The current president of the association, Ashiya Mifune, is a moderate among the reformists. Onmyoji led by the Ashiya family advocates a slow opening to the outside world to avoid taking too big a step and damaging the eggs.
The Kamo family is the banner of the conservative die-hard forces, and they firmly oppose violating ancestral rules and communicating with "barbarians".
Among the crowd, the Onmyoji who resisted Lu Xiao but were not outright hostile were members of the old school.
The moderate reformists represented by Ashiya Mifune had the most normal attitude towards Lu Xiao, and while they were enthusiastic, they would not show too much flattery.
The radical reformist faction is more interesting. There are two waves of people with different opinions in this faction.
Some young Onmyoji looked at Lu Xiao with reverence and yearning, perhaps hoping to get guidance from the contemporary supreme mage to better understand their own path forward.
However, some Onmyoji led by Shunyi Abe showed clear hostility towards Lu Xiao, and this hostility was far stronger than that of the conservative faction.
There are many different factions in the small Onmyoji Association. With many parties holding each other back, if there is no leader with enough courage to subdue others, a split is almost inevitable.
Lu Xiao and Yongzhen pretended not to know anything and entered the main hall of the shrine under the guidance of Ashiya Mifune.
The time of encountering demons is a term commonly used by Onmyoji, which generally refers to the transition between yin and yang every day, that is, dusk and dawn.
In modern times, the concept of encountering evil spirits has been fixed, usually referring to the two time periods from 6 to 8 o'clock in the morning and evening.
There is a saying in the Yin and Yang world of Japan that when there is a demon, a hundred ghosts walk at night.
Whenever there is a demon encounter, the demons and monsters wandering around the world will become extremely active. At the same time, this is also the prime time for Onmyoji to take action. Those who want to capture the right shikigami will usually choose this time period to take action.
Previous onmyoji conferences have been held in the evening when demons are encountered. In addition to gatherings and exchanges, the younger generation of onmyojis will also try to capture their favorite shikigami under the care of their elders.
Most of the great demons in Japanese myths and legends, such as Shuten-dōji, Yamata-no-Orochi, Ibaraki-dōji, Tengu, Otakemaru and Tamamozen, have been killed or sealed by powerful onmyojis in the past.
In the eyes of Lu Xiao and Yong Zhen, the shikigami who can still be controlled by Onmyoji are worthless chickens and dogs.
At the invitation of Ashiya Mifune, Lu Xiao and Yongzhen witnessed the activities of young onmyojis capturing shikigami at the moment of encountering demons.
Most Onmyoji capture ordinary shikigami such as Lantern Demon, Tang Paper Umbrella Demon and Shantou. Occasionally, those with better luck can encounter the rarer Crow Tengu and Nine-Life Cat Demon.
These all-too-common gestures made Lu Xiao and Yong Zhen lose their energy. After watching the ceremony, the two of them kept their formulaic smiles and said some scene words.
The next session finally got Yongzhen interested in the exchange of spells about Onmyoji.
While Yongzhen was having an in-depth discussion with Ashiya Mifune and other senior onmyojis, Lu Xiao half-closed her eyes and began to rest her mind.
Ashiya Mifune and other Onmyoji also knew that the things they discussed were difficult to penetrate into the eyes of the Supreme Mage.
Most Onmyoji set their sights on Yongzhen, hoping to leave some good impressions on the Supreme Mage by making good friends with this "comatriot".
'Sure enough, it's gone.'
Lu Xiao, who seemed to be in a state of disbelief, actually remained awake. While most of the Onmyoji were having heated discussions with Nagama, some of the Onmyoji led by Shunyi Abe had disappeared.
Expanding the scope of his eagle vision, Lu Xiao discovered the whereabouts of Abe Shunkichi and others in the side hall on the other side opposite the ancient well.
They are gathering together to cast spells together, trying to unofficially open the space channel connecting the shrine to the outside world.
Kama Taj's mystics have the help of hanging rings developed by their ancestors. Apprentices who have just left can learn convenient teleportation spells, but the teleportation distance will be limited by their own mana.
Onmyojis do not have benefits like Kama Taj, and space spells are already considered very high-level spells for them.
Although Shunkichi Abe relied on his status as a famous family to gather a group of like-minded... or rather like-minded companions, his own strength was not that outstanding and he could not even open the portal alone.
Through the small space passage opened by Abe Shunkichi and others, Modo, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately followed the space fluctuations and tore open the portal, and a black figure stepped into the lightless side hall of Kandari Shrine.
In the pitch-black environment, Abe Shunkichi and others could only see the white teeth exposed when Modo grinned. He seemed to be completely integrated into the environment.
"Shunji, where is the target?"
Modo's attitude of being superior and bossing around his subordinates made Abe Shunkichi, who had been pampered since childhood, a little dissatisfied, but now was not the time for him to lose his temper.
Suppressing his unhappy mood, Abe Shunji said in a low voice: "Still in the main hall."
Of course, Modu noticed Abe Shunji's dissatisfaction and raised his lips indifferently.
The relationship between the two parties was not that harmonious in the first place. They only came together temporarily out of mutual use.
Shunji, who has a lofty ideal, secretly plots against Modu, and Modu treats them as cannon fodder.
Raising his left hand with the hanging ring flat, Modu easily opened a large teleportation gate.
Dozens of calm-looking mystics entered the shrine from the other side of the door in an orderly manner. Under Modu's instructions, they were all ready for battle.
Modo ignored Abe Shunji and solemnly said to the mystics present: "Today is the best time to demonstrate the order of nature. The rebellious mystics who wantonly destroy the laws of nature must be punished!"
"Set off!"
Modu kicked open the wooden sliding door of the side hall, and his eyes began to glow with a strange red light. The accompanying mystics also enchanted themselves to prepare for close combat... Yes, it was still the same old thing.
"Well……"
Abe Shunji stretched out his hand to remind Modu, but at this time the mystics had already rushed to the main hall door.
"...Japanese traditional doors slide open on both sides."
Kanda Sato Shrine itself is equivalent to a stable semi-permanent mirror space, where fighting can be done without worrying about hurting innocent people.
Under Shunyi Abe's secret arrangement, the onmyoji guarding the shrine during this period were all his confidants, and Modo and others rushed to the front of the main hall without any hindrance.
"Who!"
The elite onmyojis guarding outside the temple scolded, and before these onmyojis could cast spells to summon the shikigami, Mordo suddenly threw several fiery red energy chains at them.
The onmyoji who was bound by the chains immediately let out a shrill roar. The chains were accompanied by strange flames that burned their souls. The appearance of the onmyojis who were chained did not seem to have any change, but their souls were burned up in the fire.
.
"Hiccup~"
Lu Xiao in the hall had already opened his eyes, and he vaguely heard the sound of belching coming from nowhere.
"snort!"
Ashiya Mifune and others, who looked shocked, only heard a cold snort. When they turned their attention to where Lu Xiao was, there was no one there.
"bite!"
Just when Modu was about to repeat his old trick of burning the souls of the other guarding Onmyojis and dedicating them to a certain "person", Lu Xiao suddenly appeared on the scene and cut off the chains with his Xuanyuan Sword.
The chains of pure energy made a crisp sound that was as real as the Xuanyuan Sword's attack.
"Ugh!"
These chains seemed to be directly connected to Modu's soul. The moment they were cut off, his face clearly showed pain.
"Succumbing to self-destruction."
"boom!"
Lu Xiao stomped his foot on the ground. The traitor mystics who were about to attack him in groups were all imprisoned in the dungeon, leaving only one head struggling desperately outside.
Lu Xiao looked at Mo Du with a sharp look on his face, who looked suspicious. He looked at the golden sword in Lu Xiao's hand with great fear.
"Whoa!"
Pointing the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand at Modu, Lu Xiao asked sternly: "Giving your soul to the devil, is this what you call maintaining the natural order? Modu!"