Ying Ping and the two others passed through the last vermilion torii gate, stepping into the highest point of the entire Fountainhead Palace, arriving at the destination known as the Divine Realm.
This was a sacred domain suspended above a sea of clouds.
Above the sea of clouds, a colossal withered cherry tree stood before them.
Withered vines entwined its decaying trunk, and the entire tree was devoid of life, as if it had died many years ago.
But the moment they approached.
"Rumble!"
The entire sea of clouds suddenly trembled violently, the sky instantly darkened, and golden lightning wildly streaked through the clouds!
"Roar!"
Accompanied by a deafening, high-pitched dragon's roar, the withered cherry tree suddenly came alive!
Its bark peeled away, revealing bluish-gray dragon scales!
Its branches twisted, transforming into ferocious dragon claws!
The center of the trunk split open, revealing a colossal dragon head!
"[Divine Dragon: Otherworldly Deity]
[Level: LV16+]"
"[Abilities: Source of Immortality, Dragon's Blood Anomaly, Thunder Control]"
The Divine Dragon slowly raised its right claw, gripping a massive longsword, entirely verdant!
Intense gale force energy coiled around the blade, and merely its swing caused celestial phenomena!
"Is this... the final boss of the Sekiro world?"
Ying Ping narrowed his eyes, not showing fear, but rather an excited smile.
"Shadow Army, attack!"
At his command, mist surged out wildly—
Gyobu Oniwa charged on his warhorse.
Isshin Ashina leaped up.
Genichiro drew his longbow to its fullest extent.
Headless released mist and fear aura.
The Seven Ashina Spears unleashed mental shock.
The Golden Lightning Hounds spat lightning... The entire shadow army, like a tidal wave, surged towards the Divine Dragon!
"Roar!"
The Divine Dragon roared in fury, sweeping its verdant longsword, and dozens of shadow soldiers instantly turned to ash!
But it was useless; the annihilated shadow soldiers were reborn again, and more shadows surged forward, one after another—
As the Divine Dragon awakened, the entire sea of clouds began to boil.
Golden lightning descended from the sky, striking the ground and leaving charred craters.
"Is this... the Divine Dragon?"
"I've never seen such a huge monster before!"
Kokkoro gripped her staff-spear, her voice trembling slightly.
Ilena, however, excitedly held onto her hat: "Don't worry, it definitely can't defeat Master's shadow army!"
Ying Ping calmly observed the colossal creature before him: "Ilena, Kokkoro, you two stay here and just focus on protecting yourselves."
"Understood!"
The two answered in unison.
"Secret Technique: Dragon Flash!"
The shadow Isshin Ashina struck first, a white blade qi aiming directly for the Divine Dragon's eyes.
The Divine Dragon roared, sweeping its long blade, and golden lightning poured down like a waterfall.
Another dozen or so shadow soldiers were instantly torn to shreds, but more shadows had already climbed onto its body.
"Roar!!!"
The Divine Dragon wildly writhed its body, but it couldn't shake off the shadow soldiers clinging to it like maggots.
Gyobu Oniwa's spear pierced into the gaps of its dragon scales, and the Fountainhead Palace Nobles' life absorption quickly dulled the scales, while the Golden Lightning Hounds continuously released lightning interference and bit at it.
Ying Ping stood at the back, calmly observing the battle.
Soon he discovered—
Although the Divine Dragon's power was terrifying, its movements were extremely clumsy, and its massive size made it a living target!
"Karma Reincarnation."
Ying Ping seized the opportunity and suddenly activated the power of the Mortal Blade!
"Charge. Crippling Strike!"
After a brief charge, red and black blade qi tore through space, and the Divine Dragon's right claw was severed at the root!
"Ow!"
The Divine Dragon wailed in pain, and a large amount of pink dragon blood spurted from its severed claw, like falling cherry blossoms!
All the shadow army swarmed forward at the opportune moment—
Isshin Ashina leaped onto the dragon's back, plunging his katana fiercely into its spine, then hacking his way along.
Countless Golden Lightning Hounds bit at the dragon's body... "It seems this dragon is at its last gasp."
Ying Ping sneered, "Let me end your suffering."
He gripped the Mortal Blade, Unending Karma, and activated Shadow Step to instantly approach the Divine Dragon.
Under the distraction of the shadow army, the Divine Dragon had no time to pay attention to Ying Ping, this tiny human.
"Inherent Time Control: Quadruple Speed!"
"Dragon's Blood Devour!"
Ying Ping leaped high, and the Mortal Blade plunged fiercely into the Divine Dragon's body!
The spiral patterns on the blade spun wildly, greedily absorbing the ancient dragon's life force!
All of Ying Ping's ability values and life force also surged dramatically!
"Oww—!!!"
The Divine Dragon let out a mournful wail, its massive body convulsed violently, and then it crashed to the ground.
Its skin visibly aged and withered at a speed perceptible to the naked eye, and its verdant longsword also instantly dimmed.
In just a moment, the Divine Dragon had completely withered and turned into rotten wood.
"[Killed Divine Dragon, Experience +100000]"
"[Experience full, Level increased to LV18]"
"[Main quest and side quests all completed]"
With the death of the Divine Dragon, the thunderclouds in the sky gradually dispersed, and sunlight once again shone on this sacred cloud realm.
Unfortunately, after the Divine Dragon died, there was no notification of soul fragments.
It seemed it couldn't be converted into a shadow soldier.
Ying Ping pulled out the Mortal Blade, noticing that the color of the blade had become even deeper, and a faint dragon shadow swam within the red and black intertwined patterns.
"[System Notification: Reward settlement in progress...]"
"[Obtained special item: Chaos Summon]"
"[Effect: Randomly summon a batch of mysterious rewards]"
"[Summoned objects may be divine attendants, special items... or even unlock new system functions]"
"Chaos Summon?"
Ying Ping frowned as he checked the system description, muttering, "It seems like another luck-based item, just like the treasure chests."
Just then, a blue portal slowly opened before the three of them.
"You two, it's time to go back. You've truly worked hard this time."
Ying Ping did not open the Chaos Summon here, but put away the Mortal Blade and recalled all his shadow soldiers into the shadows.
Ilena stretched: "Ugh, it's finally over~ To be honest, this world was actually quite interesting."
Kokkoro, however, was a bit emotional: "I just feel... this place was much more brutal than the Dungeon."
Ying Ping smiled slightly: "Let's write down our thoughts after we get back."
The three stepped into the portal and returned to their inn room in Orario.
Outside the window, the morning sun shone brightly.
Everything that just happened felt like a dream.
The familiar room layout made Ying Ping let out a long sigh of relief —
Endless slaughter and leveling up, then constantly converting shadow soldiers... Although he had only been in the Sekiro world for less than a day, it felt as long as a week.
[Shadow Monarch System]
[Level]: LV18
[Class]: Shadow Monarch
[Stats]: Omitted
[Magic]: Lightning Enchantment, Innate Time Control, Soul of Fear, Mist Lock
[Skills]: Shadow Step, Crippling Strike, Charged Attack, Eagle Eye, Blade Storm, Killing Intent Lock, Dragon's Heritage
Secret Art: Dragon Flash, Secret Art: Isshin
[Titles]: Goblin Slayer, Goddess' Guardian, Shura
[Free Stat Points]: 0
Ying Ping closed the system panel and let out a long sigh.
Although the process of this trial was somewhat dangerous, the gains were undoubtedly immense —
His level increased to LV18, and he also obtained the Mortal Blade: Gracious Gift of Ashina and several powerful magic skills.
The Shadow Monarch class was activated, and he also subjugated a powerful shadow army, including Isshin Ashina, Genichiro, the Seven Ashina Spears, and Headless.
"Master, are you tired?"
Karyl noticed Ying Ping's somewhat weary expression and asked softly.
"~Mm, a little, actually."
Ying Ping rubbed his temples.
The continuous fighting and traveling had kept his mind in a tense state, and now he could finally relax.
"Then... would you like to rest?"
Ilena blinked and suggested, "Anyway, there's nothing urgent right now, so a good night's sleep to recover your energy wouldn't be bad."
Ying Ping looked at the two of them, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Alright, then you two can sleep with me."
"Eh?!"
Karyl's face instantly flushed red, her fingers unconsciously twisting together: "Sleep... with Miss Ilena and... together?"
Ilena, on the other hand, wasn't shy at all, instead, she leaned in with a grin: "Oh my, Master finally couldn't hold back and wants to make a move on us?"
Ying Ping smiled faintly: "I do indeed have that thought."
He stood up and stretched: "But before that, let's take a shower first. My body is covered in blood and dust, and it's uncomfortably sticky."
The three of them went to the inn's bathroom. Ying Ping unhesitatingly took off his top, revealing his strong and muscular physique.
The scars left by battle had already healed, leaving behind muscle lines that looked as if they were cast from molten iron, full of power.
After his level rose to LV18 and he awakened the Shadow Monarch class,
Ying Ping's appearance, physique, and temperament all underwent a complete transformation. Simply put, he became more masculine.
Especially his eyes; once they turned cold, they were utterly captivating.
Ilena curiously touched his muscles: "Wow, Master's physique is really good!"
Karyl, on the other hand, blushed and lowered her head, not daring to look too much.
Hot water quickly filled the bathtub, and amidst the rising steam, the three of them soaked in together.
"Phew, it's so much better here..."
Ying Ping leaned against the edge of the tub, closing his eyes to rest.
The warm water soothed his tense muscles, making him let out a satisfied sigh.
Karyl carefully scrubbed his back, her movements as gentle as if she were handling some precious treasure.
Ilena, meanwhile, leaned on the other side, lazily saying, "Master, if you go on an adventure to another world next time, remember to take us with you!"
"Of course."
Ying Ping smiled, "Your magic and Karyl's support are a great help to the entire team."
After showering, the three of them changed into clean pajamas and lay together on the soft, large bed.
Ying Ping lay in the middle, his left arm around Karyl and his right hand stroking Ilena's hair.
Back in this world, he could finally rest peacefully for a while.
"Master... it's..."
Karyl's cheeks were still flushed, but her body involuntarily leaned closer into Ying Ping's embrace.
Ilena tightly hugged Ying Ping's arm, rubbing her face against him affectionately, then blinked and asked, "Wait... will Lady Hestia suddenly come back?"
Ying Ping gently stroked their hair, chuckling softly: "No, don't worry.".