Cave of Evil Aura

She leaped onto the roof and spotted a vast mass of evil aura swirling over a nearby mountain peak.

An idea immediately formed in her mind, and she set off toward it.

Meanwhile, at the villagers' request, Inuyasha and his companions were heading toward the mountain where the Cave of Evil Aura lay. Elsewhere, Kikyo had originally intended to find Xu Zhiqiu, but when she saw the evil aura above the summit, she headed there without another word.

Xu Zhiqiu moved quite quickly with her lightness skill and soon caught up with Kikyo. Dressed in orange-yellow clothes, Kikyo walked ahead with a bow, arrows, and a bundle on her back. Xu Zhiqiu approached and caught her arm. "Kikyo, where are you going?"

"Qiu. Look at the summit ahead. The evil aura is very strong. I need to investigate," Kikyo said.

"Oh, yes, I noticed it too. Let's go together."

"All right."

As they drew closer, they discovered thick miasma spread all around the mountain. The farther they climbed, the stronger its smell became.

Xu Zhiqiu eyed the miasma. It seemed rather familiar. Wasn't this Naraku's?

Knowing the truth, Xu Zhiqiu sighed inwardly. She still had to deal with it.

When they reached the top, they saw a girl in a modern white-and-blue-green sailor uniform supporting another girl with loose hair, dressed in an outfit with a pale pink bodice, a dark pink waist, and a blue-green skirt.

As Xu Zhiqiu and Kikyo approached, the girl supporting her companion looked at Kikyo beside Xu Zhiqiu with shock in her eyes and pressed her lips together.

Xu Zhiqiu looked at the girl, who resembled Kikyo somewhat but seemed much sunnier. This must be that little angel Kagome.

"Is Inuyasha inside?" Kikyo asked.

"Yes!" Kagome answered, still supporting Sango.

Once she received her answer, Kikyo walked toward the cave entrance.

Xu Zhiqiu followed close behind.

"Meow." A mew rang out.

Xu Zhiqiu lowered her gaze to Kirara, who had run to her feet to seek affection. She bent down and rubbed the little cat's head, just once. Then she quickly withdrew her hand, stood up, and glanced back at Kagome and her companions before following Kikyo inside.

"Kagome, that was Kikyo in front just now, wasn't it? Who was the woman behind her?" Shippo asked, puzzled.

Kagome settled Sango into a seated position and picked up the bow and arrows beside her backpack. "Shippo, protect Sango. Something bad must have happened inside. I'm going in too."

Kirara followed behind Kagome as well.

Sango watched Kagome and Kirara disappear from view, recalling how Kirara had actually approached the woman beside Kikyo to seek affection. Who was that strikingly beautiful woman? How did Kirara know her?

As the two women walked deeper into the cave, Kikyo suddenly stopped, clutched her chest, and knitted her brows.

"Kikyo, what's wrong?" Seeing her like this, Xu Zhiqiu stopped and steadied her by the arm.

"I don't know why, but it feels as though something is trying to draw the dead souls out of my body." A thoughtful look crossed Kikyo's cool face.

"Can you still walk? If not, I'll go in and take a look." Xu Zhiqiu only felt that the evil aura was rather dense. So far, she had noticed nothing wrong with her own body.

Kikyo settled the dead souls within her. "I'm fine, Qiu. Let's keep going."

"All right." Seeing that Kikyo's complexion had improved, Xu Zhiqiu nodded, and they continued forward.

The farther they went, the more unsteady Kikyo's steps became. Xu Zhiqiu took her hand and drew her sword to cleave through the evil aura ahead. Only then did some color return to Kikyo's face.

"Kikyo, you really shouldn't go any farther."

"I'm fine." Kikyo waved a hand and continued onward.

Light shone ahead, and Xu Zhiqiu saw someone kneeling there in blue-and-black monk's robes, his hair tied in a short braid.

Hearing their conversation, the man kneeling at the side turned to look at the two women behind him. He recognized only Kikyo's face, and confusion flashed through his ink-black eyes. "Lady Kikyo?"

"Kikyo?" Inuyasha, who was fighting the Gu-Poison Demon in the pool, heard Miroku call Kikyo's name. His movement with Tessaiga stopped, and he looked up toward the cave entrance.

He saw Kikyo approaching with a woman supporting her.

At the sight of her face, Inuyasha froze. "Kikyo," he called.

"Watch out." Xu Zhiqiu truly had to fuss over them like an old mother hen.

"Qiu, how are you still alive?" When Inuyasha realized that the woman beside Kikyo was Xu Zhiqiu, he was even more shocked.

Kikyo knew that she could no longer hold back the Dead Soul Insects within her; they were being drawn away by the Gu-Poison Demon inside. She grabbed Xu Zhiqiu's arm. "Qiu, the bow and arrows... the seal."

Then she fainted.

"Kikyo, are you all right?!" Inuyasha cried anxiously when he saw her collapse.

Xu Zhiqiu caught Kikyo and propped her against a wall farther inside. Then she took Kikyo's bow and arrows, walked to the edge of the opening, and said to Inuyasha, "She's fine. You should worry about yourself, Inuyasha!"

Having absorbed the dead souls from Kikyo, the Gu-Poison Demon's vitality grew even stronger. Seeing that there was still another demon in the pool, it was determined to become the last demon left, the one that could escape!

With that, it launched an attack at Inuyasha.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth and had no choice but to fight it with Tessaiga.

Xu Zhiqiu held the bow and nocked an arrow, looking thoughtful. Naraku seemed to have said that his body had been shattered. That meant he urgently needed a body, and this evil aura was his.

Xu Zhiqiu had practiced archery, but rarely used it. Her skills should still be there, right?

She raised the bow, aimed the arrowhead at the opening above, and shot toward the sky without hesitation.

The arrow, imbued with powerful spiritual power, flew straight toward the seal at the cave's upper opening. The seal was instantly broken, and the evil aura within the cave began rushing outside.

"Are you all right, Monk Miroku?" Kagome's voice came from behind her.

"Lady Kagome."

Xu Zhiqiu glanced back at the girl, then walked over to Kikyo.

Kagome looked away and saw Inuyasha about to be blown away. "Inuyasha, get up here!"

"Inuyasha," the unconscious Kikyo murmured.

Xu Zhiqiu sighed. She felt she was going to lose a few more hairs over these people. That dog Inuyasha really was something else.

Amid the powerful rush of air, the cave's rocks shattered, and the evil aura within erupted outward.

Supporting Miroku, Kagome hurriedly retreated, but falling rocks blocked their view.

Xu Zhiqiu supported Kikyo and had Kirara carry the bow and arrows. Seeing the other two still standing there in a daze, she said, "The mountain's about to collapse. Let's get outside first." Then she added, "Inuyasha will be fine."

"Oh." Kagome snapped out of her daze and hurried outside, supporting Miroku.

She looked at the graceful woman in dark blue ahead of her. "Who exactly are you?"

"Xu Zhiqiu." Xu Zhiqiu glanced back at her and answered with a smile playing on her lips.

Xu Zhiqiu? Kagome's pupils contracted.

Wasn't she the priestess Granny Kaede had mentioned, the one who had protected the Shikon Jewel alongside Kikyo fifty years ago? Hadn't she disappeared long ago? How was she still here, and still so young?