When the two emerged from the cloud wall, it was already half dark. The white light of Takamagahara was left behind, gradually resembling a thin layer of ice floating in the sky.
Shinsei and Kaguya didn't dare stop, and continued down the sea of clouds, landing in an unnamed mountain valley.
Shinsei breathed a sigh of relief when his feet touched the mud and he smelled the grass. Kaguya also seemed to come back to life, her expression softening considerably.
"Let's find a place to stay first," Shinsei said.
After walking for half a day, the two saw an official road in the distance. At the end of the road was a small town with low, gray walls.
People came and went at the city gate; it wasn't bustling, but it still had a lively atmosphere. Shinsei and Kaguya changed their Transformation Technique outside the city.
Shinsei transforms into a sallow-faced young man, while Kaguya becomes a black-haired village girl. The two lower their heads and blend into the crowd, entering the city with the people going to the market.
The town wasn't big; a dirt road ran from the east gate to the west gate. There was a tea stall by the roadside, with several benches overturned on the tables, and the proprietress was wiping the bowls with a burlap sack.
A group of teenagers chased after a lame stray dog, kicking up clouds of dust with their heels.
Most of the houses on both sides of the road were old, and some even lacked doors, covered only by straw curtains. The small temple in the center of the city was the most dignified, with its blue bricks and gray tiles, and its front door was swept clean.
A large crowd had gathered at the temple entrance. People of all ages, men, women, and children were kneeling on the ground.
The incense was burning so brightly that smoke billowed out of the temple gate, like a rising fog. Shinsei and Kaguya stood outside the crowd and saw a clay statue inside the temple.
The clay sculpture depicts a thin-faced immortal wearing a long robe and holding a ball of fire in his hands.
The fire was made of red clay and brushed with cinnabar, making it look like it was about to burn.
An old man in gray stood by the door, ringing a brass bell in his hand and repeating a phrase over and over.
"May the God of Blazing Flames protect you, may the God of Blazing Flames protect you."
Shinsei bought two bowls of water at the tea stall and stood by the roadside with Kaguya to drink them. Just as he was about to ask someone about the origin of the temple, he heard a scream explode from the direction of the city gate.
"A monster is coming!"
The pedestrians on the street froze for a moment. Then, everyone moved at the same time.
Those carrying loads threw down their carrying poles, those holding children pressed them into their arms, and those pushing carts ran for their lives. The tea stall owner didn't even bother to collect her bowls, rushing towards the temple with the crowd.
Shinsei and Kaguya didn't run; they just moved to the side of the road. Several children were knocked to the ground, cried a few times, then got up and continued running.
An old man lost his shoe while running, but instead of picking it up, he desperately tried to squeeze into the temple gate with only one bare foot.
The ground began to shake.
Dust fell steadily from the temple eaves. In the distance, a giant, dark blue Toad was crawling towards the city. The Toad was taller than the city gate, its back covered with skin like an iron shell, bulging with large and small gray-black pustules.
With each step it took, the ground trembled. A long, dark red tongue, about seven or eight feet long, hung down from its mouth, swinging back and forth in mid-air.
With a flick of its tongue, a slow-moving woman by the roadside was caught, lifted up, and shoved into its gaping mouth.
Kaguya suddenly grabbed Shinsei's arm. Shinsei didn't move, just stared at the Toad.
The Toad put the woman into its mouth, neither chewing nor swallowing her. The woman croaked once inside its mouth, then quickly fell silent. Shinsei could see clearly that the woman was still there, only stuffed into the soft pouch inside its mouth.
"It didn't eat anyone," Kaguya whispered. "It's pretending."
Shinsei nodded. He had seen it too. The Toad's movements were exaggerated, leaving a pit with every step, but it never actually hurt anyone. It stuffed those it caught into its mouth pouch one by one, like loading cargo. Those people passed out inside the pouch, without even a scratch.
"Don't move yet, something seems interesting."
Shinsei didn't want to intervene, lest he ruin such a good show.
Suddenly, a white light shone from the east of the city. A celestial being flew out of the forest.
The man was dressed in a white robe, carrying a long sword, and his shoulder was shrouded in a layer of silver light. As soon as he landed, he shouted at the Toad.
"Damn monster! I am here, get out of here!"
He flicked his longsword, sending several balls of white fire flying and striking the Toad's forehead. The Toad let out a low growl and its massive body recoiled.
The immortal turned around, and two more balls of white fire struck the Toad's left foot. The Toad finally stopped moving forward, slowly turned its head, and retreated towards the outside of the city. The ground trembled for a while before slowly calming down.
The immortal landed back at the city gate, his chest heaving, his forehead covered in sweat.
His hand holding the knife trembled slightly, and his white robe was covered in dust, but he remained upright, as if he were gritting his teeth and holding on.
Villagers surged from the temple, and upon seeing the Toad retreat and the immortal in this state, they knelt down in droves.
"My lord immortal! Thank you so much for saving my life!"
"Without immortals, we would have been eaten long ago!"
"May the God of Blazing Flames protect you! May the God of Blazing Flames protect you!"
The immortal waved his hand, panting, and said, "That monster hasn't gone far, but I'm afraid it will come back after nightfall. My immortal power is almost exhausted today, and I can no longer suppress it..."
"Healer, please save me!"
An old man crawled over, his voice trembling, "I'm willing to do anything to save my family!"
"A small offering is needed," the immortal said slowly, as if carefully choosing his words. "It doesn't need to be much. One person each day, come to my seat. After three days, I will regain my magical power and completely suppress that demon."
Upon hearing this, the previously boisterous crowd suddenly fell silent. Those kneeling in front began to back away, bowing their heads even lower.
Some people pulled their hands back into their sleeves, while others quietly turned away, afraid of being seen by the immortal. The old man looked up, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.
The immortal sighed, not answering directly, but said, "Someone has to step forward."
The crowd fell even quieter. Not a single person spoke.
The children huddled behind the adults, who looked at each other but remained silent.
A young man was shoved by someone next to him and immediately turned around to glare at that person. The smoke from the temple entrance was still rising, and the incense smelled somewhat bitter at this moment.
A middle-aged man suddenly said in a low voice.
" The Shūta we offered last time never came back."
His voice wasn't loud, but in a quiet crowd, it was like a pebble thrown into water.
The faces of the people around him turned pale. Someone quickly pulled him away.
"Stop talking, stop talking..."
Shinsei stood outside the crowd, looking at the immortal's face.
Are you questioning this immortal being?
The middle-aged man didn't speak again. He lowered his head, pulled the woman beside him, and slowly shrank back into the crowd.
The immortal pointed, and a beam of white light appeared on his hand. The light swirled around, pulling the middle-aged man and the woman beside him to his side.
"I, an immortal, kindly protected you from the demons, and you dare to question me?"
Very well, you will be chosen as the sacrifice this time!