CHAPTER 168: CHAPTER 168: MUSOUJIN GORGE

The rain showed no sign of stopping. In the continuous drizzle, a wanderer in a red robe stood holding a vermillion oil-paper umbrella, gazing into the distance.

The rain diligently tried to wash away the faint scent of plum blossoms on him, but ultimately, it was all in vain.

The fragrance of plum blossoms lingered around him, isolating him from all gloom and filth.

According to Gorou, he was supposed to just wait in the military camp while the Resistance handled the rest.

But Bai Luo’s main purpose for coming was to activate the system by harnessing the lingering resentment of Orobashi, so naturally, he wasn’t going to obediently sit in a room.

Unable to persuade him, Gorou had no choice but to personally accompany him on the investigation.

Fortunately, recently the Shogun’s Army had been focused only on fighting a propaganda war and showed little intent to engage physically. Thus, Gorou had enough time to accompany Bai Luo.

"This is Musoujin Gorge," Gorou said quietly, standing before the grand and narrow ravine.

Musoujin Gorge was a forbidden place on Yashiori Island.

This magnificent sight was not naturally formed, but created when the Raiden Shogun struck down the giant serpent god with her ultimate sword skill, the "Musou no Hitotachi."

Just by standing here and gazing at it, it was hard for someone to imagine how the Shogun had managed to deliver such a slash.

Gorou rarely visited this place, because whenever he looked at Musoujin Gorge, he feared he would lose the courage to resist the Shogun’s Army.

For a general, this was fatal.

Fortunately, the Raiden Shogun seemed to have little interest in mortals like them, delegating the task of quelling the rebellion to the Kujou Clan instead.

Otherwise... Gorou wasn’t sure how long the Resistance could last under the Shogun’s blade.

A day? Half a day?

Perhaps just a fleeting moment.

"The Tatarigami at Musoujin Gorge is the strongest across Yashiori Island. Even though the will and dreams of the Watatsumi Omikami have been severed, its lingering resentment still heavily hangs over this canyon. Ordinary people, let alone Vision bearers, cannot stay here for long."

Just as Gorou described, Musoujin Gorge had become a forbidden zone for life.

Other than plants, only those driven mad by the Tatarigami wandered within it.

After the wards suppressing the Tatarigami were destroyed, the power of the Tatarigami in Musoujin Gorge grew even stronger. The originally flooding azure seawater turned into a poisonous liquid, shimmering with a ghostly glow.

Bai Luo thoughtfully stared at the poisonous water, then pulled a Sunsetia fruit from his pocket. After slicing it open, he casually tossed it into the water.

Gulugulu—

The cut Sunsetia fruit sank into the water.

At first, the surface showed no reaction, but after a few seconds, it suddenly began to boil like hot water.

Splash, splash—

Where Bai Luo had thrown the fruit, the glowing toxic seawater surged outward frantically like oil dropped into water, leaving a roughly one-meter-wide patch of pure blue water at the center.

That one-meter area became the only sanctuary in Musoujin Gorge.

Bai Luo: "..."

Gorou was dumbfounded as well.

He had just explained how this place was a death zone, yet now the resentment seemed to have been defeated by a small Sunsetia fruit?

Wasn’t that far too pathetic?

He also had some Sunsetias, brought from the camp that morning.

Following Bai Luo’s example, he sliced one open and tossed it into the poisonous water of Musoujin Gorge.

Gulugulu...

The Sunsetia hit the water, only causing a few ripples and splashes, but no sanctuary formed as it had with Bai Luo’s.

Even more bizarre, the toxic water that had been splashed into Bai Luo’s cleared area seemed to come alive, rushing to escape outward. Those that realized they couldn’t get away even directly evaporated on the spot.

Whether they evaporated voluntarily or were affected by the Sunsetia was unclear.

"Ahem... I used a bit of a secret technique," Bai Luo said, withdrawing his hand without changing expression, offering a somewhat forced explanation.

But no matter how he phrased it, it sounded weak.

Because, he really had just simply sliced a Sunsetia and thrown it in.

"I see, as expected of Himura-san!" Gorou said, without any doubt.

After all, who was Bai Luo? He was the one who had once slashed down a god, known to the world by the name Battousai.

The knowledge that he could alter the power of the Tatarigami with just a Sunsetia fruit didn’t seem entirely unreasonable after all.

Maybe when he sliced the Sunsetia, the so-called sword intent had already imbued the fruit.

In short: Himura-san truly is a remarkable man.

"You stay here first, I’ll go down and have a look."

Although the Sunsetia could resist the Tatarigami, it didn’t mean Bai Luo himself could. He wanted to go down and personally test whether the Tatarigami would affect him.

"Understood. Please be careful, Himura-san."

Having witnessed the power of Bai Luo’s Sunsetia, Gorou was no longer worried that the Tatarigami would harm him.

Even so, he still specifically stationed guards at all possible entrances and exits near Musoujin Gorge to better assist Bai Luo if needed.

After ensuring everything was in place, Bai Luo took a deep breath and entered Musoujin Gorge.

In the early days, when the wards for the Tatarigami had not yet been destroyed, Musoujin Gorge was dangerous, but not so hazardous that no one could descend.

Thus, the Resistance had built walkways and staircases to facilitate the collection of specialty materials unique to Musoujin Gorge, namely Naku Weed.

Although these structures had been partially damaged by the madmen tainted by the Tatarigami, it didn’t affect Bai Luo.

Creak—

It seemed even the wooden walkways had been tainted by the Tatarigami, creaking underfoot from time to time. Fortunately, the Resistance’s craftsmanship was solid enough that they hadn’t collapsed.

Zzzzz...

As soon as Bai Luo stepped onto the walkway, he faintly heard a strange noise. It sounded like...

Bai Luo: "..."

Wasn’t that the sound of a Geiger counter? Seriously, wasn’t this a bit too exaggerated?

Explaining what a Geiger counter was could be complicated, but it could also be summed up simply:

This device is used to detect radiation — the stronger the radiation, the more frequent the clicking sounds.

The saying "When you hear the Geiger clicks, just lay down and wait for death" wasn’t just a joke. Had he not sensed that he was unaffected, Bai Luo would have turned and left immediately.

It was too terrifying.

It was unclear whether this Geiger counter-like sound came from the Tatarigami itself or was something generated by his system.

Regardless, caution was the best approach.

After several minutes of effort, Bai Luo finally set foot on solid ground.

Contrary to his expectations, there was vegetation inside Musoujin Gorge — but the plants didn’t look right. Apart from the familiar Naku Weed, the other flowers were of unknown species.

These flowers emitted a faint, eerie glow, very different from the dreamlike light of the flowers in Chinju Forest.

The flowers of Chinju Forest gave a fantastical feeling, as if one had stepped into a fairytale world.

In contrast, the ghostly light of Musoujin Gorge conveyed a sense of danger, as if merely touching it would lead to an irreversible downfall.

The Geiger counter-like noise continued, yet Bai Luo himself felt completely unaffected by the Tatarigami.

In fact, he felt better than ever.

In other words, the corrupting power of the Tatarigami likely had no effect on him at all.

. . . . .

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