Chapter 189: Scorpion Tail
Wen Chan, the former Saintess Candidate of the Ice Shield’s Fifth Palace.
After losing her battle against Luo Kuxin during the Saintess selection, she had been so furious she couldn’t sleep for ten days and nights. She had then stormed into the Wind Valley, engaging in a frenzied killing spree for another ten days and nights, returning battered and bruised.
Just as her anger subsided and she was about to rest, a gift box arrived at her doorstep.
Inside was a bound and gagged, beautiful woman, identical to Luo Kuxin, a letter identifying her as a clone of the Wrathful Saintess, meant for Wen Chan to… vent her frustrations.
And so, Wen Chan spent another ten days and nights torturing the clone with various implements before finally collapsing from exhaustion.
When she awoke, she found the previously battered green-haired girl dressed in a maid outfit, having prepared a delicious breakfast, acting like a doting wife.
At that moment, she fell in love.
For the Wrathful Saintess, she would do anything!
Wen Chan willingly participated in the Ranking Battle. She would make the Ice Shield Palace the ruler of the Sea Region, and then Lady Luo Kuxin would become its Empress!!!
“Tear her to shreds! Leave nothing behind, Ice Spider Queen!”
In the center of the Water Heart Stage, as Wen Chan’s cold voice echoed, a chilling aura filled the arena, and a beautiful, corpse-like woman in mourning clothes, her limbs twisted grotesquely, emerged from the void.
Radiating an icy aura, the humanoid spirit beast swayed unsteadily, like a hanged ghost.
As it moved, grotesque, fleshy tumors on its back split open, revealing massive, writhing spider legs.
Despite its unsettling appearance, its terrifying aura was undeniable, on a completely different level from the previous farcical displays.
This was a Spirit Master from the battle-hardened Ice Shield Palace…
Meanwhile, the black-haired woman from the Pool of Hidden Secrets, her expression calm, channeled her spirit energy.
She was a descendant of the Ninth Lineage of the Nine Nethers. She couldn’t lose to anyone from the Sea Region.
Boom!
A violent aura erupted, and a massive black beast, its hundred-meter-tall body blotting out the sky, emerged from the shadows, its heavy footsteps causing the ground to tremble.
A black-scaled crocodile, as large as a Tyrannosaurus Rex, its massive jaws capable of splitting open like a zipper, from head to toe.
The Ice Spider Queen and the Tyrant Water Crocodile, both high-rank offensive spirit beasts, their auras clashing.
Bang!!!
The next second, the two spirit beasts collided at a speed beyond human comprehension.
Nearly ten icy spider legs, like a flurry of blades, rained down on the giant crocodile, tearing through its flesh, sending black blood spraying everywhere.
Enduring the excruciating pain, the Tyrant Water Crocodile lashed out with its massive, scaled tail, a blur of black, striking the Ice Spider Queen.
Boom!!!
The Ice Spider Queen was sent flying like a cannonball, tumbling across the ground, its spider legs broken, its graceful body twisted into a mangled mess.
Unlike those pathetic Spirit Masters from the lower-ranked factions, these two were fighting to kill.
“Aaaaaaaah!!!
A few seconds of silence, then a chorus of terrified screams.
The gruesome scene before them made many Spirit Masters recoil in horror. Even the Snow Fairy Mansion Spirit Masters, lacking combat experience, let alone these ordinary Spirit Masters who had never even killed a chicken, were shocked.
How could they bear to see their spirit beasts suffer like this…?
A few seconds later, the Ice Spider Queen, its twisted body reforming, new, larger, and even more grotesque spider legs sprouting from its back, covered in thick, bristly hair, finally used a battle technique.
And the Tyrant Water Crocodile, despite its injuries, also recovered, its body now covered in sharp, black spikes, its aura surging once more.
Like donning a suit of heavy armor, the crocodile charged, not at the Ice Spider Queen, but at its Spirit Master!
To protect its master, the enemy’s attacks would surely be limited!
Seeing the massive beast charging towards her, a flicker of anger appeared in Wen Chan’s eyes.
Swish!
The Ice Spider Queen, which had been slowly recovering, instantly teleported back to its master’s side.
Dozens of powerful, icy spider legs, their tips now sharpened into blades, lashed out at the approaching crocodile.
Crack—
In a flash, the black crocodile’s four massive legs were severed, and it lost its balance, tumbling towards Wen Chan, its massive body creating a deafening roar and a cloud of dust.
With no other choice, the Ice Spider Queen moved to intercept it.
However, just as the crocodile approached, its jaw unhinged, expanding several times its normal size, and in an instant, it swallowed the Ice Spider Queen whole.
But this awkward maneuver also altered its trajectory, sending it tumbling towards another faction’s waiting area.
—
In the Sea Concubine Palace’s designated area, seeing the massive, shadowy figure hurtling towards them, everyone froze.
Even the Sorrowful Saintess, her expression calm, seemed caught off guard by this sudden development.
However, at that very moment…
Thud!!!!
Amidst the spectators’ gasps, the massive figure stopped, barely a meter away from the legendary Sorrowful Saintess, stopped by an insurmountable force.
As the dust settled, the scene was revealed.
Two deep blue scorpion tails, like chains, coiled around the Sorrowful Saintess, forming a protective cage.
These seemingly delicate, bony tails had effortlessly stopped the massive, tumbling crocodile, not even a ripple disturbing their surface.
Although only a meter away, the Tyrant Water Crocodile felt an insurmountable barrier, a chasm separating it from the blue-haired girl, a power it couldn’t possibly overcome.
From that single point of contact, it could sense the vast difference in their strength, a wave of despair washing over it.
And at the same time, Gong Lianyue, surrounded by the two swirling scorpion tails, her cold eyes narrowed.
“You… have crossed the line.”
Chapter 190: The Second Round
The Saint-Breaking Pill, a legendary treasure of the spirit world, said to be capable of inducing a genetic mutation in a high-rank spirit beast, evolving it into a Saint-rank.
Like a shortcut to godhood, bypassing the usual arduous cultivation process, its price was unimaginable.
Awarding it as a prize for first place in a war zone seemed… reasonable.
According to the records, if you circled a Saint-Breaking Pill around a spirit beast, an image of its evolved form would appear on the pill’s surface.
Gong Lianyue circled the purple, cloud-patterned pill around the Iron Jade Ice Scorpion, and the image of a scorpion tail with crossed blades appeared.
Then she tried it with the Nine-Colored Cloud Dream Flower, but the pill remained blank, indicating there were no Saint-rank spirit beasts of a similar lineage.
The little fox couldn’t evolve…
—
Before the viewing stands of the Water Heart Stage, two high-rank spirit beasts, locked in a fierce wrestling match, slid for hundreds of meters before being abruptly stopped.
Barely a meter away from the Sorrowful Saintess, they were blocked by two swirling scorpion tails, a cage of chains protecting the cold, blue-haired girl.
“You’ve crossed the line.”
As the Sorrowful Saintess spoke, a chilling aura, like falling into an icy abyss, washed over the two spirit beasts.
The Ice Spider Queen, its mangled body held in the Tyrant Water Crocodile’s jaws, felt its limbs go numb, its courage failing.
Sensing the crocodile’s fear, the Pool of Hidden Secrets woman anxiously tried to communicate with it, channeling her spirit energy.
However, the terrified crocodile was unresponsive, its mind a blank.
Crack, crack!
The next second, the crocodile’s body was torn apart, the spider’s sharp legs shredding its insides, its head splitting open like a blooming flower.
As its aura vanished, the Ice Spider Queen, covered in blood, its form barely recognizable, slowly emerged.
The Ice Shield Palace had won!
“Pwah!”
At the same time, the woman from the Pool of Hidden Secrets spat out a mouthful of blood, her face as pale as a ghost, glaring at the referee.
The Winter Floating Sky Spirit Master sighed and shook her head, unwilling to overturn the result.
Intimidating a spirit beast mid-battle was indeed a foul, but the Sorrowful Saintess hadn’t released any spirit energy.
With a single word, a single glance, she had broken the Tyrant Water Crocodile’s will.
Even a Sun and Moon Realm expert couldn’t achieve such a feat. This couldn’t be considered a violation.
The battle concluded. The Pool of Hidden Secrets Spirit Masters’ faces darkened, while the Ice Shield Palace members gloated, as if they had just annihilated their entire families.
The other spectators didn’t seem to notice anything unusual, assuming the crocodile had simply lost its grip. They were more impressed by the Sorrowful Saintess, who had effortlessly stopped the massive beast’s charge, than the two spirit beasts that had actually fought.
After this, the lower-ranked factions continued their cautious approach, either forfeiting or challenging weaker opponents.
After the Snow Fairy Mansion was repeatedly crushed, it was the Jade Pot Palace’s turn, then the Azure Stream Palace. The three bottom factions were humiliated and abused, a comical and rather disturbing sight.
Even the Lost Saintess of the Jade Pot Palace, despite her initial two victories, could only watch helplessly as her teammates were brutally defeated.
The Ice Shield Palace and the Pool of Hidden Secrets, on the other hand, were locked in a fierce rivalry, their battles bloody and brutal.
The Sea Concubine Palace, the Cold Court, and the Winter Floating Sky engaged in a few… friendly… matches, their wins and losses evenly distributed.
Hong Tao and Qing Yu each won one match, while the other team members had mixed results.
After nearly ten hours, the first round finally ended.
[Water Wish Pavilion: 3]
[Tide Pavilion: 3]
[Winter Floating Sky: 1]
[Sea Concubine Palace: 1]
[Cold Court: 1]
[Ice Shield Palace: 1]
[Pool of Hidden Secrets: -1]
[Jade Pot Palace: -2]
[Azure Stream Palace: -3]
[Snow Fairy Mansion: -4]
The Water Wish Pavilion and the Tide Pavilion held a significant lead, but their points had been earned by bullying the bottom three factions.
The top-tier factions, considering them no threat, had only challenged them a couple of times, allowing them to enjoy their temporary lead.
During the intermission, the spectators began to discuss the results.
“No Saint-rank spirit beasts appeared in the first round. Rather boring…”
“The real excitement is always saved for last. The point difference isn’t significant.”
“I thought the battles between the Ice Shield Palace and the Pool of Hidden Secrets were quite entertaining. So much blood!!”
“Eww~~ That’s too violent! They’ll never find husbands.”
The Ice Shield Palace and the Pool of Hidden Secrets had clearly developed a rivalry. They had fought five times, the Ice Shield Palace winning three.
The defeated Spirit Masters had lost their main spirit beasts, their soul cores severely damaged, unable to challenge again.
Although Dead Sea Stage Spirit Masters didn’t faint from the pain of their spirit beast’s death, they still suffered, their minds and bodies exhausted.
After the results of the first round were tallied, it was time for the second round, the Tests.
Although lacking the direct confrontation of the duels, this round was more entertaining, like a school sports day.
The referee from the Winter Floating Sky drew five slips of paper:
-
Speed
-
Intelligence
-
Strength
-
Spirit Energy Capacity
-
Beauty
The second round, the Tests, was where the top and mid-tier factions could truly separate themselves from the rest.
Only the top three in each test earned points: 3, 2, and 1, respectively. The other factions received zero.
The Speed test involved a one-kilometer race around the Water Heart Stage, the Spirit Master carried by their spirit beast. The first to reach the finish line won.
The Intelligence test assessed the spirit beast’s intelligence, not the Spirit Master’s.
The Strength test involved a spirit artifact that measured the force of each faction’s spirit beast’s attack.
The Spirit Energy Capacity test measured the maximum amount of spirit energy a Spirit Master could unleash in an instant.
The Beauty test wasn’t based on human standards, but on which Spirit Master was most attractive to wild spirit beasts.
The second round consisted of five tests. Most mid-tier factions sent their Saintesses to participate in this round, hoping to secure a higher ranking…
And Bai He of the Sea Concubine Palace would also be participating in this round.
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