allonlinenovel Chapter 105 The Divine Sakura (2)
Chapter 105 The Divine Sakura (2)
"You guys are here?"
Hana-sanri looked at the people who had come here and said this. According to the rules, Hana-sanri introduced the steps required for the Great Exorcism of the Divine Cherry Blossom. First, the talisman is placed in the designated place of the roots of the scattered Inazuma cherry trees and a prayer is offered, which is the Small Exorcism. Then, according to the pattern shown on the seal, the pattern that appears on the ground is connected to the surrounding pillars to form a pattern. Finally, the monster that appears in the torii gate is destroyed to complete the Small Exorcism.
When too much filth accumulates, a major purification is necessary. This involves performing a minor purification on all the Thunder Cherry Tree roots that are protected by barriers, and then returning to the Thunder Cherry Tree roots at the bottom of Shadow Mountain for a final major purification. Only after all steps are completed is the entire Divine Cherry Tree purification finished, and the filth accumulated within the Thunder Cherry Trees completely removed.
After speaking, Hana Sanri disappeared again. Everyone followed Hana Sanri's instructions and placed the talisman in the designated location. Then, a beam of light shone from the lantern, and a pattern slowly appeared on the torii gate.
Before long, the group used beams of light to connect the scattered pillars on the ground into corresponding patterns. Then, just as Hana-san had said, a demon actually appeared in the torii gate, and that demon was the embodiment of the filth gathered here.
However, this monster was ultimately weaker and was completely destroyed by the group in just a few moves. Thus, the Great Purification Ritual of the Divine Cherry Blossom was successfully completed, and at the same time, Hana Sanri, who had disappeared, reappeared before everyone. First, she praised everyone's abilities, then told them the remaining locations, and after doing all this, Hana Sanri left.
Following the directions, the group first arrived at an abandoned shrine at the foot of Shadow Mountain. There, they successfully found a fox statue enshrined as a talisman, but it seemed that the statue did not use the power of lightning to break the seal.
"It seems that the power of lightning alone is not enough to break the seal here. Let's look around for clues."
At Shin's suggestion, everyone split up to search for useful clues. Kiana eventually found a book about the Great Exorcism of the Divine Cherry Blossom in the middle of four fox statues facing each other. Kiana handed the book to Shin, who, after a quick look, concluded that the seal here must have been set up by some Onmyoji.
To break the seal, one must know the incantation the caster used at the time. However, simply knowing this is useless. According to Yae no Miko, the Divine Sakura Great Exorcism has not been performed for a very long time. In the yokai's sense of time, "a very long time" is probably measured in centuries. This span of time means that not only the onmyoji who set the seal, but the Divine Sakura Great Exorcism itself is likely already lost to history.
There's no other way; the only option now is to go back to Narukami Shrine and see if there's any way to access the memories within the ley lines.
Since Zhen's appearance was not suitable for going to Narukami Shrine, he chose to stay. Kiana, on the other hand, took the incomplete book to Narukami Shrine to see if the shrine maidens still possessed the incantation phrases left by the Onmyoji. As for the others, they continued to search the shrine for any other clues.
Kiana returned shortly afterward, bringing with her both bad news and good news.
The bad news is that the details of the Great Exorcism of the Divine Cherry Blossom at Narukami Shrine have long been lost, which even troubled Yae no Miko for a while, let alone the incantation used by the Onmyoji to set the seal. The good news is that Narukami Shrine still possesses a lens that was once blessed by Kitsune-sai-gumi, called the Memorial Mirror. By using this, one can see past memories through the strangely shaped earth fox statues on the ground, thus learning about the three incantations set by the Onmyoji.
Without delay, Kiana picked up the commemorative mirror and began to look at each of the earth fox statues on the ground, eventually piecing together the complete Word of Power from fragments of memory.
Bronya recalled those three incantations and couldn't suppress her urge to complain, saying, "Honestly, were those seemingly random incantations really the power to break the seal?"
"There's nothing I can do about it. That's what the shrine maiden who explained it to me said. Usually, the first sentence indicates the caster's name in Inazuma, such as something like 'Imperial Envoy'; the second sentence explains the source of their power; and the last sentence is left to the caster to decide."
Kiana explained somewhat awkwardly, "You all saw it just now, it was clearly that irresponsible Onmyoji who found it troublesome and just randomly came up with fried tofu, which foxes like to eat, as a Word of Power..."
After receiving three correct incantations and giving them to Shin, Shin stood in front of the statue and slowly recited the incantation.
"Imperial messenger, Bai Chen bloodline, fried tofu, come quickly!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the seal on the statue in front of them was officially broken. After taking the talisman, everyone headed to the actual location of the ritual.
After successfully opening the gate using the key they found in the dry well in Konta Village, the group placed the talisman in the designated spot and began a small purification ritual. Afterward, Hana-sanri reappeared before them and served them a delicious meal. Once everyone was full, Hana-sanri finally voiced her question.
"The seal on this place was set up by a deceased Onmyoji, who never passed down his school of thought. Logically, no one should have known the correct incantation to break the seal. If I hadn't sensed that the exorcism here was complete, I probably would have had to wait for a long time in that cave outside the Kamisato family."
After Kiana's explanation, Hana Sanri finally understood the whole story. However, Hana Sanri seemed a little angry after listening to her story, and she said through gritted teeth.
"That...that mirror, it was actually taken by that guy Hiroshi..."
Realizing she had somewhat lost her composure, Hana Sanri took a deep breath and, after calming herself, continued, "I apologize for my rudeness. Now, please take good care of this... keepsake mirror. It's an extremely precious item. Really! Extremely precious!"
Hana Sanri, repeating the instructions with utmost seriousness, exuded an aura that was impossible for ordinary people to resist. Only after Kiana repeatedly assured him did Hana Sanri feel at ease enough to explain the function of the commemorative mirror.
Just like the methods they used before, the purpose of the memorial mirror is to allow people to observe the past scenes of the places where the statues are located by observing the small fox statues.
Finally, Hana Sanri concluded: "While using it well, you must also take good care of it! Avoid bumps and knocks, and clean it regularly!"
After receiving Kiana's assurance, Hanahara bid farewell to everyone. Once they were certain Hanahara had completely left, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's just a lens, why are you so protective of it?"
“Haha, this was Princess Kitsune’s favorite item,” Shin explained with a laugh. “She gifted this lens to the Hiiragi family, and the Hiiragi family used it to commission a special phonograph from Fontaine to record memories and longings, as a token of their deep affection, which they then presented to the shrine in return. Princess Kitsune used this phonograph to record many beautiful memories, especially…”
Especially the precious memories of the celestial and earth foxes who have turned into statues, as well as the wonderful memories shared by me, Fox Prince, Kage, Sasa Yuri, and Mikoto Chiyo.
"Especially what?"
"It's nothing. The phonograph has long since ceased to function, and people have no way of knowing what kind of memories were hidden inside. Hana-san will naturally be furious if she finds out that the phonograph has been dismantled down to just this lens. But that's all in the past. Let's set off to complete the Divine Cherry Blossom Great Exorcism."
After saying that, Zhen was the first to leave the cave and head towards the next location of the Divine Cherry Blossom Great Exorcism.