Regressing from dragon to jiao didn't actually require any flesh and blood essence.
Her inherent level was already high. If she couldn't ascend, couldn't she at least descend? The Divine Dragon only needed to restore her severed limb without damaging her vital energy, which was why she required large amounts of life essence. The White Snake would provide this essence.
By nature, the Divine Dragon held massive suppressive power over the White Snake. However, the White Snake also had its pride. It struggled desperately, never giving up resistance even while watching its flesh and blood being absorbed bit by bit.
The White Snake ultimately died. The life essence within its flesh was completely consumed, leaving only bones, skin, and muscle transformed into dried, glue-like matter.
The Divine Dragon obtained massive amounts of life essence. Accompanied by a vigorous dragon's cry, she began transforming into a jiao.
Her body rapidly shortened—from hundreds of meters to a hundred meters, then from a hundred meters to ten meters, finally stopping at three meters in length.
Her originally slender, powerful claws all retracted into her body. Crackling sounds came from within her bones. Using the life essence provided by the White Snake, the Divine Dragon's four dragon claws grew out from her body again—though somewhat small and soft, appearing completely powerless.
The only major change was her dragon horns. Now only an extremely short stub could be seen on the Divine Dragon's forehead—unnoticeable without careful observation. Jiao-dragons carried the word "dragon" but weren't actually dragons. Jiao-dragons had no horns. Having horns now was only because the Divine Dragon had originally been a dragon.
Her strength had dropped significantly, but the Divine Dragon had undoubtedly gained new life. She left the ever-blooming cherry tree she'd occupied for years, frolicking and playing joyfully in the wind and rain, then... smack—she fell to the ground.
Bella covered her face somewhat. This creature was foolish, recklessly playing around without familiarizing herself with her jiao-dragon state first. Now she'd embarrassed herself!
The Divine Dragon's temperament was quite good. After some twisting and shaking, confirming she was completely free and her missing limb had regrown, she was extremely happy.
Transforming back into a dragon posed no difficulty for her. She had a dragon's foundation. Given some time, she could ascend again.
"Let's go."
"Okay."
The Divine Dragon shrank her body again. After all, she was a divine dragon—she shouldn't be seen by mortals. Now she transformed into a small white snake, coiling around Bella's arm. If no one noticed, she could even peek out from Bella's collar for some air.
Taking one last look at the Fountainhead Palace, the Divine Dragon felt no attachment to this place. She lay on Bella's shoulder and fell into deep sleep.
Now Bella could break through space and return to the real world, but she needed to finish what she'd started. If the barrier around Ashina was removed, they'd be instantly exposed to Hell's will.
Hell was boundlessly vast, demons endlessly numerous.
But precisely because of its vastness, this was actually a good hiding place.
Heaven's angels were strong, Hell's demons were numerous—this was the main reason both sides could maintain equilibrium.
Bringing the entire Ashina with her, the Divine Dragon had been severely depleted after one transfer. Now regressed to a jiao-dragon, she definitely couldn't transfer again. If Ashina's ten thousand or so people didn't want to go to modern society, they had to survive here.
Mutual killing meant collective destruction. United resistance was their only way out.
Bella departed from the Fountainhead Palace. This time she didn't take the waterfall to Mibu Village but went through Sunken Valley into Ashina Castle's underground river, finally emerging from a mountain stream to arrive where they'd initially descended—the Ashina Reservoir.
It was time to end the war.
...
One day later, the entire Ashina clan mobilized.
Starting with Isshin Ashina, the country's lord, the branch family's Hirata Tsunemasa, generals Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa, Shikibu Toshikatsu Yamauchi, and General Kuranosuke Matsumoto all attended. At the Ashina Reservoir, as if in a decisive battle, the entire army launched an assault, fighting fiercely with the Interior Ministry's forces for an entire day.
That evening, the peddler Anayama notified the equally battle-worn Interior Ministry forces that Ashina was short on salt, and bandits were attacking Ashina's main castle, planning to take advantage of the chaos to plunder supplies.
The Ashina clan had already dispatched a hundred-man team to return and stabilize the situation at the main castle.
Upon receiving this news, the Interior Ministry's expeditionary army commander was overjoyed. Without a word, he led his forces in a night raid. He even contacted the bandit leader, having them create greater chaos, promising one-tenth of the spoils as reward after victory.
The two sides fought another great battle at night. At the critical moment, the bandits and the hundred-man team that had left earlier appeared behind the Interior Ministry forces. Caught in a pincer attack, the Interior Ministry army was utterly defeated.
In the chaos, sword saint Isshin Ashina charged single-handedly into enemy ranks, sword energy crisscrossing. Finally, he struck down the Interior Ministry expeditionary army's commander with a sudden blow. The Interior Ministry forces collapsed completely.
The surviving soldiers fled in panic, planning to escape to their camp, but their camp had already been breached by Bella in advance.
The Flying Dutchman had circled around the Ashina Reservoir. The completely undefended Interior Ministry camp never expected enemies to appear from behind. The few soldiers left behind were no match.
Isshin Ashina's grandson, Genichiro Ashina, led the clan's fifty most elite warriors to block the Interior Ministry army's necessary retreat route. These fifty weren't common soldiers—every single one was a samurai! They fought to the death without retreat. With support from the Snake Eyes clan's ranged attacks, relying on a wooden bridge, they held off the Interior Ministry forces for over an hour, persisting until the end.
The main army surrounded them.
At the Ashina Reservoir's outlet to the sea, the Interior Ministry expeditionary army was trapped in an extremely narrow area, without food or water, ultimately forced to surrender.
Thus, this war of the Interior Ministry's expedition against Ashina came to an end.
However, the aftermath was far from settled.
After receiving a ninja's report, Bella, Isshin Ashina, Genichiro Ashina, various generals, even the physician Emma and the ninja Wolf—a whole group gathered before a dilapidated Buddhist temple outside Ashina Castle.
A white-haired figure with one severed arm lay in a pool of blood. A sharp blade had pierced his heart. He lay sprawled before the temple gate, long since dead.
Hand-carved Buddha statues lay scattered on the ground. From the traces, he'd attempted resistance but had been too long away from combat, his body extremely sluggish. The former Orangutan had died here silently.
Not far away, an old woman also lay on the ground. Numerous shuriken and senbon surrounded her—clear signs of battle—but ultimately she couldn't escape death's fate.
Before the temple gate, a figure that could be called imposing stood there proudly, seemingly fearless in the face of the crowd.
The lingering light of sunset reflected on his face. For an instant, his figure seemed taller than the temple gate itself.
His features were extremely aged, his face crisscrossed with scars—old wounds mixed with fresh cuts from the old woman's throwing weapons.
He was covered in blood but completely unconcerned.
He was Wolf's adoptive father, one of those who'd seized Ashina's political power alongside Isshin Ashina and others, called by the world one of the Usurpers.
The Great Shinobi Owl.