Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 6] Chapter 29

[Vol. 6] Chapter 29: The Key Is Chaos!

Below the [Tidal Deep Valley].

Releasing the rope, the black-haired girl looked up at the faintly lit exit above, then quickly did a mental calculation and came to a conclusion.

“Mm, it’s at least 30 meters from here to the surface of the basin. There are plenty of protrusions on the rock wall, but it’s too damp and slippery. Ordinary people would probably find it impossible to climb back up once they come down.”

Taking advantage of the low tide to reach the valley floor, the exploration team of which Violet was a part, consisting of nine people, had all arrived in the inner space of the [Tidal Deep Valley] and were ready to begin their investigation.

By the way, they had descended using the ropes provided by the government, which were tied to large rocks on the outside. This method was reportedly common among most of those, including Murong Yun, who entered the [Tidal Deep Valley].

If they wanted to return, they could use the rope hanging down to climb back up. It would be even easier with help from outside.

Although this world has cultivators, the vast majority of people in the martial world have not reached the point where they can fly or vanish into thin air. It is said that at the very least, one must reach the Seeking Immortal realm in the Lower Four Realms and obtain magical items like a flying shuttle or celestial sword from a senior in a higher realm to be able to fly at all.

According to Ling Feng, to truly walk on air and travel through the heavens with one’s physical body, one would need to surpass the [Eternal Life] realm and reach the [Roaming Cloud] realm, a state that is nearly unattainable for most cultivators.

Flying was no challenge for Violet, of course. When Ling Feng first met her, she had demonstrated her ability to fly with the aid of magical items. But there was no need to show off or make a display of it here, so they all climbed down the ropes honestly.

It was also a novel experience.

Murong Yun, pulling on the sturdy rope attached to the wall, skillfully placed a talisman near it, then handed out identical white talismans to everyone in the team.

Violet took hers, examined it in her hand.

She hadn’t seen this particular design before, but from the energy emanating from it, it seemed to be a higher-level alternative to an evil-repelling talisman, at least in principle.

“Please keep this talisman on your person at all times,” Murong Yun reiterated. “I must emphasize again, the [Tidal Deep Valley] is filled with evil spirits, especially those who prefer to attack the living with abundant yang energy. You must never allow the anti-evil talisman to leave your body, or the consequences will be unimaginable.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Murong.”

“Tch… What’s the use of such a talisman? Who can it actually stop?”

The responses to the captain’s reminder were mixed.

Violet and the other two women simply nodded obediently, acknowledging the warning. Meanwhile, the three young people from the same sect, led by a man in green, seemed somewhat dismissive, though it was unclear whether they had something to rely on.

The two young lovers, who were not clearly identifiable for now, especially the girl, appeared to be somewhat inexperienced and continued curiously scanning their surroundings. They seemed not to have listened to Murong Yun’s words at all, until the other man, who was holding a long stick and had a somewhat simple appearance, took the talisman from Murong Yun and handed it to her.

Observing everyone’s reactions, Murong Yun didn’t say more, simply nodded again, and then turned to walk at the front.

Everyone naturally followed.

The ground and walls inside the [Tidal Deep Valley] were extremely damp, exuding a chilling sensation that seemed to seep into the bones. The air was filled with uncomfortable, sinister energy, and just walking here gave a subtle sense of unease and dread.

This was inevitable, as the underground river’s water had only recently receded with the tide, and the area they were in had only recently been submerged by water.

The underground river was a place where the sinister energy gathered and sank, and in the [Ancient Spirit Realm], it was said to be a “river that connects to the Three Paths of the Afterlife.” According to scholars’ studies, the evil energy in the [Tidal Deep Valley] was likely related to this water source.

However, the sinister energy of ordinary underground rivers wouldn’t be as concentrated as this, so the deeper reasons behind the evil energy in the [Tidal Deep Valley] still remained unclear.

As Murong Yun carefully advanced at the front, checking his map, he would occasionally turn around to check the number of people and ask if anyone felt unwell. His overly professional demeanor made even Violet, who had originally planned to watch the spectacle, start to feel a little bored.

Although they had been in the underground canyon for several hours, thanks to Murong Yun’s careful navigation, they had yet to encounter anything truly strange or any noteworthy enemies.

Of course, strictly speaking, there had always been many evil spirits around, but they were so weak that they weren’t even comparable to the [Dog Demon] that Violet had encountered in Zengjia Village when she first arrived, let alone the [Evil Flame Spirit King] she dealt with later.

However, this was the typical state of most evil spirits in the [Ancient Spirit Realm], scattered and disorganized, like elements aimlessly drifting around. Even without the special items Murong Yun had provided, the most basic anti-evil talisman would be enough to drive them away.

As a result, one of the young men in green robes, seemingly a practitioner from a sect, began to look increasingly disdainful.

“Is this the legendary [Tidal Deep Valley]? Hmph, it’s nothing impressive. It’s no different from the deep forests and mountains where we usually deal with common demons and evil spirits.”

“Rumors are terrifying. How did it go from being just a regular dangerous place to one of the so-called ‘Top Ten Deadly Locations’?”

Murong Yun stopped and turned to look at the speaker, one of the three young men in green robes. He frowned slightly but still explained earnestly.

“This is just the beginning. The interior of the valley is complex, with many interconnected caves. We’re able to avoid stronger demons thanks to the map that guides us.”

“Even so, we must not be careless. Many demons and evil spirits have unpredictable forms and abilities, and they move around constantly. We must always remain vigilant and observe our surroundings.”

The young man in green, who had spoken earlier, immediately complained in dissatisfaction.

“What a joke! The [Guiyuan Pavilion] is best at subduing demons. Our spiritual compass can detect movements within a radius of several hundred meters. If any powerful demon or yokai approached, how could we possibly miss it?”

As he spoke, he took a copper compass out of his sleeve and displayed it in front of everyone. As he had said, the spoon-shaped needle on the compass remained steady at the origin, showing no signs of fluctuation around them.

“See? You can just focus on your journey without worry.”

After glancing at him for a moment, the black-haired girl inwardly understood.

Although she didn’t fully understand the structure of this special [Ancient Spirit Realm] artifact, after spending some time with it, Violet, even if she hadn’t personally encountered such things before, had seen enough to make an educated guess about how it worked. Based on the person’s explanation, she could figure out its basic principles.

It was essentially a tool that detected evil and demonic energies within a certain range and, when it sensed a certain threshold of such auras, it simply pointed toward them. While not very complicated, it was useful enough for early detection and prevention.

Sure enough, people who dared to venture here all had some level of skill or at least experience in dealing with demons and monsters.

But…

“That boast is too loud. Be careful, or you’ll get slapped in the face.”

The priestess muttered to herself, almost as if speaking to no one in particular.

It was simple logic, just because this tool couldn’t detect something didn’t mean it didn’t exist. There could still be something else lurking, something even more dangerous. Besides weak demons that fell below the detection threshold, there was another, more deadly possibility.

Of course, this expert from the Guiyuan Sect hadn’t considered that layer.

“What do you mean?!”

“Uh, I think Miss Violet is just offering a kind reminder. Some demons are particularly good at…”

The leader of the three young men in green robes was still arguing with Murong Yun, who was trying to help explain, but Violet had already lost interest in dealing with these small fries, whose limited experiences were clouding their judgment. Instead, she turned her attention to the dimness at the end of the valley passage, her silver-blue eyes gleaming faintly.

The facts always speak louder than words.

She exchanged a knowing glance with Ling Feng, standing beside her.

“So, what do you think? Should we handle those things ourselves?”

“…No, let’s see how they handle it first.”

“I think so too~”