That cry of sorrow—
The emotions within it—
Deeply moved the Adventurers.
"Ashina may be a small country, but it reflects the greater world."
"This foreign land must be filled with mystery and danger…"
"That father traveled thousands of miles across the sea to the Eastern Lands with his terminally ill son… and somehow found Senpou Temple hidden deep in the mountains…"
Moonlight on Snow sighed.
"How many hardships must they have endured?"
Pear Blossom Rain Falling covered her mouth.
"Oh my God… that's too cruel to even think about. He only wanted to save his son from a fatal illness."
"He was truly a great father."
"But we also have a mission to complete."
White Crane Hermit spoke thoughtfully.
"I'm curious about the Midland Kingdom. I don't believe it's a coincidence that the Lord placed a foreign knight here with such a completely different style."
Black Stone Hammer King nodded.
"If the Midland Kingdom produces knights who value loyalty and honor above all else, it must be a prosperous and enlightened nation."
Pig King laughed.
"I hope the Ten Kingdoms Chronicle eventually includes a Midland arc."
Lone Wolf crossed his arms.
"What I'm more concerned about is the boy Robert. Now that his father was killed by Adventurers… will Senpou Temple still treat him?"
"You're overthinking it. It was clearly a scam."
"Why do you say that?"
Because just as Three Bamboo defeated the Armored Knight—
Another top Adventurer reached Senpou Temple by a different route.
He didn't encounter the knight.
Instead—
Inside a cave near the temple—
He made a horrifying discovery.
Hundreds of corpses were piled inside.
Judging by their size—
Most were children under ten.
"What did those monks do?!"
"Why are there so many children's bodies?"
The Adventurers immediately recalled the children's voices from the mural painting. They had said they were taken from different places and somehow left here permanently.
A chilling truth began to take shape.
Senpou Temple had sealed itself off from the outside world for years.
What if—
They had been conducting horrific experiments on children?
Hundreds had died.
And perhaps the voices in the painting were their lingering souls.
"If that's the case… Robert was never going to be saved."
"This isn't a sanctuary. It's a nightmare."
"Those damned monks tricked the Midland knight!"
"That poor father probably died without ever knowing the truth."
…
When Three Bamboo learned of this discovery, even he was shaken.
Perhaps dying with hope still intact had been the kinder ending.
With a heavy heart, he continued toward the temple entrance.
Faded vermilion torii gates lined the path.
Stone steps were buried beneath withered yellow leaves.
The sacred rope at the gate had rotted away.
Broken prayer beads and spoiled offerings lay scattered near crumbling shrines.
Everything felt corrupted.
Yet—
This place had once been a sacred Buddhist sanctuary, worshipped by thousands.
Three Bamboo also noticed something else.
Senpou Temple had recently been attacked.
Monks wearing robes patrolled the grounds, armed with long staffs and naginatas. Their faces were dark and twisted, their eyes bloodshot and hostile.
Black Stone Hammer King observed,
"A major battle happened here."
Along the path, Three Bamboo discovered several ninja corpses. Their masks and uniforms clearly identified them as members of Ashina Castle's Flying Kite Unit.
"Genichiro did this."
"Some of the Flying Kite Unit still follow him."
"It seems after retreating from the castle rooftop, he came here ahead of us."
"That's not good…"
…
Overhearing the monks confirmed it.
Genichiro had led elite ninjas to launch a surprise attack on Senpou Temple.
The battle had just ended.
Heavy casualties.
The High Priest severely wounded.
Already xenophobic, the temple had now gone completely mad.
Monk soldiers patrolled in groups, searching relentlessly for intruders.
Wind in Sleep frowned.
"Looks like Genichiro already left."
Cat Meow Meow worried aloud,
"Did he get what he came for? What if he's also after the Undying Severance?"
"That guy just won't die!"
"Next time we see him, we have to finish him."
"As long as he's alive, he's a threat."
…
Because of Genichiro's earlier invasion, exploring Senpou Temple became far more difficult.
The monks were on full alert.
Stealth was nearly impossible.
If discovered, Adventurers were immediately surrounded.
There was no choice.
They had to fight their way in.
Three Bamboo relied on stealth and Shinobi Executions to eliminate dozens of monk soldiers from the mountain approach to the courtyard.
But killing wasn't the objective.
They needed clues.
He slipped into a large temple hall before patrols could detect him.
Inside—
A massive Buddha statue loomed in the center.
Around it sat old monks in meditation.
At first glance, they appeared alive.
But upon closer inspection—
Their skin was shriveled.
Their eyes sunken.
No life force remained.
They were mummified corpses.
"This is wrong…"
"Why are there corpses sitting in meditation inside the main hall?"
"That's horrifying…"
The golden Buddha remained pristine and solemn.
Dozens of decayed monk corpses sat before it.
The contrast was deeply disturbing.
No monk soldiers were present.
Three Bamboo dropped silently from a beam and approached a red-robed high monk corpse in the center.
He knelt to search the body—
Danger!
His instincts flared.
Without hesitation, he severed the corpse's head.
But—
Something horrifying happened.
The corpse's limbs began twitching violently.
Then—
A massive centipede burst from its abdomen and lunged at him.
"What the hell?!"
Three Bamboo deflected the attack and slashed repeatedly.
The centipede fell.
The corpse collapsed.
Before he could breathe—
All the monk corpses raised their heads in unison.
Their empty eye sockets glowed red.
Thousands of insects poured from beneath their robes.
In moments—
The hall was flooded with venomous creatures.
Three Bamboo activated his Flame Vent prosthetic, blasting fire to repel them.
But instead of retreating—
The corpses grew even more violent.
Sticky liquid filled with parasitic insects spewed from their mouths.
As he attempted to grapple away—
A giant centipede wrapped around him like a python.
Its mandibles bit into his neck.
"This can't be… it won't die!"
The centipede was the same red-robed monk he had decapitated.
Its severed head had reattached.
All wounds were visibly regenerating.
White Crane Hermit spoke immediately.
"I see. They're Parasitic Worm hosts."
"Like Undying Henry?"
"But Henry still has his sanity."
"These monks look like mindless corpses."
It was strange—
But there was no time to analyze.
Three Bamboo was swallowed by the swarm.
Death.
Challenge failed.
He was ejected from the Secret Realm.
Even this seasoned veteran remained shaken for a long time.
Diamond Mountain had appeared peaceful and beautiful.
Yet inside—
It was filled with decay, corruption, and unspeakable horror.
The contrast was overwhelming.
…
Over the next few hours—
Seven or eight Adventurers ventured into Senpou Temple.
It proved far more dangerous than anyone imagined.
Even experts like White Crane Hermit, Three Bamboo, and Bihua suffered multiple setbacks.
But no one gave up.
In fact—
The darker and stranger it became—
The stronger their desire to uncover the truth.
Finally—
A breakthrough.
Guided by glowing markers, Bihua discovered a hidden notebook in a secret chamber.
"The High Priest's Notes."
"This was written by him!"
Though the writing was dense and complex, its core meaning could be deciphered.
They immediately summoned the lore expert—
Time Traveler.
After reading the notes—
He burst into manic excitement.
"It's all connected!"
"I finally understand everything!"
"Calm down!" the others urged. "Explain!"
Time Traveler took a deep breath.
"The story of Ashina is far more dramatic than we imagined."
"When Genichiro first used Tomoe's Lightning, I began investigating its origins."
"We now know from Isshin that Tomoe was a powerful female swordswoman and the creator of that lightning technique."
"But Tomoe's connection to Kuro… runs much deeper."
Everyone froze.
Kuro—
The previous generation Divine Heir?
How was he connected to Tomoe?
Time Traveler continued.
"Kuro from the previous generation had a Dragon Heritage attendant."
"That attendant was Tomoe."
Nancilia whispered,
"So Tomoe and the former Kuro were like Lone Wolf and our Kuro?"
"Exactly."
He continued reading the High Priest's notes.
"The previous Divine Heir and Tomoe came from the Divine Realm. Together with the High Priest, they researched the Dragon Heritage."
"They attempted to sever its power."
"But disagreements arose."
"Tomoe and Kuro discovered an ancient ritual."
"It required one of them to sacrifice themselves. The Dragon Heritage would disappear, and the survivor would return to being mortal."
Gasps filled the room.
Bihua said in shock,
"To sever it… one of them had to die? Kuro never told us that."
Moonlight on Snow nodded slowly.
"Because if he had… Lone Wolf would gladly sacrifice himself. That child is too kind. He would choose to die instead."
Silence followed.
White Crane Hermit urged,
"What happened next?"
Time Traveler continued.
"The High Priest opposed the ritual."
"Because it only severed the Dragon Heritage temporarily."
"It did not eliminate the source."
"As long as the source remained, another Divine Heir would appear. The curse would return."
"The tragedy would repeat."
"After further research, the High Priest proposed a different plan."
"One where neither Tomoe nor Kuro had to die."
"And the curse could be ended permanently."
"He called it…"
"Dragon's Homecoming."
Everyone held their breath.
If this plan was better—
Why didn't it succeed?
Because history showed—
Tomoe ultimately sacrificed herself.
The former Kuro became mortal.
And both eventually passed away.
Even stranger—
From these notes—
The High Priest did not initially seem evil.
So why had Senpou Temple descended into horror?
Was it connected to Dragon's Homecoming?
What happened to that plan?
What went wrong?
Everyone burned with the same question—
What truly happened all those years ago?
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