Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 6] Chapter 31

[Vol. 6] Chapter 31: This Is Called Strategic Retreat

The priestess has been observing this young couple for a long time.

They didn’t seem to be disciples of any sect but rather like loose cultivators, similar to Murong Yun, who find their own paths and gather resources. This kind of independent cultivator is quite common in the[Ancient Spirit Realm], in fact, they make up a significant portion of the overall population, at least half or more.

The method of judgment is simple. After all, disciples from regular sects, such as Du Zhe and those three from the Guiyuan Sect, all wear identical uniforms and often display emblems representing their identities.

Apart from their varied clothing styles, the quality of loose cultivators also varies widely. While most are of average strength, struggling daily to gather resources, there are also those who hide their true abilities, some even reaching the level of [Seeker of Immortality] or [Eternal Life].

This classification is broad. In fact, excluding the three from the Guiyuan Sect, everyone present, including Ling Feng and Bai’er, can be considered loose cultivators. After all, although the [Yin-Yang Division] provides wages, they don’t guide internal members’ cultivation, which is a significant difference from true sects.

—At least that’s what Miss Ling Feng says.

But this young couple, who seemed like a pair of lovebirds… how should I put it, they always made Violet feel something was off.

From their unreservedly luxurious attire, it was clear that they were not lacking in wealth and were unlikely to be here for official rewards.

The remaining possibility is that they were seeking opportunities related to the Holy Beast Qilin, but…

The girl, named Yuan Zhi, was truly ignorant and clumsy, and the aura she emitted was undeniably weak. Violet had observed this carefully and could confirm it.

If someone thought that this kind of naive fool had ulterior motives, then they were greatly underestimating the hardworking villains in the world.

But it was strange. The Prefect Wen Fu still allowed her to participate in this exploration and even placed her in a team with someone as powerful as Miss Violet. Such an action could only be seen as favoritism.

As for the young man named Yuan Hong, his skills were decent. He was sharp and experienced, though taciturn. He indeed had the qualifications to join this mission.

When the recruitment and assessments took place, it was also Wen Fu who, for some unknown reason, allowed these two to team up. Yuan Hong had forcefully dragged Yuan Zhi through the test, handling two opponents by himself.

Despite the apparent disparity in their strength, according to Violet’s covert observation, it was clear that within this “couple,” Yuan Zhi was the dominant one. Yuan Hong’s role was simply to protect her.

This rather unusual relationship, if anything, seemed less like that of a couple and more like…

“Princess… Xiao Zhi!”

When Yuan Zhi’s calf was grabbed by the skeletal claw and she screamed for help, Yuan Hong seemed visibly anxious. He quickly smashed the bone claw with his staff, and his instinctive shout of “Princess…” was, of course, caught by the keen-eared priestess, who was listening in the valley.

Princess…?

Princess what?

What could it be?

The wind howled as the black-haired girl smirked slightly upon catching this key piece of information. If she had her fox ears right now, they would surely be flicking in delight.

Of course, the only person who could have the leisure to pay attention to such trivial matters would probably be the priestess.

The attacks of the [Undead Bone Demon] were not just aimed at one or two people.

The pale bone claws continuously emerged from the still damp, cold walls, the ground, and the strange, protruding rocks around them. Although they were just bones, they were sharp and swift, each strike filled with lethal intent that aimed directly for the vital points, threatening to pierce the heart and seize the soul.

Although Murong Yun and the others were incredibly powerful, they were limited by the terrain and the difficulty of locating the enemy’s real body. For the moment, they could only hastily dodge, unable to launch an effective counterattack.

After all, those bone claws were clearly just expendable limbs of the Bone Demon. Even though they kept breaking and shattering under the force of palms, copper swords, and staffs, they wouldn’t deal any real damage to the demon’s main body.

“Swish!”

Slightly tilting her body, the black-haired girl casually avoided the attack that had suddenly come from behind. An attack that had actually already been spotted by Violet. She swiftly grabbed the wrist of the bone claw, and before it could retract or even struggle, she snapped it with a quick, sharp “crack.”

Then, with a stylish spinning kick, she struck the wall where the bone claw had just retreated.

“Bang!!!”

With the violent shaking of the wall and a strange “crackling” sound of destruction, the inside quickly became quiet.

Although she didn’t use any particularly powerful ability, the impact was more than enough to destroy the bone demon that had foolishly attacked a certain priest.

“Tsk, so dirty…”

Once she regained her footing, Violet looked at the now motionless bone claw, covered in mud and various unknown filth. After inspecting it for a moment, she casually tossed it to the ground and crushed it with her foot.

Then, she turned her head to glance at the foolish deer-like figure that had actually squatted down in such a situation, crying and applying medicine to her calf, which had been scratched by the bone claw, under Yuan Hong’s protection. Violet frowned slightly.

Hey, this is too ridiculous, right? Violet is certainly not here to play nanny for some people.

As she pondered, Murong Yun had already smashed another incoming bone claw with a palm and shouted instructions to his teammates behind him.

“Don’t linger in battle! Prolonged fighting will only attract more demons and evil spirits. We need to break free from these [Undead Bone Demons] as quickly as possible!”

Of course, everyone understood the reasoning, but whether they could actually follow through was another matter.

The temporary team was now split into four groups: Murong Yun, representing the official side as the leader, Violet, Ling Feng, and Bai’er, the three cultivators from Guiyuan Sect, and lastly, the “couple,” Yuan Hong and Yuan Zhi.

To escape the entanglement of the bone demons and continue forward, the plan was simple, fight while retreating. Murong Yun and Violet’ group had no problem with that, but the other two groups, especially Yuan Zhi, who seemed completely useless…

But Murong Yun was a decisive person and didn’t waste time hesitating.

After loudly issuing the order, he quickly glanced at the black-haired girl, seeing that she seemed uninterested and didn’t plan to make a move, so he took the lead, charging forward to clear a path.

“Move quickly! Everyone, follow me!!!”

The middle-aged man in white turned his palms into afterimages, striking down on several bone claws that extended from the stone walls like roadblocks. His force shattered them instantly, and he took large strides forward.

Naturally, Violet wasted no time following his lead, with Ling Feng and Bai’er close behind. The three cultivators from Guiyuan Sect, led by Du Zhe, hesitated for a moment but quickly understood the urgency. They hastily cut through the evil bones with their copper swords and trotted to catch up.

“Eh? Eh! You you you you you guys…!”

And as expected, Yuan Zhi, who had been acting like it was a casual outing and was still crouched on the ground, crying and rubbing her delicate skin where the bone claws had scratched her, was the slowest to react.

She seemed completely shocked that these people would abandon her without hesitation, running away. In a moment of both fear and anger, she only stayed where she was, shouting loudly, but still failed to take the proper actions or make any correct response.

“Oops… Yuan Zhi, I’m sorry!”

Fortunately, the young man Yuan Hong, who had a somewhat slow expression, still grasped the situation. Seeing that the others were getting farther ahead, he gritted his teeth, threw Yuan Zhi over his shoulder, and swung his staff to sweep away the bone claws. With Yuan Zhi’s louder, panicked cries, he hurried to catch up with the group.

Under Murong Yun’s lead, the group was quickly running through the dark and damp passage. But the deeper they went, the more expansive the surroundings became, until they burst out of the tunnel and arrived at the edge of a vast underground lake. Only then did the persistent bone claws finally stop, gradually retracting into the passage.

“Hmm…?”

With the others stopping as well, Violet calmly came to a halt and cast her gaze ahead.

This place is quite interesting.

She could feel that the skeletons that had been chasing them were not retreating because they didn’t want to continue the attack, but because they were overwhelmed by another powerful aura in this place, which forced them to withdraw.

It was the nemesis of evil spirits, similar to the power contained in protective talismans, but stronger and more majestic.

The girl’s silver-blue eyes finally settled on the small, seemingly artificially carved underground lake ahead.

Is it… beneath here?