Chapter 123: The Art of Talismanic Decoy

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't you want to save your two members?" The Blood Ghost Dragon, its appearance increasingly demonic, pointed its blade at the tightly bound Shijing and Wuyin.

"Of course I do. I alone am enough; the others would only hinder the powerful technique I am about to unleash," Abe Haruya said, slowly rising from the ground.

"I am about to employ the secret arts of the Abe Onmyoji, the most powerful clan in Tokyo. All other members, leave this place at once to avoid being caught in the crossfire. Obey my command and return to the Onmyo-sai when the time is right!" As he spoke, Abe Haruya swept thousands of paper talismans from behind him into the air.

"Master of the Shrine...!"
"Master of the Shrine...!"
"Master of the Shrine...!"
"Master of the Shrine...!"
...

The other seven members shouted in concern. Although they did not know what technique their master intended to use, they knew it would be difficult to gain the upper hand against the demonized Blood Ghost Dragon standing before them.

"If you still consider me your Master, obey my order and leave! Immediately!" Abe Haruya roared, his voice straining.

The seven members exchanged glances before nodding. Following his command, they scattered and fled the area.

"Stop putting on an act. You realize you're no match for me, so instead of letting eight people die here, you've chosen to stay behind and stall for time so the others can escape, right?" The Blood Ghost Dragon's eyes turned crimson, its form now indistinguishable from a true demon. "Just a moment ago, I seem to have gained the power to read human hearts."

"You truly have become increasingly powerful," Abe Haruya replied with a bitter smile.

"I don't care about the fate of those seven useless people anyway. I only care about you, Master of the Shrine!" The Blood Ghost Dragon let out a boisterous laugh. "I want you to become my eighth ghost-spirit. I really fancy you!"

Abe Haruya smiled quietly. "Onmyo Shadow Clone Technique!"

In an instant, the paper talismans converged, transforming into paper dolls that mirrored Abe Haruya's appearance. These dolls, wielding talismans, charged toward the Blood Ghost Dragon in unison.

"Hmph, a powerful technique indeed, but still fragile!" The Blood Ghost Dragon used the Ghost-Spirit Blade to summon the souls of its seven previous victims. With a single swing, a massive wave of malevolent energy erupted, instantly shattering the army of paper clones back into a pile of scattered charms.

Behind the swirling paper, Abe Haruya was busy untying Shijing and Wuyin.

"Run!" Abe Haruya scooped up Wuyin in his arms and hoisted Shijing onto his back. "Earth-Shrinking Technique: A Thousand Miles in a Single Step!"

In a blink, Abe Haruya vanished like a startled rabbit, sprinting away.

"You think you can save them right in front of me? Do not underestimate me, Blood Ghost Dragon, Master of the Shrine!" Suddenly, a pair of enormous wings sprouted from the creature's back. "Do you truly believe you can outrun me?"

Meanwhile, Fang You was making his way toward Mount Taiwu.

"This should be the place! The exact spot where that evil energy originated." Fang You scanned his surroundings, but everything appeared perfectly normal; there were no signs of disturbance.

"Strange... wait, what is that?"

Before Fang You could react, an unknown object slammed into him, sending him flying. When he finally steadied himself and stood up, he realized that what had hit him was a person.

Taking a closer look, he saw a man dressed in white, wearing a tall white hat, gasping for breath on the ground. Beneath him lay a young girl trembling in fear, and beside them, another woman had collapsed.

Fang You’s eyes widened. The man before him was none other than the Tokyo Onmyoji he had encountered before—Abe Haruya, the one who had warned him through a dream. And beside him were the two female Onmyoji, Shijing and Wuyin, who had tried to seize the remains of Shennong at the entrance of Dragon God Cave.

Seeing this, Fang You assumed the Onmyo-sai was up to their usual devious schemes. He instantly drew his peach-wood sword and copper-coin sword. "What are you up to now? Confess! Are you creating some kind of evil entity with that dark energy from earlier?"

"It’s you!" Abe Haruya, recognizing the Onmyo practitioner Fang You, gasped for air. "Can you... can you help me take my two members away?"

"Take them away?" Fang You looked at Shijing and Wuyin on the ground. Both women were covered in wounds, as if they had been through a brutal battle, and they were barely able to move.

"What trick are you pulling now?" Fang You demanded.

Suddenly, a whistling sound tore through the air. A creature resembling a giant bird crashed through the trees and landed with a deafening thud.

"Please, hurry, take them and go!" Abe Haruya struggled to his feet, seemingly intent on facing the creature alone.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but something monstrous has clearly arrived." Fang You felt the immense wave of malevolent energy and noticed Abe Haruya's battered state. Could it be that they were fighting a genuine evil entity?

"Go! You are no match for him!" Abe Haruya urged.

Fang You stood his ground, full of confidence. "Don't underestimate an Onmyo practitioner from the Eastern Lands! I have seen heavenly deities, encountered the Ancestor of Zombies, Hou, and even visited the halls of the Yama King!"

Abe Haruya could only shake his head. "This is no time for bragging. The thing in front of us is something neither you nor I can handle!"

As they spoke, several more large trees were flattened, and a massive, mountain-demon-like entity emerged.

"I have found you!" the creature roared, its vicious mouth agape as it spoke each word with chilling clarity.

"You have completely fallen into evil," Abe Haruya sighed, looking at the now fully demonized Blood Ghost Dragon.

"This is all thanks to the Ghost-Spirit Blade!" The Blood Ghost Dragon swung its massive right arm. Driven by its thirst for power and a burgeoning desire for slaughter, its body was being continuously reinforced by the blade's malevolent aura.

"Shikigami, Moon-Chasing God!" Abe Haruya used the power of his talismans to summon his shikigami.

A humanoid spirit, seated upon a lunar apparatus, appeared and summoned an illusion with both hands. In an instant, the surroundings plunged into darkness, and the Blood Ghost Dragon seemed to lose its vision within the phantasm.

"If you want to leave, there is still time. My shikigami is adept at creating illusions; perhaps it can stall the Blood Ghost Dragon. I only ask that you take my two members, Shijing and Wuyin, and flee! I beg you, Onmyo practitioner from the East!"