Starting with the usurpation of Akatsuki, the ninja world was overthrown.

Chapter 224 Taking Over the Land of Demons

Finally, after the shrine maiden successfully remembered her promise, Shiba Kiyokawa didn't actually do anything to her again.

The Land of Demons is a theocratic state that has lasted for thousands of years. If the priestess is killed, the Akatsuki organization may not be able to take over the country smoothly.

Therefore, the threat just now was mainly intimidation.

Fortunately, Shiba Kiyokawa's acting skills are always on point.

For a fleeting moment, the shrine maiden genuinely believed that the Akatsuki trio was going to kill her!

The murderous intent that seeped into her skin made the witch's hair stand on end.

No matter how skilled she is in witchcraft and magic, a priestess is ultimately a leader who has been raised in seclusion since childhood. Her mental fortitude is no match for that of a thug like Shiba Kiyokawa, who has lived a life of bloodshed and real combat experience.

Especially after the threat dissipated, the priestess's original will to die bravely also vanished.

The courage to commit suicide is often fleeting.

In that instant, she could be fearless of death for the destiny of inheritance, for the education she received since childhood, and for the purest sense of mission in her heart, but once that moment passed and the crisis dissipated, her will to survive would naturally return.

This is human nature.

Therefore, the priestess did not insist for long and soon agreed.

"Alright, fine, I can accept your conditions. This is for the sake of the Land of Demons. Now let's go back first. The people who have retreated to the mountains need to return to the town as soon as possible."

The priestess found herself an excellent reason and a way out.

Shiba Kiyokawa readily praised him.

"That's right, it's all for the sake of the Land of Demons, to protect all the people who believe in you. Your Highness, the Priestess, is indeed a person of great righteousness."

With such praise, the shrine maiden lost even more courage to commit suicide.

The Land of Demons was thus captured by the Akatsuki organization without bloodshed.

Not long after, they returned to the palace in the capital.

Having been subdued, the spirits of the dead quickly ceased their resurrection and returned to silence.

The Akatsuki's Sixth Battalion of ninjas also returned the following day.

When they returned, Shiba Kiyokawa was sitting in the main seat of the palace, reading through the notes on the priestess's legacy.

Meanwhile, the real priestess knelt beside him, boiling water to make tea and preparing a stove to warm his hands.

This scene was witnessed by the priestess's attendant who had returned with the sixth battalion of the Akatsuki organization, and the loyal attendant immediately flew into a rage.

"You bastard! What are you making the priestess do?! Damn it, I'm going to kill you!!"

However, before this loyal priestess could rush forward, she was frozen in place by a sharp shout.

"Stop! Halt!"

Shiba Kiyokawa then calmly raised his head, smiled slightly at the attendant, and said, "Now that the crisis has been resolved, the Land of Demons and the Akatsuki will have more in-depth cooperation and exchanges in the future. For this reason, the Priestess specially demonstrated her tea ceremony for me. Is there any problem with that?"

At first glance, it seems like there's no problem.

But the servant, seeing Shiba Kiyokawa sitting upright while the shrine maiden knelt in service, still clenched his teeth tightly.

His intuition told him that there was definitely something wrong here!

Unfortunately, the next moment, even the priestess he admired most spoke up: "From now on, you must not be rude to the guests of Akatsuki. They are the saviors prophesied by the first priestess, and they are the heroes who saved the Land of Demons this time."

The attendant looked on incredulously. "How is this possible? Wasn't it you, Princess Shrine Maiden, who sealed it?"

The priestess shook her head and emphasized again, "We were able to overcome this crisis entirely thanks to the Akatsuki organization's help."

The servant was momentarily distraught.

But Shiba Kiyokawa did not stop there.

There are, of course, reasons behind this.

"You were the one who kept encouraging the priestess to send requests to the more distant Konoha Village, weren't you? Why go to such lengths? Can you explain your reasons?" Shiba Kiyokawa's gaze gradually sharpened at this moment.

This is not just a post-event reckoning, but more importantly, it means that in the process of Akatsuki taking control of the Land of Demons, such a senior retainer who is more inclined to Konoha and absolutely loyal to the priestess cannot be kept.

The attendant, still oblivious to the gravity of the situation, glared at Shiba Kiyokawa with his neck stiff. "Konoha is the number one ninja village in the ninja world, so of course I trust Konoha more! But Her Highness the Priestess prefers to ask you for help, and in the end, I followed Her Highness's orders."

This answer reveals that although the attendant had personal biases, he remained completely loyal to the priestess.

Unfortunately, both of these points stepped on Shiba Kiyokawa's minefield.

"Do you know that your bias almost shattered the prophecy of the first priestess? Your mind has been corrupted; you have become her accomplice in fact, and you even nearly killed the priestess."

"This is impossible?!"

Before he could continue his explanation, Akatsuki ninjas had already teleported close and swiftly pinned him to the ground. "No! Bastards! Let me go! I've served the Land of Demons! I've shed blood for the Priestess! You can't do this to me!"

However, the ninja who was suppressing him expressionlessly pulled out the rope and said disdainfully as he tied him up.

"No way! You've been muttering about Konoha the whole way here, and you still want to say you're fine?"

The servant was quickly dragged away.

This was already considering the shrine maiden's feelings; otherwise, the Akatsuki ninja could have simply taken out kunai instead of rope.

Even so, this servant will never have the chance to appear before the priestess again.

At that moment, the shrine maiden who was brewing tea lowered her head deeply.

It was only at this moment that she realized how powerless her once-proud skills and abilities were in the face of the Akatsuki organization at full power.

The reason she was able to repel Konan at the border several months ago was simply because the Akatsuki organization was too busy to target the Land of Demons at the time.

The pressure from the person in front of her was far greater than that from Xiao Nan back then!

"Alright, Lady Shrine Maiden, the minions have been dealt with. Now it's time to discuss the deep alliance between the Land of Demons and the Akatsuki."

Furthermore, I have many questions to ask Your Holiness regarding the cultivation of celestial arts.

After reading the shrine maiden's handbook, Shiba Kiyokawa can now confirm that the shrine maiden's inheritance is indeed celestial magic.

Moreover, it is different from Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave; it is a sage technique more suitable for humans!

The magical arts of Mount Myoboku and Ryuchi Cave are either closer to those of a toad or a snake; neither is essentially a human magical art.

However, there were once immortal techniques in this world that were more compatible with human physiques. But because the threshold for cultivation was much, much more difficult than that of ninjutsu, they were gradually lost after the establishment of the Ninja Sect.

The lineage of priestesses in the Land of Demons is one of the few that has been completely preserved.

At this moment, the priestess lowered her head, having long since lost the courage and strength to resist.

She didn't even dare to question when her servant had become a servant.

"From now on, please don't always call me Lady Shrine Maiden; just call me Miroku."