"Puxin, do not be rude. Benefactor..."
"No matter, no matter." Jiang Che was not about to quibble with that sharp-tongued little novice monk.
Master Chunji sighed slightly. "Very well, since you have all come over, stay properly in the main hall and do not go out. That way, this poor monk can also pull the range of the protection in a bit."
He made no apparent movement, yet the pale golden light barrier shrank inward. The courtyard walls and side rooms successively exited the boundary, ultimately protecting only the ground of the main hall in the center.
The domain grew smaller, causing the golden light to congeal somewhat, but the demon monsters simultaneously closed in. Every impact produced a slight tremor, representing the consumption of Master Chunji's dharma power.
This should be the very purpose for which the demon sword summoned demonic Qi and condensed monsters.
Standing in the hall, the more Jiang Che listened to that sound, the more ominous he felt it was.
According to some dungeon mechanics he had probed out in the dream of Willow Source, completing a dungeon with a high rating required reversing the original story of the dungeon as much as possible.
In the dream of Willow Source, the core plot was that Liu Bingyuan died. Reversing this core plot to let him survive was the key to obtaining a high rating.
Extrapolating that to the Little Hidden Temple dungeon, the core plot should be what was happening right now: Master Chunji suppressing the demon sword and preventing the demon calamity from occurring.
Comparing the ending of the original story to reality for deduction: the demon calamity erupted in Haze Approach seven years later, leaving the realm desolate with lives wiped out. The Little Hidden Temple survived until seven years later, and during these seven years, commoners gathered, not only expanding the temple but also building residences nearby while clearing the bamboo forest; they too perished in the demon calamity.
Thus, as for Master Chunji's suppression of demons this time, one could consider it a success. After all, according to what he said just now, the demon sword would connect with the Demon Abyss and provoke the demon calamity. Yet in the fifteenth year of Xianxi, no demon calamity erupted.
However, one could also say it was a failure. Although the demon calamity did not erupt immediately, it still came in the twenty-second year of Xianxi.
Did the Little Hidden Temple survive until seven years later, and did Master Chunji live until then?
That was uncertain, because the Little Hidden Temple might have been taken over by someone else afterward.
This portion of information could be checked by returning to reality after this dungeon ended.
Yet viewed with the result of suppressing the demon sword as the core, what needed to be done for a high rating should be to completely suppress the demon sword, achieving a better outcome than in true history.
In other words, he simply had to do something; otherwise, when this ended, it might well turn out to be an "unrated" finish once again.
Jiang Che certainly lacked the ability to do this himself, so he still had to rely on Master Chunji.
What could be done?
He lacked the capability to directly help suppress the demon sword, but he could reduce Chunji's pressure!
"Master," Jiang Che stepped forward, pressing his hand to his sword. "You are distracted by protecting the barrier and must also suppress the demon sword, suffering from both ends at once; your dharma power is depleting too quickly. Let me go out and help you kill the enemy, reducing some of the drain for you."
"No. Demons swarm outside the boundary, and for Benefactor to go out alone is a path to self-destruction. This poor monk can still hold on."
"Though my cultivation is shallow, to remain here and accept your protection against my conscience while sitting idly by regarding the demon monsters outside is something I truly cannot do."
The master still shook his head. "This poor monk's dharma power is an external thing; I cannot use your life and safety to block it."
"Once the demon calamity begins, the hundred thousand lives of Haze Approach will all face peril. Let me go. I will not act rashly either; with the Golden Blossom Protective Boundary here, if my strength fails me, I will naturally retreat back within the boundary and not throw my life away in vain."
Intertwined in the candlelight and golden light, the brows of this master revealed a look of helplessness for the first time. "...Benefactor is truly merciful; this poor monk thanks you here first. Only remember, kill the enemy close to the boundary's edge and do not penetrate deep into the darkness."
"Certainly."
Jiang Che drew his longsword and walked toward the hall doors.
Puxin clung to a pillar behind him, whispering, "Benefactor... you must not die, you know. If you die outside, I'll still have to collect your corpse. How terrifying..."
Without stopping his steps, Jiang Che turned his head and rebuked with a smile, "Shut your trap."
Turning his head back forward, his expression had already turned completely solemn.
The instant he stepped out of the glazed golden boundary, the three closest desiccated corpse demon monsters, which were just about to crash into the golden light barrier, immediately lunged forward amidst the fishy-smelling night wind!
Yet Jiang Che was well prepared.
He was coming out to kill the enemy not to indulge in reckless valor. In the time it took to request battle inside the hall, he had already assessed the situation outside the boundary seven or eight times over. Although the demon monsters were numerous, they were scattered and sent themselves to death entirely driven by instinct and ferocity. As long as he skimmed along the edge of the protective boundary, the golden light would always be at his back, turning enemies from all four sides into a single front.
Jiang Che shifted his stance to the left, precisely dodging a monster and letting it crash against the golden light barrier, while his longsword swept lightly from bottom to top, brushing across the second demon monster's throat.
Before the black blood could splatter, he had already reached the side-rear of the third demon monster. With a single poke of the sword tip directly into its back heart, that desiccated corpse immediately lost its ability to act and collapsed to the ground.
Having slain two monsters in the blink of an eye, Jiang Che felt no sense of excitement.
They were merely ordinary demon monsters, not even stronger than mortal soldiers, and nothing to boast about.
As for the one right before him now, that was at the Embryonic Breath level.
With half a breath unrecovered, Jiang Che met the attack with his sword. Six moves later, catching its flaw, he used the technique "Wind Leaves No Trace". His body revolved with the sword, and the whole person moved like a fluttering leaf in the wind, not only dodging a fierce onslaught but instead sending the blade into its armpit and out the other side.
Pulling out the longsword, he executed a slash to annihilate it.
An ordinary Embryonic Breath monster, under his full might, met its end in seven moves at most.
Inside the boundary, Puxin clung to the door crack, cheering repeatedly. "Good! Well fought! Master, look quickly! This benefactor is formidable indeed!"
Master Chunji naturally had no time to watch. Amidst his silence, his chanting speed quickened a fraction further to suppress the demon sword, which was struggling ever more violently.
Jiang Che outside would not feel even a shred of complacency because of Puxin's cheers.
Demon monsters were not hard to kill, not even those at the Embryonic Breath level. Yet demonic Qi condensed forms, making them inexhaustible to kill. He had only slain three, and a full ten more immediately swarmed around him!
If they were all ordinary demon monsters, that would be one thing, but more importantly, among the roaring herd of monsters right now, no fewer than three were at the Embryonic Breath level, and among them was even a Transforming Force monster!
Furthermore, similar monsters were continuously being generated!
At this point, even Jiang Che found it hard to maintain his previous elegant posture, yet he could still occasionally slaughter one using the nimble and defense-proficient sword techniques within the Azure Torrent Sword Art. As for the matter of safety, it was easily resolved as well: he kept his back against the Golden Blossom Protective Boundary, and whenever the pressure grew slightly greater, he would simply retreat back inside.
It looked dangerous, but in truth, it offered an entirely clear retreat path.
The moment of greatest crisis occurred when a tall desiccated corpse with crippled wings growing from its shoulders rose from the monster herd and pounced down from above.
This was a Transforming Force level monster, and it even carried a sense of deliberate premeditation. The demon sword had specially spawned one suited for aerial surprise attacks to take out Jiang Che, this obnoxious fellow.
Yet having already experienced dealing with a flying, pouncing demon monster once before, Jiang Che would not fall for it so easily.
Moreover, the moment this monster was generated, he had caught sight of those folded wings and had been on guard against them early on!
Releasing two chapters consecutively first; the eleven-thirty chapter will be posted normally as well. Three chapters today to finish writing the dungeon.
Before you continue