Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 6] Chapter 10

[Vol. 6] Chapter 10: I Saw Through It at a Glance…!

Although she had gained some experience treating Zeng Ergouzi earlier, Violet still didn’t have a clear and precise understanding of these so-called “evil spirits”.

They seemed to be some sort of fusion of void energy, but they were extraordinarily chaotic and tainted, lacking any defined consciousness.

This was peculiar. Void lifeforms, spiritual entities, as they were often called, usually possessed far greater clarity of thought and intelligence compared to material lifeforms. That was their defining characteristic, existing as the polar opposite of elemental beings, which form the most basic building blocks of material life.

Even something like a vengeful spirit required intense emotions, such as deep obsession or hatred, to sustain its existence. Without such anchors, it would quickly lose its form and be guided by the laws of the world to dissolve into the underworld.

The concept of a spiritual entity without its own will was as contradictory as a scorching hot ice or a freezing cold fire. It defied the fundamental rules of existence.

Yet the [Dog Demon] that had possessed Zeng Ergouzi earlier was precisely such a being, something that by all logic shouldn’t exist, and couldn’t exist.

And yet…

Violet crouched down. Under the dim, flickering candlelight, she moved her hand close to the body of one of the bound villagers, carefully sensing it.

There was no doubt.

This faintly sinister aura, this blurry and murky void energy, wasn’t an external invasion. It was seeping directly from within these villagers’ bodies.

The sensation was akin to a silkworm breaking free from its cocoon, a natural emergence triggered by external conditions after something had fully matured.

Rather than immediately attempting to expel the “evil spirits” lurking within the villagers, the black-haired priestess simply rose to her feet and glanced around the room once more.

It seemed that the reason Zeng Xianzhi, the village elder, had arrived so late was because he discovered something was wrong with these people and spent time handling it in a rush. But… why were they afflicted by the “evil spirits”?

Given that all these individuals had fiercely fought Zeng Ergouzi earlier in the day, there was undoubtedly a direct connection.

At the very least, these people were in a normal state during the day. Although Violet hadn’t closely investigated them, she was certain she would have noticed such an obvious sinister aura had it been present.

This meant that the change must have occurred afterward, or perhaps there was some kind of delay before the symptoms manifested.

Moreover, there was one person who shared the same experience with them but wasn’t among those bound here.

The answer was becoming quite clear.

At that moment, a soft, slightly surprised voice from outside suddenly reached the priestess’s ears.

“Oh my, there aren’t any warding talismans on this door. No wonder the surrounding yin energy is gathering here. It’s like something bad is about to happen! Are the people in this village all idiots?”

“It’s just an ordinary rural village. Common folk wouldn’t be able to perceive the flow of spiritual veins or the balance of yin and yang. Bai’er, you should understand that not everyone is as skilled as the [Yin-Yang Division]’s experts.”

“Haha, sorry, sorry… but isn’t it odd not to put up warding talismans? Isn’t that supposed to be common knowledge for those in the Spirit Realm? Especially in Western Origin Spirit Kingdom, where the yin energy is heaviest in the entire [Ancient Spirit Realm]. It’s a breeding ground for ‘evil spirits’.”

“Indeed. And judging by the fine furnishings, this house belongs to someone of high standing in the village. Such an important figure should be even more aware of the importance of warding talismans. Something is amiss. Bai’er, proceed with caution.”

“As you command, Miss~”

Accompanied by this conversation, the sound of two individuals’ footsteps approached from afar, drawing closer until they stopped right in front of the wooden house.

With a thought, Violet quickly donned the [Chameleon Cloak] again, hiding her figure just before the two women could push the door open.

The unlatched door was gently pushed open, and a lithe figure stepped inside first.

It was a young girl dressed in simple, plain clothes, with no makeup, and her short gray hair was only casually combed. She looked fresh-faced and full of vigor, with a long sword hanging at her waist.

Her sharp, clear black eyes scanned the dimly lit room, where the candlelight flickered softly. She seemed not to notice the hidden priestess standing nearby and soon focused her gaze on the few villagers bound and temporarily unconscious in the corner.

A glimmer of something strange flashed in the girl’s eyes, but she didn’t take immediate action. Instead, she maintained a cautious stance with her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. Without turning her head, she spoke in a soft voice.

“There’s no danger for now, my lady. You may enter.”

As the girl, presumably named Bai’er, spoke, the other woman, who had been conversing with her earlier, slowly walked into the room.

…She was beautiful.

Though also dressed in plain farm attire and a simple skirt, the modest clothing did nothing to conceal the noble aura that subtly radiated from her.

With bright, clear eyes, a graceful manner, and long, glossy hair that flowed smoothly, it was immediately clear to Violet upon a single glance that this woman was definitely someone of high status, likely from a privileged background, who had deliberately disguised herself as a commoner.

If her guess was correct, Bai’er was probably this woman’s bodyguard or servant.

A master and servant, traveling in disguise? It felt oddly familiar, as if Violet had encountered something like this before…

Perhaps the [Chameleon Cloak] worked a little too well, as the two women seemed to have missed noticing the presence of another person in the room, focusing only on the several conspicuous villagers in the corner, who were afflicted by the evil spirits.

The noble-looking gray-haired girl slightly furrowed her brows.

“As expected… This is the place where the extreme yin energy gathers. On the night of the year’s end, when the yin energy is at its peak, the bodies of the living are used to condense evil spirits. Could this be the life-sacrifice ritual recorded in the [Ten Thousand Demon Compendium]?”

Bai’er turned her head in surprise, her expression changing.

“Life-sacrifice ritual? Isn’t that one of the most cruel and vile forbidden dark arts, known for creating the most powerful evil spirits? Who would do such a horrible thing?”

The girl shook her head and took a few steps forward, placing her hand on one of the villagers’ wrists, seemingly to check his pulse.

“It’s more than just that. A regular life-sacrifice ritual only requires gathering the year’s accumulated yin energy at the end of the year, but tonight is the last night of the 999th year of the Four Saints Era, the ultimate extreme point of yin energy, a once-in-a-thousand-year occurrence. If a large-scale life-sacrifice ritual is conducted at this moment, the resulting evil spirit…”

“Ha, as the thousand-year period draws near, all sorts of evil entities are indeed starting to stir… Bai’er, how long will it take?”

The short-haired bodyguard girl took out a small, compass-like device with markings and looked at it before answering.

“About two more hours, my lady.”

“Mm…”

After placing a white talisman on the forehead of one of the villagers, the noblewoman stood up and turned to speak.

“If it’s a life-sacrifice, there’s no way this is all of it. The thousand-year night is about to begin, and the chaos will surely start at midnight. Let’s go, we must stop the conspiracy brewing here.”