Chapter 203: A Token of Affection
Water Heart Stage, Sea Region. Under the watchful eyes of all…
The falling snowflakes froze mid-air, the flowing spirit energy solidified, as if time itself had stopped.
This breathtakingly beautiful scene, displayed on the spirit energy crystal, would be forever etched in the history of the Sea Region.
The Snow Monarch, with a gentle touch, lifted the blue-haired girl’s hand and placed a pure white ring, carved with an ice flower pattern, on her ring finger…
Gong Lianyue, her body numb from the chilling cold, blinked, her expression dazed.
The beautiful ring had a strange, asymmetrical design, a single, icy white petal adorning it.
Wearing the ring, she felt a faint connection to the Snow Monarch.
Seeing this, You Xinchan, her body trembling, stood up abruptly, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Not just the Nether Empress, but every Spirit Master who recognized the ring felt a shiver of fear.
This was… a legendary being’s token!
Possessing a legendary being’s token granted one a single, unconditional request. But that wasn’t the most important part.
The token represented the legendary being’s favor and protection. Even across realms, other legendary beings would sense it and avoid the area, unwilling to provoke its owner.
The Snow Monarch’s aura would tell all other legendary beings: This woman…
She acknowledges!
She cherishes!
She protects!
Any transgression will be met with the destruction of ten realms.
The Snow Monarch’s token, a single ice petal, had only been given three times in tens of thousands of years.
The first, to the Illusion Sea Concubine, a titled legendary White Flower Moon-Treading Deer. Its master, a Samsara Stage Spirit Master, facing an insurmountable foe, had unleashed the Illusion Sea Concubine’s full power, her soul core shattering from the strain.
The minimum requirement for wielding Saint-rank power was the Dead Sea Stage. For legendary power, it was the Nether Traverse Stage.
After its master’s death, the Illusion Sea Concubine, its power unleashed, had slaughtered several legendary beings in the surrounding realms, then spent a century unifying those realms, earning the title of Illusion Sea Concubine and receiving a token of the Snow Monarch’s favor.
The second, to the master of the Ice Antelope Grand Concubine, a girl born with legendary potential in the Nether Snow Domain, one of the Ten Sacred Domains, bestowed with a token by the Snow Monarch at birth.
Born with legendary potential, in a Sacred Domain, and under the protection of the Snow Monarch, the girl effortlessly reached the Sun and Moon Realm, dying of old age thousands of years later, her spirit beast, the Ice Antelope Grand Concubine, reverting to its wild state and returning to the Snow Monarch.
Legendary spirit beasts didn’t die when their masters did.
The third, to the Sorrowful Saintess of the Sea Region.
The Snow Monarch, for some unknown reason, had been angered by this woman, but in her moment of near-death, she had summoned the Martial Empress, the Jade Concubine of the Waterfall Lake.
This talent, this courage, had earned the Snow Monarch’s respect, granting her a token of favor and the right to formally contract with the Frost Snow Woman.
“Wait, the Snow Monarch hasn’t taken anything from her yet!”
“I heard that some lose an organ, or a part of their soul core, when exchanging tokens with a legendary being. What will the Sorrowful Saintess lose?”
Legendary beings didn’t take tokens as payment, but to memorize and familiarize themselves with the recipient’s aura and essence.
As everyone held their breath, the Snow Monarch lifted the blue-haired girl’s hand and gently lifted her veil.
Gong Lianyue’s heart stopped, her breath catching in her throat.
Even her perpetually emotionless face couldn’t hide her shock.
So that was it. The exchange… was her heart!
Was this… a heart attack? The others thought, suddenly understanding.
However, less than a millisecond later, the Snow Monarch released the girl’s hand, her mysterious face once again hidden behind the veil.
[Do you know my true name?]
With a cold, ethereal voice echoing in the girl’s mind, the Snow Monarch turned and walked away, her white wedding dress billowing behind her.
A few seconds later, her form flickered, becoming translucent, then dissolving into snowflakes, scattering in the wind.
As the Snow Monarch departed, the snow within the secret realm began to melt, the frozen figures thawing.
The ice melted, the sky cleared.
Even after the chilling aura completely dissipated, Gong Lianyue remained frozen, her heart still, only her teardrop eyes, spinning rapidly, showing any sign of life.
Sacred Water, Lover, hadn’t been lying. Even just its aura hinted at the Snow Monarch’s breathtaking beauty.
Her fists… they were hard!
“Ahem!” Snapping out of her trance, the girl touched the ice flower ring on her finger (a token of affection), her expression complex.
The Snow Monarch’s parting words confused her.
[Do you know my true name?]
If “Snow Monarch” was a title, then she must have a true name or a true species, lost to time, a secret known only to herself.
How could she possibly know? Gong Lianyue was puzzled.
What had the Snow Monarch meant? She couldn’t understand.
Was it related to its earlier anger?
A moment later, the Frost Snow Woman, freed from the ice, gently nudged Gong Lianyue’s arm, tears welling up in its eyes.
Although frozen, it had sensed the severing of their contract.
Gong Lianyue quickly understood and, gently stroking the Frost Snow Woman’s hair, reformed their contract. She would also re-contract with her other spirit beasts once they were outside.
Meanwhile, on the Water Heart Stage…
Deafening cheers erupted, while You Xinchan, her head bowed, a bitter smile on her face, stood in stunned silence.
Her meticulously crafted, 170-step revenge plan had been thwarted at the first stage.
Gong Lianyue, the 100th Sorrowful Saintess of the Sea Concubine Palace!!!
This woman was far more monstrous than even she herself, Shui Yuerong of the Sea Concubine Palace, Bing Daohe of the Ice Shield Palace, or any previous Sea Region Alliance leader.
The Sea Region, now under the Snow Monarch’s protection… what would become of the Pool of Hidden Secrets?
As the Nether Empress struggled to comprehend the situation, something else happened within the secret realm.
Several Spirit Masters, realizing they could now withdraw, eagerly shouted “Withdraw!”, relieved to have survived.
With the Snow Monarch’s arrival, the outcome of the Ranking Battle was meaningless.
A few seconds later, all fifty Spirit Masters, including Gong Lianyue, vanished from the secret realm.
However, they didn’t reappear on the Water Heart Stage…
Chapter 204: The Calm Before the Storm
The Cangsheng Palace, originally an insignificant, little-known realm, referred to by the surrounding realms simply as the Cang Realm.
Its order was fractured, its spirit energy chaotic, its Spirit Masters weak, constantly on the verge of being conquered by its neighbors.
However, just as the Cang Realm faced annihilation, a legendary-rank spirit beast appeared, claiming the realm as its own, vowing to protect it for its beloved for ten thousand years.
Intimidated by the legendary being’s aura, the invading forces retreated in terror.
And the Cang Realm, empowered by the legendary being’s protection, expanded rapidly, tens of thousands of wild spirit beasts submitting, transforming into a powerful force in mere decades, renaming themselves the Cangsheng Palace.
But after that, the legendary being never appeared again…
Later investigations revealed the truth. The legendary being had been struck by the shockwave from the White Moon Lord’s passing, its body and soul core destroyed, only a fragment of its essence remaining, found by a mortal girl.
The kind and compassionate girl brought the dying legendary being home and cared for it.
As time passed, feelings developed, and so began a decades-long companionship.
But a mortal’s lifespan was fleeting compared to a legendary spirit beast’s. For decades, the legendary being watched as the girl grew, aged, and finally, died. Her life had been simple, never venturing beyond her village, her only companion the legendary being itself.
If it still had its power, it could have extended her life…
But at the time, it could barely even maintain its own existence, its spirit energy depleted.
So, it followed human customs, burying the girl’s body, watching as it decayed, returning to dust.
Decades later, as the Cang Realm faced another crisis, its power finally returned.
However, it no longer had the will to fight, only the desire to protect this last vestige of its beloved’s world.
It didn’t even hate the White Moon Lord. If it weren’t for the White Moon Lord, they would never have met, loved, and shared a lifetime together.
This was the love story of the Cangsheng Palace’s legendary guardian…
Cangsheng Palace, 73rd Saint Court
Bang!
Within the 73rd Saint Court’s palace, a sudden crash echoed.
A young woman with a ponytail furiously smashed furniture, tearing apart everything in sight, Blazing Soul Grass and Tyrant Blood Pills scattered like worthless weeds.
Liu Yin, the Saintess of the 73rd Court, was enraged.
Ever since that legendary Water Element had effortlessly conquered the First Saint Court a month ago, the balance of power within the Hundred Saint Courts of Cangsheng Palace had been shattered.
Several high-ranking Saint Courts had immediately surrendered to the legendary being, a humiliating display!
Liu Yin believed that the great Cangsheng Palace shouldn’t submit to a foreign invader. Since the Wind Realm was mobilizing a force against it, they should join the fight.
She had passionately declared her intentions during today’s meeting of the Hundred Courts, only to be ridiculed by her own faction, the neutral factions, and even the enemy.
The opposing Saint Courts, having already surrendered, naturally disagreed. They believed the Water Element would lead them to greater heights.
The neutral factions were still undecided, likely thinking that even the combined power of the Water Element and the Shadowlurking Blade couldn’t defeat the unseen legendary being protecting it.
Her own faction, unwilling to submit to a spirit beast, yet also convinced that human Spirit Masters were no match for a legendary being, considered her a fool, a liability.
“No, there must be other Saint Courts who agree with me! I have to ask them all!”
Liu Yin, biting her finger anxiously, her face flushed with anger, was determined.
It was all the fault of that bitch from the Seventh Saint Court! If she hadn’t provoked the Endless Swamp somehow, they wouldn’t be under pressure, and the Cangsheng Palace’s original delegation would have reached the Wind Realm for the Overlord’s birthday celebration. Then the Water Element wouldn’t have been able to steal the Shadowlurking Blade and act so arrogantly.
The Cangsheng Palace would never be slaves! They had to kill it, that legendary Water Element!
Unfortunately, more and more wild, water-type Saint-rank spirit beasts, having heard of its power, were now flocking to the Water Element, making a direct assault incredibly difficult.
The Water God Four Symbols, ranked 24th among water-type Saint-ranks, a Samsara Stage spirit beast, was now the Fifth Commander.
The Flowing Shadow, ranked 12th, also Samsara Stage, was the Fourth Commander.
The Variant Water Emperor, ranked 29th, also Samsara Stage, was the Third Commander.
The Libra Fighting Swallow, ranked 6th, also Samsara Stage, was the Second Commander.
The Watery Years, ranked 3rd, a Nether Traverse Stage spirit beast, was the First Commander.
The Five Commanders, each with hundreds of high-rank spirit beasts, thousands of mid-rank spirit beasts, and tens of thousands of low-rank spirit beasts under their command, controlled different territories, their presence a constant reminder of the Water Element’s power.
“I need help! I need reinforcements!”
Liu Yin was desperate. She knew that the Wind Realm forces alone weren’t enough.
Sun and Moon Realm Spirit Masters couldn’t easily travel between realms. Without their support, the remaining Spirit Masters couldn’t even breach the Five Commanders’ defenses, let alone face the legendary Water Element.
“Saintess! Saintess!”
A maid rushed in, stammering incoherently, earning a sharp glare from Liu Yin.
She kicked a nearby table, shattering it, and roared, “Don’t you know how to knock?! Speak clearly! Do you want to be recycled?!”
Seeing the Saintess’s fury, the maid’s face paled, and she stammered, waving her hands,
“No, no, Saintess, a group of Dead Sea Stage Spirit Masters have arrived at the gate. They claim to be from the Sea Region, survivors of an encounter with the Snow Monarch in a secret realm.”
“Pfft! Cough, cough, cough!
Liu Yin choked on her own saliva, bending over and coughing violently, tears streaming down her face, her expression incredulous.
What? The Snow Monarch?!
The Snow Monarch, the titled legendary being that even the White Moon Lord avoided…?
The White Moon Lord, a being of unrestrained power, had destroyed more realms than any other legendary being.
And yet, even the White Moon Lord had once been frozen by the Snow Monarch for a week as punishment, never daring to approach the Nether Snow Domain again.
What was going on with the world lately? The Wind Realm Overlord’s power stolen, the Cangsheng Palace occupied, and now the Sea Region invaded by the Snow Monarch?
Liu Yin felt a sense of bewildered disbelief.
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