Chapter 19: The Monolith Temple
–Sea Concubine Palace
Clear lake water, curtains gently drawn.
In a courtyard garden filled with blooming lotuses, a woman with a graceful figure sat with her knees drawn up. She wore a formal palace dress, her back adorned with a lifelike lotus leaf pattern that seemed almost alive. Her pure white hair cascaded down like soft willow branches, untouched by dust.
The mere sight of her back evoked an unparalleled sense of holiness.
“Lady Bai He, the Saintess went to the Sea Abyss Secret Realm. The Top 100 list hasn’t changed, but she is suspected to have broken through to the Illumination Stage.”
Kneeling respectfully tens of meters away, the woman in white faced the courtyard, her expression a mix of adoration and fervor.
Bai He, the top Saintess Candidate, enjoyed far greater fame and prestige than the Sorrowful Saintess, practically the true symbol of the Sea Concubine Palace.
“Whose subordinate was that assassin?” Bai He’s ethereal voice drifted from the courtyard, as soothing as ASMR, making one feel weak and relaxed.
“No body was found, but judging from the residual aura at the scene, she was likely… from the Storm Realm.”
“Eh?”
Bai He paused, seemingly lost in thought.
“Is that so? The Storm Realm… it’s not surprising. After all, an additional Saint-rank in the Sea Region would greatly impact the balance of power.”
“But that assassin was rather weak, wasn’t she? How could she possibly test the depths of a Saint-rank spirit beast?”
She muttered to herself, and the courtyard fell silent again.
The woman in white bit her lip, a conflicted expression on her face. She seemed to want to say something, but hesitated. Finally, she couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Lady Bai He, I still don’t understand why you didn’t challenge the Saintess before she broke through, and why you keep providing her with intelligence. If it’s a Variant Water Emperor without battle techniques, it shouldn’t be a match for you!”
“…”
“Variant Water Emperor?”
Bai He didn’t respond for a long time, only shaking her head with a sigh.
That lie of the Sea Concubine Palace was truly malicious.
[Soul Prison Trial, Session 208]
[Soul Prison Secret Realm, First Level: Buried Bone Ice Mountain]
A week had passed, and the Soul Prison Trial reopened.
After bathing in the sacred spring and returning to her room, Gong Lianyue was teleported to the colossal Buried Bone Ice Mountain in the blink of an eye.
Only now did she realize that the Soul Prison Trial’s teleportation principle was somewhat similar to the Sea Abyss Secret Realm, although their power levels were on completely different planes.
Just the first level used the corpse of a legendary-rank spirit beast as the testing ground. This kind of power was unimaginable for the Sea Concubine Palace.
Not just the Sea Concubine Palace, the entire Sea Region couldn’t find a single legendary-rank creature.
Not to mention the extraordinary power to alter the flow of time.
Snow swirled, the biting cold piercing to the bone. Thousands of tiny figures climbed the Ice Bone Dragon’s tail that pierced the sky.
With the summit within sight, everyone climbed with renewed vigor, the four-year ordeal about to end. Holding their breaths, they climbed in silence.
“I heard that people in other zones have already cleared the first level. The reward is an Ice Soul Stone.”
Breaking the tense silence, a cute girl with twintails spoke.
The Soul Prison Trial was a large-scale secret realm that encompassed the entire world, divided into hundreds of zones by region. They were just one of many.
As the trial progressed, the zones would be gradually eliminated and merged, ultimately converging to determine the final victor.
Since the trial participants in other zones were more talented, they naturally cleared the first level earlier.
“Ice Soul Stone? The one that can cause ice-attribute spirit beasts to mutate?”
As soon as the twintailed girl finished speaking, several gasps echoed around them.
The reward for the first level was an Ice Soul Stone, one for each person? That was incredibly extravagant! In the real world, it would fetch an unimaginable price.
“Ice Soul Stone!!!”
Gong Lianyue was equally shocked.
When consumed by low-quality ice-attribute spirit beasts, it had a high chance of causing mutation. When consumed by high-quality ones, it could significantly enhance their abilities. A precious mineral found only in extremely cold regions, she had read about it in books.
Spirit beast mutation referred to the rank evolution of same-attribute spirit beasts, mutating from low-rank to mid-rank, or from mid-rank to high-rank, altering their species and genes.
This was something Gong Lianyue couldn’t have imagined before, but now… it seemed possible today?
If the Water Element mutated, it would probably become a mid-rank Ice Sky Spirit or a Frost Shard Phantom, right? Those seemed to fit its current half-ice, half-water state.
“By the way, what’s the second trial like? Any hints?”
“Um, I think it’s a pure test of destructive power, but I’m not sure.”
“It’s the spirit beast’s attack power, I think. I heard it from an elder who returned from another region a few days ago.”
“Did you know? It seems that starting from the second level, the trial becomes a race.”
“A race…?”
“Unlike the elimination style of the first level, the second level distributes rewards based on ranking. The faster you clear it, the better the rewards.”
“Great! This is going to be amazing!”
The girls exchanged important information, and Gong Lianyue’s heart sank.
Crap. The little fox’s abilities couldn’t cause substantial damage… Could she really rely on the Water Element’s combat power to fight her way through a group of trial participants with at least high-rank spirit beasts?
“Sister Gong, that’s wonderful!”
A cute girl offered heartfelt congratulations. In her eyes, Sister Gong had been holding herself back for their sake.
If Gong Lianyue had climbed the ice mountain at full speed, she would have probably cleared it more than ten sessions ago.
In the following trials, with Sister Gong’s unparalleled strength, she would surely surpass the geniuses from other zones!!
“Yes, everyone, work hard!~~” Gong Lianyue said with a forced smile, inwardly cursing.
Time flew by as they chatted. Soon, they neared the top, the flat bone section of the Ice Dragon’s tail visible.
Swish
With a flash of white light, everyone in the first tier vanished from the Buried Bone Ice Mountain.
[Congratulations on clearing the first level of the Soul Prison Trial. Reward: one Ice Soul Stone, automatically acquired upon returning to reality.]
[Soul Prison Trial, Second Level: Monolith Temple]
A blinding white light flashed before Gong Lianyue’s eyes. When she opened them again, her heart almost stopped.
The sky was painted a beautiful crimson by the setting sun, a boundless sea of clouds stretching in all directions. The blue-haired girl floated in midair.
“Ah!”
Looking down at the tiny mountains and rivers below, Gong Lianyue gasped and collapsed onto a cloud, her legs weak.
The second level’s trial was in the sky? How terrifying…
[Objective: Destroy the monolith. Unlimited attempts.]
Hearing the prompt in her mind, Gong Lianyue’s heart gradually calmed, and she stood up, slightly trembling.
Beside her stood a massive black rock, seemingly as large as a classroom.
The objective of the second trial was to destroy this giant rock…
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