Someone poked through my cover again!
Lin Jun noticed it almost instantly.
In the past, there were often people who tried to forcefully establish a mental connection with Puchis.
Lin Jun didn't care whether they died or not, but he was indeed very afraid of falling victim to a sneak attack at some unknown time, such as being inflicted with a "soul toxin" whose existence he wasn't even sure of.
Therefore, Lin Jun specially spent time learning some mental protection magic.
However, its main function wasn't to truly protect Lin Jun's soul.
After all, his soul was too massive. No matter how powerful the mental protection magic was, it couldn't cover every single aspect.
The main function of this protection was that, when someone broke through it, Lin Jun could notice it immediately.
Simultaneously, Lin Jun would activate self-preservation measures.
At that instant, he would peel off the touched portion of his soul from the main body, and then directly obliterate it. The entire process was so fast that the intruder couldn't make any reaction.
Regardless of what kind of purpose the toucher harbored, they would have no opportunity to affect Lin Jun's main soul through this portion of the soul. It was the safest method.
As for such slicing, to Lin Jun's soul, it was just like picking off a bit of skin; it would recover in a short while without any real harm.
At the same time, the sliced-off portion was still far larger than an ordinary person's soul. The impact caused when actively obliterating it could, in most cases, wipe out these contacters.
As to whether these contacters were curious scholars or malicious enemies?
Lin Jun wouldn't put himself in a crisis just to avoid accidental injury.
No one even think about touching my soul.
And at this moment, what Mira faced was a fragment of a soul that was in the midst of obliterating.
...
The instant Mira probed her spiritual power into the Puchi, she was shocked by the boundless ocean before her eyes.
Beneath her feet was an endless, deep blue ocean, like a massive mirror reflecting a light that did not exist in reality.
She looked down and saw the tips of her toes touching the water's surface. The rippling circles spread outward, disappearing at the end of her line of sight.
But that end was too far away, so far it seemed there was no end at all.
Unlike other spellcasters who only had a half-baked understanding of the soul, as a priestess of Neferila, she herself was a master in the aspect of the soul.
With just one glance, she recognized that this was a soul.
An endless, boundless sea of a soul capable of drowning everything.
What kind of existence could possess such a massive soul?
She couldn't figure it out, but undoubtedly, such a special soul must be extremely important. That was why mushrooms were mentioned in the oracle.
However, before she could continue pondering, the scene before her eyes underwent an earth-shattering change.
The sky cracked, like a massive canvas being torn open from both ends. The rift rapidly spread from one end of the horizon to the other, spanning across heaven and earth.
Immediately followed by the wind.
A hurricane roared. Wherever it passed, the flowing sky was torn to shreds, turning into countless specks of light drifting away.
The deep blue seawater was also lifted by the wind, turning into monstrous giant waves, then getting torn to shreds within that violent airflow, ultimately wrapping together and closing in on Mira while destroying everything in its path.
"To actually... directly discard such a massive soul..." Looking at the doomsday-like scene before her eyes, Mira knew what had happened in this brief instant just now.
She knew, but she couldn't understand.
It was truly because this kind of existence was too absurd.
A direct clash of souls was always the most perilous.
After all, the soul couldn't grow through training; everything was innate.
If a farmer and a hero, both similarly lacking relevant techniques, were pulled into a mental space for a duel together, the hero also ran the risk of falling.
However, the Priestess of the God of Death was obviously not in the category of "lacking relevant techniques."
Darkness surged from her facial features. For a time, it actually set off that holy face to look somewhat terrifying.
The darkness didn't surge forward ferociously like when attacking the Demon King. Instead, it formed a black sphere, wrapping and protecting Mira.
The storm struck. That seawater representing the power of a shattered soul violently rolled over, yet failed to stir up even a ripple on the surface of the black sphere. This darkness seemed to devour everything.
The process of a soul fragment obliterating wasn't long. This world-destroying soul storm only lasted for a short while before disappearing without a trace.
It was just that by the time it disappeared, the darkness wrapping Mira had faded significantly; one could even faintly see Mira's figure inside.
But in reality, Mira was like a fountain. The darkness surging from her facial features had already spread over a small half of the hideout, even forcing a portion of the believers into dead corners, including Crescent and Gini, who hadn't dodged immediately out of concern for the High Priestess.
This darkness was the power bestowed by the Goddess, representing pure death. Even though they were also priestesses of the Goddess, if they were tainted by this darkness, they would similarly not escape death.
As devout believers of the Goddess, they weren't exactly afraid of death. However, having made sufficient contributions and sacrifices versus being accidentally injured and taken away by the High Priestess—the meaning of the two ways of dying was completely different.
Fortunately, just as they had nowhere left to retreat, the spread of the darkness finally stopped.
It rolled back and returned into the High Priestess's body.
After the last bit of darkness returned to her body, Mira began coughing violently.
Gini hurriedly stepped forward and checked on the High Priestess's condition.
The body that Mira had just recovered some vitality in through treatment turned terrible once again.
Even with the favor of a deity, it was difficult for mortals to truly master a deity's power.
As for that Puchi originally placed by the bed, it was now completely shriveled and withered, pitch-black, crumbling at a touch, just like the weeds nearby that were similarly affected by the darkness.
Gini asked, "Lady Mira, what exactly happened? Didn't we say you couldn't use your power again in the short term? Your current body has already..."
Mira said softly, "It's fine, Gini. Compared to the harvest, this was worth it."
"Harvest?"
Although Mira's body was weak, her eyes were even brighter than before, as if she had seen some kind of hope. "That massive soul... it is truly too wonderful!"
"Whether as a sacrifice, or having it replace me to become the Goddess's spokesperson, it is a perfect existence!"
"Gini, Crescent, the Mushroom Tribe is of vital importance! We should try to make contact with them... From now on, besides this ritual and the Mushroom Tribe, all other unrelated operations can be halted."
Gini and Crescent looked at each other, only half-understanding the High Priestess's words.
Especially that part about "replacing Mira to become the Goddess's new spokesperson" or whatever. Could it be referring to Puchis?
However, the Goddess's spokesperson, the High Priestess, had said the Mushroom Tribe was of vital importance, so there must be no mistake.
They nodded, turned to leave, and followed the instructions to begin putting it into action.
...
Meanwhile, in an uninhabited area of Elinore's territory near the southern mountain range, mana gathered. A temporary teleportation magic array transferred the Sword Saint Puchi over... Accurately speaking, two-thirds of the Sword Saint Puchi... After another short while, the remaining one-third arrived as well.
(Book Recommendation skipped)
(End of Chapter)
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