Chapter 127: Identity Exposed
–Storm Realm, Gray Shadow Mountain
Rubble scattered, broken eaves wept.
Surveying the scene of devastation from above, the faces of the four or five instructor women were grim.
The tremor had been earth-shattering, felt even at the main hall more than ten kilometers away, echoing throughout the entire mountain.
Because Shui Qingyue constantly boasted about her senior instructor and threatened to send people to the mines, the Gray Shadow Mountain higher-ups had planned to use the Bone Saintess to put the arrogant newcomer in her place, assigning her a month of mining duty as punishment.
But now, just five minutes later, the Saintess Hall had been reduced to rubble…!!!
Not just the building itself, but even the mountainside behind it had been sheared off, a terrifying and unbelievable sight.
A single attack had obliterated the entire Saintess Hall. The lingering aura spoke of unimaginable terror, a chilling killing intent that even they might not be able to withstand.
“The Bone Saintess has been found, unconscious but alive. Her spirit beast is dead.”
“Shui Qingyue has been found, unharmed. No sign of her spirit beast.”
Hearing the reports from the ruins below, the instructors exchanged glances, their expressions darkening.
The Bone Saintess’s Giant Bone King… dead?!
And at such a critical juncture…
While Gong Lianyue could easily revive her spirit beasts thanks to her Dual Soul Body, other Spirit Masters’ spirit beasts required a long recovery period after death.
With only half a month remaining until the Overlord’s birthday celebration, even if the Bone Saintess recovered, her Giant Bone King wouldn’t be revived in time.
Although the Bone Saintess had hidden her true strength, the higher-ups knew her limits. She wasn’t Saint-rank. All that posturing and pretending… What a joke.
But who had done this?
Swish!
As Gong Lianyue pretended to be lost in thought, several figures suddenly appeared beside her.
All Gray Shadow Mountain instructors. The beautiful woman with the bun, who had offered to take her as a disciple, was among them, her expression serious as she looked at the silver-haired girl.
“Shui Qingyue, explain what happened here immediately. If you lie, you will be sent to the mines—no, you will be executed on the spot!”
Noticing her companions’ strange looks, the woman quickly corrected herself, her face flushing slightly.
That meme was too catchy. Although inappropriate, even the higher-ups used it sometimes.
“Teacher, there was an earthquake! Everyone is dead! I don’t know anything! I’m so scared! Sob, sob!!”
The silver-haired girl’s voice was flat, her expression unchanged, as she rubbed her eyes, actually managing to squeeze out a few tears.
The instructors exchanged glances, then nodded in unison, as if having reached a decision.
A moment later, one of the instructors, wearing a long dress, stepped forward, her gaze fixed on the still-pretending silver-haired girl.
The girl’s explanation was irrelevant. Whether she was a spy or innocent, a single glance would reveal the truth.
“Come forth, Storm True Eye!”
The next second, as the instructor’s voice echoed, the wind howled, and a massive, terrifying eye opened in the sky ten meters above.
The swirling storm within the eye’s pupil was chaotic and unsettling, creating the illusion of one’s mind being read, their clothes stripped bare.
A mid-rank, support-type spirit beast, the Storm True Eye. It had no combat abilities, but it could see through a spirit beast’s soul core, revealing all its hidden information.
There were always those who thought they were clever, hiding their true strength, like the Bone Saintess, who still believed her Giant Bone King was a secret…
“Shui Qingyue, one last chance. Do you have anything else to say?” the instructor with the Storm True Eye asked sternly.
“Waaah, I’m so scared~~~”
Gong Lianyue sobbed theatrically, her hand clenching discreetly.
Her luck was terrible. She had encountered this… truth-revealing spirit beast. How could she have anticipated this?
Losing this opportunity and exposing her identity was one thing, but the Frost Snow Woman and the Cloud Dream Flower couldn’t be discovered. They were her trump cards!
The moment they revealed her spirit beasts’ true forms, she would kill all the instructors present and escape Gray Shadow Mountain…
Seeing Shui Qingyue’s continued deception, the instructor in the long dress frowned and snapped her fingers.
Instantly, the Storm True Eye’s focus narrowed, its gaze transforming into a beam of light that pierced the girl’s body.
Now, let’s see what this Shui Qingyue was hiding besides the Silverblade Fox. Could she truly pose a threat to the Bone Saintess and cause such devastation?
“…”
“…”
“…”
Plink—
Suddenly, the sound of a water droplet echoed in the woman’s ear.
A single bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, sliding across her cheek, her neck, her dress, before falling to the ground.
Why was the sound so loud?
It was so loud it was almost deafening, the sensation of the droplet sliding across her skin incredibly vivid.
The others, still assuming that a mere Illumination Stage newcomer couldn’t possibly defeat the Bone Saintess, dismissing it as a misunderstanding, hadn’t noticed the instructor’s strange behavior. They were already chatting casually amongst themselves.
Unnoticed, the instructor’s face had turned pale, her pupils trembling, her fingers twitching.
She had seen it!!!
Seen what?
She had to say something…
Say what? To whom?
A group of people about to die…
No, she couldn’t… she couldn’t say it…
In a single second, she understood everything, the truth, the events that had transpired, and what was about to happen.
Her companions’ voices faded, replaced by the frantic pounding of her own heart.
Drenched in a cold sweat, she noticed the silver-haired girl’s finger twitch, the telltale sign of a Spirit Master about to summon their spirit beast.
The instructor’s body began to tremble uncontrollably. She understood her predicament.
This was, without a doubt, the closest she had ever been to death.
[High-rank Dead Sea Stage: Iron Jade Ice Scorpion]
[High-rank Dead Sea Stage: Nine-Colored Cloud Dream Flower]
[Saint-rank Dead Sea Stage: ??Frost Snow Woman??]
[Saint-rank Dead Sea Stage: ?Ice Soul Cold Star?]
[XXXXXXX: ?XXXXX?]
Chapter 128: True Spirit Beasts Revealed!!
[High-rank Dead Sea Stage: Iron Jade Ice Scorpion]
[High-rank Dead Sea Stage: Nine-Colored Cloud Dream Flower]
[Saint-rank Dead Sea Stage: ??Frost Snow Woman??]
[Saint-rank Dead Sea Stage: ?Ice Soul Cold Star?]
[XXXXXXX: ?XXXXX?]
At this moment, the hidden truth, revealed by the Storm True Eye, was laid bare before the instructor in the long dress.
Not just a Water Element, but not a single low or mid-rank spirit beast among them. A dazzling, unbelievable team of high-ranking SRs.
No Silverblade Fox, none of the spirit beasts they had speculated about, only… their impending doom.
Such a powerful lineup was unheard of even in the entire Wind Realm. Connecting the recent events, piecing together the fragmented clues, the instructor instantly understood.
Gong Lianyue, the Sorrowful Saintess of the Sea Concubine Palace!
Who would have thought that this legendary figure was hiding within their small Gray Shadow Mountain?
“Well? Did you see anything? Hurry up!”
“Besides the Silverblade Fox, what else does she have?”
Hearing her companions’ impatient calls, the instructor in the long dress felt her heart stop, her blood turning to ice.
Hurry up and do what?
Die?
The silver-haired girl was looking at her innocently. The moment she revealed the truth, everyone here would die. Literally.
Gray Shadow Mountain had more than ten Samsara Stage Spirit Masters, but most were stationed elsewhere. There were probably no more than three within the mountain at the moment.
Three…
Whether Gray Shadow Mountain’s guardians managed to win or were also defeated, it would be after everyone here was dead.
Her racing thoughts slowed, and the instructor swallowed hard, seemingly making up her mind.
“Her spirit beasts are—”
She paused, her eyes widening.
Not because she had changed her mind, but because the pressure was crushing her, almost breaking her.
The silver-haired girl’s innocent, seemingly wronged expression filled her vision, consuming her thoughts, a suffocating wave of fear and despair.
Was she already dead?
No, not yet.
She was one word away from death…
“A Silverblade Fox!!!” she blurted out, the fastest she had ever spoken, then realized she was drenched in sweat.
The silver-haired girl’s expression turned slightly strange. The spirit energy she had been about to unleash was quickly withdrawn.
Being this scared of a single Frost Snow Woman… Or was it that she knew everyone here was going to die? A catastrophic, unavoidable death?
Regardless, there seemed to be a chance.
“No, there’s another one. She’s already at the Illumination Stage. Shouldn’t she have another companion spirit beast?”
“…”
“…”
The stage before Illumination Stage was called the Awakening Period. One could contract with a companion spirit beast without an awakening ceremony.
However, according to a certain mythical spirit beast’s research, spirit beasts awakened through a ceremony generally had higher quality and potential.
The mythical-rank spirit beast, Time.
It had repeatedly experimented by turning back time, having Awakening Period Spirit Masters awaken their companion spirit beasts in various ways, finally concluding that the optimal method was—the awakening ceremony!
A person’s companion spirit beast was predetermined at birth, an immutable fate, but the ceremony could enhance its initial stats and future potential.
Since Shui Qingyue was already at the Illumination Stage, she must have secretly performed the awakening ceremony at some point.
Faced with the question, the instructor, who had just escaped death, felt trapped again, her mind blank.
Wind Element, Wind Attendant, Stone Giant, Hidden Sleeve Assassin, Wind Wing Breaker… These familiar spirit beast names, usually at the tip of her tongue, now eluded her.
“I also have a Wind Element Commander!!”
Gong Lianyue suddenly declared.
As her voice echoed, a silver, wind-wreathed giant materialized, then vanished just as quickly.
Although only a brief glimpse, it was unmistakably a Wind Element Commander, its aura and appearance undeniable.
The Nine-Colored Cloud Dream Flower’s pollen didn’t dye the objects themselves, but their spirit energy. Until it wore off, she could change colors freely.
With the little fox currently being… chauffeured around in the Frost Snow Woman’s coffin, she had been forced to use the pollen on herself.
“Yes, yes, yes, a Wind Element Commander!!” the instructor latched onto the name like a lifeline, nodding frantically.
“Alright, so it wasn’t Shui Qingyue. She’s only at the Illumination Stage. Even with a Saint-rank, she couldn’t have defeated the Bone Saintess and caused this much destruction.”
“We’ll have to ask the Bone Saintess when she wakes up…”
“Let her go for now.”
“Wait, what about the spot at the Overlord’s birthday celebration!?”
Just as they were about to leave, the instructor in the long dress, glancing at Shui Qingyue, suddenly brought this up.
If she hadn’t figured this out, she wouldn’t have recognized the Sorrowful Saintess.
Hiding in Gray Shadow Mountain… she clearly wasn’t here because she respected them. She was just using them as a stepping stone to safely reach the birthday celebration.
The instructor just wanted her gone, away from Gray Shadow Mountain, where her presence was a constant source of anxiety.
“Gray Shadow Mountain currently has no other high-rank seedlings.”
“After the investigation, if Shui Qingyue reaches the Dawn and Dusk Stage, we can consider it, but Illumination Stage is too…”
“What’s there to be afraid of? We’re not the ones hosting the celebration. We can just wait and see. No need to embarrass ourselves.”
“Alright, I’ll suggest it to the Mountain Master.”
The discussion concluded. Some instructors stayed behind to deal with the aftermath, while others went to report the situation.
However, just as the instructor in the long dress turned to leave, she froze, her body trembling uncontrollably.
[It’s a shame. I was planning to flatten Gray Shadow Mountain.]
[I hope you remember what you said today. Shui Qingyue’s spirit beasts are a Silverblade Fox and a Wind Element Commander.]
[If their species change, then things will truly change. There will be no going back.~~~]
This was a message sent via Tidal Wave, a spirit technique undetectable by the Dead Sea Stage Spirit Masters present.
A powerful, tsunami-like wave of sound echoed in her mind, and the instructor slowly turned around, a stiff, unnatural smile on her face.
Shui Qingyue also waved, a sweet, innocent smile on her face.
If the Silverblade Fox and the Wind Element Commander happened to become a Frost Snow Woman or something else… they would be coming for her~~~
Leave a Reply