A vortex rose in the void, and a figure tumbled heavily down from it, landing on the ground with a puff of dust.
Feng Lin scrambled to his feet and found his surroundings had completely changed. He was now amidst lush green mountains and clear waters—a pristine, natural scene that formed its own space.
Was this the mythical secret realm?
Feng Lin scanned the area. This secret realm was a world unto itself, with all things living in orderly harmony, and its level was not low among mythical realms.
The mythological foundation of the Eastern Ying Kingdom wasn't particularly deep, so a secret realm of this caliber was likely top-tier there.
As he pondered, he failed to notice a green, slimy figure floating up from the river at his feet. Eyes bulging like a toad's broke the surface, staring at him with greed and drooling hunger, as if it couldn't wait to shove Feng Lin into its mouth and chew him up.
*Wah...*
An ugly, strange cry rang out.
A green-skinned monster burst from the water, its four webbed claws reaching out to grab him.
"What is that?" Feng Lin's instincts flared. He clenched his fists and struck out with a spiraling, drill-like force.
His fists met a slippery, greasy surface that offered no purchase!
*Creak, creak.*
The claws scraped across the metal shell of his diving suit, sending sparks flying.
The figure was sent flying backward.
Feng Lin took a closer look and saw it was a green-skinned monster vaguely humanoid in shape, hunched over with a turtle shell on its back. Its face was hideous and twisted, with eyes bulging like a toad's, rolling around wildly.
A *kappa*!
Feng Lin recognized it instantly—a native demon from Eastern Ying mythology, the *kappa*!
It was similar to the Chinese water ghost but not exactly the same.
The *kappa* had a grotesque face, sharp fangs, and dripping, foul-smelling blood from its mouth. Its bulging eyes fixed on Feng Lin, filled with the hunger of a long-starved predator.
This mythical secret realm was its own space, and wearing the diving suit was stifling, restricting his movements. Feng Lin quickly shed it, feeling the fresh air and a surge of freedom.
"Come on!" Seeing the *kappa* baring its teeth, Feng Lin smiled and beckoned.
The *kappa* felt the insult. Its eyes bloodshot, it let out a harsh, grating cry, leaped high like a toad, and swiped at him with its sharp claws, while spewing a stream of green, stinking, toxic water from its mouth.
Feng Lin wasn't afraid, but he had no desire to be touched by such a disgusting thing.
*Hum!*
A silver mark flickered on his brow. His mental energy condensed into a sword and stabbed out fiercely.
The *kappa* felt as if a sharp blade had pierced its mind, twisting violently, and it screamed in agony.
Feng Lin deftly dodged the toxic spray, closed in, and rained down blows like hammers, a storm of fists.
The *kappa* stood frozen, its massive head pummeled repeatedly until it exploded, splattering red and white brain matter. It collapsed to the ground like a dead frog, black vapor rising from its body.
"Huh?" Feng Lin noticed the demon *kappa*'s body rapidly dissolving into black mist, leaving only a green, glowing orb. Strange.
He stepped forward to pick it up.
*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!*
The sound of a snake-like creature slithering swiftly through the grass.
*Shing!*
Feng Lin formed his hand into a blade and chopped down hard.
A branch from the grass was severed, still twitching like a living thing, oozing a white, blood-like sap.
Another branch, like a python, coiled around the demon core left by the *kappa* and retracted into the woods.
Trying to steal from him right in front of his face!
Feng Lin grinned. He lunged forward, his hands turning into blades, slicing out sharp, cutting gusts that severed the python-thick branches one by one, snatching the demon core into his grasp.
*Ow, ow, ow!*
A howl of agony.
The ground churned, and a massive tree over twenty meters long tore itself from the earth. Its wrinkled trunk revealed slits like eyes, nose, and mouth, and its branches flailed like whips, lashing out at him.
"Not every tree demon is a Granny!" Feng Lin had no patience to waste on a mere tree demon.
*Sword Seal of Immortal Slaying!*
He unleashed his strongest move, fingers together forming a sword, transforming into a divine blade. He soared through the air, thrusting forward, his sword fingers unleashing sharp sword energy, his entire strength condensed into a single point—like an ancient sword immortal, riding a sword for a thousand miles to take a head, slaying demons and vanquishing evil.
The tree demon wasn't Granny, but Feng Lin was more than a match for a Yan Chixia!
The sword intent swept through, reducing everything to dust.
Feng Lin plunged straight through the tree demon's body, emerging on the other side, standing with his hands down.
Behind him, the tree demon's face froze in a roar of rage, its massive form crumbling away, leaving only a round, dark-green demon core.
After two demons were slain, their bodies dissipated, leaving only their cores.
Feng Lin grew more certain: this wasn't a real world, but an illusory space.
A thought struck him, recalling the information the Eastern Ying people had revealed earlier and what he'd seen with his own eyes, leading to a guess.
Could the shrine submerged in the sea be dedicated to the Japanese god Susanoo, and the giant sword he held be the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi?
Legend had it that this sword was taken from the belly of the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi after Susanoo slew it, and even the divine sword Totsuka-no-Tsurugi had its edge chipped against it.
The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, drawn from the belly of Eastern Ying's mightiest demon, the Yamata no Orochi, was also known as the demon sword, with terrifying, sinister power.
Whether the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi enshrined in that shrine was real or not, Feng Lin had already fallen into this illusion. The Eastern Ying people had vanished somewhere, and only by finding them could he leave safely.
Carrying his diving suit in one hand, he followed the mountain stream downstream. In the distance, he spotted a solitary thatched hut by the river, where an old woman sat, seemingly sewing clothes.
Someone?
Feng Lin approached and asked softly, "Ma'am, where is this place?"
"Izumo Province!" The old woman kept her head down, her hair white and withered like straw, her voice raspy.
Izumo Province?!
Feng Lin's mind raced. Wasn't this where Susanoo slew the Yamata no Orochi?
This was no coincidence!
"Young man, you're a stranger, aren't you? Lost your way? Come to Granny's place and have a rice ball!" The old woman seemed genuinely concerned, warmly inviting him.
Inviting me for a rice ball?
Feng Lin looked at the woman's dilapidated home and a wry smile curled at his lips.
In ancient Eastern Ying, rice balls were a luxury only nobles could afford. A poor, solitary old woman casually offering a rice ball to a stranger? Was she trying to lure him?
He observed closely and noticed something odd.
The old woman's face was always hidden behind her hair, never revealed. Her body was hunched and bent, and under the sunlight, she cast no shadow.
No shadow!
Feng Lin stared at the dark, gaping doorway of the thatched hut and gave a cold, insincere smile. "No need. I'm afraid if I go in, I won't come out!"
The old woman trembled, her voice shaky and hoarse. "Guest, you jest!"
"I'm not joking at all. Demon, show yourself!" Feng Lin wasted no more words. He threw a punch, and a violent gust of energy swept out like a hurricane, making the old woman shriek in terror as she revealed her true form—a tongue shaped like a hook.
The thatched hut was the real body—a massive humanoid head sprouting from the earth, its gaping, dark mouth forming a doorway, with blood-red eyes greedily fixed on Feng Lin.
If he had walked in recklessly, he would have been devoured whole.
A *jibakurei*!
Feng Lin recognized the demon's essence at once and finally confirmed that this small world was a demonic illusion.