Multiverse: Why does the world show a health bar? !

For most people, exploring information and uncovering secrets might seem like the simplest tasks. But for Li Mo, it was the opposite. Having Hana Saruri by his side made things easier, but the purification phase that followed was a bit of a headache.

It was more of an annoyance than a real challenge.

The appearance of the Amenoma Kageuchi Blade was like adding wings to a tiger. With the limits of the human body pushed by the Sun Breathing technique and the trump card of the Swallow Return, the Rifthound born from the impurities suppressed by the Thunder Sakura's roots was easily dispatched.

At the very least, the Rifthound's health bar had already dropped by more than half.

Li Mo danced around effortlessly, dodging the Rifthound's attacks with natural grace. He recalled his earlier conversation with Hana Saruri.

The Thunder Sakura tree itself was meant to purify impurities. But over time, impurities would accumulate, much like how a mop becomes dirty after prolonged use. The roots of the Thunder Sakura, having purified for so long, would develop "tumors" formed from the沉淀 of impurities. This was when other rituals were needed to "cut away" these tumors.

This was precisely what Li Mo was doing—the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual.

"The health bar is almost empty."

While lost in thought, Li Mo continued to evade the Rifthound's attacks, moving like a butterfly within a confined space. The Rifthound's blade couldn't even graze him. If it were a real person, they would have either fled or engaged in close combat by now... but the Rifthound, born of impurity, had no mind of its own.

Compared to a regular Rifthound, it was just a bit more durable.

Li Mo slashed at the Rifthound's neck, but its head didn't fly off. Instead, it began to regenerate, though its health bar dropped further.

With one final strike, the Rifthound collapsed, dissipating into a wisp of smoke.

"It's over." Li Mo sheathed his blade.

He was still within the range of Mt. Yougou's influence. Today felt like reliving a mission, facing repetitive scenes that raised many questions. One question, in particular, lingered in his mind.

Returning to the abandoned shrine, he found Hana Saruri standing with the shadowy figure.

"Thank you for your help, sir."

"It's no trouble, Miss Hana Saruri. How many more places do we need to handle?"

"There are three more barriers that require your assistance."

This matched his memories, but Li Mo had doubts. He asked, "Hana Saruri, I want to know... if I hadn't shown up, how would the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual have been carried out?"

Hana Saruri fell silent.

Unable to see her expression behind the mask, Li Mo didn't wait for an answer and continued, "Miss Hana Saruri, while we're conducting the purification here, do the shrine maidens of the Grand Narukami Shrine know about this? In other words, why not seek their help?"

Hana Saruri didn't know how to answer the young man.

The Rifthound born of impurity, a wandering samurai, wasn't particularly strong. The Grand Narukami Shrine could easily handle the purification, especially the fox who had inherited the role of head priestess. For her, the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual would be almost effortless.

Hana Saruri had once gazed at the Grand Narukami Shrine from afar, feeling the power of the head priestess.

She had considered this before, but the shrine felt both familiar and foreign to her. She no longer wished to step foot there.

If she were to enter, would it be as **Hana Saruri** or **Lady Saiguu**?

It was impossible to say...

"The Thunder Sakura's roots aren't that fragile. The minor purification rituals can continue for now. The head priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine can sense that the impurities haven't reached a critical point yet."

"So you're saying the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual can begin, but there's still some time before it becomes urgent?" Li Mo guessed.

The shrine maiden nodded, agreeing with his assumption.

He said, "I see... Personally, I think matters concerning the people should be resolved as soon as possible."

"Miss Hana Saruri, the message left at the Heavenly Fox statue—was it meant for you? Who left it for you?" Li Mo changed the subject.

The message at the Heavenly Fox statue was clearly meant for someone. Li Mo believed it was for Hana Saruri, as she was the one who wanted to perform the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual.

As for the current head priestess, the fox who loved eating sweets and reading light novels, what role did she play in this story?

"The person who left that message for me... was named Kano Natsuzora. The talisman techniques you used earlier were passed down by him. These three shadowy figures were also left by him.

I once met him here. The Earth Fox statues should have recorded it. The mantra I used earlier was obtained through communication with the Earth Fox statues.

Also... are you interested in Kano's Onmyōjutsu?" Hana Saruri asked.

Kano's Onmyōjutsu was a concept widely circulated among the ronin. Legend had it that decades ago, a great onmyōji crossed the seas to study adeptal arts in Liyue, combining them with Inazuma's native onmyōjutsu to create a new system. Unfortunately, it had been lost to time.

But the techniques used by the Rifthound were part of Kano's Onmyōjutsu, allowing them to bypass the need for a Vision to manipulate elemental energy. The learning threshold wasn't high, making it incredibly useful.

Kano's Onmyōjutsu was a system—a system that ordinary people could learn!

"Miss Hana Saruri, do you have Kano's Onmyōjutsu?"

"Kano Natsuzora left something here for his successor... but over the long years, I've never met his successor. You can try to retrieve it."

Li Mo said, "That thing was left by Kano to complete the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual, right? It probably has nothing to do with onmyōjutsu."

"If I'm not mistaken, you can take it to the Grand Narukami Shrine and ask if there are any records of Kano's teachings there."

Going to the Grand Narukami Shrine—if this were the game, it would undoubtedly be a quest given by Hana Saruri. But this was reality...

Li Mo said, "I'm very interested in Kano's Onmyōjutsu, so I'll go to the Grand Narukami Shrine. But before that, according to the message left behind, do we need to gather these three shikigami together?"

"Yes, the shikigami left by Kano are the lowest grade but durable. They have no intelligence of their own. You just need to interact with them..." Hana Saruri explained.

Li Mo then interacted with the three shikigami. Without Hana Saruri's guidance, he already knew where these three shrine maiden-like shikigami were located—on the roof, in front of the shrine, and in front of the altar.

When the three shrine maiden figures gathered in front of the three fox statues, the barrier shattered, revealing something hidden within. It was a book. Li Mo flipped through it and found that it recorded details about the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual.

The language inside was too archaic for Li Mo to fully understand. He would need to take this to the Grand Narukami Shrine.

"Hana Saruri, is there anything you'd like me to ask on your behalf?" Li Mo inquired.

"Please ask the head priestess... what she thinks of me," Hana Saruri requested.