As Jian Dan finished speaking, chaos had already erupted behind the mountain of Mingfa Temple. More and more monks fell victim to the influence, their faces flushed with a strange blush. Even after collapsing, they wore disturbingly serene smiles.
Hui Ming and Ming Jing had no time to attend to them. The two immediately joined forces, unleashing radiant Buddhist light from prayer beads and staff to suppress the Locking Demon Tower as best they could.
Ampei, however, stood expressionless, forming seals with both hands to command his shikigami. At his signal, they disengaged from the monks and rushed toward the tower, striking at the golden seal of Buddhist light.
Under the assault of the three shikigami, the golden light sealing the tower flickered erratically. Hui Ming and Ming Jing continuously infused spiritual power to stabilize it, but in the very next moment, the seal shattered completely. Golden fragments fell like broken glass, the ancient barrier undone.
A deep tremor rolled across the land and then suddenly ceased. Red light surged from the tower, whipping up gales and blinding clouds of dust. Even the sun in the sky was swallowed by dark clouds.
The twin-faced shikigami punched forward, smashing the doors of the Locking Demon Tower. Hui Ming and Ming Jing, too late to stop them, were blasted back by the shockwave. The tower doors crumbled, and a torrent of dark fog burst outward.
"We're free! We're finally free! Hahaha!"
The voices echoed wildly as mist-like entities of various colors surged out, flooding the rear mountains and scattering in every direction.
The temple's defensive array had been activated, but the relentless impact of the escaping entities tore open a breach. Monsters sealed for centuries rushed out all at once, fleeing the prison that had bound them.
The capital city was soon covered in a thick black haze. Civilians screamed in terror, running for their homes. Among the escapees, a few monsters revealed their true forms just to frighten passersby, laughing with sadistic delight before rushing off to find their next victim.
From within the tower, rolling waves of red demonic energy erupted. A massive snake head slowly emerged from the entrance, then a second, followed by a third. Jian Dan's expression grew increasingly grim.
By the time all eight serpent heads and eight tails had fully emerged, she muttered with realization, "Yamata no Orochi. So that's what it was."
She had been observing everything quietly. Originally, she had no intention of intervening, but if such a beast—at nearly Void Refinement stage power—was allowed to rampage through the capital, the casualties would be beyond measure. That violated Jian Dan's Dao heart.
"Cotton Candy, let's go see the commotion."
The little cloud was more than eager. At Jian Dan's command, it transformed into a blue wisp and landed on her hair bun.
"Master, Cotton Candy is ready!"
"Let's move."
With a single step, Jian Dan appeared outside Mingfa Temple. The fleeing monsters froze, as if turned to dust by her presence. They immediately parted, leaving a path wide open. Some even dropped to the ground and pretended to be dead.
She had come for Yamata no Orochi and paid no attention to the lesser beings, but still gave them a warning.
"You have the ability to escape today, and I will not stop you. But if you dare cause chaos among mortals, spilling innocent blood, be ready to vanish from this world."
As she spoke, Jian Dan's powerful divine sense spread across the entire temple. Every escaping spirit and beast heard her voice echoing in their minds.
In the blink of an eye, she vanished. The monsters, terrified, scattered quietly and caused no further havoc, sparing the city from a true catastrophe.
By the time Jian Dan arrived at the red-leaf forest behind the mountain, Yamata no Orochi had fully emerged from the tower. Its immense body writhed in confrontation with Ampei, who floated in mid-air.
Ampei had finally regained his senses and realized the magnitude of his mistake. He poured all his strength into a last desperate gamble, forming complex seals in a frantic attempt to subdue Yamata no Orochi as a shikigami.
Meanwhile, Hui Ming and Ming Jing had gotten back on their feet and summoned their spiritual weapons. With silent understanding, they agreed—this beast could not be allowed to roam free. Not only would it ruin their cultivation, it would bring mass slaughter to countless innocents.
Only when they saw Jian Dan arrive did Hui Ming breathe a small sigh of relief. He had already prepared for the worst, but once again, this senior appeared at the crucial moment.
The moment Jian Dan revealed herself, she flicked out a willow branch. The sakura-clad shikigami beside Ampei was instantly reduced to ash.
"Ah!"
The cry of agony echoed as Ampei fell from the sky. He was caught by his shikigami Kaguya-hime, while the twin-faced shikigami rushed to his side, forming a defensive barrier.
Looking up at Jian Dan standing tall in the air, Ampei felt a storm of conflicting emotions.
"It seems you didn't take my warning to heart. I told you, some prices cannot be paid. You heard it, but you didn't listen."
Jian Dan looked at him coldly. She threw a single punch, and the twin-faced shikigami behind Ampei dissolved into mist, vanishing from the world.
"Please, My Lady, spare me. This was not my intent. I was influenced by Yamata no Orochi. Please, give me a chance…"
"Oh? Then your cultivation was simply lacking. What does that have to do with me?"
Without an ounce of pity, Jian Dan tilted her head, raised her finger, and released a droplet-sized Verdant Flame. It shot directly into Kaguya-hime's brow, burning her into stardust. Ampei crashed to the ground.
From the moment Jian Dan appeared, Yamata no Orochi had curled back its fangs and restrained its twitching tails. It could feel the overwhelming threat in her presence. In its prime, perhaps it could have challenged her. Now, freshly freed and weakened, it knew escape was its only option.
All eight heads shared the same thought: flee.
As it tried to slink away, Jian Dan didn't even look back. She casually flung out the second edition of the Mò Xī Jiàn, recently forged and now taking its first flight.
The sword flew as if guided by eyes, nailing one of the serpent tails to the earth and pinning the entire creature in place.
Seeing that the situation was stabilized, Hui Ming and Ming Jing immediately began tending to their injured brethren, ordering them to leave the forbidden forest area. At the same time, they sent messages to temples across the region: the Locking Demon Tower had been breached, and all sealed monsters had escaped. All monks were to descend into the world to subdue the escaped evils.
Jian Dan turned to face the giant serpent, which hissed and tried to dislodge the embedded Mò Xī Jiàn with one of its heads.
"Are you going back on your own? Or shall I beat you down and drag you there myself? Or perhaps you'd like to disappear from this world altogether."
At that very moment, the dormant silver-armored soldiers on Jian Dan's chest pendant surged forth like a tide. Within seconds, her entire robe was covered in glowing armor.
One of the snake heads hissed in defiance and lunged with bared fangs.
Jian Dan casually swung a punch. Though slow in appearance, it landed with devastating speed, shattering the fangs on contact. The head recoiled in pain, and the remaining seven serpent heads grew restless.
"So you like fists?"
Jian Dan flicked her wrist. Its flesh was thick and its bones sturdy—knocking out every tooth was going to take some effort.
But she welcomed the challenge.
Without further words, she activated the upgraded Obsidian Bracelet. Her fists lit with a violet-gold aura. With one leap, she landed atop one of the serpent heads and smashed down with a single, resounding punch.