Truth is everywhere within range

"The stream here nourishes the land and nurtures this forest. The drinking water in our village is also drawn from this branch."

From the cave, a trickle of water flowed.

The water flows merged to form a mountain spring, which flowed down the hillside and became a stream that ran through the small village.

Residents’ drinking water, irrigation, and daily water are basically taken from this stream.

According to normal folklore, such a water source can easily become a myth and become a belief for the villagers to protect and worship. In time, maybe some weird thing passed through this place and survived, and maybe it really can become a small god.

but.

Qiao Qiao's spiritual vision swept across the stream.

In the stream, there is a trace of Yin Qi that cannot be detected.

The closer you get to the cave, the higher the concentration of Yin Qi is. However, as the water flows downward, the Yin Qi dissipates quickly. At the foot of the mountain, there is probably not much left.

Such water has little impact on humans.

But since it is the divine body of the mountain god, it is very strange that Yin Qi exists.

"Can we go in and have a look?"

Qiao Qiao asked.

"Well, although under normal circumstances, ordinary villagers are not allowed to come in in order to protect the water source and respect the mountain god, but since it is the request of the spiritual master, then naturally there is no problem."

Kamijou Shiori nodded, slightly lifted the rope, and stepped into the hole.

Qiao Qiao and Ariko looked at each other and followed.

This was not a small cave. Qiao Qiao turned on the flashlight. Wherever the light shone, he could not see the end of the cave, only deep darkness.

The lantern in Kamijou Shiori's hand also lit up, illuminating the nearby space.

Darkness is one of the most primitive fears of human beings. Especially when the three of them turned a few gentle turns and the light outside behind them was completely invisible, a strange emotion that was free from reality emerged from the bottom of their hearts.

Qiao Qiao walked at the back, his flashlight shining on the backs of Ariko and Kamijou Shiori.

"arrive."

After walking in the cave for less than three minutes, or less, Kamijou Shiori slowed down slightly.

The cave suddenly opened up.

This is a relatively wide space with no other passages, and a long light is lit in the middle.

Behind the lamp is a strange-shaped rock.

The rock seemed to have been melted, twisted by some external force, and then rapidly cooled.

The shape is completely different from other rocks in nature, and it is full of madness and distortion that cannot be compared with human creations.

At the top of the cave, water dripped onto the rocks and followed the uneven lines on the rock surface, forming a small stream.

"This is the divine body of the mountain god."

Kamijou Shiori said.

Qiao Qiao took a breath.

If ordinary people just look at this stone, they will probably be mentally shocked and affected to a certain extent.

In spiritual vision, this stone is even more terrifying.

Countless crystalline and sticky threads protruded from the inside of the rock. The threads penetrated the wall and extended to infinity. The threads naturally penetrated into the water and melted in the flowing water.

The core of the rock is a squirming existence like a mixture of flesh and blood, and it is absorbing power through these threads.

There is no doubt that this is definitely not a mountain god, but something weird.

Old gods.

"The two spiritual masters, I don't know what they have discovered."

Kamijou Shiori asked softly.

She tilted her head.

No.

Kamijou Shiori's head rotated clockwise and turned upside down.

Her limbs drooped as if they had lost power, and then lifted up again, but they lacked the texture of a living person, like a marionette.

"really."

Qiao Qiao saw that Kamijou Shiori had several thin threads similar to the threads extending from the rocks, extending upward from her head, arms, and body.

"Spider silk."

Ariko whispered, already taking out the royal coins that she had prepared long ago from her small bag.

She remembered Qiao Qiao's analysis last night.

Whether the villagers have been corrupted by the old gods a long time ago, or the old gods have only recently revived, Kamijou Shiori has been fighting against the old gods as a shrine maiden.

The purpose of the Old God is to survive and break the seal. For this, he needs to obtain a large amount of spiritual power.

Normally, the old god who leaked the seal would confuse people and develop followers.

The curse of the mountain god is a very tempting legend, enough to attract the spirit exterminator to investigate the situation.

Yes.

The more taboo and mysterious things are, the more curious humans are.

For an exorcist, it is a very reasonable and normal development to encounter a mysterious village, meet a witch who fights monsters, and explore the truth together.

However, it was not until they saw the divine body of the Mountain God that these spiritual masters discovered that they had already stepped into the spider's web trap.

"So, the people in the entire village are not believers of the old gods, but the old gods themselves. They disguise minor abnormalities through larger abnormalities. This is the method of the old gods."

Qiao Qiao said.

If he had not been exposed to the world of old gods and wishes before, then Qiao Qiao might not be able to understand it so quickly.

In that world, although everything seems to have nothing to do with anomalies, because of this, the anomaly index is even higher than hell.

Using a large number of abnormalities to disguise small abnormalities, and using the authority of the old gods to disguise human beings, this is exactly what happened here.

All the people in the village, including Kamijou Shiori, are created by the old gods like marionettes and are part of the old gods themselves. This Pingye Village in the Snow Country is a terrifying stage play by the old gods. .

Create events, attract spiritualists, and kill spiritualists to obtain spiritual power. This is the trap of the old gods.

"But you are wrong about one thing."

Kamijou Shiori's voice was a little low, and there was a smile on his twisted head.

"This is not a trap."

"But my existence itself."

outside the cave.

If someone looks here with their spiritual vision, they will be surprised to find that there is a huge spider lying looming between the foothills.

The spider's eight legs are thick and dark, covered with hard and dense hair.

The spider's eight eyes are like human pupils, peering around.

On the spider's body, countless human faces form the main part, and they are constantly wailing.

Not only the entire Pingye Village, but also the cave where Qiao Qiao and others were, and the nearby mountains and forests, were all part of the spider.

The reason why the house is very warm at night is because Qiao Qiao and Ariko are inside the spider's body.

"You are already in my body now. Haha, if I can eat you two, I might be able to further lift the seal."

Kamijou Shiori's voice was cold and light.

"Has it come to this already?"

Ariko whispered to herself.

This old god is no longer as simple as a loose seal. At least about 30% of the seals have been opened. This is why there are still old gods so close to Tokyo without anyone noticing.

His control over memes and information has caused most humans to ignore its existence. The information of dead humans and exorcists here will also be tampered with in a targeted manner, making Pingye Village always attract other exorcists. arrival.

Maybe some exorcists who died unexpectedly actually died here without being known to anyone.

Compared to other old gods who would make a scene as soon as they came out of the seal.

This one is obviously smarter.

only.

"Is it inside the body? That's just right."

Qiao Qiao checked the time on his phone.