Within Ten Steps, There Must Be an Antidote

The city gained its freedom. People fled and screamed in the chaos. Yet, all of this came to a sudden halt at a beam of pure light erupting from the staff in Jacob's hand.

A white light.

A light that possessed no extra effects beyond illumination, so vast and wide-reaching that it blanketed the entire area.

It rose from Jacob's staff like a sun, shining upon every city resident, whether they were covered by the Hallowed Ground Technique or not. Even though it contained no special properties, those touched by the light felt a wave of warmth wash over their entire bodies.

Psychotherapy is effective, after all.

A pre-prepared scroll of Amplification Technique triggered in his palm.

"Calm down," he said. His voice carried to all corners.

The chaotic crowd instantly quieted, and those running no longer fled blindly. At this moment, the 'Bishop's' voice held considerable persuasiveness and influence. In a mere instant, order returned to the city. Everyone in the square and on the streets turned their gazes toward him.

They looked at him, filled with anticipation and longing.

The straw to clutch and the guiding light were right before them; they awaited every word he was about to speak.

"The evil spirits have been repelled, and this city is temporarily safe. But you must still maintain order; do not argue, do not brawl. Gather in units of families or companies. Those who are injured, elderly, weak, or disabled must be placed on the glowing ground. And if anyone begins to suffer from delirium or sees hallucinations, bring them to the glowing ground as well."

The Hallowed Ground Technique could last for a period of time—perhaps three days, or a little longer. As long as one remained within the hallowed ground, dark and evil thoughts would be difficult to manifest—unless that person was truly beyond redemption. But such individuals would naturally be dealt with by the good-hearted people protected and inspired by the hallowed ground.

"Also, remember not to speak your own names. And do not speak the names of others. This evil spirit harms the human mind through names. As for those ominous hand seals and incantations, you must also forget them entirely."

His authority at this moment surpassed an emperor's decree. Everyone listened with bated breath. Jacob revealed a faint, satisfied smile; now, it was time for matters of value to the Reincarnators.

"I need to see the local clergy." He hesitated, adjusting his phrasing slightly. "Temple keepers, spirit mediums, anyone capable of communicating with the gods... immortals and buddhas—I need to see them immediately. If they are here, please come to me at once. If anyone knows such people, please introduce them to me immediately. I need to find them... to understand the special situation this city and this island are currently facing."

A small stir of noise immediately broke out in the crowd. Not long after, a middle-aged woman in plain clothing was pushed forward to stand before the Reincarnators.

"You... high-level experts." Her voice was somewhat reserved; it was obvious she was not the type skilled in social interaction, nor did she have much experience in such matters. "My name is Chen..."

Invisible telekinetic force surged forth, sealing her mouth.

Yu Zhiwei raised a hand, making a 'shush' gesture.

"Do not say your name," she said, a subtle smile flowing in her eyes.

This might have been a small accident caused by nervous tension, but to Si Ming, who understood the rules of the Main God well, a simple coincidence might not be without special significance.

Chen, an interesting surname. Although it is very common. But the family that sealed the Great Black Buddha Mother happens to be surnamed Chen.

He thought, and he watched.

The middle-aged woman's face turned pale, and she nodded vigorously several times. She took a deep breath before continuing to introduce herself to the Reincarnators.

"I am... someone who helps at the Guanyin Temple. I usually assist the head in performing some rituals... The head, he suddenly died of a sudden illness a few days ago."

Died of a sudden illness? At a time like this?

Jacob glanced at the corpses of the evil cultists, their bodies covered in scriptures, who had been slain by Valentina. Valentina, who had walked out of the building, swung her rapier; the jacket of one of the corpses split open, and a small vial was flicked into the air, landing in her hand.

She took a look, and the cybernetic unit implanted in her body immediately processed the intelligence.

"Potent neurotoxin. And he has no weapons on him for applying poison."

So that was it.

Voices rose in a cacophony from the crowd.

"I was wondering why the old temple keeper on East Street suddenly died of illness." "And Master Kurong at the old temple... didn't Daoist Lingxu also have a car accident last month?" "And Grandpa A-Qing from the Zhou King Temple, he hasn't been seen leaving his house for days..." "Then what about Priest Jacob, who suddenly fell critically ill last week, wasn't he also..."

The Reincarnators exchanged glances.

One had to admit that this Great Black Buddha Mother had indeed grasped a key point. As long as one killed all the agents of the Orthodox Gods using human methods before taking action, it would be difficult for the Orthodox Gods to act according to standard procedures. Even if such a radical plan would soon reveal flaws and trigger alerts, as long as the time difference was successfully exploited, the evil spirit could achieve its goal.

"Too humanized," Si Ming evaluated. "This is something only a human could do. And this must be a special situation; otherwise, this world would have worn a different face from the very beginning."

"It seems that Miss Li Ruonan's connection with the evil spirit is deeper than we anticipated, to the point where they are indistinguishable." Yu Zhiwei revealed a charming smile. "Let's make a deal: when we kill her, how about we make the process a little longer?"

"The main course hasn't even been served yet, so don't be thinking about dessert, Miss Traveler," Jacob looked at her with some helplessness. He then continued to ask the middle-aged woman, "Can you explain the situation further? Ma'am, or has the god you serve given you any special instructions?"

The middle-aged woman waved her hands hurriedly.

"No, no! I'm not qualified to perform rituals alone. I, I don't know if the Bodhisattva has ever visited me in a dream..."

Jacob frowned slightly but immediately smoothed it out. He maintained his gentle smile and nodded at the woman, who looked extremely nervous—and was, in fact, extremely nervous.

"Thank you for your cooperation, ma'am. Please take a rest and drink some water. If we need your help later, we will contact you."

"Okay, okay. Experts, I'll go drink some water, I'll go right now..."

She turned to leave.

But before that, Si Ming reached out a hand to stop her.

"Please wait a moment," he said. "Take us to the Guanyin Temple."

"Professor?" Jacob looked at him with slight confusion, but he did not immediately question him, revealing the potential instability that might exist among the Reincarnators.

[Didn't we decide from the start to go to the Zhou King Temple first?]

"There are some unexpected circumstances," Si Ming replied via the private communication channel, looking at Jacob. "Bishop, in your opinion, if we were to perform a god-summoning ritual here, which god would be best to summon?"

"I have researched the relevant content," Jacob had indeed done his homework, and he maintained the private channel. "In the eastern coastal regions, the most prosperous faiths are those of Guan Yu, the god of justice and loyalty, and Lin Moniang, the protector of sailors and shipping. Both are Orthodox Gods with a vast number of believers, making them perfect for us to borrow power from."

"Indeed." Si Ming did not deny it. "Their power is vast, but under the current circumstances, I believe Guanyin Bodhisattva offers the greatest assistance in the divine domain to us—or rather, to the people on this island."

Song Tian seemed to have a sudden realization, while Valentina listened as if to a foreign language.

Yu Zhiwei, however, opened her eyes slightly and revealed a smile of agreement.

"[Deliverer from Suffering] Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva... Phew, indeed. Those contaminated by evil spirits need disaster relief and salvation the most right now, rather than the power of righteous vengeance. Mr. Bishop, you have been surpassed by the professor in terms of professional judgment."

"Is that so?" Jacob was slightly stunned, then laughed. "So that's how it is. Did I fail to grasp the details? But Guan Yu is an Orthodox God we can confirm has the ability to interfere with the mortal realm. I recall our second choice was Ksitigarbha, who manages the ghosts of the underworld. Although the temple fair content wasn't included in the main narrative, there is a precedent to follow. Isn't that better than a blind man trying to feel an elephant?"

Under normal circumstances, that would be the case.

But these are not normal circumstances.

Si Ming did not answer directly; he simply raised his hand, and a wisp of Night Battle Qi flowed out. The little girl he had been protecting, who had been very well-behaved, had a red string around her neck that was now lightly lifted.

A pendant appeared before the eyes of the reincarnators.

It was a Guanyin pendant carved from mutton-fat jade, its luster warm and gentle.

If it were only this, it might just be a simple coincidence. So, Si Ming spoke softly to the little girl.

"Little sister, tell Uncle, what is your surname?"

The girl's eyes did not seem very lively. Her vision might not be ideal. But at this moment, this undoubtedly explained why she had managed to hold on until the reincarnators appeared before being affected by the curse ritual.

She remained very well-behaved.

"Guan, Nannan's surname is Guan." Her voice was crisp and brave. Si Ming's confidence grew accordingly.

When it comes down to it, this is merely a horror world with a difficulty of five people. Therefore, it is obvious. Even excluding the overly simple main quest, in the Main God's assessment, this should be a world that the newly formed Celestial Team can easily handle without much effort or brainpower.

"Good, the surname Guan is good." Si Ming continued. "Then, let Uncle take a guess. Is Nannan's name 'Shiyin'?"

The little girl looked up in surprise.

"Uncle knows Nannan is called 'Shiyin'! Grandma Director said that anyone who can guess Nannan's name is a very good person!"

Guan Shiyin.

Guanyin.

Very good.

Si Ming glanced at the others and nodded slightly.

"It seems we have found the officiant for the god-inviting ritual."