novelraw Chapter 254-2: Legendary Ninja Shell, Flower of Evil (2)
Chapter 254-2: Legendary Ninja Shell, Flower of Evil (2)
[Withered Flower of Evil (Special Item): A beautiful blossom taken from a twisted monster, called the Flower of Evil. It is an aggregate of all the world’s malice. If it continues to absorb nutrients, this withered bloom will open once more, and might even bear some dark fruit…]
[Using this item will absorb malice from a designated target, nourishing the Flower of Evil so it can keep growing.]
[Current Malice Reserve: 3%]
[When the Malice Reserve reaches 100%, the Flower of Evil will enter its next growth stage.]
Lin Xun narrowed his eyes.
Could this item be the key to defeating the monsters in the Main Hall?
According to the description, absorbing the malice of enemies would nourish the Flower of Evil, but he had a vague feeling that allowing the Flower of Evil to reach its next growth stage might not be a good thing.
“Hold on, I’ll try brute-forcing the boss first. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll use this.”
[True Treatise on Incense-Powered Divinity (Document)]
[…][For a mortal to become a god, the simplest method is to seize incense power!]
[But within incense power dwell the wishes of all sentient beings, encompassing everything imaginable, chaotic, polluted, and impure. To seize and absorb incense while remaining lucid is an incomparably difficult task.]
[Even with the body of a great yokai, I could hardly withstand the erosion of these chaotic wishes, much less a mere human.]
[Therefore, becoming a god through incense is both the simplest path and the most arduous!]
[While absorbing incense, one must carefully expel the chaotic wishes. This makes the process extraordinarily difficult.]
[Should you carelessly fuse those chaotic wishes into yourself, not only will you feel an agony like ten thousand ants devouring you, but you will also lose all reason, fall into demonic corruption, and ultimately become a mad monster.]
[This is, of course, the precise conclusion I reached by injecting the expelled chaotic wishes into the original Chief Priest’s body.]
[As the volume of incense absorbed increased, the expelled wishes also grew, and the body of the Monster Chief Priest could no longer contain them.]
[The surplus wishes overflowed from its body, manifesting into a pitch-black, gorgeous flower.]
[The leaves and stem of that flower seemed strangely familiar, shockingly, they closely resembled the tattoo clustered around the Dragon Embryo on my chest!]
[This discovery filled me with terror!]
[If the Chief Priest was merely my vessel for holding those wishes, then could it be that all things in this world…are merely vessels for the gods?]
[This dreadful thought clung to my mind, taking root and sprouting.]
[In this world, aside from becoming a vessel or ascending as a god, there is no other choice!]
[No one would willingly become a vessel…and so I grew even more resolute on the path of seizing incense to become a god!]
[…]
Lin Xun finished reading the document with a frown.
The ‘chaotic wishes’ described in the text were clearly the same as malice.
Yet when he had absorbed the incense power from the censers earlier, the text hadn’t indicated he experienced the ant-devouring agony that Nurarihyon described.
Lin Xun quickly manifested several shells in reality to check their chest area.
The leafy tattoos on the chests of those shells had long since stopped growing, and were even starting to wither, showing no sign of flaring back to life.
Faced with such an unreasonable phenomenon, he pondered for a long time but could not find any rational explanation, so he could only attribute it to the Apostle’s unique nature.
The last item was a letter from the Ninja Master to the Chunin, basically, rounding up, it was meant for Lin Xun himself.
[Letter to Yoichi (Document)]
[Yoichi, when you read this letter, I will already be gone.]
[There is no need for sorrow. As a ninja, you should have long since seen through the cycle of life and death. To die in battle is the best end for a ninja.]
[Tisi Island is the only thing I can leave you. But I did not leave Tisi Island to you so you could keep training ninjas to serve the Shogun…]
[The conflicts of the world are far more terrifying and profound than I ever imagined. You and Murasakiyo should never have stepped into that quagmire.]
[I know you have long admired Murasakiyo. Whether you can marry her depends on your own true skill… Sadly, I will not be able to witness it.]
[One more thing. I once pawned the Dragon Jade to a warehouse merchant in Fukoka Castle. Later, in order to rescue Murasakiyo, I secretly took the Dragon Jade back.]
[Now, I have given both the Dragon Sword Masamune and the Dragon Jade to your foreign mage friend. This action was improper and somewhat biased.]
[You must sell items from the dojo and hand the proceeds to the warehouse merchant as compensation for reclaiming the Dragon Jade.]
[In my life, I never broke a promise to anyone, and I will not become a deceitful ghost after death…]
[Lastly, let me remind you once more: if the Shogun gives orders, and Vermilion Empire envoys come visiting again, and you seize a Ceremonial Scepter, under no circumstances are you to turn it in.]
[Destroy the Ceremonial Scepter in secret and throw it into the sea. Do not let anyone know!]
[Remember this! Remember!]
Ceremonial Scepter?
Lin Xun suddenly recalled he still had a special equipment item in his inventory called Vermilion Ceremonial Scepter.
This special equipment had been taken off the Envoy shell, and its effect was. “Using this equipment, you will have a certain chance to draw the attention of an unknown deity.”
“Why shouldn’t I give the scepter to the Shogun? And who is this unknown deity?”
Lin Xun frowned.
He had the feeling that the Ninja Master had stumbled on something truly extraordinary during that journey.
The information he possessed now was still too little to grasp the full picture.
Perhaps only after clearing this chapter would he uncover the real answers.
[The three True Shrine Maidens lying before you show no sign of waking up. What will you do next?]
[1. Fighting the two female attendants has grown a bit dull, maybe it’s time to try something new. A bloody brawl with three True Shrine Maidens might be quite entertaining.]
[2. The monsters in this hall have not yet been eliminated. Perhaps it’s better to kill them first before making other plans. Otherwise, come morning, your massacre of the Chief Priest will surely be exposed.]
[3. Now that Nurarihyon is dead, perhaps the power sealing the hall has dissipated. You could stealth past the monsters and try to open the main door.]
This infernal game actually reminded Lin Xun of something.
The True Shrine Maidens were healer shells with recovery skills.
From earlier text, he knew that the senior sister had become a shrine maiden halfway through her life and was not skilled with ritual implements or divine arts, being more proficient in martial techniques.
The other two, however, were genuine shrine maidens, dedicated healers well-versed in divine arts.
If he didn’t take this chance to capture them, wouldn’t it be a waste?