The garrisoned priestess naturally did not notice Lu Ban who had turned into gray mist.

Those whispers lingered in Lu Ban's ears, but he ignored them and continued moving forward.

The shrine was deserted, and there seemed to be no one else here.

Jinghuoyuan is also among them.

Lu Ban glanced at the villa.

Quietly.

Although it was late at night, Lu Ban did not detect any trace of human presence.

He decided to go to the Fire Purification Institute to take a look first.

The smoke continued to drift, and Lu Ban entered the Fire Purification Courtyard.

When he came to the room, he found that there was nothing here.

None of those retired Sons of God, not even one.

"Hasn't he moved in yet?"

If you think about it carefully, this Son of God has been in office for thirty-seven years, and the one before her was in office for so many years, she might have died long ago.

And she just stepped down, so maybe she's checking somewhere else.

When Lu Ban entered the house, he saw that the furniture was neatly arranged and there was no sign that anyone had used it.

The tables and chairs were covered with a thick layer of dust, which obviously could not be achieved in just one or two years.

After a walk, Lu Ban arrived at the main hall.

Although according to the shrine, the main hall is the residence of the gods, but if there is a god in this world, it must be that cherry tree, so the main hall should be very empty.

Lu Ban's [True Vision] also told him that there was nothing special in this temple.

Curiosity led Lu Ban to enter the hall.

He saw that there was nothing in the empty hall. The mysterious moonlight shone in, and it was full of desolate atmosphere.

No, it's not nothing.

On one side of the main hall, there is a shelf.

There were countless jars on that shelf.

When Lu Ban saw this scene, he quickly realized what it was.

He moved closer.

Each jar has a name written on it.

Changming, Daisy, Iriya, Yayoi...

The jars appear different in age and newness depending on the time.

There is no doubt that these are the Sons of God of the past.

The ashes of the sons of God from all generations are placed here.

In the deep darkness where even the moonlight cannot reach, the remains of those who once protected this world are neatly placed here. They are not enshrined with eternal lamps, and no one comes to worship them. They are more like some kind of sealed objects that cannot see the light of day.

Amber may become a part of it one day.

Lu Ban sighed.

After coming out of the main hall, Lu Ban took another look at the Shenzi Pavilion.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to go see Amber.

At least I could see her one last time.

As it turned into smoke and dust and floated up, approaching the tall attic, Lu Ban first discovered one thing.

There was a padlock on the attic door.

Not just one, but several locks.

The locks were covered in burn marks, but they locked the door firmly and securely.

And this is the only entrance and exit of the Shenzi Pavilion.

Only then did Lu Ban notice that the Shen Zi Pavilion had no windows.

The whole building is like a sealed jar.

When he realized this, Lu Ban's heart skipped a beat.

"Could it be that the process of becoming the Son of God is a process of alienation?"

Lu Ban thought.

In the land of silence, only pollution can resist pollution.

Is it possible that pure fire is just another level of pollution?

Rely on pure fire to eliminate filth, but pure fire itself is pollution. Eventually, the entire He Island will become a land dominated by pure fire. If humans cannot adapt to pure fire, civilization will disappear?

All of this requires a carrier.

This vehicle is the Son of God.

This and the island shrine, this sacred cherry, are a bondage.

Restraints to allow the process of self-pollution to proceed peacefully.

"amber……"

Lu Ban had a bad feeling.

The door is locked with Amber sitting inside.

After the previous Son of God passed the Pure Fire to Amber, this lock was set up to prevent Amber from escaping.

"Wait a minute, after all... can the Son of God really leave the Son of God Pavilion?"

Lu Ban reacted.

He had been at the Wajima Taisha Shrine for so many days and had never seen the Son of God.

In fact, except for the old priestesses who are responsible for the handover of the Son of God, no one has ever seen the Son of God.

After the Son of God Pavilion is locked, can the Son of God really leave here, and only go up to the Son of God Pavilion and shoot the Arrow of Pure Fire when filthy things appear?

If the Son of God has never left the Son of God Pavilion for so many years, then how has she survived as a human being?

Lu Ban's heartbeat began to accelerate.

He felt like he had touched the edge of Kazushima's deepest taboo.

If you continue, you might encounter something bad.

Something he didn't want to see or understand was right in front of him.

Right above the Shenzi Pavilion.

He hesitated for a moment.

But the last glimmer of hope made Lu Ban decide to continue moving forward.

Like smoke, he rose in the moonlight and came to the door of the Son of God Pavilion.

He smelled something.

A smell that shouldn't be here.

Burnt smell.

That is the pungent smell left after the fat of some animal is burned.

Buzz——

Lu Ban felt a buzzing in his ears.

The good news is that his previous guess may not be correct.

The bad news is that reality may be worse than that speculation.

Facing the door, Lu Ban stopped in mid-air, but finally chose to go in.

Turning into light smoke, Lu Ban slipped into the locked door.

The first floor of the Son of God Pavilion was very empty. Apart from the charred burn marks on the walls, there was no trace of any human presence.

The burnt smell became stronger and stronger, and Lu Ban also felt a hint of heat.

"amber?"

Lu Ban called out tentatively.

He went up to the second floor.

The Shen Zi Pavilion has three floors in total, and the second floor is smaller.

But there are a few more things.

Lu Ban saw that in addition to the same charred marks as on the first floor, there were also long dragging marks on the floor of the second floor.

Yes.

That is, the traces left by humans crawling on the ground with their hands after losing the ability to move.

The trace went towards the first floor but did not reach the stairs.

There were more scratches from fingers on the handrail of the stairs leading to the third floor.

Blood flowed from the ends of the fingers as they scratched on the wood, leaving one five-finger mark after another.

The burning breath became stronger and stronger.

"Amber, are you there?"

Lu Ban asked.

There was no response.

He climbed up the stairs to the third floor.

The third floor is no longer empty.

The ground was littered with ashes of unburned wood and straw, and here the stench of burning fire reached its peak.

Lu Ban quickly found the source of the burnt smell.

She stood in the middle of the room.

Chains bound her body, tying it securely to the central post.

On the pillars, countless fingerprints told of her fear and despair at the time, which was shocking.

Only a few fragments of the gorgeous clothes remained on the charred, dry and mottled body. The golden crown that could not be supported by the burnt hair had turned black and fell at his feet, which looked like dry firewood.

That face still maintained an expression of shock, fear and despair, but the pair of beautiful amber eyes were no longer visible. There were only deep, dark eye sockets, dry, withered cheeks, and an expression that came from the most instinctive fear.

She still held the bow in her hand, and the pale flame formed a bow, burning quietly in her hand, lighting up the place and bringing a scorching breath.

This is the current head priestess of Wajima Taisha Shrine.

This is amber.