Chapter 83: The Sorrowful Saintess’s True Face
[Battle Technique: Miniature Death Tribulation]
Instantly draining its master’s spirit energy, this Ice Spirit had brazenly unleashed a technique comparable to a Saint-rank spirit beast’s in public!!!
The concentrated power, far exceeding even a thousand simultaneous Ice Binding Contracts, formed a swirling purple sphere of pure energy, growing larger and drawing everything into its vortex.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM
The purple star exploded, the shockwave shattering the surrounding ice.
The mysterious purple ocean vanished, and the next second…
The scattered fragments were drawn back into the vortex, disappearing along with it.
The purple ice at the center of the arena vanished like a burst bubble, and as the lingering purple mist dissipated, the Ice Spirit’s imposing figure was revealed.
It floated effortlessly in the air, its deep purple, crystalline body shimmering, seemingly reveling in its victory.
Nothing else remained.
The Water Element Commander, the Water Swallowing Cloud, even the arena floor—all gone.
Instead of the expected cheers and excitement, only silence filled the Sea Dou Hall.
A low-rank Ice Spirit had defeated a high-rank Water Swallowing Cloud, but no one considered it an upset.
Because from the very beginning, it had been a king among kings!
Since ancient times, those who challenged Saint-ranks met with certain death, their bodies reduced to bone and dust. It was as natural as the cycle of life and death, happening millions of times a year across the world, a commonplace occurrence.
“I… I didn’t see…”
The Cold Court Saintess Candidate muttered in shock, her face pale and covered in blood, a terrifying sight.
Her spirit beast dead, she, a Dead Sea Stage Spirit Master, hadn’t instantly fainted, but remained conscious, in agony.
So close, yet she hadn’t even glimpsed the Saint-rank spirit beast’s true form.
An unexpected turn of events. This Ice Spirit, before the eyes of numerous Sea Concubine Palace experts and tens of thousands of ordinary Spirit Masters, had effortlessly defeated a high-rank Water Swallowing Cloud without revealing a trace of its true power.
This wasn’t just hiding one’s strength or playing possum. This was… pathological!
It could defeat a high-rank spirit beast while still low-rank. What was the point of concealing its true form?
The pain of the Water Swallowing Cloud’s death and shattered core was overshadowed by the girl’s outrage.
“Since the victor of the Saintess selection has been decided, let the inheritance ceremony of the Sorrowful Saintess begin.”
Whoosh~~~
As a cold female voice echoed, a massive wave suddenly erupted in the center of the arena.
Clear, sparkling water, swirling and expanding.
The next second, as everyone watched in awe, seven graceful, blue figures emerged from the center of the vortex.
Six of the women wore masks, their features hidden, their water-patterned robes marked with the numbers one through six, a strange sequence.
And the last, a blue-haired girl with a unique aura, six teardrop-shaped beauty marks on her face, radiating an indescribable sorrow.
The six masked figures were undoubtedly the Six Concubines. So this was… the Sorrowful Saintess?!
Although some Sea Concubine Palace members had encountered her before, seeing her in this setting still evoked a sense of awe.
Such a sorrowful, compassionate, and melancholic face!
An aura of silent weeping surrounded her, as if she had been born to bear the burden of sorrow.
The aura of a true Saint-rank Spirit Master was indeed different, worlds apart from ordinary humans.
“Aaaaaaaaaah, it’s the Sorrowful Saintess!!!!!”
“Mommy’s in love!!!”
“I’m going to lay eggs!!!!!”
Frantic cheers erupted. Gong Lianyue opened her eyes, her cold, ice-blue gaze falling upon the Ice Spirit.
This cold, indifferent look elicited another round of shrill screams from the female spectators, as if a single glance from the Sorrowful Saintess could impregnate them.
Contrary to her outward composure, Gong Lianyue was speechless, her internal monologue a torrent of unspoken thoughts.
[Come back.]
Although this was her first time meeting the Ice Spirit, Gong Lianyue tried to communicate with it telepathically.
She didn’t understand what was wrong with these people, getting so excited over a low-rank Ice Spirit. Had they never seen one before?
They seemed to have misunderstood something. She should recall it to her spirit space.
Fortunately, the Ice Spirit seemed to understand, sending a wave of agreement. It was much more obedient than that dimwitted Water Element.
However, the next second… Gong Lianyue’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
The Ice Spirit’s method of returning was… disturbing.
It reached into its throat, pulled out a large amount of water, and then… vomited out the Water Element Commander it had just swallowed.
How such a small Ice Spirit could contain the ten-times-larger Water Element Commander was a mystery.
After expelling the Water Element Commander, the Ice Spirit pried open its mouth and crawled inside.
Finally, the Water Element Commander dissolved into a puddle of water, returning to Gong Lianyue’s spirit space.
“…”
“…”
While everyone was still reeling from the Ice Spirit’s bizarre behavior, Gong Lianyue quickly put her eyes back in.
Silence filled the Sea Dou Hall for several minutes. No one knew what they had just witnessed.
How could it… reverse-Matryoshka itself?
Chapter 84: Crowned with the Name of Sorrow
The successor to the Sorrowful Saintess of the Sea Concubine Palace was the appointed Saintess, Gong Lianyue.
And the rumors about her six teardrop beauty marks and downcast eyes were true. Seeing her sorrowful face, one couldn’t help but think she was born to bear the burden of sorrow… unless she had painted it on herself.
Gong Lianyue stood in the center of the empty Sea Dou Hall, her expression cold, her heart filled with worry.
She didn’t know how the Ice Spirit had managed to obliterate the arena. She hoped she wouldn’t be held responsible for the reconstruction costs.
Suddenly, something fell on her head.
“Now, let the inheritance ceremony of the Sorrowful Saintess begin!!”
Boom!!
As Shui Qinghou’s solemn voice echoed, a thick column of water fell from the sky, engulfing the blue-haired girl.
Amidst the audience’s shocked screams, the cascading water spread outwards like a tidal wave, quickly flooding the center of the Sea Dou Hall.
The six women, led by Shui Qinghou, had already retreated to a safe distance, leaving the Sorrowful Saintess alone in the deluge.
The audience was initially alarmed, but seeing the Six Concubines’ indifferent expressions, they realized… was this the inheritance ceremony?
Meanwhile, immersed in the swirling water, Gong Lianyue remained expressionless, relaxing as the water flowed around her.
Since she claimed to be the second-best at holding her breath in the Sea Concubine Palace, no one dared to claim the top spot. This included even the Sea Halberd Behemoths bred by the palace. If they disagreed, they could try holding their breath for hundreds of hours.
The girl closed her eyes, calmly waiting.
Since the details of the inheritance ceremony were strictly confidential, Gong Lianyue knew nothing about the procedure.
Just as her mind began to drift, a flash of light appeared before her eyes.
Whoosh—
As she opened her eyes, a picturesque world unfolded before her, filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers.
Crystal-clear air filled the valley, the sweet scent of flowers wafting through the air, the river flowing like liquid jade, a scene of ethereal beauty, almost unreal.
A secret realm…
No, a dream!?
Gong Lianyue instantly recognized the illusory nature of this place. She had never felt so disconnected from her spirit beasts, their forms and presence indistinct.
Since this was a dream created by the inheritance ceremony, her physical body must still be in the Sea Dou Hall.
She didn’t know the ratio of time between the dream and reality. She hoped her enthusiastic fans wouldn’t do anything strange to her body while she was out.
The most prominent feature of the valley was a massive stone tablet reaching towards the sky, its surface covered in flowing water patterns, inscribed with countless tiny characters.
Curious, Gong Lianyue approached and looked up at the inscription.
[Sea Concubine’s Love Tablet]
[Leave proof of your existence here to inherit the will of sorrow of the Sea Concubine Palace and, together with the Saintesses of the other Sea Region Alliance factions, protect this insignificant, pitiful love—The First Sorrowful Saintess, Narcissus.]
[Future Saintess of the Sea Concubine Palace, when you see these words, I will likely be dead—The Second Sorrowful Saintess, Wintergreen.]
[Um—The Third Sorrowful Saintess, Yellow Heart Lotus.]
[Everyone below is an idiot—The Fourth Sorrowful Saintess, Zhu Qimi.]
[Rebuttal to the above—The Fifth Sorrowful Saintess, Zhu Jiuyue.]
[I heard the two above are mother and daughter… —The Sixth Sorrowful Saintess, XXX.]
[Wow, these are all legendary figures! I can’t believe I’m among them now. Let me tell you a secret, future generations: those guys above all died horribly—The Seventh Sorrowful Saintess, XXX.]
[…]
[…]
[I heard the Penetrating You Pool was destroyed by the Snow Monarch recently—The Twentieth Sorrowful Saintess, Shui Yuerong.]
[Aaaaaah, Lady Shui Yuerong! I grew up listening to your stories! I’m your biggest fan! I can’t believe I’m meeting you here! I’m so excited!!—The Twenty-First Sorrowful Saintess, XXX.]
[So many legendary figures, I’m trembling, too scared to speak.—The Twenty-Second Sorrowful Saintess, XXX.]
[Nothing to say—The Twenty-Third Sorrowful Saintess, XX.]
[I’m a transmigrator—The Twenty-Fourth Sorrowful Saintess, XXX.]
[…]
[…]
[Heh, how boring—The Ninety-Ninth Sorrowful Saintess, Shui Yingge.]
The Sea Concubine’s Love Tablet, recording the words of the ninety-nine Sorrowful Saintesses of the Sea Concubine Palace throughout history.
From top to bottom, the messages started out serious, then gradually became more… eccentric, with mentions of fan-girling over idols, mother-daughter arguments across time and space, and even claims of being a transmigrator.
Some were famous figures in history, some unknown, some even legendary.
The last entry was from Shui Yingge, the current Palace Master of the Sea Concubine Palace. It was said she was devoted to her cultivation and never bothered with palace affairs. Gong Lianyue had never met her.
Since she was here, she was also supposed to leave a message… right?
As she focused her will, the characters on the tablet shifted.
[XXXXXXXXXX—The One Hundredth Sorrowful Saintess, Gong Lianyue.]
Swish!
The picturesque scroll unfurled and vanished, the dreamlike scene disappearing in an instant.
The strange stone tablet, like a crashing wave, surged into her heart, taking root.
When the girl came to her senses, a strange aura clung to her, a faint, alluring scent.
“What is this…?”
Gong Lianyue was slightly surprised. Why was it called the Sea Concubine’s Love Tablet? What did inheriting the will of sorrow have to do with love?
The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Why did this scent… resemble the pheromones used for spirit beast breeding?!
She would ask the Wrathful Saintess about it later. She hoped it wasn’t what she thought it was.
Whoosh~~~
A few seconds later, the swirling water in the Sea Dou Hall dissipated, revealing the beautiful, aloof, blue-haired girl.
Watery patterns, like surging waves, appeared on her Sea Concubine Palace uniform, dancing along the hem of her skirt, lifelike and vibrant.
Bearing the Sea Concubine Palace’s unique wave insignia, from this day forward, she was the true Sorrowful Saintess.
Holding a position second only to the Palace Master within the Sea Concubine Palace.
At this moment, crowned with the name of Sorrow—Gong Lianyue, the Sorrowful Saintess!!!
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