Infinite Gods Reign Supreme

Chapter 52 - What exactly is five-player difficulty?
Everyone present will remember this day forever.

When the drizzle appeared out of nowhere and fell to the ground under the sunlight, everyone heard a terrifying shriek emanating from the earth, from the air, and from their own bodies. It was like pouring water into boiling oil or throwing sulfur into a scorching fire. Wherever the drizzle touched, the tangible, thin black mist was forced out from every area that could be polluted.

They were forced out, they were dissolved.

The eyes of those people in the city, whose eyes were dull and whose voices were hoarse from chanting curses for a day and a night, regained their sparkle.

Those people in the towns who had been fasting and praying with their hands clasped in curses regained their freedom in the drizzle.

The city came to life, and the hungry and exhausted people collapsed to the ground. They recalled all the terrible things that had happened the day before, and fear gripped their hearts.

But they did not scream or wail. For even the victims indoors found shelter in the continuous, misty rain. The radiant image of a Bodhisattva appeared in everyone's heart, and in the next moment, they were no longer weary or thirsty; calmness and courage returned to their hearts.

They understood the current situation.

They learned the source of the shelter.

Under such circumstances, the only thing they would do, and should do, becomes obvious.

"Homage to Guanyin Bodhisattva! Greatly compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva!" Hundreds of people bowed down.

"Homage to Guanyin Bodhisattva! Greatly compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva!" Tens of thousands of people prayed.

Men, women, the elderly, and children all bowed and worshipped in the direction of Guanyin Mountain at this moment. And the continuous drizzle was thus imbued with a faint light.

The sky and the earth were thus cleansed. All darkness, evil, and even the chronic illnesses and physical injuries of some unrelated people were washed away and erased by the falling drizzle—the dark forces that had entrenched themselves on this land could no longer resist and retreated again and again, until they retreated into that valley, until they had nowhere to hide.

This island has been saved. Even if the reincarnators retreat, the Great Black Buddha Mother, forced into the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, will inevitably be sealed and imprisoned by the people of the present world in an even more severe manner.

and so……

—【Complete the side quest—Saving the Cursed Innocents: All characters participate to obtain 1 B-rank side quest and 6000 reward points.】

The harvest fell into the hands of the reincarnators.

As the world's number one team in the Celestials, the difficulty of this first major side quest certainly justifies the reward. None of the five strangers, working together for the first time, held back or hindered the others in this battle. And if even one of them had harbored malicious intent, last night's fight alone could have caused some problems.

--Well enough.

The reincarnators exchanged glances.

On the high platform where the statue of the god was originally enshrined, the deity who had descended to earth also lowered his gaze toward the members of the Celestial Team.

"In that case, this matter is settled. Further matters will require the continued efforts of all benefactors."

Si Ming tilted his head back slightly.

"Can't you use your hands?"

The Bodhisattva waved his hand slightly.

"My duty is to heal the wounded and save lives. It is beyond my ability to slay demons and monsters. Moreover, evil spirits are immortal and indestructible. Even if the Nine Heavens Demon-Subduing Ancestor descended to the mortal realm, he could only seal them away again and let them rest for a few hundred years."

"Can't you kill him?"

"Do you know why gods and Buddhas throughout history only speak of suppressing evil spirits and not of exterminating them? This is because evil spirits, like shadows, originate in the human heart. As long as the human heart is dark, evil spirits will always exist. Even if we kill its form today, we are only cutting off a shadow. When the evil thoughts in the human heart are reignited in the future, it will naturally change its appearance and return again."

The Bodhisattva seemed unwilling to elaborate on this topic, and Si Ming consciously refrained from delving deeper. He instead inquired about the precautions for defeating the Great Black Buddha Mother, and indeed, he gained considerable insight from the experience.

"That evil creature is a remnant of the poison from ancient India, and it has caused great harm in Yunnan. Five hundred years ago, a strange man performed a ritual to remove it from its original location and sealed it here at great cost... It fears light and fire, and is good at harming people by calling out their names. Moreover, it easily arouses people's delusions, making it difficult to eliminate."

"In my humble opinion, you benefactors are more than capable of suppressing that evil spirit with your pure strength alone. However, if you rashly head to the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, there may be some inconveniences along the way. Fortunately, I have a few talismans here that may be of some help to you benefactors."

He first looked at Yu Zhiwei, and that gentle gaze made this woman with a complicated past nervously clench her hands.

“You have many distracting thoughts, and… I will give you a copy of the Heart Sutra, which should help you calm your mind and not be misled by external evils.”

Some of His voices were only heard by Yu Zhiwei. This young lady, who seemed to thrive on self-destruction, was initially taken aback, then gave a wry smile. Nevertheless, she gratefully accepted the scroll of scripture.

The Bodhisattva then looked at Jacob.

“You are adept at using supernatural powers, so this humble monk will grant you a Guanyin mantra. This mantra can drive away evil spirits and dispel impurities.”

Golden runes flew from the Bodhisattva's mouth and drifted into Jacob's ears. Without a doubt, this was a high-level divine spell. Then came Valentina.

“Your possessions are numerous and your peace is disturbed. This nectar in my bottle is just right to help you harmonize them.”

A drop of dew fell on Valentina's forehead, and the next moment, her complexion improved noticeably. She let out a soft gasp, and her already smooth skin became even firmer. Her body and limbs, which were implanted with numerous prosthetics, also became more coordinated.

"I...how could I not have realized it before?" She quickly bowed repeatedly to the Bodhisattva and said loudly. "Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Your Majesty!"

The Bodhisattva smiled and nodded, looking at Song Tian. This overseas wanderer subconsciously straightened his back; at this stage, he still felt awe and humility.

"Your dedication to this path is excellent. This is a Bodhi leaf left behind by the Buddha at the place of his enlightenment, which may help you advance further."

His attitude towards Song Tian was different. With the other three, aside from Jacob whom he didn't particularly like, the gifts the Bodhisattva gave all served to compensate for their shortcomings. Yu Zhiwei had the biggest problem, while Valentina had the least. However, when it came to Song Tian, ​​he had no flaws to fix.

"Thank you, Bodhisattva." Song Tian bowed and accepted the Bodhi leaf. The leaf merged into his palm as it touched his hand, and he was immediately taken aback, clearly having gained some understanding.

Finally, the Bodhisattva's gaze returned to Si Ming.

He shook his head slightly with a hint of regret.

"You are already in a flawless state, it is a pity that you have no affinity with Buddhism. This humble monk has nothing to give you, except for this willow branch in the bottle, which may play a role in your suppression of evil spirits."

The willow branch fluttered up and landed on Si Ming's wrist, transforming into an exquisite wooden bracelet. Si Ming's gaze met the Bodhisattva's for the second time in mid-air, and both gained a definite understanding.

The Bodhisattva then nodded slightly and returned to the center of the platform. It resumed its original pose, gazing into the distance.

"Please take care, esteemed benefactors. This humble monk is departing."

He transformed back into a statue, and Xiao Shiyin's form emerged from the radiance during the transformation. Si Ming reached out and caught the unconscious young lady. His gaze then swept over his companions.

Song Tian remained standing there, eyes lowered, lost in thought, yet his aura grew sharper with each passing second. Yu Zhiwei held the Heart Sutra, her expression more peaceful and serene than usual. As for Valentina, she looked at her arms and hands with a joyful expression.

“Seventh-circle divine spell, a variant of Holy Word,” Jacob suddenly said. “It only works on units of the evil alignment, so there’s no need to worry about friendly fire. This will be a great help in our upcoming battles… and even in our future battles.”

Will it affect my summoned creatures?

Si Ming asked why he hadn't used skeleton summons. There were two main reasons. First, as part of the righteous faction that might need to save lives, he needed to maintain a good image. Second, he wanted to avoid being accidentally injured by Jacob's holy magic, thus wasting their power.

“I don’t think so.” Jacob thought for a moment and shook his head. The Bodhisattva’s attitude towards him had no effect on him. “Your power inherently possesses a divine element. And I even think that for a period of time after using the Guanyin Mantra, my other divine spells will not accidentally harm your summoned creatures.”

“This is a double-edged sword,” Si Ming nodded.

“I know, I’ll be careful,” Jacob said knowingly. “Especially during future team battles.”

well.

On the other side, Valentina also clenched her fist tightly.

"My condition has improved by about ten percent. I didn't even know I had so many inconsistencies." She sighed contentedly, her face beaming with joy. "Before, I had the S&M, the network access pod, and the physical berserk mode all equipped on me at the same time... I could only activate one of them at a time before, but now, I feel that activating two at the same time when I'm going all out isn't impossible!"

"You've made significant progress." Si Ming observed her, noticing her slight increase in confidence. "Congratulations, Ranger."

"Let's work together, Professor... and the Bishop!"

Jacob smiled indifferently. Siming's gaze then fell on Yu Zhiwei.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine." Yu Zhiwei tilted her head back, revealing an exceptionally bright smile. "It couldn't be better... Phew, things from my hometown are definitely more effective than tranquilizing potions or World Tree blessings. Well, don't worry, I'll tell everyone more about my situation later. But for now..."

A metallic clang suddenly erupted from around Song Tian. His gaze sharpened, and his aura instantly became flawless and harmonious.

He didn't speak.

When their eyes met, neither of them changed their stance.

"It's time to go to our final destination." Si Ming concluded, putting Xiao Shiyin down from his arms.

"But before that, I have to make one more call."

(End of this chapter)