novelraw Chapter 280: Healer’s Divine Artifact, Bloodbath at the Grand Temple
Chapter 280: Healer’s Divine Artifact, Bloodbath at the Grand Temple
[Your Special Item Withered Flower of Evil has reached a critical threshold of malice reserves and has advanced to the next growth stage: Newborn Fruit of Evil.]
[Using this item allows you to absorb the malice from a designated target as nourishment for the Fruit of Evil, continuing to feed this miraculous plant.]
[Current malice reserve: 0%. When the malice reserve reaches 100%, the Fruit of Evil will fully develop and produce an unknown effect.]
Lin Xun’s heart tightened, and he hurriedly left the Main Hall with senior sister.
The Fruit of Evil had a great connection to the Extreme Delusion Fruit. Once the fruit matured, who knew what accident might occur.
Besides, those extreme evil monsters could heal their injuries through malice. He needed this item to absorb malice and prevent enemies from reviving. If, after the fruit matured, it no longer retained the ability to absorb malice, he would suffer a huge loss.
Just now in the Main Hall he and senior sister had both been summoned by Ancient Heavenly Enma. Enma addressed him as ‘the offspring of the old gods.’ so senior sister must already know his true identity.
However, the oath title Enma’s Proxy seemed formidable. Even if he was the remnant of a demonic abomination, senior sister did not draw her blade against him. Instead, she behaved obediently, ready to be ordered about.
Or perhaps they were presently on the same friendly side.
The good news was undoubtedly that the attributes of Calamitous Fallen Karmic Fire could be increased normally. Any Fire-Worshipping Shell would gain bonuses from this special attribute. Both the Palace Master and the Ninja Master would be greatly boosted.There was also the fact that the most badass weapon at present, Amateru Sakiina’s Harvest Sickle, had finally had its seal lifted and could now be equipped and used normally.
Lin Xun opened his Inventory to check his equipment.
[Amateru Sakiina’s Harvest Sickle (Legendary+ Weapon): A divine weapon once wielded by the goddess who presided over the harvest. It has now become covered in rust. It seems to have been corroded by some sludge containing endless Evil, causing this former divine artifact to fall into ruin.]
[When using this weapon, all of your recovery-type skills and buff-type skills will be greatly enhanced.]
[Equipment Trait – Bounty of the Harvest God: Using this skill will restore all HP of the designated Shell, dispel all negative statuses including but not limited to bind, mind-loss, slow, weakened, bleeding, poison, and will prevent negative statuses from affecting the target again for a short time.]
[This Trait cannot be used repeatedly. It will only refresh its cooldown when the Shell dies or when you refresh. Additionally, for Shells above Legendary+ grade, the effect will be diminished.]
“…This weapon is a healer’s divine artifact.”
Lin Xun could not help but marvel at the absurd strength of a Legendary+ weapon. The weapon’s Trait not only fully healed in one go, it also dispelled every negative status.
Because the weapon’s grade was exceedingly high, its dispel priority was likewise extremely high.
The only pity was that the healer Shell in his Shell Slots was of somewhat low quality and could not bring out the weapon’s full potential.
After sorting his gains, Lin Xun recalled his next objective.
Ancient Heavenly Enma had already pointed out a shortcut to take down the Great General, which was to find a god not yet eroded by the evil god and work together with them to slay the Great General.
“The problem is, where am I supposed to find a god who can help me?”
Every god encountered in this chapter without exception was mired in the swamp of malice, barely able to protect themselves.
Finding a god untouched by the evil god’s erosion was exceedingly difficult.
[The Mizugaki barrier outside the Main Hall remains solid. With the barrier in the way, neither you nor Tsukishiro Murasakiyo can leave this place.]
[Do you wish to attack the barrier and break through it by force?]
[Please note that this act will inevitably alert the clergy inside the Grand Temple. Choose carefully.]
“…In the end I still have to spend materials to break the barrier.”
Lin Xun felt a little helpless. If it were only him, he would not mind a free return to town. But with senior sister at his side, he could not very well ditch her and run alone.
He switched to the Palace Master Shell and attempted to break the barrier.
The hellish game immediately listed a huge pile of materials required to dismantle the barrier.
Last time Lin Xun had set up a large-scale barrier in an Easter Egg Chapter, he had consumed most of the materials he got from chests. Now he had already run out of several necessary materials for breaking the barrier.
There were no Resting Pages near the Main Hall. Even if he wanted to go back to the Library to buy materials, he could not.
For the moment, he was caught in a dilemma.
[At your side, Tsukishiro Murasakiyo suddenly spoke. ‘Lord Proxy, if you have a way to leave on your own, there is no need to mind it. My life is not worth mentioning compared to saving all beings.’]
[Do you wish to abandon Tsukishiro Murasakiyo and kill yourself to return to the respawn point?]
Lin Xun frowned in thought, then suddenly figured out the crux.
He could have senior sister stay here first, return to town for free, then hurry back to the Tenmei Grand Shrine, and then kill off the clergy in the Grand Temple one by one until not even chickens and dogs remained, after which he would forcibly break the barrier.
It was just that the divine domain here was a bit too powerful. If he could weaken the divine domain’s power, the success rate of the plan would greatly increase.
[You ask Tsukishiro Murasakiyo whether there is a method to eliminate or weaken the divine domain’s power.]
[After her explanation, you understand that the divine domain’s power originates from the torii gates all over the mountain path. The shimenawa ropes and white paper gohei hanging on the torii are the source of the divine domain’s power.]
[As long as you can cut the shimenawa and burn the gohei, you can weaken the divine domain’s power. However, there are several thousand torii around the Tenmei Grand Shrine’s perimeter. Destroying them all would likely take several days of work.]
“This is easy to handle.”
Lin Xun directly switched to the Yellow-Robed Bishop Shell and pressed the suicide option.
[Under Tsukishiro Murasakiyo’s terrified gaze, you pointed the tip of the Thunder Dragon Staff-Spear at your own heart.]
[You slowly told it, do not move, stay here and wait for you. You will be back soon.]
[Then, without giving it a chance to stop you, you thrust the spearpoint into your heart.]
[You felt a sharp pain in your chest and your vision went black.]
[It seemed as if a woman’s cry came to your ears.]
[…]
[You died.]
[…]
[A powerful wandering soul is reborn in the High Throne Chamber of the Tenshukaku.]
Lin Xun left the Tenshukaku at top speed, switched to the Greedy Wolf Star Lord Shell, and rode his sword straight to the Tenmei Grand Shrine.
After more than half an hour, he finally arrived once more at the Tenmei Grand Shrine.
[Looking up from the foot of the mountain, along the mountain path of Tenmei Mountain there stands a tall torii every ten or so meters. From the foot to the summit there are several thousand torii.]
[Do you wish to ascend, cutting the shimenawa and burning the gohei one by one?]
He opened the Inventory and clicked on the item Ogiwara Clan Command Banner.
[You drew out a long black banner and silently recited the ancient seal script on its face: Swift as the wind, gentle as the forest, fierce as fire in assault, immovable as the mountain…]
[You consumed 1 point of soul strength and used the Ogiwara Clan Command Banner.]
[The number of troops responding to your summons: 500. Morale: 25]
[The Red Armor army appeared before you, clad in crimson armor and incomparably fierce. Five hundred Red Armor samurai formed ranks with perfect order. There were cavalry, foot soldiers, archers, and even large siege engines reeking of savage blood.]
[Holding the Command Banner, you issued orders to the warriors who swore to die for you.]
[The warriors then abandoned their horses and siege engines and rushed up the mountain like ghosts. Throughout, only the synchronized tramp of a forced march and the rasping of armor could be heard.]
[This was an iron-blooded legion. Even if you ordered them to commit seppuku, they would shout ‘Long live the Ogiwara Clan,’ then without hesitation go to their deaths.]
[As the ghostly army silently ascended, the shimenawa hanging on the torii were cut one by one. Black flames rose up, burning the white paper gohei.]
[The ghostly army surged toward the summit with extreme speed. Every few torii, one samurai would be left behind to strictly carry out your orders.]
[…]
[You knew that it would not be long before the Tenmei Grand Shrine’s divine domain power weakened to its lowest point.]
[Riding your sword, you rose with the wind and turned into a streak of light racing straight for the summit.]
[The entire Tenmei Grand Shrine was deathly silent. After completing their worship rituals, the clergy had all fallen asleep.]
[…]
[After a long wait, a figure bulky as a small mountain climbed to the summit and came up behind you.]
[The Ogiwara Clan Chief Retainer respectfully reported that the Red Armor army had completed its orders and asked the clan head to inspect.]
[You possessed the Shell of the Fire-Worshipping Ninja Master.]
[You turned lightly, opening a pair of dim eyes. Your figure was completely hidden within the night.]
[You raised the Command Banner once more. The five hundred samurai vanished in unison, as if they had never appeared.]
[Now that the Tenmei Grand Shrine’s divine domain power was nearly gone, no one could detect your unparalleled art of invisibility and escape.]
[Maintaining your stealth, you rushed toward the sleeping quarters of the clergy, the shrine lodging.]
[…]
Without the blessing of the divine domain, the clergy’s power had greatly weakened, reverting to ordinary glass-cannon mage level.
With the Ninja Master’s blade rising and falling, a single clergy member was dispatched with ease, and he moved on to infiltrate the next shrine lodging.
Off guard, that Extreme Evil Tenmei Grand Shrine Attendant suddenly sprang up from a false corpse state, using malice to repair injuries and about to shout.
Fortunately, the Ninja Master’s hands were quick. With a flick, he hurled the Dragon Sword Masamune, which pierced its skull and nailed it to the wall.
Lin Xun went forward again and repeatedly whipped the corpse until its malice was exhausted, turning it into a true corpse.
“This is a bit tiring, but there’s no helping it. The Fruit of Evil must be saved for the Great General.”
Lin Xun continued with his old trade. Murder, looting, and stripping gear were completed in one go.
After finishing one shrine lodging, he infiltrated the next. He was determined to wipe out everyone up and down the Tenmei Grand Shrine.
As the monsters grew stronger, although the Ninja Master could still kill in a single stroke, the time needed for corpse-whipping grew considerably. For monsters like the negi and Gon-negi, it often took repeated corpse-whipping for a long while to exhaust their malice.
Fortunately, the ones in the Grand Temple were all frail mages. If they had been those HP-tank warriors, it would have been troublesome.
[…]
[You came to the door of the last shrine lodging. This lodging was slightly larger. Copper bells hung from the eaves, and there were roof ornaments of roof beasts along the ridge. Whoever resided within must have been of extraordinary status.]
[You reckoned that the Grand Temple’s Chief Priest lived here. However, as a ninja of unparalleled skill, you did not rashly approach the lodging.]
[You knew that the copper bells at the eaves had a warning function. If any stranger approached, the bells would ring. To assassinate the Chief Priest, you would first have to silently destroy the bells.]
Now that only this one shrine lodging in the entire Tenmei Grand Shrine remained uncleared, Lin Xun naturally would not let the Chief Priest slip away.
To kill a squishy mage without the blessing of the divine domain, one did not necessarily need to approach the lodging.
Lin Xun, who did not stand on ceremony, directly summoned the Valkyrie and ordered her to charge up her ultimate.
[The Valkyrie slowly closed her eyes. Her bow drew into a full moon. The Arrow of Dragon-Slaying gradually shone with the dazzling light of the golden blazing sun.]
[You possessed the Shell of the Desire-Bearing Greedy Wolf Star Lord.]
[You pinched a sword seal with your fingers, and true essence surged through your whole body.]
[The starry canopy of the night sky suddenly sparkled brilliantly. The seven stars known as the Northern Dipper shone resplendent.]
[The star radiance of the Northern Dipper poured down in blazing brilliance, gathering into the Dragon Sword Masamune in your hand.]
[With a point of your sword seal, sword gales crisscrossed. Roof tiles and bricks flew. In an instant, the house before you was leveled to the ground.]
[Amid the flying rubble, a tattered figure like a rag doll was swept out the door by the sword gales. That figure rolled three times on the ground and then lay motionless, clearly only breathing out and not in.]
[Black malice burst from the Extreme Evil Tenmei Grand Shrine Chief Priest’s body, repairing its injuries at extreme speed.]
[You possessed the Shell of the Knowledge-Seeking President of the Direct Vision Association.]
[You raised two staves and murmured a lengthy incantation.]
[The Extreme Evil Tenmei Grand Shrine Chief Priest finished repairing its injuries. It stood up expressionlessly and was just about to act when a blazing sunlight that illuminated the night descended.]
[Its body was swallowed by the sunlight.]
[When the light faded, there was not a single intact piece of flesh left on the Chief Priest.]
[It again drove malice to repair its injuries, but this time the repair speed was clearly much slower.]
[The Extreme Evil Tenmei Grand Shrine Chief Priest finished repairing its injuries and once again stood up expressionlessly, only to see a star-destroying brilliance that filled its vision erupt.]
[…]
[…]
[You have defeated the Extreme Evil Tenmei Grand Shrine Chief Priest. Experience increased greatly.]
[The power within the Shell began to boil. The Shell of the Fire-Worshipping Palace Master of Iya Palace leveled up. Current Shell Level: 67]
[You obtained Faint Spirit Essence of Profound Unfathomability ×1]
[You obtained Purifying Evil and Averting Calamity Halo (Epic+ Weapon)]
[You obtained Great General’s Omamori (Item)]
[You obtained Mizugaki Barrier Token (Key)]
With a wild bombardment, Lin Xun smoothly sent the Chief Priest to the Pure Land.
He could not be blamed for not standing on ceremony. This was how one dealt with mages. If a mage had the chance to cast, it would surely turn into another grueling battle.