Lana's current location was a small city that had once nearly been annihilated beneath the ghostly fleet of Ōtakemaru and Suzuka Gozen.
The reason she had remained here all this time was because she had discovered the presence of a half-demon infant named Inuyasha within the city.
This was no ordinary name. It was an existence intimately connected to this world.
Anything tied to the very origin of this world was one of Satsuki's primary targets.
Since Lana had found such a target, she simply took on the role of an observer.
After closing the communication screen, Lana projected another image. Within it was the young Inuyasha, dressed in a robe of fire-rat fur, sleeping while nestled in Izayoi's arms.
It had only been about a month since Inuyasha's birth. Yet in appearance, he already resembled a human child of two or three years old.
In a wilderness survival environment, such a growth rate was a safeguard for survival.
Unfortunately, Inuyasha was only a half-demon. Though he had inherited half of the Great Dog General's bloodline, his demonic power was far inferior to that of the young Sesshomaru. Nor did he possess any special power akin to the "Bakusaiga's force."
"Inuyasha's development is healthy, and Izayoi's condition has improved considerably."
Speaking of Inuyasha, one could not avoid mentioning Princess Izayoi.
Though newly a mother, her beauty remained undiminished. The greatest difference was that, compared to a month ago, her brows now carried an added trace of strength and melancholy.
They say motherhood makes one strong.
Izayoi was undoubtedly a textbook example. Just after giving birth, she had carried her child and fled on foot from one city to another dozens of miles away. That was not something just anyone could accomplish.
Yet while such actions were admirable, the cost was immense.
After reaching the castle of a lord friendly with her father, her body completely collapsed, to the point where even nursing Inuyasha became a problem.
After all, even though Inuyasha was a half-demon, he was still a mammal. No matter what, he needed milk.
When Lana discovered Inuyasha, Izayoi's body had already reached the brink of exhaustion.
Fortunately, her ability was [Status Manipulation].
After scanning Izayoi's condition and identifying negative statuses such as [Malnutrition], [Mental Fatigue], and [Qi and Blood Deficiency], she quietly exercised her authority and dispelled those debuffs.
But that alone was not enough. Humans were not machines. Restoring Izayoi's body required time and careful recuperation.
Since Izayoi could not properly nurse Inuyasha, Lana initially searched nearby for any milk-producing demons or animals to temporarily serve as wet nurses.
However, it was the depth of winter. Few animals chose this season to enter heat.
Without heat, there would be no reproduction. Without reproduction, there would be no milk.
As a result, during this period, Lana did something rather absurd.
She first captured several suitable demons in the wild. After selecting the physically stronger ones, she paired them up in five male-female pairs.
Then—she used her [Status Manipulation] ability to infuse the status of [Estrus] into them.
Even Satsuki, upon learning of Lana's method, had once regarded the outwardly adorable yet astonishingly bold Phantom Spirit King with a rather peculiar gaze—she truly did not know what to say.
...
Within Katori Shrine.
Satsuki slowly exhaled. Wherever her breath passed, space itself distorted slightly before her, rippling faintly. This was a sign that she was integrating the power of space-time.
Because data and constants differed somewhat between timelines, with the space-time data provided by this world's Sacred Tree of Ages, Satsuki's spatial abilities had advanced at an extraordinary pace within this world.
She was already capable of performing long-distance space-time travel through spatial manipulation. Returning to Katori Shrine required no more than the blink of an eye.
Of course, Satsuki would not appear directly within the shrine's main hall. That would be far too conspicuous. Instead, she teleported to a nearby concealed location and entered the shrine on foot.
From the perspective of the Tenseigan, compared to three months prior, Katori Shrine had undergone considerable change.
Perhaps due to the Lunar Palace's activities, the atmosphere within the shrine had grown solemn. Demon-slaying shrine maidens and monks bearing ritual implements could be seen patrolling everywhere.
Among them were familiar faces, but even more were traveling shrine maidens from across the country.
Bang bang bang...
Just as Satsuki was observing the shrine's overall situation, a knock sounded from outside her door.
"Lady Kurotsuki Ihime, are you there?"
"I am. Please come in."
Creak—
As the door slid open, a shrine maiden entered the tent holding a letter. She bowed to Satsuki and said, "Lady Kurotsuki Ihime, this is a letter from the Miko!"
"Thank you for your hard work. Has the Miko been very busy lately?" Satsuki took the letter and glanced at it before continuing, "Also, many shrine maidens from other regions have arrived recently. Is the shrine preparing for something?"
"The Miko has been preparing for the Celestial Coronation Ceremony for the past three months. As for the shrine… due to the incident some time ago, before departing for Kyoto, the Saigū-sama discussed matters with the heads of the various sacred institutions and decided to transform the Miko's ceremony into a selection event."
A selection ceremony? No wonder so many unfamiliar faces had appeared.
Satsuki nodded. "I understand."
As one of the Four Great Shrines, Katori Shrine periodically recruited independent traveling shrine maidens.
This was usually a special measure taken only in the wake of major upheavals or significant incidents.
The incident in which the Shikon Jewel was stolen could be considered one of the rare major events in Katori Shrine's long history.
To have someone storm their gates and slap them in the face so directly—and for the shrine to be utterly powerless in response—had never happened before.
In the past, even beings acknowledged as the strongest great yōkai would not dare provoke the shrine so brazenly.
Yet this time, even with the immortal En no Ozunu stationed within, the Lunar Palace had still seized the Shikon Jewel. It was nothing short of a naked humiliation.
While it was true that any other shrine facing the Lunar Palace might have fared no better, the key point was that only Katori Shrine had suffered such an overt assault.
This dealt a severe blow to the shrine's authority. Since that incident, far fewer people had come to pray.
Clearly, the entire shrine had been provoked into action.
If not for the presence of the transcendent immortal En no Ozunu within the shrine, it was uncertain whether Kagura Saigū would have remained at Katori Shrine after the events in Kyoto.
The shrine maidens who had gathered from across the country were all here to participate in this selection ceremony, hoping to enter the shrine for training.
With that thought, Satsuki opened the Miko's letter.
Its contents were brief—but the information was explosive.
Katori Shrine intended to reforge a Shikon Jewel.
The Shikon Jewel was a spiritual gem of immense power.
But to say that this jewel held irreplaceable value for Katori Shrine as a whole would not be entirely accurate.
After all, none of the truly powerful great yōkai had ever placed much importance on it.
In this world, those who fought and killed over the jewel were mostly minor figures.
As for Satsuki, the reason she wanted the Shikon Jewel was merely to use the souls within it as a vessel for awakening Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. In the original timeline, Madara Uchiha had served as the vessel for Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's resurrection.
"To recreate a Shikon Jewel is not impossible in theory—but in practice, the difficulty is immense."
Satsuki possessed the data records of the Shikon Jewel. She knew that the so-called sacred jewel had been formed when a powerful shrine maiden named Midoriko fused her own soul with that of a monster during battle.
The Shikon Jewel possessed extraordinary versatility, and the power within it existed in a constantly shifting state.
This was directly related to Midoriko, its creator.
Her greatest ability had been the Art of Soul Purification.
The reason Midoriko could wield such an art was because, in this world, whether human, animal, or even plant, all beings possessed four souls.
These four souls were known as [Saki-Mitama], [Nigi-Mitama], [Ara-Mitama], and [Kushi-Mitama]. Among them, [Saki-Mitama] represented love, [Nigi-Mitama] represented harmony, [Ara-Mitama] represented courage, and [Kushi-Mitama] represented wisdom.
The Shikon Jewel itself had two states: pure and tainted.
When it fell into the hands of someone with a corrupted heart, it became polluted, turning into a "Crooked Spirit." But when it was held by someone pure of heart, it could be cleansed, becoming a "Straight Spirit."
Thus, depending on its owner, the Shikon Jewel could become good—or evil.
In the hands of demons or malicious individuals, it would accumulate corruption, increasing impurity.
In the hands of someone with a pure soul, such as the Miko, it would be purified.
The so-called Art of Soul Purification interfered with and readjusted the proportions of the four souls within a demon through external force. By doing so, the demonic energy or malevolent aura generated within the demon would be transformed into pure spiritual power—ultimately causing the demon to destroy itself.
From a biological perspective, this phenomenon—where one's own system turns against itself—would be called an autoimmune disease.
From the standpoint of Shinto, it was the Art of Soul Purification.
Although the jewel possessed both pure and tainted aspects, the Crooked Spirit and Straight Spirit within it constantly battled each other. It was precisely this dynamic equilibrium that allowed the Shikon Jewel to remain energetically active even after existing for many years, granting it immediate and visible effects when enhancing demonic power.
"It seems the information Tsubaki obtained earlier was very likely released intentionally by Katori Shrine."
The shrine maiden Tsubaki had once mentioned hearing news of the Shikon Jewel from a maddened demon during an exorcism before it died.
Now, it seemed highly probable that this had been deliberate misinformation spread by Katori Shrine—to create a justified pretext for the reappearance of a newly forged Shikon Jewel.
Satsuki had personally witnessed the original Shikon Jewel vanish. Yet in all the world, only the Lunar Palace knew that it had been completely erased. Even Ashiya Dōman had merely glimpsed it from afar and had not seen its final disappearance during the ritual.
In terms of strength, Katori Shrine naturally could not retrieve the Shikon Jewel from the Lunar Palace. However, the mere existence of a Shikon Jewel—even a newly forged one—could at least recover a portion of the shrine's damaged reputation.
Ultimately, however, this was an internal matter for Katori Shrine. It had nothing to do with Satsuki.
Her reason for coming this time was simply because she had previously given the Miko her word. Beyond that, she held little interest.
...
Meanwhile, within the Lunar Palace.
At this moment, the only figure suspended in midair within the grand hall was Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. Before her stood the enormous Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
A vast surge of energy flowed through the spiral sealing conduit previously established, pouring into the Rinne Sharingan upon Kaguya's forehead, then transmitting onward into the Demonic Statue.
This was the Ōtsutsuki clan's method for cultivating the God Tree. Only those who possessed the Rinne Sharingan of the Ōtsutsuki lineage could perform it.
After this period of cultivation, the Demonic Statue no longer resembled its former bound, giant-like state.
Its hands and mouth, once restrained by chains, had been completely freed. From a form that could only crawl, it had transformed into a thin, standing figure.
The tail behind it had evolved into a claw-like appendage. Its head bore only a single eye and a single ear.
In this state, the Ten-Tails could already fire triangular Tailed Beast Bombs. It could also unleash overwhelming destructive force in the form of [Tenpenchii].
Yet this was still not its complete state. Before it could return to its [God Tree] form, it would need to pass through another transitional stage.
Kaguya had remained within the Lunar Palace during this time for the sole purpose of guiding the Ten-Tails God Tree's growth.
Recently, however, that process had encountered interference.
Kaguya had clearly sensed that the cultivation of the Ten-Tails God Tree had reached a bottleneck.
She frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "It seems that relying solely on the power of the spiral seal is no longer sufficient to further mature the God Tree."
"Mother, shall we search for a suitable planet and seize its natural energy?" Black Zetsu emerged from her sleeve and spoke.
"A planet abundant in natural energy is something that may not appear even once in an entire starfield," Kaguya replied. "When I traveled with Isshiki, we relied on the clan's instruments and conducted precise calculations. It still took us a full hundred years to locate the coordinates of that planet. It would be difficult to find another like it within this star domain."
"Then, Mother, have you considered claiming this planet?"
Kaguya cast a glance at Black Zetsu with her Byakugan and shook her head.
"In its current state, the Ten-Tails cannot directly absorb the natural energy within a planet. It must first absorb ocular power transformed by the Rinne Sharingan in order to grow. Satsuki is my clanswoman and the one who revived me. Since she desires this planet, I will not interfere."
"..."
Black Zetsu wished to speak further, but sensing a trace of displeasure within his mother's heart, he wisely retreated back into her sleeve.
Although Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was a member of the Ōtsutsuki clan, her will had been influenced in part by natural energy, granting her a perspective that somewhat resembled human values.
The Ōtsutsuki clan was a strictly hierarchical society. Members of the main family could demand anything from branch family members—even their lives, forcing them to transform into [Pills]—and the branch members would comply willingly.
Clearly, the relationship between Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and Satsuki Ōtsutsuki was not of that nature.
Just as Kaguya was troubled over the next step in the Ten-Tails God Tree's progress, a purple figure materialized from one of the God Tree's fingers.
"Tch, the Illusionary Body Technique really is convenient… it's just that being pitch-black makes it impossible to see my handsome face."
"Ruri of the [Void] seat? What brings you here?" Kaguya asked.
"The Great Brahma King told me your progress has encountered some difficulty and asked me to lend a hand."
Kaguya's curiosity flickered, though her expression remained cold. "Assist me? What could you possibly do?"
Ruri merely smiled without answering.
In the next instant, an intense chakra erupted from her body like blazing flames. This chakra was filled with hatred, betrayal, and resentment—a concentrated mass of negative emotions.
Yet under Ruri's control, this violent and ominous chakra was completely obedient. It wrapped around her like clothing, transforming her body into a radiant gold and crimson hue.
"I think… I can further my studies in horticulture."
—
—
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven