My Goddess is Good at Pretending

Chapter 183: I Shall Set You Free Today

"Saintess Miko is so beautiful..." Bai Yuchen muttered softly under his breath as he watched his master pass by his checkpoint.

She exuded a sacred yet divine aura worthy of being called a holy maiden. Not to mention, this sacred ritual ceremony was slightly different from usual.

According to other disciples, their master wore more accessories and ceremonial jewels, which made their master look even more captivating. She was bright, breathtaking, and currently more dazzling than usual.

The vibe was different from the new priestess, Zi Xuan because Saintess Miko was enveloped in compassion and an aura of mystery within that tender, holy-like radiance.

Bai Yuchen remained hidden on the branch of the tree where he stood guard, stunned as he watched his master slowly walk away, leaving behind the rhythmic sound of bells.

"This is your first time participating in the guard mission for the sacred ritual ceremony. Pull yourself together, junior." The nearby senior brother lightly slapped Bai Yuchen’s back.

"Ouch! Uh, alright. Saintess Miko, I mean, master’s current appearance is so dazzling. She’s still wearing her usual white-red priestess outfit, but why is she so bright?" Bai Yuchen rubbed his back.

"That’s because she is our brightest light." The nearby senior sister couldn’t help but smile in utmost reverence to her master.

"..." Bai Yuchen was momentarily silent as he seemed to understand the other disciples’ feelings.

Saintess Miko was such a good and benevolent master. Even though she had many disciples, she had never once mistreated them.

’Yeah, I know. She is so kind-hearted, nice, fair, wonderful, and beautiful... no other master out there can compare to her.’ Bai Yuchen muttered in his mind.

Any disciple could receive abundant assistance, resources, items, artifacts, weapons, and wonderful cultivation spots. However, anyone under Saintess Miko’s banner would be treated as family, not the toxic master-disciple relationship like the ones out there.

*Ba-dump*

For some reason, Bai Yuchen felt his heart beating erratically as if he had felt a mysterious ba-dump, then bam. He held his chest, wondering about this pleasant yet mysterious feeling.

As he thought about it again, Lady Kitsune’s graceful face came to mind. He had been in the Sacred Mountain for more than a month, but he had never once met her. He could meet the nine-tailed snow fox, the fox big sister, but not the fox little sister...

"Psst, seniors... may I ask if you know about Lady Kitsune? She is also under Saintess Miko’s umbrella, right?" Bai Yuchen asked in a whisper.

"Lady Kitsune?"

"O-oh~ It’s her... Yes, the nine-tailed shadow fox, right?"

The nearby seniors thought about it for a moment and remembered one of their master’s other identities.

"Yes, that’s her. I tried looking for her, but I couldn’t find her anywhere. Not even her news. Well, I haven’t met all the disciples and elders in Sacred Mountain’s peak either." Bai Yuchen snapped his fingers.

"Hum, I see... actually, you’ve met her several times, but you don’t recognize her. You want to meet her, but she has no reason to meet you."

"What? Does she hate me?"

"Dunno, but Lady Kitsune was in seclusion this month."

"I see..."

Bai Yuchen lowered his shoulders and sighed. It was his loss, but he put that aside for now though. He had to pay attention to securing Sacred Mountain from any disturbance with other disciples and forest dwellers.

Nevertheless, he wondered what his master would do in the sealed sacred ground beneath the mountain. She might need to meet the Sacred Sakura’s divine protector monthly to pay some ’tribute.’ It was something he could think of.

---

By the time Ely arrived at mountainfoot, she stopped for a moment to survey her surroundings. Everything was so quiet. Even nature gave a moment of silence for her to perform her sacred ceremony in serenity.

Before entering the sacred ground’s sealed entrance, Ely accidentally caught her disciples’ gazes in the distance. Her eyes met with them, and she only responded with her usual tender smile.

She then passed the sealing rope and stepped into the sacred ground.

*Tink-a-ling*

The last chime rang out once more, leaving behind the prolonged rings echoing and reverberating with ice and snow.

Ely then disappeared from everyone’s sight as she got teleported to the sacred ground.

"Fifth Sister, why do I feel master’s smile now seems to have a different meaning? She never stopped to glance at us just as she was about to enter the sacred ground." Jophiel tugged at the hem of her senior sister’s sleeve.

"That may just be your misconception, Jophi. Are you still feeling anxious? Let’s talk to the master after this. You may recall something because last month, we immediately went up against the Heavenly Demon Inheritor after our master performed her monthly sacred ritual ceremony." Uriel patted Jophiel’s arm reassuringly.

"Is that so? Okay then..." Jophiel wasn’t sure, but she spoke no more. She felt restless since morning for some unknown reason.

Her master’s smile reminded her of how her master would leave for some time. However, it was just a monthly sacred ritual ceremony...

---

The sacred ground cave chamber’s interior was a mesmerizing realm of unearthly beauty. A sanctuary that seemed to exist beyond the boundaries of the mortal world.

As Ely stepped closer to the sacred altar, a large spherical kaleidoscopic crystal enveloped her in a symphony of light and color that danced across every surface.

The cave walls were adorned with an intricate lattice of crystalline formations, each catching and refracting the available light. The hues that radiated from the crystals ranged from delicate shades of aquamarine and azure to deeper tones of indigo and violet, transforming the space into a surreal dreamscape of shimmering brilliance.

Stalactites hung from the ceiling like natural chandeliers, their pointed tips studded with clusters of crystals that captured and released the light in a dazzling display. Stalagmites rose from the cave floor, their upward-reaching formations adorned with delicate formations that glowed like frozen fire.

The air within the cave was pure and tinged with the subtle scent of minerals, a reminder of the precious treasures hidden within the rock. Every breath felt like a communion with the very essence of the Earth. The air carried a faint, melodic sound—the gentle music of water droplets that fell from the ceiling, creating a soothing rhythm that echoed throughout the cave.

As Ely walked upon the crystalline sacred altar, the faintest of echoes resonated, adding a sense of reverence to each step. Occasionally, streams of subtle spiritual energy reflected the luminous flows, creating a wondrous heavenly atmosphere to enhance the cave’s splendor.

This place was like a Heavenly-tier cultivation chamber, but she could only come once a month to attend such a splendor. Even so, five minutes was such a short time, and she could barely enjoy the atmosphere because she usually went straight to her Goddess Master to pray, hope for blessings, and regain her memories.

However, she was so calm and peaceful now as she was about to unseal her Goddess Master. She would burn this sacred ground cave chamber’s ethereal scenery into her memory.

Ely stood before the spherical kaleidoscopic crystal, holding three scented incense sticks.

She smiled faintly and spoke in a slightly trembling voice full of reverence, longing, and excitement. "My mother, my Goddess Master... this child has come to fulfill her duties. Please allow me to unseal you."

[Ely (???) | 0th Rank]

[HP: 432.11K/100 | MP: 443.21M/4,500 | SP: 4.42M/4,500]

[Talent: 6 Stars | Legendary]

[STR: 10 (Limit) | DEX: 10 (Limit) | CON: 202 | PER: 420 | ARC: 10 (Limit) | VIT: 4.43M | LCK: 100]

A silver-gold grimoire, covered with a pair of golden wings on the joint sides and the symbol of the praying angel, floated beside her, displaying her current stats.

Her stats had yet to meet the requirements to unseal her Goddess Master. Regardless, she had a pair of amazing items and a skill that could instantly raise her overall stats for a few minutes.

Her personal resources, reserves, and savings were all depleted, with no remaining remaining for today’s ceremony. She tried her best to approach her primary quest’s requirements, and she was there, ready to unseal her Goddess Master.

Ely took out the Moonstar Emblem and the Resistance Star in her left hand and simultaneously activated this pair of artifacts for +20% to her defense and physique-related stats.

At the same time, she used her Self-Transcendence skill for another +12% to all stats.

[Ely (???) | 0th Rank]

[HP: 432.11K(+51.85K)/100 | MP: 443.21M(+53.19M)/4,500 | SP: 4.42M(+0.53M)/4,500]

[Talent: 6 Stars | Legendary]

[STR: 10(+2) (Limit) | DEX: 10(+2) (Limit) | CON: 202(+45) | PER: 420(+94) | ARC: 10(+2) (Limit) | VIT: 4.43M(0.53M) | LCK: 100(+22)]

"!?" Ely widened her eyes as she noticed a pleasant surprise. The artifact effects got buffed by her skill too.

She used them together for the first time, but the results were satisfying. Almost everything exceeded the requirements. However, she couldn’t believe one particular stat was still below the requirement even after the stat boost.

Her CON was at 247, where she would need 250 to unseal her Goddess Master.

’I was too focused on other stats. Wait, I did the math, but why are the two buffs stacked like this... is this a bug?’ Ely thought about it and decided it was still supposed to be fine.

This was not a game. The quest could be carried out as she wished to do so. She should be fine if she tried to unseal her Goddess Master now, even though she lacked 3 points in CON.

She placed the scented incense sticks on the nearby incense altar. After that, she stretched her hand forward and touched the spherical kaleidoscopic crystal.

The spherical kaleidoscopic crystal gradually became semi-transparent, and her Goddess Master’s divine visage came into her view.

Although it was a little blurry, she could see a six-winged, injured Divine Goddess sealed inside. A twin four-pointed star kaleidoscopic halo above her Goddess Master’s head was also visible.

Her Goddess Master could be seen much more clearly than usual. Her Goddess Master’s divine dress was torn, the wounds were fresh, and several other God-tier artifacts were cracked. Her heart was uneasy at that sight. The causes that could injure her Goddess Master to this extent were truly evil and terrifying.

As the thick cloud of darkness aura became increasingly clear, Ely got terrified as it enveloped her Goddess Master.

It also got sealed inside the crystal, and her Goddess Master was actually curled up a little as if trying to protect oneself from the malevolent, evil clouds.

"Worry not, master. If those malevolent, evil clouds are a potent curse, I will eliminate it altogether. I won’t allow any harm to befall you ever again. I shall set you free today. Ultra Unsealing Technique. Greater Purification, commence!" Ely unleashed her ultimate skills to an extreme level of output.

*Swoosh!*

The bright golden light enveloped her. The purifying light illuminated the spherical kaleidoscopic crystal with bright brilliance.

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