What Yakumo and Ido thought should have been an evenly matched fierce battle ended in just a few minutes.
This was even with Haku holding back; if Haku had gone all out, Yakumo and Ido would likely have lost even faster.
"How is it possible!?"
Yakumo panted heavily, her face full of confusion.
Ido was even more agitated, flying back and forth in the air, appearing somewhat exasperated.
Haku said: "Yakumo, you aren't injured, are you?"
"Not at all!" After shaking her head, Yakumo asked again: "Haku, how did your Ice Release become so strong?"
In the duel just now, the moment Yakumo's blood blades touched Haku's Ice Release, they were instantly frozen and escaped Yakumo's control, leaving her dumbfounded.
One must know they frequently sparred at the Research Institute, and Yakumo understood Haku's Ice Release very well.
Under normal circumstances, Haku's Ice Release—let alone freezing blood blades reinforced with her Koryugan's dojutsu power—would find it difficult even to resist, often collapsing upon contact. Therefore, in spars, Haku generally relied on Sage Mode and the Breathing Style to confront her.
Haku pointed around: "This environment enhanced my Ice Release. Actually, I didn't use my full power just now; if I go all out, the effect should increase by another fifty percent!"
"This..."
Yakumo was both shocked and delighted.
She was shocked that the increase in strength from a special environment could be so terrifying, and delighted that if Haku could do it, then she should be able to as well!
Shinji walked over at this time and said: "According to the plan, a God Tree will be planted at the core node, and an Infinite Tsukuyomi will be cast with the God Tree as the center to radiate across the entire Shinobi World. At that time, the chakra of the entire Shinobi World will be concentrated at the core node, and then transmitted from the core node to the other eight critical nodes. So once this network is complete, the amplification effect here on Haku's strength will increase further!"
Yakumo calmed her breathing: "I understand! Leader, I am willing to guard a critical node!"
In her heart, she had always been proud and high-spirited. She did not want to become an insignificant minor character, so she had been cultivating hard, but the progress of others was simply too fast; no matter how she chased, she could not catch up.
Previously, she didn't dare take on a heavy responsibility because she worried she wouldn't be up to the task and would ruin the overall situation. Now that Shinji had given her hope and an opportunity to prove herself, she naturally did not want to miss it!
...
Returning to the Valley of Hell, Shinji began the transformation.
The environment of the Valley of Hell, spread with blood pools, was already very compatible with Yakumo's Koryugan. Here, the blood Yakumo could control was more than a thousand times—even ten thousand times—greater.
But blood pools alone were not enough; Shinji needed to fine-tune the environment to make it more suitable for spiritual bodies to survive. Only in this way could the power of Ido be exerted to the maximum.
As for how to change it, Shinji already had a draft in mind.
Because there was already a precedent in the Shinobi World—namely, the Sage of Six Paths creating the Underworld to accommodate the souls of the deceased.
The Sage of Six Paths could do it, and for Shinji, a Kekkei Shinra, it was naturally even easier.
Thus, with a thought, the already eerie and terrifying Valley of Hell instantly became even more strange and indescribable.
Ido was the first to react; she looked at her hands blankly: "I clearly haven't possessed a blood clone, so why does it feel like my body has come alive?"
Yakumo also noticed the abnormality: "My dojutsu power is increasing! No, not just dojutsu power, it seems my Bloodline Limit is also strengthening!"
Shinji smiled: "I changed the concentration of Yin Release chakra in this environment, making it easier to refine Yin Release chakra here."
Yakumo's Koryugan dojutsu power, the power of her Bloodline Limit Five Senses Control, and Ido's existence as a spiritual body were all closely related to Yin Release chakra. Therefore, the denser the Yin Release chakra in the environment, the stronger the strength of Yakumo and Ido.
Of course, everything has its pros and cons.
With Shinji's transformation of the Valley of Hell, it also became unsuitable for living people to survive. No matter what eyes Yakumo possessed or what Bloodline Limit she mastered, she was still a living person herself. If she stayed here for a long time, she likewise wouldn't be able to bear it.
Shinji said: "I will create a cavern here where all aspects are in a balanced state; you can usually move within the cave."
Yakumo nodded: "Mhm. If my body can't bear the burden, I'll recover in the cavern for a while. Once recovered, I'll come out to adapt to the environment, striving to completely adapt to this place and utilize the special environment here to exert the maximum effect!"
...
After arranging for Yakumo, Shinji went to the next critical node without stopping.
Haku and Yakumo were each responsible for one critical node. In this way, it saved Shinji two Six Paths level combatants. These saved Six Paths level combatants could become the trump cards in Shinji's hands, to be played at a critical moment.
Correct, Shinji did not intend to announce the list of personnel guarding the nine critical nodes.
The nine critical nodes could not be concealed, but the people guarding these nine critical nodes could be kept secret. He had a faint feeling that if this card was played well, it might produce unexpected miraculous effects.
After looking at several critical nodes, Shinji came to a massive underground cavern.
This dark underground cavern was also one of the nine critical nodes.
Its interior was very vast, as if it could accommodate an entire mountain range. The rock walls of the dome were spread with crystals that could emit dim light; if one looked up from the bottom of the cavern, it would be like looking up at the starry sky.
What was most marvelous was that the airflows within this underground cavern were very strange. In some special positions, even massive rocks could be lifted by the airflows to float.
Swoosh
"The underground tunnels here lead in all directions, forming many invisible wind ports. If this point can be utilized, Taijutsu experts can exert unexpected miraculous effects here!"
Thinking of this, Shinji immediately thought of Ryuzetsu and Chino.
The two of them had been cultivating the Twelve Palaces, and their Taijutsu attainments were already very deep. Additionally, they had recently completed the Sage Bodies of the Senju Clan and the Uzumaki Clan, and with the effect of Blue Spider Lily No. 1, their current Sage Bodies were almost the same as Asura Otsutsuki's.
Taking one of them out individually, they indeed were not matches for Haku or Yakumo, but if they were allowed to join forces to guard one location, it wouldn't be completely impossible.
Shinji thought: "If Ryuzetsu and Chino can also be responsible for a node, that would be equivalent to saving three Six Paths level combatants, and I can be more composed in my subsequent arrangements!"
Thought as he might, Shinji still had to respect objective facts.
If Ryuzetsu and Chino could not exert Six Paths level combat power, then no matter how much he wanted to save combat power, he could not arrange for Ryuzetsu and Chino to be here.