Chapter 117: The Kamiya Who Is Not Kamiya

“Kamiya, I, Jiang, have been waiting for quite some time. Since you’ve come, please step forward and fight!” Jiang An rose to his feet, his challenge immediately silencing the surrounding commotion. The entire arena fell into a hush as all eyes turned toward the cliffside battlefield.

No sooner had he spoken than a graceful figure shot forth from the bow of the Japanese ship. Bathed in a golden halo, with flowing sashes trailing like a white crane soaring across the sky, the figure appeared almost celestial.

“Is this really Master Kamiya? I heard he’s supposed to be in his seventies or eighties, yet he looks like a young man,” someone exclaimed, eyes wide in disbelief upon seeing the elegant silhouette.

“You’re a frog at the bottom of the well! Cultivation inherently slows aging, and the more profound a Shinto yin-yang master’s skill, the younger they appear—some even regain their youth!” another explained.

“The great battle is finally beginning!”

...

“Are you truly Master Kamiya?” Jiang An’s sharp gaze flickered as he addressed the handsome man standing nearby.

Kamiya remained silent, merely nodding in greeting.

“You’re definitely not Master Kamiya. Then who are you?” Jiang An suddenly shouted, his voice carrying far and wide, startling the onlookers. What happened next was even stranger.

“You... you will die, for sure. Why... why ask so many questions!” Kamiya spoke in a hoarse, broken voice, like glass grinding against stone—harsh and grating.

Jiang An narrowed his eyes and stomped his right foot hard. A wide and terrifying fissure cracked open beneath him, rapidly extending toward the “Kamiya” across the battlefield.

Boom!

A mighty roar erupted.

A wild and violent aura shot upward. The figure howled toward the heavens as his ornate hunting robe shattered inch by inch. His body suddenly grew and twisted—doubling, tripling, then expanding tenfold in the blink of an eye. In an instant, the “Kamiya” transformed from a man into a colossal monster.

The creature hunched over, its body covered in yellow-brown scales. Its limbs were immense, especially its long arms that nearly touched the ground. Its claws, thick and hard, were larger than a basin. The chest was gaunt, ribs protruding sharply, while the abdomen was covered in a tangled mass of greasy black hair several centimeters long. Strangely, its head was disproportionately small—thin and pointed—and instead of a nose or ears, it bore a single jet-black eye above a massive, blood-red maw that dripped translucent, repulsive saliva capable of corroding the ground beneath, leaving smoking holes.

No sooner had this terrifying monster appeared than the surrounding natural energy became chaotic. A black cloud materialized out of nowhere, swirling ominously within several miles, accompanied by chilling winds, as if the area had instantaneously descended into a haunted realm.

“Jienetsu Nyudo! The Six Lines Reincarnation Technique!” Nishimura on the Japanese ship turned pale and cried out in alarm.

The same scene unfolded simultaneously aboard the other great vessels.

“Nishimura, what’s going on? That monster isn’t Master Kamiya at all—what’s happening?” Cao Taihuan asked, dumbfounded.

Still stunned, Nishimura was shaken before explaining, “Haven’t you seen that monster before? It’s one of the top ten great demons from Master Kamiya’s Night Parade of One Hundred Demons—the Jienetsu Nyudo! A yin-yang master’s shikigami can only summon spiritual forms. Only by merging human and spirit can they become physical entities. But this Jienetsu Nyudo appeared in pure physical form from the start and previously took on Master Kamiya’s appearance. It’s clear he used a forbidden technique—the Six Lines Reincarnation Technique—to reverse yin and yang, extract the evil spirit from the Night Parade, and control it as a separate entity. The real Master Kamiya has not emerged.”

Cao Taihuan’s face darkened as he muttered, “I knew it. Master Kamiya, who prioritizes cultivation above all else, wouldn’t have agreed so readily to come out for revenge just because I begged him… So, how strong is this reincarnated Jienetsu Nyudo?”

Nishimura smiled wryly. “Even after many years of ritual refinement by Master Kamiya, the Jienetsu Nyudo’s strength only reaches the second level of Grandmaster. Unless it’s the number one ranked Great Tengu, it wouldn’t stand a chance against our Demon Lord.”

Cao Taihuan grew anxious. “Then why didn’t Master Kamiya reincarnate the Great Tengu?”

Nishimura’s expression turned stern. “Be careful with your words! The Great Tengu and Master Kamiya’s true body are nearly fused as one. If the Great Tengu were reincarnated, it would be no different from Master Kamiya himself!”

“I spoke out of turn. But from what I know of Master Kamiya, since he knows Jiang An’s strength, he wouldn’t waste effort on something useless. He must have a backup plan!”

Before Nishimura could finish, a sudden chill ran through his body.

Woo woo—woo woo—

On the cliff, the ugly monster suddenly leapt up, swinging its long arms down with tremendous force toward Jiang An. Jiang An swiftly dodged, and the monster’s blow smashed into the ground with a deafening crash. Dust filled the air as cracks appeared on the cliff, and a massive boulder tumbled into the sea, sending a towering splash skyward. Seizing the opportunity, Jiang An appeared behind the monster, delivering a powerful kick to its back.

Although Jiang An was far smaller in size, his strength was not to be measured by stature alone. His kick sent the monster flying into the sea.

Yet the monster did not sink. Instead, it rose out of the water, pounding its chest with its arms and emitting a spine-chilling ghostly wail. The eerie sounds shifted—from the cries of an infant to the voice of a woman—spreading like a creeping nightmare. All who heard it shivered as if an evil spirit was right beside them, ready to tear them apart.

Among the crowd, only the Grandmasters could dispel the cold by circulating their cultivation and guarding their spiritual cores. The common folk, however, were terrified, overwhelmed by illusions, dodging the howls as if fleeing from unseen horrors. Many were on the verge of hysteria.

“Don’t come near! Don’t eat me!”

“Go away! Ghosts!”

“Daddy, save me! There’s a ghost!”

“Ghosts!”

...

Amidst the fearful cries, the black clouds above thickened. A faint gray mist descended from the darkness, seeping into the monster’s form. The creature seemed to rejoice, rapidly growing twice as large. Even more horrifying, its single eye split in two, revealing a forked black and crimson tongue that shot forth.

Swish!

But the transformation was not yet complete. A blue radiance emerged from beneath its feet, enveloping the monster’s body in a swirling aura. The light crystallized into a hazy blue armor. Behind the armor appeared a twisted, sinister child’s face, grinning wickedly.

Instantly, the monster became a towering giant, standing level with the cliff itself. Its aura surged threefold, its oppressive power emanating in all directions, stilling the waves and freezing the air.

The crowd was stunned into silence, utterly captivated.

“I understand now. Master Kamiya truly is a genius!” Nishimura shouted with fervent excitement.

“You see, the evil spirits Master Kamiya extracted using the Six Lines Reincarnation Technique are not limited to the Jienetsu Nyudo. That forked tongue belongs to the demon ‘Tennemae,’ who absorbs the fear of living beings to strengthen itself, channeling that power into Jienetsu Nyudo. The blue armor is the power of the demon ‘Kappa,’ whose strength in water is nearly limitless! Master Kamiya considered every detail—an absolute genius, a true genius!”