Chapter 41

Chapter 41

A crossbow, short bolts, a Talisman Net… it was Tang Xun!

The moment the Goddess Statue was ensnared by the Talisman Net, a burst of golden light erupted from its body, forcibly repelling the net!

The painting was also swiftly retracted, held tightly in the hands of the Goddess Statue.

The girls who hadn’t managed to retreat back into the painting in time instantly became violent, turning around to charge toward the rear.

Although the Talisman Net failed to damage the Goddess Statue, it broke the magical seals surrounding the Small Temple. I found that I could move my body again.

I turned my head to look back and saw Tang Xun leading a group of people in black, engaged in a fierce fight.

The entire desolate mountain forest was shrouded in thick black mist, filled with resentment and evil energy. Countless snakes, rats, and insects crawled out from the darkness, their rustling sounds enough to make one’s skin crawl.

Amidst this foul atmosphere, the dilapidated Small Temple remained brightly lit, its entire structure enveloped in a faint golden glow.

It was as if some divine spirit were protecting it from the shadows.

The reason Tang Xun’s bolt hadn’t pierced the Goddess Statue was thanks to the protection of this golden light.

Who exactly was protecting this Small Temple? Protecting the Goddess Statue?

What should I do next?

The only weapon I had on me was Fengwu, but without the support of True Qi or internal energy, it couldn’t be of much use for now.

I did have a few Yellow Talismans in my pocket, but against so many Dirty Things, it was like trying to put out a forest fire with a cup of water.

In this situation, what else could I do to help turn the tide?

Just as I was at my wits’ end, Tang Xun suddenly shouted at me, “Xiao Jiu, watch out for the statue!”

My heart jolted. I looked up just in time to see a massive shadow pressing down on me.

The Goddess Statue in the Small Temple had actually moved!

Unbeknownst to me, it had silently glided out and was now standing right behind me, its entire body leaning down to crush me.

My vision went black, and Tang Xun’s anxious cry echoed in my ears: “Xiao Jiu…”

The voice came from outside, echoing continuously in the pitch-black space, drilling into my eardrums.

I seemed to be trapped in an enclosed space. I reached out to feel around; my hands met a coarse, sandy texture that was both cold and hard.

Is this… the inside of the Goddess Statue?

I’ve been swallowed by the Goddess Statue?

I pounded hard on the interior of the statue, trying to find an exit, trying to respond to Tang Xun’s calls.

But as time passed, my strength grew weaker, and my consciousness began to drift. Something was very wrong.

It felt as if… as if I were currently in the statue’s stomach, being slowly digested!

At first, Tang Xun’s voice seemed to be getting closer-she was likely trying to fight her way into the Small Temple-but soon, I began to lose the ability to hear the outside world clearly. There was only a low, rumbling roar in my ears.

This state lasted for about two or three minutes until a sudden, sharp pain shot through my shoulder blade, and a stinging sensation in the center of my brow made me grit my teeth.

It was Fengwu warning me!

She is my Lifebound Artifact, tightly bound to my very life. If I am in danger, she senses it.

I raised my hand and pressed hard on the space between my eyebrows, barely managing to steady my mind. Suddenly, the Thunder Summoning Talisman that Liu Junyan had taught me flashed through my head.

I wasn’t sure if this Thunder Summoning Talisman could overcome the golden light surrounding the Goddess Statue. Furthermore, since I was currently inside the statue, if the talisman actually worked and the lightning struck down, wouldn’t I die along with it?

I’m dead if I do, and dead if I don’t. I might as well take the gamble!

With that thought, I composed myself and bit my finger. Using my blood, I drew the Thunder Summoning Talisman on my palm. Chanting the incantation, I slammed my blood-stained palm hard against the inner wall of the statue.
I waited in silence.

Since Liu Junyan taught me the Thunder Summoning Talisman, I had practiced it hundreds of times. It was etched into my memory.

Granny had taught me how to draw talismans since I was a child. Although they were mostly low-level charms for warding off evil and dispelling malevolence, my foundational skills were solid.

All the time I’d spent drawing my bow lately had also given my wrists strength and stability.

I had executed that last Thunder Summoning Talisman in a single, fluid motion. It was perfect.

But after I slapped it out, I counted silently in my head. One, two, three…

I counted all the way to eight, and yet, nothing happened.

Disappointment surged within me. I had originally worried that the golden light of the Goddess Statue’s power would repel the lightning, but now it seemed I was simply too weak. I couldn’t even activate such a domineering talisman.

Just as I was about to withdraw my hand and look for another way, a sudden crack of thunder exploded overhead, lashing down with fury.

The earth shook. Lightning pierced through the Goddess Statue, spider-webbing toward me in a frantic crawl.

I didn’t pull back.

Liu Junyan had told me that this Thunder Summoning Talisman was incredibly aggressive. Its power was immense, but the backlash was equally severe.

This bolt of lightning would likely collapse the Small Temple, shatter the Goddess Statue, and in all probability, kill me as well!

But I wasn’t afraid.

At the very least, this would give Tang Xun and the others the opening they needed to break through and strike!

“How is this possible?!”

“How can this be?”

“No, it can’t be! I have the Golden Scale protecting my body and Merit shielding my soul! What can a mere Thunder Summoning Talisman do to me?”

“No! No!”

The desperate screams of a woman converged from all directions. I looked up and saw the inner walls of the Goddess Statue covered in a dense thicket of silver-white lightning, stabbing inward like a thousand jagged blades.

I instantly closed my eyes, buried my head between my knees, and curled into a ball, waiting for my judgment.

*Rumble!*

The thunder was deafening, and the world itself seemed to tilt. The metallic taste of blood welled up in my throat, but the expected pain never came.

What was happening?

Confused, I opened my eyes again. To my amazement, I found myself encased in a protective shroud of golden light.

Outside that light, the Goddess Statue had shattered. The painting lay sprawled on the ground, venting plumes of black mist as the air filled with the wails of ghosts and the howls of demons.

The already dilapidated Small Temple was now nothing but a heap of broken walls and debris.

Moonlight filtered through the thinning black mist, falling upon Tang Xun, who stood not far away.

Tang Xun’s chest heaved with heavy breaths. Her hawk-like eyes were fixed on me, as if she feared I might vanish into ash the moment she looked away.

Her arms hung at her sides, her right hand still gripping her crossbow. Blood dripped steadily from the weapon, but she seemed completely oblivious to it, her entire focus centered on me.

As everything returned to a state of calm, the golden light protecting me vanished, and I coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Tang Xun rushed over and pulled me into her arms, resting my head against her propped-up right leg. She quickly pressed a medicinal pill into my mouth.

The pill was icy cold with a potent scent of ginseng. It melted instantly, spreading through my limbs and bones, quickly suppressing the churning blood in my throat.

I opened my mouth, wanting to say thank you, but then I saw the dissipating golden light begin to coalesce in mid-air, forming a golden… Scale?

Yes, it was a Scale.

It looked very similar to the silver-white Tail Scale Liu Junyan had given me for protection before.

However, while Liu Junyan’s was silver-white, this one was golden and nearly twice the size.

I instinctively reached out my right hand, and the golden scale landed steadily in my palm.