novelraw Chapter 237-1: The Trial of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, the Great Yokai Shuten Doji (1)
Chapter 237-1: The Trial of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, the Great Yokai Shuten Doji (1)
[Mask of Diabolos (Epic Equipment): Diabolos is one of the three Archdemons of Hell who preside over Fear, and the Lord of the Blazing Inferno. Though this twisted, terrifying demon mask is merely a replica, it still possesses remarkable power.]
[When wearing this equipment, all your attacks in stealth (invisible) state will automatically become critical hits, with critical damage increased to 150%.]
[This effect can stack with various skills.]
“Not bad for assassin gear!”
Lin Xun stowed the mask in his inventory and stretched lazily.
The writing page on the computer in front of him was already densely filled, the word count hitting a staggering four thousand, so much that it made his scalp tingle.
He clicked ‘Publish,’ closed the writing software, and shut down the computer in one smooth motion.
Seeing that the sky outside was gradually darkening, it was already time to cultivate. Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone…
The President of the Direct Vision Association was still scribbling away in the bedchamber, a thick stack of papers piling up on the table.
The sheets were filled with alien symbols resembling scrawled charms. Giving this to the Vice Palace Master to train with, if it didn’t end in going mad from qi deviation, that alone was fortune enough.He summoned the waiting attendant from outside, who had been standing by to be chosen, and continued his arduous nightly labors.
To sneak out of Iya Palace undetected at night, the President had no choice but to exhaust himself each day.
After a prolonged battle, perhaps because he had spent too much energy composing spells during the day, the President was drenched in sweat and trembling after three rounds, nearly collapsing unconscious onto the bed.
“The mage shell really is too feeble…”
Lin Xun let out a helpless sigh.
He then switched into his ninja shell, donned the new mask, and set off once again for Dharma-Aspect Temple under cover of night.
[In front of the temple’s main gate stood the familiar samurai guard.]
[You reveal yourself and stride forward…]
[The guard’s eyes lit up when he saw you, knowing the God of Wealth had arrived.]
[In light of your honesty yesterday in returning the Barrier Talisman of your own accord, the samurai didn’t stop you, and even offered you a discounted admission fee.]
[After you paid eight thousand Spirit Essence, you successfully obtained the Barrier Talisman and stepped through the gate of Dharma-Aspect Temple once more…]
[The signboard in the corridor marked the general layout of the temple buildings: the Main Golden Hall, the Five-Story Treasure Pagoda, the Lecture Hall, and the Practice Rooms.]
[Where do you want to go?]
Lin Xun first returned to the top of the Five-Story Treasure Pagoda to use the Refresh function, fully restoring the President shell to peak state, then proceeded to the Lecture Hall.
[You leave the Five-Story Treasure Pagoda and continue deeper into the temple, arriving at the Lecture Hall…]
[The Lecture Hall was slightly smaller than the Golden Hall and had no doors. Rows of seating mats were arranged inside, and the walls were covered in colorful murals.]
[This was once the place where the oracles and miracles of the Chaotic Origin Dragon were proclaimed. Its lack of doors meant all beings could enter freely to receive the blessings of the deity.]
[You step into the Lecture Hall. All the round floor cushions were empty, except for a lone figure seated cross-legged in the corner.]
[Dressed in a black kimono, the Librarian saw you arrive as promised and offered a faint smile.]
[He pointed to an empty cushion on the floor, telling you that there were one hundred cushions in the Lecture Hall. On the underside of each was engraved a yokai.]
[If you flipped all one hundred cushions, you would form a complete Night Parade of One Hundred Demons illustration.]
[This illustration was your trial.]
[The Librarian would create an illusion. Every minute, he would randomly flip a cushion, and the yokai engraved beneath it would manifest in the illusion.]
[The longer you survived within the illusion, the greater the rewards you would earn.]
[If he flipped all one hundred cushions and you still had not died in the illusion, you would receive the highest reward.]
[The Librarian’s smile grew ever more benevolent, his aged face full of wrinkles as he continued speaking to you.]
[Among the yokai engraved on these cushions, some were weak while others were powerful, including many yokai species long extinct. He would draw their phantoms from the river of time.]
[The time point drawn from, of course, was before the God Wars, when the yokai race was at the height of their strength. The yokai phantoms summoned would be the most formidable elites among their kind.]
[So, will you accept this trial?]
[Fearless Apostle, will you accept the Librarian’s trial?]
Lin Xun frowned.
The Librarian was clearly attempting to use rhetoric to sway him.
It sounded as though holding out to the end would grant the highest reward, but the yokai would appear at a very rapid pace.
If he only focused on enduring and not on swiftly slaying each yokai, then more and more would accumulate over time.
Facing a mob of yokai encircling him, survival would grow ever harder.
Therefore, he must quickly defeat each yokai before the next appeared to avoid ending up in a one-against-many situation.
Lin Xun pondered for a moment, then discerned the key point.
He no longer hesitated and clicked to accept the trial.
[The Librarian saw you nod and indicated for you to relax your body completely, not to resist. He then began chanting a long, intricate incantation…]
[…]
[A powerful mental force surged forth. You relaxed and did not resist it, and soon the scene before your eyes transformed completely.]
[…]
[In the star-studded midnight mountain forest, you stood alone. All around you shadows of trees flickered in the cold darkness.]
[The occasional shrill cry of a night owl made your back tingle and fear stir in your heart.]
[The Librarian’s aged voice echoed by your ear. He was about to flip the first cushion…]
[Would it reveal a great yokai like Shuten Doji, the Nine-Tailed Fox, or the Great Tengu, beings with world-ending might that would immediately end your trial in defeat?]
[Or would it reveal a weaker yokai such as Kurobōzu, Umbrella Spirit, or Kanko, granting you a brief reprieve to continue the trial? All depended on your luck.]
[…]
[Soon, the aged voice spoke again. Lucky Apostle, the first cushion revealed the Well Salamander, a relatively weak yokai. It seems your luck is quite good…]
[As the voice fell, a shadow matching the outline abruptly emerged behind the trees not far away. The shadow shifted from illusion to solidity, and a ferocious-looking monster appeared.]
Lin Xun took a deep breath and began the trial in earnest!
[You have possessed the shell of the Corrupted Earth Giant!]
[In your left hand you held the Tachi – Uzuki-Kir, and in your right hand the Ancient Dragonfang Greatclub, charging straight at the monster…]
[The Uzuki-Kir was a great tachi, over five feet in length, a heavy battlefield weapon requiring immense arm and wrist strength to wield.]
[But to you, blessed with boundless divine strength, gripping this massive sword single-handedly felt no burden at all. You could even swing it so fast it blurred.]
[You lunged before the monster, raised the blade overhead, and cleaved down with all your might…]
[A dazzling arc of sword light flashed. Before the salamander yokai could even utter a scream, it was sliced clean in two!]
[The Librarian’s voice echoed by your ear again. “Not bad, not bad.” With such power, he was optimistic you could last to the middle of the trial, provided your luck didn’t turn too foul.]
[Saying this, he flipped another cushion…]
The Uzuki-Kir was a divine weapon made specifically for slaughtering yokai, capable of inflicting extra damage on their kind. Using it here was perfectly fitting.
Wielding the giant tachi in the hands of the Earth Giant, Lin Xun became a god of yokai-slaying. Every weak creature that appeared was hacked apart, shrieking miserably.
Whether it was thanks to the Lucky Gold Coin or not, in over twenty draws, only relatively weak yokai had been summoned.
Only one managed to survive a single strike from the Earth Giant, and even then it was smashed into pulp by the follow-up blow.
Bear in mind, Lin Xun hadn’t even activated the Earth Giant’s shell skills to conserve stamina.
Even the Librarian began to suspect Lin Xun was cheating to have such heaven-defying luck.
But as the trial progressed, it seemed the weak yokai in the draw pool were nearly exhausted, and stronger monsters began appearing more and more frequently.
Though the likes of Karasu Tengu, the Great Tengu, or the Nine-Tailed Fox had not yet appeared, Lin Xun was already feeling the pressure.
[…]
[Your blade and club, wreathed in Undying Flame, smashed down in unison. The yokai, battered and covered in wounds, finally perished.]
[At once, deep in the forest behind you, a massive yokai called the Giant Red Oni appeared, uprooting trees as it advanced!]
[Looking at the towering, muscular form of the Giant Red Oni, you knew this would be a bitter fight!]
[…]
The Giant Red Oni’s strength was formidable, in no way inferior to the Earth Giant.
Defeating it quickly was impossible, and as Lin Xun grappled with it, the next monster refreshed at once.
Fortunately, the newly spawned creature was relatively weak.
He immediately shifted targets and dispatched the new monster first.
Just as he finished it off, with the Giant Red Oni still looming nearby, the next wave of monsters was already about to appear.
“This won’t work. The yokai will only gather in greater numbers!”
Lin Xun tried summoning the Valkyrie to join the fight, and fortunately, within the illusion, he could indeed summon her normally.
With the Valkyrie’s aid, the pressure eased at once.
He switched back to the President shell, letting the Valkyrie kite and damage enemies while the President became a ranged artillery platform, managing to hold out through another dozen creatures.