Inuyasha’s Journey to Immortal

It wasn't hard to find out which school Sota Higurashi attended.

Tracing back through his classmates to learn about the fire-damaged house where Xiao Wu's family once lived was even simpler.

Considering that the Chong Yao Child Spirit would eventually bring Mayu back to that house to open the gateway to hell, and not wanting to expose the existence of the Shikon Jewel Shards in front of Ali, Li Xia brought the three elders here to lie in wait.

Sure enough—

Just like in the anime and manga from his previous life, the Chong Yao Child Spirit brought Mayu's soul back to the scene of the incident.

It had walked right into their trap.

In the blink of an eye, the two figures entered the trap the three elders had carefully prepared.

"Did it work?"

Li Xia's eyes widened.

The Chong Yao Child Spirit, still binding Mayu, was now engulfed in a golden barrier of light that had risen abruptly. This was a mid-level barrier created by the three elders using pre-set talismans.

The barrier formed a kind of cage, aiming to trap the spirit and the girl.

On the surface, everything seemed to be going perfectly.

But the next moment—

The golden-hued Chong Yao Child Spirit suddenly emitted a purple glow. Instantly, a purple light barrier penetrated and overwhelmed the golden one, as if the talisman-based defenses didn't even exist.

The surrounding environment shifted from the charred remnants of the fire-damaged house to the very scene of the fire months ago. The house was once again engulfed in flames.

In an instant, the four of them had been dragged into the spirit's home territory.

"What's going on?"

Li Xia was shocked.

A being that looked so harmless—and was even considered "benevolent" in some accounts—actually possessed such incredible spatial powers?

"Something's wrong. I've lost contact with all the talismans I placed inside and outside the house. I can't sense them at all."

One elder's expression changed drastically.

He felt as though the space they were in had been severed from the real world.

Another elder nearby turned grim as well:

"I fear we've been pulled into a dimensional space that leads to the underworld. According to ancient texts, the Chong Yao Child Spirit can open portals to hell—but before doing so, it brings children with heavy regrets and unresolved attachments back to the place they died for a final trial."

"If the child can't let go and their soul can't ascend during this process, the space will collapse—and the hell gate will open…"

At this point, the elder couldn't help but gasp.

Fortunately, the elder leading the operation—the most senior and powerful among them—remained calm.

"Don't worry. Even if the child's soul can't be purified in time, this dimensional space won't fully collapse. It will just split open a rift to hell. The Chong Yao Child Spirit will then drag the soul of the child—bound in chains—into hell, where they'll never be reborn."

"The Chong Yao Child Spirit only targets the souls of children. It won't harm us."

"All we need to do is walk out the front door of this house. The moment we step out, we'll return from this half-real, half-illusory space back to the real world."

It was clear this elder had a deep understanding of the Chong Yao Child Spirit.

And, indeed, things were just as he said.

The four of them were now in a dimension that existed between illusion and reality. Since they had nothing to do with the original fire from months ago, they were not targets of the Chong Yao Child Spirit. In other words, they were merely "observers" and not in danger.

See? The flames raging all around caused them no harm at all as if the fire wasn't even real.

They could leave simply by opening the door—no restrictions, no barriers.

Only if they tried to interfere with the Chong Yao Child Spirit's actions would they be attacked.

"Alright, let's find the child whose soul can't move on. Once we locate her, we can follow the chains on her body back to the Chong Yao Child Spirit…"

The "child" in question, of course, was Mayu.

At this moment, Mayu was trapped inside the same wardrobe that had been in the room where her brother Xiao Wu stayed.

Inside, it was pitch black. She huddled in the corner, trembling with fear. Outside, flames blazed, spreading rapidly.

But for the four observers, the flames posed no threat. They were dangerous only to the girl trapped in the middle—Mayu herself.

"Someone… save me… Mommy…"

Curled up in a corner of the wardrobe, Mayu's eyes were full of terror.

The red chains around her were tightening, becoming heavier and more oppressive, filling her with dread.

Just then—

Bang! The wardrobe door was yanked open from the outside.

Standing there were the three elders and Li Xia.

The elders' faces were kind.

The young man's demeanor was even more friendly and approachable.

"Who are you?"

Mayu asked warily.

"So it's a little ghost girl, huh."

When the three elders saw Mayu, their smiles became even more gentle and benevolent.

Following the chains wrapped around Mayu to draw out the Chong Yao Child Spirit was no difficult task. Since its target was Mayu, it had no defenses against the three elders.

In other words, the elders could take it down with minimal cost.

Of course, this opportunity… would only come once.

If the Chong Yao Child Spirit had even a moment to react, the four of them would be facing the full backlash of a space-type demon.

"Step back. Let me handle this next part."

As he spoke, the leading elder took out a thick stack of talismans.

With just one glance, Li Xia recognized them as rare mid-level Spirit Sealing Talismans, with several high-level talismans hidden among them.

These had been passed down through generations in the elder's lineage.

Because ghosts and spirits had become rare in the current Dharma Decline era, previous generations would always leave behind valuable items before their deaths. Without a doubt, those high-grade talismans had been handed down from the Li family's forebears.

Li Xia couldn't help but glance at them several more times.

What a treasure... I want some of those too.

"Little ghost, don't be afraid... we're here to help you…"

As they reassured her, the three elders simultaneously lured out the Chong Yao Child Spirit.

At the very instant the creature—generally considered a benevolent entity—revealed itself, a high-grade sealing talisman, along with over a hundred mid-tier ones, was slammed onto its body. During this, the leading elder traced intricate symbols in mid-air, using them as a medium to fully activate the talismans.

"Young one, watch carefully! This is how you combine sealing talismans with incantation techniques!"

The elder instructed.

His movements were fluid and precise as if the air before him was a sheet of talisman paper. As his power surged, blinding white lightning arcs filled the room:

"Sealing Chains—Manifest!"

With his command, the arcs of white lightning condensed into magical chains that coiled around the Chong Yao Child Spirit. The intense binding force struck just as the creature was about to go berserk, catching it completely off guard.

"Give me a hand…"

"Seal!"

The three elders shouted in unison.

Their combined power formed a faint spiritual formation.

In the end, the white chains dragged the spirit into the high-grade talisman, and the creature's silhouette appeared on its surface.

It was clear—

The monster had been overpowered by the combined force of the chains and was successfully sealed inside the advanced talisman.

The once-soft talisman pulsed with light before hardening into something like a cardboard illustration card.

Chong Yao Child Spirit—Captured!

The three elders were visibly elated!

Originally—

At this point—

The matter should have been over.

But the elders immediately turned to Mayu and sealed the little girl with a spirit-sealing talisman as well.

Mayu had no time to react—she was captured on the spot.

"Elders… what are you doing?"

Li Xia raised an eyebrow.

Beside him, the three elders were too overjoyed to notice the slight shift in the young man's tone:

"Young one, you've done a great service to the clan this time. When we return, you'll be rewarded. Didn't you say you wanted to learn the art of shikigami contracts? I'll personally teach you."

"Yes! Not only did you provide accurate intelligence, but you also helped us capture a ghost child with incredible potential. That's quite the unexpected bonus. The earlier reward isn't enough…"

Hearing this, Li Xia fell silent.

(End of Chapter)