The Eternal Bliss Cult

Based on available information, the Eternal Bliss Cult is a very special and niche sect.

The exact origin of this sect is unknown, but the name "Gokuraku-kyō" was mentioned in rumors at the end of the Edo period, so the Demon Slayer Corps speculates that it has existed for at least a hundred years.

This sect rarely expands its membership and never engages in large-scale religious activities.

Their only opportunity to interact with ordinary people is when their monks occasionally appear in the county or city to provide psychological counseling and emotional support to those who are frustrated or desperate.

You can confide in the monks of the Blissful Retreat sect about anything that makes you sad or in pain, whether it's about life, love, or wealth.

The most extreme case seems to be nothing more than what Fujino Genkuro described as "leading the people to give up on themselves and promoting a negative value of hedonism and decadence," which seems insignificant compared to those large temples that bully men and women and own thousands of acres of fertile land.

However, there is one thing that makes it a particularly special existence even in the religious world where such people are so prominent.

It particularly liked to guide young women from impoverished backgrounds or those who suffered oppression to participate in religious activities, and these women later mysteriously disappeared.

Initially, the women's families would report the incidents to the local police station, but the conclusion was always that everything was normal and the women's disappearances had nothing to do with the Bliss Cult.

As these incidents became more frequent, some began to suspect that either the Blissful Cult was trafficking these women to other places and splitting the profits with the police, or that these women were simply pitiful victims who had been secretly rescued by the Blissful Cult, which was why the government wasn't intervening...

Furthermore, it is said that the sect's prayers are very effective, and those who confide in the deity they are praying to can even hear them talking to the deity they are praying to. Those who are blessed by the deity are said to be healthy in body and mind... This adds a layer of mystery to this small sect.

And now, the monk in front of Asuka has the same idea.

Saya, the daughter of the Fujino family, miscarried at the beginning of the year due to poor health and has been depressed and unable to eat or drink since.

Her family found a doctor and prayed to other deities, but her condition did not improve.

It wasn't until late spring that I met this novice monk of the Blissful Sect by chance.

With his help several times, Saya did indeed change quite a bit; her complexion became much better, and she no longer spoke so gloomily.

But each time she undergoes a healing process, she soon reverts to her old ways, sometimes even more severely than before.

The family had been eagerly anticipating the monk's return, but their hopes were dashed by a bird.

"Excuse me, please let me take a look!" Upon hearing the homeowner's explanation, Shinobu's face instantly darkened, and she immediately reached for Saya's wrist to examine her.

Her husband stepped forward to stop Shinobu, but was deterred by Asuka's murderous gaze and watched cautiously as Shinobu gently grasped Saya's cold, fair wrist.

As soon as she got her hands on it, Shinobu Kocho frowned:

"Her body shouldn't have been in this state before, right?"

"...What do you mean?"

"According to you, she was undoubtedly exhausted and haggard before... but her body wouldn't be this cold. This isn't illness; she's been eroded!"

"ah!!!"

The elderly woman who owned the house stood up in surprise, trembling as she examined her daughter-in-law's body. She exclaimed in disbelief, "No...no way! She's been corrupted by something? A monster?"

"Worse than that, you demon!" Shinobu Kocho said definitively, pointing to Saya's lifeless eyes. "Even at this point, this young lady is still so oblivious to the outside world. Her spirit has probably already been corrupted by the Blood Demon Art."

She looked at the ice Buddha in front of the monk and speculated:

"I guess this evil spirit uses blood demon magic to stimulate the human's central nervous system and internal organs, making them feel a kind of dying ember before death, thus proving its 'redemption'."

"In the short term, the feeling of recovering from a long illness is wonderful, but once you're no longer stimulated by the Blood Demon Art, your body will experience exponentially increased depletion, and may even produce huge side effects!"

"Were you just about to use that Ice Buddha to 'heal' her?"

Hearing Shinobu Kocho talk about all this nonsense—blood demon arts, thrills, and all that—the elderly woman and man looked at each other, completely at a loss for how to react. It was the child who spoke first:

"Yes, the master said that after curing Mom today, he'll take her to see the cult leader!"

Feibiao's eyes sharpened as she looked back at the monk at her feet, turning the hilt of her sword: "Master? Where is he?"

The monk, being interrogated by the bird, cried out in distress, trying hard not to look at his fingers, which were held to the edge of a knife: "Let's talk this out! Let's talk this out!"

At that moment, Kanao also led Fujino Genkuro, whose mouth was gagged, into the house.

Seeing that Asuka and Shinobu had already drawn their swords against their own family, Fujino was enraged. He broke free from Kanao's grasp and stumbled to the old woman's feet.

"...Pah! Aunt! Are you alright?!"

He ripped the handkerchief out of his mouth and looked at his family with concern.

Just as he was about to lash out, he suddenly noticed that Shinobu Kocho seemed to be treating her cousin-in-law, checking her temperature with a concerned expression.

On the other side, Fei Niao merely held the knife to the monk's hand, showing no intention of harming his family. This made him realize the situation immediately after a moment of confusion:

"Gentlemen! Who are you? What's your purpose in disguising your identity and coming home with me?!"

Fujino Genkuro may appear friendly, but he also asks questions with great caution.

At this moment, Fei Niao had already lifted the monk up, and at the same time used the tip of his knife to lift the ice Buddha that exuded the aura of blood demon magic.

The monk, rubbing his fingers nervously, pleaded repeatedly, "The Master is right here...right here..."

Before he finished speaking, the ice Buddha suddenly emitted an unsettling aura.

The icy Buddha statue, which should have been calm and still, suddenly started moving and made a series of cracking sounds.

Upon closer inspection, a sinister smile was clearly visible on the Buddha statue's lips.

boom!

Several ice spikes, formed from the shattering of the ice Buddha, shot out from within and flew towards the monk's neck with a few rustling sounds!

With quick reflexes, the bird pulled the monk behind him and swung its weapon to deflect most of the incoming ice spikes!

Dangdang Dangdang!

After a violent impact, cracks were visible all over the Ice Buddha, as if it could collapse completely at any moment.

Ice Buddha's attack was swift and deadly, and the dense ghostly aura within it made Asuka frown.

Winding?

He also noticed that although he had indeed shattered the ice spikes, they did not lose their power because of the breakage!

On the contrary, these shattered ice crystals were eerily suspended in the air, and even seemed to want to rush into his lungs along with the birds' breath!

"Third Form: Rolling Rain!"

This is the Breath of the Wind technique that Asuka once improved, and now he uses it as his own form.

Centered on him, sword energy roared out, slashing horizontally across the ground to unleash a vast expanse of sword wind!

Click!

The ice crystals were swept away, all shattered by the flying bird's sword wind.

But the monks behind them weren't so lucky.

Overwhelmed with tension, he inhaled a large amount of air containing tiny ice crystals, causing his face to turn extremely pale.

He suddenly knelt on the ground, vomiting large amounts of blood, unable to utter a complete sentence.

It seems his alveoli have ruptured without him even realizing it; what a terrifying method.

After unleashing such a brief offensive, the ice Buddha shattered completely, turning into dark water stains that melted into the ground.

Asuka frowned; he had encountered this situation before.

The waning crescent moon could once create puppet ghosts from its own shadow, and it seems that this Ice Buddha works on a similar principle.

The Eternal Bliss Sect seems to be quite extraordinary.