Chapter 9: The Sorrowful Saintess
Across the vast, white snowfield, a massive wave surged beneath the surface, creating a terrifying tremor. The hard ground was split into two straight arcs as the wave, like a bulldozer, plowed through everything in its path, shattering any obstacles.
Despite its intimidating appearance, the Level 2 Black Mud Whale didn’t rely on biting force to travel underground, but rather on its innate ability to soften the earth into mud. Otherwise, it would be truly terrifying…
Feeling the ferocious power approaching from behind, a drop of cold sweat trickled down the blue-haired girl’s cheek as she was carried away by the Water Element.
This person was clearly targeting her, relentlessly pursuing her. How dare they attack the Saintess of the Sea Concubine Palace? Weren’t they afraid of their entire family being implicated?
What? They’re an orphan? Oh, never mind then.
Sadly, a Level 1 Water Element couldn’t possibly defeat a Black Mud Whale. It was like a stream of water from a faucet trying to stop a speeding truck. They weren’t even on the same level.
“What should I do…?” Gong Lianyue looked around anxiously. As far as the eye could see, there was only the flat, white snowfield, not even a place to hide. At this rate, wouldn’t she surely die?
What kind of script was this? The dignified Saintess dying here?
She had seen many examples in novels of geniuses dying young before achieving their potential, but she hadn’t expected it to happen to her. This was too unfortunate!
Although Gong Lianyue knew she wasn’t a genius, she was about to clear the first level of the Soul Prison Trial after four years. Wouldn’t it be a waste to die at this juncture?!
————
“Hm?”
The Black Mud Whale was furiously burrowing underground, about to catch up to its target when the Water Element suddenly stopped. The blue-haired girl slowly turned around, the beautiful face formed by six teardrop beauty marks staring at them coldly.
Whoosh!!! The Black Mud Whale skidded in a long arc, narrowly avoiding a collision at the last moment, flipping over the earth to the side, sending rubble flying and snow scattering.
Remaining motionless for more than ten seconds, the Black Mud Whale slowly surfaced. The cloaked woman emerged cautiously from its mouth, looking around the deserted snowfield and sighing.
So this was the battlefield the Saintess had chosen?
Although the Saintess was still in her awakening period, not even a formal Spirit Master, while she herself was already a Level 2 Spirit Master… she couldn’t imagine a scenario where she would win. How despairing! She had come to assassinate the Saintess, yet she already knew she was doomed.
But for that person, she had to do this.
“Whose subordinate are you? Bai He’s, Hong Tao’s, or another Saintess Candidate’s?” Gong Lianyue asked coldly.
After a few seconds of silence, the cloaked woman slowly removed her hood, revealing a somewhat attractive, unfamiliar face. A wickedly arrogant smirk appeared on her lips. “I… I’m Saintess Candidate Bai He’s subordinate. For years, you’ve acted arrogantly, relying on your status as Saintess. Today, you will not leave this place alive! Hahahahaha!!!”
“Wait, what proof do you have that you’re Bai He’s subordinate?”
“Eh?”
The cloaked woman, standing beneath the Black Mud Whale, stopped laughing abruptly and blinked in confusion. Proof? Did that even need to be proven?
momentarily stunned by the unexpected question, but the dangerous situation remained unchanged. Gong Lianyue clenched her fists, maintaining her cold and indifferent expression. The little fox trembled on her shoulder, clearly terrified.
“If I’m defeated, is your master guaranteed to defeat the other Saintess Candidates?” Tears welled up in Gong Lianyue’s eyes, the six beauty marks shimmering as an uncontrollable look of pity appeared on her face, as if she were weeping for the woman’s tragic fate.
This is it…
The cloaked woman’s heart skipped a beat, a chill running down her spine. Goosebumps rose on her skin. This expression!
This terrifying, compassionate expression, as if she regarded everything in the world as playthings. This was why everyone in the Sea Concubine Palace called her by that name.
—The Sorrowful Saintess, Gong Lianyue.
The moment she saw that expression, the cloaked woman recoiled in fear, a flicker of hesitation in her heart as she imagined her own gruesome demise.
She quickly shook her head to dispel the fear. Things had gone too far. There was no turning back…
“That’s none of your concern. Black Mud Whale, kill her!!”
“Ooo!!” With the cloaked woman’s command, the Black Mud Whale charged ferociously, its massive, truck-like body plowing through the ground.
“It’s over…” Gong Lianyue’s face was filled with sorrow. Her taunts hadn’t worked. The woman was clearly determined to fight to the death, while she herself hadn’t prepared for a real battle at all.
[Water Armor Technique] With the enemy spirit beast closing in, Gong Lianyue clasped her hands together in a pious Saintess’s prayer pose. Water-blue spirit energy enveloped the Water Element’s small, frail form in a layer of water armor.
Boom!!!!
The next second, the Black Mud Whale’s massive body slammed into the Water Element, the terrifying wave scattering the surrounding water, the Water Armor Technique shattering and disappearing without offering any defense whatsoever.
The Water Element was sent flying, water spraying everywhere. A crack appeared on the core at its center. It was badly battered, clearly having suffered a heavy blow.
This was to be expected. It was already difficult for a Level 1 spirit beast to fight a Level 2 one, let alone a Black Mud Whale, a mid-rank creature whose talent and growth potential far surpassed that of a low-rank Water Element.
Unless she truly had a Variant Water Emperor, she wouldn’t survive today.
Gong Lianyue stood motionless, her expression showing no panic or surprise, but her fingernails dug deep into her palms. Like a prisoner about to be executed, her heart was filled with torment and helplessness.
The Black Mud Whale, having landed a heavy blow, also stopped. The cloaked woman glared angrily at Gong Lianyue. This… this woman actually… treated her like a toy…
She… she… she had actually used her as practice for her spirit techniques. Unforgivable!!!
If she had that legendary spirit beast, why didn’t she just finish her off and put her out of her misery?
“Black Mud Whale!”
Sensing the cloaked woman’s fury, the Black Mud Whale roared and burrowed into the ground, charging towards the blue-haired girl herself, ignoring the battered Water Element that was on the verge of collapse.
“Ah, facing death, at least let me die with dignity.”
Facing the ferocious Black Mud Whale, Gong Lianyue closed her eyes. This was probably retribution for a lifetime of acting high and mighty. If she had admitted her incompetence earlier, she wouldn’t have been pushed into the spotlight and faced such a crisis.
And having grown accustomed to this facade, she couldn’t even muster a fearful expression. Is this the Sorrowful Saintess? How laughable…
“Ooo——!!!” Just as the Black Mud Whale was about to bite down, the cloaked woman’s shocked expression, the Water Element’s glowing, cracking core, Gong Lianyue’s beautiful, expressionless face, the swirling snow on the Ice Plains—everything froze as if time had stopped.
Bang!
A massive cloud of pink mist erupted from the little fox, a fierce wind quickly sweeping across the entire Ice Plains, engulfing everything in sight.
Then, a terrifyingly large figure slowly emerged from the dreamlike pollen.
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