It turned out that a ninja's soul was fragile and couldn't withstand the force of yin-yang energy.
But what about a demon's soul?
After all, the process of sealing the Makyo in the Land of Demons had split it into body and soul, sealing each separately.
That alone proved the resilience and strength of the demon's soul.
That was why the thought had suddenly sparked in Yuto's mind – and after some experimentation, it actually succeeded!
After completely dispersing the soul fragment that contained the Makyo's memories and consciousness, Yuto turned to look down at Chiyome below.
Sensing Yuto's gaze, Chiyome trembled and couldn't help but take two steps back.
In that moment, whether it was Yuto's god-like appearance or his casual manipulation of souls, Chiyome felt an unparalleled sense of power and shock.
Yuto glanced at Chiyome, and after confirming she didn't seem to be affected, he relaxed slightly and turned back to gaze at the remaining soul essence in his right hand.
"Soul essence, huh? There shouldn't be any more danger."
Yuto steeled himself and opened his mouth wide, swallowing the soul essence on his right hand in one gulp.
The moment the soul essence entered Yuto's mouth, an indescribable strange force surged into his mind, making his entire being shudder.
It was an utterly wondrous sensation!
To put it simply – he was suddenly feeling quite intoxicated!
Yuto felt as though his entire soul was like a starving man who hadn't eaten in ages, suddenly confronted with a grand feast.
An indescribable feeling of peace and comfort washed over him, as if he were bathed in warm sunlight, and every cell in his body seemed to moan with pleasure.
The feeling came quickly and faded just as fast!
In mere moments, Yuto felt his mind become instantly clear, and his soul itself seemed to have grown more resilient.
Yuto opened his eyes, and a brilliant light flashed through them. In that moment, he saw the entire world appearing clearer than before.
No – it wasn't seeing exactly, but rather an extraordinary sensation.
It was like a nearsighted person suddenly putting on glasses and experiencing the world becoming sharp and clear.
"My mental energy has also become stronger."
Yuto murmured softly after a brief assessment.
If before, Uchiha Itachi's Tsukuyomi could have pulled Yuto into its genjutsu space, then now, with his mental energy alone, he could block such an attack.
Even Yuto was somewhat surprised by this level of improvement.
Wait!
Yuto sensed something and raised his arm with a curious expression, waving it casually.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Heavy rumbling sounds echoed from underground, as if something terrifying was about to burst from beneath the earth.
Cracking sounds rang out rapidly across the ground.
Before Chiyome's astonished eyes, terracotta warriors nearly three meters tall rose from the earth and appeared in everyone's view.
"That is – the Makyo's undead army!"
Chiyome exclaimed in shock, turning to look at Yuto hovering in midair, her face filled with indescribable astonishment.
Not only was Chiyome surprised, but even Yuto found this unexpected.
After devouring the Makyo's mental essence, not only had his spiritual power increased, but he had actually gained the Makyo's abilities as well!
Yuto didn't know how to describe his current mood – this was truly an unexpected bonus.
Yuto's eyes lit up, never having imagined that devouring a demon's mental essence would bring such benefits.
According to the texts in the shrine, all demons possessed strange and eerie abilities.
If he could find more demons to devour, he could not only greatly enhance his mental energy but also acquire their respective abilities – truly killing two birds with one stone!
But then he realized a problem.
Yuto noticed that the current human world had virtually no demons left.
According to the information he'd gathered, the only remaining demons in the entire ninja world, apart from the Makyo of the Land of Demons, seemed to be the demon "Satoru" sealed within the Box of Heavenly Peace in the Hozuki Castle Blood Prison.
"The demon Satoru's ability seems to be reading an opponent's movements in advance – a tremendous combat advantage."
Yuto murmured thoughtfully.
Of course, the Makyo's "undead army" was no slouch either – it could single-handedly launch a terrifying war. It just didn't offer much improvement to his personal combat strength.
Crack!
Rumble!
Because Yuto had suddenly summoned the undead army, the stable foundations began to show signs of collapse. The entire underground palace started shaking, with large chunks of debris falling from above.
"The palace is going to collapse!"
Chiyome felt the underground palace trembling and her pupils contracted sharply as she shouted.
Yuto saw this and knew it was no place to linger. He quickly retracted Sage Mode, returning to his original state, and appeared before Chiyome in a flash.
With Chiyome's cheeks flushing red, Yuto scooped her up in a bridal carry and vanished from the spot.
At that moment.
Outside the stone gate of the underground palace, where Ashina and the Land of Demons' guards had been waiting, the towering terracotta warriors that had risen from the ground caused their expressions to change simultaneously.
"That's the Makyo's undead army!"
One guard looked at the terracotta warriors that had appeared without warning, panic written across his face.
"Could the Makyo have broken free from the seal?"
Another guard also cried out, his voice trembling with alarm.
As guards of the Land of Demons, they naturally knew certain secrets, and the resurrection of the Makyo filled them with even greater terror.
"No, the shrine maiden must be in danger. I need to go in and rescue her!"
Ashina saw the terracotta warriors rising from the ground and assumed the Makyo had broken free, his expression changing drastically.
Just as Ashina finished speaking, a figure swept through the air and appeared before the Land of Demons' guards in the blink of an eye.
"Shrine Maiden…!"
Ashina cried out in joy upon seeing two figures appear, but then froze when he saw Chiyome being held in Yuto's arms.
The other guards also wore peculiar expressions.
Yuto felt the stares and his mouth twitched slightly as he set Chiyome, whose face was bright red, back on the ground.
The moment Chiyome left Yuto's embrace, she quickly stepped back and lowered her head, which was still flushed.
Ashina seemed to sense the awkward atmosphere and cleared his throat gently, his expression grave.
"Lady Chiyome, that's the Makyo's undead army – has the Makyo broken free from its seal?"
Chiyome shook her head slightly and stole a deep glance at Yuto beside her, her gaze carrying a hint of confusion and embarrassment.
Could he use the Makyo's abilities because he had devoured its soul?
Inside the barrier, Chiyome had witnessed everything Yuto did. His ability to command the undead army was clearly related to his having devoured the Makyo's soul.
Ashina and the other guards looked astonished. If the Makyo hadn't broken free, how could the undead army have awakened?
"The Makyo has already been dealt with. This matter is settled. Also, if you don't want to be buried underground, you'd better leave quickly."
Yuto cut in flatly.
The entire underground palace was now shaking violently, with many pillars snapping and crashing down. Only after Yuto's reminder did the group snap back to reality.
Everyone hurried toward the exit of the underground palace. None of those present were ordinary people, so they moved quickly.
Just as everyone made it to the surface and had barely caught their breath, moments later – a massive boom echoed across the area.
The ground where the underground palace stood suddenly lurched, then rapidly caved in, transforming completely into ruins.
One hour later.
In the reception hall.
Chiyome had changed into a fresh set of clothes and knelt on a slightly elevated platform.
Ashina stood behind her, gazing at Yuto not far away.
"On behalf of the Land of Demons, I thank Lord Yuto for eliminating the Makyo."
Chiyome still had a slight blush on her face, but her expression was solemn as she bowed deeply to Yuto.
Standing behind her, Ashina also bowed deeply.
Yuto's defeat of the Makyo – the Land of Demons' great calamity – was tantamount to saving the entire nation and sparing all its citizens from future disaster. This was an immense favor.
Moreover, it had indirectly avenged the previous shrine maiden, Mitsuru.
Seeing Chiyome and Ashina bowing in gratitude, Yuto waved his hand casually with an indifferent air.
"No need for thanks. I've done what I needed to do."
Yuto shrugged, his tone suggesting something unspoken.
Hearing Yuto's words, Ashina lowered his head to glance at his shrine maiden, a complicated expression crossing his face along with a hint of relief.
Having watched Chiyome grow up, seeing her find a worthy husband meant he had not failed the grace of the previous shrine maiden.
"Whether it was the Makyo's matter or Lord Yuto pulling me out of the quagmire of believing in fate, it has taught me many things."
"The shrine maiden's role is my calling, and this power must be passed to the next generation. So from now on, I'll be in your care, Lord Yuto."
Chiyome's face turned crimson as she bowed gently to Yuto once more.
Seeing the expressions on Chiyome and Ashina's faces, and hearing Chiyome's words, Yuto would have been extremely dense not to realize what was happening!
"Wait – you've misunderstood something!"
Yuto swallowed hard and raised his hand in a stop gesture.
Seeing Yuto's expression, Ashina frowned slightly.
"Lord Yuto must have read the shrine maiden's records in the temple. The shrine maiden's power has always been passed down in a single bloodline."
"If you wish to acquire the shrine maiden's power, you naturally must unite with Lady Chiyome."
Ashina spoke with a stern tone, his voice already carrying a hint of anger.
Hearing this, and especially seeing Chiyome's deeply flushed expression, Yuto knew they had truly misunderstood!
He possessed the ability to absorb energy – as long as Chiyome released her power, he could directly acquire the shrine maiden's power.
But Yuto had forgotten to explain this detail beforehand, causing Chiyome and Ashina to get the wrong idea.
[
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