novelraw Chapter 249-2: Blood-Burning Soul-Scorching Gu, Barrier Formation – Void Domain (2)
Chapter 249-2: Blood-Burning Soul-Scorching Gu, Barrier Formation – Void Domain (2)
[As you listened to the pilgrims’ discussion, the crowd grew ever denser. People began shoving and backing away.]
[In the shell of the Master Instructor, you were tall and lean. By simply lifting your chin and straightening your back, your gaze rose above the jostling heads, letting you see what was happening up ahead…]
[You saw numerous kannushi (shrine priests) surrounding a lacquered black palanquin, led by a chief priest dressed in ornate ritual garments.]
[The entire procession was advancing grandly toward the Kagura Hall…]
[Before long, the group arrived at the Kagura Hall. The black palanquin was set down, and from it stepped a woman dressed in white robes and a scarlet hakama.]
[In one hand she held a Kagura bell, in the other a cypress fan. Her hair was adorned with flower hairpins, and she wore a forecrest crown upon her head.]
[She entered the hall and began a graceful dance, accompanied by the music of taiko drums, flutes, and hand gongs.]
[Drawing on the extraordinary physical prowess of your shell, you pressed through the throng to the very front and finally saw the woman’s face clearly…]
[Though beautiful, she was far from the peerless beauty attributed to the third shrine maiden in the rumors. Most likely, this was not Tsukishiro Murasakiyo, the one you needed to rescue.]
[Would you stay here to continue watching the Kagura dance or explore elsewhere in the shrine?]Lin Xun, of course, chose the latter.
If he could find Senior Sister within the shrine and spirit her away unnoticed, that would be the best outcome.
[You slowly withdrew from the dense crowd. On the other side of the approach path stood the shrine office, where staff handled various affairs.]
[Since the pilgrims were all crowded near the Kagura Hall to watch the dance, this area was naturally quite empty.]
[The outer doors of the shrine office were wide open. The plaque above read: Talisman Reception Hall.]
[A few attendants were displaying various protective charms and talismans here.]
[Seeing you approach, they greeted you warmly and began introducing these so-called offerings, which were, in truth, just merchandise…]
[Omamori of Takami-Musubi-no-Mikoto (Fine+ Grade Accessory): This amulet, shaped like a brocade pouch, contains a sacred talisman of the Pillar God Takami-Musubi-no-Mikoto. Wearing it nourishes the kidneys and replenishes vitality, enhancing a certain aspect of combat ability. Valid for one year. Spirit Essence Cost: 5,000. Remaining quantity: 5.]
[Omamori of Kami-Musubi-no-Mikoto (Fine+ Grade Accessory): This amulet, shaped like a brocade pouch, contains a sacred talisman of the Pillar God Kami-Musubi-no-Mikoto. Wearing it nourishes the complexion and restores yin energy, enhancing a certain aspect of endurance. Valid for one year. Spirit Essence Cost: 5,000. Remaining quantity: 5.]
[Do you wish to purchase any of these offerings?]
Lin Xun raised an eyebrow and, without hesitation, spent 50,000 Spirit Essence to acquire both kinds of rare accessories and put them away.
Accessory-type equipment was extremely scarce in the cursed game. As long as the attribute bonuses weren’t complete trash, anything like this would get instantly snatched up once listed in the Book of Trade.
He was powerful enough not to need them himself, but selling or gifting unique omamori was always an option.
[You generously handed over 50,000 Spirit Essence as the initial offering for the exchange.]
[The attendants beamed with joy, growing all the more kind and courteous toward you.]
[You introduced yourself as someone from Fukoka Castle, here to burn incense and make offerings in hopes of a large, prosperous family for your descendants.]
[You expressed great curiosity about the Nesting Rite, since you had never seen it before, and had a few questions you hoped the esteemed attendants could answer.]
[For such a generous guest, the attendants smiled broadly and nodded, signaling they would answer anything you wished to ask.]
[You began by inquiring about a few simple matters, so as not to appear too obvious in your intentions.]
[After they patiently explained everything in detail, you pretended to casually bring up something you’d heard from the other pilgrims, that the third shrine maiden was extraordinarily beautiful, and you wondered where you might catch a glimpse of her.]
[The attendants regretfully shook their heads and explained that the rumors were true, the third shrine maiden was indeed exceptionally lovely.]
[However, both of the shrine maidens who had yet to participate in the ritual were currently inside the Main Hall. If you wished to see her, you would have to wait until the third day of the ceremony…]
[You obtained this critical information. Pretending to chat with them a little longer, you then waved farewell.]
[Hunching your back and adopting the posture of a frail elder, you ambled around the grounds, gradually and inconspicuously approaching the Main Hall at the heart of the shrine.]
Lin Xun dared not switch into the Chunin shell and use his stealth skills within the shrine.
Back in Ishiyama Shrine, he’d already learned that divine domains possessed defensive and anti-stealth properties.
If he used a stealth skill here, it would almost certainly trigger some kind of alarm.
And once the staff were alerted, the difficulty of the rescue operation would rise by several more levels.
[You slowly reached the shrine’s depths. At the end of the long approach path stood the grand hall before you.]
[A half-height stone fence called a Mizugaki encircled the entire Main Hall.]
[Countless dense tadpole-script runes were carved into the Mizugaki, faintly forming an invisible, colorless barrier that sealed the Main Hall within.]
[You looked around. At this moment, most of the shrine personnel were gathered far away near the Kagura Hall, so for a while there wasn’t a single soul nearby.]
[What will you do next?]
[1. Laugh it off and leave this place.]
[2. Ignore the barrier and step inside.]
[3. Break the barrier and infiltrate the Main Hall.]
Lin Xun narrowed his eyes. With no one around, this was the perfect opportunity to break the barrier.
If he could successfully break it without being discovered, he would naturally be able to rescue Senior Sister.
He quickly switched shells and pressed the option.
[You have possessed the shell of the Fire-Worshipping Palace Master of Iya Palace!]
[The runes carved on the stone Mizugaki fence appeared before your eyes as clearly as counting one, two, three.]
[The barrier formed by the Mizugaki outside the Main Hall was the Void Domain. Compared to the Absolute Barrier Seal of the Ten Directions, its power was much weaker, but its advantage was that it was colorless and invisible, making it hard to detect.]
[Although the Void Domain was not as unbreakable as the Absolute Barrier Seal, it was still a large defensive barrier created with numerous precious materials. Unlike the casual barriers an onmyoji could cast at will, a large defensive barrier had to be set up by many onmyoji working in concert, consuming vast amounts of barrier materials. It was effectively a defensive fortification, extremely difficult to break, not something that could be done with a flick of the wrist.]
[Even with your status as the Palace Master of Iya Palace, you still required specific materials to gradually dissolve it.]
[You examined the barrier carefully, estimating in your mind the materials and time needed to break it…]
[After your calculations, you determined that eight types of materials were required to break the barrier: 2 Pale Blue Magatama, 1 Spirit-Conducting Bronze Mirror, 1 Netherworld Night Lantern, 3 Owl Tail Feathers…]
[And the fastest possible time to complete the breach would be the length of a cup of tea (ten minutes).]
[Moreover, this breach would be temporary, like opening a small gap at the barrier’s edge. The power of the Mizugaki would continuously mend the opening until the barrier was fully restored.]
[According to your estimate, after breaching the barrier, you would have at most half an hour to enter and exit.]
[Do you wish to leave the No-Illusions Shrine first to search for materials?]
Lin Xun immediately opened his computer and searched the Apostle Forum’s database for information on the materials needed to break the barrier.
Not long after, he found both good news and bad news.
The good news was that all the materials were listed in the database, which meant they were very likely sold in the library as well.
The bad news was that these materials were unbelievably expensive!
Gathering the full quantity of the eight materials would probably cost at least 200,000 Spirit Essence.
“Rescuing Senior Sister is too costly. Spending 200,000 just to skip the main quest, I really don’t know whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing…”