315  Ch 315 He Is Not the Prophesied Chosen One

When Yino stepped into the sacred temple, his gaze was first drawn to the black-robed Holy Maiden beneath the deity statue, then suddenly locked eyes with the tall, white-robed women standing nearby, with the Frost Chant sword tucked under her arm.

For a moment, Yino felt his heart stop beating.

In Yino's plans, according to the game's plot at this point in time, Yuyan should have long since departed with the main forces to defend the Demon Abyss at the frontlines.

But now... Yuyan was still at the holy church?!

Fortunately, Yino had been feeling somewhat guilty today, so he had worn a mask in advance. Even under the curious gaze of Yuyan, Yino maintained his composure.

"I pay my respects to the Holy Maiden."

Walking beneath the deity statue, Yino followed the plot, giving the Holy Maiden a Western Region salute as was customary.

She nodded slightly. Though her eyes were covered, her behavior was no different from a normal person. From the moment Yino entered the hall, she had been facing his direction solemnly.

In his previous life while playing the game, Yino had already learned about Holy Maiden Yunmei.

This Holy Maiden was an NPC with a tragic backstory.

She had been the Holy Maiden of the Dark Night Church in the Western Region, but seven years ago her church experienced a demonic catastrophe. Yunmei's homeland and faith were destroyed, and she lost her sight in the battle against the Demon Abyss.

Yet these hardships didn't defeat Yunmei. Undeterred, she led the surviving believers eastward, fleeing to Western Province City at the border of the Great Dragon Dynasty.

Later, Yunmei established a new Church in Western Province City.

However, for certain reasons, Yunmei no longer promoted the Dark Night Church but instead adapted to local culture and simply called it the Holy Church.

Because Yunmei possessed the Pure Cleansing Holy Physique that could purify demons and dispel evil, during her time preaching in Western Province City, Yunmei not only provided free medical treatment to common people every day but also gradually became the saintess in the hearts of the local soldiers guarding the Western Region.

These soldiers from the Great Dragon Dynasty who chose to enlist and were dispatched to guard the frontier often fought demons from the Demon Abyss on the front lines. Over time, their bodies would typically be corrupted by the evil energy from the Demon Abyss, causing them to fall and become monsters.

However, since Yunmei's arrival, the number of soldiers in Western Province City who fell to corruption had decreased by nearly ninety percent.

The reason was simple: The Holy Maiden's special holy physique could purify their souls.

Gradually, Yunmei not only won the support of the common people but also gained strong backing from the local military, top to bottom.

With the military's support, Yunmei's influence in Western Province City naturally grew, to the point where even the city lord would personally visit to pay respects to her during festivals and holidays.

After all... The city lord was just an official; anyone could hold that position.

But Yunmei could truly heal the soldiers. Without her, who knew how many more frontline soldiers would be corrupted by evil energy and turn into monsters each year?

If the city lord ever suggested removing Holy Maiden, the local military would certainly be the first to turn their blades on him. This was why the righteous cultivators summoned by the Immortal Alliance all came to pay respects to Holy Maiden first, rather than following the city lord's commands.

Now, seven years later, Yunmei had completely established herself as Western Province City's most prominent holy figure.

This is why many people from the Central Plains found it counterintuitive that in Western Province City, neither Buddhist nor Daoist sects nor immortal sects had as much influence as the foreign Holy Maiden Yunmei.

However... Yino remembered that although Yunmei had done good deeds her entire life, she apparently died in the later stages of the main storyline, and the entire Western Province City couldn't escape its fate of being destroyed by the Demon Abyss.

Thinking about this, Yino felt moved and held great respect for Yunmei.

"Holy Maiden, I would like to try the sacred sword in the back courtyard."

After completing his salute, Yino got straight to the point.

While conversing with Yunmei, his peripheral vision naturally glanced at the other woman observing from a distance.

Yino was inevitably nervous.

After all, that was Yuyan.

Yino's original plan was to pretend to be the chosen one and see if he could get away with it. If that failed, he would grab the sword along with its pedestal and flee.

But now... Yino felt that his backup plan would not work.

If something went wrong, with Yuyan guarding the place, Yino might not be able to escape from the church today!

And once caught by Yuyan, Yino would truly have no way to explain himself!

"Young man, are you so confident?"

Yunmei seemed not yet recovered from her earlier surprise.

Though she couldn't see, she could still vaguely sense the spiritual energy fluctuations from him.

At some point, Yunmei slightly parted her lips, as if taking a silent breath.

"Young man, may I touch your face?"

She spoke gently, her tone carrying an undercurrent of anticipation.

Yino frowned slightly. He glanced at Yuyan from the corner of his eye, then moved a couple of steps to the side. Leaning forward cautiously, he carefully removed his mask and allowed Yunmei to touch his face from an angle where Yuyan couldn't see.

A moment later, Yino stepped back and securely refastened his mask under his hood.

"...?"

In the corner of the church, Yuyan raised an eyebrow, staring at the young man's somewhat familiar silhouette, feeling that he was being suspiciously secretive.

She had initially wanted to question him—since they were all righteous cultivators, what was there to hide? Why wear a mask to the holy church?

But upon reflection, Yuyan realized that Holy Maiden was blind, so how the young man dressed had no bearing on her judgment.

Moreover... Yuyan wasn't the owner of this church; as a guest, questioning him would show a lack of boundaries.

"Young man, follow me."

While lost in thought, she saw the beautiful blindfolded woman in nun's attire smile and speak softly, clearing a path for the young man to the corridor leading to the church's back courtyard.

Yuyan's eyes widened slightly.

Seeing Yunmei lead the young man into the back courtyard, Yuyan took a deep breath and followed on her own initiative.

But just as she was about to enter the back courtyard, an invisible air barrier stopped her—

"Lady Yuyan, please wait in the hall."

Yunmei spoke gently.

Only then did Yuyan remember that when she and the other righteous cultivators had come to the back courtyard, they had all tried to pull the sword in an orderly fashion, one by one.

With no choice, Yuyan could only stand at the entrance, watching from afar.

Under her gaze, the black-robed young man first received Holy Maiden's blessing. Then he rolled up his sleeves, rubbed his hands together in front of his chest, and finally approached the pedestal, gripping the sacred sword's hilt with his strong left arm—

"!!!!"

The young man exerted force silently.

But the sacred sword embedded in the stone pedestal didn't budge at all.

Immediately after, the young man tried again from different angles, gritting his teeth for a long time, but the sword remained completely motionless, with nothing happening.

"Hmph..."

Seeing the young man panting, Yuyan inwardly scoffed and shook her head, feeling bored.

In her mind, the first principle of being a righteous cultivator was to act with integrity and dignity!

And now this volunteer, wearing a mask and wrapped in an all-concealing black robe, had not even declared which sect he belonged to after arriving...

Someone so secretive must have something to hide. How could he possibly be the destined youth recognized by the sacred sword in the prophecy?