The moment Luo Shu and Kikyo jumped into the Bone-Eating Well...
In a cave near Kaede's Village.
A figure draped in a black cloak, only revealing a face covered in moss, looked up towards the direction of Kikyo's Shrine:
"Finally sent those two dangerous individuals away."
As the man spoke, the moss-covered right side of his face formed vague facial features from layers of brown wrinkles.
Then, the mouth on his right cheek opened, emitting a hoarse voice:
"So'unga, the Shikon Jewel has been taken by Kikyo."
Hearing this, the man's expression darkened, his face twisting in displeasure.
Finally, he sighed:
"This was expected. Kikyo is too cautious."
Ever since Kikyo took charge of the Shikon Jewel, it has only existed in two places.
Either on Kikyo's person, or in the hands of the God of Rice deity statue that Kikyo continuously infused with Purification Power and was worshipped by numerous monks and priests.
Neither location was accessible to So'unga or his allies.
The meticulous Kikyo had even set up anti-human barriers around the deity statue - not even her adoptive sister Kaede could approach, let alone them.
Hearing So'unga's words, the tree-patterned face remained silent for a moment before rasping:
"Without the Shikon Jewel, neither you nor I can become complete, cannot become true yokai."
"This is indeed troublesome."
So'unga frowned, but thinking of Kikyo and that dangerous man, he could only sigh:
"But if the price is the Shikon Jewel to send away Kikyo and that dangerous man, it's already the smallest cost we could pay."
Hearing So'unga say this, the tree face found itself unable to refute.
Having personally transported Luo Shu twice, it understood his terror better than anyone.
That was an existence so heavy it couldn't be moved even by the power of ages - a horror as weighty as the stars themselves.
Contrary to Luo Shu's assumption, So'unga and the Tree of Ages hadn't sent him near Kaede's Village because they lacked strength.
Instead, Luo Shu's essence was simply too heavy - they could only transport him to the Tree of Ages' immediate surroundings.
Precisely because of this, while the Tree of Ages agreed with So'unga's reasoning, it still resented the blade's actions:
"Without the Shikon Jewel, I can never transform from a tree spirit into a true yokai, and you, So'unga's evil spirit, will remain trapped within the Demon Sword forever."
"To liberate our true forms, the Shikon Jewel is essential."
"I know."
So'unga's expression remained eerily calm.
Glancing at the yokai devouring each other in the cavern, watching the half-yokai Naraku gradually taking form, it couldn't help but sneer:
"Do you think I found this bandit for no reason?"
The Tree of Ages fell silent at this.
Then So'unga continued coldly:
"Unlike you, who's been trapped in one place since ancient times, I've witnessed countless eras."
"And among those countless eras was the very age when the Shikon Jewel was born."
"A soul crystal formed from the entangled fusion of a Purification Shrine Maiden's soul with countless yokai."
"That is the Shikon Jewel."
"If we know how it forms, we can reverse-engineer the method to create one."
"What are you suggesting?" The Tree of Ages vaguely grasped So'unga's meaning. "Impossible. In this era, the only Purification Shrine Maiden is Kikyo."
"Using her soul to make a Shikon Jewel is unthinkable."
A yokai conglomerate, however, would be far easier to obtain.
After all, So'unga had deliberately controlled Onigumo to summon countless yokai spirits for consumption - the resulting half-yokai Naraku was essentially such material.
In essence, Naraku represented half of what made a Shikon Jewel—the yokai component.
Yet while yokai were simple to gather, the true challenge lay with the shrine maiden's soul.
"I know Kikyo is the only Purification Shrine Maiden now. But Purification Power and high-quality shrine maiden souls aren't exclusive to her."
Here, So'unga's face broke into a triumphant smile:
"Isn't the deity statue at Kikyo Shrine a perfect concentration of Purification Power?"
"So that's your plan..." The Tree of Ages genuinely hadn't anticipated So'unga scheming to this extent.
Sending away Kikyo and Luo Shu served dual purposes - preventing these formidable enemies from discovering them while conveniently removing obstacles to stealing the crucial deity statue.
"But finding a vessel capable of bearing Purification Power to create a shrine maiden substitute won't be easy."
"Not easy doesn't mean impossible."
So'unga chuckled meaningfully:
"The Celestial Maiden, Kaguya."
"That sacred being who descended from the moon to the mortal realm."
"If we use her body as a vessel and infuse it with Purification Power, we could cultivate an unprecedented Purification Shrine Maiden."
"Compared to that, the yokai nature I'm currently preparing seems rather weak."
Hearing this, the Tree of Ages expressed surprise:
"Don't tell me you're planning to capture those two Great Yokai near the Shrine?"
"It's still too early to target Great Yokai now."
"Whether it's capturing Kaguya or those Great Yokai to create the ultimate Shikon Jewel, we need power."
As So'unga spoke, he turned his head to look at the gradually forming Naraku submerged in a mountain of yokai corpses, revealing a smile:
"We need more combat forces."
"And preferably, those forces should be undead that we can easily manipulate."
The Tree of Ages hesitated at these words:
"Powerful undead comparable to Great Yokai aren't easy to find."
So'unga narrowed his eyes: "Indeed, they're not, but coincidentally, someone has prepared them for me."
"Who?" The Tree of Ages questioned.
At this moment, So'unga slowly curled his lips into an excited grin:
"None other than my dear former master, Tōga!!"
"Hahaha!"
So'unga couldn't help but cover his face and laugh maniacally:
"He who spent his entire life battling Great Yokai, striving to ascend beyond them, would never imagine that the Great Yokai he killed or defeated would become our assets."
"Ryūkotsusei, Hyōga, the Panther King, ..."
"When Tōga wielded me to slay these Great Yokai, he never expected I'd usurp portions of their power."
"And he'd never dream that the Great Yokai he severely wounded - Kirinmaru and that Shinigami - would become my prey."
"Everything is predestined!!"
So'unga's smile grew increasingly unrestrained, bordering on madness.
He turned to look at the half-yokai amidst the sea of corpses and chuckled:
"Awake now, Naraku?"
From the blood pool, a featureless naked male figure stood up, his body covered with crimson-black patterns.
As So'unga slowly approached Naraku, his body began melting, transforming into a Demon Sword with a gem embedded at its hilt.
Within the gem, two vertical pupils - one red, one green - slowly opened:
"Now then, Naraku, my puppet!"
"Let us create our own Shikon Jewel!!"
As these words fell, the faceless Naraku seemed to pause momentarily before reaching out to grasp So'unga's hilt, declaring:
"As you command, Lord So'unga, Lord Sacred Tree."
With that, Naraku drew So'unga and strode out of the cavern.