Xiao was a little surprised and asked,
"Interesting, you actually know about The Lands Between?"
"It was about two or three decades ago. A few wandering samurai with gray eyes passed through Ashina. I fought them, and that's how I learned of The Lands Between's reputation."
Isshin explained, his gaze fixed on Xiao, as if he wanted to see through his inner world.
"Oh? Then why do you think I'm from The Lands Between?"
Xiao asked curiously.
"Because you exude a unique aura, just like those samurai, and..."
Isshin paused before continuing,
"You must be the famous God of Death from The Lands Between."
"How did you recognize me?"
Xiao raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.
"I heard them say that in The Lands Between, colors are often linked to forms of power, and the color of one's pupils is the best proof. Gold represents eternity and holiness, red represents life and fire, blue represents the stars and the moon, and dusk represents death and the end."
As he spoke of The Lands Between, a trace of longing appeared in Isshin's eyes.
In the words of those Tarnished, The Lands Between was so perfect that it was like the legendary paradise.
"It is said to be a land of gods, where there is an endless supply of food in the fields, and people live very long lives. It truly makes this old man envious."
Isshin spoke with emotion.
Xiao smiled, thinking that these people truly had vivid imaginations.
After all, the Tarnished had been driven out of The Lands Between for tens of thousands of years.
Those gray-eyed samurai were probably descendants of Tarnished born in the Land of Reeds, who had only heard fragmented stories from their parents.
However, Xiao did not shatter this beautiful fantasy and instead continued speaking with Isshin.
"Times have changed. It's not that beautiful there anymore."
Isshin shook his head, a wry smile on his face.
"Perhaps it's nothing to you, but for us mortals, it's already heaven."
As he spoke, Isshin suddenly remembered something, looked up at Xiao, and asked,
"Have you heard of the Sakura Dragon?"
"Hm? Go on."
Xiao's eyes shifted slightly.
He had certainly heard of the Sakura Dragon's existence, but he wasn't quite sure what it truly was.
Seeing this, Isshin explained,
"That is a deity from ancient legends, said to be a powerful being that came to Ashina from the west."
"He brought the power of the Dragon's Heritage, which grants immortality. If you are interested, perhaps you can seek out that deity."
"Before this, those gray-eyed samurai also came to Ashina seeking the Sakura Dragon, but they never came out again."
Seeing that he had piqued Xiao's interest, Isshin immediately struck while the iron was hot.
"In the Ashina Castle Lookout, there are many related books. If the noble one is interested, you can read them yourself."
"It's late now, so this old man won't disturb you any longer."
With that, Isshin leaped from the windowsill and disappeared into the vast night.
Only then did the Blasphemous Serpent emerge from Xiao's body.
She looked at the city lights in the distance and asked,
"Able to grant immortality... It sounds like a demigod who has mastered a law."
"Do you remember the Ashina samurai's description of Ashina?"
Xiao instead brought up another matter.
Recalling old memories, he softly said,
"The Land of Reeds lies east of The Lands Between."
"If Ashina is east of The Lands Between, then The Lands Between is west of Ashina."
"In that case, where would the Sakura Dragon, who came from the west, originate from?"
The Blasphemous Serpent nodded.
"You suspect that the Sakura Dragon is related to The Lands Between?"
"Perhaps, but there's no harm in checking it out."
Xiao replied.
The Blasphemous Serpent blinked, then transformed into human form and nestled into his arms, giving up on thinking further.
She knew that Xiao always possessed keen insight and a meticulous way of thinking.
She didn't need to think; she only needed to do whatever Xiao commanded.
Now was the time for beautiful indulgence.
Ten thousand years had passed, and all of their children had died.
It was time to have a few more children.
...
...
The next day, in the Ashina Castle Lookout, sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating countless books.
They seemed to be enchanted, quietly suspended in the air as though waiting for someone to browse them.
Xiao stood amid this sea of books, his eyes focused and profound.
His fingers danced lightly like a conductor, guiding the books as their pages rustled continuously.
Every book was a treasure of this world, containing knowledge and secrets valuable enough for the minor nobles here to pass down as family heirlooms.
Countless Cyber Auras flowed through these ancient texts, constantly recording and duplicating the information within them.
They transferred the information into the Cyber Dimension and transmitted it to Xiao, allowing him to rapidly comprehend the contents of the books.
Meanwhile, the acting castle lord, Genichiro, stood respectfully at the side, waiting for Xiao's questions.
From time to time, he explained the meaning of certain characters, helping Xiao better understand these ancient books.
The script of the Land of Reeds was somewhat unfamiliar to Xiao.
It possessed a unique system that resembled hieroglyphs while also containing phonetic elements.
One could only say that the person who created this writing system must have had some serious issues.
Fortunately, with the assistance of the literate Genichiro, identifying these ancient texts became far less difficult.
Working together, they selected several ancient texts.
These texts were mostly strange tales from Ashina's past, and many concerned the existence of the Sakura Dragon.
"The characters in these ancient texts are too obscure. I don't recognize many of them either."
Genichiro frowned as he looked at the ancient text in his hand.
"But I know someone who can help you."
After speaking, hesitation and unease appeared on Genichiro's face.
"That person is a very important figure in Ashina, and it might not be easy to—"
Before Genichiro could finish, Xiao waved his hand and interrupted impatiently.
"Alright, stop with the nonsense and bring him here."
With that, Xiao casually flicked a Death Rune, embedding it into Genichiro's forehead.
A sharp pain struck, and Genichiro could not help letting out a scream.
At the same time, powerful energy surged from the Death Rune and entered Genichiro's body.
This power also contained prayers of the Law of Death and methods for forging artifacts.
"You have now obtained the powerful strength you desired."
Xiao asked with a smile.
Feeling the power flowing through his body and the knowledge appearing in his mind, a trace of ecstasy flashed through Genichiro's eyes.
With this power, he could not only defend Ashina but even defeat the Interior Ministry and completely liberate this world.
Thus, he immediately knelt down and expressed his gratitude to Xiao.
"Noble One's great kindness is beyond repayment. Genichiro wishes to serve the Noble One as the deity of Ashina."
"Go, go."
After Xiao bestowed the power of death as compensation, Genichiro's efficiency became astonishingly fast.
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