant to the ear, as clear and beautiful as the sound of a zither.
The girl in palace attire spoke coldly, uttering authoritative words from her delicate red lips. "Get out here, you scoundrel!"
"As the rumors say, the Wuxia King's majesty and murderous aura are in no way inferior to Marquis Voban, and may even be more so."
Emerging from the morning mist was a blonde girl dressed in an elegant and lovely dress, with delicate features and a petite figure.
"This humble servant Guinevere, greets the Wuxia King."
Luo Hao naturally used Chinese, while Guinevere, as the One, possessed wisdom and experience akin to a god, and was not bound by human language, so the two communicated without any obstacles.
"It's you... Even if you're a fallen Earth Mother Goddess, putting on airs in front of me is a capital offense. Even if I forgive your trespassing, you must still be punished by having your head severed from your body."
A true king will not let any fool who dares to defy the majesty of heaven escape punishment!
The woman in palace attire—Wuxia King Luo Hao—said to Guinevere through the bamboo curtain, "However, as a divine ancestor, you barely have the right to kneel before me. If you kneel down now, I can give you a chance to explain your purpose... If it pleases me, I will pardon your death sentence and instead cut off your feet."
"As expected, the Lord who kill gods are all like demon kings."
Despite being threatened like this, Guinevere not only did not get angry, but instead smiled.
"Please calm down, great Wuxia King."
I have not come here with malicious intent, but rather to inform you of some news, for the sake of your reputation.
"Considering my feelings?"
The air in the forest suddenly turned cold!
Even the chirping of birds and insects in the Yamanaka disappeared without anyone noticing, and the whole world was so quiet that it was as if time had stopped.
Guinevere couldn't see the expression on the girl in palace attire through the bamboo curtain and gauze veil, but the murderous intent that almost froze everything was clearly conveyed to her.
Are you—disrespecting me?
These few words, though devoid of anger, were brimming with power, causing even the Divine Ancestor Guinevere to frown slightly:
This woman has a huge bloodthirsty nature!
... That's true, after all, Campione! are essentially beasts, and their fighting instincts are more important than their mental state.
Moreover, no one in this world has the ability to persuade these demon kings; without any constraints, this will naturally happen over time.
"I don't mean to belittle you. Your power is genuine. In terms of both strength and status, you are the strongest Campione!. But even you have things that don't go your way."
Guinevere said slowly, "Legend has it that many years ago, Wuxia King had lived deep in the mountains suddenly became interested in something and went to Japan in the Far East to cause a great disturbance, severely damaging the local Magic World."
The world doesn't know the reason behind it; they just think that the thoughts of the God-Slaying Demon King are beyond the comprehension of others, and assume it's just a whim of yours... But isn't that really the case?
"What do you know?"
Luo Hao narrowed his eyes, his expression unchanged, but he was clearly intrigued by Guinevere.
"What could possibly interest Campione! besides Unwilling God?"
Moreover, I know that you are different from the wandering Marquis Voban. That old man was like a hunter living in ancient times, who made hunting the Unwilling God hobby and would deliberately seek out valuable targets.
But you don't have many demands for 'power,' nor have you actively summoned Unwilling God... In that case, the one who allowed you to cross the sea to Japan must be a deity of special status.
Guinevere smiled, "Am I right? The great Wuxia King."
"Those who think they're so clever... I don't like people who show off in front of me."
Luo Hao said indifferently, "However, your guess is not wrong—but what does that have to do with you?"
"Hehe... I'm thinking of you with all my heart."
Guinevere chuckled softly before turning serious and saying, "Are you aware of a major event that has been circulating in the world recently?"
"Um?"
Luo Hao remained silent.
She didn't like being disturbed. Although she wasn't completely isolated from the world, her disciples would never dare to report unless it involved something of great importance.
Guinevere didn't seem to care and continued, "Right in Japan, a majestic sacred mountain collapsed amidst thunder, and a raging storm swept through, as the battle between gods rekindled the glory of antiquity..."
In short, a war of the gods took place in Japan, and a Hero God with the attribute of "steel" was defeated.
"—!"
Luo Hao's eyes, which had been narrowed, suddenly snapped open. His chilling killing intent was almost tangible, like two piercing beams of cold light. Even through the beaded curtain, it made Guinevere feel a chill run down her spine.
'This woman... in a one-on-one fight, even Marquis Voban probably wouldn't be a match for her. Without my 'uncle's' protection, I'm afraid I wouldn't have made it out of Mount Lu!'
However, after the initial shock, Guinevere quickly felt a secret sense of joy:
Luo Hao, the martial arts master, has taken the bait!
It's their nature... Campione! may be terrifying, but they are almost all battle maniacs with an excessive sense of pride.
In Luo Hao's eyes, the "steel" hidden in Japan had long been her prey, and having it taken away was undoubtedly a provocation to her!
"Some say that the [Steel] that was defeated was Susanoo, and the victor was a human, who was also the newly born seventh Campione."
Some say that the Susanoo was another being, [Steel], who had been sleeping in Japan and suddenly woke up for some unknown reason...
Many of these are probably smokescreens deliberately put out by Magecraft; we don't know the specifics yet, but one thing is certain—
That battle that nearly destroyed Mount Fuji must have involved extremely powerful and pure steel!
"Susanoo has been defeated... Could it be that the monkey has escaped his cage and avenged himself? If so, he does have some of the spirit of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven."
"You lowly servant, I'll give you one more chance to tell the truth—I rarely show such magnanimity."
Luo Hao, who was proficient in various spells and martial arts, was no fool. She knew that Guinevere was definitely up to no good.
"You came all this way to tell me this, so you must have known about my old grudges with Japan for a long time... What benefits would you get from me coming out of retirement?"
The implication is that she is definitely going to Japan.
She might not care about other things, but she had once World War I the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and failed to achieve a result. Since this Steel Hero was involved, she felt it was necessary for her to go and see.
If all goes well, it might fulfill a long-cherished wish of mine, which would be a good thing.
"I just wanted to verify whether the rumors were true."
Guinevere didn't lie to Luo Hao, but she didn't tell him everything either. "The sleeping [steel]... might be related to something I've been searching for."
"The Great Sage Equal to Heaven?"
Luo Hao frowned.
"Haha... that's not the only secret of that island nation."
Guinevere shook her head. "The message has been delivered, so I will not disturb the Wuxia King's quiet cultivation any longer."
"Trying to leave?"
Luo Hao asked indifferently, "What do you mean by my humble abode?"
"Since I dared to come, I must have a backup plan. Even if you kill me here, it will be useless."
Guinevere slowly sank into the shadows, smiling as she said to Luo Hao, "Besides, compared to a nobody like me, don't you have more important things to do?"
"Snort!"
Luo Hao snorted coldly, ignoring what Guinevere said, and simply raised her hand towards the direction of the One. Before she even stood up, golden light condensed and formed a giant palm in mid-air, which then fell down.
Boom!!!
The rocks cracked, trees fell, houses collapsed, and a crater tens of meters deep was smashed into the ground!
"Call!"
In a mountain stream, Guinevere emerged from the water, stepped onto the smooth stones, and looked towards Mount Lu with lingering fear.
"The Campione! is indeed a beast that doesn't listen to human commands... Fortunately, a guiding ritual was prepared in advance."
This was too dangerous. Don't be so reckless in the future. If you hadn't escaped, even I might not have been able to protect you.
On the water's surface, an armored warrior White Horse a white horse appeared in the reflection, and his voice reached Guinevere's ears directly.
"Uncle is right, after all, you can't use God-level power right now... but this adventure is necessary."
Guinevere spoke, a hint of fervor appeared on her face.
"Do you know what? I saw that person's figure again in my dream... It wasn't a hallucination, but I really felt his presence!"
Without a doubt, that person has returned to this world, but for some reason is still hiding himself... We need to find him as soon as possible.
Intuitively, I believe that the events that have occurred in Japan are definitely related to that person. However, it seems that the Princess Lord from the Council of Sages is involved, or perhaps it's a trap set for me..."
So you're going to lure the Wuxia King there?
"The Wuxia King will surely cause a huge disturbance, and then we'll know whether this is a trap or not, and..."
If that great being has truly awakened, then he will absolutely not ignore these god-slaying demon kings!
Chapter 369 A Promise Made, Double Happiness Arrives!
Iori did not wait for the Divine Ancestor Guinevere in Japan; instead, she was met with a strange storm.
The reason it is described as "strange" is that this storm did not come from the boundless Pacific Ocean as is usually the case. Instead, it formed in the Yellow Sea, crossed the strait, circled around to the Sea of Japan, and then made landfall on Honshu Island.
This is not a normal natural phenomenon at all; there must be some extraordinary force exerting influence behind it.
Ordinary people were astonished by the bizarre path of the cyclone, experts and scholars racked their brains to find a plausible logic, and the Japanese government, as always, reacted slowly... Meanwhile, Iori, who knew something was amiss, ordered people to keep a close watch from a distance.
Interestingly, after making landfall, this cyclone continued to move rapidly toward Iori's location, reaching Mount Fuji in just half a day!
Meanwhile, at the foot of the mountain, in a manor, Iori, dressed in a loose-fitting yukata, sat leisurely on the veranda, admiring the rain clouds that covered the sky like a fortress. The wind chimes hanging there made a crisp sound as they were randomly struck, which was still clear even in the strong wind.
Alice, Saya no Kashiwagi, and Seishouin Ena were also waiting on the side, but unlike the composed Iori, their demeanor was one of utmost readiness—because the sense of pressure emanating from the gradually approaching vortex had surpassed that of Divine Beast and reached the level of Unwilling God!
Of course, the strength of a god cannot be judged solely by their magical power. Generally speaking, the stronger the "self" of Unwilling God, the more exaggerated their combat power.
Therefore, it often happens that a character who is not considered very strong in mythology becomes stronger than the main gods after appearing in the form of Unwilling God.
For example, Siegfried is undoubtedly a mortal hero in mythology, but the Siegfried of this world is a steel that can rival the chief god!
This is why some Divine Beast possess magical power comparable to that of Unwilling God, yet their actual combat strength varies drastically.
Of course, even if it is just Divine Beast, its aura is probably that of a named and famous being in mythology, and is definitely not something that human beings can resist!
"Keina has never slain Divine Beast before, but our ancestor said that Keina cannot draw her sword without her master's permission."
—There are still people who dare to challenge the Divine Beast, such as this young Hime Miko.
If nothing unexpected had happened, Seishouin Ena would have been the sword-bearer of Ama-no-Murakumo (the Black Sword), and she would have been able to borrow some of the power of the divine artifact, possessing strength surpassing that of the Grand Knight.
In this Worldline, although Susanoo was killed by Iori in battle and the black sword changed hands, Keina still gained the appreciation of Glass-eyed Princess, who sent her to Iori's side and bestowed upon her an extremely precious ancient sword called "Futsu-no-Mitama," which was modeled after the legendary Thunder God's sword.
With Keina's talent and this ancient sword, she was indeed qualified to challenge the Divine Beast. Therefore, she looked at Iori with a pleading look, like a spoiled child, full of excitement at seeing a predator.
"If Lord Aizen agrees, Saya, you can come with me too!"
"Huh? Me?"
Saya no Kashiwagi is a relatively normal person, so she can't understand Keina's thought process at all, and has no idea where her courage comes from.
"This is not something you can handle."