Chapter 118: Onmyoji

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Peerless Mad Dragon

“What prophecy?”

Long Fei deliberately tried to avoid Abe Hiroaki’s gaze, only to discover that he could not evade it at all.

“The Phoenix emerges, and the Azure Dragon prospers!”

Long Fei’s heart stirred, and he was even more alarmed. He had indeed heard those words before. At the time, he had still been young, and no one had yet called him the Azure Dragon. The Phoenix had been young as well. Since she had wandered with Long Fei back then, she had not even had a name—he had given her one himself: Silly Girl. Naturally, no one had called her the Phoenix.

But fate had toyed with them. The two of them had eventually been adopted by the old man, and later they had become assassins together. Only then had they gradually acquired those respective nicknames.

Long Fei had certainly heard those words spoken to him before. Unfortunately, he had never known who had said them. All he knew was that the person had been a Taoist priest of otherworldly bearing, with white crane-like brows, a sword strapped to his back, and a long robe adorned with a bagua emblem over the chest. A cinnabar-red gourd had been fastened around his waist. That was all Long Fei remembered of the man.

But it had only been a dream. Though so many years had passed, Long Fei still remembered it with perfect clarity. He had always regarded it as nothing more than a dream.

“I’ve never heard of it.”

Long Fei did his best to remain calm and composed, but he was still somewhat tense. His right hand clenched tightly into a fist, while his inner energy surged madly through his meridians. He was prepared to deliver a killing blow. If necessary, he would unleash a fatal strike.

Although he had no confidence that he could defeat the strange and unnerving Abe Hiroaki standing before him, he had no other choice. He would have to give it everything he had.

“I can feel it. You’re a little nervous now. Your heartbeat is speeding up. Relax. Completely relax. In truth, there’s no need for you to be so tense. I won’t harm you yet. I want to wait until you truly become a dragon before I take on the role of the legendary dragon slayer!”

Abe Hiroaki crossed his hands before his chest and murmured softly. His gaze fixed on Long Fei began to grow hazy, while his hands formed an incomparably complex series of gestures.

To Long Fei, however, Abe Hiroaki’s voice sounded as though it were whispering directly beside his ear. Because he had been on guard from the beginning, Long Fei knew perfectly well that Abe Hiroaki was casting an illusion upon him. Yet he was powerless to stop it.

Instead, the tension throughout his body gradually subsided, and his mood inexplicably relaxed. He even began to feel drowsy—a sensation he had never experienced before.

Abe Hiroaki continued asking in that dreamy voice, smiling faintly. “You truly haven’t heard those words? The Phoenix emerges, the Azure Dragon prospers. The Phoenix emerges, the Azure Dragon flourishes. You are the Azure Dragon!”

Long Fei’s eyelids grew heavy, and he murmured, “I’ve heard it… in a dream. An old Taoist priest… white brows… a long sword…”

Abe Hiroaki’s smile did not change in the slightest, but the movements of his hands suddenly stopped. He tucked his thin, bamboo-stalk-like hands back into his sleeves and stared at Long Fei with a beaming smile.

As soon as the gestures ceased, Long Fei jolted violently and awoke from his trance. His face immediately filled with rage, and his inner energy began surging wildly once more.

“Wait, Azure Dragon.” Abe Hiroaki showed no intention of attacking.

Long Fei knew that his current state was unsuitable for fighting this nearly deranged man before him, but he could not control the restlessness rising in his heart. Feeling secretly ashamed, he drew several deep breaths before finally calming himself somewhat.

“You cheated!”

“How did I cheat? Young man, surely you don’t think that using an illusion is cheating? It is the most basic skill of an onmyoji.”

Abe Hiroaki’s composure was remarkable. He continued speaking to Long Fei with a smile.

Long Fei, however, offered no pleasant expression in return. He could usually control himself around other people, but whenever he faced Abe Hiroaki, he became inexplicably irritated. Try as he might, he could not suppress it.

Perhaps he understood the reason himself: he felt that he could not control the situation. In the past, Long Fei had been able to keep command of nearly every battle he fought. At the very least, he could ensure that he would not be defeated. Naturally, that had given him tremendous confidence.

Ultimately, Long Fei was still afraid. When faced with Abe Hiroaki, he even felt a trace of terror.

Part of that was because the books and legends he had read described onmyoji as almost supernatural beings. Another part was that the strange swarm of butterflies earlier had already shown him how terrifying the illusions of an onmyoji could be. Unconsciously, it had given him a powerful psychological disadvantage.

Long Fei was rendered speechless. Illusions really were the most basic—and most formidable—skill of an onmyoji. Aside from that, there was not much difference between one of them and a Maoshan Taoist.

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“You’re right. You have indeed heard those words before. And the Taoist priest in your dream was, in a sense, one of my fellow practitioners.”

Abe Hiroaki smiled.

Long Fei was stunned. What kind of world had this become? Could people really speak to others in their dreams? Wasn’t that something only the dead could do? Could that Taoist have been an immortal? Or had he already died?

Yet no matter how he thought about it, Long Fei felt that the Taoist did not look like someone destined to die young. After all these years, Long Fei had always carried the feeling that the man was still alive.

“What did you say? He’s one of your fellow practitioners? Is he dead, then? Otherwise, how could he have entered my dream?”

Long Fei was completely confused. For a moment, he could not accept this reality.

He could accept naturally occurring supernatural abilities. He had encountered people like that before, though their talents were merely innate abilities to manipulate certain things. Some people were immune to fire, while others could not be drowned by water. Such phenomena could not be explained, but they did exist.

But could sending messages through dreams truly exist as well?

Abe Hiroaki nodded. “Of course he is one of my fellow practitioners. He isn’t dead. Perhaps he is even somewhere nearby right now. But he and I have fought for decades without ever determining who was superior. In truth, what need is there to decide such a thing? Rather than enemies, we are divided by differences in lineage and tradition. Yet both of us have grown through our struggles with each other. Ha ha, you wouldn’t understand. In any case, that dream was real. If you don’t believe me, perhaps I should visit your dreams tonight?”

“No, no, no! I don’t want to meet someone like you again. And don’t you dare come into my dreams!”

Long Fei hastily shook his head. Dealing with onmyoji and Taoists was truly troublesome. Their mysterious abilities left him completely at a loss.

“Young man, even if we do not meet in dreams, we will meet sooner or later. Ha ha!”

Abe Hiroaki laughed.

Long Fei was startled. “Why?”

“Because I am a descendant of the Yamato people. I can foresee certain things, though I often wish my predictions would prove inaccurate. Unfortunately, they have always been remarkably precise. And there is also a prophecy—I hope to be the one who breaks it.

“In short, because you are the Azure Dragon, you and I will inevitably fight one day. But not now. The you of today is not yet my opponent. Still, I can take a look at your strength in a little while.”

Long Fei grew increasingly curious. “What prophecy?”

“Did I not just tell you? The Phoenix emerges, and the Azure Dragon prospers!”

Abe Hiroaki spoke solemnly. Only now did he finally withdraw his smile.

“What kind of damned prophecy is that? Who the hell said it? Why drag me into it? I only happen to have the nickname Azure Dragon. Besides, that nickname isn’t something I was born with—it was forced on me by someone else. What the hell does it have to do with me?”

Long Fei cursed furiously. He truly did not want to become involved with this onmyoji or with the Onmyodo tradition. Even less did he want any connection whatsoever with these half-human, half-ghost-like figures. Making enemies of people like them was certainly no pleasant experience.

Abe Hiroaki frowned. “Young man, listen to me. This prophecy appeared hundreds of years ago. Otherwise, the old Taoist Songhe would not have sent you a dream to tell you about it.

“Besides, why does no one else have that nickname, while you do? And what about the Phoenix? How do you explain her?”

Long Fei was taken aback. It did seem to make some sense. He began to believe the prophecy a little, yet he was unwilling to accept it. How could people from hundreds of years ago have known what would happen today? It was far too bizarre.

And how was he supposed to explain the Phoenix? Could that be a coincidence as well?

His mind had become a tangled mess, and his temper was growing increasingly unsettled. Irritated, Long Fei said, “I know nothing about any prophecy, and I don’t want anything to do with it. From now on, you’d better stop involving me in your affairs. I hate people like you—half human and half ghost, spreading absurd superstitions!”

Abe Hiroaki was not angry. “This matter cannot be decided according to your wishes. Very well. Now let me test your strength.”

“Didn’t you just say you weren’t going to fight me?”

Long Fei stared at Abe Hiroaki warily. He truly did not want to fight. He had no intention of engaging in a battle whose outcome he could not predict.

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“I merely want to see whether the rumors are true. I also know that you possess a Pure Yang constitution, and I can tell that it has already been awakened. I simply do not know how far you have mastered the Dragon Yang Divine Art.”

Abe Hiroaki finally pulled his claw-like hands from his sleeves. They did not have the long fingernails Long Fei had imagined, though his fingers were indeed long and slender.

Long Fei waved a hand. “Wait. This is only a spar, right? There’s no need to fight to the death?”

Abe Hiroaki smiled. “Of course. I have no intention of killing you just like this. I still have to wait until you truly become a dragon before I kill you. I would very much like to become a dragon slayer. Ha ha!”

“Also, you may be disappointed. I do possess a Pure Yang constitution, and it has indeed been awakened. Unfortunately, I have no idea what this Dragon Yang Divine Art you mentioned is. What kind of martial art is it? Is it very powerful?”

Long Fei waved his hand again.

“You don’t know the Dragon Yang Divine Art? That’s impossible—”

Abe Hiroaki’s voice cut off abruptly, and his entire body vanished into thin air.

Long Fei’s renowned and undefeated kick between the legs struck nothing but empty space. He immediately shot toward the place where Abe Hiroaki had disappeared, like a missile.

In Long Fei’s view, Abe Hiroaki had merely cast another illusion. Even if he could not see the man, his real body had to be somewhere nearby. It was impossible for him to have truly vanished into thin air. Otherwise, wouldn’t he be a god?

Unfortunately, Long Fei’s full-powered attack still found nothing. The spot was genuinely empty.

After a brief moment of bewilderment, Long Fei spun around. Abe Hiroaki was standing exactly where Long Fei had been a moment before, watching him with a smiling expression.

“I truly never expected the people of your great nation to be so devious. But, young man, although you are fast, if defeating me were that easy, I would not be Abe Hiroaki. The Onmyodo is not as weak as you imagine!”

Long Fei gave a sinister smile. “Is that so?”

The instant the final word left his mouth, he shot forward once more. When his previous attack had missed, Long Fei had casually picked up a stone from the ground. Now, before he even reached Abe Hiroaki, he flicked the pebble forward.

The stone, no larger than a fingertip, flew with astonishing speed. Infused with Long Fei’s overwhelming inner power, it tore through the air with a shrill whistle caused by the violent friction between stone and atmosphere.

Once again, Long Fei was disappointed. Abe Hiroaki’s figure suddenly vanished from where he stood. When Long Fei turned his head again, Abe Hiroaki was already more than ten feet away.

This time, he was no longer smiling. A hint of anger had appeared on his face.

“Young man, your heart is far too vicious. Not only are your techniques ruthless, you are also extraordinarily sly. If I do not teach you a lesson today, you will end up underestimating this old man!”

As he spoke, he raised both hands before his chest and began sweeping them through the air. Complex patterns radiated from his palms.

Long Fei’s brows drew tightly together.

Then an even more astonishing scene unfolded.

Countless butterflies—dozens of times more than the previous swarm—surged toward him like a vast mist filling the sky. They were dazzlingly multicolored, and their speed was so great that even Long Fei was startled.

Long Fei did not dare to be careless. He hurriedly struck out with a tremendous wave of inner energy, attacking from a distance. At least several dozen butterflies scattered and vanished on the spot.

But this did nothing to stop the approach of the remaining thousands upon thousands. Countless butterflies continued beating their wings as they flew toward him.

Long Fei felt a pang of regret. If he had known this would happen, he should have continued attacking Abe Hiroaki with his killing techniques, giving him no chance to recover or cast another illusion. Or perhaps he should simply have fled.

When a fight could not be won, running away had always been the way of life Long Fei admired most.

But now, it was too late for regrets.

The countless butterflies had already closed to within three feet of him. Long Fei’s body spun like a rapidly rotating top, and then he suddenly shot upward from the ground. At the same time, he unleashed a move known as the Heavenly King Supporting the Pagoda, brutally blasting away several butterflies above him.

That leap revealed the astonishing heights of Long Fei’s lightness skill. He rose more than thirty feet into the air.

Abe Hiroaki, watching from the side, was secretly astonished. His illusions were not his only strength; his martial prowess was also far beyond that of ordinary people. Naturally, he could see exactly how formidable Long Fei was.

Long Fei had temporarily escaped the butterflies’ encirclement, but while suspended in midair, he could not replenish his breath. After hovering for barely a second, he had no choice but to drift back toward the ground.

During his descent, he struck the earth beneath him with one palm. The ground exploded, forming a crater three meters across, while countless butterflies were once again reduced to dust.

Long Fei twisted his body, changing direction in midair, and slowly floated down to the ground.