Chapter 25: Chapter 25

Whizz!

As the offering was accepted, the entire shrine was coated inside flowing strands of yellow light that appeared both ethereal and real at the same time.

Ji Ye quickly realized that this had to be the mysterious power that protected the civilization. This would keep growing as the settlement gained size and more population, while it also provided boon and protection to its people, such as helping them with a sacrificial ritual.

A few minutes later, the light gathered and split into two swirling dragon shadows that climbed onto the roof of the building. This was most likely the origin of their clan’s name.

The shadows spat out two golden light beams back down, which sank inside the offering and the Soul of Civilization at the same time.

Crack!

The offering orb shattered upon impact, allowing the serpent soul to break free. Without its prison, it rapidly grew bigger until it almost occupied the entire shrine.

The glowing eyes of the soul scanned around the room and immediately saw Ji Ye at the door. Without hesitating, it opened its fanged mouth to an unbelievably wide angle and lunged at him, aiming to devour its killer once and for all.

“It’s the monster again!” Many curious settlers outside the shrine recognized their nemesis and yelled in fear. The respectful expressions on their faces quickly changed to unveiled horror.

However, the semi-transparent soul failed to reach Ji Ye; a faint, golden barrier at the shrine’s door prevented it from going outside.

Meanwhile, a deep, resonating voice echoed inside the shrine as if a hundred buddhism believers were chanting a sacred mantra in unison.

“A disbeliever of the temple, a seeker of saints. A carrier of unparalleled might, a heart of an executioner…”

Ji Ye widened his eyes in shock. Having been one of the college entrance exam’s top scorers in Yang City, he immediately recognized what those words meant.

“A liar to the patriarch, a heretic to Padmapani. A bearer of cold steel and a bloodied cane…”

As the mysterious chanting continued, the serpent soul attempted to bash the walls and floor to break down the structure since it had no way of leaving. And yet, its form could only pass through the solid pillars or rocks it touched, without being able to deal any actual damage.

When the last phrase of the poem was recited, another deafening voice boomed inside the shrine:

“Away with you, beast! You murdered my people, now you dare defy our holy ground!”

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A large hand suddenly reached out of the floating Soul of Civilization and grasped the violent serpent by its neck. As if stricken by a lightning bolt, the serpent twitched madly, before its body shrank until it was no larger than a common grass viper.

By this point, the Soul of Civilization was no longer there. Its original position had been taken by a tall human figure with a bulky build. He had a pair of arms thicker than adult legs, an impressive round face embellished by a wild beard, and exceptionally large ears. The most eye-catching part was his exposed chest covered by a heavy tuft of hair, as well as a large flower tattoo that almost covered his entire back.

Boom!

The serpent soul could no longer bear the deadly grasp and exploded into particles.

[Lu Da]

[Level: Extraordinary Rank-1]

[Rarity: Commander]

[One of the 108 Stars of Destiny, the Solitary Star, nicknamed “Flowery Monk.” This commander of Liang Shan Marsh infantry can unleash amazing strength upon his enemies. A hero who created many well-quoted tales and legends.]

That was what Ji Ye managed to read from a system message as the “fort master.” Though he didn’t really need the reminder to recognize one of the most famous characters illustrated by Water Margins.

“It’s—it’s Chief Lu!” Before Ji Ye could go ahead and talk to this make-believe warrior, several settlers outside were already hopping in excitement, especially when they just saw the terrible snake being squashed like a bug.

“Chief, that thing killed Big Bull…”

“And my daughter! Wahhh…”

“Where have you been these days, chief?? We missed you dearly!”

All the people rushed inside the shrine and surrounded the bulky man to retell their sad stories.

Meanwhile, Ji Ye silently observed the heart-warming sight. Lu Zhishen was a man at least 1.9 meters tall, with chunky muscles to go along with that size. Still, he didn’t act proud at all when talking to the settlers. He even carried two crying kids on his shoulders in an attempt to cheer them up.

This means NPCs here are real and life-like as human beings, unlike what those experts assumed… Ji Ye pondered. Twin Dragons’ Rest didn’t have a fort master before I came, which means this ‘first leader’ should be in charge.

Ji Ye wasn’t worried about being attacked by Lu Zhishen for stealing the leader’s job. According to the first player who had protected a settlement, a “summoned hero” should more or less know who was the summoner and what this meant. This had already been proven since Lu Zhishen wasn’t doing anything in particular against him.

Besides, even if Lu Zhishen had no idea who he was, it was unlikely that this noble hero would harm a stranger who had just saved Twin Dragons’ Rest from that serpent.

There was another element to back up Ji Ye’s confidence. He had already learned that a player who brought the offering and helped summon a hero was, as a matter of course, allowed to ask the hero for a favor, such as assistance in defeating a strong enemy, protection, or even becoming the hero’s disciple, which was the final choice made by the preceding player, who became Ninth Uncle’s student. That player would undoubtedly have a good head start thanks to this.