Chapter 457: Chapter 252: Big Boss, Wuzhi Shrine Palace Priest_1
When Lin Xun returned to Wuzhi Shrine again, the Kagura Dance ceremony was nearing its end.
In his pocket were not only materials worth 220,000 for breaking the barrier but also a bunch of talisman materials.
The combined cost of both was nearly four hundred thousand spiritual power.
The talisman materials were enough to make ten ’United Strength’ talismans, three ’Condensed Mire Nirvana’ talismans, and two ’Guardian of the Ten Directions’ Absolute Realm’ talismans.
As for the ’Inferno Descend’ talisman, Lin Xun did not lack offensive skills for the time being, so, naturally, he did not waste spiritual power on material purchase.
After spending so much spiritual power, he received some good news... the talismans made by the Yin Yang Master can be sold!
Talismans have the same properties as magical scrolls.
The first is that if the Apostle who is not proficient in this profession (Yin Yang Master) uses it, the talisman’s power will decrease by thirty percent.
The second is a kind of unwritten rule within the game of the underworld, equipment produced from high-difficulty Apostles will be greatly weakened when used by low-difficulty Apostles.
To draw an analogy, if the talisman is used by an Apostle with six or seven difficulty points, the power will only decrease by thirty percent.
But if it is used by an Apostle with two or three difficulty points, the power of the talisman will be greatly weakened.
Although they would be slightly stronger than equipment produced at two or three difficulty points, the difference wouldn’t be too absurd.
However, this is not a big issue, as the Book of Trade inherently restricts the circulation of equipment among different difficulty levels. Even in offline trades, Apostles of lower difficulty don’t usually have enough spiritual power to afford such luxury items as advanced talismans.
Judging by the utility level of the few talismans, he should not have to worry about their sales.
"With this craft, making money is a sure thing, the only limitation probably being the time-consuming talisman-making process."
Lin Xun decided to let the Yin Yang Master Shell work on the crafting of talisman overnight. This way, it won’t interrupt regular gameplay."
"The Palace Master is on my side, so he probably won’t mind overtime..."
[You quietly went to the deep part of the shrine while the Kagura Dance ceremony was not over yet...]
[The outside of the main temple is still empty and deserted, protecting this grand hall is the invisible and colorless barrier.]
[You possessed the shell of ’Fire-Worshiping Yiye Palace Master’!]
[You knew in your heart that to break the barrier, you must go all out and complete the cracking procedure as quickly as possible.]
[Because after the Kagura Dance ceremony is over, the sedan chair will carry the shrine maiden to the worship temple, which is slightly closer to you.]
[By then the spectators may discover your thieving side.]
[To reduce the chance of being discovered, you quietly move to a secluded corner at the back of the main hall, take out the materials, and start breaking the barrier...]
[Barrier cracking is in process...]
[Estimated cracking time: 10 minutes 29 seconds]
Lin Xun anxiously waited, watching the text numbers slowly ticking down. He felt that the time was passing too slowly.
The end of the Kagura Dance ceremony was imminent. If someone were to catch him, the waste of the shell’s soul intensity would be a minor issue, losing materials worth more than 200,000 spirital power was the real pain.
[...]
[Estimated cracking time: 8 minutes 56 seconds]
[Suddenly, you hear some noise behind you and quickly turn around to check...]
[But you see a few squirrels scurrying out of the bushes, disappearing in a flash.]
[You sighed, feeling a false alarm, and continued with the cracking work in hand...]
[...]
He wasn’t sure if the underworld game was deliberately teasing him, little animals such as cats and birds would always pop out to give him a fright while he was breaking the barrier.
In the beginning, Lin Xun would feel anxious, but as this kept happening, he had become used to it and it had actually helped ease his tension.
[...]
[Estimated cracking time: 2 minutes 18 seconds]
[Suddenly, you hear some noise behind you again. Thinking it’s just another lost small animal, you continue to work on breaking the barrier without turning your head.]
[...]
[Suddenly, a hand lightly pats your shoulder, followed by the voice of an elderly man...]
[The humble one did not know that ’The Master of Yiye Palace’ was coming to the shrine, it’s a regret not to have honored the visit.]
[You are greatly startled, but you don’t show emotions on your face, slowly turn around.]
[You see an elderly man in prayer robe calmly standing behind you, looking at you with amused eyes.]
[Clad in ceremonial vestments of a white robe with purple trousers, it donned a spectacularly ornate, large crown and held a long flat scepter.]
[You notice that the old man’s vestment is painted with a light purple pattern, known as the ’Eight Wisteria Circles’, a symbol of noble prosperity.]
[For a shrine as large as the Wuzhi Shrine, only the highest-ranking priest within the Shrine, who holds all the power, could be dressed in such attire.]
"...Damn, did we bump into the big boss?!"
Lin Xun clenched his teeth in frustration, he was just two minutes away from successfully cracking the barrier and start his escape, only to run into the Shrine’s head priest at the final moment.
The situation was eerily reminiscent of entering a dragon’s lair to steal treasure, only to turn around and find the dragon propping its chin with its claw, watching your performance with keen interest.
[The head priest of the shrine greets you with a warm smile, inquiring why, as the head of Yiye Palace, you didn’t attend the Kagura Dance, but instead came to the forbidden hall.]
[As Grandmaster of numerous Yin Yang Masters, there is no need to lower yourself like this.]
[If you are interested in admiring the divine bodies of the two Pillar Gods, simply notify me, and I can remove the barrier for you...]
[Maintaining a composed expression, you casually mention that you were also watching the Kagura Dance, but noticed many flaws and gaps in the ’Void Realm’ released by the Lucky Fence of the main temple which made you itch to intervene.]
[Isn’t it neglectful to use such a rough and crude barrier to protect the two Pillar Gods housed in the Wuzhi Shrine, one of the city’s major shrines?]
[On hearing your words, the head priest of the shrine is taken aback, looking serious and asking, "Is that so?"]
[You gesture for them to stay calm as you continue working on cracking the barrier...]
[Soon you finish the final step of cracking the barrier. You can clearly sense an invisible, colorless, massive barrier being torn apart by you, creating a door-like opening.]
[With a nonchalant stride, you walk into the barrier, retorting to the head priest that your word is as good as gold, you can break the barrier with a mere snap of your fingers. Such a crude barrier used to protect the Pillar Gods’ bodies would cause quite a stir if word got out to the Capital.]
[Considering the scale of the ’Wuzhi Shrine’ and the esteemed position of the two Pillar Gods, they should naturally be protected by the finest barrier, the ’Guardian of the Ten Directions’ Absolute Realm’.]
[The head priest of the shrine repeatedly nods, with an appearance of sudden enlightenment.]
[Just when you are about to continue your preachings, the head priest interrupts you. There is one thing they don’t understand and request that you clarify.]
[Knowing you are within the influence of the Shrine and thus the powers of the Divine Domain, which would allow the already formidable Master to display even greater powers than usual, you can only endure and continue to listen.]
[The priest smiles slightly, his old face full of wrinkles, he earnestly inquires, hearing about the tragic turn of events in Yiye Palace last night, the once glorious palace turned to ruins overnight, with hundreds of Yin Yang Masters falling victim...]
[Could you tell me why, instead of being at the Yiye Palace to settle things and catch the culprit, you’re at the shrine to watch the Kagura dance? And even leisurely cracking the barrier here, why is this so?]
[Caught off guard, you don’t know how to respond.]
[The head priest of the Shrine still wears a smile, shaking his large crown, he continues to question, could it be that you suspect I harbor the culprit and am hiding them within the main hall?]
[Your face remains expressionless, as if confirming his words]
[With his smile unfaltering, the head priest of the shrine suddenly exclaims loudly, "In that case, in order to prove my innocence, you’re welcome to step inside!"]
[With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the invisible, colorless, and massive ’Void Realm’, and walked back to the main entrance of the main hall.]
[He pushed the door of the main hall open just a crack, large enough for only one person to pass through.]
[He signaled to you to enter the hall, but made no move to enter himself.]
[Would you like to step inside the main hall under the watchful gaze of the head priest?]
"Damn, it wouldn’t be a case of ’shutting the door to beat the dog’, no, it’s ’leading the lamb to the slaughter’!"
Walking into the main hall now would be obviously walking into a trap, but if he didn’t walk in, he’d be picking a fight with the head priest, the big boss.
Fighting the big boss within the domain of the Divine, even a simpleton would know that this would earn a one way ticket out.
"I was thinking about sneaking in earlier, but now that I don’t want to go in, what should I do?"
While Lin Xun strongly wished to press ’no’, the situation forced him to select ’yes’.
[Under the gaze of the head priest of the shrine, you slowly step through the entrance of the main hall.]
[The main door behind you slams shut with a thud. From outside the door, a single menacing word floats in, seemingly directed at something inside.]
[Kill!]
[Then, the footsteps of the head priest of the shrine gradually fade away.]
[A large shadow eclipses the bright lights of the hall, and in the shadows, two monstrous eyes, as large as lanterns, stare at you unwaveringly.]
[You’ve discovered the ’Extreme Evil Head Priest of Wuzhi Shrine’!]
Lin Xun’s eyes widen in shock.
Extreme Evil? The head priest of Wuzhi Shrine?
If the monster in the main hall is the head priest of the shrine, who was the one outside just now?!
