Original subtitles

That’s rare.

A mixed breed.

Were you the one who killed Mudan?

You...

Bastard...

I’m starting to take an interest in you.

Run.

I really did want to dissect you,

but right now, I don’t feel like taking anyone’s life.

Fuchi-dono! Thank goodness.

What's wrong?

Mei’s condition...

I thought it was just fatigue, but...

she’s not recovering at all.

Wasn't she a child at the start?

What even is she?

They say she’s of the same kind as the Tensen.

I also saw her use a strange power.

The same kind as those monsters.

Our materials are limited,

but let’s make a simple fever reducer.

In return, Mei,

please tell us more about yourself and the Tensen.

After losing our comrades,

I’ve finally realized how serious this is.

Who exactly are you people, and what is your goal?

Depending on your answer,

I may not be able to forgive you.

Um...

Hold on. We're not gonna get a proper explanation with the way she talks, right?

True.

Watch your words, you two!

But it’s fine. I’m used to translating.

In the meanwhile, Sagi, please work on mixing the medicine.

Dragging us out to a place like this...

What do you want, Gimpy-maru?

My memories are back,

but my combat instincts have dulled.

So, I want to warm up. Humor me.

So you want all of us to come at you at once?

Yeah, pretty much.

You're saying you'll use me as a practice dummy?

You too.

The one you hate most is me, isn’t it?

If you want to kill me, come at me with that intent.

Wait a second.

If you’re planning something sneaky under cover of the chaos,

I’ll cut you down.

If Sensei’s in, I’m in too.

Hey, woman-man, you can use your katana.

I’ll beat the hell out of that bastard.

The Doshi... Aza Chobe...

After two battles, I’ve learned something.

Relying too much on Tao's power is dangerous.

But if you can’t control it, you won’t be able to defeat the Tensen,

or anyone else, for that matter.

I have to figure out how to use it.

Thanks for helping.

Don't underestimate me!

He’s fast!

Don’t track him with your eyes.

Feel him with Tao.

That muscle mass...

Normally brute force wouldn’t work.

But...

If you aim for Tao’s vital points,

even a weak body can deliver a powerful blow.

Wait, Nurugai!

But this confirms it for me.

In the realm of Tao, it’s impossible to surpass the Tensen.

They’re monsters who’ve trained their Tao for a thousand years.

Humans can’t outdo them.

So then...

We use the Tao that surrounds them.

The stronger the force directed at you,

the bigger the backlash when you exploit it.

If we can use the Tensen’s own Tao,

it could become a countermeasure.

Amazing!

With this, we could even kill a Tensen!

No, not yet. There are still tons of challenges to solve.

He’s even better than the rumors.

Gabimaru might actually be able to reach them.

But is it really okay to rely on a criminal?

Gabimaru, after observing Tao, I realized something.

There are probably different types of Tao.

Each type has its own attribute and compatibility.

Types?

If we can make use of that, we could even kill immortals.

Huh? What do you want?

You looking to fight too?

What’s this supposed to be, woman-man?

I know it’s shameless, but please,

teach me real sword combat.

Huh?

Not for revenge.

So I can survive here with my own strength.

You're telling me to trust the words of a bandit?

I can't prove it any other way, but...

I'm serious. I don't like you,

but you're stronger than me.

So, teach me the sword!

Do whatever you want.

I was just about to swing around a blade anyway.

Bring that katana over.

Even if I have to grovel in the mud, I’ll strengthen myself.

So I can fight on my own.

So I can fight alongside my brother.

Strength is change.

We can kill them later.

I’ll come save you, brother.

He’s strong!

He’s on a completely different level from the Doshis.

Is he the same kind as that guy?

Interesting. That distorted Tao...

It must have mixed after you came to this island, right?

The elixir flowers that transform humans into Tan.

Your Tao is being eroded by it, yet you’ve maintained your sense of self.

That is very rare.

Let’s study you a bit more.

At this rate, I don’t see a winning path,

but even if I do that thing again, there’s no guarantee I can control it.

No.

I don’t need guarantees.

It’s do or die.

It feels like roots are spreading through my entire body.

So it doesn't steal my consciousness, I need

to focus!

Both his speed and power are completely beyond human limits.

My sense of self is still intact.

I have to finish this fast!

Your weak point is your navel, right?

Oh my goodness.

It really isn’t regenerating.

If I destroy the navel, you die?

I’m at my limit too. I have to revert.

My goodness.

Even after releasing the Tao of the outer elixir flower,

he’s still controlling it.

This is unprecedented.

So that was a decoy, huh?

I only meant to scout, but I wanted to see it with my own eyes.

Beautiful.

We must take him back to the castle and study him.

I’m at my limit. Any more and my sense of self will...

Don’t push yourself. You’ll die.

Take care of yourself.

Sleep.

I know, Toma. I'm not like my father.

I will come back.

Collapsing...

Breaking...

Where am I?

So you're awake, human?

What the hell is this supposed to be?

Your body is precious.

During the process of becoming Tan, the Taos mixed,

and the human Tao prevailed.

It's a miracle.

I haven’t seen anything like this in a thousand years.

A man who could become

the final key my research needs.

What, did you suddenly get horny or something?

No, that's not it.

It's the bedchamber arts.

I want to circulate your Tao and mine.

So I can understand it in more detail.

It will also help restore your weakened Tao.

Circulate?

Each Tao has different "attributes."

Wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Five types.

These attributes influence one another.

By touching, you can weaken the other’s Tao, "mutual overcoming."

Or conversely, strengthen it, "mutual generation."

Hey, hey, you serious?

Bedchamber arts are ineffective without harmony between partners.

Do you have any preferences?

Any desired style?

I do have a request.

Answer my questions.

What is this island? What are you guys doing on it?

According to what she said, both the Tensen and this island

were created by a single human.

A human?

A renowned alchemist from the continent.

He researched immortality based on Taoist philosophy.

In Taoism, all phenomena are said to be formed by Tao.

On this island, he supposedly

discovered a way to directly manipulate it.

By combining the Taos of living beings,

grafting them together,

through repeated trial and error, he sought immortality.

That’s how the Tensen were born.

By fusing human and plant Tao. They are hermaphrodites.

They can strengthen Tao through yin and yang on their own.

They have been refining Tao,

which is normally lost through activity and time, for a thousand years.

There is no way humans can compare.

Except for one method.

Tao, right?

So why are these superhumans holed up on this island?

In Taoism, practices like breathing techniques and meditation,

training within one’s own body to achieve immortality,

are called "inner alchemy."

On the other hand, methods that allow anyone to become immortal,

regardless of constitution or training,

like trying to create a medicine for it,

are called "outer alchemy."

This is what the Tensen are creating.

- What? - That means...

The elixir!

So it really exists?

It’s still under research, apparently.

What they call "Tan" are prototype test products.

They gather human lives like honey

and efficiently absorb their Tao, otherwise known as their life force.

It's like taking someone else's lifespan and adding it to your own.

The Tensen extend their lives with Tan as well.

Their self-sustaining Tao isn’t perfect, either.

So if they lose a large amount of Tao in a short time,

they die.

But the amount of Tan they have now is still enough, isn't it?

Once they complete a method that can make anyone immortal,

what do they plan to do?

I don’t know.

Probably the will of Alchemist Shufu.

- Shu... - Who?

The alchemist who created the Tensen and this island.

Shufu...

That is, Xu Fu.

In the Qin era, he served the First Emperor,

and in pursuit of immortality,

with 3,000 youths and a hundrd artisans,

he set out into the eastern seas.

He was never seen again.

A figure from over a thousand years ago.

They say he’s still somewhere on the island,

continuing his research.

This place is both a laboratory and an experimental ground.

A miniature garden to create and observe immortal life.

So all those monsters were artificially created?

That's right.

Each has an experimental purpose.

The wooden people exist to observe the lives of immortals.

They lack a strong concept of death, so the Soshin exist to teach them morality

and maintain order.

We, too, are merely creations.

Born from the fusion of the master’s Tao and the Tao of flowers.

One being, yet also separate.

A family of myself.

You can do it all this easily?

It is not easy. Tao is the source of life...

No, the source of everything.

It fills the world like dust,

shaping all that exists.

Even that incense,

and the air, are forms of Tao.

Therefore, to manipulate Tao is to manipulate the laws of the world.

But unlike inanimate objects, controlling life is difficult.

That’s why your Tao is so valuable.

I want to study it.

So you’ll use me for research

and turn every human on this island into an elixir?

No, that's not it.

All humans on the mainland.

What?

The preparations are already complete.

All that’s left is the perfect Tan.

If you cooperate, we'll accept you as one of us.

Not as Tan,

but as a companion who pursues the Tao to its limits.

What’s the smartest choice here?

In my current state, I can’t beat her. Even escaping would be tough.

So what should I prioritize?

I'll do the bedchamber art.

If it lets me master the Tao.

But I'm not into girls riding me.

Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle.

Don’t resist the situation, adapt to it.

Adapt... and then swallow it whole.

Just wait, Toma.

As expected... such wonderful Tao.

In other words, that Xu Fu guy is the root of everything.

- Whoa! - What's this?

What is going on?

My body is incomplete.

When I use Tao, the tree transformation advances.

I can’t recover on my own.

Then, if we restore your Tao, like Gabimaru did...

No.

Too little. The circulation isn’t enough.

Because my dantian, or ovule, was destroyed by Rien.

Rien?

Rien and I

were the first disciples created by Master Shufu.

But Rien changed.

For the sake of outer alchemy, she killed many.

I couldn’t stop her.

I fled Horai.

So it was true after all.

At this rate, Mei will...

- You should use my Tao. - What?

The Tensen can freely manipulate Tao.

They should be able to extract Tao

from living beings and make it their own.

They can do something like that?

But then, you would--

It's okay.

Mei, I'm going to turn into a tree soon anyway.

And this is atonement.

Atonement?

I met her several hundred years ago.

I had a wife and a daughter.

Both of them turned into trees before I did.

The villagers gradually followed,

and I was left alone.

And then, the time finally came.

She just happened to be about the same age.

That’s all.

But she looked like my daughter.

My... young daughter.

I knew the truth.

That she was something unnatural.

That she truly wanted to leave the island.

I ignored all of it

and kept playing house.

Please forgive me.

I didn't see you. I saw my daughter.

For hundreds of years,

I made you cling to my lies and regrets.

This is my one chance to atone.

Please, use my life!

It wasn’t a lie.

We really felt like a family.

Like a parent and child.

Goodbye, dad.

Miss!

Did you shrink again?

Well, I get the situation, but still!

If I’m being honest,

I wanted to carry you on my shoulders the way you were!

Shut up. Is this really something to lose it over?

You’ll understand when you grow up, kid!

You’re really going to learn swordsmanship from that guy?

Looks like your wound has closed.

It might leave a scar, though.

Thank you--

No need to thank me. I don't trust you.

Everyone, don't stop what you're doing. Just listen.

- Sensei. - Sensei.

After discussing things with Gabimaru, we've decided what to do next, but...

Hey, Kitty-maru, why are you the one deciding?

I’m more suited than you are.

What? Don’t get cocky, you bastard!

Honestly, what a disorganized bunch.

What’s wrong?

Someone is here.

From the sea. It's really big.

It's a lot of Tao.

You mean a large group?

I don’t know, but...

it's really strong.

Subtitle translation by: Maslin Friedman