novelraw Chapter 249-1: Blood-Burning Soul-Scorching Gu, Barrier Formation – Void Domain (1)
Chapter 249-1: Blood-Burning Soul-Scorching Gu, Barrier Formation – Void Domain (1)
[You walk to the bedside and, as instructed, take out the forbidden medicine hidden by the Ninja Master in his chest.]
[There are two pills, one large and one small, both entirely blood red, exuding a faintly rancid stench.]
[As you observe closely, the slightly smaller pill suddenly squirms, and right after, the large pill also begins to writhe.]
[The ‘pills’ are clearly not inanimate objects, but rather some unknown strange creatures!]
[Blood-Burning Soul-Scorching Mother Gu (Special Item): A secret Gu passed down from the Vermilion Empire, incomparably precious. The Mother Gu can be used to control the Child Gu. As long as the Mother Gu is crushed, it will force the Child Gu’s user to unleash all the shell’s potential at the cost of soul annihilation.]
[Blood-Burning Soul-Scorching Child Gu (Special Item): A secret Gu passed down from the Vermilion Empire, incomparably precious. The Child Gu is sinister and treacherous, whoever ingests it becomes the controlled, and the Child Gu will consume the user’s soul as nourishment while continuously releasing power.]
[The Ninja Master’s faint voice resounds once again…]
[This forbidden medicine can heal his hidden injuries and chronic ailments, restoring him to peak condition, but the effects are short-lived and cannot endure.]
[After he takes the forbidden medicine, he will activate a secret art and enter deep slumber.]
[Tonight, you must go up the mountain with your trusted companion to rescue Murasakiyo.][If you encounter someone you absolutely cannot defeat, crush the other pill, and he will awaken on his own and ascend the mountain to aid you with all haste.]
[Do you wish to feed the Blood-Burning Soul-Scorching Child Gu to the Ninja Master?]
Lin Xun let out a long sigh and pressed ‘Yes.’
[Following the Ninja Master’s instructions, you feed him the slightly smaller Child Gu and carefully store away the other Mother Gu.]
[After ingesting the pill, a sickly flush appeared on the Ninja Master’s face. Forming hand seals with both hands, he activated a secret art, soon sinking into a deep sleep…]
[…]
Lin Xun set his phone down and lit a cigarette.
Behind the pale blue smoke was his faintly troubled expression.
After a long while, he extinguished the cigarette and picked up his phone to continue the game.
He summoned the Valkyrie in the guest room to guard the slumbering Ninja Master.
Lin Xun switched into the Master Instructor’s shell, left the inn, and arrived at the foot of the No-Illusions Shrine.
[The mountain ahead was not particularly tall, yet the pilgrims ascending it were numerous. Most came as couples.]
[The people coming and going were all discussing the Nesting Rite to be held at noon. By participating in the ritual of the two Pillar Gods who presided over fertility and childbirth, they hoped to receive the blessing of children and descendants.]
[You walked along the mountain path amid the crowd. As an elder, you did not stand out among the pilgrims, since many seniors came here to burn incense on behalf of their juniors.]
Though the Ninja Master had said to act at night, that did not prevent Lin Xun from scouting out the enemy in advance.
Only by first clarifying the situation within the No-Illusions Shrine could he better carry out the rescue plan.
[Most of the bustling throng stopped to rest before the torii gate halfway up the mountain.]
[Although the mountain was not high, the path spiraled upward in winding loops.]
[From the pilgrims’ idle chatter, you learned that the No-Illusions Shrine had three torii gates. The first was vermilion, the second was purplish-red, and the third was black-purple.]
[The more torii gates a shrine possessed, the more flourishing its incense offerings, and the more exalted the gods enshrined within.]
[It was said that in Sakura Falls Kyoto, the Tenmei Grand Shrine that housed the statue of the Ancient Heavenly Enma had built a long mountain road lined with thousands of torii gates, earning the moniker ‘Thousand Torii Path.’]
[You looked up at the towering torii in front of you. A shimenawa was tied beneath the vermilion lintel beam, drifting gently in the wind.]
[From the shimenawa hung a string of white gohei, offerings folded from white paper into zigzag shapes.]
[The divine domain power emanating from the torii largely originated from the shimenawa and gohei.]
[You stepped slowly beneath the towering vermilion torii and immediately felt a surging power sweep over your shell.]
[Compared to small shrines like Ishiyama Shrine, the divine domain power of the No-Illusions Shrine was so vast it inspired a sense of dread.]
[You knew that if you clashed with the shrine’s clergy within this divine domain, it would certainly be unwise.]
[Continuing up the mountain path, you soon reached the second torii.]
[Just as the pilgrims had said, the second torii was purplish-red, and stepping through it, the divine domain’s power grew even more immense.]
[…]
[Passing beneath the black-purple third torii, you felt a sudden surge of awe, an oppressive sensation brought on by the even more overwhelming divine domain power.]
[The divine domain power constantly reminded you that in the realm of the two Pillar Gods, you were nothing but a pitiful, insignificant insect.]
[To devoutly worship and offer incense was all you should do. Should you harbor any wicked intentions, this boundless might would crush you into dust.]
[…]
[No one guarded the shrine’s main gate, only the ceaseless stream of entering pilgrims and the two stone komainu statues that stood vigil at either side.]
[You followed the crowd into the shrine…]
[Wherever you looked, there were jostling human heads. To the left and right of the approach path stood two buildings: the Kagura Hall and the shrine office.]
[The path extended deep into the shrine, passing in turn through three grand halls: the Worship Hall, the Offering Hall, and the Main Hall.]
[Unlike Ishiyama Shrine, the No-Illusions Shrine was a grand shrine with flourishing incense offerings. Ordinary pilgrims could only burn incense and pay respects in the Worship Hall, which housed no statues.]
[Afterward, they had to proceed into the Offering Hall to make donations and tribute.]
[As for the Main Hall, which contained the statues of the two Pillar Gods, Takami-Musubi-no-Mikoto and Kami-Musubi-no-Mikoto, it was blocked off by a surrounding fence called the Mizugaki, and common folk were forbidden to enter.]
[According to the pilgrims’ discussion, the ritual process of this Nesting Rite was largely the same as in years past.]
[Before noon, the shrine maidens would dance the Kagura in the Kagura Hall to win the favor of the Pillar Gods.]
[By noon, the shrine maiden would be carried in a sacred palanquin to the Worship Hall to conduct the grand offering ceremony.]
[Afterward, the palanquin would pass through the Offering Hall and proceed directly to the innermost Main Hall of the shrine.]
[The shrine maiden would remain there alone, burning incense, bathing, and reciting sutras in prayer.]
[Only at midnight would the chief priest enter with other shrine personnel to carry out the most crucial step of the Nesting Rite, the live sacrifice ceremony.]
[Of course, the live sacrifice performed in the Main Hall remained closed to outsiders. During the ceremony, the shrine would even be cleared, sending the pilgrims down the mountain and leaving only the shrine’s staff.]
[After the ritual concluded, the chief priest would cut out certain organs from the shrine maiden and present them in the Worship Hall for the pilgrims to venerate the next day.]
[It was said that by then, the shrine maiden would already have been summoned by the Pillar Gods, and her mortal flesh transformed into a divine body. Worshipping the organs she left behind was believed to draw the gaze of the Pillar Gods and earn their favor and blessings.]
[In this way, when the three-day Nesting Rite was finished, the pilgrims could return home, work their fields a little, and naturally conceive children and descendants…]
[…]