Damn it! Let’s smash the darkness together!
Chapter 345 - 77: Secret Divine Mother, Kṣitigarbha Passing the Tribulation (Request for Monthly Votes)

Chapter 345: Chapter 77: Secret Divine Mother, Kṣitigarbha Passing the Tribulation (Request for Monthly Votes)

As the saying goes, familiar faces breed jealousy.

And that’s exactly what was happening now.

Xu Shu didn’t know much about this leading figure in the Cursed World, his once bargain-bin teacher, as they had only met a few times over the years.

And subjectively, Xu Shu could tell that, Niten Goji, had already pegged Lan Ran Jing Xiaohua as a "kidnapper for live sacrifices" in the vein of Evil Cultivation.

Of course, his impression wasn’t wrong; Lan Ran was indeed a devil incarnate.

Furthermore, given his recent evil deed, which served as another sign, how could Niten Goji, a representative of the righteous in the Cursed World, offer Lan Ran any kind of courtesy?

And what he was looking for, the "Spirit Crossing Master" had gone missing.

So, Lan Ran, who happened to be preparing the sacrificial ceremony here, just had to bear this blame.

"Strictly speaking, with a vile guy like you, I should send you off to meet your Buddha right now, but alas, this isn’t my territory, and hitting a woman isn’t exactly good for my reputation. Ah, if you’re willing to tell me where the Spirit Crossing Master is, I might... leave your body intact, how does that sound?" said Niten Goji frivolously.

Because they were both of Asian descent, he mistook Lan Ran Jing Xiaohua for someone from Xia Country.

Lan Ran’s face devoid of expression, stood upright and flicked a finger against the amethyst scepter, squinting as if assessing, "I can see that you’re powerful and confident."

"I have no choice but to be confident because I am indeed very strong. Moreover, the aura emanating from you is extremely repulsive to me. Your kind, who control Curse Spirits, should be eradicated without a trace."

The atmosphere tensed up in an instant, Niten Goji’s gaze, through his white colored death-stare glasses, firmly fixed on Jing Xiaohua.

Xu Shu felt a sudden headache coming on.

Niten Goji was a domineering individual; Lan Ran Jing Xiaohua was no easy mark either.

"This is going to be a big mess... Based on my judgment, although Lan Ran’s power and mine are not weak and we’re on par with Special Grade Curse Masters, if it comes to a fight with Niten Goji, the odds are 30–70, with three punches from him, Jing Xiaohua would be out."

"Perhaps I should intervene and claim that I am from Shen Valley First-class, to see if I can mediate this conflict? Seems unlikely, though, without proof. I’d probably just drag myself down, too."

Xu Shu furrowed his brows.

He had just gotten a lead on "Tailed Ksitigarbha," a chance to unravel the mystery.

To die here, and at the hands of an old flame... no, an old acquaintance, would really be like a flood hitting the Dragon King Temple: a conflict within one’s own family.

What to do? Xu Shu’s eyes darted around as he quickly considered his options.

Why was he here, though?

There were so many Curse Spirits and evil Cursing Masters causing chaos in Japan, and he was busy enough dealing with these villains every day; why bother coming to the eastern Xia Country..

Um...

Xia Country...

As a battle between Lan Ran and Niten Goji in the temple was about to erupt, Xu Shu suddenly had a moment of clarity and spotted a blind spot.

He remembered that "Shen Valley First-class," because of a special event, had entered the Cursed Techniques Academy and became Niten Goji’s disciple, which, because of the incident with the Great Evil God "Izanami," led Niten Goji to become reclusive for days.

During their brief time together, the man suddenly left Capital City.

And that departure lasted three years.

By the time Niten Goji returned to Capital City, Shen Valley First-class had already become a Special Grade Curse Master and had initiated the final showdown between Curse Masters and Curse Spirits—the Shibuya Incident [Night Parade of Hundred Demons] started by Ghost King Yoshitsune to release the sealed Great Demon Yuzaoqian.

Considering the timeline, Xu Shu still remembered that Niten Goji left Capital City at the start of February in 2122.

Indeed, he mentioned later that he went to Xia Country in search of something.

The current date was Chinese New Year’s Eve, 2121, the evening when Xia Country had their New Year’s Eve dinner.

But that was Xia Country’s lunar calendar, the year 2121.

In reality, according to the solar calendar of this planet, it was also the year 2122, and today was February 17th!

Calculating the dates, they matched up perfectly!

"So, Niten Goji must have left Capital City and come straight to Xia Country, ending up at the ’Ksitigarbha Temple’ of all places!"

"After he went back, he claimed to have learned a unique skill called ’Three Corpses’ while in Xia Country, which obviously has some connections to Tailed Ksitigarbha and the ’Corpse Valley Worm.’"

"With so many points aligning, this can’t be a mere coincidence, definitely not a fluke!"

"Tsk, could it be that my life’s destiny ’bridge between past and future’ is coming into play here?"

"Heh, it’s quite possible! Speaking of which, because Shen Valley First-class had summoned ’Izanami,’ accomplishing the feat of the King of Hell, it led to Japan’s premature destruction by half a year. Doesn’t that mean I could meddle and have a chance to influence the outcome this time?"

"If so, I might as well take a bold shot at this! Can’t really lose out!"

Xu Shu’s eyes gleamed with a particularly daring idea.

During this critical moment, his cool-headedness helped him once again; he had a plan in mind.

"Wow, as expected of someone with wisdom that shocks the world, you’ve already thought of a countermeasure."

At that moment, the pending battle between Lan Ran Jing Xiaohua and Niten Goji was ready to explode. Lan Ran Jing Xiaohua prepared to make the first move, lightly flicking the scabbard, ready to launch her signature technique "Mirror Flower Water Moon," intending to trap Niten Goji in an illusory environment.