Chapter 72

“You’re lying!”

“Bullshit!”

The residents of Hundred Ghost Village naturally wouldn’t believe Kisaragi’s words. They fired questions one after another, some people questioning Kisaragi’s identity, “Who are you?”

Kisaragi said lightly, “I am the Miko of Kisaragi Shrine, Kisaragi.”

The crowd was silent for a moment, and then a burst of doubt broke out.

“Kisaragi Shrine? Miko of the Kisaragi Shrine?”

“What a joke! Kisaragi Shrine does not have a Miko!”

“Kisaragi Shrine has never had any Miko! Where did this liar come from?”

“Liar! Burn her to death! Burn her to death!”

It was to such noises that Xiao Tangqiu opened his eyes.

But in the next second, he was distracted by a strange feeling on his back.

That warm and soft touch, and the hot breath…

It’s Shen Yuan!

He reacted instantly. His face flushed and he straightened up quickly to push Shen Yuan away from behind him.

Xiao Tangqiu turned his head and met Shen Yuan’s dark eyes. After seeing the blood on Shen Yuan’s lips, could he still not understand what was going on?

Just when he was so embarrassed that he wanted to implode, Tang Mianmian’s joyful voice rang out, “Qiuqiu! Qiuqiu! You woke up!”

Xiao Tangqiu turned his head and saw that there were many people watching and he wanted to implode!

“Jiujiu!” Seeing Xiao Tangqiu wake up, Shen Yuan immediately became happy and licked his lips subconsciously.

Xiao Tangqiu immediately yelled, “Don’t lick!”

He rushed over and grabbed Shen Yuan’s collar, “Spit it out! Spit it out!”

However, Shen Yuan had already swallowed. He blinked innocently, as if he didn’t understand Xiao Tangqiu’s madness, “Jiujiu, what’s wrong?”

Xiao Tangqiu’s face was extremely red, “It’s so dirty, how can you swallow… Who knows if there are any bacteria or viruses in the scratches of low-level demons!”

Xue Junli said lightly, “If you are just worried about this, you can rest assured that even if there are any bacteria or viruses, it is impossible to infect our captain.”

Xiao Tangqiu paused and realized even if those low-level demons really carried bacteria or viruses, they couldn’t infect Shen Yuan, someone who was only one step away from becoming a demon. If dust fell into ink, could it taint ink?

When Xiao Tangqiu came back to himself, he met Shen Yuan’s dark eyes. Shen Yuan stared at him, “Jiujiu, are you okay?”

Xiao Tangqiu was afraid that Shen Yuan would continue and shook his head quickly, “I’m fine!”

Although there was still a slight burning pain on his back, it was much better than before. Especially the place where Shen Yuan licked, it was cool and comfortable.

After realizing his own thoughts, he blushed again and quickly changed the topic, “Thank you, really! But I’m really fine now! Anyway, what’s the situation?”

Xiao Tangqiu looked around and saw that the low-level demons were all killed by Shen Yuan. He didn’t know how much effort it took, but the black tattoos on Shen Yuan had not disappeared even now. Those black tattoos were just like real tattoos, emerging on the surface of Shen Yuan’s skin. He suddenly frowned, “Your tattoo…”

Tang Mianmian suddenly interrupted with a yell, “Fuck! It’s dawn!”

…It’s dawn?

Xiao Tangqiu immediately looked up. Sure enough, the horizon had started to brighten at some point and a ray of light gradually pierced the darkness that shrouded the land. This long night seemed to be finally over.

“It’s really dawn…”

Everyone in the Reincarnation Team looked up at the sky. The night was finally over. But what did this mean?

Xiao Tangqiu’s heart jumped wildly with excitement for a while, but soon he calmed down again. Impossible! This instance wouldn’t end so simply!

“Wait a minute… Those people disappeared…” Yu Fuling suddenly shouted.

Xiao Tangqiu looked around and saw that the noisy crowd surrounding them had vanished before them with the rising sun… But then he realized that it was not those people who had disappeared, it was them that had disappeared!

This time, no one felt dizzy and faint, they simply appeared in the dark tunnel.

They finally returned to this dark tunnel again.

Duan Hongzhen scoffed, “What the hell! It’s not that they disappeared, it was us that disappeared!”

“We came back again…”

Xiao Tangqiu frowned, “It’s this tunnel again…” For some reason, this time he had a particularly bad premonition.

“Is it not over yet? But hasn’t the mountain god been resolved by god Shen Yuan?” Tang Mianmian was puzzled.

At this moment, a female voice coldly rang, “No, the mountain god has not disappeared.”

Everyone turned and were shocked. The Miko, Kisaragi, actually came with them!

Xiao Tangqiu was taken aback, why did Kisaragi also appear in this tunnel with them? Logically speaking, wasn’t Kisaragi from Hundred Ghost Village? Wait! Those people said that there was no Miko in the Kisaragi Shrine of Hundred Ghost Village! So, who was Kisaragi?

“It hasn’t disappeared yet? What do you mean?” Duan Hongzhen raised an eyebrow.

Kisaragi coldly said, “What you wiped out just now is just a projection of the mountain god. The real mountain god… is in the Hundred Ghost Town hundreds of years ago.”

Xiao Tangqiu frowned, “What do you mean?”

Kisaragi was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, “Because the true mountain god disappeared hundreds of years ago.”

Everyone fell silent at the same time. Xiao Tangqiu was completely muddled, “The real mountain god has long since disappeared? What happened to the mountain god after? Didn’t you say that it came back again?”

Kisaragi was silent for a long time, then spoke faintly, “It is an obsession, an unwaking and obsessive dream, just like the people and places you have seen before…”

Those people and places they saw before? For example, hedgehog-head and that school where no one survived because of the earthquake?

Xiao Tangqiu suddenly caught onto something, but he couldn’t believe it, “You mean, the mountain god in Hundred Ghost Village is just a fantastical dream of the people?”

Kisaragi spoke, “Once the mountain god disappears due to lack of faith, he will never return. Because it was no longer needed, it had ‘died’… But if someone has a strong enough obsession, they may be able to call back part of the consciousness of the mountain god. But this kind of hazy consciousness is by no means a true mountain god, it can only be regarded as a projection.”

Xiao Tangqiu latched onto Kisaragi’s words and said, “You mean that the real mountain god has disappeared for centuries, but then someone summoned part of the mountain god’s consciousness back with their strong obsession. The piece of the mountain god realized that the piety and faith was impure and weak, so it began to angrily absorb the power of these people’s beliefs to try to restore its strong power in order to bring calamity to the residents of Hundred Ghost Village?”

Kisaragi nodded and she spoke, “Although you eliminated the part of the consciousness that the mountain god awakened centuries later, its body was still very powerful centuries ago. If the true mountain god cannot be completely eliminated, it will still bring the same huge disaster to Hundred Ghost Village centuries later.”

Xiao Tangqiu had a rush of energy. Was this it? Was this their real mission?

To destroy the mountain god!

The Reincarnation Team looked at each other for a while. After a while, Xue Junli said, “Let’s go out first.”

Duan Hongzhen crossed his arms, turned his head, and asked Kisaragi, “Are you coming with us?”

Kisaragi nodded and said, “Naturally.”

“Then, you answer one question first. Just who are you?”

Duan Hongzhen raised his eyebrows, “Just now those people said that Kisaragi Shrine does not have a Miko at all, so where did you, a Miko, come from?”

Kisaragi was calm, “I am indeed the Miko of the Kisaragi Shrine.”

“You’re lying! Those people clearly said that Kisaragi Shrine does not have a Miko,” Tang Mianmian snorted. “Could it be that you’re not the Miko of the Kisaragi Shrine in Hundred Ghost Village, but the Miko of the Kisaragi Shrine in Hundred Ghost Town?”

Xiao Tangqiu frowned, “Kisaragi Shrine in Hundred Ghost Town? The Kisaragi Shrine in Hundred Ghost Town should have disappeared with the disappearance of the mountain god? How can there be Miko?” Of course the most important point was that even if the Kisaragi Shrine in Hundred Ghost Town had a Miko, that was already centuries ago. How could a Miko from centuries ago go to the Hundred Ghost Village hundreds of years later?

Kisaragi’s expression was calm and she didn’t respond, just repeating, “I am indeed the Miko of the Kisaragi Shrine.”

Duan Hongzhen raised his eyebrows, “Are you also an obsession, an unwaking and obsessive dream?”

Kisaragi stopped responding and turned and walked straight ahead. Everyone exchanged glances and could only follow.

No matter what they asked Kisaragi next, Kisaragi didn’t answer.

After a while, they walked out of the long dark tunnel.

Outside the tunnel, it was twilight.

Twilight, a

witching hour

.

Xiao Tangqiu immediately felt that the surrounding environment had changed as soon as he left the tunnel. Maybe it was his imagination but although the previous Hundred Ghost Town was already eerie and strange, it felt even more eerie this time. Even the howling wind was extremely chilling.

Soon, he knew this was not his imagination, because Shen Yuan suddenly frowned, “…There is a demonic energy.”

There was a demonic energy!

Not only Shen Yuan, the other people in the Reincarnation Team also reacted. Although they were not as sensitive to demonic energy as Shen Yuan, if the energy was too heavy, they would naturally notice the terrible pressure… The things hiding in Hundred Ghost Village were definitely not low-level demons!

Xiao Tangqiu suddenly shuddered at a chill. This cold and terrifying aura was very similar to the pressure that Lippinobert exuded when he ate the Demon Heart Shard. But even more terrifying than that!

Could it be that the mountain god of Hundred Ghost Village had become a demon?

At this moment, a scream suddenly rang out.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

“Help!”

Screaming? Where did the scream come from!

Xiao Tangqiu’s heart leaped, and soon he realized that the scream seemed to be coming from the tunnel behind them!

He turned and looked back to see a few figures suddenly running out of the dark tunnel!

“It’s those newbies!” Duan Hongzhen was the first to react.

Xiao Tangqiu took a closer look and it was true. The couple of people who were rushing out of the tunnel were the newbies that had parted ways with them before. They ran wildly with horrified expressions.

After seeing Xiao Tangqiu’s group, they immediately yelled in agitation, “Help! Help us!”

Xue Junli said coldly, “You guys stop! Don’t come over!”

“Help us! Please help us!” The newbies seemed to be crazed from fear. Not only did they not stop, they ran faster.

Duan Hongzhen raised his eyebrows, “Oh, why?”

One of them cried out, “There is a monster! A monster is chasing us! Save us!”

Duan Hongzhen said without hesitation, “I’m not saving you.”

The man cried out, “Why? You can’t just watch us die!”

Duan Hongzhen said with a faint smile, “What if… you are also monsters?”