The Sword, It Has a Soul, Called Sword Soul

The monster that had tormented the Shrine Maidens of the Land of Demons for generations became extremely weak after all external threats were cleared away.

Moryo had expended a significant amount of power on the Ghost Army, and his own strength was not infinite.

Having had so many of his Stone Puppets hacked away by Baiyu, even with his vast reserves, he had suffered a major loss.

At this moment, he was trapped within the seal, gasping for breath and attempting to recover his strength.

"Damn it! Damn it all!"

"That fool Miroku, she actually refuses to cooperate with me! If I perish, the thousand-year plan of the Shrine Maidens will all be for nothing! We are two sides of the same coin; if I exist, she cannot die! Does she want to possess the body all to herself? Damn it... why seal me away in this place?"

Moryo felt miserable. Ever since the First Generation Shrine Maiden passed away, the faith passed down through the generations had gradually changed its flavor.

The First Generation Shrine Maiden had created Moryo and separated him from her own body not only to become stronger, but also to leave behind a contingency plan.

Otherwise, how could Moryo have grown stronger and stronger under the seals of successive Shrine Maidens?

"A physical body... if only I had a physical body! How could I ever fear a brat like that!"

Moryo cursed incessantly; within the confines of the seal, he had no other recourse but to vent his rage.

Now, he was like a turtle trapped in a cage, his life and death left to the whims of fate.

Click, click, click...

At the sound of a stone door opening, Moryo's eyes lit up, and he looked toward the entrance of the Underground Palace with anticipation.

The person walking in... was Miroku!

The familiar scent, the familiar aura!

"Miroku! Miroku! You've finally come. You've agreed to my proposal, haven't you!"

"As long as we join forces, the entire world will be ours. You can have whatever you desire..."

After suffering a blow, Moryo's arrogance had been reined in; now, he was desperate for Miroku to pull him out of this predicament.

Currently, the entire seal was constructed by the Shrine Maiden, and Miroku understood every aspect of it.

"I want a daughter, and that is something you cannot give me!"

Miroku offered a gentle smile, though her expression gradually turned cruel.

She hated this monster that had tormented her entire life to the bone, settling old scores and new grudges all at once.

From a young age, Miroku had been indoctrinated by her mother with the belief that everything in life should revolve around sealing the monster, leaving no room for even a shred of happiness.

Now that she was a mother herself, Miroku did not want her daughter, Shion, to continue living the same life she had.

Therefore, Moryo had to die.

"Where do we begin?"

Baiyu gathered all the remaining poison together, amounting to about a liter.

He held it in his hand, contained within a large water jug.

Uchiha Itachi followed behind him, gripping a kunai in his hand; the blade shimmered with a dark green hue, proving it was far from ordinary.

"Wait until I open a gap in the seal, then pour it directly into the sealing formation."

Miroku replied. Now that she knew from Baiyu that poison was the key to restraining Moryo, things would be much easier to handle.

"Sealing Technique: Shrink!"

Miroku performed a series of hand seals, compressing the formation that held Moryo and gradually restricting it to a single corner, leaving behind a portal of light.

One of Moryo's tentacles poked a tip out from the light portal, and upon seeing this, Uchiha Itachi's small hand flashed, slicing it off instantly.

The poison-coated kunai inflicted immense pain upon Moryo.

"Ah! Ah! This... this is actually the sensation of pain, like the feeling of being scorched by raging flames... I can actually feel pain again. After such a long time in this seal, I had forgotten this sensation."

Amidst Moryo's agonizing wails, a hint of delight leaked through.

It seemed this pain brought him a strange, new experience.

He, it seemed, was enjoying it?

In the midst of the fumbling, another small tentacle poked out from the light portal...

Itachi seized the opportunity and struck again; with a swift motion, he severed it cleanly.

The small tentacle fell to the ground, and as it was cut, the remaining part transformed into a small earthworm, attempting to burrow into the ground.

A Reverse-Blade Sword descended, pinning the worm to the floor.

"Still trying to run?"

Baiyu sneered. This was tied to his goal of one hundred thousand sword draws; he would never allow Moryo to escape.

Due to the limitations of the seal, Moryo could not exert much power, and because of the previous exhaustion from the Ghost Army, he was completely suppressed when facing Miroku.

"Come now, it's time to take your medicine."

Miroku said with a soft laugh.

Baiyu lifted the water jug and poured it directly into the light portal.

The interior was filled with the tentacle-like body of Moryo, which emitted a foul stench upon contact with the poison, with plumes of green smoke rising from the purple-red tentacles.

At this moment, Moryo's painful wails ceased, replaced by frantic screams; one could hear a sense of utter despair in his voice.

Constrained by the narrow space and unable to stretch, Moryo suffered as the corrosive effects of the poison, akin to sulfuric acid, continuously seeped into his core.

"To poison Moryo to death—is this the way of a swordsman?"

"A swordsman! If one does not trust the sword in their hand, why bother practicing at all?"

Suddenly, his Sword Heart underwent a drastic change, accompanied by a violent tremor.

In a trance, he seemed to hear his longsword lamenting.

Baiyu ceased his movements, leaving the remaining half of the poison in the water flask.

Miroku looked at him in astonishment and asked, "Why stop? Moryo is about to die. I can already feel him growing weaker; if you just keep pouring it in, he will surely perish."

The thought of being able to kill Moryo was something she had never dared to imagine, yet now, it was on the verge of completion.

A brilliant smile could not help but bloom on Miroku's face.

"Release the seal!"

Baiyu summoned the Kusanagi Sword, coated the blade with poison, and spoke to Miroku.

Miroku asked in disbelief, "Have you gone mad? Or has Moryo taken control of your mind?"

"Moryo is no longer a threat. Give him a swift end!"

Baiyu gripped the Kusanagi Sword, the three-foot blade blooming with a dark cyan light that shone exceptionally bright in the gloomy palace.

The sword was persisting.

If he abandoned the sword once, there would be a second time.

To be ashamed, to be insufficient, to be distrustful—is to not use the sword.

"Sealing Technique: Release!"

Miroku stared at Baiyu for a long time before finally undoing the seal.

For reasons unknown, Baiyu, standing not far away, exuded an incomparably powerful confidence.

Anyone who saw him would not doubt his strength.

Man and sword, merged into one.

Even if a god stood before Baiyu, he would still swing his sword at that god.

After the seal was lifted, Uchiha Itachi hurriedly took Miroku and left the palace.

"He seems to have grown stronger again."

Itachi murmured; every time he went on a mission with Baiyu, he could see clear growth in him.

This growth was not reflected in ninjutsu or chakra, but in a change of temperament.

Feeling this, a competitive urge could not help but sprout in the depths of Itachi's heart.

I cannot fall behind either!

Having been a genius since childhood, such a thought had never occurred to him before, yet now it was quietly taking root and sprouting in his heart.

Ding! Sword Heart stabilized! Insight gained: Sword Language: Trust in the blade, and it shall not betray you. Reward: Selfless Sword Qi. Note: A swordsman has a soul; without a soul, the path of the sword remains hidden, and the path of the divine remains blocked.

The Kusanagi Sword had no soul, but the sword itself possessed one, and the only thing a swordsman could trust was the blade in their hand.

People might betray, but the sword would not.

To believe in the longsword in one's hand is to believe in oneself.

At this moment, Baiyu's understanding of the path of the sword sublimated once more.

Sometimes, a shortcut in battle is not a true shortcut.

One may use tricks in battle, but one cannot use tricks in cultivation.