Seiya quickly ran into the dark cave.
The cave had only recently been excavated and still faintly emitted the fresh scent of earth.
As he went deeper, Seiya heard a dull echo and felt the growing might of the chakra, the pressure almost comparable to the Eight-Tails in the Valley of Clouds and Thunder.
This level of intensity might allow him to recreate the perilous situation he faced at graduation!
Seiya was secretly delighted and accelerated his rush into the depths of the cave.
The dull roars grew louder and louder, like rushing thunder. Dust continuously peeled off the cave walls, filling the cave with a gray haze.
Is this cave going to collapse?
Seiya muttered to himself, but his steps did not stop. He rushed inward faster.
It wasn't until the narrow and cramped passage suddenly ended and his vision opened that he slowed to a stop.
What met his eyes was a magnificent and ancient altar.
A purplish-black mass of chakra enveloped the huge altar, emitting a chilling aura.
As time passed, the color of the mass grew increasingly thick and dark.
Deafening roars, like thunder in his ears, continuously emanated from the mass.
The roars contained boundless urgency, impatience, anger, and excitement, much like a prisoner eagerly awaiting release.
This must be the sealed Moryo, right? Seiya glanced at the chakra mass, then began to survey the surroundings.
By the altar lay an emaciated, shriveled man, his wide-open eyes devoid of life.
Wisps of purplish-black energy continuously escaped from his head, merging into the enormous chakra mass.
On the other side, a cluster of golden light, dazzlingly bright, faintly dimmed the color of the chakra mass.
Within the golden light were two girls of similar age.
One was Kurotsuchi, whom he had recently seen.
The other girl, with an unfamiliar face, must be Shion, the Priestess of the Land of Demons, whom the people spoke of.
Her pale yellow hair flowed smoothly over her shoulders like silk; she wore a small, exquisite bell around her neck; her upper body was clad in a yellow coat with a pink collar, and her lower body was in red capri pants, stepping into gray low-heeled sandals.
Seiya's eyes revealed the double tomoe as he scrutinized her.
The Priestess had fair skin, a beautiful face, bright eyes, red lips and white teeth, and possessed a dignified calmness, making her an extremely beautiful woman.
Currently, she was focused on performing the sealing jutsu passed down through generations of Priestesses, striving to resist the sharp spikes that Moryo's chakra mass shot out rapidly.
The rosy color had faded considerably from her pretty face, gradually turning pale.
As for Kurotsuchi, she couldn't participate in this level of battle and could only hide within the protection of the golden light, supplying chakra to the Priestess. Her sharp eyes quickly spotted an extra figure by the altar.
The masked man?!
Kurotsuchi was greatly startled.
Her delicate brows furrowed. Without hesitation, she immediately formed hand signs, ready at any moment to use the Cement Release: Hardening Technique to freeze the opponent's movements.
Seeing her vigilant stance, Seiya's eyes returned to normal.
He then deliberately approached the golden light slowly, applying pressure.
Kurotsuchi coldly warned, "Masked man! We do have a grievance, but you cannot involve an innocent client because of it! If you have even a sliver of Shinobi pride and integrity, you should not attack me at a time like this! Settle our score after I complete my mission!"
Hearing this, Shion turned her head to look at Seiya.
"Excuse me, sir, are you friend or foe?"
"Neither friend nor foe. I am just a passing masked Shinobi. Do as you wish."
Seiya replied in a coarse voice, adjusted his mask, and then sat down on an empty space next to the altar, watching the purplish-black chakra mass on the altar with composure.
Shion looked at Kurotsuchi, and they exchanged a glance.
She sighed in relief and continued to focus on dealing with the gradually awakening Moryo.
The legend of the Land of Demons mentions that Moryo can grow stronger by absorbing the negative emotions of people.
Those with weak wills will be controlled by it, becoming puppets.
In Seiya's view, Moryo's methods were similar to those of the Tailed Beasts.
Because, as his Yugito sensei said, Matatabi once tried to dig up and stimulate her negative emotions to disrupt her spirit in order to break the seal and regain its freedom.
Now, Moryo has absorbed Yomi's accumulated negative emotions over the years, making its strength even greater than before it was sealed!
However, the young Shion's strength was inferior to the previous Priestess, who was in her prime.
With the passage of time, the strength of the Priestess and the demon has shifted.
Shion was finding it very difficult to cope.
The sealing jutsu she performed could only slightly delay Moryo's attacks; it could not cause any substantial damage to Moryo.
Under Moryo's increasingly fierce attacks, her face grew paler, and the golden light enveloping her visibly dimmed.
Shion understood that if she stalled any longer, she would surely die.
She had to use a more complete, multi-layered sealing jutsu to curb the fusion of Moryo's soul and body!
If she performed the complex multi-layered sealing jutsu, she wouldn't be able to spare any effort to maintain the golden light to resist Moryo's attacks.
Someone else would have to take on the heavy responsibility of defense.
However, Kitsuchi-ojisan was blocking the Ghost Army down the mountain; Kurotsuchi did not have such strength; and Kitsuchi, who should have been here, was severely injured on the way and had been sent back to the village for treatment...
Shion felt overwhelmed and lacked the necessary personnel.
Then, a flash of inspiration hit her. She looked at Seiya, who was sitting not far away.
"Passing masked Shinobi, I wish to commission you to seal Moryo with me. The reward is five million Ryo. Are you willing to accept this mission?"
Seiya shook his head and refused.
"Judging from the current situation, you cannot seal Moryo and desperately need my help, or you will surely lose your lives on the spot. But unfortunately, I am not short of money and do not wish to accept your commission. Furthermore, I have a serious grievance with the Iwagakure Shinobi beside you. I would be very happy to see her die!"
Since Seiya had said so much, Shion did not say anything more and could only clench her teeth and continue to support herself.
As time went by, her face gradually became as pale as gold foil; a layer of fine sweat seeped from her forehead, flowed down her delicate profile, and continually dripped onto the clothes on her chest, soaking a large area.
The girl's expression was resolute, making her look pitiable.
Seiya was always happy to save beautiful girls, and this time was no exception.
He felt a twinge of unwillingness and said, "Miss Priestess, stop pushing yourself. I can save you and take you away."
"No!" Shion refused without hesitation.
"I must seal Moryo! As the Priestess, I absolutely cannot allow it to harm the citizens of the Land of Demons!"
Seiya advised, "It's obvious that you are short-handed now. Why don't you accumulate enough strength and try to seal Moryo later?"
Shion thought for a moment and said, "Passing masked Shinobi, since you are willing to save me, why are you unwilling to accept my commission? Kurotsuchi mentioned your formidable ability to me. I firmly believe that if you are willing to act, we can seal Moryo!"
Seiya shook his head and refused coldly.
"If I accepted the commission and solved the crisis, wouldn't that benefit the Iwagakure Shinobi beside you for free? I will not do such a foolish thing!"
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