Iguro Obanai's words echoed through Mount Sagiri, and the surroundings immediately fell silent, as if not a single bird chirped.
Sakonji Urokodaki turned his head somewhat mechanically, looking at Iguro Obanai, and asked seriously, "What? Say that again?" Standing beside Iguro Obanai, Hanada Shizuka's eyes also widened, and she couldn't help but look at Hongyue repeatedly, scrutinizing her from head to toe.
Iguro Obanai scratched his hair, and a muffled voice came from the bandages on the lower half of his face: "Last time, when I went to Asakusa with Senior Disciple Kurozawa, Senior Disciple Kurozawa and Sister Hongyue got engaged."
"So I said she was Senior Disciple Kurozawa's wife in Asakusa. Did you not know about this, Master?"
Kurozawa had never mentioned Hongyue to Sakonji Urokodaki.
Suddenly, Sakonji Urokodaki remembered that Kurozawa had indeed seemed a bit strange when he returned to Mount Sagiri that time. When he asked him where he got a red paper umbrella, he hesitated for a while before explaining that he bought it on the roadside to block the sun, not wanting his skin to get tanned.
But with Kurozawa's physique, how could he be afraid of something like getting tanned? Not to mention, he brought back a clearly feminine red paper umbrella. At the time, Sakonji Urokodaki didn't press the matter, but now, connecting the dots, he felt something was off.
Then, a gentle breeze blew, and Hongyue's figure instantly moved beside Iguro Obanai like a ghost.
Just seeing Sakonji Urokodaki's expression, she knew her identity had been exposed, so she no longer hid it.
Ignoring the fully alert Sakonji Urokodaki who was close at hand, Hongyue extended a finger and tapped Iguro Obanai's shoulder. The rampaging aura within him immediately calmed down, and his expression also relaxed considerably.
Having grown up in a dungeon, Iguro Obanai still didn't understand much about social etiquette. He didn't notice the tense atmosphere at the moment. He simply said happily, "Thank you, I feel much better."
Hanada Shizuka, however, tugged hard on Iguro Obanai's sleeve, wanting to pull him away.
Even she could tell there was something off about Hongyue. In her mind, how could such a beautiful person exist? If there was, they were definitely not human. Seeing Master's nervous appearance, Hanada Shizuka knew Hongyue was definitely a dangerous person.
Beside them, there was a sudden clang. Sakonji Urokodaki snapped back to reality, and his Nichirin Blade suddenly unsheathed. The bright blade light went straight for Hongyue's position.
The blade swept past Hongyue's neck, passing through, only cutting through a dissipating afterimage.
Turning his head again, Hongyue had left her original position at some point and appeared over ten meters away from Sakonji Urokodaki, watching him calmly.
Looking at the Nichirin Blade in Sakonji Urokodaki's hand, the faint smile at the corner of Hongyue's mouth slowly receded. Without the smile, her expression was so cold and indifferent that it couldn't help but send shivers down one's spine.
Even knowing that Sakonji Urokodaki likely had some connection to Kurozawa, Hongyue wouldn't just watch him swing his sword at her.
Before, as long as the Nichirin Blade was sheathed, everything was fine, but now that the blade was out, Hongyue's eyes became increasingly dangerous. After all, she was a Demon with countless lives on her hands, not a kind person.
"You'd best put away your Nichirin Blade."
With a chilling gaze towards Sakonji Urokodaki, Hongyue spoke lightly.
Just as the words fell, the atmosphere at this mountainside training ground became tense, filled with clear killing intent.
Sakonji Urokodaki could clearly feel a faint stinging sensation on his skin, and waves of coldness rushed up from his spine to the back of his head. His breathing was momentarily disrupted because of this.
His body's instinct was telling him that the other party was an extremely deadly existence, and he was definitely not their match.
"The Red-Clothed Female Demon who killed the Flame Pillar, are you talking about yourself?"
The message from the Kasugai Crow had also reached Mount Sagiri. Sakonji Urokodaki knew that Shinjuro Rengoku had died in Mount Fujikasane, and the Wisteria Flower cage in Mount Fujikasane had been burned down by flames, allowing all the Demons inside to escape.
There definitely weren't many Demons that could kill a Pillar. The clothes Hongyue was wearing today were red and white, but they still reminded Sakonji Urokodaki of the red clothes worn by the one who killed the Flame Pillar.
As expected, just as Sakonji Urokodaki had anticipated, facing his question, Hongyue didn't hide anything, merely nodding her head slightly: "It was me."
Behind Sakonji Urokodaki, Iguro Obanai finally understood what had happened. He widened his eyes: "That's not right, Sister Hongyue, I remember you were fine in the sunlight, how could you be a Demon?"
Kurozawa had taken Hongyue's umbrella, and Iguro Obanai had also seen the scene of Hongyue standing in the sunlight, so he still hadn't completely believed that Hongyue was a Demon until now.
Unfortunately, Hongyue's next words sent a chill down Iguro Obanai's spine as well: "Obanai, just a little sunlight, it can't pose a fatal threat to me."
These words confirmed Hongyue's identity and also let everyone know her strength.
No Demon had ever been able to survive even a few seconds under direct sunlight. At least, Sakonji Urokodaki, as a Pillar with decades of experience hunting Demons, had never seen one.
Sakonji Urokodaki took a deep breath. Beneath his mask, veins gradually bulged on his face. This was an external manifestation of Total Concentration running at its limit, with blood surging through his body.
He took a step forward, pointing his Nichirin Blade directly at Hongyue, and said in a low, deliberate voice, "Why are you approaching my disciple? What is your purpose here?"
Across from him, Hongyue frowned slightly and said seriously, "I hate being pointed at with a knife."
A crimson light point instantly condensed on Hongyue's leg, covering it with a thin, almost invisible layer of dark red leg armor. Immediately after, a red shadow flashed and disappeared, so fast that even Sakonji Urokodaki's vision could barely catch a trace.
He only felt his vision blur, as if Hongyue had moved, and then she was back in her original spot again.
Crack, crack, crack... The sounds of breaking came from both the mask and the Nichirin Blade at the same time.
The Tengu Mask Sakonji Urokodaki was wearing split down the middle, revealing a kind and benevolent face. Large cracks also appeared on the Nichirin Blade in his hand, and it immediately turned into pieces that fell to the ground.
"If you were in your prime, perhaps you could last a few minutes in my hands, but your qi and blood have declined, your muscles and bones have aged, you don't even have the qualifications to fight me."
Hongyue had no interest in fighting, no killing intent, she was just warning Sakonji Urokodaki.
She was considering Kurozawa's feelings. Hongyue didn't want to find Kurozawa only for them to end up facing each other with swords.
Across from her, Sakonji Urokodaki raised his hand and touched his brow.
A thin line of blood appeared on his forehead, accompanied by a slight pain. Just now, if Hongyue had wanted to kill him, he would already be dead.
Looking down at the scattered fragments of his Nichirin Blade on the ground, Sakonji Urokodaki realized he had truly aged too much. He thought he could at least hold off Hongyue for a while, but the result was this.
He looked up, dispersed Total Concentration, and looked at Hongyue again, repeating his earlier question: "Why are you approaching Kurozawa?"
Iguro Obanai's words were still echoing in Sakonji Urokodaki's mind, making them hard to forget.
Considering the extremely similar scent on the two of them, Sakonji Urokodaki had actually vaguely guessed the answer, but he was still unwilling to believe it and hoped to hear an unexpected answer from Hongyue.
When Kurozawa was mentioned, Hongyue's expression visibly brightened, no longer so indifferent.
Under the gaze of the master and his two disciples, Hongyue narrowed her eyes, her cold voice carrying a hint of cheerfulness: "Because he is my only kin, my brilliant sun, my destined partner."
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