"Hey, brother, you've only been online for a few minutes, and you're suddenly going offline again?!"
Seeing that Mu Shen seemed to be running out of time, I disregarded all rules and grabbed her trembling hand.
"Mu Shen, please don't go back yet. This temple is so vast, where am I supposed to find this thing!"
Pan Lili, possessed by Mu Shen, showed a pained expression. She twitched, clearly enduring inhuman suffering.
"The ritual... He is waiting for you..."
With that, Pan Lili's head drooped, and she fainted completely. No matter how I called out to her, it was useless.
Damn it!
Who would have thought that the Mu Shen, revered by the tribe, would be as fleeting as a flush toilet, coming and going in a hurry?
I ignored Pan Lili, who had fainted on the ground, and sat down beside her, pondering the words Mu Shen had left behind.
From Mu Shen temporarily removing a part of the imprint of the Mother of All Creation for me, to us reaching an agreement.
Mu Shen was party A, and I was party B. He expressed his sincerity to me. However, whether he was truly powerless or intentionally held something back, I needed to complete the task he assigned me, to rescue him, if I wanted to receive the remaining payment and completely remove the mark of the Mother of All Creation.
Originally, I had wanted to ask Mu Shen about the whole story. After all, how could such a great indigenous god be sealed by the high priest?
It was like someone raising a small Teddy bear, only for the Teddy bear to become the master within a few days. It was incomprehensible.
I shook my head, pulling my drifting thoughts back.
It seemed this thing was the key!
I stared intently at the pattern Mu Shen had drawn on the ground with Pan Lili's finger, imprinting it deeply in my mind. Then, I wiped it away with my hand.
From what Mu Shen said earlier, this pattern would only be visible during the ritual.
And the upcoming ritual at the temple...
My heart suddenly jolted. Wasn't it the Mu Shen's Blessing ritual that I had agreed upon with the high priest to be held in a week?
This meant that whether I wanted to or not, I had to participate in this Mu Shen's Blessing!
I rubbed my face fiercely with my hands. In the darkness, I saw a vast network tightly enshrouding me, leaving me no room to maneuver.
Ah well, things will work out when they come to it!
Seeing that it was getting late, and I couldn't stay here any longer, I picked up the unconscious Pan Lili and walked step by step towards the temple.
When I reached the main entrance of the temple, I saw a familiar figure standing there.
I looked closely, and it was the high priest, whom I hadn't seen in days. The old fellow was still in his white robe, so clean it made one suspect the temple had a washing machine hidden inside.
Uh oh, why is this old man standing at the entrance?
As soon as I saw the high priest, he also noticed me. So, I had no choice but to put on a brave face and carry the unconscious Pan Lili to him.
"Batu, what did you do to the Holy Maiden?!"
As soon as I approached, I heard the high priest roar. From somewhere behind him, several Mu Shen's proxies emerged, forming a semi-circle, subtly surrounding me.
Is this old man trying to use this opportunity to make a move against me, to capture me here?!
The atmosphere in the hall immediately became tense. In that instant, my mind raced, and I even instinctively reached for my sword to retaliate. However, I ultimately felt that this was just a test by the high priest, not a genuine attempt to harm me.
"High Priest, what are you implying? How could I possibly harm the Holy Maiden? I was simply patrolling nearby when I saw her, and before I could even speak, she suddenly fainted on the ground."
I ignored the Mu Shen's proxies surrounding me, even leisurely placing Pan Lili, who was on my shoulder, down and spreading my hands to show my innocence.
"It's not for me to say, High Priest, but the temple's food must be terrible for the Holy Maiden to faint after just a short walk."
Seeing my sincere demeanor, the high priest, as I had predicted, merely snorted and waved his hand, signaling for someone to take the unconscious Pan Lili from me.
"The Holy Maiden's health is naturally not your concern. The week is almost here, you'd best prepare to receive Mu Shen's blessing. It is a great honor for you!"
My heart tightened, but I maintained a cheerful facade.
"Understood, understood. High Priest, as the Commander of the Temple Guards of this generation, I will naturally receive Mu Shen's blessing. Even if you didn't urge me, I was about to come find you!"
"Knowing is good!"
The high priest said indifferently and turned to walk into the temple. The silent Mu Shen's proxies followed one after another.
Once they had completely entered the temple, the smile on my face gradually faded.
A cloud of doubt began to gather in my heart.
Why?