With blood and brains splattered across her face, Kaori stood frozen, unable to believe what she had just witnessed. The person who had been about to kill her was now dead.
"It seems you don't have Immortality after all. How pathetic."
A clear, childish voice brought Kaori back to her senses. Only then did she notice a young girl with a long blade in her hand, revealed after the cultist collapsed.
"You... did you save me?" Kaori still couldn't believe such a powerful cultist was instantly slain. While it might have been a sneak attack, that speed was definitely not simple.
"Damn it! Why is it her!" The Evil God Cult leader recognized Uchiha Rei, primarily because she was number one on the bounty list, with a reward of 320 million Ryo. It was impossible not to notice her.
Understanding how troublesome Uchiha Rei was, and knowing they couldn't possibly win against her alone, the Evil God Cult leader dared not waste any more time and immediately initiated the ritual.
A bloody light enveloped the area, encompassing the youths holding sacrifices and a large number of corpses, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
"Please, help my captain. He's almost gone."
Kaori's eyes were misty with tears as she pleaded with Uchiha Rei, hoping this young girl would perform another miracle and rescue her captain, who was in mortal danger.
"Two against one, and they still couldn't win. They're clearly just cannon fodder."
Ling hadn't expected the Chunin from Hidden Hot Water Village to be so useless. Most of their Ninjutsu had no chance to be cast, mainly because they couldn't form hand seals in time.
She casually threw several Shuriken, imbued with extremely condensed Wind Release Chakra. The speed of Ling's Shuriken throws was terrifying.
Like lightning, the two cultists had no time to react. It was too late to dodge, so they could only reflexively raise their scythes to block.
Unfortunately, Ling's Shuriken were Uchiha's exclusive Shuriken technique. In the next instant, they arced gracefully, bypassing the two men's blocks.
"Puchi!" A sound of flesh being pierced echoed as the Shuriken directly penetrated their necks, then embedded themselves into the trees behind them, completely disappearing.
"Sigh!" Ling felt a sense of emptiness. She was now capable of instantly killing Chunin with just Shuriken.
Ling's Shuriken technique indeed astonished the two Ninja from Hidden Hot Water Village. Their opponents, whom they might not even be able to defeat in a one-on-one fight, were just casually dealt with like that?
"Uchiha Rei, why are you in the Land of Hot Springs instead of Konoha? This is a matter between my Evil God Cult and Hidden Hot Water Village. It has nothing to do with you. Leave now, and the Evil God will not blame you!"
The Evil God Cult leader pulled a few cult members in front of him. Uchiha Rei's power made him fearful, dreading that he, too, would be taken out by a single Shuriken.
"Evil God? How many divisions does this Evil God have? How dare he speak so presumptuously in front of me?"
Ling truly didn't know what this 'Evil God' was, but she guessed it was likely a native deity like the Shinigami, similar to Moryo and others.
However, when these wild deities encountered the Chakra system, their original system of cultivating demonic spiritual power became obsolete, and Ninja became the mainstream.
And they themselves were sealed by Kaguya, sealed by the Six Paths Sage, sealed by the Uzumaki Clan. In short, any that could still move were stragglers.
However, these deities were tied to this planetary system. The planet was heavily eroded by Chakra, and they suffered a similar fate; their own power systems had already merged with the Chakra system.
Looking at the bloody Chakra, this Chakra combined with Natural Energy was a type of Sage Art Chakra, but it possessed even more divinity.
"Blasphemer, the Evil God is about to descend. You have chosen the path of death."
Although the Evil God Cult leader was spouting arrogant words, he kept retreating, trying to hide behind the blood-red glow of the ritual array.
"Hey, are you telling me to run away quickly? Aren't you afraid your Evil God will get angry?"
"Uh~!" The Evil God Cult leader hadn't expected Uchiha Rei's thoughts to be so erratic. He would have to be out of his mind to tell Uchiha Rei to run.
"By the way, what blessing did the Evil God bestow upon you?"
Ling looked at the Evil God Cult leader playfully. A leader who could be killed by a mere incompetent like Hidan certainly wouldn't have any impressive abilities.
"Brat! How dare you belittle me! I'll show you the most powerful curse technique of my Evil God Cult!"
The Evil God Cult leader's eyes showed some hesitation, but being underestimated was something he couldn't tolerate, especially since the surrounding cult members were starting to question his strength.
"Curse technique? Holy cow, are you a transmigrator too? 'Misty mountains and sorrowful lands'?"
Upon hearing "curse technique," Ling thought the Evil God Cult leader was a transmigrator like her, and with the same setup.
"Nonsense! Don't think that will stop me from cursing you!"
Bloody Chakra spread from the Evil God Cult leader's body, forming thin, intricate threads that instantly enveloped the three cultists around him.
Horrific screams, coupled with the chilling sounds of flesh and bone dissolving, all indicated the cruel events befalling the three cultists.
Soon, the bloody threads tightened, encasing the three men in three blood-red cocoons. There were truly very few mid-level members of the Evil God Cult left.
"Damn, this is so bloody, so cruel. Truly worthy of being the only Evil God Cult in the Ninja World."
Ling was about to use a Water Severing Wave to cut through these three large cocoons. Even if she couldn't cut them, killing the Evil God Cult leader was still an option.
However, just as she formed a few hand seals, the blood-red cocoons emitted a cracking sound. Cracks spread across the blood-red cocoons, and some scarlet mist diffused out.
"Interesting! But I'll make the first move! Water Release! Water Severing Wave!"
A thin, high-pressure stream of water shot out, instantly severing the three blood-red cocoons, and also slaying the Evil God Cult leader, who was still laughing wildly.
However, when the high-pressure water stream hit the red glow of the ritual array, it surprisingly failed to penetrate. This was unbelievable, considering Water Severing Wave's highest achievement was cutting through the God Tree.
Now, it was blocked by a thin, crimson light, which meant that the Evil God's power was already comparable to some Ōtsutsuki.
The Sage Mode markings appeared on her forehead, and Ling actively entered Sage Mode. In her hand, she condensed Sage Art: Scorch Release: Rasen Shuriken, intending to blast open this so-called ritual.
At this moment, the outer shells of the three severed cocoons shattered, revealing two sections of red-skinned, black-horned demons, with flesh growing and extending to reconnect.
Soon, the three red-skinned imps completed their self-healing. Their healing speed was even faster than recovery using Mystical Palm Technique, just like Tsunade's Creation Rebirth.
"Immortality?" Ling looked at the three incredibly fast imps, then sharply threw the Sage Art: Scorch Release: Rasen Shuriken in her hand, while she herself teleported a thousand meters away using Flying Thunder God.
This Sage Art: Scorch Release: Rasen Shuriken unleashed its full fury. The violent explosion, accompanied by the cutting of wind blades and the scorching of Scorch Release, would reduce even Hidan to ashes.
And indeed, feeling the scorching wind rush towards her, Ling gazed at the hundred-meter-diameter crater a thousand meters away. The surrounding trees and rocks had vanished, and the earth was charred black and desolate.
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