Suzuki Makoto looked at the shinobi crouched in the shadows before him, his eyes fixed intently on the path, and felt no surprise.
Even if a path like this, once usable for attacking the Fountainhead Palace, had been missed during the hasty initial assault, the Interior Ministry would have certainly discovered it after taking the palace. Seeing that the Fountainhead Palace had already sealed the wall, they merely followed the established practice, stationing a few more people to monitor it.
Such covert surveillance was meaningless to Suzuki Makoto—after all, he had his cheats active.
Moreover, the shinobi assigned to guard this area were not elites. Only some of the passes along the road were garrisoned by a few hatamoto samurai. Clearly, the Interior Ministry didn't take this path seriously, especially now, three years later.
Thus, Suzuki Makoto entered the Fountainhead Palace with considerable ease. Feeling the thick, nauseating aura, he was certain he had found the right place.
The Great Colored Carp in the pool, the still-wailing Okami Guards in the dungeon's depths, the Fountainhead Palace nobles who had long lost their human forms, and the monks who were neither human nor ghost—Suzuki Makoto took them all in.
This also confirmed for him that this Divine Dragon was, through and through, an evil demon clinging to a wretched existence by absorbing the lives of others.
A creature like this could not be allowed to live another day!
He had never intended to discuss any plan with Genichiro Ashina in the first place. The earlier talk was merely to placate the man. This way, regardless of whether he was betrayed or Genichiro was genuinely preparing, he would lie low for the time being and not disrupt Suzuki Makoto's plans with any unexpected incidents.
As for awakening the Mortal Blade, Suzuki Makoto decided to put it aside for now. The security around the Divine Heir was second only to that around the Divine Dragon. It was impossible to meet the Divine Heir unnoticed, and once he made a move, it would only be a matter of time before he was discovered—so killing the Divine Dragon was more important.
So what if he didn't have a fully awakened Mortal Blade? He had come this time out of a heartfelt desire to further refine his ability to sever immortality. If he only pursued an awakened Mortal Blade, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?
He silently continued toward the summit of the Fountainhead Palace. Just as he was about to knock out a patrol he couldn't avoid, an unexpected situation arose.
"Hey! The firewood up top has run out again! Bring another batch up immediately and send it into the Heavenly Rock Cave!"
Suzuki Makoto's heart stirred. Although the speaker mentioned firewood, the people below did not send any firewood up. Instead, they relayed the message all the way to the post station outside the Fountainhead Palace.
Soon, a squad of soldiers "escorted" a large group of people toward them. Among them were lower-ranking nobles in brocade clothing, arrogant nobles who thought highly of themselves, and many submissive commoners with the faith of pilgrims in their eyes.
Firewood… Clearly, the people stationed here knew what this Divine Dragon was all about. Among these people, perhaps one or two lucky ones would be brought back out as examples to show the outside world that the Dragon God's blessing was real, thereby attracting more people to come here and become burning firewood.
Suzuki Makoto calmly sent the fish bait into the pool. A moment later, the Great Colored Carp in the pool instantly went wild, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
"Do not worry, the Great Colored Carp is the Dragon God's favorite. This is the great Dragon God welcoming you all—let us continue on our way."
The leading priest clearly didn't think much of the Great Colored Carp's rampage. He simply reassured the people and continued to lead the way, leaving others responsible for that area to handle it.
However, no one noticed that a samurai with two swords at his waist had silently blended into the group.
The party continued to climb, leaving the clamor of the pool behind them. They walked all the way to a shrine, and looking at the giant rock there, everyone was a little puzzled. The priest then began to distribute branches tied with rope to everyone.
"Welcome, everyone, to the front of the great Dragon God's Heavenly Rock Cave. Next, please touch this giant rock with the Branch of the Divine Cherry. Before you receive the Dragon God's blessing, you must first pass the great Dragon God's trial. This will depend on your own fortune."
The crowd hesitated, but one person stepped out without a care, touched the giant rock with the branch, and his figure instantly vanished. Seeing this, the others couldn't help but cry out in surprise.
"Congratulations! This lord has received the great Dragon God's attention and has entered the Heavenly Rock Cave! He has gone to undergo the Dragon God's trial!"
Hearing this, the remaining people couldn't wait to extend their hands, touch the giant rock, and they too vanished in an instant.
The first to walk in was, of course, Suzuki Makoto. How could such a cheap trick fool him? It was nothing more than an entrance to another dimension.
Stepping into the other dimension, what instantly caught his eye was a rock-like existence in the distance. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a long, serpentine creature coiled there, its skin like tree bark.
Before Suzuki Makoto could draw his sword, a large group of withered monsters had already emerged around him. These things had human heads and dragon horns, but from the chest down, they were like tree root tentacles. In their hands, they held the same branches that had been distributed to Suzuki Makoto and the others earlier.
The young man's expression turned grim. These things had only a faint trace of a human aura left, and he couldn't even sense any life force from them. They had clearly been completely absorbed by the Divine Dragon. The so-called running out of firewood probably meant that this batch of people had been used up, and a new group was needed to fill in.
Behind him, more people were appearing. Some retreated nervously upon seeing the monsters, while others had already begun to prostrate themselves, clearly believing these were the Divine Dragon's divine messengers.
Suzuki Makoto cleanly and decisively drew his sword, slashed, and then grabbed, kicked, and threw, sending every single one of them flying out before anyone could react.
He had important business to attend to in here; these people were a major hindrance.
The priests who remained outside were just about to leave when they were shocked to see all the people they had just sent in being "spat" back out. This was a situation that had never occurred before.
The priests exchanged glances, suspecting that the Dragon God was temporarily full and wanted to sleep, and thus didn't want anything else to disturb it.
"It seems you are all quite unfortunate, having not received the great Dragon God's favor. Please return to your lodgings for the time being. We will appease the great Dragon God as soon as possible. During this time, you must all continue to drink the Palace Water and worship piously. Perhaps there will be a second chance."
The high-sounding excuse pacified the crowd. They climbed to their feet, sighing in disappointment, and followed the priests back down the mountain the way they came.
The remaining priests nodded to the samurai, who immediately reached out to touch the giant rock, clearly intending to go inside and check on the Dragon God's condition.
_____
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