Why Am I a Priestess When I Reach the Maximum Level? - [Vol. 6] Chapter 35

[Vol. 6] Chapter 35: My Merit Points Are Off the Charts

Of course, while the snakes were fake, the venom they carried was undoubtedly real.

Violet had previously examined the venom of the Black Mambas. While it wasn’t some world-shattering, incurable poison, given the current resources and methods available to the group, a single bite could very well mean death for the victim.

The eerie hissing around them grew more frequent, as though the danger was drawing closer and closer. Yet, no actual attack had been launched. The torches in their hands could only illuminate a range of a few meters, and in this dark, enclosed environment, such a situation was enough to induce intense psychological pressure.

Clearly, this was a deliberate psychological tactic by their opponent. It suggested that the enemy didn’t have enough confidence to breach the defenses of nearly forty skilled fighters working together. Instead, they were creating stress and stalling for time.

However, just because Violet could analyze the situation didn’t mean everyone else shared her composure or ability to remain calm under pressure.

Before long, the mounting psychological stress caused someone to snap.

“Damn it! What the hell are these things? All of you, go to hell!!”

“Hey, don’t—!”

Before Zhu Chengye could stop him, one of his armored teammates, a bald-headed man, roared and charged out of the group. Holding a torch in one hand to light the way and wielding a large horse-chopping saber in the other, he set out to hack the slithering shadows on the ground into pieces.

He succeeded. In just a few swings of his blade, the guillotine-like weapon had sliced at least seven or eight Black Mambas into chunks, leaving them motionless.

But before he could feel any satisfaction, he was horrified to see the snake corpses slowly dissipate into black smoke and powder. Moments later, a new wave of dense, writhing shadows rained down from above, falling with a series of sharp *plops* onto his armor and bald head.

“Ugh! Get off! Get off me!!!”

The bald man frantically tried to fight back, slashing wildly with his saber. While he managed to cut through some of the falling shadows, many more slipped through the gaps in his armor and twisted their way toward his exposed flesh. Opening their vicious jaws, the snakes sank their fangs into his unprotected skin with a savage bite.

“Get off! Get off!! Aaaaaaaaah!!!”

The bald man’s angry roars quickly turned into agonized screams as he collapsed to the ground, thrashing wildly but futilely.

At that moment, Ling Feng’s sharp voice rang out suddenly, cutting through the chaos.

“Audacious snake beast! How dare you cause trouble here! Show yourself at once!”

Though her voice was as clear and melodious as a silver bell, her commanding shout carried the weight of crashing waves and roaring tides. It reverberated through the deep ravine like the resonant toll of a morning bell or evening drum.

The shout felt like a divine edict descending from the heavens, or the roar of a primordial beast subduing all creatures. Even her allies, hearing it, couldn’t help but feel a tremor in their hearts. Their minds became clear, stripped of distractions, and a sense of tranquility washed over them.

The countless hissing and writhing spirit snakes surrounding them were instantly overwhelmed by the immense power. Whether slithering on the ground, hiding in the walls or rocks, or lurking in the dim ceiling of the canyon, the moment the soundwave touched them, they all dissolved into black smoke and vanished.

But it didn’t end there. From the center of Ling Feng’s smooth, fair forehead, a golden-red vertical eye suddenly opened, spreading intricate patterns as it emerged. The sacred eye radiated a brilliant glow that illuminated the surroundings like an expansive web, casting everything into clarity.

Suddenly, a clear human-like figure was illuminated by the glowing eyes, just around the corner, about thirty meters away.

The figure clearly realized what had happened and attempted to retreat in a flash. However, Bai’er, perfectly synchronized with Ling Feng, reacted faster. The moment Ling Feng’s sacred power revealed the enemy’s position, Bai’er’s flying sword shot forward like lightning!

*Thud!*

The outlined figure had no chance to resist. The sword pierced cleanly through its shoulder, pinning it against the rocky wall of the [Tidal Deep Valley]. The concealment spell it had been using was forcibly dispelled, revealing its true form.

“T-That’s…!”

From the crowd, someone exclaimed in shock as the illuminated form came fully into view.

It was clearly not a human being.

Her upper body resembled that of an ordinary woman, appearing to be in her early twenties. Although her tattered cloth could barely cover the essential areas, she could still be considered quite a beautiful woman, especially with her dark, grayish hair flowing around her, adding to her allure.

However, her lower half was not human at all. It was a massive, black snake tail, writhing desperately as it stretched at least two to three meters.

A snake beast.

Her identity had already become glaringly obvious after Miss Ling Feng’s commanding shout filled with overwhelming authority.

“Go!”

As though unwilling to fall behind, seeing Ling Feng and Bai’er acting in tandem, the fortune-teller, Zhu Chengye, quickly raised his palm. A jade ruler flew out, spinning rapidly to pull the motionless bald man back to safety. He then hurriedly checked his breathing.

“He’s still alive, but…”

He exchanged a glance with Murong Yun, and his expression darkened slightly.

As Violet had suspected, while the snakes were merely illusionary forms created by the snake beast’s magic, the poison they carried was not diminished in any way. Even though the bald man had survived for now, having been bitten, his fate was sealed, death was only a matter of time.

Du Zhe, who understood the Black Man Snake poison well, furrowed his brow and shook his head.

“There’s nothing that can be done. Although the Black Man Snake’s poison isn’t incurable, it’s certainly beyond the reach of ordinary antidotes. And this fool has been bitten all over. The poison has already spread into his lungs. Not even a god could save him now.”

“No… I believe even a god might still try,” Murong Yun remarked almost instinctively, glancing subtly at the priestess, who had been idly observing.

“W-What? You’re talking about god. What does that have to do with me…?” Violet started, then sighed.

“Fine, fine. But let me make it clear, this is the only time!”

Someone reluctantly stepped forward, pushing through the crowd.

Initially, Violet had no intention of intervening. If favors were granted too casually and without cost, people would become entitled

If she set this precedent, what if, next time, she encountered another empty-headed person who ran off to throw themselves into danger? Should she save them or not?

But… they had agreed to just give up together, and yet, Ling Feng and Bai’er had already taken action to subdue the snake beast. In comparison, it seemed like only one certain priestess had been slacking off the whole time…

Violet still had a bit of a competitive streak.

Taking out her priestess staff, the black-haired girl casually placed the tip of it on the chest of the nearly unconscious, foam-flecked, bald man’s armor. A warm, holy golden light immediately radiated from it.

The Black Mamba’s poison sounded deadly, but in the end, it was just a more potent snake venom. It was nowhere near as dangerous as the [Defilement]’s plague Violet had encountered in the Holy Empire.

By continuously casting the low-level holy magic spells [Purification] and [Healing], the poison on the bald man had already been completely dispelled, as detected by her [Information Detection].

Of course, to avoid this seemingly dim-witted person continuing to rush out and get himself killed, and to avoid drawing too much attention, Violet hadn’t fully restored his health. She deliberately left him in a state of recovery, though still somewhat weak.

Even so, when the bald man groggily rubbed his head and stood up, the surrounding gasps of shock and the exclamation from a certain disciple of the Guiyuan Sect—“This… this is impossible!”—filled Violet’s ears.

Oh well, let’s just say I’m doing a good deed.