Chapter 78: Gong Lianyue’s Lover
Hong Tao, a woman as crimson as flames, with red hair, red eyebrows, and fiery eyes.
Originally just an ordinary member of the Sea Concubine Palace, she was chosen as a Saintess Candidate due to her exceptionally dense water spirit energy.
Yes, water spirit energy. Unlike Lei Ji and Qing Yu, whose natural attributes defied their origins, her source of power was water, perfectly aligned with the Sea Region’s environment.
And yet, she had gained the favor of the Hellfire Dragon, a high-rank fire-type spirit beast!
Hong Tao must possess some hidden advantage…
But no one cared about such trivial matters!
Since they were chosen as Saintess Candidates, they naturally possessed some secrets, but as long as they remained below Saint-rank, no one paid much attention.
Only Saint-ranks mattered. Whether high-ranking officials or low-level members, everyone’s focus was on the Sorrowful Saintess’s Variant Water Emperor.
The renowned Bai He only enjoyed a small degree of popularity within the Sea Concubine Palace due to her… revealing attire. Who outside even knew her name?
Within the palace, it was forbidden to address Bai He as “Saintess,” let alone Hong Tao or Qing Yu.
In every era, only Saint-ranks captured the public’s attention.
But Hong Tao harbored a secret about the Sea Concubine Palace higher-ups.
–This secret was that Shui Qinghou, leader of the Six Concubines, had an illegitimate daughter within the Sea Concubine Palace named Shui Qingyue, and she was Gong Lianyue, the Sorrowful Saintess’s, lover!
Even judging from their names alone, Shui Qingyue and Gong Lianyue were undeniably connected.
And the evidence was clear. The dignified Sorrowful Saintess had personally gone to Fallen Whale Island during the preliminaries, rescuing the besieged Sea Concubine Palace disciples and revealing her Saint-rank spirit beast for the first time.
Was this a display of love and rage, risking exposure for her lover?
After the Fallen Whale Island incident, everyone questioned the Saintess’s presence there, but only Hong Tao knew the truth.
Gong Lianyue was constantly protecting Shui Qingyue, whether in bed or out of it, even staying by her side during the selection.
Hong Tao had kept this secret to herself.
Everything she had done was for this day!
If she defeated Lei Ji, then Bai He, when facing the Sorrowful Saintess’s cold and indifferent expression, she could finally announce:
[Shui Qingyue’s body already belongs to me!]
Shui Qingyue had been swallowed by the Hellfire Dragon for two hours. Gong Lianyue must have seen it.
Although she had no proof, Gong Lianyue couldn’t possibly be completely unaffected.
Hong Tao wasn’t doing this out of boredom or to simply provoke the Sorrowful Saintess.
Her true goal was to enrage Gong Lianyue, forcing her to unleash her Saint-rank spirit beast, allowing her to witness its power firsthand.
In truth, Hong Tao had never seen a Saint-rank spirit beast before. She was simply curious…
Boom, boom, boom!!!
Crackling thunder filled the arena as Lei Ji, her body enveloped in violent electric arcs, brandished a lightning-wreathed folding fan.
The woman, resembling an electric hedgehog, danced and waved her fan, unleashing a symphony of lightning.
[High-rank Weapon-type Spirit Beast – Dance of Thunder]
So noisy!!!
Lei Ji considered her dance to be powerful and stylish, but in the eyes of the Sea Region audience, it was just a noisy, irritating spectacle.
As a Sea Region Spirit Master, one should possess a noble, aloof, elegant, beautiful, charming, gentle, and virtuous demeanor, like the Sorrowful Saintess.
What was this crackling, buzzing monstrosity?!
“Get off the stage!!”
Hearing the audience’s dismissive silence, and even a stray heckle, Lei Ji was confused.
But facing the massive, intimidating Hellfire Dragon, she couldn’t hold back her power, the violent thunder intensifying.
[Battle Technique – Gale Force Thunder]
Boom!!!
The ground beneath her feet shattered.
The girl crouched down, her hair standing on end, her aura distorted by the crackling electricity.
Seeing this, Hong Tao, hidden within the Hellfire Dragon, also became serious.
The temperature around the Hellfire Dragon rose, waves of scorching heat filling the air.
Many spectators began to sweat, their faces flushed and uncomfortable.
These two women were so annoying!!!
Couldn’t they just fight without affecting the audience? One deafeningly loud, the other scorchingly hot. Did they have no sense of Sea Region aesthetics?
The illusory barrier on the stage could only block physical attacks, not sound or temperature.
Although the battle was about to reach its climax, many spectators had already left, no longer interested.
Were there no normal people in the Sea Concubine Palace besides the Sorrowful Saintess?
Just then, the roaring thunder and the terrifying flames finally clashed.
Boom!!!
A deafening roar, a mushroom cloud rising into the sky, and then silence, the arena filled with smoke and dust.
The previously drowsy and impatient audience perked up, their gazes fixed on the center of the Sea Dou Hall.
Had one of them been accidentally killed? That would be interesting, a highlight in this otherwise boring Saintess selection!
Whoosh~~~~
As the smoke cleared, the two girls were revealed, lying motionless in the center of the arena, their spirit energy depleted, seemingly a draw.
Both were disheveled and covered in soot, much to the amusement of the audience.
“…”
“…”
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!!!
A few seconds later, applause erupted throughout the Sea Dou Hall, the audience seemingly appreciating the “exciting” duel between the two Saintess Candidates.
Among them, a green figure in the audience clapped so hard her hands turned red.
Incidentally, she was also the one who had yelled the heckle earlier.
With the match ending in a draw, Bai He automatically qualified to challenge the Sorrowful Saintess.
Finally, it was the Sorrowful Saintess’s turn!
The Spirit Masters from other factions hadn’t traveled thousands of miles to watch these Saintess Candidates’ antics. That wasn’t even worth the travel expenses.
They wouldn’t leave without seeing the Sorrowful Saintess’s Variant Water Emperor.
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