Looking at the imposing Lu Ping before him, the old man calmly took two steps back.
His two steps back were very measured.
It wasn't a rout, but rather a carefully calculated distance that wouldn't trigger the opponent's instinct to pursue.
The old man gently poked the three-pronged tip of his [Ford-Guardian Spear] into the theater floor beside him, as if using a cane, maintaining a relaxed, conversational posture.
"No rush."
The old man's gaze fell on the unconscious little boy in Lu Ping, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"Settle the child first; I can wait."
That was a very strange statement.
No one gives their opponent a chance to breathe on the battlefield.
Unless, he knew better than anyone else, that time was on his side.
Lu Ping did not respond.
He then looked down to check on Midou Taki's condition: his breathing was shallow and even, his pulse was weak but stable, and his pupils were dilating normally.
He is in a deep coma but is not in immediate danger of death.
He laid the little boy flat behind the curtain on the side of the stage, using his shadow to create a thin, dark membrane around him as a temporary barrier.
The action was very quick, taking no more than five seconds in total.
But within those five seconds, Lu Ping's right hand experienced an extremely slight spasm.
That's an uncontrollable reaction produced by muscle fibers after prolonged, high-frequency contractions.
He clenched his fist, then his fingers returned to normal.
As he turned around, his expression remained calm.
However, the Three Corpses within the body are sending an ominous signal: the conversion efficiency of the White Corpse is beginning to show a slight decrease that is imperceptible to the naked eye.
It's not that the Cursed Energy is insufficient, but rather that the vessel holding the Cursed Energy —this flesh and blood body—is nearing its operational limit.
The internal organ temperature is rising, the rhythm of the diaphragm is slightly disordered, and the carotid artery is beating too fast.
These are all physical warning signs.
However, under the suppression of the Azure Corpse, Lu Ping's subjective experience of these discomforts was almost zero.
It's like looking at someone else's medical report; you know the data is deteriorating, but you don't feel fear or anxiety because of it.
Lu Ping strode back to the center of the stage.
"The Deep Sea Church," Lu Ping repeated the name the old man had mentioned when he introduced himself, "There's no record of this organization in the Jujutsu High's archives."
Of course not.
The old man's smile deepened.
It was a resolute smile with an undercurrent of religious fervor.
"The existence of the Jujutsu High is only a few hundred years old. The Gospel Book of the Deep Sea Church had already spread in this sea area before your Tengen established the Japan barrier."
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He still held the trident in one hand, and slowly raised the other hand, making a number gesture.
The number of "Gate Beast" throughout history is seventeen. Each generation has only one mission.
The withered index finger pointed at Lu Ping.
To be precise, it refers to the shadow at his feet.
"Kill the inheritors of the Ten Shadows Technique, or kill or seal their Shikigami."
6
Lu Ping's brow twitched.
The essence of the Shikigami is a demon from another world, and the shadow is merely a medium within it.
Neither killing nor sealing can completely destroy its non-existent Living World form.
As long as a second physical awakening of the Ten Shadows Technique is achieved, the subjugation record can be refreshed, and a new Shikigami can be summoned again.
But he didn't interrupt.
It wasn't just out of curiosity, but also because in those few short sentences, his body began to gradually complete its self-correction.
With just two more thousand seconds of conversation time, he could smoothly transition the operation of the three households from "maximum burst" to the daily "efficient cruising" state.
"The Gospel Book record that something—an unformed being—lurks within the Ten Shadows." The old man spoke at a measured pace, each word uttered with utmost solemnity. "Once that thing is subdued and fully descends, it will be enough to threaten our God."
"Your god?"
Lu Ping's tone didn't rise, but it was clearly a question.
He knew that in the world of Jujutsu, there was a being closest to a god, named Tengen.
Although they are called gods by believers, they are far from being gods. Just like Satoru Gojo is called "the son of God," such titles are more of an honorific.
The [Immortality Technique] can only provide Tengen with a lifespan of several hundred years. After that, he needs to constantly assimilate the Star Plasma Vessel every five hundred years to refresh his physical lifespan and prolong his life.
Lu Ping even suspected that Tengen was no longer the same entity it was a thousand years ago, just like the Ship of Theseus, where as the wood (body) decayed over time, new wood was constantly replaced with old planks, and eventually all parts of the ship were replaced.
In the case of Tengen, it might be an assimilation of the concept "from the previous self, and the physical body "from the new generation of Star Plasma Vessel ".
If all the material components have been changed, is the ship still the same ship?
"Even gods have ranks... Let me think of a way to put it in a way that better aligns with your human understanding."
The old man paid no attention to Lu Ping, who was deep in thought. He released his hand from the trident and spoke with a fanatical tone.
"You don't need to know His real name. You only need to know that the form in which He manifests in this world is called—[Divine Embryo: Eight Evil Faces]."
"Eight clones, eight abilities, each clone possessing an independent Special Grade level."
He paused, as if savoring the weight of this information.
"When united, they will surpass the Special Grade of 'superior' that you humans have recently introduced for Jujutsu Sorcerer and curses."
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"Can even Cursed Spirit surpass the Special Grade?"
Lu Ping glanced at the short spear stuck in the ground and asked.
He couldn't help but think of the four "Disaster Grade" Cursed Spirit that would appear ten years later. They possessed high intelligence and great strength, and were indeed superior to ordinary Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
However, he was still whipped around like a Satoru Gojo after his awakening.
If there truly is an existence surpassing the Special Grade, then based on the known information, the only ones who meet the criteria are likely Satoru Gojo after his awakening and the Heian Era's yet-to-awaken King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna.
Seeing Lu Ping raise a question, the old man let out a dismissive laugh.
"It's your freedom to not believe it, but you should know why I'm telling you so much."
Lu Ping was well aware that he had just revealed the power of the Binding Vow, the speed enhanced by the Cursed Tool, and the special state under the influence of Infinite Cursed Energy —a total of three trump cards.
And now that all three cards have been played, the human body still has its limits and cannot sustain high-intensity exercise.
Before he had mastered the "Reverse Cursed Technique," he could no longer withstand the Binding Vow and the enhancements from the Cursed Tool, and the state of Infinite Cursed Energy had also faded.
The other party saw through this, which is why they went from being cautious at the beginning to being completely at ease now.
"Are you so confident that you can win me over today?"
Lu Ping flipped his right hand, grasping the horn bow that Piercing Ox, and with his left hand he held the last [Nue's Feather] he had taken from the Shadow Space, slowly aiming it at the old man.
As for Mitarai Shizuru was not far away, he was nearing the end of his strength and could no longer use large-scale Cursed Energy to launch an attack, thus losing his threat.
The enormous tent has certainly attracted attention from the outside world, and reinforcements from the Jujutsu High will arrive soon.
My only goal now is to deal with this eloquent old man in front of me.