A priest in North America, what the hell is the Demon Gate system?

The nights in Pennsylvania in May are still a bit chilly.

In the backyard of St. Michael's Church, Li Ang tugged at the collar of his priest's uniform and let out a long sigh. The collar was too tight and had been making him a little uncomfortable.

Then, he glanced back at the row of low bungalows next to the church, which were the dormitories for the clergy.

It was called a dormitory, but it was really just a rectangular bungalow. To the left was his room and Sister Nia's room, which shared a thin wall.

The middle section is the kitchen/dining area, with an old-fashioned gas stove and a mini-fridge crammed into the corner.

The bathroom is at the other end, so you have to time your showers carefully to avoid bumping into each other.

Li Ang originally wanted to study the system in the room, but then he remembered that Nia was next door. What if the nun couldn't sleep at night and heard something? He couldn't very well say that he was cultivating immortality.

So Li Ang had no choice but to sneak into the backyard.

The backyard was small and overgrown with weeds, with some abandoned benches and broken icons piled up in the corner. It used to be a place for lawn weddings, but now there aren't many young people in the town, let alone weddings, so it's naturally been abandoned.

In the very center stands a stone angel with one of its wings broken off and its face worn smooth by wind and rain, making its features unrecognizable.

Li Ang originally wanted to try out the newly acquired Ten Thousand Souls Banner, but after delving deeper with his divine sense, he discovered that Xue Li's soul was flickering and extremely weak, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.

Fearing he might accidentally cause her soul to be scattered, Li Ang abandoned the idea of ​​manipulating the soul banner.

"System, open the panel."

With a thought, a semi-transparent light screen unfolded before Li Ang's eyes.

【Li Ang】

[Sect Status: Outer Sect Outpost Steward]

[Cultivation Level: Qi Refining Level 1]

[Mana: 1]

[Physical Fitness: 1]

[Divine Sense: 2]

[Magic Artifact: Low-Grade Soul Banner]

[Contribution Points: 14]

[Sect Assessment Countdown: 85 days]

[Current Outpost Incense Offerings: 400]

[Current Outstanding Debt: 6000]

The Sect Shop is now open.

[There are 1 assignable attribute point]

The contribution points have been reduced from 30 to 14.

Li Ang recalled that exchanging for the Soul Banner refining materials cost 10 points, and preparing the two bottles of holy water cost another 6 points...

"Open the sect shop."

The light screen switched, revealing a list where only three items were lit up from top to bottom:

[Body Tempering Pill (Low Grade)]: Cleanses and refines the body, slightly improving physical constitution. Requires 10 contribution points to exchange.

【Concentration Incense (3 sticks)】: Assists cultivation, slightly enhances spiritual perception, and can also nourish the soul. Requires 10 contribution points to exchange.

[Basic Talisman Paper (10 sheets)]: Material for crafting low-level talismans. Requires 5 contribution points to exchange.

There are dozens of grayed-out items that display "Insufficient permissions" or "Insufficient contribution points".

Li Ang pondered for a moment, staring at the Body Tempering Pill.

My constitution is only 1 point, and I already had a hard time dodging the military daggers today.

Moreover, if we're going to make money, whether through legitimate or illegitimate means, we need to be in good shape.

"Exchange for Body Tempering Pills."

[10 contribution points consumed, 4 contribution points remaining]

Li Ang's palm sank, revealing a dark red pill, about the size of a thumb, with fine lines on its surface. It smelled faintly of herbs, mixed with a hint of rust.

"Won't it kill people... after all, it's something from the Demonic Sect."

Li Ang muttered to himself, but then he thought that although the system was a rip-off, at least it didn't seem to be planning to kill him outright—probably not.

Without thinking further, Li Ang swallowed the pill in one gulp.

The pill melted upon entering the throat, turning into a warm liquid that slid into the stomach.

At first, I didn't feel anything, but a few seconds later, the heat suddenly burst out, like countless fine needles drilling into my whole body through my blood vessels!

"Hmm!"

Li Ang groaned, half-kneeling on the ground, sweat instantly beading on his forehead.

His muscles twitched slightly and uncontrollably, and a faint red flush rose to his skin. He could hear his heart racing and the sound of his blood surging in his ears.

The process lasted about three minutes.

The heat gradually subsided, and Li Ang stood up, panting heavily, and stretched his arms and legs.

It really feels different; it's even more refreshing than wearing new underwear to welcome the New Year's Day morning.

Li Ang felt much lighter, and his shoulders, which had been stiff from sitting for a long time, were relaxed. He clenched his fist and felt that his strength had indeed increased. Although he was not strong enough to kill a bull with one punch, he should be able to lift a heavy object without any problem.

[Constitution: 1 → 2]

"That's awesome!"

With only a few attribute points left, Li Ang already had an idea in mind.

My spiritual sense is currently at level 2. Before, with 2 points of spiritual sense, I could cover a range of ten meters and use the Big Eye Technique... well, to capture details.

Moreover, during the exorcism today, I suppressed Sherry with my divine sense.

"Add it to the divine sense!"

After thinking for a moment, Li Ang did not hesitate. At present, he had not yet started cultivating the technique, so his spiritual sense was particularly important.

[Divine Sense: 2 → 3]

The moment he added the points, Li Ang felt a cool sensation between his brows, as if a clear spring was gushing out from there and flowing into the depths of his brain.

Li Ang instinctively closed his eyes.

An invisible ripple spread outwards from him, and everything within a twenty-meter radius became visible to his senses: the swaying of weeds in the backyard, the wriggling of insects in the soil, the subtle friction between the church walls and the wind...

And in the bungalow, Sister Nia had taken off her nun's habit and was lying on the bed in a nightgown, holding a magazine with a scantily clad elven female knight on the cover.

The nun watched intently, her feet, encased in black nylon stockings, swaying gently behind her.

Li Ang quickly withdrew his divine sense; if he continued watching, Little Li Ang would protest.

"Amen, Amitabha, Infinite Heavenly Venerable, Allah... I was just testing the range of divine consciousness."

He coughed, turning his attention back to reality.

The enhanced divine sense was like a pair of sharper eyes, scanning every corner of the backyard.

However, as he passed the angel statue, Li Ang suddenly stopped.

There seems to be something beneath the statue's base.

A regular, rectangular object was buried at a depth of about half a meter.

Li Ang walked over, squatted down and looked closely. The base of the statue was a single piece of granite, and the statue itself probably weighed about 800 pounds. He definitely couldn't have moved it before.

But now that my physical condition has doubled, perhaps...

He braced his hands against the edge of the base, took a deep breath, and exerted force from his waist.

"Walk--!"

The base made a dull rubbing sound as it slowly moved.

Li Ang gritted his teeth, his muscles tense, and slowly moved the statue half a meter to the side.

A shallow pit was exposed in the ground, and sure enough, a tin box was buried inside, about 30 centimeters long and 20 centimeters wide, with rust on its surface.

Li Ang pried open the buckle and lifted the box lid.

Inside was moisture-proof oil paper, and inside the oil paper were two things wrapped up.

A silver revolver and a leather notebook.

Li Ang first picked up the revolver.

The gun is very light, with a silver-white body and a dark red wooden grip. It is well-maintained and looks like a Colt M1877.

By the moonlight, he examined the gun closely and discovered intricate patterns engraved on its body: crosses, thorns, and Latin prayers. A peculiar cross was engraved on the grip, composed of a hammer and sickle, with an image of the crucifixion of Jesus depicted on it.

"The logo of liberation theology?"

Li Ang was somewhat puzzled, but upon closer inspection, he saw a line of small characters on the gun barrel: "Holy Judgment".

"The legendary exorcising mithril revolver?"

Li Ang raised an eyebrow. He had heard that some exorcist priests carried blessed weapons, but it was rare to see one carrying a gun directly—that was very American.

He opened the magazine; it was empty, but there was a faint smell inside—not the smell of gunpowder, but a strange odor resembling a mixture of sandalwood and sulfur.

[Ding! Obtained the magical artifact "Holy Judgment"]

This magical artifact can cause immense damage to the soul and spirit.

[Number of uses for the ritual implement: 0/6]

[Do you want to use contribution points to redeem additional uses? 5 contribution points per use]

Li Ang stared at the revolver. This thing must be a soul-targeting weapon, right? It's a real exorcism weapon. As for the number of uses, it must refer to the bullets. 5 contribution points per bullet, it's really not cheap!

But he didn't have enough contribution points right now, so Li Ang put down his gun and picked up his notebook.

The leather cover is worn, with frayed edges, and the initials "AL" are printed in gold lettering in the center.

[Ding! Obtained a scroll left behind by the former butler]

Li Ang recalled that the parish notice about the disappearance of the former priest was titled "Andrew Russell".

So this must be an abbreviation of the former Father Andrew's name?

Li Ang opened his notebook.

The first page contains only one line of text written in fountain pen; the ink has blurred somewhat, but it is still very clear:

"This town is cursed."